Miscellaneous Movie Musings

[Gemini Cricket]

I've finished the film Elizabeth: TGA and nothing redeems it. This take on Elizabeth's is tarnished.
I hereby decree that this film be banished to the White Tower and never released. The editor of this film will also enter through Traitor's Gate as a traitor to good film making and also sent to the tower where he will be fated to watch this tripe on a continual loop for the rest of his years. Ms. Blanchett and Mr. Owen shall be spared my anger. For their past efforts which outclass this one, they are forgiven. Mr. Kapur will be denied an audience from me henceforth. If there is to be a third installment of the Elizabeth tale, I shall weep five hundred year old tears.

As for you, Mr. Spaceman, this queen demands historical accuracy for a film portraying my most cherished historical figure and leader. You may find it laughable, but I do not. What does attribute to folly is your famously bad taste in films. For that, you will be sent to the rack... my rack of DVDs for a collection of truly great films for you to reference.*

HRH Crickebeth the First





*For those not familiar with humor, this take on Steve is in jest and in jest only.

[innerSpaceman]

It's a movie, G.C. Get over it. By definition, it cannot be historically accurate. I happen to prefer when it's more so than less so, and I regret this one was very much less so.

I also regret it portrayed Elizabeth as a lovesick teenager obsessed with menopause. Bah. And I hated the portrayal of Walter Raleigh as Stock Debonnaire Adventurer.

But I liked the art direction, and the directorial stylisticness. I agree, a poor film. But, to me at least, an interesting failure.

I'm with you on most of the critiscims, G.C. .... but please show me an historically accurate history movie or two. Alex was prolific with decades-later role revisitings; surely you can provide a handful of historically accurate, non-documentary films.


* * * * * *

EH1812 - right on, sista, about Across the Universe. The vividly and imaginatively re-worked covers of Beatles tunes revitalized my interest in their music.

Interestingly, I ran right out and bought the Across the Universe CD ... but found the songs were lame without their visuals. Not lame, exactly, but not a one where I preferred the cover to the original. Yet, in the film, I find most of the covers absolutely brilliant.

They work for their medium. I like that. And yes, the characters are weakly drawn and rely on the music to propel their meager arcs and the minor story. But it's an operetta, after all, with barely 20 minutes of dialogue. And, as I've mentioned before, major points for non-lip-synching 90% of the time. Live singing captured on film. Name me the musical that's done that before.


Alex???

[CoasterMatt]

iSM, which version of the CD Soundtrack did you get?

[innerSpaceman]

The single disc. I was going to nab the other tracks from the 2-disc set from some kind soul ... but I was not really inspired to. I was so surprised to be "meh" about the songs out of their context. And yet, even when I watch the movie now, I love the numbers musically as well as visually.

[CoasterMatt]

Well, I've been watching my favorite bits from the movie over, and I've got the soundtrack on my iPod - they DEFINITELY need the visuals.

I was meh with the movie on first viewing, now it's kind of grown on me.

I watched One Flew Over The Cuckoos Nest this morning, and now The Wild Bunch is on - Damn you HDMovies for stealing my day

[flippyshark]

Originally Posted by innerSpaceman

And, as I've mentioned before, major points for non-lip-synching 90% of the time. Live singing captured on film. Name me the musical that's done that before.

At Long Last Love - Peter Bogdanovich's disastrous 1975 musical starring Burt Reynolds, Cybil Sheppard and Madeline Khan singing Cole Porter standards. The singing was performed live on set, which was highly touted in the film's publicity. The result was apparently so awful, and the reviews so scathing, that Bogdanovich ran an apology ad in the papers.

I caught a little bit of At Long Last Love on TV back in maybe 1982, and it did look pretty bad, but I'd happily watch the whole thing given the chance. It's never been released on video, but perhaps it turns up on AMC or something now and again. Anyone have it?

[Gemini Cricket]

I just watched Sicko by Michael Moore. I didn't see it in the theatres.
A very interesting documentary. I really, really liked it.
It's astounding how bad our health care system is.
Yes, that whole Cuba scene was dorky and clunky, but the rest brought up very interesting questions that need to be answered.

[Gemini Cricket]

CoasterMatt, madmonkeygirl and I watched Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band at their abode.
It was... well it was what it was.
For me, it was one of those movies that are so bad that it's good.
Loved Aerosmith and Earth Wind & Fire in this one.
Man, there must have been Costco-sized hairspray cans all over the set just for Barry Gibbs' do alone.
It made me long for the Beatles' versions of their songs.

Let's just say that this movie made Across the Universe look like Casa-freakin-blanca.

[wendybeth]

It was hideous, but Peter Frampton was pretty darned cute.


(And Gibbs looks like an Aqua-net extra firm rock hard insoluble polymer kind of guy).

[wendybeth]

We watched August Rush the other night. I wanted to shoot myself. (That is generally a bad sign.) It didn't suck as badly as The Holiday, but it was close. I really hate movies that lack subtlety and beat the absolute **** out of you with their horrid dialog and one-trick-pony premises. A client made me watch Holiday because she wanted her hair cut like Cameron Diaz's, and she's lucky I like her because I seriously considered giving her Jude Law's do instead.