Anyone who doesn’t re-examine his basic beliefs from time to time is not worthy of a vote and should have no voice in any level of society. The same is true for those who have no basic beliefs. They should just stay out of the marketplace of ideas, because they have no inventory. Our trouble as a nation is that liberals and politicians are, as groups, made of these “people.”

I was raised a Democrat, and lived as one, until I grew up and started to see what they really are. Then I read, and watched, and realized that America was worth saving, or conserving, just the way it was. These “people” who point their fingers at one negative thing or other that happened and shriek that, “it’s because a non-Communist America is evil!” are simply traitors to their country and should be dealt with as such.

I agree that Gatsby was tedious and the movie was the same. It did, however, paint a fairly realistic view of that very thin slice of Americana at play. A visit to “The Breakers” (Gatsby’s home in the movie) and the other “cottages” along that particular Newport road reveals what some would call obscene conspicuous consumption, kind of like Aaron Spelling’s and so many other ostentatious celebrity homes, although I suspect parts of Spelling’s house, like the gift wrapping room, were devoted to business and qualified for depreciation.

I wonder how many of the downtrodden Hollywood libs are bringing under their ample roofs in these trying economic times?

One of the silver linings in the cloud of distortions with which ultra-liberal Hollywood is blitzing us is that it will provide future screenwriters fertile ground for a Gatsby-like sequel that pillories the hypocrisy and agenda-driven tone of the industry these days. A comedy would be the most appropriate vehicle, IMHO.

The titles alone for such an expose of Hollywood’s current mood and behavior should make for at least an hour of fun discussion among Big Hollywood fans. “Fear and Loathing at Babs’ House.” “A Funny Thing Happened to me on the Way to Reality.” “Serial – The Sequel Further South.” (”Serial” – One of my all-time favorite liberal lifestyle -lampooning movies. Bill Macy as Sam Stone was hilarious.). “‘Mayhem,’ She Wrote.” “What Did You Do in the Culture Wars, Daddy?) These are kind of lame but I’m sure others, if they choose to join, can come up with many more creative and humorous titles.

‘”This shirt cost twenty-five dollars.” she said as she held the fine silk in her trembling hands and began to weep.’

Ohh. Profound. LAME! I hated that entire book. The charters are unlikable, thin, and uninteresting. The 20’s were and incredibly prosperous time until about 1929 because Cavin Coolidge was successful in waking America up from the nightmare of Wilsonian Fascism. Then Hoover’s interventionist policies made way for the Great Depression.

Wait… What was my point? Oh, yeah! Fitzgerald sucks. SUCKS!

If Hollywood insists on remakes, why not remake something good, like 12 Angry Men. Then again, evertime Hollywood tries to remake something, it makes me run screaming from the theater (I’m looking at you, Haunting, Planet of the Apes, etc), with the rare exceptions, like The Longest Yard (the Adam Sandler version was okay) and King Kong (A little long, but Jackson did good, and Jack Black was perfect as Denham.).

But beautifully written novels are destroyed if they’re used instead of enjoyed. If a butterfly is enjoyed, it must be let free to be itself. If it’s used, the fist crushes the butterfly and you’re left with nothing but irredescent fragments in the palm of your hand.

Luhrman will crush ‘Great Gatsby’ like Demi Moore crushed ‘The Scarlet Letter’. Sad, sad.

As to Great Gatsby–I think for it to be “literature” it is supposed to be read on a few levels. It works for me on the “Gatsby falls for unobtainable (and ultimately undesirable Daisy.)” When you get to the political and universal levels everybody has their take. Except in Hollywood, then THEY TELL YOU how to interpret it.

Funny comment winner: Most people rave about it b/c it is short and they’ve actually read it!