I have always admired the balls-out approach to cinema Baz Luhrmann dishes up. But I am bracing myself for the reaction from the chattering class. Such giants streams of social networking, hive minds and mob behavior was not yet fully engaged when Moulin Rouge opened. I suspect Gatsby will be too hot for some, too cold for others. There is one thing people can’t deny and that’s what an ambitious project it is. Here’s to hoping.
Can I just say what a comfort to discover somebody who truly knows what they are talking about on the web. You definitely know how to bring an issue to light and make it important. More and more people have to look at this and understand this side of the story. I was surprised that you aren’t more popular because you surely possess the gift.
So Kris Tapley is getting notice this movie is a turkey. Where are these screenings?
There have been multiple test screenings in the LA area over the last 6 months.
I was dissapointed with the filmversion with Robert Redford and Mia Farrow. Looked nice, but was so…. bland.
I love Moulin Rouge and Romeo+Julia and even Australia has something entertaining, despite its flaws. So maybe this is at least a bit more entertaining.
I don’t care if Luhrmann takes license with the text of the novel.
He did so brilliantly in Moulin Rouge.
Gatsby is one of my most favored films to see in 2013.
Incidentally, I am probably one of the very few moviegoers out there that actually LOVED the Redford-Farrow pairing in Jack Clayton’s 1974 overlooked masterpiece. I couldn’t understand why the critics hated this film (nor could any of my friends who saw the film at the time). It got crucified when it was first released. But you have to admit upon repeated subsequent viewings, the 1974 Gatsby really holds up well after all these years. And the casting director pretty damned well nailed it for this film. Incidentally, and just a bit of fuel for the fire, but Karen Black won the Golden Globe that year as best supporting actress for her performance as Myrtle in the movie. And I believe the New Yorker did an article on Mia Farrow analyzing what a seemlessly perfect performance she gave as Daisy . . . so effortless, in fact, that it was overlooked by the Academy. And if you want to see beautiful costumes, watch Theoni V. ALdredge’s great work in the 1974 movie (she won the Oscar that year too).
How AMPAS could have nominated crap like “The Towering Inferno” for multiple awards and basically overlooked “The Great Gatsby” that year is still a mystery to me. I’m so glad we have sites like this now that hopefully sheds light on films that otherwise might be ignored.
On one hand, Luhrmann’s visual approach absolutely fits the materialistic excess of the Jazz Age as depicted in the book. But on the other hand–and this is what has kept my expectations low–I really think Luhrmann is too much of a hopeless romantic for such a jaded story. We’ll find out in less than two months. Objectively, though, it’s not a good sign that it’s opening in theaters here in the States BEFORE it plays at Cannes.
How does that have anything to do with the quality of the film? They had already scheduled its release stateside before securing the Opening Night spot. If anything, it bodes well for the film because if the studio knew it had a turkey on their hand, the LAST thing they would do is open it to the David Denby’s of the world and then send it to Cannes.
^
Good answer, Ipu.
What’s Warner Bros to do? Hang on to Gatsby, delay it’s release till after Cannes — so that they can premiere The Great Gatsby ans Man of Steel on the same weekend in June?
The studio painted themselves into a corner with this one because of the delayed release. They had to maneuver for some summer real estate and got this weekend. Cannes or not, this was the weekend they could get to go wide.
From Bruce Dern in the Clayton version to Joel Edgerton now, why is Tom Buchanan always miscast or rather, so different from what I envisioned from the books?
WE HAVE WINNERS! TO 2012 CINEMA PRIZE…My Awards.
Please check oy my blog and film awards.
For the first time there is a tie in one category.
http://felipe-cinema.blogspot.com/2013/03/2012-cinema-prize.html
I’ll be waiting your comments!
Sasha and Ryan are pretty cool for allowing you to pimp your blog so incessantly on this site.
Yes, they’re pretty cool!
Gatsby was TERRIBLE. I’ve seen few films with such a blatant misunderstanding of their own source material. Its an overcooked remake of Lurhmann’s “Romeo + Juliet”, with the most pointless 3D of all time. Maguire is all wrong in his role. Dicaprio is fine as Gatsby, and in a better adaptation may have even been great. But this is a bomb and a half, I’m afraid.
When did you see this? I don’t even think there have been test screenings…
I saw it back in October. Test screening at Arclight Pasadena. Some visual FX were unfinished.
I think the trailer looks amazing, I’m super excited! It looks like it’s going to be a grand spectacle as only Baz can do.
I love Moulin Rouge the film. Kidman was great in it as well. A musician and American-pop culture fan, I’ve found that one of many reasons I love Rouge so much is for the way some soon to be classic pop numbers were interpreted in the film, one by the Police (performed during the rehearsal scene in Act III or IV), another by Elton John (especially during the first time *not to create spoilers* “*they*” met in that room), to name only two of them *those who saw the film know what/which ones I am talking about*; all the more it is one of those films where you can make a positive comment about how beautiful an actress looks in addition to her talent/performances, without being called, let’s say, shallow, etc. by some narrow minds…. : )
Back to Gatsby, Carry Mulligan as a character looks somewhat promising in the teaser but I need to see the whole movie to say something more sensible.
All the best.
I have my favorites. Some are accepted by the mainstream. Others aren’t. I deal with it and move on. I don’t judge the mainstream for not agreeing with my personal tastes. Black Swan and Zero Dark Thirty didn’t win for BP, but at least they got nominated. So did Les Misérables, which had its faults and was treated poorly by many commenters on this site. Were they part of the “chattering class”? Or were they immune from such a distinction? They certainly weren’t helping its plight. Are we supposed to say something smells like strawberries if we’re being served a steaming pile of caca, but only in the case of certain filmmakers? For someone to be given $125M to make what might be a non-commercial film, the expectation will be for them to deliver something truly spectacular and that they’ve never seen before. And, if they don’t, you can’t preemptively assert it’s the fault of the “chattering class.” That’s on Baz. We’ll see if he delivers.
Loved Moulin Rouge, enjoyed Strictly Ballroom, found moments in Romeo & Juliet and even Australia, but how Baz will find those important moments of solitude and loneliness that drive Gatsby’s character and stuff them in between frantic set pieces, well….we’ll see. He might be the first to succeed. One thing’s for sure – it’ll look great.