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I've been in a So You Think You Can Dance phase since this season started, I refresh my TV comm continuously on the day I know the new eps will be up. If Melanie doesn't win this season, there is something wrong with the world. I feel bad for the other dancers, because there has been some reeeeeally incredible dancing (I told my sister she was going to flip her shit when she saw the new season, and her shit has subsequently been flipped), but I knew 8 minutes into the first episode when I saw Melanie's audition that she was it. Every group routine I end up watching her. Every routine she's done with Marko has been stellar. She's like the new Sabra.
I recognise everything except 0:19, which movie is that? Also, I know I'm incredibly biased, but I always love him most when he's dancing with Donald O'Connor. Or Cyd Charisse, but mostly Donald O'Connor.
On Wednesday night I foolishly watched Raise Your Voice
It...was on. And, okay, the first half hour, when they establish the relationship between Hilary Duff's character and her brother only to kill him off and the subsequent dealing with that, is actually pretty interesting. It's only once they get into the whole discover-yourself-at-music-camp bit that it turns into an absolutely cringeworthy melting pot of movie cliches. Also, major issue with a movie like this: Hilary Duff's singing voice is mediocre at best. She's sharp even with autotuning. If she had actually won the contest against much, much more talented people, I would've been pissed (although then she wouldn't have learned The Big Lesson, so I wasn't too worried). This movie does have an early appearance from Kat Dennings, who barely speaks a line and is still the most captivating female presence in the damn thing (I love her. Love. Her.) The dialogue is almost all awful, and the love interest is kind of a tool (at one point Hilary Duff says to him "Why do you care so much?" and I was like "At what point has ANYONE indicated that they care about your trauma AT ALL, least of all that guy?") Basically, if it's on, change the channel.
1.5 out of 5
Last night I watched The Corpse Bride
As beautiful as this movie is, it's pretty slight and it's no Nightmare Before Christmas. It would be interesting to live in Tim Burton's head for a day. His underworld is so much more vibrant and, erm, alive, than the grey and dreary world of the living. He's such a visual director.
There is more time spent on cute puns in this movie than on developing character or motivation, and I think that's its main problem. It's very short. The stand-out character is the corpse bride herself by a long way, and it seems like she's the one Burton's most interested in, so much so that it feels like the movie's not really moving when she isn't on screen. A great voice cast puts a lot of effort in to making briefly seen characters memorable.
3.5 out of 5
Today I watched Anything Goes
I've heard this is a pretty far cry from the stage show, which I've never seen but seems to have a COMPLETELY different story. I mean, it might as well be called "an original musical that has some badly rewritten Cole Porter songs in it". I've both seen and heard a lot of much better versions of the title song, though. The movie really changed it (and tamed it).
The choreography is pretty tame. The cast make the most of what they've got - the girls finally start to get interesting at around the third act, but then the ending comes up too fast and stops their character development - and the chemistry bubbles along nicely, particularly between Donald O'Connor and everyone. I actually preferred the non-musical bits and the comedy routines to the musical bits, which is appalling. That's not how a music is supposed to go! Only the songs written for the rewritten movie don't feel shoehorned in. The fantasy ballet sequence is cute and pointless, as fantasy ballet sequences tend to be, and Donald O'Connor singing with kids isn't quite Gene Kelly in An American in Paris, but it's still cute. He's good at handling the balls. (Ha, ha.) Seriously pointless musical plot about - gasp! Original! - some people putting on a musical makes it hard to get interested. Also, Donald O'Connor's character starts out as kind of an egotistical jerk and then that side of him completely vanishes. What? Where's the tension? Everybody seems like they're having a good enough time, but it's one of the worse musicals I've seen.
OMG, the COSTUMES, though. Edith Head. Magnificent.
2.5 out of 5
I don't even know.
To my knowledge, these are the first photos of Darren posing with actors from the movies. Is this true? Either way, I love that Evanna is totally StarKidding it up. (She's been tweeting with Walker, and there are rumours she went to one of Darren's shows.)
SUPPLYING THE WORLD WITH TAGS. Ugh.
Green Queen
I recognise everything except 0:19, which movie is that? Also, I know I'm incredibly biased, but I always love him most when he's dancing with Donald O'Connor. Or Cyd Charisse, but mostly Donald O'Connor.
On Wednesday night I foolishly watched Raise Your Voice
It...was on. And, okay, the first half hour, when they establish the relationship between Hilary Duff's character and her brother only to kill him off and the subsequent dealing with that, is actually pretty interesting. It's only once they get into the whole discover-yourself-at-music-camp bit that it turns into an absolutely cringeworthy melting pot of movie cliches. Also, major issue with a movie like this: Hilary Duff's singing voice is mediocre at best. She's sharp even with autotuning. If she had actually won the contest against much, much more talented people, I would've been pissed (although then she wouldn't have learned The Big Lesson, so I wasn't too worried). This movie does have an early appearance from Kat Dennings, who barely speaks a line and is still the most captivating female presence in the damn thing (I love her. Love. Her.) The dialogue is almost all awful, and the love interest is kind of a tool (at one point Hilary Duff says to him "Why do you care so much?" and I was like "At what point has ANYONE indicated that they care about your trauma AT ALL, least of all that guy?") Basically, if it's on, change the channel.
1.5 out of 5
Last night I watched The Corpse Bride
As beautiful as this movie is, it's pretty slight and it's no Nightmare Before Christmas. It would be interesting to live in Tim Burton's head for a day. His underworld is so much more vibrant and, erm, alive, than the grey and dreary world of the living. He's such a visual director.
There is more time spent on cute puns in this movie than on developing character or motivation, and I think that's its main problem. It's very short. The stand-out character is the corpse bride herself by a long way, and it seems like she's the one Burton's most interested in, so much so that it feels like the movie's not really moving when she isn't on screen. A great voice cast puts a lot of effort in to making briefly seen characters memorable.
3.5 out of 5
Today I watched Anything Goes
I've heard this is a pretty far cry from the stage show, which I've never seen but seems to have a COMPLETELY different story. I mean, it might as well be called "an original musical that has some badly rewritten Cole Porter songs in it". I've both seen and heard a lot of much better versions of the title song, though. The movie really changed it (and tamed it).
The choreography is pretty tame. The cast make the most of what they've got - the girls finally start to get interesting at around the third act, but then the ending comes up too fast and stops their character development - and the chemistry bubbles along nicely, particularly between Donald O'Connor and everyone. I actually preferred the non-musical bits and the comedy routines to the musical bits, which is appalling. That's not how a music is supposed to go! Only the songs written for the rewritten movie don't feel shoehorned in. The fantasy ballet sequence is cute and pointless, as fantasy ballet sequences tend to be, and Donald O'Connor singing with kids isn't quite Gene Kelly in An American in Paris, but it's still cute. He's good at handling the balls. (Ha, ha.) Seriously pointless musical plot about - gasp! Original! - some people putting on a musical makes it hard to get interested. Also, Donald O'Connor's character starts out as kind of an egotistical jerk and then that side of him completely vanishes. What? Where's the tension? Everybody seems like they're having a good enough time, but it's one of the worse musicals I've seen.
OMG, the COSTUMES, though. Edith Head. Magnificent.
2.5 out of 5
I don't even know.
To my knowledge, these are the first photos of Darren posing with actors from the movies. Is this true? Either way, I love that Evanna is totally StarKidding it up. (She's been tweeting with Walker, and there are rumours she went to one of Darren's shows.)
SUPPLYING THE WORLD WITH TAGS. Ugh.
Green Queen