Tag Archives: leonardo dicaprio

Review: The Great Gatsby (2013)

Posted on May 18, 2013 | Leave a comment

***THIS REVIEW WAS ORIGINALLY POSTED HERE FOR THE HOLLYWOOD NEWS ON MAY 16TH, 2013***

Director: Baz Luhrmann.

Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Tobey Maguire, Carey Mulligan, Joel Edgerton, Elizabeth Debicki, Isla Fisher, Jason Clarke.

Running Time: 142 minutes.

Certificate: 12A.

Synopsis: Yale graduate Nick Carraway (Tobey Maguire) moves next door to the mansion of a mysterious millionaire renowned for his lavish parties. Spending time in Long Island brings him closer to cousin Daisy (Carey Mulligan) and her husband, Tom (Joel Edgerton), but other eyes are watching Daisy from afar.

The fictional Long Island setting of West Egg plays host to F. Scott Fitzgerald’s Jazz Age tale of the price of obsession. The roaring twenties are a paradoxical time of cheap alcohol and family pride, with the constant debauchery a platform for temptation. Luhrmann sure wants us to enjoy the party, but it’s only when the revelry is over that his adaptation becomes any fun. Continue reading →

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Tagged 2013, baz luhrmann, bazmark films, carey mulligan, craig armstrong, craig pearce, daisy buchanan, elizabeth debicki, f. scott fitzgerald, film, isla fisher, jason clarke, jay gatsby, jay-z, joel edgerton, leonardo dicaprio, long island, may, movies, red wagon entertainment, review, the great gatsby, the hollywood news, tobey maguire, village roadshow pictures, warner bros., west egg

Review: Django Unchained (2012)

Posted on January 20, 2013 | 10 Comments

DIRECTOR: Quentin Tarantino.

CAST: Jamie Foxx, Christoph Waltz, Leonardo DiCaprio, Kerry Washington, Samuel L. Jackson, Walton Goggins, James Remar, Laura Cayouette, Don Johnson.

SYNOPSIS: When German bounty hunter Dr. King Schultz (Waltz) promises Django (Foxx) his freedom on the capture of the villainous Brittle brothers, the slave finds the perfect opportunity to search for his lost wife, Broomhilda (Washington). When their paths cross plantation owner Calvin Candie (DiCaprio), the pair must make a choice between sacrifice and survival.

More sprawling, cross-country epic than nonstop, gun blazing shootout, Django Unchained is a perfect marriage of slave story and spaghetti western that allows Tarantino to make the most of his signature anachronistic embellishments. Reeking of 70s panache from the opening old-school Columbia insignia, the combination of mashed-up soundtrack, obvious homages and riotous one-liners easily coalesce in a film that necessitates multiple viewings. Continue reading →

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Tagged 2013, brown 26 productions, calvin candie, christoph waltz, columbia pictures, django unchained, don johnson, double feature films, ennio morricone, film, james remar, jamie foxx, january, kerry washington, king schultz, laura cayouette, leonardo dicaprio, movies, quentin tarantino, review, samuel l. jackson, the weinstein company, walton goggins

2012 National Board Of Review Award Winners

Posted on December 8, 2012 | Leave a comment

Beasts Of The Southern Wild and Zero Dark Thirty are riding the crest of a rather awesome wave right now. Yeah, someone really did use that saying in a conversation with me once. But let’s leave Sussex sensibilities behind for a minute and focus on Bigelow and Zeitlin.

Things are going pretty swimmingly for the pair, with Bigelow fresh off her NYFCC win, Zeitlin winning yet another accolade for his direction and both receiving prizes for their leading ladies.

It’s great to see Looper receiving Best Original Screenplay, but the money’s still on Moonrise Kingdom, especially when the Academy seem to keep sci-fi offerings reserved to the technical fields. But I’m definitely keeping my fingers crossed for more Rian Johnson nominations and it’s brilliant to see it make their top ten, as it’ll definitely make my list of the best 2012′s had to offer.

Talking of their top ten, indie offerings sit alongside Oscar frontrunners, with The Perks Of Being A Wallflower getting a very deserved mention.

Check out the full list of winners below: Continue reading →

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Tagged 2012, ai weiwei: never sorry, amour, ann dowd, arbitrage, argo, awards season, barbara, beasts of the southern wild, benh zeitlin, bernie, bradley cooper, compliance, december, detropia, django unchained, end of watch, film, flight, hello i must be going, jessica chastain, john goodman, kathryn bigelow, leonardo dicaprio, les miserables, lincoln, little birds, looper, moonrise kingdom, movies, national board of review, no, on the road, only the young, oscar race, oscars, paranorman, promised land, quartet, quvenzhane wallis, rian johnson, searching for sugar man, silver linings playbook, sleepwalk with me, the central park five, the gatekeepers, the impossible, the invisible war, the kid with a bike, the perks of being a wallflower, tom holland, trouble with the curve, untouchable, war witch, winners, wreck-it ralph, zero dark thirty

Baz Sure Does Love His Shiny Anachronisms

Posted on May 23, 2012 | 2 Comments

The trailer for Baz Luhrmann’s Gatsby has finally arrived and it is every bit as debauched and impressive as you’d expect. But that doesn’t mean we’re exposed to a great deal of substance underneath the glitz and glamour.

Coming December 2012 in 3D which is bound to be so colourful it’ll make your eyes bleed, The Great Gatsby is another adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel of the pursuit of The American Dream. With DiCaprio the only actor I can see embodying the titular Gatsby, the December release date looks like a clever bid by Warner for some Awards recognition.

While it is yet to be seen whether Carey Mulligan will play Daisy quite as mad as Mia Farrow in Robert Redford’s 1974 version, it’s a welcome change to see Tobey Maguire head back to something a little more serious after his Spidey excursions.

With a busy Christmas release slate for DiCaprio in the form of Django Unchained and The Great Gatsby, it’s up to you to decide whether Luhrmann or Tarantino have injected more ‘cool’ into their respective projects. Jay-Z, Kanye and Jack White may pale in anachronistic comparison to the first Tarantino trailer.

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Tagged 1920s, 2012, 3D, american dream, baz luhrmann, bazmark films, carey mulligan, daisy buchanan, elizabeth debicki, f. scott fitzgerald, film, isla fisher, jack white, jason clarke, jay gatsby, jay-z, joel edgerton, kanye west, leonardo dicaprio, may, movies, nick carraway, red wagon productions, the great gatsby, tobey maguire, tom buchanan, trailer, warner bros., watch the throne

The 18th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards – Nominations

Posted on December 17, 2011 | Leave a comment

All in all, I’m actually pretty surprised by this year’s SAG nominations. We all know SAG tend to hold more stock than the Golden Globes come Oscar time, but this has me a little confused. No Shailene Woodley? No Albert Brooks? No Oldman or Fassbender? This seems to be a little against the grain. I’m thrilled to bits with Nolte’s nomination and he could have a very good chance, so I’m hoping for an Oscar nod – but we all know I’ve made no secret of that. Other than that, I’m glad to see Chastain’s Best Supporting nod confirmed as for The Help which I think is strongly deserved and both Albert Nobbs and Bridesmaids still appear to be in with a chance. Also, Demian Bichir? Who saw that coming? Check out the nominees below: Continue reading →

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Tagged 2011, a better life, albert nobbs, armie hammer, awards season, beginners, berenice bejo, brad pitt, bridesmaids, christopher plummer, december, demian bichir, film, george clooney, glenn close, j. edgar, janet mcteer, jean dujardin, jessica chastain, jonah hill, kenneth branagh, leonardo dicaprio, melissa mccarthy, meryl streep, michelle williams, midnight in paris, moneyball, my week with marilyn, nick nolte, octavia spencer, oscar race, oscars, sag, screen actors guild, the artist, the descendants, the help, the iron lady, tilda swinton, viola davis, warrior, we need to talk about kevin

2011 Broadcast Film Critics Association Award Nominations

Posted on December 13, 2011 | 1 Comment

The BFCA have done two things that make me very happy. They’ve given a hell of a lot of love to Drive (eight nods, in fact) and they’ve nominated Nick Nolte for his absolutely heartbreaking performance in Warrior, a film that will be showcased when I eventually write up my Top Ten of 2011. Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy has been left out entirely which is more than a shock and it’s interesting to see Andy Serkis get yet another nomination for Best Supporting Actor. Check out the full list of nominees below: Continue reading →

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Tagged 2011, 50/50, a separation, albert brooks, albert nobbs, alexander payne, andy serkis, arthur christmas, asa butterfield, awards season, beginners, berenice bejo, bfca, brad pitt, bridesmaids, broadcast film critics association, buck, carey mulligan, cave of forgotten dreams, charlize theron, christopher plummer, crazy stupid love, december, drive, elizabeth olsen, elle fanning, extremely loud and incredibly close, fast five, film, george clooney, george harrison: living in the material world, gnomeo & juliet, hanna, harry potter and the deathly hallows: part 2, horrible bosses, hugo, in darkness, j. edgar, jane eyre, jean dujardin, jessica chastain, kenneth branagh, kung fu panda 2, le havre, leonardo dicaprio, martha marcy may marlene, martin scorsese, melissa mccarthy, meryl streep, michael fassbender, michel hazanavicius, michelle williams, midnight in paris, moneyball, my week with marilyn, nick nolte, nicolas winding refn, octavia spencer, oscar race, oscars, page one: inside the new york times, patton oswalt, project nim, puss in boots, rango, rise of the planet of the apes, ryan gosling, saoirse ronan, shailene woodley, shame, stephen daldry, steven spielberg, super 8, the adventures of tintin: the secret of the unicorn, the artist, the descendants, the girl with the dragon tattoo, the help hugo, the ides of march, the iron lady, the muppets, the skin i live in, the tree of life, thomas horn, tilda swinton, undefeated, viola davis, war horse, warrior, we need to talk about kevin, where do we go now, win win, young adult

The Great Trailer Debate – Week 3

Posted on November 23, 2011 | 4 Comments

Nadine (check out her blog here) and I are spoiling you this week with rather a big selection to look at! There’s (deep breath) The Hunger Games (TRAILER OF THE WEEK!!!), Brave, Mirror Mirror, The Iron Lady, Gone, Carnage, Being Flynn, Titanic 3D, Shame, The Sitter, Happy Feet Two, The Deep Blue Sea and Pirates! A Band Of Misfits/In An Adventure With Scientists, depending on which country you’re from! So take a look and tweet or comment your opinions! Continue reading →

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Tagged 2011, amanda seyfried, armie hammer, being flynn, brad pitt, brave, brian blessed, carey mulligan, carnage, christoph waltz, david tennant, elijah wood, elizabeth banks, film, gone, hank azaria, happy feet two, hugh grant, imelda staunton, james cameron, jennifer lawrence, jeremy piven, jim broadbent, jodie foster, john c. reilly, jonah hill, josh hutcherson, julia roberts, julianne moore, kate winslet, leonardo dicaprio, liam hemsworth, lily collins, margaret thatcher, martin freeman, matt damon, meryl streep, michael fassbender, mirror mirror, movies, nathan lane, november, paul dano, pink, pirates! a band of misfits, pirates! in an adventure with scientists, pixar, rachel weisz, robert de niro, robin williams, roman polanski, salma hayek, sam rockwell, shame, simon russell beale, snow white, steve mcqueen, tarsem, the deep blue sea, the hunger games, the iron lady, the sitter, titanic 3D, tom hiddleston, trailers, woody harrelson