Monday Moments - Defy Gravity

 By this time, you might be saying, "I'm sick of the hype." 

BUT....Wicked, the movie,  is absolutely  tremendous  in my opinion.  And you must  see  it on the  big screen.  And  yes, it's over two  hours,  but the time flies by with all of the magical scenes filling your eyeballs.  

There's  plenty of homage (Easter eggs) to  the original 1939 movie Wizard of Oz starring Judy Garland.

And there's also treats from the Broadway stage musical starring  Idina Menzel and Kristen  Chenoweth. 

But now, this movie is Part 1 and based  on  the book by Gregory Maguire. The movie truly gives a deep dive into the characters, the motivations, the real story and question of  "wicked".  Who  is truly behaving badly?  Do you see  parallels to today's world?  Oh yes.    

The voices soar, the harmonies are gorgeous, the dancing, choreography, sets are lush eye candy. 

The cast is perfect - Cynthia Erivo (Elphaba), Ariana Grande (Glinda), Jonathan Bailey  (Prince Fiyero) is extra charming, Michelle Yeoh  (Madame Mori), Jeff Goldblum (the Wizard), for  me a bonus Bowen Yang who lets his freak flag fly  (I say that as a compliment), and so many more. 

My friend and I sat stunned as the credits came up.  Defy Gravity rang in our ears.  So much to enthuse about.  We agreed we could easily see it again to  absorb more. I wore green. She wore pink. 

WICKED   WOW

Movie Review Madness - Thor - Ragnarok

Thor: Ragnarok is a Marvel romp. This movie has star power and humor. So many of these super hero flicks get so serious with world mayhem and destruction. Oh, Thor: Ragnarok has plenty of battles, but it also has a stunning Chris Hemsworth – his locks are shorn, but his snark factor grew. He has great comedic timing and it’s put to plenty of good use. The dialogue is whip smart whether he’s talking to Loki (I love Tom Hiddleston), or teasing the Hulk (a rueful Mark Ruffalo), or bantering with his evil sister Hela (a fabulous Cate Blanchett).

I won’t go into plot line. Needless to say there are plenty of Marvel character appearances, plenty of power grabs, and  Hela stirring up fiendish trouble. When she dons her crazy black reindeer antler crown, you need to brace yourself for some serious action. She’s crazy good. And then there’s Jeff Goldblum. He takes wacky to a whole other level and is perfect for this role.

This movie is huge tub of popcorn worthy. Stay through the two bonus scenes during the credits, and enjoy the glory of Thor-Ragnarok on the big screen.