Les Miserables

SILVER SCREEN MUSICAL ADAPTATION

Dream A Dream

★ ★ ★ ★ out of 5 | Movie - DVD - Rental

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Rated: PG-13 Suggestive and sexual material, violence and thematic elements.
Release Date: December 25, 2012
Runtime: 2 hours 38 minutes

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Director: Tom Hooper
Writers: Claude-Michel Schonberg, Alain Boublil, from the Victor Hugo novel, Jean-Marc Natel (French text), James Fenton (additional text), William Nicholson
Cast: Hugh Jackson, Russell Crowe, Anne Hathaway, Amanda Seyfried, Sacha Baron Cohen, Helena Bonham Cohen, Eddie Redmayne

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SYNOPSIS:  In 19th-century France, Jean Valjean, who for decades has been hunted by the ruthless policeman Javert after he breaks parole, agrees to care for factory worker Fantine's daughter, Cosette. The fateful decision changes their lives forever.

REVIEW: The acclaimed director of The King's Speech, Tom Hooper, sets his sights and talents on a Broadway institution in the long-running musical Les Misérables. Hooper hopes to succeed with a clever but difficult notion - have each actor and actress their song as the scene was being shot instead of creating the music on an album months before film production actually started. Will his idea result in a superior film?

In 1815, at the end of the French Revolution, Jean Valjean  (Hugh Jackman, Rise of the Guardians) finishes out twenty years as a slave prisoner under the French king. He toils in the shipyards under the yoke of the head of the prisons, Javert (Russell Crowe, The Man with the Iron Fists). Upon his release Jean Valjean travels the countryside looking for food, shelter, work, and his next parole meeting. Taken in by a kindly priest, Valjean promptly takes advantage of the clergy's sacrifice by stealing the parish's silver. When Valjean is caught and brought before the priest, the man of the cloth takes pity on Valjean and let's him have the silver with the promise of a more blessed life. Years later, Valjean has lifted himself up to the status of a business man and giver to the downtrodden. His fear of Javert finding out his real identity causes him to dismiss a factory worker Fantine (Anne Hathaway, The Dark Knight Rises) without just cause. Realizing his mistake comes with dire consequences, Valjean takes Fantine's daughter Cosette (played as a young adult by Amanda Seyfried, In Time) under his protection. Years later, still unknowingly living a fugitive's life, Cosette falls in love with a young revolutionary named Marius (Eddie Redmayne, My Week with Marilyn). The love-stricken Cosette must contend with a flight-ready Valjean, a young woman Éponine (Samantha Barks, Les Misérables) who is also in love with Marius, and a now highly regarded commander Javert who looks to crush this budding rebellion under his boot heel before it truly takes root.

Les Misérables, the musical, has run on Broadway for 27 years to over 60 million theater goers. It has been adapted to the small screen and the silver screen numerous times over the years. Jean Valjean has been played by Liam Neeson, Gerard Depardieu, Jean-Paul Belmondo, and Richard Jordan. Big screen and Broadway draw Hugh Jackman now takes his turn as the Frenchman turned prisoner because of a stolen loaf of bread.

Director Tom Hooper regards this version of Les Misérables an achievement of silver screen musical adaptation because of the use of live singing during the production instead of having each actor and actress spend time in a studio months ahead of production to create an soundtrack album to be used for playback and lip-syncing during production. Hugh Jackman is no stranger to live performance singing on Broadway with turns in musicals such as The Boy From Oz. Samantha Barks is the most adept since coming from the musical itself. Ann Hathaway's siren voice seems meek, but is powerful enough musically and visually to serve as the cornerstone song in the commercials and in the film. Amanda Seyfried's songbird tweets come through surprisingly well and melodic. The aforementioned are the vocal highlights. Crowe, Redmayne, and Aaron Tveit's Enjolras (Premium Rush) are serviceable crooners. The innkeepers Thénardier (Sacha Baron Cohen, Hugo) and Madame Thénardier (Helena Bonham Carter, Dark Shadows) match their singing with enjoyable campy physical performances, hearkening back to spins in Tim Burton's Sweeney Todd. The music is strong enough to carry the film, although some may argue that the stage production had better pipes.

Les Misérables is half big screen spectacle and half theatrical musing. The opening scene with Valjean working with hundreds of other slaves working to dock a wayward French warship blurs the lines with sensational CGI effects. When Fantine sinks to the Red Light district to sell a locket in order to pay a debt, the painted whores and scenery feels more intimate and more at home on a moody Broadway stage. Hooper works both ends of the visual media with equal ease, giving the uninitiated theatrical musical moviegoer enough big screen impact to make it worthwhile, while catering to the patrons of the Big White Way a musical stage experience to make them feel at home.

Things have changed. For lovers of the musical, some of the plotlines are different. Jean Valjean, for example, no longer escapes for his freedom after 20 years. He is instead given parole for his time served. Is this change to make Jackman's character more likable from the beginning? It seems a trivial adjustment in the scheme of things. For moviegoers, do not expect much in the way of actual dialogue. This is a musical at its purest. Every line of verse supplies the dialogues and monologues required to push the story along. The visuals are stunning at times, the music powerful enough to illicit emotion.

Les Misérables is a musical spectacle that will delight some, if not most, stage production fans. For the movie musical newbies, as long as you like and appreciate musicals you will enjoy Les Miserables. To quote another musical, if you give yourself over to "...the power of the music of the night...", you should be transported.

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The Dark Knight Rises

Knightfall

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Rated: PG-13  Intense sequences of violence, language, some sensuality and intense sequences of action.
Release Date: July 20, 2012
Runtime:  2 hours 45 minutes

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Director: Christopher Nolan
Writers: Christopher Nolan, Jonathan Nolan, David S. Goyer, based on characters created by Bob Kane
Cast:  Christian Bale, Anne Hathaway, Tom Hardy, Liam Neesn, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Gary Oldman, Marion Cotillard, Morgan Freeman, Michael Caine, Matthew Modine

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SYNOPSIS: After the Batman is held responsible for District Attorney Harvey Dent's death, the caped crusader disappears from the streets of Gotham. Some years later, when terrorist leader Bane takes over the city, Bruce Wayne again dons his cowl as the Batman to protect the city that had forsaken him.

REVIEW: Christopher Nolan, the man who wrote, directed and breathed new life into the man behind the mask and the scourge of the streets of Gotham City with Batman Begins and The Dark Knight, returns for the last installment of his trilogy of films with The Dark Knight Rises (see the The Dark Knight Trilogy: The Road So Far for the full story of the first two films of the trilogy). With Jonathan Nolan (The Prestige, Memento) and David S. Goyer (Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance), Christopher Nolan scribes a fully realized dramatic actioner from the characters created by Bob Kane that takes the Batman to the next level - as well as setting the bar higher for all other superhero films.

After the Batman (Christian Bale, The Flowers of War) and the new Commissioner Gordon (Gary Oldman, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy) defeat the two-faced Harvey Dent, they take it upon themselves to cast the Batman as the villain and leaving the memory of Harvey Dent as the shining example of the righteousness of good in the city of Gotham. Pursued by the Gotham Police Department, the Batman abruptly disappears from the city streets. In addition, Bruce Wayne becomes a recluse, not even bothering to take part in the goings-on of Wayne Enterprises. Some years pass and the city of Gotham, with Commissioner Gordon at the head of the police department and the Dent Act in full effect for the criminals of the city, has become a town with low crime rates and no villainous underbelly. As Gotham City enjoys a period of tranquility and peace under The Dent Act, a new threat emerges in the guise of Bane (Tom Hardy, This Means War), a terrorist who shares the cleansing vision of his one-time mentor Ra's Al Ghul Ra's Al Ghul (Liam Neeson, Battleship) as the leader of the League of Assassins. When the mechanical masked Bane hatches a plot to cut off Gotham Island from the rest of the country by declaring marshal law under his rule, the Batman must come out of retirement to confront and attempt to defeat the skilled and vicious man. With only Commissioner Gordon, a new GPD detective named John Blake (Joseph Gordon-Levitt, 50/50), the devious alter ego of Selina Kyle as the leather-clad Catwoman (Ann Hathaway, Alice in Wonderland), Wayne Enterprises CEO Lucius Fox (Morgan Freeman, Dolphin Tale), perspective business partner Miranda Tate (Marion Cotillard, Contagion) and his trusty butler Alfred Pennyworth (Michael Caine, Journey 2: The Mysterious Island), the Batman fights an uphill battle that may break him physically and spiritually.

Christopher Nolan completes his vision of the Dark Knight with The Dark Knight Rises, the third in his trilogy of Batman films. Where Tim Burton's vision turned Gotham City into an abstract landscape filled with darkness and a little camp, and where Joel Schumacher lit up that darkness with iridescent color and a cartooned version of the Caped Crusader and his trusty side kick Robin, Nolan grounds his Bruce Wayne and cowled hero into a reality-based Shakespearean tragic drama centered around real architecture and deep symbolism. Throughout his films, Nolan denotes the Batman as a symbol to the city's denizens. In Batman Begins, when the Scarecrow rules the city with the symbol (and gases) of fear, the Batman became a darker, more dangerous symbol of real fear is. In The Dark Knight, the Joker hopes to mar the shining symbol of the city by corrupting Harvey Dent and his accomplishments as the city's district attorney. Instead of letting the Joker win, the Batman became the villain to shoulder the weight of the city's fury against his alleged murderous atrocities. In The Dark Knight Rises, Bruce Wayne and his alter ego must face difficult decisions and dire consequences to become a symbol for the city again. Can he rise up against the more skilled Bane to save the city he cherishes, and save himself in the process?

In The Dark Knight Rises: Prologue, the first six minutes of film was marred with the unintelligible rants of the mechanically respirator Bane. In the finished product, there are no more issues with his speech for the most part. With an elegant, raspy accent, Bane stands above his minions as a dangerous and driven man - bent on the destruction of Gotham City as per his one-time mentor Ra's A Ghul. Where Heath Ledger's Joker was a brilliantly psychotic maniac, Tom Hardy's Bane is a powerful and driven menace. Is Bane a better villain than the Joker? I am sure that many would find it blasphemy to speak ill of Ledger's last role. The brilliance of Nolan manages to set the characterizations of each rogue so far apart in scope and mission as to not warrant a comparison. In the comics, the Joker has been a mainstay menace to the Batman since the caped crusader's beginnings. Bane, although turned into a silly trench coated henchman in Joel Schumacher’s effort for Batman and Robin, was a critical component in a surprising and successful Knightfall story arc to the destruction and eventual resurrection of the man who would be Batman.

Many believe that Nolan may spread the story too thin by the introduction of too many characters. Before Batman Begins, the thought was that using minor rogues in the form of Ra's Al Ghul and the Scarecrow would undermine the success of the film, but its success spurred a sequel. With Bane, Cat Woman, and the possible return of Ra's Al Ghul, the same critics thought the same dilution of story might occur. Although long with a runtime coming in at 165 minutes, Nolan crafts a solid and dramatic tale that redeems Bane as a major pivotal villain in the canon of the Batman's rogue gallery and history, and cements all of Nolan's films of the Dark Knight into a carefully crafted, interwoven and tragic tale that borders more on fine drama than superhero fare. If you are looking for a super-powered follow-up to The Avengers, look elsewhere. If you are looking for too-human drama, The Dark Knight Rises is for you. Nolan's trilogy could be considered a saga in three acts. Act 1 in Batman Begins is Bruce's birth from man into the flawed, anti-hero and protector of the city. Act 2 in The Dark Knight takes the Batman from anti-hero to hero to villain. Act 3 in The Dark Knight Rises is Bruce returning as the reviled anti-hero to fight against odds he cannot overcome.

The Dark Knight Rises is a continuation of the foundation of what Nolan and his writers had already built in the first two films. Adding in elements from the Knightfall story arc and a dash of No Man's Land story arc, The Dark Knight Rises is both a telling of the physical breaking of the Batman and the spiritual breaking of the Gotham's citizenry. Equal parts Bane and Bruce, the Batman takes somewhat of a back seat to both. There is plenty of story and action, but the cowled avenger is relegated to the end of the first act and the sensational climax last act. For lovers of the dark detective, some story elements will be more obvious than for non-readers. This first-hand knowledge will not deter from the story, but will serve to foreshadow surprises later on.

The cast is stellar as always. Christian Bale gets a chance to just be Bruce for a majority of the film, but still managed to engage his gravelly deep voice of the Batman when needed. While Tom Hardy is barely recognizable behind Bane's mechanical mask, he does exude a fierce obsession of the destruction of Gotham that mirrors that of Ra's Al Ghul machinations from the first film. Ann Hathaway's Selina Kyle/Catwoman returns to the skin tight bodysuit and the razor's edge of doing for herself and doing for others. New character John Blake, played by Gordon-Levitt, steps out from the shadows of the GPD to become a detective in his own right. Oldman is still perfect as the ragged, war-weary, and determined Commissioner Gordon.

Similar to Sam Raimi's Spider-Man trilogy where I enjoyed Spider-Man 2 the most with its established hero and superior villain, the performance of Ledger's Joker and the story in total stands out as the best of the Dark Knight trilogy for me. The Dark Knight Rises is a dramatic story with a sensational ending, working perfectly into the Nolan hero narrative. We can discuss and debate the merits of each film all day, but in the end all I can say is - 'why so serious?'.

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WORTH: Matinee and BluRay

One Day

Quiet Romance

Director: Lone Scherfig
Writers: David Nicholls
Cast: Anne Hathaway, Jim Sturgess, Patricia Clarkson, Rafe Spall


SYNOPSIS: In One Day, we follow Emma and Dexter as they graduate on July 15th, 1988 from University and spend the night together. On the same date each year, we catch a glimpse of their lives as they grow together and apart.

REVIEW: Lone Scherfig, director of An Education, brings her mastery of subtle characterization and effortless evolving plot lines to the quiet romance of One Day. Using a screenplay by David Nicholls from his book, Scherfig focuses her energy and talents on bringing Emma and Dexter to life - for the same date of the year over a span of years starting from the night of and morning after their graduation from University.

Rich kid Dexter, played by Jim Sturgess of Across the Universe and 21, parties the night away with his University mates after graduation, eager to travel the world on his parents' dime. Along for the night's festivities is Emma, a poetry writing, book wormy girl with dreams of making her impression on the world. After a night spent together, Emma and Dexter decide to remain friends. A year passes and on the same date, July 15th, Emma and Dexter are together again. This time, Dexter is trying to catch a plane out of the country but helps Emma move into a rundown flat. Emma still has innocent high hopes for impressing upon the world and Dexter is anxious to embark across it. Every year passes and a new vignette opens before us, showing Emma, Dexter, and the course of their lives at that moment. Over the years, Dexter thrives as a television host while Emma flounders as a waitress. One pines for the other, knowing that the love will be unrequited. To say any more would be to give too much away.

Lone Scherfig, with her flare for understated realistic characters and gentle natural story development, is the perfect fit for Nicholls story. Anne Hathaway portrays Emma with quiet and sweet resolution and determination. Jim Sturgess embodies the excess that comes with privilege and the heights that one can fall from. The entire cast including Patricia Clarkson as Dexter's mother Alison lend themselves to superb performances and a surprisingly superior story. Every scene resonates with a faint regret or resolution we have all felt once or more in our lives.

A serious drama with lighthearted and tender moments, you will be moved by the heartache both Emma and Dexter in their lives and with each other. A slow, steady story that steadily builds and culminates in a satisfying, bittersweet conclusion, One Day may not be a huge success, but it is a successful film.

WORTH: Matinee or Rental

Alice In Wonderland

Curiouser and Curiouser

[Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham Carter, Mia Wasikowska, Anne Hathaway]

If you remember my review of "Shutter Island", I may have let you know that if you were a Scoreses fan, that film was not your typical fare from that director. Of course, the same does not apply to Tim Burton films. If you are a fan, then, by all means, go see his latest work.

SYNOPSIS:  Alice has grown up with nightmares of a place with talking animals, queens and edibles that allow you to become big or small. Now a young adult on the day of a lord's proposal to her, she runs away after a waist-coated rabbit, falling through the rabbit hole and into Underland. 

With all of the new tricks of movie-making at his disposal, Tim adds his Burtonesque touches to the classic Lewis Carroll tales of "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland" and "Through the Looking Glass". These stories have been made many times, into movies, spin-off books, comics, Sci-Fi Originals, and more. There is a blend to the film that takes the groundwork of Carroll and adds additional character development and some of the new ideas already seen in more recent tellings of the Alice story.

I have always been partial to Norman McLeod's 1933 version of the story. As a child on a late Saturday morning, I watched the black and white Alice wander through a grotesque, magical land, transfixed by the sheer lunacy of it all. I gather watching this film as a 7-year old would be the equivalent of being stoned as a teenager. I only have the former as a tangible gage, of course. Burton's version, though, is more spectacle than substance (or substance abuse). 

As he does so well in all of work, Tim Burton does not disappoint our optic sense. He is no stranger to strange environments, from "Edward Scissorhands" to "Sleepy Hollow" to "The Corpse Bride". His latest film is in gorgeous color, the human characters in realistic anatomical distortion, the animal characters stylized to the point of absurdity. All of these traits are perfect, especially if you are adapting a Wonderland story. But as the 1933 film captured my imagination as a child, the 2010 version can only warmed me as simple entertainment. I am definitely not jaded (see exhibit A for "Avatar") and am not trying to lessen the depth of what Burton has brought to the screen, but I think Burton's dementia may be becoming too mainstream.

Speaking of mainstream, that can especially be said for Johnny Depp. Once the source of much worry by studio executives, he is now the Golden Goose. His portrayal of the Mad Hatter is definitely mad, but frustrated instead of insane. The story gives us the "why" of his madness, and it fits. The other big names in the film, Anne Hathaway and Helena Bonham Carter, bring to their regal roles new quirkiness. Mia Wasikowska fits the Alice namesake well and, in some regards, upstages the other Wonderlanders with her subtle, sane direction.  But even wth all of this, my personal favorite was the Cheshire Cat... but who can resist a smiling feline who evaporates into air and has a "what will be, will be" attitude.

The film is worth a look if you a Burton fan, and the kids may get a kick out of it for its talking furry hares and rabbits, and sword-wielding mice. But on my journey back down the rabbit hole, drinking the potion makes you tiny, eating the cake makes you tall, and believing the advertising makes your wallet lighter.

One final note, if you don't "need" to see the movie in 3D, go ahead and save yourself a couple of bucks!

Worth: Matinee or DVD