Gravity in 3D

TAKE 1: One Man’s Opinion

…because film is largely subjective

    

by Frederick William Springer III

 

Gravity in 3D

Release Date:  4 October 2013                                                               Runtime:  91 Minutes              

Review Date:  30 November 2013                                                          Rating:  4 (of 6)

      It was interesting to finally see space depicted as it is--vacuous and silent--which, to my recollection, hasn't been done before.  And here it emphasizes the isolation, heightens the circumstantial tension our main character, Dr. Ryan Stone played by Sandra Bullock, experiences (and George Clooney's cool-headed Matt Kowalski to a lesser extent).

     However, other than the "gravity" of the situation, I don't know how much the title really comes into play in outer space other than it keeping the catastrophic space debris in orbit around our planet.

     George Clooney was trying to hype Gravity up as the quintessential 3D movie--"It's an actual argument for 3D.  It's crazy how good it is"--not seeing the point in other motion pictures filmed this way.  I'd have to say that this aspect doesn't live up to his hype, having seen many 3D movies on par or surpassing this flick.

     This film is definitely a step up from the last two of his movies I saw (The American and Ides of March).  In the past, I had been a fan but they had been enough to make me skeptical about seeing anything of his anymore.  In that regard, he's almost like Cary Grant to me--someone I enjoy seeing and hearing onscreen but whose movies I don't always necessarily like.

     Rest assure, though, this is more of a Sandra Bullock movie, she carries the picture and she does it well.

 

Prisoners

TAKE 1: One Man’s Opinion

…because film is largely subjective

    

by Frederick William Springer III

 

Prisoners

Release Date:  20 September 2013                                              Runtime:  153 Minutes              

Review Date:  24 November 2013                                               Rating:  4 (of 6)

      Prisoners was a good film with compelling performances by Hugh Jackman, Jake Gyllenhaal, Maria Bello, Terrance Howard and Viola Davis.  Even though it ran rather long, it didn't feel it.

     The director (Denis Villeneuve) chose some interesting shots that didn't particular move the plot, for example, a lingering close up of a tree in the foreground with a house in the background as we hear the occupants enjoying their Thanksgiving inside.  There was no significance to the tree in the movie and I don't think trees are particularly ominous.

     While there are layers of mystery to unravel, most of my initial suspicions proved true.

     The ending was open-ended with a slam to black, which was somewhat annoying, after investing 2 and a half hours of my time.  An educated guess about what happened, at least to some degree, can probably be made due to our knowledge of the characters and what transpires just beforehand but it would have been nice if it were a little more conclusive.

 

Don Jon

TAKE 1: One Man’s Opinion

…because film is largely subjective

    

by Frederick William Springer III

Don Jon

Release Date:  27 September 2013                                                Runtime:  90 Minutes              

Review Date:  21 November 2013                                                 Rating:  3 (of 6)

 

      I'm a fan of Joseph Levitt-Gordon.  While this role showcases his range as an actor, his writing/directing debut is one which you need not see.

     In fact, the only highlight of Don Jon--the most exciting part--was when Jon takes a date to the movie theater and I realized that they were standing in the lobby of the very theater which I was viewing the movie!  But that's an experience that is unique to me and a handful of other audience members that attended the film's limited run at Valley Plaza 6.

     Off-putting, was the accent that continually is purported in film and television as being from NJ.  This is not any more a Jersey accent than the cast of Jersey Shore are authentic inhabitants of the state.  The majority of them were from Staten Island and elsewhere in New York, which is probably where that accent incorrectly identified as belonging to New Jersey is imported from.

     As someone from NJ, and many like me, no one knows where I'm from and are very surprised to learn my first 26 years were spent in that state.  Because we don't have accents!

The Family

TAKE 1: One Man’s Opinion

…because film is largely subjective

    

by Frederick William Springer III

 

 

The Family

Release Date:  13 September 2013                                                  Runtime:  111 Minutes              

Review Date:  12 November 2013                                                   Rating:  3 (of 6)

     I never heard of The Family but when it became available at my bargain theater, I decided to look it up.  Written and Directed by Luc Besson (who's Leon is one of my favorites) and starring Robert De Niro, Tommy Lee Jones and Michelle Pfeiffer, I decided to check it out.

     Let my checking it out be so you don't have to.  Boring and unentertaining.  In fact, I kept nodding off during the first 50 minutes, and the audience may have been more entertained watching me fighting to stay awake if their eyes were on me rather than the screen.  I get to nap at home for free, thanks.

 

Kick-Ass 2

TAKE 1: One Man’s Opinion

…because film is largely subjective

    

by Frederick William Springer III

Kick-Ass 2

Release Date:  16 August 2013                                                    Runtime:  103 Minutes              

Review Date:  5 November 2013                                                  Rating:  4 (of 6)

     Kick-Ass 2 certainly isn't its predecessor (few sequels ever are) but it's still worth checking out.  This installment, though still much of its trademark violence still present, felt a little watered down, perhaps due to the new writer/director, Jeff Wadlow.  Unfortunately, whereas Hit Girl (Chloë Grace Moretz) was the scene stealer in the original, both her language and actions, here it's her real identity as Mindy that gets the majority of screen time and the scene stealing aspects on her part are almost wholly absent.

     Of slight annoyance, the characters of Kick-Ass's friend Todd and Hit Girl's guardian Officer Marcus were both recast.  Here, Todd's presence was almost entirely cut and, when he was around, was made to look completely stupid which was not a characteristic of his in the original film.

     On a side note, after seeing both these films, my mind is boggled at Jim Carrey's remarks afterwards that he "cannot support that level of violence."  That leaves me wondering a) did he see the original film? b) did he read the script before he accepted the job? and c) was he present during the filming of his own scenes?  Because a "yes" to any of those--and we know the last question gets answered with a resounding "yes"--just makes him seem like an idiot.

 

2 Guns

TAKE 1: One Man’s Opinion

…because film is largely subjective

    

by Frederick William Springer III

 

 

2 Guns

Release Date:  2 August 2013                                                              Runtime:  109 Minutes              

Review Date:  5 November 2013                                                          Rating:  3 (of 6)

     The trailer looked promising and I like Denzel Washington.  But 2 Guns left me feeling indifferent, the movie not bad but not good either.  While the story was executed well enough and the acting was decent, something was missing.

 

We're the Millers

TAKE 1: One Man’s Opinion

…because film is largely subjective

    

by Frederick William Springer III

 

We're the Millers

Release Date:  9 August 2013                                                              Runtime:  110 Minutes              
Review Date:  5 November 2013                                                          Rating:  4 (of 6)

      While not hysterical, We're the Millers is an entertaining enough escape.  There's certainly a lot of unrealistic happenings going on, but, in contrast, the main characters of David (Jason Sudeikis), Rose (Jennifer Aniston), Kenny (Will Poulter) and Casey (Emma Roberts) all seem believable as this ragtag, thrown-together faux family.

     To get an idea of what you're in for, this film was initially written by the team that scribed The Wedding Crashers and then rewritten by the team responsible for Hot Tub Time Machine.

     (It was a pleasant surprise to see Molly C. Quinn--Alexis from Castle--also starring as a minor character here.  Though, possibly due to her character's intelligence in that show, I felt that this particular role was beneath her.)