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Moriarty Takes His Mother-In-Law To See MAMMA MIA!
Hey, everyone. “Moriarty” here.
I love that I have a big family living with me in LA, because I can invite different people to see different things, and the movies fit them well. I take the right audience with me to see something. I believe in giving every single movie a chance, and who you see something with certainly has a lot to do with the experience. A lot of films, I see alone because I’m unsure walking in if it’s going to be worth ANYONE’s time. When you see three or four films a week in the theater every week, and sometimes as many as eight or nine in a week, you have opportunities to make people happy all year long.
This week, I asked my mother-in-law to go to MAMMA MIA with me. Ruth’s a great lady, sweet and smart and an amazing role model not only for my kids but for me and my wife as well. If I ever become as mellow and patient and kind as her, I will consider myself to be finished developing as a person. Since I’m not even in that ballpark yet, I love having her around to learn from. She’s a really involved and active grandmother, and because she’s at home, my wife can go to events with me sometimes. And occasionally, for the right film, I invite her instead. Two things I know for sure about Ruth’s tastes. She likes to laugh. She is a fairly easy laugh, and once she gets started, she will just keep laughing and laughing on these great hilarious rolls of laughter. Daring you to join in. And, more importantly, she is an ABBA freak. Like she loves loves loves them. And so for her, a movie like this, where it’s a musical using only ABBA music that’s a broad romantic comedy farce sort of thing... this is pretty much her DARK KNIGHT this year.
Tuesday night. Mann’s Chinese 6. Place is packed. I have never seen this crowd at a screening before. Normally, every screening I go to is a sea of familiar faces, other press, other critics. Here, it was a whole lot of gay guys and older couples. The only critics in the place I recognized were Leonard Maltin and Bill Harris. Not my typical crowd, let’s say. And I’ll say this for MAMMA MIA... it absolutely played to the house. The people in that theater had a really good time, and I’m fairly sure those people would see it again or recommend it or buy the DVD. My mother-in-law certainly will.
I think as a film, as an example of the actual art of storytelling using moving images, it’s just inept. Barely professional. I don’t think Phyllida Lloyd is meant to be a filmmaker. This is a person whose work in theater and opera and live performance is acclaimed and well-liked. She’s made a real inarguable mark on her industry, and part of that was her original production of the stage version of MAMMA MIA, which has played pretty much anywhere on the planet now that more than ten people were standing still at the same time. E V E R Y W H E R E. That’s sort of amazing when someone has that sort of success, and every version of MAMMA MIA since that first one is based on her blueprint. It must have seemed like a natural idea to bring her over to direct the film, but at some point, looking at this footage, someone should have realized that it just wasn’t working.
I remember reading one of those snide, mean, snarky books the Medveds wrote in the ’70s and ‘80s... either THE 50 WORST FILMS OF ALL TIME or THE GOLDEN TURKEY AWARDS... and they were talking about AT LONG LAST LOVE, the Peter Bogdanovich musical with Burt Reynolds and Cybill Shepherd. They had a still from a musical number, Reynolds and Shepherd, legs out, mouths wide open, dignity absolutely out the window. They’re all looking in different directions, and you can practically hear them dialing their agents on one line and their therapists on the other. That’s how pretty much all of MAMMA MIA feels, despite some valiant efforts from some of the cast and an admirable dedication in the face of disaster from others in the cast. For example, Amanda Seyfried is quite fetching as Sophie, the girl with the question she needs answered: who is her father?
It’s a plot lifted wholesale from an old Gina Lollobrigida film, with the ABBA songbook grafted onto it. Sophie’s getting married, and she decides to finally solve the mystery of her birth. So she reads her mother’s diary, discovers that there were three men she was sleeping with at around the same time, and invites all three to her wedding hoping that as soon as she sees her father, she’ll recognize him. This leads to much running around and singing and terrible dancing, and it’s evidently also led to a worldwide box-office total of over $100 million so far.
I’m not remotely surprised.
From the very start of the film to the very end, my mother-in-law smiled and laughed and clapped after every song, and most of the crowd around us mirrored those reactions. This film plays directly to the intended audience, people who don’t care about filmcraft at all but who simply want to feel good for a few hours in a theater. And you know what? Fine. Great. I’m glad someone makes films for that audience, too. It’s almost silly to attack the film for its technical incompetence. When you see how awful the transition from poorly-shot Greek island location to poorly-shot Pinewood Studios soundstage is handled, you realize no one gave a shit. When you see and hear Pierce Brosnan howl his way through “S.O.S.” like he’s just suffered a near-fatal testicular injury, you realize no one gave a shit. When you see how cinematographer Haris Zambarloukos shot Meryl Streep through a slice of ham for most of her close-ups, you realize no one gave a shit. I’m sort of amazed, actually, by how bad Zambarloukos’s work is. I thought his work on the remake of SLEUTH or on ENDURING LOVE was actually quite striking, but he manages to make the Greek islands ugly here, and there’s nothing remotely real about the way he shoots the soundstage stuff.
Live or die, this film is all about the songs and your affection for the cast. I like Streep quite a bit. I think she can sing her ass off, too. The ending of POSTCARDS FROM THE EDGE, for example, is one of my favorite scenes of hers in anything. And I think she’s a very funny lady at times. Here, she mugs too hard for most of the film, and I’m still confused about how old she’s supposed to be playing and about when the film is supposed to be set. Still, all that overacting doesn’t matter in the face of two songs, “The Winner Takes It All” and “Slipping Through My Fingers.” Those songs may be giant slices of cheese, but Streep sells the genuine emotion underneath with all the technique her career would suggest. In those moments, I can see how much Streep believed in this, and all the mugging and broad arm-flapping all seems to be an intentional choice by Phyllida Lloyd, something she actually wanted.
Christine Baranski and Julie Walters show up as Streep’s best friends, and the two of them were obviously brought in to “steal the show.” Considering how hard they both play their particular shticks, it might work, but count me out.
The three fathers fare little better, with Stellan Skarsgard smirking and leering his way through his role, Colin Firth finally allowing British stiffness to tip into full-blown nervous nelly, and Pierce Brosnan... ah, Pierce Brosnan. You know that scene in THE MATADOR that they used in all the trailers? Him walking through the hotel lobby with his gut hanging over his bathing suit, rumpled and not remotely caring? Well, that was an ode to dignity compared to the work he does here. I buy him as a credible romantic foil for Streep, but as a singer or dancer? Dear god in heaven, make it stop. It’s amazing that they released the film with his performance intact, but it’s almost so bad you have to watch.
This is a silly movie, and as a result, I expect it will play and play and play. It’s Teflon. You watch it and forget it at the same moment. The songs are the only things to really stick, and that’s because they’re already probably bouncing around in your head thanks to decades of airplay. Songbook musicals are hard to ever turn into something real and substantial, so I credit the creators of this one for knowing that up front and going the other direction entirely. Who needs competence as long as everyone smiles?
Drew McWeeny, Los Angeles
Drew McWeeny, Los Angeles
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Mama Mia!
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Pretty good show, looking forward to the movie for some reason...don't tell anyone.
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Likened Pierce brosnans singing to animals being burnt in a fire. a barnyard Holocaust.
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You went to see this. I keeed, I keeed.
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...you may have not only convinced me to go see this, just out of sheer morbid curiosity, but to Netflix AT LONG LAST LOVE. And I have a feeling that will hurt. But thanks anyway since I laughed my ass off the whole way through this review.
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Come on Moriarty!
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so it must be legit.
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Jul 20, 2008 5:27:09 PM CDT
...AND BY HIS "MOTHER IN LAW" He obviously means his boyfriend!!
by leafy mcplantsalot
OOOHHHHH BBBBUUUUURRRRRRRNNNNNNNN!!!!!
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You remind me of one of those guys who walks into Hulk and shouts "unrealistic" all the time. Come on, you should know exactly what to expect of a movie like Mamma Mia. And I never took you for the guy who - when everybody else smiles, laughs and is genuinely having fun - mumbles: "But don't you all notice the technical flaws? Can't you all see that this is a bad looking Pinewood soundstage?".
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Is it his fault he can't sing? Can you?? Did he do everything in his power to be in this movie? I think not. Give the guy a break, he's trying!
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Drew had a TDK review probably over 2 weeks ago now. It was a joint article with Hellboy II.
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The Dark Knight
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I have to say this review rankled the hell out of me. You come across so Pompous and arrogant. I don't know if you meant to or even realize your superior high falutin attitude towards us lower "less Technical" folk. As for Pierce, The Today show quoted critics comparing him to the raspy voice of Bruce Springsteen. I'm just saying.
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I'd rather watch a movie about Moriarty taking his mother in law to see Mamma Mia! than go see Mamma Mia!.
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Overall it was a fun, enjoyable movie, where one just let your brain sit at the door. Other than Bronson terrible singing, and the bland boyfriend/fiance everyone else did a great job. I got the feeling Streep, Christine Baranski and Julie Walters ad libbed half their scenes but they pulled it off.
They really should have dubbed Bronson singing, honestly it was cringe worthy. -
and i hate abba...with a fucking passion...always have...and gay guys and older folks wont make this movie a hit...will the kids want to see this? i dont think so
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To have to go see this turd?
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Jeez fellas, it's been out like 2 weeks. http://tinyurl.com/55y3we
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who has mental health problems. She loved it! But then, she was also convinced she was in the movie. Slagging this off is pointless. It's not a film for film fans. It's for "women of a cerain age", drunk chicks on a hen night, Gay people who like Cheesey Abba-based musicals and mental patients. So it's probably a success.
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... I'm trying to figure out how you not knowing I published my DARK KNIGHT review two weeks ago means it's okay to make grotesque comments about someone I just said means the world to me. Do you really, really, really want your entire talkback history erased? You could just ask.
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I went with my niece on Friday, she loved it and I thought it was good fun. Much better than High School Musical and Hairspray that I've sat through with her! Obviously this doesn't fit with the omfg we have to say how gay it is cos otherwise we look gay and gay=wrong attitude, but I don't give one.
Brosnan was atrocious, and I wouldn't have a clue whether the production was crap at all, but can you really not finding anyting more valuable to say?! You described your mother in law more than the actual film's story, actors and songs. -
I thought this movie was fun and I enjoyed it. Watching Brosnan sing was a hoot and the cast looked like they were having a good time. Have to go. It's time for my meds. Doctor, can I listen to "Dancing Queen" in the isolation room?
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The issue with the movie seems to be that she was still directing for the stage. Arm flapping plays to the back row. If that's what they were directed to do when acting I bet the director had the same mentality when setting up exterior and interior shots. Naturally the cinementographer did his best but he has to do what the director says and can only suggest things. Streep is a pro, and I bet she saw that this was being directed in a stagy manner and went with the look of the film.
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Some time back, my wife and I went to see a touring company production of Mamma Mia. I'll admit that I have a soft spot for ABBA, but the musical was hard to take at times, most notably because the male leads couldn't sing the songs. This is most likely because the songs were written for powerhouse female singers. You can rag all over Pierce for sounding crappy, but the guys signing on the national tour sounded crappy. As for the show, it is like the hard candy that the intended audience enjoys opening very slowly behind you before sucking on it loudly. I suppose it is possible to have fun with this, but there are so many other things I have to do, like have my wisdom teeth pulled.
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Watching snails f*ck is much better than High School Musical. HSM is the nadir of what might be called the genre of the musical.
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that last line really spoke to me. I feel like it applies to most of the American movie industry lately. More and more films now just seem to have this air of not caring about how good they actually are and just settle for mediocre or less, as long as they make a quick buck. There are the exceptions of course, with several filmmakers working their asses off to create something truly creative or relevant. But unfortunately, not all of them care. Once again, very well written sir.
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... the flaw there is that many of us here at the site really do love musicals. I have no problem with the genre as a whole. I've given positive reviews to many of them over the years. A good film is a good film, in my opinion, and no matter how many toes this thing sends a-tappin', it's still an awful piece of filmmaking.
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HAHAHAHA! you dip shit.
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to the Dark Knight.Keep looking moron.
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Sweeney Todd for me of course. The Drowsy Chaperone was excellent too. Any recommendations?
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It was "The 50 Worst Films of All Time", as you correctly guessed. I have it on the creaking huge film book shelf at home. It does go into great detail about At Long Last Love, which really is as bad as all that. There was a story in there about Peter "I porked Cybil Sheppard" Bogdanovich standing outside the door of a theatre playing the movie on (I think) opening week, and when the lights came up he looked in and the theatre was empty.
Even Meet Dave must have had at least a couple of people watching it in opening week.
Interesting side note about that book is that it has the classic Bring Me The Head of Alfredo Garcia as one of the 50 worst films. On the plus side it does have The Green Berets as one as well. What's the deal with Medved anyway? He seems to hate most good films...
Oh - and I am surprised too that Brosnon's voice was so untreated in Mama Mia - I would have thought they would have used every audio post production trick in the book to bring it up to scratch (a la Nicole Kidman in Molan Rouge). Just a totally unacceptable performance (and I *like* Brosnan).
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Jul 20, 2008 6:42:41 PM CDT
Sometimes, most times AICN Talkbacks depress me.
by the gospel according to bastardface
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Sorry, Moriarty
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Too many to name! Other than Sweeney, maybe "Into the Woods", "The Music Man", "Purlie", and "Fiddler on the Roof".
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And how fucking dare anyone out there make fun of Brosnan - AFTER ALL HE'S BEEN THROUGH! He lost James Bond; he worked with Brett Ratner! He had two ugly beards. His agent turned out to be a user and a... user, and now he's going through a custody battle (the man wants his crazy beards back). All you people care about is... readers and... making money off of him. HE'S A HUMAN! What you don't realize is Brosnan is making you all this money and all you do is write a bunch of crap about him. He hasn't performed ABBA in years! The song is called "Winner Takes All" for a reason because all you people do is TAKE, TAKE, TAKE, TAKE! LEAVE HIM ALONE!!!! You're lucky he even performed for YOU BASTARDS! LEAVE BROSNAN ALONE!!! Please! Moriarty talked about professionalism and said that scene in The Matador (no, not the NC-17 one with Puss 'n Boots, the one that came out a few years ago) with his gut hanging out was an "ode to dignity." Speaking of dignity, where is the dignity in publicly bashing someone when they are going through a tough time? LEAVE BROSNAN ALONE!!! *uncontrollable sobbing* Leave Pierce Brosnan alone right...NOW! I mean it. Anyone that has a problem with him - you deal with ME (and the_knightfall. Especially the_knightfall. In fact, just the_knightfall. He's all you can handle!). Because he's not well right now. *more uncontrollable sobbing* Leave her alone.
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I mean... LEAVE HIM ALONE!!!
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Oh my god you are cracking me up man! you were joking right?
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1. Moulin Rouge
2. Grease
3. Little Shop of Horrors
4. South Park: Bigger, Longer and Uncut
5. Across the Universe -
Mama mia!
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he had love handles. Nice.
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I actually love musicals...to a point. I teach high school theatre and I take my students through the history of the musical every spring and I try to balance my dislike of certain composers with the importance of the work to the genre. Musicals can do things that other forms cannot. That being said, this particular musical was pretty hard to take on stage and from your review, I'm fairly certain it did not translate very well to the screen and it doesn't matter because the people who love and adore the stage show will love and adore the film. There's just no getting around that.
Oh, and High School Musical and its misbegotten sequels make EVERYTHING ELSE ever made seem better. I'm looking at you, The Happening. You look better than HSM. -
Rocky Horror Picture Show too. Of course!
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Should i go see it or not?
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Really? Just a little? You were so determined you actually posted TWICE to make sure you made a gross sexual crack about her. Really, dude, at least pretend that talkback isn't a vile cesspool. Pick your targets a little more wisely. You can do it! I have faith in you!
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Jul 20, 2008 7:31:38 PM CDT
Draaaaaaaaaaaaainage! Draaaaaaaaaaaaaainage Eli, you boy.
by performingmonkey
Only Eli would see this movie. I could imagine him showing it at the Church of the Third Revelation. An Abba musical couldn't not be gay! But admit it, you all like to take it up the ass. You do every day at work when you suck up to your boss. Does it feel good up there? Probably not, because bosses don't use lube, just spit into their hand like a rotten fuck. I tooooooooold you I would eat you!! IIIIIIIIII am the Third Revelation!!!
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Based on a musical, based on a musical play, based on fucking ABBA songs. The layers of homosexuality are overwhelming. It probably makes even the gayest people feel uncomfortable.
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I went with my wife. It was my idea. I'm dying to vacation in Greece and I saw the cast in the paper and thought... well... what the hell. I walked in after it started to the girls freaking out in excitement to be together again, followed by the mother and her friends doing the same thing. I actually felt like I was kicked in the nuts. I was sinking into my chair with my mouth gaping open in shock. My wife looked over with a huge smile and said 'it was your idea to watch this'. I watched Clerks and Clerks 2 again last night for old time's sake and in the words of Rosario Dawson 'I'm horrified and I can't stop watching'. I was laughing and toe tapping by the end. What can I say... this movie was the ultimate feminine slumber party. I grabbed my wife's hand half way thru the credits song as my sense was returning to me and begged to sneak out before the song ended and everyone else started leaving too. It was a hell of a good time, but, yeah, like I said, I put on Clerks and Clerks 2 so I could bathe in 13 year old testosterone.
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I would gladly take my wife to see the film (as I did the musical) because she likes this kind of thing mostly. She is not gay. Mori's mother-in-law is not gay. Mori's not gay either. The two B's in ABBA aren't gay. Even if they were, I'd have no problem with that. Neil Patrick Harris is gay and he pwns you and drinks your milkshake. He drinks it up!
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Good work... Taking your Mother-In-Law to a screening of a musical you knwo you're going to hate... You just stored up about 2 weeks worth of baby sitting time there... Hopefully you came home and put in something like "The Ruins" or "Pulp Fiction" to feel better.
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He sure the fuck drinks it up.
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more gay? i just reread it after posting. i was tapping my toes and then went home to bathe in 13 year old testosterone? wtf? the damn news talking about the record box office of TDK distracted me while writing that. i love the pussy, i swear. swear!!!!!!!!
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yeah dude, real real gay sounding... Sure, you love the pussy alright, if it looks like a big cock.... Thanks for making me laugh for about 2 straight minutes..
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I bet even the people on this site would love it.
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Avenue Q rocks the party! Where else will you see puppets engaged in mutual oral copulation? I have rarely laughed as much in a theatre (even though the seats were death on my legs and ass!).
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Took my kids to it today, and want to if it rocked your world like it did mine. Man, the MILFs were out in droves I tell ya.
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That was an example of a TV movie musical that did exactly what it was made to do well and efficiently. Not high art, no pretensions to it, made for tweens with a tween worldview. A gateway drug to real musicals like The Cat from Outer Space was a gateway to better sci-fi. Disney is a pro at that kind of thing. Sure the more cynical side of me might say "it's product" but you have to admire something that hits that target that squarely and effortlessly.
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While HSM is an effective product, as someone who teaches students who love HSM, it definitely does not make them want to go and see other musicals. It makes them want to see and do HSM. It is the lowest common denominator. I do not have to admire it. I can only despise it because it makes people poorer for having seen it. It makes everyone who has seen it stupid in some irreversible way.
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Sure it is, he sang. You hire a professional singer and Pierce can lip sync.
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Singin' in the Rain. Duck Soup. South Pacific. Grease. The Umbrellas of Cherbourg. Marry Poppins. Top Hat. The Rocky Horror Picture Show. I love musicals.
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My mother went and saw it this morning (yes I said morning, because that is the crowd it is aimed at) and she could not stop talking about it. Sure it can't compete with Dark Knight but I havn't seen my mother so happy in so long. She was even doing the dance moves while singing "dancing queen" in order to describe the film to me. No matter what anyone else say's Moriarty, I know where your coming from. I understand that some films don't need us to pick them apart. This film was not meant for us, but the audience it was intended for get it and love it. Any film that can make my mother as happy as she's been this weekend is OK in my book.
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did the talkback for Momma Mia get so big so fast? Jeez...
I thought this review was hilarious, and I don't care what anyone says, I'm with Mori. There are plenty of great musicals, but a shitty movie is a shitty movie.
And that whole crying Britney Spears guy freakout up there by NeoSamurai85 was fantastic. -
YES!!!!! Dude, that shit was fantastic.
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Hedwig and the Angry Inch for best musical??
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Why is this movie being reviewed at AICN? Wow. This movie looks fucking retarded.
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Jul 20, 2008 8:48:59 PM CDT
I expect to hear a lot more about this film, unfortunately...
by ckane123
One of my co-workers is a... ahem, friend of Dorothy, and he has had a freakin' RUNNING COUNTDOWN to the movie's opening day. Thankfully, I'm traveling on business the next few week so I won't have to deal with the aftermath... Sorry to hear about Pierce, though - I've always liked his work (until now, apparently).
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I think it achieves it's goal, which is a superficial and camp bit of fun. If a film achieves it's goal or entertains in some way then it is a good film imo. Mamma Mia is like Eurovision with a romantic/soap opera storyline. Since you Yanks don't know Eurovision, you can't appreciate ABBA fully!
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Mori, nice review, Hope you get some serious ass over the next few days. Tiny TBr's Recognize!
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I mean, a lame ass chick flick musical based on a broadway play about a bastard child discovering her dirty slut mom was fucking 3 different men and using her wedding as a means to discoverwhich one is her real daddy really isn't the sort of movie that us geeks would even care about.
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I want to see this despite my hipster posturing, even if it is as awful as you say. I work at Barnes & Noble's music dept and heard a lot of funny reactions from people buying the soundtrack this weekend. It was a lot of "It was so bad, but I loved it!" Which I think everyone (including the filmmakers) seem to be aware of. I'm glad it's doing well. It proves that the summer can be for every genre of film. Not just comic book movies.
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I bet your friends would be laughing at that comment if you had any.
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they're actors not singers. bollywood does it all the time
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You cant expect everyone to suck ur dick every time you post one of ur reviews. I mean Harry gets ripped a new asshole on every single review he does and I dont see him threatening to ban anyone.
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... man, do I love HEDWIG. I did so much coverage of that film after I saw it at Sundance in 2001. One of the best movies released since I've been at AICN.
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My girl and I went to see this, and while I have to agree with you that Mamma Mia wasn't exactly a testament to great filmaking, we found it was a lot of fun. I like going to movies that have audiences reaching all demographics. The theater I saw the movie in was at least 75% full, and I looked around during the movie and saw people of all ages laughing and in some cases singing along. I'll only remember to things about the film: the music, of course; and how much fun the audience had watching the movie.
I respect that you gave the movie a heartfelt review while still recognizing that the movie entertained. And, I also thinks it's very cool that you took your mother-in-law. -
only live-action musical worth a damn. That and Little Shop Of Horrors.
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I just don't believe it.
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I took my mom to see this today. We were both struck by how much the audience LOVED it. She said, "I want to stay when its over and the lights come up so I can see who these people are." Is it great cinema? No. But it was a fun time at the movies - what else do you want? It is what it is and that's apparently good enough for - you know - the people who actually paid to see it.
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I fucking love that movie!
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A little myopic in your assessment of musicals aren't you? Rent...Chicago...Dreamgirls...and those are only a few of the recent musicals that have garnered both critical acclaim and box office success.
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he's still a better Bond than that gorilla looking guy they replaced him with.
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I want to see this movie both because I love ABBA and because I badly want to fuck Amanda Seyfried's brains out?
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... that you'll likely have a very good time?
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Loved reading the review and the talkback. I needed the laughs! I'm not going to see this but I will buy it for my wife when it comes out on dvd. And the remarks about Drew's mom in law...not cool man.
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Daniel Craig is the fucking man. 2nd best Bond ever.
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Moriarty, where the hell is your Dark Knight review? I'm pissed that my favorite reviewer on this site, also seems to be one of the laziest. Quit with your stupid Mummy 3 set visits and write about shit we care about. We need more reviews from you, in a timely manner.
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I saw the Broadway version a few years ago at a matinee. The actor playing Brosnan's role was replaced by an understudy at intermission...not sure why, but the two actors couldn't have looked more different. Anyway, they were brilliant singers. Best versions I've heard of those songs. I hope Pierce isn't as bad as they say.
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easy on the doobies.
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... as we've noted a few times in this talkback so far... my DARK KNIGHT review was posted almost two weeks ago.
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Yesterday my mother told me that she went and saw both back to back. Despite me telling her Wall-E is amazing, she didn't really like it. However, after watching Mama Mia, she headed straight to Best Buy to buy the soundtrack. There is a movie for everybody. Great review Drew.
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This or the Sex In The City review.
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nice.
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The soundtrack for this movie was playing in Barnes & Nobles today. Before I knew what it was, I turned to my wife and said "I think this is the worst music I've ever heard in my life". Then I heard Supertrooper and realized what it was. Good god.
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Your search thing doesn't work too well. Can you point me towards where I can find it? Wow, I actually got a personal message from Moriarty. I'm honored.
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I mean, it will never measure up. All the unknowns on the stage are always better than the movie actors who get paid a ton, yet most can't sing and dance very well. Piece Brosnan IS aweful beyond words.
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It was a Hellboy 2/Dark Knight dual review.
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At least one person really understands me. I mean honestly, what's next? Making fun of Chuck Norris, David Hasselhoff or even *gasp* yourself, Neosamurai85? That would result in even more sobbing!
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The reason I didn't like that review Moriarty is because you put Dark Knight and Hellboy together and talked about them as if Hellboy deserves to be mentioned in the same sentence as Dark Knight. The fact is Hellboy 2 was very imaginative but still not a very good film. Lackluster story overall. I'm sorry but I prefer the first Hellboy more despite its flaws. Hellboy was way too indulgent and I just got a sense that Guillermo was trying to be imaginative, just for the sake of being imaginative. His best movie is still Devil's Backbone.
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It was Bruce Willis, it is just Mori failed to recognize him... That joke was brought to you by last summer...
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... yeah, that was the one. I may end up writing a little more if I see DARK KNIGHT again, but that's definitely my review, and I love both films for different reasons. Basically, it's nice to see this sort of material in the hands of real artists.
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i read the other posts but i gotta ask again...
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to see it in the hands of these guys. You know what though? I love Del Toro and it pisses me off that he's going to waste the next 5 years of his life on the Hobbit. I rather see him do original stuff.
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These two funny videos that involve my mom and dad. aicn people check them out and leave some comments and ratings.
http://www.youtube.com/user/ranma627 -
Maybe I missed it somewhere but I don't think I saw My Fair Lady mentioned among the great musicals.
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man oh man. the contributers here must be swingin' the biggest balls around. every time a musical is mentioned, the cry and wail is deafening. uh...grow up you guys. the musical has been around since Al Jolson started talking. there are bad ones and good ones. and to say that it's only gays that go is so condescending and foolish. i'll bet Gene Kelly could have decked you guys with one hand tied behind his back. art is for everyone. a musical does nothing more than link music and movement to story. if you can watch transformers from outer space and men in bat suits fly in the air, then a character expressing their heart's desire in song shouldn't be that much of a stretch.
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See for me the ONLY musical movie that I liked to date has been CHICAGO. I'm not going to go see this because I already took my mom to see the live musical a few months ago. Without the ABBA songs, it's pure shit.
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Let it be said, that a lot of you people are real douche bags. Walking colostomy sacs. Offensive, like used condoms in a wedding cake. You know who you are.
One_Timer Hath spoken. -
I'm not much of a fan of musicals, but the old cheese-cutter "Xanadu" is still one of my favorite movies. It's so bad, it goes around the bend and starts to barely peek out on the "good" side, especially after a few decades. Now, will I see "Mama Mia!", ever ? No, not on a dare. After all, my testicles still work, last time I checked. But for those who like this sort of prancy-fluff, well, have great time ... not that there's anything wrong with that. That is all.
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Rocky Horror is really gay yet people love it. Don't see why it can't be the same for ABBA. Better songs for ABBA also hands down.
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What joke could possibly be made about a man who actually takes the time from his busy day to transcribe a Chris Crocker video for purposes of parody on a homophobic (and occasional in-law incest - shame, shame Mr. Gus) charged talkback about an ABBA musical? Who would do such a thing? Tears there would be indeed. Baby Jesus would cry. Why would you make the baby Jesus cry? Baby Jesus loves you all. God bless.
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You are the only person on Earth who actually gets along with their mother-in-law.
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I already have listened to ABBA, or Billy Joel, or Frankie Valli ... why do I need to pay $50 a seat to hear someone else sing them? Then again, I am the guy that prefers the Broadway Tommy to the original, so what the hell do I know?
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the modern movie musicals. I love the Sound of Music, My Fair Lady and older works like Singing in the Rain, Yankee Doodle Dandy, Hans Christian Anderson etc. I think the modern stuff focuses too much on glitz and glamor, fancy film technique, making sure the leads are given the best lighting possible and (at times) bad music performed by actors with questionable talent. What they've sacrificed in return is having a good, simple story and good, simple music. They need to go back to good old story telling instead of trying to prove how wonderfully creative they are.
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I wish I hadn't read it because it spoiled one of the more tense scenes of the movie for me. I like some Abba songs but only actually if they're sung by the original Swedish women. If somebody else is singing it I could give a crap.
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I wasn't around back then, but I guess I can rule this as a one-off since you have shown such great taste in the past ;)
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This is truly a bizarre talkback. What reading these comments has taught me:
1) ABBA causes grown men to get amusingly prickly and defensive.
2) Combining film reviews confuses people.
3) Talkbackers, though quick with a scatological/sexual reference, are easily cowed by Mori's black box. -
Mama mia !God, this movies su-ucks !Ma-ma !How can I sit though this ?
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Did your mom smack you across the face for taking her to see this craptastic movie instead of TDK?
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something about her.
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I lauged at my friend who said she went to see this over the weekend, but didn't go see TDK. I laughed and laughed.
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Jul 21, 2008 5:36:40 PM CDT
The truth is if this didn't have Streep and ABBA
by grammaton cleric binks
it would just be a Maury Povitch trailer/ghetto episode of some woman who slept with so many guys she's not sure who the daddy is. You can dress it up, but that's all it is. And I love ABBA, but I preferred it when it was featured in Muriel's Wedding than this.
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But Streep is still dope.
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It saddens me that this movie appeals to more people (from OW box office at least) than Hairspray, a much better film in the same genre - technically, musically, and dramatically.
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I can't agree with the people taking issue with this film being reviewed here, since the review did a valuable thing: it illuminated this film as a epic trainwreck, and epic trainwrecks are a small but vital part of any balanced filmwatching diet.
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