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22. On CBS Sunday Morning, David Edelstein really cut it down

Reply to TheMastersNemesis (Original post)

Tue Dec 25, 2012, 06:26 PM

Dec 2012

reluctantly:

I so wanted to love the musical "Les Miserables." Trouble started in the first, oh, 30 seconds. Director Tom Hooper has his stars perform the songs live instead of lip-synched to pre-recorded tracks. And HE WON'T LET YOU FORGET IT!

The camera rushes in on actor's faces, tilts 30 to 40 degrees, gets in real close - it must have been hard for them to keep their composure as they went flat or sharp or, in the case of Russell Crowe, into an uncanny fog of atonality.

But I admired Crowe's - all of their - gumption. The movie will be a monster hit, and many will weep at the plight of Hugh Jackman's Jean Valjean as he labors to shake Crowe's unshakable lawman Javert while forced to sing an octave too high.

Meanwhile, an emaciated Anne Hathaway performs the unforgettable - alas - "I Dreamed a Dream" in one take in close-up, looking like a plucked chicken, and earns every award that will surely be hurled at her skinny head.

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-3445_162-57560643/holiday-movies-offer-a-few-lumps-of-coal/

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Highlight:

URGENT MUST SEE - "LES MISERABLES" -- It Is The Movie Of Our Time -- GOP Featured -- [View all] TheMastersNemesis Dec 2012 OP

The element that makes great literature persist is it fits any time. lunatica Dec 2012 #1

It is also about racism and sexism like found in the 1850s and 1950s and 1960s graham4anything Dec 2012 #2

Hathaway was stunning exboyfil Dec 2012 #5

agree on all the above and elehhhhna Dec 2012 #12

There is a guy who lists the top 10 things he hates about exboyfil Dec 2012 #15

It's a great part - the best after Fantine. Cosette is a bore elehhhhna Dec 2012 #23

Can you give a link to this list? Would love to read it. Moonwalk Dec 2012 #25

The language is very crude exboyfil Dec 2012 #26

Can't possibly beat Chicago or Cabaret! The best musicals ever made, IMO. Or close to it. Honeycombe8 Dec 2012 #32

All great exboyfil Dec 2012 #35

Never seen La Mancha, but Fiddler on the Roof is way up on the list. Honeycombe8 Dec 2012 #43

There weren't too many adieu Dec 2012 #17

Which ties in to the economic exploitation epitomized by the capitalist system......... socialist_n_TN Dec 2012 #30

Capitalism adieu Dec 2012 #34

True that Marx wasn't so much "against" capitalism as he was.......... socialist_n_TN Dec 2012 #36

This movie and the Hobbit are on my xmas movie list riverbendviewgal Dec 2012 #3

Read the Julie Rose translation. politicat Dec 2012 #6

I think modern language translations of classic books are more correct. Kablooie Dec 2012 #8

Good to know. Thanks for this tip. n/t truedelphi Dec 2012 #11

The Hobbit was excellent. And I say that not as a Hobbit fan. nt Honeycombe8 Dec 2012 #33

The Republicans can easily see it as supporting their own philosophy. Kablooie Dec 2012 #4

You have to start with the premise exboyfil Dec 2012 #7

Our 3-strikes law out here put a guy away for life, for stealing pizza SoCalDem Dec 2012 #21

Yep. I mentioned it several times this week. Absolutely amazing. The 1935 version is great! Gregorian Dec 2012 #9

My favorite of them all is the 1934 French version aint_no_life_nowhere Dec 2012 #13

I was going to watch that a few weeks ago, but saw how long it was. Thanks. Gregorian Dec 2012 #14

I saw this as well, and it was superb frazzled Dec 2012 #20

People in this couintry like watching the poor from theatre seats. Not so much mingling... jtuck004 Dec 2012 #10

Why 'this country'? Les Miz is a global mega hit, on stage and on screen. The stage production start Bluenorthwest Dec 2012 #39

Because in this country we have docmentation of low-income people being arrested jtuck004 Dec 2012 #42

I plan to go see it, but it will have to had really strived to be as good as the stage 1monster Dec 2012 #16

The French Revolution is a lesson both sides can learn from tblue Dec 2012 #18

Except it's not about the French Revolution frazzled Dec 2012 #19

Except the Paris Uprising was a direct result of the post Waterloo administration... politicat Dec 2012 #24

I realize this is late, but I really love your explanation. No snark, just the facts. nt Stardust Jan 2013 #44

On CBS Sunday Morning, David Edelstein really cut it down question everything Dec 2012 #22

Wonderful thread....Thanks to all! haikugal Dec 2012 #27

Just saw it and CAN'T STOP CRYING... OneGrassRoot Dec 2012 #28

Just got back from seeing it... noel711 Dec 2012 #29

Crowe and Hathaway were the best of the actors. rjones2818 Dec 2012 #31

I Have The 10th Anniversary On Video Tape. Even In That Format It Was Excellent. TheMastersNemesis Dec 2012 #37

Huge Jackman is probably the best musical theater leading man of our time. Bluenorthwest Dec 2012 #38

Went to see this with my kids christmas night... bhikkhu Dec 2012 #40

American Les Miserables 2012 Berlum Dec 2012 #41