Film review 4. The Great Gatsby

Genres: Drama / Romance
Director: Baz Luhrmann
Writers: Baz Luhrmann (screenplay), Craig Pearce(screenplay).
Stars:Leonardo Di Caprio, Joel Edgerton, Tobey Maguire.

     The novel “The Great Gatsby” by F. Scott Fitzgerald is a favourite book of many people. There are enough film versions of the novel. So nobody expect anything extraordinary from “Gatsby” except variegated decorations and splendid special effects. But these are not the main things, what is more important is the script and the work of actors. I think the film is succeeded in both aspects.
     Literary adaptations are always difficult to execute perfectly, partially due to the variety of interpretations that  readers have on a particular text, partly because not all screen viewers have even read the literature. The film contradicts itself in its collision between incessant noises, artsy visuals and disloyalty, and then eventual credibility through dramatic action and characterization.
     The film throws such a variety of information at us that we cannot appreciate or take notice of anything in particular. The Great Gatsby becomes a more endurable, peaceful and in fact quite magnificent drama film. You finally, although it is behind schedule, are introduced to these wonderfully broken souls. These lost, tragic, misunderstood souls are portrayed quite phenomenally by an exceptionally talented cast.
Leonardo DiCaprio is Jay Gatsby (With Leonardo DiCaprio's talent and persona, I could think of no one else who could have played Gatsby's role better; he sustains the shades and elements of the character quite naturally.); Carey Mulligan is Daisy Buchanan (Carey Mulligan plays the attractive, but self-centered and shallow, character of Daisy with such beauty and grace.); Tobey Maguire is Nick Carraway ( Tobey Maguire is excellent as Carraway, and his brilliant narration helps in bringing the feel of Fitzgerald's lyrical prose.); Joel Edgerton is Tom Buchanan; and that's not just because the credits tell us so, it is due to their ownership over their respective roles and fulfilment of our expectations of their literary description.
     The movie enthralled me with its spectacularly breathtaking visuals and strong soundtrack. Lana Del Rey's 'Young and Beautiful' is powerfully beautiful, and certainly deserves some awards. Coming back to the visuals, Luhrmann pays so much attention to the details from a character's dress to the carpets to the chandeliers - everything is colourful and extravagant. But this same attention to detail becomes a drawback as the emotional and intimate scenes lose some of their intensity behind these picturesque details. But other than that, the story is told quite well keeping with the pace and suspense of the piece; the mystery is maintained quite well.
     Like Gatsby himself, the film is introduced as a perplexing mystery, and much like the film itself, you contemplate on how much you think, you know and  understand. So enjoy this great film, thank heavens for Baz Luhrmann.

Film review 3. Argo (2012)

Cast:  Ben Affleck, Bryan Cranston, Alan Arkin

Director: Ben Affleck

Writers: Chris Terrio;  Tony Mendez ; Joshuah Bearman;

Genres: Drama, History, Thriller

     The story opens on November 4, 1979 when Islamist militants took control of the U.S. Embassy in Iran. 52 Americans were taken hostage and held for 444 days until their eventual release. But six American's were able to sneak out of the Embassy and find refuge unbeknownst to the Iranian rebels. The CIA, lead by agent Tony Mendez (Ben Affleck) hatched a plan to rescue the house entrapped Americans by posing as producers of a fictional science fiction film. The idea was that Mendez would land in Iran and then convince the six Americans to assume roles as screenwriters, directors and co-producers of the film and they would all fly out of the country together once location scouting was complete in 48 hours. In an effort to have the mission legitimized, Mendez recruited Hollywood producer Lester Siegel and Special Effects man John Chambers to green-light the script and give the entire project credibility. Privacy of operation remains up to the end. The role of intelligence services of the USA doesn't reveal in any way. At the end the management of CIA is going to note Tony Méndez's merits the highest award of CIA at the closed ceremony.

     So, Argo is a good film for watching.  I especially liked the plot and the atmosphere of the film. It captures from the very beginning up to the very end. Еhis movie is worth in his genre. It stays for a long time in memory.

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   The article That Corner Spot? It’s Perfect for a Concert was published on the site http://www.nytimes.com  by Steve Smith on May 20, 2013.

   The author begins his article with the Harding’s, a cozy Flatiron district restaurant handsomely appointed in Americana and offering an inventive menu to match, was abuzz on Sunday evening, its dining room filled with the lively sound of customers mingling over glasses of wine. At 20 minutes after 8, a hostess tapped a glass for attention as a pianist, a violinist and a cellist settled into a corner niche to perform.

   He underlines that what followed was the finale from Ives’s Piano Trio, a 1911 work brimming with nostalgia and rustic tunes, including the traditional hymn “Rock of Ages.” The performers — the pianist Benjamin Hochman, the violinist Lily Francis and the cellist Michael Haas — offered a warm, robust account. The audience, which included couples of all ages, as well as families with small children, listened raptly and responded effusively.

   The event was part of an occasional series of concerts called Tertulia, the name a Spanish term signifying a social gathering with an artistic bent. Founded in 2011 by Julia Villagra — the artistic director and host — this series aims to make classical chamber music accessible and appealing to new audiences.

It’e important the Tertulia (as Ms. Villagra refers to each concert) on Sunday was her first at Harding’s, following previous events at various Greenwich Village restaurants and one Upper East Side location. Dinner and sponsor tickets, from $60 to $100, included an appealing prix fixe menu — here, an appetizer, an entree and a dessert — with beverages charged à la carte. (For the record, I paid for my admission and meal.)    Without dinner, admission cost $25.

  It’s interesting fact that each composition on the program is represented by just a movement or two — a choice that could make purists scoff, but intended to keep the evening’s pace manageable and lively. (Between pieces Ms. Villagra encouraged the audience to seek out complete recordings.) The concert program included approachable, insightful notes, as well as succinct tips in basic concert etiquette. Notably, the idea of proper and improper times for applause was dispensed with.

   Dining room service is suspended during Tertulia performances; now and then you saw waiters gently shushing one another. After Ives came dinner, followed by the musical main course: roughly half of Alan Louis Smith’s “Covered Wagon Woman,” a stylistically conservative yet sophisticated 2007 song cycle based on a frontier diary. Daryl Freedman, a mezzo-soprano, performed with profuse charisma and admirable precision, earning a loud, long ovation.

   After dessert came the final musical offering, the last two movements of Dvorak’s String Quintet in E flat. Ms. Villagra’s programming savvy was evident; the Larghetto, a hymnlike theme followed by frolicsome variations, could hardly have been more inviting to a nonspecialist audience, while the playing was enough to reacquaint any connoisseur of Dvorak’s abundant charms.

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   The article Russia vows reprisals for 'stolen' song contest votes was published on the site http://www.usatoday.com by Doug Stanglin on May 21, 2013.

  The article begins with the Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, who already has such divisive issues as Syria and North Korea on his plate, who weighed in Tuesday on another international topic: Votes "stolen" from the Russian entry in the 2013 Eurovision Song Contest. Lavrov issued a stern warning Tuesday after reports surfaced that Dina Garipova, the Russian contestant in Saturday's competition, was allegedly deprived of 10 points purportedly given by viewers in Azerbaijan, a former Soviet republic, the Interfax news agency reported.

   As we know, Garipova finished fifth with her ballad "What If," coming in 17 points behind fourth-place Norway. The "stolen" 10 points would not have made a difference in the overall ranking, but to Lavrov, that was not important.

   It’s turned out that Azerbaijan's ambassador to Moscow, well known Soviet-era crooner Polad Bulbuloglu, told Russian television that it was impossible that Garipova did not score any points in his country, The Guardian reported. In its own voting, Russia gave the Azerbaijani entry the maximum 12 points. Votes are based on text messages sent in by viewers. Mammadyarov said at the same press conference that the results "received from all three cellular operators gave second place to Russia," Interfax reported. "It is certainly a question to our Public Television what happened to the votes and how they disappeared." Ambassador Bulbuloglu, disclosed that Azerbaijan President Aliyev had ordered an investigation and votes were being recounted, the BBC reported. Camil Guliyev, head of Azerbaijan's state broadcaster, said the failure to allocate Russia any points was of serious concern.

   The author admits that The BBC noted that Azerbaijan has traditionally tried to maintain good relations with Moscow though there have been tensions over energy in the past.

   In conclusion it’s necessary to admit that Denmark's Emmelie de Forest won the popular European contest with 281 points, well ahead of second place Azerbaijan.

   As for my opinion, I liked the performance of Garipova. She is a worthy representative of our country.

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   The article named All Around, a Tapestry of Sound was published on the site http://www.nytimes.com on the May 17, 2013. The author of the story is Steve Smith.

   The author begins his article with the utterance of the prominent Swiss-Austrian composer Beat Furrer. He continues to speak about “Fama,” his 2005 music-theater piece presented in its United States premiere by the Talea Ensemble and the vocal group Ekmeles at the Bohemian National Hall on Thursday, invokes Ovid’s depiction of a house built “entirely of sounding ore” by Fama, the Greco-Roman goddess of Rumor. “Resonating ubiquitously it hurls back in imitation what it hears with overwhelming sensuality,” Mr. Furrer was quoted as having described the structure in the program notes.

   The author admits the influence if the audience, so as conceived, performances of “Fama” involved an audience bunkered inside a specially constructed box with varying acoustic properties, around which the musicians would perform. This account lacked that resource, but the ensembles and presenters — theAustrian Cultural Forum and the Czech Center — took pains to convey what Mr. Furrer had in mind. Elevators were shut down and restrooms locked for the work’s 70-minute duration. Some performers wandered to balconies overhead; others mustered behind the audience.

    The author accentuates that Even without sets, props or magic aural box, “Fama” amounted to intensely potent theater, at times taking on positively hallucinatory effect as you strained to discern what instrument might conceivably be producing this unfamiliar sound or that oblique effect. A listener familiar with the watershed vocal and theatrical works of Berio and Ligeti had no trouble understanding where Mr. Furrer’s vocabulary came from; still, the way he deployed his devices felt fresh in its impact and precise in its expressive results. The Talea players, conducted by James Baker, performed with their customary exactness and commitment, handily conveying Mr. Furrer’s whispers, moans and explosive outbursts. Tara Helen O’Connor, well known as a prodigious flutist, showed an enviable prowess on the prominently deployed contrabass flute, an instrument resembling a subway pole with keys and an angled head joint.

   In conclusion the author tells about his thoughts the eight Ekmeles vocalists were an ideal match, singing with flawless pitch and precise ensemble even when dispersed. Bo Chang, a singer and actress, was powerful and poignant in her featured role. Along with Mr. Furrer, who was present for the performance, all were recalled repeatedly for long, loud and insistent ovations.

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   The article named Restrained, Then Madly Lyrical: The Pianist as Spring Mechanism was published on the site http://www.nytimes.com on the May 17, 2013. The author of the story is  ZACHARY WOOLFE.
   The article begins with the description of  the pianist Yuja Wang who had played a fifth encore to cap her exhilarating concert on Thursday evening at Carnegie Hall, the author confesses  that while perhaps 90 percent of her attention was on the  precise yet exuberant playing, a crucial 10 was on her skintight flame-colored dress.
   The author admits that It seems that a high-minded, conscientious music critic should pay Ms. Wang’s signature attire no mind.Enough ink, certainly, has been spilled on the subject during her rise to prominence these past few years.
   But her vivid sartorial choices are far from incidental to the formidable effect of her playing. Her alluring, surprising clothes don’t just echo the allure and surprise of her musicianship, though they certainly do that.
As for performance itself the author underlines,   a performance, in the fullest sense of the word, was what Thursday’s program demanded. Ms. Wang offered an immersion in the overripe afterglow of 19th-century Romanticism: sonatas by Scriabin and Rachmaninoff, and “La Valse” by Ravel, all introduced by Lowell Liebermann’s “Gargoyles” (1989), a contemporary work that neatly evoked the fin-de-siècle decadence of the rest. Ms. Wang began these melodies with a stiffness approaching self-consciousness before gradually relaxing into pure lyricism, giving a sense of the music’s tightening and loosening in grand cycles. Playing with daring deliberation, she came close to disconnecting the phrases of the slow second movement. It was a move that emphasized Rachmaninoff’s incipient modernity, as did her teasing out of jazzy figurations and Debussyian kaleidoscopic textures.
   As for the authors opinion of the performance it’s quite clear that she was very impressed. Reading this article, I feel sorry that I cannot see it by myself.