Sunday, November 23, 2003 :::

Hee! The NBCR of Little Shop of Horrors has bonus tracks of Howard Ashman and Alan Menken singing early versions of some of the songs, and they're hilarious. (And they also make me feel a LOT better about my current drafts of several MAA songs. :D)

This new revival sounds like great fun. I'm already predisposed to loving this cast, as Seymour is played by OBC Urinetown "Bobby" Hunter Foster, and Audrey is played by OOBC Bat Boy "Shelley" Kerry Butler. W00t! But I must say I miss Audrey's lisp, which was a complete given in every stage version of LSOH I've seen. Oh well.

I don't have the original stage recording to compare it to, but if you love the show and only have the movie soundtrack, it's a worthy addition. I love "Mushnik and Son" and all the other shows that weren't used in the movie. And the diction! Praise the lord, the diction! I can finally understand lyrics that have puzzled me since I first heard the songs ten years ago!

So yay. Faaaaaabulous musical. Great recording. I think I still prefer the film version (Rick Moranis as Seymour? Steve Martin as the sadistic dentist? And lisping Audrey? Booyeah.), but this version is still crazy fun. Hurrah!
::: frowled Priscilla at 11:38 PM

Thursday, November 20, 2003 :::

whoa. well, let's see what i have on my to-review plate.

capturing the friedmans: this was really interesting. it's a documentary about this family where the father and son were both accused of child abuse... i don't know. it was really sad, and did a good job, i thought, of showing all sides of the story. it had some funny moments too, so it wasn't like... total downer.

the hobbit (cartoon): i had never seen this before. all i have to say, really, is this: drugs were definitely involved with the production.

the 10th kingdom: the ultimate mary sue, and a few hours too long. still, though, wolf is pretty hot. get a weeklong rental and watch it with some mocking friends.

1602 #1-4: the history nerd in me (what am i saying? the history nerd that is me) loves this. your history nerd probably will too. if you don't have a history nerd, your comic book nerd will prolly like it too.

stuart davis, bell: totally rockin'. it's all about "sexy messiah" but the other songs are grood too. (a few free mp3s at stu.com so you can hear for yourself!)

tori amos, tales of a librarian: oh, man. swooooooon. the book nerd in me (she gets on well with the history nerd) totally loves that she categorized the songs by dewey decimal. the new songs are great, i love what she's done to the old ones (mostly... not sure what she was thinking when she did that to "mary", but i'll deal.) i'd heard bad things about "professional widow", but it's just armand's star trunk funkin' mix, which i like. sometimes. the dvd is great too, love the live videos, especially "honey" and "northern lad". if you're a new tori fan, go for it. if you're an old tori fan, go for it. if you're not a tori fan, buy it and become a new tori fan.

jill sobule, the folk years: 2003-2003: i love jill sobule. so, so much. highlights include her cover of "survivor" (the destiny's child song, as you've never heard it before), "don't drop dead", and "war correspondent". more great folk-rock from one of the coolest chicks around.

let's see. have i not done
neil gaiman, endless nights yet? honestly, what's wrong with me? this rocks 5 ways from wednesday. helloooo, it's by neil gaiman. sheesh, you people. did you really need me to tell you it rocks? i think not.
::: frowled ~renata~ at 7:15 PM

Friday, November 07, 2003 :::

The Matrix III. The entire movie was one massive "laughing while Haldir dies" moment. It really wasn't that bad, it was just absolutely laughable. And I know I'm going to wake up tomorrow morning and say "THAT was the ending? [Unprintable word]!"

So much thoughtful conjecture and tireless research. So many fascinating theories. And that's what the Wachowski Brothers give us. Okay, come to think of it, I believe I've reached "unprintable word" status already. The first movie was "Wow! What cool ideas! And what fabulous special effects!" and the second movie was "Wow, there are no new ideas. And those special effects were cool but could have been better executed!" And the third movie is "Wow! No new ideas at all, next to nothing new in the special effects department, and a sudden obsession with the CONQUERING POWER OF GREAT AND T00BY LUV <33333

I think the one redeeming aspect of that movie was the split-second, blink-and-you'll-miss-it poster in the subway advertising "Tasty Wheat". MOUSE SPEAKS TO US BEYOND THE GRAVE OF THE LIFE-AFFIRMING MERITS OF VILE BREAKFASTLIKE SUBSTANCES. Dude, that would have rocked.

Citizens of Zion: Woe! How can we possibly last against such odds?
Mouse: Fear not, for I return from the dead with my Tasty Wheat!
Citizens of Zion: We are saved!
Neo: Gawrsh, Trin. (hur hur) I lurve yew.

It's just one of those instances where the fans could have written it better. A bit like the Star Wars prequels, but not quite as drastic. You just want to say "No! Bad Wachowski brothers! Sit! Stay! Hand over manuscript NOW and be good boys and we'll call you when we have a good plot worked out. Here, have a biscuit."

Wah.
::: frowled Priscilla at 12:21 AM