Connie and Carla (2004), 6

PG-13 | 1h 38min | Comedy, Crime, Music | 16 April 2004
A mob mix-up in Chicago sends two chanteuses screaming for L.A., where they score a perfect gig: posing as drag queens on the dinner theater/cabaret circuit. Things get extra-weird when a guy falls for one of the girls.
Director: Michael Lembeck
Stars: Nia Vardalos, Toni Collette, David Duchovny.

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0345074/
Watched online, poor print.

24 songs in the Soundtracks, (probably) all showtunes.

An updated version of Some Like It Hot ('59), not nearly so funny, but better than you might expect.

One of the issues dealt with: one of the real drag queens has a straight brother who's trying to reconcile with him. They've been separated since the younger bro was preteen, and didn't even know the parents kicked older bro from the house. But younger bro is not adapting to the drag + homosexual thing at all, and is doubly weirded out by being attracted to (and pursued by) one of the false draggers (the fugitives), who does NOT reveal her true gender to him.

The fugitives make it big (within the local drag community) because they actually sing the songs (not just lip sync), and they help the owner expand his club to dinner theatre (which had gone extinct).

Big confrontation with the gangsters onstage culminating in a happy ending all the way around.

Rated 6.3 (7,447)

Universal & more, dir. Lembeck; 6

The Lion King 1 1/2 (2004), 6

G | 1h 17min | Animation, Adventure, Comedy | Video 10Feb2004

Timon the meerkat and Pumbaa the warthog retell the story of The Lion King, from their own unique perspective.

Director: Bradley Raymond

Stars: Nathan Lane, Ernie Sabella, Julie Kavner, Jerry Stiller, Matthew Broderick, Robert Guillaume, Whoopi Goldberg, Cheech Marin.

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0318403/

Watched online, good print.

23 songs in the Soundtracks, some from the original film.

This is ok, amusing. If you own the original, you should probably have this too. New characters: Timor's mother and uncle.

Rated 6.6 (30,831)

Disney, dir, Raymond; 6

Winnie the Pooh: Springtime with Roo (2004), 6-

G | 1h 5min | Animation, Comedy, Drama | Video 9 March 2004

Roo is upset when Rabbit cancels Easter and declares "Spring Cleaning Day" instead.

Directors: Saul Blinkoff, Elliot M. Bour

Stars: Jim Cummings, Ken Sansom, Jimmy Bennett, John Fiedler.

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0384696/

Watched online, good print.

10 songs in the Soundtracks.

Roo is a very sweet and cheerful character, and Rabbit was a big crab this time, resentful that last year (Roo's first Easter) the gang didn't wait and follow his instructions for preparing Easter festivities the right way. The gang takes him back to that page in the storybook, and the narrator takes him to a possible future page, where the gang all moved away, so Rabbit reforms and they have the Easter egg hunt a day late.  When Rabbit reforms, Tigger asks "what the Dickens is going on, and I do mean Dickens", because this was patterned after A Christmas Carol.

Shrug-worthy.

Rated 6.5 (1,424)

Disney, dir. Blinkoff & Bour; 6-

Shrek 2 (2004), 7 {nm}

PG | 1h 33min | Animation, Adventure, Comedy | 19 May 2004
Princess Fiona's parents invite her and Shrek to dinner to celebrate her marriage. If only they knew the newlyweds were both ogres.
Directors: Andrew Adamson, Kelly Asbury, Conrad Vernon.
Stars: Mike Myers, Eddie Murphy, Cameron Diaz, Julie Andrews, Antonio Banderas, John Cleese, Rupert Everett, Jennifer Saunders.

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0298148/

Enjoyable sequel with good story. I'm not sure I understand why they needed the new character Puss in Boots, although maybe I understand why they omitted Dragon (as they said in a c.track, she would have fixed things too quickly?)

Rated 7.2 (368,873)

Dreamworks & more, dir. Adamson, Asbury, Vernon; 7

Maria Callas: Living and Dying for Art and Love (2004), 7

58min | Documentary | TV Movie 17 January 2004

Documentary about the legendary Diva Maria Callas.

Director: Steve Cole

Stars: Maria Callas, Judi Dench, Plácido Domingo, Franco Zeffirelli.

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1366339/

Watched online, ok print.

No songs listed in the Soundtracks, but we do get clips of her singing both with and without video.

I've read at least 1 bio of MC years ago, and own several of her recordings. Unfortunately, no complete opera was ever filmed with her, only Act II of Tosca, and that's rather poor quality. Fortunately, portions of that are included in this brief doc'y.

I hadn't remembered that she bore a son (who died the same day) to Onassis, nor that Onassis died 2 years before she did. 

I like that PD says he regrets never getting to perform with her. (Her last performance was in '65; his debut was in '69.)

Everyone interviewed waxes rhapsodic about MC's acting and singing.

Too bad she lived like her roles instead of like the disciplined artist who created her instrument.

Everyone interviewed speaks English, including MC, who has almost no accent.

Rated 6.9 (8)

BBC & more, dir. Cole; 7

Stateside (2004), 5

R | 1h 37min | Drama, Music, Romance | 27 February 2004
The film follows a rebellious teenager on leave from the Marines who falls in love with a female musician. The relationship is threatened when she develops a mental illness...
Writer/Director: Reverge Anselmo
Stars: Jonathan Tucker, Rachael Leigh Cook, Agnes Bruckner.

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0339727/
Watched online, poor print (blurry).

25 songs in the Soundtracks, with 1 that I recognized: 'The Magnificent Seven' Theme, Written by Elmer Bernstein, Performed by Tito Rodriguez and His Orchestra. Bizarre adaptation, but it works.

I'm not sure that I watched this carefully enough, nor do I know enough about schizophrenia to evaluate how well it's portrayed here. But the idea of this 18 yo Marine "falling in love with" this schizophrenic pop star who's in hospital for treatment of same should be more interesting than this film makes it, because her disease does not assert itself much with him. So he's fallen for a part of her, and doesn't understand what else would be involved.

This is tagged Music because she sings & plays guitar a bit.

Neither lead has the charisma to carry this.

Avoid.

Rated 6.0 (1,790)

distr. Goldwyn, dir. Anselmo; 5

Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights (2004), 6-

PG-13 | 1h 26min | Drama, Music, Romance | 27 February 2004
In November 1958, the American teenager Katey Miller moves with her parents and her younger sister to Havana. 
Director: Guy Ferland
Stars: Diego Luna, Romola Garai, Sela Ward, John Slattery.
JoAnn Fregalette Jansen ... choreographer
Allen Walls ... assistant choreographer

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0338096/

Watched online, bad print, blurry.

27 songs in the Soundtracks.

The dancing is Latin, the leads are uncharismatic, the print was blurry and hard to hear. Several scenes were in Spanish, and no subtitles were provided.

Patrick Swayze was there as a dance instructor, and danced a little, but his screen time was minimal.

The characters are impacted by the Revolution, but that's not a major theme, as you would hope it's not when you're expecting a dance film.

Probably not worth a second look.

Rated 6.0 (24,749)

distr. LionsGate, dir. Ferland; 6-

Puccini: La Bohème (2003), 7

Music, Drama, Romance | TV Movie

During the 1830s in Paris, a group of starving artists share poverty, happiness, love, sickness, death, and grief.

Director: Carlo Battistoni

Conductor: Bruno Bartoletti

Director: Franco Zeffirelli

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0424860/

First performance at Turin, February 1, 1896

Time: about 1830
Place: Paris

I like this performance. However, the stage was not properly mic'd, and they have large zones where the singers are hard to hear, others where it's fine. So it's best to watch this when you can crank up the sound.

The production looks much like others, with a bleak-looking garrett, low rent cafe, etc. But that's the world these people live in.

The Puccini music is terrific, of course.

Cast:
MIMI, a seamstress Soprano : Cristina Gallardo Domas
RODOLFO, a poet Tenor :  Marcelo Álvarez
MARCELLO, a painter Baritone : Roberto Servile
COLLINE, a philosopher Bass : Giovanni Battista Parodi
SCHAUNARD, a musician Baritone : Natale De Carolis
BENOÎT, a landlord Bass : Matteo Peirone
ALCINDORO, a state councilor and follower of Musetta Bass : Angelo Romero
PARPIGNOL, an itinerant toy vendor Tenor : Alberto Fraschina
CUSTOM-HOUSE SERGEANT Bass : Ernesto Panariello
MUSETTA, a grisette Soprano : Hei-Kyung Hong

Rated 7.8 (12)

Teatro alla Scala, cond. Bartoletti; 7

Mozart: The Magic Flute (2003), 6

3h 5min | Fantasy, Romance, Music | TV Movie 3 Dec 2011

Prince Tamino conquers all odds to be wise and to rescue Pamina, the daughter of the Queen of the Night. 

Director: Sue Judd

Conductor: Sir Colin Davis

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0383058/

Time: unspecified but roughly about the reign of the Pharaoh Ramses I 

Place: Egypt 

First performance at Vienna, September 30, 1791

This production set the time during the Age of Enlightenment, with the weird exception of Papagena dressing in 1960's mini-skirt (which is extra weird, since the lyrics talk about her being old, and she's not, nor does she get a moment to discard her old-ugly disguise after Papageno accepts her.)

This production is highly rated, and reviewers talk about it being their favorite production of the many they've seen. I don't get it, but maybe I don't like the opera. I have vague memories of seeing a tv production long ago with colorful costumes, but maybe it was the segments within Amadeus ('84).

This production is not colorful, except when we first meet Sarastro and the set is bright red.

I have another production with K.Battle as Pamina that I haven't watched yet. It's rating is lower and has fewer votes. It's about 20min shorter, which is part of the problem here: too long. And with this long an opera, you could pick up 20min just by picking up the pace.

Perhaps my rating will improve when I become more familiar with the opera. I have a Great Course on Operas of Mozart, and 8 of the 24 45min lectures are on The Magic Flute. I'll wait to detail any more negativity until a second viewing.

Cast:

TAMINO, an Egyptian prince Tenor : Will Hartmann

PAPAGENO, a birdcatcher Baritone : Simon Keenlyside

SARASTRO, High Priest of Isis and Osiris Bass : Franz-Josef Selig

THE QUEEN OF THE NIGHT Soprano : Diana Damrau

PAMINA, her daughter Soprano : Dorothea Röschmann

MONOSTATOS, chief of the temple slaves Tenor : Adrian Thompson

PAPAGENA Soprano : Ailish Tynan

THREE LADIES-IN-WAITING TO THE QUEEN OF THE NIGHT Two Sopranos and a Mezzo-soprano 

THREE GENII OF THE TEMPLE Two Sopranos and a Mezzo-soprano 

THE ORATOR Bass 

TWO PRIESTS Tenor and Bass 

TWO MEN IN ARMOR Tenor and Bass 

Rated 9.1 (119)

Royal Opera & more, cond. Davis; 6

Honey (2003), 6

PG-13 | 1h 34min | Drama, Music, Romance | 24 Nov 2003

Honey is a sexy, tough music video choreographer who shakes up her life after her mentor gives her an ultimatum: sleep with him or be blacklisted within their industry.

Director: Bille Woodruff

Stars: Jessica Alba, Mekhi Phifer, Romeo Miller.

Luther A. Brown ... choreographer

Laurieann Gibson ... choreographer

Monica Gomez ... assistant choreographer

Kennis Marquis ... assistant choreographer

Vergi Rodriguez ... assistant choreographer

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0322589/

Watched online, good print.

32 songs in the Soundtracks, many used for dancing.

Not a great film, but I admire the positive messages: 1) Missy Elliott did not want to (semi-)twerk in her video, 2) JA didn't cave in to her employer's pressure, not even when he offered to buy her a building, and 3) dancing is (mentally & physically) healthier than crime.

But there's no great depth to any character, nor within the plot. But it's nice to hear hip-hop music that has positive lyrics, and see a story with a happy ending.

The dancing is good, just not my favorite flava, if ya feel me.

Rated 5.3 (40,511)

Universal & more, dir. Woodruff; 6

Coffee and Cigarettes (2003), 4 {nm} b/w

R | 1h 35min | Comedy, Drama, Music | 5 September 2003 | b/w
A series of vignettes that all have coffee and cigarettes in common.
Writer/Director: Jim Jarmusch
Stars: none. it's an anthology with no characters overlapping.

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0379217/
Watched online, ok print.

No songs were performed, no instruments were held, no music was discussed.

I cannot imagine why this is rated well. I derived no pleasure or meaning from the stories or characters, no visual or aural appeal. Several vignettes involved family members. Almost all vignettes were pointless.

The one that had a bit of a point involved 2 celebrities, one more popular than the other, just meeting for the first time, with the lesser celeb bringing a genealogy chart showing they're distant cousins. The popular guy doesn't want to give his cell# until he learns the other socializes with Spike Jonze; then the other doesn't want it. Since they're both Brits, they drink tea, and only 1 of them smokes, so it doesn't conform to the film's title.

The word that kept flashing in my mind during the whole thing: pretentious.

Also made me wonder if any cafe/diner anywhere would allow smoking today. And of course, Wikipedia to the rescue: "States with no statewide smoking ban. As of July 2018, 12 states have not enacted any general statewide ban on smoking in workplaces and/or bars and/or restaurants: Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, Missouri, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Texas, Virginia, West Virginia, and Wyoming."

Rated 7.1 (53,998)

distr. UA, dir. Jarmusch; 4

The Night We Called It a Day (2003), 5

R | 1h 37min | Biography, Comedy, Drama | 14 August 2003
Based on the true events surrounding Frank Sinatra's tour of Australia. When Sinatra calls a local reporter a "two-bit hooker", every union in the country black-bans the star until he issues an apology.
Director: Paul Goldman
Stars: Dennis Hopper, Melanie Griffith, Portia de Rossi, Joel Edgerton.

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0320159/
Watched on AmazonPrime.

19 songs in the Soundtracks, 6 Performed by Tom Burlinson, sounding like Frank Sinatra.

DH portrays FS. MG is Barbara Marx who is finally engaged to FS by film's end. PS is the wronged reporter (who was very aggressive and asked ugly questions. JE is the promoter.

It wasn't really awful, just not worth viewing a second time. Neither the story nor DH offer insights into FS; it just shows him with his mobby associates (Jilly Rizzo is a named character who gets into a prolonged fist fight with JE, who barely prevails).

MG is interesting, but I have no idea if her portrayal (sexy, fun, sweet, treated well by FS) is true to the real woman. Nor does it matter.

I've gotten to the point that if I see a film is free on Prime, I dread watching it. (Just searched my notes, and they're not all bad; some 6's, 7's and an 8.)

Rated 6.0 (837)

indie, dir. Goldman; 5

Broadway's Lost Treasures (2003), 7

1h 50min | Music | Episode aired 10 August 2003

The golden age of the annual Tony Awards ceremony lasted from 1967 to 1986 -- the period during which Alexander H. Cohen and his wife, Hildy Parks, were the producers of the show. This film offers a compilation of performances from Tony Award broadcasts during those years. They are presented with color-corrected footage and digitally re-mastered sound. 
Director: Chris Cohen

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0376525/

16 songs in the Soundtracks. Below I show 24 "songs" (some are medleys) because I split the Chicago numbers and added several not on IMDb yet (bolded a lowercase "performed". I'll not add them today. Songwriters are documented with title cards preceding each number.)

This show focuses on B'way musicals.

I would rate this higher, but several performances are lip synced(!).

BTW, I don't think the show mentions that the clips come from the Tony Awards shows.

Songs performed:

1. Adalaide's Lament (from "Guys and Dolls"), Sung by Vivian Blaine 
2. A New Argentina (from "Evita"), Sung by Patti LuPone, Mandy Patinkin, Bob Gunton and the original Broadway company of "Evita" 
3. Worst Pies in London (from "Sweeney Todd"), Performed by Angela Lansbury 
4. Before the Parade Passes By (from "Hello, Dolly!"), Performed by Carol Channing 
5. Send in the Clowns (from "A Little Night Music") Sung by Julie Andrews 
6. If I Were a Rich Man (from "Fiddler on the Roof"), Performed by Zero Mostel 
7. Shall We Dance? (from "The King and I"), Sung by Yul Brynner and Patricia Morison 
8. Hey There (from "The Pajama Geme"), Sung by John Raitt 
9. Trouble (from "The Music Man"), Performed by Robert Preston 
10. What's the Matter With Kids Today (from "Bye Bye Birdie"), performed by Paul Lynde
11. Wilkommen (from "Cabaret"), Performed by Joel Grey and the original Broadway cast of "Cabaret" 
12. Kickin' the Clouds Away (from "Tip-Toes"; reused in "My One and Only"), Performed by Tommy Tune, Twiggy and the original Broadway cast of "My One and Only" 
13. All That Jazz (from "Chicago"), Performed by Chita Rivera 
14. Nowadays (from "Chicago"), Performed by Gwen Verdon and Chita Rivera 
15. Lullaby of Broadway (from "42nd Street"), Performed by Jerry Orbach, Wanda Richert and the original Broadway cast of "42nd Street" 
16. Tomorrow (from "Annie"), Sung by Andrea McArdle 
17. You're Never Fully Dressed Without a Smile (from "Annie"), performed by ensemble
18. Jellicle Songs (from "Cats"), Sung by Betty Buckley and the original Broadway company of "Cats" 
19. Memory (from "Cats"), Performed by Betty Buckley 
20. Jimmie McHugh Medley (from "Sugar Babies"), performed by Mickey Rooney and Ann Miller
21. Buenos Aires (from "Evita"), performed by Patti LuPone
22. Movie Star Gorgeous (from "The Apple Tree"), performed by Barbara Harris
23. Applause (from "Applause"), performed by Bonnie Franklin
24. Medley from Annie (from "Annie"), performed by original cast

Rated 8.2 (95)

KQED & more, dir. Cohen; 7

Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas (2003), 7 {nm}

PG | 1h 26min | Animation, Adventure, Comedy | 2 July 2003
The sailor of legend is framed by the goddess Eris for the theft of the Book of Peace, and must travel to her realm at the end of the world to retrieve it and save the life of his childhood friend Prince Proteus.
Directors: Patrick Gilmore, Tim Johnson
Stars: Brad Pitt, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Michelle Pfeiffer, Joseph Fiennes, Dennis Haysbert.

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0165982/

Not a musical, but wanted to see the progression of animation. IMDb Trivia says this is the last hand-drawn animation at Dreamworks, and is also what broke the bank there (losing $125M?).

The story would be suitable for a live-action film with special effects for the monsters and sea battles; it's not particularly child-oriented.

I recognized every utterance of 4 of the 5 principals, visualizing them overlaid on the animated images. (I don't know JF by sight or sound.)

They claim they're faithful to the 7 voyages of Sinbad stories, but they also blended in some Greek mythology.

I like it.

Rated 6.7 (43,380)

Dreamworks, dir. Gilmore & Johnson; 7

Kiss Me Kate (2003), 6

Great Performances (1971– )

2h 27min | Music | Episode aired 26 February 2003

A live performance of the 1999 revival, taped in London in the theatre in which it was staged, and in front of a live audience.

Director: Chris Hunt

Stars: Brent Barrett, Rachel York, Nancy Kathryn Anderson.

Kathleen Marshall ... choreographer

 as

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0353628/

18 songs in the Soundtracks, all Music and Lyrics by Cole Porter.

I like the film Kiss Me Kate (1953), 8, 1h 49min too well, I think. It's shorter, and has the advantage of being filmed by a director (George Sidney) who created many good film musicals, with a terrific cast and crew. I didn't get any extra benefit from seeing a "live" performance, nor from the extra songs/dialog, nor from the other performers.

The most interesting difference: the use of From This Moment On as a duet between Lily and her fiance. There is no number equivalent to the 3 couples (Miller/Rall, Haney/Fosse, Coyne/Van) dancing in the film.

Rated 8.1 (209)

KQED & more, dir. Hunt; 6

Broadway: The Golden Age, by the Legends Who Were There (2003), 7

Unrated | 1h 51min | Documentary, History, Music | April 2003
Interviews and archival footage are used to tell the story of post-war Broadway through the 1960s.
Writer/Director: Rick McKay

Stars: lots

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0303797/

No songs in the Soundtracks, but many are performed via archive footage, and during interviews. 15 songs are credited in the end of the film. I don't have the will to even list them here, much less put them in IMDb.

This is primarily about stage dramas, but musicals are included in the stars/productions discussed.

This is an interesting oral history collected over 5 years by RM. He had reserved some of his footage for a sequel, which has a 2018 release date (no day or location), but no distribution company as yet. Unfortunately, RM died in Jan'18.

Rated 8.4 (413)

indie, dir. McKay; 7

Piglet's Big Movie (2003), 6

G | 1h 15min | Animation, Adventure, Comedy | 21 March 2003
When Piglet comes up missing his Hundred Acre Wood, friends use Piglet's own Book of Memories to find him, discovering along the way just how big a role he's played in their lives.
Director: Francis Glebas
Stars: John Fiedler, Jim Cummings, Ken Sansom.

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0323642/
Watched online, good print.

11 songs in the Soundtracks, 7 with Music and Lyrics by Carly Simon.

Very young-minded stuff, but this one had a good message: pay attention to your friends so you make sure to give them credit for the good they do, especially the small quiet ones.

Amazing that John Fiedler voiced Piglet; he's the only original cast member utilized. The IMDb Connections page lists the first short from '66, the first film from '77. Fiedler/Piglet was first in a '68 short. Fiedler dies in '05 at age 80.

This is a sequence of stories about Piglet recounted while the gang is trying to find him. Because I didn't watch any of the half-hour Pooh shows, I don't know if this was a compilation of prior animation, or all/mostly original. The IMDb trivia page mentions only 1 of the stories being in a prior episode, and that the animation was done in Japan & Philippines.

Rated 6.1 (5,906)

Disney, dir. Glebas; 6

The Jungle Book 2 (2003), 7

G | 1h 12min | Animation, Adventure, Family | 14 February 2003
Mowgli, missing the jungle and his old friends, runs away from the man village unaware of the danger he's in by going back to the wild.
Director: Steve Trenbirth
Stars: John Goodman, Haley Joel Osment, Tony Jay.

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0283426/
Watched online, good print.

6 songs in the Soundtracks; 3 from the original '67 film, 3 with Words and Music by Lorraine Feather and Paul Grabowsky.

My affection for the first film is likely what makes me enjoy this one. Most reviewers react the opposite, calling this a poor sequel. I was drawn in immediately, and although it's not as good, it's still engaging. I liked the first song a lot, and it's one of the new ones (Jungle Rhythm).

None of the original cast were used here (36 years later), but a lot of them do excellent impersonations of the originals. Compare:

Baloo: Phil Harris :: John Goodman

Bagheera (panther): Sebastian Cabot :: Bob Joles

Shere Khan (tiger): George Sanders :: Tony Jay

Kaa (snake): Sterling Holloway :: Jim Cummings

Goodman is recognizable as himself, but he looks like Baloo/Phil Harris, so that's almost ok. It's hard for me to remember that the panther is a good guy; this actor didn't imitate SC strongly. But the village man who adopted Mowgli is voiced by John Rhys-Davies, who reminded me of Sebastian Cabot, so maybe a different voice for the panther was intentional. Tony Jay was great as GS, and Jim Cummings was good as SH.

Rated 5.4 (13,405)

Disney, dir. Trenbirth; 7

The Music Man (2003), 6

TV-G | 2h 30min | Comedy, Family, Musical | TV Movie 16 February 2003
Contemporary rethinking of the legendary Broadway musical and 1962 film, updated to reflect a few early twenty-first-century sensibilities: A masterful con artist tries to bilk a staid Midwestern community, with unexpected results. 
Director: Jeff Bleckner
Stars: Matthew Broderick, Kristin Chenoweth, Victor Garber, Molly Shannon.
Kathleen Marshall ... choreographer
Vince Pesce ... associate choreographer

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0293437/

borrowed dvd

19 songs in the Soundtracks, all Written by Meredith Willson.

I miss Robert Preston, Buddy Hackett and little Ronnie Howard. I miss the Technicolor of the '62 film, and the way that dancing was staged and photographed. I miss Paul Ford's bumbling blustering malapropistic mayor and Hermione Gingold's elitist bohemian. I miss the Ye, Gods! of the '62 mayor's daughter.

Only Chenoweth competes with her counterpart (Shirley Jones), with the possible exception of the vocal talents of the barbershop quartet, but the faces were better in '62.

But I didn't mind a bit seeing this show again. Tempting to give it a 6+.

Rated 6.3 (1,742)

distr. ABC, dir. Bleckner; 6

A Mighty Wind (2003), 7-

PG-13 | 1h 31min | Comedy, Music | 9 May 2003
Mockumentary captures the reunion of 1960s folk trio the Folksmen as they prepare for a show at The Town Hall to memorialize a recently deceased concert promoter.
Director: Christopher Guest
Writers: Christopher Guest, Eugene Levy
Stars: Christopher Guest, Eugene Levy, Michael McKean, Harry Shearer, Catherine O'Hara, Jane Lynch.

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0310281/
Watched online, good print.

17 songs in the Soundtracks, most written by cast members.

Today this really tickled my funny bone. I'm not a folk music fan, but heard a lot of it in the 60s, so the music here is impressively folk-y. And I'm impressed by the musicianship and vocal talents of the cast. (Maybe I shouldn't be: one of the credits is "voice casting", and the Soundtracks page lists the character name as the performer.)

I'm giving this a minus because previously I rated this lower. But maybe I've seen enough doc'ys and musical biopics that I can appreciate this more now.

Rated 7.3 (24,049)

distr. Warner, dir. Guest; 7-

The Electric Piper (2003), 5

1h 8min | Animation, Family, Fantasy | TV Movie 2 Feb 2003

A rock opera version of the Pied Piper tale, set in the late 1960's. A Jimi Hendrix-like guitarist exterminates the rats from the "perfect" suburban community of Hamlin, and takes revenge when the Mayor reneges on his reward: a Harley Davidson motorcycle. 

Director: Raymie Muzquiz

Stars: Wayne Brady, Rodney Dangerfield, Christine Ebersole, George Segal.

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0377056/

Watched online, good print.

No songs in the Soundtracks, but plenty in the film, both played by the "piper" and sung by characters.

After reading a Wikipedia article about the fable of the Pied Piper, this is fairly close, since the revenge is leading the children out of the town.

This adds the parents aging rapidly while the children are gone, and the children learn that and want to return. While they were gone, the piper gave them everything they wanted, and even taught one of them to play the guitar to the same magical effect as the piper did. So when they return, they restore the town and the people to their prior age/condition, and everyone is happy.

Somehow the 1960s setting and pseudo-psychedelic animation don't appeal to me, nor does the magical ease with which so many things happen: the guitar music provides insta-paths to far-off places, burrows holes in mountains, seals them up again, provides customized food for everyone, etc. Besides, I'm tense wondering what evil intent this piper might have, and wonder at the quick and optimistic resolution to the story.

It's not just me.

Rated 5.8 (42)

distr. Nickelodeon, dir. Muzquiz; 5

The Great American Songbook (2003), 7

Great Performances (1971– )

2h 54min | Music | Episode aired 11 March 2003

Documentary assembling film clips of musical numbers from songwriters considered significant contributors to pop culture before the advent of rock and roll.
Director: Andrew J. Kuehn
Stars: Michael Feinstein.

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0352382/

An impossible task executed well.

What bugs me: IMDb has nothing in the Soundtracks and only 3 films in the Connections. And the film does not list the films, a deliberate decision (per the partial c.track) because it would be TMI onscreen. Ugh.

I don't love the structure of the film: overview then historical context, because it felt like they started over within the first part of the film.

Songs performed, all partial; next time maybe add songwriters.
(List in sequence by appearance; numbered for fun. DVD has 38 chapters):

1. Yankee Doodle Dandy (MF at piano)
2. Star Spangled Banner (Stephen Foster biopic in color)
3. minstrel number (b/w stage has letter H over proscenium)
4. Oh Susanna, Camp Town Races, Swanee River (b/w Stephen Foster biopic portrayed by Craig Stephens)
5. Swing Low Sweet Chariot (Green Pastures? Hallelujah?)
6. Dixie (color film)
7. Battle Hymn of the Republic (color film lots of black singers, Clifton Webb as Sousa?)
8. (transportation montage)
9. Shine on Harvest Moon (Ann Sheridan, b/w period costume)
10. Maple Leaf Rag (Scott Joplin photos, black musicians playing - not generating what we hear)
11. St. Louis Blues (Bessie Smith short of same name ('29))
12. Am I Blue (Ethel Waters, probably On with the Show! ('29))
13. ?song (Nina Mae McKinney dancing, likely Hallelujah ('29))
14. ?song (Duke Ellington & His Cotton Club Orchestra, ?film)
15. After the Ball (Alice Faye, Lillian Russell ('40))
16. speaking part (Spencer Tracy as Edison the Man ('40))
17. Yankee Doodle Dandy (James Cagney in film of same name ('42))
18. Sweet Mystery of Life (Jeanette MacDonald & Nelson Eddy, Naughty Marietta ('35))
19. Donkey Serenade (Allan Jones, The Firefly ('37))
20. Stouthearted Men (Nelson Eddy, New Moon ('40))
21. Till the Clouds Roll By (Ray McDonald, film of same name ('46))
22. Alexander's Ragtime Band (Alice Faye, film of same name ('38))
23. A Pretty Girl is Like a Melody (Dennis Morgan dubbed by Allan Jones, The Great Ziegfeld ('36))
24. Pack Up Your Troubles in Your Old Kit Bag (Gordon MacRae, On Moonlight Bay ('51))
25. Over There (Frances Langford & James Cagney, Yankee Doodle Dandy ('42))
26. Swanee (Al Jolson, likely from Rhapsody in Blue ('45))
27. Rhapsody in Blue (MF at piano, then Oscar Levant & orchestra in film of same name ('45))
28. Ol' Man River (Paul Robeson, Show Boat ('36))
29. Toot, Toot, Tootsie (Al Jolson, The Jazz Singer ('27))
30. My Man (Fannie Brice, The Great Ziegfeld ('36))
31. Some of These Days (Sophie Tucker, Broadway Melody of 1938 ('37))
32. Makin' Whoopee (Eddie Cantor, likely from Whoopee! ('30))
33. Lady Be Good (montage from film of same name ('41))
34. (I'll Take) Manhattan (looks old enough to be from the short Makers of Melody ('29))
35. Isn't It Romantic? (Maurice Chevalier, Love Me Tonight ('32))
36. Star Dust (Meredith Blake, likely the short Hoagy Carmichael ('39))
37. Ain't Misbehavin' (Fats Waller, Stormy Weather ('43))
38. Brother Can You Spare a Dime (MF at piano)
39. We're in the Money (Ginger Rogers, Gold Diggers of 1933 ('33))
40. Lullaby of Broadway (Wini Shaw, Gold Diggers of 1935 ('35))
41. I Only Have Eyes for You (Dick Powell, Dames ('34))
42. Stormy Weather (Lena Horne, film of same name ('43))
43. Takin' a Chance on Love (Ethel Waters, Cabin in the Sky ('43))
44. Blue Again (Dorothy Fields, ?film)
45. A Fine Romance (Fred Astaire, Swing Time ('36))
46. You Do Something to Me (Bob Hope, Paree, Paree ('34))
47. Let's Do It (MF at piano)
48. You're the Top (Ethel Merman & Bing Crosby, Anything Goes ('36))
49. I Get a Kick Out of You (Ethel Merman, Anything Goes ('36))
50. Life is Just a Bowl of Cherries (?singer, montage of people listening to radio)
51. Happy Days Are Here Again (?singer, montage of people drinking, Prohibition repealed)
52. Summertime (Anne Brown, Rhapsody in Blue ('45))
53. Let's Face the Music and Dance (danced by Fred & Ginger, Follow the Fleet ('36))
54. Somewhere Over the Rainbow (Judy Garland, mostly over montage of non-Oz footage, then The Wizard of Oz ('39))
55. --------part 2 marker, ch20, 1h 25min---------
56. Hooray for Hollywood (Johnnie Davis & Frances Langford, Hollywood Hotel ('37))
57. Puttin' on the Ritz (Harry Richman, film of same name ('30))
58. Cheek to Cheek (Fred Astaire, Top Hat ('35))
59. Let's Call The Whole Thing Off (Fred Astaire, Shall We Dance ('37))
60. Just One of Those Things (Doris Day, Lullaby of Broadway ('51))
61. I Wish I Were in Love Again (Judy Garland & Mickey Rooney, Words and Music ('48))
62. Blue Moon (Mel Torme, Words and Music ('48))
63. ?song cut from B'way's Pal Joey (MF at piano)
64. September in the Rain (MF at piano, then James Melton, Melody for Two ('37))
65. ?song (MF at piano)
66. Jeepers Creepers (MF at piano)
67. 42nd Street (Ruby Keeler then Dick Powell, film of same name ('33))
68. Chattanooga Choo Choo (Dorothy Dandridge & The Nicholas Brothers, Sun Valley Serenade ('41))
69. medley of Freed/Brown hits (MF at piano)
70. Singin' in the Rain (Arthur Freed, ?short?)
71. If I Only Had a Brain (MF at piano with some footage from The Wizard of Oz ('39))
72. Lydia the Tattooed Lady (Groucho Marx, At the Circus ('39))
73. They Can't Take That Away From Me (MF at piano)
74. Our Love is Here to Stay (MF at piano)
75. The Blues in the Night (Cab Calloway, probably from short Blues in the Night ('42))
76. Oh, How I Hate to Get Up in the Morning (Irving Berlin, This is the Army ('43))
77. God Bless America (Kate Smith, This is the Army ('43))
78. Over There (cast, Yankee Doodle Dandy ('42))
79. Minnie's in the Money (Benny Goodman, The Gang's All Here ('43))
80. Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy (The Andrews Sisters, Buck Privates ('41))
81. The Last Time I Saw Paris (Ann Sothern, Lady Be Good ('41))
82. Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas (Judy Garland, Meet Me in St. Louis ('44) over real WW2 footage, including George Stevens' color reels)
83. Accentuate the Positive (Johnny Mercer, over WW2 victory footage)
84. Time After Time (Frank Sinatra, It Happened in Brooklyn ('47))
85. It's Magic (Doris Day, Romance on the High Seas ('48))
86. Puttin' on the Ritz (danced by Fred Astaire, Blue Skies ('46))
87. The Best Things in Life Are Free (June Allyson, Good News ('47)
88. On the Atchison, Topeka and the Santa Fe (Ben Carter, then Judy Garland, The Harvey Girls ('46))
89. Easter Parade (Judy Garland & chorus, film of same name ('48))
90. They'll Never Believe Me (Robert Walker on piano, then Dina Shore, Till the Clouds Roll By ('46))
91. I Wanna Be Loved By You (Fred Astaire, Red Skelton, Debbie Reynolds, Three Little Words ('50))
92. Hooray for Captain Spaulding (Fred Astaire, Red Skelton, Three Little Words ('50))
93. It Had to Be You (Danny Thomas , I'll See You in My Dreams ('51))
94. Night and Day (Cary Grant, film of same name ('46))
95. Manhattan (Mickey Rooney, Tom Drake (dubbed), Marshall Thompson, Words and Music ('48))
96. Where or When (Lena Horne, Words and Music ('48))
97. Oh What a Beautiful Mornin' (Gordon MacRae, Oklahoma! ('55))
98. There's Nothin' Like a Dame (Ray Walston & company, South Pacific ('58))
99. New York, New York (Jules Munchen, Frank Sinatra, Gene Kelly, On the Town ('49))
100. True Love (Bing Crosby & Grace Kelly, High Society ('56)
101. The Night They Invented Champagne (Leslie Caron (dubbed), Hermione Gingold, Louis Jordan, Gigi ('58))
102. Once in Love with Amy (Ray Bolger, Where's Charley ('52))
103. You Can't Get a Man with a Gun (Betty Hutton, Annie Get Your Gun ('50))
104. There's No Business Like Show Business (Betty Hutton, Howard Keel, ensemble, Annie Get Your Gun ('50))
105. The Man That Got Away (Judy Garland, A Star is Born ('54))
106. Swanee (Judy Garland, A Star is Born ('54))
107. Jailhouse Rock (Elvis Presley, film of same name ('57))
108. As Time Goes By (MF on piano)

Rated 7.6 (56)

KQED, dir. Kuehn; 7

Masked and Anonymous (2003), 5-

PG-13 | 1h 52min | Comedy, Drama, Music | 22 January 2003
A singer, whose career has gone on a downward spiral, is forced to make a comeback to the performance stage for a benefit concert.
Director: Larry Charles
Writers: Bob Dylan (as Sergei Petrov), Larry Charles (as Rene Fontaine)
Stars: Bob Dylan, John Goodman, Jessica Lange, Jeff Bridges, Penélope Cruz.

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0319829/
Watched on AmazonPrime.

28 songs in the Soundtracks, 27 Written by Bob Dylan, 12 Performed by Bob Dylan, 8 of them listed as Performed Live.

I've never appreciated BD, and this film only reinforces that. I spent the whole time of the film wondering why these people (lots of small parts filled by fairly big stars) would participate, because I didn't understand it at all. The answer is probably that BD wrote the film (I didn't notice that until assembling these notes afterward).

This takes place in some Spanish-speaking country, probably in the Americas. I'm not sure if BD's father was the leader, but he's dying, and the next leader is hanging around waiting. One of the cameos describes his involvement in the revolution, the counter-revolution and the government forces, finishing his story with the revelation that his unit destroyed his own village, supposedly a danger to the gov't, but populated by women, children, old men. So he was running away from service.

JL works for a TV network (in the US?) and meets with (mostly black) execs about what they want from a benefit concert for medical supplies for that country. JG is the promoter trying to get BD to perform, and he's the only act. He's been off the popularity radar, but was formerly a big star, and his hits are BD's hits. JG has trouble with a loan shark or a gambler; we see him get beaten, and he's planning to syphon the concert funds to his debts.

BD has a conversation with the incoming presidente, and maybe with his father (or was that memory?).

JB is a reporter sent to cover the benefit, and he wants to uncover some scandal (where's the money going?). PC plays his gf. He gets into a fight with BD, and another guy kills him (I think).

It's not just me.

Rated 5.5 (4,237)

distr. Sony, dir. Charles; 5-

The Singing Detective (2003), 6-

R | 1h 49min | Comedy, Crime, Musical | 17 January 2003
From his hospital bed, a writer suffering from a skin disease hallucinates musical numbers and paranoid plots.
Director: Keith Gordon
Stars: Robert Downey Jr., Robin Wright, Mel Gibson.

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0314676/
Watched online, mediocre print.

16 songs in the Soundtracks, often mimed by RD.

MG is the balding shrink. I didn't realize that until seeing the credits. Between the print quality and the shlubby nature of the doctor, I didn't really look at him.

I wish the print was worse so the skin disease would have been less visible. It was awful, even knowing it was makeup.

About half the screentime is taken by the author's (RD) hallucinations/imaginings, and they're not following a coherent plotline, so the film is confusing. Some are memories from his childhood, some are sexual fantasies, and RW plays multiple characters. The confusion does not pay off at the end, except that RD seems to have gotten physically and emotionally better. But it doesn't pay off for us.

Maybe this should be a 5, but I'll be generous because of the poor print. But a second viewing is not advised.

Rated 5.6 (7,724)

distr. Paramount, dir. Gordon; 6-

25th Hour (2002), 6 {nm}

R | 2h 15min | Drama | 16 December 2002
Cornered by the DEA, convicted New York drug dealer Montgomery Brogan reevaluates his life in the 24 remaining hours before facing a seven-year jail term.
Director: Spike Lee
Stars: Edward Norton, Barry Pepper, Philip Seymour Hoffman.

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0307901/
Watched online, mediocre print. Clearer picture but subtitles also out there.

This is the first SL film I've seen without any black principal character. EN does a rant that's racist, but goes after every ethnic group; the rant is almost incidental to his character.

I noticed the music again. Not the soundtrack, but the relentless underscore: Music by Terence Blanchard. Not the first time I've noticed this jazzy music, and it's not a good thing. It's like SL is trying to replicate the Duke Ellington score of Anatomy of a Murder ('59) (recall that he stole the poster of that film for one of his own). I'm not sure that was a great score, but it was groundbreaking to have a jazz score back then. Not so now.

The film seems to want us to sympathize with this drug dealer who's young, small, and sorta "pretty" going off to prison. I didn't catch what drug(s) he was dealing, but he was not a small-timer. He had a big brick of cash and 2 bricks of drugs found in his home, and rode in a limo a couple of times. But we open the film with his taking a beaten dog to an animal hospital (he adopts the dog) so we get the aw shucks reaction. Then the bulk of the film time we get him interacting with his friends/family during his last day of freedom.

Unfortunately one of his friends looks like a clean-shaven version of him, so when we meet that friend, I thought it was him, and he was doing some shady big investment. I didn't follow whether the result was a win or loss for him. Then we see both together onscreen, so I learned they were friends. (Blurry print didn't help.)

We meet another friend (PSH) and the girlfriend and the father.

He expresses his concern about having his teeth knocked out by inmates so he can better "service" them. His sentence is for 7 years.

His dad narrates a scenario where he doesn't turn himself in (why was he free in the first place?) and makes a new life for himself in a desert town. Since we get the illustrated version, it's not clear to me whether he takes that option or goes to prison. The film ends with them still in the car, not in the desert.

Not a journey worth repeating.

Rated 7.7 (160,985)

distr. Buena Vista, dir. Lee; 6

Chicago (2002), 9+

PG-13 | 1h 53min | Comedy, Crime, Musical | 10 Dec 2002
Two death-row murderesses develop a fierce rivalry while competing for publicity, celebrity, and a sleazy lawyer's attention.
Director: Rob Marshall
Stars: Renée Zellweger, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Richard Gere, John C. Reilly, Queen Latifah.
John DeLuca ... choreography supervisor
Denise Faye ... assistant choreographer

Rob Marshall ... choreographer

Cynthia Onrubia ... associate choreographer / choreographer: Mr. Gere's tap steps created by

Joey Pizzi ... associate choreographer

Michelle Johnston ... assistant choreographer (uncredited)

Bob Fosse ... acknowledgment: directed and choreographed for the stage by / dedicatee

Gwen Verdon ... dedicatee

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0299658/

22 songs in the Soundtracks, 17 Music by John Kander, 16 Lyrics by Fred Ebb (all those music by JK).

I really don't understand. I don't like Cabaret ('72) nor Sweeney Todd ('01). But I love Chicago. Somehow it is cynical and exuberant and wonderful.

I remember my initial reaction to this film was that the choreography was not Fosse. But that's smart, because as I said in my notes about Fosse ('01), only Fosse can truly achieve Fosse choreography. And the choreography here is great.

I love the fact that all the musical numbers are fantasy (until the finale), and that they're intercut with reality. I don't get the sense that the cutting is designed to hide any performance weaknesses; it's to enhance the unreality of it. Besides, we get rehearsal footage and uncut sequences on the 2nd disc that show what the performers did. (I love that in the credits they use 3 separate lines to state for CZJ, RZ and RG that each one did their own singing and dancing: "___'s singing and dancing performed by ___".)

My rating dates back to 2012 (although I bought the discs in 2005), and I am only augmenting with a + today, which I might have used back then too.

Related posts:
Chicago in the Spotlight: A Retrospective with the Cast and Crew (2014), 7 {nm}
Chicago B'way Cast Recordings ('96) and ('75)

Rated 7.2 (196,966)

Miramax & more, dir. Marshall; 9+

The Muppet Movie (1979), 6-

G | 1h 35min | Adventure, Comedy, Family | 22 June 1979
Kermit and his newfound friends trek across America to find success in Hollywood, but a frog legs merchant is after Kermit.
Director: James Frawley
Stars: Jim Henson, Frank Oz, Jerry Nelson, Charles Durning, and a bunch of cameos by big celebs.

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0079588/
dvd was a recent gift. (Although the dvd is from Disney, they must have bought the Henson company or ITC Films much later. They're first mention on the IMDb Companies page is 2013. I count a 13 distribution companies for the USA so far.)

8 songs in the Soundtracks, 7 with Music and Lyrics by Paul Williams and Kenny Ascher.

This is the original Muppet movie, preceded by Sesame Street ('69), 2 tv specials ('74 & '75) and a tv series ('76-'81), followed by a bunch of films, shorts & tv specials/series. Note: Rowlf the Dog dates back to The Jimmy Dean Show (1963).

I was already in high school when Sesame Street debuted, so I was aware of it, but not a viewer. My early memories of PBS are that UHF was really difficult to tune and sustain, being on a separate dial of the tv. I vaguely remember that dial being a smooth tuner, not a preset, but that memory could be false. Then again, we didn't have a remote control in those days, so I was likely the one to get up and change channels.

I don't believe that the high rating for this film was earned by the film itself. I think it comes from affection for the characters from their prior shows, which I don't have.

I didn't find much to like here. I don't like the way the characters look, sound or move. The story was dull, and the comedy tepid. I think the pace of the newer ('02) film was faster; their lengths are 5 min apart.

The songs made my eyes roll and visions of better songs dance through my head (Cole Porter, Gershwin brothers, Irving Berlin to name a few. But they didn't have to write for a kids' flick.)

The morality is mostly good (emphasis on friendship), but Miss Piggy is the outlier, as the selfish narcissistic one, but not the villain. I'm sure parents appreciated this for being a safe film for kids' viewing.

Maybe should rate this a 5, but I'll be generous today. I don't recommend a 2nd viewing for myself.

Rated 7.6 (28,767)

indie, dir. Frawley; 6-

It's a Very Merry Muppet Christmas Movie (2002), 6-

PG | 1h 40min | Adventure, Comedy, Family | TV Movie 29Nov2002
On Christmas Eve, an angel petitions God to send help for Kermit the Frog who has lost all hope after losing the Muppet Theatre.
Director: Kirk R. Thatcher
Stars: David Arquette, Joan Cusack, Whoopi Goldberg.

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0329737/
Watched online, poor print, blurry.

3 songs in the Soundtracks, but this is tagged Musical.

Reworking of It's a Wonderful Life ('46), where Kermit is shown what life in his town is like if he'd never been born. DA is his guiding "angel", JC the evil banker, WG is "god".

Sweet, but shrug-worthy.

Rated 6.5 (3,288)

NBC & more, dir. Thatcher; 6-

Winnie the Pooh: A Very Merry Pooh Year (2002), 5

G | 1h 5min | Animation, Comedy, Drama | 11 November 2002
Ring in the season with Winnie The Pooh in a holiday adventure.
Directors: Gary Katona, Ed Wexler, Jamie Mitchell.
Stars: Jim Cummings, Peter Cullen, John Fiedler.

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0324572/
Watched online, good print.

6 songs in the Soundtracks. Didn't feel like there were any in the film. But someone tagged this Musical.

I still don't understand the allure of this universe.

In this tale, Rabbit gets annoyed with Tigger bouncing with Xmas bells, and moves away from the community. Everyone resolves to change their most annoying habit to lure him back. But in so doing, Piglet takes on Tigger's joy in bouncing, and Tigger assumes Piglet's lost fear of nearly everything. Pooh resolves to give up hunny (as they spell it here), which Eeyore then consumes, which changes his attitude to sunny, and Pooh's to discouraged all the time. When Rabbit finds out what they've done, he comes back and declares his appreciation of everyone the way they were, so they change back. 

Aside from the moral of appreciating your friends for who they are, this is also discouraging improvement, so it's quite a mixed message.

Not worth a repeat viewing, so 5 it is.

Rated 6.8 (1,510)

Disney, dir. various; 5

Analyze This (1999), 6 {nm}; Analyze That (2002), 6-- {nm}

R | 1h 43min | Comedy, Crime | 5 March 1999
A comedy about a psychiatrist whose new number one patient is an insecure mob boss.
Director: Harold Ramis
Stars: Robert De Niro, Billy Crystal, Lisa Kudrow.

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0122933/
Watched online, ok print.

While shopping for other films, this one and its sequel kept crossing my path. 

It did have 1 laugh-out-loud joke (and it's almost impossible to get me to laugh aloud these days). Otherwise, it was amusing until we got the first dead body. After that I had a more difficult time being amused.

Rated 6.7 (135,838)

distr. Warner, dir. Ramis; 6

R | 1h 36min | Comedy, Crime | 6 December 2002 

Mobster Paul Vitti is released into Dr. Ben Sobol's care, where only more chaos ensues.

Director: Harold Ramis

Stars: Robert De Niro, Billy Crystal, Lisa Kudrow, Anthony LaPaglia.

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0289848/

Watched online, ok print.

Even more violent, and less funny than the first installment. Plus I found this difficult to follow. About midway (or less) through the movie, RD gets a job consulting for a film about the ways of the mob, and that is bound up in a real scheme to steal gold bars. The problem: am I watching a real heist or a heist within a film.

Probably deserves a 5, but maybe it was me. I kept dozing off and going back, so it was extra aggravating.

Rated 5.9 (76,722)

Warner & more, dir. Ramis; 6--

Puccini: Turandot (2002), 7

2h 8min | Music, Musical | TV Movie August 2002

Add a Plot »

Director: Brian Large

Conductor: Valery Gergiev

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0376276/

First performance at Milan, April 25, 1926

Time: legendary 

Place: Peking 

I read the Simon (100 Great Operas) synopsis beforehand, and paid better attention to the dialog (although not to Ping, Pang and Pong; Simon trivializes their roles.) I'm ready to quibble with the plot.

Princess Turandot (T.) wants to avoid marriage, so she tests her suitors with a trio of riddles. To cut down on attempts, the penalty for failing to answer the riddles correctly is death.

Along comes an Unknown Prince (U.P., and how do we know he's a prince if his identity is unknown?) and who falls for this beauty (neither principal here is actually worth looking at), and insists he can answer the riddles. After various people attempt to dissuade him, he persists, and faces T, answering each correctly. She's devastated, and he loves her so much he gives her an out: she must guess his name before dawn. (No, it's not Rumpelstiltskin.) Just to sweeten the pot, if she gets his name right, he'll also submit to the execution he would have faced if he'd failed the riddles.

Here's my big objection: He knows there are 2 people in town who actually know his name, and he knows townspeople have seen them with him. So when T's henchmen go out raiding homes to find someone who knows this name, U.P. is putting those people in jeopardy along with himself. They happen to be his father and dad's servant girl (Liu). Liu loves U.P., and is loyal to his father, so she claims to be the only one who knows the name, and accepts a bunch of torture, then manages to stab herself to death without revealing the name (yet protecting U.P's ailing dad).

Does the story really need the father & Liu to be introduced before U.P. gets riddled? Do we need them to try to talk him out of riddling? We have local officials (Ping, Pang, Pong) who do that, describing the 13 guys who've already perished and how gruesome the deaths were.

I think it would make for better drama, and a less idiotic U.P, if they just happened to be in town, unbeknownst to U.P. before he offers T this name-game riddle.

Puccini died before completing Act III (according to Simon, he got through the point where Liu kills herself), and he didn't write the libretto. But I can't help wondering if he had survived to see this produced, whether he might have rewritten that.

Also weird: Liu's death should make this a tragedy, but we get the happy ending of T & U.P's marriage.

The visuals of the production are quite imaginative and interesting. The people in T's domain are cyborgs. (Notes: Edward Scissorhands ('90); 1st Borg episode of ST:TNG was '89: s2e16.) When T falls for U.P at the end, her constituents lose most of their hardware. But as cyborgs they had colorful costumes; as organic beings they wear shades of gray. In addition to the film/tv already mentioned, the sets reminded me of Metropolis ('27), Modern Times ('36) and any number of prison films including Jailhouse Rock ('57). We also had a couple of giant puppets onstage, which reminded me of Stravinsky's Oedipus Rex ('93), except that these had puppeteers in addition to a singer in the center of the enormous puppet.

The staging of T as aloof inquisitor was very good: see the poster's open head with a giant gold thing in the center. That's T on a 9 meter platform covered by a 10+ meter gown. When U.P cracks the riddles, her platform immediately compresses, she sheds the gown, and she's onstage in tatters. Nice.

The cast is not great. The audience threw their appreciation to Liu, and I agree. The music is gorgeous, and this is home to an enormously famous aria: Nessun dorma. Unfortunately its staging was in a bad place acoustically, and/or the tenor didn't have the chops, or maybe the direction was to NOT please the crowd by belting it out. I was not pleased, and U.P. got the least applause of the principals. T (b. '51) likely has a lot of Wagnerian roles in her rep; she looked and sounded like an aging Brunhilde, much older than U.P (b. '65).

Cast:

PRINCESS TURANDOT Soprano : Gabriele Schnaut

THE EMPEROR OF CHINA Tenor : Robert Tear (Altoum)

TIMUR, exiled King of Tartary Bass : Paata Burchuladze

CALAF, his son (the “Unknown Prince”) Tenor : Johan Botha

LIÙ, a slave girl Soprano : Cristina Gallardo Domas

PING, Grand Chancellor China Baritone : Boaz Daniel

PANG, Supreme Lord of Provisions Tenor : Vicente Ombuena

PONG, Supreme Lord of the Imperial Kitchen Tenor : Steve Davislim

A HERALD Baritone : (Ein Mandarin? Robert Bork)

Rated 8.0 (27)

distr. TDK, cond. Gergiev; 7

Jonah: A VeggieTales Movie (2002), 5+

G | 1h 22min | Animation, Adventure, Comedy | 4 October 2002
When the singing Veggies encounter some car trouble, they're stranded at old, rundown seafood joint where nothing is quite as it seems. As Bob the Tomato and the kids settle in to wait for ... See full summary »
Writers/Directors: Mike Nawrocki, Phil Vischer
Stars: Phil Vischer, Mike Nawrocki, Tim Hodge.

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0298388/
Watched online, ok print.

13 songs in the Soundtracks, all seemingly written for this film.

Ah, the ancient times are a story being told to the modern veggies.

Limbs are invisible in this universe of vegetable creatures; not so for the animals.

I don't really know the Jonah story well enough to evaluate how well they retained its significance. They certainly made Jonah a whiner.

They added lots of modern elements to the ancient world (an outboard motor, for example), and some were jokes for the non-toddlers. 

I didn't like it, but my + is for some of it being amusing. I'm glad I missed earlier films, and hope to skip subsequent ones, although, slightly like the God sung about in the film, I am prone to giving such series a second chance.

Rated 6.6 (3,516)

DreamWorks & more, dir. Nawrocki & Vischer; 5+

8 Mile (2002), 5

R | 1h 50min | Drama, Music | 8 November 2002
A young rapper, struggling with every aspect of his life, wants to make it big but his friends and foes make this odyssey of rap harder than it may seem.
Director: Curtis Hanson
Stars: Eminem, Brittany Murphy, Kim Basinger, Mekhi Phifer.

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0298203/
Watched online, ok print.

25 songs in the Soundtracks, only 2 by Eminem; don't know if his battle raps are included, probably not his non-battles.

I don't like violence, and I don't like rap, so this film had no chance to get a good rating from me.

The best I can say is the lead character shows a lot of persistence in the face of substantial adversity.

I don't think I need to write a lot to dissuade me from watching this again.

Rated 7.1 (222,417)

distr. Universal, dir. Hanson; 5

Unconditional Love (2002), 6

PG-13 | 2h 4min | Comedy, Drama, Musical | 23 August 2002
After her husband unexpectedly leaves her, Grace Beasley (Kathy Bates) spontaneously travels to Great Britain to attend the funeral of Victor Fox, a singer she adored. 
Director: P.J. Hogan
Stars: Kathy Bates, Rupert Everett, Jonathan Pryce, Dan Aykroyd.

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0219374/
Watched online, miserable copy, blurry.

19 songs in the Soundtracks, most performed by JP (mostly offscreen), singing like a cross between Elvis & Tom Jones, but less physical.

Actually amusing at times, and the songs are fun. Julie Andrews has a small part as herself, and sings, or maybe she just lip syncs to her own recording, because the bad surgery was in '97. Apparently KB does her own singing.

Rated 6.9 (3,363)

distr. New Line Cinema, dir. Hogan; 6

Drumline (2002), 6

PG-13 | 1h 58min | Comedy, Drama, Romance | 7 August 2002
A band director recruits a Harlem street drummer to play at a Southern university.
Director: Charles Stone III
Stars: Nick Cannon, Zoe Saldana, Orlando Jones, Leonard Roberts.

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0303933/
Watched online, good print.

~67 songs in the Soundtracks, many performed by marching bands, some percussion only.

Good film for its title subject. A little undecided about whether NC would play or not (he's a renegade & got himself disqualified, but they put him on the field in clinches). Not sure that he's learned the right lessons about being a team player, although he does bring the band a new song to perform, even though he's supposed to sit on the sidelines during performances.

Yes, NC is the future host of America's Got Talent (2009-16), among lots of other stuff.

Rated 5.7 (31,275)

Fox & more, dir. Stone; 6

A Time for Dancing (2002), 6

PG-13 | 1h 40min | Drama, Music | June 2002
Their love of dance, and their friendship, is challenged for two high school girls when one is diagnosed with cancer.
Director: Peter Gilbert
Stars: Larisa Oleynik, Shiri Appleby, Peter Coyote.

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0242953/
Watched online, poor print, blurry.

23 songs in the Soundtracks, some used for dancing.

Ok film, and did not strike me as maudlin, despite the subject matter.

Credits said it's based on a true story. I found the idea odd that she was reduced to palliative care, which she refused, then went to her Julliard audition and won a spot in the school. I would think she would be too weak to dance so effectively. Spoiler alert: she dies without attending Julliard.

Rated 6.1 (841)

indie, dir. Gilbert; 6

The Hunchback of Notre Dame II (2002), 6

1h 8min | Animation, Adventure, Comedy | Video 19Mar2002

Quasimodo goes into action when a magician seeks to steal one of the bells of Notre Dame.

Director: Bradley Raymond

Stars: Jason Alexander, Jennifer Love Hewitt, Tom Hulce, Charles Kimbrough, Kevin Kline, Michael McKean, Demi Moore, Haley Joel Osment, Jane Withers.

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0257778/

Watched online, good print.

5 songs in the Soundtracks, all original to this film (I think).

Same annoying gargoyles, but not quite so obnoxious this time.

Esmeralda and her husband (captain of the guard) now have a child (5-6 yo) who's buddies with Quasi. Quasi laments not having a lady love of his own. A traveling circus comes to town & Quasi falls for the magician's assistant, who woos Quasi to learn enough about the bejeweled church bell so her boss can steal it. 

The film has a cute running repeated gag involving a horse (standing).

Rated 4.8 (5,057)

Disney, dir. Raymond; 6

Standing in the Shadows of Motown (2002), 8

PG | 1h 48min | Documentary, Music | 11 May 2002
Documentary about the Funk Brothers, a group of Detroit musicians who backed up dozens of Motown artists.
Director: Paul Justman

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0314725/

~36 songs in the Soundtracks, 12 performed by contemporary singers using the original arrangements and the Funk Bros.

Very good doc'y. Since I've watched Motown 25: Yesterday, Today, Forever (1983), 8 recently, and that had over 16 hours of material (some repetitive), it's criminal that Motown themselves did not give this men (yeah, all men) credit and high interview them there. Especially since one of the questions asked during that doc'y was "what makes the Motown sound?" and the answer is, in part, "the Funk Bros".

They state in here that when Motown moved to Los Angeles in '72 (per M25, to increase their opportunities in the tv/film industry), the FB found out by finding a notice on the door. Cold.

Some of the musicians had passed by the time this doc'y was made, and more were gone by the time it premiered. The FB was not a band per se, but a collection of the studio musicians. There were at least 3 drummers, 3 keyboardists, etc. I don't think they included horns, just guitars, maybe xylophone.

It was a great sound, and I have a compilation cd of Motown that crosses the '72 divide; it's not as good in LA. Wouldn't these guys have changed with the trends?

Rated 7.8 (3,165)

Artisan Ent. & more, dir. Justman; 8

Gene Kelly: Anatomy of a Dancer (2002), 8+

American Masters (1985– )

TV-14 | 1h 25min | Documentary, Biography | Episode aired 1 March 2002

A look at the life, the work, and the contributions of Gene Kelly to movies and movie making. The film celebrates Kelly's putting story-telling into dance and discovering, along with Martha Graham and Jerome Robbins, an American style. It examines his partnership with Stanley Dolan, his bringing of tap and ballet into musicals, his marriages and personal competitiveness, his political views, and his work on stage as well as in film. This production details his contributions as a dancer, choreographer, and director. The narration and talking heads also discuss his muscular style, his low center of gravity, and his masculine appeal. 

Writer/Director: Robert Trachtenberg

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0308305/

No songs in the Soundtracks, but of course many are represented in the clips of GK dancing.

Well done summary of GK's film career, although not every film is represented. I don't remember any mention of his non-performing director projects, but a couple are listed on the Connections page, so maybe that was my fault. If some day you're feeling ambitious, you should document which films are excerpted, because right now none are Featured, only Edited From, and without specific numbers documented.

Rated 7.5 (262)

WNET & more, dir. Trachtenberg; 8+

No Good Deed (2002), 6

R | 1h 43min | Action, Crime, Drama | 29 June 2002
While doing a friend a favor and searching for a runaway teenager, a police detective stumbles upon a bizarre band of criminals about to pull off a bank robbery.
Director: Bob Rafelson
Writers: Dashiell Hammett (story), 2 more credits.
Stars: Samuel L. Jackson, Milla Jovovich, Stellan Skarsgård.

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0292610/
Watched online, ok print.

3 songs in the Soundtracks, probably 2 performed onscreen.

Ok crime drama. "Music" because the cop plays cello, and the girl in the gang plays piano. They duet at one point.

I didn't notice if we see the cop turn in the bond given to him. Nor did I see anything about the runaway teen. That just might have been my inattentiveness.

Not worth a repeat viewing.

Rated 5.5 (6,550)

indie, dir. Rafelson; 6