Emcee on the RENT movie- Page 7

[kates422]

Posted: 11/14/05 at 8:55pm

Hmm...well that's good to hear. Thanks, Emcee!

[LeaGirl]

Posted: 11/15/05 at 8:51am

I didn't really notice Sarah Silverman... there was so many other... more interesting things going on during her scene.

[timote316]

Posted: 11/15/05 at 9:56am

Emcee - I'm very glad to hear you like it. Since I share your opinions on pretty much everything else, I'm glad to hear I'll like it! However, I didn't read your review, I want to go in with a totally clean slate regarding reviews and such.

[Jackie810]

Posted: 11/15/05 at 4:18pm

Thank you thank you thank you. I saw the movie on Saturday and you said it better than I ever could have. Perfect :)

[heaja123]

Posted: 11/21/05 at 11:32pm

Emcee I just saw the movie tonight, and i read your WHOLE review on it, let me say , i could not say it better myself, everything you wrote i completely agree with , i think you put it perfectly into words

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 11/21/05 at 11:38pm

Thank you very much.

[wickedrentq]

Posted: 11/21/05 at 11:41pm

EEEEEEEEEEEEE

(okay I'm prob only gonna be home for like an hour-hour 1/2 the most tomorrow so I'm just getting all my EEEEE's in now and will try not to make them too annoying...)

[liotte]

Posted: 11/21/05 at 11:45pm

I saw the movie tonight. I loved it.

[Kringas]

Posted: 11/21/05 at 11:50pm

I saw it tonight, too. I'm still not sure how I felt about it.

[rose&lark]

Posted: 11/27/05 at 5:23pm

I have to say, I didn't read this review/thoughts thread until now, because I didn't want to read spoilers. But I agree, I really think Chris Columbus got these characters and the feeling of the film. The one "iffy" thing I found was the engagement scene...the parents speaking at the beginning, not too much to my liking. But, I have to say, that this was almost like I saw the show again, that much raw emotion, that I vented during this film. Like in the theatre when I've seen the live show (boy it's going to start to be hard to differentiate the two, now isn't it?) I bawled almost for the entire Act II material--even just hearing the wooden clash of Angel's drumsticks together made me cry harder for his death in the movie. While pretty much everyone else was walking out of the movie, not looking too affected, I was a mess, but in a good way :) I even got sentimental when I read in the credits that Shaun Earl was the waiter in the La Vie Boheme scene, because I had seen him on tour as Angel.

In short, thanks Emcee for your thoughts.

[Yankgrl46]

Posted: 11/27/05 at 6:43pm

The first time I commented on this thread was before I had seen the movie. Now I want to comment following.
Emcee, as an English Teacher, let me just say that you certainly have a way with words. You expressed most of what I was feeling, in a calmer, simpler way. I applaud you for this thread because it reminds me how much I love the story, the emotion, and the heart that is Rent.

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 11/27/05 at 6:46pm

Thank you very much.

Updated On: 11/27/05 at 06:46 PM

[forget regret <3]

Posted: 11/27/05 at 7:25pm

That was a gorgeous review.
Thank you.

[sanda]

Posted: 12/5/05 at 12:57pm

Hi,

I finally watched the movie. As I promised, I should leave something under your review.

I am not a big rent fan. The show itself, IMO, stands out in its own but has some flaws that I dislike very much. Thus I suppose my opinion about the movie is different from rent fans's idea.

I think the movie is very well done. Definitely beyond my expectation. It fixes a lot problem of the stage version.

The cast is absolutely great. There is no weak point. I even love Taye Diggs's Benny a lot which is impossible for the stage version. The greatest improvement is the two leading characters, Roger and Mimi. I never cared about those two on stage. But here, because of a lot of detail, close shoot, facial expression without words, etc, those details make the character well developped and understandable. To me, Roger was not that sorry ass (yes, on stage he is a sorry ass)anymore. "One song glory" and "without you" makes me sympasize him and finally understand why he was so isolated from others,why he was so mean to Mimi. In my understanding, Roger's anger to Mimi was because of April(one song glory). Mimi is so much like April, young, beautiful, full of life yet also full of pain and trouble. From the movie, I feel that it is April who drive Roger to drugs and gets aids. He fought so hard to finally get rid of drugs and now Mimi posed the danger to attract him back. On stage, Roger and Mimi's break up is not very developped either. But in the movie, we see that Roger is so devastated and disappointed about the waste of the effor he and Mimi had put together. (without you). You may get all these from stage, but I only understand them from the movie.

And I love every second of life support meeting. I feel they adapt a lot dialoge from singing amazingly well. On the big screen, those dialoge sounds so natural, so down to earth, thus incredibly subtle and moving. Those people, so young, pale, quiet and desperate yet trying to maintain the dignity and kindness till the end of their lives. Wonderfully done.

About the cut. I can understand the cutting of "contact" and I absolutely thank them to cut "Goodbye love". That song drove me nuts on stage. I even think they should cut "What you own". I hate that song as well. On the stage it was silly and in the movie, it seems they tried to fix the problem but did not succeed.

About the scene I love: "Santa Fe" done in the subway, the rythem is so elegant and warm; "Will I" , as I said, I love every second of life support; "Out tonight", Rosario Dawson is sensational; "Take me or leave me", Menzal is incredible;"without you", I have tears watching it.

Overall I enjoy it very much. The creator did a sincere and decent job. Congradulate for all rent fans who enjoy it.

[Sophie2]

Posted: 12/5/05 at 1:16pm

I have been lurking on these boards for far longer than I care to admit, but this is my first post. Emcee, you review or "gathering of thoughts" has moved me to join in the fun, finally... :)

It is a beautiful, beautiful review, and I give it far more weight than most of the others I've read (here or elsewhere). It has almost moved me to tears. Thank you for capturing quite a bit of how I feel -- you expressed it far better than I can.

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 12/5/05 at 4:21pm

Sanda, I'm glad that you liked it!

Sophie, thank you, and welcome!

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 12/16/05 at 11:50pm

I saw the movie again tonight, for what I suspect will be the last time -- at least on the big screen. Over the past month and four days, I total five viewings. The chances I'll get to see it in a theatre again are very slim, so tonight was a reluctant, too-soon, yet very fond farewell.

I wanted to post this here for a couple of reasons, I guess, but the top of those being for my own personal archival, I suppose: now I can have my very first reaction, and my very last to the movie on the big screen all in one place. Closure, maybe. But either way, now this thread is something of a small full-circle.

I took with me tonight a lot of movie-related baggage from the past few weeks: all of the random funny things that aren't integral to the movie itself, that you'd never notice until someone pointed them out -- Wax Lion, Adam (who, by the way, I think I become more and more proud of each time) caught stuffing his face, which props have ended up on eBay, the fact that Roger wears designer sweatpants, etc. Silly bloopers.

And then I brought with me all of the frustration that's come with the nitpicking and the backlash -- now, watching the movie, I sit there and think about how I might refute the token argument of the day, and I think about how sad it is that Rent on screen didn't make the splash that it could've made -- the splash that it *should've* made. That will always break my heart, because of how much love went into this movie.

Yet, there are so, so many beautiful moments in a movie that I can best described as emotionally charged. And after a month of accumulating baggage and continued faith in the project, those moments bring me right back to where I was the first time. They still feel just like the first time, losing none of their poignancy. It felt no more real tonight than it did a month ago to see those names on a movie screen, or to see on screen things that were created right before my eyes.

I responded to this movie emotionally. And that's exactly how I wanted it.

So, with satisfaction, thus I end this chapter. It feels complete. Or, as complete as it'll ever feel, I think. I love this movie for what it is. And that's not going to change, however heavy the baggage may be. I'm not ever going to experience something like this with a film ever again, so I only take away the good.

Updated On: 12/17/05 at 11:50 PM

[defying_gravity2]

Posted: 12/17/05 at 1:26am

Wow, Em, that's exactly how I feel. You took the words right out of my mouth. You really summed this whole journey up beautifully.

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 12/17/05 at 3:19am

Thanks.

[ikmbway]

Posted: 12/17/05 at 12:08pm

Hey Em just read that whole thing now for the first time and those were some great words you used to describe everything. I agree with you through pretty much all of it. It has been a great journey through this all and you really took the movie to heart and you made it feel like you were taking all of what you could out of it. I enjoyed reading it all thanks for your 2 cents on it. :)

[xM3L24x]

Posted: 12/17/05 at 2:12pm

I just read this for the first time, since I didn't want to read any reviews before I saw the movie. I really enjoyed your review. It brought me back to a few weeks ago when I saw it for the first time and how nervous and scared I was. I was practically shaking from the realization that THIS WAS IT. This year has been such a journey for me, and this past week I actually started to cry realizing how much I've been through, and how much I miss it. But I remember someone once told me that if you cry, atleast it means that it meant something to you, so i'm so incredibly greatful for this year. It's meant so much to me. Thanks for the review!

[LariTheLoud]

Posted: 12/17/05 at 4:41pm

You really DO articulate everything I cannot.

[orangeskittles]

Posted: 12/17/05 at 4:53pm

I'm seeing it again tonight. Most likely for the last time. I'm also probably going to go by myself. I had planned on seeing it by myself at least once from the beginning, but I never really got around to it. After this past week in my life, I need to see it again and I really want to see it alone.

[Kevo711]

Posted: 12/17/05 at 5:17pm

Emcee- Sadly I just got around to reading you full review today and it was absoloutely BEAUTIFUL! I seriously was more worried about what you though about the movie than what I thought about it! Thank you!

[sweetiedarlinmia]

Posted: 12/17/05 at 5:37pm

So I finally saw the movie last night... then again today. I LOVED IT!! Being in that theatre reminded me of when I first saw the stage show. I saw the show and the movie both times by myself because it's something that some of my closest friends (love 'em dearly) wouldn't understand the magic off (plus they would probably continually ask me questions during the movie). It's something, for me anyways, I needed to experience solo. I've always enjoyed this show, though I am not a Renthead, and it was wonderful to see that magic brought to film. Many people I know, who knew nothing of the show beyond singing "Seasons of Love" in middle/high school choir, went and loved it. So though the film didn't do as wonderfully as we all would've expected, I'm happy that many people in my life got the chance to experience it. And I can't wait till it comes out on DVD!

Oh by the way, great post Emcee!