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Les Miserables
Jan. 3rd, 2013 10:10 amOf course I Les Miserables because I’m the hugest fan ever it’s the best show in the world ever ever EVAR. The movie was...interesting. I’m glad they chose to make a very different movie than a stage production, because that’s ballsy and different. Focusing on the actors faces and zooming in on the dramatic intensity of one person’s emotion was cool, because we can’t see that in a stage production where most seats are usually so far away you can’t make out faces so much. But wasn’t as moved by the movie as I was by the stage show. I cried maybe three times at the movie, when I saw the re-imagined 25th anniversary show in Boston last year I cried like a little girl through the entire second act. Did I mention I’m a huge fan.
It was interesting to hear the songs sung in a very personal as opposed to stage-showy way. There was much more emotion and, well, acting, in the songs, but the experience is not always a pleasant one. Gripping and turbulent and moving, as good acting should be, but not pleasant. If the movie soundtrack is the recorded takes of the scenes in the movie, I can’t imagine they’d sell much because the performances don’t lend themselves to singing along. And the singing: Russell Crowe is a little less than good at singing, and terrible for such a major role. Hugh Jackman held up decently, as did Marius, Anne Hathaway and Eponine were quite good and Amanda Seyfried is a really neat soprano, she has this trembling warble that is totally Disney Princess, I was expecting little birds to fly in carrying the laundry. My biggest disappointment was the Threnardiers Sacha Baron Cohen and Helena Bonham Carter, on the stage they are the most spectacular comedic counterpoint to all the misery and strife (and the Harvest Moon song in the sewers is such a wonderfully malevolent counterpoint to the comedy counterpoint) but in the movie they played it so laid back, so...flaccid. The movie accentuated the realism of dirt and misery of the time, but Master Of The House should be the ONE place you can do a rousing Hollywood song-and-dance blowout, and it was just meh. Speaking of realism, I kinda wish they had a little less realism in the sewers, when ValJean is dragging Marius through the muck and I got distracted because I keep thinking oh my god you got in in your mouth you got poo in your mouth ewwww! When they come out and face Javert and Hugh Jackman’s face is covered with poo I can’t hear the words because I keep thinking YOUR FACE IS COVERED WITH POO. I did the same thing watching The Hobbit whenever Radagast is on screen. Oh god, it’s poo, I can’t stop looking at the poo.
Ok I’ve done a lot of bitching but really I did like the movie, and I’m glad I saw it. I just probably won’t see it again, as opposed to the stage show which I’ve seen like three times and if it comes back to Boston again I’ll totally see it again. I hope they don’t re-imagine it with poo.
It was interesting to hear the songs sung in a very personal as opposed to stage-showy way. There was much more emotion and, well, acting, in the songs, but the experience is not always a pleasant one. Gripping and turbulent and moving, as good acting should be, but not pleasant. If the movie soundtrack is the recorded takes of the scenes in the movie, I can’t imagine they’d sell much because the performances don’t lend themselves to singing along. And the singing: Russell Crowe is a little less than good at singing, and terrible for such a major role. Hugh Jackman held up decently, as did Marius, Anne Hathaway and Eponine were quite good and Amanda Seyfried is a really neat soprano, she has this trembling warble that is totally Disney Princess, I was expecting little birds to fly in carrying the laundry. My biggest disappointment was the Threnardiers Sacha Baron Cohen and Helena Bonham Carter, on the stage they are the most spectacular comedic counterpoint to all the misery and strife (and the Harvest Moon song in the sewers is such a wonderfully malevolent counterpoint to the comedy counterpoint) but in the movie they played it so laid back, so...flaccid. The movie accentuated the realism of dirt and misery of the time, but Master Of The House should be the ONE place you can do a rousing Hollywood song-and-dance blowout, and it was just meh. Speaking of realism, I kinda wish they had a little less realism in the sewers, when ValJean is dragging Marius through the muck and I got distracted because I keep thinking oh my god you got in in your mouth you got poo in your mouth ewwww! When they come out and face Javert and Hugh Jackman’s face is covered with poo I can’t hear the words because I keep thinking YOUR FACE IS COVERED WITH POO. I did the same thing watching The Hobbit whenever Radagast is on screen. Oh god, it’s poo, I can’t stop looking at the poo.
Ok I’ve done a lot of bitching but really I did like the movie, and I’m glad I saw it. I just probably won’t see it again, as opposed to the stage show which I’ve seen like three times and if it comes back to Boston again I’ll totally see it again. I hope they don’t re-imagine it with poo.
