That Awkward Moment

Three best friends find themselves where we’ve all been – at that confusing moment in every dating relationship when you have to decide “So…where is this going?”

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Director: Tom Gormican

Writer[s]: Tom Gormican

Starring: Zac Efron, Miles Teller, Michael B. Jordan

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That Awkward Moment boasts one of the most drawing casts in a rom-com of early 2014. Zac Efron is the eye-candy, Miles Teller is blowing up in Hollywood, finding several roles a year, and Miles B. Jordan is an up and comer with some real talent.

But don’t judge this book by it’s cover.

Crazy, Stupid, Love.

A middle-aged husband’s life changes dramatically when his wife asks him for a divorce. He seeks to rediscover his manhood with the help of a new found friend, Jacob, learning to pick up girls at bars.

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Director: Glen Ficarra

Writer[s]: John Requa, Dan Fogelman

Starring: Steve Carell, Ryan Gosling, Julianne Moore, Emma Stone, Analeigh Tipton, Jonah Bobo, Marisa Tomei, Liza Lapira, John Carrol Lynch, Kevin Bacon, Josh Groban

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Typecasting and formulaic film scripts are the most common occurrences in Hollywood. How many times have we seen: the female make-over story? love stories with straight-forward, one-sided occurrences, outcomes, and themes? Steve Carell play a 40-something sad-sack? Ryan Gosling as just a pretty face? The short answer: a ton of times. Another Hollywood production that features most all of those is Crazy, Stupid, Love. But it also features more. A lot more. It takes these commonalities, ideas, themes, and typecasts, and shatters them as the film develops into a new, refreshing take on many different fronts. And that is why it is one of my favorite movies ever, for its laughs, its themes, its style, its writing, and because after six or more viewings so far, I have not come close to tiring of it.

Her

A lonely writer develops an unlikely relationship with his newly purchased operating system that’s designed to meet his every need.

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Director: Spike Jonze

Writer[s]: Spike Jonze

Starring: Joaquin Phoenix, Amy Adams, Scarlett Johansson, Chris Pratt, Rooney Mara, Kristen Wiig, Olivia Wilde

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The original synopsis for Her when it was in pre-production was something along the line of: “A man falls in love with his phone operating system”. Okay, so, a guy falls in love with Siri, and the story is being written by the director of Being John Malkovich and Adapation., so it’s gonna be some weird, mind bending experience. I was honestly excited to see it, but when trailers started coming out and full plot summaries were revealed, it turns out that this is a more serious, in-depth, true, loving story than I ever imagined. It’s a love story of our near future; a prediction of what is just around the corner.

Quick Review: Don Jon

A New Jersey guy dedicated to his family, friends, and church, develops unrealistic expectations from watching porn and works to find happiness and intimacy with his potential true love.

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Director: Joseph Gordon-Levitt

Writer[s]: Joseph Gordon-Levitt

Starring: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Scarlett Johansson, Julianne Moore, Tony Danza, Glenne Headly, Brie Larson

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Joseph Gordon-Levitt [JGL] is now a writer and a director, and he has a lot to say. I find a lot of similarities in tone and intentions to 500 Days of Summer, which also starred JGL. An intriguing look at relationships and sex in the modern world that has a lot that guys can relate to [not sure about the women], but also a lot of lessons to be learned.

A simply made film that is cute in it’s repetitions, but nothing really jumps out and impresses me from a directorial stand-point, but for a first film, it’s interesting to see what the future will hold for such a smart guy.

My Rating

3/4 – Although pepper with a solid amount of things you don’t want your kids to see or hear, Don Jon is a smart rom-com that people can take a lot away from.

The Great Gatsby

A Midwestern war veteran finds himself drawn to the past and lifestyle of his millionaire neighbor.

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Director: Baz Luhrmann

Writer[s]: Baz Luhrmann, Craig Pearce, 

Starring: Tobey Maguire, Leonardo DiCaprio, Carey Mulligan, Joel Edgarton

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F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby is one of the most famous novels ever written. I don’t think there is a school in the country that doesn’t have it’s students read it at one point or another. Written almost 100 years ago, times have clearly changed, and we have what would be unimaginable technology at our fingertips, especially to create films. As everyone on the planet assumed, people decided to take a classic novel and give it the most modern twist possible. And so it was, we have Baz Luhrmann’s The Great Gatsby.