Movie #1842 ........................."Cats"

Movie #1842 "Cats" -- Okay, so I am a HUGE fan of the music and this is one show I have seen a number of times on stage and I really think it works better on stage --- it's more suited to the  stage.  That became clear to me when the camera started zooming around so much, and I didn't want to see all that, and I wanted to watch the cats' movements and I wanted to pick which cat I wanted to study (just like cats would do if they were watching the show).  That being said, I continued to watch and become mesmerized by the graceful movements of the dancers --- and I enjoyed understanding most of the words when I was watching it.  If you don't know many of the words, though, I don't think you will all of a sudden become  a huge fan of this show --- the words are so intricate -- the poems are the end all, really.  So if you are not familiar with the show, I think if you want to leave having enjoyed the experience,  you might look up the lyrics and listen to the music at least once before you go.   This is a very powerful score, and this director really tried to get us interested in the whole experience --- he had wonderful attention to detail and lots of creative ideas (love the tap dance on the rails)  but at times, it was too busy, at other times, there was a lot of staring.....and the movie goes on too long.  It really is hard to get used to the costumes and extreme (digitalized) makeup --- it puts huge poundage on everyone, right off the bat, and it detracts at times from what they are saying.  But that happens to be all the leads, but really this show is a handful of leads that do their schtick and leaving the show to be propelled by the chorus of cat dancers --- and really, that is what occurs here.  They are fantastic --- it is and always has been a HUGE dance musical and if you go to the movie theatre  to see that, you will be greatly rewarded by their agility, their ability, their playfulness, their relationships with each other, all their individual characteristics and nuances  they as actors have worked on to create.  THIS MOVIE ISN'T FOR EVERYONE at all --- critics are disliking it in droves --- I can see some of their complaints --- but they are movie critics and they are studying how the musical works in the film, and I think we all know that this is a stage show and most suitable to the stage. Not all broadway shows can become successful movie musicals, esp. when the movie musical has become such a dinosaur.  But hats off to trying --- all these actors work their tails off (excuse the pun) -=-- there's no slouching here --- to give homage to the great poetic  words and the outstanding  Andrew Lloyd Weber musical  score, and I feel if you are willing to suspend some disbelief and go in with the idea you are watching something really different in film, you may come out appreciating, and even liking/loving it.  I give it a 4 out of 5.  But I love musicals and dancing, and always have.  And Judi Dench and Ian McKellan do a great job here and I wouldn't have wanted to miss that for the world!  (P. S.  I skipped  mentioning Hudson --- not very excited about her job here, but then I got to see Betty Buckley as Grizabella on stage the first time around, and it was perhaps the best experience I have ever had in an audience, so it is tough to beat that!)

"CATS"     1 hour and 50 mins      2019
A tribe of cats called the Jellicles must decide yearly which one will ascend to the Heaviside layer and come back to a new jellicle life.
Director:  Tom Hooper
Writers T.S. Elliot, Lee Hall, Tom Hooper
Stars:  Francesca Hayward, Taylor Swift, Idris Elba, Judi Dench, Jennifer Hudson, Rebel Wilson, Ian McKellen, Jason Derullo, James Corden

AS tribe of cats called the Jellicles must decide yearly which one will ascend to the Heaviside Layer and com»

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