The Great Gatsby
Author: F. Scott Fitzgerald
In theaters: May 10th
In
1922, F. Scott Fitzgerald announced his decision to write "something
new--something extraordinary and beautiful and simple and intricately
patterned." That extraordinary, beautiful, intricately patterned, and
above all, simple novel became The Great Gatsby, arguably Fitzgerald's finest
work and certainly the book for which he is best known.
A portrait of the Jazz Age in all of its
decadence and excess, Gatsby captured the spirit of the author's generation and
earned itself a permanent place in American mythology. Self-made, self-invented
millionaire Jay Gatsby embodies some of Fitzgerald's--and his country's--most
abiding obsessions: money, ambition, greed, and the promise of new beginnings.
"Gatsby
believed in the green light, the orgiastic future that year by year recedes
before us. It eluded us then, but that's no matter--tomorrow we will run
faster, stretch out our arms farther.... And one fine morning--" Gatsby's
rise to glory and eventual fall from grace becomes a kind of cautionary tale about
the American Dream.
It's
also a love story, of sorts, the narrative of Gatsby's quixotic passion for
Daisy Buchanan. The pair meet five years before the novel begins, when Daisy is
a legendary young Louisville beauty and Gatsby an impoverished officer. They fall
in love, but while Gatsby serves overseas, Daisy marries the brutal, bullying,
but extremely rich Tom Buchanan.
After
the war, Gatsby devotes himself blindly to the pursuit of wealth by whatever
means--and to the pursuit of Daisy, which amounts to the same thing. "Her
voice is full of money," Gatsby says admiringly, in one of the novel's
more famous descriptions. His millions made, Gatsby buys a mansion across Long
Island Sound from Daisy's patrician East Egg address, throws lavish parties, and
waits for her to appear. When she does, events unfold with all the tragic
inevitability of a Greek drama, with detached, cynical neighbor Nick Carraway
acting as chorus throughout.
Movie Trailer:
Safe haven
Author: Nicholas Sparks
In theaters: February 14th
Love hurts. There is nothing as painful as
heartbreak. But in order to learn to love again, you must learn to trust again.
When a
mysterious young woman named Katie appears in the small North Carolina town of
Southport, her sudden arrival raises questions about her past. Beautiful yet
self-effacing, Katie seems determined to avoid forming personal ties until a
series of events draws her into two reluctant relationships: one with Alex, a
widowed store owner with a kind heart and two young children; and another with
her plainspoken single neighbor, Jo. Despite her reservations, Katie slowly
begins to let down her guard, putting down roots in the close-knit community
and becoming increasingly attached to Alex and his family.
But
even as Katie begins to fall in love, she struggles with the dark secret that
still haunts and terrifies her . . . a past that set her on a fearful,
shattering journey across the country, to the sheltered oasis of Southport.
With Jo’s empathic and stubborn support, Katie eventually realizes that she
must choose between a life of transient safety and one of riskier rewards . . .
and that in the darkest hour, love is the only true safe haven.
Movie Trailer:
ADMISSION
Author: Jean Hanff Korelitz
In theaters: March 22
"Admissions.
Admission. Aren't there two sides to the word? And two opposing sides...It's
what we let in, but it's also what we let out."
For years, 38-year-old Portia Nathan has
avoided the past, hiding behind her busy (and sometimes punishing) career as a
PrincetonUniversity admissions officer and her dependable domestic life. Her
reluctance to confront the truth is suddenly overwhelmed by the resurfacing of
a life-altering decision, and Portia is faced with an extraordinary test. Just
as thousands of the nation's brightest students await her decision regarding
their academic admission, so too must Portia decide whether to make her own
ultimate admission.
Movie Trailer:
