The Great Gatsby (A&E)

Rating:
Summary: Great Gatsby Review by EGK
Review: The movie opens with the death of Gatsby and the falling of the precious cufflinks to the bottom of the swimming pool. About five years ago Gatsby loved and wanted to marry Daisy, but couldn't because he was too poor. Finally he has earned enough money, but Daisy is already married. The Great Gatsby is the story of upper-class society in the 1920s and the interactions between a group of people.
Nick, played by Paul Rudd, was what I expected Nick to be like when I read the book. He was short which I think was supposed to show his unassertiveness and also he just looked controlled and exactly like the character I had read about before. Gatsby was played by Toby Stephens, who did a good job. The only thing I didn't like about his performance was that he reminded me of a really sleazy guy. When his smile turned to the side, he looked like he was trying to sell you a car or something. Overall I thought the cast was well chosen except for Gatsby because he seemed like a jerk.
The movie seemed very accurate to book (themes, characters, symbolism, plot). It was really neat that when the two cars reached the setting of Myrtle's house that it was all dark and gray and colorless. This was a change from the bright colors the rich and symbolized the difference between the two classes. Another similarity involved the mood of the scenes. Most of them seemed to fit very well, like when Daisy cried over the shirts and was like a little kid touching all of Gatsby's possessions. This scene is supposed to give a feeling of materialism, and it's done very well. A major difference between the book and this movie is that at the begging of the movie it shows Gatsby being shot in his pool. I think the purpose of this was to get the movie of to a faster start before the introduction of the characters.
One major problem with the movie was that it switched narrators about half way through. Instead of being from the perspective of Nick, it switched to Gatsby and Daisy's perspective during their affair. This is a little confusing because in the book Nick is informed about their relationship from other people, and that information is changed depending on who's telling it. By changing this part in the movie, it takes away a certain character development that is given through the way they talk to others.
An aspect of the movie that really impressed me was the camera movement towards the end. Although seemingly insignificant, this detail can create different feelings depending on the quickness of the movement or how much waiting time is allowed. After Gatsby is shot the camera goes from his body to his killer, Wilson, to the police officer, to Nick, and finally to the sky. This sweeping movement gives the viewer a new piece of information every time it moves. Also, the scene was relatively calm and relaxed, as the event was an inevitable conclusion. I really liked the music of this movie. It seemed to enhance each scene by making some of them more dramatic or warning the viewer when something bad is about to happen. That's a quality that a movie can have that a book can't, it can use sound and visuals to bring the plot to a different level.
Overall the Great Gatsby was a well-adapted movie of a book and used the extra senses to create feelings that weren't apparent before. The director's knowledge of the themes, moods and characters was obvious through the careful presentation and flowing scenes. One area in which this movie could have been better was some of the details like nick's perspective seemed a little different or untrue to the book.

Rating:
Summary: for Mr.M
Review: Based on the book by F. Scott Fitzgerald, the movie The Great Gatsby is about the life and death of Jay Gatsby. Nick Caraway, the narrator, moves to the East Coast into a house on West Egg. There he meets Jay Gatsby, his mysterious, yet ridiculously wealthy neighbor. Gatsby is chasing after Daisy, Nicks 2nd cousin, once removed. Daisy and her Husband, Tom live together on East Egg, but Tom is cheating on Daisy with Myrtle Wilson. Gatsby finally gets Daisy's attention only to realize that he could never actually have her. Daisy ends up running over Tom's mistress, Myrtle on the way back from town one day while she is driving Gatsby's car. Tom tells Myrtle's husband George that it was Gatsby's car and he goes and kills Gatsby and then shoots himself.
Nick Caraway (Paul Rudd) was perfect for the part. He acted well to the time period and did a great job playing the supposedly unbiased narrator. He portrayed the character almost exactly how he was described in the book. Tom Buchanan (Martin Donovan) on the other hand did not do as accurate of a job playing the part. Fitzgerald described Tom so as I would have expected him to be a much larger, "hulking" man. He did however portray Tom's attitude quite well.
The movie was amazingly accurate to the book. It was full of direct quotes form the book, and you could practically read along with it. There was practically nothing that was left out from or added to the movie, which made it very easy to follow and compare to the book.
The movie itself was put together very well. The sets accurately depicted the time period, and the music was absolutely fitting. I really enjoyed the movie and I would recommend it. The only part that I did not like was the graphic depiction of Myrtle getting hit by the car. That was a little too graphic, but overall, great movie!

Rating:
Summary: Awful Acting! Fitzgerald is rolling in his grave!!!!!!!!
Review: Being A huge fan of F.Scott Fitzgerald I was excited to see a new film of "The Great Gatsby". I have to say I was sorely dissapointed. Toby Stephens as Gatsby is an absolute Abomination in this role. He says his lines like hes reading them for the first time. He's ruins Gatsby's famous catch phrase "Old Sport" with a constipated and snide delivery. In the book and in Robert Redford's marvelous performance of Gatsby you see Gatsby's charm and likeability. Despite Gatsby's flaws you can sympatize with him. Toby Stephens plays Gatsby as a spoiled conceited and completely unlikeable man. His smile is snake like and insincere. He also doesn't capture Gatsby's humble roots. It's a completely one dimensional performance. You better learn how to wait tables Toby!!! Don't even get me started on Mira Sorviono,the bad screen play and akward directing style! Im to mad to write another word now! THIS IS THE "GIGLI" OF FITZGERALD MOVIES!!!

Rating:
Summary: Review for Mr. M
Review: Defined as one of our "Great American Classics" The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald made yet another transition from book to screen in this 2001 version starring Paul Rudd (Nick), Mira Sorvino (Daisy), Toby Stephens (Gatsby) and directed by Robert Markowitz. Surprisingly enough, the movie was able to stay very true to the book, using the picturesque scenery of Montreal to portray the crucial elements of East and West Egg. However, despite the fact that the movie stays true to the story, the plot to the movie was brought down by the actors/actresses attempted portrayal of the complex characters. Mira Sorvino in her portrayal of Daisy brought her down from what I perceived to be a relatively strong character to a weak, manipulative woman who was unable to think for herself. Aside from the rather insufficient portrayal of Daisy, however, Paul Rudd was able to do a satisfactory job of portraying the character of Nick Carraway. Overall, despite some flawed acting, you were still able to see the overriding themes driving the plot, including the illusions of an "American Dream," the comparisons of Old and New money and the immeasurable distances people will go to reach unattainable goals.

Rating:
Summary: Ten points Please Mr. M--Exellent Film, Watch It!
Review: "The Great Gatsby" is a book about Nick Carraway and his life after he moves to West Egg. He meets the very wealthy Jay Gatsby and gets wrapped up in his life. Jay Gatsby is in love with Nick's second cousin Daisy and he will rest at nothing to reinstate the love they had five years before. Daisy conveniently lives on the East Egg across the water from Gatsby's huge house. Daisy is married to Tom and they have a child named Pammy together. But as Gatsby becomes more and more obsessed with Daisy it ultimately results in the end of Gatsby. The main plot line and theme in this story is about love, and betrayal. The story follows the lives of these people and the life of the rich.
I thought that the actors that were cast were done well. I especially think that Nick and Gatsby were represented well with the actors cast as their parts. Paul Rudd was a great Nick. He had the right attitude and looked as I imagined Nick would look. I thought that Rudd looked a lot like Mr. M in real life and I thought that was quite ironic. Another actor that was cast perfectly was Toby Stephens as Gatsby. He had the exact smirk that was described throughout the novel. Even the way he said "old sport" was in the same tone that I expected he would say it in. He portrayed the way that Gatsby felt towards Daisy perfectly, he did obsessive well.
The Director Robert Markowitz did a great job with accuracy of the movie to the book. There were even exact quotes taken out of the book quite a few times. This added the effect that was needed throughout the movie. The themes were all kept the same from the book as well as the characters and their actions. The only thing that was different was that a few unimportant scenes were cut out to save time and keep the film interesting. But generally I would say that the movie represents the book well.
Throughout the course of the movie the soundtrack and how well it added to the scenes impressed me. I was also impressed with the quality of the scenes and the fading in and out of the memories that the characters would think about from time to time. Another thing that I was surprised by the accuracy of was the way that the costumes looked the same as I imagined them from the book. All of costumes were a perfect match to the way that I imagined them except for Gatsby's; I thought he would wear more baby blue three-piece suits etc instead of casual suits. Overall I was impressed with the way that the movie was accurate to the movie, the casting and the quality of the movie. Markowitz did a nice job when he directed this movie.

Rating:
Summary: Mr. M!! :)
Review: F. Scott Fitzgerald's tragic love story the Great Gatsby has been reproduced into the form of a movie four different times, 1926, 1949 and 1974 before the latest 2001 version. Having been recreated so many times, this shows that just like Gatsby's love for Daisy, the story will always be around.
The story is told in the perspective of Nick Carraway (Paul Rudd), and chronicles the lives of Daisy Buchanan (Mira Sorvino), Tom Buchanan (Martin Donovan) and the ever mysterious Jay Gatsby (Toby Stevens). Before Daisy was married to Tom, she had a relationship with Gatsby, but he wasn't able to support her and had to go off into the army, which closely resembles the life of Fitzgerald. Gatsby comes back to find Daisy married; but still looks at the green light on her dock for some sort of hope that he will be with her again someday. Five years after Gatsby moves back, Nick Carraway comes into the picture and reunites Gatsby and Daisy, making a love story turned tragedy.
Paul Rudd's portrayal of Nick Carraway was the real stand out effort of all the actors in the movie, as he looked and acted the part brilliantly. Nick is a complicated character to play and the way he used facial expressions and voice tone really brought the Nick from the book into the movies. Gatsby, played by Toby Stephens had the right look, thanks to the costume design of Nicholetta Massone (who did an excellent job with all the different costumes in the movie). But even with his creepy looking half smile, he didn't really capture the true essence of Gatsby as a character, his actions were too deliberate and his expressions were off key. Tom and Daisy Buchanan, played by Martin Donovan and Mira Sorvino, weren't the couple that they seemed in the book. They didn't look right together during the movie and Sorvino had a habit of playing off major events and characters like they were no big deal, unlike the Daisy in the book. Another character that seemed to really understand their role in the movie was Heather Goldenhersh's portrayal of Myrtle Wilson. The part of Myrtle is small, but pretty significant in the story and Goldenhersh did an excellent job getting the look and the part down.
On the more technical aspect side of the show, there were three main areas that really stood out. Carl Davis who did the music for the movie did a great job with the music, most of the time it really meshed well with what was going on in the movie, and there were only a few times that it left you wondering what he was thinking. The set really had a 1920s flair which made the movie so believable thanks to the talents of the set decorators, Marie-Claude Gosselin and Simone Leclerc. Even though not all the actors played their characters as well as hoped, they all definitely looked the part with a little help from the costume department headed up by Nicoletta Massone.
Although moments in the movie were somewhat awkward and the characters didn't seem to fit right, they were made up for by other aspects of the movie. Overall the story is portrayed really well. A lot of times you don't get the whole story out of a movie, but this version of the Great Gatsby did as good a job as expected for a movie.

Rating:
Summary: Review for Mr. M
Review: The magic of a book can rarely be captured on film and portrayed with the same intensity on the screen. This is why it is new and exciting when a movie finally does contain the same power as the book or novel. Unfortunately The Great Gatsby, directed by Robert Markowitz and derived from the novel by F. Scott Fitzgerald, falls short of this great rarity. Not that this movie was a complete failure, it was just more of a let down to a reader of the novel.
The Great Gatsby takes place in the 1920's and follows the lives of a group of yuppie, arrogant, upper class citizens of New York. The story revolves around the main character of Nick (played by Paul Rudd) and then also gets involved in the lives of the people he surrounds himself with after moving to New York from the west. He reconnects himself with his second cousin twice removed, Daisy (played by Mira Sorvino), and her husband whom he used to know in college, Tom Buchanan (played by Martin Donovon) one day for dinner. While there, he meets Daisy's friend Jordan Baker, who happens to mention Nick's incredibly wealthy next-door neighbor, Gatsby (played by Toby Stephens); so completing our crew of "friends." These friends all end up connecting to each other. Daisy and Gatsby used to be in love before Gatsby went off to the war, but things never worked out again. Gatsby lived in constant obsession with Daisy without her even knowing it and lived for the day they would be reconnected again. When Nick is thrown into the mix, it is finally Gatsby's chance to get Daisy back. No road to love is ever straight and easy though, so of course many things stand in the way of this and the novel and movie revolve around this quest for love.
If it were not for the performance of Paul Rudd of Nick this movie would have been a complete failure in casting. The two characters that thoroughly irritated me were Daisy and Gatsby. I am aware that this is purely a result of me setting my standards too high, but these characters were so magnificent in the book that I was expecting to be blown away, instead I wasn't slightly moved by their performances. Both Mira Sorvino and Toby Stevens go through the lines without captivating the intensity of either character. I do not necessarily put them at fault though because Daisy and Gatsby were maybe too complex for any actor to portray. Paul Rudd takes the trophy with his interpretation of Nick! He captures the subtleties and charisma of Nick like I could have never pictured.
The movie itself does a precise job of sticking to the scrip and depicting the 1920s well with its costumes and settings. Everything is very accurate and the film was put together well and in an identical way to that of the book, rarely ever leaving parts out. There was just something missing from the overall production in comparison with the novel. It did not leave you with the same feeling as the book in the end. I believe the effect of that mostly came from the characters in the movie. In my opinion it was the strong, diverse personalities of the characters that made the book so wonderful and most of the actors just couldn't grasp it or cut it for the movie.
Thanks for letting us see it Mr. M!!

Rating:
Summary: Not too bad
Review: It's an alright movie, and if you feel like giving it a try I would certainly say 'go ahead'. However the book is much better.

Rating:
Summary: Awful Acting! Fitzgerald is rolling in his grave!!!!!!!!
Review: Being A huge fan of F.Scott Fitzgerald I was excited to see a new film of "The Great Gatsby". I have to say I was sorely dissapointed. Toby Stephens as Gatsby is an absolute Abomination in this role. He says his lines like hes reading them for the first time. He's ruins Gatsby's famous catch phrase "Old Sport" with a constipated and snide delivery. In the book and in Robert Redford's marvelous performance of Gatsby you see Gatsby's charm and likeability. Despite Gatsby's flaws you can sympatize with him. Toby Stephens plays Gatsby as a spoiled conceited and completely unlikeable man. His smile is snake like and insincere. He also doesn't capture Gatsby's humble roots. It's a completely one dimensional performance. You better learn how to wait tables Toby!!! Don't even get me started on Mira Sorviono,the bad screen play and akward directing style! Im to mad to write another word now! THIS IS THE "GIGLI" OF FITZGERALD MOVIES!!!

Rating:
Summary: I WANT MY EXTRA CREDIT POINTS
Review: "The Great Gatsby," is a wonderful and exciting book, which is held close to many readers hearts. "The Great Gatsby" the movie, on the other hand was clearly a made for TV, late night special. Nick the main character is portrayed in the book as a simple, clear headed, individual with a sense of innocence. The movie does accomplish finding a actor to suit Nick as a character. Paul Rudd does an excellenct portraying my image of Nick. His facial twitches seem to work well for his character; these oddly resemble the ones "MR. M" expresses with frustration in class. His acting talent is able to set the tone that you could tell was meant while Fitzgerald was writing the book. Daisy, played by Miamira Sorvino was quite disappointing. The director seemed to change Daisy's character to make her more charming, and sweet but in the book I found her to be quite shallow, and careless. The movies accuracy was pretty good compared to the book. But many symbolic aspects were left out such as the car accident with Owl eyes, and when daisy starts crying when she sees Gatsby's shirts. These are important factors in the whole symbolic storyline Fitzgerald sets up. Most characters fit their roles well such as Nick and Gatsby, But Daisy on the other hand lacked the acting skills needed to do a good job. The set that the movie had was magnificent, located in New Port, Rhode Island, but the movie greatly lacked the cinematography that is crucial in making a good film. You can tell that the budget was quite low for the movie since it did nothing all to extravagant. All and all the movie was ok for a made for TV special, but I must admit that I was somewhat disappointed since I enjoyed the book so much.