The Great Gatsby © Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. All rights reserved

Baz Luhrmann’s bombastic big screen adaptation of “The Great Gatsby,” is like drinking cheap booze to excess. It’s unpleasant going down, and even worse coming back up, but when the experience is over, you’ll feel much better.

Speaking of bad alcohol, Luhrmann’s film is a nasty homemade concoction. With his take on F. Scott Fitzgerald’s famous novel, he creates anachronistic moonshine that doesn’t mix effectively with the story’s Prohibition Era setting. His predilection for combining the old and new isn’t surprising, considering previous brazen films “Moulin Rouge” and “Romeo + Juliet.” However those stylistic blends were arguably more fluid.

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Iron Man 3 poster Marvel Studios/Disney/Paramount

Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) figures out how to play nice with others in “The Avengers,” but our smug, self-assured hero finally learns humility in Shane Black’s “Iron Man 3.” For the first time Stark can’t come up with all the answers immediately, he’s not always wearing his armor, and he doesn’t have jokes for every occasion. His struggle is actually quite refreshing, and endearing because watching this cocky character become so humbled over the course of Black’s story, is more engaging than any epic act of heroism that Iron Man performs in the film.

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Bobcat Goldthwait at an IFFBoston Q & A after the “Willow Creek” screening

It’s fairly safe to say, that few filmmakers would attempt to shoot a found footage movie like Bobcat Goldthwait’s “Willow Creek.” There aren’t many writer/directors who could make an absurd combination mockumentary/horror flick even remotely watchable. That’s why Goldthwait is one of the bravest, most uncompromising voices in independent film right now. When he decides to experiment with a specific type of story, he’s dedicated to seeing the project through, no matter how strange the idea is. He gracefully accepts that not everyone loves what he’s doing, and focuses on creating fresh pictures for the people who understand his style.

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V/H/S/2 © Magnet Releasing

When the creators of last year’s wicked horror anthology “V/H/S” sat down to make a sequel, it seems like they were reading from an audience suggestion box. That’s because V/H/S/2 addresses many of the major complaints people had with its predecessor. And although the movie still isn’t perfect, it vastly improves upon the formula established by the first film, to tell more engaging stories.

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Fran Kranz in Joss Whedon’s Much Ado About Nothing

Shakespeare has never been as accessible on the big screen as he is in Joss Whedon’s “Much Ado About Nothing.” Sure, there have been plenty of modern Shakespearean film adaptations, but they often rely on well-known actors or massive stylistic updates to connect with audiences. Whedon’s version bridges that gap because it features his stable of performers and includes modern technology, while maintaining the essence of The Bard’s work.

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Alice Lowe and Steve Oram in Sightseers

The British can make almost anything funny with their dry, cheeky sense of humor, including murder. Sounds messed up, right? You might be wondering, “How could murder ever be humorous?” Well, it can be hilarious, if it’s for all the wrong, outrageous reasons in Ben Wheatley’s dark road-comedy “Sightseers.”

All of the violence and chaos in the film seems logical and amusing, because you find out quickly, that the main characters each have a screw loose.

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Liam James and Sam Rockwell in The Way Way Back Copyright 2013 Fox Searchlight

If Nat Faxon and Jim Rash’s directorial debut “The Way Way Back” had a theme song, it would be Bonnie Tyler’s “I Need a Hero.” Why a tune from the ‘80s film “Footloose?” A couple of reasons.

First, when facing a ridiculous dilemma in the movie, the character Owen (Sam Rockwell) looks out into a crowd, and jokingly asks for assistance by quoting it. The amusing kicker is that no one gets the reference, even after he tries to mention the recent “Footloose” remake. The gag and the impending laughs from its failure are indicative of this picture’s delightful retro style.

Second, and more importantly, the song represents a cry for help from Duncan (Liam James), our protagonist in this coming-of-age comedy. He needs a hero to save him from his miserable existence, and luckily, Rockwell’s Owen answers the call. He may not be strong, fast, or fresh from the fight like Tyler’s song requests, however Owen has everything needed to save the day.

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Miles Teller and Shailene Woodley in The Spectacular Now

Independent Film Festival Boston opened Wednesday night with a screening of “The Spectacular Now,” which I was lucky enough to attend.

James Ponsoldt’s film “The Spectacular Now,” draws inspiration from John Hughes and Cameron Crowe ‘80s teen flicks, to tell an unabashedly earnest tale of young love. In fact, Ponsoldt’s movie is so unapologetically honest, that his lead actors don’t even wear make-up. This decision keeps the picture grounded and relatable though, because when you see their imperfections up close, you actually feel like you’re watching real kids in high school.

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Alev Aydin in “Lonely Boy” by Exit 43 Productions

Here’s my first review as part of my coverage of Independent Film Festival Boston 2013.

If you think “Silver Linings Playbook” takes an overly cutesy, unrealistic approach to mental illness, you’ll probably appreciate Dale Fabrigar’s indie drama “Lonely Boy.” In this movie, there’s nothing humorous or endearing about mental disease, for the person who’s sick or the people who care about him.

“Lonely Boy” follows Franky (Alev Aydin) a schizophrenic young man stuck in a downward spiral. He’s out of a job, he’s off his medication, and his sister Besty (Melora Waters) won’t stop nagging him about everything. Franky is becoming increasingly detached from reality, lost in an imaginary world where he shares an apartment with his friend Jay and Jay’s two kids. This surrogate family is a constant disruption, sabotaging all of Franky’s attempts at normal daily human interactions.

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