#think of russel crowe in le mis it's all over for that man

[chaos0pikachu]

do y’all think if Lestat watched Dear Evan Hansen he woulda ate Ben Platt?

[bbclesmis]

Daily Mail: The original superhero: An ex-con with the strength of an ox and a passion for justice – Dominic West on playing Valjean in the BBC’s epic new version of Les Mis

Dominic West, 49, is set to star in Andrew Davies' adaptation of Les Misérables

The story written originally by Victor Hugo in 1862 became a hit film in 2012

The French novel is also the longest-running musical in the West End

Dominic says the story's Jean Valjean is the best superhero that’s ever written

He shared his thoughts on the challenge of bringing new complexity to the role

Dominic West walks into the room sporting a huge grin, sideburns, rust-coloured breeches, a scarf that makes him look instantly French... and a sore throat.

‘I’ve almost lost my voice,’ he croaks.

He’s midway through filming the BBC’s epic new adaptation of Les Misérables when we meet, so this is far from ideal. But he’s undeterred.

‘I’ve been shouting for justice for too long,’ he laughs.

Many drama fans will know Victor Hugo’s classic 1862 novel from the popular musical adaptation that has been playing in London since 1985, making it the longest-running musical ever in the West End.

It was turned into an Oscar-winning film in 2012 with Hugh Jackman, Anne Hathaway and Russell Crowe, but this six-part TV series – with no singing at all – goes much deeper into a story encompassing the nature of justice, the misery of humankind and the redemptive quality of love.

Dominic West, 49, revealed the complexity behind his role as ex-criminal Jean Valjean in the TV adaptation of Les Misérables. Pictured left to right: Madame Thénardier (Olivia Coleman) and her husband (Adeel Akhtar), Fantine (Lily Collins) holding a young Cosette, Valjean and Javert (David Oyelowo)

The epic tale focuses on ex-criminal Jean Valjean, his policeman nemesis Javert, and a host of characters they meet on their respective journeys through France between 1815 and 1832.

After being released from prison, where he was incarcerated for stealing a loaf of bread for his starving sister but kept in jail for 19 years for continually trying to escape, Valjean is an embittered man until an act of incredible kindness from a village priest, played by Derek Jacobi, makes him vow to turn over a new leaf.

But he soon discovers that having to show his ex-criminal papers wherever he roams means he’s unable to find work, and finds he’s being pursued by Javert because he’s failed to check in with the authorities after his release.

Six years on, he has become a wealthy factory owner in the town of Montreuil-sur-Mer.

He has a new name, is well regarded as a philanthropist and no one knows his past.

It’s there that he meets single mother Fantine, who has turned to prostitution after being sacked from his factory.

Her daughter Cosette is being brought up by the Thénardiers, a couple of thieves who run an inn, and she can’t afford to pay them.

Valjean promises to look after Cosette for the dying Fantine, but first he must flee from Javert, who’s on his heels.

The action then turns to Paris in 1832, where cholera is rife and the streets are ablaze with anti-monarchy protests.

Valjean and a now teenage Cosette are living there, but both the Thénardiers and Javert are in the capital too.

It’s a dangerous time for everyone, but as well as tragedy in the closing scenes, there is love, redemption and forgiveness.

As the series has been adapted by the king of costume drama Andrew Davies, the man who sexed up Pride And Prejudice and War And Peace, we can expect a lighter touch – as well as more nakedness – than is to be found in the average retelling of the French classic.

Andrew Davies says the musical version of Les Misérables failed to get to the heart of the story, in his version he includes various elements of love. Pictured: Marius (Josh O'Connor) and Cosette (Ellie Bamber) fall deeply in love with each other

The musical, he says, was ‘a shoddy farrago’ that failed to get to the heart of the story, whereas his version will.

‘The story has all those elements of love: romantic love, maternal love, filial and sibling love.

'It looks at those universal themes of how we live a good life.

'But it’s about much more than that.

'We live in a society that’s as divided into rich and poor as the society Hugo was talking about.

'Now, as then, there are people who end up on the streets if something goes wrong.’

Dominic, 49, is cast as the lead character Valjean, a beast of a role that he’s clearly relishing, despite his croaky voice.

‘Jean Valjean is the best superhero that’s ever been written,’ he says.

It’s a very emotional story. I’m in tears all day - Dominic West                        

‘He’s amazing. If he’s not saving kids or fighting villains, then he’s climbing up ships’ masts to save some sailor.

'It’s a very emotional story. I’m in tears all day.

'Really, I can’t stop crying. I just love this man. He’s such a good guy.

'Usually it’s hard to make good guys interesting so that people really care about them.

'But he’s fighting all the time – not only with Javert who’s on his tail, but also with his own demons.

'The odds are stacked against him, the world is stacked against him, and yet he manages to be a good guy when all the pressures around him are urging him to be bad.

'Our lives are nothing like his, but we are having slightly tougher political times right now.

Ooh la la love triangle!                                                            

While the heart of the story is about Jean Valjean and Javert, there’s another intriguing relationship in Les Misérables – between Eponine who loves Marius, and Marius who loves Cosette.

‘Marius is passionately in love with Cosette, but in my version he keeps having dreams about Eponine,’ says writer Andrew Davies.

‘That leaves him terribly upset and feeling like he’s betrayed Cosette.

'It’s not in the original text, but Eponine does keep coming into his room and I thought about how unsettling that must be to a lusty young man.’

Eponine, played by Erin Kellyman, is the daughter of Thénardier, who goes to Paris after losing his inn, but she’s nothing like her thieving father.

She meets Marius when they share the same boarding house and falls in love with him.

Eponine (Erin Kellyman, pictured) suffers unrequited love in Les Misérables as she loves Marius but his heart belongs to Cosette

But he’s in love with Fantine’s daughter Cosette, who as a girl was brought up with Eponine by the Thénardier family but is now, after her mother’s death, the charge of the rich philanthropist Jean Valjean.

‘Eponine’s story is so sad because she tries so hard to impress Marius and he’s not interested at all,’ says Erin, best known for her role as rebel Enfys Nest in Solo: A Star Wars Story.

‘So she resorts to doing what she can to make him happy rather than making herself happy.

'Everyone knows what unrequited love feels like – but not quite to this extent.’

Josh O’Connor, who’s cast as Marius, admits he enjoyed having two beautiful girls in love with him.

‘He’s madly in love with Cosette, but his feelings about Eponine creep up on him.’

Nocturnal Animals star Ellie Bamber, who appears as Cosette, says audiences will see a new side to her character.

‘You see her past a lot more – she’s been through abuse and had to grow up fast,’ says Ellie, who first played Cosette in a school musical.

‘But she goes on a journey, falls in love, confronts her abusers and is a symbol of hope.’

'We’re looking for a hero and he could be that guy.

'I’ve got kids, and I’m at that age now where I don’t want to be a villain.

'It’s much more interesting when people are trying to be good when the world is against them.’

Dominic, whose naked bottom is seen within the first half hour of the show (‘It’s all mine!’ he laughs), says it took a lot of preparation to play Valjean, who is notable for his strength.

‘It took me about ten years to read the book,’ he jokes.

‘I also did a bit of boxing training, which almost killed me.’

The pressure Valjean comes under is mainly created by Javert, played by David Oyelowo, who’s best known for appearing as Martin Luther King in the film Selma.

He first meets Valjean in prison, where he’s astounded by the prisoner’s strength.

Fantine sells her hair, her teeth – and then herself - Lily Collins

When Valjean fails to report to the authorities after his release, Javert is on his tail and some years later mysteriously turns up in the village where Valjean – without revealing his past – has become mayor.

‘Javert is the villain, but while in the musical you see him only in primary colours, in this mini-series we see his many layers,’ says David, 42.

‘When I was offered the job I realised there was an opportunity to bring complexity and dimension to a character who’s largely been marginalised as a villain.’

Andrew Davies says he believes Javert’s obsession with Valjean may have a sexual element to it.

‘He may possibly be in love with him, in a strange way,’ he says.

‘If you think about it, their relationship with each other is the closest either of them has to romantic love in the story.’

Derek Jacobi (pictured) plays a priest who reforms Valjean with an incredible act of kindness

But David admits he chose to see other motivations for Javert’s preoccupation with catching Valjean.

‘Javert sees Valjean as a mirror to himself,’ he says.

‘Javert was born in a prison to gypsy parents.

'He was born in and around criminality, and that’s the thing he’s been pushing away from, obsessively, all his life. He’s trying to kill off that side of himself.’

Dominic says the rivalry between the two characters became easier to understand as soon as they gave Valjean a northern accent and Javert a southern one, playing on regional rivalries that will be familiar to British audiences even if it isn’t authentically French.

‘We had a bit of trouble at first, thinking why is Javert so obsessed with this dude,’ he says.

‘But it all became easier when David started doing Javert in a southern accent and I started doing Valjean in a Yorkshire one, because I’m originally from Sheffield.’

More than anything it’s a study of goodness - Dominic West  

The casting was deliberately colourblind, with Adeel Akhtar, who has Pakistani and Kenyan heritage and is best known for his role in Unforgotten last year, as the thieving innkeeper Thénardier and David, whose parents were both Nigerian, playing the key villain.

It may cause raised eyebrows, but David insists it’s time.

‘The thing that’s often overlooked is that we’re taking a 150-year-old French novel and transposing it onto English life,’ he says.

‘We have long striven to make these older texts relevant to a contemporary audience, and this is just an extension of that.’

David and Dominic have been filming in a picturesque cobbled street in Brussels, where much of the Paris action in the series takes place – Paris is now too modern to play itself.

Dominic revealed he prepared for his role as Valjean (pictured as a prisoner) with boxing training

Shopfronts have been aged, satellite dishes and street signs covered up, cars replaced by horses and there’s a market in full swing outside a church with dozens of extras dressed in smocks.

There are even dog carts, which were used to transport goods at the time, being led by Great Swiss Mountain Dogs.

This is where we will first meet another of the key characters, Fantine, played by Lily Collins, the 29-year-old daughter of singer and drummer Phil.

In the musical we see only the end of her life, but here we will see the light that preceded the darkness.

The scene being filmed today shows her walking with friends to a dance, where she meets Felix, played by Johnny Flynn, who will seduce her and leave her with a baby, Cosette.

‘I love the musical, and playing Fantine is a dream come true,’ says Lily.

‘We get to flesh out the storyline we’ve never seen performed before.

'What is just a lyric in a song in the musical takes up an entire episode. We get to see Fantine fall in love and have her heart broken.’

Because of the vagaries of filming – and having to accommodate a stellar cast’s busy schedules – Lily filmed Fantine’s downfall first, before portraying the happier early part of her life.

As a single mother, her daughter is being brought up by the increasingly avaricious Madame Thénardier, played by Olivia Colman, and when Fantine loses her job in Jean Valjean’s factory in Montreuil she’s forced to sell her hair, then her teeth, then herself to make money.

Olivia Colman stars as Madame Thénardier (pictured) who brings up Fantine's daughter

But even that isn’t enough.

‘I did her death scene on my second day of filming,’ says Lily.

‘It was snowing and minus 13 degrees.

'The snow and the cold, the rags and the cobbles all helped me do the scene but it’s one of the hardest things I’ve ever done.

'By the end she has no hair and her front teeth are missing; the make-up and costume departments did the most extraordinary job.

'I sent my mum a photo of what I looked like and she said, “Oh God, no mother should ever see her child like that.”

'But being unable to recognise myself physically helped me transform myself, I’m really grateful for it.’

Lily says she had a brief chat with Anne Hathaway, who won an Oscar for playing Fantine in the film, about this tragic story.

‘I met her at a fashion event and she said hello to me. I got all nervous and said, “I’m playing you... well, not you, Fantine.”

She said, “Don’t lose yourself in the role because it can get really tough.” And she was right.

'As an actor I’ve never gone that low and it was hard to cling onto reality.’

The series, like the book, is set in the 17 years after the Battle of Waterloo in 1815.

The devastation of the battle opens the series in a powerful scene where we see innkeeper Thénardier robbing the bodies of dead soldiers. When he pulls a horse off one corpse to steal from him, the soldier is still alive.

The real Valjean     

The character of Jean Valjean was partly inspired by a real-life reformed villain, Eugène François Vidocq, who spent much of his life on the run.

A teenage tearaway who stole from his own family, his early years were spent in and out of jail and he also deserted from the army.

But that all changed when he witnessed the execution of an old friend and former thief.

Les Misérables's Jean Valjean was inspired by real-life reformed villain, Eugène François Vidocq (pictured)

He turned police informer and philanthropist, set up a factory for ex-convicts and even, in 1828, lifted up a heavy cart that had fallen onto one of his workers.

Revered as the ‘father’ of modern criminology, he set up his own detective agency and is credited with the introduction of undercover work, ballistics and he even made the first plaster cast impressions of shoe prints.

His first memoir was printed in 1829 and as well as inspiring Victor Hugo, who is said to have created both Jean Valjean and Javert from Vidocq’s story, he was also written about by Balzac, Alexander Dumas, Edgar Allan Poe, Herman Melville and Charles Dickens.

Thinking Thénardier was there to help him, he demands the name of his saviour.

That man is Colonel George Pontmercy, the father of another of the key characters, Marius.

And in another strand to the story that will be new for fans of the musical who haven’t read the book, we learn about Marius’s upbringing.

Born into an aristocratic family, he is raised largely by his royalist grandfather Monsieur Gillenormand, played by the Harry Potter and Game Of Thrones star David Bradley, because his father is off fighting and his mother is dead.

When his father returns from battle, Gillenormand refuses to allow him to see his son because he’s so disgusted he fought for the rebel Napoleon.

But when Marius – a role taken by The Durrells actor Josh O’Connor – grows up he discovers more about his father and becomes a rebel himself.

‘He comes from a well-to-do background and then he turns into a socialist to fight for the people,’ says Josh.

‘The book is partly about social injustice, but you have these beautiful themes of redemption.’

As the story moves on, we see the characters interlink against the backdrop of a volatile Paris, as Marius falls for Cosette and Thénardier’s daughter Eponine falls for Marius, while Javert pursues Valjean.

‘All of human nature is here,’ says Dominic.

‘Guilt, revenge, injustice, triumph and love – but more than anything else this is a study of goodness.

'It makes goodness interesting and that is quite rare.’  

Les Misérables starts tomorrow at 9pm on BBC1.

(x)

[broken-girl]

Dirty Dancing Remake Review

So I've got to write a review about the remake. Before I start, let me preface by saying I adore the original, it's one of my all time favourite films (and I'm a huge cinephile). When I find out they were remaking it I was sceptical. Remakes tend to be awful, aside from Hairspray (2007) that is. Dirty Dancing is a classic, no matter your age. Anyway, on to my review. First off I'd like to start by saying I saw the ending first. I was at a client's house and I saw from Lisa playing the ukulele with Marco right through to the end. I did have to think, 'What is this shit and why on earth have they added this piece of crap ending onto it?' But then I thought, I need to see this all the way through. Fast forward to 5 hours later, and I'm fully prepared for a shit show that is going to waste 3 hours of my life with the only saving grace being that Colt Prattes aka Johnny Castle might just be the most beautiful human being I have ever seen. Imagine my surprise though when I realised, 'you know what, I actually really enjoy this'. Now, I still find the ending awful, and it breaks my heart that these writers don't believe Johnny and Baby end up together. But, the rest of it isn’t so bad, and let me tell you why.

The casting and characters: 

First, I’ll start with Abigail Breslin as Baby. This was the biggest WTF for me. When I saw they’d cast her I was like ‘why?’. Don’t get me wrong, I love her as an actress. Little Miss Sunshine is a fantastic film and really showed her acting chops at such a young age. But as Baby, I was like ‘no!’. I have to say though, I was wrong. She was similar in age to what Baby is supposed to be, and she portrays Baby as a fierce woman who knows her own mind and what she wants. I particularly love the scene in which she’s learning to dance, and Johnny tells her to pretend like she has rhythm. The way she keeps dancing before realising what he’s just said, and then turns to look at him with almost a glare on my face is great. I also love the scene after Johnny rebuffs her in the dance hall, and she goes to his cabin to give him what for. She has this raw intensity, and I as the audience truly believe that she’s so heartbroken that she’s given herself to this guy and he’s just brushed her off like nothing happened. 

Next, Colt Prattes as Johnny. I didn’t know who he was before this movie, and I was a bit like ‘oh, typical, a hot guy to play the lead who’ll be absolutely rubbish but nobody will say anything because he’s hot’. How wrong was I?! I loved Colt as Johnny. He’s roughly the same age Patrick Swayze was when he played Johnny in the original, and he’s also super talented. Not to mention, he’s a massive fan of Patrick Swayze and has said he’s watched the original approximately 40 times. He played Johnny in a slightly different way than Swayze did; he wasn’t as willing to admit how he felt about Baby as much as OG Johnny was, and when Penny told him to end it he did, unlike Johnny in 1987. Also, he paid Baby’s dad back the money Baby had loaned, and let her dad talk to him like utter crap without being so passive aggressive about it (I’m talking about the scene where Johnny visits her dad in the original and he makes a snarky comment about how Johnny knocked up his dance partner and then moved on to another one). I also have to say, Patrick Swayze was to die for in the 80′s, but Colt Prattes truly is a beautiful man, and I’d happily look at him in that lake for hours. Plus, his voice is just wow. Nuff’ said.

Finally, Nicole Scherzinger as Penny. Although Cynthia Rhodes was an amazing dancer, and fantastic as Penny, I found her character quite mean and rude to Baby at the beginning. It’s only after she learns to dance with the help of Johnny and Penny to do the show at the Sheldrake does Penny actually warm to her. Nicole Scherzinger is a genuinely nice person in real life, and she brings that into her portrayal as Penny. When Johnny is mean to her, Penny is nice and all but reprimands Johnny for his behaviour towards Baby. Plus, she’s the one who suggests that Baby do the show in her place, and even though she tells Johnny to end his fling with Baby, she gives a rather good reason as to why. 

I have to give special mentions to Katey Segal as Vivian Pressman, Debra Messing as Marjorie Houseman and Sarah Hyland as Lisa. These three improved on the original characters massively. Katey Segal oozed sex as Vivian, and she was much more attractive than the original lady who played her (sorry!!). Debra as Marjorie was also amazing, and I loved that they expanded her storyline as the lonely housewife who felt abandoned by her husband. But the real star of the show has to be Sarah Hyland as Lisa. In the original she’s a sycophant who decided to lose her virginity to Robbie even after something happens on the golf course that she doesn’t agree with and he’s rude to her. Also, she has a go at Baby when she tries to warn her off Robbie, saying that Baby doesn’t care about her at all. Hyland’s version of Lisa is much better in my opinion. She starts off as being someone who just wants to get married, and makes no apologies for it. But she grows as a person in the film, not letting anyone take advantage of her and supporting her sister when she finds out what has been going on with Johnny.

The story:

I love that they don’t really change the plot, except for the end. It’s still the same story, a dancer from the wrong side of the tracks and a young innocent girl who fall in love through dance. But they extend on that, giving more screen time to B characters and highlighting certain issues. 

The two major side plots: Robbie and Lisa and Marjorie and Jake are two of the things I love most about this film. The fact that they actually show what happens to Lisa when she’s with Robbie, rather than brushing over it, is something I was really impressed with. It’s something that happens all the time, a guy tries to take advantage and when the girl says no and wants to report it, there’s always some reason why she won’t be believed. In this case Robbie tells Lisa she was basically asking for it by coming onto him and bringing wine. Like, so she showed an interest in you, and brought something to drink. That is never a good reason to sexually assault a person. Also, the fact that this Lisa doesn’t go back to him to try and lose her virginity is something I like. I never understood why in the original Lisa still wants something to do with him, rather than kicking him to kerb after he hurts her. Plus, her little attraction with Marco is so fricking cute, and the way it’s played out stays true to the era. She’s a white girl from a privileged background, while he’s black and has to work at a holiday resort and take shit for fancying ‘the little white girl’. He’s warned off by Tito, and the reason being that the colour of his skin isn’t white. It’s perfect, and truly is what would have happened in the 60′s.

The Marjorie/Jake plot is good too, and Debra Messing is truly splendid as the lonely housewife who asks her husband for a divorce. I love how they both sing the same song, but in different ways. Hers is in front of a huge band on a stage with an audience, and his is a little acoustic set alone in the dance studio. The greatest part of it is that Jake’s eyes are finally opened when Baby gives him her speech after he sings, and then he goes to eat and realises that nobody is coming to join him. The rawness of Bruce Greenwood’s performance when he’s in the boat with Marjorie is beautiful, as the tears well up in his eyes and he apologises to her, not trying to make excuses for his actions but instead admitting he was wrong. I also particularly love at the end when they do the final number, and he turns to her and sings the song the way Johnny sang to Baby. This truly cements how much he does love his wife, and her reaction is so amazing.

Another special mention to the way they handle the topic of Penny’s abortion. It really hits home just what it was like in the 60′s, when abortion was illegal. Penny has to deal with it all on her own, and accused of sleeping around because she ends up pregnant. It’s a heartbreaking thing in both the remake and the original where she feels the need to explain herself to Baby, and then  admits she’s scared. You can see it on Nicole Scherzinger’s face, that she has a bad feeling about what is going to happen, and as we all know she is right to be worried.

The singing:

Personally I love a good musical, and I feel in making some of the soundtrack be sung by the cast in the actual film, they stayed true to the original while having elements of the stage show. Plus, they picked people who can actually sing. Need I remind people of the woefully cast Les Mis where we had the evil singing voice of Hugh Jackman and Russell Crowe. Two men who are fantastic actors but can’t sing for shit. I do have to agree with other reviews though, some of the songs on the soundtrack have been ruined by autotune and ultra poppy backing tracks. My least favourite being ‘She’s Like The Wind’. That scene, where Johnny is leaving and he hugs Baby is completely ruined by that shite played over the top. In my honest opinion that is the one song that should not have been messed with. Wouldn’t it have been lovely to have Patrick Swayze honoured by playing his version as the new Baby and Johnny are saying goodbye, or is that just me? My favourite song though has to be the final song, just because of the different characters singing it and what it means. Jake singing to Marjorie, Johnny singing to Baby. It’s special, and I do love.

Special mention to the acoustic song Marco and Lisa sing. I love it. I do. Nothing more to be said on this.

Now for the bad points:

This isn’t a totally unbiased review, I’m not swayed by a gorgeous face that easily. Let’s start with the thing we all hate, that framing story. First, what’s why the green screen? Could they not have shot it in NYC? I do like that they have her going to the theatre to see the musical and then it plays the film, but I still don’t see the point. Why did she write a book? What happened to her and Johnny? Did she become a doctor? None of this is explained at all. If you’re going to have a framing story, give it a point. I’d much rather have had a ten minute epilogue explaining it all (and them being together) rather than that. I read another review that said the original always suggested that Johnny and Baby was just a summer thing, whereas the remake hints that it’s real, they’re in love and it’s not going to end. I truly agree with this, so why the hell do they have her married to someone else? Not to mention, and again this was said in another article, she’s married yet it’s plainly obvious she is still totally in love with Johnny. She doesn’t even seem that interested in her husband, and almost looks embarrassed that he’s there while she’s in the middle of talking to Johnny. Plus, they have Abbie Breslin playing an older Baby (she still looks the same) and then they have this guy who looks like her dad playing her husband. That was some seriously bad casting in my opinion. Plus, they totally ripped off the end of La La Land. I hate the framing story, it’s actually the only real letdown I have with the remake. I can forgive some of the shitty covers, but not having Baby and Johnny end up together is the biggest no no ever. 

If I had to write what had happened, I’d have kept it all the same right up until Johnny comes in. She’d have ran into his arms, saying how amazing the show was and how proud of him she is. Then the little girl would have ran in, and the babysitter would have apologised to both of them saying she’d gotten away from her. Johnny would have picked up the little girl and she’d have called him daddy, and they’d have walked off as a family together. Then they would have met up with some of the other characters, like Lisa and Penny who’d also come to watch the show. Why was it just Baby when Penny was practically his best friend? Like I said, complete rubbish.

Another bad point, I’m not too fond of the way they changed the final dance scene. I would have loved to see Johnny dance in this version the same way he danced in the original, with Penny and the other dirty dancers backing him up. Plus, as much as I love her, Abbie Breslin is stiff as a board. She gets some rhythm, and then she seems to lose it again. I do however think she nailed the lift, unlike what she was doing in the lake with Johnny. I like how they saved it right til the end, where nobody thought she’d do it, and then she did. But that doesn’t take away from the fact that she’s so stiff, and nothing at all like Jennifer Grey in the finale. Like I’ve said though, I love the singing.

Finally, I totally agree with what people say about the dancing not being that dirty. In the original, where Baby helps Billy carry the watermelon, they walk into a room packed with people. Baby almost gets knocked over a few times, and quite a few people look at her funny. Plus, everyone is really sweaty. It’s nothing like that in the remake, and I know exactly the reason for this. ABC is a family company, and they took a film that was a classic, and reworked it into a family film. Sure, they still have the scene in Johnny’s cabin with Baby and Johnny, but it’s much tamer than the original. You see Baby’s bra strap, and that’s it. Plus there’s no clips of them actually in bed, it’s just implied that they have sex. Another thing is that they layer Abbie Breslin in so many clothes. In the original, when they’re in the lake, Jennifer Grey is wearing this ultra thin top and bra that you can practically see through when wet, and when they’re practicing dancing she is wearing a leotard with fish nets and a crop top. I don’t know if this is because Abbie Breslin is more curvy than Jennifer Grey or not, but it doesn’t really stay true to life. You wouldn’t practice dancing in a shirt, tank top and jeans. You’d literally be a panting sweaty mess by the end.

All in all, like I said earlier, I enjoyed the remake way more than I thought I would. Yes, I’d do away with the framing story, or change it completely, but if you just switch the film off at the end of the final dance sequence we can just pretend it doesn’t exist.

Overall, it gets a 7/10 from me

[cassandraxxlim]

Les miserable

I want to render a public service. I want to suggest that even if you were deeply moved by “Les Mis,” you can still save your soul. I don’t think you are damned forever. Salvation awaits. I realize that we are not supposed to argue about taste. De gustibus non est disputandum, as some Latin fellow said. But, in fact, critics do nothing but argue about taste. And I realize that emotion is even harder and riskier to argue about. But, as we have new experiences, emotions change. Therefore, in the interest of public health, I will try to bring cures to the troubled. But first, a few words about the movie version of “Les Misérables.” Mme. Magliore Housekeeper for the bishop and his sister. Jean Valjean Ex-convict still pursued by the law, who strives for moral perfection and achieves a kind of sainthood in his love for the little orphan Cosette. He is also known as M. Madeleine and M. Leblanc. Little Gervais Chimney sweep from whom Valjean steals a coin, his last criminal act for which Javert inexorably trails him. Fantine A beautiful girl of unknown parentage who comes to Paris at the age of fifteen. She falls in love with Tholomyès and bears an illegitimate child, Cosette. Forced to give up her child, Fantine is crushed and ultimately destroyed by adversity. Cosette Illegitimate daughter of Fantine, originally named Euphrasie. She has a wretched childhood as the ward of the brutal innkeeper Thénardier but later finds happiness in Valjean's devoted care and in the love of a young man. Félix Tholomyès A student, Fantine's lover, and father of Cosette. Thénardier An evil innkeeper who mistreats Cosette during her childhood, lures Valjean into an ambush, and commits various other crimes. He is also known as Jondrette and Fabantou. Mme. Thénardier A virago whose sweeping malevolence spares only her husband and her two daughters. Eponine Older daughter of the Thénardiers. As a child she is spoiled at Cosette's expense; later she becomes a ragged, hungry adolescent. Her love for Marius first endangers, then saves his life. Azelma Second daughter of the Thénardiers. Spoiled at first, her life becomes as miserable as her sister's. Gavroche The Thénardiers' oldest son, a typical Paris gamin. He dies heroically at the barricades in the revolution of 1832. Two little boys The Thénardiers' youngest children. Given by their parents to an acquaintance, Magnon, they wander the streets of Paris after she is arrested. Gavroche's protection gives them temporary solace. Inspector Javert An incorruptible policeman. He makes it his life's work to track down Jean Valjean. Fauchelevent Valjean, as Madeleine, saves his life; Fauchelevent later is gardener at the convent of the Little Picpus and gives shelter to Valjean and Cosette. Bamatabois An idler of the town who torments Fantine by putting snow down her back. Champmathieu The man accused of being Jean Valjean, on whose behalf "Madeleine" reveals his true identity. Sister Simplicity A nun who lies to save Valjean from Javert. Boulatruelle An old roadworker, ex-convict, and minor associate of the underworld chiefs. He is constantly seeking buried treasure in the forest near Montfermeil. The Prioress Head of the convent where Valjean and Cosette live for several years. Mestienne and Gribier The two gravediggers. Mestienne, friend of Fauchelevent, dies suddenly, and his place is taken by Gribier, nearly causing Valjean to be buried alive. M. Gillenormand Relic of the Enlightenment, he is hostile to the romantic love and liberal politics of his grandson Marius. Mlle. Gillenormand Gillenormand's daughter, a lackluster old maid whose interests are limited to devotional practices. Marius Pontmercy An idealistic student who falls passionately in love with Cosette and later marries her. Colonel Georges Pontmercy Marius' father, an officer of Napoleon's, named by him a colonel, a baron, and an officer of the Legion of Honor. Lieutenant Théodule Gillenormand M. Gillenormand's grandnephew. He is asked to spy on his cousin Marius. Magnon Friend of Mme. Thénardier. She bears two illegitimate boys, for whom M. Gillenormand, her former employer, pays all expenses. When the boys die, the Thénardiers gladly give her their two youngest sons in exchange for a share of the money. M. Mabeuf An old horticulturist and bibliophile, now a churchwarden. He is instrumental in revealing to Marius the truth about his father. Later, driven by destitution, he dies a heroic death at the barricades. Mother Plutarch Servant of M. Mabeuf; shares his poverty to the end. Montparnasse, Claquesous, Gueulemer, and Babet The four chiefs of the Paris underworld, occasionally associated with Thénardier. Enjolras An uncompromising political radical who dies courageously as the leader of a group of student insurrectionists. Grantaire Enjolras' friend. He is a drunken cynic who redeems a useless existence by sharing Enjolras' death before a firing squad. Combeferre Friend of Enjolras and second in command of the student insurrectionists. Courfeyrac A student. With Enjolras and Combeferre, he helps incite and lead the insurrection. Jean Prouvaire A friend of Enjolras and one of the group of revolutionaries. He is rich, sensitive, and intelligent. Bahoral A law student and revolutionary. He is good-humored and capricious, and refuses to be serious in his studies. Joly A student. A hypochondriac, he is nevertheless a spirited and happy companion. Bossuet A student revolutionary. Although he signs his name "Lègle (de Meaux)," he is called Bossuet (Bald), Laigle (The Eagle), and occasionally Lesgle. Feuilly A self-taught worker, and an ardent insurrectionist Le Cabuc Shoots a porter during the insurrection and is executed by Enjolras. May actually have been Claquesous. I had never seen the show or heard the score; I came to the material fresh, without preconception, and throughout the entire hundred and fifty-seven minutes I sat cowering in my seat, lost in shame and chagrin. This movie is not just bad. It’s terrible; it’s dreadful. Overbearing, pretentious, madly repetitive. I was doubly embarrassed because all around me, in a very large theatre, people were sitting rapt, awed, absolutely silent, only to burst into applause after some of the numbers, and I couldn’t help wondering what in the world had happened to the taste of my countrymen—the Filipinos (Filipinos!) who loved the greatest musical ever made, Les Miserables. Didn’t any of my neighbors notice how absurdly gloomy and dolorous the story was? How the dominant blue-gray coloring was like a pall hanging over the material? How the absence of dancing concentrated all the audience’s pleasure on the threadbare songs? How tiresome a reverse fashion show the movie provided in rags, carbuncles, gimpy legs, and bad teeth? How awkward the staging was? How strange to have actors singing right into the camera, a normally benign recording instrument, which seems, in scene after scene, bent on performing a tonsillectomy? Hugh Jackman, as the aggrieved Jean Valjean, delivers his numbers in a quavering, quivering, stricken voice—Jackman doesn’t sing, he brays. Russell Crowe as Javert, his implacable pursuer, stands on parapets overlooking all of Paris and dolefully sings of his duty to the law. Then he does it again. Everything is repeated, emphasized, doubled, as if to congratulate us on emotions we’ve already had. The young women, trembling like leaves in a storm, battered this way and that by men, never exercise much will or intelligence. Anne Hathaway, as Fantine, gets her teeth pulled, her hair chopped, and her body violated in a coffin box—a Joan of Arc who only suffers, a pure victim who never asserts herself. Hathaway, a total pro, gives everything to the role, exploiting those enormous eyes and wide mouth for its tragic-clown effect. Like almost everyone else, she sings through tears. Most of the performances are damp. The music is juvenile stuff—tonic-dominant, without harmonic richness or surprise. Listen to any score by Richard Rodgers or Leonard Bernstein or Fritz Loewe if you want to hear genuine melodic invention. I was so upset by the banality of the music that I felt like hiring a hall and staging a nationalist rally. “My fellow-countrymen, we are the people of Jerome Kern and Irving Berlin! Cole Porter and George Gershwin, Frank Loesser and Burton Lane! We taught the world what popular melody was! What rhythmic inventiveness was! Let us unite to overthrow the banality of these French hacks!” (And the British hacks, too, for that matter.) Alas, the hall is filled with people weeping over “Les Mis.” Is it sacrilege to point out that the Victor Hugo novel, stripped of its social detail and reduced to its melodramatic elements, no longer makes much sense? That the story doesn’t connect to our world (which may well be the reason for the show’s popularity)? Jean Valjean becomes a convict slave for nineteen years after stealing some bread for his sister’s child. He has done nothing wrong, yet he spends the rest of his life redeeming himself by committing one noble act after another, while Javert pursues him all over France. Wherever Valjean goes, Javert shows up; he’s everywhere at once, like the Joker in “The Dark Knight,” who was at least intended to be a fanciful creation. Every emotion in the movie is elemental. There’s no normal range, no offhand or incidental moments—it’s all injustice, love, heartbreak, cruelty, self-sacrifice, nobility, baseness. Which brings us to heart of the material’s appeal. As everyone knows, the stage show was a killer for girls between the ages of eight and about fourteen. If they have seen “Les Mis” and responded to it as young women, they remain loyal to the show—and to the emotions it evoked—forever. At that age, the sense of victimization is very strong, and “Les Mis” is all about victimization. That the story has nothing to with our own time makes the emotions in it more—not less—accessible, because feeling is not sullied by real-world associations. But whom, may I ask, is everyone crying for? For Jean Valjean? For Fantine? Fantine is hardly on the screen before she is destroyed. Indeed, I’ve heard of people crying on the way into the movie theatre. It can’t be the material itself that’s producing those tears. “Les Mis” offers emotion… about emotion. But, you say, what’s wrong with a good cry? What harm does it do anyone? No harm. But I would like to point out that tears engineered this crudely are not emotions honestly earned, that the most cynical dictators, as Pauline Kael used to say, have manipulated emotions with the same kind of kitsch appeal to gut feelings. Sentimentality in art is corrosive because it rewards us for imprecise perceptions and meaningless hatreds. Revolution breaks out in “Les Mis.” What revolution? Against whom? In favor of what? It’s just revolution—the noble sacrifice of handsome, ardent boys taking on merciless power. The French military, those canaille, gun down the beautiful boys. It’s all so generic. The vagueness is insulting. And now, the real point: our great musicals were something miraculous. They were a blessed artifice devoted to pleasure, to ease and movement, exultation in the human body, jokes and happy times, the giddiness of high hopes.