Fast & Furious 6

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Fast & Furious 6, 2013
In my view this series just gets better and better, especially since Justin Lin has been at the helm. Yes, most of the action sequences are incredibly unrealistic (aren’t they in every film?), but my god they are fun! Thankfully they have steered clear of the overuse of CGI that we saw in the second film, and kept it as real and gritty as possible.

And there’s plenty of muscle, of both the varieties that I like. The driving is fantastic, and the intense action sequences are peppered with humour and throw-away one-liners delivered superbly by Dwayne Johnson and Tyrese Gibson in particular.

It’s nice to see one of my favourite cinematic families back together again. I just wish I could tell Han not to go to Tokyo…


The Great Gatsby

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The Great Gatsby, 2013

Gatsby – in a word? Magnificent. Beautiful film making with, in my view, the most effective use of 3D I’ve seen in a long time. The most wonderful set and costume design – Catherine Martin is a genius. And the casting was perfect. Leonardo DiCaprio just gets better and better, Carey Mulligan was stunning, and Joel Edgerton was wonderfully horrible. I came out of the movie feeling like Jay Gatsby was one of the saddest, yet hopeful and courageous literary characters. Baz Luhrmann – I take my hat off to you, you are a visionary and genius in the cinematic world, and you have made our world richer.

Luhrmann’s films aren’t for everyone. I know there are those who call this film boring or too over the top, and those who simply refuse to see it because it was directed by Baz Luhrmann. If you don’t like your cinema colorful, visually rich and full of nuance hidden in the layers of excess, you might not like this movie – but open your mind, let go of your preconceptions and see where the film takes you. You might just like it!