Les Miserables the Movie: a Review.

***SPOILER ALERT***
**This is a long, nerdy post. Please skip if not a Les Mis enthusiast.**


The first time I saw Les Miserables,

it was Christmas day,

I went with my whooole family

(which let's be honest, consists of a small herd of people),

and my grandparents,

all of whom are big Les Mis fans who therefore have strong opinions,

also, I had only been waiting for the movie for like 17 years,

so I gasped just hearing the first notes 

and then continued to slightly hyperventilate until the very end.

I think it's safe to say therefore,

that my initial opinion was perhaps a bit skewed.

So I decided to wait to document my review of the movie

until I had the chance to view it objectively.

And here's my "objectively

Amanda" thoughts:

*eh hem..*

I LOVED  it.

I loved the costumes

and hair and makeup

and cinematography.

I loved Hugh Jackman's straggly beard
and big teary eyes and sincerity.
His version of "What Have I Done?" is in the running
for my favorite scene of the movie.
It was a powerful from-stage-to-screen moment.
Quite poignant in a different way then it could be in the theater.

I also happened to love Anne Hathaway...
I really did.
She did a superb job.
And here's how I can prove it;
very little of her portrayal of Fantine,
felt like Anne Hathaway.
Does that make any sense??
She was so in character,
that I felt like I was just watching Fantine,
and forgot about what irks me about Anne Hathaway.
I'd say that's a mark of an in-depth acting job, wouldn't you?
She definitely deserved that Oscar in my opinion.

Now, I'll reluctantly admit it,
but Russell Crowe was not a great singer,
in fact, comparatively to someone like Philip Quast,
I wouldn't even venture to say that he's necessarily a good singer.

But it's not like he professes to be,
and I always believe his acting;
 without me even noticing, he always tugs at my heart a little bit,

and I really ended up liking his (pretty different) take on the character.
He made Javert more human.

And then of course,

Sacha Baron Cohen made me giggle a whole lot.

Also, while my favorite Helen Bonham Carter character is Lady Tottington...

(from "Wallace & Gromit: the Curse of the Were-Rabbit")
...where she's animated...
or maybe Bellatrix Lestrange...
...where she's a nutcase...
and I don't usually like her as a (relatively in this case) normal person,
I thought she made a good Madame
especially to Sacha's Thenardier.
"Colette.
Cosette..."
haha

I also was grateful Amanda Seyfreid played Cosette;
I always love her
(probably because she always reminds me of Sophie)
but I am also grateful to her for making me care about Cosette
for the first time in my life.
Thanks for giving her a bit more depth, Amanda.
"Every day you walk with stronger step...
you walk with longer step...
the worst is over..."
So sweet.

As for Eponine,
Samantha Barks was just sensational.
I'd say she's the most legitimately talented when it comes to her voice.
...and her cockney accent is just the coolest too.

(Can we talk about this though??)

Can someone please let her breathe?

Aaron Tveit was just about as equally as talented.
And I loved that he was reppin' Broadway in the movie
(as all the other characters were from Hollywood, or London's West End)
...I just wish he didn't have Hobbit hair.
It made me confused as to which movie I was watching....

And then there was Marius...
Mr Eddie Redmayne.
Ohh Eddie, with your freckles and your jaw-shaking vibrato,
your slightly naive facial expressions,
and your goo-goo eyes at Cosette,
your appropriate dispersion of crying and emotion
during your pretty much perfect rendition of "Empty Chairs and Empty Tables",
just stole the show for me a little bit.
You were my favorite actor/singer/eye candy
of the whole movie you little cutie!

So, bottom line,

I thoroughly enjoyed it.

I mean, thank goodness right??

What would have come of the world

had I hated it?

PS-Who was this guy??

"You at the barricades listen to THIS!"

... He was fantastic!!

I wanted to hear more of his voice!

Les Miserables quote of the day:
"Love is the foolishness of men, and the wisdom of God."

New Favorite

A few months ago I posted here

about my extreme love of,

and exceptionally nerdy interest in,

Les Miserables
the musical.

I geeked out and told you about all my favorite preformances.

Therefore, I must now tell you about my new favorite.

It's a version of "Bring Him Home"

From President Thomas S. Monson's Birthday celebration.

The man who sings, Dallyn Bayles,

has a voice that is simply clean and pure and beautiful.

And I also love that Mack Wilberg is conducting the orchestra behind him.

(as my mom says every time she sees Mack; 

"He's the best.")

Plus, to see this song sung so beautifully in the Conference Center,

made the message all the more powerful.

Grateful for:

President Thomas S. Monson;

for the blessing of prophets on the earth today,

and for a prophet who has taught so much by example

the importance of love and service to each individual.

Because I'm a Nerd.

So I have a serious problem.  It is called Les Miserables.  I'm sooooooo obsessed!!!! I CANNOT wait for the movie to come out in December, but I've also been a huge fan waaay before all this movie hype.  My brother Logan and I sat and watched the 10th anniversary concert of Les Miserables on PBS with our Mom when I was like 7 and he was 5 or 6... and since then, our family's been hooked! 

(and I'm pretty sure Logan's still as big of a fan as me, if I recall correctly, he "freaking wants to see that movie so bad!")

And as we became completely fascinated by the story, and the music, and the sheer epic-ness that is Les Miserables, my dear mother, ever the mom to support her children in any artistic endeavors, let us listen to the CD all the time.  I'm not kidding you, I could sing you the whole musical from start to finish.  Musical interludes included.

So as I've been preparing to go see it live this weekend for the second time in my life, and as the movie teaser trailer was just recently released, I've watched all the clips of all my favorite performances over and over these past few weeks.  And I feel like, before you get a chance to see the movie when it comes out in December, I have to show you some of the most noted and memorable performers in these beloved roles.  Obviously, these ones on my blog are my  favorites, but seeing as I'm such a huge fan and have seriously scoured the internet for as many different performances as I could possibly find (including even, Ricky Martin as Marius...), I feel like I can confidently tell you these really are some of the best.

So here goes:

     1. Ruthie Henshall as Fantine singing "I Dreamed a Dream" in the 10th anniversary edition.  I distinctly remember mocking her hair with Logan when we watched this for the first time... but this has become my FAVORITE recording of this song EVER.  Fantine also happens to be my favorite character and this is my favorite song... (therefore when I tell you that I'm not a fan of Anne Hathaway and I'm more than a little disappointed that she's cast as Fantine in the movie, you might understand why.)

     Honeslty though, I think Ruthie Henshall's voice is one of the most beautiful voices.  And she's got incredible control.  If I could choose, I would want my voice to be a combination of hers, my mom's and Billie Holiday's...   just sayin.

     2. Lea Salonga as Epoinine.  Ahh, Eponine, so romantically tragic and my favorite Les Mis character throughout my teenage years. (ha)  Lea Salonga though is just brilliant and super talented... you might recognize her voice... she's the singing voice of Jasmin and Mulan in the Disney movies.  Her tenacious style of singing though also does the character of Eponine justice and I love it!

(look out on this video... the music starts with a kind of loud boom!)

3. Next, you have to watch the newest Valjean, Alfie Boe.  He has one of the silkiest tenor voices I think I've ever heard (and I'm a fan of pretty tenor voices like my Grandpa Merlin's or Mandy Patinkin's), so you just have to listen for a bit to his version of "Bring Him Home".  It's really rather lovely.

4. But as for the best performance of Valjean, you must see Mr Colm Wilkinson.  He was the original Valjean at the Barbican theater in London.  He was Valjean at the 10th anniversary at the Royal Albert Hall.  He made a guest appearance at the end of the 25th anniversary, where he kind of out-sang Alfie Boe when they sang "Bring Him Home" together... and Colm was just like 67... no big deal.  Aaaand, he'll be appearing as the Bishop in the movie version.  Whew!  He's soooo good.

Obvs.

I cry every time.

So it's alright, don't worry I know I'm a nerd.

And I recognized that I'm obsessed.

And believe me, this only scrapes the surface of all I could tell you about this musical.

Grateful for: Tickets to Les Miserables on Saturday.

And YouTube.

List of Twenty-Four

I recently discovered the charming blog of a graphic designer in NYC.  Oh so lovely and inspiring.  Makes me want to move to New York reeeeal bad. (I think secretly since I saw You've Got Mail when I was like 10, I've wanted to move to New York and eat bagels and drink Starbucks hot chocolate and live in a cute little apartment and buy over-priced childrens books, and sometimes that desire still pops up with random encouragement from such things as cute blogs...)  I was particularly inspired by an idea for her most recent updates.  She's been doing these "Lists of Thirty"--I think because she recently turned thirty--these lists included "Favorite Things to Eat in NYC", "Things I Learned in my 20's", etc...

So it got me thinking, I recently turned 24, and I LOVE lists.  They're rather organized, but still this wonderful modge-podge of lots of different and wonderful things.  (Okay, so maybe my gargantuan, weekly list of "to-do's" for each week is not exactly loaded with wonderful things, but the wonder is scattered throughout amidst lots of "must-dos'"... I still love it all the same, and would not accomplish much without this list)  So I thought I'd do my own versions as posts; Lists of Twenty Four.  And here's #1.


List of Twenty-Four: Things I Love Right Now
(and this idea came riiight off the blog)
1. Bluebonnets... and spring!
2. Gluten Free cinnamon raisin french toast
3.  the Book of Mormon (specifically the story of the Brother of Jared)
4. My impressionist-inspired skirt
5. Green Pants (new and improved)
6. My black Suede birthday pumps
7. Hipster/Buddy Holly glasses
8.  My doctor... first time in my whooole life
9. My mom and daddy and my bruders and sisters
10. My brother's 7 and a half minute history lesson on the Byzantine Empire
11. Claude Debussy "Arabesque 1" sheet music
12. late-night Barbara Streisand movies
13."We are Young" by Fun.
14. Johnny Flynn and the Sussex Wit
15. friends from the Mt Bonnell singles ward
16. watching friends play gigs at cool coffee houses down on Lake Austin
17. getting in touch with friends from a long time ago
18. Pics of my besties brand new baby!! I'm obsessed!
19. Being a Nanny
20. Austin
21. Pearl Earrings
22. HGTV
23. Updates from the new Les Mis musical movie
24. My camera



Doesn't this just make you want to go gluten free??

DELICIOUS.

Quote of the day: "And behold, I prepare you against these things; for ye cannot cross this great deep save I prepare you against the waves of the sea, and the winds which have gone forth, and the floods which shall come.  Therefore what will ye that I should prepare for you that ye may have light when ye are swallowed up in the depths of the sea?" Ether 2:25