Cats: A Beautiful Cat-astrophe

 Francesca Hayward as Victoria.

I can thank Barney for my introduction to Cats. Of all places to put a direct-to-video trailer of Andrew Lloyd Webber's musical, a VHS copy of Barney's Great Adventure is an odd choice. There was also an episode of Reading Rainbow that showed a behind-the-scenes look at Cats with Broadway actress Loni Ackerson preparing for her role. Since then, I've heard snippets now and then on how it's considered a Broadway masterpiece and for its iconic song "Memory." It wasn't until I saw an episode of the animated adult comedy The Critic, that there was some general level of disdain towards the show.

Better Late Than Never Vol. 6

It's that time of the year when all the highly anticipated movies start to arrive and I try to watch a couple I missed during the summer.

Yesterday's Troubles Aren't So Faraway

Hamish Patel as Jack Malick in his movie debut. 

Aspiring musician Jack Malick (Hamish Patel) has the right idea to panic when the whole world suddenly forgets The Beatles. Imagine if your favorite artist or band were erased form history and you're the only person on the planet who remembers them at all. I tremble to think of a world without Weird Al Yankovic. I would do the same as Jack and write down the lyrics to their greatest hits. No help from the internet or albums since they never existed in the first place! Goes to show how well one knows a song.

Aladdin is a Fun Ride on this Magic Carpet Ride.

I grew up watching Aladdin in Spanish and didn’t see the original in English until years later. I knew who was Robin Williams courtesy of Flubber which served as my introduction to the late comedic genius along with Ferngully: The Last Rainforest. When a live-action Aladdin movie was announced I was intrigued and a little excited on thinking who could don the role of Williams' eponymous Genie. The one detail that was perplexing was the selection of Guy Ritchie as director; not exactly known for kid-friendly work and his last movie King Arthur: Legend of the Sword didn’t fare well to say the least. Does the movie succeed on being a diamond in the rough or a filthy street rat?  

Bohemian Rhapsody Will Rock You

I'm familiar with the name and legacy but know only a few of their songs. Three stand in my memory when I was growing up: the very early days of Radio Disney constantly playing "We Will Rock You/We are the Champions," Britney Murphy's rendition of "Somebody to Love" in Happy Feet and "Under Pressure" played in the trailer of the Nicholas Cage dark comedy Adaptation (There was me thinking "Ice Ice Baby" was an original composition). I knew "Another One Bites the Dust" and "Bohemian Rhapsody" on other radio stations but wouldn't be until years later did I understand the significance of the latter. 

Lady Gaga sees stars in A Star is Born

Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga singing a duet.

The story of the artist going from rags to riches has been told time and time again. In the case of A Star is Born, the story of a young woman aspiring to be a singer and falls in love with a fading star only to have her career skyrocket while his continues to dwindle, has been told not once but four times. The original starred Janet Gaynor and Fredric March. It was remade in 1954 with Judy Garland and James Mason and again in 1976 with Barbra Streisand and Kris Kristofferson.

Smallfoot Keeps Both Feet on the Ground

The Golden Age of Hollywood showcased the best of Warner Bros animation with the Looney Toons. In the nineties, they flourished on television with Tiny Toons and Animaniacs but the same couldn't be said for its theatrical set. Space Jam was the only film that did well critically and financially, the rest were either loved by critics but made no money at the box-office (The Iron Giant, Cat's Don't Dance), or bomb with both critics and audiences (Quest For Camelot, The King and I). Despite a lukewarm reception from critics, Osmosis Jones and Looney Toons: Back in Action were what Home on the Range was to Disney: financial failures that shut down the studio's animation division.

Double Feature Musical: The Greatest Showman & Pitch Perfect 3

Two musicals with talented singers, dancers and creative openings. From the story of a man beginning his dreams to a girl group ready to end on a high note. Hugh Jackman, Anna Kendrick, Zac Efron, Rebel Wilson, Zendaya, and Hailee Steinfiled. Now that's a show I'd buy a ticket to see.

La La Lame

(Originally Published February 9, 2017)

A new winning record of seven Golden Globes and a big contender for the Oscars, Damien Chazelle’s La La Land, is a postmodern musical filmed in the style of fifties classics like Singing in the Rain. A movie seen as a celebration of cinema, music, and as the tagline states “to the fool’s who dream;” a film that pays tribute to other Hollywood classics from An American in Paris to Casablanca.