Across The Universe

[ladirushfan80]

[Test4VitalSigns]

I've heard a lot about this movie!

 

I plan on checking it out once it comes here to town (next weekend I think). It's currently playing at the Toronto Film Festival (I gotta make it down there some day)

 

 

There's been a bit of controversey surrounding this flick if I recall correctly.

 

 

 

 

 

From all accounts it's been praised as a good movie but I hope it doesn't become the "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" (The Bee Gees mess of a movie) of the 21st century Remember that pukefest?

[ReRushed]

I'm always extremely skeptical of projects that use the Beatles music as a narrative or whatever. I don't expect it's going to be good, I only hope that it isn't bad, if that even makes sense. The Beatles were so good at being themselves, why dilute the experience? Just go to the source.

 

Apparently, the Cirque du Soleil show in Las Vegas is suppose to be very good, hopefully this movie will somewhat approach the same success (I doubt it, though).

 

Anyway, I much prefer the originals...I think I'll go listen to Revolver and then watch Anthology...

[Test4VitalSigns]

Review from Toronto Sun

 

 

http://www.torontosun.com/Entertainment/Mo...495541-sun.html

[Ya_Big_Tree]

I'm going to the premiere of this Tonight!

 

I'll let you all know how it is when I get back.

[The Owl]

What an idea, The main characters are "Lucy" and "Jude". Almost all the characters are Beatles titles. Eddie Izzard YES!.

 

Here is the Wikipedia page on the film.

 

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Across_the_Universe_%28film%29

 

I am not usually one for romantic comedies (chick flicks) but I will make an exception for this film. What an awesome concept

[rushgoober]

this movie looks REALLY cool.

 

ebert gave it 4 out of 4 stars.

 

 

 

i'm totally seeing it.

[anagramking]

I was just looking at a clip (couldn't see much, because my comp is having a hard time playing it), and someone else (not sure who) was singing Girl. Are all the songs covers or do they play some originals as well? (If all covers, are they going to have William Shatner's version of Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds? ) I'm sure we'll get out to see this one, as we're both big Beatles fans. By the way, anybody here who is a Beatles fan absolutely must see the Cirque du Soleil/Beatles production Love. It's playing at the Mirage in Vegas. Worth the trip.

[Test4VitalSigns]

QUOTE (anagramking @ Sep 14 2007, 11:39 PM)

I was just looking at a clip (couldn't see much, because my comp is having a hard time playing it), and someone else (not sure who) was singing Girl. Are all the songs covers or do they play some originals as well? (If all covers, are they going to have William Shatner's version of Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds? ) I'm sure we'll get out to see this one, as we're both big Beatles fans. By the way, anybody here who is a Beatles fan absolutely must see the Cirque du Soleil/Beatles production Love. It's playing at the Mirage in Vegas. Worth the trip.

All the songs are sang by the cast with the music being performed by top notched session players (according to Wikipedia). 3 of the songs were peformed by a good band I like called The Secret Machines.

 

Soundtrack

 

The soundtrack of the film includes complete or partial renditions of 33 songs composed by John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr during the years that they comprised The Beatles (thus, the songs are colloquially referred to as Beatles songs.) The songs are sung by the film's cast members - backed by top session musicians. Three songs feature indie Texan band The Secret Machines. The soundtrack also includes original score composed by Elliot Goldenthal.

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Across_the_Universe_%28film%29

[Ya_Big_Tree]

I just got back from seeing it.

 

Oh Man! It is one of the best films I have ever seen! And that coming from me means a lot.

 

It's a musical that is based entirely on Beatles songs. The characters in the film sing different Beatles songs at different moments in the film. It is visually and phonetically appealing. The story line is very well written and beautifully acted I might add.

 

One thing I have to say is that it is very difficult to see this movie and not sing along with it, because if you are anything like me then you know all the lyrics to the songs they were singing.

 

A few key moments. Bono singing "I am the Walrus" was really trippy, and me(cause I loathe Bono) he did a very nice job.

Another cameo from Eddie Izzard was also very cool. He was like a circus master and extremely trippy things arose from his song.

 

I give it 4 1/2 stars out of 5. Very good. Im definitely seeing it again.

 

 

 

[Digital Man]

This looks interesting, I like the Beatles so I will check it out at some point.

 

 

Everytime I see the thread title, I hear Fiona Apple singing "Across the Universe" in my head. It's kind of strange because I am not a fan of hers, I just hear her singing that one line.

[rushgoober]

This movie FINALLY came to my local theater (and only then after I badgered them to get it ).

 

Anyway, it was a great movie. It hardly jumped into my top 10 or even top 50 of all time (although it might at some point), but I really enjoyed it. I guess I'll say this:

 

I enjoyed it as much as I can enjoy a musical.

 

I'm just generally not into musicals, but there are exceptions of ones I've really enjoyed - Grease, Chicago and Moulin Rouge come to mind, although outside of Grease I usually have no desire to see them a second time. This one I definitely will see again, and probably several times, though not for awhile.

 

Some of the psychedelic imagery was amongst the best I've EVER seen and it was perhaps the closest at points to a visual recreation of the psychedelic drug experience that I've ever seen on film, even though the desert scene in The Doors movie gives some of these scenes a run for their money.

 

Overall a great movie, a great commentary on the 60's and a lot of what was going on politically (the correlations between what was going on then and what's going on now are impossible to miss) and a really enjoyable story. The Beatles really said SO much in the few short years of their recording career, and I always thought of their music mirroring quite well the arc of evolution and social change in the 60's - from youthful innocence to freedom and idealism to social change and those who wanted to impede progress, a need for balance and responsibility, etc. This movie follows a similar arc, and in that it's very creatively done and well realized.

Edited October 30, 2007 by rushgoober

[Ya_Big_Tree]

I'm glad you liked it Goobs! I knew you would. I felt the exact same way about the psychedlic drug experience. It was very well done IMO.

[Mustard Death]

Going to see this on Friday... looks pretty fantastic.