| Christmas coming |
[Nov. 24th, 2009|01:37 pm] |
It's a month to Christmas, and most other December holidays. With Tonio's condition and twice-daily medication, it'll probably be the first Christmas in over twenty years that we spend at home. All this means that in addition to the usual gift shopping (all gifts from me for family members, and all their gifts for me, since they cannot possibly fathom what I would like to get), I have to look into acquiring Christmas decorations.
To help others with the gift-shopping task:
- If you want to give someone a book, give Black Ships by Jo Graham. It's a wonderful tale with history, magic, religion, and volcanoes! Of note to people who want to support non-fail literature - name any test you want and Jo's characters pass it with flying colours.
- In the jewelry department, Astarise Designs just opened and offers extremely original jewelry:
(Obligatory disclosure: I've known ![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif) astarise for over half a decade, and jo_graham for a little less. The former bribes me with coffee, the latter with sneak peeks of her prose. The above is still meant with complete earnestness.) |
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| Review: Benefiz-Gala in Oberhausen |
[Nov. 13th, 2009|10:43 pm] |
After three days of Roman angelic overload, I'm finally up to a review of Tuesday's gala.
To get bad things out of the way first: the concert was advertised with posters and annoucements featuring only Jan Ammann and Kevin Tarte, leading me to assume that they'd feature in at least half the concert. Instead, in a three-hour concert Kevin got one solo, Jan two, and there were two duets between the two of them, out of thirty-seven songs. I think that if the poster for a concert features only two stars, one can reasonably expect them to take up more than 13.5% of its duration. (One can also expect, say, drama musicals rather than crossdressing and Disney. One can be wrong.)
( But there was still crack. And Jakub! My favourite Herbert and Phantom is all grown up and playing to audiences of thousands! )
Audio bonus
And to save you from the wall of text up there:
Jan Ammann - Nature Boy
Jan Ammann and Kevin Tarte - Stars (demonic version)
Jakub Wocial, Jan Ammann - Phantom / Rockstar Phantom
Kevin Tarte and Jan Ammann - The Winner Takes It All |
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| Fiddler on the Roof (Gdynia, Poland) |
[Oct. 25th, 2009|01:49 pm] |
Since the Gdynia musical theatre obligingly rotates their shows every week or so, I ended up catching Fiddler on the Roof.
It was my first time seeing it live, and I was rather ticked off that a Certain Someone was supposed to be playing Perchik, but ended up being a random ensemble member instead, at the last moment - to the point where the ushers were all "What? He's supposed to be on as Perchik tonight!" and the night's cast list had him as well. I suspect a sudden sore throat, because he was inaudible as well, where he usually drowns everyone out. Still, I got to see him prancing about in amusing ways :)
My two other quiet favourites from this theatre's stable cast were in it as well, Bernaciak playing the Rabbi's son (flaming prancing gay, which I've come to expect from him...) and Michalski as Fiedya - dammit, the guy has a show-stopping voice ♥ I saw him as Beast a year ago, but he's been working on it since.
The show was good - good staging, great sets (simple black shapes with projections of Chagal paintings) and very nice choreography. There was also an energetic vibe in the ensemble, and I had great fun people-watching. The mute Fiddler in particular was used in ways that reminded me a lot of Mozart. And the accents! I know all those accents both from movies and from real life, and it was all authentic Jewish and Russian accents. So much love for the voice coaches.
My problem with it is that the musical isn't particularly good. It's all a one-man show revolving around Tevye, with other characters barely sketched. The music's brilliant, but it doesn't always fit the action - the most striking example is the celebratory L'Chaim (IMHO the best song in the show along with Sunrise, Sunset) being the celebration of an engagement that gets tossed aside the next day. I think I'm spoiled for good musicals, but dear heavens, this book could use a rewrite.
(This staging did attempt to lead the emotional arc a bit more, but it was haphazard. I wasn't particularly fond of the way they dressed the Fiddler in an Auschwitz striped outfit at the end.)
Still, a good show, and a good cast :) And my machine didn't give out for once, which is a joy - I'm not fond of the cast recordings available for it, and the voices and music were stellar. Good times.
Bonus: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8OZLoyY8PiQ - second section of L'Chaim. The guy who defies human lungs at 0:55 would be Michalski. |
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| Merlin ♥ |
[Sep. 20th, 2009|05:49 pm] |
As fyrie is fond of reminding me, even though I mainlined Merlin last autumn (I believe it took me less than a week to catch up all 11 episodes then aired), I never mentioned it in my journal. So unless you're icon-stalking and caught my Lancelot icon, there's no notice of how much I adore the show.
The thing is, I know my Arthurian legends. Intimately so: I've read Morte d'Arthur cover to cover, attempted Chretien de Troyes in the original old French, browsed through large sections of the Vulgate cycle, and read far too many critical essays. In my childhood, I read both Arthurian stories and the Welsh legends that they referenced. When I was preparing for the exams for Interdisciplinary Human Sciences, my presentation was to be on the evoluton of the Grail.
And yes, Merlin takes all this and puts it through a meat grinder. But they get it, they get the spirit of the idealism of power and the grounding of strength in old myth.
Also, they have some damn good writers for the dialogue and characterisation. I'm a sucker for character-driven shows, and between the script and the wonderful (and crazy, natch) actors, this show presents a compelling cast. I think it's telling that AU is so present in the Merlin fanfiction: with the dynamics they have, these people can work in any setting and remain themselves.
I can't really name a favourite. Merlin has the snark and the goofiness and the ability to make you want to both hug him and box his ears. Arthur's prattiness and idealism mesh seamlessly, he is that much larger than life. Morgana is the type I adore - so very female and so very much not yielding (though nurturing when she wants to be). Gwen - I can't wait to see what they do with her. Uther is another box-his-ears type, but also falls in the category of people you'd love to have dinner with just to argue with him. And Gaius is Gaius, and awesome enough in himself.
But yeah. Icon. Okay, it's a little because it's Santiago Cabrera, and a little because I love Lancelot and his foibles in all incarnations, but the combination of Idealism and Determination and Tousled was irresistible. I was overjoyed to hear he's returning to the show :D
( Now for reactions to the first episode of series two ) |
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| Raindrops fall on Roses / Amour, it's something like... (Cosmos, July 2nd 2009, evening performance) |
[Jul. 22nd, 2009|10:10 am] |
We got toujitsuken (same-day tickets) to see this show, and I was surprised to find them still available when we arrived at the Tokyo Takarazuka Theater at 10 AM, since it was only a few days before the end of the run and the joint graduation/retirement of both Top Stars and eight other performers. The same-day tickets are the very back row of the balcony, and I can confirm that even from there, the view is stellar - binoculars helped, of course.
( And here I thought it wasn't possible for me to be impressed by a Cosmos show )
Out of all we saw during our stay in Japan, this was the show for which I had the least expectations. I'm happy to report I was very pleasantly surprised. |
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| Legend of the Four Gods ver. 2 (Star Troupe, July 9 2009, Takarazuka Grand Theatre) |
[Jul. 21st, 2009|09:49 am] |
The review's a bit late (though not as late as the Elisabeth one!), so to make up for it, I added pictures :) Life's been crazy since I got back.
This was another show with a plot famous for confusing people. I'm rather proud of myself - with rudimentary Japanese and no knowledge of the original Korean drama, the only part of the plot I wasn't able to follow was the actual Four Gods thing, and that was the one thing I'd read up on before. Overall, this was a gorgeous show - perfect cast, perfect energy, gorgeous visuals and engaging characters. I'll be buying this one on DVD!
( With pictures, courtesy of Asahi.com ) |
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| Dead on account of dancing vampires |
[Jul. 7th, 2009|08:34 pm] |
So, not only am I in Japan for Tanabata (and I have the Google!Japan logo to prove it), but I just saw my favourite musical in the world, with the one performer that a, I adore in every role on account of his voice making me melt, and b, that I was never expecting to see because, well, Japan.
Yuichirou Yamaguchi, live, is enough to make your brain melt with the first note. For most of the show, he's a Japanese demon, a bunraku puppet, inhuman and only moving when he chooses to. Then came Unstillbare, and the way he came out and leaned on a gravestone, suddenly human, broke my heart even before he sang. And he did sing, and it left me gasping for breath. The stage presence alone, and that voice!
(Yes, I did have my faithful Olympus gadget. And I wasn't the only one melting. We were on the balcony, among an all-female crowd, and we all gasped in unison. As fyrie put it, that voice bypasses the brain altogether to lodge much lower.)
( The rest of the Tokyo version of Tanz der Vampire was also much improved )
We're going back to Osaka tomorrow, via Nagoya and Cirque du Soleil (again, this time for free in 12,000 yen seats). I think I may have trouble sleeping long enough today. Falling asleep at Me and My Girl would be embarrassing. |
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| Star Trek |
[May. 8th, 2009|11:39 pm] |
700 Trekkers gasping in delight in unison is a unique experience.
New movie gets it. It's not the old series (and it has an excuse to be), but oh, it's good fanfic :D
(Also, I want a Spock. And a Kirk. And a Bones. And a Star Trek icon.) |
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| X-Men Origins: Wolverine |
[May. 2nd, 2009|07:31 am] |
I saw Wolverine yesterday and I was very entertained. No, it's no Dark Knight - but it doesn't have to be. Instead, it's got a plot, a rhythm (I wasn't bored once, and there was just enough action not to confuse), and surprisingly superior acting.
I also have a new person to keep an eye on. Taylor Kitsch was so lovely as Gambit that I may need an icon or three (and a browse through Wolverine/Gambit fanfic in a month or so). Daredevil, smart, trying to be badass but ending up doing the right thing - that's my Remy ♥
I was also impressed at how, for superhero action fare, the movie handled diversity without it being an in-your-face politically correct littany. I was especially wary of how it would treat the single prominent female character, but they got the perfect combination of not making her an unnecessarily badass action heroine and giving her her own agency. For better or worse, Silverfox was in control there.
(And there are baby X-Men. Who I need to watch on slow-motion and identify, because the only one I got 100% was Pietro Maximoff.)
So yes, the kind of superhero movie you can go watch and be entertained by, very like X-Men and X2. bwinter seal of approval ;) |
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| Takarazuka: El Halcon (Star, 2007-2008) |
[Mar. 22nd, 2009|09:46 pm] |
Takarazuka is my mainstay for when I'm feeling down, but not every show is a gem. Since I've just giggled myself silly through El Halcon, I think it is one.
Fans of From Eroica with Love will recognise Tyrian Persimmon, Klaus's ancestor, and let's just say the show starts with the baby Tyrian stabbing the man who raised him as a son to facilitate the escape of the pirate he suspects is his real father. It gets downhill from there, because there's seemingly no depth Tyrian won't stoop to (though I admit Aran Kei looks very at home when throwing women on a bed and pinning them there). The revue has lovingly adapted Yasuko Aoike's penchant for creating memorable backup teams for her heroes, and therefore Tyrian gets not one but two male sailors who keep being posed in typical musumeyaku worship poses, and Asuka's Gilda has her posse of girl pirates.
But I have to admit I'm on the side of Luminous "Red" Benedict. Let's see - he's noble, rash and needs a knock on the head. He has a crazy pirate mentor, and he manages to "kidnap" Tyrian's ward only to get tackled by her as she giggles about (I think) how cool he is. (I believe this would be where Eroica gets his enthusiasm from.) And oh, Hoshigumi have so many lovely actresses there - Yuzuki Reon and Kazu Ryouka work beautifully together, it's such a pity that Kazu's retiring just before Chie becomes top. Other people I'll definitely keep an eye on are Suzumi Shio (she does anger very well) and Tenju Mitsuki - just a baby, but she's got the otokoyaku fire in spades.
The show is... more on crack than From Eroica with Love, which is an achievement. It chiefly earns this distinction via the appearance of the disco-dancing Queen Bess.
( Clip from the prologue, which does a good job of introducing all characters ) |
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| Elisabeth in Budapest, with pictures! |
[Jun. 30th, 2008|05:21 pm] |
Where to start? I saw four excellent shows, two each of Tanz der Vampire (Vámpirok Báljá) and Elisabeth. I saw them with roughly the same casts. In the case of Tanz, it was the first cast, which I've seen many times and have reviewed extensively. In the case of Elisabeth, while comments from the last time still apply, there was one notable exception. One muscular, blond, Hungarian exception with a rockstar voice and a charisma bigger than the stage.
After two years of fangirling the man, I have finally seen Máté Kamarás in person. And now I really understand the Japanese fangirls who travelled all the way to Budapest to see him. The man is that good.
( Elisabeth, or the Death who stole the show )
And on top of all that, I've finally figured out how to get photos of actors in costume. Curtain calls!
( Death (times 4), Elisabeth, Lucheni, plus Krolock and Herbert for good measure ) |
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| Beauty and the Beast, seaside edition |
[Jun. 16th, 2008|03:18 pm] |
I saw the Disney musical Beauty and the Beast for the first time in Berlin, with Leah Delos Santos, Jan Ammann, Uli Scherbel and Kevin Kraus, a truly magical cast. I had vague memories of the movie, but the show clinched it for me; not an oh-my-gods, but a lovely musical that I saw twice (mainly on account of Jan) and that the cast loved to bits.
Yesterday, I saw the new production in Gdynia, Poland. Huh. Looks like we've got another international-class production on our hands.
( Except for Belle, but who cares for Belle when you've got an emo Johnny Depp villain? )
All that on top of a very well-translated show, and I think we've got a winner on our hands :) |
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| DVD: Romeo et Juliette, Gerard Presgurvic version |
[May. 17th, 2008|07:12 pm] |
And in the continuing adventures of Beth versus actual commercially available DVDs of musicals, I've finally watched something I've had for a while - Romeo et Juliette, the Gerard Presgurvic version, as recorded in 2001 in Paris. I have to say that even with all the pop music, this is one of the most artistic musicals. The French seem to have a gift for them.
( Amazingly fun musical. Why did no-one tell me it had Death in it? )
Unfortunately, this DVD is out of print at the moment. But the good news is, enterprising people have uploaded all of it to Youtube :) Between them, "selenityrose" and "faelivrinen" have all the tracks. Some samples:
Verone (first song of the musical
)
J'ai peur (originally a Mercutio song, given to Romeo because he's the only one not noticeably shorter than Death)
C'est pas ma faute (Tybalt angst) |
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| Elisabeth in Berlin |
[May. 5th, 2008|12:20 pm] |
I saw two shows in Berlin, May 1 and May 2. The cast was almost the same - the only exception was Sophie, with the understudy the first time and Christa Wettstein (first cast) on Friday. The shows, however, were dramatically different, mostly because on Thursday, Bruno Grassini (Lucheni) was phoning in his role, while by Friday he had recovered.
( Detailed review )
End verdict: I'm glad I've gone, for reasons of Uwe (and to a lesser extent, Annemieke and Oliver), but this production is craft rather than art. And I'm very happy I have tickets booked to Elisabeth in Budapest next month, with the full second cast (Máté, Bernádett and Nikolett, Ádám Bálint and Tamás Szaraz) confirmed for both shows I'm attending. |
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| Phantom of the Opera, Roma theatre, take two |
[Apr. 11th, 2008|08:33 am] |
On Wednesday, I found myself in the possession of someone else's media passes to Phantom. It would have been somewhat foolish not to go, even though it was Damian on again as Erik. Mind you, the rest of the cast was entirely different - I think only Madame Giry was the same one I saw the first time.
( Huh. They got better. )
I have my next set of tickets for the 23rd. Don't know if I'll go yet, waiting for the cast to come up. Wanna 'nother Phantom. |
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| Dracula: Entre l'amour et la mort |
[Apr. 6th, 2008|09:57 am] |
I first noticed Bruno Pelletier in Notre Dame de Paris, as recommended by fyrie, about two years ago. On Youtube, there were clips of him doing various things, including appearing in something that looked... strange. The music was great, the French lyrics had vivid imagery, but the costumes? The flames? I googled it and came up with Dracula: Entre l'amour et la mort.
The CD has been out for a long time, and it gets regular airtime in my house. The DVD of the musical was recorded in November 2006 and came out last month. I now have it in my hands and all I can say is: Whoa. This is what a Dracula musical should be.
( Rambling review, hampered by my half-fluent French )
And some Youtube clips to whet your appetite:
Dracula and Lucy's meeting (promotional video)
Concert version of the philosophical discussion between Dracula, Jonathan and Renfield
Digest of DVD scenes |
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| Phantom of the Opera - Warsaw Roma theatre |
[Mar. 29th, 2008|10:58 am] |
Obligatory pre-review disclosure: I like Phantom of the Opera, a lot. I adored the small stage version put up by the Palladium Stage theatre (clips available here), and after the first two rounds of auditions for the full Roma theatre non-replica production, I was overjoyed to hear that my favourites were also the judges' favourites for Erik and Raoul. Then they were abruptly cut, due to in one case "not enough acting ability" and in the other, current engagements keeping him from attending the audition. On top of that, I heard a lot of rumours that the musical's main sponsor fancies himself a director and meddled immensely in both casting and directing.
I saw the show yesterday. Verdict: Very good show. Can someone put the first Phantom out of his misery?
( Detailed review ) |
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| Black Ships: review proper |
[Mar. 19th, 2008|03:59 pm] |
I've finished reading Black Ships by jo_graham for the third time. I've a feeling it won't be the last.
( Thoughts and analysis )
Incidentally, I'm currently working on a story set in Greek mythology for ![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/community.gif) lgbtfest. Re-reading Black Ships, I was reminded of two major issues about that pantheon - how powerful and mysterious was the female, and how dreary, thought-losing, the afterlife. Endless fields of grain under an eternal sun. I hope no-one will mind if I swipe that sentence. |
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| Pre-review: Black Ships |
[Mar. 11th, 2008|08:05 pm] |
Since the Amazon US publishing date was yesterday and jo_graham's first reading and signing is coming up, I think it's time to post this. Or at least the first part ofit. I've read the book twice now, once piece-meal as it was created and once in its whole bound form, but now that I've sat down to write about it, I see I'll have to re-read for a proper analysis.
The book is Black Ships.
It's a story of the Aeneid, narrated by a priestess of the Lady of the Dead. It's a whole and more than a whole: it's the first meeting with characters I've had the privilege of reading about in at least four other incarnations throughout history. It's a woman's story, and a mystical journey. The quiet narrative paints ink sketches that catch you and come to you again in dreams, months later. And did I mention it's all historically accurate Age of Bronze Greece?
You can't nail this book down as just historical, fantasy, roadtrip (seatrip?), literary. It's all of these. And it'll haunt you, but it's a beneficial spirit.
In the interest of full disclosure: I know jo_graham and I've had the privilege of following the tail end of the creation of Black Ships and now the next book, chapter by chapter, providing comments. I was wholly unsurprised it got picked up by a publisher. I have a review copy, but I was damn ready to buy my own thrice over.
(And yes, I recced it here when it was still nascent, two years ago. If you remember, she prefers her other name unmentioned ;))
Now, to force someone to cough up my copy and give it another read :) |
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| Books: Diana Gabaldon |
[Feb. 13th, 2008|11:35 am] |
One of the things that helped me last through the week in bed I had to undergo recently was the fact I had just received a stack of books. To wit, almost the entire Outlander series by Diana Gabaldon, plus the two Lord John spinoffs.
I first read Outlander/Cross-stitch (depending on the US versus UK edition) when I got it from he library, in Polish. I do read silly romance novels on occasion, but the plot - a time-travelling woman from the 20th century ending up in the 18th century and marrying a Scottish rebel - sounded far-fetched even for those standards. If not a recipe for Mary Sue disaster flavoured with faux-Scots. It was only because I'd already read and adored Lord John and the Private Matter that I decided to give it a try.
Not only are the books readable, they're addictive. The mix of romance and adventure tilts heavily towards the latter, with political plotting added in Dragonfly in Amber. Then just as that formula threatens to tire, the series becomes a Caribbean adventure, then one of the American frontier. I'm missing The Fiery Cross, and I can't wait to read it and the last book. And then wait impatiently for the next volume in the series.
The one thing I appreciate about Outlander is that the usual romance tropes are either ignored or subverted. Rape is one (non-graphic, though chilling); LGBT themes are another. At first I was rather miffed by a certain gay villain, but the way he was developed was so non-stereotypical that I have to applaud. And then there is Lord John Grey.
Lord John, I gather, was supposed to be a brief cameo in Dragonfly in Amber that reappears in Voyager to explain Jamie's survival. The plot device turned out to be a lovely, sarcastic and elegant blade who incidentally is also gay (and this fact is a facet, not the entire definition of his character). As a slash writer, it's amusing to see the signs: "Look, I've got a nice plot device." "Look, there he is again." "You know, I should add him here, too." "I know, I should write a short story where he solves a mystery." "That was fun. I'll write another." "And it's 400 pages long.... ooops?" "And he wants another one. With smut. Quick, who can beta-read a gay sex scene for me????"
Lord John and the Brotherhood of the Blade, in particular, is a delightful tapestry of emotions and adventure. It catches on so many themes, and manages to define the emotional web that supports high-class eighteenth-century males, from family to love to duty. It's a book I will read and re-read, and not only because the dachshund is perfectly characterised. It's a jewel.
(And for the record, I ship Lord John/Stephan von Namtzen. I really, really want to write a story where they're beautifully broken together, but it'd kill me.)
If you're interested in more:
Diana Gabaldon site
Excerpts from the Lord John series |
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| Elisabeth-related incoherence |
[Jan. 5th, 2008|07:38 pm] |
I think fyrie called dibs on the post title of "Warning: Low-Flying Lucheni", so this one is going to be much less coherent ;)
I didn't get to see Máté Kamarás, because the git went and got a cold. Hopefully he'll be on tomorrow, so if the stagedoor people are as friendly as they were today, we can get them to haul him in by the ear. But still, not all was lost.
I am more convinced than ever that Máté's bounciness is due to a special drug, because it looked like Szilveszter Szabó drank it by mistake. I mean, I've seen this guy on video at least three times, and he's always been nice, but very muted and aloof. This time... not so much. Crackling energy, emotional spill-over and an actual dynamic with Rudolf. Either he was on crack or someone took him over telepathically ;)
And then there was the Amazing Bouncing Lucheni. Honestly, the guy should have a circus act. And it didn't hurt that he's handsome, has a great voice and a charisma that means you look at him exclusively. (Unless Death is onstage, in which case their interaction is - let's just say I have bunnies with very sharp teeth.) But hey, don't take my word for it:
( Youtube: Tamás Száraz in Milch )
Bernadett Vago was a lovely Elisabeth (and her voice is gorgeous!), Ádám Balint was the best-acting Franz-Joseph I have ever seen, and Dávid Szabó presented a Rudolf with believable power, which is a first.
More impressions later, I think. Once I have a comparison ;) Not like I'm seeing the show tomorrow again... oops. |
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| Recommended reading |
[Dec. 30th, 2007|02:17 pm] |
At the seaside, I was purposefully out of my usual reading material, and thus raiding the grandparents' collection of Important Works of Literature. Isaac Singer's The Estate is a very nice insight into Belle Epoque Jews if only one can look past the characters, which are the whiniest bunch I've seen since Neon Genesis Evangelion. The Godfather would be a perfect read if at least three characters in my head weren't ogling Michael Corleone with illicit purposes. Mann's Buddenbrooks faltered a bit in the middle, but the teenage slash at the end redeemed them (okay, the other bits were interesting, too). Doctor Zhivago caused me to facepalm over my Russian ancestry.
All in all, it was a relief to come back to an open yuletide archive.
This year I've been damnably lucky with my gifts - I received two full-length stories and a vignette. No idea yet who they're from, but all are gorgeous:
Ourobos - Tanz der Vampire behind the scenes; a different interpretation than my own, but I can imagine Thomas Borchert and Jakub Wocial in these roles far too easily.
Conversations with the Dead - Elisabeth, the deaths of Sophie, Rudolf and Franz-Joseph: the amount of historical detail is delightful.
And Black And Black And Blacker Still - Elisabeth, a heartbreaking Rudolf moment that reaches to the core of his character.
And from other stories that I've skimmed, four so far had me glued to the screen and exclaiming with delight:
The Invisible City - a sequel to Neil Gaiman's Neverwhere that should damn well be official. It's like turning a page and finding a lost epilogue to the story. This could be Neil writing.
By No Miracle or Majestic Means - for all that I avoid Vorkosigan fanfiction like the plague, this story of a young Miles's caper is perfectly in tune. It suffers a little from rush - I know well the lack of time to balance the plot at the end - but the language is Ivan's, the characters are vividly themselves.
The Sixth Heaven - the Beauty and the Beast TV series has always remained with me, and this AU with Catherine and Vincent meeting as children captures the magic perfectly.
The Merry-Go-Round Broke Down - You've probably seen this Who Framed Roger Rabbit story recced by others. All I'm saying is, hold on to your hats. |
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| Beowulf: 3D headache |
[Nov. 26th, 2007|08:45 am] |
I guess I may have been expecting too much from Beowulf, with a Gaiman script and actors like that. They do a decent job, though without the magic; I liked some motives (Queen Wealthow could have used expansion, for example) and generally I think it could use a rewrite as a female story. Graphically, it's gorgeous, though it suffers from the usual animators' penchant for "look what we can do with slime!" Best dragon since Dragonheart, that's for sure.
And all of this would have made for a more than satisfying outing if not for the fact that despite not watching it in 3D - on account of fearing just that effect - my head started hurting during the final fight. I managed to stumble home while opening my eyes for a blink every thirty seconds, then lay in a dark room for hours just to get the pounding to stop.
Note to self: 3D movies are to be watched on the small screen. |
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