Category: Musical

LES MISERABLES (2012) movie review

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les_miserables_ver11This year I won front row tickets to see the Broadway show Wicked in Seattle. photo-1Precious gift from God. I felt spoiled for productions ever after having seen costumes, makeup, and expressions up close.

If you’ve even had an incling of appreciation for stage productions and musicals, you will appreciate the film Les Miserables. It IS almost 100% sung, so walk in aware. I love musical theater, but operetta styles can still feel awkward, every word sung not said. The reality of the sets and scenes, as well as the very felt emotions from the characters make this element more memorable than unbearable, especially when paired with the fact that they all sang it live on set with the music in their ears rather than prerecording and lip syncing for camera.

121207LesMis_7000079Some friends were amused by Crowe’s “attemp” at singing. I disagree. Russell Crowe is a professional. He is a risk-taker with his roles, versatile, considerate, and brave. And, from a vocal standard he was a bit nasally but his pitch, tone, and interpretation was savvy. I loved him.

helena-bonham-carter-sacha-baron-cohen-les-miserables-photoSo many character actors…so little time….

anne-hathaway-les-miserables1I was stunned by Anne hathaway. I haven’t loved her for any role truly since Devil Wears Prada, but this was stunning, brilliant. She deserves the accolades she’s been piling up.

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HughJackman_LesMiserablesHugh Jackman stands alone as the one Hollywood actor who could have tackled his role. He breathed the redemption story of forgiveness and love with the presence of one who kneels to receive the grace he knows he can’t earn. And I believe he has and will accept the honors associated with this job well done with the same humility.

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I love the forgiveness tale beneath this twisted, sad story. I love it when people stand for truth, when love rescues and forgiveness resounds.

Les Misérables

Now every cinema stub is a winner of front row tickets. Don’t miss the up close, the make-up and costuming, the sets and the singing. Don’t miss all of my favorites performed expertly by Samantha Barks as Eponine, or tenor Eddie Redmayne (who was also wonderful in My Week with Marylin).

Experience Les Miserables. Feel like a front row winner.

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ROCK OF AGES (2012) movie review

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I’ll never listen to Journey the same way again.
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Call this film a cautionary tale.

Perhaps the message was: never move to L.A. You’ll end up a stripper, or a member of a boy band, or a filthy politician, or in love with a rock god, or worse…you’ll become the rock god and never find real love.

Cautions all. Here’s another one: Caution: don’t see this movie. Never before have I yelled mid-film,  “This is the worst movie I have ever seen!” And I’ve seen some bad’uns.
ImageFirst, it’s a musical. Hairspray and Mama Mia meet Spinal Tap minus Christopher Guest. Someone should have let this all star cast in on the inside joke before they took it too seriously.

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Some, like C.Z.Jones played it camp, like a native of the theater would. She was awful. I’m so embarrassed for her. Her redemption? Possibly only the presence of Bryan Cranston as her fidgety spouse.

Do not be fooled into seeing this for Alec Baldwin. He comes out in this film in more ways than one, and he proves to the world, much like Pierce Brosnan did in Mama Mia, that he should never sing. And Russell Brand shouldn’t act. Facts.
ImageFinally, expect less from Tom Cruise. He put on quite a performance. Certainly, I couldn’t be anything but impressed by his singing voice and on-stage performances. A clip of Cruise as Stacee Jaxx will no doubt add to the clips from his lifetime body of work when they show it at the Oscars in 30 years. His insanity will never be questioned again. This film slipped him right back onto Oprah’s couch. Like a method actor, he played the Rocker with intense realism. He was gag-ably sexual and far too naked. Nasty.

I should have walked out. I finally joined the people next to me in fist pumping and cell phone waving. We must have laughed for an hour after it was over. Sadly we were laughing at, and not with.

MUPPETS (2011) movie review

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Muppets!
I know them. It all makes sense to me now. I’m a Muppet. If you can agree with the following list of ten items, you might just be a Muppet too.

1. You live to sing and dance and know there’s a song for everything.

2. You know that life is preparation for the next big show.

3. Friends can make it all better.

4. Celebs add appeal.

5. Kermit gets you and can relate to any emotion you may feel.

6. Like Kermit, you know you’ve got to be ready for anything at a moment’s notice.

7. Bad guys exist and always have a dirty deal in mind, and they can only be taken down with Karate.

8. Pig Karate.

9. When we all get together, the show will go on.

10. With a little help from our friends and a smashing finale, we can make it, accomplish any goal, seize any opportunity and sing our way to success!

Your SCORE= If you said “AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHaaaaahhhhhhg” to 8 or more of the above: Congratulations, you are a Muppet!  If you coo’d and crooned to any of the above, you’re an honorary and perhaps lucky enough to be one of the “lovers, the dreamers, and me.”  If you said a snarky “Really?” to any of the above, you have no soul.

Visit Scarecrow Video!

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Scarecrow Video, just off of Roosevelt & 50th in the U District in Seattle has EVERY title! Ask any one of the employees as you walk in for any new release, genre, director, obscure indie or international title and their degree in film studies will register beneath the lenses, and a pointer finger will raise to the exact location of that movie. Beware. When I say EVERY movie…I mean it. Many are not for young eyes…or mine. But go.

If you remember seeing The Hunt for Red October on an old gigantic lazer disc and you’ve ever wanted to relive that experience, you can rent players there. Even VHS players (what are those, right?), and projectors for that backyard film fest. Remember that one that you saw with your mom on Turner Classics when you were little that just haunts you? They’ve got it. What’s that one Wes Anderson movie? It’s there, and they know.

So, go! Visit Scarecrow Video and support a local legend. If you have out of town guests coming in, show them Seattle and take them to Scarecrow. Let them pick the movie or take them to the Italian film section and rent Life is Beautiful for a lovely and memorable evening.  Say Hi to Kevin for me while you’re there. Shake his hand. He’s a good man.

I heart Scarecrow Video!