The reviews are mixed on Baz Luhrmann’s take of The Great Gatsby, which opens in theaters today and kicks off the Cannes film festival next week. But while some critics have panned the film, I was LIVING for it the entire time.

In case you never read the book, the story is told by Nick Carraway (Tobey Maguire) who, while chasing success in the roaring 20s stock market boom, rents a modest cottage on long island only to find that he has moved next door to the home of Jay Gatsby (Leonardo DiCaprio), an extravagant mansion that hosts extremely lavish parties.

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The more footage I see from Baz Luhrmann’s adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald‘s classic novel, the more I’m itching to see it. I’m just crossing my fingers that I’m not extremely let down. Even if the story sucks, the visuals are certain to impress, especially in 3D. Luhrmann never disappoints in that department. Once again, he looks to have hit a home run capturing the glamorous roaring 20s.

Warner Bros. recently released seven clips, roughly about five minutes of footage, from the highly-anticipated film. The selection of clips give a good impression of the lavish visual style created by Baz. Most of the scenes feature several characters talking about Gatsby (Leonardo DiCaprio), often in contradictory, elusive terms. Tobey Maguire’s Nick Carraway, the inquisitive narrator, is the one most prominently shown in the footage. Watch the video below.

watch the video after the jump

Once I saw Carey Mulligan dressed as Daisy Buchanan in her character poster, any trepidation I had of her taking on the iconic role quickly subsided. She is the very essence of Daisy. I’m so glad Scarlett Johansson bowed out of the running due to filming conflicts with We Bought A Zoo ;) Just in case you were curious, Mulligan also beat out a list of other actresses including Keira Knightley, Rebecca Hall, Amanda Seyfried, Blake Lively, Abbie Cornish and Michelle Williams for the coveted role.

The Great Gatsby was supposed to hit theaters this Christmas, but Warner Bros. bumped it to May 10, 2013 to avoid their own film The Hobbit. If Baz Luhrmann’s adaptation is half as good as it looks, it’s going to be a winner. Not surprisingly, it’s visually stunning. Instantly, I felt I was transported back to the roaring 20s to some glitzy jazzy affair. It felt like, fittingly enough a hybrid of Luhrmann’s two successful flicks- Romeo & Juliet and Moulin Rouge.

Watching the trailer definitely inspired me to hold my very own Gatsby party before the film opens. Check out the trailer below along with character posters of Isla Fisher, Tobey Maguire, Joel Edgerton, Elizabeth Debicki and Carey Mulligan. They’re fantastic.

check out more posters and the trailer after the jump

Another video campaign called Vote4Stuff enlists the help of some big name celebrities to encourage young people to vote. This is not to be confused with the Rock The Vote video campaign I posted about last week.
“This is one of the most important elections of our lifetime. We are using the power of social media throughout the Vote 4 Stuff campaign to incite bi-partisan conversation around real issues, encourage registration and voting in November,” said Leonardo DiCaprio in a statement.

There are so many good people in this video, and some funny ones too. Jonah Hill says, “You guys, ‘Rock The Vote’. This isn’t Rock The Vote?’ Where is Rihanna!“. Towards the end of the video, Hill then says to the camera, “And if you’re Rihanna, remember…you can get under my um-ber-ella.” LOL. I love him.

Celebrities in this video include: Leonardo DiCaprio, Tobey Maguire, Jonah Hill, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Zac Efron, Benicio Del Toro, Edward Norton, Ellen Degeneres, Selena Gomez, Sarah Silverman, Amanda Seyfried and Appian Way. Enjoy the video below and be sure to vote.

Watch the video after the jump…

A new trailer starring Tobey Maguire and Elizabeth Banks for a film called The Details has just been released and we’ve got your first look at the comedy below.

Maguire and Banks play a struggling married couple who are struggling with issues like infidelity and whether or not they should stay married. Things reach a whole new level when some uninvited ravenous raccoons are burrowing under the sod in their back yard. The two have a disagreement over how to get rid of them, and this leads two a chain reaction of unfortunate situations. Seriously, it looks like one major disaster after another.

The film doesn’t have a release date yet, but when it comes out I’ll certainly check it out. It also stars Laura Linney, Dennis Haysbert, Ray Liotta, and Kerry Washington. Check out the trailer below.

Watch the trailer after the jump…

Back when I was in high school, I read a little book titled “Life of Pi.” At the time, the book didn’t really make sense to me. It was written in three parts and while it was fascinating, I didn’t really get it. A few years ago, I read the book again as an adult and my mind totally changed. Author Yann Martel really takes the reader on a religious allegorical journey that is both mesmerizing and self-reflecting.

Pi is the son of a zookeeper. His family decides to move to Canada after political problems in India begin to arise. Shortly after their boat leaves the Japanese harbor, it sinks. Pi is left onboard a life raft with a barrage of characters – animals actually. A hungry hyena, an injured zebra, an orangutan and a Bengal tiger named Richard Parker. Let’s just say that Pi is left onboard with only the tiger after a few days. The story of Pi on this life raft becomes quite adventurous as the two try and survive for over 200 days on the ocean.

Playing the role of Pi is newcomer actor Suraj Sharma who prior to this role, has no acting experience whatsoever. It will be interesting to see what he brings to the table for the adaptation. Also in the film is Tobey Maguire who plays the role of Yann Martel, the author of the book. I’m not sure how he will be integrated into the story so we’ll have to wait and see. The film is set for release in theatres this November. Catch the action packed trailer below.

Check out the “Life of Pi” movie trailer after the jump.

In what seems like a plot for the latest Hollywood blockbuster, 12 plus A-List stars including some of our favorite leading men have been named in an underground gambling ring that is coming under fire. The men that have been revealed are Matt Damon, Ben Affleck, Leonardo DiCaprio and Tobey Maguire. Just to put everyone in the loop, gambling outside of established gambling facilities is illegal in the state of California. Now let’s get into the “plot” of this juicy story.

The gambling ring would meet at the Beverly Hills Hotel or the Viper Room on the Sunset Strip in unmarked rooms with closed doors; guards outside with guns and bullet proof vests. The earnings are ranging into the million dollar mark within a month’s play. So what’s digging up all of this secret information? A recent arrest and sentencing of CEO of Ruderman Capital Partners, Brad Ruderman. If there is one thing you should NOT do when gambling with the big boys, it’s dip into your investor’s pockets to contribute to your buy ins and pay-outs. When Brad lost the money, he tried to create a Ponzi scheme to get it back. Ruderman reportedly lost $25 million dollars of investors funds to this secret circle of gamblers and is serving jail time in Texas until 2018.

With all of the big names involved in this scandal, only one is really feeling a majority of the heat and that’s Tobey Maguire. According to reports, Tobey was a very frequent player. During the run of this gambling club which ran from 2006 until 2009, Maguire is said to have won close to $36 million dollars. With his mass earnings, it’s not wonder that Ruderman’s clients are chasing about Tobey for the buck. Although many of the clients are only filing civil law suits in bankruptcy courts, no criminal investigations are being undertaken. That’s a sigh of relief for Tobey I’m sure.

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With a production start date fast approaching for the fourth installment of the Jason Bourne movie, things are kicking into high gear to find a new leading man. With Matt Damon leaving the spy franchise, Universal Studios & the film’s writer-director, Tony Gilroy, are meeting with some of Hollywood’s hot young leading men to replace Damon.

I should probably clarify that, no one is actually replacing Matt Damon and playing the role of Jason Bourne. Instead, “The Bourne Legacy” will focus on a new character who’s been trained and programmed like Jason Bourne. This way Matt Damon can do cameos or anchor any future Bourne movie should he decide to return. The role is one of Hollywood’s must-get and lucrative part for young actors. With the three Bourne movies grossing almost $1 billion combined, the part will elevate whomever gets it, to new heights.

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