Dreamgirls Golden Globes- Page 3

[Mischief]

Posted: 12/14/06 at 1:33pm

True adaptation is the art of being truthful to the essence from which it is based on. Certainly a film or play cannot include every little gem from the source material.

Still I found it odd that Condo left out one of the funniest and most entertaining scenes from the novel, FATHER OF FRANKENSTEIN where James Whale directs a scene in the film, THE BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN where it appears the blind old hermit is giving Frankenstein a blow job as an in joke. A colleague of Whale tells him he can't put that in the film. Whale explains how no one will notice because he tags the BJ by panning up to a crucifix on the wall. If you watch the movie THE BRIDE this scene is in it exactly as the novelist Christopher Bram describes it. I don't know if this really happened - or if it is an invention of the novelist after seeing this scene in the film or not. Too bad Condon didn't include it.

That aside I thought it was a terrible misstep by screenwriter and director Condon (whether you read the novel or not) to end GODS AND MONSTERS with a sappy coda in which Brendan Fraser's character, Clay shows his son the drawing Whale did for him of Frankenstein and tells his son the director of Frankenstein was his friend of his.

Condon's last image in the film is Clay walking down the alley pretending to be Frankenstein. WE GET IT! The character of Clay symbolizes the Frankenstein monster. The ending is not only sappy, it hits you over the head. Other than the ending I think GODS AND MONSTER is a wonderful film. I love it.

I think DREAMGIRLS is a wonderful film. I love it. As for the ending...


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I thought it was a terrible terrible mistake to have Foxx's character Curtis - while observing Effie sing with the Dreams in their last performance together - notice Effie's daughter in the audience and figure out that little girl is his daughter. OK. That pretty bad, but Condon makes it even worse by having Curtis leave his box seat in the audience and come down and stand in the aisle and stare at his daughter in astonishment.

This totally pulls the focus away from the Dreams swan song and Effie's big comeback and makes it about some soap opera plot twist. This is totally inappropriate way to end the film. Who is the main character of the film? Curtis? Is that what the whole story is about? Curtis discovering who his daughter is? No. So why does Condon go way out of his way to steer the focus over to this? Bad choice. Doesn't ruin the film for me, but it does end it on a sour false note.

IMO That's why I think Condon has a problem with how he ends his films.

Updated On: 12/14/06 at 01:33 PM

[BobbyBubby]

Posted: 12/14/06 at 1:37pm

How does one get raped by a snake?

[Unknown User]

Posted: 12/14/06 at 1:46pm

I thought it was interesting that Jamie Foxx purposely did only one take of everything he sang. He wanted it to be raw, and since Curtis was not a singer he didn't want him to come across as a singer. This approach sounded dumb to me, because everyone in a musical needs to be a singer even if their character is mute, ya know what I mean? They need to sing inner monologues or whatever the score has them do. It sounds like Jamie's approach made him come across as lazy...

...can't WAIT to see this movie tomorrow night at the ArcLight!

[VIETgrlTerifa]

Posted: 12/14/06 at 1:50pm

Foxx just wanted to give an excuse in case people actually notice that he can't actually sing. It's not like Curtis requires a really strong voice either, so he must really suck in the singing department.

[Wildcard]

Posted: 12/14/06 at 2:04pm

Mischief, I agree 100% about your assessment on the ending. I thought it was distracting as well

[ray-andallthatjazz86]

Posted: 12/14/06 at 5:02pm

No nomination for Abigail Breslin?!?! That was disappointing.
Apart from that, I was pretty satisfied with the Dreamgirls nominations. I have yet to see the film, is Anika Noni Rose too overshadowed in the film to deserve any nominations or is she not too good in it? Loretta Devine did not get a Tony nod. when the original production opened so I imagine it's more the role itself than the actress.

[silent]

Posted: 12/14/06 at 5:09pm

Anika Noni Rose deserved a nomination more than Beyonce.

Beyonce was hardly BRILLIANT in Dreamgirls. They dumbed down Deena and wrote her as if it was Beyonce playing the part. She looked pretty and sang fine. But she didn't have that much dialogue and they cut down part of that awful reunion scene with Effie.

Just wait til she finally does a role where she's required not to sing. Which she won't do cause it will further expose her weak acting skills.

[Kringas]

Posted: 12/14/06 at 5:15pm

They dumbed down Deena.

Actually, I thought they gave Deena more spine and more character.

Anika Noni Rose stood a snowball's chance in hell of getting a nomination. She's wonderful in the film, but without a real song of her own, there's not much to her role.

[best12bars]

Posted: 12/14/06 at 5:21pm

Do people even remember the COMPLETELY naive, innocent Deena of the stage show?

She is ONLY a pawn in the original version. She may sing "No, I've got dreams of my own" in her stage duet with Curtis, but THAT'S IT. We don't see the wheels turning in her AT ALL.

Condon and Knowles managed to stay faithful to the original, and yet "spice her up" with a bit of ulterior motives showing.

Thank GOD. And it was a vast improvement over the original innocent, sweet, reluctant-to-be-famous, and far less dimensional stage Deena.

[silent]

Posted: 12/14/06 at 5:28pm

Deena embraced being a star in the original. The press conference is such a lackluster scene in the movie. And Deena is far more spineless in this movie than in the play. And the overhyped "Listen" scene doesn't make you root for her either. She is just standing there singing while Curtis stares at her!? It's supposed to be a defining moment, as Beyonce has been yapping at for months. The song is a just a vanity moment for Beyonce since she doesn't sing the big songs in the film. And totally ruins the whole concept of Deena not being a great singer.

[best12bars]

Posted: 12/14/06 at 5:37pm

"And totally ruins the whole concept of Deena not being a great singer."

Where on earth did you get that from?

The lines in the show are about Deena not being able to singing like Effie.

"Good" is something you added in yourself.

Deena CAN sing... just not like Effie. Curtis wants a different sound for the group.

The rest is... your speculation that they are talking about quality and not simply style.

[Kringas]

Posted: 12/14/06 at 5:45pm

What did Beyonce do to everyone? Seriously, I just don't get what she envokes such negativity.

And Deena is far more spineless in this movie than in the play.

I gotta call bullSH*T on this. SPOILER - Deena's the one who busts Curtis in the movie.

[Michael Bennett]

Posted: 12/14/06 at 5:48pm

Well for what its worth, Beyonce just got a great review in the L.A. Times.

[Kringas]

Posted: 12/14/06 at 5:49pm

That can't be. She's ruined moviemaking forever, don'tcha know.

[Michael Bennett]

Posted: 12/14/06 at 5:51pm

Well, I haven't seen the movie yet, but I assume she can act as well as Diana Ross did in her movies, so I don't see the problem, except people love to trash pop stars who attempt to make movies.

[silent]

Posted: 12/14/06 at 5:52pm

She IS spineless for most of the movie until she redeems herself.

And um, yes, Deena can sing but she can't sing like Effie and she's blowing on "Listen." When was Deena ever a belter?

[Kringas]

Posted: 12/14/06 at 5:55pm

until she redeems herself...

Which doesn't doesn't do onstage.

[silent]

Posted: 12/14/06 at 6:10pm

She doesn't do it onstage but her character becomes sympathetic after she realizes Curtis is an a*s and when her mother's death is mentioned. Her mother being alive in the movie doesn't add to much of anything.

I wonder if Beyonce will be playing yet another pop star in her next movie. It's her forte.
Updated On: 12/14/06 at 06:10 PM

[StephanietheStar]

Posted: 12/14/06 at 11:32pm

Why is Jennifer Hudson under the supporting actress catagory? isn't Effie a larger role than Deena?

I know nothing haven't seen the musical or the movie, this is just what I thought....

[ray-andallthatjazz86]

Posted: 12/14/06 at 11:46pm

In the original production Sheryl Lee Ralph (Deena) and Jennifer Holliday (Effie) were both considered for the leading category, but it was assumed that for the film Hudson would be campaigned for the supporting category and Beyonce for the leading category given the star power of the latter and so they would not cancel each other out in the case that both get nominated in the same category.

[americanboy99]

Posted: 12/15/06 at 8:49pm

Random Question:

Emily Blunt got a nomination for PRADA over Anika Noni Rose. That's so messed up.

[americanboy99]

Posted: 12/15/06 at 11:34pm

bump...

[StephanietheStar]

Posted: 12/16/06 at 12:52am

Thanks, Ray! I did not know that...

[Marquise]

Posted: 12/16/06 at 3:25am

people need to seriously move on about this.
i can't believe people are this "upset" (for lack of a better word) that Beyonce got a nomination. what she ever did to receive this kind of negative reaction is beyond me.

[spiderdj82]

Posted: 12/16/06 at 8:18am

Or me, Marquise. I have to admit she was bad in the other movies I have seen her in, but just watching the trailers and some clips, she looks and sounds great.

CAN'T WAIT!!