Wednesday Update

[hobgoblinn]

Getting new glasses cannot come soon enough here. I don't know if it's allergies, or just my body finally realizing the warranty has Expired, or what, but I am having a really hard time lately. But before I can get new glasses, I first have to make it to Friday, when the exam is scheduled.

In the meantime, Wee Hob is doing pretty well so far at this Clean Slate thing. Though tonight he wandered a little too far away and had me And the parents of the other two boys he was with yelling and looking for them. I was really scared when they didn't answer us, because the little strip of wood they were supposed to stay in wasn't that big, and older kids than mine have disappeared.

But he's all right, I let him live, and he seemed kind of stunned that I was so worried. Gee, mom really must care. Duh. And wow, she cares enough to take away his woods wandering privilege for a couple of days to reinforce the point. That's less cool, to him, but still.....

Tomorrow night, Wee Hob gets confirmed. That should be a blast, too.

I got the DVD of Sweeney Todd tonight-- the single special feature, a behind the scenes thing, was disappointing (not nearly enough Alan Rickman. But it has a great bit with him describing being in a rehearsal hall and having Stephen Sondheim himself walk in):

"One of the more challenging moments in one's life, is, when you've got the music in your hand and you're in a huge rehearsal room and Stephen Sondheim walks across the room and says 'Okay, let's hear it.' It doesn't get much tougher than that. But it's so tough, and it's so ridiculous what you're about to do, i.e. sing for Stephen Sondheim, that um, something in the body just says, well then, just do it."

I noticed, watching some of the DVD that the sound mixing in the movie is a bit better than on the movie soundtrack (where the orchestration is a bit too loud and overpowers the voices)-- you can hear some harmonies towards the end that Alan sings that drop out of the soundtrack version. Again, I can't help but admire both these gentlemen for the performances they turned in here. Especially hearing the above quote from Alan.

Okay, off to bed.

Comments

[ladyforash.livejournal.com]

Any ASH in the special features?

[hobgoblinn.livejournal.com]

None. I was really hoping bits of the Ballad of Sweeney Todd got filmed and might make it to the dvd. But, no such luck. It was interesting hearing things from Depp's and Carter's perspective, but I would really have liked to have heard more from Mr. Rickman.

[usedtobeljs]

I hope your allergies subside soon.

[miamadwyn.livejournal.com]

I don't know the musical except from the movie. I can't imagine Angela Lansbury, though, especially if the unrequited love aspect was present in the staged version. ::shudder::

I'm a sucker for nonsingers in movie musicals. I even liked Paint Your Wagon. (I know, I know.)

There's something rather offputting about full-blown operatic/Broadway belting that lacks the emotional impact I get when an ACTOR sings, instead of a singer acting.

The exception to the rule is (please don't taunt me) Harve Presnell in The Unsinkable Molly Brown. He belted them out, but still managed to seem like Johnny Brown when he did it, rather than a singer who finally got to the part where he got to open up his lungs and sing, and is determined to make the best of it before he goes back to that acting bit.

[hobgoblinn.livejournal.com]

Oh, Angela Lansbury has a fantastic voice, and she wasn't always the elderly sleuth of "Murder, She Wrote." It's been ages since I saw that version (which is also available on DVD, I'm sure) but she had a lovely, creepy intensity in the role.

I like Paint Your Wagon, too. And I agree about actors singing, instead of singers acting-- though some can do both well. Alan's voice really hits the balance -- pleasing quality and dead on the pitches and rhythms, but you hear age and vulnerability, the moral and physical weakness of the character. Brilliant.

I wrote a couple of longer reviews on Sweeney and Sondheim when the movie first came out-- it's in this post (along with some boring life stuff you can skip past): http://hobgoblinn.livejournal.com/61843.html

You can also check the Sweeney Todd tag for more, if it interests you.

I'm ashamed to admit I've never seen "Molly Brown."

[miamadwyn.livejournal.com]

It ends up being darker than you'd expect, which I like in a musical. If you ever see it, let me know what you think. In some ways it's very much a 60s movie musical, but it was filmed on site in Colorado and what can I say? I was a wee thing when I first saw it and I was quite caught up in the love story, plus, the Titanic!

[heron-pose.livejournal.com]

I need new glasses, too, but my optometrists are the spawn of Satan ... I *hate* calling or going, and they are just too good to ever tell me when it's time for a visit.

Am sad that the DVD has so little in the way of extras, but AR seems dead right about what you have to do in That Moment. Seems to me he hit it out of the park.

::hugs::

Wee Hobb sounds like such a Boy!