by Sam Juliano
The Wonders in the Dark staff (James Clark, J.D. Lafrance, Jamie Uhler) as well as Lucille and I would like to wish our dear friends and loyal readers a very Merry Christmas this coming Wednesday! I always say the same thing, but isn’t it amazing how time flies. We are on the cusp of another new year and we are a year older. The site recently completed its eleventh year, another remarkable achievement. This past year on a personal note had more than its share of heartbreaks and adversity. We lost our 89 year-old Dad in October, our favorite pet, a cat named Dylan two weeks after that and Lucille had that frightful benign tumor radio surgery which was a success. Here at the site we continue to receive extraordinary reviews from Jim Clark and J.D. Lafrance as well as another year of Jamie Uhler’s fantastic horror fest writings and chairmanship of the annual Allan Fish Online Film Festival, which is moving towards its fourth year. My ongoing Caldecott Medal Contender series -in its eighth year- is moving forward, albeit as a slower pace than in the past because of all the roadblocks I’ve mentioned. I want to thank the reading community for the amazing comment and page view numbers that again have greeted the series. We hope everyone has a peaceful and happy time for the end of the year festivities. Lucille and I (along with Sammy and Jeremy) attended the annual holiday bash Saturday night in Butler, N.J. at Lucille’s sister’s home.
We saw three films in the theater this past week (one will actually be watched tonight, Richard Jewell, so I will return to this post to revise). I’m mad. In all the years I’ve watched and sometimes reviewed movies for various publications dating all the way back to my college newspaper days I can’t remember an instance when I thought a film was tons better than a critical consensus as awful as that which greeted Tom Hooper’s “Cats” based on the long-running Andrew Lloyd Webber stage musical. In short I really liked “Cats” and found the director’s phantasmagorical approach a perfect fit for the undisciplined material culled from T.S. Eliot’s “Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats.” Film critics too often look down their noses at musicals, yet the far more uppity theater critics lavished much praise on the show, which won the Tony Award for Best Musical and ran for 18 years, most at the Winter Garden Theater where I witnessed this alluring and infectious hodgepodge of feline immersion four (4) times. After seeing some really extraordinary films over the past weeks I was due to see a dud and the vast majority of reviews are promising that “Cats” is exactly that. But no, put on the brakes. Hooper makes terrific use of London backdrops, and opens up the work to incorporate a bonanza of dance, ballet and song, with a few clear showstoppers like Jennifer Hudson’s “Memory”, “Mr. Mistoffeles,” “Macavity: The Mystery Cat,” “Shimbleshanks: The Railway Cat” and “Old Deutoronomy.” Francesca Hayward is absolutely smashing as Victoria, Ian McKellan is wonderful as Gus and Judi Dench is charming even with her non-existent singing voice. Laurie Davidson and Robbie Fairchild are splendid, though Taylor Swift is severely underused. Hooper is bold and takes some risks (not all of them work) but largely I found “Cats” a major surprise. Let the critics hate and use this film for their negative status quo but for some of the rest of us we can renew our vows in accepting how and why we loved this Broadway show in the first place. Oh yes, the cat fur CGI was effective and Hooper gets away with breaking every rule of narrative flow and continuity. On film this feat is tricky as opposed to the stage where a “revue” can be workable. The film is captivating! 4/5 with a half star upgrade still possible. Lucille, Sammy and I saw the film at the Teaneck multiplex Thursday evening.
Yes the subject matter -sexism and sexual assaults- is as explosive as the ads say and the performances (especially the one from Charlize Theron as Megyn Kelly) are impressive, but the film’s execution, fluctuating tone and emotionally distancing narrative (not to mention drab visual style) turn “Bombshell” into a major disappointment. Tedious and heavy-handed methinks. Not exactly a “bomb” but still only a “shell” of what it could have been with more competent direction. 2.5 of 5. Lucille, Sammy Jeremy and I saw the film Friday at the Ridgefield Park multiplex.
Cats **** (Thursday night) Teaneck multiplex
Bombshell ** 1/2 (Friday night) Ridgefield Park multiplex
Richard Jewell *** (Sunday night) Ridgefield Park multiplex
Despite all the slamming reviews of CATS, I’ve rather liked the look of it — and I’m some who doesn’t actually like musicals! So thanks for the reassurance.
John, the proof will be in the pudding for you, especially since you are not normally a musical movie guy. I must appreciate the confidence in my position and am wishing both you and Pam a very Merry Christmas. It is looking like the temperature for the day isn’t so bad in the mid 40s.
And a Merry Christmas backatchya, Sam and Lucille and brood!
I too am amazed that Cats has been given such awful notices. I think the trailer caused much alarm, but I have since heard new prints with revised effects have been sent to theaters. I am seeing it this week.
Happy Birthday yo you, the family and the site writers! Another great year at Wonders!
I hear ya Karen. The trailer definitely set this musical film down the wrong path for whatever other glaring imperfections it may have showcased. Looking forward to hearing about your screening my friend! Thanks for the kind words about the site too. Happy New Year!
Merry Christmas to you, Lucille and the Family! And the team at WitD!
Thank you so much Frank my longtime friend! Happy New Year to you and Carol!
Hiya Sam, wishing to and the family a merry Christmas and a very happy new year.
bobby
Bobby my longtime friend, right back at ya! Wishing you the best year ever in 2010 and one in exceedingly good health! Thank you so much!