We all know how bio-pics go: you start with a well-known band that is in the public's cultural consciousness and through aging makeup, wigs, and the occasional overacting, you find yourself crying like a baby by the end of it realizing how that one song from the Dirty Dancing soundtrack somehow means more to you now. And while we expect all of this in bright Technicolor and Broadway spotlights, Clint Eastwood of all people takes the musical "Jersey Boys" and keeps it to the Jersey-ian nitty-gritty.
Although The Four Seasons has gone through many member changes, the musical turned movie focuses on Frankie Valli, Tommy DeVito, Nick Massi and Bob Gaudio's professional and personal friendships with each other as well as a love for the music. Unfortunately, the latter is the movie's downfall. For the first half of the movie we are led through the genesis and rotating door of member changes and prison cells but seeing the great potential in John Lloyd Young's (Valli) talent which is a greater catalyst than four guys loving the music. We are given a glimpse into this in the finale when all four get back together for the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame induction and it indeed gave me chills to watch the aged actors sing then morph back into their younger selves during the song and giving their perspective on themselves. It seems "Jersey Boys" in this respect seems to be more about the people than the actual music.
And yet it is the people who make the movie more than the music. Boardwalk Empire's Vincent Piazza plays a relatively antagonistic Tommy DeVito in his tough Jersey exterior but Eastwood doesn't really grace us with anything more than his loan shark problems and party boy attitude that gets him kicked out of the band. John Lloyd Young, as well as Piazza, is sure to receive at least a Golden Globe nomination in turn for his portrayal as the man with the startling falsetto but crippling family problems. Although this is his first time on the big screen, Young has a startling ability to make his eyes slightly water under the influence of Valli's 1970s wig and makeup and you can truly feel the impact of age, losing a daughter and girlfriend all for the price of fame. Rounding out the band is the comic relief of Michael Lomeda (Nick Massi) and the steadfast and passionate Erich Bergren as Bob Gaudio. At times, Mike Doyle (in the role of flamboyant producer Bob Crewe) walks off with the scene in a super-gay awesome finesse. Even Clint's daughter, Francesca, has a small role.
The movie itself, sticking to the stage documentary-like narration, often feels awkward with the occasional band member speaking to the audience. At the beginning, Piazza documents to the camera his point of view how the band got started yet by act three, this type of story-telling almost backfires. With the unfortunate time lapses which also does not help the storytelling, "Nickie" explains the annoyance that is DeVito in having to room with him as well as landing in prison because they did not pay the hotel bill last time they were in that town. This moment in the movie sticks out like a sore thumb and whether it is fault of the screen play or even the stage play, it does not work well on camera by any means.
But despite all of its flaws and clunky thickness, Eastwood does have an eye for keeping it real and with a tough guy masculine silence. The meeting between the band members, DeCarlo and the loan shark who DeVito owes 150,000 dollars to perfectly reflects what it is Eastwood does well with a little hint of over emotion, in part to "Nickie's" hysterical but heartfelt rant in leaving the band. This perhaps is the only time when I felt fully immersed within the movie and feeling everyone's point of view for the thickness to only return afterwards in the hopes to throw three decades into an hour and a half. Perhaps that last phrase is the movie's overall downfall: throwing three decades into an hour and a half. Some bits work and some don't either by the awkwardness of adaptation or even editing choices. The editing earlier on in the movie often feels like a case of exhibition -- is it very necessary to have two scenes at the prison when we need to strengthen the friendship between Piazza and Young?
Give these kids a Golden Globe nomination; they don't have to win, just nominate them!
However, Eastwood did a brave attempt in the making of his first musical going as far as to getting the cast to sing live on set which is most of the time not a rookie thing to do. I also must commend on the use of color and cinematography. But perhaps where he fell flat was employing his staff who worked with him on "Gran Torino" and "Million Dollar Baby" believing that to result in the perfect formula of an "Eastwood musical." It's not going to work entirely! Although the real Bob Gaudio helped production, I believe "Jersey Boys" could have been a little better if Gaudio overruled Eastwood in finding more musical genre-friendly help. Perhaps it was those polarizations that was the sly nod to the stage musical over the credits starting with that Sherry reprise and the camera slowly craning down on a street light with the four boys underneath in their signature red tuxes (which still gives me goose bumps thinking about it!) before all went out with those bright Technicolor and Broadway spotlights. The sequence was cute and fun, although a little clumsy towards the rest of the movie, but to see Walken in character busting a move, it was very rewarding. I only ask that the credit sequence be an option on the DVD, which I will surely watch once it comes out and find myself trapped all over again loving it for something I can't explain yet annoyed at a few nuances.
Rodgers and Hammerstein's Cinderella
(1957 and 1963)
1957
What's my immediate answer when asked what is my favorite MOVIE musical (stage musicals for another post...), it will and forever will be Rodgers and Hammerstein's Cinderella. But the real question is which version? So many people remember the 1998 "review" version with Whitney Houston and Brandy, but I remember all I watched in the early 90s was the '63 version with Miss Scarlet from Clue playing the title character and many other great movie legends including Ginger Rogers and Celeste Holm.
1963
What people do not know about this wonderful little known musical is that it started out as CBS's competition against the live TV-meets-stage adaptation of NBC's "Peter Pan" starring Mary Martin in '57. Oscar and Richard both saw the 21 year old actress Julie Andrews playing Eliza Doolittle in "My Fair Lady" and wanted to write music for the amazing actress, so after being hired by CBS for the live production of Cinderella, they immediately casted Julie Andrews to sing their whimsical little score. Julie Andrews plays Cinderella with grace and a little slyness to her character, but a lot of people enjoy Leslie Ann Warren's 1963 naive and bright-eyed representation of the fairy tale. I like them both!
As for the other components of both musicals, I would fuse '63's prince with Julie Andrews, '63's color and flawlessness minus all live flubs (the '57 prince had mixed the lyrics up at one point) with '57's beautiful simple sets and the stunning last spoken line that comes back to a lyric from "10 Minutes Ago" that makes your romantic comedy-obssessed ideals of romance just melt and make you giggle. "I have found her" will make your knees weak.
So which version do I love the most? It depends on the day really. Today, I would have to say the '63 with all its simplicity and my childhood love for twirling around in an old white dress pretending and singing along to the songs.
Bride and Prejudice
Not completely a musical but not entirely 100 percent accurate to Jane Austen's vision of Pride and Prejudice, "Bride and Prejudice" is probably the most goofy and campy fun. The song sequences border somewhere between Bollywood-like situations and Hollywood-like influences. Even the director, Gurinder Chadha admits that the set up to the song "No Life Without Wife" was inspired by Grease.
Essentially a Bollywood version of Pride and Prejudice, four sisters are to be married off but the only difference is that William Darcy is American, friends with a very sexy and British Balraj (Naveen Andrews) and a business man hoping to bring his family's hotel business to Amritsar but ends up butting heads with the down-to-earth and unearthly beauty that is Aishwayra Rai-Chandha's Lalita to the point they end up falling in love.
The Producers
While the 1968 version is an essential for many Mel Brooks fans, I love the musical version far more than the original (even though, yes, Gene Wilder is considered a demi-God next to Kurt Vonnegut here in Iowa City). And there is two words why this version attracts me more: Nathan Lane. Wait, four: Nathan Lane, Matthew Broderick. Their bro-mantic chemistry is electric and even more hysterical in the blooper reel which I have to add to this post.
There may be some typical criticisms about this version: Will Ferrell (personally, I thought he was perfect), Uma Thurman and just overall preference for the '60s version. But Nathan Lane chews the scenery and is overall the best thing in this whole movie plus Will Ferrell's dorky eagerness just to be in a musical (in the commentary, director Susan Stroman points out Ferrell's dream of being musical like his father) just spills out every time he is in a scene. And isn't that the best part of a musical? The actors' enthusiasm?
While probably not everyone's absolute favorite musical, "The Producers" has some of the best moments (OK, yes, John Barrowman included; calm down, Whovians) including the little old ladies Nathan Lane interacts with, Lane and Broderick bromance, colorful cinematography and overall amazing talent out of Lane, Broderick, Ferrell and Gary Breach (especially Gary Breach).
Godspell
Godspell is just an overall great musical whether it's based in 1973 New York or on an ageless timeless stage in a theater anywhere in the world. It's that kind of musical. I love both.
It's weird how I'm not Christian yet I find Godspell completely charming and even spiritually profound; a lot of people have disregarded it as a "hippy flower child" response yet have no concept of the face paint being metaphor for being touched by the divine.... or they're just Team Jesus Christ Superstar.
I am disappointed how Godspell has been received because of this but as soon as I hear that uncredited voice of God speaking, my brain just melts and I am immersed in 1970s New York where David Haskell as John the Baptist brings a group of people (some original Broadway cast members) out of their hum drum lives to discovering a nameless faith that eventually became Christianity. And like in the gospels, Jesus (fresh faced newcomer Victor Garber, yeah, the white-haired guy from the '98 Cinderella and Titanic) tags along and teaches them "the way of the Lord" complete with face paint that is symbolic of this faith and a child-like approach to becoming close to the Christian divine. The best part? Creator John-Michael Tebelak plays the voice of the "Pharisee Monster." More about him in my stage musical post.
But as for the movie and not so much the stage musical, Victor Garber is just beautiful in this movie; his face during "God Save the People" (movie version is my personal favorite over the more sped up original broadway cast version) is so earnest and beautiful, you understand how he became such a musical legend over the past decade. He stuns and rips up the "Pharisee Monster" with more rage and conviction than the original Jesus, Stephen Nathan, ever sang it on stage.
Favorite Moments in the movie over the musical? Everything that comes out of Jerry Sroka's improvisational-trained self, By My Side, God Save the People, Bless the Lord, use of the freshly built Twin Towers, everything Garber and Haskell, All Good Gifts, and the list goes on and on but there are some songs that are better from the original stage. The best part of that is that Tebelak had a hand in the screenplay so nothing that happens in this movie is complete sacrilige.
Mamma Mia
I know, I know. And I know. A lot of people do not like this movie or this musical. It's like what I said with "The Producers," some of the best modern musicals is watching modern actors who love the classic musical and they're just happy to be apart of it. Julie Walters, Christine Baranski, Colin Firth and Stellan Skarsgaard are the actors to truly immerse yourself in; and not so much the main story line drenched in ABBA tunes.
Meryl Streep's Donna was a "wreckless little slut," in her own words, when she was younger, resulting in her daughter, Sophie (Seyfried) as the result of one of the three flings she had back in the day. Except which one is her father? Sophie sends out her wedding invitations to the three men (Firth, Brosnan and Skarsgaard) that might be her father so she and her two friends can weed out who is her father only to discover this is a secret that Donna and her two friends (Baranski and Walters) are struggling to keep quiet.
Implausible? Yeah, probably, but the ABBA music makes it fun. Streep indeed sings amazingly the title track freaking out before seeing the three men she had romantic encounters with and immediately recaptures her connection with Sam (Pierce Brosnan whose vocals are a little difficult to swallow). While Brosnan might not have been the best singer but his chemistry with Streep is perfection. And that's what this musical is really about, fun and amazing cast chemistry. Can you say that about other films nowadays? And Colin Firth isn't wearing a shirt.
Sound of Music
Baroness Maria Augusta von Trapp's memoirs The Story of the von Trapp Family Singers somehow managed to translate to this childhood favorite musical that is known as "The Sound of Music." Now that I have experienced both of these mediums and have discovered Maria von Trapp as one of my personal heroines as a woman dealing with World War 2 and taking care of a gigantic family, the movie itself seems tamer compared to what she dealt with in reality.
Has Sound of Music become a little passe? Yeah maybe a little; but Julie Andrews's talent is all over this beautifully set musical. Against the backdrops of Salzburg and Bavaria, once you've read the memoirs, all the smaller elements pop out more than the tired plot of Disney-fried sunny Maria bringing retribution to a tired Sea Captain and his family of seven children. Once you are immune to Julie Andrews and Christopher Plummer's rocky chemistry, you can see how amazingly brilliant the Baroness von Schrader and Max Detweiler (Eleanor Parker and Richard Haydn) are together in a dry Noel Coward manner of speaking to one another. And it is hysterical. I wish Haydn had more scenes in this movie.
Despite my personal relationship with the plot of the movie, the music will always be a little more important to me with my own personal relationship learning "Do-Re-Mi" from my great aunt when I was a little girl and that's why this movie is on my favorite musicals list. And also knowing "Edelweiss" was the last song Oscar Hammerstein ever wrote, it's heart wrenching. Sound of Music is probably a musical that I'm more emotionally invested in than one of my favorites, but, if it keeps the incomparable Maria von Trapp immortal, then OK!
Cabaret
Everyone knows the song but hardly anyone takes the time to watch this classic of a musical because it is slow and seething, albeit rather episodic like Christopher Isherwood's memoirs Goodbye to Berlin which the movie is based on. What makes this movie isn't the story as much as it is the amazing seedy lustful cinematography that director and choreographer Bob Fosse does so well.
Most of the time I watch "Cabaret" or "All that Jazz" simply for this atmosphere... and the characters that embody Fosse's style a little TOO well... Minnelli and, of course, Joel Grey as the Emcee. It is because of Fosse's treatment of the Emcee that so many after himin the stage musical (Stamos and Cumming included) have struggled to get that "it" factor that Grey created in the film. Who doesn't love that leering moment after "Tomorrow Belongs to Me" when you see Grey smiling maniacally right into the camera slowly nodding his head?
But the real actress of this movie is also its winner for Best Actress, the American singer Sally Bowles, Liza Minnelli. Sometimes you forget why she made this musical so great and not just because of her amazing vocal genetics but the certain scenes that earned her that Academy Award: the scene after she gets stood up by her father, the fight with Brian Roberts (Michael York) towards the end, and just overall amazing acting genetics when she embodies full vulnerability versus the soapiness that this movie unfortunately lands on in the end. "Oh please don't cry, I'm no good whenever anybody cries," when she comforts Natalia Landauer (Marisa Berenson) she sounds so much like her mother it's truly frightening.
Unfortunately, many modern viewers will find the movie slow and some of the dialogue towards the end a little soapy and I guess that is the main downfall of "Cabaret." While the real world becomes unreal under the influence of the Nazi's, you want to escape into the Kit Kat Club and the Emcee who satirizes the unrealness of the outside world; but that doesn't stop this whole "who's the Daddy" storyline towards the end before Sally gets the abortion. But, we always have the very edgy music for its time, excluding the Kander and Ebb staples of "Cabaret" and "Maybe this Time" but the others people often forget: "Two Ladies," "If You Could See Her," "Money Money" and the contextually frightening, "Tomorrow Belongs to Me."
Gentlemen Prefer Blondes
Where did "Diamonds are a Girl's Best Friend" come from? Everyone knows it was sung by Marilyn Monroe and influenced Madonna's "Material Girl" music video, but the Howard Hawks directed film "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes" is probably more known for that song than anything else. And that saddens me, mostly because I have certain scenes memorized by heart.
Marilyn Monroe and Jane Russell star as two best friends and lounge act who run through men and set sail to Paris on a transatlantic cruise. Although it's the blonde that has a less than healthy approach when it comes to finding a man, she's a sly and proud gold digger although she never directly admits it despite her heart is geekily in love with Tommy Noonan's awkward Gus Esmond Jr. She even tells his father at the end, "Don't you know that a man being rich is like a girl being pretty? You wouldn't marry a girl simply because she's pretty, but my goodness, doesn't it help?" That is the genius behind Anita Loos, the writer of the original play.
A lot of musicals have a push pull relationship between their songs and the dialogue, one is almost better than the other and in this movie, the music and the dialogue are completely equal. This is why I hold stage-to-movie adaptations in such high regard. And "Gentlemen..." is no different. Especially Jane Russell's dry voice is perfect for many of the one-liners:
Gus: "Dorothy Shaw, I want you to remember you're supposed to be the chaperone on this trip."
Dorothy: "Now let's get this straight Gus, The chaperone's job is to see that nobody else has any fun. Nobody chaperone's the chaperone. That's why I'm so right for this job."
"You know I think you're the only girl in the world who can stand on a stage with a spotlight in her eye and still see a diamond inside a man's pocket."
...and my personal favorite....
"I don't know how you do it, unless you put novocaine in your lipstick."
This movie is flawless and it's so sad that there are only five songs in the whole movie including one or two songs that didn't make it in post-production. But at least the ones that have remained are iconic, including "Diamonds..." but my personal favorites have always been the so amazingly gay sequence surrounding "Is There Anyone Here For Love," "When Love Goes Wrong" and "Bye Bye Baby."
Meet Me in St. Louis
If you have ever seen a movie where a director is literally falling in love with his star, you can notice it all over this lovely family-friendly movie. It seems whenever Judy Garland is on screen, she is either in a lovely soft focus or placed on parts of the set where it seems she is framed like a picture by columns or windows. This is the loveliest work Vincent Minnelli has ever achieved, at least when it came to his star and future wife.
Outside of Judy Garland's amazing portrayal as the second oldest sister in a family of five children, the Smiths are just a regular family from 1903 in St. Louis, Missouri before the World's Fair in the coming year that's "what everyone sings about and talks about." The seasons come in and out, the sisters fight and make up, everything is normal until the Father has been transferred to a better job in New York around Christmas leading up to the original recording Judy's Esther sings to her distraught little sister, "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" to reassure her that everything would be OK. The original scene and song was completely different: "Have yourself a Merry little Christmas, it may be your last, next year we may all be living in the past/Have yourself a Merry little Christmas, pop that champagne cork, next year we may all be living in New York."
This is a movie with a little of everything, reminding yourself how scary Halloween used to be when you were a kid, seen through the eyes of the amazing MGM child actress Margaret O'Brien, pushover older sisters, boy drama with the older girls, a nosy housekeeper (played by one of my MGM favorites and Ma Kettle, Marjorie Main), and a beautiful little known Judy Garland song, "Over the Bannister" that she sings to charm "the boy next door" another fantastic song.
This is another movie musical where dialogue and music is equal. My favorite moments include "Over the Bannister," "The Boy Next Door," "The Trolley Song," Judy Garland's stunning deep red Christmas gown, the Christmas party drama that results in Judy's character dancing with her grandfather, producer Arthur Freed vocals and songwriting abilities on "You and I," and everything Marjorie Main.
That Thing You Do
This movie was forced on me as a teenager as one of my brother's favorite movies, I do find it a great '90s necessary evil. Complete with a 60s-inspired soundtrack ranging from pop to soul to jazz, that is what "That Thing You Do" actually is about: 60s music the rise and fall of fame. And yeah, a Beatlemania of sorts.
Guy Patterson, a relatively popular jazz drummer is hired by a yet to be named band that includes Lenny (Steve Zahn), T.B. Player (Ethan Embry), and lead singer Jimmy (Jonathan Schaech) as well as groupie and eventual love interest for the drummer, Faye (Liv Tyler). Soon they have a sped up hit song, named The Wonders and find themselves signed to Playtone Records (and changing managers to Tom Hanks's Mr. White). and climbing the Billboards and fame to only be a one hit wonder and it all comes crashing down.
The soundtrack is neo-60s perfection including all the Wonders four songs "That Thing You Do," "All my Only Dreams," and my favorites "Dance with me Tonight," "Little Wild One," and a different band's song "I Need You (That Thing You Do)." A portion of the Wonders songs were actually written and sung by the Fountains of Wayne boys Mike Viola and Adam Schlesinger. Tom Hanks, the most liked man in Hollywood had co-written a few songs in the soundtrack as well as having directed and written this relatively popular movie that encompasses the famous 90s kids problems hashtag. It's still a damned good movie.
Summer Stock
A lot of people name their favorite Judy Garland movie as "Wizard of Oz" and don't know much more about the famous legend other than small snippets of her life. This, next to "Meet Me in St. Louis" is my favorite Judy Garland musical. And although this is one of her later MGM movies where she infamously became difficult to work with and for, it doesn't show in the movie at all other than an obvious cut and jump to the iconic "Get Happy" sequence which was shot a few months after production when they didn't have their hit song.
Judy's Jane Falbery and Marjorie Main's Esme, her family's housekeeper of many years, have been the only two on the family farm for a long time and struggling to keep it afloat. After her father's farm hands quit, Jane buys a tractor that would ensure a faster harvest only to come home to a theater company camped out on her lawn. Her sister, Abigail (Gloria de Haven) brought her boyfriend and theater troupe leader Joe (Gene Kelly) and his whole cast to have a barn showing before they move their show back to New York City. Jane reluctantly lets them stay, only if they help out since she is short some assistance but finds herself slowly succumbing to show business as well as a blooming attraction to her sister's own boyfriend!
I just love this movie and it's one of the few MGM musicals where the supporting characters kind of steal the spotlight, sans Marjorie Main of course. Her back and forth's with the sherriff at the end is perfect as well as my favorite scene where she stands guard between the men's and women's sleeping quarters in the barn complete with holding a shot gun while she sleeps that serves as everyone's alarm clock. Classic. Phil Silvers plays Joe's spastic and hysterical second in command who causes most of the issues that happen, including crashing Jane's tractor into a tree.
I just love this movie, the acting, the lines, Judy, Majorie, Phil Silvers and even Gene Kelly is reasonably likeable! His "You Wonderful You" reprise involves possibly his best dancing including using sound effects like ripping a newspaper, a creak in the floor and his overall tap dancing epicness. Even though Gene Kelly was second choice to Mickey Rooney (the attempts of making an older Mickey and Judy "let's make a show" movie they did so well when they were younger), Kelly made the role more believable in a romantic way.
We could never see Rooney and Judy getting cozy like that or leaving an impression on Judy's Jane. This is probably one of Judy's better lovestruck moments in a movie and she looks beautiful as she sings my favorite "Friendly Star" as you realize that Joe has got under her skin like no one ever has. And somehow, this feels different than any other Judy film. I feel Summer Stock hit a new level in Garland as an actress and I don't know how to describe it fully. Maybe because she was at the most reasonable weight she was ever at. And she looks beautiful as curvaceous but that awful hairline is the one criticism I even have on this whole movie! Push the hairline forward and Summer Stock would be the perfect musical.
Notable Mentions: All that Jazz, Camelot, Chicago, Dreamgirls, Easter Parade, Empire Records, Flashdance, Kiss Me Kate, Love Me Tonight, A Prairie Home Companion, Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, Singin' in the Rain
There's no escaping this movie. Even after four days since having seen it, I still can't escape the images of Eponine dying in Marius's arms, The jaw-dropping build and performance of Hugh Jackman's performance of Valjean's Soliloquy, and especially no one can escape Anne Hathaway's all-encompassing performance of "I Dreamed a Dream." Susan Boyle, you can go sit back down.
I had been enthusiastic for this movie since I found out it was being made; wondering if the one image I remember vividly from Hugo's masterpiece would make it's appearance of Valjean carrying Marius through the sewers and Hooper did me proud. Hell, Hooper made Hugo proud, as was my one sentence review after seeing it. Outside of the musicality of it all; the cinematography was top-notch, the camera work was as a musical should do in the bravery of putting the camera close to the face -- showing how actors can encompass themselves within a character.
Crowe couldn't live up to it entirely, although he had some good musical *moments* (when Valjean sets him free) and plenty of great acting towards the end. Placing his badge on Gavroche's dead body was the most perfect touch before Javert gave us before a very stiff and unemotional Soliloquy. Jackman lived up to it in a way of evolving the voice and really being unafraid of the close-up camera ("Who Am I?" "Valjean's Soliloquy") and even daring to raise an octave to his singing as Valjean ages. Which is brilliant in concept, yet it was hard on the ears; yet the staging of it was brilliant using the song as a prayer and not a creeperish hymn as it is placed in the musical.
The real stars in this movie of Hugo's "Every-man." are clear and shining: the tragic Eponine (Samantha Barks), Marius Pontmercy (Eddie Redmayne), Enjolras (Aaron Tveit), Gavroche (Daniel Huttlestone), The Friends of the ABC and of course, the incomparable Anne Hathaway. I was surprised myself to be so involved with Enjolras, knowing him being played by Ramin Karimloo. Tveit is the true star of this movie, next to Hathaway and Barks. But the main character that stands out beyond everyone is indeed Anne Hathaway, who's unflinching "I Dreamed a Dream" will make you lose all hope in humanity as a victim of the greedy Thenadiers (Helena Bonham Carter and Sacha Baron Cohen, who certainly didn't disappoint either!)
Despite the occasional pop-inspired runs coming out of Seyfried (my birthday 24-hour homegirl), Redmayne and Crowe, I really have no issue with the movie at all as it is except dying that I couldn't hear Cohen do "Dog eat Dog" and "Do You Hear the People sing" couldn't last longer.
A lot of viewers who are not familiar with the beginning should know in advance that Valjean is such a flight risk to Javert is because he had tried to escape numerous times, but that is solely Hooper's fault in not including those lyrics and also for the sparseness of Act 1. Act 1 in the movie does seem to be more sparse than on stage but it balances it all out come the multitude of stories towards the end. And... the "Oh Santa" bit during Master of the House is STUPID but funny. But then the accurate "Oh Pierre Noel" just doesn't have the same fluidity. In the long run, and rather cheesy, I have to sum the movie up as "Do You Hear the People Weep?" Yep. I went there. This is a movie that will get under your skin and stay there.
Best Scenes:
"Valjean's Soliloquy," "On My Own," "Do You Hear the People Sing," "I Dreamed a Dream," "Empty Chairs at Empty Tables," "Master of the House (Reprise)," "Who Am I?," "Drink With Me," "Suddenly," "ABC/Red and Black."
(While watching I did have the great fortune of my arm going numb due to holding hands the whole time. Just thought everyone should know.)
Since the land of music and TV/Movies are in a slight slump at the moment, I had so many things stored in the Bookmark Folder I decided to spread the love even thinner to a good quickie... Wondering what is on my mind at the moment...
Anyway, this little quickie comes from our friends over at Universal Pictures with a great quick look at Behind the Scenes of Tom Hooper's "Les Miserables" now changed to debut on screen on Christmas Day. and hey it works! Christmas equals depressing.
Through learning the process why Hooper decided on singing on set versus recording, we get a great look on how Amanda Seyfried will sound with "In My Life" and a even worse tease of Hugh Jackman's singing "Soliloquy" right in front of us and the interviewer. Agh! Evil.
Don't take my word for it, just watch and you'll probably tear up as much as I did. What is it about "Les Mis" that grabs people so?
Everyone has the fall mindset on the brain but the weather blooooows. Not literally, unfortunately. So between summer's last days and the fact this weekend is the infamous University of Iowa Hawkeyes vs. Ames Cyclones football match on Saturday and Barack Obama in town tomorrow afternoon causing streets to close down and my weekly radio concert that I go to is cancelled (thanks a bunch Mr. President, don't you have a Senate to babysit?) this girl is planning on spending a little of my paycheck at the Mall tomorrow then I'm going into hiding..
So until I come out of hiding, stew on this.
"Let's Sing The Laundry Song Again!"
Get ready because"Dr. Horrible's Sing-A-Long Blog" will be a blink of an eye between shows Monday night and Wednesday night as of October 9th which ... is .. a Tuesday ... (I'm trying to understand that reasoning...). Yeah you may have the DVD with "Commentary! The Musical" or even the option to watch it online for free... but Whedonites! It's finally a chance to get Neil Patrick Harris and Nathan Fillion's relationship on screen, and that's more precious than Gossip Girl or Supernatural!!
Taryn's Manning "Send Me Your Love"
Remember how Taryn is being such a tease with her latest music? First "Turn It Up" and "Spotlight" last year, now she's teasing us with a collaboration with Sultan and Ned Shepard; the results showing the girl still has it all: style, awesomeness, and the ability to even make *me* dance. What say you?
Polar Prize Provides Pretty Amazing Covers to Download
Every year in the wonderful land of Scandinavia (or more appropriately Sweden) they honor one international classical and contemporary musician with all the donations going to the Royal Swedish Academy of Music. Last year it was Patti Smyth and this year Paul Simon and most often Swedish superstars cover their songs. First First Aid Kit -- my latest musical obsession -- covering Patti Smyth's "Walking Barefoot" and this year's Eurovision winner Loreen making a New Age-spin on Simon's "Bridge Over Troubled Waters" -- both instances nailed it and caused both the songwriters to mist over. I'm ready for next year's!!
50 More Reasons to Fall in Love with Juno Temple
I already had my girl crush long on her long before Rebel Wilson and it just keeps on going in this interview with hellogiggles.com for her latest indie-flick Little Birds. Yep, it's a summer road movie but not completely as Temple's Lilly and Kay Panabaker's Allison travel from their home in Salton Sea to L.A. when they meet some very cute guys (including Jennifer's Body's Kyle Gallner) and their lives are radically changed. While the premise is still pretty mysterious, it sounds like a fantastic movie and anything Temple is in rocks. Note: the Eva Green movie Cracks... seriously. Watch.
But first I must tell everyone, if LCD Soundsystem's "Shut Up and Play the Hits" is in your area, I recommend to go see it -- you get the satisfaction of seeing a great farewell concert as well as a painful war going on in the lead singer's, James Murphy, decision on breaking apart the band and the great question if its smart to stop while you're at the top or to fizz away and become... oh I don't know... Aerosmith? It's slow and atmospheric, Murphy's dog has the best moments in the documentary and I'm surprised not knowing the music or the band at all that I found myself falling in love with James Murphy, loving the live versions of the songs after listening to the studio versions. It's perfect! Watch it!
If documentaries don't do it for you, there's always a cute musical/music movie coming out October 5th called"Pitch Perfect"which I think looks hysterical because I love a music competition movie (Glee or Sister Act anyone?) and it has a female cast that I adore (but not as nearly as much as I love the cast of Jack and Diane) out of Anna Kendrick, Brittany Snow and my new fave the blond and voluptuous Rebel Wilson.
Ditching music altogether, unless you count the sounds of wind across Yorkshire moors (squeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!) my favorite book of all time, Emily Bronte's "Wuthering Heights"is out October 5th (or known as Satanic weekend for everything fun is happening that weekend) and we're going for full accuracy from James Howson looking beautiful like the dark gypsy boy Bronte envisioned to filming in North Yorkshire. But as many perks the movie has against say, the BBC productions or the Olivier version (which I hold in my heart as a classic despite being incomplete), a lot of the reviews have been cruel to this adaptation. But I think you really shouldn't say anything about it until the public has seen it so, October 5th, get here faster, I'll watch you the next weekend!
No Light, No Light (Mtv Unplugged) - Florence and the Machine
Krokodil - St. Vincent
Hello - Martin Solveig feat. Dragonette
Demons - Sleigh Bells
Hip Eponymous Poor Boy - Jack White
You Could Have It (So Much Better Without Me) - Miss Li
Hungry Like the Wolf/Rio (Duran Duran Mash-Up) - Darren Criss and Matt Bomer from "Glee"
Touch Me - Katharine McPhee from "Smash"
I suppose 'tis the season right? It's sexy time for the Celts and Pagans; and in between Iowa City blowing up with events, concerts, work, volunteering, getting last minute hang outs with graduates or friends who are moving away I'm surprised I can get a blog post in with my new insane schedule.
Leading Lady Elle
Remember that kickstarter account I showed off in huge excitement for a God Help the Girl musical back in January? Well good news, after 1,334 backers and more than 121,084 there's been official green light with the name Elle Fanning as Murdoch's leading lady, who will be playing a young songwriter who escapes to Glasgow and makes friends while discovering herself. As long as its a musical, and musicals haven't been making huge air play in theaters lately, this I'm excited for (and Les Miserables, but that's another story).
The Future of Blair
Someday I will make a post on here of my top 10 favorite albums of all time and Blair's "Die Young" will definitely be on that list because... well... Blair's just awesome. And the more Blair Gimma, the better, which is why her new band, The Future of What is going to rock. Along with Sam Alexrod (The Narrator), Seth Waldstein and Max Kotelchuck they are making music "without electric guitars or cymbals" (or says their facebook account) or listen and judge for yourself because the Moonstruck EP is coming out in June and it'll melt your face!
What a Small Town Moon Sounds Like...
Because Regina Spektor will tell us what it looks like because she is bad-ass and oh so beautiful with curly and the latest STRAIGHT hair! Not necessarily a single while "Don't Let Me Go (Ne Me Quittes Pas)" or "All the Rowboats" is blowing up the college charts, but a teaser of "What We Saw From the Cheap Seats" coming May 29th... can that come any sooner because between the new songs and live songs finally done in the studio has me stoked beyond all possible belief... that is if one can still say stoked nowadays.
Emily Haines and Metric is Back!!
Here's another album to get excited about; but do Metric still sound amazing like their Monster Hospital or Dead Disco days? Um... yes, yes, EXTREMELY!! Synethitica will be out June 12. Why oh why is Emily and Regina killing me?
Mary of Egypt Breaks Onto Indie/Rock Playlist
Rarely a conceptual album really kicks at my eardrums and prompts me to buy a DIGITAL album, when I'm such a stickler for the real thing, but thanks with Sir Criznittles his band of merry men, I have discovered Mary of Egypt... or better known as Julia Hatamyar a musical genius in combining Baroque and Romantic structure of composing music with modern progressive lyrics. Case in point, the lyrics to her (Mad)rigal II from her Lone Sum/Hermit Age album that just came out this April, "My body is commodity/With Pearlywhites for flash and gleam/A happy woman all they need." WHO DOES THIS? WHO IS THIS WOMAN? Seriously, Julia Hatamyar is my hero.
"Come Near" Lykke Li's New Song!
Rejoice to everyone who listened to her exclusive stream of Wounded Rhymes on stereogum on repeat, for "Come Near" exists, another song to tease that sexual spot in our eardrums. While Wounded Rhymes was a perfect wintry mix of low swaying melodies and dark compositions, "Come Near" still has that enigmatic sound Li does so well, but it's perky! and happy! and almost a little *gulp* can I say sexy? I love you, Lykke.
Lately all I can do for these lists is to title what sweet I'm eating at the exact moment so while I'm in the high of a vegan chocolate cupcake with peanut butter icing, this is what I have to offer the world -- but no, you may not have my cupcake! Mine!
Secret Life of Walter Mitty Ben Stiller Style
We all read it in high school, disillusioned man goes completely Tom Ewell in Seven Year Itch in his daydreams but instead of stress-inducing anxiety (Since Seven Year Itch was a huge headache when Marilyn wasn't in the scene) we have WW2 delusions where Mitty is the hero instead of a victim (hmm, Wilder may have been influenced by this short story...) but why tamper with Danny Kaye's performance in the 40s film version? Because this is Hollywood, and Hollywood likes to fuck up good adaptations case in point, the latest news as of early this month with Ben Stiller possibly playing Mitty. In a modern world, the movie would be degraded into every other movie Stiller has played as a loser-incarnate. (You do realize his two shining moments was The Royal Tennanbaums and Heavyweights? I love that movie...) so why mess with it? Ugh!
While we're on the topic of movies based around WW2, I have a good question I always ask: what would have happened if Germany was still the top grossing movie nation like it used to be in the 20s without WW2 happening... would Germany be the Hollywood of today and mainstream movies wouldn't suck? Food for thought...
Get To Know Their Face
Dwindling in my Vspot Bookmark folder for so many weeks I cannot remember the source of the blog or the magazine, but someone in this world posted their soundcloud to which I support this with my face melted in a total Le Kid kind of way. This is pop music at its finest with some pretty gorgeous British women -- a fair trade.
"Turn Me On Dammit"
From beautiful British women to my favorite female ethnicity... country... whatever you want to call it, Norway has god a whole lot more sexual and we all know I'm approving this with mouth agape and eyes bulging with happiness. Thank you, Nylon Magazine! In an article that features the lead of Helene Bergsholm as Alma, a hormonal 15 year old living vicariously in her fantasies in school and at her part time job while in that high school hope "the cute boy," Artur (Mathias [Mah-tea-es] Myren) will notice. Oh he will notice her, and while the results are sad, this is the grittiest we will ever see adolescence outside of the U.S. that doesn't involve bullying. I haven't even seen a trailer but already my heart has this movie as a special place and NOT because of hot Norwegian girls masturbating (although it's a perk!) but because after watching Sweden's "Show Me Love" it's an indication that the Scandinavians know how to film adolescence in their movies instead of sticking to the similar plot and stereotypes in Hollywood teenage chick flicks.
Uma Thurman joins Smash!!
For the third Vspot list in a row, Smash truly has a wonderful place in my heart despite cashing in on some of the mythical Marilyn versus the Marilyn I see in my mind, although I call her Norma Jeane. (If you want to watch a great Marilyn with dramatic potential movie, watch Don't Bother to Knock, your mind shall be blown into kibble!) But moving on from her and into the TV show that pays wonderful homage to her, there's another blond in town. Proving she has the dancing and singing chops in the musical movie version of "The Producers" Uma Thurman is coming to Smash as a star who dabbles with the thought of playing Marilyn. A little old for the Smash-version of Marilyn? Maybe. But this makes it harder to decide who should win the role, McPhee or Hilty. Don't ask me to choose!
Alphabeat Does Vacation
What's better than Danish pop band Alphabeat's song "Fascination" where they totally pull a Tom Green "say the word" in their bridge? A comeback, and a comeback that's so perfect with a single that sounds like it will be in summer commercials all over America if Alphabeat plays their cards right. Oddly and wonderfully put out on the first day of Spring Break, this is this spring/summer's anthem! Watch them sing this magic on the finale of Denmark's X Factor then Lil Anders duets with finalist Line on their huge hit, The Spell. Have I mentioned this performance includes women dancers as sexy flight attendances? Um, yeah.
Karen Walker Insect Dress
THIIIISSS!!!
Once more... thank you Nylon!
Romeo and Juliet Goes Buckley
One of my best film crews next to Tim Burton's entourage thought they could top Romeo and Juliet as a guys with shaved heads and 90s punk rock and Radiohead rifts with William Shakespeare's Romeo + Juliet . Well I almost feel guilty to say that, Luhrmann, Bilcock (my favorite editor ON THIS EARTH!) be very careful because someone is taking over the Shakespeare tragedy on Broadway. Luhrmann loves his broadway so this may injure his theatrical little heart.
"The Last Goodbye" is a musical treatment with Jeff Buckley tunes has been going on for two years now, but just recently cited in Nylon Magazine as Kristen Connolly's (Mona Lisa Smile) latest acting gig before starting on Joss Whedon's "The Cabin" which is also on my must-watch list. How did I not know about this and why didn't someone tell me about this 2 years ago? Off to youtube I go for clips..
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