Some thoughts -
Saw the two big musical movies out now this week. Mamma Mia! and Lou Reed’s Berlin. They couldn’t be further on the opposite ends of the spectrum musically, and yet now I have the syrupy pop harmonies of Abba on shuffling with the depressing tale of speed freaks Caroline and Jim. Mamma Mia is a giant messy piece of something, not as well directed as The Apple, where the cast is mysteriously NOT DUBBED, despite not being able to sing a note, thereby ruining Abba songs you’ve come to know and love. Pierce Brosnan should have fought for a voice double. It’s really over the top and campy, the audience more often laughing at than with the film. The worst bit in the movie is the abbreviated clip above where Meryl with no direction frets and shakes her scarf around to have something to do in the Winner Takes it All number that should have been cut. Meanwhile Berlin isn’t a masterpiece as the Village Voice claims, it’s just a better than average concert film. It’s not the definitive Lou Reed performance captured on film. Schnabel’s effects for the concert - the re-enactment of Jim and Caroline’s life is unnecessary and paints the stage and film in a very ugly green-orange combo. I miss concert films though, so I enjoyed it. It made me appreciate the album more than I ever did, which isn’t a bad thing at all.
Other thoughts…
Has anyone in the press used the title “BARACK-O-RAMA?” to describe a situation such as the one in Germany last week? Since I currently work at a news office, I tend to avoid this type of stuff more. Still it would be a clever turn of phrase, but I bet someone’s used it before.
I love “I Love Money” on VH1. It may not be thoroughly real, but it doesn’t matter. I love the cast. PS. When are they going to get Saphyrii back on VH1 with her own show? You think New York has some control over that? Just wondering.