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| Variety's review of 'A Christmas Story Live!': 'Ill-conceived, choppy and creepy' | |
| Last Edit: WaymanWong 12:44 am EST 12/18/17 | |
| Posted by: WaymanWong 12:43 am EST 12/18/17 | |
| In reply to: A CHRISTMAS STORY LIVE! - Valalala 08:33 pm EST 12/17/17 | |
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| Link | Variety: TV review of 'A Christmas Story Live!' on Fox |
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| re: Variety's review of 'A Christmas Story Live!': 'Ill-conceived, choppy and creepy' | |
| Posted by: twocents 11:25 am EST 12/18/17 | |
| In reply to: Variety's review of 'A Christmas Story Live!': 'Ill-conceived, choppy and creepy' - WaymanWong 12:43 am EST 12/18/17 | |
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| poor Flick (JJ Batteast) pulled his supposedly stuck tongue off the pole just when the camera zoomed in on it. Yes! Keep your damn tongue on the pole as that is what the scene requires! I know he's just thirteen or whatever, but he was in rehearsals for nine weeks! |
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| re: Variety's review of 'A Christmas Story Live!': 'Ill-conceived, choppy and creepy' | |
| Posted by: SRMHAYES 09:28 am EST 12/19/17 | |
| In reply to: re: Variety's review of 'A Christmas Story Live!': 'Ill-conceived, choppy and creepy' - twocents 11:25 am EST 12/18/17 | |
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| I could keep my tongue on the pole!!!! | |
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| re: Variety's review of 'A Christmas Story Live!': 'Ill-conceived, choppy and creepy' | |
| Posted by: Teacher64 03:38 pm EST 12/18/17 | |
| In reply to: re: Variety's review of 'A Christmas Story Live!': 'Ill-conceived, choppy and creepy' - twocents 11:25 am EST 12/18/17 | |
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| I don't think it was Batteast's fault. It was more of a technical glitch. I think they may have used a vacuum like they did in the movie to make the kid's tongue stick to the pole. They used something because Batteast's tongue was clearly sticking to the pole. But Batteast not only had to scream with his tongue on the pole, he had to SING. And he had to do it LIVE, unlike the film where they could use the takes that worked. I saw an interview with one of the producers during one of the breaks and he was asked, "What are you most nervous about?". His response was "Would the tongue stick to the pole?". His nervousness seemed to suggest (and he somewhat verified) that this had been a problem during rehearsal. It would have worked better if the camera had not gone in for so many tight closeups on the kid while he was stuck. The tongue came off the pole at least 3 times that I saw, and they were all during closeups. Medium or wide shots would not have given it away. | |
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| re: Variety's review of 'A Christmas Story Live!': 'Ill-conceived, choppy and creepy' | |
| Posted by: twocents 11:23 am EST 12/18/17 | |
| In reply to: Variety's review of 'A Christmas Story Live!': 'Ill-conceived, choppy and creepy' - WaymanWong 12:43 am EST 12/18/17 | |
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| In an inspired bit of consumerism, the musical designed a ‘40s-era Old Navy storefront to nestle next to Higbee’s. Man, was this ever cheesy. I was downright annoyed! |
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| re: Variety's review of 'A Christmas Story Live!': 'Ill-conceived, choppy and creepy' | |
| Posted by: SRMHAYES 09:30 am EST 12/19/17 | |
| In reply to: re: Variety's review of 'A Christmas Story Live!': 'Ill-conceived, choppy and creepy' - twocents 11:23 am EST 12/18/17 | |
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| Caught it.....thought it was pretty cheap and sleazy. | |
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| "It only ran for a month"? Really? | |
| Posted by: TimDunleavy 10:06 am EST 12/18/17 | |
| In reply to: Variety's review of 'A Christmas Story Live!': 'Ill-conceived, choppy and creepy' - WaymanWong 12:43 am EST 12/18/17 | |
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| You'd think someone who writes for Variety would know that Christmas shows close at the end of December. Ah well. One thing I noticed this morning - in a thread about on Antenna TV's Facebook page - is that because it was advertised as "A Christmas Story Live" and not "A Christmas Story THE MUSICAL Live," people were NOT expecting a musical - and when the songs started, they felt betrayed. "I don't like musicals. I was so excited for this to come on and then BAM... It's a musical..." wrote one viewer. And she was definitely not alone. |
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| re: "It only ran for a month"? Really? | |
| Posted by: twocents 11:28 am EST 12/18/17 | |
| In reply to: "It only ran for a month"? Really? - TimDunleavy 10:06 am EST 12/18/17 | |
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| Egads, the betrayal! Et tu, Fox! It's worth watching for the live performance alone IMO. There's enough star power, too. | |
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| And what a number to begin with. | |
| Last Edit: Delvino 10:09 am EST 12/18/17 | |
| Posted by: Delvino 10:08 am EST 12/18/17 | |
| In reply to: "It only ran for a month"? Really? - TimDunleavy 10:06 am EST 12/18/17 | |
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| It was a 90s Gap commercial, repurposed to "make sure" no one under 26 changed the channel. It has the opposite impact: it took the very reason we tuned in -- for double nostalgia (both the era of the film, and whatever era we individually fell in love with it) and pretended we needed to be kicked in the ass and reminded it's really 2017. It completely meta-ized a piece of material that didn't require it, and upstaged a genuinely workable format, Broderick's character weaving into his own childhood. It was thus framed twice -- imagine, say a producer waltzing out before the Stage Manager in OUR TOWN -- and it was dreadful. Whoever thought of it should be fired and sent back to advertising. And the song was among the most unmemorable of pop ditties. It set up the Old Navy-ization, per Ann's points (and many on Facebook, who were truly appalled.) |
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| re: And what a number to begin with. | |
| Posted by: SRMHAYES 09:32 am EST 12/19/17 | |
| In reply to: And what a number to begin with. - Delvino 10:08 am EST 12/18/17 | |
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| It was TERRIBLE. Who IS that woman? What a gaffe! | |
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| re: And what a number to begin with. | |
| Posted by: gothamplaygoer 12:01 pm EST 12/18/17 | |
| In reply to: And what a number to begin with. - Delvino 10:08 am EST 12/18/17 | |
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| It certainly got the evening off to a bad start. As someone who loves the Broadway version of the musical, I was deeply disheartened by what transpired last night. Stretching the evening to three hours with added numbers and, worst of all, those "behind the scenes" segments that destroyed what little momentum the show was generating, was a big mistake. The pace of the first half was glacial. I missed the terrific kid tap dancer and the zany leg lamp number. Matthew Broderick lacked a light touch. On the plus side, Chris Diamantopoulos was a revelation, Jane Krakowski was, as always, an asset and the pace did pick up towards the end. The Chinese restaurant scene was cleverly handled. I fear that the friends that I enthusiastically urged to watch it will wonder why. | |
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| re: And what a number to begin with. | |
| Posted by: twocents 11:31 am EST 12/18/17 | |
| In reply to: And what a number to begin with. - Delvino 10:08 am EST 12/18/17 | |
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| imagine, say a producer waltzing out before the Stage Manager in OUR TOWN Great point. Hell, I loved the song anyway. I simply enjoyed the ride. They got it out of their system and delivered us to the 1940s anyway. |
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| re: And what a number to begin with. | |
| Posted by: MarjorieMae 10:41 am EST 12/18/17 | |
| In reply to: And what a number to begin with. - Delvino 10:08 am EST 12/18/17 | |
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| If that opening number was an Old Navy ad then the Greatest Showman ad was a Dr. Pepper street number ad from the 70's (I'm a Pepper). | |
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| Well, that was pretty nasty... | |
| Posted by: garyd 01:11 am EST 12/18/17 | |
| In reply to: Variety's review of 'A Christmas Story Live!': 'Ill-conceived, choppy and creepy' - WaymanWong 12:43 am EST 12/18/17 | |
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| and not necessary. Not to mention pompous and condescending. I think we can all articulate personal critiques much more incisive. | |
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| re: Well, that was pretty nasty... | |
| Posted by: Delvino 07:04 am EST 12/18/17 | |
| In reply to: Well, that was pretty nasty... - garyd 01:11 am EST 12/18/17 | |
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| I enjoyed it, especially its ending, which earned tears and paid off Broderick with a lovely fade out. But. But ... this part is so true, it's startlingly accurate; "But the production seemed to gyrate around them dizzyingly. The camera swooped through dream sequences, the Parker house, Ralphie’s classroom, and Cleveland Street with enthusiasm — but it felt disorienting, too, as if the camerawork was desperately trying to keep everything interesting. The constant cuts to commercial break didn’t help, especially because Old Navy — the show’s major sponsor — produced commercials that featured singing and dancing, just like the show itself." |
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| re: Well, that was pretty nasty... | |
| Posted by: Ann 08:20 am EST 12/18/17 | |
| In reply to: re: Well, that was pretty nasty... - Delvino 07:04 am EST 12/18/17 | |
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| Not to mention Old Navy's anachronistic product placement. Boo. | |
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| re: Well, that was pretty nasty... | |
| Posted by: WaymanWong 11:44 am EST 12/18/17 | |
| In reply to: re: Well, that was pretty nasty... - Ann 08:20 am EST 12/18/17 | |
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| Jeremy Gerard in his Deadline.com review: ''There was an Old Navy shop in the town square, too – er, 1940?'' | |
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| re: Well, that was pretty nasty... | |
| Posted by: twocents 11:33 am EST 12/18/17 | |
| In reply to: re: Well, that was pretty nasty... - Ann 08:20 am EST 12/18/17 | |
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| That storefront drove me crazy! A total WTH moment. | |
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| re: Well, that was pretty nasty... | |
| Posted by: Teacher64 03:45 pm EST 12/18/17 | |
| In reply to: re: Well, that was pretty nasty... - twocents 11:33 am EST 12/18/17 | |
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| Believe it or not, there were stores in the "olden days" (not sure how far back) that were referred to as "Army/Navy Stores" which sold surplus military style clothing and goods. I figured they were going for that. | |
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| re: Well, that was pretty nasty... | |
| Posted by: ryhog 08:58 pm EST 12/18/17 | |
| In reply to: re: Well, that was pretty nasty... - Teacher64 03:45 pm EST 12/18/17 | |
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| there still are. (not sure how that relates to the complaint though.) |
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| Variety wasn't the only nasty review ... | |
| Last Edit: WaymanWong 02:15 am EST 12/18/17 | |
| Posted by: WaymanWong 02:11 am EST 12/18/17 | |
| In reply to: Well, that was pretty nasty... - garyd 01:11 am EST 12/18/17 | |
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| Kelly Lawler's pan in USA Today features the headline: 'A Christmas Story' shoots its own eye out. And Lawler gave it 1-and-a-half stars out of 4: ''Although the cast is quite appealing and the show well staged (with hardly a hiccup or blooper), it couldn't liven up the flat material. A three-hour runtime made it a slog, and the musical was overstuffed with songs, some added from the 2009 Broadway musical adapted from it (by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul). Jokes were too far apart and never seemed to land. The added songs were too sugary sweet for the irreverent story, and as a whole package, it felt tonally dissonant and a little dull. ... Child actors were sweet and talented but overused, bordering on grating.'' Jeremy Gerard at Deadline.com: ''The revised book by Jonathan Tolins and Robert Cary drained whatever momentum and slyness wasn’t already leached out by that 180-minute slog. ... There’s no plot to speak of: Kid wants gun, kid gets gun. The meat is in the atmospherics, and in removing the fun, along with any suggestion of perspective, 'A Christmas Story' is a bust. Dad is an obscenity-spewing blowhard who gets off on the female-leg lamp he won in a crossword contest. His transition to loving father in the last seconds of the show was tough to swallow. A beloved scene in which a boy ends up with his tongue frozen to a lamp-post is as unappealing as this description of it. Where’s Harvey Fierstein when you need him? Although the master designer William Ivey Long is credited with the costumes, they appeared to be off-the-rack from Old Navy, the show’s main sponsor.'' Hank Stuever in the Washington Post: Packed too densely with needless smarm and excess songs, “A Christmas Story Live” stretched itself to three precisely executed but tedious hours Sunday night — including gobs of commercials, one of which was a live song-and-dance commercial for 20th Century Fox’s new musical film “The Greatest Showman,” which reeked instantly of box-office desperation and enforced synergy. Other commercials (Old Navy, in particular) were so full of song-and-dance nonsense that it made the experience of watching “A Christmas Story Live” seem that much longer. I like musicals ... [but] 'A Christmas Story Live' had a too-gooey center and a phony sense of seasonal exuberance.'' |
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| Link | Washington Post: Fox's overblown 'Christmas Story Live' (complete review) |
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