Hollywood Bytes » Musical

Movie Stills of Notorious

admin — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 11:19:46 +0000

NOTORIOUS is the story of CHRISTOPHER WALLACE who, through raw talent and sheer determination, transforms himself from a Brooklyn street hustler to become the greatest rapper of all time, THE NOTORIOUS B.I.G. This story charts his meteoric rise to fame and his refusal to succumb to expectation and redefines our notion of “The American Dream.” The Star cast in the movie are Brandon Bailey , Angela Bassett, Kenya Cagle, Joy Curry, Rico Devereaux, Mohamed Dione, Taylor Dior, Edwin Freeman, Corey Hibbert , Osas Ighodaro, Julia Pace Mitchell.

Movie Stills of Were the World Mine

admin — Fri, 12 Dec 2008 13:40:07 +0000

If you had a love-potion, who would you make fall madly in love with you? Timothy, prone to escaping his dismal high school reality through dazzling musical daydreams, gets to answer that question in a very real way. After his eccentric teacher casts him as Puck in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, he stumbles upon a recipe hidden within the script to create the play’s magical, purple love-pansy. Armed with the pansy, Timothy’s fading spirit soars as he puckishly imposes a new reality by turning much of his narrow-minded town gay, beginning with the rugby-jock of his dreams. Ensnaring family, friends and enemies in this heart-wrenching chaos, Timothy forces them to walk a mile in his musical shoes. The course of true love never did run smooth, but by the end of this moving musical comedy of errors based on director Tom Gustafson’s prolific award-winning short film, Fairies, the bumpy ride comes to a heartfelt conclusion. With vibrant imagery, a first-rate ensemble cast and innovative music rivaling the best of pop/ rock and contemporary Broadway, Were the World Mine attempts to push modern gay cinema and musical film beyond expectation. The Stars in the Movie are Zelda Williams, Christian Stolte, Ricky Goldman, Tanner Cohen, Wendy Robie, Judy McLane, Nathaniel David Becker

MAMMA MIA is all about power of music

admin — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 02:21:07 +0000

There’s only one reason why someone may not enjoy this feast of flourish. You’ve to hate the music of ABBA. And to hate ABBA you’ve to belong to another planet. The idea rocks. The screenwriter has strung together a kaleidoscopic cluster of ABBA’s most cherished numbers in a plot of a young girl on a scenic island who invites three of her potential fathers to her wedding.

Film: MAMMA MIA
Cast: Meryl Streep, Colin Firth, Pierce Brosnan
Director: Phyllida Lloyd
Rating: 3/5

Mamma (mia) is the majestic Meryl Streep letting her hair down, crooning one imperishable ABBA track after another as though her life depended on her ability to rustle up one or the other of the scintillating Swedish quartet’s melodies at the drop of a hat.

Joining her in her journey into the region of abiding music-magic are her screen-friends who bring to the table a tempo and tenor that goes beyond the vibrancy, enthusiasm and gusto of a homage to one of the most enduring pop-cultural phenomena of all times.

“Mamma Mia” is more. It tells us how music, more than any other form of diversion and entertainment, can be cool and cathartic.

Naturally, the plot is slender. And just as pretty to look at from the outside and inside. The songs pilot and manoeuvre the mellow magical characters into a state of suspended splendour. The middle-aged characters acquire a state of youthful exuberance as they jump on top of beds, tables and rooftops to belt out one delightful nostalgia-soaked ABBA melody after another.

Yes, it would be difficult for a non-ABBA fan to enjoy the music as much as the ABBA devotee. But it’s not at all hard to convert to the contagious easygoing fluent joie de vivre of the music as the pretty little Sophie finds herself a father and gets herself a bridegroom all in one breathless swoop of sonority and melody.

The entire cast is delightfully ABBA-bound. Julie Walters being seduced by a young native on the island bursts into “Does your mother know”, which is one of the most finely choreographed numbers in the film.

The narration swoops us into scoop after scoop of delectable music. The three fathers remembering their heydays with Sophie’s mom belt out “Our last summer”. And Pierce Brosnon gets it right when he sings an anguished ‘SOS’ for the magical Meryl.

What can we say about Meryl that we haven’t already heard? Now revealing herself as an incurable ABBA fan Meryl sings and dances to those imperishable melodies with a sprightly grace that leaves us smiling, laughing and, yes, singing. Those critics abroad who thought it was a cakewalk for this camera chameleon to do ABBA’s number need to check out the skills required to sing and dance to songs that generations have grown up on.

See “Mamma Mia” not just as a tribute to the music of ABBA. See it as the consummate treatise on the power of music to heal and nourish the soul.

August Rush

admin — Sun, 23 Dec 2007 06:05:10 +0000

August Rush is a sweet, romantic story about a homeless musical prodigy, Evan and his parents. It has a dreamy and almost Dickens-like feel set in modern day New York. Coming to the story, there is a one-night passionate chance encounter between Lyla a gifted cellist played by Keri Russell and Lewis, a rock band member essayed by Jonathan Rhys-Myers. Lyla gets pregnant but her over-protective father keeps her away from Lewis. Some months down the line she meets with an accident and delivers a premature baby. In her interest, the father forges her signaure and puts the baby up for adoption, while telling her that he didn’t survive.

Rating: 2/5

Keri Russell in August Rush

Eleven years pass and we find Evans in a shelter for homeless children. Meanwhile Lewis has split from the band and taken up a job in finance in San Francisco, forgetting about his music. Lyla becomes a music teacher in search of her lost music and soul. Evans runs away from the shelter into the hands of a Wizard played by Robin Williams. He hears music in the mundane sounds of everyday life and Wizard recognizes his latent musical potential and names him August Rush. August meanwhile harbors hopes of meeting his parents, though he has no idea of who they are.

Jonathan Rhys Meyers in August Rush

Meanwhile Lyla’s father owns up to his misdeed and a distraught Lyla starts searching for her lost son. She finds solace in her cello and starts playing again. Lewis too contacts his former band members and teams up with them once again with his soul-stirring Lyla inspired song. Lyla decides to play at a concert in Central Park where coincidentally Lewis and his band will be performing once again. And as fate would conspire the two lovers meet again in Central Park.

Robin Williams in August Rush

August has to contend with Wizard who has him under his spell and convinces him that no one else will care for him better. All along Wizard wants to earn money by exploiting the musical talent of August. However August runs away and lands up in a church wher he secretly plays the organ. But soon he is discovered and lands up in a proper music school. He is to perform soon at Central Park, conducting an orchestra that will play his original symphony. So finally the parents and their lost son meet in Central Park and music gives this movie a fairytale ending.

Freddie Highmore in August Rush

Freddie Highmore as August Rush plays the lost kid perfectly and gives a moving performance displaying a range of emotions from happiness to dismay. Russell renders a touching act as the yearning mother and emotes fabulously with her eyes. She is very talented and charming. Kirsten Sheridan directs August Rush based on a screenplay written by Nick Castle and James V. Hart. She succeeds in creating a surreal and dreamy ambience in this modern day fairytale of chance encounters and fortuitous circumstances. There are songs a plenty in this musical but only the gospel songs stand out.

August Rush is overall worth a watch as it restores your faith in fate.

Rating: 2/5

Enchanted

admin — Wed, 12 Dec 2007 14:34:51 +0000

Enchanted is a classic fairy tale about a princess Giselle who lands up in New York city due to a spell cast by an evil queen. After her arrival in New York she meets a divorce attorney and starts staying with him as she has nowhere to go. Let us however start at the beginning. Princess Giselle, played by Amy Adams meets and falls in love with Prince Edward essayed by James Marsden and they decided to get married. However, the prince’s stepmother Queen Narissa portrayed by Susan Sarandon is against the marriage as it will deprive her of power and control over the kingdom. So she disguises herself as an old woman and tricks Princess Giselle in to falling in to a wishing well.

Rating: 2.5/5

The twist in the tale shows Princess Giselle emerging out of a manhole in a New York street. Here Patrick Dempsey makes an appearance as Robert Philip a single father and lawyer, about to propose to his long time girlfriend, Nancy played by Idina Menzel. He takes in Giselle upon the pleadings of his daughter who is quite taken in by the Princess and her charms. As she spends more time with Robert, Giselle starts wondering about her feelings for Prince Edward.

Amy Adams in Enchanted

The film is quite sweet and has beautiful songs, befitting a musical sung by the actors themselves. Alan Menken and Stephen Schwartz are the musical talents behind the film and do full justice to its musical score. The How Do I know? song picturised in Central Park is nice and quite spectacular. We also see Princess Giselle communicating with animals through her songs in the first half of the movie. But it’s funny when pigeons and rats respond to her song in New York city as she sets about cleaning Robert’s apartment, in the second half. Another highlight of the film is the animated chipmunk who follows Giselle from her past in to the present day.

Susan Sarandon in Enchanted

There are some glaring omissions in the film and it has a predictable ending expected of fairy tales. It is touching to see the Princess awaken to the cruel reality of the world, as she tries to judge everything through eyes of innocence. But you can ignore them and sit back and enjoy the film with your kids. Amy Adams plays the beautiful princess with a sweet voice perfectly while James Marsden is funny as Prince Edward. Susan Sarandon as Queen Narissa is mean and wicked but has a limited role.

Patrick Dempsey and James Marsden in Enchanted

The film uses animation to blend with live characters and this generates a fantasy effect in the film pretty well. So we have characters passing from the distinct animated world to the real world and back in clear distinctions between the two worlds. The idea is not novel but is well picturised and the movie retains your interest throughout. All character names are a tribute to former actors who portrayed them earlier.

The beauty of Enchanted lies in its simple plot and makes it worth a watch for kids as well as adults.

Rating: 2.5/5

Hairspray: Now That’s a Teaser

admin — Sun, 29 Jul 2007 13:53:49 +0000

Try this. When you see the word “hairspray”, what is the first thing that comes to your mind? 99% of you will think Bimbo and the other 1%, well; you are just lying to be different. So when a movie called Hairspray hits the theatres, the teens are likely to think that this is an extension of high school flicks like Mean Girls or something. This generation should turn to their parents who will, to their utter surprise, smile in fond memory of the movie and want to catch it themselves.

Rating: 3/5

John Travolta, Nikki Blonsky in Hairspray

You see, Hairspray has a legacy behind it. It was first released in 1988 and had been directed by John Waters. After its phenomenal success, this musical found an apt outlet through Broadway and the stage. Choreographer turned director Adam Shankman took the chance before anyone else and made his own version of Hairspray; and what a chance he took! There is no doubt that this flick adds to the original’s value and Waters should be proud of it.

The film is set in 1962 in Baltimore and is about Tracy Turnblad (Nikki Blonsky), a sassy young teenager who has oodles of curves and flaunts it right. Her parents (John Travolta and Christopher Walken) are with her all the way, even when she decides to try out for the title of Miss Hairspray on a local channel. This is no ordinary pageant; it is about how well the girl dances. A young girl’s chance to be a dancer and get her ticket out of Baltimore – there are a lot of competitors. But Tracy sails through and gets an unbelievable amount of support. The station manager (Michelle Pfeiffer), starts fearing her appeal as she wants her daughter to win. As the fight for the title gets ugly, Tracy finds a great base in the Black community of Baltimore and gets involved in social activities to help them. As all good movies, there is a happy ending here too.

About the performances – well, Nikki Blonsky does a great job as Tracy and brings so much of grace to her dances that you don’t feel like comparing her to the original Tracy. Michelle Pfeiffer has delivered to the tee as the bitchy and conniving manager and wow! She is looking great! But the cake goes to Mr. John Travolta who is Tracy’s overweight mom because he is in drag and looks so cute! Though he has no one fooled, maybe that was his intention because every now and then, he keeps winking at the camera, as if sharing a private joke with us.

John Travolta, Nikki Blonsky in Hairspray

The choreography is innovative and refreshing. But then again, it has to be as the director knows so much about this genre. At times, you might find the songs unnecessary and interfering, but then all is forgiven because what we get is an excellent film with a lot of fun; not forgetting the feel good factor. It is my recommendation that you go to watch this film and take a trip into 1962-with the complete musical feel and color.

Rating: 3/5