The Great Gatsby

And just like that you can make a girl's night - dinner and a movie - but dinner and 'The Great Gatsby' = 10 Brownie Points! Well, what a treat for me, I finally got to enjoy this 2013 film by Aussie master-mind Writer/Director Baz Luhrmann. Based on the 1925 novel by F. Scott Fitzgerald, this cinematic masterpiece is now the holder of 6 nominations and most likely a score of Oscar nominations this year. Starring 'Somebody-give-him-an-Oscar-already' talented and determined Leonardo DiCaprio, English-rose Carrie Mulligan, Scottish A+ drunkard Jason Clarke, Muscatian-born, Aussie-raised Isla Fisher, American mellow-man Tobey Macguire (whom I loved in 'Cider House Rules') and Aussie Joel Edgerton whom you may remember from 'The Thing' or 'King Arthur'. 

This film was 'mind-glowingly good'; it made for an exquisite night of fun, awe and wonder at the greatness that can be achieved with a solid team, real professionals and hard-work. If the soundtrack doesn't get you…the powerful love story certainly will. With a budget of $105 million USD, the film has grossed a cool $128 million USD back within just it's first week. Backed by Warner Bros. Pictures, Village Roadshow Pictures and scores of others, it's easy to see why everyone knew the prize presented to them. It was 142 minutes of unadulterated vivid brilliance! The cars, the wardrobe, the opulence and details down to the coffee pots and flowers were all very precise and thought-out. The audience's jaws' hung open by the peerless cinematography and poetic and tender dialogue. It was a luscious story about hopeless infatuation and longing, excruciating adversity and the sad delusion that comes along with it. It unfolded like a pleasant day-dream and switched to a wistful truth many can relate to.

Our wonderful actors, starring and parading all performed in synchronized symmetry. The direction is undeniably seamless, as it's close-shots, and ebbs melted into our viewer's palettes in the most charming way. This drama-romance is certainly now on 'Journey with Jair''s list of favourite films. It's inspiring, satisfying and magnificently made. Certainly a film to be admired and studied for years to come. Don't wipe away your tears…feel the magic… :))

Yelling to the Sky

This 2011 drama written and directed by Victoria Mahoney was slow and almost painful to watch. There were some good moments, great acting, but the story seemed drawn out and didn't flow well. I was attracted to see this film because of Gabourney Sidibe whom you may remember from 'Precious' (Yelling to the Sky, being her 2nd film), Zoe Kravitz (daughter of legends Lenny Kravitz and Lisa Bonet and scores of films in her own right) as well as Aussie Jason Clarke whom is a hot ticket right now after starring in the recent 'The Great Gatsby'. The film's message was poignant and special being that our main character had to journey through hell and back to be heard/seen/loved by her dysfunctional family. Sadly, it came across as just another 'teen's rite of passage' movie with interesting and often shaky camera angles.

Although the run-time of 94 minutes proved to be agonizing at times, it was an excellent display of Kravitz's forceful talent, violent struggle to stay afloat in a rough high school and showed the still 'unusual' to viewers, interracial family/relationships. Filmed in Bushwick and Brooklyn New York, this film was still able to cross the borders by being nominated at the 'Berlin International Film Festival' as well as the 'Black Reel Awards'.