Movie Review: The Great Gatsby

The Great Gatsby

(as from the book of Francis Scott Fitzgerald The Great Gatsby)

Directed by: Baz Luhrmann

Starring:

Leonardo DiCaprio as Jay Gatsby

Toby Maguire as Nick Carraway

Carey Mulligan as Daisy Buchanan

"...he was content to be alone - he stretched out his arms toward the dark water in a curious way, and, far as 
I was from him..."


Spectacular! This film just so is!'
Creative sets, great actors and of course a wonderful story this movie by Francis Scott Fitzgerald. And it would not be possible if it were not for the creative mind of the director, Baz Luhrman. I was just fascinated all throughout the movie with everything that was shown in the film. 

From how it looks, how the actors portrayed their roles and said their lines to the humor or the film and how you sort of feel how the characters felt.

This is just such a great film that is and would definitely be a CLASSIC. The book itself i and this film just made it evident mark on the eyes of their viewers especially me. I would watch this over and over again once it is released on DVD hihi. 
And by the way I believe that Leonardo DiCaprio was just perfect for the role of Gatsby. He possessed and conveyed all the qualities of Jay Gatsby as to how F. Scott Fitzgerald wrote in his book. It was like he was made for it! He was well bred, subtle, contained, the kind of I'll-make-it-all-happen-for-you kind of man. Amazing!

Toby Maguire's face is just perfect too for Nick Carraway. The shy, contained and tamed man he really is that would do anything for his friend. Good job Toby!

Three photos from my most favorite scene! The funniest of all the scenes in the movie. It's just a real must-see!!!

It is just great how even the dialogues do not deviate much from the book. I re-read it a day after I saw the movie and in my head, I can just hear the actors saying the lines themselves. There were some scenes that were not present in the movie but just like any typical books turned in to a movie, scenes are really cut and I am glad that the scenes that were removed were the small and irrelevant ones.

Though I was really looking forward to the love life of Nick to be seen that he and Miss Baker really had something! But I guesse it really focused all on the love triangle of The Buchanans and Gatsby. 

But nevermind still a great film and I just loved it!

Star Rating: 9 ☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆ out of 10 ☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆

"HE SMILED UNDERSTANDINGLY - MUCH MORE THAN UNDERSTANDINGLY. IT WAS ONE OF THOSE RARE SMILES WITH A QUALITY OF ETERNAL REASSURANCE IN IT, THAT YOU MAY COME ACROSS FOUR OR FIVE TIMES IN LIFE. IT FACED - OR SEEMED TO FACE - THE WHOLE EXTERNAL WORLD FOR AN INSTANT, AND THEN CONCENTRATED ON YOU WITH AN IRRESISTIBLE PREJUDICE IN YOUR FAVOR.

IT UNDERSTOOD YOU JUST SO FAR AS YOU WANTED TO BE UNDERSTOOD, BELIEVED IN YOURSELF, AND ASSURED YOU THAT IT HAD PRECISELY THE IMPRESSION OF YOU THAT, AT YOUR BEST, YOU HOPED TO CONVEY."

Movie Review: At Any Price

At Any Price

Directed by: Ramin Bahrani

Starring:

Dennis Quaid as Henry Whipple

Zac Efron as Dean Whipple

Maika Monroe as Cadence Farrow

Kim Dickens as Irene Whipple

This movie was honestly pretty boring. There was no excitement at all but family value was there all the way. Ambitiousness, greed and power were the main values of the movie. It seemed to me like it was based on a true story cause it showed the life of a milling-farming man. Like how to buy seeds, get lands, tenants and other more. 

I do commend Dennis Quaid's performance here. Despite him kinda showing his old age yet he gave a solid performance.

There are not much things to say about the movie. Not really commendable to watch cause one might even fall asleep but Zac Efron's presence here gave absolute life to the movie. If he was not in it, the movie would have sucked balls real bad. So applause to you Zac Efron!

This photo just deserves to be enlarged HAHAHA

Those pretty blue eyes and very manly built. What a handsome and gorgeous guy Zac Efron seriously is. Maika Monroe us just way too lucky for having a make out scene with him.  I wonder who he is dating now..... Hmmm...

 

And of course in the end, love always conquers everything and anything and family will always be a family. 

Star Rating: 5 ☆☆☆☆☆ out of 10 ☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆

Movie Review: Trance

Directed by: Danny Boyle

Starring:

James McAvoy as Simon

Rosario Dawson as Dr. Elizabeth Lamb

Vincent Cassel as Franck

Danny Boyle is known for his famous films such as Slumdog Millionaire, 127 Hours & 28 Days Later. Trance is another one of his that may be one for keeps. It is pretty brain boggling because you might get caught in the scenes of this film where it's a bit confusing. Watching this movie needs your full attention cause if you miss out on just a line of the character or the flow of the movie, you might just get lost. 

It's a pretty heavy connect the dots sort of film. It is actually pretty good despite the nudity it showed. (Just a thought, whenever there's a film that shows nudity, it's always the girl who goes full on naked while the dude just shows his ass. What's the catch in that?) But the story itself is pretty good upon contemplating on it after watching it in the cinemas. 

Confusion is your main enemy here. You get to think and even sense things before it happens. You think about who the real enemy is and where is it. Job well done to Dannny Boyle and of course James McAvoy. What a great job he did on playing his role.

Star Rating: 7.5 ☆☆☆☆☆☆☆ out of 10 ☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆

Movie Review: Identity Thief

 Directed by: Seth Gordon

Starring:

Jason Bateman as Sandy Patterson

Melissa McCarthy as fake Sandy Patterson /  real Diana

Great promotional crew! This shoot just makes me want to watch the movie all over again. The excitement and secrecy on their faces just pumps me up! I already felt during their trailer that this movie was going to be hilarious and really entertaining and it did NOT disappoint me at all. This movie was indeed entertaining and really funny. Pure comedy and stupidity at its finest! A must watch for all you comedy lovers. Good job Seth Gordon on directing this movie. Speaking of comedy movies, I so can not wait for the Hangover Part III to be released later this year. I do hope that Todd Phillips do not disappoint the Hangover fans because the first to installments were extremely hilarious!

Okay wait. Please just stare at his face for a whole minute.... 

His face just says it all!

Star Rating: 8 ☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆ out of 10 ☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆

Books: Weekly Must Reads!

Jess Walter

Love stories in a novel seeming to be just like a movie when I read and envisioned it. This novel may just inspire you to push yourself to the limit and do things you never expect to do out of love. Sacrifices and patience is something I have learned from this. That even if it has been half a century of longing to be with the love of your life, you wait and just build up yourself to be a success until you have reached the moment of starting to look for your true love. Even about family that because you love them, you prioritize them above all things that inspite of every single thing that has happened, family is family.

2013 TV Series: Hannibal

Hannibal 2013

NBC'c newest television series Hanibal premiered its pilot episode last April fourth. Created by Bryan Fuller who is known for also creating the television series Heroes and Star Trek back in 2006 and 2000 respectively.

Hannibal is a psycho-crime series. Its leading actor Hugh Dancy as Professor-special agent Will Graham. 

He plays the protagonist in the story, a professor in the F.B.I. academy turned special agent cause he has this extraordinary type of thinking where he is able to figure out how a killer thinks and discovers what happens in crime scenes. The thing is, he acts very odd. He is sort of haunted by the crimes he solves or is working on. Haunted not in the scary way but in a traumatized way if you get what I mean.

As he works in the agency, he is ordered to see a specialist or a psychiatrist for him because he has this past where he was eaten up by the haunting things that he has seen.

Now he is all better and his boss just wants to keep him in tact and steady. He meets Dr. Hannibal Lecter played by Madds Mikkelsen known for Casino Royale, King Arthur and Clash of the Titans.  

But there seems to be something odd as well with Dr. Lecter. In the pilot episode he is shown cooking then having dinner while cannibalism is being discussed.

That's what got me curious. It seems like the real criminal is just in front of their eyes. But nothing is assured.

Better watch out for this series and keep on watching to know who the real cannibal is.

Know more about this series: Hannibal on IMDB

Movie Review: Olympus Has Fallen

Directed by: Antoine Fuqua

Starring:

Gerard Butler as Mike Banning

Aaron Eckhart as President Asher

Morgan Freeman as Speaker Trumbull & Acting President

Absolutely brilliant and thrilling! An action filled movie that is a must see. Kinda brutal that is why it is rated R-13 but what the heck! A still must watch especially if you are a dude you would definitely enjoy this film.

Okay so this movie just kept me on my bottoms the whole time! So much action and you just want to stare at Gerard Butler and hope he shows his perfectly built, muscular behind! hihi. And damn how he moves! He is perfect for action film. I was actually for hoping for him to flash his perfectly built muscular behind! It is so perfect his girlfriend Madalina Ghenea is way too lucky!!!

Gerard Butler's character in this film is so smart and slightly cocky at the same time. He loves working in the White House and he would do just anything to keep the job and keep the safety of President Asher and his family and of course the United States of America. Though Aaron Eckhart as the President of the United States does not really suit him (well for me). I still kinda see him as the villain in every film like in The Dark Knight. He just seems like he has the anti-superhero a.k.a. bad guy look! But job well done in portraying his character.

There are some parts that need something kaboom-ing but still!! What a great film.  I won't go to deets anymore but I definitely love this film and recommending it to everyone!

Star Rating: 8 ☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆ out of 10 ☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆ 

Movie Review: Oblivion

 

 

Directed by: Joseph Kosinski

Starring:

Tom Cruise as Jack Harper

Morgan Freeman as Malcolm Beach

Futuristic as it may seem since the movie is set on earth in the year 2077. Such as long time from twenty-thirteen right? And another movie where Tom Cruise' character is named Jack just like in his 2012 film Jack Reacher HAHA. I honestly never liked any Tom Cruise movie. They all seem to be... corny and bland. Yes he is pretty good at being an action star. He was good in The Last Samurai and his film with Cameron Diaz Knight and Day but as an actor for me, he is not that great but just o k.

I honestly had a hard time understanding the film because it lacked giving some information like what were their aims??? Like seriously I do not usually have a hard time understanding movies and it is a rare case when that happens but with this movie, my mind was in a whirlpool trying to understand the story. But I tried my best on understanding it and I would really want to watch it another time not because I loved it or something but for me to go back to some of the scenes to fully understand the story. And if you do watch it, I bet you would want to watch it twice or even thrice to understand the story.

The movie is a futuristic one where there was an invasion not really sure if it were aliens but there was a war between humans and 'aliens' but in the end the humans won but the earth was ruined due to the war they were in. So they had to rehabilitate the earth but it was not possible due to the immense damage that has been done to the planet so they had to live in a different one. What they are doing now is using up the sea water that goes through some mechanism that is turned in to something that they vitally need in order to live in Saturn (?). But then the twist comes in like is this really for the humans or what? There's something fishy going on when a blast comes in and Jack Harper goes in and checks it and secrets are revealed and that is when the real action begins.

If someone were to watch it for the first time I am definitely telling people not spending that much money for this kinda long weird mind boggling movie. Just wait for it to be shown on HBO or Star Movies or wherever HA HA

Star Rating:  5 ☆☆☆☆☆ out of 10 ☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆

 Photo courtesy: Google images

Movie Review: The Host

Based on the novel written by: Stephenie Meyer

Directed by: Andrew Niccol

Starring:

Saoirse Ronan as Melanie Ryder

Max Irons as Jake Howe

Diane Kruger as The Seeker 

W A R N I N G ! CONTAINS SPOILERS

The leading guy, Max Irons, in this movie is too gorgeous and hot! The way he moves is just so manly. Haha and so that is kind of the reason why I watched the movie. And to tell you honestly, the trailer was pretty enticing. 

I remember reading this novel and my eyes were just woah. This is too much of a thick book! It's like Twilight times two! (because of the small texts I guess) And the first two chapters I just found boring so I ended up not finishing the book. 

Going back to the film, it was pretty interesting cause the title is the perfect title for the story. It's not the typical host that one may think about but it's the host of a prey. Scientifically speaking, it goes down to the ecological relationships where it is a symbiotic relationship but with a mixture of parasitism and commensalism because the prey (which are the aliens) sometimes harms their hosts which are the humans. 

If you are in to light futuristic, aliens invasion end of the world movies this is something you might want to watch. In the film, it was all about aliens inhabiting and making earth a better place as so the aliens say. But of course since it is an invasion, a lot of people resist from being inhabited by those aliens and letting them stay on planet earth. The thing is in order for the alien to be able to "live" it needs a body as a host. Somewhere it can live. So that is where the prey host relationship pops in. The aliens go in to the human's bodies and they live there. So that's kind of the reason why they have glowing eyes.

The story is unquestionably good but the movie... well it was pretty good as well. Of course not better than the book! Their setting is just amazing and the movie would be better if they showed how much more futuristic it really is since it has been years since the aliens inhabited the earth. The chosen actors were actually good ones. They are not the super known ones except for Diane Kruger who is the antagonist in the story but still they have done well on playing their roles. I just have to spoil that Emily Browning made a quick appearance and damn they made her look so ugly and I just could not take it! She is such a beautiful woman and damn those make up artists for making her look not her best!! Just frustrating how they made her look that way errr.

Star Rating: 7 ☆☆☆☆☆☆☆ out of 10 ☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆

Photo courtesy: Google images