Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Adult Beginners Forum Rather OT....but been discussed before here...

Trap, if you liked that, try this (love it!):

Simply incredible!

Loved the final (somewhat dissonant) chord...

Who the heck (<===not the word I used) are these guys!?!

Those were good.
Thank you Piano Joy...

5 months in advance. I can't even find two seats next to each other. Unless it was in the back of the balcony next to the bathrooms.



UUUhhhhh hhhhuummmm.... cough cough... that's Julie...
Many who met her said: That's a good name for this dog. A very special dog. Best person I have known to walk the face of this earth in my lifetime.
The same idiot named one of his cats: Brian
My friend had a Saint Bernard named: Lucy


Everyone in Florida. Gee...it gets to 30 degrees and I take my coat off at work. That's down right balmy after below zero.



Gee... I'm gonna be in Denver. Have a Suite with only one bed. And I'm supposed to be writing reviews? Oh you're mean!

My other favorite song from the show - Marius sings of his fallen comrades:





Trap


Ron - to post a YouTube video: copy it's address there as usual - at PW click on "Switch to Full Screen" at bottom of new post - click on 5th icon (monitor) to the rt. of "Post" - select YouTube video from dropdown list - paste YT address - click on OK

Thanks Trapper... I've spent so many years online. I get to where directions to do something become a blur. I just need to remember to go to full screen.

One thing that does get me in the movie. Hugh and Russel just don't have what it takes to do the "confrontation". Here they had Colm on set. He could have taught them. Colm and Philip literally blew the socks off this and other confrontation "talks". With them it sounded natural, it flowed, was real. Now why couldn't the people in charge either have changed Hugh and Russel to talk. Or have Colm teach them!?

Well, I do admire the use of multiple quotes in this post. I don't know how to do that. Please don't bother teaching me, I prefer to keep things simple here on PW...

Trap- the non-celebrities in the movie are (I believe) "real singers" (can't think of the word I want!), FYI.
The children sing wonderfully!

I saw the play in the 80s. It was amazing. I'm very non-judgmental when it comes to movies. But, I've seen the previews for this movie and it just looked like crap to me (for a few reasons). I'm not going to go see it.

pj - It's one thing to do multiple quotes from a single post by someone else, and quite another thing to do multiple quotes from multiple posts (either from one other person or multiple persons) - I'm sorry you don't want to learn how - I so wanted to teach you - this isn't fun at all - I get so few chances to show just how much of a "techie" I am here

Hi Kymber - welcome to the Les Mis Discussion Group - you say you're "non-judgmental" about movies and then you say that it "looks like crap" based on the previews...I'm confused - this sounds a tad "judgmental" - care to elaborate?

I went to see the movie yesterday afternoon - I will give you my thoughts as soon as I collect them - they're scattered about everywhere...like after an explosion

Oh, Trap, you just gave us a trailer of your review!
ha ha ha!
Awaiting eagerly.....

(and I promise, that if the day arrives and I wish to learn how to quote multiple whatevers in my posts, YOU will be the one I turn to! promise! )

Ha! Don't hold your breath - sometimes reviews, like movies, can't live up to the trailer...

I look forward to what you have to say.
I understand what you said above. To me...the movie is like looking at a painting being worked on that will one day be a masterpiece.

Here are some random thoughts on the movie and it's cast (this is a mere summary of my thoughts over the last couple of days) - I am practicing the art of self-restraint as much as I'm capable:

Crowe (Javert) - too bad he didn't throw himself off the bridge into the raging waters below much earlier in the movie - he ended his personal agony then, but could have ended ours far sooner - instead we get listen to him croak his way through his Les Mis repertoire over and over, a fate for us far worse than anything Valjean will have to endure at his hands...

Hathaway (Fantine) - she has perfected the fine art of simultaneously over-acting and under-singing to the hilt - in so many ways not right for this part that it's clear why Hollywood with it's ultra low standards chose her - I secretly smiled and breathed a sigh of relief when she finally breathed her last and the action moved on to the much more lively and entertaining inn keeper and his slovenly wife (who were still largely disappointing in their own mediocre way)...

Jackman (Valjean) - not half bad, which means only half good, but only when he wasn't singing - oops, he was singing almost all of the time wasn't he? Never mind. It should be a crime punishable by flogging and waterboarding for anyone of lessor talent than Pavarotti, or better yet, Colm Wilkinson to be allowed to sing "Bring Him Home" in public - shame on you Hugh! Don't you have any pride or self respect? You guys too, Russel and Anne...

The girl who played the young Cosette and the boy who played Gravoshe (sp.?) were fairly good - he's the one who hung out with the students and got shot for his trouble - the inn keepers wife was just barely ok but the inn keeper himself was lethargic and boring and out of place and should have been out of sight - this role calls for (demands) someone much seedier and grimier and yet strangely almost likable and that wasn't to be here.

The guy who played Marius and the girl who played the older Cosette were tolerable but not distinguished or exceptional and could easily have been replaced by far superior talent, whereas the guy who played the leader of the student rebels was very good (can't think of his name, either real or character) and could and should have had the part of Marius. Samantha was decent as Eponine, but just decent - she made me feel her pain, and want to see a better fate for her, but still I've been spoiled in my image for this character by another and just can't get her out of my old, feeble brain!

I didn't expect much from the movie except to be irritated and disappointed and got what I expected - the wonderful music suffered, and the music after all is what matters the most - but it will survive this assault and live on in all of it's magnificent power and beauty - there was far too much "technical wizardry" in the direction/photography and many of the scenes and a lot of the action was not as I have come to imagine it in my mind over the years, which is always a let down...in essence, there are many good reasons why this musical in particular should never be made into a movie, and very few why it should (in fact the only reason it should be would be because they let me cast and produce and direct it!).

All I need now is to see another live in-person stage production of it again to restore the long-cherished and deeply rooted loving image I have of this awesome entertainment spectacular and to be right back where I was before this very rude interruption...

Trap, please tell us how you REALLY feel!

(ha ha!)
Can't disagree with any of the above....
A movie, of course, adds to the sense of sight more than a stage production can.
However- and this is a big "however"- we are discussing a MUSICAL....so, the "seeing" is not so important, as our imaginations can take care of that!

Can't wait to discuss another musical/made-into-movie!

Ha ha. I suppose that did sound a bit contradictory.
I guess I mean that I know enough to take a preview or review with a grain of salt. But when I saw the preview for les miserables the background/scenery looked really fake. Some of the singing "felt" awkward and some scenes even looked like they might be computer generated. When I heard they were making the movie I was really excited because les miserables was the first "real" broadway type show I'd seen. it was amazing and left a lasting impression. So maybe I am unfairly holding the movie up to too high of a standard. Ha ha.

Did anyone see Sweeney Todd (the movie?).
Sorry if this was discusses already. I'm on my iPhone and it will take me forever to read all the posts.

In regards to visual aspects in a musical. That's what I love about a life production-what they have to do to get an ideas across visually can be very impressive. For example, when I went to see billy Elliot and he had to go from his bedroom to another scene. So they had a loft type bed on wheels and pulled it away as he ran down the stairs of the bed and added some props and there he was in the next scene ready to go - it was really neat to watch. When I saw les miserables the stage had a center the rotated in circles. It was fun to see the creativity and imagination that went into all the visuals.

I'm really happy you liked it, Trap....

Seriously.... I view all this as Victor Hugo's masterpiece. Even the songs, they were created from a thought. A thought that came from the book. That's the way I view it.

Good ones! But, remember I did say I was exercising self-restraint...





If Les Mis was your first real musical then you started right at the very top - everything else will pale by comparison...

And, in a certain sense it would be "unfair" to hold anything in the whole, wide, wonderful world of entertainment "up to it's standard"...


Trap

P.S. pj - please note the use above of multiple quotes from multiple posts from multiple members...you too could do this in 3 easy lessons Hint: it involves the use of multiple simultaneous sessions of PW ABF...