Les Miserables (2012)

 

Why even bother to write about the film adaptation of the musical Les Miserables, when I can't ever be objective about it? You know what? I'm not sure, either.

This post was spurred by Hyperactive's Facebook link to his review and our eventual mini-discussion in the comments.  If he had not suggested that I write about it, I probably wouldn't have, simply because I don't think it matters anymore. But maybe I do have a story here. So I will explain why I saw it the way that I did.

Les Miserables was my gateway drug to musical theatre.

It was almost 20 years ago when I was introduced to the musical by a classmate of mine. We were in sixth grade. She told us about Les Miz because her cousin was playing Gavroche in the Manila production. I wasn't the only one who got hooked; there were a bunch of us who didn't see the show but became fans. The inevitable happened--we craved for more. Thus, the other mega-musicals of the era followed: Miss Saigon, Phantom of the Opera, the rest of the Andrew Lloyd Webber canon...

I remember sharing the double cassette tape of the Les Miz Original London Cast recording with my brother. The song titles were printed on white stickers on either side of the tapes, which eventually became beige with our constant handling. The tapes were so overplayed that our players would sometimes eat them. (Oh, I don't want to explain this to the kids anymore. Basta.)

My brother and I enjoyed the Les Miserables 10th Anniversary Concert, too. He was the one who bought the album. I believe we even recorded the televised show on VHS. By the time the 25th Anniversary Concert came around, everything was online already, so it wasn't that hard to geek out.

Yes, I bought a book for its cover

Point being, I love the show. Nevermind that I only watched it in 2000 from the farthest section with a cheap ticket from Leicester Square. (Joanna Ampil played Eponine. That made me really happy.)  Nevermind that I didn't finish the 1400-page complete and unabridged book. I still managed to absorb the easy 300+ pages of an abridged version. Cheater.

Clearly, I am not the biggest fan of the musical either--I can't remember every name in the OLC ensemble and it's not even my favorite musical of all time--but I'm sure we Les Miz lovers number in the millions and we are passionate about it to this day.

So when the film casting speculations started to circulate, of course I was breathless with anticipation. When the teasers started coming out, I was still able to contain myself. When the excerpts surfaced, I felt I had seen enough and that I could manage my expectations.

Wrong.

When the featurettes were posted, I watched them all and enjoyed the production details that I missed from not doing theater for years. And when vulture.com came out with Les Miserables advent calendar (go on, open it!), I checked it every week (not daily--that would have been really unbearable) because I needed a fix.

I avoided reviews like the plague and went home to the Philippines for the holidays annoyed that the only thing in the way of me watching Les Miz was the Metro Manila Film Festival, which starts on December 25 every year. Mmff talaga!

When I came back to Kuala Lumpur, I made sure to watch Les Miz on the first weekend I could. But when I did...(And this is the part where I need to plagiarize my Facebook comments and assume that you've seen the film.)

The film started out big and grand, as I had never seen the chain gang before. But like the ship in the opening sequence, the film quickly showed that it wasn't the watertight epic I was hoping it would be. The big question was:

Where were the melodies? Where there actually songs?

It's unthinkable to accuse Claude-Michel Schonberg and Alain Boublil of creating music that is forgettable. Their forte is getting audiences to remember the themes. How come nothing stuck?

I might have the answer: the music was sacrificed in the name of ownership and acting. Then again, you don't have to rewrite the sheet music to own a song. It's also possible to act and still stay more or less faithful to the book (and I don't mean the Victor Hugo one).

I've admired Hugh Jackman since I found out about The Boy From Oz. Since his "Bring Him Home" made me cringe, I don't know what to think of him anymore. Man, was that unlistenable.

There is nothing bad you can say about Anne Hathaway and she's a shoo-in for the Oscar. Her part of the story was the most moving one for me. (Though the actress is only human, as Ricky Lo knows. I don't intend to watch his or Manny the Movie Guy's interviews, but Jessica Zafra's dissection of the non-event is enough for me.) That doesn't spare her from Hatha-haters, though.

The Thenardiers are not as effective as they are onstage. And really, is it too much, Mr. Mackintosh, to have a Marius with dimples? Just kidding.

Not even the presence of the original stage Jean Valjean, Colm Wilkinson (as the bishop), could save the film. But he was the model of simplicity, true to his character. And that is because he didn't need to prove that he can sing. It was nice to have Aaron Tveit and Samantha Barks there. I'm on the fence about Amanda Seyfried and Eddie Redmayne. I will be harsher to movie stars than to theater people, but props to them for going through six weeks of rehearsals.

As for Javert...poor guy. Moving on...

You left your coat, dear. Every woman is an Eponine. That's why we react to that waist. It's hard enough to breathe, all the more to sing. © Universal Pictures  

Schoolboys. Just as foolish in the 19th century. © Universal Pictures

Let's face it: there's nothing quite as amazing as a revolving barricade. The barricade is a character on its own. If it is not dynamic, it is dead.

The zooming-out-to-the-heavens shots reminded me of the Phantom of the Opera film. Joel Schumacher was crucified for that (but more because he gave Batman nipples than for anything else), but in hindsight, POTO is much more watchable than Les Miz. Not so sure I'd listen to its soundtrack but I definitely cannot listen to the Les Miz film soundtrack. Or even watch it again. In a few years, perhaps, for a sing-along. An aside: you should see the version I saw in the cinema. It had subtitles in English, Malay and Chinese. Mic na lang, karaoke na!

Ay, sorry. Where was I?

I want to believe that Tom Hooper is an intelligent director and that he tried his darndest to put this film together. There were some smart choices there--live singing and the addition of the new song, to name two. Surely he could have done something to make the lovebirds not look like complete fools. He doesn't really care about them, does he?

It's understandable that the female echo in "Drink With Me" disappeared, but taking away the Fantine-Eponine harmony at the finale? That, for me, was the last straw.

And now, a word on all those closeups. The cinematography is as unforgivable as it is unforgiving. If you're going to be all auteur with a musical of this magnitude, you'll alienate not just theatergoers but film lovers for whom every shot, every angle has to be meaningful.

Les Miserables went on to win the Golden Globe for Best Musical or Comedy. Salmon Fishing in the Yemen was robbed! That was a much smaller film but very well made. Fine, smaller films are much easier to get right. In the case of Les Miserables, scale was always part of the equation. But it is not the only thing that matters.

Do you hear the (theater) people sing praises for the movie? It had heart, yes, but I'm not sure if it beat with the glorious music that is the soul of the musical we love. And that is why it made me more miserable than I thought I would be.

P.S.
I wanted to pick a fight (and still do) with my boss when he said that the movie is better than the musical. It makes my blood boil. Then I stop to think. Am I the more irrational one, 24601?


P.P.S.
Les Miserables is still a motion picture event and a milestone for movie musicals. Some viewers might need hankies. If you haven't seen the film, go see it. Let's compare notes afterwards. Talking about it helps me make sense of these intense reactions that took me quite a while to explain. (Another reason why this entry is getting longer and longer.)

Talentime (2009)

Tried to not be affected by the late Yasmin Ahmad's last film. Failed.

Another trailer here. They don't look like they're from the same film, no?

15+ minutes with Andy and Harry

On the ArtScience Museum pond

On this trip, I caught Harry Potter: The Exhibition and Andy Warhol: 15 Minutes Eternal at the ArtScience Museum. Realizing that everything is expensive in Singapore, I feel less suspicious of the museum now. However, I am still not completely satisfied with their exhibitions. Maybe my expectations are still too high.


It might not be fair to compare Warhol to Dali, but since their exhibits were in the same space, the comparisons are inevitable. ArtScience appeals to the general public, so a full survey of an artist's body of work is broken up into easily digestible pieces. But I think Warhol's persona can stand deeper discussion.

The Weasleys' Flying Ford Anglia. Wonder if it's the same one that was stolen and recovered.

By contrast, Harry Potter is definitely for fans only. I do love both the books and the films, so this was quite a treat. Quite expensive, though, for a collection of costumes and props. Tip: if the ticket queue is long, cross over to the box office at the ground floor of the Shoppes at Marina Bay and get your tickets much, much faster.

French Art & Film Festival 2012 Kuala Lumpur & Penang

This is coming to KL this month and in Penang in June. Hope to catch a film or two.

http://faff.com.my

The fall of heroes

The past week has provided me with my fill of the Bard. First, I saw Ralph Fiennes' film directorial debut, Coriolanus, an adaptation of one of Shakespeare's lesser known plays. I was unfamiliar with the text, so I came with few expectations, though I had heard it had good reviews.

The film, set in modern-day Rome, uses the media (mainly TV) as an important driver of narrative. The rise and fall of Martius Coriolanus, played by Fiennes, is charted through his encounters in battle (exemplified by an action-packed sequence early in the film) and his public and political appearances.

Certain lines uttered by the bald Fiennes occasionally reminded me of his Lord Voldemort role in the Harry Potter series, but I think his acting and directing put him at par with Kenneth Branagh--no small feat in my book.

Brian Cox (not the physicist--I would have loved that but he wouldn't have been as good) as Menenius, Paul Jesson as Brutus, James Nesbitt as Sicinius and Vanessa Redgrave as Volumnia are noteworthy. The different accents (including Gerard Butler's Scottish) add diversity to the characters.

Despite the liberties in adaptation, John Logan's screenplay is faithful to the text (swords are mentioned, not guns). Doubtless some people in the audience did not expect to hear verse (the local poster had no mention of Shakespeare), but that they stayed on shows that a classic done well will touch mainstream viewers, though it might not fill the cinema. I hope Fiennes takes on other plays for the silver screen.


King Lear is perhaps the first of Shakespeare's work that I ever came across. The comic book version I had in grade school was still quite heavy for children, but I retained enough interest to see the 2007 RSC production in London. PETA's new production of Haring Lear, the first Filipino adaptation of the play as translated by Bienvenido Lumbera and directed by Nonon Padilla, has layers of hurdles to overcome.

It was my first time to see an all-male cast as it was done in Elizabethan times, which I found quite interesting.

Call it the bald kabuki, with a Punch and Judy puppet thrown in. The largely monochromatic staging by Gino Gonzales appears to be an homage to the late Salvador Bernal, who I believe was supposed to design the production. The color blocking in the makeup indicates the genders, but often masks expression. Fortunately, some of the actors have wonderfully rich voices. For its fluorescent tubes, Jojo Villareal's lighting gave me a flashback of Shoko Matsumoto's design for Atlantis Productions' Next to Normal last year. There are some lovely atmospheric moments that you wish you could take a photo of.

Some surprising directorial and design choices, however, tend to distract and call for further suspensions of disbelief. The use of English for certain lines, understandable with the apparently post-colonial reading, becomes grating after hearing mainly Filipino. Collapsing the parts of Cordelia and the fool may sound like a good idea in the beginning, but it becomes confusing in the end, when Cordelia reappears.

Teroy Guzman as the monarch is not stark raving mad but a character you would want to sympathize with. Although this might not be Guzman's best performance, props to him for what he has to go through for 30 shows. Getting drenched for prolonged periods in an airconditioned theater poses a grave health risk and I am concerned about what his body has to go through. It makes you want to scream "Why?!? Is this The Tempest?" I hope the cast has stocked up on vitamins. I saw a Saturday afternoon matinee, the second show for the day and the third for the entire run. I forgave the incredibly low energy of the first few scenes and was relieved that it picked up eventually.

George de Jesus as Oswaldo steals the scenes with his one-liners and facial expressions, and literally stops the show. The story of Edgardo (Myke Salomon) and Edmundo (Jay Gonzaga) overshadows that of the three sisters, possibly a function of the actors playing females not wanting to go cross the line between feminine and flamboyant gay. I appreciate the restraint. I don't remember them getting that much attention before, but the brothers have presence (and that is in addition to the biceps).

PETA has had a very strong season starting with William, then Care Divas (which I wish I hadn't missed--it is generally said to have done very well) before Haring Lear. I hope they continue to do work that consistently makes you want to rush to the theater all throughout the season. And I hope that regardless of what I have written, you will go see Lear and discuss it with me.

Address is Approximate

Gets points from me for scoring, lighting and cinematography, in that order.

From the stash of unwatched films: Thirst (2009)

I was interested in Park Chan-Wook's work because I had never seen any. Why it took me a year and a half to watch it, I am not sure why.

Thirst is the kind of movie in which the story arc seems to already close...but wait, there's more! The plot just gets weirder in a gruesome but not scary way. I don't consider it a love story. Never had a taste for blood, but this is worth watching for the way it stretches your mind. And then there's Mercedes Cabral, who somehow makes the film a bit more interesting.

There Be Dragons (2011)

Since I saw the trailer for the film months ago, I was curious as to how it would turn out. I'm the kind of moviegoer who would not give a movie that is generally panned by critics a chance, but it's a good thing that I didn't look at the reviews first.

You have to be a certain type of person to watch this film. With my complex relationship with the Church and The Work, I somehow managed to fall under that category. And honestly, I was not disappointed. Perhaps my expecatations for director Roland Joffe were reasonable.

Of course there is a bias here. While it is not a biopic of St. Josemaria Escriva, in the end it is still about him. Nothing Da Vinci Code-ish here, though the mortification scene is still pretty disturbing.

Again, I am avoiding a formal review. It just has to be said that a movie starring two actors I remember from their fairy tale films--Charlie Cox, who was in Stardust, is Josemaria, and Dougray Scott, who was the prince in Ever After, is Robert--as well as a model (Lily Cole), a Bond girl (Olga Kurylenko) and a former drug addict (Wes Bentley) is bound to be interesting. But I have to admit that my favorite scenes are the ones with Rodrigo Santoro. Girl can't help it.

From where I'm sitting: thoughts on Philippine cinema and theater

I won't pretend that this is a survey of recent Philippine film and theater since I haven't seen enough. But based on the last two indie movies and five plays and musicals I have seen over the past two months, I am optimistic about Philippine arts and culture, at least in these areas. Without launching into reviews of each of these works, I would like to point out what seems to be working, from where I'm sitting.

There is an audience. Ang Babae sa Septic Tank and Zombadings 1: Patayin sa Shokot si Remington are by no means regular studio fare. And maybe that's their appeal. Sure, there are mainstream TV and movie actors in it, but there's more to them than the usual stars. The subject matter and the treatment are brave, unusual and fresh: Babae is a commentary on "poverty porn" seen in Filipino movies that make the festival circuit and Zombadings is about gay zombies. This can be taken for a sign that the local audience (urbanites, at least) is ready for non-formulaic works. Indies have been shown in mainstream theaters before but these two films show that commercial success is possible.

What do Dulaang UP's Rizal X, Entablado's Sa Kanyang Dapitan, Tanghalang Ateneo's Sintang Dalisay, PETA's William, and Atlantis Productions' In The Heights have in common? Make that the first four--the last production is the odd one out. The first four are geared toward student audiences. The first three are university-based productions. The first two are about Jose Rizal since it is the sesquicentennial of the national hero's birth this year. Sintang Dalisay and William are based on the works of William Shakespeare.

What does this imply? Material that is based on or adapted from an existing play can come alive, which shows that one need not have an exact Noli Me Tangere or Romeo and Juliet to talk about the lessons and truths from those works. Certainly new material or new treatment can work. Also, that the student audience is still the most convenient one to market to because it can be required for classes. Not that In The Heights suffers in terms of marketability. It had enough names and the reputation of Atlantis to pull in the theatergoers and benefits from Lin-Manuel Miranda's Tony Award-winning music and lyrics.

Sa Kanyang Dapitan needs a bit of work on the second act but what it proves is that different perspectives can make history come alive. Sintang Dalisay makes a classic even richer with the use of local culture. Transposing Romeo and Juliet to the Muslim South took away some of the lyricism of the lines, but the beautiful igal dancing and gamelan music added more than was removed.

What Rizal X and William show best is that there is a new breed of young standout performers. This is a playwright's dream. Bring on the young characters. William will surely have a touring life for years to come. It made Shakespeare comprehensible to high schoolers with the use of rap Rizal X dared to be experimental, with interesting (and sometimes puzzling) results. It reached out to the young audience with the use of music, an unusual set and comtemporary staging.

So before the attack of the big shows later this year through early 2012--Seussical, Stomp, The Little Mermaid, The Sound of Music and Mamma Mia--let's remember to support original plays and independent cinema. Let's make sure these young talents earn a living and encourage writers to produce work that will cross over to more mature audiences while at the same time get young people interested in the arts. Mabuhay!

Cinemalaya 2011: Niño

I was only able to catch one Cinemalaya film during the CCP/Greenbelt run: Loy Arcenas' Niño, from the New Breed feature film category. I came in with different biases. Seeing the trailer, I was afraid I wouldn't like it. But I heard second-hand that it was good and I had met the director previously, so that made me feel more confident that my time and P150 would not go to waste.

The subject matter is one I would shy away from: family drama revolving around a generation attached to an old house and their children who don't want to keep it. That will be as much as I will say about the story. But what the film lacks in mainstream appeal it makes up for in skillful execution.

For a first feature, Nino has none of the pitfalls of first-timers. It is not indulgent, nor has it overlooked any particular technical aspect.

Instead of focusing on the house, which I expected Arcenas to do (he is a theater designer after all), the focus was on the inhabitants and their relationships. The characterizations and dialogue are exceptional, as each character is fleshed out. Credit goes to Rody Vera's excellent screenplay. The family's secrets are slowly revealed and the details all have purpose.

There is music, as the matriarch is a former opera singer (Fides Cuyugan-Asensio, in a role I cannot imagine giving to anyone else), but very little scoring. The subtitles are actually very helpful for the songs.

Cuyugan-Asensio and Arthur Acuña (who plays her son) have an occasional theatricality about them. But Shamaine Centenera-Buencamino and Raquel Villavicencio, themselves theater actresses, show none of this. Child actor Jhiz Deocareza, even when dressed up as the Sto. Nino, appears very believable, a boy wonder in a different sense.

Except for the sometimes unsteady camera, which makes you feel like an intruder in the house, there are no rough edges. However there are two things that bothered me that I would not blame on the filmmaker: the digital projection at Greenbelt resulted in a shower of pixels and the sound recording came out uneven a few times.

Having seen Niño, I am still not fond of the topic. But this is the kind of work that Cinemalaya is precisely for: a well-made Filipino film that tells a story that may otherwise never get told.

Vimeo shorts, part 2

Eye of the Storm - a steampunk music video for Lovett (dir. Chris Alender)


Loop - short film shot on Canon cameras (dir. Saito Yuki)


how are you? - French girl calls her mother from London (dir. moritz oberholzer). Check out the soundtrack. It's the Jurassic Park theme 1000% slower

Stuxnet: Anatomy of a Computer Virus - animated infographic on the first weapon made of code

Louder than a Bomb!

Supercuts!

Because people put effort into editing these. And a couple of guys bothered to put them all in one place

Supercut

[via brandflakesforbreakfast]

Senior Year (2010)

I feel compelled to write about this film because it is nearing the end of its run at Ayala Cinemas (Glorietta and Trinoma). Without giving too much away, I want to make you curious enough to catch it today or tomorrow. [Update: run extended to April 20.]

Jerrold Tarog's Cinemalaya 2009 film Mangatyanan is my favorite Filipino film, which is why I had such high expectations for his latest effort, Senior Year. The film tells the story of fourth year high school students in the last few months before their graduation. At St. Frederick's, a school in Southern Metro Manila, they learn about relationships, deal with each other's differences, think about the future, and get to know themselves more in the process.

There are several characters in the story, but Tarog successfully gives each one a voice despite their number. It is a complex arrangement, and there are some shots that are probably in-jokes, but everything appears to work--a delicate balancing act. The timing can be confusing at first, but in the end, it is logical to assume that the high school scenes are set in 2010. The film's biggest flaw is an aesthetic one: the use of effects that posterize certain shots as the intramurals. This only serves to distract. But if the intention was to look juvenile, then it has served the purpose well. Other than this, everything works well. The young cast has unknowns who appear very sincere and suit their roles well. The older set has familiar names, but they do not steal the show from the real stars of the movie.

For anyone my age, that is, a decade out of high school, Senior Year will remind you of that awkward but fun period of your life. The beginning of the film draws a good deal of laughter. We've all been there before. And the learnings ring true. What seemed so important when you were a teen appear so trivial in hindsight. These what ifs matter little now. But nostalgia has its uses. And if it will give you a good time at the cinema, then that is more than enough.

Last three days!

It's live action, folks.




Three days left to catch Jerrold Tarog's Senior Year at Ayala Cinemas, specifically Glorietta and Trinoma. Will post my thoughts on it later, but all you need to know right now is that I recommend it. Go!

Confessions

Ulrich Schnabel, I want to believe you but I do not want to be idle. Then again, you are no slacker yourself.

Donald Gunn, you charmed me. But transcribing you was nowhere as enjoyable as the interview.

Alan Rickman, you are no hunk. Not after Sense & Sensibility, the Harry Potter series, Love, Actually (where I found you pretty gay even after cheating with your officemate), and Sweeney Todd. But there is something in this Texas music video that actually makes you--dare I say it--hot. Even if you were in your mid-50s at the time.

The song is old, but I only saw it today. I have to call out the person who is responsible for these inappropriate thoughts, one Mia Marci, who described the feeling as what you get when the friend you never thought attractive gets a girlfriend and suddenly he's magnetic. Or something to that effect. I have to agree.

Now excuse me while I have another view of that petrol station tango.

Missing Oscar

I have not seen the Oscar-nominated films. And that is fine for now.

There are two reasons why I was rooting for The King's Speech. Here's one. And the other.

Not great, but there are so many musicals connected to this year's awards that it almost makes sense to post the clip that didn't make it to the ceremonies.

BONUS: Kenneth Branagh talking about the Short Film (Live Action) nominees. Not embeddable, so just click. My reason for including this? Here you go.

Ayyy, fan. (In terms of the post before this one, Group B.)

Because it's almost March

And the seniors can't wait to graduate.

For my friends in the Class of 2011.

Vimeo shorts

A selection curated by Fubiz (and me) over the past month. Enjoy.


Beyond Black Mesa - a short fan film based on the game Half-Life.


Shapeshifter - 3D animation of nature and machine


Modern Times - A sleek future


The Thomas Beale Cipher - unravel the mystery

From the stash of unwatched films: Like Minds

I'm not quite sure why, but I never got to see Like Minds (a.k.a. Murderous Intent, 2006) even if L had given me a copy years ago. Or maybe I had seen it, but it has been completely erased from my mind. Because I have a memory of comparing notes with L. No, I couldn't have. Is someone playing with my mind?

The subtle suspenseful kind. This is a well-made high school thriller written by Gregory J. Read, with excellent performances from Eddie Redmayne and Toni Collette. Tom Sturridge could have done a better job. Regardless, I am thoroughly disturbed.

Trivia from Wikipedia:
Sturridge became Robert Pattinson's best friend and was supposed to take on the Hayden Christensen role in Jumper. Redmayne attended Eton, won a Tony award for his performance as Mark Rothko's assistant in Red, and modeled for Burberry.