here...are my thoughts on the movie...and they are my thoughts...you may or may not agree...but i thought it was absolutely fantastic...
I'm assuming you've seen the musical ..otherwise this contains spoilers. So don't read on...
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Ok I'm gonna start with probably the only BAD thing about the movie....There's one...
Pepper. I really didn't buy Pepper. So, as good as the Choreography and cinematography were for
Does Your Mother Know, the chemistry between Tanya and Pepper just didn't work AT ALL.
I didn't see it.
Well there ya go...that's it..the only thing I didn't like.
And now some "umms"
Not sure why One of Us was left out, it's a great number, and I've always had a weakness for this
number, so i was sad it was left out. I think it would have helped more with the Donna/Sam
thing..but ho hum..
and then...
MERYL OH MERYL...a five second pause!! GIRL! that whole proposal scene would have had you wanting
more had she played it out. Maybe it's because I'm so used to having it played out on stage. hahahaha
J'adore seeing MM on the big screen. And it was fab seeing it in an environment where it seemed like you
were watching the production live on stage. People were clapping and cheering and up dancing in the aisles at the end.
No one is going to hear you clap and cheer, nor see you dance, but there we were doing that.
I went in leaving, or tried to leave expectations and expectations out the door of the Leicester Square Odeon
Honey Honey is the first song: Yeah it was so so. Tasha Sheridan reigns supreme as Sophie Sheridan. She has the crown,
i've never seen anyone do this number better than Tasha. (I said I "TRIED") Although Amanda in her own right and as a separate entity was a good Sophie and has a really good singing voice.
The lead up to the next number was such a hoot. With Tanya and Rosie on the boat, and Tanya sitting next to the Greek lady
with the crochet. And then they meet Donna. The "group hug" was funny as you like and instantly you saw this was going
to work. There was just a great camaderie between Meryl Streep, Julie Walters and Christine Baranski and it just
made all their scenes a hoot to watch. It was just like they were totally letting their hair down and having a blast.
Money Money Money: Brilliant. This was fab, it really worked with Villa Donna. The dialogue and the set just prepped for this number
perfectly. Then they show the casinos during the "from las vegas to monaco" line. And then there was a scene reminiscent of the
Titanic with them on some huge ocean liner. Ha yeah that was funny. It was perfect because it's Donna's "fantasy" number. And it showed that Meryl Streep pulls off
Donna without a question.
The dads...well Pierce Bronsnan 007, he just looks the perfect Sam. Although the hardest thing to get out of my head
was 007 singing. To be fair he was good, not too sure on his singing but he was perfect.
THe scene where Donna meets the dads and bursts into Mamma Mia was great. I don't think they did it in the same fashion as the stage show where Donna sees them and thinks WTF are they doing here, Oh my gawd! I dunno but if you've seen the show, you know what i mean, Donna's like got her drill gun and is going through the emotions with the trembling hands, the sliding down the door...that stuff... However, it was a great job, and they had something very similar to the head
bobbers. hahaahah
Chiquitita - Oh my gosh, I should not have worn mascara, i cried laughing. They changed the bed scene and moved it to a
toilet. "How i hate to see you like this?" rather than have the Dynamos stand over Donna in bed, are peering over and UNDEr a
toilet door at that point. I peed myself from laughing sooooooooo hard. Brilliant!!! As i say, it works..it sooooooooo works...
The vocals of Christine, Julie and Meryl worked. The harmony was awesome.
They throw in Our Last Summer - hahaha the flashback photos of the dads were funny.
Lay All your love on me - Dominic Cooper is eyecandy! We were cheated out of close ups and wetsuits! i'm telling you..maybe that
should be an "UMMMM" lol.....but it was HOT! i almost threw evian over myself cuz it was hot.
Super Trouper was WICKED! The make up, the way it was sung, the outfits..and how funny was it when they were walkin back to their room in the platforms?? What they did was have the dads turn up mid number and they're standing on the side, oooh the looks...
SHOOTING DAGGERS!
OK, I know now why i need the interval...we used to dash to the toilets as soon as VV ended...there was no interval and i started
to feel all the water i had drank, and i didn't want to get up...ADVICE..don't drink because you feel the pressure on
your bladder..hahah. I wonder if it's psychological because i went to see Wanted and Caspian last week, heck even at the concert i didn't feel the urge to pee...yet the minute VV came up, i had this urge hahah go figure
so where was i???
Sos - See, whilst this worked, i think it had less impact than had they put in One of Us before hand. It's not that I wasn't
rooting for Donna and Sam to get together, but I feel One of Us just adds to the drive in wanting them to get together.
I dunno??
i don't think much of Pierce Brosnan as a singing Sam, he was still good in his acting.
I loved how they filmed this number with each actor leaning on the wall. Again it was great direction.
Does Your Mother know - The most disappointing thing about this was Pepper. I'm gutted because this is such a fun number,
and the dancers and Christine were brilliant to watch, And she sings it so well too, but i just could not stand Pepper and I didn't buy the flirting, chemistry
between Pepper and Tanya.
Slipping - Ooh this was gorgeous. Meryl and Amanda worked so well here, they actually looked like they could be
mother and daughter. Another beautiful number, and shot so well, with the cuts of Mother and daughter bonding whilst
getting ready for the wedding.
Winner - I think this was hard. I love Winner, always have, it's always made me just stop breathing for about a few minutes.
But i wasn't disappointed.
And oh my gosh, the shooting of this, singing it by the sea, rather than in the bedroom. with the sunset, the breeze. Oh my
gosh it was stunning to see Meryl's Donna sing this to Pierce's Sam who just reminded me of Iain Fletcher.
I do think you have to see the song in it's context for it to work because I was umming and ahhing over it until i saw the movie.
I wasn't sure if it was right, when I saw the clips, and even when i heard it and then i saw the movie and was silenced.
I do - this was just lovely, the wedding in the small church up on the cliff. The three dads, this is where I played spot
London MM cast members. hahaah. Lee, Gareth Derrick, Chart, Taylor, Dylan. ;D ;D ;D ;D
The proposal was sweet. I loved hearing the gasp when he proposes..muah hahahah we knew it was coming! And well drool because it was Pierce!
Y'all know I love to count Donna's pause. It was short. it was literally 4 seconds. I dunno, but for me it's always
been fun to see how long Sam has to wait, and it could have been brilliant had it lasted more than 4 seconds, but it didn't
and i think it took away from the whole "ending" to Donna and Sam and making him wait out her answer. T'was stil fantastic.
THis is where they add in another "biggish" change. Take a Chance on me is sung after Donna and Sam get married, rather than before.
Again as i said with the changes, they really do work. And well Julie Walters is funny as anything.
The new number is "after all is said and done", this is where Sam serenades Donna at the wedding party. Yeah, as i said i'm not
too hot on his singing, but he was perfect for Sam. Does that make sense? Probably not hahaha
Meryl RIPS off Pierce's shirt
whooooooooooooooo! that is something i'd like to have seen in the stage show
The cinematography is breathtaking, all the scenes shot on location were just beautiful.
The slight changes to the order of the song, just take out the predicatibility of the movie if you've seen the show more than
a few times. hahahah although i think i ruined some of that.
It works. It's brilliant. I think the biggest uncertainty was the casting of Meryl Streep. And yes, admittedly i was in
that camp. Although the more clips and previews i saw of the movie, and then on hearing the CD before hand i turned. She is a great Donna in her own right and she can sing! Meryl has always been a fantastic actress and once again shows her skills as a great actress. Totally making Donna Sheridan her own, totally just taking the character and running with it. Yes, she is Fantastic in the part.
The Dynamos are a hoot, both Julie and Christine Baranski are hilarous. The actresses just looked like they were letting their hair down and having a blast on screen. They were just brilliant.
The dads were good. Not brilliant singers but even they worked. You can't complain about the lead cast because it was great.
All in all, MM the movie is absolutely fantastic!!! It really is! It is the ONLY movie musical i have seen where people have applauded after a number and
where people have been up dancing in the aisles at the end because you get a FINALE!!!
so don't dash off at the end....stay through the end credits and you'll get the lycra. Even Dominic Cooper hahahahaah
ok now i'm logging off and going to bed i've been up 19 hours..Don't ask!
Best quote was Donna saying she had been a "slut"
but it was FUNNEEEEEEEEEEEE!
and...listen to the dialogue when the dynamos are drunk hahahhahahahaha it's hilarious
so where was i???
