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raysjazz
Reviews
Abundant Acreage Available (2017)
THIS IS WHAT IS POSSIBLE IN A SUPERB MOVIE
After viewing so many films during this Pandemic of 2020 and finishing with a sour taste from poor scripts, lame acting and lazy cookie-cutter plots along comes a treasure like Abundundant Acreage Available.
When I saw Martin Scorsese's name in the credits I was pleased that he was contacted with true art in film.
The acting is so real you can really believe these actors actually lived the lives they portray.
Sadly Hollywood has lost its way and lost most of its magic. Hopefully this may point Studios and Producers to invest in films that speak to real people rather than preaching a socially-driven doctrine.
Be aware that Tom has some spicy lines in the story which are explained away by his personality making a 180 after having a stroke. Humorous - a bit -but I felt unnecessary. Perhaps it was done to insure a PG-13 rating. My sole criticism of an otherwise tasteful film for all,
Cats (2019)
ART IS IN THE EYES, EARS & INTELLIGENCE OF THE AUDIENCE.
Yesterday went to see CATS - the movie that seems to be disparaged by Hollywood elitists and many in the general public.
So upfront let me say that I have loved the book "Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats' by T. S. Eliot and was thrilled when I saw the stage production with the brilliant score by Andrew Lloyd Webber. Those 2 sources are the basis for my evaluation of this work - ART. It is (opinion of one) ART in its truest form.
I've seen many stage productions -Broadway's Winter Garden, Hollywood's Kodak Theatre and several other productions including London Theatre -West End in London.
At each production I've overheard audience members comments as they leave. Those who understand the ART of the work loved the show. Many others who weren't familiar with the sources either were puzzled or hated it. So I wasn't surprised as I read some the the early reviews.
For the most part the movie did NOT disappoint. The score remains brilliant and many of the performers brought inspired interpretations of their characters.
The most disappointing performance was by Rebel Wilson who portrayed the normal Matronly character of Jennyanydots as a sloven seductress who munches on the tattoo of dancing beetles.
Also disappointed that the characters Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer chose to re-interpret the original music for their characters - poorly done.
Outstanding performances were Jennifer Hudson - Grizabella, Judy Dench - Old Deuteronomy, Taylor Swift -Bombalurina, Francesca Hayward -Victoria and Steven McRae -Skimbleshanks. Both Francesca & Steven were brilliant in their respective dance interpretations.
Bottomline - if you don't know the T.S. Eliot book or the Weber score, you'll enjoy the show better if you read the book and listen to the score. If you hated the stage production, you probably despise the movie. BUT - - - If you love the show, the book and the score - I believe you'll enjoy the majority of this wonderful cinematic version.