Let the Barricades Rise- To stop anyone from seeing this movie!

Poster for the Film

I saw a few movies this- Sorry, last year. And I saw my first movie of this year, just a few hours ago. Sadly, it doesn't set the scene well enough for the rest of the year. So here is my first film review for my new blog location.

Les Misérables, the gruesome and harrowing tale of the dodgy, parole escaping Jean Valjean. After stealing some bread to feed his sister's dying child, he is sent to jail and slave-like labor for an ungodly amount of time. After serving all time he must, he is put onto parole- For life. But SURPRISE, he doesn't like that! A novel, several movies, musical, I believe plays have been done, and now a movie based on the musical adaptation. I'm talking about the 2012 film adaption of the musical adaptation of the novel. Yes, quite a mouthful, but so is this review.

I'll start with the cinematography: Absolute horror! I couldn't believe that any director would approve of this. Tight shots! Oh good Lord! Who had this vision of tight shot after tight shot, after tight shot. You can't have a movie made entirely out of tight shots! Show a little set! A little location! Even when there were 3-5 people on screen, they got a fucking tight shot of them all in there! Stop! It don't think it was until midway did I start to see a few more medium or even some long shots. But god forbid you put a wide angle lens on that camera, Mister Tom Hooper, director.

Russell Crowe as Javert,
the police inspector set on
arresting Jean Valjean. Again.

While some can place it into color balance during photography, I place it into editing. Yet, when in one shot during a scene a person is pale as can be, then the next (a tight shot, none the less!) they are rosy red, how can you let that go?! Also, near the beginning, some songs has easily seen skips so as to make it look as the actors could do everything in one take. And I mean some pretty easily seen skips.

Let's get into my main beef, but technically the only good thing out of the actors in this entire film. That is, the audio. If this wasn't a musical, I'd call this the best audio EVER for a live action film. Yet, this is, in fact, a musical. And, in that fact, should require, recordings. I was actually surprised that there wasn't a cast recording. As, 1: It sounds better during the film. And 2: You can sell it for more cash. And we all know Hollywood loves cash. They made this movie didn't they? And they also made that Karate Kid remake with that talentless Will Smith's talentless child? So how does a MUSICAL sound without any good vocal recordings? Take a guess. It doesn't good. Horrible mixing, because layering individual tracks over one another when they were all recorded at the same time in the same place with the same room tone has so much extra noise and over powering that you cannot distinguish one another.

Anne Hathaway singing I Dreamed a Dream

But!- And that's a big BUT! It's an amazing feat for those actors. I have to give them credit. Especially a prostitute Anne Hathaway singing- While crying, on cue and on camera, LIVE!- a pretty good version of I Dreamed a Dream. And to hear Russell Crowe and Hugh Jackman sing like that was nothing I expected. Nothing worthy of awards, but certainly something I'd pay to see- By itself.

Now, I've never been a fan of the story. It's has its faults as a novel all on its own. So I truly wasn't expecting much walking in. Surprisingly, I was one who sat through the entire movie. I did see a few people walk out, something I'd never seem myself for any other film. While sitting through the beginning I thought the only person who could have saved this story was if Tim Burton was the director. Some people might yell, scream, and bitch. I started to bitch at myself after I thought of it. Telling myself that if Mr. Burton was to direct, the two main characters would be Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter. And then, BAM! Up come the Thénardiers! And there is Miss Bonham Carter, herself, in her delightfully twisted acting style along the semi-also-twisted Sacha Baron Cohen. The duo make a charming husband and wife who steal and trick plenty of guests to their inn.

Helena Bonham Carter as Madam Thénardier 

I'd love to tell people to not see this movie. But you will. You'll want to experience it for yourselves. I did. Not expecting much. Even though I hated it, my ticket still counts towards the millions others that they will announce after it will probably have won multiple awards for things it shouldn't have. I can only give Anne Hathaway a single award for her single scene performance of I Dreamed A Dream. Sadly, it still isn't anything truly award worthy. A problem with today's counts of how many people went to see a movie is equivalent to how good it was.

Anyway! To make a long story short (Too late.) the film sucked and I hope you never waste your time with it. Up next is my review of The Hobbit that I saw a few days earlier. I drove an hour and a half to see it in it's original HFR 3D version and will post a review of that along with a comparison of it and its 24fps, 2D or 3D version. I haven't decided which one to see for comparison yet. Then in February it will be my reaction to the Golden Globes, and then, hopefully, early March, the Academy Awards. Good to see Lincoln and Hobbit off on good starts for both of them.

Cheers,
Keith