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Reviews
Rent (2005)
Rent is well worth the wait!
I waited for years, catching bits of information as to what was prolonging the completion of the movie-version of the hit Broadway musical Rent. As the lights came down in the Hoyts theatre, it felt like only yesterday that I heard the song "Seasons of Love" for the first time.
There were some changes in the chronology of the plot, as well as some of the songs, which actually stream-lined the story into a much more intense and moving tale. The most amazing part of the movie for me was the JOY that all of the actors had for each other. I have never before seen such an ensemble. It's easy to believe the love that they hold for each other must also carry out into the real world.
The "comicness" of Maureen and Joanne's relationship was tailored down in a positive way, and allowed me to care more about their relationship than I did in the stage version.
Rosario Dawson is an amazing find! She seemed to fit in with the cast effortlessly, and it was hard to imagine that she was not part of the original legacy.
A couple of the songs did seem to start out of the blue, without much transition, but the passion immersed in the songs more than made up for this small flaw. It's hard to imagine that after 10 years, the cast could re-imagine the songs with emotions that sound as if it's the first and only time they get to sing their message.
I heard a man in the theatre say that this movie would date itself, because of the seeming "rampantness of the AIDS virus." I say that this movie capsulates a period of time we can not afford to forget for a group of society that may become desensitized to the threat of HIV, as well as teaches us that each moment is precious. We can't afford to make choices we'll regret, for there may not be a chance to redeem that moment.
Lost Souls (1997)
What a cool series!
Once upon a time, I worked at Highlands Playhouse with Lauren Bakhaus and Olivia L. Pipis. We lived in a house with 21 people and no television. A lot of the actors were from CMU, and Lauren whipped out this miniseries. I remember getting sucked into it, because we spent an entire day watching it! While we laughed a lot, the series itself was very impressively caught on film. The shots were artistic and thought out. We enjoyed it a lot!
She may have been a last minute casting, but you'd have been surprised to hear that when you saw Lauren's presence on camera. The characters through out were well captured. I don't remember the writing very much. I remember some over the top moments, but there were several dramatic moments that stood out despite the humor. Wish I remembered more...