the great gatsby (2013). directed by baz luhrmann.

i am glad i didn't read all the bad reviews that said luhrmann tanked the movie. i adored fitzgerald, read all his  books. i think lurhmann handled the material well, i got no complaints with all sorts of sounds he chose for the soundtrack. in fact i think it captures the insanity of the era where things are just as superficial as now - it's all fluff that caters for the short attention span. 

how contemporary. 

side effects (2013). directed by steven soderbergh.

soderbergh my man!

i managed to catch this movie last wednesday and immensely enjoyed it even though i think the ending is a bit too easy. lipstick lesbians? ok i guess now that's the rage. soderbergh direction is smooth and the story engaging - please tell me you are not retiring anytime soon. 

iron man 3 (2013). directed by shane black.

very poor. even shane black can't salvage this one. i enjoyed watching robert downey jr. (as always) but i think the story is mindless. i find myself counting down the minutes to its eventual, forgettable ending. 

i forgot how it ends. yawn. 

anna karenina (2012). directed by joe wright.

i thought the direction is gorgeous. reminds me of russian ark (2002). i think the plot is pretty tight as most of the major events in the book was closely followed, but my brother said there are critics who contended this movie is a high school version of tolstoy's tale of freedom and christian morality.