BY MICHAEL GOODPASTER
(FOUR) THE GREAT GATSBY
"The Great Gatsby" starring Leonardo DiCaprio is almost certainly going to be a great movie. I can’t imagine it not being at least a really fun movie. Leo brings the ruckus when it comes to doing bad ass period or bio pictures. Here he’s in one of the biggest stories in modern literature. He plays Nick Carraway and goes through the crazy journey of the “good life”. He chases the “American dream” until he encounters the party-guy millionaire Jay Gatsby. Hilarity, drama, and intrigue ensue. Leonardo DiCaprio is not alone. Tobey Maguire, Joel Edgerton, Isla Fisher, Carey Mulligan, and a slew of other familiar and talented faces are around in this movie. This might not be a movie that I’ll run to the theatre to check out, but I’d have no problem catching this on cable down the line.
(THREE) AFTER EARTH
After Earth is the new M. Night Shymalan movie. This one stars Will Smith and his son Jaden Smith as two people who get stuck on Earth 1,000 years after “cataclysmic events” when their space ship crashes. Not only do they have to fight for survival and deal with the new evolved animal species, but a crazy alien creature escaped their shuttle during the crash. So basically I’m thinking this is the post-apocalyptic sequel to “Pursuit of Happiness”. Bad ass. Of course I’m kidding. It could be pretty cool and I’d check it out for sure. My bet for the signature “M. Night twist” is that this isn’t the future, but rather the past! We find out that “we” (humans) already destroyed Earth and these two dudes and whoever else shows up during the movie (I’m sure SOMEONE will) will be “Adam” and “Eve”… or something like that. I hope I’m way off and the twist is not only surprising but fulfilling like the classic stuff in “Sixth Sense” or my favorite of the M. Night movies “Unbreakable”. I genuinely like M. Night Shyamalan. Sometimes his movies connect with me and sometimes not, but I appreciate his efforts and how his mind works. With Will Smith and his promising son getting to explore this world I’m in the very least “curious”. That’s more than I can say for a lot of movies these days.
(TWO) NOW YOU SEE ME
This movie looks like it could be the best movie of this upcoming summer, but I’m not 100% sold on it just yet. I think that might be to the movie’s benefit because I’m not getting my hopes up all that much. The concept is really cool and the cast is well put together. The FBI goes after “The Four Horsemen”, a group of amazing illusionists. These “illusionists” (translation: magicians) are bad ass and apparently the FBI wants to take them down for pulling off crazy big heists during their performances. Cool stuff! In this movie we have Jesse Eisenberg, Woody Harrelson, Isla Fisher, Morgan Freeman, Mark Ruffalo, Michael Cane, and Common. Needless to say, this movie didn’t skimp on the casting. It’s a cool concept, a cool cast, and there is tons of potential here.
(ONE) THE LORDS OF SALEM
Rob Zombie’s movies are definitely his own. He has a certain style that’s his. It’s not so much of a “throw back” style, but full of influence and homage. Unlike other big name directors, he’s not ripping off old school cult hits or “cool” foreign movies. Not everything is on the same level. I think “The Devil’s Rejects” is easily his best movie. It’s at least my favorite of the bunch. This movie could easily give it a run for its money. The idea behind it is pretty cool. We see a wacky local radio team get stuck into a world of evil witches. That’s about it if we want to get general about it. Then you watch this trailer and you see just how intense and bizarre it is. THAT is what you want in a dramatic and artistic horror movie. This trailer is awesome.
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