Musical Mondays-Week 5-Across the Universe

[Cameron H. 23786]

While I would not put it past them to do something like this, I think the reason for the English girlfriend is so they can do all those shots at the beginning with Lucy and her boyfriend match up to him with his girlfriend.

 

No, he has another girl in New York, who's a "friend," that gets pissed at him for hanging out with Lucy. It looks like he's breaking up with her while Lucy is singing.

 

Also that reminds me of my biggest HDTGM moment of the movie. Right before that song he draws her pictures on that abandoned building and a cop from the second story yells at them. Why is the cop on the second floor of an abandoned building? Also, where do they go to get away from him? Why into that building.

 

I was about to bring up this same freaking thing. Camerons of the World Unite!

[Cam Bert 8145]

 

No, he has another girl in New York, who's a "friend," that gets pissed at him for hanging out with Lucy. It looks like he's breaking up with her while Lucy is singing.

That's right! She like hugs him and he's trying to push her off. I forgot all about her that's what a non-entity she was.

[Cam Bert 8145]

I was about to bring up this same freaking thing. Camerons of the World Unite!

[Cakebug Tranch 6873]

I remain astonished and overjoyed by the vitriol that this pick has stirred up. I honestly didn't expect such a reaction. Even from mild-mannered Cam Bert! This is a treat.

 

I think for me the thing that ruins this movie is hubris. Julie Taymor, who I've already identified many times as a raving lunatic, got her McArthur genius grant nearly 30 years ago and since, she's been creating boondoggle after boondoggle, with the notable exception of The Lion King. She studied puppetry in Indonesia and is one of the most self consciously 'artistic' artists out there, who is all about the art without giving a shit for the audience. Seriously, read the Song of Spider-Man book to get a better view, where she sabotaged that project by making it not about Spider-Man, but Arachne, the spider-god, and the ridiculous costuming of the Sinister Six, because that was her way in and she refused to relinquish control. Has anyone seen 'Titus'? It's one of my favourite Shakespearean films, but only because I was playing Titus Andronicus in a production around the same time so felt fondly towards the play, and enjoyed the scope of the thing, but objectively - what a bloody mess. I think 'Frida' did quite well, but I didn't see that.

 

Sidebar real quick: Jim Sturgess and Evan Rachel Wood were the original Peter Parker and Mary-Jane Watson in the development readings of the Spider-Man musical. And TV Carpio (Prudence) played Arachne the Spider God on Broadway.

 

Anyway, Taymor's the kind of artist whose vision far outstrips her capabilities and doesn't care what others think (witness her reaction to the studio recutting her film, or to how Spider-Man wound up), but that is evident in this film. It's art for art's sake.

 

Add to that, Evan Rachel Wood fancied herself much more a singer than an actress, and her attitude towards being an actress pervades Lucy throughout. She's so fucking solemn and 'serious' every time she gets to sing that I check out and hate her. Like that pregnancy speech or the Thanksgiving lines that Cam mentioned. She epitomises the hubris for me - someone who clearly thinks she's better than the material and that we're damn lucky to have her. Add her to Taymor and we're in trouble.

 

And I really like Jim Sturgess. Always have. He's pretty good in '21'.

 

This was supposed to be a one-line post. Oopsie.

[Cam Bert 8145]

Hey CakeBug I have a few Julie Taymor questions for you if you don't mind.

 

1. Given your love of the Shakespeare, adaptations, and Julie Taymor I would very much love to hear your thoughts on "Titus"

 

2. Did you ever see a production of Turn Off the Dark on broadway? I know two people that have. One is a big theater person and loathed it, and other has no real theater knowledge and loved it for the sheer spectacle of it all.

[Cakebug Tranch 6873]

Hey CakeBug I have a few Julie Taymor questions for you if you don't mind.

 

1. Given your love of the Shakespeare, adaptations, and Julie Taymor I would very much love to hear your thoughts on "Titus"

 

It's been a long time since I've seen it but I still have a framed poster of the movie poster somewhere in the house. I remember at the time being very fond of a lot of what they did with it, to an extent. I thought it was overly stylised - at the time I didn't know who Taymor was so didn't know why she was doing what she was doing - but for a play like 'Titus' it felt appropriate. The framing device of Young Lucius coming in from a modern world into Rome is troubling and unnecessary, but once we get to Rome there are enough performances that sustain the adaptation. Hopkins is great as Titus, as is Lange, Cummings, and Harry Lennix as Aaron. It's a hard-ass play to adapt, and we have to suspend a lot of assumptions to find our way around the world, but I think by indulging Saturnine's hedonistic lifestyle, Chiron and Demetrius's savagery, and Aaron's detachment, they did a good job at building a sandbox to play in. I think the biggest issue I had was that all graphic violence happens off-screen, and in a play like this, we need to be on-edge that something terrible is going to happen at any time. If we know all things are off-screen (like Lavinia's assault) we lose that edge. The killing of Alarbus off the top is a great opportunity to show us what they're capable of, and then if all else is off-screen then we continually wonder when we're going to be shocked again. I know that we can conjure more horrible things in our mind than they can show, but this was a missed opportunity, although I love the image of Lavinia opening her mouth to scream and blood pouring out.

 

I really like 'Titus', but it's not particularly cohesive. And compared to Taymor's 'Tempest', it's a bloody masterpiece. What a DISASTER that was.

 

2. Did you ever see a production of Turn Off the Dark on broadway? I know two people that have. One is a big theater person and loathed it, and other has no real theater knowledge and loved it for the sheer spectacle of it all.

 

No, I didn't see it - I get to NY so infrequently that I like to curate what I see, and that never made the cut. I heard horrible things about it, mostly. Theatre people hate it because the story is a mess and the music is so forgettable, but the people who go for the shiny flashing lights and flying Spider Men were into it. It just shows what happens when 'art' (or spectacle) is privileged over story. The same thing we're complaining about with AtU was what killed Spider-Man.

[Cakebug Tranch 6873]

In case you haven't seen any footage from 'Spider Man: Turn Off the Dark', feast your eyes on this mess. Don't stop the video before you get to the Green Goblin's Sinister Six song (that was parodied in the Comedy Bang! Bang! TV Musical episode).

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g9LK2SBGeYg

[Cam Bert 8145]

In case you haven't seen any footage from 'Spider Man: Turn Off the Dark', feast your eyes on this mess. Don't stop the video before you get to the Green Goblin's Sinister Six song (that was parodied in the Comedy Bang! Bang! TV Musical episode).

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g9LK2SBGeYg

All my knowledge of the show came from You Talking U2 To Me, that episode of Comedy Bang Bang and what my friends said but this is my first time seeing any of it. All I can say is it's very U2 sounding and it's good to see that all that puppetry studying was put to good use.

 

Also that's Electro, Carnage, Swarm, The Lizard and Kraven but who is that bladed woman suppose to be? Also why Swarm? That's a very odd choice.

[Cakebug Tranch 6873]

Bladed woman is Arachne, the spider-god. Someone mentioned for 1 page in 1 comic book once, that nutbar Taymor built the entire show around. Check this out: http://www.blastr.co...nal_wtf_end.php God damned hubris!

 

 

ETA: here's an even better article on the whole thing. http://www.vanityfair.com/news/2012/01/bruce-handy-spiderman-countersuit-julie-taymor-broadway

 

This seems particularly pertinent when applied to 'Across the Universe', as she's sued for her artistic tunnel vision that's all over AtU.

[Cam Bert 8145]

Now I'm starting to wish Turn Off the Dark was available to do for my choice.

 

'"Why? Because he can," Taymor said. "Because he is woven out of the imagination and now can return in nightmares and daydreams. But who created these super villains? At first we don't know or care."'

 

To me it seems like you should hire her to do the art direction and maybe leave the story and writing to other people.

[Cameron H. 23786]

In case you haven't seen any footage from 'Spider Man: Turn Off the Dark', feast your eyes on this mess. Don't stop the video before you get to the Green Goblin's Sinister Six song (that was parodied in the Comedy Bang! Bang! TV Musical episode).

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g9LK2SBGeYg

 

God! That looks terrible! I couldn't even make it through the entire 5 minute video. I can't imagine what I'd do if I were forced to sit and watch the whole show.

[taylor anne photo 11311]

Has anyone seen 'Titus'? It's one of my favourite Shakespearean films, but only because I was playing Titus Andronicus in a production around the same time so felt fondly towards the play, and enjoyed the scope of the thing, but objectively - what a bloody mess.

Sorry I just saw "Titus" and immediately my mind went to this

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A6yttOfIvOw

[tomspanks 9039]

So, as I've been writing all these posts I've been going through my re-watch, and OMG, I can't stand Lucy. Like Tom brought up about the pregnancy thing, The Native American/Thanksgiving spiel? Really? Give the guy a break. He's asking you a simple question. There's no need to soapbox simply because it's tangentially related to one of your "causes." Simply say, "it's a time we all get together and give thanks for all our blessings." If he shows any interest beyond that point ("That's really neat. How did that all start?") then you can get into it if you want. She's just being insufferable.

 

Another thing I noticed about Lucy - in the scene where Lucy is trying to persuade her mother to let her live with Max for the summer, her mother is hesitant because she thinks Max's friends are "promiscuous dope fiends." Lucy's like, oh mother, you know me, I don't even smoke! Then later, in the city, we see Lucy smoking on the mattress on the floor. Was this a conscious choice? Oh wow, the big city really changed Lucy, she's a smoker now. What a baddie.

[Cakebug Tranch 6873]

Yeah, the big difference between rebel Lucy in this film and rebel Jenny in 'Forrest Gump' was that Jenny came from an abusive childhood and poverty; Lucy turns down a trip to Europe with her parents so she can go slum it with her brother in New York. Zero obstacles for Lucy in her life, so zero sympathy for her throughout.

[tomspanks 9039]

What this film was not, was Mamma Mia, and I think it's all the better for it.

 

Mamma Mia was brought up several times, but was it that bad? I watched it a few month ago for the first time and I thought it was fun and innocuous. Sure, the story is ridiculous, but the amazing cast makes up for it, IMO. Also, unlike AtU, maybe I enjoyed Mamma Mia more because I don't the Abba discography that well? I mean, when the movie opens with "I Have a Dream," I was like hey, that's the song from Black Mirror.

[Cakebug Tranch 6873]

I think the reason I keep comparing it to 'Mamma Mia' is that as a jukebox musical, 'MM' is unabashedly doing Abba as Abba: that's how it is in the stage musical, that's how it is in the film. They're not really doing anything much with the music itself, and if the soundtrack popped up on your iTunes you'd be forgiven for thinking initially that it was Abba themselves. It's basically Abba's orchestrations sung by different people. As such, I don't find it as musically interesting as what's done here. Same goes with other jukebox shows like 'Rock of Ages' or (god help us) 'We Will Rock You'. In this, I appreciated that some thought had gone into taking ownership of the tracks. That's all!

[taylor anne photo 11311]

Mamma Mia was brought up several times, but was it that bad? I watched it a few month ago for the first time and I thought it was fun and innocuous. Sure, the story is ridiculous, but the amazing cast makes up for it, IMO. Also, unlike AtU, maybe I enjoyed Mamma Mia more because I don't the Abba discography that well? I mean, when the movie opens with "I Have a Dream," I was like hey, that's the song from Black Mirror.

As a big fan of ABBA that grew up with them playing in the house more than the Beatles I can absolutely say that Mamma Mia kinda hurt. I also don't hate that movie but I saw the musical before the movie came out (the movie is 100% better in my opinion) and I was kinda like what the fuuuuck is haaaappppeennninnngggg.

 

ETA: I agree with CakeBug that I really appreciate how they made the songs their own in AtU.

[Cakebug Tranch 6873]

Hey, yooo

 

https://www.bustle.com/p/will-lin-manuel-miranda-star-in-the-hamilton-movie-he-just-teased-the-possibility-37881

[tomspanks 9039]

Sorry all, I've been away for the weekend and just getting to catch up now. Before I get into my thoughts about this movie I just want to say that in Japan Valentine's is very weird. It's a day for women to gift to men. There is a separate day on March 14th called White Day in which the men return the favour. However, if you did not receive anything you can't just gift a girl you like, so there is no real chance for men to make romantic confessions. Another problem is the rise of giri-choco or obligation chocolates in which you feel like you have to give something to your male boss or supervisor even though you don't want to and maybe don't even like them.

 

As a guy, how do you know if you're receiving obligation chocolates or romantic chocolates?

[Cameron H. 23786]

Hey, yooo

 

https://www.bustle.com/p/will-lin-manuel-miranda-star-in-the-hamilton-movie-he-just-teased-the-possibility-37881

 

[tomspanks 9039]

He just read In the Heights playwright Quiara Alegría Hudes' first draft of a script for a film version of that show, and says a Hamilton film will happen one day, too — but not for years, so that people have ample time to see the stage version first.

 

In the Heights first though.

 

ETA: Unhappy Valentine's Day to me

 

Hi A-

Unfortunately, you were not selected to receive tickets to the February 14, 2017 7:00 pm performance of HAMILTON (NY).

Please try entering again for a future performance.

Thanks again for entering, and better luck next time!

[taylor anne photo 11311]

Hey, yooo

 

https://www.bustle.c...ssibility-37881

But also we must have Leslie Odom Jr, Daveed Diggs, Chris Jackson, Phillipa Soo, Renee Elise Goldsberry, etc etc etc

[taylor anne photo 11311]

Here's a big question I actually have about this movie.

 

So army dude that's dating EVR at the start of the movie is shipped off to boot camp and says he's coming home before he actually gets sent to Vietnam, right? So then Lucy sings "It Won't Be Long" as she anxiously awaits his return, which we never get to see. The next thing we know is he has been killed. So does he get killed just in training, does he actually not get to come home and he was immediately sent to war, or did they skip over his entire return and send off and he then got killed in battle? She tells Jude later that he died doing something brave so it makes me think the first option is incorrect but there is a missing step here that does confuse me.

[tomspanks 9039]

It was my assumption that he didn't get to visit home and he died in war, doing that brave thing.

[taylor anne photo 11311]

It was my assumption that he didn't get to visit home and he died in war, doing that brave thing.

With all of the dumb throw away lines this movie had there could have at least been one about how disappointed she is that she can't seem him before they killed him off.

 

Also I agree that the whole "I'm never having children" scene before It Won't Be Long is the most cringe-worthy thing to me. It screams of one of those things where the director told EVR to react to something shocking without actually telling her what she was reacting to and then go into the stupid dialogue. You can almost even see where the editor did a poor job of cutting the scene so it looks like they where just standing and then started walking as soon as she called action lol.