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Flash Movie Review: Wicked: For Good
OFFICIALLY IT WAS FORTY DAYS AND forty nights, but there was more involved. We had been planning this “trip of a lifetime” for more than a year. The weeks leading up to our departure were filled with hectic days of us running around to take care of the constant blooming of last minute items. There were doctor appointments and pharmacy runs to make sure we had everything we needed. I knew the flights to get there were going to be a grueling experience for me; I cannot sleep on airplanes, nor eat a meal at an odd time for my body clock. In my mind, for the fact we departed at eight pm, I was not about to eat the dinner that was offered after nine pm. However, this can sometimes present a problem for me when breakfast gets served closer to the time breakfasts would be served at the country of our destination. As the hours slowly slipped by, I was in the beginning stages of exhaustion. The total time we were traveling was over twenty-two hours if you included the times we sat at our gate during our layover stops. At some point, when my body realizes it is not able to go into a restive state, I simply become numb to everything and everyone around me. BY THE TIME WE REACHED OUR final destination, we were a day ahead from everyone we left back home. It was a bizarre feeling for me; however, after crashing onto the bed in our hotel room and sleeping for over eleven hours, we woke up and looked out the window and realized we were in a place we had only seen a glimpse of on television. There were groups of trees alongside the sidewalks, bursting with lavender flowers. The body of water in front of us was a deep blue, and on the edge perched one of the most unusual buildings I had ever seen; it looked like massive bird beaks sticking out of the ground. We showered and ate quickly, then packed our small knapsacks with the “essentials” for an entire day of sightseeing. Never in our lives had we ever seen such unfamiliar vegetation. There were bushes that looked as if all its branches with giant, hairy, green caterpillars. The tall buildings looked as if a toddler had drawn up the blueprints; they had sharp angles with sections that looked as if another section of a building was placed on top. The tours we signed up for took us to these magical places where one would expect supernatural beings to reside. A cave with its ceiling covered in fluorescent blue worms that made it seem as if we were staring up into a star filled sky; animals that were only native to this land and not found at any zoos I had visited back home; we felt as if we were living in a fantasy, just like we felt when watching this musical fantasy film. GROWING INTO THE ROLES LAYED OUT for them, two friends seem as if they are drifting further apart. What would become of them and the secrets they knew? With Cynthia Erivo (Harriet, Bad Times at the El Royale) as Elphaba, Ariana Grande (Don’t Look Up, Wicked) as Glinda, Jeff Goldblum (The Fly, Jurassic Park franchise) as the Wizard of Oz, Michelle Yeoh (A Haunting in Venice, Everything Everywhere All at Once) as Madame Morrible, and Jonathan Bailey (Jurassic World: Rebirth, Bridgerton-TV) as Fiyero; part two of this story was still colorful and fantasy filled. However, just like I felt when I saw the staged version, this picture was somewhat of a letdown. It was darker and more political, I thought. The two additional songs were not memorable which did nothing to boost the smaller amount of musical numbers. Where Cynthia was the main focus in part one, Ariana was the focus in this one, and I have to say I was blown away with her acting. If you are not a fan of musicals, I think you would be bored watching this film. With everything I just said, the last part of this picture was worth the price of admission. I still enjoyed watching this movie and felt for a while I was placed in a different land.
3 stars
Flash Movie Review: Oscar Telecast
THIS WAS NEW TERRITORY FOR ME. Having not been in this situation before, I must tell you it was disconcerting for me. All day this past Sunday, I did not think about the telecast, except that it was starting at 6pm CST. For some reason, I assumed it would begin at 7pm, so I had to speed up to get all my tasks that needed to be done for the day. The one thing I did not want to happen was to rush to finish something just a minute before the Oscar Ceremony started. I have my rituals; my clothes for the workday are laid out, I am dressed in my lounging clothes, and I go to the bathroom a few minutes before the start time. If I had any concerns or worries, the first 10 minutes of the show obliterated them. I could not think of a better way to open the show with a message of love to Los Angeles than having the powerhouse singers Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande performing. Right after the first note was sung, I was transported into the lights and glamour of Hollywood and movies. My concerns about not seeing, for the first time, all the nominated films went from boiling over in my head to a quiet slow simmer. I was settled into a state of comfort and peace, able and willing to sit however long it would be until the end of the show. IT WOULD BE NEARLY IMPOSSIBLE FOR anyone to follow that opening, but whoever came up with the idea of host Conan O’Brien doing a comedy bit based on the film The Substance, I tip my hat to them. It was a wonderful way to move the audience along to the next segment of the show. I thought he did an excellent job of hosting, though there were a few things that were a bust for me. His singing about wasting time and being late could have been deleted, in my opinion. His humor has a sly edge to it where it gives one a moment’s pause at time, but I appreciated that he did not take the easy way of cracking jokes about the latest winner. What I thought was a nice touch was the way they introduced some of the nominees by having individuals connected to their movie introduce them or just have the presenter talk about each one; it made it more personal and interesting to me. Also, Conan kept things moving along between segments. THE MAJOR DISAPPOINTMENT I HAD WAS the tribute to Quincy Jones. Of all the music and songs, he was involved with, I do not understand why they chose a song from the film The Wiz. He produced the song for the film version of the Broadway production. The wrong choice to sing this song was Queen Latifah. I absolutely enjoy her singing voice, but she has a jazzier lower registered voice that was not suited for this song. Along with her outfit, she could have easily done the song “Don’t Bring Me No Bad News” from The Wiz and would have presented it better. The tribute I found touching came from Morgan Freeman talking about his friend Gene Hackman. And with that in memoriam segment I am glad they simply did a musical accompaniment. Outside of that the telecast had few surprises. There was Meg Ryan and Billy Crystal teaming up which was cute, but for me the bigger surprise was having Mick Jagger as a presenter. He truly seemed touched by the crowd welcoming him. By the end of the telecast, I was aware there was a little regret for not being able to have seen all the nominated films, but I felt this might be the wave of the future. Of course, I hope the writer and director of Anora is right when he pleaded for filmmakers to make more films for the theater and asked the public to support movie theaters. I hope this will be the case and I know I will be doing my part to see more films at the theater this year. Because when push comes to shove, I enjoy watching the Oscar telecast having seen all the nominated films beforehand. Wish me luck for next year’s telecast.
Flash Movie Review: Wicked
I WAS BROWSING THROUGH THE BOOKSTORE, despite already having a couple of books in my hand. As I came up to one of the display tables that were scattered throughout the store, a book cover caught my eye. Believe it or not, it was the light-colored paper that attracted my eyes to it first, but then it was the illustration. It looked like one of those old-fashioned pencil drawn cartoons you would see in a magazine or newspaper. I was intrigued by this, so I decided to stop and pick up one of the book copies that were stacked on top of the table. I read the back cover first before opening the front cover to read the brief summary describing what the book was about. It was such a fascinating idea for a story and clicked into my childhood fantasies that had been fueled by movies I had seen when I was a small boy. I decided to purchase the book and began reading it as soon as I got home. The writing was imaginative and creative; I was able to see the characters and scenery perfectly in my mind as if I were right there with them. Going forward, I made sure I put time aside every day to read more of the book until I finished it. AFTER I HAD READ THE BOOK, I told all my friends about what a wonderful story it was to read. Because I do not like giving much away when people ask, “What is it about,” I produced the perfect answer: it is a prequel to the story of “The Wizard of Oz.” Some of the looks I would get from friends were amusing. Most of them said they did not know or hear there was such a thing. I explained the story was about the early life of some of the characters. My fondness for the book made me be on the lookout for any other books written by the same author. Several years later, I was surprised to hear about a new musical that was opening on Broadway, which was based on the book I had read back in 1995. I made a point of looking for theater reviews or news about the production, besides wishing I could go to New York to see it for myself. As it turned out, the musical was a big hit, and it won the Tony Award. I had to wait a couple of years before I was able to see it when a traveling company set up residence in my city; it went on to become one of the longest lasting running plays here. And now, years later, I witnessed another transformation of the novel I read decades ago, by watching this musical romantic dramatic fantasy. COMING FROM COMPLETELY DIFFERENT BACKGROUNDS, two first-year college students are forced to be roommates. These friendly enemies soon learn there was something more to each of them when they were together. With Cynthia Erivo (Harriet, Widows) as Elphaba, Ariana Grande (Don’t Look Up, Victorious-TV) as Galinda, Jeff Goldblum (Jurassic Park franchise, The Grand Budapest Hotel) as The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, Michelle Yeoh (Tomorrow Never Dies, A Haunting in Venice) as Madame Morrible, and Jonathan Bailey (Bridgerton-TV, Fellow Travelers) as Fiyero; this big production blockbuster did not spare a penny in creating a magical feast for the eyes. The scenery was amazing, colorful, and creative. The actors were perfectly cast and crafted for their roles. Jonathan Bailey was the biggest surprise for me with his singing and dancing. However, at the top of screen star power, I have to say it goes to Cynthia. Anyone in a scene with her faded slightly to the background because of Cynthia’s acting ability. She was able to emote such feelings simply through her facial expressions. Now, I will say the film, which is only part one, was too long. The middle section dragged at times for me; however, the last hour was worth the price of admission. For me, that was the exciting part of the film and kept me laser focused on what was taking place on screen. Luckily, no one in the audience felt the need to sing along with the actors. If one is not an enthusiastic fan of musical numbers, they will get bored at times because the musical numbers fill up a generous portion of the scenes. For everyone else, they will love this film. Part two will be released in November of 2025.
3 ½ stars
moviejoltz 