Movie Time! Rock of Ages

Wow, Kathy saw a musical? Who would have thought?
Yes, I saw Rock of Ages, and like a few other reviews I found it lacking. This is not to say I didn't enjoy the film, but it's definitely not a movie I'll rush out to see again. Why? Well, for a few reason, two of which are Tom Cruise's nipples. The man doesn't wear a shirt the entire movie. It's really quite appalling. I have nothing personal against the man, but he needs to wear shirts more often, or at least cover his chest with something.
And speaking of Tom Cruise, while the singing was good the acting was sub-par at best. No one really went above and beyond in their roles. I got the feeling that the actors like their characters but didn't really have a connection to them, and because of this I didn't care about them either. The main character Drew (Diego Boneta) has potential but he really wasn't given enough opportunity to shine. Same with Sherri (Julianne Hough).
Another issue with Rock of Ages is the plot. There doesn't seem to be one main storyline; rather there are quite a lot of side stories and sub-plots that masquerade at actual plot. The end result is a woven tapestry that, instead of being a comfortable blanket, is a confusing miss-mash of colours and designs. Some threads change colours half way through while others just become loose and disappear all together.
While this review might seem like I hated the film there were some parts of it I liked. The music was good and it was quite easy to sing along with the characters, and the dancing made me move and groove in my seat. And occasionally there were shining moments and the actors had a chance to do some, you know, acting.
But mostly this was a fun way to pass some time and listen to good music.
What did everyone else think about this movie? Am I being too harsh or am I spot on. Let me know in the comments.


Kathy


Themes: Tom Cruise, Diego Boneta, Julianna Hough, Rock of Ages, movie review, musical, Adam Shankman, Russell Brand, Alec Baldwin, Catherine Zeta-Jones

My Love for High School Musical

I still get odd looks from people when they find out about my love for the tween sensation High School Musical. In fact, just the other day two people who I thought were cool with others being different saw the trio of movies next to the TV and looked like they were trying to contain their laughter. Go ahead, laugh. I don’t know why you’re doing it though.

Despite my love for science fiction, biographies, and TV shows with long and arcing plot lines, I have a soft spot for children’s movies. I don’t know if it reminds me of a simpler time in my life or if there is any deep psychological reason, but I love most movies aimed at children. I recently just did a marathon of the Champion/Mighty Ducks movies*, and loved every minute of it. I have the Aladdin and Little Mermaid soundtracks on my phone and am waiting until I have a little bit extra spending money before I buy The Lion King on BluRay.

I also love musicals. The Rent soundtrack is on my phone although I don’t need the music to play to get me to sing along as I know most of the words to all of the songs (Yes, even La Vie Bohème).

So, knowing these two things it can’t come as a shock that I love the all three of the High School Musical movies (although if pressed I’ll say that the second doesn’t rank nearly as high as the first and third).

Not that I need to justify why I like the things that I do, I thought I would explain the reasons here to give you a better understanding of what I love about these movies. It might even encourage you to at least try one out:

1-      The main female character is a good role model.

Gabriella is smart ya’ll. She joins the matheletes and doesn’t care if it’s ‘not cool’. In the second movie when her boyfriend Troy is being a bit of a dick to her and his friends while they’re working a summer job Gabby doesn’t take it; she leaves. In song form she says that she wants to be herself and doesn’t wanna spend her precious time with a guy who won’t treat her right. If I recall correctly, Bella became comatose when Edward left her...

Sure, the other female characters in the movie aren’t as cool as this, but they are fun to watch, and one even has goals of being the President.

2-      The songs are catchy.

The songs get stuck in your head and make you wanna dance around a bit. They’re fun and epic and angsty and funny and silly. It is a musical, after all.

3-      There’s character growth.

We all know one of the main problems with sequels is the returning of the bad guy. If the group can defeat them in the first film then it won’t be too much of a problem in the subsequent ones, or at least it shouldn’t. The ‘bad guys’ of these films are the brother-sister act of Sharpay and Ryan Evans. They don’t like the idea of anyone coming into the drama club and stealing their lime light. But as the movies progress they realise that having other people share the spotlight can be fun. Other characters also have to come to terms with their true feelings about themselves as well as others. In the first film they go from singing “Stick to the Status Quo” (a song about, well, sticking to the status quo) to “We’re All in This Together” (‘everyone is special in their own way/we make each other strong’) .  

4-      There’s a bromance.

It’s not as epic a bromace as is seen in other movies, but the friendship and love between the two main male characters is cool. It’s nice to see a popular film that shows sporty guys can also care about one another.

5-      There’s definite slashy undertones.

It’s not wrong because the characters are all sweet and innocent, but there’s definitely something going on between Chad and Ryan. At one point they swap clothing!

6-      It’s fun!

Does anyone else have anything that they love that they are often mocked for? Share your story here in the comments.

Thanks,

Kathy

Themes: high school muscial, HSM, Disney, musical, songs, dance, Ryan, Sharpay, Evans, Chad, Gabriella, Troy

*In Australia the first movie is called Champions, the second The Mighty Ducks, and the third is called D3: The Mighty Ducks. According to IMDB the first movie has an alternate/original title of The Mighty Ducks and the second is named similarly to the third, D2: The Mighty Ducks.