Category: Musical

'La La Land'

30/1/2017

In cinemas now!

Mia (Emma Stone) is a struggling actress balancing working in a movie studio coffee shop with an unsuccessful slew of auditions. Sebastian (Ryan Gosling) is an extremely talented but cocky musician obsessed with jazz to the point that his passion for the genre keeps him from holding down a steady job as a pianist providing mood music to the diners in a restaurant.

On the verge of giving up on their dreams the two find each other and their relationship spurs them on to bigger and better things even as that future threatens to tear the two of them apart. What comes next is a story of romance, ambition and the struggle to realise your dreams that won’t fail to move you.

I didn’t love this movie as much as the awards circuit seems to have but it is extremely good. A stunning combination of visuals, subtle yet extravagant performances, and great music. It’s a clear throw back to a seemingly forgotten era of musicals; where the songs are more than just fun asides, they’re an expression of the emotion of the scene and characters before you.

Long takes and occasional surreal set pieces with no desire to explain themselves are a staple of the old school musical and this film is a masterfully effortless addition to the genre that never feels out of place. Harking back to a style of filmmaking I was never overly a fan of is probably why this film didn’t strike a hundred percent with me, but don’t let that put you off. I’m not much for musicals and I still thought this was great.

You won’t fail to feel for Mia and Seb, which is good because the film is pretty much just them in front of the camera, and whilst the story is a love letter to film and music to some degree it’s portrayal of the harsh reality of those worlds for struggling artists has just the right amount of dramatic emphasis.

It’s too early to say if I loved this film enough to guarantee it a place in my top ten of the year, but that seems to put me in the minority and I concede that really liking this film is probably the lowest opinion most can have of it. There’s not a lot else to say, you should definitely go see this movie if you have even the slightest inclination, and not just because it’s going to be the big thing everyone is talking about for the rest of the year, though it clearly is.

Review by Kristian Mitchell-Dolby.

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'Pitch Perfect 2'

13/5/2015

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In cinemas May 15th!

Three years after the success of the first outing for the Barden Bellas, Brownstone Productions has brought us another hilarious instalment which will have you singing the soundtrack for months to come. 'Pitch Perfect 2' sees the Bellas cast out of their role as the top a cappella group in America after a particularly humiliating performance at the Lincoln Center. In order to restore their position and their dignity they must enter and win an international competition that no American team has ever won before. With Elizabeth Banks in her new role as director, as well as actor and producer, I can only imagine the pressure she must have felt to live up to the massive popularity of the first film. The good news is, I believe they pulled it off. Everything is bigger and better in this film.

Part of the draw from the last film was the humour. A mixture of flat out silly, dark, and just plain offensive; it is not to everyone’s taste. But for me, it takes me back to some of the classic English comedies that I grew up with. Yes, some of the jokes are pretty low brow and yes, they do offend everyone, but here-in lies the beauty of it. They do not victimize one group of people, no-one is singled out. Everyone is open to ridicule and everyone is ridiculed, including themselves. A prime example of this is a particularly funny scene (seen, in part, in the trailer) where the Bellas are discussing their chances in the international competition and it is left to a cappella pundits Gail (Elizabeth Banks) and John (John Michael Higgins) to explain why no American has won the competition before. In short, it’s because “Everybody hates us”.

The musical numbers have stepped up a notch since the last instalment, more complex and dramatic. Particular credit must be given to the German group “Das Sound Machine” headed by Kommissar (Birgitte Hjort Sørensen) and Pieter Krämer (Flula Borg). Their musical performances are spot on, creating real intimidation for the Barden Bellas. Kommissar and Pieter are a brilliant double act with Pieter running his mouth, hilariously ridiculing the Bellas as Kommissar stands by with an almost perpetual look of disgust on her face. The characters are stereotypically German but are given enough of an upper hand that it does not feel like they are being picked on.

There is an abundance of star cameos, clearly drawn by the popularity of the first film, each used to perfection. Although some have been hinted at in the trailer, there are a few that you just will not see coming. As for the few new major players, Hailee Steinfeld is suitably adorable as Emily, the new Bella recruit, another great singing talent that I was not aware of. Beca’s boss is played by
Keegan-Michael Key, bringing a side-splitting distraction to the main storyline. Full of energy and ridiculously quick-witted, he is a joy to watch and an excellent commentary on the sometimes ludicrous behaviour of the modern music industry.

My one gripe would be the lack of Beca (Anna Kendrick) in this film. Despite being touted as the lead in both films she is conspicuously missing from a lot of the main storyline. When she does appear, she lacks the energy of the other girls, highlighted by the force of nature that is Rebel Wilson as Fat Amy. Luckily, the energy and verve of the other girls make up for this deficit and the film does not suffer too much because of it. In general, this is an excellent film. If you are a fan of the original, I guarantee that you will love this even more. If you’ve never watched it before, what the hell have you been doing?!? Seriously though, take your friends, head out to a cinema and prepare to spurt Sprite out of your nose with laughter every other minute.

Review by Melanie Crossey.
See this review on The Fan Carpet.

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'The Last Five Years'

31/3/2015

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In cinemas February 13th in the USA and April 17th in the UK!

Based on the musical by Jason Robert Brown, The Last Five Years is the story of Jamie Wellerstein (Jeremy Jordan), an up and coming novelist, and Cathy Hiatt (Anna Kendrick), a struggling actress. They meet, they fall hopelessly in love, they marry, but as life and work begin to take its toll their relationship falls apart. Told almost entirely through song, this is a musical with a twist. We join Cathy at the moment the relationship has ended and Jamie at the moment it begins. As Cathy moves backwards through the story and Jamie forwards towards the end, we discover what made them great, and what ended it all.

This is most definitely a musical for the modern age. Shunning the cheesiness that sometimes overwhelms the tone of many classic musicals, it adopts a style that pokes fun at both the situations of modern life and its own genre. (Hint: Russell Crowe may not be a fan of this movie!)

Anna Kendrick is just perfect in her role as a woman struggling with the unfairness of her own flailing career as her partner appears to walk seamlessly and effortlessly into the height of his. Despite beginning her career in theatre, to me, Anna is made for the screen. She has that special skill that many of my favourite screen actors possess of being able to portray a million different emotions with only the smallest raise of her eyebrow. She is also a wonderful everywoman. You can see yourself in her, and even when she makes mistakes and does the wrong thing, you are always on her side. When she falls, you want to pick her up and hug her.

Jeremy Jordan as Jamie Wellerstein is frequently not the most likeable of characters. However, he is charming enough that you understand exactly why Cathy fell in love with him in the first place. The final scene is absolutely devastating with the juxtaposition of Jamie leaving their apartment and their relationship forever and Cathy, full of hope after their first date.

All in all, The Last Five Years is a fabulous film. Running the perfect line between both funny and tragic and with a musical score that will stick in your head for weeks to come, I defy you not to race straight home and order the soundtrack.

Review by Melanie Crossey.
See this review on The Fan Carpet.

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Once

29/3/2015

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Once the Musical has been delighting audiences at the Phoenix Theatre on Charing Cross road for the past two years, but sadly the time has come to say goodbye to this beautiful musical. Winner of 8 Tony’s, 2 Olivier's and a Grammy, Once became a hit in quick time. For it’s UK run Doctor Who’s Arthur Darvill wowed audiences with his portrayal of the moody Irish musician known only as ‘Guy’ and he has been widely considered as the best in the role, making more women swoon than when Zayn hits the high notes with One Direc… Sorry, too soon? But speaking of pop stars, Once finished it’s run with ex Boyzoner Ronan Keating performing to sell out audiences.

The show takes place in Dublin, Ireland and follows the story of a thirty something busker and his unrequited romance with a young Czech woman. The fact that this is not an out and out love story is quite refreshing, they both have respective partners that we never see and find each other quite by chance forming a firm friendship.

With a superb selection of characters played by incredibly talented performers who also play the music for the entire show, I’m more than a little jealous! Every character is portrayed with fines and keeps you grounded in a very real world, with wonderful moments of comedy that warms the heart at every turn.

I had seen the same cast before with ITV’s Superstar semi-finalist David Hunter in the lead role and was impressed with how well he coped with taking on the role after Darvill’s enigmatic performance, bringing something of his own to the part. His leading lady, Jill Winternitz as ‘the Girl’, also took up the mantle extremely well and her performance was simply stunning. Funny and heartfelt, Winternitz takes you on a roller coaster throughout the show with nuances that deserve a lot more acclaim than she has received, as she is an accomplished performer.

To finish up the run of this stunning musical was Ronan Keating, he certainly looks the part and you would think a moody Irishman character with a smooth singing voice would be perfect… Wouldn't you? Unfortunately Keating is not an actor, now before I get lynched by many screaming fans I will say this was his first time out. Fair enough, I wasn’t expecting his acting to be top notch as it’s a difficult thing to get up on a West End stage first time out of the gate.

His awkward performance actually gave the character something quite fresh which I enjoyed in places, but for a singer I did expect a little more. I thought his particular song styling would stand him in good stead for this show but it was a little lacking, with other members of cast clearing holding back to help him out. There were points in some of the hit songs such as ‘Gold’, Falling Slowly’ and ‘When Your Mind’s Made Up’ where we completely lost him altogether.

Once is a warm and uplifting show, a perfect evenings entertainment and bound to make you feel good about life. It was a shame however to finish without the big and surprising performance that Arthur Darvill gave us. My star rating is based on the show itself and not that final performance as I feel it deserves better,, Had I not seen previous casts this would have been a lot lower!

Hopefully this will be heading out on tour soon with another stellar cast. I am excited to see who follows in it’s footsteps with this kind of wonderful, heartfelt and personal show; who knows maybe shows like this do come around more than ’Once’…

Review by Shane Goodsir.

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'Into The Woods'

17/12/2014

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In cinemas December 25th in the US and January 9th in the UK!

As someone who isn't usually a fan of musical to film adaptations, I was surprised at how well this film managed the feat. Director Rob Marshall has captured the essence of the stage play so that although translated onto the big screen and shortened in length, we don’t lose anything from the story and the style still screams Sondheim. It is beautifully shot and the singing flows as naturally as if it were just speech. It was also pleasing to see how closely they had kept to the original Grimm Tales storylines for each character, holding on to the darkness that is weaved into each plot. The original storyline of the childless Baker and his wife (played by James Corden and Emily Blunt) does well to tie all of the stories together as well as bringing humour into the film. Anna Kendrick’s contribution as Cinderella stands out as much as her incredible singing, especially during the number 'On the Steps of the Palace', while Meryl Streep as the witch almost steals the show with a stunning performance.

That being said, the characters were all a bit too one dimensional and I would have liked to have seen a bit more depth behind them. Johnny Depp as The Wolf was well characterised but far too playful, I wanted him to be almost frightening and much more of a trickster. The original Grimm Tales stories are almost brutal and I felt that this could have been shown more with his character instead of merely hinted at, as it is throughout most of the film.

However Chris Pine as Prince Charming was a very pleasant surprise. Firstly because I didn’t even know that he could sing, and apparently neither did a lot of people including Rob Marshall! Not only can he sing, but he does so very well and personally the duet between the two princely brothers was my favourite part of the film. It was beautifully shot, well performed, and actually very funny. Although both his character and his brother’s (played by Billy Magnussen) were again very one dimensional it actually worked in their case as they are meant to be shallow. To quote Prince Charming “I was raised to be charming, not sincere.”

Daniel Huttlestone captured Jack perfectly, however I found Mackenzie Mauzy as Rapunzel rather flat. Also while Lilla Crawford sang fabulously at Red Riding Hood, I felt that she didn’t quite capture the essence of her. She opened very strongly when interacting with the Baker and his wife but from then on the character seemed a little too emotionless and deadpan for my liking. All in all it is a good film, but not outstanding. However it still remains one of the best and strongest musical to film adaptations I have ever watched.

Review by Lydia Kay
See this review on www.thefancarpet.com

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'La La Land'

'Pitch Perfect 2'

'The Last Five Years'

Once

'Into The Woods'

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