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Gypsy (1993)
Bette Midler IS Mama Rose
This is easily one of my favorite musicals of all time. Bette Midler comes as close to real magic on screen as anyone has in her turn as Gypsy Lee's blustery, bosomy, brave and very scary mother. She evokes a sense of desperation that is at times both comic and tragic but always genuine and quite beautiful. Such charm and grit she is indeed a pioneer woman without a frontier. That frontier is discovered for the children. Who in turn must forge their own in a world ruled by their domineering mother.
This particular version is, as I understand it, in it's entirety including the brilliant choreography of Jerome Robbins, as well as the original stage directions.
Raising Heroes (1996)
People are crazy to rate this so low. Please don't let the score deter you from seeing this film.
Maybe it isn't worth a 10 but that is in retaliation for all the absurdly low votes it has received. This is a very well written and acted suspense film. If the main leads were a straight couple instead of two men this would easily rate a seven or eight. It creates a very compelling drama and, as far as I know, is the first time gay men have kicked serious butt in a film. Thankfully we are living in a time where a movie like this can be made.
Does it stand up to the mega blockbusters out there? Not really. It is a quiet, low budget film. But what it lacks in bombast it more than makes up for in clever plot twists and great writing.
Hopefully, with the popularity of "Brokeback Mountain" people will be more open to seek out films like these. Only time will tell.
Reefer Madness: The Movie Musical (2005)
Reefer Blandness
Yawn. Really uninteresting idea, poorly executed. I worry about the state of modern musicals when something like this can rate as high as it did. The songs were everything a song shouldn't be. Lame music, lamer lyrics. It was, very much, like watching bad improv. Not campy bad, just bad. Each one an absolute turd.
Okay, enough kvetching. There were some good points. Which is why it rated 5 and not 0. Ana Gasteyer was brilliant, very funny and she has an amazing voice. The choreography was quite clever and fun. The sets and the way it was shot were also quite good. It just all sinks under the leaden songs. I had, possibly, too high hopes for this. Now I just hoped I was high while watching it. Bad joke, I know. I couldn't help myself. The thing is they should have.