The Bling Ring

— I was the only person in the theater for the 2:30 p.m. showing of “The Bling Ring”. With Sophia Coppola directing and Harris Savides as cinematographer, this should have been exceptional, but it fell oddly flat. Beautiful but lacking much emotion. It’s hard to like or dislike these vaguely high-school aged California kids and their parents come off as new age fools. You may feel a deep sense of regret that this is a society of which we are a part, that somehow we share some responsibility for this shallowness and selfishness, and this obsession with fame and style. I imagine the “Vanity Fair” article on which the film is based may have been more palatable—assuming it was shorter than the film—but the issues are interesting in either medium. Sadly, this is less successful than most of Sophia Coppola’s other films.

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[2013. 90 min. Directed by Sofia Coppola. Starring Katie Chang, Israel Broussard, Emma Watson, and Claire Julien.]
http://www.bostonglobe.com/arts/movies/2013/06/20/movie-review-the-bling-ring-shows-what-like-live-and-steal/RY6gy8CpSm7AmkENd3LsIL/story.html

World War Z

— I liked “World War Z”, mostly because it’s more a medical thriller than horror action film, and Brad Pitt just can’t help but be impressive. It’s certainly among the best of the summer fare so far but, based on the range of previews beforehand, they haven’t figured out their target audience! Probably anyone who isn’t going to “Monsters Inc 2”! I was expecting to enjoy myself and ended up seeing something much better than I expected.

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[2013. 116 min. Directed by Marc Forster. Starring Brad Pitt, Mireille Enos, and Daniella Kertesz.]
http://www.washingtonpost.com/goingoutguide/movies/world-war-z-movie-review/2013/06/20/0d418ae4-d8ee-11e2-a9f2-42ee3912ae0e_story.html

Man of Steel

— “Man of Steel” was about what you’d expect. It had the flash, the action, and the volume to bring in $125 million for its debut weekend. Russell Crowe is very good as Superman’s selfless father. Henry Cavill, with his constantly furrowed brow, appears to be appropriately angry, worried, and overburdened, spending as much time dealing with his psychological scars as poised to save the world. Amy Adams’ Lois Lane may be a more interesting and updated character, but whatever attraction she and Superman have is hard to see. These darker, more brooding and introspective comic book characters are always interesting, but I think it’s time to start casting psychiatrists as part of the storyline too.

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[2013. 143 min. Directed by Zack Snyder. Starring Henry Cavill, Amy Adams, Michael Shannon, Diane Lane, and Russell Crowe.]
http://www.forbes.com/sites/scottmendelson/2013/06/16/weekend-box-office-man-of-steel-soars-to-125-million-debut/

Now You See Me

— I enjoyed “Now You See Me” for what it is: an entertaining, cleverly-designed, heist film with a good cast. Characters aren’t developed as well as I’d like, so the motivation is a little sketchy, but the film moves at a quick pace and kept me interested for the moment. It won’t change my life, but it was well worth the matinee price.

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[2013. 115 min. Directed by Louis Leterrier. Starring Jesse Eisenberg, Common, Mark Ruffalo, Woody Harrelson, Isla fisher, Dave Franco, Melanie Laurent, Morgan Freeman, and Michael Caine.]
http://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/now-you-see-me-2013

To the Wonder

— “To the Wonder”, Terrance Malick’s latest film, really is a very odd, amazing, and beautiful film. After the superb “Tree of Life,” I eagerly awaited the arrival of “To the Wonder” in Columbia and today was the day. This isn’t a film for the weak or timid viewer. I could try to describe the experience, but Jon Baskin has already described done a better job than I could—“to those of us who remain convinced by his art, Malick is working at a level so far beyond us that our aesthetic estimations can only seem petty in comparison to his vision…Did you think a film needed dialogue, a plot, particularized conflicts, identifiable characters? Malick’s films will compel you either to enforce your criteria, or to abandon them. It is as if, as with so many modern artworks, what is being asked of the viewer is not only appreciation but conversion.”

If you aren’t one of those who hated “Tree of Life” then prepare yourself for something equally ambitious but more intimate and less expansive, and operating even more beneath the surface.

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[2012. 112 min. Directed by Terrence Malick. Starring Ben Affleck, Olga Kurylenko, Javier Bardem, and Rachel McAdams.]
http://lareviewofbooks.org/article.php?id=1659&fulltext=1

The Great Gatsby

— I finally saw Baz Luhrmann’s “The Great Gatsby”, a retelling of Fitzgerald’s novel on cocaine. That’s not to say it’s without redemption. DiCaprio’s really very good and the costumes and sets are a wonder. Carey Mulligan passes as Daisy and Toby Maguire is a fairly decent Nick Carraway. The story’s there too, but you are constantly aware of Luhermann’s hand in it all, and it’s not a very subtle hand. I tried to cope with the music, with Jay-Z and Q-Tip and will.i.am in the flapper age, but really! It’s worth seeing, but there are several other films worth seeing first. Thank god I didn’t go to the 3-D version—there’s excess and then there’s just plain excessive!

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[2013. 143 min. Directed by Baz Luhrmann. Starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Tobey Macguire, Carey Mulligan, and Joel Edgerton.]
http://www.newyorker.com/arts/critics/cinema/2013/05/13/130513crci_cinema_denby

Mud

— I’m a sucker for coming-of-age films and “Mud” doesn’t disappoint. The film ambles along at an easy, pace mirroring life in the film’s Mississippi River town. When two boys stumble across Mud, a down-on-his-luck guy holed up on an abandoned island, the stage is set. Mud is avoiding bounty hunters and the two boys help him get a boat up and running so he can meet up with his girlfriend and the two of them can escape into the sunset. There’s plenty of great dialogue and good direction, along with decent acting. Matthew McConaughey is outstanding—he really can act! The film may be a little long, but it does raise questions about life and love that are worth thinking about at any age.

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[2012. 130 min. Directed by Jeff Nichols. Starring Matthew McConaughey, Tye Sheridan, Reese Witherspoon, Jacob Lofland, and Sam Shepard.]
http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/culture/2013/05/life-on-the-mississippi.html

Iron Man 3

— “Iron Man 3” wasn’t as good as I’d like. Oddly slow getting started and references to “The Avengers” were just too much verbal product placement. Luckily, there’s some clever banter and Robert Downey, Jr.’s timing and likeability keep everything going. To be fair, Gwyneth Paltrow’s Pepper Potts helps too. The first two installments in the franchise worked a little better and I suspect changing directors for the third installment wasn’t a good idea. Just the same, it didn’t take itself too seriously and it was fast moving fun. What more could I want?

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[2013. 130 min. Directed by Shane Black. Starring Robert Downey Jr., Guy Pearce, Gwyneth Paltrow, Don Cheadle, and Ben Kingsley.]
http://www.nola.com/movies/index.ssf/2013/05/iron_man_3_review.html