Cyrano de Bergerac as a musical was a poor decision, and casting actors with poor singing voices was an even poorer decision. Peter Dinklage was charismatic and convincing but the lyrics let him down. The lyrics were laughably bad (rhyming 'Cyrano' with 'no'- horribly unpoetic). For an ordinary musical this wouldn't be so jarring, but Cyrano is about wit and wordplay. The feeble lyrics were a distraction. A few minor and presumably unnamed characters also had frustratingly bad vocal skills which seems so easily avoidable by casting better singers. Perhaps the goal was to mask the lack of musical talent of the lead actors. I feel something was lost when Cyrano's speeches were overshadowed by so much over the top choreography. I fear new audiences will miss the point.
Reviews
3 Reviews
Old
(2021)
I felt as though I aged 50 years watching 'Old'.
28 July 2021
I will say I enjoyed the premise of the film. I suppose that's because it came from a graphic novel, which presumably didn't try to squeeze so complex a story into one feature film (not that I'm asking for more of it). I'll give the actors the benefit of the doubt, Vicky Krieps and Rufus Sewell are well-established thespians, but the dialogue in this film was almost unbearable. The characters seem to flatly blurt out superfluous statements at random, as if the film were being narrated by a particularly lazy audio-describe voiceover. Inexplicably, characters with no depth or real interest for the audience confess to years and years of secrets, worries, and regrets; but without the pathos achieved by developing the characters at all, these scenes are embarrassing to watch. I'll admit that I did laugh, slightly uncomfortably and while wondering whether certain lines were intended as comedy. I am by no means a film snob and went into this one with an open mind, not expecting greatness but hoping for a good time. The one thing I can say in its merit is that it has a knack for making you feel a good few years older by the time it's over, which is perhaps the only way it forces you to sympathise at all with its characters.
An ending that rings true
3 May 2021
I've seen this episode get a lot of flack. It is quite understated and it doesn't have the action of some earlier episodes, but I enjoyed the lack of gimmicks and attention to detail in this final part of the series. The lack of intense action scenes is made up for by the cleverness of what may be AC-12's final interviews in its current form. The ending was satisfying in its delivery of justice to a few long-suffering characters, but rang true in the climate of corruption presented in the series, leaving an opportunity for the programme to continue from an interesting place in the narrative.
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