Music to my ears.

I have seen two musicals "Hairspray (2007)" and "Across The Universe". Both of these films are very different, the only thing that they have in common are that they are both in fact musicals. Where they differ are the way the films express themselves.




First we have "Across the Universe" which is the Beatles musical about a group of kids in the 60's where many things are changing. Activist on the streets, the drug scene is exploding and the Vietnam war is beginning. The Beatles music which i love is a period piece of this era, it's very significant to the young minds that opened their ears to the music of The Beatles. Everything should fit perfectly but sadly it doesn't. Julie Taymor makes a lovely feast for our eyes to gorge on but she leaves out all the characters. Everyone in the film seems so dead, the actors try so hard to add some life into them and it just comes off as way too cute. The cuteness that is conveyed is very distracting when the film turns into a serious tone when we have a wonderful rendition of strawberry fields forever being set to visuals of Strawberry shaped grenades exploding in glorious bright reds. It's beautiful but after the injecting of life given by The Beatles music we then go back to the lifeless characters. Across The Universe is an amazing disaster of a film.

A musical is a very fragile type of film. One false step and everything can go wrong. Things need to be very leveled to keep the audience believing that in this world people can break out into song and dance then gently slide back into reality, in of course which the film sets out to be. The film "Hairspray", the 2007 version directed by Adam Shankman is a far more superior film in every aspect because he knows the structure of a musical. He fills the screen with Dances that will make you want to get up yourself and join them. The characters are so wonderful you actually feel for them. You smile when they smile, you feel down when they feel down. The film is very well structured and paced. It literally doesn't miss a beat when it has an opportunity to go for broke and just be a well entertaining film and that is exactly what this film is. Pure Entertainment. I loved every second of it. Travolta is just great as Edna, Walken is amazing as always and the rest of the cast give it their all. Hairspray also has a scene that is very quickly becoming a favorite of mine where we have Travolta and Walken's dancing under a starry night. It's just beautiful.

After watching both films i noticed that i never thought this would be the outcome. I honestly thought Across the Universe would be the better film. It just goes to show you that just because you have a director like Julie Taymor who directed "Frida" and "Titus" can drop the ball. It just astonishes me that Adam Shankman who made the critical bashed "The pacifier" and "Bringing down the house" can make such a terrific film.

Across the Universe - Grade C-

Hairspray - Grade A+ (Not the best film of the year but definitely my favorite)