INTO THE WOODS Review- Jonesy's Take

INTO THE WOODS

Directed by Rob Marshall

Written by Stephen Lapine

Starring: James Corden, Emily Blunt, Anna Kendrick, Johnny Depp, and Meryl Streep.

Synopsis: Fairy tales converge to try and stop a witch's curse in this modern musical.

This review was originally run on Centraltrack.com

INTO THE WOODS Teaser Drops but Where's the Music?

Into The Woods is another amazing musical by Stephen Sondheim. He's the mastermind behind Sweeney Todd and A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum. His musicals are always full of interesting characters and intricate music. SWEENEY TODD was adapted into a film in 2007 with moderate success.

Now his next musical to be adapted is INTO THE WOODS. This musical smashes classic fairy tale characters (Cinderella, The Baker, Little Red Riding Hood, Rapunzel, Jack and the Beanstalk) into the ultimate story. There's an evil witch who looks to teach various characters a lesson or two.

Check out the trailer after the break!

JERSEY BOYS Trailer Drops!

Musicals are a huge for me. I love seeing live theatre. The Broadway musical, Jersey Boys, has been one of my favorites for years, and now it is making its way to the big screen. Adaptations can be tough because studios want big names for the leads, which can lead to bad musical performances and lame dance sequences. For JERSEY BOYS, director Clint Eastwood made the smart move and cast some Broadway actors for the Four Seasons. What's even more exciting is Frank Valli is being portrayed by John Lloyd Young, who not only originated the role on Broadway but also won a Tony Award for it.

Here's the synopsis:

The film tells the story of four young men from the wrong side of the tracks in New Jersey who came together to form the iconic 1960s rock group The Four Seasons. The story of their trials and triumphs are accompanied by the songs that influenced a generation, including “Sherry,” “Big Girls Don’t Cry,” “Walk Like a Man,” “Dawn,” “Rag Doll,” “Bye Bye Baby,” “Who Loves You,” and many more.

Check the trailer after the break.

For Funsies: Breaking Bad- The Middle School Musical

In just four short episodes, Breaking Bad will be finished. It will be a tough, tough show to see end. Recently there have a been a crop of fun parodies popping up over the Internet, and here's one of my favorites. Created by Rhett and Link, it's a group of middle school students performing a spoilerific musical rendition complete with  singing blue meth.


Here's to the final episodes!



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Netflix Instant: Cool TV and Movie Picks

Happy Friday, dear friends. Jonesy here with my picks for the week. Again, like my picks usually are, they're very varied, but hopefully there's something for everyone here!

JIM GAFFIGAN: MR. UNIVERSE

Not only is Mr. Gaffigan hilarious and spot on with his humor and commentary, he is also extremely nice in person. I saw him years and years ago and was lucky enough to meet him after the show. Super polite and surprisingly quiet. Now he has a new special on Instant that I cannot wait to watch. I hear his joke about McDonald's is side-splitting.

THOR

Hammer time! Not my absolute favorite of the individual Avengers films, but because of Tom Hiddleston's performance as Loki, it made me love it. 

DR. HORRIBLE'S SING-A-LONG BLOG

Neil Patrick Harris and Nathan Fillion in a Joss Whedon musical production?? Yes please! Originally aired on a blog, hence the name, in episodes, but now is conveniently all in one place. They story is funny, the lyrics are smart, and who doesn't love watching our own national treasure, NPH, sing? That's what I thought. 

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Netflix Instant: Cool TV and Movie Picks

Jonesy here. I bring you a weird semi-eclectic mix this week, but each fit into my oddball taste in picks.

EDDIE IZZARD: DRESS TO KILL

My roommates in college introduced me to this hilarious special one night. I've tried watching his other specials, but nostalgia always brought me back to this one. It's smart, funny, and full of nerdy history. 

MEMPHIS: THE MUSICAL

I absolutely adore Broadway musicals, but unfortunately, not many playwrights allow their musicals to be filmed on Broadway. Thankfully many musicals are being filmed live so more and more people can see them. MEMPHIS is the 2010 Tony Award winner for Best Musical. It's about a blossoming R&B singer who falls in love with a nerdy radio DJ. It's fun yet touches on deeper themes of prejudice during the 1950's era. And yes my cohort was correct last week in saying that I would put a musical in my Netflix picks. 

BALLERINA

There have been a some movies over the years that have tried to shed light on the insights of being a professional dancer. BALLERINA is a documentary about five Russian ballerinas from the Kirov Ballet. These girls have trained since they were very, very young and have given up everything in the hopes of becoming the elusive 'Prima Ballerina'. A fascinating look at the lifetime of sacrifice one goes through to accomplish a dream. 

And from all of us here at WDYMS, have a safe and wonderful holiday! 

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Netflix Instant: Cool TV and Movie Picks

Now that you're stuffed full of turkey and dressing, it's time to go out and brave the crowds for Black Friday deals. Or if the thought of trampling people to get 20% off doesn't wet your whistle, here are some awesome Netflix Instant titles to tide you over for the remainder of the holiday weekend. 

INTO THE WOODS

One of Sondheim's classic musicals. It tells the tales of many fairytale characters, but with a dark twist and edge. This has been one of my favorite musicals to see on stage, and lucky for us, Sondheim is one of the few composers who allow his musicals to be filmed while they're still on stage. None of this conversion to movie business.

MARCH OF THE PENGUINS

A documentary fit for the whole family. It tells the story of the emperor penguins as they endure one of the harshest places on the planet, Antarctica. The film is voiced by God himself, Morgan Freeman, and is a great introduction to the documentary format for young film connoisseurs. 

DEEP BLUE SEA

One of my absolute favorite cheesy action movies. Scientists have been performing experiments on sharks trying to find the cure for Alzheimer's. However, the sharks become more intelligent, and you guessed it, start fighting back. Not suitable for children, but it has my favorite death of all time. (You'll know it when you see it).

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Casting news: LES MISERABLES (please make it not true!)

One aspect that I haven't said much about here is my unabashed love of all things broadway.  Theatre and dance has been a passion of mine since I was little.  I'll see any dance movie or musical.  No ifs ands or buts about it.

Now, with that said, there's been some interesting casting news come down the pipe from Broadway.com for an upcoming adaptation of one of my favorite musicals, Les Miserables.

AFI Top 100 Countdown #98: Yankee Doodle Dandy

98: YANKEE DOODLE DANDY

Directed by Michael Curtiz

Written by Robert Buckner and Edmund Joseph

Starring:  James Cagney, Joan Leslie, Walter Huston, and Richard Whorf

Netflix Instant: Cool TV and Movies picks

This week's Netflix Instant picks have more of a musical theme because I (Jonesy) sure do love them....maybe too much. Theatre has always been a part of my life, so I hope to broaden many people's horizon and show that theatre/musicals can be powerful and moving.

Moulin Rouge

One of my favorite contemporary musicals, Baz Luhrmans's Moulin Rouge! tells the tale of a young writer trying to make it in the Bohemian Revolution but falls in love with a courtesan. Eye-popping, glittery, and colorful visuals coupled with modern music brings this love story to life in one of the best new musicals brought to the big screen.

All that Jazz

Director choreographer extrodinaire Bob Fosse brings his semi-autobiographical musical to life in ALL THAT JAZZ. The story tells the tragic tale of director Joe Gideon, portrayed brilliantly by Roy Scheider, as a perfectionist who loses himself in his work, drugs, alcohol and women. The movie shows a glimpse of Fosse's own life as he trys to find balance in it all.

The Cove

THE COVE is an astounding documentary about the elusive cove in Japan where dolphins are hoarded in, sold to parks like Sea World, and the rest are slaughtered for their meat. Filmmaker Louie Psihoyos and his team make James Bond jealous as they use gadgets and espionage to get film of what goes on in the cove.

Warning: Very graphic images are shown, so animal lovers take caution.

Hope you enjoyed my picks for this week. Javi will be back next week with his!
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