Tag: Music

Songs and singers I like

“One Royal Holiday” (2020) starring Laura Osnes & Aaron Tveit

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When Anna offers a stranded mother and son shelter in a blizzard, she learns that they are the Royal Family of Galwick. Anna shows the Prince how they do Christmas in her hometown, encouraging him to open his heart and be true to himself. -Synopsis (Hallmark)

[1] ...despite the predictability of the final outcome, the writing is fresh, with plot twists and surprises that add layers of emotional depth.

[2] Finally a prince who acts like a prince! This was a sweet coincidental love story. Thank you Hallmark!

[3] Surprisingly fun and trope-filled royal holiday movie is packed with Broadway greats.

-Excerpts from IMDb reviews

I came across this Hallmark Xmas movie last month by chance; you can rent it on Amazon Prime. I noticed that it stars (surprise) Broadway/theater actors/singers: Laura Osnes (who plays cheerful cardiac nurse Anna Jordan) and Aaron Tveit (who plays serious/grumpy Prince James Gallant). Some of y’all MAY recognize Tveit from the 2012 adaptation of Les Miserables; he played the friend/fellow rebel to Marius. Here he uses a British accent and has slightly longish hair; the actor has the handsome looks of a prince. This movie as shot in June 2020 (during the COVID-19 pandemic); it was the 1st movie to go into production in Connecticut (and the East Coast) at that time.

Anna is NOT intimidated/nervous in the presence of the royals; she pokes fun at James (in a sweet/harmless style). James is a BIT arrogant and acts entitled (at first), BUT he has real worries. As they are snowbound, Anna and James (who seem like opposites) get to know each other. There are cute/funny references to Jane Austen novels and The Sound of Music. Osnes and Tveit have good onscreen chemistry; you can see their relationship develop.

Unlike a LOT of other Hallmark movies, the supporting characters get stuff to do. Queen Gabriella (Victoria Clark) is V supportive of her son; she is BOTH down-to-earth and elegant. Anna’s widowed father, Ed (Tom McGowan- a Canadian character actor), is a jolly innkeeper who is close w/ his daughter. Anna’s childhood friend, Sarah (Krystal Joy Brown), is the mayor of the small town; she has a side plot w/ romance. There are 2 scenes where Xmas carols are sung to showcase the actors’ FAB voices.

“Carmen” (2022) starring Melissa Barrera & Paul Mescal

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Love is a rebellious bird that nobody can tame… -A tagline for the movie

To escape a cartel, a young Mexican dancer, Carmen (Melissa Barrera), heads north to the US (California). Her route takes her through a desert guarded by the US Border Patrol, as well as a small group of (coded as fanatical) white men who seem to hunt ppl for sport. Mixed among these men is a newcomer/Army veteran, Aidan (Paul Mescal), desperate to earn money for the mortgage on his humble family home. Soon, the mismatched pair meet and start toward LA together. Carmen’s goal is to seek refuge in a club run by her deceased mom’s best friend, Masilda (Rossy de Palma).

This is the 1st film of choreographer/dancer Benjamin Millepied (ex-hubby of Natalie Portman); he and the actress met while working on Black Swan (2010). As some of you MAY know, they had a bad break-up (after he cheated w/ a younger woman). Jamie Dornan was originally going to play Aidan, BUT was replaced by Mescal (who is much younger). Barrera (who I’d never seen before) appeared in Lin Manuel Miranda’s movie musical In the Heights (2021). Recently, Barrera made comments on social media (re: Israel-Hamas); she was fired from the upcoming Scream movie. This movie was shot in Australia; Elsa Pataky (Chris Hemsworth’s wife) has a small role. I recall seeing her in the (short-lived) TV series Queen of Swords (2000-2001).

IF anyone asks for an example of an undercooked movie, then refer them to Carmen! The characters are V shallow (as in drawn w/ a broad brush); there is barely any plot. Perhaps worst of all, the dancing (NOT an expert here) looks basic/easy! I’m a fan of Mescal (who is Irish and just 27); here we see that he’s NOT yet 100% comfortable w/ an American accent. He does some dancing, which was pretty good (IMO). Hey, let’s give him a break here; youth is for trying new things, making mistakes, and growing! The filmmakers needed to realize that you can’t just rely on attractive actors/settings. As the Youngbloods say, this is “just vibes.” I’d suggest y’all check out Carmen Jones instead.

[1] I had high hopes for this feature. I’m a ballet and opera fan and am familiar with Benjamin Millepede. Unfortunately this was a sometimes excruciatingly slow movie to watch. There were some highly stylized scenes that were memorable… most of them were not. The scenes for the most part did not hang together to form a whole storyline.

[2] As it’s heralded as Carmen, and clearly veering towards Carmen Jones, I am utterly confused as to what this mess was. […]

I’m just so confused as to how this had none of the operatics. It was awful and yet I was SO excited to watch this. It was a mismatch of desultory exchanges and unexciting conversations.

-Excerpts from IMDb reviews

“Unfaithfully Yours” (1948) starring Rex Harrison, Linda Darnell, Rudy Vallee, & Barbara Lawrence

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A Funloaded story against a Backdrop of Magnificent Music! -A tagline for the film

Barbara [to her husband, after seeing Sir Alfred being romantic]: You see, some men just naturally make you think of Brut champagne. With others you think of prune juice.
August, her husband: Oh, ho!
Barbara: You have nothing to laugh at!

While conducting a symphony orchestra, Sir Alfred De Carter (Rex Harrison), imagines 3 different ways of dealing w/ his wife Daphne’s (Linda Darnell) suspected infidelity. When he tries acting out his fantasies, things don’t go how he saw in his imagination! I rented this movie from Amazon Prime; it was also recently part of the Noir City DC Film Fest. Unfaithfully Yours was written/produced/directed by one of the early auteurs in Hollywood- Preston Sturges. As y’all cinephiles may know, Sturges also worked on w/ Remember the Night (1939), The Lady Eve (1941), and Sullivan’s Travels (1941) among other films. The music primarily used is from 3 composers: Rossini, Tchaikovsky, and Wagner.

Sir Alfred [to his wife, Daphne]: A thousand poets dreamed a thousand years, and you were born, my love.

The release of Unfaithfully Yours was delayed for several mos. b/c studio officials feared a backlash from the negative publicity surrounding the drug overdose/suicide of actress Carole Landis in July 1948. She was involved in an affair w/ Harrison; her body was found by him at her house. Although considered a classic today, the movie was a box office failure. The fantasy flashbacks were thought to be too experimental for its time and in poor taste. Fans of the (usually suave) Harrison objected to how he was portrayed here (doing pratfalls; behaving frenzied). The actor later called Sturges one of the V few men of genius he’d met in Hollywood.

Det. Sweeney [being a fanboy of Sir Alfred]: You handle Handel like nobody handles Handel. And your Delius – delirious!

[1] Preston Sturges, the creative mind behind this enjoyable film, was at the top of his profession. With this film, he solidified his position as one of the most innovative directors of that era in Hollywood. He wrote and directed with impeccable style that characterized most of the work he did for the cinema.

Rex Harrison gave an amazing performance as Alfred, the conductor whose jealousy gets the best of him. The last sequence at his apartment, after the concert is one of the best comic turns by this actor who goes through all the emotions, and furniture, in a frenzied manner.

[2] This movie is, at times, very black. It starts out pretty funny with Harrison spitting out his lines rapidly and his sense of comic timing was just perfect. When he has the fantasies though it turns dark and is pretty gruesome–especially for 1948. However, when he tries to carry them out and things go wrong, the film is uproarious.

[3] Rex Harrison comedy in films was mostly of the tongue and mind. He is known in most of his comedic roles for the witty quips, humorous repartee and funny dialogue. While there’s a smattering of that here, “Unfaithfully Yours” is mostly a departure from the normal Harrison persona. Here, he is very funny for his antics and the fumbling, bumbling and pratfalls. He reminds one instantly of the Three Stooges and the Marx Brothers.

-Excerpts from IMDb reviews

Movie Trailers: Fall/Winter 2023 (Part 2)

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Hey y’all,

Here are some more trailers for movies which will be released in the next few mos. I learned a BIT re: these films from movie podcasts and media coverage of film fests (can view on YT). I’m most interested to see Fair Play, a relationship drama/thriller by (1st time director) Chloe Dumont set in NYC finance world. The movie’s leads are (up-and-coming/young) actors- Phoebe Dynevor (Bridgerton) and Alden Ehrenreich (recently seen in Oppenheimer). Fair Play was bought for $20M by Netflix- wow!

All the best,

EMMA.

Fair Play: SEPT (in select theaters); Netflix (OCT 13th)

The Royal Hotel: OCT 6th (US Release)

May December (Teaser Trailer): NOV (in select theaters); DEC 1st (Netflix)

The Killer: NOV 10th

Maestro (Teaser Trailer): DEC 20th

“The Fabulous Baker Boys” (1989) starring Jeff Bridges, Michelle Pfeiffer, & Beau Bridges

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For 31 years it’s been just the Fabulous Baker Boys… but times change. -Tagline for the movie

This movie (free on YT in HD quality) focuses on a Seattle piano lounge act performing jazz versions of famous pop songs. The older brother, Frank (Beau Bridges), is married w/ 2 kids and the business manager, front man, and programmer of the playlist. The younger brother, Jack (Jeff Bridges), is carefree w/o commitments; he has one-night stands (mainly w/ cocktail waitresses). Jack has an old black Lab dog (Eddie) and a pre-teen upstairs neighbor (Nina) who lives w/ her single mom (busy dating various men). The Baker Boys’ act is becoming stale; they’re losing the ability to hold onto what gigs they had. Dave Grusin recorded the songs for the soundtrack, BUT Beau and Jeff both learned to play all the songs. To make their playing look realistic, they watched videos of Grusin’s hands playing the music.

Frank comes up w/ the idea of hiring a female singer. After 37 bad auditions, they finally hire Susie Diamond (Michelle Pfeiffer- who sings all her songs); she is rough around the edges and a former escort. Despite Susie having no formal singing experience, she has good enough vocals and can sell a song. She turns off her tough girl attitude when performing; she becomes vulnerable. Soon, they begin getting better gigs and earning more money. Frank thinks the biggest threat is the sexual tension (real or imagined) btwn Jack and Susie. However, the main threat is how Susie is able to expose the (existing) rifts btwn the brothers; Frank’s goal is to provide for his family, while Jack wants to pursue his own musical dreams.

They just don’t make films like this anymore (for the big screen)! It’s a 3-person character drama, NOT unlike what you’d see onstage. The writer (also 1st time director), Steve Kloves, had shown the script to (IRL friend) Pfeiffer 3 yrs. before it was made. Kloves mainly worked as a screenwriter afterwards; he did a fine job here. The film was released in SEPT 1989 in only 800 theaters; it sold out in NYC, Chicago and LA (thanks to word of mouth). There was NOT much money spent by the studio (Fox) on advertising.

I love them- both the Bridges brothers! -Michelle Pfeiffer on Inside the Actors Studio

Some critics (of ALL genders) commented: “This is Jeff Bridges looking his hottest.” Most of the time, Jack (an anti-hero) is wearing a black tux open at the collar. Susie has a variety of dresses, ranging from trashy to elegant. They BOTH have great hair, too! The audience is anxious for them to get together, BUT they need time (as they are guarded emotionally). The Fabulous Baker Boys is a must-see film w/ intelligent dialogue, great acting, and sparkling chemistry. There is a sense of authenticity; the settings are NOT always glam and the characters are multi-layered.