A fun and lively musical, Hairspray is just as funny and enjoyable on the smaller screen as it was in the cinema. Director Adam Shankman intelligently goes for the Susan Stroman route and shoots the film in an old-fashioned 60's-style, allowing the audience to see his impressive choreography without interruption. From the first number, "Good Morning Baltimore", we're primed for a fun time. Nikki Blonsky provides enough charm in her debut role as Tracy Turnblad with Amanda Bynes, James Marsden, Michelle Pfeiffer and Christopher Walken providing some great support. Only Zac Efron and John Travolta don't do as well. The former is as flat and boring as he was in High School Musical, while the latter's performance just can't shake off the feeling that it's Travolta wearing a fat suit and sounding like Dr. Evil. Marc Shaiman (the co-song writer of South Park and Team America) provides some great songs with humourous lyrics and while the film could have been snipped a bit, his work makes us forget that a bit. "Enjoyable" is probably the best way to describe Hairspray, joining The Producers and Chicago in the hall of fame of modern-day film musicals.
The opening musical number, "Good Morning Baltimore"
As per typical of Tim Burton, this film is a visual triumph, succeeding incredibly well in art direction, costumes, cinematography and makeup. The German Expressionism influences are obvious and that's what makes this film even more fun, as it's a German Expressionist film set to music. Having never heard much of Stephen Sondheim's work, I didn't know what to expect from the songs, but I must say I was impressed. Some memorable tunes and funny lyrics add to the fun of the film, particularly when Helena Bonham Carter sings them.
Regarding the actors, Johnny Depp is very good, although I did catch a hint of Jack Sparrow sometimes. He's a decent singer too, but nothing extraordinary. Helena Bonham Carter was my favourite in the cast, playing her character incredibly. She's a tragic figure, who you can't help but sympathise for and Carter's performance adds to this. She's a great singer as well. Alan Rickman, as usual, is fantastic despite nothing having that much screen time. He has a fairly good singing voice, too. Timothy Spall and Sacha Baron Cohen provide plenty of dark comic relief in their parts, too. I didn't particularly care for the two actors playing Joanna and Anthony, though. Despite good singing, I found them rather uninteresting.
The film gets off to a slow start, but once the killings start (and boy does Burton do a great job with those), it gets more exciting. Those two hours passed by very quickly. My favourite musical of the year (but I still need to see Across the Universe).
It has been said that the pen is mightier than the sword, but when this age-old phrase is converted to modern times, it translates to "the desktop is mightier than the pencil." There's no denying that the computer has become a tool used across the world, whether for political reasons, or for business or especially for educational purposes. Computers have also been adopted by the film industry to give their works of art a shinier feel and along with the visual effects wizards, the filmmakers who use these electronic devices the most are the animators. After a while, it was uncertain whether the cel-based animation used to create such classics like The Little Mermaid and Pinocchio would be completely dropped in favour of the quicker and slicker style. While studios like DreamWorks may have given up on them, the folks at the world's pioneering animation studio are still behind the pencil-and-paper animation that has enchanted families for generations. Looking back at one of their essential works, Beauty and the Beast brings back memories of not only nostalgia, but also warmth. Quite possibly the greatest love story ever told, this "tale as old as time" has always been told by bringing pen to paper. From its candle-lit beginnings by a French writer many years ago to the Disney animators who brought joys to people of all ages, Beauty and the Beast has always touched the heart.
Belle is a smart and independent girl living in a small French town, who despite her beauty, is looked down upon by the other citizens. Only Gaston, the town's ladies man, has any interest in her and will stop at nothing to receive her hand in marriage. When Belle's father rides off to compete in the state fair, he gets lost and finds himself in a mysterious castle, populated by moving and talking objects. Despite a warm welcome, he soon finds himself under the imprisonment of the beast who rules over the castle. Coming to her father's rescue, Belle decides to take his place and stay in the castle. The Beast and the objects finally see this as a chance to break the spell that was cast over them years ago, in which the only way it can be broken is if the beast learns to love and be loved in return. At first, the chances are slim, but Belle then begins to notice the beast's sweet side and thus a friendship commences.
The main part of what makes Beauty and the Beast such a brilliant film is the fact that the relationship between the two title characters doesn't feel artificial or one-dimensional, even though they're drawn on paper. Unlike other famous fairy tales, Beauty and the Beast feels quite realistic in its definition of love. The story breaks all conventions by not going the "love at first sight" route and letting the romance progress at a reasonable pace. Belle also proves to be the most interesting Disney heroine, as she doesn't fit the norm of typical princesses like Snow White and Sleeping Beauty. Unlike the aforementioned characters, Belle is not bland, but actually as a personality. She defines individuality and seeks to do more than just marry a prince. Her annoyance at Gaston is not only humourous, but also shows that her ideas of romance don't consist of "a rustic hunting lodge... my latest kill roasting on the fire... and my little wife, massaging my feet... while the little ones play on the floor with the dogs... we'll have six or seven," as Gaston puts it. The Beast is also a rather stubborn, but loving personality. Despite his tough exterior is a nice person at heart which Belle begins to realise the more into the relationship they enter.
Adding to the brilliance of the chemistry between Beauty and the Beast are the songs from Alan Menken and the late Howard Ashman. Although both did terrific work on The Little Mermaid and their cult musical Little Shop of Horrors, the music in Beauty and the Beast stands as their best. The title theme song is quite possibly one of the most romantic songs ever written, combining beautiful lyrics with a very memorable melody. This song enhances the film's famous ballroom scene to ever impressive heights, already helped by the breathtaking animation in the sequence. "Beauty and the Beast" was not written as just a way to sell soundtracks and win Oscars. It adds another dimension to the characters as they continue to fall deeply in love with each other. It is both moving and deep. The other songs provided by the team also contribute wonderfully to the film, from a show-stopping Broadway number called "Be Our Guest" to the very funny ode to "Gaston." They're bursting with energy and humour made even more poignant by the fact they would feature the last lyrics written by Ashman (who had also already contributed some work to Aladdin). It's a brilliant way to end his career and the end credits homage him perfectly: "To our friend, Howard, who gave a mermaid her voice and a beast his soul, we will be forever grateful. Howard Ashman (1950-1991)"
Probably one of the most important ingredients that make Beauty and the Beast such a success is the startling animation. The animators at Disney did a terrific job at making everything absolutely perfect, from the character designs to the sets. Each character has their feel, whether comedic or dramatic, and the animators allow them to breath, seamlessly combining the actor's voice to the moving drawings. The sets are also worthy of mention, particularly the look of the Beast's castle. The gothic castle is drawn and painted beautifully from top to behind, so much so you're forgetting you're watching an animated film. The film is bright and colourful, but also dark and dreary when necessary. As mentioned before, the ballroom sequence combines Menken and Ashman's music with the animation flawlessly, giving a completely magical feel to it. When computers are brought into the scene, it seams in perfectly, not feeling distracted in the least. Beauty and the Beast most certainly stands as Disney animation at its finest.
Some of the best animated films in the world have come from the Walt Disney studios and Beauty and the Beast is deservedly one of their crown jewels. At the film's release, it was honoured with an Oscar nomination for Best Picture, a rare feat for an animated film. It proves that like its heroine, Beauty and the Beast steps out of the comfort zone and thus it succeeds magically in taking people off into their hearts and children within.
In the twenty-first century, it appears the world has become more and more cowardly and thus entertainment has attempted to be more about being "politically incorrect" than providing worthwhile, honest entertainment. The biggest insult as of date has been the editing of the cartoons of yester-year, due to the smoking and racial depictions that were seen in those masterpieces. Animated series today lack the daring of those programmes and thus children are introduced to juvenile feel-goodery rather than the comic violence provided by the Looney Tunes. Even Sesame Street's Cookie Monster has been put on a diet, due to angry letters from parent's groups. The only cartoon out there that is not afraid to be blunt, satirical and downright naughty is South Park, the crudely animated adventures of four boys in a Colorado mountain town. Each week, creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone bring forth what can be referred to as a warped, politically-charged and happily vulgar version of Peanuts. Yet, looking beyond the construction paper animation and constant swearing, South Park proves to be a witty and funny blend of intelligent, take-no-prisoners humour and even some heart and sweetness thrown in as well. The feature film version of the animated series, appropriately and comically titled Bigger, Longer & Uncut, has a message which Parker and Stone manage to successfully swing it in along with a bunch of side-splitting funny sight gags, musical numbers and flatulence humour.
Kyle, Stan, Cartman and Kenny are excited about seeing their favourite Canadian actors Terrnace and Philip in their first big-screen film. When they are not allowed admittance into the R-rated "cartoon", they sneak in and thus are their vocabulary is afforded some colourful new words. Their potty mouths angers the parents of South Park and so they decide to wage war with Canada, blaming them for all of society's wrongs and soon Terrance and Philip themselves are arrested and put on death row for "corrupting American's youth." To save their heroes, the children of South Park start their own group. As in the series, Kenny dies and is sent to Hell, where he meets Satan and Saddam Hussein, who see the ongoing war as their chance to finally take over the world.
Free from the restraints of television, Parker and Stone are free to enter possibilities that have not been explored before in the series. Yet, they oddly decide to keep it low-key by centering on the four main boys. Kyle and Stan are the straight men and the eight-year-old altar egos of Matt and Trey. Simply put, they may be vulgar and the comments spewing out of their mouths may not be the most friendly, but they're likable and the characters the audience is most able to relate. Even the bigoted slimeball that is Cartman has a sweet side to him, as he is all for the fight against censorship. In a situation almost akin to A Clockwork Orange, once he has been forced to no longer swear, the audience is waiting for him to get his beloved powers back. And finally, there's Kenny the un-sung hero of the story. While his death is used by the parents as a way to exploit their cause, Kenny attempts to stop the war once he learns of Hussein's intentions. The South Park gang have been around for a decade now and yet it's this film that's them at their all-time best.
Plenty of what makes the film more than just a longer episode of the series is the way in which Trey Parker and Broadway composer Marc Shaiman turn Bigger, Longer & Uncut into a Disney-style musical. The songs are clever and creative and best of all, they help move the plot along and do not feel like they're just adding to the running time. The opening number "Mountain Town", a parody of Beauty and the Beast's beginning, fools the audience into believing that they're about to watch a feel-good family comedy by giving it a tone different from what appears after those first four minutes. After that, the music goes in all sorts of directions. The audience is treated to a profane and flatulence filled homage to Oklahoma!, a march declaring the evils of America's neighbour to the north, a song of admiration towards a figure skater and finally, a combination of the film's best tunes done in the style of Les Miserables. There is even a love ballad played during the end credits, spoofing the typical melodramatic songs that Oscar usually awards (and South Park would, not surprisingly, lose to). Parker understands the musical genre perfectly, as previously evidenced in his student film Cannibal! The Musical and Bigger, Longer & Uncut stands as one of the best the art of cinema has offered.
One of the most notable aspects of South Park, along with the humour, is the political satire. In Bigger, Longer & Uncut, Parker and Stone go up against their biggest enemy since going on the air: humourless parent's groups. Along with Stan and Kyle, the two foul-mouthed Colorodians are also represented by the two foul-mouthed Canadians Terrance and Philip. The two characters are not necessarily a parody of South Park, but more-so how easily offended parents view South Park: a badly animated cartoon filled with low brow toilet humour consisting of flatulence jokes and swear words. It may have all of those things, but if people judge it without actually watching it, it's hard to get behind them. If they actually view it, they will find that South Park is satirical and not after all targets, but only those who deserve it. If they actually become offended by what they see, at least they are shown as less intolerant due to actually giving it a chance. Another aspect of parent's groups that Bigger, Longer & Uncut so wonderfully shows is its ability to blame others for their own mistakes. South Park is not intended for children, yet they still manage to find a way to watch it. Instead of blaming Parker and Stone, they should sit down, switch off the television and talk to their children. Sending angry letters to networks and studios that don't read them or waging war with a country which is just providing innocent entertainment isn't going to do any good. Instead, these people are actually giving Parker and Stone more publicity and more targets to make fun of.
Then again, if it weren't for the parent's groups, there wouldn't be this marvelous film. Trey Parker and Matt Stone are the two most brave comedians in the television and film business and their magnum opus is the delightful, but meaningful Bigger, Longer & Uncut. This is not just an animated comedy. It's a musical, a message film and an attack on judgmental adults everywhere.
When numerous incarnations of a famous story are created, it's easy for one version to get lost in the shuffle. For Mel Brooks's mega-phenomenon, The Producers, it appeared that the musical film version is that unfortunate casualty. Originally a film made in 1968 and starring Zero Mostel, The Producers was later adapted into an incredibly successful Broadway musical. For the film version based on his play, Brooks elected to assign Susan Stroman the directing job, just as he had done on stage. What was most often criticised about the film was that all Stroman had done was film the stage show. Yet, that is more a compliment than a complaint. The Broadway version of The Producers is one of the funniest and most refreshing stage musicals to date, bringing together some excellent and memorable songs, entertaining dance numbers and some witty lines that only Mel Brooks could write. The film version keeps all of the wonderfulness intact and thus the film succeeds incredibly well in producing not only the best film musical of this still young decade, but also one of the best musicals ever put to celluloid.
Max Bialystock (Nathan Lane), the former King of Broadway, is now producing flop after flop and now resorts to seducing little, old ladies to get finance. When his timid accountant, Leo Bloom (Matthew Broderick) discovers a way in which a producer could make more money with a failure, Bialystock partners with his new protege and they set out to find the worst play ever written. The disaster-piece they find is "Springtime for Hitler: A Gay Romp with Adolf and Eva at Bergesgarten", written by Nazi playwright Franz Liebkind (Will Ferrell). Hoping to add more controversy to the already burning, Max and Leo employ the incredibly flamboyant Roger De Bris (Gary Beach), the worst director in town to bring the "love letter to Hitler" to the stage. As Opening Night comes closer, Leo and Max also fall in love with their Swedish secretary/receptionist Ulla (Uma Thurman).
The style which Stroman and Brooks chose to make The Producers suits it perfectly, as it pays homage to the classical musicals like Singin' in the Rain and My Fair Lady, instead of opting for the quick-cutting MTV approach that musicals have adopted in recent years. Thus, the result is a bright and breezily shot musical utilising the old school lighting techniques and most of all Stroman's choreography to great effect. From old lady walkers in "Along Came Bialy" to the absolutely bombastic campy style of "Springtime for Hitler", the dance steps are superb and the viewer is able to watch every step without interruption. Each number is set up perfectly, not running too long and providing the film's most entertaining moments. Of course, the written dialogue provided by Mel Brooks and collaborator Thomas Meehan is as sharp and witty as what was seen in the original film. The actors say their lines with the most perfect comedic timing imaginable, naturally causing fits of laughter in the viewer.The humour ranges from slapstick routines to both obscure and well-known Broadway reference. Littered throughout, as well, are background gags like the posters seen in Max's office and an extra doing something silly behind the main actors. Naturally, the satire is also kept firmly in place, with Brooks and Stroman going after their usual targets: critical theatre patrons, boring accountants and of course, Adolf Hitler and his "hotsy, totsy Nazis."
The material and music is already perfect, so of course, they don't change it. However, critics have complained that the actors are over-the-top on the screen, thus producing a lot of mugging. Yet, that is the only possible way to perform Mel Brooks material as its scripts were practically made for mugging for the camera's attention. Naturally, Nathan Lane and Matthew Broderick are the stars of the film and hence they deserve the bulk of the credit for bringing their jokes completely to life. Nathan Lane is tremendous, invoking exactly what got him the Tony Award for the performance. Even though, Max is a slightly vindictive fellow, the audience can't help but feel sorry for him. Matthew Broderick also brings a certain heart to the film as Leo Bloom, going for a different approach than Gene Wilder. His Leo is a poor schmuck, who despite his panic attacks, views the world slightly more optimistically, with eyes and expressions full of wonderment and desire. Putting Lane and Broderick together was a stroke of genius on the part of Mel Brooks, as they both shine and as shown in one of the final songs, "Til Him", their chemistry is one of a kind. Somewhere out there, Zero Mostel is smiling down and blessing these two actors.
Broderick also has plenty of romantic chemistry with Uma Thurman, who sports a very funny mock Swedish accent in a part where she is able to stretch her pipes incredibly well. She also hits the dance floor in ways not even seen in her famous scene in Pulp Fiction with "When You Got Got It, Flaunt It", one of the film's best musical numbers. Showing that when given the right material, he can give out a gem of a performance, Will Ferrell's portrayal of Franz Liebkind is far and away his work to date. Ever the improviser, Ferrell intelligently respects the Brooks material, while still giving the crazy kraut his own feel. Ferrell appears to be more comfortable in this role than he ever was playing an anchorman and a race-car driver. He may have failed there, but in The Producers, he succeeds. Finally, returning from the Broadway production are Gary Beach and Roger Bart, who while they make their character completely flamboyant to the max, they still prove to be respectable and embody their characters perfectly. When Beach takes the stage in his Hitler get-up for the film's incredible ten-minute triumph known as "Springtime for Hitler", he especially shines giving the right ounce of offensiveness and, as De Bris promises earlier in the film, keeps it gay.
The most under-appreciated film of the new millennium, The Producers is like a time capsule from the former golden age of musicals. Susan Stroman and Mel Brooks add the right amount of hilarity, heart, silliness and bad taste to make a film as classy as the works of Gene Kelly or Busby Berkeley. Although, I'm sure Berkeley never had his dancers take the form of a Swazitka.
One of the film's best musical numbers: "I Wanna Be a Producer"
