across the universe

as for the critics...

ok, so this film has been getting slammed by some. i think those people thought they were supposed to get high before seeing it...you know, just to get in the spirit. if you don't have a clue as to what you are going to see, i can understand you might walk away from it being less than impressed. especially if you aren't a fan of the beatles (just don't tell me you like the beach boys). if you are a self-proclaimed beatles "purist" and don't like it when other artists interpret their songs differently and change them around, don't even bother. you will be sick 5 minutes into it. you might even throw a fit and try to stage a walk-out. who knows, go crazy. if you go into this film as a beatles fan, or just as a neutral party, chances are you will find it entertaining.

as for me...

i am a beatles fan. i enjoy intelligent interpretations of other artists' songs. i like visually and musically stimulating films. its fun when a director takes songs and brilliantly puts them in a different context. i am a musician, so i am highly critical of that aspect of any film.

as for the music...

if you haven't figured it out by now, every bit of music in this film is taken from the library of the fab four. christina and i purchased the soundtrack before hand. that was pretty much all she listened to. i listened to it once, but didn't want to over do it before seeing the movie. all of the songs are creatively done, some better than others, but there weren't any i disliked. some of my favorits include:

"i saw a face"- a fun song with great harmonies and very cool choreography.

"let it be"- highly emotional, found myself a little choked up, got to love that choir.

"i want you(she's so heavy)"- one of the most out-of-context songs in the movie. brilliant.

"i am the walrus"- psychadellic. bono, what?

"while my guitar gently weeps"- one of my favorite songs, i love this guy.

"helter skelter"- that chick rocks.

as for the performers...

a wide array of strong voices that are appropriate for their roles. both jude and max have voices to be envied by pop, folk, and rock singers alike. lucy and prudence both have just beautiful voices. janis joplin has got nothing on sadie. jojo is just awesome. one thing i was impressed with was the level of acting. many times in movies or musicals acting can be sacrificed in favor of the singing voice, or the other way around. that didn't really happen in this film. that's tough to avoid, but they did a pretty good job.

as for the film over all...

it is a vivid display of talent put on by the cast and crew. a very creative and interpretive story that kept my attention and awe. i never got bored and there was always something visually or musically interesting happening. outstanding performances by multiple people and you could tell they had good chemistry with eacgother. i really enjoyed every scene, song, and visual.