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Reviews
The Music Man (2003)
I was aghast!
If the Music Man has fanilows, I am one. I loved the 1962 movie, never having been to Broadway until 1979. In the mid-70's my two brothers and future sister-in-law were in a summer dramatic presentation at our high school(where Richard Gere and I started out) and I know the script nearly verbatim.
Matthew Broderick is a handsome, talented young man, but he and his co-conspirators have a lot to learn about delivery. So many lines were blown, being recited far too fast, without proper cadence or emphasis.
I found it troubling that the producers tried to put modern political correctness on a scene from the early 1900's. I would bet the farm that, in that day, in a very small town in Iowa, there were no middle- class black people. If there were any non-farming blacks, they would be a guy playing piano in a bordello or saloon or possibly a groom at the livery stable or smithy.
When it was over, I called baby brother and exclaimed, "I'm aghast - simply aghast!" to which he replied, "you mean agog - simply agog." I knew he would be watching it, as well. We agreed on all points. Sorry to pan it; I hate vicious critics.
Murder on the Orient Express (2001)
Awful - Dreadful - an insult to the memory of Dame Agatha
I am no cinephile, so I rarely comment here. However, I am an aficionado of Dame Agatha Christie, and have read everything she has written (as Agatha). I think I am correct in quoting her as having said, "I do know something about character and plot development," and I really hate and detest Hollywoodizing a novel which has sold millions of copies.
I like equally the Albert Finney and the David Suchet versions, but abominate most other attempts to define the character who David Suchet does so well. Please don't do any more updates like this. I nearly barfed.
Moulin Rouge! (2001)
Unique movie
The liner notes on the back of the DVD were very accurate: one said something like "there's never been a movie like this," and it was quite true. I have no idea what I had expected in this show, but it was not a cross between a musicale and an opera, with flights of fantasies between animated and live scenes, a lot of screaming and running around, and general chaos.
There was quite a bit of pop music (oldies in 2006) which was not written when Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec was alive, and seemed like a cheap way to import music into the show. The original music was interesting, and Ewan Mc Gregor is cute and apparently able to sing! I will look for other movies of his.