Many of you youngsters will have trouble understanding exactly why, but trust us, this is just awful, in any dimension.
Because, really, this isn't just about the special effects, as the LA Times seem to think. And how about that second-to-last paragraph?
To be brief: Baz Luhrmann shouldn't have been let out of the '90s. His "Romeo + Juliet" (note the plus sign) stands as the apex of the gaudy faux-bohemianism that marred the decade, and even foreshadows the antic, manufactured quirk of today's dire indie-rock scene. He's not a "provocateur"--he's an art-house Renny Harlin, a maestro of purposeless bombast and empty flourish, whose relentless pursuit of "flash" masquerades as eccentric substance.
Whatevs, if the Website of a major paper can lump together one of American lit's stone-cold classics and a book-club favorite about a tiger in a boat, we guess we'll get the "Gatsby" we deserve.
No comments:
Post a Comment