Christmas morning was great... and Christmas dinner turned out better than I could have expected. The food all turned out well, and making the casseroles the day before turned the whole cooking experience into a relaxed sort of dance. I even managed to play a few Christmas carols on the piano at one point. When does THAT happen?
But then the day turned not so wonderful. We went to see Les Miserables, and the hubby and I were both itching to be impressed. The film did not fulfill my expectations. I can't claim to be devastated, but the director was so fixated on facial expression that he filmed nearly everything in tight shots centered on each actor's face--to the detriment of any cinematography that might illuminate gesture, setting, etc. And his methods for filming meant actors could act--though Russell Crowe decided not to--but only a handful of them actually sang well, and I don't count Hugh Jackman among them. His voice was reedy and annoying, and his rendition of "Bring Him Home" made me positively cringe. Anne Hathaway was absolutely brilliant--truly--and many of the young students and both little kids could also sing--but otherwise the music was gritty and unlovely.
That was not the lowest point of the day, though. My little boy writhed through much of the film, complaining of a stomach ache... which wasn't fake, since the hubby ended up running out of the theatre with him so that he could heave up everything he'd eaten that day. I should have taken care of him, too, considering that I wasn't enjoying the film and I think the hubby was far less exacting than I and had been, up to that point, having a fantastic time.
We made a few hurling stops on the way home, and then my son fell asleep, emptied at last. I watched him overnight, to make sure I was there in case any last bit decided to come up on its own. Nothing did, and this morning he seems okay.
I just hope the hubby finds a time to go back to the movie and see it again--without anything to hinder his enjoyment of the film. Including me. Except for my criticisms here, I don't intend to say a single negative thing about the film to him--especially if he loves it. But I do not want to see it again.
Thanks Shakes there's another I can say, I read the book and I doubt that anyone could do Hugo's life's work justice. Good thing you didn't have to write an advent poem for the son...see timing is everything! what was it by the way...please do not say pumpkin pie!
ReplyDeleteI read the book, too, Walking Man, and loved every bit of it. I've seen the musical a ton of times, too, and except for the last one really enjoyed it--the music pulls out the pathos of each moment really beautifully.
DeleteBut this production made the music more of an afterthought, an ugly stepchild, except in a very few cases.
Nice to know you read the book... and I didn't intend to do any more Advent riddles--especially not pumpkin pie...
Don't spread this around Shakes but I almost made it through community college but the first real book I read was when I 10 an it was Chekhov's 12 chairs, then the entire Chaim Potok series, then I hit Verne, Dickens, Tolstoy, Dostoyevsky and yes even some Shakespeare but then I had to go American and read Hawthorne, Twain, Hemingway Steinbeck and Stephen Crane and more. Then some fool pushed the beat generation on me and that was it, reading lost it's adventure.
DeleteI just read somebody else's review of this movie, and they complained about the same exact things, especially the close ups, leaving no decent cinematography. Your son's response to it was spot on. Sure hope he's feeling better now.
ReplyDeleteI'd love to know who also reviewed it. And, though the hubby is planning to go back to the theatre and see it all the way through, he said the same thing about the tight camera shots--and if he found it irritating, it was. He's much more forgiving about such things.
DeleteStomach flu is never fun for anyone involved.
ReplyDeleteMy daughter and her boyfriend were hot and heavy to see the movie, even talking about hitting the midnight premiere, until Stephanie bought the soundtrack. Now she thinks she'll wait for the DVD.
Thank goodness my son felt fine today. He didn't eat a lot, but he didn't toss anything, either.
DeleteFunny, but the theatre people said all sorts of barfing had been going on that day. Okay, so it isn't funny. But it's weird.
As to the soundtrack, there is NO WAY I'm going to buy the film's soundtrack. The stage play has fantastic music, better singers and better score by far. I AM going to listen to my new stage soundtrack of THE BOOK OF MORMON. I adored the songs I heard on the Tony awards. I'll just have to use earphones, since I know swearing is common in the soundtrack.
Glad he's feeling better! Crazy! The same things bugged me about the movie, too! -Although, the people that did sing well (Russell Crowe included) and the good acting did make the movie worth watching for me (I shed a tear at Anne Hathaway's performance). Some of the songs were simply beautiful! Although, God on High did make me cringe a lot! I really dislike who that cast for Maurice. His voice wasn't great and he was unlovable.
ReplyDeleteReally curious: How is there lots of swearing when listening to the Book of Mormon soundtrack?