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Whether your preference lies in Kenneth Brannaugh, Ethan Hawke, or Mel Gibosn, it's evident than modern adaptations of William Shakespeare's Hamlet are of a vast variety. But when it comes to those modern variations on Billy Shakes' text, what's important is to breathe fresh life into the work—even if the film may not be everyone's precise cup of tea, the filmmaker must do what's possible to bring the words to life in a way that we couldn't simply gain from the words on the page. And although Brannaugh's myriad Shakespearean revivals have been wonderful, the personal to really revitalize the genre was Mr. Baz Luhrmann himself, who gave us 1996's masterpiece Romeo + Juliet.

I remember sitting in the theater as the credits rolled on opening night of Martin Scorsese's Shutter Island. As Max Richter's "On the Nature of Daylight" played, my best friend and I sat in silence, quietly weeping to ourselves. And although the film was a wonderfully-shot journey of psychological thrill, it was Leonardo DiCaprio's performance that moved us to tears. Did we have our own flare for the dramatic? Yes. But really, he was just so good we couldn't help but succumb to our emphatic emotions.

This week marks the mightily postponed release of jazz-age drama The Great Gatsby, starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Tobey Maguire and Carey Mulligan. But! Did you know that The Great Gatsby has already been a movie four times, dating all the way back to 1926? It’s also come to my attention that The Great Gatsby was once even written down and typeset as, for lack of a better term, a novel. Serious Luhrmann fans are tracking down this mysterious artifact, hoping for a clue as to what might happen in his groundbreaking new film.

Well, the gang's all here, folks! Might as well print these out, make a flip book, and throw on what's streaming of the soundtrack, because with 50 new photos, we can basically watch Baz Luhrmann's The Great Gatsby on our own now. Out in two short weeks and opening the Cannes Film Festival this month, the highly-anticipated picture has given us a deluge of material that keeps rolling in, feeding us spoonful after spoonful of Luhrmann's decadent cake topping of a movie. And although I can finally admit my undeniable thrill to see his lavish literary adaptation, there are some things I'd like to leave to the imagination until the film's premiere. Remember when that was possible?

Premature excitement (PE): a common symptom of a little-known syndrome called “The approaching opening of a much-delayed 3D blockbuster movie based on a classic book.” The culprit: The Great Gatsby - starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Tobey Maguire, and Carrie Mulligan – opening May 10^th.  Due to New York’s severe case of PE,  every aspect of its most storied, classic hotel – The Plaza – is getting Gatsby’ed up for the occasion as early as March 20^th, The hotel is introducing Gatsby-inspired dishes like deviled quail egg salad, Prohibition cocktails served in “discreet” Plaza flasks, grape Gatsby massages – even a “Fitzgerald Suite” – anything that will give you an excuse to party like the profiligate bachelor.

It's been over a decade since Baz Luhrmann premiered his orante musical tragedy Moulin Rouge as the opening feature of the Cannes Film Festival in 2001. Going on to win myriad awards, the film marks Luhrmann's latest aesthetic and emotional masterpiece, with its 2008 follow-up Australia failing to provide the same fervor and pulse that Romeo + Juliet and Moulin Rouge were so brimming with. But after more than a few hiccups and delays, his long-awaited adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerarld's The Great Gatsby is now slated to open the 2013 Cannes Film Festival come this May.

Oh Leo, you precious rare gem, you. You can do no wrong, Leo, truly. Even this hilarious Japanese booze commercial just makes me love you more. Yes, with no exaggerated facial expression spared you have lured me into your ice-sculpting ways with this new campaign for Jim Beam. Totally adorable and suave as ever, DiCaprio’s commercials for the “cool bourbon” have made their way onto the web and you’ll truly enjoy this seventeen second clip and want to reach for a glass of something strong and cold yourself. The video won’t be airing in the US so these brief bits floating around in internet space are sadly all we get.

In 1952 English mathematician, logician, cryptanalyst, and computer scientist Alan Turing was arrested during a police investigation about a robbery in his own home. Turing’s sexuality was revealed in police’s process, submitting him to arrest for gross indecency. He was then prosecuted for being a homosexual, choosing chemical castration over prison. The process proved more than harrowing for the genius, and in June of 1954, Turing committed suicide by eating a cyanide-laced apple. Snow White had always been his favorite fairy tale.

Leonardo DiCaprio is having a pretty big end of the year, having scored critical admiration and even a Golden Globe nomation for his performance as the sinister Calvin Candie in Quentin Tarantino's new Django Unchained. For those who have forgotten what he looks like without antebellum-meets-cartoon-villain facial hair, the second trailer for Baz Luhrmann's much-hyped The Great Gatsby adaptation, in which DiCaprio plays the title role, is live for your viewing pleasure.

With a slew of new page-to-popcorn films in the works, here’s a look at what will be making its way onto the silver screen this year.