Infamous

This week I saw two films. One I knew nothing about and hadn't even heard of. The other I knew all too well and was not looking forward to seeing, I'll be honest. The Iceman featuring Michael Shannon and Winona Ryder is up first:

As I said, this one was a complete surprise. A friend mentioned he was going to check it out and I tagged along because I was curious. You're telling me Winona Ryder made something new and I have never heard a thing about it? Let's see where this goes.

This year is all about true, shocking stories. The Iceman is no exception. Again, i knew nothing about the story and was blown away to learn it all really happened once the credits rolled. 

Michael Shannon plays a man with a troubled past. He meets Winona Ryder, an innocent church-going gal, and does everything in his power to hide from her, the man he really is. They get married, have children and live normal lives. 

Only, when Mike leaves the house, he goes off to kill people. 

He started off as an editor working on illegal pornography flicks and when the mob decided to shut down his business, he started working for them as a contract killer. He's really good at what he does and doesn't seem conflicted about any of the jobs he carries out. He makes a ton of money and keeps his wife happy so she tries not to question what he does everyday at the "office".

Unfortunately, Mike's boss runs into some trouble and he shuts down all jobs until further notice. This leaves Mike with a lot of time on his hands and he starts to get a little fidgety. He needs an outlet, without one, his relationship with his family gets a little rocky. So Mike decides to start taking on some side jobs which his boss is not too happy about. 

The family is threatened and one of his daughters is actually attacked. Mike is more paranoid than ever and his wife blames him (rightfully so) for the destruction of their perfect lives. I won't give away the ending, but considering there's a film about it now, I think you can draw your own conclusions as to what happens to our hitman in the end. 

Not being a huge fan of Michael or Winona, I must say, their performances were fantastic! If you like suspense, if you like mob films, if you like a super surprising cast (David Schwimmer where the fuck have you been?!), you'll want to see The Iceman. Again, it's based on a true story but thankfully, the writers don't treat the main character like a hero as they did with Pain & Gain. You should check it out if you get the chance. 

Now for the one we all know and, most of us, love:

Ah yes, Gatsby, The Great Gatsby. Baz Luhrmann sure does know how to make a movie! Like Les Mis, if you know and love this story, you will be extremely pleased with this one. If you're like me, and hate the book, you'll at least be pleased with the overall quality of the movie. 

The writers did an excellent job sticking to the story. The visuals were amazing. The actors were fantastic. But I still hate the story. 

I wish I could say more about it but the above statement pretty much sums it up. I think you should see it regardless of your feelings about the book-the film really is gorgeous.