My thoughts on RENT
And here are my thoughts on the RENT movie:
Seasons of Love - Awesome! Definitely a good idea to move it to the beginning of the movie and sort of introduce us into "The musical movie". I can see where it would have worked halfway through the movie, but it would have been slightly awkward, so Chris Columbus made a good decision :)
However, after introducing us to the world of "the musical movie", the first lines spoken were originally sung in the Broadway production. Just a curious note there...
Rent - Excellent direction! With Anthony Rapp (Mark) riding his bike it created a lot of movement, which helped keep the intensity of the song, which would have been a lot more difficult to do if him and Adam Pascal (Roger) had been in the apartment from the beginning. Also, very good explanation of the whole "Rent" scenario without the opening scene. They showed the eviction notice, and at the end, them all throwing their flaming eviction notices at Taye Diggs (Benny). Also, it was a good idea to not show Joanne in this scene, and have us wait until Mark first sees her for us to see her.
One Song Glory - Chris Columbus gets an A+ on this one. The flashbacks to April really were well put together, so that it really helped you to understand what happened even without the scene that they cut out ("His girlfriend April left a note saying "We've got AIDS" before slitting her wrists in the bathroom")
Light My Candle - Very funny :P Rosario Dawson did an awesome job.
Collins and Angel - Good idea to show Angel not in drag at the beginning so that we knew that he was a guy, otherwise people might have been confused.
Today 4 U - Also very funny. You could really tell that Wilson Jermaine Heredia wasn't actually singing, though, because he was doing back tucks and dancing around and stuff. But all in all very entertaining number.
Tango: Maureen - another A+ for Chris Columbus. The cut to the dream tango dance hall was a good idea, I think. It made the last line of the song even funnier. ("I feel great...I feel lousy")
Life Support - such a great song, especially now that Mark isn't interrupting it like in the Broadway version. First time that Mark hides behind his camera.
Out Tonight - Good number. That's all I can really say. Yeah...
Another Day - I didn't like listening to this song on the soundtrack, but the way Chris Columbus shot it, it was a really awesome number. With Mimi, Mark, Collins, and Angel on the ground and Roger up in the apartment, it was really excellent direction.
Will I - Excellent song, excellent scene.
Santa Fe - Such a fun song! It was really a good decision to have it down on the subway, because it showed how crazy and fun Collins really is. It also showed the great friendship that they all have.
I'll Cover You - Another A+. Just really awesome. Yeah...
Over the Moon - OMG! SO FREAKIN' HILARIOUS!!! Idina Menzel was like SO freakin' awesome. Extra credit for Chris on this one.
La Vie Boheme - Yet another freakin' awesome scene. Another good one showing the friendship between everybody.
I Should Tell You - Very nice scene. However, Hollywood people have no grasp of the concept of snow. When it lands on you, IT'S SUPPOSED TO MELT. When they came inside, they actually had to brush it off of themselves. But other than that minor detail, nice "get back together" song
La Vie Boheme B - Second time that it shows Mark as the observer! Excellent way of showing it, too. I was very impressed by that shot. Kudos, Chris.
Take Me or Leave Me - From this point on, the movie was the best I've ever seen. This was such an awesome scene. Probably my favorite in the whole movie. And the last line that Maureen's mom says to Mark was the funniest thing in the whole movie!
Without You - This marks the first time I cried in the movie. Rosario Dawson: such a good job, like omg, seriously. Such an emotional scene.
I'll Cover You (Reprise) - A+
Halloween - Yeah, what happened to this? I was really disappointed it wasn't in the movie, especially since they show Mark hiding behind his camera all throughout the movie. It was, I think, a bad decision to leave it out, especially since it's such a short song anyway.
Goodbye Love - Again, what happened to this? Probably the best fighting song ever written, and most of it was cut out. I think that was a mistake because otherwise "What You Own" is kind of not explained, because in this truncated version of "Goodbye Love", Mark and Roger don't fight at all.
What You Own - other than the previously mentioned problems, not too bad at all.
Your Eyes - A+ . So sad, almost cried. Excellent lyrics.
Finale B - This is when I cried again. Such a powerful song, and then the last picture of Angel...awesome.
So those are my thoughts. Sorry I have so many. I didn't think I would type that much, but oh well. So, GO SEE IT! It's a really good movie.
My total rating: A-
Peace out.
"How can you leave the past behind when it keeps finding ways to get to your heart? It reaches way down deep and tears you inside out til you're torn apart."
Seasons of Love - Awesome! Definitely a good idea to move it to the beginning of the movie and sort of introduce us into "The musical movie". I can see where it would have worked halfway through the movie, but it would have been slightly awkward, so Chris Columbus made a good decision :)
However, after introducing us to the world of "the musical movie", the first lines spoken were originally sung in the Broadway production. Just a curious note there...
Rent - Excellent direction! With Anthony Rapp (Mark) riding his bike it created a lot of movement, which helped keep the intensity of the song, which would have been a lot more difficult to do if him and Adam Pascal (Roger) had been in the apartment from the beginning. Also, very good explanation of the whole "Rent" scenario without the opening scene. They showed the eviction notice, and at the end, them all throwing their flaming eviction notices at Taye Diggs (Benny). Also, it was a good idea to not show Joanne in this scene, and have us wait until Mark first sees her for us to see her.
One Song Glory - Chris Columbus gets an A+ on this one. The flashbacks to April really were well put together, so that it really helped you to understand what happened even without the scene that they cut out ("His girlfriend April left a note saying "We've got AIDS" before slitting her wrists in the bathroom")
Light My Candle - Very funny :P Rosario Dawson did an awesome job.
Collins and Angel - Good idea to show Angel not in drag at the beginning so that we knew that he was a guy, otherwise people might have been confused.
Today 4 U - Also very funny. You could really tell that Wilson Jermaine Heredia wasn't actually singing, though, because he was doing back tucks and dancing around and stuff. But all in all very entertaining number.
Tango: Maureen - another A+ for Chris Columbus. The cut to the dream tango dance hall was a good idea, I think. It made the last line of the song even funnier. ("I feel great...I feel lousy")
Life Support - such a great song, especially now that Mark isn't interrupting it like in the Broadway version. First time that Mark hides behind his camera.
Out Tonight - Good number. That's all I can really say. Yeah...
Another Day - I didn't like listening to this song on the soundtrack, but the way Chris Columbus shot it, it was a really awesome number. With Mimi, Mark, Collins, and Angel on the ground and Roger up in the apartment, it was really excellent direction.
Will I - Excellent song, excellent scene.
Santa Fe - Such a fun song! It was really a good decision to have it down on the subway, because it showed how crazy and fun Collins really is. It also showed the great friendship that they all have.
I'll Cover You - Another A+. Just really awesome. Yeah...
Over the Moon - OMG! SO FREAKIN' HILARIOUS!!! Idina Menzel was like SO freakin' awesome. Extra credit for Chris on this one.
La Vie Boheme - Yet another freakin' awesome scene. Another good one showing the friendship between everybody.
I Should Tell You - Very nice scene. However, Hollywood people have no grasp of the concept of snow. When it lands on you, IT'S SUPPOSED TO MELT. When they came inside, they actually had to brush it off of themselves. But other than that minor detail, nice "get back together" song
La Vie Boheme B - Second time that it shows Mark as the observer! Excellent way of showing it, too. I was very impressed by that shot. Kudos, Chris.
Take Me or Leave Me - From this point on, the movie was the best I've ever seen. This was such an awesome scene. Probably my favorite in the whole movie. And the last line that Maureen's mom says to Mark was the funniest thing in the whole movie!
Without You - This marks the first time I cried in the movie. Rosario Dawson: such a good job, like omg, seriously. Such an emotional scene.
I'll Cover You (Reprise) - A+
Halloween - Yeah, what happened to this? I was really disappointed it wasn't in the movie, especially since they show Mark hiding behind his camera all throughout the movie. It was, I think, a bad decision to leave it out, especially since it's such a short song anyway.
Goodbye Love - Again, what happened to this? Probably the best fighting song ever written, and most of it was cut out. I think that was a mistake because otherwise "What You Own" is kind of not explained, because in this truncated version of "Goodbye Love", Mark and Roger don't fight at all.
What You Own - other than the previously mentioned problems, not too bad at all.
Your Eyes - A+ . So sad, almost cried. Excellent lyrics.
Finale B - This is when I cried again. Such a powerful song, and then the last picture of Angel...awesome.
So those are my thoughts. Sorry I have so many. I didn't think I would type that much, but oh well. So, GO SEE IT! It's a really good movie.
My total rating: A-
Peace out.
"How can you leave the past behind when it keeps finding ways to get to your heart? It reaches way down deep and tears you inside out til you're torn apart."