Les Miserables

As I mentioned, we went to go see Les Miserables at the Fox Theater yesterday. I initially noticed I had problems understanding the words. About 5 minutes later, Alex leaned over to say "Can you understand what's going on?"

I should have read the synopsis. I know it's supposed to be sad, and the music was great, but I was underwhelmed. 

First, this is not a musical, it's an opera. Everything is sung, which made it a wee bit harder to understand. Second, I felt like there were so many characters going on, I couldn't develop an attachment...and thus when people started dying, I wasn't as invested. I have an issue with the costumes...for those of us in the cheap seats...I needed strong differences in costumes to be able to tell everyone apart.


Fantine - So I guess she portrayed herself as a virgin, but had a kid she was taking care of? Why should the other women care that she was sending her paycheck to her kid? Yes, the kid was illegitimate, but so what? Valjean sees her on the street after she sold a locket, became a prostitute & fought an abusive customer. Valjean recognizes her from the factory and takes her to a hospital. She dies asking Valjean to care for her daughter Cosette. 


Javet - You spent your whole life chasing a guy who was in prison for stealing bread to feed his family? Did he really not have anything better to do? 


Cossette - Fantine's daughter. The little girl who played her was super cute! She could sing and had a little bit of the Annie voice, but without being obnoxious. The people who run the inn were my favorite part of the show. They were bad people, but entertaining. She instantly bonds with Valjean, because he's not cruel to her. He raises her as his own. She falls in love with Marius (by fall in love, I mean they bumped into each other, Marius thought she was beautiful and thus he was "in love." They found a way to meet via Eponine and well the end up together). 


Marius - Marius is a bit of a jerk. Your good friend, Eponine is willing to set you up with the girl your parents treated like crap (oh yeah Eponine is the inn keeper's little girl all grown up, poor and on the street). Marius is one of the student revolutionaries (I'm not sure what they were fighting for, other than better working conditions, but if they are students...they wouldn't be factory workers...I don't know...)


Eponine - I had to read on Wikipedia to figure out who she was. Again...not being able to understand the words/music is a problem in a musical...She helps Marius & Cossette get together. 


At the end of Act 1, Valjean is going to go into exile, Cosette & Marius part in despair, as he's going to the rebellion, Eponine is sad that her friend can't see he loves her, instead he's infatuated with the beautiful girl that used to live with Eponine. 


Act II:


Act II went much quicker, because we pulled up a summary and read what was going on...so we figured out who the characters were and what their intentions were.  GO Figure!


Javert goes undercover to spy on the students (really you needed to spy? You're the French Army at the height of power...you can't just take down their tiny barricade?). Marius sees that Eponine has dressed like a man and so Marius gives Eponine a letter to give to Cossette. She does, Valjean intercepts and reads the letter. Valjean goes to the front line to get Marius. Eponine sings one of my favorite songs, On My Own. She gets shot...duh...and dies. Marius is devistated. Valjean has, at this time, found the barracks and made it in safely. He saves someone & gets to kill a prisoner (again...this is what I found out after reading the plot). 


The prisoner to kill is Javert, they found out he was a spy at some point. Valjean spares Javert. The french army is, surprise surprise, overpowering them. All are killed except...again a surprise...Valjean & Marius! Valjean escapes in the sewers and at one point, the old inn keeper is down there (didn't recognize him as him...oops) and steals Marius's ring. They make it out alive & run into Javert. Javert allows Vajlean to take Marius to the hospital. Javert suddenly realizes mercy and commits suicide. Really? You spent your whole life chasing this man who stole bread 30 years ago...when you realize oh he isn't evil, you decide you're conflicted and jump off a bridge (however the production of this was really well done...even if I didn't get the character development). 


Cossette & Marius are back together and they go to get married. Valjean tells Marius about the prison & Cossette's mother. They get married. The inn keepers crash the party and tell Marius that Valjean stole this ring from him. Marius, being a student & thus a bright guy, realizes Valjean carried him to safety. Marius punches the inn keeper (not because Cossette recognized him for treating them so poorly, but because he tried to swindle him). They go off to say goodbye to Valjean who is old and dying. 


Fantine comes to help usher him to heaven, Cossette & Marius are able to say goodbye. Eponine comes out to also usher him to heaven (because you know she & Valjean had such a connection in the 5 minutes they met). 


I just feel like there was too much going on, and not understanding what was going on was difficult. The stage was dark, so I couldn't follow along in the program. 


The sets were really good, the choreography great, the singing was really good (although a couple times Valjean's falsetto was a little weird). I just couldn't understand the words. It was like it was in another language. Because of that, and I felt there was so much story, they development of the characters was rushed. 


I didn't even get teary eyed at the end...and I cry at Publix commercials. I'm looking forward to watching the Liam Neeson version...with subtitles...I think the story will end up being much more compelling. 










 

The Godfather

Released: 1972

Directed by: Francis Ford Coppola

Starring: Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, James Caan

Alex is on a gangster film kick, and since I took him to see Les Miserables, I was going to watch The Godfather. I really really enjoyed this movie.

There are a lot of story lines moving, but they are all attached to the main story line. This makes the movie much easier to follow! The first 30 minutes of the movie takes place at Vito Corleone's, Marlon Brando) daughter's wedding. The movie is slow, but doesn't drag. 

First you have Vito Corleone, the Godfather, the Don. At his daughter's wedding he's asked for favors and waht not, including Johnny Fontane, a singer who begs for a movie part. Vito tells him to man up, think about life for a month and you'll get that part. (He does, but we'll get to how later). At the wedding, you meet all of Vito's kids:

Connie (Talia Shire) - The only girl, and clearly the bride in the opening wedding. You may recognize her as Adrian! (that was said in my best Sylvester Stallone voice). I'll go off on her a bit later. 

Carlo Rizzi (Gianni Russo) - Connie's husband. Vito decides to keep Carlo out of the family business. He's pretty much a piece of crap.

Sonny (James Caan)  - The eldest son and thus heir to the throne

Fredo - Vito's second son. He's the one who goes off to Vegas

Michael (Al Pacino) - Michael is the younger son, who was in WWII. At the wedding he shows up with Kay (Diane Keaton). He's explaining things & people to her and wasn't a groomsmen, so you assume he wants no part of this life.

Around Christmas time, Virgil Sollozzo (Al Lettieri) is a drug barron who asks for Vito's protection & investment. Sollozzo says he's backed by another family, the Tattaglia family. Vito says get lost, he doesn't deal with drug dealers. They send Luca Brasi to spy on Sollozo. Sollozzo attempts to assassignate Vito. Apparently multiple gunshot wounds to the back are no match for Vito, who recocovers. Sollozzo eventually kills Brasi as well sending them a dead fish wrapped in Brasi's vest - this is the "sleeps with the fishes" part.

While Vito is recovering, Sonny takes the helm. Sonny is super hot tempered. He's a shoot first, ask questions later kind of man. He has a couple of kids and was cheating on his wife with a bridesmaid at his sister's wedding. He's a classy individual. As vengeance for his father, he has his father's driver Paulie killed (apparently Paulie was a spy...who knew)

Sollozzo kidnaps the family's attorney, Tom Hagen (Robert Duvall), better known as the consigliere.  Oh a little about Tom...he got Johnny the part in the movie, because he severed the head of the studio head's force, Jack Woltz, and put it in his bed...Wotlz woke up to being covered in horse blood and a dead horse's head at the foot of the bed. 

So Michael sees a newspaper clipping (actually it 's Kay who first sees it) seeing that his dad has been shot. He comes home and that's where it starts rolling! He goes to see his dad in the hospital & stops another assassination attempt (the lack of guards, etc. threw him off so he was able to save his dad. He did get a broken jaw out of it...stupid corrupt police). 

Sonny decides to kill the Tattagalia family's son, again asserting his "act first think later" personality. Michael agrees to meet with the Sollozzo and the corrupt police officer who broke his jaw. The restaurant they meet at has a place where Michael can hide a gun in advance - thwarting the pat downs. I think they were going to thwart another setup when Michael asks if they are going to Jersey, but doesn't seem worried at all. They do a quick 180 and go to the actual restaurant. This allows Micheal to get the gun & kill both of the men. Michael has to leave for a year (he knew this in advance...didn't tell Kay, but Sonny said he'd get a message to her when it was safe). Michael goes to Sicily to hide for a while. He meets Apollonia Vitelli, smooth talks her father, and they get married (I can't image Kay is going to be happy).

When they tell Vito what happened, he's so less than thrilled that Michael is in the business, because he wanted better for Michael (slap in the face to Sonny huh!). Michael is living all hunkydory with the new wife, teaching her to drive, when a car bomb goes off killing Apollonia. This, understandably, pisses Michael off so he goes back. 

In between all of this there are several montages of both families killing each other or their peons. This is where Sonny redeems himself. So we find out that Carlo has been abusing Connie. It's hinted at, then Sonny sees her with a fat lip & black eye. She says she deserved it. Sonny beat up Carlo in the street & warned him to stay away from his sister (almost makes up for his other issues). Then later Connie finds out that Carlo is cheating on her. Apparently abuse is okay, but cheating is not. Connie starts throwing plates and screaming. Carlo calls her a spoiled brat. Then he beats the crap out of her with a belt...I mean REALLY...they don't even show it on screen...it's bad. She calls her parents, and Sonny drove out to go kill Carlo (good for him). Carlo apparently tipped off a highway toll man, because Sonny is gunned down with a machine gun.

Vito, health still not in great shape & upset about the loss of his son meets with the heads of the Five Families. He says the Tattaglia's and he has lost a son, he won't seek revenge, he's not into the whole Heroin thing still, but withdrew his opposition. Michael is able to then return home. Kay isn't too pleased with him up & leaving, but they make up & she gets married to him. He promises that the business will be legitimate in 5 years. 

Oh so I forgot, but they sent Fredo to Vegas. Michael decides to move to Vegas. Michael lets Tom Hagan go, which puts Vito in a  not so good place to calm him down. Michael tried to buy out stake in casinos that were owned by the Greene's. Greene says Nope, and Michael is pretty pissed off that Fredo has loyalties with the Greene's and not the Corleones. 

Vito accepts his son's leadership and tells him how people will try and murder him. This proves to be incredibly helpful. 10 years after the wedding (maybe 11?), Vito collapses and dies. He's in a garden while Anthony, Micheal's son, is spraying fertilizer or pesticide on plants...I can't help but imagine that had something to do with it. At Vito's funeral, Michael is approached about a meeting with Don Barzini. Vito's foreshadowing helped Michael with the heads up.

Connie & Carlo are christening their son, of whom they asked Michael to be his godfather. Michael set up a meeting with Don Barzini on the same day. During the christening, Michael orders his assassigns to murder the New York family heads and Greene. Michael confronts Carlo afterwards if he set up Sonny to be murdered. So Michael has Carlo killed...again...pretty just...Carlo killed Michael's brother & cheated & beat the crap out of his sister. 

At the very end, Connie comes running in screaming at Michael for murdering her abusive, cheating husband on the day that he agreed to be his son's godfather. He said he didn't kill him. Kay stays and asks, a defining moment that their relationship has changed, for the truth. Michael gets pretty upset & slams his hand on the desk saying don't ask him about family business. He says this once she can ask, so she asks if it is true. Michael lies and says no. Kay accepts it. Michael becomes the powerful new Don Corleone. 

Other Thoughts:

As I said, a lot going on. It's really kind of a coming of age story about Michael. In the beginning he's very open with Kay about things. They have a very open relationship and he wants really nothing to do with his family business. His father is more than okay with that, as he thinks Michael should have better. As the movie progresses, he becomes more and more ingrained and more and more stoic. The opening & closing scenes are perfectly juxtaposed showing Micheal's transformation. 

I get the battered housewife mentality, or I should say, I understand wehre it comes from. However, Adrian Connie...let it go. He did you a favor. Carlo was a jerk. Don't ask about the family business, Carlo. 

Marlon Brando's voice is awesome.

I loved Enzo the Baker! Mainly because, of Enzo or "The Meow Meow" on Big Brother a few seasons ago! 

It was a mob movie without all of the blood/gore. I attribute that to the time period. The character development is just fantastic. Micheal's transformation, Vito's decay, it's powerful. The family dynamic and keeping family within the family is almost comforting. As long as I don't betray the family, the family won't betray me. 

The music almost sounded Russian, reminded me of Dr. Zhivago. Although, I'm not really sure what traditional Sicilian music sounds like.

Was it Paulie that was making meatballs? I'm going to try his recipe for cooking for 14 people. 

Oh the Oranges. Alex pointed this out, so I won't claim to be extremely astute. When Vito was shot, he was picking up oranges. When he died at the end, he was eating an orange. 

Upon looking at sites like these, there are several other oranges. While I like oranges, I'm a Georgia girl so I'm okay hating orange!

Al Pacino looks like Matthew Broderick in many of these scenes.

Quotes I enjoyed

Don Corleone: I have a sentimental weakness for my children and I spoil them, as you can see.

Don Corleone: Never tell anyone outside the Family what you are thinking again.

Michael: You're not a wartime Consigliari, Tom

Clemenza: Mikey, why don't you tell that nice girl you love her? I love you with all-a my heart, if I don't see-a you again soon, I'm-a gonna die. 

Michael: My father is no different than any powerful man, any man with power, like a president or senator. 

Jack Woltz: Now you listen to me, you smooth-talking son-of-a-bitch, let me lay it on the line for you and your boss, whoever he is! Johnny Fontane will never get that movie! I don't care how many dago guinea wop greaseball goombahs come out of the woodwork! 

Tom Hagen: I'm German-Irish

Michael: My father made him an offer he couldn't refuse. 

Kay: What was that?

Michael: Luca Brasi held a gun to his head, and my father assured him that either his brains or his signature would be on the contract.

Michael: Where does it say that you can't kill a cop?

Sonny: What the hell is this?

Clemenza: It's a Sicilian message. It means Luca Brasi sleeps with the fishes

Michael: Only don't tell me you're innocent. Because it insults my intelligence and makes me very angry. 

Johnny Fontane: A month ago he bought the rights to this book, a best seller. The main character is a guy just like me. I wouldn't even have to act, just be myself. Oh, Godfather, I don't know what to do, I don't know what to do... 

Don Corleone: You can act like a man! What's the matter with you? Is this what you've become, a Hollywood finocchio who cries like a woman? "Oh, what do I do? What do I do?" What is that nonsense? Ridiculous!  Tell me, do you spend time with your family?

Johnny Fontane: Sure I do.

Don Corleone: Good. Because a man who doesn't spend time with his family can never be
a real man.

Michael: Some people will pay a lot of money for that information; but then your daughter would lose a father, instead of gaining a husband. 

Connie: Papa never talked about business in front of the kids.

Carlo: Shut up, Connie.

Sonny: Hey, don't EVER tell her to shut up, you got that?

Mama Corleone: Santino, don't interfere.

Carlo: Sonny, Tom, I'd like to talk to you after dinner. I think I can do a lot more for this family... 

Sonny: We don't discuss business at the table

Ghostbusters

Released: 1984

Directed by: Ivan Reitman

Starring: Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd & Sigourney Weaver

ATT DSL & Netflix finally decided to play nice & we watched Ghostbusters. Ghostbusters is awesome.

If you were like me and for whatever reason missed this movie growing up, here's the recap: Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd & Harold Ramis start a ghost exterminator service - Ghostbusters. Their secretary, Annie Potts (who plays GiGi in GCB) shouts "We got one!" The Ghostbusters are off to The Sedgewick Hotel with their untested & unlicensed nuclear devices.

They capture the first ghost, being sure not to cross nuclear device streams. They're successful & we're treated to a montage of their success & fame. They can hire another Ghostbuster, Ernie Hudson!

Anyway so Sigourney Weaver, who looks beautiful, hires the Ghostbusters. She has an awesome apartment which is apparently the center for paranormal spirit including frying eggs on the counter & a nasty creature in the fridge! Apparently, a doctor way back years ago performed unnecessary surgeries and had seances on the roof.

Zuul, a demigod, possesses her and her dorky neighbor played by Rick Moranis! Zuul declares herself/himself to be The Gatekeeper. The Keymaster, which kind of reminds me of the Gmork from The Neverending Story, possesses Rick Moranis. While you don't see it, the whole dialogue has some pretty heavy sexual undertones, and let's just say the key goes into the lock to open the gates of hell. 

The EPA comes around and tries to shut down the Ghostbusters, you know because they're using unlicensed nuclear devices. They come in, incest the containment grid is deactivated, and all of the ghosts they captured in the montage are now released into New York City. The Ghostbusters are arrested, the Mayer frees them, because well there are ghosts on the loose.

Back to the apartment, The Keymaster & The Gatekeeper joined & Gozer arrived. Gozer kind of looks like a Banshee from Mass Effect 3 & David Bowie had a kid. Gozer asks if the Ghostbusters are Gods, Dan Aykroyd says "No." Oops. However, she says that the destructor will take whatever form they chose. Aykroyd is unable to close his mind off and thinks of the Stay Puft Marshmellow Man.

The Ghostbusters merge the energy streams, risk their own lives, and banished Gozer sealing the gate. Weaver & Moranis are freed from their possessed state. The Ghostbusters are met with thunderous applause & everyone lives happily ever after, until the sequel.

Science

-I love that you can't mix streams, but if they do in the end, it works to kill Gozer. I love in the beginning that they are using untested, unlicensed nuclear devices. When they're nuclearizing their first ghost, it kind of reminded me of a demonic Pokemon.

Chemistry

-The team doesn't work together a whole whole lot, but the individual characters are highly entertaining. You have Bill Murray who is incredibly jaded and eventually gets the girl. I definitely appreciate his sarcasm. As a psychologist, he's clearly not thrilled about picking up ghost juices.

-Dan Aykroyd is the loveable goof of the group. While the other two are trying to negotiate a price for the firehouse, he yells how awesome it is. Then there's the whole - if a demigod asks you if you are a god...you say Yes!

-Harold Ramos is the awkward member of the group. He's the brainiac of the group, and thus has hindered social ability. He collects "spores, molds, and fungus."

Fun

Ultimately, this movie is fun. It's lighthearted, has a montage, the "bad thing to hault the group" isn't earth shattering. The public never loses faith in the Ghostbusters, like in many superhero movies. The only real obsticale is the EPA. There are cameos from Larry King & Casey Kasem. There is a happy ending, and the theme song is beyond awesome. I mean seriously...that song is great. If you say "Who you gonna call?" Anyone remotely alive during the 80's and earlier can shout "Ghostbusters!" I'm not sure if kids today would get it, but they should.

Heathers

Released: 1988

Directed by: Michael Lehmann

Starring: Winona Ryder, Christian Slater, & Shannen Doherty

So as a double header, we also watched Heathers. Oddly enough it fit into our "Revenge" theme. I'm still collecting my thoughts on this movie.

So if you haven't seen it: Veronica is part of the "in crowd" of mean girls, all named Heather. Christian Slater comes along and convinces Veronica to teach them a lesson of sorts, only he's a little more manipulative. A few people end up dying, Slater tries to blow up the school, Veronica watches as he ends up blowing up himself, and declares that there's a "new sheriff in town." 

Looking at the characters:

Winona Ryder - Veronica - She's clearly very bright & not challenged. She clearly understands it's better to be one of the popular kids hating life, than not a popular kid. It's also interesting that she tries so hard to not be one of the Heathers, even though she is, yet as soon as a boy comes along she gives in to him. I was surprised she wasn't more upset by the events that happened, but maybe that boils into that teenage angst. She's so pretty, and doesn't have the giant teased hair...it's a shame when I see her I think...hmm you're a shoplifter. 

Heather Chandler - Kim Walker - Kim Walker looks like someone else, but I can't figure out who it is. She's your typical queen bee and falls victim to peer pressure. Ironically the tool she uses to control the school. I wasn't terribly upset to see her go. But she fell into that mean girl, because she hates herself.

Heather Duke - Oh Shannen Doherty, I feel as though she's not a nice person in real life (see Charmed & 90210). She may be, and if she is, then I apologize. It's easy not to like her. However, she has aged well! Anyway, Shannen's character is your typical high school mean girl sidekick. Incredibly insecure and power hungry, and because of that she'll always be a lacky. Yes, I know she seized power, but Veronica easily took it back. She's in love with how other people perceive her, but clearly not herself (see bulimia...which is so 1987). For a movie that was pretty deep, I was hoping to have a little more depth with the whole eating disorder thing.

Heather McNamara  - Lisanne Falk - This Heather was just kind of there. She was always portrayed as the dumb one. She clearly has image/personal problems, and I like that Veronica was sympathetic to that after Heather tried to kill herself.

Jason Dean  - Christian Slater - He irked me from the start. He was such a weasel. I did not care for this character. I just wanted to smack him & say "straighten up & fly right." I get the rebellious good looking guys,  (see Riggins from Friday Night Lights), but he was a little bit too greasy for me. Plus the whole...I don't mind killing people thing was a bit unsettling. 

All in all the movie made some very appropriate commentary, that I feel still rings true today.

Mean Girls -  Girls are mean, because they don't like themselves. All of that anger allows them to control others. Plus it's easier to hate life as a mean girl than hate life being picked on by a mean girl. This was a much darker version of the Lohan movie, of which I did really enjoy. 

Absentee Parents  Adults- There were several instances of absentee parents. Veronica's parents were pretty much oblivious to everything (although her mom, Jennifer Rhodes, looked rough...btw: She played Grandma Halliwell to Shannon Doherty in Charmed). The creepy boyfriend your daughter is dating comes in to warn against suicide and you take his word? Heather Chandler's parents weren't even present & didn't think it was odd their daughter committed suicide after being visited by two friends - one of which looked really creep (Christian Slater).

The administration handled the entire situation poorly. On one hand when the football players died, I too would be a bit annoyed that the jerks were made into saints (see Season 2 of Dawson's Creek when Abby died). However, in the age we are today amidst the 2nd Civil Rights battles with homosexuality...I was glad the parents circled around and loved their kids anyway. 

Oh and Christian Slater's parents? His mom committing suicide (giving Slater's propensity to lie, this may have been a lie)! His dad seemed pretty absentee and oblivious to Slater.

Oddities: 

There were only a few bleachers in that gym. No one walking in noticed the dynamite strapped to every pole? Not even the pot head girl?

When Christian Slater is walking up the stairs at the end, I feel like the layout of the school was in congruent. You walked all the way to the top of the stairs to go to the 1st floor gym and sub floor Boiler Room?

I thought it was a really good movie. It characterized different groups in high school with depth, and showed the lengths people will go to "get even." I wish it had someone other than Christian Slater, because - surprise surprise - I didn't like him! 

The film is a great juxtaposition to the 80's teen movies where everyone gets a happy ending. The movie is dark, but it's not overly depressing. You find yourself in the weird position of saying, well...they had it coming? Then you realize...wait...they didn't just get pushed to the bottom of the food chain (well some of them did), some of them were murdered!

Speaking of the murder...did they not test for finger prints in 1988? I mean seriously!? The amount of evidence they left is astounding!

I can't imagine this film being released today. There's no way in the wake of Columbine/Virginia Tech, that the censors wouldn't have a field day with this movie. Drugs, Sex, Violence, Killing Classmates...I feel as though certain parents would not be okay with this movie (it is however rated R).