What are you watching?

[Murfreesboro]

Has anyone seen the new Nosferatu? I think it opened this week, but we've been to Wicked instead (my daughter went twice, once with me on my b-day, then with her brothers on Christmas night). Wicked is really good, as I guess everyone knows by now. I'd worried it would be bloated, since the first part is about as long as the stage play, but it didn't feel that way. Also, I"d never heard Ariana Grande sing and wondered if she'd be up to the role, but she's excellent. We loved the casting in general. Michelle Yeoh doesn't sing as well as the others, but of course she's first rate as an actress and brings a lot of gravitas to her role. My daughter loves Yeoh but wondered if Lea Salonga might have been a better choice vocally.

Anyway, We saw the posters for Nosferatu and wondered if it would be good. I rarely go to movies at the theater anymore.

[Andybev01]

I haven't been to a theater since Turner Classic Movies re-released 'Meet Me In St. Louis' on the big screen several years ago.

It was glorious!

I'm dubious about remakes of films that I hold near and dear, so I'll wait until it's streaming on a service that I already pay for.

I do like 'Shadow of the Vampire' the imagined making of the original 'Nosferatu' starring Willem Dafoe as actor Max Schreck and John Malchovik as director F.W. Murnau.

It's like a feverish dream.

[TheHeadlessHorseman]

I thought it was stupid to release Nosferatu on Christmas day in theaters, don't get me wrong, I like a good horror movie but it's just not the right time to watch it. I'll wait until it's online.

I also watched the Doctor Who Christmas special... Disney should have stayed away from the franchise.

As for Wicked, the women in my family loved it, I thought it was... fime.

Also, I just heard about Jimmy Carter, he had a good run and I think a lot of people just dismiss him and don't give him any recognition for the work he did after his presidency was done.

"Scooby-doo can doo-doo but Jimmy Carter is smarter." ... Andy will get the joke.

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[Murfreesboro]

I felt wistful about Carter's death. I never voted for him and thought he was the worst president of my lifetime before Biden showed up. The difference between them is that Carter was ineffective for the most part, but I do think he loved the country. I think everybody can respect him for the way he conducted his post-presidency. I'd never even heard of Habitat for Humanity before he goIt involved with them. And I think his marriage was a genuine, life-long love story. So, on the whole, a life well spent.

I agree that the Christmas Day release of Nosferatu was weird. We all thought so. I guess it was counter-programming? A movie for people who were tired of Christmas sugar? Anyway, I've read some reviews since I posted here, and they are universally positive. People are especially impressed with Lily Rose Depp. I hadn't realized she was in it. But they say everyone is excellent. I'm sure I'll want to see it eventually. The director is the same guy who did The Witch and The Lighthouse. I own both movies but find them hard to watch. Something about the visual imagery is too much for me. We'll see if I have a similar reaction to his Nosferatu.

I also like Shadow of the Vampire. I used to own it on VHS, but never acquired it on DVD.

[Murfreesboro]

HH, are you not a fan of musicals in general, or was it something about Wicked specifically that didn't work so well for you? I grant you it is primarily a chick flick.

[TheHeadlessHorseman]

As someone that is always surrounded by women, I've had to suffer through more female focused media than I would ever want to admit to.

I've previously mentioned that I'm not a fan of musicals, but I've learned to tolerate them. My issue with Wicked is that I read the book by Gregory Maguire, and it was actually a good story, so I was hoping that the movie would focus more on the story and have less singing than the play, but the movie was too much like the play. If they would make a movie that directly followed the books that Maguire wrote without the singing, then I'd probably enjoy it.

[Andybev01]

I have the same opinion a out Thr Nightmare Before Christmas.

I love the story and it's a visual feast, but there is only so much Elfman I can stand over the course of 2 hours.

Luckily the original DVD is formatted so that each song is its own chapter, and a quick click of fast-forward gets you mercifully passed every tune.

[Murfreesboro]

I get it. My own husband has zero interest in seeing Wicked, although I think my sons enjoyed it on Christmas night with their sister. I guess they have a higher tolerance for musicals. My older son likes Ariana Grande and has attended at least one of her concerts. (She kicked off one of her tours in Nashville when he was living there. It was the same tour that was later attacked in Manchester, England.)

[Andybev01]

My aversion is specifically to Danny Elfman's movie music and vocals in this single movie.

I will rock any of his 80s band, Oingo Boingo, music all year long but his vocals on TNBC grate on my nerves.

This 'Family Guy' clip best conveys my thoughts on the matter.

https://youtu.be/IqOTeh-TW0M?feature=shared

The first (and arguably the best) movie musical to weave songs relevant to its plot into the film is 'Meet Me In St. Louis' which I play once a season, and know by heart, so it isn't musicals that are off-putting... just any lyrics coming out if Jack Skellington's mouth.

Not that I have any particular opinions on the matter...

[Murfreesboro]

Lol

Funny, NBC doesn't strike me that way. I love the music. I have always thought that the lyricism of it is strangely at odds with its visuals, but that's somehow part of its charm for me.