Diary of a Socialista

May 14, 2013 at 5:01pm
Reblogged from gatsbymovie

gatsbymovie:

Great read! Director Baz Luhrmann explains why he chose to incorporate 3D, hip-hop and the sanitarium into The Great Gatsby: http://huff.to/13tOije

^THIS^
Not that he needs to defend himself — he’s the director and he’s at liberty to interpret and present the story as he sees fit. Many of the people criticizing the movie either haven’t seen any of his other work (do yourself a favor: watch Romeo + Juliet now), or they’re judging this one before having seen it.
I understand some of the criticisms about the music, yet I loved it. I’m a Jay-Z fan, but I could’ve done without so much of his music (there are 2 songs of his on the soundtrack and a couple of others briefly sprinkled into the movie, not to mention a Beyoncé cover AND her covering Amy Winehouse. Like, we get it). Everything else, though? Lana, Florence, the xx, Gotye… Ah-maze. I don’t know that we needed to hear every song in the movie, but it was an interesting juxtaposition. The words of the original story are timeless, yes, but this version presented the story in a different light. Why would you want to see the same interpretation over and over?
It’s a beautiful movie and Leo kills it, as per usual (even GQ agrees). Breathtaking. Lots of style and glitz and glam — it’s over the top, in the best way possible, and still has the same heart and inevitable tragedy as the book I fell in love with, too. It’s a unique take on a story that’s been “reimagined” many times. Flawless? No. But entertaining nonetheless. Give it a shot.

Great read! Director Baz Luhrmann explains why he chose to incorporate 3D, hip-hop and the sanitarium into The Great Gatsby: http://huff.to/13tOije

^THIS^

Not that he needs to defend himself — he’s the director and he’s at liberty to interpret and present the story as he sees fit. Many of the people criticizing the movie either haven’t seen any of his other work (do yourself a favor: watch Romeo + Juliet now), or they’re judging this one before having seen it.

I understand some of the criticisms about the music, yet I loved it. I’m a Jay-Z fan, but I could’ve done without so much of his music (there are 2 songs of his on the soundtrack and a couple of others briefly sprinkled into the movie, not to mention a Beyoncé cover AND her covering Amy Winehouse. Like, we get it). Everything else, though? Lana, Florence, the xx, Gotye… Ah-maze. I don’t know that we needed to hear every song in the movie, but it was an interesting juxtaposition. The words of the original story are timeless, yes, but this version presented the story in a different light. Why would you want to see the same interpretation over and over?

It’s a beautiful movie and Leo kills it, as per usual (even GQ agrees). Breathtaking. Lots of style and glitz and glam — it’s over the top, in the best way possible, and still has the same heart and inevitable tragedy as the book I fell in love with, too. It’s a unique take on a story that’s been “reimagined” many times. Flawless? No. But entertaining nonetheless. Give it a shot.

December 30, 2012 at 11:47pm

My Favorite Movies of 2012

1. Celeste & Jesse Forever. Hands down number 1. I think this is mostly due to the reaction I had to the movie, but I just loved it so, so much. Funny, smart, sad, real.

2. The Dark Knight Rises. Chris Nolan is a fucking genius, I don’t care what anybody says. He made the blockbuster action flick epic again, and it was a fitting conclusion to the trilogy (even if I do rank TDK higher overall).

3. Silver Linings Playbook. So damn good. Perfect balance of comedy and drama. I’m glad to see Bradley Cooper finally getting some of the recognition that he deserves.

4. Django Unchained. Tarantino does it again. I think this is one of his most accessible and all-around entertaining movies to date. Great to see Leo step into a new role, and Christoph Waltz didn’t disappoint. Nice end to the year.

5. The Perks of Being a Wallflower. Beautifully made and a powerful story for the highschool kid in all of us.

Honorable Mention:
- The Avengers. Obviously.
- 21 Jump Street. Hilarious and so much better than it had any right to be.
- Magic Mike. And no, not just because of the naked dudes. Awesome direction, decent story. Interested to see how the rumored sequel will fare.

(FYI - my favorite movie last year was Drive. Can’t wait for The Place Beyond the Pines!)

*Note: These are personal favorites — not the end-all, be-all best movies of the year.

December 26, 2012 at 11:59pm

‘Django Unchained’ Review

I originally planned on posting an official review on the MoviePass blog but someone beat me to it, so here goes…