GATSBY

Tonight I saw "The Great Gatsby."  Gatsby is one of my all-time favorite novels; I admire everything from the plot to F. Scott Fitzgerald's vivid and lively use of language.  A ton of buzz has been building around this film's release since the trailer came out about a year ago.  While the movie was originially supposed to hit theaters Christmas 2012, the release date was pushed back to May 2013 because Warner Brothers felt it would be able to "reach a wider audience" with a summer release.  According to the Los Angeles Times, the decision to move "The Great Gatsby" was done so Luhrmann could complete the 3D effects in a proper manner. The Times also reports that the film will have an all-star soundtrack, similar to Luhrmann's "Moulin Rouge!"  Warner Bros. said on Monday that the Luhrmann version "brings Fitzgerald's American classic to life in a completely immersive, visually stunning and exciting way. We think moviegoers of all ages are going to embrace it, and it makes sense to ensure this unique film reaches the largest audience possible."  

While my only experience in critiquing and writing reactions to films comes from one class I took last semester, it is safe to admit that I'm definitely not a movie buff.  However, that does not making me any less entitled to having an opinion!! I'm still a human being!!!

Having said that, I would like to note that I truly enjoyed 90% of this film.  I thought the casting was spot-on, the colors were vivid and brought Fitzgerald's words to life, the special effects were great, etc.  My only complaint is that the use of music in Gatsby was absolutely terrible.

If you haven't read the track list for TGG soundtrack, here it is:

1.   100$ Bill - JAY Z

2.   Back To Black - Beyoncé x André 3000

3.   Bang Bang - will.i.am

4.   A Little Party Never Killed Nobody (All We Got) - Fergie + Q Tip + GoonRock

5.   Young And Beautiful - Lana Del Rey

6.   Love Is The Drug - Bryan Ferry with The Bryan Ferry Orchestra

7.   Over The Love - Florence + The Machine

8.   Where The Wind Blows - Coco O. of Quadron

9.   Crazy in Love - Emeli Sandé and The Bryan Ferry Orchestra

10.  Together – The xx

11.  Hearts A Mess - Gotye

12.  Love Is Blindness – Jack White

13.  Into the Past - Nero

14.  Kill and Run - Sia

Many of these songs are great on their own, however, they were completely unfitting for this film.  This story takes place during THE JAZZ AGE and there was hardly any jazz music throughout the film!  While watching the Gatsby party scenes, I do not want to hear Jay Z playing in the background.  Was 100$ Bill released in 1922????? Did I miss something in history class????????????

The film did such a dazzling job otherwise capturing the essence of the 20's, so I was completely taken aback each time a modern song began to play.  It took away from the film as a whole, and ruined many scenes for me.  I feel like my opinion is the minority though, as social media is packed with people who think the opposite.  Were they trying to "modernize" the film to reach to a larger audience?  Why did they throw in these songs throughout the film?? Who thought this was a good idea (besides Jay Z, of course)?????????

Does anyone even read this blog??? If so, what are your thoughts? Even if you didn't see the film OR read the book (which I highly recommend reading the book before even thinking about watching the movie!), what is your stance on telling a story that takes place during a certain time period, but then using modern music to accompany the story?  Does it take away from the viewer's experience of being "transported" back to that period of time... does it remove the authenticity?

I want 2 hear from u, old sport.