1. The Great Gatsby (Warner Brothers,3,535 Theaters, PG-13, 143 Minutes): So, this film finally arrives. This film was supposed to come out in December of last year, then was moved to July of this year, then moved back to now.
Unlike certain other members of the FBOL staff, I do not have any animosity against Baz Luhrmann. I actually liked Moulin Rouge quite a bit. But I have to say that we really didn’t need this film made.
I mean, it has been adapted five times in the past. I guess that shows the timeless nature of the classic novel that it keeps coming back again and again. And I’m sure that the film would be visually brilliant and stunning. But I doubt that it would interpret the novel any better than the one actually made the year after the novel was published.
And it most certainly didn’t need to be presented in 3-D. I’m sure that the audience will be awed by the Jazz Age crumbling to pieces right on top of them, but it adds a gimmick to something that should ooze class.
2. Tyler Perry Presents Peeples (Lionsgate, 2,041 Theaters, 95 Minutes, Rated PG-13): Just is the awe inspiring power and influence of Tyler Perry that his name is attached to films he has almost nothing to do with.
Well, he’s listed as a producer. It depends how hands-on he was. But this film is written and directed by one Tina Gordon Chism. But at least he’s lending his name to help first time film makers follow their dream to make their own rip-off of Meet the Parents.
Craig Robinson plays a schlumpy everyman who somehow is engaged to the incredibly beautiful Kerry Washington. When he tags along with her to a family reunion out on the Hamptons, he soon butts heads with her father, played by David Alan Grier (when did he get old enough to play a dad?) Hilarity ensues. I hope Robinson is careful around any ceramic urns on fireplaces.
