Tag: criticism

film

Mamma Mia!

Becca

I’ve always wanted my life to be a musical. For my friends and lover to break out into song during emotional moments of my rollercoaster life would make it all the better. And in musicals, all that messy stuff always works itself out right before the ending.

So when MAMMA MIA came out as a movie, I was pumped. 70’s ABBA music? Meryl Streep? Colin Firth? Greece? How could this be anything but AWESOME?

I discovered that I could never hate a musical. The singing always lifts my spirit, no matter how ridiculous. I’ve seen the live musical, and I loved it. The film could never live up to that, but it does have its own benefits.

If you’ve never heard the story before, it’s about Sophie (played by Amanda Seyfried–who CAN sing) who is about to get married, and wants her father to walk her down the aisle. The only problem is that she is not sure who her daddy is because her mom (Meryl Streep–whose amazing acting masks the fact that she can’t sing) slept with three different men around the time of Sophie’s conception. So, Sophie invites the three men (Colin Firth–who can sort of sing; Stellan Skarsgard–who doesn’t sing; and Peirce Brosnan–who should NOT be allowed to sing) to her wedding in order to find out who really is her father.

 While the singing is obviously not up to par with the musical, the scenery makes up for it. Shot in Greece, the cliffs and water and beaches are breathtaking. The camera work takes full advantage of the picturesque locations.

I’m glad I saw it. Heck, I’d even buy it because it makes me feel that good. Life (and film) really is better in song.

Men at Sea
Men at Sea
film

Criticism of the Critic

Becca

The LA Times had an interesting piece on film criticism in their paper today. They let their film critics write about any regrets they’ve ever had about a film they reviewed.

I love film criticism. In a perfect world, I could see movies and write about them everyday (if it would pay the bills). But it is, in my opinion, one of the toughest jobs in writing because you put a part of yourself out there.

I took a reviewing class with Kenneth Turan while I was at USC. It was probably my favorite class of all. Since he is the best film critic at the Times, I expected Kenneth to be a man of intolerable ego, and harsh–well–criticism. What I found was a man confident in his craft, and kind with his teaching. I learned then that the people who are best at what they do don’t need to walk around with a puffed up chest or a thick set of armour.

His article today really makes clear the point and process of criticism. There should be no regret if you are true to your own feelings. Here’s a bit of his article. Find the whole piece here.

“To pretend either to like it or that I didn’t really have an opinion, to pretend in effect that I was someone else to save face and be one of the gang, was simply unacceptable. Criticism is a lonely job, and in the final analysis, either you’re a gang of one or you’re nothing at all.”