Across the Universe by deadlockvictim

GENERAL DISCUSSIONS

Across the Universe

POSTED BY: DEADLOCKVICTIM
UPDATED: Thursday, May 22, 2008 12:28
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VIEWED: 2281
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Wednesday, May 21, 2008 9:26 AM

Across the Universe (2007)
Directed by Julie Taymor.
http://www.sonypictures.com/homevideo/acrosstheuniverse/
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0445922/

I missed the theatrical release of this movie, and just recently watched it in beautiful Blu-Ray HD in the comfort of my own living room (with good popcorn.!)

I was not expecting this to be very entertaining - i mean, what can you do to improve on the original material, right?... wrong - this was a very good movie - (it's a musical you know..)

ok, so i have a few gray hairs on my head - mostly still brown though - and i'll admit to being around when Beatlemania was in full bloom - and I've always been a fan - just haven't listened to that music for a long while - but ATU really brought it all back to me, and I was very impressed with how the folks who put the film together used the music to tell this story - granted the story line is a bit thin - but it is still fun to watch....and remember those great tunes.

Has anyone else seen this movie - any thoughts..?

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Wednesday, May 21, 2008 10:08 AM

TATERTOT

I've seen it and I loved it!
I'm a big Beatles fan, even though I'm 16. I'm an old soul when it comes to music.
But the movie was great!I loved it!

Also, Eddie Izzard was in it and it tickled me pink to see him singing. haha

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98% of teens have smoked pot, if you are one of the 2% that haven't, copy this into your signature.

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Wednesday, May 21, 2008 10:16 AM

DEADLOCKVICTIM

I believe that there is music - songs that stand the test of time... Lennon and McCartney certainly have their share....

btw: the soundtrack is great. Everyone did such a good job singing those songs - even Eddie Izzard...!

eta: and i will never think of I Want To Hold Your Hand in quite the same way... and i mean that in a good way..

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Wednesday, May 21, 2008 11:08 AM

CHANNAIN

i DO aim to misbehave

Quote:
Originally posted by deadlockvictim:
Granted the story line is a bit thin - but it is still fun to watch....and remember those great tunes.

Most people think the storyline is about the love story.

It's not - it's primarily about the journey of two friends - Jude and Max - and their experiences during the Vietnam war. And every character - the primary cast for sure - had a name that was from a Beatles song.

I didn't know it was a musical until Jim Burgess opened his mouth and started to sing. Beautifully. And I love how Helter Skelter is done - the scene at the college where Jude is arrested has three different music tracks going on at the same time.

The imagry and sound editing were amazing. Artistically speaking, Jim Burgess did one hell of a job showing Jude expressing the turmoil of the time through his art.

I heard the director got to sit down and watch it with Paul McCartney, and she was completely terrified; what if he hates it?

Around "All My Lovin" or "I wanna hold your hand" Paul started singing along.

Doing the impossible makes us mighty
Minnesota Browncoats
http://www.mnfirefly.com/portal/html/index.php

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Wednesday, May 21, 2008 11:27 AM

TATERTOT

Quote:
I heard the director got to sit down and watch it with Paul McCartney, and she was completely terrified; what if he hates it?

Around "All My Lovin" or "I wanna hold your hand" Paul started singing along.

Oh wow thats shiny!

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

98% of teens have smoked pot, if you are one of the 2% that haven't, copy this into your signature.

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Thursday, May 22, 2008 3:42 AM

DEADLOCKVICTIM

Quote:
Originally posted by Channain:
..... journey of two friends - Jude and Max - and their experiences during the Vietnam war.

The turbulent 60's - Vietnam, riots in Detroit, Newark, Watts, assassinations of Martin Luther King, Jr., Malcolm X, President Kennedy, protests at the Democratic Convention in Chicago, the Civil Rights movement, desegregation at U. of Alabama, Cuban missile crisis.... all these things and more contributed to one of the most unforgettable decades in this nations history. The movie touches on some of those issues and that sets the tone for the story of these characters.

I still see it as a love story, but I agree that there are several other elements to the film as well, and it eventually comes down to the music. For anyone who lived through that period, and came out alive, the music of the Beatles, as well as other memorable bands, plays a key role in awakening memories of those years of change.

I may have been too harsh with my criticism of the story line - honestly, I don't have any criticisms of this film at all, and I'm sure I will watch and enjoy this movie many times.

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Thursday, May 22, 2008 5:10 AM

NEWOLDBROWNCOAT

saw it in a theatre with about 500 other folks-- the audience response was amazing.
Loved it, of course.
It's always been my theory that any good piece of performance art, song, acting, etc., can be performed by many artists, not just the original, each new one bringing a little something different.So it was wonderful to hear these versions of those songs, some really great, some not so much, while also hearing the Beatles versions in my head.
Haven't bought it on DVD yet, money's been tight, haven't bought any DVDs since January but it's on my gotta get real soon list.

Lotta clips available on YouTube- the Jim Sturgess version of All You Need Is Love is one of my faves.

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Thursday, May 22, 2008 5:14 AM

CHANNAIN

i DO aim to misbehave

Quote:
Originally posted by deadlockvictim:
I still see it as a love story, but I agree that there are several other elements to the film as well, and it eventually comes down to the music.

It most definitely came down to the music. I didn't experience the 60s - because I was born during the Summer of Love =D but I think it is generally agreed that it was a huge turning point for this country. Americans have always had the right to freedom of speech, but I believe the 60s was the first time it was used so vehemently.

What was interesting about this movie is precisely what you said - it touched on, but did not over-emphasize those events. The focus was on how the ramifications of those events upon the characters, and that experience was expressed through the music.

Personally, I thought Bono did a bang up job. Didn't recognize the man until he started to sing.

And don't get me wrong, that was one sweet love story. I particularly like how it ended, with Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds - standing on the rooftop with tears glittering on her face - rather than the two of them falling into each other's arms in a typical American "I WUVE you" ending.

My niece has been taking a course in college on The Beatles, so she's been relaying all manner of knowledge with regard to the myth and true origins of the lyrics to their music.

Can you imagine what the world would be like now if The Beatles had never been? I'm not sure I'd want to try.

And every time I watch it, I see something else. Like Jojo at the funeral for the little boy, who, as it turns out, was his younger brother. That was his reason for going to New York. Jojo has the best entrance in that entire movie - and I am not a Joe Cocker fan, but what he did with Come Together totally ROCKS.

Doing the impossible makes us mighty
Minnesota Browncoats
http://www.mnfirefly.com/portal/html/index.php

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Thursday, May 22, 2008 10:44 AM

DEADLOCKVICTIM

Quote:
Originally posted by Channain:
My niece has been taking a course in college on The Beatles, so she's been relaying all manner of knowledge with regard to the myth and true origins of the lyrics to their music.

That would be an interesting class to audit..
I wonder if there has been any discussion about the whole Paul is dead mystery - if it was indeed a mystery, or just a publicity stunt, (like they needed any more publicity). They did a few strange things during their psychedelic phase - John often claimed that Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds didn't really refer to LSD.... but come on, it sure seemed like it.....

Quote:
Can you imagine what the world would be like now if The Beatles had never been? I'm not sure I'd want to try.

I have never been an obsessive/compulsive type person - well, Firefly... but I do remember back in the day eagerly awaiting every new Beatle song release - luckily, those guys cranked them out at an astonishing rate....

Oh, and I had the collection - every piece of vinyl released in the states and a few british albums, too. After moving those albums (along with a multitude of others), about twenty times, I finally decided to donate my entire Beatle collection to a charity auction... (it was probably my most valuable asset at the time). I have replaced most of it with cds, but they are not really the same.

I would surely hate to have missed all that music. Think I'll listen to a little Rubber Soul.... thanks for everyone's input.

d

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Thursday, May 22, 2008 12:28 PM

ECGORDON

There's no place I can be since I found Serenity.

This is the next movie on my Netflix queue and I am really looking forward to it. I am a big Beatles fan, having grown up listening to them on the radio, watching them on Ed Sullivan, buying the albums as they were released, etc. I lived through all that turbulent time of the 60s (and earlier, born in 1950), and while I hated a lot of it at the time, the Beatles (and other acts) surely helped me weather the storm. As Joss knew (Cry Baby Cry, make your mother sigh), their music will live on for a very long time.

wo men ren ran zai fei xing.

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