HAIRSPRAY - - - A Bonafide Crowd Pleaser- Page 5

[Dark_Angel]

Posted: 7/20/07 at 7:46pm

Well you calling Shaiman and Wittman's score forgettable was uncalled for and incredibly rude.

[Fenchurch]

Posted: 7/20/07 at 7:49pm

I beg your pardon? Since when was expressing my views uncalled for?

Is this what people were talking about when they mentioned ridiculous obsessive "they will hear no wrong said of their show" fans?

[Dark_Angel]

Posted: 7/20/07 at 7:50pm

"I can not recommend this movie enough,go and see it NOW.Its the most fun you can have with your clothes on!!!

^^ Now THAT'S praise!!!!

[Dark_Angel]

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

You're way too high for me to even HEAR you hun. Save it.

anyway, back to some more HAIRSPRAY love...

[songanddanceman2]

Posted: 7/20/07 at 7:56pm

The Score is fantastic and sounds so beautiful with that much orchestration for the movie

[Fenchurch]

Posted: 7/20/07 at 7:57pm

um, can someone take care of this joker, please?

[Testing1232]

Posted: 7/20/07 at 8:01pm

Just got back from the movie in NYC- LOVED IT !!!!

Amazing job... amazing cast !! (although, it took me a bit to get used to Travolta, and still not sure if I liked his Edna)

Thought Bynes was excellent, and was a bit nervous about her pulling off Penny.

Will definitely be seeing this again !!!

[Dark_Angel]

Posted: 7/20/07 at 8:02pm

Yeah, Shaiman did a fantastic job of embellishing his score with just the right '60s touches you can hear elements of the Spector sound, Motown, lounge and even good old fashioned broadway toe tappers...great orchestrations, clever and witty lyrics. A definite crowd pleaser.

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 7/20/07 at 8:03pm

I saw it today, a torrentially pouring rainy day in Montreal, at 12:30 pm. Ginormous stadium theater with excellent stereo sound. Small crown (it was the weather) but definitely a pleased crowd. So many great new things, script tightened up PERFECTLY, terrific new songs, great old songs and a fab vocal cameo in the closing credits, for those of me who stuck around. I loved the poignancy of Travolta's Edna, and felt that he really nailed the agoraphobia bit. Allison Janney is, as ever, the secret weapon. And the kids were really good.

[songanddanceman2]

Posted: 7/20/07 at 8:04pm

Oh my god in my review i forgot to mention Marsden , Hello how good was he, His voice was fantastic and the old fashioned game show host moves had me in stitches(and hes pretty damn sexy to, i almost turned to my partner and told him i was leaving him to run away with Marsden).

[renthead333]

Posted: 7/20/07 at 8:05pm

The movie was the best musical movie ive seen! I loved every second! I thought the cast was perfect especially Michelle, Zac, Queen, ELIJAH, and Travolta (he was phemonal in this role). Definatly go see it! The theater wasn't packed (but I did go to an earlier showing) I do agree about YCSTB being not as great with all those cuts and I wish Amanda Bynes was on more. Other than that I loved it and I will for sure being seeing it again!

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 7/20/07 at 8:06pm

You totally should!

Oh, and it's been fun seeing the French language Hairspray commercials on TV in Montreal! Also, Le Simpson, Le Movie.

ETA: The movie got four stars in this morning's Montreal Gazette.

And a friend sent me this fantastic bit from the Boston Globe's review:

Rated: PG (language, some suggestive content, momentary teen smoking, and Scientologist in drag

Updated On: 7/20/07 at 08:06 PM

[Elphaba]

Posted: 7/20/07 at 8:37pm

got home a short time ago from the first showing here in Palm Springs.
I loved it, but did not love Travolta in it. It was like seeing Travolta dressed up as a woman....and what I mean was with Divine or Harvey I believed it was a woman, with Travolta I did not..it was Travola, in a dress, just same voice, just less volume with a Baltimore accent...loved everyone else, and Michelle P was fabulous, as was Queen.

However, nothing beats the stae production.

[KChenowethfan]

Posted: 7/20/07 at 9:52pm

I just got out of a showing in downtown washington, dc where two groups of kids got escorted out in the middle of the movie for fighting...no joke. For once I was very glad for the very powerful sound system at this theatre because I could still hear over the ruckus.

In any case, the film was brilliant. Hairspray is far from my favorite stage show, though I found it fun the couple times I have seen it, liked the songs, and thought the book was smart. However, for me, the movie was a masterpiece. Nikki Blonsky is a revelation. All of the casting was spot on. I don't think there was a weak link- even among the few people I was not so sure about before seeing the film. True, vocally, I thought a few could have been stronger, but the overall performances did not suffer (like they could have in a live show). I expect a little bit different qualities in a film vice a stage show.

I plan to go again when I don't have to deal with an interacial brawl (yes, interesting given the film...no?)

Updated On: 7/21/07 at 09:52 PM

[Cruel_Sandwich]

Posted: 7/20/07 at 10:02pm

I hope they make a Pink Flamingos musical at some point.

[Fenchurch]

Posted: 7/20/07 at 10:04pm

WOW.

I can't wait for the rousing number entitled "You are hereby convicted of A&&holism!"
or
"Are you the Eggman?"

and who will play her role? And will they use live chickens?

[spiderdj82]

Posted: 7/20/07 at 10:07pm

Can you two move it to another thread, please? **Now back to your originally scheduled program**

[Cruel_Sandwich]

Posted: 7/20/07 at 10:08pm

I'm seeing it tomorrow morning and...man...I'm sure Travolta will be fine. But I do wish Harvey Fierstein was in it, even in a cameo or something. You never see him in movies! I think the last film I actually remember seeing him in was DEATH TO SMOOCHY.

Speaking of him and movies, does anyone else kind of wish he was the movie trailer voice-over guy? His voice is so completely unique and awesome. I don't know how much he smoked in his youth, but the second you hear his voice, you absolutely know it's him. I think I can say the same thing about one other person: David Lynch.

[Fenchurch]

Posted: 7/20/07 at 10:14pm

People with unique voices

Jack Klugman
The woman who did the "Exorcist" voice, Mercedes McCambridge
Bernadette Peters (heaven help us, I ALWAYS know when that whining starts)
Kathleen Turner
Georgia Engel
Eartha Kitt
Gilbert Godfried

I could go on and on.

Updated On: 7/20/07 at 10:14 PM

[Cruel_Sandwich]

Posted: 7/20/07 at 10:15pm

Don't forget Zelda Rubenstein!

[erikaamato]

Posted: 7/20/07 at 10:17pm

I just got back from the movie, and I LOVED IT. The theater was PACKED (at 4:30pm...not bad), and they all loved it, too. I think it's going to be a huge, HUGE hit. Yay!

P.S. It was a very mixed crowd. All ages, races, types. Families, theater queens, screaming Zac Efron fans, etc. Everybody loved it.

[Cruel_Sandwich]

Posted: 7/20/07 at 10:23pm

Hey for those who have seen it...

Does any of the satire come through at all? Or is it just another teen message movie that the original strived to parody?

[movieinmymind]

Posted: 7/20/07 at 10:36pm

basically...
i had a HARD time stopping myself from getting out of my seat and dancing in the movie theater!!

GO SEE IT!!

[Cruel_Sandwich]

Posted: 7/20/07 at 10:38pm

That's the same feeling I had during BABEL.

[Roscoe]

Posted: 7/20/07 at 10:44pm

Saw it tonight, in a screening attended largely by black women and children. They all seemed to enjoy themselves.

I did, too, mainly. I was very surprised and gladdened that more of the musical numbers worked than didn't, largely because they don't disappear in the Cuisinart editing style of certain other films, and because, wonder of wonders, we're actually allowed to watch people sing.

The acting is mostly very good. I was very taken with the girl playing Tracy, and Seaweed and Penny. Michelle Pfeiffer got the most out of her role, actually making "Miss Baltimore Crabs" interesting. James Marsden's huge trillion dollar smile is one of the film's best special effects. And that score is terrific, and the script, I think, actually improves upon the book of the show.

As for Travolta, well. Buried under what looks like several tons of make up and burdened with a really overdone accent, I found him virtually unwatchable, until his final big number, which is fun and energetic enough to make a lot of people not mind how just plain bad much of his performance really is.