#wicked: part one

[cinefiliz]

Wicked: PartI (2024) BTS.

[ozma-fangirl]

I keep accidentally referring to the Wicked fandom as “the gelphie fandom” in my head. And I am completely okay with this!

[themousefromfantasyland]

Map of Oz in Wicked: Part I (2024)

@witchesoz @the-blue-fairie

[floralgraveyard]

I just saw a Gelphie edit with we can't be friends... brb crying.

[liongrl321]

Hey Wicked Fandom,

if Dr. Dillamond was married to a guy what do you think he should be?

(I cant wait for the Wicked movie to come out fr)

[notthebatman]

Sorry, whose slippers?

[nonbinaryhatboxghost]

2024 movies I am looking forward to

[commander0fmyheart]

me, hearing idina menzel and kristin chenoweth on One Short Day: *GASP*

also, me:

[delightful-mirth]

As Wicked: Part 1 is already being released in many countries today, one of my biggest hopes for it is to grow into such a popular (yeah, you're gonna be popular! 🎶🫧) franchise that it will at least partially overshadow one specific wizard saga. And now more than ever, after a spokesperson for HBO defended the transphobic views of said saga's creator as freedom of speech, I wish that 1939 The Wizard of Oz weren't owned by Warner Bros. After all, they already didn't deserve it anyway, given their unwillingness to do anything with it. Not even releasing related merch outside the United States, except in some extremely rare cases.

That's all. I'm heading to Shiz now 💖💚

[deuterosapiens]

Just watched Wicked (Part 1), had a fair good time of it!

Kind of feel sorry for the husbands in the audience with me who were clearly dragged there by either their wives or children. I recognized the latter group by the rendition of "Popular" I heard from the seats behind me, that I'm afraid I faired best with (these guys have probably heard that song a lot in the past weeks and will hear it a lot in the coming weeks).

I don't think much of the supporting cast stood out much (loved seeing Michelle Yeoh though! And Peter Dinklage! Ooh, it's a Rise of the Beasts reunion!), but I loved Cynthia Erivo's Elphaba! "Defying Gravity" was so good!

I refuse to compare it to the book. That's my gift to everyone!

Idina Menzel's cameo was welcome, though unfortunately, I think her singing voice is a bit too recognizable these days for it to not have felt a little distracting. Yes, I know she played Elphaba on Broadway, so it's a delightful cameo, but she's Elsa now and I just got "Show Yourself" out of my head after a three-year streak.

Looking forward to Part Two!

[themousefromfantasyland]

@the-blue-fairie

"No One Mourns the Wicked" is about Glinda, not Elphaba

Okay, but hear me out. Wicked songs are so good at saying one thing and meaning something entirely different once you have more context. For instance, "I'm Not That Girl" is Elphaba singing about Glinda initially, then in Act 2 flips to Glinda singing about Elphaba. Because it turns out, Elphaba IS that girl and Glinda is not. When we meet the Wizard, he sings about how he always wanted to be a father. When you get to Act 2, you get the sad little reprise in the background music as he realizes that WHOOPS, he was one and he destroyed his only kid. "Defying Gravity" starts with "I hope you're happy" in the sarcastic sense and ends with them both using the same phrase to genuinely wish one another well.

"Thank Goodness" is set up as a cheerful engagement song where Glinda genuinely means "thank goodness for how great my life is" and ends in a place where she's insisting that she IS happy even as she realizes her engagement is a sham, her best friend is gone, and she's left with the Wizard and Madame M, who she doesn't even like.

You get the picture.

Basically, the whole musical is about subverting what you expect, starting with the base premise of "what if the Wicked Witch was the hero of the story" and digging in from there.

Honestly, I'd never paid much attention to the first song. It's a good opener, sets things up well, but it has some big competition with later songs. However, in the movie the staging and camera choices made me really notice it for the first time. Because you know what? Someone DID pay attention to that song, and you can really really tell.

For those who need a refresher, the lyrics to the chorus Glinda sings are: And Goodness knows The Wicked's lives are lonely Goodness knows The Wicked die alone It just shows when you're Wicked You're left only On your own I was always so busy noticing Glinda's grief over thinking Elphaba was genuinely dead that I failed to notice Glinda's grief over her OWN fate. The movie did such a good job with this because every time we get to the pink lines about being alone, Glinda IS alone. She is standing apart from the crowd who adores her. Standing above them. Standing at the center of a bunch of people yet still, isolated.

Because in the end, we know that Elphaba DIDN'T die alone. We know she wasn't on her own. We know her life WASN'T lonely ultimately. She had her flying monkey and animal friends. She had Fiyero.

And who does Glinda have?

Everyone, but realistically, no one. She is an ideal, not a person to most of Oz, just as much as Elphaba has become the token scapegoat. Where Elphaba is the "Wicked Witch," Glinda is "Glinda the Good Witch" - she is literally supposed to be the embodiment of goodness.

And what does Glinda have at the end of this whole thing (as of this song at least)? A disastrous end to her engagement, the death of her best friend, a sorceress who has hated her, demeaned her, and dismissed her from the start, and a con man who is also just a symbol more than a person.

I think it really hit me when Glinda throws the fire on the giant effigy of Elphaba. Ariana's acting was SO good there, because I'd expected us to see that private moment of horror or regret. What I didn't expect was the sort of determined and almost angry glare at the effigy.

But it makes sense. At this point, Glinda has realized that she lost everything and everyone she actually cared about.

As she so aptly puts it in "Thank Goodness"...

Though it is, I admit The tiniest bit Unlike I anticipated. But I couldn't be happier, Simply couldn't be happier, Well, not "simply" 'Cause getting your dreams It's strange, but it seems A little, well, complicated.

There's a kind of a sort of cost. There's a couple of things get lost. There are bridges you cross You didn't know you crossed Until you've crossed!

And if that joy, that thrill Doesn't thrill like you think it will Still-- With this perfect finale, The cheers and the ballyhoo! Who wouldn't be happier? So I couldn't be happier, Because happy is what happens When all your dreams come true.

Well, isn't it?

Happy is what happens when you're dreams come true.

It's not Elphaba's fault that Glinda has ended up this way. Glinda chose it every step of the way. Yet, if Glinda had never met Elphaba, (if she'd never known her, you could say), she might have stayed shallow and vain. She might never have been challenged to look deeper and realize how empty it all felt.

So as Glinda sings "No One Mourns the Wicked," she realizes that even if the Munchkins are singing about the "Wicked Witch," she's not.

She's singing about herself.

The one who traded her morals, friendship, and love for a taste of the admiration and power over those who don't really know her. The one who was so worried about being likable that she herself doesn't like who she's become.

Even after she makes things better for Oz and herself by sending the wizard away and getting rid of Madame M, it just leaves Glinda by herself as the leader and source of goodness in Oz. It leaves her on a pedestal she can never step off of.

It leaves her lonely.

Entirely alone.

[cinefiliz]

Glinda the good witch.

[moghedien]

I love the implication that the Glinda and Elphaba just sit across from each other, alone at this giant table just to stare at each other and contemplate how much they hate each other and the whole school knows not to go sit with them an intrude in whatever they have going on

[themousefromfantasyland]

Wicked: Part One (2024) - Review

Yesterday I watched Wicked: Part One which adapts the first act of the beloved musical and I have to say, I was blown away.

This is the best film of the year.

I need start this by saying that watching Wicked felt like watching The Little Mermaid remake last year.

This film is Universal's response to Disney's Live action remakes.

In the same way that Disney capitalized the love and nostalgia for their classics to sell their remakes, Universal capitalizes the love and nostalgia for the stage show to sell this movie.

Here in Brazil, our montage of the show is very, very beloved. So Universal saw that, used the lyrics of the Brazilian version in the dub and even put the Brazilian actresses of Elphaba and Glinda to dub their movie counterparts. Universal dubbed the movie hoping Brazilian audiences would sing along, in the same way Disney remakes keep the lyrics of the Brazilian versions of the classics.

Also, the tone is the same of a Disney live action remake. Even though Wicked has darker elements and has political subtexts, it never stops being a family fantasy musical, and Elphaba never stops being a proto-Elsa. Wicked is a fantasy family musical first and is in the same league as Frozen and Tangled.

However, Wicked is beneficed by not having a perfectly made cinematic source material that is already good on its own.

Movie and stage are different beasts, and contrary to Disney remakes which already have source materials that are pretty cinematic on their own, Wicked has to deal with a source material that is limited to what's possible in a stage show, so it has better chances to actually improve and expand the show into new ways.

If Doctor Dillamond was an animated character in the original, his movie design would be atrocious, but since the original is just a man in a goat makeup, the movie design is already a huge improvement.

The Land of Oz is fantastically created. There's CGI everywhere, but they actually took the gigantic budget to actually build the sets this time and the money is really put into what you see on screen.

The Land of Oz is vibrant and colorful, a mix between the Mediterranean and Americana with tons of Steampunk and talking animals that are integrated into the everyday life. The world feels lived in, and it's the most real Oz ever felt since ever.

And the tidbits of visual storytelling are insane.

The way that the worship of the Wizard is in every facade of the Ozian society, and how the once thriving culture of the talking animals was replaced by the Wizard and how they are being reduced to silent servants of the elites in the Emerald City.

All of this narrative you get through quick visual cues all over the film.

It was a five stars film for me, a 10/10.

Please, watch it. You'll be absolutely enchanted

@ariel-seagull-wings @thealmightyemprex @princesssarisa @tamisdava2 @the-dark-storybook-prince @the-blue-fairie @mask131 @theancientvaleofsoulmaking

[dokirosi]

Loathing, unadulterated loathing! for your face, your voice, your clothing!

[crowdvscritic]

round up // NOVEMBER 24

Fair warning: November was a lot for me, which is why yet another Round Up is coming at least a full week into the next month. My go-to answer to “How are you?” has become, “I’m hanging in there!” With three weekends out of town, two funerals, and one more election that disappointed me in the deepest of ways, I’m back to a season when the lyrics to “I Can Do It With a Broken Heart” feel like Taylor Swift has ripped out that broken heart and reset it to melody. 

I know that’s a less pleasant answer than you hoped for when you asked how I was, so perhaps you’ll be relieved to hear only one of my pop culture top 10 this month made me cry. Between Glicked weekend, Awards Season powering ahead full steam, and the Eras Tour (finally!), there was plenty to look forward to and get a respite from the heavy stuff. 

November Crowd-Pleasers

1. Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour

After 16 years of listening, 11 albums (depending on how you count), 2 previous tours, and countless attempts to get tickets to previous shows, I finally made it to the Eras Tour! As I noted in my review of the filmed concert last fall, my deep wish is for an up close, intimate show from an artist who has inspired me for so long, and would’t you know it? Sharing her attention with 70,000 other people is a certified way to remind you that will never happen. But it’s a bittersweet reality check to scream the “Cruel Summer” bridge at the top of your lungs in a crowd of friendly people as enthusiastic as you are. Seeing The Tortured Poets Department live brought it to life in a new way I hadn’t imagined, hearing "marjorie" live became a grief processing moment, and I’ve decided I need to find more excuses to wear sequins. Until I find another excuse, I’ll be flipping through The Eras Tour Book on my coffee table.

2. SNL Round Up

D-O-M-I-N-G-O! If you don’t want to get him stuck in your head, maybe don’t enjoy Marcello Hernández’s most memorable character yet in clips from SNL or from Sabrina Carpenter’s show. But if you don’t mind a catchy tune bringing a a smile to your face at random times during the day (or cathartic laughter to get through election season), don’t skip these: 

“2024 Pre-Election Cold Open” (5005 with John Mulaney)

“Stand-Up Monologue” (5005)

“What’s That Name: Election Edition” (5005)

“Port Authority Duane Reade” (5005)

“Weekend Update: The Couple You Can't Believe Are Together” (5005)

“Little Richard” (5005)

“Beppo” (5005)

“New York City Council Campaign” (5005)

“SNL for Trump Cold Open” (5006 with Bill Burr)

“Stand-up Monologue” 

“Calling Dad” (5006)

“Babymoon” (5007 with Charli xcx)

3. Wicked: Part One (2024)

Wicked: Part One is the spectacle you’d hope from a smash musical. Sequins! Vocal runs! Large-scale choreography! Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande are excellent successors to Idina Menzel and Kristin Chenoweth, hitting goosebump-worthy notes and harmonies. Read my full review for ZekeFilm. Crowd: 8.5/10 // Critic: 8/10

4. Gladiator II (2024)

Like 2000’s Best Picture winner, Gladiator II is both brutal and exhilarating, but its boldest stroke is finding ways to surprise us after decades of cable viewings of the original. And is any director as great at creating battle sequences than Sir Ridley Scott? Read my full review for ZekeFilm and watch my Glicked weekend reviews for KMOV. Crowd: 10/10 // Critic: 9/10

5. Music by John Williams (2024)

Because sometimes it’s nice to just watch a documentary that can be summed up as, “A nice man is really talented!” Any opportunity to give a genius like John Williams to pontificate on his work is an excellent use of time and film. Crowd: 8.5/10 // Critic: 8/10

MORE NOVEMBER CROWD-PLEASERS // The Peter Pan National Tour finds fun and surprising ways to freshen up the classic story for the stage // The Fire Inside (2024) is an easy recommendation for any sports movie fan // Nightbitch (2024) finds a new (and humorous) angle on motherhood for mainstream movies // The Supremes at Earl’s All-You-Can-Eat (2024) is for the Mystic Pizza girlies

November Critic Picks

1. The Apprentice (2024)

I feared this would be a self-righteous diatribe, but instead it feels like watching The Godfather Part II or Attack of the Clones. The miracle is you don’t have to have see anything else in the franchise for this to feel like its own holistic work thanks to fully realized performances from Sebastian Stan and Jeremy Strong that never turn into caricature. Crowd: 8/10 // Critic: 9/10

2. A Real Pain (2024)

In one of 2024’s top awards contenders, Jesse Eisenberg and Kieran Culkin update Planes, Trains & Automobiles with more gravitas and some of the best performances of the year. Watch my full review on KMOV. Crowd: 8.5/10 // Critic: 9/10

3. The West Wing Weekly Political Film Fest

I was surprised to discover I’ve never recommended The West Wing Weekly podcast in a Round Up, but thanks to Hrishikesh Hirway and Joshua Malina’s new virtual film fest, I’m able to correct that oversight. The duo bring their trademark wit and political insight to their discussions of previous Round Up recommendations like Dave, Dr. Strangelove, A Face in the Crowd, Judas and the Black Messiah, and Network, as well as new-to-me worthwhile watches like The Candidate (1972).

4. Chicago National Tour

Because everybody’s doing choreography, but not as well as this show! Few stage shows inspire so much thought about bodily movement (individually and corporately), justice, and the American dream. The songs really are all that jazz and a bag of chips, too.

5. Good Reads

What I’ve been reading about lately includes…

…pop culture (duh):

“Twisters Press Tour Measured F-5 on the Brisket Scale,” vulture.com (2024) 

“The 100 Greatest Westerns of All Time,” IndieWire.com (2024)

“The 'Absurd' Real-Life Sting Operation That Inspired a Movie,” BBC.com (2024)

“Charli XCX and Lorde’s Conflict Resolution is the Year’s Most Powerful Pop Moment,” TheGuardian.com (2024)

“The Growing Gender Divide, Three Minutes at a Time,” TheAtlantic.com (2024)

“Fall Is for Gilmore Girls: The Data Says So, and Creator Amy Sherman-Palladino Agrees,” HollywoodReporter.com (2024)

…work:

“Comedian John Mulaney Brutally Roasts SF Techies at Dreamforce,” SFStandard.com (2024)

“Night Owls’ Cognitive Function ‘Superior’ to Early Risers, Study Suggests,” TheGuardian.com (2024)

“CEOs Made Nearly 200 Times What Their Workers Got Paid Last Year,” APNews.com (2024)

“The Right to Disconnect Has Started, Giving Australians Legal Cover to Stop Responding to Emails and Calls After Hours,” ABC.net.au (2024)

…money:

“Housing Experts Say There Just Aren't Enough Homes in the U.S.,” NPR.org (2024)

“Owning a House in the U.S. Is Now the Most Expensive Since 2007, New Report Finds,” TIME.com (2024)

“You'll Need More Than $100,000 in Income to Afford a Typical Home, Studies Show,” NPR.org (2024)

“How Gen Z Ended Up in So Much Debt,” bloomberg.com (2024)

…family:

“Couples Therapy, but for Siblings,” TheAtlantic.com (2024)

“The Unspoken Grief of Never Becoming a Grandparent,” NYTimes.com (2024)

…fashion:

“The 30 Most Stylish People of the Last 30 Years,” InStyle.com (2024)

“What’s Going On With Pants? Everything, It Turns Out,” Vogue.com (2024)

“Is a $910 Fleece Actually Worth It?” NYTimes.com (2024)

…politics and the Internet:

“Drowning in Slop,” NYMag.com (2024)

“The Taylor Swift Way to Defuse a Troll,” TheAtlantic.com (2024)

“Trump’s Evangelical Supporters Just Lost Their Best Excuse,” TheAtlantic.com (2024)

MORE NOVEMBER CRITIC PICKS // Nickel Boys (2024) is extraordinary and devastating // Martha (2024) revealed new layers to an icon I thought I knew // September 5 (2024) is a standout add to the journalism film canon // Kingdom of Heaven (2005) is a new-to-me add to the Christian film canon

Also in November…

You know I don’t wait to start start watching Christmas movies until after Thanksgiving. If you’re looking for recommendations, feel free to browse through my annual rewatches and new discoveries on Letterboxd.

Photo credits: Taylor Swift, West Wing Weekly, Chicago, Good Reads. All others IMDb.com.