The Great Baz Version of Gatsby

Today is the day I've been waiting for, The Great Gatsby opens in theaters everywhere. The story alone is reason enough for me to be excited to see it on the big screen. But my excitement goes much deeper than that, for this film version is directed by the much underappreciated Baz Luhrmann. The brilliance of this filmmaker is in his ability to reinterpret a story or a song and present it to the audience with maximum visual and auditory beauty, intensity and passion. The fresh life he breathes into his work is unlike anything I've ever seen before and it stirs my soul.

It is his unique style that makes me love his films so much and, unfortunately, seems to make many others hate them. Perhaps this is why he doesn't get the recognition he deserves. I'm hopeful that his Gatsby will finally be the film that earns him more widespread accolades and, dare I dream, more appreciation for his previous works. Hope that has been born from all the buzz it's received so far. People are already talking about how to get the hair and clothes from the era. Fingers crossed.

Baz has only done 4 films before Gatsby. Strictly Ballroom, Romeo & Juliet, Moulin Rouge and Australia. It was this last film in which he made a marked departure from his usual interpretive stylized format, which frankly just didn't work for me. Based on the trailers I've seen for The Great Gatsby, it seems Baz has returned to this format for which he is known for. If anyone can make an audience really feel this story it is he. I can hardly wait!

This is the rare film that will drag me away from my usual Netflix routine and into the theaters, assuming I can find it playing somewhere NOT in 3-D.  This 3-D fad can't end fast enough for me. Talk about triggering migraines.

Will you be going to see it?