New/Rented Movies: Have Mercy on Michael Bay's Soul, He Knows Not What He Does

[Scarlet]

Re: New/Rented Movies: Have Mercy on Michael Bay's Soul, He Knows Not What He Does

I may say screw the family Christmas and head to the movie theater that day. That movie looks great.

[duper]

Re: New/Rented Movies: Have Mercy on Michael Bay's Soul, He Knows Not What He Does

Since The Great Gatsby book actually pissed me off because it was so horrible, I think I'll pass on the movie.

The best thing about great literature is that every book or story has people who react to it in this way. If anyone ever tried to force me to read that colossal piece of monkey s h i t The Catcher in the Rye again, or to watch a movie based on it, beatings would surely be issued.

I may say screw the family Christmas and head to the movie theater that day. That movie looks great.

Clearly, you are not Jewish!

[Kepler]

Re: New/Rented Movies: Have Mercy on Michael Bay's Soul, He Knows Not What He Does

The best thing about great literature is that every book or story has people who react to it in this way.

This is true. When I read "Lord Jim" in high school my reaction was it was a work of genius because nobody could have accidentally written a book so uniformally, perfectly boring on every page.

Another thing about great literature is if you read it again many years later it has amazingly gotten much better. Wonder how that could be?

I suppose it's unavoidable that we force young people to read works that are way over their head: "a man's reach should exceed his grasp, Or what's a heaven for?" But when I hear somebody say "I read Conrad where I was 18 and it was boring" what I hear him saying was "I read Conrad where I was 18 and I was boring."

[JF_Gophers]

Re: New/Rented Movies: Have Mercy on Michael Bay's Soul, He Knows Not What He Does

My thought was, isn't The Great Gatsby about 100 pages? How is there even enough material for a movie?

[St. Clown]

Re: New/Rented Movies: Have Mercy on Michael Bay's Soul, He Knows Not What He Does

This is true. When I read "Lord Jim" in high school my reaction was it was a work of genius because nobody could have accidentally written a book so uniformally, perfectly boring on every page.

Another thing about great literature is if you read it again many years later it has amazingly gotten much better. Wonder how that could be?

I suppose it's unavoidable that we force young people to read works that are way over their head: "a man's reach should exceed his grasp, Or what's a heaven for?" But when I hear somebody say "I read Conrad where I was 18 and it was boring" what I hear him saying was "I read Conrad where I was 18 and I was boring."

I read the Great Gatsby maybe four years ago and I found all the characters other than Gatsby and the protagonist (his name escapes me) to be completely vapid. I just did not enjoy it.

[Kepler]

Re: New/Rented Movies: Have Mercy on Michael Bay's Soul, He Knows Not What He Does

I read the Great Gatsby maybe four years ago and I found all the characters other than Gatsby and the protagonist (his name escapes me) to be completely vapid. I just did not enjoy it.

Well, I don't get modern art. We all have our limitations.

[St. Clown]

Re: New/Rented Movies: Have Mercy on Michael Bay's Soul, He Knows Not What He Does

Well, I don't get modern art. We all have our limitations.

I always figured that the vapid characters were intentionally made that way to represent the carefree Roaring 20's, but they still annoyed me. And there were too many of them to make up for the other two characters.

[French Rage]

Re: New/Rented Movies: Have Mercy on Michael Bay's Soul, He Knows Not What He Does

I found all the characters other than Gatsby and the protagonist (his name escapes me) to be completely vapid.

Isn't that kind of the point?

[Kepler]

Re: New/Rented Movies: Have Mercy on Michael Bay's Soul, He Knows Not What He Does

I always figured that the vapid characters were intentionally made that way to represent the carefree Roaring 20's, but they still annoyed me.

Daisy is vapid* -- she is the hole at the center of Gatsby's donut, which is the great driving tragedy of the plot. The guests at the party are caricatures and since a party is a silly, insubstantial thing they are. But the rest of the major characters all have lots of levels and depth. Tom seems like a mere blowhard at first but at his core he's deeply depraved. Nick (the narrator) has so many different modes and levels that he's practically a real human being (amazing for a short work). Gatsby's great quest is an illusion but his backstory and character are a complicated mix of dishonor, tawdry lies, psychological overcompensation, ambition, romantic imagination, and nobility (basically: America, before we fucked it up.)

(* which is what makes Daisy a trap for actresses and directors. Because she's one of the most famous characters in American literature she gets cast by big names with long shadows, but that works exactly against what she is: utter emptiness; she's just a liquid that her circumstances give a shape and substance to. A truly great actress could play her that way, but the film system wants to turn her into something active, and that would defeat the entire point. This is especially true during the current age where the commandment is all female leads must be feisty and self-empowered. Daisy is the least self-empowered character in the history of fiction. I actually think the best way to make a movie of Gatsby would be to never show Daisy at all.)

[St. Clown]

Re: New/Rented Movies: Have Mercy on Michael Bay's Soul, He Knows Not What He Does

Isn't that kind of the point?

Yes, but it's not something that I like in a story. I'm looking for a richly defined central figures and then some well defined - not necessarily deeply so - ancillary characters along with those simple characters tossed in for limited needs. For stories (movies, books, whatever) that aren't giant blow 'em ups, that's the challenge for the author, in my eyes. How can a story captivate its audience if you don't care to recall the characters moving through it?

[Spartanforlife4]

Re: New/Rented Movies: Have Mercy on Michael Bay's Soul, He Knows Not What He Does

We didn't read The Great Gatsby in high school, instead we watched the movie. It just didn't capture my attention very well. All I remember was a couple parties, a billboard with eyes, some lady got slapped and I think someone got shot.

[SJHovey]

Re: New/Rented Movies: Have Mercy on Michael Bay's Soul, He Knows Not What He Does

I'd have the movie directed by Q. Tarantino. Might make it more watchable.

[Kepler]

Re: New/Rented Movies: Have Mercy on Michael Bay's Soul, He Knows Not What He Does

I'd have the movie directed by Q. Tarantino. Might make it more watchable.

This reminds me of the alternate ending to "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington" on "The Simpsons."

[Slap Shot]

Re: New/Rented Movies: Have Mercy on Michael Bay's Soul, He Knows Not What He Does

In jr and sr h.s. I was assigned many of the obligatory reads (Great Expectations, the Bard, Canterbury Tales, Zen and..., Brave New World, 1984, Fahrenheit 451, EAP, etc.) but never GG. I may need to give it a try.

I guess it's off topic, but as a young kid I fondly remember reading Call of the Wild, White Fang, The Narnia series, Where the Red Fern Grows, The Wrinkle in Time series, Willy Wonka, My Side of the Mountain, Hatchet (yeah there's some similarities there). It's hard to match the pure wonder and joy of reading before becoming cynical.

[duper]

Re: New/Rented Movies: Have Mercy on Michael Bay's Soul, He Knows Not What He Does

As long as Luhrman doesn't try to set it in the modern day, I'll give it a try.