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BroadwayBookworm
Stephen Sondheim
Musical Theater
Newsies
Reading
NCIS
Top Ten Favorite Musicals(stage):
Assassins
Sweeney Todd
Bare
Steel Pier
Ragtime
Grey Gardens
1776
Reefer Madness
Gypsy
Into the Woods
Top Five Favorite Movie Musicals:
Newsies
Gypsy
Reefer Madness
1776
South Park: Bigger, Longer, and Uncut
Other Favorite Films:
Camp
The Goonies
The Last of Sheila
The Chipmunk Adventure
The Little Mermaid
All About Eve
Little Miss Sunshine
Kiss Kiss Bang Bang
It Happened One Night
Casablanca
Now, Voyager
Little Shop of Horrors
City Lights
The Kid
The Freshman
Favorite TV Shows:
Family Guy
South Park
The Soup
Late Night with Conan O'Brien
NCIS
Quantum Leap
Boards I frequent:
Rent
Musicals
NCIS
Quotes heard from IMDb/IMDbers:
She doesn't fear. She is feared. lissa88
That's weird. I didn't know they were allowed to say the "F" word in a Broadway show. davidtmanforever
Like David Mamet would be lucky to create as good rapport as we had. JohnWatersJr
I was correct dumbass. I said I used the "wrong words" meaning I used two words, tell me, "valid victorian" isn't plural. Moron. I used the wrong words in place of the correct word, what don't you comprehend? Britneyfan1984-1
They're just sad they'll never see Adam Pascal's eyelashes in person
nouveauzenboho
Reviews
A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum (1966)
The Good and the Bad
I saw this film when I was a young girl (seven or so) and I adored it. When I was about fourteen, I finally got to see the stage production. When I saw the film again, I realized there were some bad choices made. I think the film has many excellent points and some bad points:
Good:
-For starters, you couldn't have asked for a better cast. I don't just mean Zero Mostel and Jack Gilford (though both are incredible) but casting Buster Keaton was inspired.
-Very accurate portrayal of ancient Rome (up to a point, of course). The only reason I bring it up is because when I took Latin in high school, we studied ancient Rome and I like the research that went into that for the film.
-The chase scene at the end. That's what I remember laughing at the most as a child.
Bad:
-Cutting so many songs, specifically "Free" and Hysterium's number (I must say, Jack Gilford was highly underused in this film).
-The direction of most remaining musical numbers and some scenes.
-Changing the character of Dominia. I don't mind it too much (she does get some good lines in there) but I liked having another strong female character aside from Philia.
Now I have nothing against Richard Lester. In fact, I enjoyed his work in A Hard Day's Night and Help! and I think when it comes to those types of films, he does well. I'm just not completely sure if he was right for this film. He treated the songs like music videos, kind of forgetting that in this case, the songs are being used to tell a story, not just for entertainment. We recently watched parts of the film in my Musical Theater History class, and that was one of the point brought up. He tended toward the fast pace/quick edit direction, which I think worked for "Comedy Tonight", but not much else (especially not "Everybody Ought to Have a Maid"). While I disliked some of his direction on "Lovely", I did like that he repeated (more or less) the same direction in the reprise of the song.
I will say, though, when he's good in the film, he's really good. I can't deny there are parts in the film that are incredibly funny, most notably the chariot chase. I am a bit torn about the film. In the long run, I will probably always love the film and watch it when I get the chance, despite its shortcomings. Still, I wouldn't mind a remake of it. And I think we can safely say this isn't the worst film version of a Sondheim show (A Little Night Music anyone?).
Newsies (1992)
Cheese-tastic musical!
I know many people look at this movie and think to themselves "Well, that's just another cheesy Disney musical for you." I also know many fans will stand up and immediately protest that statement. Me? Well, I think it is true. "Newsies" is without a doubt a cheesy Disney musical. However, who's to say that is necessarily a bad thing? Let's face it; we all need a bit of cheesiness every now and then.
Is this a deep, thought-provoking movie? No.
Is this a side-splitting comedy which will have you catching your breathe? No.
Is this movie worth your while? I'd say yes.
You see, "Newsies" is a wonderful display of how even children/teens can change the world. We see how the word "family" doesn't just mean blood-relatives, but all the people who care about you and protect you. The movie's cast, lead by Christian Bale, is a strong group of performers, many of whom sing, dance, and act. The music is your traditional Disney score, yet also different. I can assure at least King of New York will have you tapping your toe and bobbing your head.
That isn't to say the film is without its faults. While the opening credits claim it is based on actual events, the term "loosely" comes to mind. Yes, there was a newsboy strike in 1899, but Disney did embellish a bit. While many of the supporting characters (i.e. Kid Blink, Racetrack Higgins, etc) were part of the real strike, the protagonist, Jack Kelly, was a made-up character. Also, the strike did not have the same outcome as the film. The newsboys did not get the price of the papers lowered as in the movie. What they did get was the ability to sell back unsold papers for a full refund.
In addition, Disney tries to force a love story into the plot with the character of Sarah Jacobs (Jack's love interest). I am grateful that the film continues to center itself around the strike and doesn't use an historical event as a place to insert a love story (as is done in Titanic and Pearl Harbor), but the side plot still proves to be a bit awkward and sudden, not to mention Sarah is an uninteresting, one-dimensional character who serves no other purpose other than the hero's love interest.
Despite these few flaws, "Newsies" is a wonderful, albeit cheesy, musical which is sure to amuse the entire family.