The Great Gatsby (2013)

3/5

Baz Luhrmann's The Great Gatsby somehow manages to be both a tepid and titillating reinterpretation of the F. Scott Fitzgerald classic. In the most banal ways it seems to copy the book verbatim, with Tobey Maguire basically reading Fitzgerald's elegant prose in an unnecessary and belabored voice-over. At 2.5 hours runtime, the film's editing is incredibly mis-managed thanks to an overlong first half filled with pedestrian introductions and explanations reminiscent of lazy storytelling.

And yet something about the anachronistic music and Leonardo DiCaprio's enigmatic charisma manages to pull you in and excite you. It becomes filled with verve and vivacity. The acting by DiCaprio and Mulligan is particularly compelling. Their characters, and the magnetic attraction between the two, are the heart and soul of the film. But as good as they are, the rest of the cast fails to impress. And while Baz Luhrmann can do incredible things with music, he seems unable to direct the rest of the movie with equivalent panache.

Films made out of books must be adapted, not simply migrated to the silver screen. Luhrmann should have tried harder to pin down the spirit of the book--that je ne sais quoi that made generations consume it so voraciously--and communicate that same elusive vitality to the movie. Instead he has taken some of the words to the cinema, but has left the heart on the page.

IMDb link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1343092/

Sholay (1975)

4/5

Ramesh Sippy's famous Sholay is quite possibly the most watched movie of all time, considering it had a 10-year theatrical run in a country with 1+ billion people. After seeing it last night, I can see why! The movie has an engaging story, exquisite writing, likable characters, and wonderful performances. It appeals to almost all tastes, effortlessly mixing elements of drama and comedy, action and romance. Told in the style of a spaghetti Western, the plot follows an ex-sheriff (Kumar) who hires two courageous thieves (Dharmendra and Bachchan) to capture the bandit (Khan) responsible for killing his family. It unfolds over 3 hours fluidly, revealing bits and pieces of each character's history and motivations with precise pacing. Some of the jokes were gimmicky, some of the action was absurd, and some of the romance was cheesy, but it doesn't really matter because you will become so engrossed in the story, so invested in the characters, that after a while you just won't care about any of that stuff anymore.

There seemed to be some problem with the DVD release (at least I hope) because the colors in this film were noticeably faded. The camerawork was creative but unpolished (again, it may just be a poor DVD transfer). While the subtitled translation was adequate, a lot of nuance, subtlety, and double meaning was lost on me. I would absolutely love for Criterion to pick this up, digitally remaster it, and professionally subtitle it, because then I think more Westerners could appreciate this movie for the gem that it is. Even if it forever remains on a DVD with subpar quality, the movie is an absolutely delightful treat and I highly recommend it.

IMDb link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0073707/