Posted Jul 18th 2008 8:03PM by Monika Bartyzel
Filed under: Music & Musicals, Fandom, Home Entertainment, Friday Night Double Feature
Right off the bat, I must say: While I love music in film, I don't like most of the musicals out there. Try as I might, most just inspire me to daydream through the musical numbers. But those that capture me, I adore. I never get tired of the rapid wordplay from
Pirates of Penzance. I love most of the music in
Moulin Rouge -- especially the inclusions of Lamb's "Gorecki." If it's done right, I'm a fan forever (
Evil Dead: The Musical).
Surprisingly enough, there are two films that came out in the last year that I really dug, even though they really didn't hit the mark with fans. They came, they danced, they crooned, and they fell flat. I sat down to watch both of these expecting disappointment, and in one case, I was digging it from the first minute, and the other, I just couldn't stop giggling. In a very brief journey back in time, I give you:
Across the Universe and
Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story.
Continue reading Cinematical's Friday Night Double Feature: Underrated Music Movies
Posted Jul 18th 2008 2:03PM by Christopher Campbell
Filed under: Documentary, Independent, Music & Musicals, Theatrical Reviews, The Weinstein Co., Cinematical Indie
One thing you should know about the Julian Schnabel-directed concert documentary
Lou Reed's Berlin is that Lou Reed has personally instructed theaters to play the film at concert-level volume. That means it's really, really loud. When I saw it (at NYC's
Film Forum, which is following Reed's command throughout the film's limited engagement), an elder woman walked out. Of course, I can't be sure that it was due to the sound, though the exit was during one of the loudest songs.
The volume may seem excessive and unnecessary to some, but at a time when concert docs are shown in IMAX and/or in 3-D, it really helps a film like
Lou Reed's Berlin compete for audiences seeking a filmic experience comparable to the real thing. And leaving the theater with your ears ringing will help you think that you were actually there when Reed performed his 1973 album Berlin live for the first (and second, third and fourth) time in Brooklyn, New York, December 14-17, 2006.
Continue reading Review: Lou Reed's Berlin
Posted Jul 17th 2008 8:03PM by Jette Kernion
Filed under: Comedy, Music & Musicals, Romance, Universal, Theatrical Reviews
I'm slightly mistrustful of titles that include exclamation points. They always remind me of the musical version of
The Elephant Man,
Elephant!, in
The Tall Guy ("... there's an angel with big eeears..."). But in the case of
Mamma Mia!, I'm actually surprised the title only included one exclamation point -- you can imagine the filmmakers or the creators of the stage version embracing even more emphatic punctuation, just to let you know that This! Is a Musical! And also Wacky!! As if chorus lines of men in flippers, Meryl Streep waving a feather boa, and enough ABBA music to sate the leads of
Priscilla, Queen of the Desert wouldn't have clued you in.
The movie, like the stage musical it's adapted from, is essentially and unabashedly an extended gimmick -- an excuse to sing and perform songs that originated from the Swedish musical group ABBA. Characters spontaneously burst into song not because they're aspiring performers (
Chicago), or because their singing is meant as a melodious soliloquy (
Sweeney Todd), but because the situation or their emotional state reminds them of an ABBA song (sometimes more tangentially than others), and they decide to share it with everyone. I've had friends like this in real life, although that seems to have been a college-age thing.
Continue reading Review: Mamma Mia!
Posted Jul 17th 2008 7:02PM by Erik Davis
Filed under: Action, Animation, Drama, Music & Musicals, New Releases, Fandom, Exhibition, Family Films, Comic/Superhero/Geek, Remakes and Sequels
I'm fairly certain that a good majority of you will be taking full advantage of the summer weather this weekend by playing some friendly summertime games with the neighborhood children. However, if you happen to get the urge to visit your local multiplex (or IMAX theater) to watch one of them moving pictures in color and surround sound, then we here at
Cinematical would be interested to know what you'll be watching.
In one corner we have the year's heavyweight champ of movie marketing in
The Dark Knight. He's big, he's a bat and he's ready to take your hard-earned dollars. In another corner, we have one of Broadway's most beloved musicals arriving on the big screen for the first time:
Mamma Mia! For the kids too young for Batman, we also have
Space Chimps -- and for those in desperate need of an indie fix, we have
Transsiberian. I'm happy to say there's a little something for everyone this weekend ... but what will you be watching?
Posted Jul 17th 2008 5:03PM by Jessica Barnes
Filed under: Drama, Independent, Music & Musicals, Casting
Well, what do you know? It turns out that not only is
Jeff Bridges the man responsible for the
patron saint of stoners everywhere, but apparently the guy can sing too.
Variety reports that
Maggie Gyllenhaal and
Robert Duvall have signed to star alongside Bridges in the country music drama
Crazy Heart.
The indie drama is based on
Thomas Cobb's debut novel of the same name, and centers on an alcoholic country star with the unfortunate name of Bad Blake. Scott Cooper (who will also direct) has adapted the story of an alcoholic country music singer (Bridges) who is in the midst of a professional and personal meltdown. When a journalist (played by Gyllenhaal) blows through town to interview the fading star, the two begin a relationship that helps Blake get his life back on track.
Plus it turns out that all three stars have some previous musical experience. Duvall starred in
Tender Mercies back in 1983 (which also centered on an alcoholic country singer -- and won Duvall an Oscar for Best Actor), Gyllenhaal did a little
singing in the flick
Happy Endings, and Bridges has already released an entire
album -- and here I was thinking the guy was only a great actor and pretty decent
photographer. I would assume that as Blake, Bridges may be doing the bulk of the singing (with original music provided by T Bone Burnett), but it's good to know he has some back-up if he needs it.
Crazy Heart is scheduled to start filming on location next month in New Mexico.
Posted Jul 17th 2008 8:02AM by Monika Bartyzel
Filed under: Music & Musicals, Scripts
Over two years ago,
Erik mentioned a new musical on the way called
Bob: The Musical. At the time, it was described as a film about "a mild-mannered man who suddenly hears the 'inner song' of people's hearts after being struck in the head." The description was vague enough that the project could easily slide into good or bad territory. However, the fact that John August, Marc Shaiman and Mark Waters were writing the feature helped matters.
And now
Parenthood scribes
Lowell Ganz and
Babaloo Mandel are getting their hand at the script according to
The Hollywood Reporter. (It has also been worked on by Mike Bender, who penned the original pitch, Jon Lucas, and Scott Moore.) But the real improvement is the story, or at least, how they're describing it. The film will focus on a thirty-something guy named Bob "who hates musicals and wakes up to find his entire life has become one."
That's got to really suck. I wonder if it's the sort of musical where everyone suddenly becomes awesome singers, or if it will have a Joss Whedon twist and be mixed with good and bad singers? Whatever the case, I'm sold.
Posted Jul 16th 2008 4:33PM by Monika Bartyzel
Filed under: Documentary, Music & Musicals, Deals
Harry Truman, Doris Day, Red China, Johnny Ray, South Pacific, Walter Winchell, Joe DiMaggio...All these years later, and I still know every damned word. Unfortunately, this doc for
Billy Joel freaks won't just span the many years of history, but rather a few select shows.
Variety reports that Spitfire Pictures is teaming up with Joel's Maritime Pictures for a feature documentary that will focus on his performances at Shea Stadium this week, before it gets demolished later this year.
Titled
Last Play at Shea, the feature will mix Joel's songs with doc footage about his blue-collar life in Long Island and the Queens ballpark. Producer Steve Cohen says: "We wanted to approach this like a Ken Burns documentary, looking at Billy and Shea Stadium's place in the pantheon of New York." So there will be a little history, but how much will all depend on how many songs are chosen for the film.
Me, I'm going to wait and see and not expect a darned thing, because last time I did -- oh, the disappointment. It wasn't Joel's fault, but I was back in middle school, and there was a new project where the 8th graders would listen to a song that talked about the world and do projects on it. The year before, the kids got "We Didn't Start the Fire," which was playing in the classroom all the fricking time while the kids had a blast. When it was my class' turn, we got "From a Distance." Grr.
Posted Jul 16th 2008 4:03PM by Matt Bradshaw
Filed under: Action, Animation, Comedy, Music & Musicals, Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Thrillers, Box Office, Box Office Predictions
It's a good time to be a cinematic super hero, and Jules Verne proved that his work still has legs 103 years after his death, but Eddie Murphy's
Meet Dave died a thousand deaths pulling in a mere $5.2 million and not even making the top five. Here are the totals:
1. Hellboy II: The Golden Army: $34.5 million
2. Hancock: $32 million
3. Journey to the Center of the Earth: $21 million
4. Wall-E: $18.7 million
5. Wanted: $11.9 million
Three new releases this week, and in the very broadest of terms we have one for the guys, one for the gals and one for the kids.
The Dark Knight
What's It All About: Do I really need to explain this one?
Christian Bale returns to the role of Batman in the sequel to the series rebooting
Batman Begins, with
Christopher Nolan once again in the director's chair. There's a new crime boss in Gotham City and he's called The Joker (
Heath Ledger). The two clash, things blow up, awesomeness ensues.
Why It Might Do Well: This will be the movie to beat this Summer. Batman is so ingrained into American pop culture that he's bonded to our collective DNA.
Batman Begins grossed $205 million domestically and $371 million worldwide.
The Dark Knight is scoring 88% over at Rottentomatoes.com and Cinematical's own James Rocchi had
some good things to say about it.
Why It Might Not Do Well: There remains the possibility that people with a fear of bats will join forces with those with a fear of clowns and boycott the film, which of course means more popcorn for the rest of us.
Number of Theaters: 4,300
Prediction: $125 million
Continue reading Box Office: The Dark Knight Arrives
Posted Jul 16th 2008 3:02PM by Monika Bartyzel
Filed under: Music & Musicals, Fandom, Home Entertainment, Comic/Superhero/Geek
If you're an iTunes subscriber and a Joss Whedon fiend, you were probably giggling yesterday as most fans (like me) kept desperately refreshing and going back to
drhorrible.com all day to see Act I of
Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog. Now it's up on the new server with no problems and a lot of singing goodness. Free! Some days I really, really love the Internet!
Having just watched Act I for myself, I can tell you that it is so worth the 13 minutes and 49 seconds. It starts off mellow (but still funny), and soon enough -- there are simple, yet ridiculously catchy songs, evil schemes and deeds, and that charming Captain Hammer.
Think
Venture Brothers done Whedon style, and the only critique I can come up with right now is that "The Evil League of Evil" doesn't sound as cool as "The Guild of Calamitous Intent." Still, I'm happy. Neil Patrick Harris. Nathan Fillion. Felicia Day. Pure, musical awesome.
Oh yeah, and the MySpace page even has
a comic!
Posted Jul 15th 2008 7:32PM by Christopher Campbell
Filed under: Classics, Independent, Music & Musicals, Awards, MGM, Cinematical Indie
I'm typically a fan of all the movie-related stamps produced by the U.S. Postal Service, and I'm very glad to read
the news that important early African American movie stars are being recognized and celebrated with a new series of 42-cent stamps (
see them all here). However, I am a little disappointed that it carries on the usual exclusion of mostly forgotten non-musical
race films, which are a significant part of both film history and African American history. Considering the stamps are tagged "Black Cinema USA," a number of people may assume this was the height of what African Americans were offered in the first half of the 20th century (
Oscar Micheaux deserves a stamp).
Gripes aside, though, it is nonetheless a wonderful set. The five stamps feature vintage poster designs from old movies starring musical artists Josephine Baker (
Princess Tam-Tam), Duke Ellington (
Black and Tan) and Louis Jordan (
Caldonia), plus King Vidor's monumental Oscar-nominated musical,
Hallelujah! (it was one of the rare studio films featuring an all black cast) and the 1921 silent film
The Sport of the Gods. In previous, separate years,
Showboat costars Paul Robeson and Hattie McDaniel have also received their own postage stamps.
The new stamps come out Wednesday and there will be a ceremony on their behalf that day at the Newark Museum, which is currently holding the 34th annual Newark Black Film Festival. The festival is also holding free screenings of
Hallelujah on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.
Posted Jul 15th 2008 5:31PM by Erik Davis
Filed under: Music & Musicals, Deals, Fandom, DIY/Filmmaking
It wasn't too long ago that I was talking about how
Jersey Boys should be adapted for the big screen. In that same post (and in
another one as well), I said how
Wicked was one of Broadway's best (if not
the best) and yet it still hadn't gone the movie-musical route. Fans of the musical finally have a chance to rejoice, however, because
Variety tells us that as part of producer Marc Platt's (
Wanted) new, extended five-year contract with Universal, he'll be working on a movie version of
Wicked, along with a sequel to
Wanted and a remake of the rock opera
Jesus Christ Superstar.
Here's what Uni's production president Donna Langley had to say about
Wicked: "Our goal now is absolutely to make the 'Wicked' film, but much like Judy Craymer wouldn't give up screen rights to 'Mamma Mia!' until the stage show had reached its pinnacle, Marc and Stephen Schwartz are very mindful of the right timing. But we're dying to do it."
Wicked, for those not in the know, is based on the best-selling novel about the two witches in the Land of Oz -- Elphaba, the future Wicked Witch of the West, and Glinda, the Good Witch of the North -- and is set mostly before
The Wizard of Oz, kinda like a prequel. It'd also be an interesting adaptation because there's that fantasy element that hasn't really been present in the last round of movie-musicals; thus, I'll be curious to see how they pull this one off.
What say you? Is it time for
Wicked to hit the big screen? Down for
Wanted 2? Itching for more
Jesus Christ Superstar?
Posted Jul 14th 2008 2:32PM by Christopher Campbell
Filed under: Foreign Language, Music & Musicals, Cinematical Indie
The movie-turned-musical fad isn't just for rock-themed movies and cute romantic comedies anymore. Recently,
I blogged about the Weinstein Co.'s plans to adapt Oscar fare like
Shakespeare in Love and
Chocolat for Broadway. Now,
Variety reports of another Oscar nominee that's headed for the stage:
Daens. Never heard of it? Maybe that's because it was up for the Best Foreign Film Academy Award 15 years ago and yet despite that honor, it doesn't seem to have ever played in U.S. theaters. The Belgian period drama won't be competing against other movie-turned-musical hits like
Legally Blonde and
Hairspracy, though -- at least not yet. Instead the production opens outside Antwerp this October.
Here's why it could successfully make it's way across the Atlantic:
Variety compares the scenario of
Daens, about a priest attempting to improve conditions in the textile industry in the 19th century, to
Les Miserables, which has been an enormous hit on Broadway (as well as in London). Also, though the musical will be bilingual, with some characters speaking Flemish and others speaking French, there will be subtitles, which could also be used if a Broadway version wanted to retain the original languages. Of course, I don't know that the same tourists
currently making
Legally Blonde a success will want to flock to a musical they have to read. And it might make singing along a little awkward, too.
Posted Jul 14th 2008 9:02AM by Elisabeth Rappe
Filed under: Comedy, Music & Musicals, Deals, Paramount, Scripts, Newsstand, Remakes and Sequels
It's official! According to
Variety, the
School of Rock band is getting back together.
Jack Black is returning to reprise his role as Dewey Finn,
Richard Linklater will be sitting in the director's chair again, and
Mike White is writing the script.
Talk of a sequel has been flying for weeks, so this really comes as no surprise.
In
School of Rock 2: America Rocks, Finn will lead a group of summer school students on a cross-country field trip that delves into the history of rock and roll. Expect lots of cameos as the students study the roots of blues, rap, and country. I'm putting my money on B.B. King already and Snoop Dogg. Maybe Bono and Bruce Springsteen, too. (Actually, that would be pretty cool.)
I'm of two minds on this. I was surprised at how much I enjoyed the first movie; in fact think it was probably the first Jack Black movie I actually liked. But does it
really lend itself to a sequel? While it's encouraging that the entire team is coming back, we all know that's never a guarantee of comedic success. How many awesome comedy sequels can you name?
Plus, there was that whole story about White
weeping as he wrote the script. I'm still weirded out by that. Barring a fiery schoolbus crash, or the children discovering that Britney Spears was allowed to cover the Rolling Stones, why would you shed tears? Hmm. I think my official position has shifted from lukewarm to DO NOT WANT. What about you?
Posted Jul 13th 2008 7:03PM by Peter Martin
Filed under: Music & Musicals, RumorMonger, Fandom
From an outer space future to the modern Broadway stage? No, Pixar's animated hit WALL-E isn't becoming a musical -- yet -- but it may be responsible for the revival of a venerable stage production. Jerry Herman, who wrote the music and lyrics for the Broadway smash Hello, Dolly, told Variety that the release of the widely-acclaimed film about a lovestruck robot has "unexpectedly amplified the buzz" that Dolly would be revived for Broadway.
In the film, WALL-E discovers Hello, Dolly on an ancient videocassette in a trash heap and becomes enthralled by the songs "Put on Your Sunday Clothes" and "It Only Takes a Moment." The songs play a key role in the narrative. Director Andrew Stanton told The A.V. Club that he "always loved the idea of the future against the past juxtaposed ... it just fit musically."
There's been talk of a Broadway revival of Hello, Dolly for several years, according to Herman, who was "stunned and moved" by the movie's first moments, in which "Put on Your Sunday Clothes" is heard. He thinks the movie "will only make it more vital, more of an event, and I think a lot of kids would come and see where those songs came from."
The composer has thought of Queen Latifah for the lead role, while expressing reservations about other possibilities, such as Oprah Winfrey, Meryl Streep, Patti LuPone, Reba McEntire, Bernadette Peters, and Barbra Streisand, who played the part in the movie version.
Posted Jul 11th 2008 3:02PM by Scott Weinberg
Filed under: Animation, Music & Musicals, Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Paramount, Remakes and Sequels
Gotta respect a producer who "takes his ball and goes home" when a studio balks at his chosen subject matter. Frankly I think there's way too much compromise in the movie biz, especially when you consider that film is supposed to be a
balance between commerce and art. Lately it seems like the commerce has taken over. Like cancer.
Anyway, I just fan-ranted for a minute, but that's what happens when the name
David Fincher comes up. For a while now, the director of fine films like
Seven,
Fight Club, and
Zodiac has been planning to produce
a new adaptation of the famous
Heavy Metal magazine. If you're even slightly familiar with the publication (or
this 1981 movie, which is highly uneven but certainly worth seeing -- and hearing!) then you know that any sort of
Heavy Metal movie would inevitably be rated
R. Sex, violence, profanity, monsters, huge barrels of cleavage ...
Heavy Metal trades in all that stuff big-time. (Plus it's the home of several fantastic artists.)
But according to
Hollywood Insider, Paramount got a little skitchy about the project's subject matter. "Too risque for mainstream audiences" is how EW's Nicole Sperling describes it. Mr. Fincher and his collaborators (Kevin Eastman, Steve Niles, and several others) are now offering the project around Hollywood, and it shouldn't take too long for the guys to find a buyer: I can't imagine that an animated feature like this would cost all THAT much, plus it's probably good politics to be pals with David Fincher. Plus, and most important, this project would certainly make some sort of a profit. Obviously it's not a 4,000-screen mid-July tentpole release, but dang ... there's plenty of room at the multiplexes for something different.
Even if that something different is actually based on a 35-year-old magazine.
Next Page >
