Escape to the Movies: The Great Gatsby

lacktheknack

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Jan 19, 2009
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DVS BSTrD said:
lacktheknack said:
The transfer to full Bostonian is almost complete.

And does anyone wanna tell me whether I should see the new one or just go watch the old one, specifically?
Which old one?
There have been 5 apparently. One of them was even a silent film.
<link=http://www.imdb.com/find?q=the+great+gatsby&s=all>Oh FFS.

Anyone wanna rank these?
 

Sylocat

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Maybe it's just me, but my reading of the book wasn't that Nick Carraway idolized or hero-worshipped Gatsby. In fact, I think he saw through the veneer of both "sides," seeing Gatsby as a driven but somewhat pathetic dreamer, projecting his own version of Daisy onto the completely-vapid real thing.

varmintx said:
lacktheknack said:
And does anyone wanna tell me whether I should see the new one or just go watch the old one, specifically?
You should read the book. :) The '74 film, despite its great cast, is quite lifeless.
There was actually a really good TV movie version made in the mid-90s with Toby Stephens, Mira Sorvino and Paul Rudd.
 

Quiotu

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josemlopes said:
For the Electro thing at the end my only complaint is that the image reminds me of Arnie from Batman, other then that I dont mind.

Still curious for the rest of the character design, the one from the comics is way over the top for a movie so its cool that they are changing it.
A lot of people are assuming that the blue face and LED lights in the robe are basically meant to turn Jamie Foxx into one giant bluescreen to paint special effects over. Which makes sense, and I think we can all agree that Electro's actual costume in the original Spiderman comics is horrific and laughable and needs to stay far away from any real person to actually wear it.
 

HBaskerville

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Leo was terrible, and that accent! It slipped so much I was reminded of Costner in Robin Hood.

Also, the book/story is about horrible, unpleasant people. They are all jerks. Making Gatsby into some kind of honorable guy misses the point entirely.
 

SomebodyNowhere

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I know it is unreasonable to expect a character like electro to look exactly like he does in the comics, but what kind of redesign is that.

On the topic of Gatsby, since seeing the trailer for this in the first half of last year and it saying it would be in 3d I had basically given up on it. I also noticed that it was originally slated to be released around Christmas, so the move to the spring gives me the impression that early screenings gave the studio the impression that it wasn't quite as award worthy as they might have hoped.
 

varmintx

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Sylocat said:
There was actually a really good TV movie version made in the mid-90s with Toby Stephens, Mira Sorvino and Paul Rudd.
Never seen it, but Netflix has it on DVD; maybe I'll give it a try.
 

WindKnight

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cyvaris said:
Aiddon said:
Oh I'm getting the popcorn ready for when Card goes on a homophobic tirade.

And for some reason I'm imagining Rex from Blood Dragon being in The Great Gatsby now. And it's HILARIOUS

I think someone should organize some sort of massive LGBT event. Not a protest, no no, that is far to predictable, instead a large group needs to go/show massive support for the movie. Card would flip his lid and it would be rather amusing.
Its kind of heartbreaking given the message inherent in Enders Game, and its direct sequels about understanding and learning and live with others that the author is the way he is. its one of those 'I think people should read/see this, but I feel bad supporting him' quandries. (I usually just say borrow the book from the library)
 

Gorrath

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I realize I might get roasted alive for this, but... I hate The Great Gatsby. I understand that nearly everyone is supposed to be shallow, that we are supposed to be seeing these one-dimensional characters engaged in their pettiness and learn what sort of tragedy projecting greatness on others can be. But I found the whole exercise boring and I've never managed to wrap my head around why this book is supposed to be so great. I also understand that Jersey Shore is all about watching vapid people be pretentious and one dimensional, but I don't find that interesting either.

I realize I've probably just raised some hackles, but please let me be clear, this is all simply personal opinion and I do get that many people find the book to be engaging, entertaining and important. I simply do not, and would much rather sit down and consider critical insights of Othello rather than trudge through Gatsby's idiotic love affair with one of the least interesting and simply awful women in the history of literature.

So, the purpose behind that little tirade was to set up this next bit. Also because of personal taste, I liked Romeo and Juliette and freaking loved Moulin Rouge. It's not deep film making, but I adore the set pieces and the songs and find it all really, really entertaining. So,with all of that, I have no idea if I should go see this film. Since Movie Bob and I don't see eye to eye on either Lurhmann or The Great Gatsby, his insights, however valid, aren't helping my decision. This is of course not a criticism of him, but rather of myself.

Edit: I suppose my purpose here is to ask: Is there anyone who likes Lurhmann, and also dislikes The Great Gatsby, and has seen this film that can give me their opinion?
 

gorfias

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Kmadden2004 said:
SomebodyNowhere said:
I know it is unreasonable to expect a character like electro to look exactly like he does in the comics, but what kind of redesign is that.
One that's going to end up looking something like this, I'd imagine;

http://images.wikia.com/marveldatabase/images/f/f9/Maxwell_Dillon_(Earth-1610)_010.jpg
Wrong. That's Dr. Manhattan from "The Watchmen". Kidding!

But, it has been done before. Man, I'm going to miss the green and yellow outfit.
 

Gatx

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Shameless said:
Baz Luhrmann is the most overrated director of all time right after Tim Burton. The editing in his movies is just downright awful and the cinematography and confusing as hell. even if the production deign is marvelous, you couldn't tell !

Also, why the hell a period movie is in 3D ?
The reasoning is kind of meta. I read in an interview where Luhrmann talks about how Fitzgerald embraced the modern Gatsby, most notably including jazz, which was essentially the 1920s equivalent of hip hop today as far as how it's viewed by society. Incidentally that's why the music is modern as well. I haven't seen the movie myself so I don't know if it's covers or just actual anachronistic music but when you think about it, a lot of popular modern hip hop is all about partying, how rich the artist is, and how great their life is, so it does have that Gatsby spirit.
 

Falseprophet

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RJ Dalton said:
You also can't spoiler something that's required high school reading. Anybody who doesn't know the story of The Great Gatsby by this point has no excuse not to.
It might surprise you to learn the rest of the world isn't required to study your country's literary canon.
 

bravetoaster

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HBaskerville said:
Also, the book/story is about horrible, unpleasant people. They are all jerks. Making Gatsby into some kind of honorable guy misses the point entirely.
Have you fully read the book? I recall trying to read it in high school and finding it unbearable because all of the characters were so intensely unlikeable, but, with all the people hyping and praising it as some kind of epic, nuanced masterpiece (despite the plot sounding like a watered-down, unfulfilling Count of Monte Cristo), I have found myself questioning whether my initial assessment was just me being a teenager with too much haterade in my system or whether the main characters are all, in fact, irredeemable and unlikeable.

Not that stories about terrible people can't be worthwhile or great art, just I seem to have a serious problem with those kinds of characters in any format outside of comedy/dark comedy (see: It's Always Sunny or Peep Show).

Also, I don't know how or why, but Bob's Bahstin accent's intrusions are somehow no longer unpleasant. It's still not pleasant, but, the first time it happened pretty hard, I was one of the whiners who had to stop watching the episode because it was so grating. I'd like to imagine this is somehow Bob playing the bizarre long game of acclimating the Escapist community to Boston accents (presumably for some kind of sinister purpose).
 

jmarquiso

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Shameless said:
Baz Luhrmann is the most overrated director of all time right after Tim Burton. The editing in his movies is just downright awful and the cinematography and confusing as hell. even if the production deign is marvelous, you couldn't tell !

Also, why the hell a period movie is in 3D ?
Sorry, was answering someone else. But now that I'm here -

Oh how I agree with you. But this is how I feel about Baz Luhrmann and Zack Snyder, who I'm sure this forum (especially this critic) loves.
 

jmarquiso

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RJ Dalton said:
You also can't spoiler something that's required high school reading. Anybody who doesn't know the story of The Great Gatsby by this point has no excuse not to.
'


They grew up in Europe or another continent and/or country where the Great American Novel (one of many) wasn't required reading?
 

Gorrath

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jmarquiso said:
RJ Dalton said:
You also can't spoiler something that's required high school reading. Anybody who doesn't know the story of The Great Gatsby by this point has no excuse not to.
'


They grew up in Europe or another continent and/or country where the Great American Novel (one of many) wasn't required reading?
I imagine it has to do with the expectation that if American children have to read literature from abroad, the reverse would likely be true. And since The Great Gatsby is as pervasive across American literature classes as, say, Shakespeare, that attitude is at least forgivable.
 

jmarquiso

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Gorrath said:
jmarquiso said:
RJ Dalton said:
You also can't spoiler something that's required high school reading. Anybody who doesn't know the story of The Great Gatsby by this point has no excuse not to.
'


They grew up in Europe or another continent and/or country where the Great American Novel (one of many) wasn't required reading?
I imagine it has to do with the expectation that if American children have to read literature from abroad, the reverse would likely be true. And since The Great Gatsby is as pervasive across American literature classes as, say, Shakespeare, that attitude is at least forgivable.
As a kid, I wasn't required to read much from abroad. But man did we read some great American literature. And the Great Gatsby's actually kinda interestin'. However my wife is German, and had to ask me what The Great Gatsby is about. Which was tough to explain as a simple pitch, so I ended up saying "Hero worship" to sum up. Still, she was quite excited to see the lavish new Baz Luhrmann picture (and disagrees with me about both Luhrmann and Snyder - why I love her). Similarly, I'm trying to get into German lit. Don't find it as accessible.
 

jmarquiso

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j-e-f-f-e-r-s said:
The thing I never understood with this film is that Baz Luhrman is a director who has always put emphasis on opulence and shallow spectacle above everything else. And The Great Gatsby is a novel which was meant to be a direct take-that at the opulence and shallow spectacle of the Jazz Age.

I mean, if you're going to adapt Great Gatsby, surely you'd want a director who knows how to show cynicism towards the lavishness of the age, not one who adores it and wants to emulate it.
I wouldn't say that Luhrman has always done that. Strictly Ballroom is the opposite of that. The pageantry takes a long time to come out, and it's not nearly as lavish.