Escape to the Movies: Les Miserables

[Plinglebob]

I'm sorry Bob, but this was a badly done review. While I've no doubt the film has a number of faults (and knowing the stage musical that's not a surprise) you're review went straight past all that and instead targeted things that don't seem to deserve its.

First of all, you were reviewing the film as an adaptation of the book instead of an adaptation of the stage play. Considering it was determined 25 years ago that the script is a bad translation from the book (seriously, look up West-End reviews from when it was released) all it did was make you seem either out of touch, a tad stupid or willfully ignorant in an attempt to seem edgy.

Secondly, you complain that in a musical adaptation of a musical they focus on the music and singing. Thats like going to New York and complaining that all the buildings are too big. If you don't like musicals, fine, say so to give viewers fair warning of your bias. Like him or not Tom Hooper made the directorial decision to have the actors sing live altering the songs as they saw fit. Would you cut away during someones emotional monologue?

Thirdly, no matter how much you try, saying something is "Oscar Bait" is not a negative criticism and does not automatically make a part/performance bad and/or irrelevant.

Finally, it wasn't an entertaining review. You've done reviews of bad films in the past that have been funny and you've done ones in the past that are intelligent. This review was just mean. Like the Spiderman review, you appear to have gone in expecting (dare I say wanting) to hate the film and you came out happy.

Edit: Do they pronounce Thenardier in the film like Bob did in the review? If yes, wow that's a shock as the versions I've heard use a hard T. If not, it doesn't help Bob's case.

Edit 2:

Each time you mention the name of Cosette, I shiver, do they really pronounce it like that in English material ?

In the English version, its usually done as COR-sette (similar to the old fashioned underwear) rather then the "K-sette" Bob used. Just checked the film soundtrack and there they have a long 1st syllable.

Edit 3:

Heehee, laughing at the people losing their mind over Bob's changing accent.

Is it really that big of a deal?

Personally it was the only thing I liked in the review.

Edit 4 (Damn thats a lot of edits): I think this the first time I've heard someone use "BBC mini-series" as an insult.

 

[iniudan]

Each time you mention the name of Cosette, I shiver, do they really pronounce it like that in English material ?

I read some of the original book in my French class a few years ago, and then we watched a movie based off of the book rather than the musical. It focused a lot more on Jean Valjean's transformation, and a lot of characters such as the inkeepers and Eponine (is that her name?) got all but written out.

HTF to you write out Thénardier from the story, especially when focusing on Valjean ? He's his foil.

Has for the name you ask, Éponine, she is Thénardier's elder daughter. If the story focus on Valjean she could indeed be easily ignored.

 

[sammysoso]

Heehee, laughing at the people losing their mind over Bob's changing accent.

Is it really that big of a deal?

 

[Jacco]

I'm already biased since I fucking hate... nah, what's stronger than hate? Oh, I megaloathe musicals. But seriously, why couldn't they make a real movie with this?

And then it had to star Anne Hathaway and Hugh Jackman... I don't think they could have made this film less appealing to me.

Edit: OH! And then there's having to listen to anglophones keep pronouncing French names... Oh how much better it (and indeed any movie) would have been with Cristoph Waltz.

There was an actual movie movie made about 12 years ago with Liam Neeson. It's based on the book, not the musical. It's actually a pretty decent movie.

 

[iniudan]

Heehee, laughing at the people losing their mind over Bob's changing accent.

Is it really that big of a deal?

Other then butchering Cosette name, I admit nothing to drive me insane, at 2:01 sound like he calling her Cassette. =p

 

[Jacco]

THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU Bob for saying this. Nothing drives me more bonkers than people going nuts over something poorly done out of a misplaced sense of culture.

Les Mis is one of the greatest books ever written. There's no arguing that. I think most people like this movie because they feel like they're "supposed" to like it given how awesome the stage show is. Thing is, "good" and "bad" pieces of work not not subjective. There are measurable standards for how good or bad something is. Les Mis is just a bad film. It had bad directing, bad sound design, bad pacing, bad writing. If you really liked it, then good for you. You didn't waste your money like I did. But the film I saw looked and sounded like it was made by kids in their backyard.

 

[JudgeGame]

I was biased from the beginning because I really enjoyed the book. It's not good in any traditional sense, but it's incredibly emotional and inspiring. If you had told me at the time I had read it someone was going to adapt it into a film I probably wouldn't be very excited because the book really doesn't have a cinematic feel. It generally draws empathy for the characters by giving you a 10 page tragic biography of their families so you can get an idea of what being lower class in the 17th century was like. If you had told me they were making a musical out of it, I'd have thought you'd gone insane (at the time I hadn't heard of the acclaimed musical). Now that someone has come out and said that the musical film adaptation's characters are flat, the story has terrible pacing and it doesn't give you any reason to give a shit about anything that happens, I'm not surprised.

I think the character of Marius is very complex and hard to capture in the segment he's allowed on a film adaptation. He's an unlikeable shithead and the only goodwill he has is that his father had a tragic backstory and loved him dearly, he seems to have some balls at the beginning but immediately pisses it all away and reveals himself to be an insufferable, angsty teenager with a death wish and no drive. Jean saving Marius is an interesting moment given that he practically fucks himself over for his daughter's happiness and you can see it from a mile off. There are really no characters in Les Miserables that aren't fascinating but as should be obvious it takes 700 pages and hundreds of tiny vignettes to reveal why that is.

 

[iniudan]

giving you a 10 page tragic biography of their families so you can get an idea of what being lower class in the 17th century was like.

19th century

 

[Knight Templar]

Accent really seeping into this video, not that that's a bad thing exactly.

This sounds very similar to what my sister was saying about the movie, although more precise on they whys.

 

[Baresark]

I don't know why this review is occurring.... this movie was number three on his ten most hated movies of the year. I think that is review enough. His reasoning is kind of irrelevant. Comparing it to the book is also irrelevant as the movie is clearly aimed at the crowd who liked and are into watching, musical theatre. It seems to me that Bob probably does not like musical theatre, which is 100% Ok, but then it kind of skews what he may have to say about a movie adapted from the musical theatre version of the story.

 

[JudgeGame]

giving you a 10 page tragic biography of their families so you can get an idea of what being lower class in the 17th century was like.

19th century

Right you are. I'm terrible at history and dates.

 

[JudgeGame]

I don't know why this review is occurring.... this movie was number three on his ten most hated movies of the year. I think that is review enough. His reasoning is kind of irrelevant. Comparing it to the book is also irrelevant as the movie is clearly aimed at the crowd who liked and are into watching, musical theatre. It seems to me that Bob probably does not like musical theatre, which is 100% Ok, but then it kind of skews what he may have to say about a movie adapted from the musical theatre version of the story.

But if people only reviewed films they liked reviews would be pointless. It's like that time that reviewer who famously loathed superhero movies said Captain America was pretty great, that let people know it was a damn good film. If it wasn't for reviewers like him, we would never find out how to improve superhero films because we'd just get unoriginal feedback from people who have no interest in seeing superhero movies transcend their self-imposed limitations. If we don't get people who aren't interested in musical films critisize musical films, we'll never figure out how to make musical films not suck.

 

[gorfias]

I can't write this with enough emphasis: this is a very powerful musical. It is filmed well enough and I'd love to do whatever reasonable to help it be a success.

I took my wife to see it. I thought she might be bored. Instead, she sobbed through the whole thing.

It was a very different movie experience and when I left, I was happy, emotionally drained and satisfied all at the same time.

And Kudos to Russel Crowe. You da man! I thought it took balls for him to sing in a musical and he surprised me. He was fine.

 

[Padwolf]

If anything, he shouldn't be in the movie.
<spoiler=Two video at once>
<youtube=fB1OgS0MuBs>
<youtube=TN9SQAcW5Dw>

THAT is how you perform Jarvert.

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Here's the whole concert. Guess the guys like it up on youtube or something.

That whole concert, gods that is fantastic music. I wish I had found this video before! I love it! Thank you good sir!

It's a shame the film is bad, I really wanted to see it. No doubt I still will go and see it, but if it's so bad it brings Movie Bob's accent out I wouldn't want to waste money D: but I love musicals so much, so I will probably end up liking it by the end.

 

[saintdane05]

If anything, he shouldn't be in the movie.
<spoiler=Two video at once>
<youtube=fB1OgS0MuBs>
<youtube=TN9SQAcW5Dw>

THAT is how you perform Jarvert.

<youtube=Iz13cWUokOs>
Here's the whole concert. Guess the guys like it up on youtube or something.

That whole concert, gods that is fantastic music. I wish I had found this video before! I love it! Thank you good sir!

It's a shame the film is bad, I really wanted to see it. No doubt I still will go and see it, but if it's so bad it brings Movie Bob's accent out I wouldn't want to waste money D: but I love musicals so much, so I will probably end up liking it by the end.

IT actually is quite a good movie. You just need abit a patience. And be able to listen to Russel Crowe sing.
<youtube=v6qGqdaNIJM>

 

[Padwolf]

IT actually is quite a good movie. You just need abit a patience. And be able to listen to Russel Crowe sing.
<youtube=v6qGqdaNIJM>

For a movie producton of it that is really not bad at all. I want to see it now

 

[Baresark]

I don't know why this review is occurring.... this movie was number three on his ten most hated movies of the year. I think that is review enough. His reasoning is kind of irrelevant. Comparing it to the book is also irrelevant as the movie is clearly aimed at the crowd who liked and are into watching, musical theatre. It seems to me that Bob probably does not like musical theatre, which is 100% Ok, but then it kind of skews what he may have to say about a movie adapted from the musical theatre version of the story.

But if people only reviewed films they liked reviews would be pointless. It's like that time that reviewer who famously loathed superhero movies said Captain America was pretty great, that let people know it was a damn good film. If it wasn't for reviewers like him, we would never find out how to improve superhero films because we'd just get unoriginal feedback from people who have no interest in seeing superhero movies transcend their self-imposed limitations. If we don't get people who aren't interested in musical films critisize musical films, we'll never figure out how to make musical films not suck.

I'm fine with him reviewing it. I just don't think it's necessary because everyone already knows his feelings on the movie. And I don't think musicals are really the same situation as other movies (especially Les Mis as it has zero spoken lines unlike a lot of other musical films). No one is going to argue better direction is not warranted. And I wasn't a huge fan of so many shots that were just zoomed in on peoples faces (makes for a boring movie).

The movie was aimed at people who enjoy the story as conveyed through the music. In that sense, it was really good. The vast majority of the singing was very well performed. Crowe as Javert was not for everyone, admittedly. But my girlfriend, who is a superb singer and has been singing for most of her 24 years of life, really enjoyed his performance. I almost feel like his performance is only going to be appreciated by people who know singing like some bands produce music that is only really appreciated by other musicians. And Oscar bait or not, Anne Hathaway blew away that part like it was nobodies business. That is one of the few times I felt that zoom in on the face was warranted.

The film wasn't great but at the same time I can't help but think that no matter how good the directing or camera work was, people who don't like musicals aren't going to like it. I have to be honest, the beginning scene where they were pulling that ship was about 100 times cooler than any stage production of the musical has ever been. And no one seemed to pick up on the actor/singer playing The Bishop of Digne was the original Valjean in the very first London production of the show, which was a nice wink to the original musical production.

I'm not trying to sit here and say it was perfect or revolutionary. It certainly wasn't the be all end all of movies or musicals. But, does it deserve to be on the top 10 worst movies with a followup of exactly what is wrong with it, I'm of the opinion not. Once again, my opinion is different, which is fine. I respect his opinion and the opinion of anyone who didn't enjoy it, but to talk about it instead of just moving on, it just doesn't make sense.

Meh, it's cool though, what's done is done. More than likely he had this a few weeks in advance and had put it up if for no other reason than he is expected to have a movie review ready every Friday. It's not like the theatre's are overflowing with review fodder at this point.

Edit: I didn't say this and I very much meant to. While my girlfriend and I enjoyed Crowe's performance enough, we do both feel he is the weakest link still and not comparable to actual stage productions of Les Mis. Also, I personally feel the romance in the third act between Cosette and Marius is just annoying. They are the most god awful boring characters, their parts are uninspired and, as a personal scathing critique on the musical production in general: They are meant to give more character to Valjean, but all it does is pull you away from much more interesting characters to do it.

 

[Daaaah Whoosh]

HTF to you write out Thénardier from the story, especially when focusing on Valjean ? He's his foil.

Has for the name you ask, Éponine, she is Thénardier's elder daughter. If the story focus on Valjean she could indeed be easily ignored.

I thought Javert was Jean's foil. One follows the law of the state even if it means doing wrong, while the other does what is right regardless of the law. I guess I can see what you're saying, though. Nice use of accents.

 

[Baresark]

snip

That whole concert, gods that is fantastic music. I wish I had found this video before! I love it! Thank you good sir!

It's a shame the film is bad, I really wanted to see it. No doubt I still will go and see it, but if it's so bad it brings Movie Bob's accent out I wouldn't want to waste money D: but I love musicals so much, so I will probably end up liking it by the end.

I honestly think you will enjoy it. The problematic directing aside, the show was honestly pretty great, in my opinion. Not perfect but you will have wow moments as far as the production is concerned. This is a very divisive movie though, it seems you either like it or hate with little middle ground to be had. And don't let anyone fool you, Crowe's performance, while far from the best the show has ever seen, isn't as bad as it's made out to be. Don't go in expecting to be blown away by all the performances, but some of them will blow you away. Others you will be disappointed in, but they aren't as bad as they are made out to be. But if you don't, there is always rental when it comes out on DVD.