Tag Archives: Musical

Review in Brief: Sing (2016)

Posted on August 9, 2017 by Sam S-P

SING is a pleasant surprise. It may be a clichéd underdog/competition story retold with singing animals, but it’s got a lot of pep and ends up being the most soulful and best-realised animations Illumination have produced so far. The characters are … Continue reading →

Posted in Film, Film Review | Tagged Animation, Elton John, Garth Jennings, Illumination, Musical, Reese Witherspoon, Scarlett Johansson, Sing, Taron Egerton | Leave a comment

Review: Ted 2 (2015)

Posted on January 19, 2016 by Sam S-P

It would be nice if TED 2 avoided the comedy sequel trap of doing the same thing again only bigger and less funny. It doesn’t. This is first-draft “that’ll do” comedy with recycled FAMILY GUY riffs to fill in the … Continue reading →

Posted in Film, Film Review | Tagged Amanda Seyfried, Boston Legal, Comedy, Family Guy, Film, Giovani Ribisi, Jessica Barth, John Carroll Lynch, Mark Wahlberg, Mila Kunis, Movies, Muppets Most Wanted, Musical, Sam Jones, Seth MacFarlane, Ted, Ted 2 | Leave a comment

Review: Into the Woods (2014)

Posted on February 14, 2015 by Sam S-P

Musicals, like comedy films, are very difficult to review. Musical taste, just like what makes you laugh, is such a subjective thing. Generally you’re either a Stephen Sondheim fan or you’re not. For me, INTO THE WOODS isn’t a great … Continue reading →

Posted in Film, Film Review | Tagged Anna Kendrick, Brothers Grimm, Christine Baranski, Cinderella, Daniel Huttlestone, Disney, Emily Blunt, Film, Into the Woods, James Corden, Johnny Depp, Lilla Crawford, Lucy Punch, Mackenzie Mauzy, Maleficent, Meryl Streep, Movies, Musical, Rob Marshall, Stephen Sondheim, Tammy Blanchard, Tangled, The Lone Ranger | Leave a comment

Review: Begin Again (2013)

Posted on November 17, 2014 by Sam S-P

There’s a scene early on in BEGIN AGAIN where Mark Ruffalo’s ramshackle record producer Dan shows obvious physical pain at listening to the bilge that are the demo tapes he is sent as he is stuck in busy city traffic … Continue reading →

Posted in Film, Film Review, Music | Tagged Adam Levine, Begin Again, Catherine Keener, Comedy, Drama, Film, Folk Music, Glen Hansard, Hailee Steinfeld, John Carney, Keira Knightley, Mark Ruffalo, Markéta Irglová, Maroon 5, Movies, Musical, Once, Pop Music, Wikipedia | Leave a comment

Review: Frozen (2013)

Posted on April 13, 2014 by Sam S-P

The first half of FROZEN is pretty near perfect. It’s dark, soulful and bold, some of the best work Disney has ever produced. The film becomes more conventional as it goes on, but you can quite easily forgive any film … Continue reading →

Posted in Film, Film Review | Tagged Animation, Carrie, Chris Buck, Disney, Fantasy, Film, Frozen, Hans Christian Andersen, Idina Menzel, Jennifer Lee, Jonathan Groff, Josh Gad, Kristen Bell, Les Misérables, Movies, Musical, Oscars, Tangled, The Lion King, Universal Horror | Leave a comment

Review: Muppets Most Wanted (2014)

Posted on April 7, 2014 by Sam S-P

Like they say in the opening number, sequels are rarely as good as the first film – does it make it less so if it’s pointed out in song? After singing about dull and pointless sequels, MUPPETS MOST WANTED threatens … Continue reading →

Posted in Film, Film Review | Tagged Bret McKenzie, Comedy, Danny Trejo, Film, Flight of the Conchords, Jermaine Clement, Movies, Muppets Most Wanted, Musical, Ray Liotta, Ricky Gervais, The Muppet Show, The Muppets, The Seventh Seal, The Silence of the Lambs, Tina Fey, Ty Burrell | Leave a comment

Review: Saving Mr. Banks (2013)

Posted on April 3, 2014 by Sam S-P

SAVING MR. BANKS isn’t like many other biopics, and it’s like next to no films about filmmaking. Movies that retell notoriously troubled productions have a tendency to exaggerate and oversimplify for the sake of smooth storytelling, yet often turn out to … Continue reading →

Posted in Film, Film Review | Tagged Annie Rose Buckley, B.J. Novak, Bambi, Biopic, Bradley Whitford, Colin Farrell, Comedy, Dick Van Dyke, Disney, Drama, Emma Thompson, Film, Hitchcock, Jason Schwatzman, John Lee Hancock, Kelly Marcel, Mary Poppins, Movies, Musical, Paul Giamatti, Saving Mr. Banks, Tom Hanks | Leave a comment

Review: Inside Llewyn Davis (2013)

Posted on March 10, 2014 by Sam S-P

Some critics have compared the Coen Brothers’ latest film, INSIDE LLEWYN DAVIS to their previous downbeat allegory for life and its essential rubbishness, A SERIOUS MAN. There are similarities, but in some ways I see it as more akin to … Continue reading →

Posted in Film, Film Review | Tagged A Serious Man, Adam Driver, Black Comedy, Bruno Delbonnel, Carey Mulligan, Ethan Coen, F. Murray Abraham, Film, Garrett Hedlund, Inside Llewyn Davis, Joel Coen, John Goodman, Movies, Musical, No Country for Old Men, O Brother Where Art Thou?, Oscar Isaac, T-Bone Burnett, The Coen Brothers | 2 Comments

Willkommen…

Posted on September 30, 2013 by Sam S-P

Something a bit different to usual, this blog entry is (mostly) about musical theatre. I saw a stage production of the musical CABARET a few years back, and I found it a very enjoyable night out. What intrigued me the most was realising … Continue reading →

Posted in Film, Film Feature, Theatre | Tagged Alan Cumming, Bob Fosse, Cabaret, Christopher Isherwood, Film, Joel Grey, Liza Minnelli, Michael York, Michelle Williams, Movies, Musical, Sam Mendes, Theatre, Will Young | Leave a comment

Tag Archives: Musical

Review in Brief: Sing (2016)

Review: Ted 2 (2015)

Review: Into the Woods (2014)

Review: Begin Again (2013)

Review: Frozen (2013)

Review: Muppets Most Wanted (2014)

Review: Saving Mr. Banks (2013)

Review: Inside Llewyn Davis (2013)

Willkommen…

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