The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

[mike]

Anyone read the F Scott Fitzgerald story?

Any opinions on the upcoming film?

http://www.benjaminbutton.com/

 

[Feraud]

I have not read the story but the film looks interesting.

 

[Vanessa]

I'm hoping the movie will retain some of the story's charm. . .but with everything Hollywood-ized these days, it will probably be all cgi & sight gags.

 

[mike]

I'm hoping the movie will retain some of the story's charm. . .but with everything Hollywood-ized these days, it will probably be all cgi & sight gags.

I agree! I'm hopeful because I want things to look forward to, but I realize it's a 99% lost cause when it comes to studio made films! :eusa_doh:

I just finished a collection of Fitzgerald short stories that were so good! I am not really a fan of the Great Gatsby, but was really affected by the short, Head and Shoulders!

 

[Vanessa]

I just finished a collection of Fitzgerald short stories that were so good! I am not really a fan of the Great Gatsby, but was really affected by the short, Head and Shoulders!

I love that his short stories are all available online. It makes for a great lunch breaktime - snack & a story.

 

[mike]

I love that his short stories are all available online. It makes for a great lunch breaktime - snack & a story.

Sure, although I don't like reading from a screen so much. I treasure my subway commuting time for reading! I actually like when my commute takes longer because I get to read more!

 

[Vanessa]

I can only tolerate short stories on the screen. I don't have a long commute to work anymore, which is good, but has seriously shortened my weekly reading time.

 

[Doctor Strange]

I am really looking forward to this film. I've read a couple of advance raves, and it sounds promising.

(I found the story pretty underwhelming, but since I think that Fitzgerald is the most overrated Great American Author of the last century, that's not surprising.)

 

[Spiffy]

I've heard that director David Fincher has done some amazing CGI to make Brad Pitt's aging more realistic....stuff like digitally grafting Pitt's face onto actors of different body types to depict the aging process. I'm excited (because I am a total Fincher fangirl) but wary, because I've read somewhere that the extremely long running time might work against the film in distribution.

 

[HadleyH]

I will reserve my opinion on the upcoming film, shakeshead

I just finished a collection of Fitzgerald short stories that were so good! I am not really a fan of the Great Gatsby, but was really affected by the short, Head and Shoulders!

A bit fftopic:
I also like his work. Have you read "The Crack-Up"?(1932). Fitzgerald wrote this on a low period in his life,from the safety of the thirties looking back nostalgically at The Jazz Age.

In "My Lost city" :

"For the moment I can only cry out that I have lost my splendid mirage.
Come back, come back, O glittering and white!


Ernest Hemingway was right when he compared this writer's talent to the pattern made by the dust on a butterfly's wing!

 

[Brian Sheridan]

Newsweek's reviewer says that the film totally jettisons Fitzgerald's story with the exception that Button ages backwards. I think proof that F. Scott is one of America's greatest writers is that a good movie of his work has never been produced. The Newsweek article cites the fact that Fitzgerald's technique is truly literary and cannot be transferred to a visual medium.

 

[MrBern]

Rover & I caught the film at the Ziegfeld in NYC last nite.
thumbs up!
Strong charming performances. The movie is long but doesnt lag.
Yes, theres a lot of gorgeous CGI & makeup that totally sweeps you away into seeing the actors in various states of youthful splendor & physical decrepitude.
Director David Fincher does a great job of depicting the life of a man aging backwards & how it effects his loved ones. Brad Pitt's New Orleans accent never seems contrived. Its a lovely melodic flow to his voice that sets the pace for this epic.

 

[mike]

Rover & I caught the film at the Ziegfeld in NYC last nite.
thumbs up!
Strong charming performances. The movie is long but doesnt lag.
Yes, theres a lot of gorgeous CGI & makeup that totally sweeps you away into seeing the actors in various states of youthful splendor & physical decrepitude.
Director David Fincher does a great job of depicting the life of a man aging backwards & how it effects his loved ones. Brad Pitt's New Orleans accent never seems contrived. Its a lovely melodic flow to his voice that sets the pace for this epic.

sounds very promising!

 

[Imahomer]

My oldest son and I are going to see it within the next few days. The commercials for it look real good.

 

[scotrace]

The story is available for 99c from The App Store for iPod & IPod Touch.

 

[BinkieBaumont]

I enjoyed the 1940's and 1970's film adaptations of Fitzgeralds "The Great Gatsby" but must admit i'm rather concerned about what Baz Lurmann will do with his re-make. he's rather a worry these days

 

[Zemke Fan]

Nothing less than amazing...

Bern's review pretty well sums it up. It was intriguing, engrossing, and sublime. Cate Blanchett and Brad Pitt are perfect...

I haven't read the story, but have a theory that the screenplay came about because the author had this idea -- a person aging backwards physically -- and then searched to see if anyone else had thought of this and... viola! Fitzgerald's story popped up on Google.

 

[Doctor Strange]

Actually, no, it's no coincidence. A film based on the story has been in development since the early 90s. See the Wiki article:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Curious_Case_of_Benjamin_Button_(film)

Anyway, I'm very excited about this flick, and encouraged by the good reviews here. I will be going to see it with my kids sometime this coming week, and I'll offer my review afterwards...

 

[Decodence]

Having read most of FSF's work, the first thing which popped into my mind when I saw a preview for this was "This will not end well."

 

[just_me]

Actually, no, it's no coincidence. A film based on the story has been in development since the early 90s. See the Wiki article:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Curious_Case_of_Benjamin_Button_(film)

Anyway, I'm very excited about this flick, and encouraged by the good reviews here. I will be going to see it with my kids sometime this coming week, and I'll offer my review afterwards...

Don't know how old your kids are, but I think it's rated PG-13.

BTW, bring tissues.