CATS, YES CATS--PLUS LITTLE WOMEN, UNCURT GEMS, AND FORD VS. FERRARI

                                         MEOW


CATS IS MY MOST LOATHED BROADWAY MUSICAL OF ALL TIME. 

The only time I saw it, I was forced to go as part of a group adventure, and I was trapped in my seat trying not to be the group spoiler. I've never gone back to see it again. I love ripping CATS apart with my theatrical friends. It's a joke among the professionals.

I also am not a fan of anything Andrew Lloyd Webber does, except for PHANTOM.

When the trailer for CATS was released, the movie's prospects were instantly destroyed. Visually, it looked so weird and fake. The stars in their costumes looked ridiculous (but sometimes the fur was pretty.)


So, yesterday, I went to see UNCUT GEMS starring Adam Sandler.  (Stay with me, here.)There have been such raves about his performance I had to see it. I only lasted 45 minutes. Its' the noisiest, unrelentingly loud, screaming movie I've ever had the mis-fortune to see. It was like being hit in the head with a machine gun every second. And, it's filled with horrible characters you would never care about. It was like being water-boarded.Yes, Adam Sandler was great. I don't care. Get me out of here.  

THAT'S WHEN I SAW CATS. I was dressed and in a theatre, and I wanted to see something. The only movie available I hadn't seen was CATS. Lord, help me now....

A word about the Oscar-winning director of CATS, Tom Hooper. He won the Oscar for directing THE KING'S SPEECH. Brilliant. He did THE DANISH GIRL. Brilliant. He did LES MISERABLES....uh oh. Now I see the Andrew Lloyd Webber connection. I didn't like LES MISERABLES on stage either, but the movie was really well done. WHAT HAPPENED?????? Arrogance must be the only logical answer.

There were eight of us in a theatre that was a large, blockbuster theatre for a hit movie. It started. I was curious and relieved that I didn't hear any yelling and did feel like I was being attacked. What I saw was a movie that was shot and directed in such a way that every scene looked flat and fake. You could never get into the characters because it had a "velvet cartoon" look---actors--scenery--background---everything. Such a terrible choice. I think that's the biggest reason the movie is bombing---it just looks so stupid on screen.

The musical numbers bored me as, usual, but if you concentrated on the eyes of performers like Judi Dench, Ian McKellan, Jennifer Hudson, James Corden, Jason DeRulo, Rebel Wilson, and Idris Elba, you started to feel the characters. Seriously...I also loved their ears and tails. Oh, yes. Taylor Swift was in it. She moved well and sang well.

Judi Dench

Jennifer Hudson

You never lose sight of the fact that's it's an actor you like playing a cat. It's impossible. But it is possible to admire and in some cases thrill, at their individual performances. Their performances are the only authentic thing to see, and I loved them. I could totally understand why they would take the part.

Jennifer Hudson doing MEMORY, was every bit as fantastic as AND, I'M TELLING YOU. Not as good a song, but you just don't breathe at all when you see her. What a talent. I also was so touched by the work of Ian McKellan and Judi Dench. A pro is a pro is a pro. Their artistry was mesmerizing.

If you go see the movie, you must go just to see those performances. It's not their fault that the movie visually is so lame, and used as a conceit that no audience should be put through. Their work should not suffer because of it.

I was glad I saw it.


LITTLE WOMEN

Greta Gerwig, director!

I loved, loved, loved this movie. It is everything that CATS is not. It is grand and sweeping like a David Lean movie, and intimate and heart-grabbing at the same time. Greta Gerwig is an extraordinary talent--kind of a combo of Lean and Sturges who is "woke." Soarise Ronan, Timothee Chalamet, and Laura Dern head the totally brilliant cast--Emma Watson, Florence Pugh, Meryl Streep. Eliza Scanlan, James Norton, Bob Odenkirk, Chris Cooper, Jayne Houdyshell, etc. They all deserve awards.

Run to the theatre to see this one. Don't you dare watch it on a small screen. It is a breath of fresh air we richly deserve. Gerwig made some changes and I LOVED what she did. You'll see.


FORD VS. FERRARI


Matt Damon and Christian Bale are terrific in this true story of a legendary race. If you want a "fast escape" for fun, go see this. Great racing footage. Great heart.You'll like it. That's it.