CATS Film Adaptation Thread — Page 32

CarlosAlberto said: "This message may get lost in the shuffle or fall on deaf ears or both but I felt I needed to write this because my spirit is telling me so. I truly want to apologize to clever2 for my rude comments to him on this thread.

I had absolutely no right to be rude to him. I have absolutely no right to be rude to anybody for their differences of opinion.

Everyone has a right to voicetheir opinion or their differences but with respect.

I did not do that...and for that I am truly, truly sorry.


I am extending an olive branch to clever2 and for that matter to anyone else I may have offended with my rudeness on this forum."

Thank you so much for doing this. We’re all here because of our passion and our love for theatre. Sometimes that passion becomes heated and gets the better of us. It’s certainly happened to me! We feel so deeply for all of these shows. In many ways, we are like their protectors. I get it. Thank you, CarlosAlberto. It means a lot you would take the time to say this.

Not a fan of the show which I find cold and brittle and bizarre.
So it shocked me, esp given these horrible reviews, that I liked the movie.
Liked it far more than the show and also far more than Hooper's Les Mis.

I loved the change of Victoria newly arriving among the Jellicles and her journey as the clawder and the night of the ball is explained to her. This gave it all an Alice in Wonderland quality which lends the narrative much needed tenderness. I liked Hayward (Victoria), Robert Fairchild (as her primary guide) and especially Laurie Davidson as Mistoffeles. Unlike Olivia F., I loved that Misto is now a magician with a crisis of confidence who achieves, with encouragement, a major feat of legerdemain.

In the show Victoria's duet with Grizabella is, a I recall, a one off; there is no dynamic between the characters. Here there is an arc to their relationship and when Dench's Deuteronomy notices it I was as genuinely moved as Dench was.

I loved the silliness of the production and its absurdities. Wilson eating the humanoid cockroaches and unzipping herself out of her own fur, the general weirdness of the CGI and Moreau cat people madness, Dench looking like Bert Lahr and in her cat coat, Hudson's abject physicalization... I mean it's a movie of CATS, "bad taste" doesn't really exist as a major obstacle in my mind.

In short Hooper - a director I don't usually like (I HATED the Les Mis film) - with Hall's script and Blankenbuehler's dances has given CATS heart and makes it move. The editing and staging of the numbers is far superior to that of Les Mis.

Sue me but I found the movie very enjoyable and as good a movie as I can imagine of this very hard to imagine on film show.

Updated On: 12/28/19 at 08:08 PM

Jason Derulo, who played Rum Tum Tugger, is defending ''Cats'' and calling the critics a bunch of sourpusses: ''Reviews don't matter, man. … It’s an incredible piece of art done by some of the best people in the world. Tom Hooper’s a class act. I don’t think there’s another director out there that’s more classy than he is. So yeah, I’m just excited for the people to actually see it. Reviewers, what do they know? Have they made a film ever in their life?”

https://411mania.com/movies/jason-derulo-defends-cats-slams-critics-film/

Updated On: 12/28/19 at 08:56 PM

But did no one watch dailies or pieces and say "Tom, this just isn't working" - and did he respond "Well, wait till the CGI comes in" to which the response should have been "No, Tom, it's the acting and shot selection and rough edits"? Again, I'm completely speculating that Hooper (and others) thought they could fix everything in post production with the CGI.



Having spent 10 years on film sets ( in a non creative capacity) I can tell u NObody would be telling the director " sorry but it's just not working". Not if they want to keep their job. OCCasionally a DOP will discuss a shot as to why it can or cannot be achieved or a PM as to why t the production has to finish at a certain time, But actually articulate "it's failing"? If u don't share the vision and r not therefore working towards that goal- u can be replaced. I've seen it w DOP's and Hair and Props. Directors can and have been replaced but it takes a lot to do it (IE a Solo Story w Ron Howard being parachuted in to replace Phil Lord and Chris Miller but that means some else's vision is being shot and that rarely translates well).




I wonder how many versions of each song were shot and then why he chose what shots he did? Sometimes rushes r just not available esp on a heavy CGI movie. Rough edits would not be done until shot selection had been completed. U have to pay for that and if you don't know yet which ones your using it's money that could be spent elsewhere. And yes "we'll fix it in post" is a well know trope and a bad sign.

did they not shoot test footage?

On such a heavy effects movie they would have to be some shots to show the greenlight guy at the studio that it could be done BUT I'm sure that sequence was both short and cherry picked to showcase what they wanted to achieve. By the time the CGI was added to the shots they'd chosen they were too far gone to pull the trigger. Hence they released a film before it was done and the results are always half baked.

I found myself thinking of James Cameron ( yes an a-hole but a knowledgeable technician) who would not shoot Avatar until he knew the effects he wanted were achievable in the industry and he followed that work. I don't think Hooper really thought about that- he just wanted to be the director to do an all CGI musical. Optimism? Maybe. Ego- certainly.

sherie_worshipper said: "CarlosAlberto, what a brave and beautiful thing to do. Sometimes I remember why I love this community. Thank you."

You’re welcome...and thank you

sabrelady said: "Having spent 10 years on film sets ( in a non creative capacity) I can tell u NObody would be telling the director " sorry but it's just not working". Not if they want to keep their job. "

Studio execs do it all the time. Disney, for one, is notorious for interfering. How often the interference actually affects the filming is an entirely different story.

chernjam said: "Wayman_Wong said: "Jason Derulo, who played Rum Tum Tugger, is defending ''Cats'' and calling the critics a bunch of sourpusses:''Reviews don't matter, man. … It’s an incredible piece of art done by some of the best people in the world. Tom Hooper’s a class act. I don’t think there’s another director out there that’s more classy than he is. So yeah, I’m just excited for the people to actually see it. Reviewers, what do they know? Have they made a film ever in their life?”

https://411mania.com/movies/jason-derulo-defends-cats-slams-critics-film/"



I have a lot more respect for Jason Derulo than James Corden... It takes a lot more conviction and loyalty to defend the people you worked your asses off with in creating the film then to do a "I haven't seen it - I hear it's terrible..."

I liked the movie and admire Derulo's loyalty.

BUT...

Reviewers don't have to make films to understand, value and critique them. Criticism is an art in its own right.

And moviemakers can't have it both ways: revel in good reviews and use them to sell their films and discredit bad ones as the product of hacks who can't do what they do.

Has Andrew Lloyd Webber made any public statements since the film was released?

clever2 said: "ggersten said: "- to me, the final shot should be after the loving look, we see the Phantom Chandalier Balloon disappear in a flash of light indicating it has made the journey to the Heaviside Layer and then the film cuts to the end credits."

That is how the film ended both times I saw it."

Just watched it and the balloon goes into a cloud and simply disappears. You definitely get the jist that it “crossed over.”

henrikegerman said:

"In the show Victoria's duet with Grizabella is, a I recall, a one off; there is no dynamic between the characters. Here there is an arc to their relationship and when Dench's Deuteronomy notices it I was as genuinely moved as Dench was...."

I may be mis-remembering this and do forgive me if I am wrong but if you are referring to the "Memory" duet isn't it the kitten "Jemima" (who is not in the film) who duets with "Grizabella" in the original stage show?

>I may be mis-remembering this and do forgive me if I am wrong but if you are referring to the "Memory" duet isn't it the kitten "Jemima" (who is not in the film) who duets with "Grizabella" in the original stage show?

Jemima was changed to Sillabub in the US productions because of negative connotations attached to the name here and she actually was in the movie! Second from the right! You may have missed her because no Cat without a name behind the CGI mattered and they cut all of the parts of the songs they solo on...

He got into his grave early just to respond fittingly to this movie

Yeah, I'm an odd one that I prefer "Cats" to "Les Miserables."