The Sound of Music

"The Sound of Music," what can I say about this great contribution to cinema? Well for starters the movie was a box-office success, grossing over $286,000,000, and it practically saved 20th Century Fox from bankruptcy due to low revenues from "Cleopatra." It also went on to win Best Picture in 1965 and 4 other Oscars along with 5 other nominations.

The story of "The Sound of Music" is about a odd ball nun who becomes a governess for 7 mischievous children of the Von Trapp home. Georg Von Trapp the father is a widower and very strict, he has certain rules in the house such as no singing or goofing off basically anything that reminds him of his wife. However Maria, the nun does not adhere to Georg's commands and goes out of her way to make the children happy again. She tries hard and eventually brings back music and happiness to the family again. She soon falls in love with Georg and complications arise that tests their love and the love of the family as a whole.

The characters are great in the movie, they bring a sense of reality into the movie. For instance the children misbehave to get the attention of their father. And the father tries very hard to be there for his children, even though there are some short comings, and tries to also teach them great moral lessons about doing what is right over doing the popular thing. Maria is free spirited and deals with the complications of doing what her brain tells her over her heart.

The characters a re good and at times very believable, but the acting by the children is pretty weak. The adults give decent to great performances, like Julie Andrews, but the kids lack. They aren't always believable. They seem to be fake. However each child does shine once in a while, but overall they performance leaves much to be desired.

The songs in this movie are great, written and composed by Rodger and Hammerstein and Irwin Krostal. They have a fun melodic flow. Songs start of slow with soft vocal performances and quickly become dramatic and enchanting. Meanings of the most of the songs are mostly in front of you. They are meaningful songs, but the moral is usually thrown at you with little room for the imagination. However songs like "The Sound of Music" accompanied by a powerful scenery transcends the movie to a whole other level.

Moral themes much like most of the songs are up in your face. The movie overall is the importance of family and staying together. The Von Trapp family have so many complications such as the loss of a mother and the way the families lives are changed. Another message in the movie that is handled pretty well is that family is all you can really count on. Leisl has a friend in the movie who she thinks she can trust to the very end, ends up betraying her trust. She is left with only the love of her family.

Overall I think "The Sound of Music" is a fantastic film, it tells a timeless story of the value of family and their unconditional love. The songs are great and very iconic. The movies 3hr running time goes by a breeze. Acting from the children are decent, but at times fake and the morals are kind of thrown to you. However the acting or the shallowness of the message, I give "The Sound of Music" 5/5. The story is compelling and it still manages to tell a powerful story about family.

"The Sound of Music" will conclude this journey we've had reviewing musicals. I know I didn't get to a lot of them, but probably will later down the line with my reviews. I had a fun time doing this and it gave me an amazing opportunity to check out some of these great musicals in cinema. Starting tomorrow I will begin doing reviews of movies I've seen over the summer. Some will be brand new movies I've discovered for the first time, others will be my favorite classics, and most of which will be this years releases.

Mary Poppins

Walt Disney's "Mary Poppins" is the pinnacle of the studios success. No film till that point or since then has been able to match the amount of accolade and success this film had received. It holds the record for the most Oscar nominations, 13, and wins, 5, any Disney movie had ever received. The movie was also a huge financial success becoming the highest grossing movie of its year, 1964, and the following year, 1965. The film went on to gross a whopping $102,000,000>, not much by today's standards, but ticket price was around a dollar per person, so that means over 102,000,000 people have seen this film in theaters and a countless amount of people have seen it on home video. "Mary Poppins" wasn't only a money making juggernaut or Oscar gold, it was also a landmark in special effects. From mixing live-action with animation to using wires to the full effect. It was seamlessly infused into the movie and enhanced it to another level.

I hadn't seen "Mary Poppins" in years, the last time was probably when I was in elementary school, but with the power of Netflix and my recent obsession with musical, I was able to watch this classic film. I completely love this film and had  a smile on my face the whole time. The depressing parts had me choked up and the more funny scenes had me laughing out loud. And I was completely astonished  by the special effects. I could not fathom how they had done it all without the use of computer graphics.

"Mary Poppins" is the story of The Banks children, Jane and Micheal, who are often neglected by their busy parents, so they always need a nanny around. After their last nanny quits on them the father, Mr. Banks, makes an ad for a more stricter nanny. However the kids have their own ideal nanny that they want. The father disagrees and rips up their ad and throws into the fire place. However the winds of change blow and Mary Poppins comes across the letter and immediately packs her bag and enters the lives of the Banks.

The story of "Mary Poppins" is very strong, at times it is very whimsical, but hefty with symbolism For instance wind plays a very strong role in the movie. It suggests that Mary Poppins can't stay at one place for a long time. It gives her enough time to change the hearts of people she comes into contact with. Laughter and being a kid is another strong part of the film. Laughter is important and states that i when a person laughs they can rise from any kind of situation. Regardless of what kind of job we have or how much money we make laughing is the key to happiness, as shown by the character Bert. Bert isn't very rich, but he is happy because he has laughter and his imagination.  It can pick us up and make up feel good again. The movie puts heavy emphasis on being a kid and how precious it is and also on the fact of giving. Not only give money, but giving joy and nourishing the youth.

The songs are probably some of the best in any musical. The Sherman brothers did a magnificent job with the songs and the score. The job they did on this movie is probably their best work. The music is varied from whimsical and fun, to ironic, to very emotional. They are all mostly catchy and a sound track that you might be humming all day long. No matter what the song it fits well into the movie, it doesn't feel like it's just there for show, but instead it's there to enhance the story with smart and full of symbolism lyrics. "Feed the Birds" for instance is a song that may sound like what the title says, but it is much more than that. It is about giving and looking past your nose. Many of the songs are like this and have double meaning that people realize as they get older.

The characters are fantastic, they are colorful and fun. However my favorite character and I am guessing most other peoples favorite as well is Bert. He represents the every man who is happy with what he has and enhances it through other means. He has hobbies like chalk drawing and singing to occupy his time. Bert is played by Dick Van Dyke and he escalates this character to another level, just with his sheer screen presence. He makes the character very charismatic. And Julie Andrew does a great job playing the lead Mary Poppins. Her voice is amazing, screen presence is powerful and charismatic, and she looked pretty good back then too.

Overall "Mary Poppins" is a fantastic movie, it achieves the highest level of story telling, with amazing characters, memorable music, and state of the arts special effects that don't look too dated by today's standards.. The movie also captures the imagination and the youthfulness of childhood in a timeless classic. I give "Mary Poppins" a 5/5, a stunning film and anything else I say will not do justice for the film.

Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street

"Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street," another collaboration of Johnny Depp and Tim Burton, but this time it's a black comedy horror musical. I'm gonna be honest I'm not a big fan of either of these two people. And honestly can't fathom the amount of people that flock to their movies. I'm not saying they're not talented, but I just can't understand the obsession and fascination. Tim Burton is a decent director, but most of his movies are pretty similar in tone and he never really steps out of his comfort zone. I can't judge a director that only does one type of movie, yet people consider him to be a genius in the leagues of Spielberg or Hitchcock. I hardly consider that, he does have some good movies, but I usually grow board of his black comedy/horror movies. I can appreciate him for having a style, but he could put it to use in another genre something out of his comfort zone. Johnny Depp is another person I can't seem to understand the obsession with. People flock to his movies like flies to an apple core. He is a good actor, but he isn't that good. I think he over acts and tries too hard to be corky. I've just never been impressed with him I guess.

However, as much as I don't prefer their movies, I did enjoy this one. It of course had the Tim Burton touch and feel, but I also liked Depp's acting it was solid. I didn't think he over did it and he gave a decent vocal performance.

"Sweeney Todd" is  story about Benjamin Barker aka Sweeney Todd, who's been missing for 15 years returns to London on a boat to find his wife and daughter. He is accompanied by Anthony, who is very excited to come to London. On the other hand Todd is not and he tells Anthony about how he was tragically separated from his wife and daughter by a jealous judge. After telling the story they both separate and go their own way. Todd comes upon a pie shop on fleet street where he meets Mrs. Lovett, who knew his wife and tells him that his wife had taken poison after being raped by Judge Turpin.  Todd becomes angered and wonders what has become of his daughter and Lovett tells him that she is with Judge Turpin. Lovett also returns Todd his old razors with which he plans to get revenge with. Mean while Anthony comes across a beautiful girl who is singing form her window and immediately falls in love with her. He soon finds out that this is the Judge Turpin's home and is beaten by the judge for looking at the girl. After taking a beating he vows to take Joanna, the girl, from her home. The story continues with more deception and twists as Todd tries to get revenge and find his daughter with Lovett. The movie also has romance between Lovett and Todd.

The story was good and interesting, but I thought the dialogue was hard to follow. They are so fast at delivering dialogue that it just sounds like mush. I couldn't make head or tail of what they were saying, which hurt my understanding of the story. I also though the romance between Joanna and Anthony go nowhere. It is underdeveloped and hits a brick wall toward the end. Their love story didn't work for me. Another thing I didn't like was the relationship between Mrs. Lovett and a child worker she takes in, Tobias. They sing a heart touching duet about being there for each other, but throughout the movie mainly towards the end I don't see that song translate into the movie. Lovett does some questionable acts to the boy at the end of the film, I just see that song applied to the film.

On the other hand the music was well intertwined into the film. It didn't seem out of place and they were melodic. The songs fit well with what was happening and had a great operatic feel. They are dark, funny, heart warming, and everything else, except memorable. The songs worked great with the film, but are forgettable outside the context of the story. I can't see these songs part of anything else. The only song that I thought could sort of stand on its own was "Johanna" which melodic and harmonious. It's a song that I can hum and makes me feel. One more problem with the movie was the singing, it wasn't bad, but it wasn't great either. The actors manged to sing decently, but they couldn't hit all the right notes.

Overall "Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street" is a good movie and musical. It's visuals are great and very unique and it has a good story, which is harmed by poor dialogue delivery and some relationship issues. I give the movie a 4/5, Good story and stunning visuals, but non-memorable songs and poor dialogue delivery. My favorite Tim Burton and Johnny Depp film.

Dreamgirls

So today I watched "Dreamgirls," a musical drama about three young ladies and their journey to stardom. I have to say this is a fantastic film, it has everything from amazing music to beautiful visuals to heart. The movie is about going for your dreams and the sacrifices one has to make to achieve those dreams. And what happens when the rug is pulled from right beneath you. The story starts off light hearted and slowly weaves into the more dramatic aspects. From start to finish we as the audience feel and experience everything the characters feel. It's as if we are following them through this journey every step of the way. However, the movie cuts abruptly in certain scenes and it kind of weakens the overall impact. Certain characters are paid less attention to and when something happens to them we are supposed to care.

The acting in this movie was great, every actor portrayed their character well. However, Jennifer Hudson steals every scene she is in. She plays Effie, the lead singer of the group, but is quickly replaced by her friend Deena, played by Beyonce. She is pretty much a diva in the movie. She wants all of the spot light on her and refuses to see the bigger picture for the group. Years pass and she finally realizes what she had. Hudson played the character so well, giving her power and she handled the emotional scenes well. In my opinion the star of the film was Effie as she was the real heart of the film. And instead I think Hudson should have been nominated for a lead actor award instead of a supporting one.

The songs probably the most important part of a musical. The songs are all great and song to perfection by the cast. "Dreamgirls," the title song is beautifully song and harmonized. It feels like a song that only can be song by angels. "Patients" and "One Night Only"(Effie version) are both great songs that made me really emotional. My favorite number are the ones at the end of Act 1, "It's Over" and "And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going," both of which are very dramatic and show the shift in the tone of the film.

Overall I think "Dreamgirls" is a fantastic musical and should have been nominated for Best Picture. It hits all the right notes. The songs are great and the acting is good. The story could have been tweaked a bit more to make it flow better.

I give "Dreamgirls" a solid 4/5, good acting, memorable and amazingly well sung songs, with strong characters, but some minor problems in the whole execution.

P.S. I only have a few more musicals to review and then I will start my general reviews. I have seen so many movies over the summer, some new, some old, some good, some bad.

Enchanted

Okay it's time to get back to doing some reviews. I know I've been gone along time, but I just was feeling lazy, but now I'm back and ready to review another musical. This time it is the amazing "Enchanted." To me I think this film is a tad under appreciated, most people don't remember this film or even consider it a great musical. In my opinion it is the best musical of the last decade.

"Enchanted" is the story of a typical Disney princess, Giselle, who wants nothing more than to find her prince charming and have a happily ever after. She then meets Prince Edward, who saves her from a giant, they quickly fall in love and plan to get married the next day. However, Queen Narissa, Edward's step-mother, hears about the wedding and fells threatened so she dresses as a hag and pushes Giselle down a well into the real world. The princess is lost and scared in New York city where she meets Robert, a divorced divorce lawyer, and his daughter, Morgan. Robert is resistant at first, but his daughter insists and he can't say no. In fairytale land, Edward and Nathaniel, the queens right hand man, go in search for Giselle by jumping through the well to the real world. The movie continues as Edward looks for Giselle in the real world wishing to be together again. While Giselle slowly tries to get Robert to change his mind about love and the complications they have. 

The characters are amazing and fun in "Enchanted," and the actors do a great job of portraying them. 

Giselle, wonderfully acted by Amy Adams, is the typical Disney princess, she's sweet, kind, and has an amazing singing voice. Amy Adams does a great job of bringing this character to life and adding so much likability to a pretty much Snow White like character in this day and age. She truly did and Oscar worthy performance and should have been nominated.

Patrick Dempsey does a good job playing Robert. However his character is a little dull and more realistic to the other colorful cast.

James Marsden, Edward, was another amazing performance. He really captured the clueless prince aspect of the character so well. As always he did a great job playing the deal third wheel we wish the main character will fall for.

Narissa played by Susan Sarandon, is one of the wickedest villains in a Disney movie. She mean, nasty, and quite funny. Susan's performance is great and the ending is battle is just amazing.

Now the most important part of any musical, the songs. The songs are done by the legendary Alan Menken and the amazing lyricist Stephen Schwartz. The music and the songs in "Enchanted" are just amazing some of the finest songs in a musical in a long time. "How do You Know" is the great Broadway spectacular in this film. It's such an amazing toe tapping sing along song that jsut captures the imagination. "Happy Working Song" is another fun song. It has so many fun and intelligent lyrics that are fun for kids and even funnier for adults. It's a tune you will not forget easily and might even hum when doing your own house work. The other songs are fantastic too, but my favorite by far is "True Love's Kiss" the most magical song in the movie. It takes me back to classic Disney love songs and makes you want to fall in love (again).

Overall "Enchanted" is a fantastic musical and movie. It has lovable characters, amazing music, and a engaging story. I personally think the movie should have won for Best Original Song at the Oscars. I also think Amy Adams should have been nominated for Best Actress and the movie Should have been nominated for Best Picture. It is that good. To me this is the modern day "Mary Poppins" and Amy Adam is the modern day Julie Andrews.

"Enchanted is a true classic and I give it a 4.5/5. The movie is engaging, fun, and should be more remembered.

P.S. There is a sequel planned for "Enchanted" I don't know what it could be about, but hopefully it gets made and the characters reprise their roles.