HAIRSPRAY - - - A Bonafide Crowd Pleaser- Page 3

[LoringsGuy]

Posted: 7/20/07 at 3:16pm

The movie made me giddy from the opening frame. When the camera descends from the clouds and overlooks Baltimore, the friend I saw it with giggled, leaned over and whispered, "I love it!" And it just continued from there.

[Pippin]

Posted: 7/20/07 at 3:19pm

Cruel, what you are talking about? I thought the costume design was very appropriate and in the correct time frame, unlike the dreadful out of time choreography in the Dreamgirls film.

[Pippin]

Posted: 7/20/07 at 3:19pm

double

Updated On: 7/20/07 at 03:19 PM

[broadwayguy2]

Posted: 7/20/07 at 3:20pm

amen Lorings.. I completely agree

[Dark_Angel]

Posted: 7/20/07 at 3:20pm

the choreography in DREAMGIRLS was not dreadfully "out of time".
but that's another thread.

[Pippin]

Posted: 7/20/07 at 3:22pm

it sure was. the vogueing in the reprise of "one night only" was very distracting, IMO, and was not appropriate for the year that that took place. And steppin' to the bad side was way to modern and based in hip hop moves that had not been invented yet. sorry for the thread jack.

Updated On: 7/20/07 at 03:22 PM

[Dark_Angel]

Posted: 7/20/07 at 3:27pm

sorry for the threadjack but you must have been watching a completely different movie. there was no vogueing during one night only.... there was vogueing in the 'masquerade' number in 'phantom'... but i digress that's a different thread.


now, back to hairspray love.......

[mateo]

Posted: 7/20/07 at 3:27pm

By the way, What Movie Trailers are attached to Hairspray?

[LoringsGuy]

Posted: 7/20/07 at 3:28pm

The only way that opening shot could've been better is if the camera descended from the heavens, panned down through the streets of Baltimore, swooped into Tracy's bedroom window, and came to rest on her closed eyes---all in one long, continuous shot---and then pulled back to reveal her full face as her eyes open and she begins to sing, "Oh-oh-oh..."

[broadwayguy2]

Posted: 7/20/07 at 3:32pm

Lorings, the cutaways of Tracy getting dressed reminded of Batman putting on the Batsuit.. I LOVED it.

[Pippin]

Posted: 7/20/07 at 3:33pm

SPOILER


I loved Walken dressed as Tracy- fantastic!

Updated On: 7/20/07 at 03:33 PM

[LoringsGuy]

Posted: 7/20/07 at 3:35pm

Dark Angel, I was just thinking the same thing about the vogue-ing in "Masquerade." Whose ridiculous idea was that??

Broadwayguy--yes, the close-ups of her arms popping through her sleeves were great!

[broadwayguy2]

Posted: 7/20/07 at 3:38pm

yeah.. the masquerade choreo was wretched.


I also adored her on top of the garbage truck as the camera pulls back and she wizzes past in a trashy Hairspray send-up for Fanny on the tugboat in Funny Girl... Don't Rain on her parade!

[LoringsGuy]

Posted: 7/20/07 at 3:39pm

All she needed was wilted bouquet of yellow roses to hold over her head, a la the Statue of Liberty!

[JP2]

Posted: 7/20/07 at 3:41pm

I Can Hear The Bells was probably my favorite number. It was cinematic brilliance, to say the least.

[broadwayguy2]

Posted: 7/20/07 at 3:42pm

or a fistful of donuts as the case may be!

(I liked how, following the suit of the Broadway version, they pay honor and tribute to classic musicals.. in every way)


The whoopee cushion bed was hysterical as well. You could barely hear dialogue over the laughing.. it was such a WILBUR moment.

[spiderdj82]

Posted: 7/20/07 at 3:44pm

Spoiler banners, people!

[LoringsGuy]

Posted: 7/20/07 at 3:48pm

Agreed re: the whoopee cushion bed. I couldn't really hear any of the dialogue, everyone was laughing so much.

Broadwayguy--Did you catch what Alison Janney did to the TV screen when she saw Penny kissing Seaweed? Priceless!

[broadwayguy2]

Posted: 7/20/07 at 3:51pm

yes! I DID. She was one of my favorite parts of the film.. the end with the Tv was GREAT. My only problem with that was my wondering why PRUDY had on the Corny Collins Show!! I LOVED when she tied Penny up..
also great.. when Motormouth tels Penny and Seaweed to brace for a whole lot of ugl from a whole lot of stupid, and Penny perks up with "You know my mom?"

[Miss B. L. T. Down]

Posted: 7/20/07 at 3:52pm

2 minor questions

1. Little Inez makes an appearance on Miss Baltimore Crabs on the soundtrack, but I don't remember her in that scene in the actual movie. Did I blink or was that a deleted part?

2. Minor, minor question that popped in my head. If Shelley left the council for "nine months" giving Tracy the opportunity to replace her, why is Shelley a contestant in the Miss Hairspray contest?

[TWSFan4Ever]

Posted: 7/20/07 at 3:54pm

Miss B.L.T. Down:

1. The part was deleted.

2. It was Brenda who left, not Shelley.

[broadwayguy2]

Posted: 7/20/07 at 3:54pm

BRENDA was the pregnant one.


Notice, there is a lot in the film not on the soundtrack.. like Inez's dance break in the final for one....

[mateo]

Posted: 7/20/07 at 3:54pm

SPOILER!!!!!!!!!!!!





- yes it was cut... I think its a sad trim... but Tracy does have to get back to school.

I am sure the DVD will have it.



and two) Brenda is "nine months" and the last time we see her is during Ladies' Choice.

[crushgroove]

Posted: 7/20/07 at 3:58pm

Wow...

I saw the film last night at the Lowes 34th. 12:01 showing. I was blown away. Mind you I have only seen the original film...have only seen clips of the musical and own the cast album. I think I had a smile on my face from beginning to end.

As many reservations I have about Travolta (mostly because he's a freaky scientologist), I must say I loved him in this role. While he's not Divine or Harvey, he brings a whole new spin to the character. Now I know everyone is annoyed by the accent he used, but if you listen to John Water's narration in his earlier films (Pink Flamingos, Female Trouble, etc), Waters has a very similar accent, so apparently there ARE people in Baltimore who talk that way. So just go in with an open mind.

I was VERY pleased with Amanda Bynes, while her role is pared way down. She steals the scenes shes in. She has an undeniable charm and very sweet chemistry with Elijah Kelly who plays Seaweed Stubbs. Kelly is also quite amazing, he gives Seaweed a sexyness that I have never seen anyone else radiate. Let's just say, he's hot.

The only weak link in my opinion is Michele Pfieffer. Don't get me wrong, I love her, and she's got the look down flawless. But the 2 other Velma's Debbie Harry and Linda Hart, had bitchiness and the voice, respectively, Michele's singing is a bit weak and she needed to be a bit more dominant.

Poor Britney Snow...she doesn't even get to sing
Unfortunately, Amber is less prominent in the movie, she doesn't feel like a real threat to Tracy.

But the movie doesn't suffer because of either of those things. I had a smile from ear to ear the whole movie. Especially during You Can't Stop The Beat. The staging and choreography are amazing. Other standouts are Welcome to The 60's and Run And Tell That. I loved the 3 chorus girls too...I almost wished that had gotten Anika Noni Rose to be one of them.

Be sure to stay though the closing credits...Mama I'm a Big Girl Now. It's great to hear all 3 Tracy's do the song...plus a certain raspy voiced star pops up for a line towards the end of the song.

[LoringsGuy]

Posted: 7/20/07 at 4:00pm

***SPOILER***

Broadwayguy, I also loved the moment during "Without Love" when Seaweed pulls out his switchblade to cut the ropes tying up Penny, and her eyes practically bug out of her head but she just keeps on singing. She has some GREAT reaction shots.