Making a Musical Makes News
So, I'm reading the comments for Newsies, expecting to find some suitably pithy remarks since this movie was universally panned upon release. But apparently I've stumbled on Tiger Beat magazine's subscription base. Or, to be more forgiving, a group of musical fans that will do anything to see the genre return.
I'm glad so many people liked it, and I agree, Newsies wasn't terrible. It had singing and dancing, with Mencken at the lyrics, so we musical fans have to give it at least a five. And it's great to see men dancing - not that this rivaled West Side Story, but it offered the high energy dancing as only young men can do. And it was based on a real inspirational event (coming from Disney, it had to be that or a heartwarming children's classic). Christian Bale has incredible appeal, Max Casella is good, and David Moscow shows potential. Ann-Margaret, unfortunately, must have been forced to be in the film, because she played her part like she was under heavy doses of anti-depressant medication. Now that I think about it, she was very authentic for the times.
Music was great, especially the range offered. The other day my husband flipped to the Hallmark channel and I could tell he was watching a Disney movie just by the way the horns were played (turned out it was the "Ugly Daschound" - quite the classic). None of that here - the music was excellent.
No, Newsies wasn't terrible. But it certainly wasn't great. The production values were embarrassing. The sets looked only slightly better than Pollyanna's village. I can't believe Robert Duval allowed that cheesy piece of of "beard" to be pasted on his face every day - the closeups were OK, but the distance shots were clearly my faux rabbit coat. And only Disney would managed to find so many clean, well-dressed "poverty"-stricken kids in such tidy slums, toss in a crippled boy, add a romance and a hero nicknamed "Cowboy" and say the film is done. Not a single urchin. You couldn't call them ragamuffins - none of them wore rags. Please. No crooked teeth. Not even dirty hair. I think they even used hankies. And such clean streets! Times Square is dirtier now, after the renovation.
Concept and basic story were excellent, and I suppose I can't fault Disney for throwing in the romance and the poignant storyline. The writing (especially lyrics!) and music was beautiful and long missed from other movies. But the production itself could have been miles better. I hope they try another musical with a little more effort (but all their movies have the same look - Princess Diaries II). Disney's movie execs should be forced to watch Martin Scorsese movies for 48 hours before filming anything.
I'm glad so many people liked it, and I agree, Newsies wasn't terrible. It had singing and dancing, with Mencken at the lyrics, so we musical fans have to give it at least a five. And it's great to see men dancing - not that this rivaled West Side Story, but it offered the high energy dancing as only young men can do. And it was based on a real inspirational event (coming from Disney, it had to be that or a heartwarming children's classic). Christian Bale has incredible appeal, Max Casella is good, and David Moscow shows potential. Ann-Margaret, unfortunately, must have been forced to be in the film, because she played her part like she was under heavy doses of anti-depressant medication. Now that I think about it, she was very authentic for the times.
Music was great, especially the range offered. The other day my husband flipped to the Hallmark channel and I could tell he was watching a Disney movie just by the way the horns were played (turned out it was the "Ugly Daschound" - quite the classic). None of that here - the music was excellent.
No, Newsies wasn't terrible. But it certainly wasn't great. The production values were embarrassing. The sets looked only slightly better than Pollyanna's village. I can't believe Robert Duval allowed that cheesy piece of of "beard" to be pasted on his face every day - the closeups were OK, but the distance shots were clearly my faux rabbit coat. And only Disney would managed to find so many clean, well-dressed "poverty"-stricken kids in such tidy slums, toss in a crippled boy, add a romance and a hero nicknamed "Cowboy" and say the film is done. Not a single urchin. You couldn't call them ragamuffins - none of them wore rags. Please. No crooked teeth. Not even dirty hair. I think they even used hankies. And such clean streets! Times Square is dirtier now, after the renovation.
Concept and basic story were excellent, and I suppose I can't fault Disney for throwing in the romance and the poignant storyline. The writing (especially lyrics!) and music was beautiful and long missed from other movies. But the production itself could have been miles better. I hope they try another musical with a little more effort (but all their movies have the same look - Princess Diaries II). Disney's movie execs should be forced to watch Martin Scorsese movies for 48 hours before filming anything.
- jimmylee-1
- 6. Aug. 2006