tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8795280.post1861847846393254980..comments2024-03-24T13:26:57.317-07:00Comments on Sergio Leone and the Infield Fly Rule: DA BOMB: MAMMA MIA!, THE MOVIEDennis Cozzaliohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01954848938471883431noreply@blogger.comBlogger21125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8795280.post-4243129008593751752008-08-13T00:04:00.000-07:002008-08-13T00:04:00.000-07:00this is one of the only plays i've ever seen, whic...this is one of the only plays i've ever seen, which ended up being great... it's funny to think of ol' Pierce taking a stab at singing, yeeeshAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8795280.post-3196015936483338292008-07-28T16:08:00.000-07:002008-07-28T16:08:00.000-07:00Ha! See, parents-who-are-forced-to-watch-nothing-...Ha! See, parents-who-are-forced-to-watch-nothing-but-the-Wiggles? It's not that hard! Just get 'em started early, and they'll have great taste for the rest of their lives!billhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05028329539974521267noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8795280.post-8758786212697609832008-07-28T16:02:00.000-07:002008-07-28T16:02:00.000-07:00I haven't yet, but I will.I'm still high off my ei...I haven't yet, but I will.<BR/><BR/>I'm still high off my eight-year-old sitting down with me this weekend and watching Jimmy Stewart in Anthony Mann's <I>Bend of the River</I>... and <I>loving</I> it!Dennis Cozzaliohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01954848938471883431noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8795280.post-71041689619970135242008-07-28T15:59:00.000-07:002008-07-28T15:59:00.000-07:00I look forward to your review, Dennis. Have you c...I look forward to your review, Dennis. Have you checked out Jonathan's post from today, regarding superhero movies? Interesting post, even more interesting comments section.billhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05028329539974521267noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8795280.post-9356345832312317822008-07-28T15:11:00.000-07:002008-07-28T15:11:00.000-07:00Bill, please don't think I'm hiding out in the sid...Bill, please don't think I'm hiding out in the sidebar-- I'd love to get in the fray, so to speak, not that I'd ever receive the volume of brickbats that David, Keith, et al. have had flung at them. It'll be a day or so before I can check in on <I>The Dark Knight</I>, but for now, two stars. Now I'm off to go find my penis!Dennis Cozzaliohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01954848938471883431noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8795280.post-85472255603556922372008-07-28T06:19:00.000-07:002008-07-28T06:19:00.000-07:00saw the stage show and enjoyed it for what it was....saw the stage show and enjoyed it for what it was... saw the movie and hated it! i can honestly say that it's the worst movie musical that i've ever seen... and that includes ' can't stop the music'... at least there it looked like the cast was enjoying the off-camera coke. <BR/><BR/>i'm glad you mentioned the direction by phyllida lloyd, because there wasn't any! i have no idea what went on behind the scenes... how much interfering there might have been from the studio, producers and cast, what kind of limitations she faced..., but i hope she presented the editor with a nice gift basket when post-production was completed, because i'm sure the editor didn't have much to work with. your notion that she just turned the camera on and walked away seems entirely possible. it's the first time i've seen a movie that felt like it could've been directed by robots.<BR/><BR/>and where the hell was the volume for the songs? they need to be pumped, not just played as backing tracks. amanda seyfried did have have the most pleasant voice in the movie, but she also seems to have over-dosed on prozac. then, most of the cast seemed to be trying to make up for the lack of energy in the movie by just selling the notion of energy. maybe that's all they could do, left wandering on their own with lloyd off eating cucumber sandwiches or whatever the hell else was distracting her from her director's chores. seriously, i was embarrassed for the first half hour of this movie, just like i was watching clips of tom cruise couch-hopping on 'oprah'. then i just didn't care.Dave Shttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12394730675283743852noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8795280.post-55315794269444388462008-07-28T05:08:00.000-07:002008-07-28T05:08:00.000-07:00Dennis - Two stars for The Dark Knight? Well. Th...Dennis - <I>Two stars</I> for <I>The Dark Knight</I>? Well. Then I guess you suck and also have no penis.billhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05028329539974521267noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8795280.post-2155984901625571392008-07-27T18:09:00.000-07:002008-07-27T18:09:00.000-07:00My audience was primarily the elderly. I'd say 90%...My audience was primarily the elderly. I'd say 90% of the audience was made of AARP members, and they loved it. I liked it enough that I will see it again on dvd.<BR/><BR/>Pierce Brosnan should never sing again.<BR/><BR/>Alan CoilAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8795280.post-90379727683832889102008-07-27T14:28:00.000-07:002008-07-27T14:28:00.000-07:00You thought Julie Walters' voice was bad? Really?You thought Julie Walters' voice was bad? Really?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8795280.post-11858044020036977702008-07-26T00:44:00.000-07:002008-07-26T00:44:00.000-07:00Terrible terrible movie. I was so looking forward ...Terrible terrible movie. I was so looking forward to it. I never saw the musical so I was very interested in seeing the movie. The ending was a HUGE cop out, and to quote a hilarious review: Did anyone here ever heard of DNA testing? Sheesh. It's a bomb. Over a 100 million since it's release and Domestically it's barely made its budget back, come on. It's terrible.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8795280.post-48809409105102915272008-07-24T19:56:00.000-07:002008-07-24T19:56:00.000-07:00Paul, during those end credits I thought surely th...Paul, during those end credits I thought surely the only possible response would have been the sound of crickets chirping, if only to drown out the shrieking going on in my head. But this won't be the last time my idea of what constitutes a transporting experience does not gibe with that of the general public. <BR/><BR/>And like you, I wouldn't want anyone to get the idea that I don't like musicals or even "chick flicks." I certainly don't dig what gets fobbed off on this demographic in the guise of romantic comedy 90% of the time (please, no more McCounnaughey/Hudson pairings, please), but I genuine liked <I>While You Were Sleeping</I> and much of <I>Where the Heart Is</I> (no match for the wild and weird Boorman film of the same name, true, but Natalie Portman and Ashley Judd did good work here) for just two examples.<BR/><BR/>And as for musicals, well, <I>Singin' in the Rain, The Gang's All Here, Fiddler on the Roof, Top Hat, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes</I> and <I>Meet Me in St. Louis</I> are among my favorite movies, so there's that.<BR/><BR/>But <I>Mamma Mia</I>, as much as I <I>wanted</I> to like it (and I <I>did</I> want to like it), really does deserve comparison with those other musical disasters I mentioned near the end of the review. It makes me wonder if the thirst for a good musical is so strong that anything is acceptable, but what it probably really means is that the pull of the memory of the stage musical, and the love for those damn songs, and the desire to identify with good-looking people romping in lush locales can paper over an awful lot of misconceived moviemaking.Dennis Cozzaliohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01954848938471883431noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8795280.post-32940285073323232622008-07-24T19:30:00.000-07:002008-07-24T19:30:00.000-07:00What a bizarre, isolating experience it was to wat...What a bizarre, isolating experience it was to watch this movie in a packed theatre last Friday with an audience that loved every minute of it. Rarely have I seen a movie get such an enthusiastic crowd response—people were literally hooting with laughter at every stale, pandering slapstick gag, and cheering every cornball bit of staging. It's obnoxious to claim that your taste is superior to that of "the masses" and I try never to look down my nose at other people's cultural tastes... but I was genuinely amazed (and a little depressed) to see a phony movie like this, made with so little wit or artistry or sophistication, be rewarded with such applause.<BR/><BR/>I love musicals, and I can put up with a lot of song-and-dance hokum, and like you, Dennis, I was hoping that MAMMA MIA! would have some of the energy and high spirits and the sheer joy of performing that you find in HAIRSPRAY, but I got no pleasure out of this thing at all.Paul Matwychukhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01917384620564525389noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8795280.post-69560145862990455832008-07-24T19:06:00.000-07:002008-07-24T19:06:00.000-07:00Murray: ROTFLMAO? Wow, I'm gonna have to think abo...Murray: ROTFLMAO? Wow, I'm gonna have to think about that one! Is that an acronym for what <I>she</I> said? (Remember, I didn't know what MILF stood for until about three years ago...) Please ask Karen to jump in here and fight her own battles! :)<BR/><BR/>Ed, I sure do agree about my wife. She said everything that was important to say in about five words, and with a sharp wit as well. <BR/><BR/>No, seriously, I certainly don't begrudge anyone their enjoyment of anything that is specifically designed to be entertaining-- if it works for you, what can I say? The Name of the Game (please forgive me) isn't trying to convince anyone of my point of view on <I>Mamma Mia</I> or anything else, but instead to be sure that I accurately describe the movie and my own reactions to it in a way that sheds some light on both of those things. Just as in the case of certain other summer movies with rabid fan bases, I welcome any discussion that is pitched in the same spirit. Whether or not you agree, I just want the review to be worth spending the time it takes for you to read it.<BR/><BR/>Patty also said she thought Colin Firth sounded like a depressed Peter Noone, which I also thought was pretty funny and apt, though honestly, I thought his voice, though shaky, was much more pleasant than some of the others that I can't seem to get out of my head!<BR/><BR/>Sharon: The lawsuit is under way! By the way (and this is <I>really</I> gonna get me in trouble), didn't you also like <I>The Shawshank Redemption</I>?<BR/><BR/>I'm gonna go hide now...Dennis Cozzaliohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01954848938471883431noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8795280.post-65102068603076024322008-07-24T18:49:00.000-07:002008-07-24T18:49:00.000-07:00LOL!!! Boy you sure got Karen all worked up. Tal...LOL!!! Boy you sure got Karen all worked up. Talk about polar opposites. Karen says--------------------------------------------------! I am not going to repeat it. ROTFLMAO!!!Lesterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09233467915836646981noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8795280.post-11582514327510149222008-07-24T14:52:00.000-07:002008-07-24T14:52:00.000-07:00Very well: I sue you!Very well: I sue you!billhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05028329539974521267noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8795280.post-40715036160090322392008-07-24T14:21:00.000-07:002008-07-24T14:21:00.000-07:00I enjoyed it. So sue me! ;-)I enjoyed it. So sue me! ;-)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8795280.post-81205501697993344262008-07-24T14:18:00.000-07:002008-07-24T14:18:00.000-07:00Your wife is a funny, funny woman. What a great li...Your wife is a funny, funny woman. What a great line! I won't be subjecting myself to this one, but your review was incredibly entertaining anyway. There's nothing better than an entertaining, detailed slam of a movie I have no intention of seeing myself.Ed Howardhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18014222247676090467noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8795280.post-3054379422679605292008-07-24T13:54:00.000-07:002008-07-24T13:54:00.000-07:00I've heard that the music cannot be stopped. Soun...I've heard that the music cannot be stopped. Sounds kind of dangerous.<BR/><BR/>By the way, Dennis, your wife's "Mentos" line is spot-on, at least from what I can see from the previews. It's almost as though the filmmakers were consciously paying homage to those commercials.billhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05028329539974521267noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8795280.post-49192451975644941882008-07-24T13:42:00.000-07:002008-07-24T13:42:00.000-07:00Well, apparently it's doing just fine at the domes...Well, apparently it's doing just fine at the domestic box-office, and is a huge hit overseas as well, so... yes, you should see it. Over and over again. Understand, you can't stop the music, especially not "The Winner Takes It All."Dennis Cozzaliohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01954848938471883431noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8795280.post-75603482255065010032008-07-24T13:37:00.000-07:002008-07-24T13:37:00.000-07:00So, it's really good? We should all go see it?So, it's really good? We should all go see it?billhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05028329539974521267noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8795280.post-13682852398354301802008-07-24T13:02:00.000-07:002008-07-24T13:02:00.000-07:00All I can say is that the experience of seeing thi...All I can say is that the experience of seeing this movie (at a free screening) was too painful for me personally to write a review for the film.<BR/><BR/>To make matters worst, I fear I was pretty much the only one in the screening who felt that way. The theater was packed with cheers and clapping and crazy laughter. Much like you, I hung my head throughout a lot of this movie.<BR/><BR/>The thing I find funny, though, is that even the "fans" in the audience who ate up every last minute of that movie with a spoon admitted how bad Brosnan was. How do I know? Most of the audience laughed when Brosnan sang (and no, it was not a scene that was intended to be funny). I really do like Brosnan in most films, but I'm...shocked at how badly that guy sings, and I'm blown away by the fact that he sings in <I>multiple songs</I> throughout the movie!<BR/><BR/>I looked forward to hearing "Take a Chance On Me" for the entire film, only to be rewarded with such a sloppy, poorly sung, barely coherent rendition. For me, the one bearable element of the film was Seyfried, who has really won me over with her work on the most recent season of <I>Big Love</I>. But even she and her voice couldn't do...<I>anything</I> to help this thing.<BR/><BR/>As someone else said, the image of Meryl Streep wailing out on an air guitar is just burned in my brain. I can't help but shake my head in amazement.Jonathan Pachecohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17689066062884954184noreply@blogger.com