Currently browsing the "Musical" category.

Joyful Noise

Joyful Noise is full of, well, joyful noise – at least when the music is playin’. Unfortunately, the movie slows down quite a bit between numbers. In other words, you have to be willing to forgive a heaping spoonful of preachy dialogue and contrived plot to truly enjoy the show. Don’t get me wrong. It’s a sweet, warm-hearted flick that should satisfy fans of the music competition genre (i.e. Gleeks). It’s just not as good as I hoped or expected it to be. I blame the trailer, which gives up all the best lines and high notes.

Footloose

Ah, to be 16 again… if even for an hour or two. That’s kind of how I felt watching the soundtrack of my youth playing out on the big screen – albeit with a contemporary twist – in this remake of the 1984 classic Footloose. I’d forgotten just how many hit songs the original movie generated: “Footloose”, “Almost Paradise”, “Holding Out for a Hero”, “Let’s Hear it for the Boy”… hmmm, where did I put that (vinyl) album?

Glee: The 3D Concert Movie

Get ready for the shortest review in Mainstream Chick history. But sometimes, less really is more. So here goes:

Save the Date? Glee Concert Movie

Summer “theatrical event” alert: Glee Live! In Concert! In 3D! Okay, way too many exclamation points for sure. But still, this could be a fun way for self-professed (and closet) gleeks to see those crazy kids in concert without having to battle crowds or cruise EBay for scalped tickets.

Justin Bieber: Never Say Never

Today’s lesson: Never say ‘never’ to a G-rated documentary about a teenage phenom. Justin Bieber: Never Say Never is actually quite good – even if you aren’t an 8 to 12 year-old-girl stricken with Bieber Fever.

Country Strong

Country Strong is at its best when the music is playin’. Unfortunately, the stuff that happens between the songs is Country Weak. So – if you don’t like country music to begin with – this movie’s not for you.

Tangled

I finally got around to seeing Tangled, and that’s only because my 11-year-old niece was willing to see it a second time around. She is, most definitely, its target demographic – but I really liked it too. Tangled is a fun, sweet fairy tale flick reminiscent of Beauty and the Beast. But instead of Beauty’s Belle living in her “small provincial town”, you’ve got Rapunzel holed up in a tower in the middle of the forest somewhere. Both are sort of rescued by guys, but when push comes to shove, both gals can kick some butt (only with much more grace and musicality).

Burlesque

It’s no Chicago or Dreamgirls, but if you like musicals (as I do), then you’ll like Burlesque well enough because the singing and the dancing are superb. The storyline, the acting and the dialogue are all… well… let’s just say the singing and the dancing are superb! The rest – is pretty darn cheesy, with a capital “C”.

Nine

If you are already a musical fan, you might enjoy Nine. I, however, am not a big musical fan so I went to see it hoping that it would be transcendent. It was not. The star-studded cast drew me in. Daniel-Day Lewis, Judi Dench, Penelope Cruz, Nicole Kidman, even Sophia Loren… how could I resist? But I left underwhelmed. Only Marion Cotillard gave what I considered an excellent performance.

This Is It

This Is It is what it is. And that’s what I like about it. There’s no foreshadowing. No hidden agenda. No real conflict. It’s simply a showcase for the phenomenal talent and musicality that was Michael Jackson. The documentary feels a bit draggy at times, but overall, it delivers what the filmmakers promised: a rare, behind-the-scenes look at the King of Pop as he prepared for a comeback/final concert series that was supposed to get underway in London this past July.