Showing posts with label Wicked. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Wicked. Show all posts
(Crisp) Movie Review: WICKED by FENIL SETA
3:41 PM
Wicked begins on a visually stunning note. This is a film that deserves to be seen in the IMAX screen as the look, production design, cinematography, VFX etc are top-class. The story is also intriguing and the bond formed by the two opposite characters makes for a nice watch. The track of the animal professor is also very arresting. The film ends with a cliffhanger and with the promise of a sequel (which releases exactly a year later). However, the biggest issue of the film is the runtime of 160 minutes. It's too long and the story moves at a sluggish pace. Songs are well composed and choreographed but a few of them could have been done away with. Cynthia Erivo plays the lead role and is superb. However, it is Ariana Grande who steals the show with her antics, singing, cuteness and performance. Michelle Yeoh, as always, is dependable. Jonathan Bailey (Fiyero Tigelaar) has a late entry but leaves a mark. The others who do well are Marissa Bode (Nessarose), Ethan Slater (Boq), Jeff Goldblum (Wizard Of Oz) and Andy Nyman (Elphaba's father). Peter Dinklage and Sharon D Clarke's voiceovers are appropriate. All in all, Wicked is a well-made visual musical but suffers to some extent due to its length.
My rating - *** out of 5!
My rating - *** out of 5!
Fenil's Bollywood Talk # 857
11:09 AM
WILL KARAN ARJUN AND NEW RELEASES ATTRACT FOOTFALLS?
The trend of re-releases is going on in full force and tomorrow, the biggest experiment in this regard is going to take place. Karan Arjun, the much loved film starring Shah Rukh Khan and Salman Khan, will be re-released on a grand scale. It’ll have the biggest screen count for a re-release in India and also abroad. Producer-director Rakesh Roshan has gone all out to promote the film with his son Hrithik Roshan even giving voiceover to the re-release trailer. The film has been remastered and hence, now looks as good as a fresh film.
The advance booking began in full force on Wednesday evening. The makers are keeping their expectations within limits but the exhibitors are hopeful that it can surprise.
As for the new release, the biggest is I Want To Talk, starring Abhishek Bachchan. It is directed by Shoojit Sircar of Piku and Vicky Donor fame. The trailer is intriguing and Abhishek seems in top form. However, the film also looks quite niche. The pre-release screening reports are positive and hopefully, it can see a jump in the collections from the second day.
All We Imagine As Light, which made waves for India abroad, will finally get an all-India release tomorrow. The film has got a limited release and might surprise in select pockets due to the extremely positive buzz around it. Of course, since it’s a film festival cinema, it’s meant for a minuscule audience.
Interestingly, Naam finally arrives in cinemas tomorrow. It was shot 20 years ago and stars Ajay Devgn, Bhumika Chawla and Sameera Reddy. It is directed by Anees Bazmee of Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3 fame. None of them are promoting the film and even the audience is aware that it’s a dated movie. As a result, the awareness is limited and the excitement to see it is negligible.
Lastly, the big Hollywood release is Wicked. The musical fantasy is all set for a very huge opening in North America. In India, the buzz is hardly there but it’s a film that can surprise and keep getting audiences for weeks, albeit in select premium multiplexes, if the reports are positive.
The trend of re-releases is going on in full force and tomorrow, the biggest experiment in this regard is going to take place. Karan Arjun, the much loved film starring Shah Rukh Khan and Salman Khan, will be re-released on a grand scale. It’ll have the biggest screen count for a re-release in India and also abroad. Producer-director Rakesh Roshan has gone all out to promote the film with his son Hrithik Roshan even giving voiceover to the re-release trailer. The film has been remastered and hence, now looks as good as a fresh film.
The advance booking began in full force on Wednesday evening. The makers are keeping their expectations within limits but the exhibitors are hopeful that it can surprise.
As for the new release, the biggest is I Want To Talk, starring Abhishek Bachchan. It is directed by Shoojit Sircar of Piku and Vicky Donor fame. The trailer is intriguing and Abhishek seems in top form. However, the film also looks quite niche. The pre-release screening reports are positive and hopefully, it can see a jump in the collections from the second day.
All We Imagine As Light, which made waves for India abroad, will finally get an all-India release tomorrow. The film has got a limited release and might surprise in select pockets due to the extremely positive buzz around it. Of course, since it’s a film festival cinema, it’s meant for a minuscule audience.
Interestingly, Naam finally arrives in cinemas tomorrow. It was shot 20 years ago and stars Ajay Devgn, Bhumika Chawla and Sameera Reddy. It is directed by Anees Bazmee of Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3 fame. None of them are promoting the film and even the audience is aware that it’s a dated movie. As a result, the awareness is limited and the excitement to see it is negligible.
Lastly, the big Hollywood release is Wicked. The musical fantasy is all set for a very huge opening in North America. In India, the buzz is hardly there but it’s a film that can surprise and keep getting audiences for weeks, albeit in select premium multiplexes, if the reports are positive.
I would love to do an India movie. I love India-Michelle Yeoh
8:43 AM
Oscar-winning actor Michelle Yeoh talks to us about her fascination for Indian cinema and culture
Mugdha Kapoor (HINDUSTAN TIMES; November 20, 2024)
Actor Michelle Yeoh says that Indian cinema has fascinated her for long. About the possibility of working in an Indian film, Yeoh, who won the 2023 Academy Award for Best Actress for her performance in Everything Everywhere All At Once (2022), says, “I would love that. I love India. I’ve been to India quite a few times. I love the culture and the whole extravaganza of Indian movies because I think Indians truly love movies. They love the whole culture of movies. So, I would immediately respond with a resounding, ‘Please call me’.”
While she says that she has “quite a list” of people she would love to collaborate with, she playfully refrains from naming anyone. “I know some of them quite well, and I would love to be able to work with them, especially someone behind the camera. But I’m not going to tell any names. I’m going to get myself in trouble,” says Yeoh, who is known for her roles in films like Crazy Rich Asians (2018), Shang-Chi And The Legend Of The Ten Rings (2021), and A Haunting In Venice (2023).
Yeoh will be seen as Madame Morrible – Shiz University’s regal headmistress and Dean of Sorcery Studies – in the musical, Wicked that is set to release on November 22. Ask the 62-year-old Malaysian actor if she drew any parallels between Wicked and the Indian films she’s seen, and she says, “It’s very similar — the whole concept of song and dance, big sets. It’s very Indian, if you look at it and compare it that way,” adding, “I feel that our Indian friends and fans out there would really take your heart with Wicked.”
When asked about what drew her to the musical, Yeoh reveals that it was director Jon M Chu. She shares: “I used to be such a huge fan of musicals. And I think for some years, partly because of Covid, partly because I had been so busy with work, I stopped going. And then, Jon brought me back to the theatre and rekindled my love for musicals.”
Michelle Yeoh feels that Wicked was irresistible: “I’ve never done a musical or sung for a movie before. So, I was very grateful for the opportunity. That was the key that drew me to this role.”
However, during the course of the interaction, Yeoh also admitted to being “terrified” at the prospect of singing in the film. “But then, Jon (M Chu; director) knows that I’m always up for a challenge. So, he threw that challenge right at me and said, ‘We are going to make a little singer out of you’,” the 62-year-old shared, adding how the prospect of working alongside co-stars Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo made the decision even more appealing.
Yeoh also emphasizes how the diverse cast and crew make the story feel especially relevant today: “If it had been done 10 or 15 years ago, I definitely would not have been chosen to play Madam Morrible. Jon Chu wouldn’t have been there, and it wouldn’t have been Ariana.”
Talking about “female friendship” and her experience of working with Grande and Erivo, Yeoh adds, “I strongly believe in female friendship. I say that from personal experience. You are very blessed when you cultivate a bond like that with someone. And this story is about two women, but I think friendship is about people. I think it reflects also very heavily on our society, where we all should look at it and go like, ‘We need each other. And together, we will all be stronger’.”
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