What We Learned This Week at the Movies - May 5-12, 2013

It’s a couple days late and a few dollars short, but happy mother’s day to all the moms out there! Thank you for all you do to help us in our lives and thanks for always being there when we need you.

This was a week of counterprogramming. The two major films were The Great Gatsby and Iron Man 3. One for the ladies and one for dudes… or at least that’s what the studios want us to think.

Movies Seen In Theaters This Week: Mud, Iron Man 3 (again), The Great Gatsby

Lesson 5.  Michael Shannon: Soon to Be Star

Do you know who Michael Shannon  is? You will soon.

Michael Shannon is an actor on the rise. He’s been a working film actor for about a decade now, but he‘s about to make his breakthrough into popular culture as well.

Michael Shannon, the scariest sorority mother ever.

Currently Shannon might be best known for HBO’s Boardwalk Empire and last year’s Take Shelter (which he was amazing in). He has a small part in the film Mud and steals all three of his scenes. Looking at his filmography, it’s filled with popular films (some good and some bad) that he has small character roles in, and before that a stellar stage career. He’s obviously been on the make over the last few years, but now he’s ready to let loose.

So, why is Shannon going to explode? Man of Steel releases June 14, and Shannon gets to suit up as the villain General Zod. Shannon has two lines in the trailer and they are by far the most interesting part to watch. Man of Steel is probably too big to be a flop, but it’s also not a guaranteed success. I’m betting on mixed reviews, but I think the one thing that is guaranteed is that Michael Shannon will finally start getting his dues and we should, hopefully, be seeing far more of him.

This video of him reading an actual sorority mean girl’s email to her sisters is a great way to get to know Michael and what we can all look forward to: http://www.funnyordie.com/videos/4ad20b4edf/michael-shannon-reads-the-insane-sorority-letter

Lesson 4. The Next Big Thing

When looking ahead to the summer, I saw the name of a little film called The Purge. Listed as a horror film starring Ethan Hawke from the producers of the Paranormal Activity series, I happily skipped past this film thinking nothing of it. (As usual at Nerd 5, we are of split minds when it comes to Hawke. Josh can pass while Jeff has the never-ending ardor of a 13 year old girl.For him, Hawke is up there with Cruise). The Purge didn’t even have a national release date the first time I heard about it, but now the release is set for June 7and it boasts a trailer that totally blew me away. The Purge focuses on a society where, for one night a year, all crime is legal. Great for the poor, who have everything to gain, not so great for the rich, who have everything to lose. A wealthy family locks themselves inside their house for the night, but before they do so, their teenage daughter let’s in a stranger. The stranger’s unknown past makes the family this year’s target in The Purge. I know, it sounds a little sketchy, but after watching the trailer (http://youtu.be/Lekx_ZlqyWk) we’re giving this film a chance. The Purge seems to be coming at just the right time (there is a lack of great horror franchises currently) to find a large audience, and if the film is any good I have a feeling we will be looking at the start of a long line of films in The Purge series.

 Lesson 3. How to Jump off a Bandwagon

I (Josh) have been a Tobey Maguire apologist for a long time (I, Jeff, have been a Tobey Maguire hater for nearly as long. He’s no Ethan Hawke, y’all…) and I still will say that Maguire is a good Peter Parker/Spider-Man and that he gives a fine performance in Pleasantville, but I have to draw the line there. Watching The Great Gatsby this weekend, I just kept looking at him and thinking “Man, I wish you were better.” At points it was as if Peter Parker was in his high school play version of The Great Gatsby. Maguire is an actor with a very limited range, and honestly Nick Caraway should have easily fit into that range, but sadly what Maguire brings to the screen simply doesn’t cut it. If he was in a more straight-forward adaption, he might possibly have worked, but the milquetoast Maguire and bombastic Baz Luhrmann do NOT make a good pair. However, Maguire isn’t the main problem, heck, he’s pretty far down the list of problems with The Great Gatsby. But we’ll get there. Bottom line, Tobey has one youthful, innocent character that he can play well, but he’s past his prime. You can’t just be wide-eyed forever. So Mr. Maguire I’m off the bandwagon. 38 isn’t too young to retire…   

Lesson 2. Making Better Choices with Your Life

Matthew McConaughey has figured out how to be a star. A quick look at his recent films should give you an idea of what I’m talking about: Mud (2013), Magic Mike (2012), Killer Joe (2011), Bernie (2011), The Lincoln Lawyer (2010), Ghosts of Girlfriends Past (2009). See a pattern? For every big studio flick there’s a smaller film to match. McConaughey seems to have figured out how to use his studio projects to subsidize his forays into great smaller pictures. It’s a path that every well-respected star finds at some point. Pick good smaller projects and give them your all, proving that you’re a good actor, then use the rest (with moderation) to pay the bills. Not all of his recent films are great – there are bad ones on both sides of the studio/indie coin, but this is the winning formula and when actors do it well, it leads to success.

This brings me to Mud, which is an outstanding film. It’s a modern day Tom Sawyer (stealing that analogy from my girl, but it works). Mud is an examination of love – all sides of it – and what people will do for the person they love. It explores the boundaries of how far is too far, what is too much, and the love of a man and woman from different points in the relationship. It questions the bonds of family explores the love between a parent and child, all  wrapped in the story of a boy who finds a mysterious man on an island and what the boy will do to save that man. Mud is so much more than words can describe. It’s a wonderfully paced, visually imaginative story that is grounded in character, with honesty and depth. McConaughey gives his best performance yet and is the first true contender for best actor of 2013. Though I think Mud was released too early to be a serious contender, but it really should be.

Lesson 1. You Can’t Can Judge a Book by its Cover – Two Mini-Reviews

Josh

 I’m usually on the other side of this lesson, but with Baz Lurhmann’s The Great Gatsby you CAN judge the book by its cover. Actually… you know what… just read the book. You’ll enjoy it more and at only 180 pages, you could probably read it as fast as you can watch it. After you are done, you could prepare a book report for your 9^th grade English class and find the EXACT SAME LEVEL OF ANAYLSIS! One of the many problems with Gatsby is the metaphor is so very heavy handed, just like everything Baz does (I’m on a first name basis with him, it’s cool).

 The visuals are fun for a while, but when they totally lack substance, story, or character (which is hard to do with one of the most character-driven stories in all of American literature), all of the mystery and intrigue Jay Gatsby disappears. All of subtly of the story is gone, along with all of the thought and discussion that the novel inspires. Baz answers every question for you, even the ones that are supposed to be left open. The 2013 version of The Great Gatsby can be boiled down to one statement: The Great Gatsby, like the characters in this film, is pretty and fun to look at, but ultimately shallow and disappointing.

Jeff

The Great and Powerful Baz

As critics, it’s fun to rip things apart, but the real goal is to look at a movie on its own terms and to be able to answer the questions, “what was this movie trying to be?” and “how successful was the attempt?” Looking at The Great Gatsby I can honestly say that Baz Luhrman was completely successful in his attempt to bring HIS Gatsby to the screen, and if that Gatsby happens to also be YOUR Gatsby, then the film is a fabulous success. The trouble is, I don’t think this is many people’s Gatsby.

I agree with Josh’s points. The movie is over-long, shallowly told, and abruptly spelled out. I’m not a fan of Mr. Maguire’s efforts, though I can see how he does work within that time period and within that character. The story is no longer a mystery, and the film suffers because of it. However, I’m glad I saw this movie on the big screen and will defend its value if only for the fact that it is EXACTLY the film that a visionary director set out to make and it is stunning to see.

Baz has SUCH a distinct visual aesthetic that what his films lack in vision they make up in style. I like to think of him as a French impressionist painter, like Toulouse-Lautrec who was also a character in Luhrman’s Moulin Rouge. He has broad, vivid strokes of color that are a mess when studied scene by scene, but can create a mood and the surface of a story on the whole. It’s about the slap-dash and passion of throwing paint against a wall, and like the impressionists of old, you can easily criticize this flamboyant, indulgent, dramatic, and ultimately shallow style. But for all that it does have a place and a power. There were elements of The Great Gatsby that I didn’t care for at all, and there were many brush strokes that went awry, but when I left the theater I had felt something, so I can’t write it off. If you want a well-rendered, detailed painting with depth and purpose, look at Rembrandt or Vermeer, or their film equivalents, Coppola or Scorsese. If you want a beautiful but shallow flash of excitement, check out Baz or the painters of his ilk, Monet, Pissaro, and Gauguin.

Box Office Totals for the Weekend of May 10-12

Rank	Film Title	Weekend Gross	Total Gross	Budget	Weeks in Theatres
1.	Iron Man 3	$72.4	$284.8	$200	2
2.	The Great Gatsby	$51.1	$51.1	--	1
3.	Pain & Gain	$5.0	$41.6	$26	3
4.	Tyler Perry Presents Peeples	$4.8	$4.8	$15	1
5.	42	$4.6	$84.7	$40	5
6.	Oblivion	$3.8	$81.6	$120	4
7.	The Croods	$3.6	$173.2	$135	8
8.	The Big Wedding	$2.5	$18.2	$35	3
9.	Mud	$2.3	$8.3	--	3
10.	The Great and Powerful Oz	$0.8	$229.9	$215	10

All Numbers are in Millions and numbers are from of Box Office Mojo.com

What We Learned This Week at the Movies - April 29-May 4, 2013

This week is a contrast of Studio vs. Indy, I saw two of each! Also, this week I’m going to start giving you guys the top ten box office results. Why? I’m tracking them for a game I play over the summer months called ‘Fantasy Movie Studio – the most money wins!’ but I’ll include it for you too for more helpful information on how each film is doing.  Let’s jump right in.

Movies Seen In Theatres This Week: The Place Beyond The Pine, The Company We Keep, Iron Man 3, Pain & Gain

Lesson 5.  The Marvel Backlash

This week we’re starting and ending with Marvel. My favorite part of going out to see movies is the trailers. I love getting to see what’s coming out next (no matter how dumb it looks *cough* Pacific Rim *cough). There have even been times where I’ll change a movie times if I’m going to miss even one trailer. (Jeff’s Note: You have an iPhone sir, connected to the ENTIRE internet, though I know it’s not as fun as the big screen). No matter how many times I go to a movie, it’s still an event for me.

So while I’m waiting for Iron Man 3 to start (with my good friend Max) trailers play for Marvel’s The Wolverine and Thor: The Dark World. Knowing that we’re getting four more Marvel films next year, that makes a total of seven films within a year and half span. I worry that it’s within the realm of possibility that there could be a backlash against Marvel or at least a substantial drop in sales, no matter how good the films turn out to be. There is something to be said about making your audience wait for something good rather than pumping out film after film. The first Iron Man came out in 2008 and it took until 2012 for The Avengers to hit theaters. If money is an indicator, it’s clear that people will pay, and wait for, GOOD product. Out of the films in Marvel’s Phase 1, two are excellent (The Avengers, Iron Man), two are fine (Thor, Captain America), and two are poor (Iron Man 2, The Incredible Hulk). (Jeff’s Note: I would switch Iron Man 2 and Thor in this ranking) My point here is to take your time, Marvel, give us a good product with a good story and we, the audience, will reward you in spades. Pump them out at a break-neck pace and care more about money than the story and you will enter a backlash phase that could kill your momentum even faster than you built it up.

Lesson 4. I Would Like to Take a Moment to Thank the Dum-Dums

Moving away from Marvel for a moment, let’s talk Michael Bay. Bay’s newest film Pain & Gain sadly isn’t a flop; the studio only gave him $26 million to make it, so it’s 33 million total gross so far has made it a small success. However… it is Bay’s lowest grossing film! We did it! Congrats everyone, America watched a Michael Bay film and didn’t toss millions upon millions of dollars at it!!! We all can see how bad this movie is and we didn’t support it!! The Dum-Dums didn’t unite behind Bay!!! 

This “comedy” is awful. I didn’t laugh once where I was supposed to, no moment of this film worked and never did this film do anything new (even for Bay).  As a director on the forefront of the action film genre, this was sad. Bay somehow, someway, (Jeff’s Note: Money.) keeps getting good actors to be in his films and Pain & Gain is no exception. The cast includes Mark Wahlberg, Anthony Mackie, The Rock, Tony Shalhoub, Ed Harris, Rob Corddry, Rebel Wilson, Ken Jeong, Larry Hankin, and Peter Stromare. But he wastes the talents of each and every one of them. If you look back at the history of Bay films, it seems clear that he wants to work with actors who know how to act, why? SO HE DOESN’T HAVE TO DIRECT THEM! I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, Michael Bay would make an amazing visual effects supervisor, but instead we're stuck with him as a full-on director. Well, at least we’ve got one failure of film. Let’s hope this is a trend.

(Jeff’s Note: An alternate reason that this film might have done more poorly than any other Bay film might simply have to do with its marketing budget, not with a sour audience reaction. Since this wasn't a 100+ million dollar film, the marketing budget was likewise vastly smaller than any of his blockbusters. Instead of carpet-bombing viewers with ads for this film, like the studio usually does for Bay’s flicks, it had to rely on a much smaller, not-so-clever campaign. I love that you have such faith in your fellow man, Josh. But I don’t think the dum-dums are learning, I think they just weren't told when to show up.)

Lesson 3. An A for Effort

Sometimes you get an “A” for effort, like Robert Redford with The Company You Keep. Redford directs and co-stars in this film, and it’s fine. This is one of those films that have a famous actor in every part and all of them shine with what they are given simply because they can ACT. The Company You Keep features Shia LaBeouf, Susan Sarandon, Julie Christie, Anna Kendrick, Nick Nolte, Chris Cooper, Terrence Howard, Stanley Tucci, Richard Jenkins, Brendon Gleeson, Brit Marling, Sam Elliott, Stephen Root, and of course Redford. This film tells its story well, holds tension in the right moments, and even has a few surprises along the way, but can I say it’s worth your time? No. 

There is something lackluster about the end product, and that's that the film seems to have no solid point of view on its subject matter. The Company You Keep explores the story of a domestic terrorist/protest group in the 1970’s known as The Weathermen and what happened to them after they grew up. Most of them just became upper-middle class Americans with guilty souls, but when one member submits herself to the police the other members must decide whether to run or give themselves up as well. It all sounds great, but it’s not clear if Redford believes his characters are in the right or the wrong, nor is it clear if he believes their cause was right or wrong, nor does he examine their generation's effect on the present time. The film becomes a waste of a good idea. It could have been much more, but instead simply gets an “A” for effort.

Lesson 2. Some Snacks are not for Everybody

The Place Beyond the Pines is a visually stunning film. This is my kind of eye-candy. Finding the beauty in a difficult situation, finding the beauty in the world around us, and finding the beauty in even the darkest corner of life, these are thing that I adore about this film. Pines is an epic tale of fathers and sons told in three parts, examining the nature and relationships of a father and son and coming to a pretty bleak conclusion. The Place Beyond the Pines works on many levels for me personally, but on the flip side, I can understand how it wouldn’t work for others. It’s a violent and slow film with a negative view on society in general. I think the story being told is worth watching, but you should do your research to know if it’s something you’d enjoy. Watch the trailer, read some spoiler-free reviews, and know that the film is rated R for a reason. If after doing some research it look like it’s not your cup of tea, then stay away, but I personally recommend it.

Lesson 1. A Quick List of Pros and Cons

Of course this week I saw Iron Man 3 and at the risk of giving away spoilers, I’m going to skip a more in-depth review and give you list of pro and cons.

Pros:

Robert Downey Jr. is awesome as always as Tony Stark.

Great fight sequences that you can follow and understand at all times.

Iron Man gets his Short Round!

Fantastic, but not distracting, special effects.

A good balance between comedy and action (except for one glaring moment).

Good use of back story and sets up the next chapter in the film.

Great tie-in with the Marvel universe.

The final credits cut scene worth sticking around for.

Compelling characters

Director Shane Black does a very good job of making the film his own, while still being faithful to the Iron Man/Marvel Universe

Moves at a great pace, never boring

Cons:

The Mandarin.

After all of that can I say that I recommend Iron Man 3? No, I can’t. I’m not going any further into this film at this moment, but my hope is that later this month Jeff (Who has NOT seen this movie and cannot confirm or deny Josh’s opinion) and I can do a spoiler-full about it. Iron Man 3 makes one glaring misstep and for this fan of the Marvel universe, it kills everything good about this film. 

Box Office Totals for the Weekend of May 3-5

Rank	Film Title	Weekend Gross	Total Gross	Budget	Weeks in Theatres
1.	Iron Man 3	$175.3	$175.3	$200	1
2.	Pain & Gain	$7.6	$33.9	$26	2
3.	42	$6.2	$78.3	$40	4
4.	Oblivion	$5.7	$75.9	$120	3
5.	The Croods	$4.2	$168.7	$135	7
6.	The Big Wedding	$3.8	$14.2	$35	2
7.	Mud	$2.1	$5.1	--	2
8.	Oz The Great and Powerful	$1.8	$228.5	$215	9
9.	Scary Movie 5	$1.4	$29.6	$20	4
10.	The Place Beyond the Pines	$1.2	$18.6	$15	6

All Numbers are in Millions and numbers are from of Box Office Mojo.com

Top 5 Film Super Villains of All Time

The time has come to talk of many things! Of heroes and villains, and CG monsters, of care-free times and killing hot days, and why the sea is boiling hot and whether there are films to see, kalu-kaly no work today, we’re cabbages and kings! Summer movie season is upon us! The first major blockbuster of the summer will release tomorrow when Disney and Marvel present Iron Man 3! We are very excited for this release, the first Iron Man was a clear game changer in the superhero genre, and while Iron Man 2 didn’t please all audiences (Josh thinks it was a misstep, but Jeff was onboard), We think it’s fair to expect that Iron Man 3 is more of a sequel to last summer’s The Avengers than to Iron Man 2. This film rings in Phase 2 of the Marvel film universe, which will also include Thor: The Dark World, Captain America: Winter Solider, and Guardians of the Galaxy, all leading up to The Avengers 2. While each film will have its own director just like before, it’s all under the guidance and benevolent dictatorship of Joss Whedon. So, we’re more than a little bit psyched – especially considering that we consider The Avengers to be the greatest achievement in superhero film of all time.

Turning back to Iron Man 3, how does that relate to our topic today? Although Iron Man is an iconic film and the role of Tony Stark re-launched Robert Downy Jr., the series has always lacked the one thing that makes a super hero film great: an awesome villain! Two absolutely true story tropes: ‘You’re only as good as your villain’, and ‘Conflict is the mother of all story.’ We need to understand who our hero is fighting, and more importantly why in order for a film to work. Though the Iron Man series has lacked amazing villains so far, they’ve been able to get this far on the charm of the rest of their cast. The only way to raise the stakes for the third installment is to ensure that The Mandarin, played by Sir Ben Kingsley, will bring the super-villiany to a whole new level.

So what makes a good villain? Who do we point to as the best film (comic villains are a whole other discussion) super villains of all time? Before we offer our list, let’s lay the ground rules.

1. The list is limited to the superhero genre. There are many great villains in film history but we specifically wanted to look at super villains vs. superheroes.

2. Heath Ledger’s Joker in The Dark Knight is ruled out. Why? Because he wins. He’s the clear answer. He’s the only person that won an Oscar for playing a super villain, and he reached a level of art and audience ardor that is beyond this discussion. Since we all know he’s the forgone conclusion, we believe that makes him transcend the smaller topic of greatest super villain and belong instead to the larger topic of Greatest Film Villain, period. For now, let’s set him aside and take a look at Nerd 5’s Best Film Super Villains (Not Including Heath Ledger’s Joker)

3. We are allowed to disagree. In those instances you get to hear from us individually.

5. Aaron Eckhart’s Harvey Dent in The Dark Knight (2008) One of the reasons that Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight is so great is the criminally overlooked performance of Aaron Eckhart as Harvey Dent, otherwise known as Two-Face. Eckhart plays the foil to both Bruce Wayne and Batman equally, and allows us to see a good man slowly go bad. The layers that Eckhart adds to this character is what really makes it, honestly he’s the person that makes this film work. He pulls all of the fantastical elements together but is almost always overlooked when people mention The Dark Knight. Aaron Eckhart as Harvey Dent easily deserves to be on this list.

(Josh’s #4) Danny DeVito’s Penguin in Batman Returns (1992) One of the wonderful things about Tim Burton 1992 sequel to Batman is its villains. Danny DeVito could not be more perfectly cast. As a kid he was the perfect amount of creepy and silly and his performance still vividly sticks out in my brain as being one of the greatest villains of all time. Watching the film as an adult I found something interesting, Batman Returns is really an examination of the three aspects of Batman. Catwoman represents the thrill seeking, leather wearing, dark side of him, Max Shrek is his billionaire business side, and finally The Penguin is the part of Batman/Bruce Wayne that still mourns the loss of this parents and feels like a freak or outcast. It’s this aspect that really allows The Penguin to shine. I really enjoy Batman Returns and it is, in my opinion, the best of the non-Nolan Batman franchise.

 (Jeff’s #4) Samuel L. Jackson’s Elijah Price in Unbreakable (2000) Quick shoutout here for the best movie M. Knight has given to our society. Unbreakable tracks the progression of a real man discovering his own special abilities and what it does to him and his family. As Elijah, Jackson acts as a sage, a comic book expert guiding this new hero’s steps. The real-world aspect of this film makes Elijah’s reveal as antagonist even more compelling and has even more dire consequences. Plus Jackson rocks awesome Frederick Douglas hair.

(Josh’s #3) Tom Hiddleston’s Loki in Thor (2011) & The Avengers (2012) Speaking of perfect casting, Tom Hiddleston is perfect as Loki. He easily steals the show every time he’s on screen. Loki is a villain so badass that he needs an entire team of superheroes to take him down. It’s in 2011’s Thor that we really get to know what makes him tick, and because of the great performance from Hiddleston, you can totally empathize with him. Loki is a relatively new addition to the film villain history but he has instantly made a mark and will be around for a long time as one of the greatest villains of all time.

(Jeff’s #3) Ian McKellen’s Magneto in X-Men (2000) X-Men was the first superhero movie out of the gate, and still one of the best. Instead of telling a sprawling, pulpy story with too many characters (like X-Men 3) it focused on a small cast dealing with a, though fantastic, manageable amount of daring-do. McKellen can read the phone book and I’ll pay, how much better then to have him play a villain with so much history and pathos. Way to set the bar high.

2. Jason Lee’s Syndrome in The Incredibles (2004) We’ll go off the reservation for this one, but yes Syndrome as voiced by Jason Lee in Brad Bird’s The Incredibles is the second greatest film villain of all time. Why? Because he was created by the man who is now is arch nemesis. Think about (Spoiler Aler… no, whatever. You should have seen it by now) from Syndrome’s point of view, all he ever wanted to do was be a superhero, and his idol, Mr. Incredible, totally blows him off. As a child Syndrome just can’t handle that type of rejection. Syndrome is cold, calculating and a true evil genius who is not bent on world destruction, but the destruction of one man, which makes the final battle so personal and worthwhile to watch. The idea of creating your own worst enemy isn’t a new one, but it’s the best when done right. I adore Syndrome, and he more than deserves a spot on this list. Almost the top spot, but not quite. Don’t hurt me Syndrome…    

This cuddly villain has eight arms to hold onto our hearts.

1. Alfred Molina’s Doctor Octopus in Spider-Man 2 (2004) What’s not to love about Alfred Molina’s Doc Ock? His journey from scientist, loving husband, and all around good-guy to one of the most vicious villains of all time is simply heartbreaking. At every turn we understand why the character is doing what he’s doing (even if that reason is that his tentacles are driving him a little insane) and why needs to do it, which makes it all the more amazing when we know that Spider-Man has to take him down. The scene with the Doctor in the in hospital still raises the hairs on the back of my neck. In a film full of heart and hope, Molina’s character shows how dreams can turn to pain, darkness, and anger. One of the best moments of the film comes near the end (Spoiler… Again, whatever, you need to catch up on your movies, buddy) when Doc Ock realizes that he’s gone too far, and instead of completing his scheme, chooses to put other’s lives above his own.

In all honesty, I would have nominated Molina for a best supporting actor Oscar for this role, and it’s my belief that Molina success gives credibility to all super villains, showing that great actors can give great performances within that type of role. Without Molina breaking this ground, Ledger’s stunning performance as the Joker in The Dark Knight might not even have been considered for an Oscar, let alone win. As the old saying goes “the first person through the wall, always gets bloody.” I applaud Molina for being the first person through the wall.