The Greatest Gatsby

I know what my green light is, what's yours? I can't even count how many times I've read 'The Great Gatsby' over the years... it fueled my already burgeoning love for the 1920s and its fashions. I even started collecting flapper gowns and 20s accessories for a couple of years and formed a minor obsession with Dorothy Parker, her razor sharp tongue and the Algonquin gang. My interest in the era has since waned considerably but still, to finally watch an adaptation that does the whole zeitgeist and the opulence of the book justice was just beyond satisfying.

Riveted I tell ya, riveted from start to finish. Utterly. It was just so breathtakingly lush and gorgeous. A veritable cinematic feast. Baz Luhrmann, you are hereby pardoned for the oatmeal mess of a movie that was 'Australia'. His usual 'Go Big or Go Home' approach worked like a charm with the source material. There was just so much to take in; the sumptuous locations and superbly detailed sets interspersed with dazzling costumes, the alternately frenetic and haunting music and sweeping, swooping cinematic shots - prepare yourselves for goosebumps. Big ol' knobbly ones. He did that scene where Daisy and Jordan are introduced so perfectly with the flowing, fluttering panels of white chiffony gauze. Sigh... it's so nice to see scenes in your head come to life. There were also great comedic moments just before Gatsby and Daisy's reunion, color me surprised! I have to say, Jay Gatsby is just about the saddest character ever. If ever a man needed Jesus...

And casting director, please give yourself a hand. The acting was superb in every direction. Carey Mulligan's take on Daisy's languid voice and winsome, tremulous nature was exactly as I'd imagined. The actress who played Jordan - what a find! Like some pale, exotic, angular bird. Only throwaway moment: tiny Isla Fisher as Myrtle was not at all what I pictured but she certainly made up for her lack of girth with hussified brazenness.

And Leo, Leo was born to play Gatsby. Eat your heart out RR. Despite the fact that he was strangely Oompa Loompa-ed with orangey spray tan, I haven't liked him this much in a film since the seminal Romeo+Juliet and What's Eating Gilbert Grape?. Postdated swoon! As the lights came up, I shook myself ever so slightly and trailed out of the theater feeling like I'd been rudely awakened from some wonderfully immersive Technicolor whirl of a dream; every bit as exhilarated, disturbed and heartbroken as when I'd finished reading it the first time.

 

The Baz: A slow clap is in order sir.

"Young & Beautiful" by Lana Del Rey captured the feel of the movie so perfectly

There's nothing surer,
The rich get richer and the poor get laid off!
In the meantime,
In between time,
Ain't we got fun! - 'Ain't We Got Fun' circa 1921

Miyazaki Magic

Very much jonesing to watch Studio Ghibli's retelling of what should be on every child's reading list, Mary Norton's 'The Borrowers'. I'm not big into anime but old school animation invariably gets my arms flailing muppet-style. The 1992 BBC version with Ian Holm & Penelope Wilton was pretty darn charming in its own right.. still have the tapes squirreled away somewhere.

THE HUNGER GAMES

I know I'm a bit late to the party but whatevs. The Hunger Games was faaaar out! I ♥ Jennifer Lawrence. Girl's got acting chops up the wazoo. She was pitch perfect in Winter's Bone too.. where incidentally, she also played a feisty, tough-as-nails but dirt-poor adolescent. Must be some sort of niche that only she and Hilary Swank seem to fill. Only throwaway moment was the flaming crimson wardrobe twirl, *eyeroll forever* but that can be overlooked since it was in the book. In a perfect world Hunter Parrish would've played Peeta. Had to get that out of my system! Otherwise, I enjoyed it so much that when the lights came up I was like 'Wut? It's over? I wants some more!'. Definitely don't think it'd disappoint fans of the books. Effie Trinket was a scream and a half, better than I'd imagined while flawless Stanley Tucci was flawless. Totally jonesing to read 'Catching Fire' again. Bring on the DVD! In keeping with my deep and abiding love for apropos gifs, here's some tomfoolery:

 

        

  

Doth Mother Know You Weareth Her Drapes?

       

Tee hee. My love for Joss Whedon knows no bounds. This man has given us so much celluloid gold over the years. He sucked me into the Buffy-verse which I followed faithfully (read: fanatically) for 7 years. Sing it with me MJ: *Gone too soon*. Then came Firefly and the phenomenal Serenity, and now he's moved onwards and upwards (budget wise anyway) to The Avengers. Not to mention he stands up for women's rights. lahv lahv lahv! 

Is there no end to his general awesomeness? hmm computer says nooo. So yeah, the movie was good solid popcorn fun. To be fair, Serenity unquestionably trounces The Avengers hands down in terms of characters & plot (motley crew stuck on a dirigible ring any bells?) but hey, the man still makes the multi-superhero premise work with just the right amount of snarky self-awareness thrown in courtesy of Tony Snark.. oops I meant Stark. I just about lost it when Iron Man tells Hawkeye to clench & dubs him Legolas in the very same breath. Oh RDJ, you slay me.

So while 'The Avengers' isn't quite the greatest superhero movie of all time, it's still a pretty good way to spend part of your day without leaving you dazed and muttering, 'well that's two hours of my life I'm never getting back'. Esp loved the bonus scene where the team is chowing down on shawarma and everyone's quiet and contemplative except Thor of course, who's all about stuffing his face. Oh and casting Mark Ruffalo as Bruce Banner = rumpled-twitchy-nonchalant perfection. Who woulda thunk it? Only JWhede can catapult the Hulk from being a damp raspberried afterthought to much hurrahed new fan favorite. Can't help but wonder if Edward Norton and Eric Bana are off in self-flagellation mode somewhere..

PS: oh heyy Michael Bayy, this is what action movies are made of. ahem.
PPS: Black Widow is so badass, she makes me wanna take up Mexican wrestling.. like the world really needs to see that.