Into the Woods Official Movie Thread — Page 202

Eh...I didn't leave thinking the second half was MEH or choppy.

Yeah I realize that there were songs missing (my favorites) but I was forward they weren't going to be there. I was prepared.

I blame whatever research Disney did to think that truncating fans' favorite moments in the second half.

Which is why I stand by what I think they should ALWAYS do with musicals to movies...do a stang-length version for fans and a theater-length version for those who rather not sit for 3 hours.

They might have to spend millions more to do that, but it would be worth it. They do this with albums.

Agree that they really should have included No More, and made it a lot more clear as to what was going on in that scene. Is the Baker's father dead or alive? Was he just wandering around and the Baker met up with him? Or is he dead and a ghost? They don't even tell you that.


By the way, came across this on Twitter:

Big Ol' Looming Yeen ?@Fuzzypaw 18h18 hours ago
The people at Starbucks are singing Agony from Into the Woods! I think @ArtideFox would approve, hehe~

Yeah, nobody likes this movie and nobody's going to see it...

Updated On: 1/13/15 at 06:26 AM

"Big Ol' Looming Yeen ?@Fuzzypaw 18h18 hours ago
The people at Starbucks are singing Agony from Into the Woods! I think @ArtideFox would approve, hehe~ "

Wow, that's cool! I wonder if anybody got cell phone footage of it? Sondheim in Starbucks...

Updated On: 1/13/15 at 07:59 AM

Had to share the phone call I got from my 90-year-old mother last night. I told her I loved the film, so when her senior center chartered a bus to go see it she went (she loves musicals).

She hated it! "Too many lyrics, too much yelling, too much singing - it was like an opera!" She said all the seniors there also hated it.

So is ITW a generational thing? I honestly thought she'd love it.

As we get older, our cognitive abilities slow down and it becomes harder to follow stories, especially ones that move fast. My guess is that's what happened here; all the fast motion, rapid-fire lyrics and "commotion" became confusing and hard to follow for the elderly ladies, leading to frustration and an ultimate decision of "I hated it."

There's a lot going on in the film and every little action has a consequence later on in the movie. It would be easy for someone of a certain age (whether young or old) to miss something

I understand why elderly people might have a problem with at least the first 15 minutes. There's a frenetic energy with the interweaving of the different musical themes and quickly paced exposition and it escalades intensely when everyone heads into the woods. That's not a fault of the show at all but some things are just not for some people ultimately

It's a great idea, but I'm not sure how some of the cast would sound singing live. A few are accomplished singers, most of them are not and would probably rather not perform those difficult songs live in front of an audience. I can't see Meryl Streep agreeing to it, for instance. It's one thing to spend days laying down tracks in a controlled studio environment; quite another to sing the whole thing live over the course of a few hours. It would be a little much for someone who isn't trained in musical theater.

"imdb and Rotten Tomatoes are not the "be all, end all" nor the ultimate authority on movies.

So many people put too much stock on websites whose numbers are easily manipulated by anyone who can log in and post whatever the hell they feel like it "just because"...
"

I disagree that the numbers can be 'easily manipulated'. There are so many ratings that you would have to create A LOT of accounts (hundreds or thousands) to manipulate the ratings. Plus, given that the numbers might actually influence box office results if they were easily manipulated I am sure that studios would try to do this. The Into The Woods Score, down to 6.7 now - is not going to be good for word of mouth, unfortunately.

I don't understand it, and for now am going to dismiss negativity and condescendingly assuming that Into the Woods is simply 'too good' for much of the general public, whose expectations of a simple children's 'Disney' movie are not being met (not joking).

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Yup, That song is supposed to be The Witch's mental and emotional break, and it was underplayed in the film. By doing that it causes Last Midnight to be less effective. Yes I agree the main problem with the 2nd half is nothing and no one was able to breathe..But I OBVIOUSLY don't understand that things have to be adapted (meaning: changed) for a film medium, so take my words with a grain of salt..

Updated On: 1/14/15 at 08:06 PM

No, I found that song very effective in the film. Same with Last Midnight. It's not "underplayed" as it fits in with the new context of the scene.

In the play, the Witch is the over-protective mother (who wants to be loved and wants Rapunzel to love her). However, her over-protectiveness led to the craziness and eventual death of her daughter.

In the movie, the Witch is the over-protective mother (who wants to love and personally, I found Meryl's portrayal far more motherly and lovingly than other Witch's which isn't a bad thing for actresses who didn't do it---I just prefer Streep's portrayal/interpretation of that). However, her over-protectiveness caused her daughter to hate her for that, and caused her daughter to leave her for another.


This is VERY effective, especially considering how much the Witch truly loved Rapunzel. I see many people arguing, "if Rapunzel is still in the world, the Witch could have just searched for her--deeming Last Midnight pointless". That is an argument I strongly disagree with. Rapunzel left on a fast moving animal going who knows where. All the while, the Witch knows the only person she loves--now hates her, and is never going to embrace her, nor does she want to see her again. The Witch also has a giant to worry about, and a certain "Jack" to capture. The Witch had a lot on her plate. Streep's "Lament" was very well performed.


"Maybe I'd find it more appropriate if she had more than 3 seconds to breathe and take in what happened"

Well, she did. She had an entire song. In the DVD, she will have an entire two songs ("She'll Be Back")



Also, when Rapunzel leaves the Witch we see how devastated she is. When the Witch re-appears with Jack see almost seems like a different person. She's no longer "sad" and "remorseful"...it's almost as if the Witch turned all thoughts of Rapunzel off---almost as mechanism to stop the grieving. Then, in Last Midnight, all of her emotions boil up. These "nice" people blame her--she's "The Witch"--her daughter has left her, and for all she knows her daughter has died in the hands of "her prince"--also, The Witch has no one to love.

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This was handled brilliantly! Very touching...Bravo!

No matter how warped...I still think the Witch genuinely loved Rapunzel...at least Streep's portrayal did. She did what she thought was best to protect her. Sure, she wanted her for herself. I didn't say it was perfect typcial love---The Witch had a very warped and twisted way of showing love, but I don't think it was just "possesive"---when I hear that, I think of "Mother Gothel" from Tangled.

UPDATE: The Witch *thought* she was just doing what was right "I was just trying to be a good mother", and I think that is evidence that the Witch did love her---but the Witch took it too far, deeming her a possessive mother. I think the Witch (again Streep's portrayal) really does fear for Rapunzel's safety in the world, and takes extra measures to shield her from it (minus the whole "PUNISH U 2 SWAMP" lol). In the play, the Witch is the sane one, while Rapunzel is crazy...in the movie the role seems reversed. The Witch can't let go of Rapunzel--she loves her and NEEDS to do EVERYTHING she can to protect her. Which, can be, I guess, a demonstration of possessiveness.

Updated On: 1/14/15 at 10:01 PM

I found the scene when the Witch says she has brought Rapunzel's 'favourite' berries to her a bit heartbreaking, given I knew what would happen. Streep's Witch loved Rapunzel so much I almost got the impression that the only reason she wanted to 'reverse the curse' was to strengthen her relationship with Rapunzel. Maybe that's an obvious thing to say, but I never felt it so strongly until this film.

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