Skip to main content
I'mma say it... Les Miz is WAY over-rated. Sorry, Ms. Hathaway, I guess they're handing out nominations for dirty make-up and hair cuts, because your talk/singing was NOT the business. And what a whirlwind trip to degradation! You lose your job and five minutes later, it's down to the docks to sell your hair, teeth, dignity and health.

Hugh Jackman, you're too skinny to play Valjean. He was supposed to be this unbelievable strongman. Maybe I could have bought it if your singing voice was amazing... but it's not. All that hoarse emoting... did you graduate from the Christian Bale Academy of Growling?

And Russell Crowe? REALLY? He's physically closer to a Valjean type, but with a voice like that, he may as well have been in the Liam Neeson version... OF THE BOOK.

Sacha Baron Cohen and Helena Bonham Carter bring the (much-needed) comic relief, but this adaptation is fractured, messy and sleep-inducing. SORRY.

P.S. Bonus points for set design, costumes, yadda, yadda.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

The Two Parties are NOT the same.

Thinking about the differences between the Dems and the Trump. Trump is promising "America First" jingoism without delivering anything but racism, while riding the economic tide of his predecessor. Consider what the Dems have been DEMANDED to fix. 1) Healthcare for all Americans 2) Student loan relief 3) A workable immigration solution 4) $15 min. wage and/or guaranteed income 5) Incremental gun regulation 6) Protecting the environment 7) Iran nuclear treaty 8) Thwarting Russian election interference 9) Reparations 10) Lowering taxes for middle class 11) Raising taxes for the 1% 12) Improving K-12 education 13) Rolling back Citizens United 14) Protecting Roe v. Wade 15) A satisfying DC Cinematic Universe (why not?) It's perfectly fine to be in your feelings if you are upset that this country is so f*cked that your particular issue is not being trumpeted by all (or any) of the Democratic primary candidates. It's even OK if you feel that the cur...

Ashley Todd

Y'all know the story by now. White, female McCain phonebanker, Ashley Todd, leaves Texas to venture North to support her candidate. After a stint in New York, she ends up in Pittsburgh until Thursday, when she lost her effing mind and became Susan Smith Part Deux . The McCain campaign can hardly be blamed for this girl's actions. However, they need to be questioned on their response. Within hours of the incendiary allegations, two things happened. McCain and Palin called Ashley Todd. A press flack from McCain's Pennsylvania operation started pushing the story and adding salacious details. Consider what was at stake here. In a campaign environment already marked with strained racial tensions, Todd's story was potenitally explosive. It would have made a lot more sense to issue a generic statement (like Obama's campaign did). Instead, McCain and Palin lent legitimacy to the allegations (at least for a few hours) by calling her. They vetted Todd's story abou...

After Birth of a Nation

So I finally paid to watch BOAN. I can now offer my commentary without being a hypocrite. Full disclosure... After watching the movie, I reread the ACTUAL "Confessions of Nat Turner" (not the Styron novel) to make sure I wasn't trippin'. Before you comment on anything I have to say, please confirm that you have done the same. This movie was over-hyped. It was a ambitious effort at telling an overlooked story. It did have some compelling moments. However, the idea that this is an important film because it tells the ACCURATE story of Turner's revolt is diminished by the innumerable instances of artistic license and outright misrepresentation of facts. A "Based on a true story" title card doesn't mean you get to play Law & Order SVU with the historical record to the extent that you actually twist Turner into something he wasn't. To be clear, there is precious little in the historical record of Turner's life. Consequently, one might argu...