#Jonathan larson's other works
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jonathan-larson-archive · 2 years ago
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The way we only have public access of 70 of Jonathan Larson's songs when he wrote over 300 in his lifetime....
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match-your-steps · 2 years ago
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I liked rent fine until the orgy song and then I feel like it started going downhill from there, little by little. it's like Angel was the only thing holding it all together
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godlessondheimite · 1 year ago
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Will and Emma are having relationship problems because Will is not taking COVID seriously enough ("Therapy"). The next day Will takes his frustration out on the glee club and accuses them of not taking COVID seriously enough (Finn doesn't understand germ theory and Brittany is QAnon.)
Will says, "You guys lack historical perspective. Back in the 80s and 90s there was a young gay composer named Jonathan Larson who saw disease and suffering all around him. When he found out he was afflicted with AIDS, he put all of his pain into the timeless and unreproachable work of art, RENT. RENT taught us about community and caring for one another and more importantly...it taught us that musicals can rock." Will sings the title song from RENT with Artie and Finn.
That night: Santana is fed up with lockdown restrictions and sneaks out of her house to visit Brittany ("Out Tonight"). Brittany is planning a big show that will blow the whole COVID conspiracy wide open. She previews it for Santana ("Over the Moon"). Santana is freaked out and breaks up with Brittany. Santana can excuse ignoring disease prevention guidelines but she draws the line at being Republican about it.
Also that night, Will tries to sleep with Emma but she's too COVID-cautious ("Green Green Dress"). She says maybe they need some time apart because of their different priorities.
While grocery shopping, Will runs into Holly Holliday. Holly is lighting scented candles in the middle of the store but for some reason all of them are defective/unscented ("Light My Candle.") Holly propositions Will. Will says he's seeing Emma, and Holly admits she also has a boyfriend.
"I'm sure we can work something out," Holly says. "Meet me at the basement of the swinger's club at 9:00."
Will shows up at the swinger's club and spots his old rival, Brian Ryan (the Neil Patrick Harris character). They glare at each other, then confront each other and it's revealed that Brian is Holly's boyfriend ("Tango Maureen.") She knew Brian and Will were old high school rivals and set all this up because she's into the whole enemies-to-lovers thing.
Will scolds her. "That is so cruel and manipulative of you. I can't believe you would do this."
Holly tries to convince him to live life to the fullest. ("Another Day.")
Eventually Will thinks about what proud openly gay icon Jonathan larson would do, and he has a threesome with Holly and Brian ("Contact," I'm afraid.)
The morning after, Will can't believe he kind of cheated on Emma/hooked up with Brian and really enjoyed it ("Real Life").
On Monday, Brittany and Santana are still broken up but sitting on opposite sides of the choir room is emotionally difficult for them ("Without You.")
On the way home from school, Kurt and Blaine are like "Aren't you glad we're not like Brittany and Santana, breaking up every 5 seconds over something stupid?" and they sing "I'll Cover You" but then they break up over something stupid.
Will contemplates his sexual awakening, torn between Holly+Brian and Emma ("Johnny Can't Decide/Come To Your Senses" mashup).
The tension in glee club is unavoidable.
"Mr. Shu, this is ridiculous," Rachel says. "Ever since you brought up RENT and Jonathan Larson, it's been nonstop hookups and fighting. Also, Jonathan Larson wasn't gay and he didn't die of AIDS! He was straight and died of some random heart thing."
"What? Jonathan Larson wasn't gay? So my sexual experimentation was under false pretenses?"
Will immediately calls and breaks it off with Brian and they argue ("What You Own").
The next day Santana says "I can't believe we caused this much fuss over a straight man, who died of a random heart thing."
"Wait, just because he was straight doesn't make his words less powerful," Finn says.
"You're right," Will says. "Maybe I'm bisexual." ("Louder than Words.") And then they all sing La Vie Boheme.
At some point Santana and Mercedes sing "Take Me or Leave Me" as their glee club presentation. (It's a four-part episode.) Also I think Gwyneth would have fun with Today 4 U, don't kill me.

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"This is The Sound Of Something Being Born" (But What?)
Like anyone else who's listened to it, I just can't stop thinking about Warriors.
It's a dense work, and while the genderswap is probably my favourite thing about it, there's two other things about the story that I'm obsessed with. "This is the sound of something being born", and the song Same Train Home.
I've done my post on the genderswap so consider this Part 2 of my "favourite things about The Warriors" meta series.
But while the Genderswap is important to Warriors it's not the main thesis of the story.
While "This is the sound of something born" definitely is the thesis. It's in the first song, and the finale line of the last song. It's the mic-drop moment that ends the album. So what's being born exactly? And what do I have to add to this thesis?
It's important to pay attention to who says that line. Firstly, it's the guest rappers on Survive The Night. Then it's Cleon in Finale.
Cleon is definitely the heart (or soul?) of the story - she's the one who believes in Cyrus, the Warrior who has the highest emotional stakes in that dream being destroyed.
But Cyrus' dream isn't what Cleon is talking about in the finale. So... what?
Eisa Davis has already said what's actually being born in the final song... it's Hip-hop.
She calls the album "a love letter to the origins of the Hip-Hop". You can look at the plot through a lense of the Cyrus truce "enabling the the cultural conditions that created hip-hop". Like the real gang truces did in the 70s.
That's why the guest rappers are the first ones to say "this is the sound of something being born".
I basically agree with @thewhizzyhead that Luther killing Cyrus made peace between the gangs impossible. That dream is firmly dead.
The Gramercy Riffs even admit this themselves. In the end, they break the peace. In their words "Fuck the truce, and do what's right."
By the finale, the album admits that peace isn't a sustainable goal anymore. Hell, it's not even worth it. Guys like Luther need to be stopped, and peace isn't working.
And this is where I go a little bit feral because... thats what RENT says!! And like Lin Manuel Miranda, I fucking love RENT.
One of the final lines of act one of RENT is - "The opposite of war isn't peace, its creation".
Which is almost exactly the same as Warriors' final thesis. Destruction, peace, creation.
Luther wants blind destruction, Cyrus and The Riffs want peace but fail, and in the end Cleon declares - "This is the sound of something being born"
Now that's always been a great line from RENT, but not really one that the story focuses on.
Jonathan Larson was a very political writer, only really writing charged satire before RENT. But I wouldn't really call RENT politically charged . (Partly due to his editors asking him to change things)
A lot of people have praised the ending of Warriors for being hopeful - and it very much is hopeful.
But it shouldn't be? Right?
If you look objectively at the situation - Cyrus is dead, Fox and Ajax are gone, Luther destroyed any chance of peace, and you know. They're still a gang dealing with things like poverty and police violence.
Over the course of Warriors nothing actually changes for the better. In fact, things are probably worse.
The situation is hopeless - but for some reason, the characters aren't. And the narrative rewards them for this.
You see, RENT ends in the exact same way. Things get worse - some of them die, relationships get ruined, most of them don't achieve their dreams. They still all have death sentences over their head, they're still poor. Everything's the same.
But one single thing changes.
Mimi, after a indirect suicide attempt, survives. And afterwards, she wants to live.
That's the triumphant moment the show ends on. RENT is a very optimistic show, and this is how it justifies all that optimism. With just one small, insignificant thing, like hope.
The same happens with Cleon. Things get worse, but Cleon still has hope.
This is what the line "The opposite of war isn't peace, its creation" actually means. It's another example of RENT's optimism.
It's blind optimism that doesn't really make logical sense - but it ends up being proven right anyway. In a very metatextual way.
Some of the characters in RENT probably don't even survive much longer after the final song - but Mark managed to record a lot of their lives in his documentary.
The film that plays in the final moments of the play, is also subtextually - the musical RENT. Something was lost, but something was created too. RENT didn't just create itself, but half a hundred other culturally relevant musicals. Some of which you may already know - In The Heights, Hamilton, Warriors.
Watching the musical RENT over and over, you get a sort of self-fulfilling prophecy. A story loops back in on itself. It's the same with Warriors.
Eventually the birth Hip-hop happened, and then Warriors. It's own self-fulfilling prophecy. This is the sound of something being born.
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wizardnaturalist · 5 months ago
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I am not about to sit here and claim that any work is above reproach, but so many criticisms of RENT are either directly addressed within the show or are just. not true. and this perennial discourse about how Problematic it is annoys me, so here we go
Why don't they just pay the rent?
are you kidding me
did you watch the show??
they don't have any money
the situation established at the beginning is that Benny has allowed them to stay in their apartment rent free for the past year because Roger was unable to work and he and Mark wouldnt be able to afford living expenses as well as Roger's medication otherwise.
Benny then tells them that unless they break up Maureen's protest, they will not only have to immediately start paying rent, they will also have to pay back the entire previous year's rent or else be evicted
needless to say if you ware barely scraping by, you do not have a year's worth of rent and then some just sitting on hand
Mark was cosplaying poverty, he could've gone back to his parents' house at any time.
perhaps
all we know about Mark's parents from canon is that theyre pushy and he doesnt want to live with them. We don't know any details of their living situation or home life
but even if he would have been fine moving back home, it would have meant abandoning both the community he had grown into, and Roger.
Roger literally had not left the apartment since April died, and was not well enough to work to support himself at the time. Mark leaving would mean leaving Roger without support.
Mark's view of the homeless is often voyeuristic and expoitative.
yah
the conflict between Mark's comparatively privileged upbringing and the poverty amongst which he now lives is a major part of his character
remember when that homeless lady told him to fuck off
that didnt just slip in by accident
The whole show is about not being able to afford things, and then Mark quits his job for his Ideals.
Mark was not entirely jobless before being employed at the magazine. He wasn't going from having a job to unemployment. He always had money for food, clothes, medication, etc., even if it was tight
he just wasn't employed in his field. it wasnt a question of Having A Job or Not; it was about whether Mark was willing to accept the chance to get closer to making a living off of his art, even if it went against his morals, or whether he could be content carving out filmmaking for himself in a way that felt right
I thought Jonathan Larson was gay and died of AIDS.
not his fault??
neither Larson nor his estate ever claimed either of those things, you just jumped to a conclusion and made it everyone elses' problem
I can't believe this is a common "criticism"
A straight man has no right to write about the AIDS epidemic.
I dont know how to tell you this, but AIDS is not a gays-only disease. what are you, a politician from 1986?
RENT was not about being gay, it was about the disease. Roger, Mimi, Mark, and Benny- half the main cast- are all straight as far as the audience is aware. other than gay people, the most at-risk groups at the time were IV drug users, sex workers, people of colour, and impoverished people, all of whom are represented in the show
Larson may not have had AIDS, but many of his friends and loved ones did, and died of it. how incredibly callous to say that someone cannot write about the tragedy they personally lived through, just because they are not of the demographic you most associate with it
Larson plagiarized the whole cast and all the major story beats from Sarah Shulman's People in Trouble.
this is one that cropped up on tiktok a couple years ago
have you read the book?
I have
the only similarities are that they are both about poverty and AIDS in New York, and there are characters who cheat on their partners. that's it.
it's like saying Veep plagiarized The West Wing because theyre both about white house staffers. or like those guys who claim any fantasy story featuring swords and the hero's journey is a Star Wars ripoff. it' absurd.
RENT is directly and openly based off the opera La Bohème by Puccini, as well as incorporating autobiographical elements from Larson's life
stop just repeating things you hear
in conclusion: there are real criticisms and analyses to be had with RENT, but these are not them
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aa-400 · 1 year ago
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malevolent and the queer-coded villain trope
*disclaimer please respect the #masked tag. while i'm putting these thoughts out into the ether they're not really meant for harlan to see as i don't want to be put on blast for criticising the show. this is not me attempting to malign this podcast or its creator or to go "it's bad and problematic actually so don't listen to it" because that's a frankly horrible and unhelpful way of engaging with media and the world at large. i'm certainly not going to stop enjoying malevolent wholeheartedly or supporting harlan in his creative endeavours. this is not an accusation, it's an observation.
i've been thinking about the queer-coded villain trope in a separate context recently, but something clicked for me with part 34. horror (and other genre fiction but let's focus on the relevant genre here) has a tradition of placing queer elements within the subtext. it's a means of Othering and used to separate the protagonist from whatever evil entity they're up against in the story, be it man or creature, and where the the tropes of the monstrous queer and the queer-coded villain are born from.
a brief second disclaimer. i'm a queer villain and queer horror enjoyer and here to reclaim every single queer-coded villain and monster ever created but acting like the trope doesn't have a problematic, negative history is a sucky way of engaging with and examining a piece of media so let's not do that.
aaanyway, to the actual meat of this post: i believe malevolent reiterates the monstrous queer / queer-coded villain tropes however unintentionally and they go unexamined in the text.
first, we have kayne. flamboyant, exaggerated kayne who calls arthur—and to an extent john—pet names. i don't really think i have to go into detail for people to know what i'm getting at.
then we have larson. yeah, larson. in particular, i'm referring to the scene where arthur wakes up in the larson estate and his clothes have been removed. larson approaches arthur while he's in bed, vulnerable, and while there's not anything untoward happening in the text, it's still very ... master of the house and the gothic heroine, for lack of a better comparison. actually, think of count dracula and jonathan harker in castle dracula — the dynamic is very reminiscent of that, and dracula is a famously queer coded monster in part for that whole thing.
and finally, there's the butcher. a predator—a serial killer—obsessed with chasing arthur down. and boy did part 34 lay it down thick. i mean, he hears peggy gordon in his head when he hunts arthur and sings it to him when he's come to get him. it's a song about a man's unrequited love and it's pretty obvious the butcher's meant to be the man while arthur is peggy, who slighted him when he escaped from the butcher back in the train. and then as if that wasn't obvious enough he has a line about falling in love with his victims. "it's dedication, devotion, a bond. (laugh) sounds a bit like falling in love, doesn't it? maybe i suppose you could say i've fallen in love with each and every one of them. with each and every animal." which is then followed by more arthur-specific obsessing.
harlan has explicitly stated that arthur isn't queer rep, so unintentionally what's happening in the text is that the heterosexual protagonist is pitted against these queer-coded malevolent entities in a way that's pretty text book.
none of these characters i used as examples are written to be explicitly queer, but the coding is certainly there. again, i'm not saying harlan is a secret queerphobe who is putting this subtext in malevolent intentionally—i can with confidence say that we can safely assume that isn't the case! but, like i said when i was prefacing this post, queer subtext in the monstrous and villainous have a recorded history within horror. it's really easy to reiterate tropes like that if you create within a genre without actively examining your work and its wider context, and i think that's what happening here.
so what was the point of this post? there isn't much of one, really, i just made an observation and wanted to share because i believe in and enjoy examining the things you love critically. and i do love malevolent, with its queer-coded villains and all. i'm not calling for anything to change in the story, or accusing harlan or anyone else of anything; i'm just having thoughts about the wider scope of horror media and where malevolent fits within it and i'm using a cda and queer theory oriented brain to do it.
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miss-tribulationperiwinkle · 4 months ago
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At Least It Happens Only Once in Your Life.
I’m turning 30 in a couple of weeks and all I can think of is Jonathan Larson’s song 30/90 (“Why can’t you stay 29? Hell, you still feel like you’re 22”) and also of the start of Shaina Taub’s song Time With You that says “I never agreed to getting older, but somehow, here we are”. 
Somehow, here we are. Where did the time go? Time, time, time. It keeps moving and moving us with it, even when we want to stay still for a little longer, to enjoy the page before turning it. It’s so weird how things work. How the world decides to rotate and orbit and take us with it. We’re literally stuck to it and cannot change that. We will have days and nights and years and time will pass and we can’t do anything about it. Except hoping for the best and expecting our minds will adjust to the situation. But my mind doesn’t seem to adjust to anything. 
I’m against growing up, and by that I don’t mean “I want to be a baby forever and not do anything for myself”. No, I’m against the idea of growing up that entails leaving who you are behind to fill people’s expectations of how you’re supposed to be and behave. Why am I supposed to stop blowing bubbles and wearing my hair in braids just because the world decided to turn around the sun again? Why am I supposed to start eating fancy food instead of nuggets when I like the kid’s menu better? Why am I supposed to “act my age” and take part in boring adult conversations when playing with my nephew and his legos is more fun?
If growing up means that I have to stop being myself, then I don’t want to do it. I refuse to do it. I will ignore the number that results from the subtraction between the current year and the year I was born, I don’t care, I won’t let it define me. 
Maybe it comes with being autistic, but I never felt as old as people my age. When girls wanted to party and wear make up, I just wanted to wear my pajamas and stay in bed. When everyone was starting their careers after college, I went to spend two and a half years playing with a baby. When everyone seems to be getting married and having kids, I’m not even thinking of following their path.
Am I immature? Is this how everyone feels at 30? Thirty feels like such a big number. There’s a reason why it was the age chosen by Jenna in 13 Going on 30 after all. Am I scared of being thirty? Should I be? What will my life look like in the years to come? Do I want to know? Will I be happy to live this new decade? 
To be honest, my twenties weren’t bad. They were kind of amazing in some ways and they were kind of shitty in some other ways. Will my thirties be better? Will they be worse? I guess I don’t have much option but to keep moving and see what comes next. Let’s hope for the best.
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pardonmydelays · 8 months ago
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how was tick tick boom?
oh, where do i even begin...
first of all, i need to say that our polish team did an amazing job (absolutely incredible & talented cast + the translation was really good, not perfect but good enough, more about it later tho). we really have amazing actors in this shitty country tbh & that only makes me want to see more of our productions.
i need you to take a look at this amazing set, because i am just so obsessed with it:
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(if you look closely, you can spot les mis, phantom of the opera, west side story & cats on these walls hehe)
so first of all, this set, wonderful set, second of all, THE TICKING SOUND! you could hear it before the show even began and honestly i already had tears in my eyes.
let me tell you i am always that weirdo who cries at the very first song, so yes, i literally burst into tears when i heard the first notes of 30/90. it was also one of my favourite moments from the entire show, along with no more, sugar & why (and i knew i was gonna have a mental breakdown at why, because it's my favourite song from the show, but no more & sugar were a huge surprise for me because they are not my faves, the performance tho! the choreography! OMG!!! I NEED TO SEE THAT AGAIN!!!). the biggest disappointments when it comes to the songs were... green, green dress (not the performance, it's just the translation that didn't really work for me - for my polish mutuals, they translated it into "zielony cud" & i'm sorry but that's a nope for me) & boho days BECAUSE THEY LITERALLY REMOVED IT FROM THE SHOW??? the way i was blasting boho days on a loop days before seeing tick tick boom live & it wasn't even in the show, it's a fucking crime. the rest of the songs were great tho. i couldn't stop crying at come to your senses, that was the moment™️. 10/10, would recommend.
also, the theatre kid in me was literally thriving when jon asked the audience if they know who his musical theatre hero is, because he only said his first & last name starts with the letter S & a few people started screaming STEPHEN SONDHEIM! such a proud nerd moment for me! (tbh even the actor seemed to be surprised or maybe he was just acting lol i can't tell but it was so cool).
SPOILER ALERT!
i just need to mention it very quickly, at the very end of the show jon got a phone call from sondheim (which you all probably know about) & he said "you have a bright future ahead of you" & this line fucking destroyed me, like... i wasn't there for fun. i was there for jonathan larson. bright future you say... well. jon, you could have done so much more if you only had time... i will never stop crying about it, i'm sorry.
overall, it was such a beautiful show. as much as i love the movie, seeing it live in theatre is a whole other experience & it's truly life-changing. if you ever get a chance, go see it, please. it's totally worth it!
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one-blaze-of--glory · 3 months ago
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hungarian tick tick boom thoughts because oh boy i have a lot
the actors were great. truly. Jonathan Larson stepped on the stage and I bought it. that was him. with all the theatery awkwardness and insane ambitions and nervous anxieties, Jonathan Larson was standing there. Susan and Michael were great too, truly, i have no problem with the casting
the translations were hit or miss for me, they got Therapy and No more really right, 30/90 and Green green dress were pretty good too
Sunday sucked. I can't blame them because hungarian audiences simply would not get the reference but I have a feeling the translator did not either because they removed every reference to Sunday in the park's Sunday to the point of calling it Saturday instead. it was also just kind of unnecessary this way imo
similar problems with Come to your senses. They removed a lot of the specificity of Superbia and I really didn't enjoy that because it became pretty much a generic love song this way
I am in no way blaming the director or anyone for this, this one is a Hungary problem and I can't say I didn't expect it but goddddd they censored the hell out of Michael's storyline. I'm sorry but there's a biggggg difference between "I'm HIV+" and "I'm sick" there is a HUUUGE difference and it did not punch the same way. there's also a huge difference between saying Michael told Jon he's gay and just saying he's "different than the other boys" very. different
what they did with Why is tragic. they completely cut the second half of all the verses until the end and it completely threw off the pacing of that song at which point i kind of lost my will to live because it's my favorite song
what I genuinely can't forgive though is they completely cut Louder than words. I could excuse cutting Swimming but you CANNOT. CUT. LOUDER. THAN. WORDS. they instead sang 30/90 again at the end. it didn't work for me. it really changed the mood of the entire ending. i hate it here.
Real life was still heartbreaking I'll give them that
they also threw in too many unnecessary hungarian references that really took me out of it sorry i hate it when they have to make everything relevant to where it's playing. and in a comedy musical like the producers this can fly i was fine with that. this however is an autobiographical musical by a real life person and it kind of left a sour taste in my mouth
to end on a fun note i think the actor playing Jonathan realized how to pronounce Sondheim halfway through because at the beginning he mispronounced it very badly but at the end he said it right
overall it had great actors and great actor chemistry but godawful creative decisions PLEASE let me rewrite this pleaseeeeee
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needlesscontrarian · 11 months ago
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Just saw a TikTok about Rent and how poorly Joanne was treated as a character despite the fact that she was a lawyer at Legal Aid helping underprivileged defendants and I have THOUGHTS.
I think it's a mistake to view Rent with the assumption that you are supposed to be on board with the principal characters' antics right off the bat. I think at multiple points Jonathan Larson calls the audience to directly interrogate the moral posturing of every member of the friend group EXCEPT for Joanne.
Mark is called out repeatedly for being more interested in abstract artistic principles and furthering his own career than he is about the actual suffering of what he claims to be his community. It's extremely obvious that he (like Larson) is a guy from an upstate middle class family who is cosplaying poverty in the big city out of a sense of disaffection with society. I've heard arguments back and forth about whether or not Larson glamorizes the stereotype of the starving artist or merely portrays it as it was, but I think the numerous points at which Mark, a blatant self-insert character, is called out for his self-pitying bullshit shows more self-awareness than Larson is often given credit for nowadays.
As for the other characters? Roger is directly portrayed as using his disease and addiction as an excuse to self-sabotage both in his personal life and his artistic aspirations. Maureen uses her queer awakening as an excuse to treat the people in her life like shit. Collins talks a big game about being an anarchist, but when we are introduced to him the sole evidence we have for this is that he blew up some MIT equipment in a mostly symbolic act of protest. It isn't until the end of the play when he does some genuine direct action by hacking into an ATM to give his poor friends free money. Angel killed a fucking dog for money. The only one who comes away looking mostly okay is Mimi, and that's just because she's too busy occupying the role of World's Biggest Victim.
My point is not that these characters are all evil, rather that Larson is displaying how life on the edge of society is full of just as much needless unkindness as anywhere else.
And on the other end of that spectrum we have the people who are able to live somewhat comfortably within society. I think appreciating the character of Joanne requires viewing her not as a foil to Maureen, but to Benny. Benny was able to marry into wealth, and while you might be able to see his point about how a shiny new corporate building will breathe life into the downtown art scene, the audience also clearly understands that it's not worth forcefully evicting dozens of homeless people. Benny has been taken in by the system and adopted its logic.
Joanne is also the beneficiary of inherited wealth from, but she's not like Benny at all. She channels what privilege she has towards giving back to her community. She works within the system, but also against its injustices to help people in a very tangible way. Sure, she just wants to be a tourist to the world of hedonistic gay sex while living comfortably and respectably uptown in a nice apartment, but just because she's not committed to the artistic revolutionary lifestyle doesn't mean she's hurting anyone, and she's not above assisting with a little B&E for her friends.
So while it is a fair observation that Joanne isn't treated very well by people who frankly aren't good enough for her, I think that's more of a feature than a bug. Mark, Roger, Maureen, and Collins are people who have been hurt and are continuing to be hurt to the point that they've kind of lost the plot on what they believe in and why they're doing any of this shit. They're so deep in their bullshit that they reflexively disdain any representative of what they perceive to be the dominant system, even when it's a great person like Joanne. Joanne is a reminder that, yes, society is fucked, but there are plenty of good people living and thriving within it, and those people are not your enemy.
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mangle-my-mind · 1 year ago
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The Many Voices of Brian Slade
I really appreciate that Brian's voice is done by multiple artists throughout the film. Todd Haynes said that it works because of the versatility of the music and of Brian as an artist, echoing the versatility of Bowie himself: "all you have to do is listen to someone like David Bowie over a span of four years and you hear the change in voice and style according to what's required by the different songs".
In my opinion, Brian having multiple voices works for another reason: it adds to the enigma that is Brian Slade. How do you analyze the message of an artist that doesn't have one true voice? How can you pin down someone who is elusive and constantly redefining themselves? We already know Brian has a knack for taking on different personas; the vocal fragmentation adds one more layer of disguise. Sultry and world-weary, or thin-voiced and innocent, or bombastic and crowd-pleasing - he can make himself into whatever the moment calls for, without ever revealing who he truly is.
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To the best of my knowledge (and with some help from Wikipedia), below is the breakdown of vocal performances on Brian's songs. I'm not going to try to analyze why certain singers ended up with certain songs (because I do think some of it was probably a logistical thing, and also because my brain can't stretch that far right now), but I would love to hear others' thoughts/theories on it! Also if I missed any songs or misattributed the vocals, please let me know.
Jonathan Rhys Meyers (the actor):
Sebastian
Ballad of Maxwell Demon
Baby's on Fire
Tumbling Down
Thom Yorke (of Radiohead):
2HB
Ladytron
Bitter-sweet
Craig Benjamin Wedren (of Shudder to Think):
Hot One
Grant-Lee Phillips (of Grant Lee Buffalo):
The Whole Shebang
Nathan Larson (of Shudder to Think):
People Rockin' People (couldn't find a link, but it's the Tommy Stone song)
Callum Hamilton (the Young Brian actor)
Tutti Frutti (again, no link, but it's Young Brian covering Little Richard)
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natsubeatsrock · 1 year ago
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Top 7 Things I Enjoyed in 2023: Number 6
This year I got to see several musicals and movie musicals. Some of it is genuine interest in a genre I have always loved. Some of it is finally getting to watch classic musicals. Some of it is finally having the means to watch stuff on Broadway. Whatever the case, I'm spoiled for picks about musicals.
Into the Woods? It's amazing, but I saw the inferior Disney version years ago. Can't put it here.
A Little Night Music? As much as I love Send in the Clowns, the rest of the musical wasn't my favorite.
Sweeney Todd? Company? Frogs?
You might not be able to tell, but I'm just listing a bunch of Stephen Sondheim musicals I saw this year. The guy's amazing. But surely, I saw a musical this year I loved without Sondheim.
Yes… kinda.
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Number #6 – Tick, Tick… BOOM
The tragic story of Jonathan Larson is well-known in theater circles. He wrote one of the greatest musicals to hit the stage in RENT but wasn't able to see any of its success, dying just before it opened. He never quite got to see what would become of his works.
This semi-biographical movie takes place just before the two musicals he wrote before his big hit. He worked himself ragged to get the Superbia workshop off the ground. It's not just a matter of being stressed. He pushes multiple people close to him away just to get help writing the last song of the musical. Mind you, this is its most important number. 
What happens next? I think you'd better watch it for yourself.
I don't know that we'd get this film if it weren't for a company willing to throw money at an idea that only kind of would make money. The original musical, starring Larson himself, lasted a few weeks in its initial run and has come up occasionally on Off-Broadway now and again. Not many production companies would think this would be as worthy of Oscar buzz as other musicals yet to hit the stage are. Yet the film did garner some buzz during awards season. I guess Netflix is good for something. 
However, special props go to the debut directorial job of Lin-Manuel Miranda. This would be impressive for any director, but for a first crack, this was phenomenal. It helps, of course, that Miranda is no stranger to the musical world. Not to mention, he stared as Larson during a run of the musical Off-Broadway, across Leslie Odom Jr.
"Didn't you mention Sondheim?"
It turns out that Sondheim was a major influence on Larson. Not just in the way that his work inspired Larson. He was a guiding influence on Superbia, including the inclusion of that all-important song. 
Sadly, Sondheim passed away the year this film came out. He was one of the greatest to do it. If the current (and potentially future) Broadway scene is anything to go by, he's been deeply missed.
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gacmediadaily · 9 months ago
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Actress Candace Cameron Bure (“Full House” and “Fuller House” fame) chatted about the movie “Just in Time” and her other Great American Family films.
Eleanor Roosevelt once said: “The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.” A woman that embodies this quote is Candace Cameron Bure.
‘Just in Time’ movie
Most recently, she served as an executive producer of the film “Candace Cameron Presents: Just in Time,” which coincided with this year’s Easter festivities.
“I love that movie,” she exclaimed. “Laura Osnes is so fantastic, so was Peter Bryant and our writers were incredible as well.”
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She noted that she is excited for her new holiday movie “A Christmas Less Traveled,” which she announced yesterday. “I am always searching for the next Christmas movie. This is a fun road trip story that we get to tell,” she foreshadowed.
“It is also quite heartwarming, so you might need to have the tissues handy for that movie,” she acknowledged.
‘A Christmas… Present’ movie with Marc Blucas
She shared that she enjoyed doing the holiday film “A Christmas… Present” with Marc Blucas. “I loved that movie,” she said. “Working with Marc was so great.”
The synopsis is: Real Estate Agent Maggie Larson and her family will be spending Christmas with her recently widowed brother, Paul, and his young daughter at their house.
Maggie is determined to give her brother and niece the best Christmas possible and to lift their spirits when they most need it. Though Maggie’s plan is to aid her brother, his faith and parenting style ultimately helps her to understand issues within her own life and a need for closeness in her own family.
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Working with director Lesley Demetriades
She also had great words about working with female director Lesley Demetriades on “A Christmas… Present.” “I have had a career filled with so many wonderful people, and Lesley was certainly one of them,” she said. “Lesley is a wonderful director, and she is so kind.”
“As a producer and a lead actress, I am always trying to create the best environment on set,” she said.
“I get the privilege of working with incredible people, and I get to put those teams together. I enjoy everyone in my film so very much, and it is always great to work with new faces and I also get to work with a lot of familiar faces behind the scenes,” she elaborated.
She also had great words about Emmy nominee Randy Wayne, who served as a supervising producer on that film. “Randy is great,” she admitted.
‘My Christmas Hero’ film
An equally enjoyable movie for her was “My Christmas Hero,” where she worked alongside Gabriel Hogan. It was a film about military appreciation and meaningful relationships. “That one was wonderful,” she said.
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The digital age
On being an actress in the digital age, she said, “It is wonderful since there are so many ways to watch film and television today. Digital is taking things to a whole new level, and it is great because there are more ways to watch.”
‘Unsung Hero’
Bure also stars in the upcoming movie “Unsung Hero,” where she also served as an executive producer. The cast includes Joel Smallbone, Daisy Betts, Kirrilee Berger, and Jonathan Jackson. Bure plays the role of Kay Albright.
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Great American Family
Bure serves as the Chief Creative Officer (CCO) of Great American Family network. She is also a lead actress and executive producer on many of the films.
“It has been wonderful,” she admitted about being a part of Great American Family. “I am so proud to be a part of the channel and be a part of the whole process as the Chief Creative Officer of Great American Family. It has really been a beautiful step in my career,” she acknowledged.
“I love bringing family movies to all the viewers at home,” she added.
Mario Lopez joining ‘Great American Family’
Most recently, she is thrilled to welcome Mario Lopez (“Access Hollywood” and “Saved By the Bell”) and his wife, Courtney, on Great American Family. “We are so excited and proud to have Mario and Courtney on Great American Family,” she exclaimed.
“Everyone is going to be a part of that,” she said about the upcoming Great American Christmas movies later on this year.
“We keep building bigger and better lineups, so we are excited for this coming Christmas season,” she acknowledged.
Danica McKellar on Great American Family
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Advice for young and aspiring actors
For young and aspiring actors, she said, “Learn your craft well. Keep practicing and take lessons or classes whether that’s in theatre, or privately, or in school. Just keep working at it. I’ve been in the business for a really long time, and I am still trying to be better and better every day, and learn my craft better, and the nuances of it.”
“I would tell young actors to keep doing it and to keep practicing,” she added.
90s Con
Bure recalled being a part of the 90s Con fan events in Connecticut, which are produced by That’s 4 Entertainment.
“90s Con is so much fun,” she said. “I was sorry to have missed it this year, but they have been really fun events. I’ve gotten the chance to meet so many wonderful people there, and families. I enjoy them very much.”
Stage of her life
On the title of the current chapter of her life, Bure said with a sweet laugh, “Hustle.” “I feel like that’s all I’ve been doing. I’m hustling and I’m working really hard.”
Matthew West
Bure had great words about Christian music singer-songwriter Matthew West. “I love Matthew [West] so much,” she exclaimed. “It is always a joy to be on his podcast. He is one of my favorite musical artists. Matthew is the voice of the Great American Family channel during Christmastime.”
Superpower of choice
If Bure were to have any superpower, it would be “to teleport.” “Then, I could be in any place at any time, especially since I do a lot of traveling,” she said. “So, I think that would be a great superpower.”
Career-defining moment: Playing DJ Tanner in ‘Full House’
Bure noted that her biggest defining moment is “Full House.” “That’s what put me on the map,” she said. “It’s what everyone mostly knows me from; they know me as DJ Tanner, and that will always be such a huge part of my life and my career.”
Best advice she was ever given: ‘Be Yourself’
On the best advice that she was ever given, she revealed: “to be yourself.” “Just be yourself; my mom told me that all the time,” she said. “Don’t try to be anyone else or something that you are not.”
Alternate career choice: Fashion
If she weren’t in the entertainment business, her alternate career would have been in “fashion.” “I just love fashion,” she admitted.
Success
On her definition of the word success, Bure said, “Success, to me, is having a wonderful relationship with my family and with God.”
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i-am-the-entertainer · 11 months ago
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Tick, Tick... Boom! Filming Locations
Some people have too much time on their hands. I am one of those people.
One of the things I love about Tick, Tick... Boom is the obvious affection the filmmakers have for the NYC theater scene, an affection shared with the film's subject Jonathan Larson. To that end, I recently decided to try to identify some of the filming locations in the film.
One thing that was extremely helpful in this process was the "special thanks" list in the film's credits, which names a lot of the orgs that were used in location shooting and from which I was able to make some really good guesswork.
Note that this is mainly for location shoots. Things like the recreated Moondance Diner, which was done on a set, are not included in this.
508 Greenwich Street - Jonathan's apartment
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(from MWhiteShelley on Twitter/X) This is probably the most obvious location: Jonathan Larson's actual address. While interiors of the apartment itself were filmed on a set in a soundstage, it is obvious on viewing the film that there was some location shooting at the building, most prominently in "No More" when Jonathan and Michael enter and climb the stairs.
The Underground Theater at Abrons Arts Center - The musical theater workshop scene
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(from their website) You'll probably recognize this brutalist theater from the Stephen Sondheim workshop scene (which, according to this video, was one of the last scenes shot) – it also briefly appears a few shots earlier in the scene where Ira Weitzman is observing Jonathan rehearsing. The Abrons Arts Center is located in the Lower East Side and is part of the Henry Street Settlement.
The Strand Bookstore - "30/90" and Sextet
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(From an article by The Guardian, photo by Bruce yuanye Bi/Alamy) The Strand is instantly recognizable to New Yorkers, maybe less-so for others unless you've visited as a tourist. It's a giant independent bookstore located two blocks from Union Square. Prominently featured in "30/90" and visited by Jonathan during the "Sextet Montage" where he tries to sell some of his records.
Teatro LATEA at the Clemente - Susan's dance recital
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(from their Instagram) This one was a little harder, because obviously it's just a black box theater and how many of those are there in NYC? What clued me in was 1) the Clemente Soto Velez Cultural and Educational Center, where Teatro LATEA is located, is thanked in the credits and 2) those chairs (a little bit more obvious in this photo). I've seen and worked a fair number of shows in that theater, and as soon as I noticed the very distinctive chairs for Susan's dance recital I was able to look more closely at the scene and immediately could map out the layout of Teatro Latea.
The Delacorte Theater - "Why"
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Another easily recognizable location for locals, the Delacorte is the amphitheater where Jonathan sneaks in and sings "Why". It doesn't get named in the film but it does in the stage version.
Hunter College's Thomas Hunter Hall Sixth Floor North Dance Studio - The Superbia workshop
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(from Facebook) This was, without question, the hardest location to find. In the film it's identified as being in the Theater District, specifically at Playwrights Horizons (an Untapped Cities article about filming locations even claims this, and uh, basically gets everything wrong). However, if you've ever been to the modern Playwrights Horizons, it looks very different, both on the inside and the outside, and while they do have rehearsal spaces in a slightly less-remodeled building on Lafayette Street, none of the spaces there look like that. The reference to Hunter College in the credits narrowed it down, and then it was just a matter of finding photos of the studios (this gallery of recent restoration work shows the different angles that you will recognize from the movie), discovering an architectural plan of some planned renovations in the building, and then looking out the windows of the building and comparing it to Google Maps street view to figure out which side of the building it was on.
...I have waaaaay too much time on my hands.
I do want to point out, Thomas Hunter Hall is actually located on Lexington Avenue between 68th and 69th, quite a few blocks northeast from the Theater District depicted in the film.
New York Theatre Workshop - The framing scenes
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(from a New York Theatre Guide article) The real Jonathan Larson's artistic home, where he performed both Rent and the original version of tick, tick... BOOM! thirty years ago. Both the theater's exterior (at the start of "Louder Than Words") and interior (the tick, tick... BOOM! performance scenes) feature prominently in the movie.
Fun fact: when they were shooting the film in March, they originally planned to film the NYTW scenes inside a recreated set because there was a show playing at the theater at the time (though not referenced in the linked video, I happen to know that the show was Endlings by Celine Song, the writer/director of the recent Oscar contender Past Lives) but when filming restarted the theater was available again because of the shutdown.
Any other locations you recognized that I didn't include? Let me know! Currently trying to figure out where Michael's apartment building (Victory Towers) was located – the scene in the car leading to the arrival at teh building makes me think it's somewhere near Central Park, but that footage could also have been filmed separately.
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wallyaxiom · 2 years ago
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𝚃𝙰𝚂𝙺 𝟸𝟻; 𝙽𝙴𝚇𝚃 𝙶𝙴𝙽.
              josh axiom-hawkins.
the oldest of the hawkins clan josh has always been the quiet one though that never made him weak. he’s protective of his siblings and those around him. being part of fight club also made him brave. it was hard not to be when he had such strong willed people as his friends. while he doesn’t apologize for his existence anymore josh is still very much the the soft one of the group. opting to suffer in silence or in his words than letting someone see him crumble. josh became a successful author and is working on the fourth book in his lost galaxy series. although he’s the child of a famous parent and has found fame himself, josh prefers a life away from the spotlight. he’s been dating dante mcqueen for a while. he’s still not keen on marriage but he’ll happily spend the rest of his life with dante. ring or no ring.
INSPIRED  BY  : charlie spring ( heartstopper ) , todd anderson  (  dead poets society  ) , tamaki amajiki (  my hero academia  )  ,  bill denbrough  (  it  )  ,  jonathan larson (  tick tick boom!  )  ,  armin arlert (  attack on titan  )
𝙶𝙴𝙽𝙴𝚁𝙰𝙻
BIRTH NAME.  joshua matthew axiom-hawkins / middle name changed to pollux when he was thirteen by the request of percy NICKNAMES.    josh, joshy DATE OF BIRTH.  september 12. AGE.  thirty GENDER.  cis male. PRONOUNS.    he/him POWERS. chlorokinesis ( heavily swayed by his emotions, therefore josh tries not to feel too intense of emotions ).       . SEXUALITY.   bisexual. PLACE OF BIRTH.   elias, california. CURRENT RESIDENCE.    elias, california. OCCUPATION.  author.
𝙰𝙿𝙿𝙴𝙰𝚁𝙰𝙽𝙲𝙴
HEIGHT. 5'9" BUILD. toned. HAIR COLOUR/STYLE. dark brown // has some wave to it. ( X ) EYE COLOUR.   blue. PIERCINGS.  n/a TATTOOS.  a d on his left ring finger he got as a wedding ring of sorts for dante, the number 2 to signify his birth order in fight club and a little boxing glove for fight club NOTABLE MARKINGS.    n/a GLASSES/CONTACTS ?  both, wears his glasses at home. FACECLAIM.  logan lerman. VOICECLAIM. logan lerman. ( X )
𝙷𝙴𝙰𝙻𝚃𝙷
PHYSICAL AILMENTS.   none. ALLERGIES.    none. SLEEPING HABITS. if he’s not writing a book he sleeps 8 hours. if he’s writing his sleep patterns are irregular. EXERCISE HABITS.  running is his exercise of choice. BODY TEMPERATURE.  he runs cold. DOMINANT HAND.    right. DRUGS / SMOKE / ALCOHOL ?   no / no / an occasional glass of wine
𝙿𝙴𝚁𝚂𝙾𝙽𝙰𝙻𝙸𝚃𝚈
TROPES.   adorkable, apologises a lot, beware the quiet ones, bookworm, heroic self-deprecation, loveable nerd, puppy dog eyes, the quiet one. POSITIVE TRAITS.  intelligent, compassionate, responsible, analytical, naturally curious, gentle NEGATIVE TRAITS.  anxious, self-conscious, fixated on improvement, perfectionist, reticent USUAL MOOD.   calm. LIKES.  books, space, fight club, nature ( trees !!! ), the color blue, quiet spaces, reading with rain in the background, being in the arms of dante, m&m’s, comics DISLIKES.  being touched by people he’s not comfortable with, loud noises, crowded areas, people invading his personal space. BAD HABITS. keeping his problems in until they spill over. being a pushover
𝚁𝙴𝙻𝙰𝚃𝙸𝙾𝙽𝚂𝙷𝙸𝙿𝚂
MOTHER.    wally axiom. FATHER.      jim hawkins. SIBLINGS.    circe, asteria, andi and percy hawkins. CHILDREN.    carolina mcqueen. BIRTH ORDER.   first of five children // only child between wally & oliver spade. SIGNIFICANT OTHER.  dante mcqueen, boyfriend. let’s be honest they’re practically husbands without the official paperwork.  CLOSEST FRIENDS. asher pendragon, ben teague, kieran adastra, claire teague, kion santucci & dusty duck
𝚃𝙴𝚂𝚃𝚂
ZODIAC SIGN. virgo. MBTI. infj. TEMPERAMENT.  melancholic. HOGWARTS HOUSE.    hufflepuff. MORAL ALIGNMENT.   neutral good.
𝚂𝙺𝙸𝙻𝙻𝚂 & 𝚂𝚃𝙰𝚃𝚂
LANGUAGES SPOKEN.   english, spanish & french DRIVE ?         yes. JUMP START A CAR ?         no. CHANGE A FLAT TIRE ?         yes. RIDE A BICYCLE ?         yes. SWIM ?        yes. PLAY AN INSTRUMENT ?        no. PLAY CHESS ?        yes. BRAID HAIR ?       yes. TIE A TIE ?          yes. PICK A LOCK ?          no. SEW ?         no.
COMPASSION.          9/10.
EMPATHY.          8/10.
CREATIVITY.          10/10.
MENTAL FLEXIBILITY.          9/10.
PASSION.          8/10.
LUCK.         5/10.
MOTIVATION.  9/10.
EDUCATION.          10/10.
INTELLIGENCE.          9/10.
CHARISMA.         5/10.
REFLEXES.          5/10.
WILLPOWER.          9/10.
STAMINA.          10/10.
PHYSICAL STRENGTH.          10/10.
BATTLE SKILL.          9/10.
INITIATIVE.         10/10.
RESTRAINT.          8/10.
STRATEGY.         7/10.
TEAM WORK.         8/10.
(  PINTEREST, HIS TAG, PLAYLIST. )
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fearsmagazine · 2 years ago
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THE WRATH OF BECKY - Review
DISTRIBUTOR: QUIVER Distribution
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SYNOPSIS: Two years after she escaped a violent attack on her family, Becky attempts to rebuild her life in the care of an older woman - a kindred spirit named Elena. But when a group known as the “Noble Men” break into their home, attack them, and take her beloved dog, Diego, Becky must return to her old ways to protect herself and her loved ones.
REVIEW: Lulu Wilson is back, reprising her role of Becky from the 2020 film “Becky,” directed by Jonathan Milott and Cary Murnion. At the helm this time are directors Matt Angel and Suzanne Coote as they ratchet things up placing Beck on par with Charles Bronson, Jason Statham or Keanu Reeves on an independent budget.
The screenplay takes no prisoners as it quickly brings the viewer up to speed and gets right down to the action. Just as Becky has achieved a bit of normalcy to her life she draws the attention of another fascist group trying to bring down the political system. The plot brings in a few elements from the initial film and works them. We get a few more details about one, but the mystery grows. The story gives way to action and Becky feels like what if Kevin McCallister (“Home Alone”) grew up to be John McClane (“Die-Hard”). No spoilers - the end seems a bit far fetched, but given what goes on in the rest of the film it should be hard to believe. For an independent film in this genre, it is extremely well written and I’d be curious to read the description of many of these action scenes. The story hits many beats the first film did. Some of those are character driven, others feel like the writers doing it for the fans of the first film.
The production values are solid. Given the technology has come a long way, Jonathan Milott and Cary Murnion demonstrate they have the chops of any of the great action directors that came out of the late 80’s and 90’s. The film has an excellent pacing, capturing engaging performances, and effect sequences that play out like a hybrid of video game play and a slasher film gore. I’m a sucker for a good score and composer Nima Fakhrara’s work here adds so much to the tone and feel of the film.
THE WRATH OF BECKY has a great cast. In the previous film, actor Kevin James anchored the film as the main villain. This time out, veteran actor Seann William Scott, also known for his comedic work, takes on the central villain and creates a memorable character. He creates a grounded, intelligent character that gets caught up in the madness of the story. I love the way his performance has his character in denial, that he is in a different film and needs to come to grips with the unstoppable force of Becky. The film is absolutely adult in terms of some themes and the violence, but the three henchmen feel like they are modeled after the “Home Alone” series. Then there is actress Lulu Wilson. She is fantastic. She is able to present this sense of innocence and youthfulness, but then she is able to present this look and intensity where you believe she is lethal. She is such a chameleon and a delight to watch work.
2020’s “Becky” was a memorable film, a well made independent film, featuring a great cast. The film had a serious tone and had much more jeopardy and peril to the tale. THE WRATH OF BECKY plays it a bit more tongue and cheek and amps up the violence and gore. The film asks us to believe that Becky is now 16. Okay, she’s been through a lot in the previous film so I’ll give the filmmakers that, but there are scenes in the film where she does look older, at least 18, which she is. Regardless, I loved the ride. The film ends taking the story in a new direction and there could easily be another film in the series. I loved Lulu Wilson’s work here and would be interested in taking in her continuing deadly exploits.
CAST: Lulu Wilson, Seann William Scott, Denise Burse, Jill Larson, Courtney Gains, Michael Sirow, Aaron Dalla Villa, Matt Angel, and Kate Siegel. THE WRATH OF BECKY CREW: Directors - Matt Angel and Suzanne Coote; Screenplay - Matt Angel; Producers - Jordan Beckerman, Chadd Harbold, Jordan Yale Levine, J.D. Lifshitz, Raphael Margules, Russ Posternak, & Tracy Rosenblum; Cinematographer - Julia Swain; Score - Nima Fakhrara; Editor - Stephen Boyer; Production Designer - Allie Leone; Costume Designer - Elena Lark; Visual Effects Artists - Joshua Petrino & Piotr Smorawski; Prosthetic Makeup Artist - Brian Spears. OFFICIAL: N.A. FACEBOOK: www.facebook.com/TheWrathofBecky/ TWITTER: N.A. TRAILER: https://youtu.be/4OSLsmFgi2g RELEASE DATE: In Theaters May 26th, 2023
**Until we can all head back into the theaters our “COVID Reel Value” will be similar to how you rate a film on digital platforms - 👍 (Like), 👌 (It’s just okay), or 👎 (Dislike)
Reviewed by Joseph B Mauceri
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