Yesterday directed by Danny Boyle is all the movie poster promises — it’s a feel-good movie of the summer. If, you are a Beatles fan. If you aren’t bothered by the preposterous premise, and if you enjoy the direction of Danny Boyle. I can say “yes” to all my ifs, so I enjoyed the movie. It’s a nostalgic, love story paying homage to The Beatles and that was Danny Boyle’s intent. The strength of the film owes to the performance of Himesh Patel who is the boy-next-door nowhere man, Jack Malik, who suffers a twelve-second bicycle accident and wakes up as the only one on the planet who knows who the Beatles are. He becomes the rock n roll star by passing himself off as the originator of the Beatles music. Feeling guilty for living a lie, he wins the girl, straightens things out, and they live happily ever after. First, when the script focused on the music — remembering the lyrics, the reactions to them — the music uplifts and is still timeless after all these years. I loved the scene where current pop star Ed Sheeran takes on Jack Malik in a song-writing contest at a party. “The Long and Winding Road” wins, what a surprise, and it’s Patel’s clear voice and emotion that sells it. Also, Jack Malik’s viper, L.A. manager Deborah, was played to perfection by KateMcKinnon. Finally, while it made no sense, I couldn’t help but gasp at the end of the movie where Jack Malik goes to a lone seaside house and knocks on the door. What a shock when the door opens. It would be a spoiler, so I’ll refrain from describing the scene except by saying it made me wish the scene were true. The weakest part of the movie was the love story. Poor LilyJames, who could be Keira Knightley’s little sister, who played the one-dimensional girl-next-door, Ellie. Boring and predictable. I wanted Mr. Boyle to get back to the music. Favorite scene? “We all live in the Yellow Submarine.” Yes, a world without the songs of the Beatles would be a sad world, indeed. 3.7 of 5.
I went to see Rocketman knowing it was more musical than a biopic. It has to be said that Elton grips my emotional heartstrings more than Queen or the Beatles. I vividly remember walking along dusty roads feeling lonely and uncomfortable with being twelve, and there was “Bennie and the Jets” playing on the radio. It cheered me up. I grew up listening to Elton. His over-the-top costumes and the sex, drugs, and rock and roll seemed “normal” for me living through the seventies and eighties. Therefore, little surprise, I enjoyed Rocketman very much. Taron Egerton possessed the talent to convince me he was Elton John. Director Dexter Fletcher took an audacious story and executed Elton’s life with some magical realism that worked for me. I enjoyed many of the dance numbers set to his songs to match the stage of his life. Two brilliant scenes stand out: “Pinball Wizard” choreographed to match Elton’s out of control lifestyle. The second when he announces on his swimming pool diving board that he is committing suicide. In he goes and he’s floating at the bottom of his pool looking up and singing “Rocketman”. Abused little Reggie (Matthew Illesley) accompanies the adult Elton (Taron Egerton) throughout the movie. The two learn how to forgive and survive. Melodramatic? Overplayed with the emotionally vacant father and condescending mother? You bet. The interesting parts of Elton’s life are not his sexual forays but his brotherly relationship with Bernie Taupin played perfectly by Jamie Bell. I was interested in the story of collaboration the most. It’s a film I could watch again if only for the outrageous costumes and dance numbers. I haven’t seen anything this crazy and fun since The Who’s Tommy. 4.2/5.
Bohemian Rhapsody was released in November 2018, and I was surprised how much it affected my high school students. They were obsessed with Freddie Mercury and fell in love with Queen. I thought it amusing when I casually mentioned how they were from “my” generation and when I shared personal accounts about their songs from a person “who was there” (Live Aid Concert, televised) I held their attention. Anyway, the only thing really worth mentioning about is the fantastic performance by Rami Malek, who most are aware won the major awards. I was happy to see he got all his accolades. 4/5.
Which one of the three did you like the best? There seems to be a trend, yes? What British star will we hail tomorrow? David Bowie must be curious about walking through that nostalgic turnstile.
It’s June 13. ROBIN and I are happy you joined us to comment about the Lucky 13 Film Club topic, MUSICALS. From the stage to the screen or made for the film, musicals have been a part of cinematic history since 1927’s The Jazz Singer. Once theaters were wired for sound, silent films added pre-recorded scores and songs, and it only took a few years before the infant heartbeat boomed with enthusiasm by the end of the 1930s.
Cindy’s thoughts
What I’ve noticed about musicals are the intense reactions you get when you talk about them. I happen to like Chicago. Others can’t stand it. I happen to like Les Misérables and others claim it’s atrocious. Really? Hugh Jackman sang his heart out. What more could you want from an entertainer? Please don’t make me watch Meryl Streep in Into the Woods or Mama Mia. However, Robin, my co-host, likes it a lot. I’m one of the few out there who yawns during Disney animations. Yes, even The Lion King. Why is Frozen so beloved? I never liked Beauty in the Beast. When it comes to musicals, my favorite decade is the 1970s. I was a teenager and thought the rock musicals were cool. However, my favorite musicals come from the 1960s: West Side Story, Cabaret (1968/72), and The Sound of Music. Still, I prefer the voice of Barbara Streisand over Julie Andrews. Besides our subjective tastes, can we all agree Bob Fosse transformed the musical more than any other director/choreographer? Probably not.
Bob Fosse: His trademark featured dancers posing on mundane props like chairs, steps, and ladders. Dancing duos and trios, quads or the entire chorus linked visually in silhouette or by movement with exact precision. His staging used the extremities like hands and fingers to stress a beat. His sexual vision blended humor and acrobatic mastery. Whispers and pillow talk built to fortissimo eruptions that sparked the imagination and claimed the senses. He made sex on the stage and the screen artful, funny, and interesting.
West Side Story: The choreography paired with the orchestral music of Leonard Bernstein is so powerful, I’m simultaneously energized and drained every time I experience the magic expressed by the two opposing gangs. The bold jewel tones worn by the Sharks contrast with the gang’s reserved, cool demeanor. The washed out colors of the Jets contrast with their boisterous, brash personality. Their dancing reflects that duality. There’s nothing better than the opening segment of the musical choreographed by Jerome Robbins.
What are your favorite musical scenes?
Robin’s impressions
The film, A Chorus Line (1985) was an entertaining adaptation of the Broadway production. The story is about how people who are singers and dancers end up in lesser parts as in a chorus line rather than the leading singer or main character. Sir Richard Attenborough took the screenplay and gave it a few boosts of energy while some say he took away the homosexual entendre and watered it down. The plot includes a director played by Michael Douglas in his handsome prime, who interviews a diverse cast of various ages and ethnic groups. The book was made into a screenplay by James Kirkwood, Jr. and Nicholas Dante.The music was written by Marvin Hamlisch and Edward Kleban. While it was nominated for Academy Awards, Tony’s and Golden Globes but was “beat out” by great competition in 1985.
I love “One,” which I hum when I meet someone who enchants or interests me and I think, “One, singular sensation. . . ” Cameron English singing, “Who Am I Anyway?” resonates. Charles McGowan sings, “I Can Do That,” with verve and gusto. A new song, “Surprise, Surprise” was nominated for Best Song. It replaced but had some lines taken from original Broadway version of, Hello 12, Hello 13, Hello Love.” Interestingly, Alyson Reed is 58 now, playing a variety of guest TV roles and characters such as a mother from Mad Men, Modern Family and in the older television series, (one of my favorites) Providence. Alyson sings as Cassie, “Let Me Dance for You” and another favorite, “What I Did for Love.”
From Richard Attenborough’s autobiography, he interviewed “a woman with the last name of Ciccione” and rejected her in February 1984, for the Broadway version of this. Are you freaking out yet? I did! She later became known by her own “singular sensation” name–Madonna.
I would give “A Chorus Line” film version 3 out of 4 stars.
My one-liner review would be: “This film had punch, pizzazz and poignancy all wrapped up with lovely music.”
The main advantages of the movie Rent(2005)are the fabulous ensemble cast members and Chris Columbus directing this film version of the Broadway musical. Columbus was able to get six leading actors who performed and sang in Broadway version. My favorite songs are “Seasons of Love” which talks about how many minutes and hours are in a person’s lifetime. It embraces the closing mantra, “No Day but Today.” There are several apartment dwellers behind on paying rent in this story plotline, and they struggle with sexuality, gender identity, drugs, and the AIDs disease in the specific time frame of the late 80s. One of five people who chose to put their money into this Tribeca Productions was Robert De Niro.
My true ending song was when the cast stand a few feet from each other and sing the beautiful ensemble song, “Seasons of Love.” Jesse L. Martin’s voice and Idina Menzel‘s (Frozen) are my favorites but each is invaluable to the song. I rate Rent all 4 stars.
The third movie, Mamma Mia, makes me smile as I think about how much better this becomes as a film than as a stage production. I mean, it is filmed on a Greek Island! Once you have seen the hayloft scene with Meryl Streep or her scene with Pierce Brosnan on the rocky cliff by the Aegean Sea, it would be hard for me to reign in my love for this frivolity and to put it back inside theater walls. The musical play was written in 1998 by Catherine Johnson and performed at the West End in New York City in 2001. The film was directed by Phyllida Lloyd and released in 2008. The music was composed by the Swedish band, ABBA. Meryl Streep’s Donna is relaxed and playful. Donna owns a villa on the Greek island Kalokairi. When Donna had a daughter, she didn’t think ahead to Sophia’s wedding day. As the wedding date approaches, the bride wants to know who will walk her down the aisle. Once Sophia gets the names, she invites all three of her mother’s lovers to come to the island. Pierce Brosnan, Stellan Skarsgard, and Colin Firth are the men who are potentially Sophie’s father.
What songs from any musical are seared into your heart and mind? Why are they important?
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LET’S TALK.
I enjoyed exploring John Kenrick’sMUSICALS101.COM to gather dates and information about the history of musicals in film. It’s impossible to break down the decades and give a summary worthy of the genre. Therefore, here’s a hodge-podge overview, omitting many classics, many actors, many directors, and trends. The purpose ofthe following list is to trigger your memory and to offer an impetus for discussion.
1930s.Busby Berkely makes the camera move with the dancers. 42nd Street revives interest in the musical. 1930 Production Code censors films in general. MGM owns Micky Rooney and Judy Garland. RKO claims Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers. Walt Disney‘s Snow White and the Seven Dwarves. The Wizard of Oz.
1940s.Shirley Temple, Danny Kaye. Bing Crosby & Bob Hope’s Road series. No one topped MGM’s star Judy Garland during the decade with sixteen musicals and fourteen feature films. Her marriage to top director Vincente Minnelli propelled her talents. Gene Kelly was at the top of his game and so was Frank Sinatra.
1950s. Says John Kerrick: “The 1950s were both the brightest and the saddest years for the Hollywood musical. The genre reached its zenith, with two musicals winning the Academy Award for Best Picture. At the same time, television drew millions of customers away from movie theatres and sped the death of the studios that had made lavish screen musicals possible. How sharp was the change? In the mid-1940s, 90 million Americans went to the movies each week – by the late 1950s, that figure had dwindled to 16 million. This coincided with the U.S. Federal courts forcing the studios to sell off their nationwide theater chains. Shaken by these changes, a long-profitable system fell apart with amazing speed. By the decade’s end, the major Hollywood studios disbanded most of their full-time employees, from the rank and file tech crews to the stars, writers, and directors.”
20th Century Fox: Rogers and Hammerstein classics Oklahoma, Carousel, South Pacific.
MGM Greats: An American in Paris, Singing in the Rain, The Band Wagon, Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, Gigi.
1960s. Julie Andrews and Elvis Presley. The Beatles, A Hard Day’s Night. Adapting Broadway musicals to the screen: The Music Man, My Fair Lady, West Side Story, Funny Girl, Sweet Charity, What a Way to Go. Oliver!
1970s. Bob Fosse‘s Cabaret and All That Jazz. Rock rules: Jesus Christ Super Star, Quadrophenia, Tommy, The Rose, Rocky Horror Picture Show, and Grease. Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory.
1980s. The Blues Brothers. Footloose. A Chorus Line. Purple Rain. Yentel. The Muppets. Little Shop of Horrors. Victor-Victoria. Hairspray. The Little Mermaid.
1990s. Disney’s New Golden Age. Beauty and the Beast. Alladin. Pocahontas. The Lion King.
2000s. Chicago collects the Oscar for Best Film, 34 years after Oliver! in 1968. Moulin Rouge. 8 Mile. Phantom of the Opera. Rent. The Producers. Sweeny Todd. Mama Mia. Dream Girls. Walk the Line.
2010s.Les Misérables. Frozen. Into the Woods. Jersey Boys.
What are your favorite musical scenes?
What songs from any musical are seared into your heart and mind?
Cindy Bruchman 