In a season two episode of the NBC action-comedy Chuck, Morgan reveals that in middle school, Chuck’s older sister Ellie was a big fan of the movie Sister Act.
While her fondness for the movie seems to have waned – and maybe was
never as pronounced as Morgan indicated – I will readily admit that when
I was in middle school, it was one of my favorite movies. It’s
been nearly 20 years since its release, but listening to the songs from
this uplifting Whoopi Goldberg comedy about a lounge singer who
revitalizes a reclusive convent while in witness protection is still
sure to put a smile on my face.
Lounge Medley - This
medley of songs sung by Deloris and the Ronelles is pretty cheesy. The
three of them are clearly bored and rushing through it, and the audience
is far from enthralled. Heatwave is the most annoying of the
songs and the only one we don’t hear again. The other two give us a
taste of what we will experience later, and the tepid delivery here
stands in stark contrast to the infectious energy of the latter
renditions.
The Murder - This instrumental track is a mix
of dark percussion and jazzy piano, with blaring brass signaling
danger. Occasionally it has a threatening feel to it, but despite the
sense you get of a hot pursuit, it’s really more fun and peppy than the
title would suggest. Getting Into the Habit is another
instrumental track composed by Marc Shaiman. A rather whimsical number,
it’s marked by woodwinds and strings, with just a hint of trombone and a
jingle of an alarm clock. Toward the halfway point, it becomes very
pretty, an indication of the serenity and meaning Deloris is about to
find in this unexpected new life hiding out at the convent.
Deloris Is Kidnapped reprises the jazzy piano and brass from The Murder,
while wailing electric guitars and swift violins add to the sense of
peril. Again, a bit of a dangerous feel, but more fun than alarming. The
final instrumental track, Nuns to the Rescue, is lively,
reveling in the array of exciting sights and sounds that greet the
sisters when they arrive in Reno to rescue Deloris. The longest and most
entertaining of the instrumental tracks, it includes a bit of dialogue
from Maggie Smith as the stern Mother Superior, who admonishes them to
“Try to blend in.” The music accentuates just how absurd that request
really is. There’s a definite sense of overstimulation and clashing
cultures that comes across, along with the feeling of a chase. My
favorite of Shaiman’s compositions.
Rescue Me - This
bouncy track is the first on the album that is the original version of a
Motown song rather than a new rendition. The 1965 Fontella Bass hit
accompanies the scene of Deloris doing menial chores around the convent
to keep her out of trouble. It’s very fitting for the scene, considering
how miserable she is at this point, and it also helps to emphasize the
type of music that is so prevalent throughout the movie. Other classic
Motown hits featured throughout the soundtrack include Etta James’ Roll With Me Henry and Gravy, a 1960s hit by Dee Dee Sharp that amusingly accompanies the sisters’ covert outing at a bar.
Just a Touch of Love
- This is a more modern song that accompanies the sisters getting out
into the neighborhood and actively helping the impoverished residents.
On the long and repetitive side with electronic sound effects and growly
vocals giving it an 80s vibe. I like the message, though I’m not crazy
about it from a musical standpoint. I prefer the end-credits song, If My Sister’s in Trouble,
an upbeat song about standing up for your friends that seems very
fitting for the spirit of community that pervades the convent,
especially after Deloris’s arrival.
Hail Holy Queen - The
first performance by Deloris as Sister Mary Clarence, this is an
enthusiastic reworking of a time-honored Catholic hymn. At first, it’s
very sedate and churchy, with layers of harmony and a generally somber
feel to it. After the first recitation, however, the tempo picks up as
the sisters start clapping and adding all sorts of unusual flourishes as
the piano takes on a rock-and-roll flavor. The voices of Kathy Najimy
as boisterous Sister Mary Patrick and Wendy Makkena as
coming-out-of-her-shell Sister Mary Robert particularly stand out in
this lively number.
My Guy (My God) - For this second
major anthem under Deloris’s direction, instead of jazzing up a
traditional hymn, she arranges a Motown hit to sound reverent, tweaking a
word here and there and giving several different sisters a chance to
shine with solo lines. A great showcase for the sisters’ individual
personalities. It’s cute and light-hearted, and at the same time, it
really does work as a hymn.
I Will Follow Him - This one works even better. The grand finale of the movie, it’s similar in format to Hail Holy Queen,
with the first part sounding like a traditional anthem and the second
part arranged more like a Motown hit. It feels heartfelt and exuberant,
and the grandiose proclamations actually seem better suited to a song
about God than about a regular guy. The simple change of the phrase
“touched my hand” to “touched my heart” makes the song at once sound
weightier, and the talk of deep oceans and high mountains puts me in
mind of Climb Ev’ry Mountain, from my other favorite movie involving nuns.
Shout
- This end-credits song is just for the fun of it, bringing Deloris,
her fellow lounge singers and the sisters together for a lively group
number. It’s similar in theme to the other songs they perform, but this
time they don’t seem to be trying to turn it into a hymn. They just seem
to be having a great time playing around with their voices; it seems
like a practice session helping them to learn how to open up. While I
prefer the performances that are actually a part of the movie, this one
is enjoyable as well.
Every once in a while, I’ll catch a movie in the theater that simply knocks my socks off. Sister Act
was one such movie. I didn’t know all that much about it going in, and I
found myself both moved and in gales of laughter. The movie also opened
me up to the possibilities inherent in songs being given new life
beyond their original purpose. Is it any wonder I love the soundtrack?
Showing posts with label Whoopi Goldberg. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Whoopi Goldberg. Show all posts
Sunday, July 3, 2011
Friday, November 27, 2009
Lieutenant "Broccoli" Learns to Embrace the Real World in Star Trek TNG's Hollow Pursuits
Last week, I was doing some late-night channel surfing and happened upon Genesis, one of the few episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation
featuring Dwight Schulz’s nervous, severely socially awkward engineer
Reginald Barclay. I was excited to see the character, who I fondly
remembered, mainly from season three’s Hollow Pursuits, which
introduces him. When I looked that episode up, I was delighted to find
that it would be airing on Thanksgiving night. The episode was just as
charming as I remembered.
Schulz gives a performance that is extremely comical but also sympathetic. At one point in the episode, he confides in his immediate superior, the kind and competent Geordi La Forge (LaVar Burton), that he is the guy who always writes down things to say before he goes to a party, then ends up spending the evening in the corner studying a potted plant. For a wallflower like me, this poor fellow who has earned the whispered nickname “Broccoli” from his crewmates is easy to relate to.
Not only is Barclay a wonderful character, but Guinan, the serene bartender portrayed by Whoopi Goldberg who is probably my favorite occasionally recurring character on TNG, has a terrific heart-to-heart with Geordi during which she encourages him to show oddball Barclay a little empathy. She relates the story of her brother, the black sheep of the family, who had a fantastic sense of humor that no one else got a chance to appreciate because they wrote him off so quickly. When Geordi explains how unpopular he is with the rest of the officers, complaining that he’s never on time and is always agitated, Guinan responds that if she were surrounded by people who didn’t like her, she’d probably be late and nervous too. Geordi is a very nice guy already, but this conversation is an important aid in helping him give Barclay another shot.
Anytime the holodeck comes into play, it’s a treat, because we get to explore entirely different settings from the sterile starship, often with fancy costumes for those usually stuck in the same uniform all the time and with literary or historical characters springing to life to interact with the crew. One of my all-time favorite posters is the American Library Association’s one featuring the members of Captain Picard’s crew holding their most beloved books. This doesn’t seem like much of a stretch because the show frequently includes allusions to various literary figures, particularly Sherlock Holmes.
In this episode, we get the Three Musketeers, with Barclay programming his idyllic escape from reality with Picard (Patrick Stewart), Geordi, Data (Brent Spiner) as the famous swordsmen and Riker in the role of eager young D’Artagnan. All are accomplished duelers, but none can match the skill of Barclay, who, within his own little world, demonstrates none of his characteristic jitteriness. The Crushers (Gates McFadden and Wil Wheaton) and Deanna Troi (Marina Sirtis) also have amusing holoworld counterparts, and it’s especially entertaining to see how the real Geordi, Riker and Deanna react to them when they crash the program in search of Barclay.
This is an episode that seems very ahead of its time. Though it aired in 1990, it is the perfect cautionary tale on the dangers of getting too sucked into the Internet, particularly role-playing games. Sally Caves, who wrote the teleplay, seems to have anticipated the extent to which people could get drawn into this illusory world, particularly those who have trouble with real-life social interaction. Of course, the message could apply to any number of fiction-based entertainments, from books to Dungeons and Dragons. But it seems to fit the Internet especially well.
Hollow Pursuits is one of the funniest episodes of TNG, but it’s packed with meaning, with a lesson to the Barclays of the world not to retreat so far into their own imaginations that real life eludes them and to those who know such people not to let them feel so isolated that such pursuits seem like the only way to find peace.
Schulz gives a performance that is extremely comical but also sympathetic. At one point in the episode, he confides in his immediate superior, the kind and competent Geordi La Forge (LaVar Burton), that he is the guy who always writes down things to say before he goes to a party, then ends up spending the evening in the corner studying a potted plant. For a wallflower like me, this poor fellow who has earned the whispered nickname “Broccoli” from his crewmates is easy to relate to.
Not only is Barclay a wonderful character, but Guinan, the serene bartender portrayed by Whoopi Goldberg who is probably my favorite occasionally recurring character on TNG, has a terrific heart-to-heart with Geordi during which she encourages him to show oddball Barclay a little empathy. She relates the story of her brother, the black sheep of the family, who had a fantastic sense of humor that no one else got a chance to appreciate because they wrote him off so quickly. When Geordi explains how unpopular he is with the rest of the officers, complaining that he’s never on time and is always agitated, Guinan responds that if she were surrounded by people who didn’t like her, she’d probably be late and nervous too. Geordi is a very nice guy already, but this conversation is an important aid in helping him give Barclay another shot.
Anytime the holodeck comes into play, it’s a treat, because we get to explore entirely different settings from the sterile starship, often with fancy costumes for those usually stuck in the same uniform all the time and with literary or historical characters springing to life to interact with the crew. One of my all-time favorite posters is the American Library Association’s one featuring the members of Captain Picard’s crew holding their most beloved books. This doesn’t seem like much of a stretch because the show frequently includes allusions to various literary figures, particularly Sherlock Holmes.
In this episode, we get the Three Musketeers, with Barclay programming his idyllic escape from reality with Picard (Patrick Stewart), Geordi, Data (Brent Spiner) as the famous swordsmen and Riker in the role of eager young D’Artagnan. All are accomplished duelers, but none can match the skill of Barclay, who, within his own little world, demonstrates none of his characteristic jitteriness. The Crushers (Gates McFadden and Wil Wheaton) and Deanna Troi (Marina Sirtis) also have amusing holoworld counterparts, and it’s especially entertaining to see how the real Geordi, Riker and Deanna react to them when they crash the program in search of Barclay.
This is an episode that seems very ahead of its time. Though it aired in 1990, it is the perfect cautionary tale on the dangers of getting too sucked into the Internet, particularly role-playing games. Sally Caves, who wrote the teleplay, seems to have anticipated the extent to which people could get drawn into this illusory world, particularly those who have trouble with real-life social interaction. Of course, the message could apply to any number of fiction-based entertainments, from books to Dungeons and Dragons. But it seems to fit the Internet especially well.
Hollow Pursuits is one of the funniest episodes of TNG, but it’s packed with meaning, with a lesson to the Barclays of the world not to retreat so far into their own imaginations that real life eludes them and to those who know such people not to let them feel so isolated that such pursuits seem like the only way to find peace.
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
My Top Ten Movies of the Early '90s ('90-'94)
I'm a child of both the '80s and the '90s, and many of my favorite
movies come from those decades. In the first half of the '90s, I was
between 9 and 13, and my pre-teen years were filled with some terrific
cinema. These are my ten favorites. Give or take a few...
The Rescuers Down Under (1990) / Beauty and the Beast (1991) / Aladdin (1992) / The Lion King (1994) - Okay, so I'm totally cheating on this one because Disney could do no wrong in the early '90s. The sequel to The Rescuers rates just below the others only because it isn't a musical. I like it much better than the first; the animation of all that glorious Australian wilderness is fantastic, especially during the flying-on-the-eagle's-back sequences, and George C. Scott marvelously voices one of my favorite Disney villains. The last three all have amazing songs to go along with the brilliant animation and terrific stories. Beauty and the Beast boasts my favorite Disney heroine, Aladdin the most manic Disney sidekick ever and The Lion King my all-time favorite Disney opening sequence. I saw them all in the theater, and I have them all on tape. Disney doesn't get much better than this.
Ghost (1990) - Seems to me we bought this one on a whim at McDonald's for five bucks one time, and it quickly became a favorite, mostly due to the hilarious antics of Whoopi Goldberg as a crackpot psychic who can suddenly talk to dead people and the touching finale, which features a gorgeous orchestral version of Unchained Melody. Oh, and it's pretty darn romantic too.
Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country (1992) / Star Trek: Generations (1994) - Neither is my favorite Trek movie, but I think Undiscovered is the first one I saw in a regular theater. I seem to remember it being sold out the first time we tried to see it and being so frustrated about it that I bought the novelization. It's a landmark movie since it's the last to include the full original cast, and it's one of the most philosophical of the Trek films. Spock has some great moments with his protege, and the scene in which Uhura must pass herself off as a Klingon is hilarious. And all that Shakespeare isn't bad either. Generations is the first to feature the cast of The Next Generation, and it probably is my favorite of their films, partly because of the prominence of Guinan (Whoopi Goldberg again), an uncharacteristically serene character who tended to be underused, partly because of the chance to bring the two greatest captains of the Enterprise face to face with each other, partly because of the idyllic quality of the Nexus scenes, but mostly because I absolutely love Brent Spiner's performance as Data, my favorite character, learns to deal with his acquisition of human emotions.
Far and Away (1992) - I'd never heard of this before we watched it in my eleventh grade history class, but I quickly fell in love with it, and shortly after we finished it at school, I insisted we rent it at home. My family loved it as much as I did, so it wasn't long before we bought it, and watching it has become a St. Patrick's Day tradition. I love the humor, the sweetness of the opposites-attract romance, the cinematography, the historical interest, the score, the cast and of course all those Irish accents, even if some of them are phony. It's a movie that my brother and I still quote to each other frequently, and no matter how many times I hear it was a flop, it will be one of my favorites.
Sister Act (1992) - This was a second choice when Mom and I saw it on our annual back-to-school shopping outing. We'd planned to see 3 Ninjas, but it was sold out, so we gave this a try even though Mom had an idea that I'd find it boring. Well, it was anything but. Whoopi Goldberg had me in stitches again, and I found the real nuns at the convent where she goes into hiding to be wonderfully touching as well as funny. This is the movie that introduced me to Harvey Keitel and the formidable Maggie Smith, as well as a lot of great Motown music. I was singing the sisters' hit renditions of those songs for days, and I couldn't wait to get this one on video. Awesome music, side-splitting humor and a moving story of redemption. And nuns! What more could I ask for?
Free Willy (1993) - I saw this one on the next year's back-to-school outing and loved it just as much. I've always been a "save the whales" kind of gal, so I liked the premise, and I found the characters endearing and the film surprisingly free of objectionable material. A tough-on-his-luck kid name Jesse abandoned by his mother gets a new shot at life thanks to a similarly alone orca, his understanding trainers and a couple who want to welcome Jesse into their home despite his issues. It's a heartwarming movie, and that shot of Willy leaping over the barrier is as iconic as E. T. and Elliot flying across the moon. And its theme song, Will You Be There, still stands as my all-time favorite Michael Jackson song.
Angels in the Outfield (1994) - Probably my favorite sports-related movie, this film about a boy whose prayer for divine assistance for his favorite team is motivated by a desire for a family is a great tale of friendship and faith. Christopher Lloyd is his usual zany self as the main angel with whom young Roger communicates, and I love Danny Glover's performance as the cranky coach who begins to reassess his worldview when his team suddenly starts winning. The angels provide some terrific visuals as they help the players pull off some amazing stunts, but what I really love are the ways in which a little bit of faith transforms the characters for the better. And the image of the crowd standing en masse and giving the angel signal is one of my favorite movie moments.
Forrest Gump (1994) - I remember hearing about this movie on Good Morning America and thinking it looked interesting but probably wasn't a movie for kids. It stayed in the theater for ages; it seems inconceivable to me now that a movie could have lasted in the cinema for nearly a year, but I saw it in April of '95 with my mom and grandparents, the only movie the five of us have all seen together in the theater. And I really got what all the fuss was about. Tom Hanks is absolutely pitch-perfect as Forrest, a Bear of Little Brain But Much Heart. He might be a little slow, but it doesn't stop him from making his mark in a multitude of ways. Hanks' performance, an outstanding (and very quotable) screenplay that is as touching as it is hilarious, impressive special effects planting Forrest into historical footage and a soundtrack featuring a couple dozen of the best songs of the sixties and seventies are just some of the reasons I love this movie. I can't go more than a couple of years without watching it; from the moment Alan Silvestri's delicate feather theme begins to play, I am transported. I simply cannot watch this movie without emerging feeling a little better about life.
The Rescuers Down Under (1990) / Beauty and the Beast (1991) / Aladdin (1992) / The Lion King (1994) - Okay, so I'm totally cheating on this one because Disney could do no wrong in the early '90s. The sequel to The Rescuers rates just below the others only because it isn't a musical. I like it much better than the first; the animation of all that glorious Australian wilderness is fantastic, especially during the flying-on-the-eagle's-back sequences, and George C. Scott marvelously voices one of my favorite Disney villains. The last three all have amazing songs to go along with the brilliant animation and terrific stories. Beauty and the Beast boasts my favorite Disney heroine, Aladdin the most manic Disney sidekick ever and The Lion King my all-time favorite Disney opening sequence. I saw them all in the theater, and I have them all on tape. Disney doesn't get much better than this.
Ghost (1990) - Seems to me we bought this one on a whim at McDonald's for five bucks one time, and it quickly became a favorite, mostly due to the hilarious antics of Whoopi Goldberg as a crackpot psychic who can suddenly talk to dead people and the touching finale, which features a gorgeous orchestral version of Unchained Melody. Oh, and it's pretty darn romantic too.
Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country (1992) / Star Trek: Generations (1994) - Neither is my favorite Trek movie, but I think Undiscovered is the first one I saw in a regular theater. I seem to remember it being sold out the first time we tried to see it and being so frustrated about it that I bought the novelization. It's a landmark movie since it's the last to include the full original cast, and it's one of the most philosophical of the Trek films. Spock has some great moments with his protege, and the scene in which Uhura must pass herself off as a Klingon is hilarious. And all that Shakespeare isn't bad either. Generations is the first to feature the cast of The Next Generation, and it probably is my favorite of their films, partly because of the prominence of Guinan (Whoopi Goldberg again), an uncharacteristically serene character who tended to be underused, partly because of the chance to bring the two greatest captains of the Enterprise face to face with each other, partly because of the idyllic quality of the Nexus scenes, but mostly because I absolutely love Brent Spiner's performance as Data, my favorite character, learns to deal with his acquisition of human emotions.
Far and Away (1992) - I'd never heard of this before we watched it in my eleventh grade history class, but I quickly fell in love with it, and shortly after we finished it at school, I insisted we rent it at home. My family loved it as much as I did, so it wasn't long before we bought it, and watching it has become a St. Patrick's Day tradition. I love the humor, the sweetness of the opposites-attract romance, the cinematography, the historical interest, the score, the cast and of course all those Irish accents, even if some of them are phony. It's a movie that my brother and I still quote to each other frequently, and no matter how many times I hear it was a flop, it will be one of my favorites.
Sister Act (1992) - This was a second choice when Mom and I saw it on our annual back-to-school shopping outing. We'd planned to see 3 Ninjas, but it was sold out, so we gave this a try even though Mom had an idea that I'd find it boring. Well, it was anything but. Whoopi Goldberg had me in stitches again, and I found the real nuns at the convent where she goes into hiding to be wonderfully touching as well as funny. This is the movie that introduced me to Harvey Keitel and the formidable Maggie Smith, as well as a lot of great Motown music. I was singing the sisters' hit renditions of those songs for days, and I couldn't wait to get this one on video. Awesome music, side-splitting humor and a moving story of redemption. And nuns! What more could I ask for?
Free Willy (1993) - I saw this one on the next year's back-to-school outing and loved it just as much. I've always been a "save the whales" kind of gal, so I liked the premise, and I found the characters endearing and the film surprisingly free of objectionable material. A tough-on-his-luck kid name Jesse abandoned by his mother gets a new shot at life thanks to a similarly alone orca, his understanding trainers and a couple who want to welcome Jesse into their home despite his issues. It's a heartwarming movie, and that shot of Willy leaping over the barrier is as iconic as E. T. and Elliot flying across the moon. And its theme song, Will You Be There, still stands as my all-time favorite Michael Jackson song.
Angels in the Outfield (1994) - Probably my favorite sports-related movie, this film about a boy whose prayer for divine assistance for his favorite team is motivated by a desire for a family is a great tale of friendship and faith. Christopher Lloyd is his usual zany self as the main angel with whom young Roger communicates, and I love Danny Glover's performance as the cranky coach who begins to reassess his worldview when his team suddenly starts winning. The angels provide some terrific visuals as they help the players pull off some amazing stunts, but what I really love are the ways in which a little bit of faith transforms the characters for the better. And the image of the crowd standing en masse and giving the angel signal is one of my favorite movie moments.
Forrest Gump (1994) - I remember hearing about this movie on Good Morning America and thinking it looked interesting but probably wasn't a movie for kids. It stayed in the theater for ages; it seems inconceivable to me now that a movie could have lasted in the cinema for nearly a year, but I saw it in April of '95 with my mom and grandparents, the only movie the five of us have all seen together in the theater. And I really got what all the fuss was about. Tom Hanks is absolutely pitch-perfect as Forrest, a Bear of Little Brain But Much Heart. He might be a little slow, but it doesn't stop him from making his mark in a multitude of ways. Hanks' performance, an outstanding (and very quotable) screenplay that is as touching as it is hilarious, impressive special effects planting Forrest into historical footage and a soundtrack featuring a couple dozen of the best songs of the sixties and seventies are just some of the reasons I love this movie. I can't go more than a couple of years without watching it; from the moment Alan Silvestri's delicate feather theme begins to play, I am transported. I simply cannot watch this movie without emerging feeling a little better about life.
Wednesday, May 2, 2007
10 Films Alive With the Sound of Music
These aren't strictly musicals, which I certainly could write and about
and probably will, but rather ten of my favorite movies in which music
plays some sort of integral part...
The Sound of Music - Okay, this one is a musical, but I couldn't list movies about music and not include The Sound of Music. Music is everywhere in this film, starting with the title. It's a celebration of the music of nature, the solemn chanting of nuns in the abbey, Maria's exuberant outbursts, her singing lessons that are so integral in bringing together a fractured family. It's my favorite musical and possibly my favorite movie.
Mr. Holland's Opus - An uplifting film about the joys and sacrifices involved in being a truly dedicated teacher. Mr. Holland - as fantastically portrayed by Richard Dreyfuss - goes from ambitious young composer to defeated retiree, forced to leave the job in which he invested so much time and energy, instilling in decades' worth of students a passion for music. Yet before he goes, he is able to receive the gift of a powerful, tangible representation of his accomplishments. A very moving tribute to exceptional teachers and a testament to the importance of the arts in education.
I Am Sam - This story of a man with limited mental capacities struggling to raise the young daughter he cherishes is notable for many reasons, one of which is the soundtrack consisting entirely of covers of Beatles songs. A great source of comfort to Sam, who named his daughter after the song Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds, their music is rich with meaning, and the new but faithful interpretations skillfully underline the significance of many crucial scenes.
Forrest Gump - Another story about a simple man trying to make good in the world. Forrest is much more independent than Sam, but he has a way of being swept up in events of far-spread significance of which he has little idea. Music is used in the film to accentuate each step in Forrest's journey, which usually coincides with a notable moment in American history. It is more notable as a narrative device than as directly involving Forrest, but there are several notable music-related moments, him teaching Elvis his hip thrusts, watching Jenny sing and play guitar on stage and joining John Lennon for a talk show interview among them.
Sister Act - A movie about the power of music to uplift and to change lives when performed in the proper spirit. Whoopi Goldberg is very entertaining as a lounge singer who goes into hiding in a convent after witnessing a murder, and the feeble attempts of the choir of nuns to provide stirring anthems on Sundays are hilarious. But once the newly dubbed Sister Mary Clarence puts her talents to work by whipping the sisters into proper singing shape, the film becomes more than comedy. The music becomes a regenerative force amongst the nuns and in their troubled neighborhood, and their performances - particularly the last one before a toe-tapping Pope - are downright inspirational.
Blues Brothers - This riotous movie is packed with cameos of famous singers from Aretha Franklin to Ray Charles, and each has his or her time in the spotlight while kind-hearted criminals Jake and Elwood make their increasingly disastrous way to the concert where they will perform as the Blues Brothers, thereby earning the money needed to keep the Catholic orphanage where they grew up alive. The film's loaded with fantastic performances, but my hands-down favorite is the band's impromptu rendition of the Rawhide theme song, complete with a real whip.
Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home - Okay, so it's definitely not the sort of music you sing along to. But this movie is very much about whalesong, which is haunting but beautiful in its own way. It's a madcap adventure, but a crucial one, recovering these majestic creatures hunted to extinction so that they can sing their song to the probe seeking communication with them and in so doing save the world.
Fantasia - A Disney masterpiece with carefully choreographed animation matched up with the works of great composers to bring modern audiences a new appreciation for classical music. Each piece is accompanied by a short film whose contents accentuate the different moods and themes of the music in beautiful ways. A feast for the eyes and ears accomplished again when several more pieces were undertaken for Fantasia 2000.
Sense and Sensibility - I can't quite decide which film owes a greater debt to the pianoforte, this or the BBC mini-series of Pride and Prejudice. Both feature the instrument prominently, but I think perhaps Sense and Sensibility has the edge, since it is while she is playing this instrument that Marianne is first seen by Colonel Brandon, and when he eventually buys her one and she plays the music he sends her, that is the physical embodiment of her changed feelings for him.
The Lord of the Rings - There aren't nearly as many songs in the movies as in the books, but I appreciate that Jackson made a real effort to integrate Tolkien's love of the lyrical into the films, particularly in the extended editions. We get rowdy hobbit drinking songs, ethereal elf chants, aching human litanies of mourning... The snippets we hear are lovely, and the moment in Return of the King in which Pippin turns a benign old walking song into a haunting elegy is one of the most startling and profound in the trilogy.
An incomplete list, as always, but there are all movies that make my living room alive with the sound of music...
The Sound of Music - Okay, this one is a musical, but I couldn't list movies about music and not include The Sound of Music. Music is everywhere in this film, starting with the title. It's a celebration of the music of nature, the solemn chanting of nuns in the abbey, Maria's exuberant outbursts, her singing lessons that are so integral in bringing together a fractured family. It's my favorite musical and possibly my favorite movie.
Mr. Holland's Opus - An uplifting film about the joys and sacrifices involved in being a truly dedicated teacher. Mr. Holland - as fantastically portrayed by Richard Dreyfuss - goes from ambitious young composer to defeated retiree, forced to leave the job in which he invested so much time and energy, instilling in decades' worth of students a passion for music. Yet before he goes, he is able to receive the gift of a powerful, tangible representation of his accomplishments. A very moving tribute to exceptional teachers and a testament to the importance of the arts in education.
I Am Sam - This story of a man with limited mental capacities struggling to raise the young daughter he cherishes is notable for many reasons, one of which is the soundtrack consisting entirely of covers of Beatles songs. A great source of comfort to Sam, who named his daughter after the song Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds, their music is rich with meaning, and the new but faithful interpretations skillfully underline the significance of many crucial scenes.
Forrest Gump - Another story about a simple man trying to make good in the world. Forrest is much more independent than Sam, but he has a way of being swept up in events of far-spread significance of which he has little idea. Music is used in the film to accentuate each step in Forrest's journey, which usually coincides with a notable moment in American history. It is more notable as a narrative device than as directly involving Forrest, but there are several notable music-related moments, him teaching Elvis his hip thrusts, watching Jenny sing and play guitar on stage and joining John Lennon for a talk show interview among them.
Sister Act - A movie about the power of music to uplift and to change lives when performed in the proper spirit. Whoopi Goldberg is very entertaining as a lounge singer who goes into hiding in a convent after witnessing a murder, and the feeble attempts of the choir of nuns to provide stirring anthems on Sundays are hilarious. But once the newly dubbed Sister Mary Clarence puts her talents to work by whipping the sisters into proper singing shape, the film becomes more than comedy. The music becomes a regenerative force amongst the nuns and in their troubled neighborhood, and their performances - particularly the last one before a toe-tapping Pope - are downright inspirational.
Blues Brothers - This riotous movie is packed with cameos of famous singers from Aretha Franklin to Ray Charles, and each has his or her time in the spotlight while kind-hearted criminals Jake and Elwood make their increasingly disastrous way to the concert where they will perform as the Blues Brothers, thereby earning the money needed to keep the Catholic orphanage where they grew up alive. The film's loaded with fantastic performances, but my hands-down favorite is the band's impromptu rendition of the Rawhide theme song, complete with a real whip.
Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home - Okay, so it's definitely not the sort of music you sing along to. But this movie is very much about whalesong, which is haunting but beautiful in its own way. It's a madcap adventure, but a crucial one, recovering these majestic creatures hunted to extinction so that they can sing their song to the probe seeking communication with them and in so doing save the world.
Fantasia - A Disney masterpiece with carefully choreographed animation matched up with the works of great composers to bring modern audiences a new appreciation for classical music. Each piece is accompanied by a short film whose contents accentuate the different moods and themes of the music in beautiful ways. A feast for the eyes and ears accomplished again when several more pieces were undertaken for Fantasia 2000.
Sense and Sensibility - I can't quite decide which film owes a greater debt to the pianoforte, this or the BBC mini-series of Pride and Prejudice. Both feature the instrument prominently, but I think perhaps Sense and Sensibility has the edge, since it is while she is playing this instrument that Marianne is first seen by Colonel Brandon, and when he eventually buys her one and she plays the music he sends her, that is the physical embodiment of her changed feelings for him.
The Lord of the Rings - There aren't nearly as many songs in the movies as in the books, but I appreciate that Jackson made a real effort to integrate Tolkien's love of the lyrical into the films, particularly in the extended editions. We get rowdy hobbit drinking songs, ethereal elf chants, aching human litanies of mourning... The snippets we hear are lovely, and the moment in Return of the King in which Pippin turns a benign old walking song into a haunting elegy is one of the most startling and profound in the trilogy.
An incomplete list, as always, but there are all movies that make my living room alive with the sound of music...
Friday, September 16, 2005
Whoopi Robes Up Again for a More than Satisfactory Sequel
Shortly before I went into sixth grade, my mom and I went school
shopping. We made a day of it, with lunch at Chuck E. Cheese’s and then a
movie. As I recall, our intention was to see Three Ninjas, but the showing was sold out, so we examined our options, and I suggested Sister Act.
Mom was dubious; she didn’t know much about it, and she suspected I
might find it boring. But we gave it a shot, and rarely have I found a
movie so engaging and entertaining. Just a year later, a sequel arrived.
There’s always something lost with a sequel; much of the power of
surprise is gone. You basically know what to expect at this point. A
first film may sweep you away, but a sequel rarely will. Sister Act 2
failed to enthrall me the way the first did, but as sequels go, it was
incredibly well done in spite of the similarities in plot to its
predecessor.
The beginning of this movie finds Delores van Cartier (Whoopi Goldberg) enjoying greater success as a lounge singer than ever before, thanks to her unlikely star-making stint as choir director for a fleet of cloistered nuns. Her habited buddies, Sisters Mary Robert (Wendy Makkena), Patrick (Kathy Najimy) and Lazarus (Mary Wickes), corner her after one of her shows and entreat her to return with them to their current residence, a parish in charge of St. Francis Academy, a school catering to inner city students. A now gentler Mother Superior (Maggie Smith) greets her upon her arrival and begs her to join the teaching staff as a music instructor, to which Delores reluctantly agrees. Once again she must go in cognito in order to deceive the school administrators, but this task isn’t so difficult now that most of her friends know who and what she really is.
The basic plotline is very similar to the first, though there’s far less at stake for Delores this time around, and the tensions between her and school principal Father Maurice (Barnard Hughes) and superintendent Mr. Crisp (James Cogburn) are nothing compared to the frosty relationship she enjoyed with Mother Superior in the first film. Delores has changed, so her motivations are different in this film, and her character doesn’t have much room to evolve. But once again she finds herself in a position to save a struggling organization by taking a ragtag group and turning them into a world-class choir.
Personally, I identify more with nuns than rowdy teens, so I preferred when the focus was on the Sisters. Delores had a difficult task in whipping them into shape, but they were ready and willing to participate. The complications arose much more from Mother Superior’s disapproval than the nuns themselves. Here, Delores’ first job is to command her students’ respect, and it’s not easy. Once she does, though, she still has her work cut out for her in teaching them how to work together and believe in themselves. Several students stand out: “Amahl,” (Ryan Toby) who is extremely passionate about his African heritage and who overcomes his timidity with an exhilarating solo much as Sister Mary Robert did in the first film; “Sketch,” (Ron Johnson) a gentle soul who is a talented artist but who always sleeps through class due to long hours working after school; and “Frankie,” (Devin Kamin) a wannabe rapper with his own theme song. Most prominent, however, is Rita (Lauryn Hill), who possesses an extraordinary voice but has a crummy attitude fostered by her mother (Sheryl Lee Ralph), who refuses to foster her daughter’s dreams of singing professionally. Her mother comes across as a bit too severe here, ordering her to quit the choir because “singing does not put food on the table;” after all, it doesn’t take food off the table, either. In fact, Rita seems to have been completely uninterested in school up to this point, but the choir provides her with motivation. I would think a mother would be more supportive of her daughter’s talent, but I guess she’s just seen how hard it is to bring such dreams to fruition and doesn’t want Rita getting hurt.
When Father Maurice announces that the school will be closing at the end of the year, the students rally under the nuns’ enthusiastic suggestion that they enter the singing contest that this academy has won in years past. Their efforts are complicated by Father Maurice’s caution and near-sabotage by dour Mr. Crisp, who stands to gain quite a bit from the destruction of the school. The last-minute efforts to thwart those plans are an amusing side-plot involving the monks who also teach at the school. They don’t have quite as much to do as the nuns, but these men add a lot to the film. I especially like curmudgeonly Latin teacher Brother Thomas (Brad Sullivan), Mary Lazarus’ counterpart, and gentle, gregarious math teacher Brother Ignatius (Michael Jeter), who combines the best qualities of Mary Patrick and Mary Robert.
The ending is fairly predictable, but the kids’ grand musical number is impressive nonetheless. I can’t help but recall The Sound of Music while watching the musical competition, and I’m happy to embrace any film that makes me think of that classic, which may qualify as my all-time favorite. Of course, it also reminds me of Sister Act. In the end, this sequel is not quite as funny, creative, or surprising as that was, but it comes awfully close.
The beginning of this movie finds Delores van Cartier (Whoopi Goldberg) enjoying greater success as a lounge singer than ever before, thanks to her unlikely star-making stint as choir director for a fleet of cloistered nuns. Her habited buddies, Sisters Mary Robert (Wendy Makkena), Patrick (Kathy Najimy) and Lazarus (Mary Wickes), corner her after one of her shows and entreat her to return with them to their current residence, a parish in charge of St. Francis Academy, a school catering to inner city students. A now gentler Mother Superior (Maggie Smith) greets her upon her arrival and begs her to join the teaching staff as a music instructor, to which Delores reluctantly agrees. Once again she must go in cognito in order to deceive the school administrators, but this task isn’t so difficult now that most of her friends know who and what she really is.
The basic plotline is very similar to the first, though there’s far less at stake for Delores this time around, and the tensions between her and school principal Father Maurice (Barnard Hughes) and superintendent Mr. Crisp (James Cogburn) are nothing compared to the frosty relationship she enjoyed with Mother Superior in the first film. Delores has changed, so her motivations are different in this film, and her character doesn’t have much room to evolve. But once again she finds herself in a position to save a struggling organization by taking a ragtag group and turning them into a world-class choir.
Personally, I identify more with nuns than rowdy teens, so I preferred when the focus was on the Sisters. Delores had a difficult task in whipping them into shape, but they were ready and willing to participate. The complications arose much more from Mother Superior’s disapproval than the nuns themselves. Here, Delores’ first job is to command her students’ respect, and it’s not easy. Once she does, though, she still has her work cut out for her in teaching them how to work together and believe in themselves. Several students stand out: “Amahl,” (Ryan Toby) who is extremely passionate about his African heritage and who overcomes his timidity with an exhilarating solo much as Sister Mary Robert did in the first film; “Sketch,” (Ron Johnson) a gentle soul who is a talented artist but who always sleeps through class due to long hours working after school; and “Frankie,” (Devin Kamin) a wannabe rapper with his own theme song. Most prominent, however, is Rita (Lauryn Hill), who possesses an extraordinary voice but has a crummy attitude fostered by her mother (Sheryl Lee Ralph), who refuses to foster her daughter’s dreams of singing professionally. Her mother comes across as a bit too severe here, ordering her to quit the choir because “singing does not put food on the table;” after all, it doesn’t take food off the table, either. In fact, Rita seems to have been completely uninterested in school up to this point, but the choir provides her with motivation. I would think a mother would be more supportive of her daughter’s talent, but I guess she’s just seen how hard it is to bring such dreams to fruition and doesn’t want Rita getting hurt.
When Father Maurice announces that the school will be closing at the end of the year, the students rally under the nuns’ enthusiastic suggestion that they enter the singing contest that this academy has won in years past. Their efforts are complicated by Father Maurice’s caution and near-sabotage by dour Mr. Crisp, who stands to gain quite a bit from the destruction of the school. The last-minute efforts to thwart those plans are an amusing side-plot involving the monks who also teach at the school. They don’t have quite as much to do as the nuns, but these men add a lot to the film. I especially like curmudgeonly Latin teacher Brother Thomas (Brad Sullivan), Mary Lazarus’ counterpart, and gentle, gregarious math teacher Brother Ignatius (Michael Jeter), who combines the best qualities of Mary Patrick and Mary Robert.
The ending is fairly predictable, but the kids’ grand musical number is impressive nonetheless. I can’t help but recall The Sound of Music while watching the musical competition, and I’m happy to embrace any film that makes me think of that classic, which may qualify as my all-time favorite. Of course, it also reminds me of Sister Act. In the end, this sequel is not quite as funny, creative, or surprising as that was, but it comes awfully close.
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