Friday, January 18, 2013

30 Odd Foot Of Les Mis. Or should I say LES MIS!

Hello my fellow sweaty broads. And gentlemen of course.

The stinky weather returneth.  Hope you Southerners are ok in the heat. Although I argue that a humid 32 in Queensland is PRETTY hideous.  OK maybe not 48 but still bad and worthy of whinging!

I've been looking through some of me posts from the olden days ie. 3 months ago, and it has come to my attention that my use of CAPITALISATION has become more and more OUT OF CONTROL as the months have worn on.  Therefore I am staging a capitalisation INTERVENTION on myself and have committed to no more than, um, 10 WORDS IN CAPITALS!

SHIT!  I just WASTED SOME! AND SOME MORE!  It's worse than I first thought.  I might have to go cold turkey.  Something to think about for next time. Or do I mean, NEXT TIME!

Gah it's a hard habit to break.

Also, I forgot about Flog Your Blog Friday today.  Sorry everyone :-(

Anyway, the point of this post is actually about how I went to see Les Mis the other night.  As loyal readers and peeps who know and lurve me in real life know, I love the shizz out of this musical.  I saw the stage show in Brissy when I was probs about 10 and cried my little eyes out. I saw it again in an amateur performance back on the coast. Old school friend LV I reckon it was the one where your sister was Eponine.  I could be wrong though. We owned the CD and I recently bought it again on ITunes.  See? I love it.

I've been dying to see the movie.  

I went to see it with my beloved cousin B and our beloved friend J (you may remember J from such outings as Going to the Hyperdome to See Skyfall).  B and J are both singing former drama student actory arts types. B was even in the orchestra for her local amateur production of Les Mis back in the day! And J sang in a youth choir and they did all the songs! So they have a history of musical appreciation.

So as you can all imagine, I was pretty horrified when I originally asked B if she was going to see the movie version and she answered, quietly, with shame, "Sarah, I actually don't think I like musicals any more...".

I was quite dumbstruck.  What. The. Hell.  When I recovered I said to her, quite rationally and not OTT at all...

"I. Do. Not. Even. Know. Who. You. ARE. ANY. MORE!! Get out of my HOUSE!"

And then flung myself sobbing onto my bed.

I lost no time in telling J who then told B, and I believe her words were, "WASH YOUR MOUTH OUT WITH SOAP YOUNG LADY!".

I mean, really. Luckily she came to her senses and it was, in the end, her deft organisational skills that got us all out of our houses and rendez vous-ing, once again, at the Logan Hyperdome.  

So we watched the movie.

Guys.

I didn't even say this to them at the time properly but I think I have committed the cardinal sin of Expecting Too Much From A Movie And Then Being Disappointed.

I know, I'm a bit sad too.

Look I still loved it because it is Les Mis!  But frankly I think bloody Russell bloody Crowe bloody shitting ruined it for me.

Rusty cannot sing.  Although B and J both really loved loved loved it, we were all agreed on that point.  Like he really can't.  As J said, couldn't they have got a voice double? I think his performance meant I disengaged from the movie. I only cried a little bit. No cleansing floods of tears for me.

Rusty is Javert [Source]


Things I loved about the movie;

- It was Les Mis!
- The music!
- Anne Hathaway
- Sacha Baron Cohen and Helena Bonham Carter (good Lord they have a lot of names between them). I love the Master of the House scene anyway and they are totally hilarious.
- The first, opening scene. Gosh.

Things I was disappointed by;

- Rusty as Javert.
- Oh, I just didn't feel as moved by it as I remembered from the olden days.

All I could think of when Russell was singing "Stars" was his band "30 Odd Foot of Grunts". This was not what I should have been focusing on.

Russell in his natural habitat, with his fellow Grunters. [Source].

Despite all this, don't think I wasn't wandering round the house the next day like George Costanza in that Seinfeld episode, humming and muttering "Master of the House, keeper of the zoo, yadda daada dada dada dum dum dum" like there was no tomorrow.


Sorry to bring you all down and stuff.  NEVER MIND!

CRAP I'VE DONE IT AGAIN! Won't you just STOP IT with the CAPITALS YOU MANIAC!

28 comments:

  1. Even if you promised me FREE cocktails for a YEAR, I still couldn't subject myself to this rubbish. And I like most musicals. I loathe Anne "Gimme that Oscar, NOW" Hathaway. I don't think I have the grit to sit through Russell squawking!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Sulky, stop being so wishy washy, I have no idea what you really THINK! Speak up,woman!

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  2. I've heard that Rusty is the weakest link in Les Mis. Perhaps he should stick to being a gladiator.

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    Replies
    1. Yes, he was that indeed. I love Russell in plenty of things, I will never forget him in The Sum Of Us, but a musical actor he isn't.

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    2. His efforts in Gladiator made me laugh so much we were asked to leave. Cheek! (I snort like a donkey when trying to NOT laugh)

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  3. I've never seen the stage version - you know, being that I live in the sticks and all - but I loved it! That being said, I don't think old Rusty had the right type of voice for a musical, and he was certainly overpowed by the divine Mr Jackman every time they sang together....

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    1. My mum thought Russell was fantastic. No accounting for taste hey!? You must see the stage show one day it is fab.

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  4. Now I definitely have to see it.
    All I've heard thus far are absolutely glowing reviews, but I like to make up my own mind. I've told hubby that we're going gold class ASAP, so he'd better get used to the idea!
    Fuck. Now I'm using capitals. ;)
    xx

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    Replies
    1. CAPITALS ARE ADDICTIVE! I wanted to passionately love this and I just didn't, but it is still really enjoyable.

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  5. You may have forced Cousin B into the closet as a non-lover of musicals?

    On the point of capitals, I find I can make a connection with you. They are ABSOLUTELY ADDICTIVE. Do you have a position on the use of extra exclamation marks? I find one too lonely. I just love exclamation marks!!! Three I think works.

    (Neatly sidestepped that I have no inclination to see the melodramatic miserable musical.)

    Oh, and I love alliteration!!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I LOVE EXCLAMATION MARKS!!!!!!
      Yes I may have come down a bit too hard on Cousin B considering I then went on to not love it as much as I hoped to anyway!
      !!!!!!!

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  6. Yes. I agree it did not live up to its full potential and Rusty sucked dogs balls but watching with you two made up for those bits! Xx J

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    Replies
    1. It was the best fun! We need to do it again soon.

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  7. So want to see it but not a fan of old Russ at all

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    1. Michele if you aren't a rusty fan you will hate him even more after this. Sigh. I'm still a.bit disappointed.

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  8. Yes one hot day in Syndey more press coverage than..I leave it to you to fill in the rest.

    I too love musicals.. saw South Pacific inMelbourne last year Lisa McCune Teddy Tahu Rhodes , Eddie Perfect loved it.

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  9. This is unfortunate news, I haven't seen it yet but have been meaning to, I see a LOT of movies. Love the Jackman and Crowe is great in most things, though I have heard from a few sources now that his singing is very poor.

    I am not a fan of Ms Hathaway, but was turning in her favour after her stellar Catwoman performance. I realised that perhaps it was not her I was not keen on, but her characters, which would indicate good acting skills. I strongly disliked the movies I had seen her in and strongly disliked the people she played in them - that one with Merryl Streep, hated it, the one where she was a Princess or something, hated it and didn't even bother going to see the Get Smart one as I didn't like the show and saw the trailers and decided I would be homicidal by the end (plus - her knees!). But she was GREAT (haha, you're rubbing off on me!) as Catwoman and I think she will be good in this from the clips.

    I have tried not to mention the crotch shot but just cannot go past it. I do not believe, for one second, that any intelligent adult wearing a long dress can not get out of a car without flashing her crotch. I know some folk choose to believe her but nothing will persuade me it wasn't a deliberate publicity stunt. She may be a nice person, and she's not a bad actress, sounds like she has a decent singing voice too, but forever in my mind she will be the girl who was so desperate for attention she dropped her knickers and flashed the world.

    Saying all that, still plan to see Les Mis :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I have never heard the crotch flashing story! Oh my! Why have I missed this?
      I love seeing movies too but haven't seen many at all over the last few years, something I am determined to rectify from now on!!

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    2. Haha! And I thought I lived in a bubble. The only time I see the news is on my way to my Yahoo email, when I catch the Yahoo headlines, and let's face it that's not so much news as tabloid grot. I am embarrassed to admit I clicked on that particular story.

      I go to the movies at least once a month, sometimes more often. Many, many years ago I gave up trying to organise friends to go with me, it's like trying to herd cats, we all have different schedules, kids, work etc. I send out a text, let people know I'm going, sometimes I have company, often not, so long as you don't mind being on your own, makes it a lot easier to see all your wish list movies! It's a little creepy in a scary movie solo or embarrassing when I laugh my loud, drainish laugh sitting all alone, but I am not one for noticing too much what others are thinking, mostly oblivious to my surroundings, so it works well :)

      Sometimes strangers talk to me at the movies too, which is kind of cool. Actually, strangers talk to me a lot. I must have a sympathetic face. If they only knew hahahaha!

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    3. Hmm, I had a reply here and I did something dumb and it is gone. Was probably rubbish anyway. I caught the thing about Hathaway in the only place I see news, when I am heading for my Yahoo email I sometimes catch the headlines on Yahoo 7. Not so much news as tabloid grot, ashamed to admit I clicked on that one!

      I go to the movies a LOT but I often go alone, that's the key because trying to organise my friends is like trying to herd cat. So I send out a text, if people can make it great, if not I just go on my ownsome. It can be a bit weird in scary movies or really funny ones, screaming or laughing on my own, but weird and I are pretty comfortable with one another :)

      Movies are the one legal escape from reality not banned my doctors. Yet!

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    4. I am down with seeing movies by myself too. I plan to do as much of this as possible in the near future! Also, I always read celebrity tabloid crap, that's why I wad shocked to have missed this story!!! Shocked I tell you!

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  10. HELLLOOOOO!!!! I thought I'd make a grand first comment entrance with both capitalisation and exclamation marks. Great review. Thank you - been DYING (crap - now i'm going to be self-conscious every time i do it) to see this movie, so I think i'll just close my eyes when Russ is on-stage/screen whatever. Not a fan. Huge Ackman reminded me a little of Barney in the Simpsons in the ad - even though I love him to bits and think he's amazing, his huge open mouth and jangling tonsils were a little cartoonish… Fuck it. I'm still going.

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    1. YO KIM!! Welcome!!!!!
      I recommend you put your hands over your ears too haha!
      I'm still glad to have seen it and love the music just as much.

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    2. I still haven't seen it, but want to thank you, kind stranger, for the fact that I will now, undoubtedly, also think of Barney too :D

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  11. So I absolutely loved it, but I think its because my expectations were so low that when I first heard they were making it, and who was in it, I literally almost cried. Yes literally. It is my favourite musical and I am an absolute muscial theatre geek, coming from a performing arts background and having gone to a performaing arts high-school and having friends who actually are in professional musical theatre and stuff.

    So I was really, really scared that they were going to ruin it and I was adamant that I wouldn't see it. But then my Mum and sister convinced me to go, and I think because I'm pregnant and have a really bad case of hormone-induced emotionality going on, I almost bawled the whole way through and with the exception of cringing every time RC was on the screen and having to squint so that I was only looking at the other person on screen at the same time (which sucked when he was in the process of killing myself and the only one on screen, but that was ok because he was going to be out of there soon!) I did, despite myself, love it. So much so that when it goes to the cheapo $6 cinema near my Mum's place we are gonna go again. But this time I might not bother holding on to my wee and go when RC is doing his solo screen-time.

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Vent your spleen! You know you want to.

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