#1
Posted: 5/22/07 at 12:19pm
Sorry not sure if this was posted, but just read it on AICN.com. SPOILER ALERT!
A Short Review From An Early Screening Of HAIRSPRAY!
Hey, everyone. ”Moriarty” here.
Look, I’ve never been shy about my dislike of the films that Adam Shankman has directed so far. CHEAPER BY THE DOZEN 2. THE PACIFIER. BRINGING DOWN THE HOUSE. THE WEDDING PLANNER. That’s not a filmography... it’s a list of hate crimes against cinema.
But I’ll admit that the new trailer for HAIRSPRAY actually looks... dare I say it... good. Shankman may not be a great filmmaker, but he’s been a choreographer for a long time, and I think his background in dance may actually make him the right guy for this particular job.
Don’t take my word for it, though. Here’s a review from a recent screening in Las Vegas:
Hey Harry! Last night I was invited to see an advanced screening of Hairspray: the movie musical. The screening was being run by a company called "The Screening Exchange" I originally got the ticket from representatives after seeing the film 300 at a Las Vegas theater. Okay I'll just get right into it for you (not much for foreplay, you know).
In Line:
As we waited for admittance to the screening we were asked to fill out surveys based on our age/personality. Some of the questions were:
Did you see High School Musical?
How do you feel about John Travolta playing a woman?
We were then searched by security with metal detectors and were allowed into the theater.
In the theater:
The head cheese of the screening spoke to the audience assuring us that we were the first audience to see the film (which i thought was pretty cool).
Clearly the people behind this film are really trying to capture a younger audience because there were plenty of minors around me.
There was a camera set up to catch audience reaction (like most New Line Screenings).
The Film:
So I'm a pretty big John Waters fan, and loved the original film. I never got the chance to see the musical so I was pretty excited about it.
*****SPOILERS BELOW*******
The film starts off with an upbeat musical number called "Good Morning Baltimore" (with a cameo by john waters) that shows Tracy wandering the streets of Baltimore on her way to school. There are some great sight gags, and the song is great. This sets the pace and tone for the rest of the film. It's speedy, relentless and never lets up. There's constant witty dialog and patter.
The Main Actors:
Nicole Blonski (Tracy Turnblad): This is Nicole's first film, but watch out, she's one to watch. She's a great young actress with incredible subtlety. Her Singing voice is also amazing, and she can shake a mean calf.
Amanda Bynes (Penny Pingleton): I wasn't too sure about about playing Penny, while she's decent and has minimal lines, she comes off too modern-day Jessica Simpson-esque.
Christopher Walken: (Wilbur Turnblad) Tracy's dad and owner of the local joke shop. I can't praise him enough in this role. He's classic Walken, enthusiastic and inspiring. There's a great scene during the reprise of "Big Blond and Beautiful" where Michelle Phiper is trying to seduce him as he tries out different gags on her to distract her.
Michelle Pfeiffer: (Velma Von Tussel): Manager of the TV station that runs "The Corny Collins Show" and former winner of the title "Miss Maryland Crab". This woman is a child hearted penguin up the vagina BITCH. This will be Pfeiffier's comeback role for sure. Only concerned about making her daughter famous and stopping integration and "Negro Day",. she' actively tries to keep Tracy out of the spotlight. one of here more notable lines of the move come during the "Miss hairspray Pageant" Officer: "I dont think Tracy would risk incarceration just to enter a pageant, Ms. Von Tussel" Von Tussel: "Are you kidding me? I've risked communicable disease just to win pageants!"
Queen Latifah: (Motor Mouth Maybelle): Considering all the crap that Latifah has been turning out lately it's nice to see her back in her musical niche. She actually comes off as more of a minor character in the film, letting Tracy take the stage. Her big number is "Big blond and Beautiful" which is awesome and includes a parade of jive-talkers carrying cornbread, ribs and collard greens.
Jerry Stiller (Mr. Pinky): Stiller is only in one real scene of the film (looks like most of the "Sponsoring" of Tracy By Mr. Pinky was cut out of the film) The only lines he has is during the prelude to "Welcome to the 60s".
John Travolta (Edna Turnblad): Well I hate to say it, but John Travolta is a mixed bag in this film. The entire first half of the film he's very stiff and seems uncomfortable in his role. He tries to emulate a Baltimore accent but ends up sounding like some horrible impression of Austin Powers...literally. However, as the film progresses, so does his comfort in the role. He has some shining moments and the audience was certainly eating him up. The fat suit is decent, but makeup was definitely lacking (we were told at the beginning of the film that the makeup of Travolta would be added in during further post production). He gets the point across and in some scenes is pretty convincing, but sill I think Harvey Firestien would have been a better choice for the role.
So what's different from this film and the non-musical version?
Well there's quite a bit of difference, mainly with the story. The original film was more over the top with some great scenes such as Debby harry and the giant zit and the Giant wig bomb. These things are not in the musical version. My biggest gripe is that the whole sub story of racially integrating the amusement park had been completely removed and replaced with a rather weak protest march on the television station. While this does save time and really speeds up the film it really changes the tone of the film. Instead of a lighthearted feel good story we're left with a film that is trying to be poignant. While there's no doubt that you'll leave the film feeling good, it just seems to be trying too hard at times.
In closing I'd like to say that really, people should look at this new film as a completely different story. While it may have the same message and characters, it's a completely different experience.
Definitely a film to catch when it comes out!
-Will D'angelo
The Wiicast
Source!
A Short Review From An Early Screening Of HAIRSPRAY!
Hey, everyone. ”Moriarty” here.
Look, I’ve never been shy about my dislike of the films that Adam Shankman has directed so far. CHEAPER BY THE DOZEN 2. THE PACIFIER. BRINGING DOWN THE HOUSE. THE WEDDING PLANNER. That’s not a filmography... it’s a list of hate crimes against cinema.
But I’ll admit that the new trailer for HAIRSPRAY actually looks... dare I say it... good. Shankman may not be a great filmmaker, but he’s been a choreographer for a long time, and I think his background in dance may actually make him the right guy for this particular job.
Don’t take my word for it, though. Here’s a review from a recent screening in Las Vegas:
Hey Harry! Last night I was invited to see an advanced screening of Hairspray: the movie musical. The screening was being run by a company called "The Screening Exchange" I originally got the ticket from representatives after seeing the film 300 at a Las Vegas theater. Okay I'll just get right into it for you (not much for foreplay, you know).
In Line:
As we waited for admittance to the screening we were asked to fill out surveys based on our age/personality. Some of the questions were:
Did you see High School Musical?
How do you feel about John Travolta playing a woman?
We were then searched by security with metal detectors and were allowed into the theater.
In the theater:
The head cheese of the screening spoke to the audience assuring us that we were the first audience to see the film (which i thought was pretty cool).
Clearly the people behind this film are really trying to capture a younger audience because there were plenty of minors around me.
There was a camera set up to catch audience reaction (like most New Line Screenings).
The Film:
So I'm a pretty big John Waters fan, and loved the original film. I never got the chance to see the musical so I was pretty excited about it.
*****SPOILERS BELOW*******
The film starts off with an upbeat musical number called "Good Morning Baltimore" (with a cameo by john waters) that shows Tracy wandering the streets of Baltimore on her way to school. There are some great sight gags, and the song is great. This sets the pace and tone for the rest of the film. It's speedy, relentless and never lets up. There's constant witty dialog and patter.
The Main Actors:
Nicole Blonski (Tracy Turnblad): This is Nicole's first film, but watch out, she's one to watch. She's a great young actress with incredible subtlety. Her Singing voice is also amazing, and she can shake a mean calf.
Amanda Bynes (Penny Pingleton): I wasn't too sure about about playing Penny, while she's decent and has minimal lines, she comes off too modern-day Jessica Simpson-esque.
Christopher Walken: (Wilbur Turnblad) Tracy's dad and owner of the local joke shop. I can't praise him enough in this role. He's classic Walken, enthusiastic and inspiring. There's a great scene during the reprise of "Big Blond and Beautiful" where Michelle Phiper is trying to seduce him as he tries out different gags on her to distract her.
Michelle Pfeiffer: (Velma Von Tussel): Manager of the TV station that runs "The Corny Collins Show" and former winner of the title "Miss Maryland Crab". This woman is a child hearted penguin up the vagina BITCH. This will be Pfeiffier's comeback role for sure. Only concerned about making her daughter famous and stopping integration and "Negro Day",. she' actively tries to keep Tracy out of the spotlight. one of here more notable lines of the move come during the "Miss hairspray Pageant" Officer: "I dont think Tracy would risk incarceration just to enter a pageant, Ms. Von Tussel" Von Tussel: "Are you kidding me? I've risked communicable disease just to win pageants!"
Queen Latifah: (Motor Mouth Maybelle): Considering all the crap that Latifah has been turning out lately it's nice to see her back in her musical niche. She actually comes off as more of a minor character in the film, letting Tracy take the stage. Her big number is "Big blond and Beautiful" which is awesome and includes a parade of jive-talkers carrying cornbread, ribs and collard greens.
Jerry Stiller (Mr. Pinky): Stiller is only in one real scene of the film (looks like most of the "Sponsoring" of Tracy By Mr. Pinky was cut out of the film) The only lines he has is during the prelude to "Welcome to the 60s".
John Travolta (Edna Turnblad): Well I hate to say it, but John Travolta is a mixed bag in this film. The entire first half of the film he's very stiff and seems uncomfortable in his role. He tries to emulate a Baltimore accent but ends up sounding like some horrible impression of Austin Powers...literally. However, as the film progresses, so does his comfort in the role. He has some shining moments and the audience was certainly eating him up. The fat suit is decent, but makeup was definitely lacking (we were told at the beginning of the film that the makeup of Travolta would be added in during further post production). He gets the point across and in some scenes is pretty convincing, but sill I think Harvey Firestien would have been a better choice for the role.
So what's different from this film and the non-musical version?
Well there's quite a bit of difference, mainly with the story. The original film was more over the top with some great scenes such as Debby harry and the giant zit and the Giant wig bomb. These things are not in the musical version. My biggest gripe is that the whole sub story of racially integrating the amusement park had been completely removed and replaced with a rather weak protest march on the television station. While this does save time and really speeds up the film it really changes the tone of the film. Instead of a lighthearted feel good story we're left with a film that is trying to be poignant. While there's no doubt that you'll leave the film feeling good, it just seems to be trying too hard at times.
In closing I'd like to say that really, people should look at this new film as a completely different story. While it may have the same message and characters, it's a completely different experience.
Definitely a film to catch when it comes out!
-Will D'angelo
The Wiicast
Source!
