Musicals & Music Films > Opera & Operetta Musicals & Music Films

Advantages: Everything.
Disadvantages: Nothing.

...the story begins just as Giulio Cesare has triumphed over his rival, Pompey, in Egypt. Pompey’s widow and son, Cornelia and Sesto, are taken under Cesare’s protection, while Cesare offers to forgive Pompey if he surrenders. However, Egypt’s King Tolomeo (Ptolemy, Cleopatra’s ambitious brother), Pompey’s ally, wants to rule Egypt alone, without his sister Cleopatra. He sends to Cesare through his general, Achilla, a gift of the bloody head of Pompey ...
...Character --- Performer (voice) Giulio Cesare --- Sarah Connolly (mezzo-soprano) Cleopatra --- Danielle de Niese (soprano) Cornelia --- Patricia Bardon (mezzo-soprano) Sesto --- Angelika Kirchschlager (mezzo-soprano) Tolomeo --- Christophe Dumaux (counter-tenor) Achilla --- Christopher Maltman (baritone) Nireno --- Rachid Ben Abdeslam (counter-tenor) Curio --- Alexander Ashworth (baritone) On-stage violinist --- Nadja Zwiener Orchestra ... Read review

Advantages: about 10 years worth of footage brilliant to see
Disadvantages: some tracks on the cd side arnt thrices best but its not an album

...acoustic tracks of some popular thrice songs. The cd consists of 9 tracks and is a total of 29.57 minutes long not the longest of albums but this is really only an extra throw in along with the dvd rather than an actual written and composed album. however here is the track list: 1. Eclipse 2. Motion isnt meaning 3. Stare at the sun acoustic 4. Colder cash, colder hearts 5. artist in the ambulance 6. Eleanor rigby 7. Send me an angel 8. ...
...an absolute must for any thrice fans out there there is so much footage of the guys right from their first gigs at the age of about 15 its really amazing to have footage this far back it is like a complete story line of about 10 years worth of thrice and gives a real insight into the lives of these four brilliant guys and very talented musicians if not a bit mental at times (youll now what i mean if you watch it ). This is a definite buy for any ... Read review

Advantages: Excellent performances from a non-singing cast, and oodles of black humour
Disadvantages: Not a lot - perhaps the urchin gets a little too much screen time...

...touch the beauty he craved, Sweeney Todd is far more deliberate about his slashings and stabbings. Starring Helena Bonham Carter and Johnny Depp, Sweeny Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street is a full-on Victorian melodrama of lost love, young love, unrequited love and oodles of stupidly bright scarlet blood. It's also a musical, which makes the casting of such famous singers as Alan Rickman, Timothy Spall and Sascha Baron Cohen a little bizarre, ...
...to a bloody revenge as Sweeney Todd. Quite how this turns into a pie franchise, I'll leave the viewer to discover. The sets are largely shot through blue filters, giving everyone's face a pallid washed-out look that fits with the bleak despair of most of the characters. It's particularly effective for Depp and Carter, the former with an alarming Bride of Frankenstein haircut to hide the fact he's basically doing his Captain Jack Sparrow voice again. ... Read review

Advantages: Some good visual aids, fab music and mildly comical
Disadvantages: A lot of rubbish that is hard to ignore...

THE BEATLES: MAGICAL MYSTERY TOUR WHERE THIS FITS INTO MY BEATLEMANIA MONTH OF MAY: Possibly the greatest failure of the bands career?! (Please note that this is a 'Film Only' review, hopefully displayed in the right section!) It is pretty fair to say that up and until the December of 1967, everything the Beatles touched turned to gold; they'd had over ten number one singles in the UK and albums to add to their resumes with two pretty comical ...
...held them together was undeniably the bands music and obvious dry, witty sense of humour. Yet, I don't think anybody was quite prepared for the bands third movie release. 'Magical Mystery Tour', broadcast for the first time on television on Boxing Day 1967, was deemed a failure by many fans and journalists alike. Why? Well, to me, that in itself is a mystery because I do think it's one of the most genuine funny and intriguing movies to ever hit ... Read review

Advantages: colourfull
Disadvantages: poor story.

The wizard of oz is a great all around family film. But does it stand the test of time or does it get swept away by the demands of a more sophisticated audience. Let us remember that musical film has a specific target audience... while latter films such as moulin rouge and Chicago have been marketed towards a general audience. The wizard of oz falls into the trap of been a classical musical the narrative acts simply as a bridge between the different ... Read review