It occurred to me I've just watched my 17th or 18th movie at a theater this year alone. A huge personal record, especially considering I get to see perhaps 10 flicks at the cinema per year on average. Most of these have been solo trips, either out of timing or because I don't want to be seen with any of you.
Just kidding!! It's still National Sarcasm Month. It may also surprise some of you to know that I actually made it out to a film musical. At the theater. Really. I mean, it's not that I'm a fan nor a hater of musicals, may they be stage or screen. I'm just indifferent. But it has to be material that truly captures my imagination.
I've enjoyed the '80s version of Little Shop of Horrors, as well as Godspell, Joseph and the Technicolored Dreamcoat, the movie version of Jesus Christ Superstar, been a part of a high school production of JSC, seen the Waters version of Hairspray and, thanks to a drunken late night with some pals, Moulin Rouge. I guess you could count the original The Lion King.
Dare I say, I could perceive Top Secret! as a musical disguised as a parody. Hell, I even endured the pilot episode of Cop Rock. How horrifying. Think about it, even the second episode of Pushing Daisies suddenly turned into a mini-musical last week. But clearly, it was The Beatles music that drove me and a friend to Across the Universe, which is being distributed very slowly nationwide with producers obviously hoping to garner some attention from the Oscar and Golden Globe folks.
If you've done any reading of the film industry insider media recently, you should know what Across is about by now. It's basically an exploration of the 1960s as seen particularly through the eyes of two young star-crossed lovers, all set to select Beatles tunes. Most are well known, others are not your standard CD compilation "hits," but figure well as contemporary covers into the story that Julie Taymor wants to convey.
All told, it's a fun, stirring, bizarre (well, duh) flick. Most of the songs and scenes work, but some of the editing and story flow leaves a bit to be desired. The descent into the obligatory psychedelics - thanks to Bono's nearly inexplicable Dr. Robert character and hippie bus ride, and Eddie Izzard's boldly exhilarating yet zealous "sideshow" – beg for the consumption of illicit substances before and during viewing. (So if anyone wants to help me out in that regard for a second viewing, let me know =)
Indeed, Taymor's unconventional spirit is on display in such scenes as an all-night college binge by Jude (Jim Sturgess), Max (Joe Anderson) and their buddies, or Max's transformation from a free-spirit ne'er-do-well into a soldier by Uncle Sam or the usage of strawberries (including those that bleed) against a collage of Vietnamese mass destruction. And ooh, me likes the Salma Hayek cameo. Why have one Salma when you can have I think five of her?
While some reviewers have called Across the Universe invigorating, innovative and worthy of award consideration, others have savaged the movie, calling it too literally interpretive (read that: contrived or condescending, perhaps too politically charged) in its view of the '60s.
Even the typically open-minded yet meticulous Austin Chronicle lent a one-star rating. I'm not credentialed to say whether Across is among the greatest of film musicals. But it is rousing, visually imaginative and atypical, which nowadays most movie musical fans are seeking. I mean, Moulin Rouge blows people's minds to this day. So will Across the Universe in a different way. And the soundtrack is second to none.
All this talk inspires me to blog about a topic that I've yearned to wax philosophical on: If you had a chance to craft the ultimate soundtrack based upon YOUR personal/professional life (thus far), what songs would you choose? Hmm, I'll get back with ya on that. Wait for it.
