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| 1. Into the Woods Director: James Lapine | |
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Reviews (175)
Into the Woods is simply amazing... I prefer the first act over the second, though...The first is funny, heartwarming, and hilarious as we follow the Baker and his Wife into the woods to find a cow as white as milk, a cape as red as blood, hair as yellow as corn, and a slipper as pure as gold to break the curse that is keeping them from having a child. The second act is a lot more deep and dark when the giant arrives and upsets the whole kingdom. It's sad but still very enjoyable. If you are thinking of buying this video, DO! I promise you WON'T regret it. (btw, that ending phrase sounds SO corny but oh well, that's me.)
Anyhoo, I saw this musical in high school (let me rephrase: I saw this video in high school...oh wait, I forgot. I DID see the play in high school too. Weird. But the video came first, so...end of aside) and have loved it ever since. I am an optimistic person by nature and like the phrase "happily ever after." I don't understand why our cyncial society is so determined to sink that phrase in the cruel, unforgiving sea of reality (for more on this subject see Cervantes' soliloquoy in "Man of La Mancha"). It is, however, always a great relief to me when I see that "Non-happy ever after" type shows generally always prove themselves wrong. The ending to this musical is...not what you'd expect! Ha! Thought I was gonna spoil it, didn't ya? But just the same it is a happy one. If any ending can be called happy in the wake of horror and death, and I say sure. Sondheim's best work, in my book. Bernadette Peters is as wonderful as always as the Wicked Witch, and since the most recent revival had (Shudder!) Vanessa Williams in the role, this is the show for you. I reckon.
Now of course, the Witch does something (duh)! she makes the Baker and his Wife in order to get a child to get a golden slipper (Cinderella) a cape as red as blood (Little Red Ridding Hood) a cow as white as milk (Jack) and hair as yellow as corn (Rapunzel). Of course, they get all the things with a lot of obsticals. Duh, I mean come on people it's not like they're really going to get all those stuff easy cheesy in a 3 hour play. That's where they sing their other hit song "Into the Woods". Anyhow, Jack killed the Giant and the wife has come back to find Jack and guess what-- you'll have to find out what happens. So ha! It's so good it's magical. Starring Bernadette Peters (the Witch) Kim Crosby (Cinderella) Danelle Fernland (Little Red Ridding Hood) Pamela Winslow (Rapunzel) Ben Wright (Jack) Chip Zien (Baker) Joanna Gleason (the Baker's Wife) and of course the Narrator, who does do a lot-- (Tom Aldredge) HOPE YOU ENJOY! (I saw the 2001 one, so I can't say which one's better) SEE YA! I GUESS YOU'LL BE ON YOUR JOURNEY!
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| 2. Stephen Sondheim's Passion (Original Broadway Cast) Director: James Lapine | |
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Description Reviews (37)
Most notablely, there is Donna Murphy who has recreated her Tony Award-Winning performance as Fosca, the unattractive and ailing woman who's passion for her Giorgio is the only thing that keeps her alive. Murphy's powerful, unparalled performance is rare indeed, and anyone can clearly see why the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Muscial (1994) went to her. Her performance is only overshadowed by her initial appearance. Any fan of Donna Murphy's knows that she is a devastatingly beautiful woman, and to make her appear unattractive, as Fosca Ricci had to be, must have been a difficult task. However, the character of Fosca, as Murphy plays her, is so deep and complex that you forget you are watching a fictional character as one is totally engrossed in the plot. That is, of course, true acting at it's best! Shea and Mazzie are strong, however, there is no denying the true star of this musical: Donna Murphy. There is no doubt that "Passion" will bring any viewer to tears each and every time they watch it.
The lyrics aren't as clever as in other of Sondheim's shows, but they convey the various emotional states beautifully. The book by Levine is well put together, with no obvious flaws. Of the cast, Donna Murphy easily deserved her Tony award for the role of Fosca. Her treatment of the character moving from appreciation to obsession to more tender loving of Georgio is remarkable, and her deep singing voice is a perfect complement to the music. The supporting characters are also fairly strong. However, Jere Shea as Georgio is a case of bad casting. His expression -- as well as his acting -- are wooden, and he is obviously not up to the task of expressing the range of emotions necessary for the character. All that can be said in his credit is that he physically fits the part -- a man who would be considered attractive in Italy in the mid 1800s. Vocally, he has a competent voice, but, again, lacks emotional expression. Marin Mazzie gives a competent performance. While her voice is easily up to the demands of the score, her facial expressions as she sings are distracting. How can a person who is grimacing as much as she does in the opening number be belivable when she sings about "all this happiness?" All said and done, the score, book, direction, and female lead all complement each other wonderfully. However, the male lead and his paramour let the show down and prevent a "5 star" rating.
But the biggest and best reason for buying this DVD can be summed up in two words: Donna Murphy. Oh my God, her Fosca is unbelievable!!! Her Tony-winning performance is unforgetable and will stick with you for weeks (maybe even months) after you first see it. I have never been so moved by a character in a musical before. She had me near tears, and I hardly ever cry while watching a show. I cannot begin to put into words the kind of depth Murphy brings to the tortured soul of Fosca, the longing for acceptance, the rudeness, and yet the unbridled love that Murphy layers into her performance. She steals ever scene she's in, and if the show had her on stage constantly for its almost two hours you wouldn't hear me complain. In fact, the notes of the insert have book writer James Lapine reminded everyone that the show is actually about Gregio, not Fosca, showing just how much attention Murphy must have gotten. I didn't really follow theatre back in 1994 when the show opened, but I imagine Murphy was the talk of the season and she deserved every compliment paid her and more. Her Fosca is a master class in acting, not just for musical theatre but for all theatre, and I can only sit in awe of her. Absolutely stunning.
Donna Murphy deserved the 1994 Tony that she won for this performance and the way this was filmed her acting really shines. Her facial experesions and the emmotion that she taps into is phenomenal, and it is such a difference from other roles she has taken on (ex: Ruth Sherwood in Wonderful Town or Anji in Star Trek Insurrection) and this is a true testement to her acting ability. I recomend this to any musical lover or anyone who loves a great and moving love story.
The story comes from Ettore Scola's 1981 film, "Passione d'amore," which is based on the novel "Fosca" by Iginio Ugo Tarchetti, which Sondheim saw in 1983 and felt compelled to turn into a musical. Giorgio (Jere Shea), is a handsome young captain in the Italian army who is having an affair with the beautiful but married Clara (Marin Mazzie). He is then stationed far away from his love, but the two continue to communicate by letters (there are a lot of epistletory songs in "Passion"). There he meets Fosca (Donna Murphy,) the cousin of commanding officer. She is a homely, sickly woman, who has never been been taught how to love, but she falls completely for the young captain. Giorgio refuses her advances and tries to escape her attentions, bluntly telling Fosca that he will never return her feelings. But in the face of her undeniable passion, he finds that his heart and his mind are changing. I had owned the CD of "Passion" since the musical first opened on Broadway because if Stephen Sondheim wants to write a musical I want to listen to it. I consider his "Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street" to be his masterpiece, and just listening to "Passion" it is clear that this musical is not that musical. To repeat the recurring criticism of some of Sondheim's work, that there is nothing for the audience to hum on their way out of the theater, might be inelegant and decidedly unoriginal but it is on point. Listening to the CD made little impression on me, but the same cannot be said for watching this DVD. Again, the experience is much better than it would be watching the show live, because when the camera comes up on these characters in close ups and two shots, its makes the story and the music much more powerful. The performances by the two female leads are superb, and Shea's performance suffers a bit in comparison (not his singing, but his rather wooden acting), but that does not really matter. "Passion" is about "love," and not just any type of love, but "Love that thinks everything is pure, everything is beautiful, everything is possible..." Sometimes beauty is not just in the eye of the beholder, but in the ear as well. ... Read more | |
| 3. Impromptu Director: James Lapine | |
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Reviews (27)
Period piece + Hugh Grant = giving it a view. I LOVED IT. First of all, if you are expecting a calm, quiet, "polite" film, you will be surprised. This film is based on the real life of Madame George Sand, the scandalous 19th Century French novelist, played brilliantly by Judy Davis. Sand is no Jane Austen creation: She uses the f-word (though not to excess), has sex with whom she chooses, and is more likely to wear pants (which required permission by the French government at the time) than dresses. She is also charming, romantic, and intelligent. Her friends are the famous artists of the time: painter Eugene Delacroix and composer Franz Litz (amongst others, including Litz's conniving lover, played by Bernadette Peters). As a result, this film is far more of an unrepentant romp than anything you would expect for the time and place (though this film is far from ribald-- I believe it earned its overly cautious MPAA rating of PG-13 for the aforementioned, infrequent use of the f-word). Emma Thompson gives a positively hilarious performance as a provincial society "title tart." Mandy Patinkin, does equally as well as the ex-lover (and novelist Malfie) of Sand. Hugh Grant plays the composer Fredric Chopin. He is the polar opposite of Sand. Chopin is a man who is as delicate and refined as any French court ladies of the day. This, of course, appeals to the tougher-than-nails Sand, who finds Chopin's music to be the "voice of God." Chopin is rather troubled by the romantic attentions of such a woman, and a comedy of errors ensues. This movie is especially appealing because it has all the romance of the best Jane Austen film adaptations, while having such a wonderfully (dare I say) feminist character as Sand. Not that anyone will read any "message" in this film; you will be too busy being entertained. This film was out of print for some time, and I paid $100.00 for my copy as a result. Don't make the same mistake I made. Buy "Impromptu" now while you can. It is a film worthy of many repeated viewings.
Judy Davis is marvelous as George Sand, a brilliant, eccentric woman who eschewed the social mores of her time. Already tired of her current lover, she is more determined than ever to dump him after she meets and falls in love with Chopin, nicely played by Hugh Grant. Chopin is portrayed as being a rather shy, morally upright [and uptight!] man who is taken aback by Sand's assertive nature and odd habits, which include dressing like a man most of the time. Undeterred by his thwarting of her advances, she pursues him relentlessly, almost getting him killed in a duel in the process. Playing an active part in all these goings on - sometimes for Sand's quest, sometimes against it - are Chopin's great friend Franz Liszt [Julian Sand] and his lover, Marie [Bernadette Peters]. Both Sand and Peters have substantial supporting roles, as do Emma Thompson and Mandy Patinkin. The cast alone makes "Impromptu" worth seeing. Also enjoyable is the soundtrack, almost all of which is taken from Chopin's works. As history, this movie is dubious. As entertainment, it's first rate. It reminds me somewhat of "Emma", in that it is more comedy than drama.
Judi Davis is doing an Oscar winning performance as George Sand, who is ultimately a woman who belongs to no one and who lives life to the fullest. She has raised children to be as creative as she is and taken full responsibility for her children as well as for her elderly mother. Bored of the dull life after her divorce from the father of her children, she takes her current lover to the French countryside. There, she is invited by a wealthy hostess to her estate. The drama heightens in a soap opera sort of way when none other than Alfred De Musset the poet and ex-lover of Sand shows up. Her jealous boyfriend, Malfitte, challenges him to a duel. Meanwhile, Sand has fallen for Chopin, who is her polar opposite. While she is free, intense, devil-may-care and very healthy, Chopin is reserved, emotional, sensitive, refined and suffering of bad health with tubercolosis. Their relationship is accurate to truth but not in the way the film depicts. The disaster that happens in the country estate, comedically produced, never really happened. Bernadette Peters delivers a terrific performance as well as the scheming and bitter Marie D'Agoult, whose own marriage to Franz Liszt after having many children with him, including Cosima who later marries Richard Wagner, but that's another story and even another movie. This is a well-done movie with lots of charm and witty scenes. I especially enjoyed the entire portion in the country estate, in which the artist Delacroix, Franz Liszt and Chopin discuss over dinner the existence of God in front of a priest, put on a satirical farce play that ends badly and Sand's adorable children who are always finding some excuse to play with explosives and dynomite.
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| 4. Life with Mikey Director: James Lapine | |
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Reviews (9)
So, in order to round out my collection, I bought "Life with Mikey". So far, so good. But then I sat down to watch it. Sweet mother! Disney never seems to tire of showing us a) adults who have grown up to be big kids or b) unhappy, serious adults who would be better off if only they would loosen up and act like big kids. Now, I'm actually in favor of this philiosophy, but for some reason it never seems to come across on film. In this effort, the very funny Michael J. Fox plays Mike Chapman, a former child TV star who grows up to be a Big Kid. His apartment is a mess, he plays street hockey with the local urchins, he cons women and lies with a twinkle in his eye and we're all supposed to think he's charming as hell. Problem is, it seems that Fox has been replaced here by his stand-in, a life-size Michael J. Fox robot that has all the facial expressions down, but has none of the talent or charm. Mikey works with his brother Ed (the underappreciated nathan Lane, reduced here to whining and mugging as though his life depended upon it) as a strictly low-rent talent agent for children. The agency represents a stable of losers and is about to go under until Mikey discovers Angie Vega, a con artist with "talent" who can save the agency, if only she'll agree to stop shoplifting in her off-hours. Cyndi Lauper plays Geena Briganti, the brothers' secretary and the only character with any damned sense in the whole film. This movie is genuinely touching. I teared up a little when I saw all these genuinely talented child actors hamming it up and pretending to be talentless in order to make the genuinely talentless Christina Vidal look good. These selfless kids try again and again to undershine every time they share a camera with the little tyke, but it never works. You're left wondering why the little urchin got the plum cookie role and not the little guy who does Ethel Merman impressions. Now that's hilarious! Or how about the dour kid who auditions with a Strindberg monologue? The screenwriters obviously had more fun writing these kids than they did the heroes. In the end, "Life with Mikey" is a sad, disposable film that deserves no place in the careers of any of the actors involved. Except maybe Christina Vidal. ... Read more | |
| 5. Earthly Possessions Director: James Lapine | |
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Amazon.com Thelma and Louise this isn't. This original HBO film, Earthly Possessions, based on the Anne Tyler novel, is a sentimental road movie that requires more than a little suspension of disbelief (that they're able to escape in the first place is a miracle). Yet Sarandon, even in the most disappointing of roles, is a phenomenal actress who will make us believe just about anything.And so she does here; even with the trademark two-dimensionality of Tyler's characters, Charlotte Emory is a woman you can't help but care about.Dorff, with his rough-and-tumble good looks, is fairly believable as the irresponsible hooligan, and despite the unlikelihood of a relationship developing between these two, you are sucked into the romance right with them. Throw in a couple of car chases and a pregnant girlfriend, and you've got an entertaining, lighthearted film.While the ending is a little disappointing, fans of Tyler's novels and her other books on film (Saint Maybe and Breathing Lessons) will surely be swept away. --Jenny Brown | |
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