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[Been up since 6:00 am waiting for the frigging air conditioner people to show up. According to the store they could show up any time from 7am - 6pm. The installation guy called and told me not to worry about it, they wouldn't show up until the afternoon anyhow. Sigh. Human obstacle course can be frustrating at times. ETA: Ah. They delivered. So I called the installation guy who said they should be here between 2 pm and 6 pm. Which is not too bad, I suppose. With any luck they'll come at 2. And maybe before that I'll jot off to the comic store to see if I can grab the latest Buffy comic. I don't expect to be thrilled by it though, Whedon isn't interested in telling me where his characters are going emotionally, he's interested in telling me a story more along the lines of Tales of the Slayers and Fray - both of which bored me silly. I don't find the slayer mythology that interesting. Was talking to Wales about this last night - how some people get caught up in the annotations or references, mythology, and little details - while others are more interested in the emotional arcs of characters. Books that can combine both - grab a larger audience, I think. ]
Yesterday I rewarded myself with a movie. I'd taken a personal day to go to do something I hate doing, but won't go into detail about here, since I want to keep this post public.
Anywho.. the movie. I went to see Hairspray based solely on the recommendations of flist and a movie critic who lives in my neighborhood.
And..
That has got to be the most *fun* I've had watching a movie in a movie theater in a long time. Can't remember the last time I enjoyed watching a movie in a movie theater that much. Even Dreamgirls and Little Miss Sunshine pale in comparison.
It probably helped that I happened to see the film with about 20-30 inner city kids on a camp activity retreat. The city has camps for kids. During the summer they are taken to various activities in the city to keep them busy and out of trouble. These kids were about ten or twelve. All wore red t-shirts. And they were all black. Possibly African America, but hard to tell in NYC, could also be Carribbean, etc. Actually, me and one other woman may have been the only white people in the audience. [We have two theaters in our neighborhood - one is smaller movie theater that caters to the wealthier, hipster crowd and tends to be all white most of the time, also is incredibly uncomfortable, albeit cheaper. The other is a huge theater that caters to the downtown, inner city crowd, and tends to be mostly if not all black most of the time, and is comfortable with stadium seating. I prefer it. The cultural differences between the two groups make for a fascinating movie-going experience.]
At any rate, the inner city kids decided to interact with the movie, and clapped in perfect rythm with each of the songs. They even sang chorus in perfect harmony. And they were sitting along the side and up behind me. So it was sort of like having the sound in 3-D if you can imagine it. They said ew at key bits, groaned where they were supposed to groan, laughed where they were supposed to laugh, and applauded. It was highly entertaining. So much so that I'm not sure what the film would have been like without them. Also an unplanned surprise.
The last time I had an experience like that might have been Dreamgirls, when the audience applauded. Although Schindler's List comes closer - that was the quietest movie audience I'd ever been with. You could have heard a pin drop. And the theater was packed to capacity at the time.
Both experiences prove that some movies have got to be seen in a movie theater to be appreciated. There is nothing like sharing a film with a roomful of strangers in the dark.
It is different than seeing it in the comfort of your living room. It's more interactive.
And more direct.
Do I recommend Hairspray? Ah. Depends on what you like. If you don't like musicals, you won't like this. I happen to adore musicals. Is it similar to the John Water's film in which it was based? Sort of. Been a while since I saw the original. Barely remember it. Waters tends to be pretty crass and campy. The reason John Travolta is playing Tracy's mom in the film and not a huge female actress (which I wondered about since he plays the role as if he was a huge female actress and not a man - interesting choice by the way), is that in the original film the role of Tracy's mom was played with much acclaim by Divine - a tranvesite. Travolta's take is a little less controversial than Divine's and far straighter. Divine's voice was deeper than Travolta's and you could tell Divine was a guy. Travolta? Not so much. The reason Waters picked Divine for the role is the same reason you see Travolta in it - the metaphor - it's the central theme of the work - that we should applaud the differences in others, not squash them. Waters was an advocate of that and it is a theme that darts in and out of all his films, most notably CryBaby and HairSpray.
The focus of both films is more on the racial divide during that era than whether or not a plump girl can enter a dance show - this is what distinguishs HairSpray from other films made about dance show contests and there are a few, most of which are forgettable. The original Hairspray is far less upbeat and far less rosy. Waters specialized in campy black humor. Of his films, Hairspray was the most mainstream and the least crude, which explains why it is the most well-known. It made a star out of Rickkie Lake for example. You see references to Water's sense of humor here and there in the film - the beginning montage, and with Tracey's father. Outside of that, it's pretty much gone. And the inside casting jokes are very different - in the original, for example, I think the role of Velma Van Tussel was played by ex-porn star Traci Lords. I might be wrong about that. Traci Lords starred in a lot of Waters films. I'm pretty sure she was in that one. Too lazy to look it up.
Speaking of inside casting jokes: Watching John Travolta and Christopher Walken interact on screen as a romantic couple - is a treat and worth the price of admission in of itself. So for that matter is an odd duet between Michelle Pfeffier, Christopher Walken, and Travolta. Particulary if you get the inside casting jokes. (Travolta and Pfieffer played similar roles in two separate Grease films - they were the greaser love interest for the niave, preppy from Australia ingenue. And well, Walken specializes in odd character roles - often villians.).
Can't tell you this version compares to the Broadway musical - never saw it, nor do I feel an overwhelming urge to see it. Is it just me or is Broadway running out of ideas? They seem to be regurgiating themselves at the moment. The only original stuff is happening off Broadway. Spring Awakening started off Broadway, then got moved to Broadway. Same deal with Jersey Boys. Everything else appears to be either a revival or a musical version of a movie or book. Hairspray is odd. It's based on a broadway musical version of a campy John Waters movie musical. So...film/stage/film. I've seen the opposite happen too - stage/film/stage.
Without giving too much away, Hairspray is overall a feel good fantasy. The casting is spot on. James Marsden (not to be confused with James Marsters) is perfect as Corny Williams, the dance show host. He reminds one of Dick Clark and his copiers. If you are under the age of 35, you probably don't remember American Bandstand. It reached it's height in the 50s and 60s, but was also popular when I was a kid in the 70s...then began to drift off in the 80s, until it disappeared completely in the 90's. Soon to be replaced by reality talent shows such as "So You Think You Can Dance?", "American Idol" and "America's Got Talent" - which feel more like a hybrid of Chuck Berry's the Gong Show and Ed Macman's Star Search -except with snarky judges and audience voting. Bandstand was a different animal.
Bandstand featured Billboard songs - sung by either the singer themselves or someone else, and had a group of hot young kids dancing. I remember a slumber party with my two best friends, must have been no more than 10 or 11 at the time, dancing to American Bandstand. We were doing our version of the dance marathon. So I identified with Tracy Turnblad's character in Hairspray - which is about a girl who dances to a tv dance show. Bandstand was predominately white and often had white performers perform black songwriters songs. Soul Train was predominately black. They got more racially diverse as they aged. And they both appeared on Saturday mornings in the 70's and 80's. MTV pushed them both off the air eventually.
The other actors? My favorite may be the guy who plays Queen Latifa's son in the movie.
Much better dancer than the kid who plays Linc. Also a better singer in my opinion.
Also, it is nice for a change to see a pretty and heavy set woman get the cute guy as opposed to a heavy weight guy get the beautiful woman. Sort of the flip of the film Knocked Up and far more satisfying, not that I've seen Knocked Up - the set up turns me off. And I'm not a fan of Katherine Heigle.
Hairspray is what I like to call a happy movie. Those seem to be in short supply. It's a film in which you leave with a big smile on your face, humming a happy tune, regardless of what happened prior to the film. No one is hurt. No one dies. And you aren't made to feel like you can only get happiness if you can fit into a size 6. It makes you feel like anything is possible. Films like that are rare treats to be savored.
[Vague spoilers in the comments]
Yesterday I rewarded myself with a movie. I'd taken a personal day to go to do something I hate doing, but won't go into detail about here, since I want to keep this post public.
Anywho.. the movie. I went to see Hairspray based solely on the recommendations of flist and a movie critic who lives in my neighborhood.
And..
That has got to be the most *fun* I've had watching a movie in a movie theater in a long time. Can't remember the last time I enjoyed watching a movie in a movie theater that much. Even Dreamgirls and Little Miss Sunshine pale in comparison.
It probably helped that I happened to see the film with about 20-30 inner city kids on a camp activity retreat. The city has camps for kids. During the summer they are taken to various activities in the city to keep them busy and out of trouble. These kids were about ten or twelve. All wore red t-shirts. And they were all black. Possibly African America, but hard to tell in NYC, could also be Carribbean, etc. Actually, me and one other woman may have been the only white people in the audience. [We have two theaters in our neighborhood - one is smaller movie theater that caters to the wealthier, hipster crowd and tends to be all white most of the time, also is incredibly uncomfortable, albeit cheaper. The other is a huge theater that caters to the downtown, inner city crowd, and tends to be mostly if not all black most of the time, and is comfortable with stadium seating. I prefer it. The cultural differences between the two groups make for a fascinating movie-going experience.]
At any rate, the inner city kids decided to interact with the movie, and clapped in perfect rythm with each of the songs. They even sang chorus in perfect harmony. And they were sitting along the side and up behind me. So it was sort of like having the sound in 3-D if you can imagine it. They said ew at key bits, groaned where they were supposed to groan, laughed where they were supposed to laugh, and applauded. It was highly entertaining. So much so that I'm not sure what the film would have been like without them. Also an unplanned surprise.
The last time I had an experience like that might have been Dreamgirls, when the audience applauded. Although Schindler's List comes closer - that was the quietest movie audience I'd ever been with. You could have heard a pin drop. And the theater was packed to capacity at the time.
Both experiences prove that some movies have got to be seen in a movie theater to be appreciated. There is nothing like sharing a film with a roomful of strangers in the dark.
It is different than seeing it in the comfort of your living room. It's more interactive.
And more direct.
Do I recommend Hairspray? Ah. Depends on what you like. If you don't like musicals, you won't like this. I happen to adore musicals. Is it similar to the John Water's film in which it was based? Sort of. Been a while since I saw the original. Barely remember it. Waters tends to be pretty crass and campy. The reason John Travolta is playing Tracy's mom in the film and not a huge female actress (which I wondered about since he plays the role as if he was a huge female actress and not a man - interesting choice by the way), is that in the original film the role of Tracy's mom was played with much acclaim by Divine - a tranvesite. Travolta's take is a little less controversial than Divine's and far straighter. Divine's voice was deeper than Travolta's and you could tell Divine was a guy. Travolta? Not so much. The reason Waters picked Divine for the role is the same reason you see Travolta in it - the metaphor - it's the central theme of the work - that we should applaud the differences in others, not squash them. Waters was an advocate of that and it is a theme that darts in and out of all his films, most notably CryBaby and HairSpray.
The focus of both films is more on the racial divide during that era than whether or not a plump girl can enter a dance show - this is what distinguishs HairSpray from other films made about dance show contests and there are a few, most of which are forgettable. The original Hairspray is far less upbeat and far less rosy. Waters specialized in campy black humor. Of his films, Hairspray was the most mainstream and the least crude, which explains why it is the most well-known. It made a star out of Rickkie Lake for example. You see references to Water's sense of humor here and there in the film - the beginning montage, and with Tracey's father. Outside of that, it's pretty much gone. And the inside casting jokes are very different - in the original, for example, I think the role of Velma Van Tussel was played by ex-porn star Traci Lords. I might be wrong about that. Traci Lords starred in a lot of Waters films. I'm pretty sure she was in that one. Too lazy to look it up.
Speaking of inside casting jokes: Watching John Travolta and Christopher Walken interact on screen as a romantic couple - is a treat and worth the price of admission in of itself. So for that matter is an odd duet between Michelle Pfeffier, Christopher Walken, and Travolta. Particulary if you get the inside casting jokes. (Travolta and Pfieffer played similar roles in two separate Grease films - they were the greaser love interest for the niave, preppy from Australia ingenue. And well, Walken specializes in odd character roles - often villians.).
Can't tell you this version compares to the Broadway musical - never saw it, nor do I feel an overwhelming urge to see it. Is it just me or is Broadway running out of ideas? They seem to be regurgiating themselves at the moment. The only original stuff is happening off Broadway. Spring Awakening started off Broadway, then got moved to Broadway. Same deal with Jersey Boys. Everything else appears to be either a revival or a musical version of a movie or book. Hairspray is odd. It's based on a broadway musical version of a campy John Waters movie musical. So...film/stage/film. I've seen the opposite happen too - stage/film/stage.
Without giving too much away, Hairspray is overall a feel good fantasy. The casting is spot on. James Marsden (not to be confused with James Marsters) is perfect as Corny Williams, the dance show host. He reminds one of Dick Clark and his copiers. If you are under the age of 35, you probably don't remember American Bandstand. It reached it's height in the 50s and 60s, but was also popular when I was a kid in the 70s...then began to drift off in the 80s, until it disappeared completely in the 90's. Soon to be replaced by reality talent shows such as "So You Think You Can Dance?", "American Idol" and "America's Got Talent" - which feel more like a hybrid of Chuck Berry's the Gong Show and Ed Macman's Star Search -except with snarky judges and audience voting. Bandstand was a different animal.
Bandstand featured Billboard songs - sung by either the singer themselves or someone else, and had a group of hot young kids dancing. I remember a slumber party with my two best friends, must have been no more than 10 or 11 at the time, dancing to American Bandstand. We were doing our version of the dance marathon. So I identified with Tracy Turnblad's character in Hairspray - which is about a girl who dances to a tv dance show. Bandstand was predominately white and often had white performers perform black songwriters songs. Soul Train was predominately black. They got more racially diverse as they aged. And they both appeared on Saturday mornings in the 70's and 80's. MTV pushed them both off the air eventually.
The other actors? My favorite may be the guy who plays Queen Latifa's son in the movie.
Much better dancer than the kid who plays Linc. Also a better singer in my opinion.
Also, it is nice for a change to see a pretty and heavy set woman get the cute guy as opposed to a heavy weight guy get the beautiful woman. Sort of the flip of the film Knocked Up and far more satisfying, not that I've seen Knocked Up - the set up turns me off. And I'm not a fan of Katherine Heigle.
Hairspray is what I like to call a happy movie. Those seem to be in short supply. It's a film in which you leave with a big smile on your face, humming a happy tune, regardless of what happened prior to the film. No one is hurt. No one dies. And you aren't made to feel like you can only get happiness if you can fit into a size 6. It makes you feel like anything is possible. Films like that are rare treats to be savored.
[Vague spoilers in the comments]
