Posts tagged musical
Hooper’s ‘Les Miserables’ Is A Miss For This Fan Of The Musical
24 months ago
by Evan Crean
in 2012 Movie Reviews
“Les Miserables”
© Universal Pictures
Before my review of Tom Hooper’s film “Les Miserables,” I just want to preempt a few nastygrams by saying that I have tremendous respect for this musical. I studied it in school growing up, I’ve watched several performances of it over the years, and I know some of the songs well enough to sing along. Although I’m not exactly a diehard “Les Mis” devotee, I can appreciate the skill with which the story and the music are crafted. Both are woven together in a way that is compelling and enthralling.
That being said, Hooper’s adaptation is a disappointing cinematic regurgitation of the stage show that is downright boring. The only interesting moments come from specific performances and the small deviations the film makes from tradition.
Robo-Cruise Wrecks ‘Rock of Ages’
411 months ago
by Evan Crean
in 2012 Movie Reviews
Tom Cruise as Stacee Jaxx in Rock of Ages © Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. All rights reserved
Adam Shankman’s musical “Rock of Ages” is fantastic…for about 20 minutes. His film adaptation of the Broadway musical brilliantly combines powerful 80s rock songs to create an entertaining opening. However once Tom Cruise shows up as rock superstar Stacee Jaxx, the picture takes a serious nose dive.
I know what you’re thinking, and no his voice isn’t the problem; Cruise’s vocals are fine. He and the other actors in the film have Auto-Tune to thank for that. Cruise literally does everything to look, sound, and move like a rock star, except for showing any genuine conviction. It’s like someone programmed a robot to play the character, but left out the emotion chip.
