The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975)

It had been quite a while (like, high school?) since I'd seen Rocky Horror. I'm not a mega-fan. I'm not really even a fan. I'm an appreciator. I like that it exists. I like that it's weird and crazy and all about sex. And some of the music is quite catchy. But I don't find it so entertaining that I'll watch it over and over. I don't feel like the characters are my friends. Or that I'm even meant to really care about any of them. It's spinning wheels and bright lights. It's camp. And all that's cool. But spectacle alone isn't enough for me to be in love with something. And while the themes and ideas are appealing, I don't need to watch the movie to believe in or tout them.

Rocky Horror isn't a good movie. I don't think anyone really thinks that it is. It's what's behind the movie that inspires and enthralls people. It's the fringe society aspect, it's the sexual liberation goings-ons, the flaunting of things that make your mother uncomfortable. Rebellion. Rock On! (I've almost convinced myself that Rocky Horror is genius...) I wish it actually had a good story. Or...any story. But it is what it is and my mild critique isn't going to stop bazillions of people from thinking Rocky Horror is the shiz.

I think, in a large way, it's the people that love Rocky Horror that make Rocky Horror so loveable. It's the guys who freeze their asses off to dress as Magenta or Rocky for Halloween. The people who sing along with reckless abandon during midnight screenings. It's the rebellious. I love rebellion. And for cultivating that spirit, Rocky Horror gets top marks.

Plus, some of the music is catchy.

Rent (2005)

On August 8th, as my B-day gift, my awesome friend and roommate, Nikki, got me a ticket to see Rent at the Hollywood Bowl directed by Neil Patrick Harris and starring Wayne Brady, Vanessa Hudgens, Nicole Scherzinger and I think those were all the famous people. WE wanted to see it because Roger was being played by Aaron Tveit - a super hot Broadway boy who rocked our socks as an original cast member in Next to Normal and was painfully overlooked come Tony time, and Mark was played by Skylar Astin - a original cast Spring Awakening alum with a great voice who we hadn't really seen since Hamlet 2. As expected, both dudes were phenomenal (at least I think they were - they were really really far away). Some of the famos were better than I expected them to be - especially Nicole Scherzinger. For the record, Vanessa Hudgens BLEW. Like hard core. Bad singing. No acting. I won't rip her to specific shreds, but she should stay in her element.

Anyway...that was one long setup to say that when we got home, we felt inspired to watch the movie version of Rent. Which, thankfully, I own. I'm going to defend my ownership of said movie with two points. 1. I have long admitted that I will forgive a musical movie many faults just because musicals are one of my preferred genres. 2. The numbers in the movie version of Rent are good. Well danced, well sung, fun and full of energy.

Unfortunately, there is a lot of in-between-musical-numbers and it is far far less good.

We got to talking about why the movie, dare I say it, sucks. My position is - and will remain - it's as good as it can be and still be Rent. Rent does not have a movie structure. There isn't one solid protagonist, there aren't three acts, they don't all arc and I think, at its core, it's too sprawled out for a movie. To be a great movie, half the numbers would need to go and Roger would need to be the star. And you can't nix Mark and still call it Rent. Conundrum!

Little issues like Roger's hair being the wrong length - yes. Those could have been fixed. But - those aren't the reasons why my friends in Michigan (who couldn't pick Roger out of a lineup of two) didn't like this movie.

And - in the show, the following things happen after 9:00pm on Christmas Eve. Collins gets mugged, gets helped, hangs with Angel, Benny threatens Mark and Roger, Mark goes to fix Maureen's equipment, Roger meets Mimi, Mark returns home, Collins appears with Angel, they go to a Life Support meeting, Mimi visits Roger (at "close to midnight" presumably), Roger kicks her out, Roger goes out with the gang, Roger finds Mimi, Maureen actually has her protest (what - scheduled for 4:00am?) there's a riot and then they go to dinner at which point Roger and Mimi act like they've known each other longer than a few hours. It's absurd. We can ignore that on stage. I don't think we could have or would have in a film.

Anyway - that's a post on Rent. Rent's amazing. The movie's not as amazing and if you never got to see it on stage - see the recorded Broadway version. It's good. MUCH better than the movie.

Oh - and if you happen to get your hands on the feature version - the best bit is the documentary on the special features disc. Makes me weep every time.

The Sound of Music (1965)

The Sound of Music is obviously one of the best movies ever made. It’s been a favorite of mine since I was quite small, although only since adulthood have I appreciated the second half as much as the first. It’s a pleasure to watch a movie you’ve always known and experience it in a completely different manner.

As a kid, the fun of the children singing, the big showpieces and the fantasy beauty of Austria were what I was interested in. I couldn’t have cared less about the romance or the Nazis.

A few years ago, I dug out my old VHS copy of The Sound of Music and watched it again. I’ve watched it at least a dozen times since then. As an adult, it was fun rediscovering the drama and excitement of this story. Now, I think Christopher Plummer is dashing and the dance between Maria and Captain Von Trapp is amazingly charged. As a kid, Edelweiss and Something Good were two songs I routinely zoned out during. Now, I get choked up when the audience at the folk festival joins in with Edelweiss and I'm struck by the beauty behind the sentiment “Somewhere in my youth or childhood, I must have done something good.”

Today, I had the odd experience of watching this movie with someone who had never seen it before (and she’s almost thirty!). How she managed a lifetime of Easters and Christmases without catching it on TV, I can’t imagine. I’m happy to report, she enjoyed it – although she did seem a bit irritated at the vast number of reprises we get near the end.

The Sound of Music is phenomenal and I only wish movies with such power and beauty were still being made on a regular basis.