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| Showman | |
| Posted by: bearcat 11:49 am EST 01/23/18 | |
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| Atlantic Magazine did a piece on the Hugh Grant musical yesterday, and the Times has noted this as well: Showman appears to be a breakaway hit despite its critical assessment as a mediocrity. Is it truly entertaining? I am reminded of how Sound of Music was derided when it was reviewed by critics. Interesting comparisons in that both films iron out a character who was more complex. | |
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| re: Showman | |
| Posted by: Zelgo 09:51 pm EST 01/23/18 | |
| In reply to: Showman - bearcat 11:49 am EST 01/23/18 | |
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| It's definitely fun. It's unapologetically a musical (although the TV ads try really hard to hide that fact). The songs are good, but all have anthem-like feels to them, which can get somewhat monotonous. I also think it tries to be "magical," but there's not alot of magic in the way it's directed or scored. That said, it's a nice way to spend two hours. I went with a bunch a friends, which made the experience even better. |
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| re: Showman | |
| Posted by: MockingbirdGirl 02:36 pm EST 01/23/18 | |
| In reply to: Showman - bearcat 11:49 am EST 01/23/18 | |
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| "Sleeper" hit rather than breakaway hit... but yes, it is performing surprisingly well, despite the fact that everyone I know who has seen it has loathed it! | |
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| re: Showman | |
| Last Edit: mikem 02:34 pm EST 01/23/18 | |
| Posted by: mikem 02:33 pm EST 01/23/18 | |
| In reply to: Showman - bearcat 11:49 am EST 01/23/18 | |
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| The Greatest Showman has shown surprising resilience, given how disappointing its opening weekend was. It's now at $113 million domestic and $118 million of foreign gross. This past weekend, it again had the lowest drop in box office of the Top 10. It actually made more this past weekend than it did during its first weekend. This past weekend was the movie's 5th weekend in release, and it had the 73rd best 5th weekend of any movie in the past 30 years (not taking inflation into account). The soundtrack album was #1 for two weeks both in the US and in the UK. Regardless of whether you think the movie deserves to be a hit, it's good news for us. It shows that there is a sizable audience for a movie musical and opens the door for more musicals to be made. The recent Murder on the Orient Express also broke the $100 million mark domestically, with another $244 million foreign gross. A feather in the cap for Kenneth Branagh, a nice result for Leslie Odom, Jr, and good news for those of us who want similar movies to be made. |
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| re: Showman | |
| Posted by: WaymanWong 02:48 pm EST 01/23/18 | |
| In reply to: re: Showman - mikem 02:33 pm EST 01/23/18 | |
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| I'm no fan of ''The Greatest Showman,'' but I thought it would do better this morning at the Oscar nominations. Its Best Song nomination was a fait accompli, but some pundits thought it might get a Costumes and a Sound nomination, too. As for ''Murder on the Orient Express,'' Branagh's remake was far inferior to the classy 1974 version, directed by Sidney Lumet. Using the Oscars as a yardstick, Lumet's ''Murder'' got 6 nominations (and won 1); Branagh's got none. |
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| re: Showman | |
| Posted by: mikem 10:04 pm EST 01/23/18 | |
| In reply to: re: Showman - WaymanWong 02:48 pm EST 01/23/18 | |
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| I have read almost all of Agatha Christie's novels, so the success of Branagh's movie makes me happy that another such film will probably get made. But Lumet's version is really great (and starred some great theater folk like Lauren Bacall and Vanessa Redgrave). | |
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| re: Showman | |
| Posted by: Chazwaza 02:21 pm EST 01/23/18 | |
| In reply to: Showman - bearcat 11:49 am EST 01/23/18 | |
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| I'm not sure what the critics issues were with the Sound of Music movie at the time... but to compare the two films in terms of writing, score, storytelling, script, or full film is preposterous. Sound of Music is just on a higher level in all regards. It's one thing to say that Greatest Showman proved it could find an audience and have a larger appeal despite it being mediocre, it's another to say that because other great movie musicals had mixed reviews and are now acclaimed classics that Showman will be two is silly. I guess you never know, but then I would assume I'd like the film of SOM had I been alive to see it when it came out. | |
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| re: Showman | |
| Posted by: Deirdre 12:34 pm EST 01/23/18 | |
| In reply to: Showman - bearcat 11:49 am EST 01/23/18 | |
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| I can only speak for myself: I hated it. I did not find it entertaining. But if you asked the person sitting behind me in the theater, she was singing along with every song and clearly loved it. | |
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| re: Showman | |
| Posted by: Singapore/Fling 03:37 pm EST 01/23/18 | |
| In reply to: re: Showman - Deirdre 12:34 pm EST 01/23/18 | |
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| It's having phenomenal repeat business. A colleague of mine has seen it a jaw-dropping 5 times, and some theaters are now having special Sing-Along showings. | |
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| I was entertained. | |
| Posted by: shyllei 03:20 pm EST 01/23/18 | |
| In reply to: re: Showman - Deirdre 12:34 pm EST 01/23/18 | |
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| Showman isn't the greatest movie I've seen, but it also wasn't the worst. I enjoyed it for what it was and hope more movie musicals are in the works. | |
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| Hugh Jackman not Hugh Grant right? :-) nmi | |
| Posted by: Leon_W 12:22 pm EST 01/23/18 | |
| In reply to: Showman - bearcat 11:49 am EST 01/23/18 | |
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| Nmi | |
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| re: Hugh Jackman not Hugh Grant right? :-) nmi | |
| Posted by: gcarl44 08:50 pm EST 01/23/18 | |
| In reply to: Hugh Jackman not Hugh Grant right? :-) nmi - Leon_W 12:22 pm EST 01/23/18 | |
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| Surprisingly, no else seems to have picked up on this gaff. | |
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| re: Showman | |
| Posted by: steven_carter 12:14 pm EST 01/23/18 | |
| In reply to: Showman - bearcat 11:49 am EST 01/23/18 | |
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| I understand your point, and it's true that -in our era at least, many of the most commercially successful movies/plays/books are not the works which critics support. It's a bit of a myth, however, that the SOUND OF MUSIC film was "derided by critics" in 1965. While it's true that many NYC critics (Pauline Kael, Judith Crist, etc...) were negative, the vast majority of critics across the country (including some NYC reviewers), and especially the industry press (Variety, etc...) RAVED about THE SOUND OF MUSIC film, giving special praise to the changes Robert Wise and Ernest Lehman made in adapting the play to film. If you look at the recent book SOUND OF MUSIC:FAQ, or other recent books, you'll find that the filmmakers, as well as Richard Rodgers, were kind of shocked by those few bad reviews in NYC after the RIvoli press screening. But the general consensus was so overwhelmingly positive-especially in the industry- it made perfect sense that the film was nominated for, and won so many Academy Awards. |
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| re: Showman | |
| Posted by: JereNYC (JereNYC@aol.com) 03:00 pm EST 01/23/18 | |
| In reply to: re: Showman - steven_carter 12:14 pm EST 01/23/18 | |
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| When the show opened on Broadway though, I've always understood that the reviews were not strong, especially when compared to Rodgers and Hammerstein's other big hits. I've generally heard this ascribed to the Lindsey & Crouse book, which was not at the level of the books written by Hammerstein. But, of course, it found an audience anyway and ran a long time, even after the departure of the original stars, and the film really built it into our national culture. I'm not saying that will happen with THE GREATEST SHOWMAN, which is what it is, unless someone decides to adapt it for the stage and we get the reverse situation, where it would get terrific reviews for a reworked stage version, perhaps better than the original version of the property. |
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