Musicals & Music Films > Baranski, Christine Musicals & Music Films > by Sound

Not Just For Abba Fans

Advantages: Great performances, great fun, the songs (If you like Abba)
Disadvantages: Younger cast are a bit flat

...Christmas, my mum asked for Mamma Mia! on DVD because my dad wouldn't let her rent it. Come Christmas day and after eating copiously and drinking similarly we sat down (dad excluded) to watch (mercifully not the sing-a-long version). I was apprehensive. I'm not good with musicals and I'm definitely not good with Abba. Begrudgingly I joined in willing my loathing along. From minute one I thought, 'this is horrid', but by the end I was toe tapping ...
...on what makes this film so enjoyable but somehow it is, and somehow I'll try. So, the story. Sophie (Amanda Seyfried) is due to get married on a Greek island but prior to exchanging her vowls she wishes to find out the identity of her father. She secretly invites the three potentials (Colin Firth, Pierce Brosnan and Stellan Skarsgård) to the wedding without letting her mother (Meryl Streep) know. What ensues is her quest to find out his identity, ...

Nixu1980 29.10.2009 · Read full review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful
Review of Mamma Mia!

They both reached for the gun.

Advantages: A unique musical.
Disadvantages: None.

...musical. A jazz musical. In Chicago two women, Velma Kelly (Catherine Zeta-Jones) and Roxie Hart (Renee Zellweger) are arrested for murder, Roxie for the man she's been having a fling with, desperately trying to get into stardom and stage sensation Velma for her husband and sister double murder. Now in prison the two try to gain Billy Flynn's (Richard Gere) attention so he will try and get them out of jail. While Roxie spends time in jail, she ...
...Disk 1: A delightfull movie commentary with a deleted song 'The class' A duet featuring Velma and the warden - Mama Morten. Disk 2: The history of Chicago, extended performances and much much more about the show, director and crew. Every song in this movie is excellent and this feature packed DVD brings one of broadway's finest to your living room. ...

Mistybrook 07.08.2008 · Read full review
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Review of Chicago (Special Edition) (DVD)

Thank you for the music, Mamma Mia! triumphs

Advantages: Great music, vivid scenary, great setting
Disadvantages: Storyline could have been improved on.

As members of the british public will know, the musical is a genre that has died out over the last few years. Yes, we've had high school musical and that was good for the kids. But what about us adults? Anything since saturday night fever worth watching? That debate is for another time, but this film brings back the musical genre, in full Abba style. From start to finish this film does not disappoint with the fantastic toe-tapping, karaoke dream ...
...focus of attention sometimes, fits lovely into the songs. Anyone who has seen the stage show, will have walked away playing all the songs over and over in their head and be humming them all the way home. The film does exactly the same. From the opening of I have a dream, to Thank you for the music running over the credits, you almost feel like you have been watching an abba concert, your voice is sore. Even if you are not an abba fan, or generally ...

stozzerman 17.01.2009 · Read full review
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Review of Mamma Mia! (Blu-Ray)

How Can I Resist You? Let Me Count the Ways...

Advantages: Some decent performances.
Disadvantages: A series of Abba songs being murdered by unqualified performers (Brosnan, I'm talking about you...)

Sophie lives with her bohemian mother Donna on a remote Greek island where they run a hotel together. She is about to get married to her fiancé Sky, but there's one thing missing in her life; a father. She reads her mother's diary from the summer before she was born and discovers there are three possible dads - Harry, Sam and Bill. Unbeknownst to her mother she invites all three to the wedding, hoping she will know which is her father when she meets ...
...wedding and Donna is in for the surprise of her life. This is only director Phyllida Lloyd's second stab at directing for the screen, having spent most of her career helming stage operas. Sadly her inexperience shows with a musical that never really expands beyond its stage origins. You don't get the impression of a world existing beyond the bounds of the screen. Although some of the exteriors were clearly shot around the Greek islands, Lloyd doesn't ...

afy9mab 21.10.2008 · Read full review
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Review of Mamma Mia! (DVD)

A Razzle Dazzle of a Film!

Advantages: Great story, acting, song and dancing
Disadvantages: None from me

...some good press to make Chicago fall in love with Roxie to get her off the murder charge. Just how will Velma take the lack of cooperation from her lawyer now he has anew client and will Roxie ever fulfil her dream of being big on stage? I really did not know what to expect from this film as it stars three big actors but all of whom I have never head sing or watched dance so for me it was a nice surprise. I found Renee Zellweger who played the role ...
...set in the 1920’s in Chicago and this is very apparent from the costumes and sets which have been used. I found it all looked very real and authentic for this year and I loved seeing how different everything was back then. I did however find that at times it was quite dark and just wished we could have seen more of the film shot in the daytime. The DVD which I have does have some bonus features which include:- Feature Commentary with Director and ...

sewbizzie 29.10.2009 · Read full review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful
Review of Chicago (DVD)