Hairspray Makes A Note-Quite Perfect Circle Back to the Big Screen

Picking today’s fractal, Zero Plus, was fairly easy: the circular shape seems right to represent the journey Hairspray made from non-musical feature film, to Broadway musical and back to the big screen. The colors worked well for such a happy show and the title asks the question “are the additions to this new version of Hairspray really necessary?”
-
At first I thought reviewing Hairspray would be easy--until I realized I’d have to decide whether or not to compare it to the stage musical. A truly “fair” Reviewer would take the movie at its own merit and not make comparisons to other media: I find I can’t do that though: I‘m something of a fan of the Broadway show so maybe I‘m not the best qualified to write a review. This being my blog, however, I have to fill it with something so I’m just going to go ahead and write the review and let my loyal readers sort (if any there be) it out for themselves.
-
Hairspray has an interesting pedigree: it began as a “straight” feature film by John Waters (if any John Waters film can truly be described as “straight”) in 1988 then was adapted into a Broadway Musical in the mid-90s by Mark O’Donnell and James Neehan. The show is still running on Broadway and is touring nationally and internationally but now it has been filmed by Adam Shankman with mixed results just in time for the 2007 summer movie season.
-
The basic story remains the same through all three versions: Tracy Turnblat, a hefty teenage girl from Baltimore dreams of dancing on the “Corny Collins Show” (in other words, a fictionalized rip-off of American Bandstand). She’s chock full of talent as great as her positive attitude. She tries out but is dismissed by Station Manager Velma von Tussle--only to catch Corny’s eye at a High School Sock Hop with her unique dance moves (lifted from some Black friends she made in Detention). The Host gives Tracy a place on his show which leads to Tracy’s quest to integrate the show--and a chance to get close to her crush “Link Larkin“--who just happens to be dating Velma‘s daughter Amber. (It’s hard to believe that blacks and whites weren’t allowed to dance on the same shows in my lifetime--but it’s true.) The play and film diverge in the middle but eventually the story wraps up at the “Miss Teenage Hairspray Contest” and (almost) everyone lives happily ever after.
-
Nicky Blonsky (literally in her first role!) knocks it out of the park as Tracy: she has a big voice and can really move on the dance floor. She truly “inhabits” her role and never hit’s a single false note throughout the movie. Kidstar and Nickelodeon Mainstay Amanda Bynes isn’t given much to work with as Penny Pingleton but she’s an adequate support for Tracy and makes her story arc from repressed miss to "Checkerboard Chick" believable. High School Musical cutie Zac Efron plays Link Larkin with suitable aplomb. Jason Marseden (Cyclops from the three X-Men movies) proves he can wail but his dancing is just weird. (Was that the choreographer‘s choice or is he a truly awful dancer?) Long-time character actor Christopher Walken (who can atually sing and dance) is a weirdly creepy choice as Tracy’s supportive father Wilbur. Queen Latifah (who was nominated for an “Oscar” for her work in Chicago) lights up the screen as “Motormouth Maybell” but is shockingly underused here. Alison Janney (The West Wing) gets the much-expanded role of Penny’s whacked-out Mom Prudy Pingleton and she digs in to her role. Brittany Snow (Amber von Tussle), and Elijah Kelley (“Seaweed“) fill out the cast adequately in their featured roles. There are fun cameos by John Waters (who wrote and directed the original Hairspray) and Ricky Lake (who has slimmed down considerably since her star turn in the original film). Jerry Stiller (who played Wilbur in the original movie) gets a scene as “Mr. Pinky” (owner of Mr. Pinky’s Hefty Hideaway). The few things wrong with the movie can be laid squarely at the feet of the last two cast members John Travolta and Michelle Pfeifer.
-
Michelle Pfeifer is still a beauty and a talented actress but she doesn’t show much here. (That may well be the fault of the script writers though.) She doesn’t have much of a singing voice and isn’t much of a dancer (at least not in this movie). Here, she has about as impact as a slice of Wonder Bread. Velma should be a bold brassy bitch but Pfeifer underplays the role through the whole movie. I’m sure the producers hired her so they could have a “Big Name” above the marquee but her part could have been played by pretty much anybody. At least she gets her comeuppance in the end (a departure from the musical but it harkens back to the original movie).
-
The same thing cannot be said for the part of Edna Turnblatt--and one of those people it can’t (or at least shouldn't) be played by is John Travolta. Before agreeing to star in this movie he demanded a great deal of control--and most of the choices he made were bad. He insisted on doing a Baltimore accent (a weird combination of “Southern Drawl” and “Valspeak”) for the character and since he’s the only one doing it the audience wonders what’s going on. He didn’t want to play Edna as a “joke” so he gives the part a completely straight reading--thus taking a lot of the humor out of the character. He’s no Harvey Fierstein and the character suffers for it On the plus side he has a decent singing voice and blue eyes to die for. I didn’t hate his performance but I didn’t love it either.
-
The writers decided to compress the play’s 2 ½ hour running time to around two hours (as often happened with shows that become movies). They did this by chopping out four numbers (two of which end up being played over the end credits) and cutting down three more. Two new numbers (a showcase for Zac Efron and a group number called “New Girl in Town”) aren’t as good as the cut-out stuff (but I guess they needed to add something to be considered for Oscar Nominations in the “Best Song” category). The middle of the movie will go a bit awry for fans of the stage musical but those who haven’t seen Hairspray live probably won’t notice. The movie’s message of inclusiveness no matter your size or skin color is a nice one that deserves to be heard loud and clear.
-
This version of Hairspray isn’t perfect but it’s lots of fun. It is a pleasant, entertaining diversion that is well worth seeing. You’ll go away happily humming one of the many memorable tunes--and isn’t that what a movie musical should do for the viewer? You will be well-satisfied since the movie delivers on what it promises. Support this movie so more musicals will be produced.
-
FINAL GRADE - B+

Latest "Harry Potter" Film Takes A Darker Turn

Today’s post begins with a fractal called Renaissance Magic 7. The “7” is irrelevant (other than denoting the fact that this image is part of a larger series) but the “Magic” in the title seemed appropriate for a review of the latest “Harry Potter” movie and red and gold are the colors of House Gryffindor.
-
Each “Harry Potter” book grows longer and more complicated as new characters are added while established characters get more fleshed out, more of Harry’s history is revealed and we more detail about the Wizarding world. So too the movie--but in this latter case it isn’t always successful.
-
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix manages to succeed in a lot of ways: the movie has lots of “wow” moments and there are several scenes that show just how much “fun” magic can be. Weirdly enough, I didn’t have nearly the problem with the actors growing up as I did in the last movie (although I wanted to slap Harry Potter for his sullen attitude throughout most of the movie). We don’t get to see a “Quidditch” game but it wouldn’t be a Harry Potter movie without a “flying broom” sequence: this one takes several people through London at night. There is enough magical battles to satisfy any fan of big-budget effects and they are expertly and seamlessly done.
-
Still, the movie is not without problems. Even though this latest installment clocks in at over two hours, the move still feels rushed and overstuffed. Many plot points are glossed over and quite a few critical details are left out entirely; in my opinion the work suffers from that. (True, the source book is a massive 870 pages so I realize some cuts must be made but frankly I think the writer made some bad choices.) Many familiar faces from the series don’t get much time on screen (Professor Macgonigal, Snape, Hagrid and even Professor Dumbledore barely register in the movie.) Some new characters (Bellatrix Lestrange, Luna Lovegood, Nymphadora Tonks and Kreechur the House Elf) are introduced but their back story is curiously missing--lessening their impact. (In fact, the entire “Order of the Phoenix” gets short shrift in the script.)
-
New character Dolores Jane Umbrage (LOVE that name) gets somewhat better treatment: she is played to smarmy pink perfection by British Actress Imelda Staunton. She terrorizes Hogwarts with her own brand of sickly-sweet prissiness that is the worst kind of self-righteous evil. (Even so, her character is missing a critical bit of information that would have taken her nastiness to the next level.) Her outlandish pink and purple outfits (kudos to the Costume Designer for the work) are the only bright colors in a dark film.
-
True to the darker tone of the book, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix is shot with mostly in muted tones-- gray. brown and blue--with a lot of back mixed in to heighten the drama. Even the scenes shot outside in full daylight have a dreary, washed-out quality--but it works for the film. The Set Design, Direction and Cinematography serve the movie well and all the actors do well with what they are given--be it small or large. I can’t fault anyone for what the movie is lacking. It ran long anyway but I really wish the people in charge had included a bit more here and there--but if they included everything I feel the film needed it probably would have clocked in at three hours or longer: that's much too long for a family film. Fans of the movie series will surely enjoy this latest offering but fans of the book might not enjoy it so much. Those who aren’t fans probably shouldn’t see the move because there are too many character, too much information to digest and too many bits that are just confusing so they’ll end up confused.
-
FINAL GRADE: B-

"Transformers" Turns Into the Perfect Summer Movie

This ost begins with a fractal called Opposites Flower. I chose it because I will be reviewing the new movie Transformers: the color palette and theme seemed appropriate for the subject matter.
-
Transformers were huge in the 1980s. Hasbro manufactured hundreds of different toys that spawned a long-running cartoon show, a series of comic books and for all I know even a novel or two. I was too old to play with the toys and I never really “got” the concept--even though I thought it was a pretty cool idea. Why would alien robots come to Earth to disguise themselves as vehicles so they could carry on their fight? Why not just be robots and kick butt? (But, they wouldn’t have sold nearly as many toys that way I guess...) So, it was with a certain trepidation that I plunked down my eight bucks for a matinee showing of the movie Friday July 6.
-
The plot of Transformers is fairly simple: Autobots (the good guys) and Decepticons (villains) from the planet Cybertron come to Earth searching for the “Allspark” (some unexplained form of super energy that can create and alter life--but also kill). Meanwhile teenager Sam Witwicky (played to perfection by Shia LeBoeuf in his 3284rd movie appearance of 2007) gets his first car--a junked-out Camero that also happens to be Autobot Scout Bumblebee. Sam’s Grandfather, an Arctic Explorer found something important that both sides are looking for--thus sparking the conflict in present-day Los Angeles. If you need to know more go see the movie.
-
Megan Fox plays Mikaela Barnes, a hot high school girl with a past. Josh Duhamel and Tyrese Gibson are a pair of soldiers who get drawn into the alien battle. Rachel Taylor is gorgeous “Ozzie” computer expert brought in to help with the crisis and comedian Anthony Anderson goes over the top as a hacker she brings in to help. Jon Voigt phones in his part as Defense Secretary Keller and John Tarturo is a lot of fun as head of a super-secret government agency investigating the alien invaders. Kevin Dunn and Judy White steal every scene they’re in as Sam’s parents who have no clue about what’s going on around them. Fans of the original cartoon series will be pleased to note that Optimus Prime is voiced by Peter Cullen who played the same role in the cartoon. All the actors bring a sense of believability to their roles and the viewer never gets the sense that the work is “beneath” them.
-
As with any movie of this sort, there are quite a few plot holes one could comment on--but the movie zips along at such speed that the viewer never gets a chance to notice before things move along. The script crackles with humor (helping the movie avoid an unnecessary sense of gravitas) and even the “inside” jokes are pretty obvious. Needless to say the special effects are first rate and the battle scenes are nothign short of spectacular and really should be seen on a big screen. True, the whole thing is just a shallow romp but the movie is loads of fun. In my humble opinion it is a very-nearly perfect summer movie.
-
FINAL GRADE: A

Pardon Me?

Today’s post begins with a fractal called Light Up The Sky. It made it in honor of Independence Day so I suppose it bears some relevance to the post at hand. Like my previous post it was awfully hard to find a fractal that was appropriate to the topic.
-
The pardon has a long and storied history: we all remember movies and television shows where the Governor issues a pardon that arrives in the nick of time to save the unjustly condemned prisoner. This is a lovely image but in the real world it seldom happens. State Governors (particularly in California) have been known to commute executions to life sentences but “get out of jail free” cards are rare.
-
One of those cards was presented yesterday (July 2): President George W. Bush has commuted the prison sentence of his friend and former White House Aid Lewis “Scooter” Libby saying that he “respect’s the Jury’s decision” but that the punishment was “too harsh.” (Anyone who DIDN’T see this coming from a mile away should probably have themselves checked for Alzheimer’s Disease since they are obviously losing their minds.) In a small bit of cleverness the President left the man’s probation in tact (thus avoiding the worse charges of blatant favoritism while keeping his right wing allies happy.)
-
I’m not going to go into the particulars of the case. To be completely honest, I don’t have all the details: they are no longer relevant in any case. What I AM going to rant about is the unmitigated gall that someone in a position of power would have to actually overturn a Judgment because they didn’t approve of it for whatever reason. Whenever this happens I lose a little more faith in the American Judicial System.
-
The last time this occurred was the famous “Dog Mauling” in San Francisco. In case you don’t remember the case it went something like this: Dianne Whipple was attacked and killed on January 26, 2001 by two Presa Canaris/Mastiff dogs in the hallway of the apartment building. Marjorie Knoller and her husband Robert Noel were convicted of several crimes including involuntary manslaughter and owning a mischievous animal that caused the death of a human being. The jury also found Knoller guilty of second degree murder. After almost a month’s testimony and Jury deliberation the Trial Judge threw out the Jury's verdict because he didn’t feel it was warranted and convict and sentence the pair for lesser crimes. If a Judge3 can do this, what's the point of having a trial in the first place?
-
When ANYONE, be they Judge or President, choose to throw out a verdict for whatever reason I find this very disturbing. If someone higher-up can simply wipe away a decision because they don’t like it I think it’s wrong in all but a few cases. (Even if I disagree with a verdict, the jury made the decision and the convicted needs to go through the appeal process.) A decision to do this should never be arrived at lightly and only undertaken in the most extreme cases. In these two cases I just don’t believe that standard has been met: good job Mr. President. You’ve shown your true colors yet again . . .

Ratatouille is an Adult Dish

Picking fractal images for these posts is often a problematic thing. I have to find an image with something, anything that relates to the topic at hand. This post, a review of Ratatouille, the new animated movie from Pixar, proved to be particularly difficult. In the end I finally chose an image called Bastille Day since it was the only remotely “French” thing I had in my catalog.
-
I often comment that animated features are movies for kids that their parents will enjoy. In the case of Ratatouille, this is a movie for adults that kids will enjoy as well. It is the story of Remy (voiced by comedian Patton Oswalt), a young sewer rat in Paris with gourmet dreams. He meets and teams up with Linguini (voiced by Lou Romano--in his first-ever acting gig) a “Garbage Boy” who has just come to work at Gusteau’s--formerly one of the finest restaurants in Paris. The restaurant has fallen on hard times since the death of the owner. The “ghost“ of Gusteau (ably voiced by Brad Garret) encourages Remy to pursue his dreams while young Linguini romances Colette, the only female in Gusteau’s kitchen (Jeanine Garafalo gives voices to this tough chick: you don‘t hear even a hint of her natural “Chicago“ accent.) Evil midget (is there any other kind of the screen?) Chef Skinner (voiced by British Actor Ian Holm) has hijacked Gusteau’s name and likeness to hawk a line of frozen foods. John Ratzenberger (who I think is contractually obligated to be in every Pixar movie) shows up a the Head Waiter. Food Critic Anton Ego (Peter O‘Toole in some of his best work) shows up to “kick it up a notch” (if I may steal Emeril Legassi’s favorite line). There’s lots of slapstick comedy and action with a dash of romance and the requisite happy ending (even though it’s not the one you might expect).
-
Ratatouille is a love-letter to fine dining and the city of Paris. Food, whether animated or photographed, has never looked better. The Pixar crew spent time in a fine restaurant so all the details of cooking and serving are carefully observed and shown on screen. Some of the “rats-eye views” are photo-realistic and the rest of the “world” has a timeless quality that is both fun and quirky and romantic. The script perfectly balances action, comedy and romance and maintains its own completely-believable “reality” throughout. Some scenes are too “talky” and complicated for young children but older kids follow the plot but this is definitely an animated movie for adults.
-
FINAL GRADE: A