![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
As promised, we went to see Across the Universe Sunday night. As hoped, the rest of Denver were home watching the stupid Rockies win YET AGAIN, so the theater was practically deserted.
I won't bother cutting this as there will be no spoilers, and probably be very brief. Don't let the brevity fool you: I enjoyed this movie as much as I thought I would. It just doesn't lend itself to very in-depth analysis. If you're looking for a complex, original story, this is the wrong movie for you. Cute Limey comes across the pond for a change of scenery, meets cute girl just as Vietnam War protests start really kicking into gear, boy loses girl, boy wins girl back (John and I were alone in the belief that the two lads should have ended up together).
No, you should watch this movie for Julie Taymor's unique set designs and costumes, and for the clever interweaving of Beatles songs (both popular and obscure) into a story sung by talented, beautiful young actors. It's a rock opera for the new millenium. Highlights are too numerous to mention, but they're stuck to my brain like the brilliant after-flares of fireworks. Jude (Jim Sturgess) is gorgeous, but Tery rightfully pointed out that 10 years ago the part would have been totally owned by Ewan McGregor (they have similar singing voices too). Comparisons to Moulin Rouge abound (but please don't let that turn you off,![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
kavieshana); Tery and I both agreed if Taymor had collaborated with Baz, it would have been the perfect film, tightening up in the places it got a little slow and bogged down. Max (Joe Anderson) could have been Jude Law 10 years ago. I didn't recognize Lucy (Evan Rachel Wood) who played Natalie in Running With Scissors, to my shame and Tery's disbelief.
The only specific reference I'll make is to the "Benefit of Mr. Kite" segment, sung by a fabulous Eddie Izzard. It would have been over too quickly except for the fact that Eddie's background singers are dressed as the Blue Meanies, the bad guys from Yellow Submarine who traumatized me as a child. Christ, that movie terrified me, and I'd managed to forget all about it until watching this. Damn you, Julie Taymor, for resurrecting those psychedelic demons.
I doubted that Tery enjoyed it at all until we got home and she couldn't stop talking about all her favorite parts. I didn't realize she loved musicals. Needless to say, the soundtrack is a must-own -- the 2-disc deluxe version, which contrary toaurora_z's belief was NOT for sale at my local Best Buy. Either Prescott, AZ has a secret inside track in the music industry, or the sales clerk I spoke to on the phone was unfamiliar with looking up items in the computer. No matter, it's coming from DeepDiscountDVD any day now, and we simply can't wait.
I was happy they included my all-time favorite Beatles song, "Day in the Life" (it was instrumental but still quite powerful -- and dammit, I just noticed it's not on the soundtrack). Tery, who insists on being old-school in all things, was excited there were a lot of older songs that I didn't recognize ("Happiness is a Warm Gun," "I Want You (She's So Heavy)," also not on the soundtrack evidently). She loves feeling superior about shit like that.
I didn't love it as much as Moulin Rouge, but as musicals go you can do a LOT worse. Tery wouldn't be surprised if this ends up on Broadway. And a DVD purchase is unavoidable. 4.5 out of 5
I won't bother cutting this as there will be no spoilers, and probably be very brief. Don't let the brevity fool you: I enjoyed this movie as much as I thought I would. It just doesn't lend itself to very in-depth analysis. If you're looking for a complex, original story, this is the wrong movie for you. Cute Limey comes across the pond for a change of scenery, meets cute girl just as Vietnam War protests start really kicking into gear, boy loses girl, boy wins girl back (John and I were alone in the belief that the two lads should have ended up together).
No, you should watch this movie for Julie Taymor's unique set designs and costumes, and for the clever interweaving of Beatles songs (both popular and obscure) into a story sung by talented, beautiful young actors. It's a rock opera for the new millenium. Highlights are too numerous to mention, but they're stuck to my brain like the brilliant after-flares of fireworks. Jude (Jim Sturgess) is gorgeous, but Tery rightfully pointed out that 10 years ago the part would have been totally owned by Ewan McGregor (they have similar singing voices too). Comparisons to Moulin Rouge abound (but please don't let that turn you off,
kavieshana); Tery and I both agreed if Taymor had collaborated with Baz, it would have been the perfect film, tightening up in the places it got a little slow and bogged down. Max (Joe Anderson) could have been Jude Law 10 years ago. I didn't recognize Lucy (Evan Rachel Wood) who played Natalie in Running With Scissors, to my shame and Tery's disbelief.The only specific reference I'll make is to the "Benefit of Mr. Kite" segment, sung by a fabulous Eddie Izzard. It would have been over too quickly except for the fact that Eddie's background singers are dressed as the Blue Meanies, the bad guys from Yellow Submarine who traumatized me as a child. Christ, that movie terrified me, and I'd managed to forget all about it until watching this. Damn you, Julie Taymor, for resurrecting those psychedelic demons.
I doubted that Tery enjoyed it at all until we got home and she couldn't stop talking about all her favorite parts. I didn't realize she loved musicals. Needless to say, the soundtrack is a must-own -- the 2-disc deluxe version, which contrary to
aurora_z's belief was NOT for sale at my local Best Buy. Either Prescott, AZ has a secret inside track in the music industry, or the sales clerk I spoke to on the phone was unfamiliar with looking up items in the computer. No matter, it's coming from DeepDiscountDVD any day now, and we simply can't wait. I was happy they included my all-time favorite Beatles song, "Day in the Life" (it was instrumental but still quite powerful -- and dammit, I just noticed it's not on the soundtrack). Tery, who insists on being old-school in all things, was excited there were a lot of older songs that I didn't recognize ("Happiness is a Warm Gun," "I Want You (She's So Heavy)," also not on the soundtrack evidently). She loves feeling superior about shit like that.
I didn't love it as much as Moulin Rouge, but as musicals go you can do a LOT worse. Tery wouldn't be surprised if this ends up on Broadway. And a DVD purchase is unavoidable. 4.5 out of 5
