The Great Gatsby Film Review

I saw The Great Gatsby last weekend. It was definitely worth the price of admission. Normally, I don’t read reviews, but I was curious to see what the film critics thought of it. And if it would do the F.Scott Fitzgerald’s masterpiece justice. Despite the mixed reviews I was thoroughly entertained and impressed that Baz Luhrmann was able to pull off such a visually stunning, lavish, fun movie without watering down the themes of the story.

Baz Luhrmann, whose previous films Moulin Rouge and William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, showcased his ability to incorporate pop music with classic stories. This time Baz Luhrmann used hip hop music which caused a lot of controversy before the film opened. However I didn’t find the music to be the least bit distracting at all instead it worked well with the scenes in which they were placed.

When I first learned of this latest remake of The Great Gatsby, I was curious to see how Leonardo Di Caprio would be as the mysterious self made millionaire Jay Gatsby. Not surprisely Leonardo Di Caprio disappeared into the role of Jay Gatsby with such ease that it is almost easy to forget this was an actor playing a role. As a matter of fact I was quite happy with the casting choices for Daisy, Tom, Jordan, and Tobey. I felt they all worked well together. The only issues I had with the film were the underdevelopment of the relationship between Nick and Jordan as it was in the book, and the miscast of Isla Fisher as Myrtle Wilson. I am guessing that Baz Luhrmann was trying to save time by not further exploring the Nick/Jordan relationship any more than he did. As for the character of Myrtle Fisher, I thought that Christina Hendricks,from the tv series Mad Men, would have been a better choice in my opinion. Simply because Christina Hendricks fit the description from the book and could do the character better justice than Isla Fisher did.

Last but not least major kudos to Catherine Martin who was responsible for the costumes. She absolutely got every detail right. All the suits and dresses were elegant, flirty, and fun. Hopefully we will see more of Gatsby’s twenties fashions as the new trend in the upcoming months.

Have you seen The Great Gatsby? We would like to know. Please kind enough to leave a comment to let us know what you thought of it.

DP~MVBCLUB

Rebecca My Review

Over the Christmas Break in between Turkey and Family time I read Rebecca by Daphne Du Marnier. This was my first time reading anything from this author. My expectations were borderline. I can be a picky reader sometimes. However the synopsis on the back cover peaked my interest.

The story begins with the words “Last Night I Dreamt I Went To Manderley Again.” Spoken by the narrator/second wife of Maxim De Winter. Interesting tidbit Ms. Du Marnier never gave her a first name so she is only known as Mrs. De Winter through out the book. After a brief courtship Maxim marries the Mrs De Winter. Now the real mystery begins as Mrs De Winter learns more about her new husband and of the previous his relationship with his first wife Rebecca.

As Max and Mrs De Winter return to his estate Manderlay on the Cornish coast!, we meet the mysterious servant Mrs Danvers who is still fiercely loyal to Rebecca. Throughout the book Mrs. De Winter unravels the mystery that is Rebecca and continual hold that she possess over Maxim De Winter and Manderlay.

Daphne Du Marnier does a wonderful job of making you feel as though you are experiencing everything first hand. I am highly recommending this book for anyone who loves suspense stories with lots of plot twists and turns.

Remember Reading is Sexy!!!

DP~MVBCLUB

First Year Anniversary

It’s almost hard to believe that a year has past since the Man Vs Books Club went live in 2012.  It has been a fun, scary adventure blogging.  I couldn’t have done it without the support of my team.  They are ones that made this blog the cool experience that it is. Each one has contributed to it in their own special ways.   The  Man Vs Books Club is a true reflection of our teamwork.

A special thanks to everyone that has guest blogged for us. We sincerely appreciate it.  We can wait for more future collaborations.

Lastly now that 2013 is here, we  are going to post  more great book reviews, interviews, and giveaways.  Hope that you will continue to support us.

Remember Reading is  Sexy

DP~MVBCLUB

My NaNoWriMo Experience

I decided to participate in this year”s National November Writing Month aka NaNoWriMo challenge.  One month to write a 50 thousand word book beginning on November 1st.  Ok I can do this became my mantra for the entire month. As any writer can tell you writing can be a rewarding but often frustrating experience as you try to tell an entertaining ,coherent story. Some days the words would flow like water out of a faucet. Other days, it would be like being stranded in the Sahara Desert searching for a puddle of water to drink. On these days I read books, spent the holidays with family and friends, and survived devastating Hurricane Sandy.  I am proud to say that I completed my book on November 29th. The word count was 50,950.  After I submitted my story to NaNoWriMo I decided to take a break from it. No editing, revising, or reworking it for at least a few months. Perhaps one day soon I will revisit the story maybe even try to get it publish.  Until then I will enjoy this achievement with a well deserved pat on the back and a job well done to myself. 

We at the MVBClUB would love to read about your experiences with NaNoWriMo. Please come and share with us.

Remember Reading and Writing is Sexy.

 

DP~MVBCLUB

Halloween Reading

Happy October everyone. Halloween is rapidly approaching.  I usually like to read something that is scary or suspenseful.  One of my favorite books is The Dark Half by Stephen King. It has a great combination of suspense, spookiness, and a touch of humor to keep you reading to the last page.  We would like to know what is your favorite scary book? Which author makes you want to hide under your bed covers?

Remember Reading is Sexy and Spooky Good

DP~MVBCLUB

Karen White- Lemuria Books Friday July 13, 2012

Reblogged from Traveling With T:

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Hmm.... Don't read too much into the Friday the 13th and Karen White. There was nothing scary about meeting her!

Karen White stopped by Lemuria Books to sign and read from her latest book, Sea Change. But as 2 ladies (Terri and Stacy) found out, Karen was gracious enough to sign all the books they had to have signed. Karen White  appreciates fans!

Read more… 419 more words

50 Shades Freed by EL James –The Review Is Up!

The ManVsBooks Club presents:

50 Shades of Freed

Part III of III ~ The Finale

Here I am…on the last page of the trilogy. I was so happy when I got to the last page of 50 Shades of Freed

I was hoping this final book would make reading this series worth it. Sadly it wasn’t. After a three-month courtship, Ana Steele is now Ana Grey.  Her professional life has undergone speedy change as well. She is no longer an assistant to the Editor but now the Editor thanks to the sudden firing of her boss. Mind you Ana is still fresh out of college and a couple of weeks later she is the boss. How implausible! I wish that E.L. James would have made Ana sudden promotion more realistic.

Once again, E.L James relies heavily on constant arguments followed by sex scenes to push the love story forward. Christian Grey confronts his demons by facing them; however, Christian shows his immaturity in several situations. For example:

1. He decides to punish his wife by handcuffed hands and feet together in their kinky relations. He proceeds to mark her body with bite marks as though he is marking his territory.

2. When he found out that she was pregnant. He yelled at her and called her names for her unexpected pregnancy. I felt E.L James went to a new low writing those scenes! How disappointing!

3. Ultimately Christian and Ana reunite. They even deal with kidnapping attempt against Christian’s sister which places Ana and her unborn child in imminent danger…everyone survives. 

E.L. James doesn’t bore us with the gory details of the pregnancy and the delivery. Instead we are fast forwarded to two years later where Ana is now the owner of Grey Publishing ,a doting mother of a son, and pregnant with her second child. Christian has made peace with his past and actually enjoys being a father. Ok here I go, I’m going to note something positive…the ending is picture perfect.

At the end of the book E.L. James included a bonus chapter of Christian first meeting with Ana from 50 Shades of Grey from his point of view. I found myself enjoying his thoughts more so than Ana’s the first time.

I wish Ms James had written these books from both of their point of views.

Feel free to write your review below or tell us your thoughts and comments below.

Is the 50 Shades Trilogy worth all the hype?

~DP of ManVsBooksClub

50 Shades Darker — The Review Is In!

The ManVsBooksClub presents:

50 Shades Darker by EL James

Part II of III 

50 Shades Darker picks up a couple of days after Ana Steele breaks up with Christian Grey. I guess she couldn’t handle his “other” lifestyle as much as she thought she could.  During the course of their weekend breakup Ana pines away for Christian. I think she managed to lose 5 lbs in that time. A possible new diet plan for the masses??? Meanwhile Christian Grey has decided to give up his “other” lifestyle. After years of therapy Ana leaving him had that effect on him. Somewhere the psychiatric community sobbing uncontrollably.

It doesn’t take long for Ana and her 50 Shades to reunite. Ana is back to swooning over Christian. Throughout the course of the book Ana decides to the bondage and spanking another try. It all leads to some of most repetitious sex. I can’t believe how bored I became of it. I couldn’t flip the pages fast enough.

In between all the unnecessary arguments, sex scenes, and descriptions of Christian Grey Ana manages to work at a publishing house as an assistant to the Editor. Christian being the control freak that he is, buys the company…(Wow, I guess it’s good to have the boss as your boyfriend hey?)

During the course of the story we found out more about Christian’s past submissives: the women who Christian controlled. One of them begins stalking Ana. This woman turns out to be very elusive. Ana is forced to move into Christian’s penthouse apartment. Ana learns more about Christian first experiences in the “other” lifestyle. He was a submissive to a woman who was friends with his adoptive parents.

Once again E.L. James speedily wraps up the story by having the stalker caught and Christian publicly outing his inappropriate relationship with the family friend at his family’s home.

Overall, I thought this book should have focused more on getting to know Christian Grey.

…but we’ll see where EL James takes us next….

I will next be  reviewing the third and final book in the series…

50 Shades Freed!

~DP of the ManVsBooksClub