"MUD" FEATURE FILM REVIEW

STAND BY ME FOR THE NEW GENERATION. 

I feel that about sums the feature MUD up. Two boys stumble upon a strange man played flawlessly by Matthew McConaughey which leads them into a situation way over there heads. This is at it’s heart a coming of age story but with an edge. The boys learn about life in bold and dramatic ways yet the film was never heavy handed or boring.

That is because the characters are well written and both McConaughey and Reese Witherspoon seized the opportunity to bring them to life. Both actors proved their abilities and range as actors. It even for no other reason you should see Mud for the performances by all the actors including Michael Shannon, who’s theater background continues to serve him on the big screen as the comic relief in this story.

We can only hope they will take more parts like this so strong independent films can continue to be made and get their day in court.

Review written by Curt Wiser, the Writer/Director of Cam-Girl (aka) Web-Cam and the novel Box cutter Killer.   

IRON MAN 3 REVIEW

 
On May 3ed Iron Man 3 rocketed into theaters fueled by the smash hit The Avengers, which came out one year earlier on May 4^th 2012. From the beginning I had doubts about this third installment because it was not written or directed by Jon Favreau as with Iron Man and Iron Man 2. Iron Man 3 was directed and co-written by Shane Black, famed screenwriter of Lethal Weapon.

Given that, this movie exceeded my expectations. The action and effects were spectacular. The plot was cohesive and they definitely added some new and interesting elements to the Iron Man franchise. Without spoiling anything I will say that Gwyneth Paltrow as Pepper Potts gets to be more involved in this third film, she is not relegated to the sidelines. And lets face it guys, we like to see a woman of action. Ever since Alien made it a mainstream archetype, we have been drawn to attractive, strong, independent woman that is not just a girl to be saved. I kept this in mind when I wrote the character of Gessica, the female lead in my movie Cam-Girl (AKA Web-Cam).

Iron Man 3 also had a few surprises along the way, how the characters developed and what the villains weapon really turns out to be. These moments of the movie were refreshing, spontaneous and realistic for the given situations.

The one minor complaint I had was that a few parts of the story were written in a contrived way to reach an end result. This was done to force Tony Stark into his low point and it was also present during the big finale of the film. It turns out a lot went into making that final scene. In a Entertainment Weekly interview Robert Downey Jr. laments that he injured an ankle performing a stunt which caused a six week shut down during production.

This third Iron Man film provided great closure for the character and the storyline. As of now this is the last time Robert Downey Jr. is obligated to suit up as Iron Man. Part of me wishes this is the last Iron Man movie they make because it ended strongly. I’m sure they will make more Iron Man films because of there success. The question remains if it will be Downey Jr. as the character, it would be hard for me to imagine any other actor filling those iron shoes. I recommend Iron Man 3.


- Curt Wiser is the author of the suspense novel Box Cutter Killer:
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