tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18814440.post1559389830363871875..comments2024-02-16T10:27:42.320-08:00Comments on Krell Laboratories: The Law is An AssVulnavia Morbiushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04722740955194993451noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18814440.post-29873066869177623612013-01-29T10:23:17.636-08:002013-01-29T10:23:17.636-08:00I agree with Laura that Eddie Redmayne was a stand...I agree with Laura that Eddie Redmayne was a standout, something that shocked me as well since I couldn't stand his drippy character in <i>My Week With Marilyn</i>. Although it is kind of a shock to spend time with the one-dimensional Marius of the musical and then find out that Hugo intended the book version to be a stand-in for his own younger self. Now I have a theory that Marius is sort of like Levin in <i>Anna Karenina</i>, the young idealist that gets watered down to nothing in adaptations.<br /><br />For the most part, I'm sort of with you on the notion that this film is a strange mix of the very good and very problematic. I loved the first scene with the ship since it brought home the idea of this entire system, immense and absurd, just crushing down the lives of men. Subtle, no, but effective. I'll be content if Hathaway takes home the Oscar and I enjoyed her scenes in the underworld. I do have to disagree with you on Crowe since I felt he concentrated so much on his singing that he couldn't give a committed performance. He's a strong presence onscreen but I couldn't get a handle on his Javert, whether he's meant to be ascetic or tortured or sadistic or robotic or what.<br /><br />At any rate, I did have a good time at the theater and it's always fun to see a film that goes full-throttle, no attempts at irony or self-protection.Aubynhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00446079492480611898noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18814440.post-65508202085766162172013-01-25T10:22:30.521-08:002013-01-25T10:22:30.521-08:00So far, I’ve managed to avoid all musical adaptati...So far, I’ve managed to avoid all musical adaptations of Les Mis, but I can strongly recommend the book. Just skim through the history digressions (they are separated out into chapters, making them very easy to jump across) just like you’d do with Tolstoy’s War and Peace or the agriculture sections of Anna Karenina. As with Tolstoy, once the digressive essays are ignored, the rest is a cyclonic force of nature and shouldn’t be missed.Lee Pricehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11140770560633308724noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18814440.post-47072221230686657702013-01-24T17:30:31.075-08:002013-01-24T17:30:31.075-08:00Hi, Laura,
Eddie Redmayne wasn't bad at all, ...Hi, Laura,<br /><br />Eddie Redmayne wasn't bad at all, but his part is underwritten. The character himself seems like a complete idiot, too, given how oblivious he is to what's in front of him. <br /><br />Hi, Chris,<br /><br />I don't really mind Helena Bonham-Carter. Truthfully, the Burtonesque trollop persona is absolutely perfect for Madame Thenardier, so much so that my partner laughed aloud when she heard who was playing the Thenardiers. And, really, she's better in these roles than she ever was as the corseted ingenue in those Merchant/Ivory films all those years ago. Vulnavia Morbiushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04722740955194993451noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18814440.post-51602501012003831822013-01-24T16:59:50.899-08:002013-01-24T16:59:50.899-08:00I've soldiered through about half of Les Mis, ...I've soldiered through about half of Les Mis, and I can tell you for sure, that once Victor Hugo abruptly stops the book for nearly fifty pages to talk in great detail about everything that happened during the Battle of Waterloo, your kid self would have thrown the book on a bonfire in impatience! haha!<br /><br />I don't know how much this would annoy me if I actually saw the movie, but going by the trailers, all I can think about Helena Bonham Carter is 'Why the hell does she have to look like a pale, jaundiced-haired Tim Burton character in every movie she's in?!' It REALLY bugs me!Chris Hewsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11566568274862884325noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18814440.post-3993684654425797502013-01-24T13:17:52.606-08:002013-01-24T13:17:52.606-08:00Great review. From what I recall of the book (I ne...Great review. From what I recall of the book (I never finished it either), Cosette is more interesting than she is in the musical, and Hugo spends more time with her, gives her a slight spunky edge. <br /><br />That's actually my chief complaint with the musical. Except for the Thenardiers, the musical strips out most of Hugo's liveliness and humor in exchange for pretty dry, humorless, but oh so PROFOUND lyrics. There just isn't much personality in the whole thing. Even Eponine, the fan favorite, has little more to do than pine.<br /><br />However, that's certainly not the movie's fault. I especially agree with you on Jackman and Hathaway's performances, even though they verged on blatant Oscar-baiting at times. Amanda Seyfried was certainly very purty if nothing else. Eddie Redmayne actually impressed me most in the thankless role of Marius, especially since I couldn't stand Redmayne in <i>My Week With Marilyn.</i> He was one of the few actors whose singing and acting were equally stellar.Laurahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15532386898201721692noreply@blogger.com