The Big Bad Movie Topic

[Sidders]

If you ask me, I'm most worried about the fact I barely recognise any of the lines and quotes from the novel. There's plenty of indication Luhrmann is walking the walk, but with a text that relies so heavily on the narration of a man with an astute eye for social contradictions and ostentatious veneers I question Luhrmann's loyalty to Fitzgerald's original text. As quite possibly my favourite novel, I'm very disappointed with the first impressions I get.

And as for the hedonism... I didn't even pick up on it. Which was a major box left un-ticked.

Things I've noticed about the film from the advert:

• Not sure what musical style Luhrmann's going for. With Maguire's (Nick Carraway) narration at the beginning, I expected to hear the staple jazz orchestra but instead was met with a modernised sort of hybrid R&B-meets-soulless-jazz thing from Jay-Z and Kanye West. Not too keen on it. The music has the right tone, with the nigh-on sexy, bass-driven melody, but the rest of it doesn't quite fit. Also a bit confused by the Jack White's cover of 'Love Is Blindness' played in the ad. Although it's passion certainly matches the intense love affair between Gatsby and Daisy, the musical sound, again, just isn't right nor is compatible with the Jazz Age.
• The casting is 50/50. I have no worries about Gatsby, Wolfshiem, and as far as I can see, Jordan is cast brilliantly as well. Can't say much of Tom Buchanan as he only has one line in the advert (which in itself is quite shocking as he is such an imposing key character) and there's also a distinct lack of George and Myrtle too, which is baffling as they are absolutely imperative. Tobey Maguire is terrible as Carraway already. His voice hasn't the right tone nor maturity to carry any of Carraway's commentaries convincingly, and this is why I think a lot of his narration appears to have been abandoned or heavily re-written (from what we can see). He seems far too dorky-ish and youthful to play such a complex character. As for Carey Mulligan as Daisy... Sorry, but if I'm being pedantic (I am surely allowed this bit of pedantry since this is Luhrmann piece - a man obsessed with detail), but she simply does not look the part. Some of it could have easily been changed - plucking her eyebrows to far thinner strips would be a start (it was a huge thing to do back in the 20s). Others are harder to correct, such as her nose. Yes this is extremely pedantic, but with all this talk within the upper classes of the time ("fine breeding", etc.) Tom, a huge misogynist, bigot, racist, sexist, alpha-male and white-race-supremacy figure, would not have settled for a woman with a rounded nose. Sorry. Mia Farrow wins.
• I don't recognise any of the lines. This doesn't seem like a huge worry until you realise it means that maybe a lot more than simply the lines have changed. Fitzgerald is one of my favourite writers and I simply don't see how they could just abandon his elaborately romantic prose or release the first ad for a film interpretation without including some of the more potent ones. The revised lines in the ad seem lifeless and dull. "The tempo of the city had changed" coming closer than any, but is still a way off Fitzgerald's urban romanticism.
• Which leads me on to my greatest worry that they may have changed plot-lines/characters to make it more sellable. I'd hate to think in a bid to make it more appealing that Luhrmann has changed too much of the original plot (to be honest, there barely is a plot). Not a great deal happens but a great deal is said/narrated by Carraway; the novel is more a social commentary on the hypocrisy and vulgarity of the upper classes and their self-professed 'sophistication' after the War. It's very hard to imagine Carraway shouting "Get the hell out of here" or even Gatsby lunged at someone. Both are charismatically genteel and, particularly Gatsby, irritatingly polite.

/snob

So yeah. I'll watch it, but I want my first impressions turned around by the time I do.

[Deleted Users]

I feel like this is going to end up in an English Lit discussion, which is not a bad thing considering the material

• Considering it is Luhrmann, I would not be surprised if the music is juxtaposed with the time period.
• Maguire is my biggest worry too but the narration of the book by Nick, particularly his idealisation of Gatsby and disrespect of Jordan makes me see him as immature and whiny. The narrative is just so ambiguous that almost any interpretation of any character Nick talks about is valid, due to the absence of facts. I think Myrtle and George are hidden to reflect how the 'secret society' shuns and ignores those below them.
• Yeah, lines are going to be interesting. I only recognised 'Old Sport' I think. Romeo + Juliet mixed original script with modern setting but then again, that is Shakespeare.
• If I enjoy a film which is different to the original then fair enough. I think 2 hours of listening to Nick's internal monologue would be hell. I don't see Gatsby as polite, just Nick's portrayal of him.

[Sidders]

I wouldn't mind it either! In fact let's begin:

• I still don't see the justification of the juxtaposition in the music though. I've grown to 'Love Is Blindness', but still a bit lost by Kanye and Jay-Z being used. However, I do like the internal symbolism of them both being hugely successful black artists, and at this time in America's history blacks had found an avenue by which they could access the previously staunchly racist white society with their musical abilities and the universality of 'black-born' genres like jazz and blues.
• I didn't originally think about the "shunning" of the lower classes (George, Myrtle) upon which people like Tom dump their ashes (literally), but it's an entirely valid point. I agree with you there, and maybe the woman at 0:30 is actually Myrtle? She would represent the passive and ultimately destructive permeability of the social boundaries and so may logically be allowed to make an appearance in such an advert that shows the socialites she wants to rub shoulders with, right?
• Completely agree with the Maguire comments. As I said earlier, even in acting he seems... too 'bright' or too 'comfortable', particularly with Jordan at Gatsby party. I always imagined Carraway as more of an internal thinker, rather than much of a speaker; the kind of person not to let his face or tone betray his emotions.
• Now, y'see, to me, Gatsby was always polite and the fact that even Carraway couldn't see through it was testament to the fact Gatsby has spent so long perfecting his façade that the more astute eye could still be fooled. I think Gatsby is still quite an internal character too. He obviously has more of a weak spot than Nick (or maybe that's just because Nick chose to focus more on Gatsby and Daisy than himself and Jordan - he does speak of a burgeoning relationship with her - but not at length - in the novel) in his idealisation of Daisy, though.

But still, all good healthy debating.

[Deleted Users]

• It could just be for the trailer to make it marketable. It could also be Luhrmann trying to state that the messages sent in the material transcend time.
• Yes I believe that is her at 0:30 and 2:06. She is only shown briefly and her name is not mentioned. She is just a dirty secret, hidden from high society in this context.
• It could be replacing all of his monologues which would be nice twist as he could be seen as just as bad as the other characters in a much more obvious sense.
• He could very well be but I just see Nick as forgiving him due to his idealisation. Gatsby idealises and and creates a different Daisy and I see Nick doing the same to Gatsby. The strength in this novel for me is that it can so easily manipulate the reader to believing that there is only one angle to the story. There is an interview where Fitzgerald states that Nick does indeed always tell the truth but I think he is toying with the readers.

[pluk]

As a balance from this intellectual stuff....

How did I not know this was coming? Awesome!

[pluk]

Oh wow, something to look forward to next year....

http://www.chortle.co.uk/news/2012/05/10/15357/the_worlds_end,_coming_in_2013

[Fred]

Righteo, what have I watched recently..

MIB3 I enjoyed... Cannot remember what else really.

However, saw Abraham Lincoln yesterday. Summed up: It's bloody good, kinda sherlock holmesy. It's well worth watching, definitely worth watching.

[tomathy]

I'll second that, Abraham Lincoln was really good. Also being a bit of a glam rock fan I really enjoyed seeing Rock of Ages and will be seeing it again this week. I recommend Abraham Lincoln to pretty much everyone and Rock of ages to those who like musicals and a feel good film

[Fred]

I remember that other film, it was snow white.

It was pretty poor really. Best thing about it was excessive mentioning of the "Dark Forest" and how they needed someone with information about it. Amazing.

Rock of Ages just looks so boring, Cruise and Brand are crap.

[Benin]

Dark Knight Rises

BANE

HATHAWAY

Great film, and rounds off the Nolan trilogy nicely... A shame to see the end of it, but, I'd rather them not constantly splurge them out (although there will no doubt be a reboot soon)

Need to watch it again to give a full on result though... But I can't wait, it's THAT DAMN GOOD

[AdamY]

The Dark Knight Rises

It has to be said, totally amazing! I had the fun experience of the 9-hour, 3-film marathon at Odeon Leicester Square which made it even more epic, but this film is just total quality. Certainly the most comic-ey of the three, with more all-out good guys vs bad guys fight scenes than The Dark Knight, mostly as a result of Bane being a more physical adversary compared to the mind games of Joker. That's not a criticism in any way though - between the three of them there is a great mix of mystique, tension, psychological games and all-out action. Although everyone knew it would be nigh-on impossible to equal Ledger's Joker, Tom Hardy does an admirable job as Bane. It really is a fitting end to Nolan's trilogy - he carried it off perfectly, and given he originally didn't even want to make a third (asking "how many good third films are there?") he sure did an epic job.

Epic scale, gritty, action-packed and generally badass. With the significant bonus of Ms Hathaway's Catwoman riding a Bat Pod

Going again ASAP.

[JackR]

I've waited four years for this film, and it's been ruined... Anyways, going to see it at the O2 tomorrow. Shame some **** on Facebook ruined the ending for me

The Amazing Spiderman was also good, I preferred it to the first movie of the Toby Maguire trilogy, hopefully number two will be as good!

[Fred]

Wooo Batman is so amazingly amazing.

Cannot wait to watch it again on Tuesday #geek.

[JoshC.]

Let's hope they put this franchise to rest after this one...

[Smidget]

Genuinely facepalming over that. It's like the SAW franchise all over again.

[JoshC.]

Don't get me wrong, I sorta enjoy the franchise, but the third one totally ruined it in my eyes. It was unnecessary, created plot holes and lacked any real scares.

I'm just glad they've decided to bring it back more or less to present day, that way they can pick up where the second film left off and sort everything out; bring closure to the main story, and leave it with some dignity and substance, before it does turn into Saw (even though I quite enjoyed VI and VII.. )

[Smidget]

I haven't actually seen Paranormal Activity 3 but I've heard it's terrible so I don't really have any interest in ever watching it. However, if 4 is genuinely better then I may watch it due to the reasons you've pointed out.

Yeah, I compared it to SAW because that franchise was dragged out to the point where it became ridiculous, but I still love it Well, I didn't like VI but I thought VII wrapped it up quite nicely, and at least the producers behind the franchise saw the loss of interest and decided to reject the idea of an 8th film. Hopefully Paranormal Activity will now do the same

[Benin]

So Ted

It's quite good, fairly amusing without going toooooooooooooooo far down the line of awfulness (something which Seth MacFarlane's shows are guilty of on a regular basis)... Decent cameos abounded and was a decent overall film, with heart behind the weed smoking...

[Fred]

The Lorax.

Went to see it for the SECOND time today.

It's amazing.

Look how ace this song is!:

[Ryan]

Cockneys vs Zombies...

https://www.youtube....h?v=H0hap9XRg6o

Just watch that

[JoshC.]

The Cabin in the Woods

Okay, so I finally watched the film (with a midnight screening at a cinema - win!) yesterday / this morning. After reading many brilliant reviews, including ones such as Ryan's on the previous page, I was really looking forward to it. There's a few 'little spoilers' below, but nothing that completely ruins the film, just so people know...

However, I just feel a bit disappointed with it all. The beginning was good and created a decent story line, though the idea of 5 people in the woods with zombies around is hardly original really. In general, I found many bits of the first half of the film to be predictable, expected and relying more on 'cheap' scares; loud noises more than actual tension building and such. Again, as with many horror films, there were some bits which you just think 'would someone REALLY do that?', which with the way the film was going, was really a necessity in my mind.

The final part of the film is where it begins to nose dive. It is far too over the top, and turns into a gore-fest and moves away from a horror film. Some parts were unnecessarily dragged out, whilst others were obvious. In terms of how the plot plays out, I compare it to Insidious - good at the beginning, some tense moments, then goes completely over the top with monsters and all that at the end.

The film was perhaps overly funny to be labelled as just a horror film as well, which in a way left me with a bit of a bitter taste in my mouth; I felt as though I wasn't given the film I thought I was going to watch.

Overall, an okay film, and no doubt people will enjoy it highly, but just failed to impress me.

5.5/10

[rollerross11]

Sinister

Well what can I say, Probably the scariest film I have seen in a while, the idea behind it is terrifying and it just keeps you on the edge of you're seat the whole time. It really is like the best/scariest parts of Paranormal Activity and Insidious have brought been brought together (made by the same producers of both), The film has many twists and a predictable but jumpy ending. Dont want to give to much away but its worth a watch.

8/10

House At The End Of The Street:

Now this film was again a great film but I found it delved into so many genres, romantic, teen , Thriller that it was less of a Horror than I expected. The film however has so many twists that you cannot truly understand who's is who until the very end. Literally takes a complete reverse into who you think is the killer/sister too something completely different. Similar to the twist in Psycho, great thriller but not a great Horror. Also Jennifer Lawrence is an amazing actress in this film and does a great job unlike some movie actress's in horror genre, my recommendation is too go in without any pre conceptions.

7.5/10

[Bobo91]

Paranorman

Funny as hell. No words can describe some of the moments within it.

[Ryan]

Paranormal Activity

To say this film is terrible would be a huge understatement. I really can't be bothered to do a full proper review on it because it was just that bad. I'm a big fan of the series but this film was ridiculous. There were hardly any scares, (most of which weren't caused by 'paranormal activity'. The acting was poor apart from a couple of characters and the ideas they have of catching the paranormal activity was laughable and unrealistic.

(Setting up laptops around the house to film the ghosts and having the Xbox Kinect on at all times for some weird ghost catching thing.)

It started to get good at the end but then the final part was laughable, instead of screaming, everyone burst into laughter. I'm sorry but this franchise is long dead and I hope to God they don't make another next year (which no doubt they will). Luckily I had a 2for1 voucher so only had to pay £3 to see it, it still wasn't even worth that. If you want to see a good horror film this halloween then go see Sinister (that is awesome)

4/10

[JoshC.]

Well, that's a shame. I really hoped that they would create a great film with the fourth one and finish the franchise off. The third one was beginning to milk the story, and by the sounds of it, they've now made two films too many... :/