Rachel Getting Married

"Rachel Getting Married" is a drama film, released in 2008. It stars Anne Hathaway as Kym, a relapsing drug addict who has been trying relentlessly to get clean. At the start of the movie, she returns home to attend her sister, Rachel’s wedding. Upon arriving, there is still the unresolved tension from Kym’s previous conflicts, one of which ended in the death of her brother. It is evident that her family still weighs heavily on the fact that her drug abuse led to her killing her brother in a car accident. Aside from family tragedies, there is also a war going on for which of the sisters gets the most attention. Rachel is sick of Kym getting fussed over, just because of her drug problem, and would like her parents to focus on her for once, since it’s her wedding. While Kym claims she hates the attention, she’s almost always finding some way to bring the spotlight on herself and her own recovery

“Rachel Getting Married” seemingly aims to illustrate how much havoc a drug addict can have on a family. However, the movie seems quite choppy at times, and has a lot of distractions, which results in it becoming more like a soap opera than a movie. The characters, I felt, were not as developed as they could have been. The family confrontational scenes were far and few in between. The wedding, dancing, and the well-wisher scenes went on and on and on, perhaps taking up almost half of the movie. Adding to the damage is the film’s handheld camera effect. Perhaps it was used to create an authentic feel, however it mostly makes for a dizzy and distracting sequence.

A Perfect Blend - Theatre and Film

As I mentioned in class on Wednesday, I am a big theatre dweeb.  So of course, when Les Miserables hit theaters this past December, I had to see it.  As much as I love theater and film, I have never been a fan of when the two are blended together.  For example, I'm not the biggest fan of RENT which hit Broadway in 1996 and movie theaters in 2005.  Why?  Well, I could go on for a while for a lot of different reasons.  But one of the biggest reasons, which I know many will disagree, is that casting Adam Pascal and Anthony Rapp was a mistake.  As we discussed in class, theatre acting and film acting are two very different things.  I think that Pascal and Rapp are phenomenal actors on stage and on film, but being thrown together with the rest of the broadway cast makes the film more "broadway" and not "film"- making the story seem fake and pieced together.

But back to where I was before, I think Les Mis was one of the BEST films I have seen that has been based on a musical.  What stood out to me was the audio.  There was no lip syncing which was impressive for the performer and the audio crew as well.  The sound was crystal clear.  I remember watching a scene where it was raining, and I felt like I could hear every single rain drop hit the ground perfectly.  Not to mention that since there was no lip syncing, it made the story feel that much more real.

Also, I need to talk about Anne Hathaway.  By far- one of the most compelling performances I have ever scene from an actress.  Her dramatic 25 pound weight loss to fit the role was only step one of her commitment to the role of Fantine.  Her emotional portrayal, particularly in "I Dreamed a Dream", was one of the most beautiful performances I have ever seen.  She nailed it.

Needless to say, I saw Les Mis twice, and wish I had time to see it again.

A New Production of a Classic

I would like to bring your attention, if it has not already been brought, to a remake of a classic musical that is set to come out in 2012. Now, I am not one to like musicals in general, I think that Rent and Wicked have gotten played so many times, and now whenever I hear a song from them my brain clenches up like a fist. Yeah, you could say I'm sick of them.

There is one musical, however, that ever since I was in it in senior year of high school never ceases to bring joy to my heart and a tear to my eye. That musical, ladies and gentlemen, is Les Miserables. The tragic yet uplifting story of Jean Valjean and his pursuer Javert amid the chaos of revolutionary France is nothing short of amazing. And IMDB says that they are set to remake it.

Not only are they going to remake it, but the cast that is rumored to star is crazy good. Hugh Jackman as Jean Valjean, Anne Hathaway as Fantine, Russell Crowe as Inspector Javert, Helena Bonham Carter as Madame Thenardier, and Geoffrey Rush is rumored to play Monsieur Thenardier. I mean...really. It going to be amazing.

It's going to be directed by Tom Hooper, who also directed The King's Speech.

You can read more about the new production here, and here is a trailer for the 1998 version starring Liam Neeson, Geoffrey Rush, Uma Therman and Claire Danes.