THOUGHTS ON GATSBY PT. 2: THE FIRST TRAILER

Shit's about to get nitpicky...

- First thought when the music started going: Oh shit, it's gonna be one of these kinda movies... After several viewings, I dig the musical selections ("No Church in the Wild", "Love is Blindness").  They don't fit with the time period of course, but they set the tone.  It captures the excitement of the 20s and the anguish and heartache of the characters.  And, of course the presence of Jack White, the patron saint of this blog, helps score points... for me at least.
- The movie looks great as expected.  The party looks lavish and otherworldy.  The costumes and cinematography are amazing.  Baz Luhrmann does this extremely well.
- I like the logo at the end... which I'm assuming is supposed to be a door?  Maybe a gate?

The strength of the performances are hard to tell, but...
- Wowsers, Tobey Maguire sounds bland...
- The chick who plays Jordan Baker (the tall brunette with Tobey Maguire)... Did they cast her for her height?  More bland delivery.
- Carey Mulligan looks the part, and she's frickin' adorable... but she seems a bit lifeless, too.  It's almost like Luhrmann got the memo to tone it done, but he went too far.  Daisy is supposed to be flighty and bubbly.
- DiCaprio doesn't have the smile.  What smile?  The Gatsby smile...
"He smiled understandingly — much more than understandingly. It was one of those rare smiles with a quality of eternal reassurance in it, that you may come across four or five times in life. It faced — or seemed to face — the whole external world for an instant, and then concentrated on you with an irresistible prejudice in your favor. It understood you just as far as you wanted to be understood, believed in you as you would like to believe in yourself, and assured you that it had precisely the impression of you that, at your best, you hoped to convey."
- I'm not a fan of how shaky Gatsby's voice is.  It's okay in the reunion at the window scene... but everything else lacks conviction.  Gatsby had conviction until the end.
- The butler gave the best performance in this trailer... The butler did it!
- The scene with Tobey Maguire in the rain or sprinkler or whatever?  What the fuck is that?  Also, I don't remember at any point in the book does Nick Caraway lose his shit and go, "Get the hell out of here!"
- Joel Edgerton looks too much like Hitler...

The trailer did what it was supposed to do.  It created buzz and interest.  It's a visually gorgeous movie, and it seems as though the performances don't go to that parody level that the other Bazz Luhrman films go to.  I'm still in.

THOUGHTS ON GATSBY PT. 1: BAZ LUHRMANN IS GONNA F*CK IT UP

"Life ain't nothing but bitches and money." 

- The Great Gatsby

(okay, not really)

My all-time favorite book is F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby.  I'm admittedly not a big reader, but I read Gatsby cover to cover.  It's one of the few books that I revisit... yearly.  From the first time I read it, I just understood and could empathize with the character so much... probably too much... as sad as that sounds.  I get Gatsby.  I get his boldness and weakness.  I get his optimism and his persistence.  I get how pathetic he is.  I get his motivations and his flawed romantic idealism.  I get his melodrama and naivete.  I get it so much that I got the nickname "The Great Jaxby" in high school.

For those of you that don't know the story... Read it.  Or at least wikipedia it.  There's too much for me to craft a summary.  (Thoughts on the cast and why Jack hates Baz Luhrmann after the break).

VIDEO: SLEIGH BELLS "DEMONS"

Co-directed by Derek Miller (of Sleigh Bells), "Demons" is dark and hypnotizing. At the end where Alexis is being carried by her fans, seriously looks like a scene from hell.

ACL 2012

After scratch offs and fakes, the full lineup for ACL 2012 was released last night. We at MSD are super stoked about RHCP, Jack White, The Back Keys, Florence & The Machine, The Roots, The Civil Wars, M83, Childish Gambino, The War On Drugs, Oberhofer, Zola Jesus, and many more. Click here for the full lineup. 

Here's LCD Soundsystem in direct sun at the 2010 festival:

SNL WITH MICK JAGGER// WIIG'S FINAL PERFORMANCE

The SNL finale for the 37th season was an emotional one. If I had been sleeping from Saturday until now, I probably would've been more upset by the surprise of it being Wiig's final show. Sure there were rumors but I wasn't prepped for this! Besides that, it was a well done episode with lots of funnies. Even Mick was pretty darn hilarious in my opinion. Watch some of the bests below and see y'all next season! (which will probably suck)

BEACH HOUSE ON LETTERMAN

Watch below to see the stunning performance of "Myth" performed live last Friday night. Legrand's voice was flawless (as usual), and she looked gorgeous. Bloom came out last Tuesday, so make sure to pick it up!

 

FILM REVIEW - DARK SHADOWS (2012)

Dark Shadows is nothing to write about... which makes it hard to write about.

It's based on the soap opera of the same name which Johnny Depp and Tim Burton were ginormous fans.  Dark Shadows feels like a vanity project for Burton and Depp... which is totally cool.  This duo has been so successful that they are entitled to do whatever the crap they want.  I mean, Johnny Depp as a vampire adjusting to life in the 70s.  Why the fuck not!?  The problem is, this movie isn't very good.  More after the break...

NEW: AZEALIA BANKS "JUMANJI"

According to Banks' Twitter, details on the 1991 EP come this Monday, the "Fantastic" mixtape drops this summer, & her debut album Broke With Expensive Taste hits shelves this Fall. For now, enjoy "Jumanji", a leak from her upcoming mixtape. 

NO DOUBT IN THE STUDIO

After a decade of silence, No Doubt is back! I have a personal attachment to Gwen and the gang because when I was around the wee age of ten, I found Tragic Kingdom in my babysitter's rockin' CD collection, and my life was forever changed (not really). Well today, they posted the first of many webisodes documenting them in the studio recording the new album. You can hear a bit of the song "Push & Shove" which has them teaming up with the great Major Lazer. The album has no name but is set to be released September 27, 2012 with the first single out in July.

 

NEW: SCISSOR SISTERS "LET'S HAVE A KIKI"

The song says a kiki is "a party for calming all your nerves". To me, it sounds like some kind of drag queen, drug-induced after party. Not sure what "Let's Have A Kiki" means but listen for yourself below.    Personally I'm waiting for more music like "Shady Love". Magic Hour in full is out 5/28.

WHIPPED CREAM OF THE WEEK

• Teen Daze- "What You Feel"

• The Hood Internet- "Pesobedear (Purity Ring x A$AP Rocky)"

• Marina & The Diamonds- "Primadonna (UTRB Remix)"

• B.o.B. ft. Taylor Swift- "Both of Us"

• Gossip- "Perfect World (RAC remix)"

• Temper Trap- "Need Your Love (RAC remix)"

• Four Tet- "Jupiters"

NEW: PASSION PIT "TAKE A WALK"

As if today weren't already overflowing with new music, here's another from Passion Pit. It's from their new album Gossamer out July 24th. 

NEW: ANIMAL COLLECTIVE "HONEYCOMB" & "GOTHAM"

And just like that, the indie world loses its mind. Yesterday on their Facebook page, Animal Collective posted some new material & then just left! With no other news about a new album or guggenheim show, nothing. Download the songs via iTunes. And/or pre-order the 7" vinyl.

DRAKE FT. THE WEEKND "CREW LOVE" (STAR SLINGER REMIX)

"Crew Love" continues to be one of my all-time favorite tracks--light, frothy, and easy on the eyes. This remix by Star Slinger proves that with the right amount of tricks up one's sleeve, a seemingness perfect song can be turned into something entirely different and unique but still as amazing as the original. Take a listen and be sure to download it for free via Soundcloud.

FLORENCE + THE MACHINE "BREATH OF LIFE"

Here's a track Flo recorded for the upcoming film Snow White & The Huntsman. Listen to the song in full here. The movie is out May 29th & Charlize Theron is gonna kill it being the evil bitch.

 

Diane Keaton on Colbert

So, ordinarily, we wouldn't just post some random interview... unless it involved Jack White... or Bon Iver... or The Kills... but here's a weird, fairly awkward segment with Diane Keaton on Colbert. Hammered, right? She's gotta be hammered.

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