With the release of Baz Luhrmann's The Great Gatsby only 2 days away the reviews are starting to come in:
The Hollywood Reporter
The New York Post
The Wrap
Indiewire
Variety
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Dedicated to the preservation of Long Island's 'gold coast' estates and other things old.
14 comments:
SPOILER ALERT --
Daisy Buchanan shoots her husband Tom, and absconds to Australia with Gatsby. Nick Carraway and Jordan Baker move to Paris, where they open an all-night miniature golf course. Myrtle gets her own reality TV show. The movie ends with a spectacular ten-minute dance routine, to the tune of "Tie Me Kangaroo Down, Sport."
Mr. Ancient [who I knowwww isn't as ancient as I], you owe me a keyboard!
-Flo
The Post loves it, Variety hates it (the Variety reporter actually seems to have read and understood the book, the Post reviewer not so much). Carey Mulligan's old-money accent seems to have been lifted straight from Drew Barrymore's 'Grey Gardens'
I have a new favorite phrase, however, from the review in the wrap, however. "Vortex of Nothing"
And Ancient, have I told you lately that I heart you? Sheer brilliance.
FYI --
http://wwwcinemastyle.blogspot.com/2013/05/designing-world-of-gatsby.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+CinemaStyle+%28Cinema+Style%29
Whatever.
http://movies.nytimes.com/2013/05/10/movies/the-great-gatsby-interpreted-by-baz-luhrmann.html?src=dayp&_r=0&pagewanted=1
-F
http://www.tiffany.com/Shopping/Item.aspx?fromGrid=1&sku=29430136&mcat=148206&cid=2605758&search_params=s+5-p+1-c+2605758-r+-x+-n+6-ri+-ni+0-t+
-F
And mind me platypus duck, Ancient ~
Mind me platypus duck ~
Ah, don't let 'im go running amok, Ancient ~
Just mind me platypus duck !
. . . YOURS is the movie I want to see !!!
All you need to do is read the intro to The Wall Street Journal's Joe Morgenstern review:
"Baz Luhrmann's "The Great Gatsby" is a tale told idiotically, full of noise and furor, signifying next to nothing."
It never gets better from there. Ouch. The original cost $6.5M to make and has returned a good profit over the years. I cannot imagine the same outcome with a $127M, pre marketing, price tag with the latest film. Although maybe it will be just what the "kids" are looking to see.
The Great Ghastly! Hip-hop music for a 1920's period piece? That's reason enough to avoid seeing the film. Folks who love period films want to be drawn out of the present era, not drowned in it. The hauntingly beautiful score in the 1974 version made that film.
Hip-hop is just one example of this film's bad period detail. Lurhmann specifically set the film in the year 1922 yet the cars are from the late 20's and early 30's. (by filming in Australia they had limited access to antique cars). The women's clothes are from 1927 to 1929 - five to seven years off. Nick's story line was badly tampered with, sex scenes were added and Toby Maguire's high pitched narration cannot compare to Sam Waterston's masterful oratory in '74. I'll take the Redford version anyday.
Where are Merchant and Ivory when you need them!
http://www.ivy-style.com/the-real-tom-buchanan-cc-on-tommy-hitchcock-for-rl-magazine.html
Set design is tragic. Literally have rooms peppered with 1970's carved white and gilt Roma (yes Roma Long.Island) furniture. That's of course in the rooms that don't look like they were designed by the Candy brothers. 99.9 percent of the audience won't know the difference but why would you do that? 1970's? What's the point? Or was it just lazy set design?
Its only Saturday and it has raked in over $50 million US. Good showing. Just take it for what it is, a loose interpretation of a book. Hollywood does it all the time, doesnt follow story lines, edits out characters, changes the ending, etc etc. This is a mass market fantasy aimed at teens to the mid-thirties audience, who mostly haven't entered a library in years except to prepare for mid-terms or do a thesis in University. Saw the movie yesterday and its a fun bit of fluff. Didnt go expecting Jane Eyre and didnt get it. So what? THe book is still there to enjoy and turn the pages. The Mia Farrow version is so much better anyway. RT
Looks like the Brooks Brothers photo shoot for the clothing line took place at Winfield Hall : http://www.brooksbrothers.com/on/demandware.store/Sites-brooksbrothers-Site/default/GGSearch-Show?cgid=gatsby&cid=collaboration
Anyone argee?
I liked the edgy frenetic music which I think worked quite well. The set design is fun and the party sequences capture the appropriate feeling. It was amusing to pick Old Long Island elements here and there, like the Gatsby's small entrance gate towers and large tower window from Beacon Towers.
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