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Reviews
Mamma Mia! (2008)
Mamma Mia - the Movie
Let's face it, with out the music of Benny Andersonn and Bjorn Ulvaeus, this musical wouldn't have made it past the concept stage. I became an absolute ABBA nut rather late in life and think this trivial plot became something more when written around ABBA's music. I was well past the "teenie bopper" phase when ABBA first came on the scene and liked their music well enough but I wasn't really listening to pop music then. When the music resurfaced after the opening of Mamma Mia the musical, I heard the radio and TV commercials and thought, "You know these folks were really very good". We went to see the show on Broadway and were instantly hooked. Singing along with all the songs, we watched joyfully as people ACTUALLY DID start dancing in the aisles!! We have seen it twice more since and enjoyed it then too. The folks we sat next to were also repeaters (Three times!!) When the movie was announced, we awaited it anxiously and saw it the second day after release. Somewhere on this site a previous reviewer said that an inherent flaw was that Frida and Agnetha's marvelous voices were missing and that was right on. How the producers of this movie could cast Merryl Streep , Pierce Brosnan and a cast of non singers to do this is beyond me. That said, they were OK, and the setting in the Greek Isles is beautiful, but it's still the songs and arrangements that are top notch. If you're not an ABBA fan, you will be after watching this movie. It's now being released on DVD, Watch it.
The Cutting Edge: Going for the Gold (2006)
Sequels are Always a Disappointment
This movie tries too hard to capitalize on the original, yet it seems as though the producer/directors didn't really see it. The interplay between the leading characters seems contrived, not at all as thoroughly charged and enjoyably funny as that from Doug and Kate in the first movie. Where there are clear parallels between the two, they come off flat. Where it really suggests to me that the producers didn't even study the magic of the first movie, is the casting of the new Kate and Doug. Who saw any of Moira Kelly's charm and fire in Stepfanie Kramer's character. In a word, she was wimpish. And does anyone see Scott Thompson Baker getting on the ice with DB Sweeney. And together they were just blah. Sequels always pale in comparison to the original, but this film could have been cute with a better script, and the two new characters contrasted with more colorful versions of Kate and Doug. A big disappointment!!
ABBA: The Movie (1977)
ABBA The Movie
Now that it's out in DVD, the ABBA fans who missed the movie when originally released can delight in seeing their favorite group as they were then. Even though, the band has been disbanded for over 20 years, ABBA was unique for groups of the time, in that they left a fairly large legacy of surprisingly good quality videos of their music. This movie, although trite contains a fascinating video record of one of their most impressive tours. With the introduction of the musical Mamma Mia (based on ABBA songs) on Broadway several years back, which started an ABBA resurgence of sorts, the existence of videos like this one has let another whole generation get hooked on ABBA music. ABBA was an extremely attractive and very talented group which will live on through these videos. The video and sound quality of the DVDs ( I watch on an HD set ) is excellent considering the time period they were recorded. I liked ABBA back then, but never really followed their music closely. Now I'm hooked, and grateful for the video record that exists of " one of the greatest pop groups that ever was" ( from U2)
Improper Channels (1981)
A Great Movie
I don't understand why this movie hasn't made it to DVD. I think people tend to take it too seriously. It's a hilarious satire aimed squarely at the nanny state attitude prevailing in much of the civilized world nowadays. Alan Arkin is masterful in a role that challenges his wonderful Sheldon Kornpet in the "In-laws" while Marriette Hartley looks cute and plays the straight role of the disbelieving wife and mother. The other characters are all wonderful caricatures put in place to harass the Martleys as their daughter is summarily taken from them by a bureaucratic boob ( Gloria ) who believes that her sole purpose in life is to help people whether they want it or not.( "Everyone in this country has the right to be helped" Her boss, the self important, sinister, amoral.ambitious and Infinitely geeky Harold Cleevish provides the other half of a social welfare system gone amok. Arkin, at first disbelieving of all the chaos erupting around him decides to take decisive action to get even and out from under a system gone mad. The ending is superb. Not to be missed!!!