F.F.S. FROM STAGE TO SCREEN: "SWEENEY TODD: THE DEMON BARBER OF FLEET STREET"

With the Thanksgiving holiday fast approaching, as well as Black Friday, I'm sure that everyone is either dreading it and the hustle and bustle that goes with it, or fondly anticipating it as I am. A quick clarification...that "fondly anticipating" refers to Thanksgiving and definitely not Black Friday. But in the midst of all the scurrying about to the grocery store and chaos in the kitchen, I want to remind you all to there is one more screening left in the current Stage to Screen Freedom Film Series. It could provide an ideal opportunity to escape from the stress and anxiety of the coming holiday season; an enjoyable two hour break from the real world. The screening next week will still be on Wednesday, but because the it is the day before Thanksgiving the library will be closing early at 6:00pm. Since the screenings for the Freedom Film Series are usually 6:00pm-8:00pm, an adjustment was made and the screening on Nov. 26 will start at 3:00pm. In my opinion, this would be ideal as well. An early screening in the afternoon prevents you from having to come out after it's already dark and it wouldn't interfere with any Thanksgiving prep work you would be doing that night. It's win-win all around.

O.K. Now that I've done my sales pitch for coming out to the library the day before a big holiday, it's time to talk about the final movie in the Stage to Screen series: Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street.

Sweeney Todd is the newest and most recent stage musical adaptation in this film series. It was released into movie theaters in 2007, stars Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham Carter, Alan Rickman, Timothy Spall, and Sacha Baron Cohen, and was directed by Tim Burton. Adapted from the 1979 stage musical of the same name, Sweeney Todd is the story of a man driven to madness for simply having a beautiful wife. Shortly after the birth of his daughter, Todd (Depp) is falsely arrested and exiled to Australia at the behest of Judge Turpin (Rickman), who lusts after Todd's wife. Sweeney Todd returns, years later, to find out that his wife is dead and his daughter, no a beautiful young lady, is the ward of the very man who had him sent away. Todd vows revenge and uses his profession as a barber to exact his vengeance. He is aided by Mrs. Lovett (Bonham Carter), who knew him before he was sent away. Mrs. Lovett owns the bakery below Todd's barber shop and helps him with the unique...disposal of his victims.

The original Broadway stage musical "Sweeney Todd" was largely celebrated musical; it was said to be the first horror musical. The songs and lyrics were written by Broadway legend Stephen Sondheim and the play starred Len Cariou and Angela Lansbury. The stage version met not only with critical success, but was an award winner as well. At the 1979 Tony Awards, it won for Best Musical, Best Original Score, Best Actor, and Best Actress. The more recent film version has also been critically acclaimed and received its share of award nominations, though it was not as lucky as the stage version in winning. Sweeney Todd received 3 Oscar nominations, but won in only one of the categories, Best Art Direction. The other two nominations were for Best Costume Design and Johnny Depp received a Best Actor nomination.

The Art Direction Oscar was well deserved. Tim Burton and his production designer created a dank and dark London that evoked despair, poverty, and (for me at least) a Dickensian aura. With this in mind, the pairing of Tim Burton and Johnny Depp seems the only natural choice. Burton is known for his somewhat Gothic flair in his movies, and since this movie makes the sixth pairing of these two as actor/director we expect a Gothic character from Depp as well. When these two people come together, nothing short of brilliant is what you most likely will get. The only other actor/director pairing that might equal them today would be Scorcese and DiCaprio.

Johnny Depp and Tim Burton, however, are not the only reasons this movie adaptation is so powerful and well done. Helena Bonham Carter is stunning as Mrs. Lovett and, after looking at some of the actresses that were on the short list for the part, she seems the only natural choice. Sacha Baron Cohen is a master at work as always and Alan Rickman knows how to play a villain better than any other actor working today. Oh yeah, and the songs from Mr. Sondheim aren't too bad either.

Well, I hope you'll be able to find the time to take a break from the holiday rushes and come spend a two hour vacation with us here at Freedom Regional Library. You know, that truly is the test of a good movie: how well does it assist our escapism. So, come escape for a little while this Wednesday afternoon at 3:00pm. There will be free popcorn for those who attend the screening. See you there!






















Until next time....

"BOLT" REVIEW

This Friday, November 21, Disney Studios will be releasing their most recent animation project in theaters across the country, Bolt. Bolt is coming in off of the heels of the highly successful and critically acclaimed Wall-E. Where Wall-E was billed as a Disney/Pixar release, Bolt is being billed strictly as a Disney Animation Studio release. It seems that Pixar has built enough steam to start producing their projects on their own, which is not that surprising. But that's a topic for a different post. On with the review....

Bolt is about a white German Shepherd (named Bolt, obviously) who plays a superhero dog with super powers on TV and is a national celebrity. The catch, though, is that he doesn't know it. He thinks that the events of the TV show are all real; he thinks he really has a Super Bark, heat vision, and that his owner (or, as Bolt refers to her, his person), Penny, is constantly in danger from the evil Green-Eyed Man and his cats. Life is quickly turned upside down for Bolt, however, when he is accidentally shipped from Hollywood to New York. He then begins his long, arduous, and enlightening journey to get back home to Penny. Along the way, he picks up the classic Disney sidekicks. One is a mangy, ex-house cat named Mittens who embodies the classic abandoned animal cliche. She spends most of the movie trying to convince Bolt that what he believes is real is actually fake; mostly because he has taken her prisoner and demands her to take him to Penny. The other sidekick is a TV-obsessed hamster, Rhino, who is almost always rolling around in his plastic exercise ball. He is a new character type for a Disney movie; an extreme fanboy of Bolt and his TV show. Some of the funniest lines and scenes in the movie belong to him.

The movie is also littered with smaller characters who pop in for quick comedic interludes with the main characters; another classic Disney element. Among these interludes are encounters with pigeons in different parts of the country, and each time the pigeons are embodiments of those parts of the country. New York pigeons with heavy accents and Hollywood pigeons who talk like college students pitching movie ideas. The pigeons were, actually, my favorite part of the movie. The dialogue was well written and pigeons' personalities were spot on.

The animation and digital effects in the movie are superb. And this is what we have to come to expect from Disney. The movements of the characters, especially the animals, look extremely realistic. When we first see Bolt as a puppy playing with a toy, I was hard pressed to identify any extreme difference between that and watching my dog play. The facial expressions of the animals and the people also look powerfully real. We see joy, fear, and sadness in ever aspect of the face. Disney has always taken pains to make their animated animals and their movements realistic and it pays off. What I find interesting, though, is their choice to make some of humans look the most unnatural; the female animal control officer with a large head and tiny body is a perfect example.

The plot is typical Disney fair: the journey. A main character ends up displaced and far from home. Naturally, a long and difficult journey back home must occur. Along the way, they meet unlikely friends and learn important life lessons. More often than not they have an identity crisis and have to find out who they really are and figure out their place in the world. All of these elements appear in the Bolt story, but somewhat predictably. Disney has used this formula many times over and have made some very good movies with it. With using the same formula over and over, however, it can be easy to be a little unoriginal. Unfortunately, this seems to have happened with Bolt. All of the elements of a really good Disney movie are there, but it seems to be missing that little something extra that made movies like Wall-E and Finding Nemo so magical.

Now, that being said, I also understand that this movie was not made to cater mainly to adults and movie reviewers. I believe it is a movie made to cater to families and children. After attending the advanced screening last night with a theater full of kids between the ages of 2 and 13 and their parents (as well as some other adults like myself), I can honestly say that Disney has another successful movie on their hands.

I had the opportunity to talk to a couple members of the movie's target audience after the screening. I felt that it was important to gather some of their reactions in order to give the movie a fair rating.

Katie, a 12 year old young lady who sat beside me in the theater with her mother, thought that the movie was "pretty good" and that, if given the chance, she would "probably see it again." I asked Katie what rating she would give it on my 4 star rating system. Katie said she would give it 3 1/2 stars, and her mom piped in with an emphatic 4 stars.

I also talked to a young 9 year old girl named Liesl (that's right, just like in The Sound of Music.) Liesl had a huge smile on her face when she told me that she thought the movie was "really funny" and that her favorite character was Mittens. When I asked her to pick her favorite scene, she wasn't able to do it because she "loved the whole thing!" I also asked Liesl to rate the movie on my 4 star system. She didn't hesitate to give Bolt a perfect 4 stars.

I am giving Bolt a 3 star rating. The animation is spectacular, the characters are satisfyingly funny, and it clearly pleases its target audiences. The lack of that certain magical Disney touch is what prevents from giving the movie a higher rating. A 3 star rating is not a bad one by any means; a movie must be rated based on what it is trying to do or say. It, first and foremost, is trying to reach and please its target audience of youngster. This it certainly does, unquestionably. Bolt also tries to earn its place among the many Disney classics, as all of their movies do, and I believe that it will succeed. It will not, however, make it above the line that movies like Toy Story and The Incredibles surpass. I definitely suggest going to see it, especially with young ones. The sound of their laughter can sometimes make up for a bit of that missing magic.






























Until next time....

F.F.S. FROM STAGE TO SCREEN: "CHICAGO"

Before I get into the highlight's of next week's screening, I forgot a relevant note about our screening of Rent earlier this week. The touring stage version of "Rent" will be making its way through Charlotte in January and February. Trust me when I say that nothing can compare to the experience of seeing a musical like this live. I have already bought my tickets and, if there are any left, I suggest you do the same.

Interestingly enough, this provides a very convenient starting point for introducing the next movie in the Stage to Screen series.

The touring stage-version of the musical that will be screened next Wednesday is already in Charlotte and its final performance is this Sunday. Next week's stage to screen musical adaptation is Chicago.

When Chicago was released into theaters in 2002, it was met with high critical and audience acclaim. The movie version stars Catherine Zeta-Jones, Renee Zellweger, Richard Gere, Queen Latifah, and John C. Reilly. It was directed by Rob Marshall, who, surprisingly, has very few directing credits. His other directorial work that most would recognize is 2005's Memoirs of a Geisha. But with these two films, I'd claim quality over quantity.

Chicago is based on the 1975 stage musical of the same name and a Broadway revival of the musical debuted in 1996 and is still running. Most, at this point, are familiar with the plot. Two murderesses on Death Row, Roxie Hart and Velma Kelly, decide that the best way to avoid the death penalty is to use their stories to turn themselves into celebrities. They both compete for the same flamboyant attorney, who promises their desired fame and freedom. Amidst this story, some of the most memorable Broadway musical numbers arose. Songs like "All That Jazz," "When You're Good to Mama," and "Razzle Dazzle" made the stage version a hit and they do the very same for this updated movie version. It really speaks to the timelessness of involving and magical stagecraft.

This musical also seems to have a magical touch when it comes to award nominations. The original production was nominated for Best Musical and acting Tonys, but was unable to win. The 1996 revival, however, was able to accomplish what the original could not. It won Best Revival and Best Actor and Actress Tonys. This amount of greatness seemed to have rubbed off on the movie adaptation. At the 2003 Academy Awards, Chicago walked away with a total of 6 Oscars, including Supporting Actress (Zeta-Jones) and the Best Picture award. It was also nominated in several other categories: Supporting Actor, Actress, and Director.

Chicago is one of those rare films that is able to satisfy almost any taste. It is star-driven, award-winning, a musical, funny, and its technical aspects are of the best quality. It is also able to stay true to the original stage version, which is what is important to me; especially in this film series.

I hope you will be able to attend the screening of Chicago here at Freedom Regional. We have already had two successful screenings of Grease and Rent in this series and I'm hoping for another with Chicago. The movie will play at 6:00pm on Wednesday, November 19 in the Community Room here at Freedom. There will be free popcorn for those attending the screening. See you there!






















Until next time....

F.F.S. FROM STAGE TO SCREEN: "RENT"

Unfortunately, this is going to be another brief and condensed post this week. I should be back to true form for next week's blog post.

The screening for our second week of the From Stage to Screen Freedom Film Series will be Rent.

"Rent" made its Broadway stage debut in 1996 to a great deal of critical and public praise and adoration. It was labeled as a modern-day rock opera and has become near and dear to as many theatre lovers as "The Phantom of the Opera" or "Cats." It also garnered numerous awards and nominations. It pulled in four Tony Awards (the Oscars for Broadway), including Best Musical and Best Score. It also earned its writer and composer, Jonathan Larson, the Pulitzer Prize in Drama. Larson put his heart and soul into writing and composing one of the most memorable musicals we are likely ever to see.

The story focuses on a group of friends struggling to live in New York. They fight against poverty as struggling musicians, film-makers, and artists. They fight against hate, discrimination, and disease, but also find time to fight for love. Heavy prices to pay for trying to follow one's dreams. Larson's work sheds new light on this facet of New York society who have taken to calling themselves Bohemians. The path that these characters walk is not what draws us into the story, but it is the complexity of the characters themselves. We are given unforgettable and sympathetic characters along with amazingly powerful and memorable songs.

The Broadway sensation made its way onto the big screen in 2005, almost ten years after its Broadway debut. Rent is directed by Chris Columbus, director of the first two Harry Potter films. He pays considerable homage to the original stage version and does an admirable job turning it into a musical to fit the silver screen. What truly makes the movie a good adaptation is the fact that they were able to get most of the original cast members of the stage version to star in the film. Only two of the characters had to be recast (Rosario Dawson and Traci Thoms step into the roles of Mimi and Joanne.) Unsurprisingly, not all of the songs were able to make it into the movie; the movie would have been quite long if this had happened. The ones we know and love, however, are there: "Seasons of Love," "La Vie Boheme," and "Rent." After seeing this movie, these songs will be stuck in your head for a good while. But that's not such a bad thing.

I hope you'll be able to join us this Wednesday night for our screening of Rent. The screening will begin at 6:00pm in the Freedom Regional Library Community Room. There will free popcorn available for those in attendance. Come out for a good film, good music, and a good time and bring some friends with you!

F.F.S. FROM STAGE TO SCREEN: "GREASE"

This is going to be a really, really short post. After the screening Wednesday night, I should have things back on track and I should be able to write a normal post.

The first screening in the From Stage to Screen film series is going to be the '70s classic, Grease. Everyone, at some point in their life, should see this movie. It helped launch the career of John Travolta, along with Saturday Night Fever. It also gave us some very funny and memorable performances from Stockard Channing and Olivia Newton-John. It's also one of the most quotable movies I have ever seen.

And, if you haven't seen the movie, I'm sure you've at least heard of some of the songs: "Grease," "Summer Nights," and "You're the One That I Want."

Come out and join us this Wednesday night, November 5, for a screening of the classic musical, Grease. The screening will begin at 6:00pm in the Freedom Regional Library Community Room. There will be free popcorn available for those who attend the movie. Hope to see you there!






















See, I told you it was going to be short.


Until next time....

FREEDOM FILM SERIES PRESENTS: FROM STAGE TO SCREEN

Hope everyone out there had an enjoyable, safe, and suitably scary Halloween. For anyone that read my "what to watch" post, I hope my advice gave you helped choose some good movies for you, but let me know how things turned out either way.

This is going to have to be a short post because time is still a little tight today and I really should have written this post a couple of days ago.

For the first time, the Freedom Film Series is going through consecutive months. We just finished up the Halloween Movie Madness II series for October. Now, we are moving ahead in November with the third Freedom Film Series. The theme for this series is: From Stage to Screen. During November, the series will highlight major Broadway shows that have known huge success on the stage leading to their adaptation for the big screen. You could go on and on about all of the major movie musicals that there have been, like Singin' in the Rain or An American in Paris. I completely agree. Those are some classic musicals that are great films as well. But with this series, I want to concentrate on the ones that have the origins on the stage.

Another criteria that I used in my decision-making process for this series deals with the story that is being told and how it matches with the medium. First and foremost, I wanted stage musicals that everyone loves and that have compelling and wonderfully told stories. I also wanted musicals with stories that would have worked just as well if they had originated on the screen. Of the ones I have chosen, each has a story that you cannot help but get caught up in. Surprisingly, all four of the musicals that will be screened have been adapted for the screen in only the past 30 years, after the hay-day of the musical machine in Hollywood. In fact, three of the four have just now made it to the big screen in the current decade.

I hope you'll be able to join us for any or all of these fantastic musicals. The screenings will be held every Wednesday in November at 6:00pm here at the Freedom Regional Public Library. If you have any questions about the film series, such as information about upcoming series or any other general questions, please feel free to post a comment on any of the blogs. Feel free, also, to shoot me an email at jfurr@plcmc.org. I'll try to respond to any and all inquiries as soon as possible. I look forward to seeing everyone at the next screening!


Freedom Film Series Presents: From Stage to Screen

November 5: Grease, PG
November 12: Rent, PG-13
November 19: Chicago, PG-13
November 26: Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, R (3:00pm)
**Anyone under 17 must have parental guidance or permission to attend the screening of R-rated films**

(Please note the altered time of the Sweeney Todd screening. Since that is the day before Thanksgiving, the library will be closing at 6:00pm that day, instead of 9:00pm. With that being the case, I had adjust the screening time to fit into the library's schedule. So to repeat, the screening of Sweeney Todd will be at 3:00pm on November 26, not at 6:00pm.)





















Until next time....