Year: 2019
Rating: PG
Running Time: 1 hour, 50 minutes
A group of Jellicle Cats competes to see which one will be selected by Old Deuteronomy to be sent to the Heaviside layer.
Showing posts with label musicals. Show all posts
Showing posts with label musicals. Show all posts
Monday, December 30, 2019
Movie Review: "Cats" (2019)
Director: Tom Hooper
Year: 2019
Rating: PG
Running Time: 1 hour, 50 minutes
Year: 2019
Rating: PG
Running Time: 1 hour, 50 minutes
Monday, April 8, 2019
Movie Review: "Hairspray" (2007)
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Year: 2007
Rating: PG
Running Time: 1 hour, 57 minutes
In Baltimore in 1962, a plus size teen named Tracy Turnblad uses her skills to land a spot on a local TV dance show. She quickly becomes a fan favorite and uses her notoriety to push for integration and acceptance for all people.
Saturday, April 6, 2019
Movie Review: "The Phantom of the Opera" (2004)
Director: Joel Schumacher
Year: 2004
Rating: PG-13
Running Time: 2 hours, 23 minutes
Year: 2004
Rating: PG-13
Running Time: 2 hours, 23 minutes
A mysterious phantom takes a young singer under his wing and trains her, using fear to push her to the forefront of operatic stardom.
Tuesday, March 26, 2019
Movie Review: "The Devil's Carnival" (2012)
Director: Darren Lynn Bousman
Year: 2012
Rating: NR
Running Time: 56 minutes
Year: 2012
Rating: NR
Running Time: 56 minutes
Three people are sent to hell where they face retribution at a twisted carnival run by the devil.
Wednesday, March 6, 2019
Movie Review: "The Umbrellas of Cherbourg" (1964)
Director: Jacques Demy
Year: 1964
Rating: NR
Running Time: 1 hour, 31 minutes
A young woman is forced to make a tough life decision about her romantic future when her boyfriend is drafted for military service and is forced to go fight in a war in another country for two years, leaving her home alone and pregnant.
Year: 1964
Rating: NR
Running Time: 1 hour, 31 minutes
A young woman is forced to make a tough life decision about her romantic future when her boyfriend is drafted for military service and is forced to go fight in a war in another country for two years, leaving her home alone and pregnant.
Friday, March 1, 2019
Movie Review: "Chicago" (2002)
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Year: 2002
Rating: PG-13
Running Time: 1 hour, 53 minutes
A woman murders her lover when she discovers the fame and fortune he promised her was all a lie just to get her in bed. Now, she faces capital punishment and must stand trial, which her lawyer turns into a media circus.
Thursday, February 21, 2019
Movie Review: "Fiddler on the Roof" (1971)
Director: Norman Jewison
Year: 1971
Rating: G
Running Time: 3 hours, 1 minute
Year: 1971
Rating: G
Running Time: 3 hours, 1 minute
A Jewish dairy farmer is faced with changing times when his three eldest daughters want marriages that go against the traditions of the past.
Tuesday, February 12, 2019
Movie Review: "Mary Poppins" (1964)
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Year: 1964
Rating: G
Running Time: 2 hours, 19 minutes
A magical nanny helps two neglected children connect with their parents by giving them all a marvelous new perspective on life.
Tuesday, July 24, 2018
Movie Review: "Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again" (2018)
Director: Ol Parker
Year: 2018
Rating: PG-13
Running Time: 1 hour, 54 minutes
Year: 2018
Rating: PG-13
Running Time: 1 hour, 54 minutes
As a memorial to her mother, Sophie has renovated her mom's hotel, renamed the Hotel Bella Donna, and plans to reopen it after holding an opening night party, all while she learns about the summer her mother met her fathers.
Monday, July 16, 2018
Movie Review: "Mamma Mia!" (2008)
Director: Phyllida Lloyd
Year: 2008
Rating: PG-13
Running Time: 1 hour, 48 minutes
A young woman who is about to be married invites three men to her wedding, each of whom may be her father.
We sure as hell hope you like the band ABBA because if you don't, you're not going to have an enjoyable time watching "Mamma Mia!" This musical is directed by Phyllida Lloyd, who only has one other theatrical film credit to her name in "The Iron Lady." The screenplay is written by Catherine Johnson, who adapted it from her own stage play. It stars Amanda Seyfried as Sophie, a 20-year-old young woman who is about to get married to her fiance Sky (Dominic Cooper). She wants to have her father walk her down the aisle, but there's just one problem: she doesn't know who her dad is. Sophie finds her mom's old diary that was written during the summer she was conceived and learns her father might be one of three men, Sam (Pierce Brosnan), Bill (Stellan Skarsgård), or Harry (Colin Firth). Since she doesn't know which person is her dad, Sophie invites all three of them to her wedding, hoping she will know instinctively who it is when she sees him. When Sophie's mom Donna (Meryl Streep) finds out all of her ex-lovers are at her daughter's wedding, it adds extra stress she was not expecting and leaves her in a frantic state, and what else is there to do when you're stressed but to SING AND DANCE!!!!!!!!!!
You may know what we're going to say about this film. "Mamma Mia!" has a lot of problems from both a narrative standpoint and from a technical one. The whole concept is absurdly over-the-top and borders on a bonkers, ridiculous territory. The era in which the movie takes place is not entirely clear. If it is meant to take place in the late 2000's, it means Sam (Brosnan) dressed like a hippie well into the 80's. If it takes place in the 80's or early 90's, it sure as shit doesn't look like it (especially given that his wig/outfit combo came from Party City). Given when the music was penned by ABBA, it's not surprising that the time frame is murky at best. There are far too many jump cuts. Some scenes are too dark while others are too brightly lit. Some pieces of the story don't fit together and feel rushed...BUT MERYL STREEP SINGS AND EVERYONE DANCES!!
That being said, we're not going to deny that we sort of love "Mamma Mia!" We thought we weren't huge fans of ABBA, but we actually really enjoy the music! There are only a couple of songs that we never get into, but there are far more hits than misses here. Sure, Pierce Brosnan isn't the best singer in the world, but everyone else props him up and makes us forget how bad he is. Give the guy a break, people! He just wanted to work with Meryl effing Streep, and who wouldn't?! This movie also manages to have a lot of laughs, mainly from the "spontaneous" Harry (Firth), the free-spirited Bill (Skarsgård), as well Rosie (Julie Walters) and Tanya (Christine Baranski). We like each of the characters (minus Sophie and her constant whining, even though Seyfried can carry a tune), and we like all of the actors who play them. We love this musical despite that it's a jumbled hodgepodge. Watching this movie provides for a lot of joyous fun despite its glaring flaws. We smile, sing, and dance our way through its runtime every damn time we watch it.
My Rating: 7.5/10
BigJ's Rating: 7/10
IMDB's Rating: 6.8/10
Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 54%
Do we recommend this movie: Yes!
Year: 2008
Rating: PG-13
Running Time: 1 hour, 48 minutes
A young woman who is about to be married invites three men to her wedding, each of whom may be her father.
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| "Typical, isn't it? You wait 20 years for a dad and then three come along at once." (Image Source) |
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| "'I've done the big white wedding, and believe me, it doesn't always end in happy ever after." (Image Source) |
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| "You always knew how to make an entrance." (Image Source) |
My Rating: 7.5/10
BigJ's Rating: 7/10
IMDB's Rating: 6.8/10
Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 54%
Do we recommend this movie: Yes!
Please be sure to check out Lolo Loves Films all over the internet!
Saturday, March 24, 2018
Movie Review: "Cry-Baby" (1990)
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Year: 1990
Rating: PG-13
Running Time: 1 hour, 25 minutes
A 'Drape' juvenile delinquent named Cry-Baby Walker falls for a 'Square' goody two shoes named Allison Vernon-Williams, who is tired of being good. The 'Square' community is not keen on the idea of a 'Drape' dating one of their girls.
He's the king, king Cry-Baby! "Cry-Baby" is written and directed by John Waters, who is responsible for films like "Hairspray" and the controversial "Pink Flamingos." It stars Johnny Depp as the titular Cry-Baby, a 'Drape' juvenile delinquent and poor orphan who can't help but be bad. Joining him is Amy Locaine as Allison, a 'Square' girl who likes bad boy Cry-Baby and is tired of being so good all the time. Cry-Baby also falls for Allison, but the two come from very different worlds and her Square friends and family will not accept Cry-Baby and his crew. Also in the film are Ricki Lake, Traci Lords, Polly Bergen, Iggy Pop, and Kim McGuire, just to name a few.
I grew up watching "Cry-Baby," so shout out to my parents for exposing me to the awesomeness that is this film. The weirdness of John Waters is definitely not for everyone. To tell you the truth, it isn't always for us. On this occasion, however, his writing and directing work out just fine. Like many of John Waters' films, "Cry-Baby" deals with class warfare, racism, and embracing people who are outsiders, people who live lives outside of socially common/acceptable norms. This story is all about the delinquent Drapes, who look like Rockabilly greasers from the 1950's. Despite their tendencies towards petty crime, they are more socially accepting of minorities, other groups, and people who look and act differently. Just be sure to ignore all of those Confederate flag decorations draping their events and parties. The Drapes face off against the Squares, the standard, wealthy W.A.S.P. college prep future frat boy/sorority girl crowd. Squares are not at all accepting of minorities and prefer segregation between people of different races and different income classes. When Allison and Cry-Baby get together, all hell breaks loose for these two groups.
Did we mention "Cry-Baby" is a musical? Because it is! Well, sort of. None of the actors actually sing (though Johnny Depp would go on to not only sing in a band but star in the movie version of Stephen Sondheim's musical "Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street"). All of the actors here are lip-syncing to music sung by other people, though this was actually common practice in many classic musicals. Some of the tunes are forgettable, but a good portion of them are catchy, memorable, and fantastic, especially our favorite song "Please, Mr. Jailer." This is not only the best song but also provides one of the best moments of the film including an enthusiastically dancing Polly Bergen. Despite the lip-syncing, all of the actors are wonderful in their roles as this rag-tag group of Drapes and Squares. Johnny Depp gives a fabulous performance in a role many decades before he hit his peak and sold out to the Disney machine.
"Cry-Baby" boasts a lot of offbeat humor and wit, as well as a solid though intentionally over the top performance by a young Johnny Depp. Like most of John Waters' films, this movie won't be for everyone, but we sure as hell love it.
My Rating: 8/10
BigJ's Rating: 6.5/10
IMDB's Rating: 6.5/10
RT Rating: 73%
Do we recommend this movie: Yes!
Please be sure to check out Lolo Loves Films all over the internet!
Friday, March 16, 2018
Movie Review: "Jesus Christ Superstar" (1973)
Director: Norman Jewison
Year: 1973
Rating: G
Running Time: 1 hour, 48 minutes
A rock opera re-telling of the final days of Jesus Christ.
What better way to tell the story of Jesus Christ than through a surreal rock opera that is sung by hippies? "Jesus Christ Superstar" is directed by Norman Jewison, who helmed films like "In the Heat of the Night," "Fiddler on the Roof," and "Moonstruck." Jewison also helped write the screenplay along with Melvyn Bragg. It is, of course, a film adaptation of the Andrew Lloyd Webber stage musical of the same name. The film mainly focuses on the relationship between Jesus Christ (Ted Neely) and Judas Iscariot (Carl Anderson) as Judas becomes increasingly more disillusioned with the way Jesus is handling himself and his followers. Judas is worried Jesus being viewed as a deity rather than a simple man with a message will bring trouble and death to him and his associates. The whole story is told to a blaring 70's rock soundtrack as every word in the entire production is sung.
We aren't religious people, but we can still appreciate a story like "Jesus Christ Superstar." It is shot in Israel but has a very surreal nature to it. Seeing modern objects like buses, tanks, and machine guns pop up in the story of Jesus is pretty wild. These images are obviously not meant to be taken literally. They are included as metaphors for man's propensity towards war and violence, things that are in a direct clash to the messages Jesus taught as a representative of peace and love. The play was released as America was becoming wary of the war in Vietnam, so it makes sense.
We really enjoyed this movie. Oddly enough, our favorite character is not Jesus, but Judas. Carl Anderson has an incredible voice and does a fantastic job portraying this conflicted character. That being said, Ted Neely is still very good in his own right as the titular character. We do like most of the music in this film, even though it is performed like an actual opera with constant singing rather than a traditional musical that switches between normal dialogue and the occasional song. Still, it never becomes tedious or monotonous in our opinion. There is enough variation in the music to differentiate the singing numbers and the tone that is trying to be portrayed. Many moments in "Jesus Christ Superstar" stand out to us as being memorable, but only one shines brightly above the rest. We are of course referring to Herod's musical number. It is so humorous and tonally different from the rest of the material that it makes it stand out in our minds. Josh Mostel does a splendid job in this small but extremely interesting part.
In the end, we think "Jesus Christ Superstar" is a good watch, even for those who aren't religious. We honestly had a great time watching it. It makes such stuffy material feel fresh, new, and a little more easily digestible when seen through a modern lens.
My Rating: 7.5/10
BigJ's Rating: 8/10
IMDB's Rating: 7.3/10
RT Rating: 56%
Do we recommend this movie: Sure, why not?
Year: 1973
Rating: G
Running Time: 1 hour, 48 minutes
A rock opera re-telling of the final days of Jesus Christ.
What better way to tell the story of Jesus Christ than through a surreal rock opera that is sung by hippies? "Jesus Christ Superstar" is directed by Norman Jewison, who helmed films like "In the Heat of the Night," "Fiddler on the Roof," and "Moonstruck." Jewison also helped write the screenplay along with Melvyn Bragg. It is, of course, a film adaptation of the Andrew Lloyd Webber stage musical of the same name. The film mainly focuses on the relationship between Jesus Christ (Ted Neely) and Judas Iscariot (Carl Anderson) as Judas becomes increasingly more disillusioned with the way Jesus is handling himself and his followers. Judas is worried Jesus being viewed as a deity rather than a simple man with a message will bring trouble and death to him and his associates. The whole story is told to a blaring 70's rock soundtrack as every word in the entire production is sung.
We aren't religious people, but we can still appreciate a story like "Jesus Christ Superstar." It is shot in Israel but has a very surreal nature to it. Seeing modern objects like buses, tanks, and machine guns pop up in the story of Jesus is pretty wild. These images are obviously not meant to be taken literally. They are included as metaphors for man's propensity towards war and violence, things that are in a direct clash to the messages Jesus taught as a representative of peace and love. The play was released as America was becoming wary of the war in Vietnam, so it makes sense.
We really enjoyed this movie. Oddly enough, our favorite character is not Jesus, but Judas. Carl Anderson has an incredible voice and does a fantastic job portraying this conflicted character. That being said, Ted Neely is still very good in his own right as the titular character. We do like most of the music in this film, even though it is performed like an actual opera with constant singing rather than a traditional musical that switches between normal dialogue and the occasional song. Still, it never becomes tedious or monotonous in our opinion. There is enough variation in the music to differentiate the singing numbers and the tone that is trying to be portrayed. Many moments in "Jesus Christ Superstar" stand out to us as being memorable, but only one shines brightly above the rest. We are of course referring to Herod's musical number. It is so humorous and tonally different from the rest of the material that it makes it stand out in our minds. Josh Mostel does a splendid job in this small but extremely interesting part.
In the end, we think "Jesus Christ Superstar" is a good watch, even for those who aren't religious. We honestly had a great time watching it. It makes such stuffy material feel fresh, new, and a little more easily digestible when seen through a modern lens.
My Rating: 7.5/10
BigJ's Rating: 8/10
IMDB's Rating: 7.3/10
RT Rating: 56%
Do we recommend this movie: Sure, why not?
Please be sure to check out Lolo Loves Films all over the internet!
Wednesday, March 14, 2018
Movie Review: "Cannibal! The Musical" (1993)
Director: Trey Parker
Year: 1993
Rating: R
Running Time: 1 hour, 35 minutes
The story of Alfred Packard, his five companions, and their dire trip across the Rocky Mountains.
Before "The Book of Mormon," before "Team America: World Police," before "South Park," and even before "Orgazmo," there was "Cannibal! The Musical." Loosely inspired by a true story, "Cannibal! The Musical" is written and directed by Trey Parker. Parker and his partner, Matt Stone, would go on to create all of the aforementioned successful films, plays, and TV shows. Parker also stars in this movie as Alfred Packard, a man on trial for murder and cannibalism. Packard and a group of Utahn prospectors who are trying to reach Breckenridge, Colorado get trapped in the Rocky Mountains during a snowstorm and are forced to resort to cannibalism to stay alive. Wouldn't you? Oh yeah, did we mention this is a musical AND a comedy?
A story about a murder trial and cannibalism doesn't exactly sound like it would be funny. However, if you understand Parker's off-beat, satirical sense of humor, you'll understand why it's humorous. Parker has always embraced music in his storytelling as a source of comedy, and he uses it to great effect here. He parodies many classic musicals, most notably "Oklahoma!." Parker clearly took inspiration from the song "Oh What a Beautiful Morning" and as such, turns it into "Shpadoinkle," a song that observes how "shpadoinkle" everything is, from the blue sky to the green leaves to how the sun is as warm as a baked potato. What does shpadoinkle mean? Who really knows?! The definition seems to change throughout the course of the film. Sometimes it is used to express joy and happiness, and other times it is used as a euphemism for a curse word.The other tunes are just as entertaining and goofy, and they work well in the context of the movie. Apart from the music, there is a lot of blood and violence. Both are extremely over the top, so much so that they are meant to be cartoonish and are played for laughs.
Is "Cannibal! The Musical" stupid? Absolutely, and it embraces this stupidity 100%. While it definitely won't be for everyone, for fans of Matt Stone, Trey Parker, and their work on any of their other projects mentioned earlier, this is a must-see. Besides, it is good to see how these guys got their start. It's the kind of project that can give hope to up and coming filmmakers who are presently making crappy micro-budget projects with their friends. They will see that it took years of work for Matt and Trey to become who they are today. They may not have hit it out of the park on their first try, but this was a hell of a start.
My Rating: 7/10
BigJ's Rating: 7/10
IMDB's Rating: 7.2/10
RT Rating: 56%
Do we recommend this movie: Sure, why not?
Year: 1993
Rating: R
Running Time: 1 hour, 35 minutes
The story of Alfred Packard, his five companions, and their dire trip across the Rocky Mountains.
Before "The Book of Mormon," before "Team America: World Police," before "South Park," and even before "Orgazmo," there was "Cannibal! The Musical." Loosely inspired by a true story, "Cannibal! The Musical" is written and directed by Trey Parker. Parker and his partner, Matt Stone, would go on to create all of the aforementioned successful films, plays, and TV shows. Parker also stars in this movie as Alfred Packard, a man on trial for murder and cannibalism. Packard and a group of Utahn prospectors who are trying to reach Breckenridge, Colorado get trapped in the Rocky Mountains during a snowstorm and are forced to resort to cannibalism to stay alive. Wouldn't you? Oh yeah, did we mention this is a musical AND a comedy?
A story about a murder trial and cannibalism doesn't exactly sound like it would be funny. However, if you understand Parker's off-beat, satirical sense of humor, you'll understand why it's humorous. Parker has always embraced music in his storytelling as a source of comedy, and he uses it to great effect here. He parodies many classic musicals, most notably "Oklahoma!." Parker clearly took inspiration from the song "Oh What a Beautiful Morning" and as such, turns it into "Shpadoinkle," a song that observes how "shpadoinkle" everything is, from the blue sky to the green leaves to how the sun is as warm as a baked potato. What does shpadoinkle mean? Who really knows?! The definition seems to change throughout the course of the film. Sometimes it is used to express joy and happiness, and other times it is used as a euphemism for a curse word.The other tunes are just as entertaining and goofy, and they work well in the context of the movie. Apart from the music, there is a lot of blood and violence. Both are extremely over the top, so much so that they are meant to be cartoonish and are played for laughs.
Is "Cannibal! The Musical" stupid? Absolutely, and it embraces this stupidity 100%. While it definitely won't be for everyone, for fans of Matt Stone, Trey Parker, and their work on any of their other projects mentioned earlier, this is a must-see. Besides, it is good to see how these guys got their start. It's the kind of project that can give hope to up and coming filmmakers who are presently making crappy micro-budget projects with their friends. They will see that it took years of work for Matt and Trey to become who they are today. They may not have hit it out of the park on their first try, but this was a hell of a start.
My Rating: 7/10
BigJ's Rating: 7/10
IMDB's Rating: 7.2/10
RT Rating: 56%
Do we recommend this movie: Sure, why not?
Please be sure to check out Lolo Loves Films all over the internet!
Tuesday, March 13, 2018
Movie Review: "Phantom of the Paradise" (1974)
Director: Brian De Palma
Year: 1974
Rating: PG
Running Time: 1 hour, 32 minutes
An evil record producer steals the music of the talented composer he tried to eliminate so he can use it open his new club 'The Paradise.' Thought to be dead, the composer returns as a phantom who will get vengeance at any cost.
Rock operas were all the rage in the 1970's. We've seen numerous films in this genre released from that decade, and "Phantom of the Paradise" is one of the...best?...craziest?...wackiest?...of them all. It is written and directed by Brian De Palma, who would go on to direct films like "Carrie," "Scarface," and "The Untouchables," though his writing credits aren't nearly as impressive. The film centers around a music composer named Winslow (William Finley), who is creating his rock cantata version of "Faust." An evil record producer named Swan (Paul Williams) steals the cantata, frames Winslow, and seemingly has him killed. Swan wants the music to open his new club called The Paradise, but he wants the credit all for himself. When Swan tries to open the club, a phantom shows up to make sure it doesn't happen unless things are done his way.
This is a very bizarre movie in that it is a comedic horror retelling of "The Phantom of the Opera" with elements mixed in from "Faust." It's an odd idea, but it sort of works? As far as this being fully considered a rock opera or a musical, it's a bit borderline since the majority of the musical offerings are isolated to on-stage performances. Since the movie and the music are based on "Faust," they mostly still drive the narrative. As for the music, it's fine at the moment, but none of it is all that memorable outside of the film. As we write this review, it's difficult for us to conjure up even one tune or lyric from any songs in the movie. The story itself is bizarre and has its funny moments, though these instances are only humorous due to the absolutely absurd nature of the story. Much of the acting, especially the performance of William Finley, is waaaaaay over the top (though intentionally so). His showy performance will make you laugh and will have you enjoying yourself while watching this quirky film. The sets are interesting and very of the era, reminiscent of a psychedelic disco. It is wild to look at, and we have to wonder what the filmmakers were ingesting, smoking, shooting, and/or drinking when they made this trippy movie.
As weird as "Phantom of the Paradise" is, we are still able to see a clear narrative and feel like you should do yourself the honor of watching such an entertaining, eccentric movie at least once in your life.
My Rating: 6.5/10
BigJ's Rating: 6.5/10
IMDB's Rating: 7.4/10
Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 91%
Do we recommend this movie: Sure, why not?
Year: 1974
Rating: PG
Running Time: 1 hour, 32 minutes
An evil record producer steals the music of the talented composer he tried to eliminate so he can use it open his new club 'The Paradise.' Thought to be dead, the composer returns as a phantom who will get vengeance at any cost.
Rock operas were all the rage in the 1970's. We've seen numerous films in this genre released from that decade, and "Phantom of the Paradise" is one of the...best?...craziest?...wackiest?...of them all. It is written and directed by Brian De Palma, who would go on to direct films like "Carrie," "Scarface," and "The Untouchables," though his writing credits aren't nearly as impressive. The film centers around a music composer named Winslow (William Finley), who is creating his rock cantata version of "Faust." An evil record producer named Swan (Paul Williams) steals the cantata, frames Winslow, and seemingly has him killed. Swan wants the music to open his new club called The Paradise, but he wants the credit all for himself. When Swan tries to open the club, a phantom shows up to make sure it doesn't happen unless things are done his way.
This is a very bizarre movie in that it is a comedic horror retelling of "The Phantom of the Opera" with elements mixed in from "Faust." It's an odd idea, but it sort of works? As far as this being fully considered a rock opera or a musical, it's a bit borderline since the majority of the musical offerings are isolated to on-stage performances. Since the movie and the music are based on "Faust," they mostly still drive the narrative. As for the music, it's fine at the moment, but none of it is all that memorable outside of the film. As we write this review, it's difficult for us to conjure up even one tune or lyric from any songs in the movie. The story itself is bizarre and has its funny moments, though these instances are only humorous due to the absolutely absurd nature of the story. Much of the acting, especially the performance of William Finley, is waaaaaay over the top (though intentionally so). His showy performance will make you laugh and will have you enjoying yourself while watching this quirky film. The sets are interesting and very of the era, reminiscent of a psychedelic disco. It is wild to look at, and we have to wonder what the filmmakers were ingesting, smoking, shooting, and/or drinking when they made this trippy movie.
As weird as "Phantom of the Paradise" is, we are still able to see a clear narrative and feel like you should do yourself the honor of watching such an entertaining, eccentric movie at least once in your life.
My Rating: 6.5/10
BigJ's Rating: 6.5/10
IMDB's Rating: 7.4/10
Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 91%
Do we recommend this movie: Sure, why not?
Please be sure to check out Lolo Loves Films all over the internet!
Saturday, March 10, 2018
Movie Review: "Oklahoma!" (1955)
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Year: 1955
Rating: NR
Running Time: 2 hours, 25 minutes
A few cowboys try to woo a some local Oklahoma ladies, all of whom have other prospects.
Running cattle and farming land is hard work. If you watch the cowboys and farmers in "Oklahoma!," you might think their lives revolve around romancing women with an occasional song and choreographed dance number thrown in for good measure. "Oklahoma!" is directed by Fred Zinnemann, who directed other films like "High Noon," "From Here to Eternity," and "A Man for All Seasons." It is written by Sonya Levien and William Ludwig and is based on the Rodgers and Hammerstein stage musical of the same name. It stars Gordon MacRae as cowboy Curly McLain, who has his eye on a farm girl named Laurey Williams (Shirley Jones). Laurey likes Curly as well, but she doesn't let on and plays hard to get. Laurey's farmhand Jud Fry (Rod Steiger) also has feelings for her, and this creates a bit of conflict because Jud is a person willing to act out violently in such cases. This is not the only love triangle in the story. Another cowboy named Will Parker (Gene Nelson) wants to marry another local farm girl named Ado Annie Carnes (Gloria Grahame) even though she doesn't have very strong monogamous tendencies. Ado Annie is courting a peddler named Ali Hakim (Eddie Albert) who clearly wants a fling and not a commitment...unless his hand was to be forced into such a thing.
Old school musicals are so grandiose in their presentation. This is not a complaint, we totally dig it. Musicals are very focused on keeping a stage play type of spectacle, but with more detailed sets and a less intimate scope. There is a certain part of the movie-going public that will write musicals off entirely because they feel 'too unrealistic.' Well, they're not always supposed to be realistic. If anything they are meant to be a little more surreal. We will say there is one massively surreal dance number here brought on by Laurey's fever dream while she's high on smelling salts. We honestly could have done without this scene because it drags on for far too long. That being said, the rest of the movie is mostly pretty fun and is relatively engaging despite its old-fashioned sentiments and subject matter.
Of course, the most important part of a musical is the music. "Oklahoma!" has some really great songs. With numbers like "Oh What a Beautiful Morning," "The Surrey with a Fringe on Top," "Kansas City," and the titular "Oklahoma," this picture is full of great music that will stay stuck in your head for days and will keep your toes tapping. Apart from the tunes, "Oklahoma!" has a solid cast and features a lot of excellent voices. The notable exception is Gloria Grahame, who can't exactly hold a tune but finds a way to make it work. The people behind the scenes had to Frankenstein her songs together from tons of recordings, but it doesn't matter because the end result is still decent.
"Oklahoma!" is a good time and provided us with an entertaining viewing experience despite being a little dated.
My Rating: 7.5/10
BigJ's Rating: 8/10
IMDB's Rating: 7.2/10
Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 96%
Do we recommend this movie: Yes!
Please be sure to check out Lolo Loves Films all over the internet!
Friday, March 9, 2018
Movie Review: "Rent" (2005)
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Year: 2005
Rating: PG-13
Running Time: 2 hours, 15 minutes
The lives of a group of friends living a bohemian lifestyle in New York City while they deal with life, love, drug addiction, and AIDS.
For a good stretch of time in Hollywood, it seemed that musicals fell out of favor. The exception to this rule was kids movies and animated films. In the first decade of the 2000's, we saw a resurgence in the genre. "Rent" is part of that resurgence. It is directed by Chris Columbus, who is known for directing "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone," "Home Alone," and "Mrs. Doubtfire." It is written by Stephen Chbosky and is, of course, based on the stage musical of the same by Jonathan Larson. The cast is mostly comprised of the original actors who performed in the play's initial Broadway run. This includes Anthony Rapp as Mark, Adam Pascal as Roger, Idina Menzel as Maureen, Jesse L. Martin as Tom Collins, Wilson Jermaine Heredia as Angel, and Taye Diggs as Benny. The only two actors who were not in the original Broadway cast are Rosario Dawson as Mimi, and Tracie Thoms, who plays Joanne. The film follows this group of friends who live together in a loft in New York City during Christmastime in 1989-early 1990. Each of them struggles day to day. Some of them are addicted to drugs, others are battling AIDS, and they are always trying to find money to pay their rent without compromising their ideals.
"Rent" is really a slice-of-life film that focuses on the youth counterculture of the late 1980's. It is about a group of idealistic artists who rarely know where their next meal is going to come from. Their biggest worry is selling out and endangering their principles. Oh, and they really, really like to sing a lot. You can tell Jonathan Larson viewed himself in much of the same manner, spending his 20's as a gay artist living in a loft in New York City with many other roommates. This stage musical was very timely as the AIDS epidemic was reaching its peak in the United States around the time of its release. Of course, the film was released over a decade later so it may have lost some of its timely poignancy. It is still about being accepting of different lifestyles, a thing we are still working on as a country overall. As for the movie itself, being a slice-of-life story, it doesn't really have a straightforward narrative. It is more of a collection of happenings and shows the daily lives of this small group of people and tells of the things they experience as part of the bohemian revolution. There isn't really much gained in transferring this material from a stage to film other than gaining access to a larger audience and allowing for more sets, props, and a bigger budget. The acting is good and all of the actors have incredible singing voices. Since they most of the cast are stage performers, it comes with the territory. Being the only film actors, Tracie Thoms and Rosario Dawson still add a lot to this movie and surprisingly have great singing voices as well. Finally, "Rent" is jam-packed with tons of tremendous music. The songs are catchy, and it is almost a guarantee that you'll walk away with many of them stuck in your head. We enjoy most of them, including "Seasons of Love," "One Song Glory," "What Your Own," "No Day But Today," and Lolo's favorite, "La Vie Bohème."
We've seen "Rent" dozens of times now and we still really enjoy it each time we watch it. It's a vibrant, passionate musical that everyone should see at least once.
My Rating: 8/10
BigJ's Rating: 7.5/10
IMDB's Rating: 7.0/10
Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 46%
Do we recommend this movie: Yes!
Please be sure to check out Lolo Loves Films all over the internet!
Wednesday, March 7, 2018
Movie Review: "Xanadu" (1980)
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Year: 1980
Rating: PG
Running Time: 1 hour, 36 minutes
A muse inspires a young artist and an old musician to turn a run-down sports arena into a disco roller club. (at least that's what we think the synopsis of this movie is, we can't really be sure..)
We are utterly baffled at how someone made "Xanadu." Not only did someone make this movie, but they watched it back and said, "yes, I made good choices, I can live with this as my masterpiece's final product." "Xanadu" is directed by Robert Greenwald, who is known for making mostly made-for-TV movies and the occasional poorly reviewed theatrical feature film. It is written by Richard Christian Danus and Marc Reid Rubel, and honestly, we were a little shocked to see that this movie was written by anybody because it feels like it has no script at all. It stars Olivia Newton-John as Kira, a muse of Greek mythology. She is awoken from her painting to inspire a young artist named Sonny Malone (Michael Beck) and a very wealthy retired musician named Danny McGuire (Gene Kelly in his final film role) to open a roller disco...or at least that's what we think this movie is about, we're not entirely sure. Kira also falls in love with Sonny and vice versa, but muses aren't allowed to have such relationships (so says Zeus).
We decided to watch a bunch of old musicals for the month of March and someone suggested that we watch "Xanadu." We're not naming names or pointing fingers, but honestly, we feel a little duped because this is not only an awful movie but an awful musical as well. It barely qualifies as a musical in our book. Most the songs play like they are simply part of a soundtrack that continuously runs over the film while characters dance around...actually, they mostly roller skate around instead of singing the songs themselves like they would in a proper musical. Sure, there are a couple of occasions where characters actually sing, but these instances are few and far between and rarely flow into the narrative. Hell, "Three Amigos!" has more musical performances sung by characters on screen! This movie seems more like a collection of poorly produced promotional music videos for the band ELO and actress Olivia Newton-John than an actual movie. As for the acting, Michael Beck gives one of the most wooden, unnatural performances we have ever seen. It's staggering that Beck went from a breakout role in "The Warriors" to giving a career-ending level performance in "Xanadu" in just one year's time. Olivia Newton-John pretty much just rolls around on skates smiling and doesn't do much else. She, like Beck, followed her breakthrough role in "Grease" with this misery of a film.
In some aspects, we can see something like "Xanadu" gaining cult status in a "so bad, it's fun" way, similar to movies like "Troll 2," "Sharknado," or "The Room." Staggeringly, all three of these examples are a lot more fun, are better written, and have more coherent narratives than "Xanadu" does. If this counts as a musical, then "Guardians of the Galaxy" and "Baby Driver" would easily fit into this category. What starts out as a dopey-but-promising early 80's extravaganza quickly devolves into an incoherent mess of roller skating and disco music. YIKES.
My Rating: 2/10
BigJ's Rating: 2/10
IMDB's Rating: 5.1/10
Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 38%
Do we recommend this movie: AVOID LIKE THE PLAGUE!!!
Please be sure to check out Lolo Loves Films all over the internet!
Monday, February 19, 2018
Movie Review: "Oliver!" (1968)
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Director: Carol Reed
Rating: G
Oscar Nominations: 11
Oscar Wins: 5 (+1 honorary Oscar)
Running Time: 2 hours, 33 minutes
An orphan escapes a workhouse and is taken in by a den of pickpockets. Unfortunately, his hospitable criminal friends may be the very thing that prevents him from improving his situation.
Orphans, child abuse, horrendous working conditions, homelessness, juvenile pickpockets employed by a seedy criminal, prostitutes, murder and cheerful toe-tapping songs are combined to create the 1968 film "Oliver!" It is directed by Carol Reed, who is known for directing movies like "The Third Man" and "The Fallen Idol." The screenplay is written by Vernon Harris, which was adapted from the Lionel Bart stage musical of the same name which was, in turn, adapted from Charles Dickens' classic novel "Oliver Twist." The film stars Mark Lester as the titular Oliver, a boy who grew up in a workhouse before being sold to an undertaker where he got used as free labor. A short time later, Oliver runs away to the city where he meets a young pickpocket called The Artful Dodger (Jack Wild). Dodger brings Oliver back to their squatting place to meet Fagan (Ron Moody), who wants to add Oliver to his army of child pickpockets. Also in the film are Oliver Reed as Bill Sikes, who grew up working for Fagan and is the man all his kids aspire to be, and Shani Wallis as Nancy, the hooker with a heart of gold.
"Oliver Twist" is a social indictment of the way life was for many children in England in the early 1800's. As the years have passed, as laws have changed, and as society progresses, stories like "Oliver!" become less socially relevant and more of a historical time capsule. What Lionel Bart did was take a beloved classic and reimagine it into a musical. We've said it before and we will say it again: musicals live and die on the quality of their songs. Luckily, this film has some really fantastic music. Many musicals have mixed results with their music as some tunes are wonderful and many are forgettable. "Oliver!" has a vast amount of enjoyable numbers throughout its runtime. It has iconic songs like "Food, Glorious Food," "Consider Yourself," "You've Got to Pick a Pocket or Two," "It's a Fine Life," "I'll Do Anything," and "Who Will Buy?" The list just goes on and on. This is a musical that will leave you with songs stuck in your head. Beyond the music, the film has many great performances, especially from Ron Moody and Jack Wild, both of whom received nominations for best actor and best supporting actor respectively. The story is engaging as well, and we really root for Oliver to find a way out of his less than fine life. It helps that Mark Lester is an adorable cherub-looking kid that the audience can't help but like.
"Oliver!" is a fantastic film that wound up being nominated for 11 Academy Awards. It took home five golden statuettes, including the one for Best Picture. It was also awarded a sixth honorary Oscar for outstanding achievement in choreography. Out of all the classic musicals out there, "Oliver!" still remains a favorite of BigJ's and is most certainly a must see.
My Rating: 8/10
BigJ's Rating: 9/10
IMDB's Rating: 7.5/10
Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 81%
Do we recommend this movie: ABSOLUTELY YES!!!
Please be sure to check out Lolo Loves Films all over the internet!
Monday, February 5, 2018
Movie Review: "The King and I" (1956)
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Director: Walter Lang
Rating: NR
Running Time: 2 hours, 13 minutes
Did It Win?: No.
An English widow moves to Siam to be the governess of the King of Siam's children.
It's extremely hard to go back and look at older movies through modern eyes. We want to tell ourselves the way people acted in the past, particularly from the 20's-50's, is "just how it was back then," that it was acceptable to be what we now as a society are quick to call out as bad behavior. It isn't always the easiest task. "The King and I" is the film adaptation of a Rodgers and Hammerstein's stage musical of the same name, which is based on the novel "Anna and the King of Siam" by Margaret Landon. This novel, in turn, is based on two memoirs written by Anna Leonowens herself. The film is directed by Walter Lang, who had about 60 directorial credits to his name going into this film. It stars Deborah Kerr as Anna Leonowens, an English widow who moves to Siam with her son so she can be the live-in governess to the children of King Mongkut played by, Yul Brynner. She is meant to teach them English and about western customs and traditions, though the way she and the king see the world don't always match and they often butt heads, something the king is not used to at all.
As we have said many times in the past, we are huge fans of musicals. The key to any successful musical, however, is good music. This is something "The King and I" severely lacks. There is only one song in the film we found to be remotely memorable, that being "Getting to Know You." There is only one other tune we consider even modestly entertaining, and that's "Shall We Dance." Beyond these two, the rest of the music is forgettable and sometimes downright intolerable. We will say Yul Brynner has a charismatic screen presence that helps the audience gravitate towards the character of King Mongkut. He is one of the better parts of the movie (despite his clear yellow-face), though he not the absolute best part of the film. That honor goes to an almost surreal reimagining of "Uncle Tom's Cabin," shockingly enough. This play within the movie is done very well and is loaded with some fantastic visuals. "Uncle Tom's Little House," as it's called, does offer a solid allegory of a subplot that runs through the film. In fact, it tells it better than the actual plot of this film. That is probably the biggest downfall of "The King and I." The narrative isn't very strong and it is not very well paced. We just weren't very engaged with the story, which at the end of the day is really about how much better western culture is than that of the far east. In the end, this movie doesn't hold up that well over time.
My Rating: 4/10
BigJ's Rating: 5/10
IMDB's Rating: 7.5/10
Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 96%
Do we recommend this movie: No.
Please be sure to check out Lolo Loves Films all over the internet!
Friday, December 29, 2017
Movie Review: "The Greatest Showman" (2017)
Director: Michael Gracey
Year: 2017
Rating: PG
Running Time: 1 hour, 45 minutes
The story of P.T. Barnum and his rise from poor family man to a wealthy showman and how he created his now world-famous circus.
"The Greatest Showman" is a movie based on real people, but it is a biography only in the loosest sense of the word. It should really be viewed as a fictional musical whose characters happen to share names with real individuals. In all honesty, we doubt anybody went to see this movie looking for a history lesson. We're sure they just wanted flashy lights, memorable songs, and frilly costumes, and who can blame them?! "The Greatest Showman" serves as the directorial debut of Michael Gracey and is written by Jenny Hicks and Bill Condon, who is known for other musicals like "Chicago" and "Dream Girls." The film stars Hugh Jackman as P.T. Barnum, the founder of what would eventually become the Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus. Joining him is Michelle Williams as his wife Charity, Zac Efron as his partner Phillip Carlyle, Rebecca Ferguson as famed singer Jenny Lind, as well as Zendaya, Keala Settle, Sam Humphrey, and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, who make up the various performers in Barnum's circus. In the film, Barnum grows up poor and struggles to make ends meet as he tries to take care of his family. After being laid off from his bookkeeping job, he decides to open a museum that will put on display all sorts of natural oddities and probably some unnatural ones to boot. What starts as a shrine to dead odd things quickly turns into a lively and raucous daily show featuring music, dance, acrobatics, and many, many different looking people.
First and foremost, "The Greatest Showman" is a musical. The number one thing a musical needs to have is good music. Luckily, this film contains some terrific toe-tapping tunes, a couple of exposition-heavy serious songs, and a few heartfelt romantic ditties as well. For the most part, the songs are memorable enough that they will stick with you as you leave the theater. As a story, "The Greatest Showman" forgoes an accurate portrayal of historical proportions in order to tell a more socially relevant, grandiose tale, delivering a message of inclusion and acceptance for all people. Hugh Jackman offers a commanding performance, and with his musical theater background and existing experience in theatrical musicals, he was the perfect choice for the lead role of P.T. Barnum. His charisma shines through each and every moment of the movie and allows the audience to forget for a brief moment that the empire P.T. Barnum built was actually pretty damn terrible. Zac Efron gets a chance to remind everyone who forgot that he once starred in "High School Musical" and is an exceptional singer. He has an excellent, authentic romance with Zendaya, who is also a splendid singer and does well in her role. This is not to say that being a great singer was a requirement to be part of this film as Rebecca Ferguson had all of her singing dubbed by "The Voice" contestant Loren Allred. Though all of these performances are wonderful, the best musical moment comes from Keala Settle's performance of "This is Me," a song about not hiding in the shadows and being proud of who you are. Now, on to the negatives. Despite how enjoyable the music is and despite how great the performances are, the narrative of "The Greatest Showman" is very flimsy. It's clear that it is not a tightly written story as it aims to simply fill time in between musical numbers. Also, even though the movie isn't very long, it does start to drag a bit due to this lack of a real story and an absence of anything but surface-level characters.
There's a good chance "The Greatest Showman" will please crowds looking for a few songs to dance to and a couple of flashy outfits to gaze upon for two hours, but it may leave some a little disappointed. It can feel more like a collection of music videos than a more engaging story with deeper meaning.
My Rating: 7/10
BigJ's Rating: 6/10
IMDB's Rating: 8.0/10
Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 54%
Do we recommend this movie: Sure, why not?
Year: 2017
Rating: PG
Running Time: 1 hour, 45 minutes
The story of P.T. Barnum and his rise from poor family man to a wealthy showman and how he created his now world-famous circus.
"The Greatest Showman" is a movie based on real people, but it is a biography only in the loosest sense of the word. It should really be viewed as a fictional musical whose characters happen to share names with real individuals. In all honesty, we doubt anybody went to see this movie looking for a history lesson. We're sure they just wanted flashy lights, memorable songs, and frilly costumes, and who can blame them?! "The Greatest Showman" serves as the directorial debut of Michael Gracey and is written by Jenny Hicks and Bill Condon, who is known for other musicals like "Chicago" and "Dream Girls." The film stars Hugh Jackman as P.T. Barnum, the founder of what would eventually become the Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus. Joining him is Michelle Williams as his wife Charity, Zac Efron as his partner Phillip Carlyle, Rebecca Ferguson as famed singer Jenny Lind, as well as Zendaya, Keala Settle, Sam Humphrey, and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, who make up the various performers in Barnum's circus. In the film, Barnum grows up poor and struggles to make ends meet as he tries to take care of his family. After being laid off from his bookkeeping job, he decides to open a museum that will put on display all sorts of natural oddities and probably some unnatural ones to boot. What starts as a shrine to dead odd things quickly turns into a lively and raucous daily show featuring music, dance, acrobatics, and many, many different looking people.
First and foremost, "The Greatest Showman" is a musical. The number one thing a musical needs to have is good music. Luckily, this film contains some terrific toe-tapping tunes, a couple of exposition-heavy serious songs, and a few heartfelt romantic ditties as well. For the most part, the songs are memorable enough that they will stick with you as you leave the theater. As a story, "The Greatest Showman" forgoes an accurate portrayal of historical proportions in order to tell a more socially relevant, grandiose tale, delivering a message of inclusion and acceptance for all people. Hugh Jackman offers a commanding performance, and with his musical theater background and existing experience in theatrical musicals, he was the perfect choice for the lead role of P.T. Barnum. His charisma shines through each and every moment of the movie and allows the audience to forget for a brief moment that the empire P.T. Barnum built was actually pretty damn terrible. Zac Efron gets a chance to remind everyone who forgot that he once starred in "High School Musical" and is an exceptional singer. He has an excellent, authentic romance with Zendaya, who is also a splendid singer and does well in her role. This is not to say that being a great singer was a requirement to be part of this film as Rebecca Ferguson had all of her singing dubbed by "The Voice" contestant Loren Allred. Though all of these performances are wonderful, the best musical moment comes from Keala Settle's performance of "This is Me," a song about not hiding in the shadows and being proud of who you are. Now, on to the negatives. Despite how enjoyable the music is and despite how great the performances are, the narrative of "The Greatest Showman" is very flimsy. It's clear that it is not a tightly written story as it aims to simply fill time in between musical numbers. Also, even though the movie isn't very long, it does start to drag a bit due to this lack of a real story and an absence of anything but surface-level characters.
There's a good chance "The Greatest Showman" will please crowds looking for a few songs to dance to and a couple of flashy outfits to gaze upon for two hours, but it may leave some a little disappointed. It can feel more like a collection of music videos than a more engaging story with deeper meaning.
My Rating: 7/10
BigJ's Rating: 6/10
IMDB's Rating: 8.0/10
Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 54%
Do we recommend this movie: Sure, why not?
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