Film Review: THE GREAT GATSBY (2013)

Director: Baz Luhrmann
Writers: Baz Luhrmann, Craig Pearce (screenplay), F. Scott Fitzgerald (novel)
Running time: 142 mins (approx)
Certification (UK): 12A

Genre: Drama/Romance
UK Release date: 16^th May 2013

Watched at the cinema on Sunday 2^nd June 2013.

PLEASE NOTE: THERE MAY BE UNINTENTIONAL SPOILERS IN THIS REVIEW.

I first have to say I have never read the book and so I can only judge the film as a on its own merits. I have, however seen the 1974 version of this film starring Robert Redford and Mia Farrow. Fortunately it was a very long time ago and I really can’t remember too much about it other than it didn’t exactly enthral me. I will have been in my early teens when I saw it so that’s not entirely surprising. But I digress; here’s a very brief summary before I give you my thoughts.

We are told the story is told through the eyes of Gatsby’ neighbour, Nick Carraway (Tobey Maguire). He had gone into selling bonds having decided he didn’t really want to be a writer. He was still close to his cousin, Daisy Buchanan (Carey Mulligan), who had married old money in the form of Tom Buchanan (Joel Edgerton). Now Jay Gatsby (Leonardo DiCaprio) was a very enigmatic character and there were wild rumours about him; none of which were true of course. He threw elaborate parties to which everyone who was anyone (and some who weren’t) turned up. One day, out of the blue, Carraway is sent an invitation to one of these soirées. Of course he goes, but never having met Gatsby before; found it hard to track him down so he could thank him. Eventually Gatsby makes himself known, but there’s an ulterior motive behind the invitation; something from the past and Nick Carraway is the key to unlocking it.

A film with some great set pieces; I found the party scenes particularly spectacular. It’s beautifully shot and I’m quite glad I saw it in 2D as I couldn’t see how 3D would have enhanced it much. I found the music interesting with the big set pieces being handed over to rapper Jay-Z (also an Executive Producer), but it was the original music by Craig Armstrong that I found most enthralling. There are several well known themes subtly placed in the soundtrack and I found both refreshing and interesting. All the performances were great with DiCaprio and Mulligan getting top billing; but I thought Tobey Maguire was equally good. I guess I’ll have to read the book to be able to decide just how good an adaptation this is; but for now I found it quite a satisfying watch with plenty of drama to keep me entertained. If I was to be super critical I would have to say I found the character of Gatsby a little one-dimensional, but having said that it’s still well worth a look if you get the chance.

SteelMonster’s verdict: RECOMMENDED

My score: 7.5/10.

IMDb Score: 7.5/10 (based on 49,082 votes when this review was written).
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1343092/

MetaScore: 54/100: (Based on 44 critic reviews provided by Metacritic.com at the time of going to press).

Rotten Tomatoes ‘Tomatometer’ Score: 51/100 (based on 255 reviews counted at the time of going to press).

Rotten Tomatoes ‘Audience’ Score: 72/100 (based on 90,311 user ratings counted at the time of going to press).
http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_great_gatsby_2012/

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LINKS:
(Note: All were working at the time of going to press)
Official Blog: http://gatsbymovie.tumblr.com/
Official Facebook (UK): https://www.facebook.com/TheGreatGatsbyUK
Official Site: http://thegreatgatsby.warnerbros.com/
Trailer:

Film Review: J. EDGAR (2011)

Director: Clint Eastwood
Writer: Dustin Lance Black
Running time: 132 mins (approx)
Certification (UK): 15

Genre: Drama/Biography/Crime
UK Release date: 20^th January 2012

Watched on Sky+ Sunday 3^rd February 2013.

PLEASE NOTE: THERE MAY BE UNINTENTIONAL SPOILERS IN THIS REVIEW.

I’ll admit to being a bit of a fan of the films of Clint Eastwood; both as an actor and as a director he has given us some excellent entertainment over the years. Now, I knew ‘J. Edgar’ wasn’t particularly well received on release, but I decided to give it a look anyway due to my admiration of Eastwood’s work. I’m very sad to say this one didn’t hit the mark by some distance. I will explain more after this very brief summary.

We are told the story of J. Edgar Hoover (Leonardo DiCaprio), from his early days in the 1920’s fighting communism, through his rise to power and the formation of the FBI and right up to his death. On the way we meet many of the characters that shaped the man; his domineering mother Annie (Judi Dench); his personal secretary, Helen Gandy (Naomi Watts) and his friend and confidant Clyde Tolson (Armie Hammer). Many of his achievements and several high-profile cases are highlighted but it is also a very personal story about his struggles with both bureaucracy and his own sexuality that make up the bulk of the film. I think that about covers it.

Although well made, I found the subject matter all a tad too dry; there was little excitement and what there was appeared very sporadic. I did like the look of the film though; the muted colours matched the mood; Eastwood always has a good eye for a shot and it shows. I also quite liked the original music, also written by Eastwood, nothing too ostentations, but nicely matched to the action. The performances were all very good with DiCaprio easily standing out but I thought Naomi Watts was woefully underused. Over all, I can’t say I was entirely thrilled with this one. I felt the whole thing was maybe too ambitious. If they had concentrated on (say) the Lindbergh kidnapping and used that as the backdrop to the narrative then maybe it would have worked better. But sadly this is not one I can recommend I’m afraid.

SteelMonster’s verdict: NOT RECOMMENDED

My score: 4.8/10.

IMDb Score: 6.7/10 (based on 56,367 votes when this review was written).
http://uk.imdb.com/title/tt1616195/?ref_=sr_1

MetaScore: 59/100: (Based on 42 critic reviews provided by Metacritic.com at the time of going to press).

Rotten Tomatoes ‘Tomatometer’ Score: 44/100 (based on 218 reviews counted at the time of going to press).

Rotten Tomatoes ‘Audience’ Score: 45/100 (based on 35,342 user ratings counted at the time of going to press).
http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/j_edgar/

If you’re crazy enough… You can find me on Facebook at:
http://facebook.com/andy.steel3

FAVOURITE QUOTES:
[first lines]
J. Edgar Hoover: Let me tell you something. The SCLC has direct Communist ties. Even great men can be corrupted, can't they? Communism is not a political party. It is a disease. It corrupts the soul, turning men, even the gentlest of men, into vicious evil tyrants.

J. Edgar Hoover: It's easy to be the expert if you're the only person in the world with any interest.
Clyde Tolson: He does also claim he can tell as much from a cut of wood as a doctor can from an autopsy.
J. Edgar Hoover: Ah.
Clyde Tolson: He has, um, social difficulties.
J. Edgar Hoover: He is mentally ill, isn't he?
Clyde Tolson: He's only as mad as you are - sir.

Congressman: But your agency is already one of the most well-funded in Washington, is it not?
J. Edgar Hoover: Yes, that is true sir, but our car and bank robbery recoveries totalled 6.5 million last year, and our budget is only, well, 2 million. Unlike other departments in Washington, we actually run a profit.

LINKS:
(NOTE: All links were working at the time of going to press)
Official Site: http://jedgarmovie.warnerbros.com/dvd/#/home
Trailer:

Film Review: THE DEPARTED (2006)

Director: Martin Scorsese
Running time: 151 mins (approx)
Certification (UK): 18

UK release date: 6th October 2006

Watched on DVD Sunday 21st November 2010.

PLEASE NOTE: THERE MAY BE SPOILERS IN THIS REVIEW.

I have lost count of the number of times this film has been recommended to me. Consequently I bought the DVD some time ago but never got round to watching it… until now. It is a remake of a 2002 Hong Kong film titled Infernal Affairs which was a big hit over there. It deals with crime and police corruption in Boston, and I must admit to those that recommended it to me, it’s pretty damn good! More of my thoughts later, here’s a brief summary first (summary haters take big Joey for a ride while I write the next paragraph… But don’t let me catch you readin’ it!!!).

State Detective, Billy Costigan, is from the South side of town; he has no family to speak of and so is targeted by Cpt. Queenan and Staff Sgt. Dignam who run undercover operations. They persuade him to get in with crime boss, Frank Costello, who they suspect is selling technology to the Chinese, amongst many other crimes. Little do they know that Costello has an inside man on the police task force, Colin Sullivan. Now Sullivan is not able to get the name of the undercover operative in Costello’s gang, but tips him off whenever the cops are getting near. After a while the cops become suspicious that Costello has an inside man amongst their ranks and start up an investigation to find out who the rat is. Cpt. Ellerby appoints Sullivan to lead the investigation. Add to this the fact that Costigan is slowly losing his mind the longer it goes on and has to see a police psychiatrist, Madolyn, who just happens to be Sullivan’s girlfriend. With both sides slowly closing in on the insiders a tense and shocking climax is in the offing.

I must say I really enjoyed this film up to a point. That point is the ending, I would have done it differently, but then who am I to argue with a man like Scorsese? A great script by William Monahan really brought out some great performances. First up I thought Leonardo DiCaprio was outstanding as Billy Costigan, Matt Damon totally made me forget the Bourne films as Colin Sullivan and, of course, Jack Nicholson was great, as ever, as Frank Costello. Also on the role of honour are; Mark Wahlberg as Staff Sgt. Dignam and Martin Sheen as Cpt. Queenan. Honourable mentions go to; Ray Winstone as Mr. French (Costello’s top henchman), Vera Farmiga as Madolyn, Anthony Anderson as Brown (a cop) and Alec Baldwin as Cpt. Ellerby.

A really engrossing film with just enough twists and turns to keep the audience enthralled without confusing too much. A great script and some really great performances only add to the enjoyment factor. I’ve already said I have a slight problem with the ending, but it is still a tremendous film and one I don’t hesitate to very highly recommend.


My score: 9.3/10

LINKS:
IMDb Page: http://uk.imdb.com/title/tt0407887/
Official Site: http://thedeparted.warnerbros.com/
Trailer: http://uk.imdb.com/rg/VIDEO_PLAY/LINK/video/screenplay/vi686883097/

Film Review: GANGS OF NEW YORK (2002)

Director: Martin Scorsese
Running time: 160 mins (approx)
Certification (UK): 18

UK release date: 9th January 2003

Watched on DVD Thursday 18th November 2010.

PLEASE NOTE: THERE MAY BE SPOILERS IN THIS REVIEW.

This film has been lurking in my DVD collection for some time now. The trouble is, it’s hard to find the nigh on three hours required to watch this epic. Fortunately, having been ordered to take my holidays, or lose them, a day off provided the necessary timeslot. It’s a movie with tremendous scope that shows a side of New York history I wasn’t aware of. Although not perfect, it still has a lot going for it. But more of that later, here’s a very brief summary first (summary haters please assume the crash position for the next paragraph).

We begin in 1846 at the Five Points, a district of New York notorious for its poverty and for its gangs. A clash between two gangs, the ‘Native Americans’, predominantly white, who were born there and the ‘Dead Rabbits’, predominantly Irish immigrants, leaves the leader of the ‘Dead Rabbits’, ‘Priest’ Vallon, dead. His killer, leader of the other gang, Bill ‘The Butcher’ Cutting shows mercy on his young son and sends him away. Sixteen years later the son, Amsterdam Vallon, returns to the Five Points seeking revenge, but prepared to bide his time. He decides to get close to Cutting and manages to do so with some great cunning. He meets Jenny Everdeane and falls for her, but she is indebted to Cutting and so Amsterdam, at first, spurns her, but we all know that isn’t going to last. This is all told against the backdrop of the American Civil War and President Lincoln’s plans to bring in a draft on the citizens of New York. There is a lot of feeling about this and the citizens are getting restless. Also, a politician, William ‘Boss’ Tweed is always trying to buy the votes of the residents of the Five Points by siding with Cutting on certain matters, a situation that doesn’t go down to well with certain factions. Now, having infiltrated Cutting’s inner circle, it’s time for Amsterdam to strike… and it’s here I’ll leave my short summary… what? You didn’t really expect me to give the ending away did you?... Shame.

This is a beautifully made film; everything from the cinematography to the set design to the costumes is all really well done. Some great performances too, especially from Daniel Day-Lewis, as Bill ‘The Butcher’ Cutting, it is a pleasure to watch every scene he is in. Also praiseworthy are; Leonardo DiCaprio as Amsterdam Vallon and Cameron Diaz as Jenny Everdeane. Honourable mentions also go to; Jim Broadbent as William ‘Boss’ Tweed, John C. Reilly as Happy Jack Mulraney and Henry Thomas as Johnny Sirocco.

I was afraid at first that this was going to be just another of those damned “America loves everything Irish” kind of movies, which I totally despise! Fortunately Scorsese knows better than that and what we get is a more balanced view of things (for a change). The film is a little too long for my liking and I found it quite easy to draw parallels with the likes of ‘Goodfellas’ and ‘Once Upon A Time in America’, but I can forgive that. It is enthralling throughout and a great visual spectacle, if just for the height of the top hats and Daniel Day-Lewis’s moustache and trousers! They are tremendous! Over all, if you can make the time… Highly recommended.

My score: 7.6/10

LINKS:
IMDb Site: http://uk.imdb.com/title/tt0217505/
Official Site: http://video.movies.go.com/gangsofnewyork/
Trailer: http://uk.imdb.com/rg/VIDEO_PLAY/LINK/video/screenplay/vi518717721/

Film Review: INCEPTION (2010)

Writer/Director: Christopher Nolan
Running time: 148 mins (approx)
Certification (UK): 12A

UK Release date: 16th July 2010

Watched at the cinema Saturday 17th July 2010.

PLEASE NOTE: THERE MAY BE SPOILERS IN THIS REVIEW.

If you can suspend you belief in reality for 148 minutes then this is the film for you, if you can’t then it may only confuse you. Fortunately I am of the former persuasion and was very intrigued to see Christopher Nolan’s latest effort, particularly given the reception it has initially received. And so, having avoided seeing anything much beyond the trailer I took my seat in the theatre and waited with much anticipation for it to start.

I will keep my summary very brief and try not to give away any spoilers, this is best seen without knowing too much about it. Cobb is a thief, using technology he can go into your dreams and steal your secrets. He can’t do it alone though, he needs a team around him for backup, to design the dreamscape, to chemically induce the dream and someone to wake them all up when the mission is completed. He finds that committing industrial espionage is a good way to make a living while he figures out a way to get back home to see his estrange kids. He cannot go and see them because he is implicated in the untimely death of their mother, Mal, who still haunts his dreams. When a powerful industrialist, Saito, comes to him with a proposal he is interested, particularly when the fee is to be his longed for reunion with his children. There’s just one snag, the job will entail inception, planting an idea in someone’s mind via their dreams, a very risky process. I’ll leave it there or I may say too much, but that’s a very general outline.

This is without doubt one of the best films I’ve seen… ever. Always engaging, entertaining, sad, dramatic, action-packed, enthralling, intriguing and above all, intelligent. It kept me gripped from start to finish, which is a long time to be gripped, believe me! Although it’s pure fiction, I found it easy to identify with the characters which is testament to both the writing and the performances of the entire cast. So, hats off to, Leonardo DiCaprio as Cobb, Joseph Gordon-Levitt as Arthur, Ellen Page as Ariadne, Tom Hardy as Eames, Ken Watanabe as Saito, Dileep Rao as Yusef, Marion Cotillard as Mal and Cillian Murphy as Robert Fischer, Jr. Also honourable mentions go to Tom Berenger as Browning, Pete Postlethwaite as Maurice Fischer and Michael Caine as Miles.

The effects were amazing, not an awful lot of CGI used, but some excellent wire work, physical effects and some use of miniatures was really effective. The scene (it’s in the trailer) where gravity is lost in the building is quite breathtaking. A word of warning though, be sure you won’t need a toilet break, if you do, you could find yourself lost in this most excellent and labyrinthine plot. I cannot praise everyone who worked on this one enough, in particular Christopher Nolan, a brilliant film and very very highly RECOMMENDED!!.

My score: 9.7/10

LINKS:
IMDb Site: http://uk.imdb.com/title/tt1375666/
Official Site: http://inceptionmovie.warnerbros.com/
Trailer: http://uk.imdb.com/rg/VIDEO_PLAY/LINK/video/imdb/vi4219471385/

Film Review: SHUTTER ISLAND (2010)

Director: Martin Scorsese
Running time: 138 mins (approx)
Certification (UK): 15

UK Release date: 12th March 2010

Watched at the cinema Sunday 14th March 2010.

PLEASE NOTE: THERE MAY BE SPOILERS IN THIS REVIEW.

I am quite a fan of the work of Martin Scorsese and as such I really wanted to enjoy this film. Unfortunately it didn’t quite hit the mark for me. I try very hard not to compare any director’s work with their previous efforts, mainly because we never really know what difficulties they faced in making any particular film. So I won’t harp on about how it doesn’t compare with ‘Goodfellas’, or it’s not as good as ‘The Aviator’ or ‘The Departed’ as I feels that’s unfair, I’ll let it stand alone as a single piece of work.

It is 1953 and Teddy Daniels is a US Marshall who, along with his new partner, Chuck Aule, has been sent to Shutter Island to investigate then disappearance of one of the patients at a mental asylum there. They are met with a frosty reception and the mysterious Dr. Cawley and Dr. Naehring who seem to be hiding something. They find a clue, a note left by the escaped patient indicating a mysterious 67th patient at the facility that nobody will admit to the existence of. A storm prevents them leaving the island when the escaped patient, Dolores Chanal, mysteriously turns up out of the blue. Teddy is being increasingly troubled by flashbacks to the death of his wife in a fire several years earlier and also his experiences in World War II. Believing that there is a lot more than meets the eye, Teddy and Chuck set out to get to the bottom of things. I’ll leave my short synopsis there; don’t want to give too much away!

A beautifully well made film, I cannot fault the cinematography at all. There were one or two continuity errors I spotted, but I’ll let them slide. Really good performances from all of the major cast members, honourable mentions go to Leonardo DiCaprio as Teddy Daniels, Mark Ruffalo as Chuck Aule, Ben Kingsley as Dr. Cawley, Max von Sydow as Dr. Naehring and Michelle Williams as Dolores Chanal.

The film is made in the film noir style, and as such there a lot of scenes with quite a lot of dialogue. This is fine when the dialogue moves the story along, but I found in a lot of cases, these scenes were beautifully shot, but that was it, they didn’t particularly add much else to the story. It’s not a bad film for all that, there is a really good twist at the end, it just failed to meet my expectations at the end of the day. If you love film noir then by all means go and see it, otherwise I’m afraid you may be disappointed.

My score: 6.8/10

LINKS:
IMDb Site: http://uk.imdb.com/title/tt1130884/
Official Site: http://www.shutterisland.com/#/home
Trailer: http://uk.imdb.com/rg/VIDEO_PLAY/LINK/video/imdb/vi4064281/

Film Review: BODY OF LIES (2008)

Director: Ridley Scott
Running time: 128 mins (approx)
Certificate (UK): 15

Watched on Sky+ Wednesday 2nd December 2009.

PLEASE NOTE: POSSIBLE SPOILERS IN THIS REVIEW.

Set against the war on terror, this film deals with the work of the CIA and their efforts to capture one of the terrorist leaders. Seen from the perspective of Roger Ferris, an agent on the ground, and Ed Hoffman, his handler back in the USA, it gives an interesting perspective to events in the region. Throw into the mix an enigmatic Jordanian security chief and a Muslim nurse who Ferris is interested in, and you have an enthralling espionage thriller.

As I said at the beginning, Roger Ferris is the agent on the ground, and we begin with him watching a suspect being tortured to death. Not a promising start, I know, but it does illustrate the point that torture does not work. Through several twists and turns, he picks up the trail of the terrorist leader Al-Saleem. We mostly see Ed Hoffman on the phone while taking his kids to school, or in the office, but when things really hot up, he makes the trip to Jordan where they are watching a safe house. They have solicited the help of the Jordanian security chief Hani Salaam, an enigmatic character who insists that Ferris always tells him the truth. Ferris has met a nurse, Aisha, and their relationship is just beginning to flourish when she is kidnapped. Thinking Al-Saleem is behind it, Ferris offers himself in exchange for the girl. And this is where I’m going to stop; I don’t want to give away too many spoilers!

A very well made film, but I wouldn’t expect anything less from Ridley Scott. Technically, I couldn’t fault it, the only problems I found were that the plot was very complicated to follow and it was a little long. Great performances from all of the cast, honourable mentions go to Leonardo DiCaprio as Roger Ferris, Russell Crowe as Ed Hoffman, Mark Strong as Hani Salaam, Golshifteh Farahani as Aisha, Oscar Isaac as Bassam, Ali Suliman as Omar Sadiki and Alon Abutbul as Al-Saleem.

I think I would have to re-watch this one to give it a fair go, but I will score it on my first viewing. Should I watch it again, I will re-score it. Over all, apart from the comments I made earlier, I quite enjoyed this film. Although it does help that I am a massive fan of the director.

My score: 6.5/10 (on first viewing)

LINKS:
IMDb Site: http://uk.imdb.com/title/tt0758774/
Official Site: http://wwws.warnerbros.co.uk/bodyoflies/
Trailer: http://uk.imdb.com/rg/VIDEO_PLAY/LINK/video/imdb/vi1783038233/