So I finally saw Les Miserables the recent film musical version, and honestly I really don't understand what all of the hooplah was about. I mean visually it was quite stunning, and orchestrally as well, but there was too much singing. There needed to be more dialog then there was, and I found many of the songs quite boring and flat, not very interesting or catchy. The film was also darker and more depressing than the one that has Liam Neeson and Geoffrey Rush in it. I love musicals, and ones that are adapted to film, and believe me this film had several good songs and many excellent moments, but there were more boring and uninteresting songs than dynamic, fun, or stirring songs. Everyone's performances from Hugh Jackman, Anne Hathaway, and yes even Russell Crowe, who I thought delivered quite a good vocal performance despite what everyone was saying. Sacha Baron Cohen and Helena Bonham Carter were welcome comic relief thank goodness; those two really know how to perform in a musical. Tom Hooper did an excellent job directing the film, and the cinematography by Danny Cohen was phenomenal. It was really quite well put together, which of course it gets high marks for, but I just don't know if I could really watch it again, or at least watch it anywhere in the near future. It came across as quite boring; there's no way else to explain it. I give it an "Admirable Ability" of which I'm sure people will scorn me for it, but I've seen excellent and good film musicals, and this one was neither. More dialog and less singing would have behooved this film, because after all that is what a musical is; you go for the music. I was disappointed to say the least. Earlier in the day I watched Slumdog Millionaire which was fantastic; that film really did deserve all of the Academy Awards it earned. Dev Patel was amazing. He's a very talented young man, and I hope Hollywood takes advantage of his talent. The story though and the characters in general were very compelling and interesting, along with how the film was shot. Danny Boyle is a really good and fresh director, and I look forward to seeing what else he can come up with, even though I didn't really care too much for his Olympic Presentation last year. I give the film a "Strong Ability" and highly encourage people that enjoy well done films to watch it. So that wasn't my entire day, but aside from some cooking, chatting, and lazing around that was essentially all that I did. Oh and I think I might have found a place to call my own due my sister's fantastic assistance. Well good night people of the world and good luck for this week.Dance Sequence from Slumdog Millionaire (this is so great. A.R. Rahman knows how to craft a good song).
Behind the Scenes of Les Miserables
