GET REEL: ‘The Ides of March’ and ‘Real Steel’
There are only two major theatrical releases this weekend, but they are big. First up we’ll take a look at George Clooney’s The Ides of March and then Hugh Jackman in director Shawn Levy’s Real Steel.
The Ides of March
Director: George Clooney
Screenwriter: George Clooney, Grant Heslov, Beau Willimon
Starring: Ryan Gosling, George Clooney, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Marisa Tomei, Paul Giamatti, Jeffrey Wright, Max Minghella, Evan Rachel Wood.
The Gist of it: Ryan Gosling plays a fresh-faced campaign press secretary for a politician (George Clooney) during the last few days of a closely contested Ohio presidential primary. As with most political candidacy’s, secrets are revealed that could destroy both the candidate and everybody around him.
Why I’m Excited: George Clooney’s fourth directorial effort looks to be his most commercially viable project yet. An absolutely stunning cast, an extremely talented director, a solid writing team, plus an always timely subject looks to push The Ides of March as both as Oscar contender and one of the best films of the year.
Real Steel
Director: Shawn Levy
Screenwriter: John Gatins
Starring: Hugh Jackman, Evangeline Lilly, Dakota Goyo, Anthony Mackie, Kevin Durand
The Gist of it: What happens when you combine Rock ‘Em Sock ‘Em Robots with a touching father son story? You get Shawn Levy’s Real Steel. Jackman plays Charlie Kenton a failure of a father and a washed up boxer turned fight promoter, who lost all chance at a championship when the sport changed and robots took the place of humans in the ring. Now Kenton and his estranged son are joining forces to create a strong championship robot…and an even stronger relationship.
Why I wasn’t and now am excited: I’ve got to be honest, when I first saw the trailer for Real Steel I thought it looked ridiculous…and to an extent I still think it looks a little nutty. But in the last couple months an excitement has grown deep within me to see this movie. It looks like a helluva fun ride with a strong emotional undercurrent. Shawn Levy is a talented director and I love Hugh Jackman so I think this will be a winner. Also it’s in IMAX!
Happy Weekend Everybody!
