UDSKRIFT 🔗
WEBVTT
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No matter what side you're on, you're both, you're
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just gonna end up in a pine box. I would love
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to see the stage production. Every word that
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he says is a dagger in me, like, oh my gosh.
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The Legion of Honor, the highest decoration in
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France. I connect with you, Jackman. back to
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the concession stand I'm your host CeeLo Cousineau
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and today I have with me again Manny how you
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doing Manuel hey CeeLo Bo Cousineau it's great
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to be back I just like to thank the American
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people for um for calling the number and uh bringing
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me back so I appreciate the opportunity uh wow
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okay what movie are you talking about today We
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were talking about Les Miserables, the Tom Hooper
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one from 2012, which is an adaptation of the
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West End production musical, which in and of
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itself is an adaptation of the French production,
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which in and of itself is an adaptation of the
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1980 concept album. Yes, and which is in itself
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an adaptation of the French book from which I
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don't know when. 1800s victor hugo yeah uh so
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initial thoughts when and like what is your history
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of the movie oh boy i'm that's a that's a loaded
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question so i'm gonna condense this as much as
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possible so it came out in 2012 and i was a junior
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in high school at the time so it's um it's one
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of those like cultural phenomenons that I was
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able to live through. So that was cool. But at
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the time I was, um, so I was a band kid from
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sixth grade all the way through the end of high
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school. Um, and as such, of course, like a lot
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of my, a lot of my friends were either band kids,
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choir kids, or drama kids. Um, so when, when
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Les Mis came out, I initially saw that one on
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vacation when I was with my, my buddy and his
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parents. Um, cause I remember that was like around
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Christmas time. And then I caught it again a
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second time afterwards with, uh, one of my really
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close friends who, uh, she was a, she was a choir
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and drama girl. So, um, again, like perfect,
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perfect fit. Um, but I'll, I'll tell you what,
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man, like, so beforehand, I remember I knew nothing.
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I like never really read the book. I just knew
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the name. Cause it was some, it was famous. I
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knew it was. something but I didn't know if it
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was a book or whatever so I went into it pretty
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blind you know but it was cool but I mean I got
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to see a lot of cool actors that I knew about
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of course Hugh Jackman um because I knew him
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from Wolverine Anne Hathaway because I'd had
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a crush on her since Princess Diaries um you
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know Amanda Seyfried which I was like mean girls
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what are you doing here kind of a thing that
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was that was cool um but again I I had enough
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I had no ties to it previously but I mean I remember
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like really enjoying it uh quite a bit um kind
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of everyone and their dog in my inner circle
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did. But I'll tell you what, man, like once it
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came time for the auditions for the spring musical,
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I never like was in any musicals myself other
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than I would do music for them. But I would always
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sit in at the auditions, one, again, because
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I had friends to hang with, but two, because
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it was just always fun seeing people try out.
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But I kid you not, man, like I remember just
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for that spring musical, we had auditions using
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I Dreamed a Dream. um on my own and then one
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of my good friends that was his first time like
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actually trying out for the musical and um he
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did master of the house um which which actually
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which is actually good because it landed him
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a more comedic role in our our production that
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spring which was uh anything goes but um but
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i'll tell you what i yeah i would just at that
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point it was like I initially was really in love
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with it. I know I picked up a copy for myself
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on Blu -ray around Black Friday the following
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year. But then
Load full transcript
it just got to a point where I
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couldn't escape. And it's just like, look, folks,
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there's more musicals out there in the world.
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But for whatever reason, this one has just not
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escaped me. And I kind of grew tired of it. And
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so I hadn't watched it for years up until this
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particular rewatch for the episode. But more
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thoughts on that later. I did read the book,
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though, in that time. I did read the book, though,
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you know, in that whole break. Yeah, I have not.
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For me, I watched this the first time in college,
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and I missed everything until, like, I completely
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missed Look Down and Valjean. Jean Valjean's,
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like, first big, like, breakthrough song. Completely
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miss all that. Only picked up with, uh, Fantine.
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And then, uh, I remember liking it for the most
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part. Um, like the emotional bits, the emotional
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beats hit for me really hard, really well. But,
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There were certain things that didn't agree with
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me then and still don't agree with me now. And
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that's particularly with the visuals. So let's
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talk about them. What do you think of the visuals?
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Okay, so I'll say a few things on the visuals.
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First and foremost, shot on film. They're with
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a lot of practical sets. So in terms of like
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depth, like again, like brick and stone and things
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like that look absolutely beautiful. The colors
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that need to pop really pop, which in this case
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are, you know, red, white, black, and blue. Those
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colors always pop. And again, you really get
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that again from, again, just like a nice, just
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a nice film presentation. Again, the sets are
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also incredibly beautiful because they had like...
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I forget what the budget was on this. I know
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it was obviously several million, but they used
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it very, very well in terms of the beautiful
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sets that they built. And actually, fun fact,
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the barricade was actually built on the same
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set that was used for Diagon Alley in the early
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--> 00:06:52.360
Christopher Columbus Harry Potters. Interesting.
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We like some resourcefulness. And again, that's
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also just a good set. you know nice and nice
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and condensed too for it um so at least on those
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on those fronts i think the visuals look really
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nice but there are some aspects of them that
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are particularly dated some of which being when
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they throw in like some background cgi like when
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javert is doing one of his solo numbers and he's
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at the top of a building and then there's like
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this statue of an angel then you see like all
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of like paris around him those looked a little
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a little rough um particularly now Uh, there's
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also, um, the decision and granted they, I know
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that they filmed all these different sequences,
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uh, different ways. And again, as they, they
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just kind of fit, you know, did what they wanted
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to do during editing. But what came out in the
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final product was definitely a lot of more closeups
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than I would prefer, especially in, in a, like
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an epic musical form. So there was a, a lot of
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closeups, which were, again definitely definitely
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a choice right because like again like like like
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tom hooper was even like asked about this quite
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a bit in an interview and again on his take on
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is like look we shot these scenes you know a
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ton a lot of different times some with close
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-ups some with not like i dreamed a dream he
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kind of was like well that's more of like a medium
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which i like okay i'll give you that we're at
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least like not all up in anne hathaway's face
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um but definitely a lot of close -ups a lot of
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I don't know, a lot of movement from, like, Handycam,
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which felt, again, very, I guess, very of its
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time, very early 2010s music video, I guess.
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Yeah. Which, again, were a choice. Again, dated
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a little bit. But at the same time, I'm a sucker
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for that type of time capsule. So I don't know.
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It adds, like, a layer of campiness. But then
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just kind of, I guess, wrapping up my thoughts
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on these, going back to being shot on film. I
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think, again, the nice grain structure adds a
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sort of grittiness as well that I think I like
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about the presentation as opposed to more of
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a completely digital presentation which gives
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more of a masterpiece theater type of look to
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it. You know? Yeah. I'm just trying to... Okay.
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I have different thoughts on it. Something that
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I just can't deal with is the constant movement,
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the strange framing, and it makes no sense to
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me because the same DP that did this did the
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King's Speech. Oh, I did not know that. Yes.
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And so, like, you can definitely see, Like the
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same kind of signature there with the framing
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and that kind of stuff. But it seems a lot more
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deliberate and artisanal, I guess, in the King's
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Speech. Like you showed me that you can lock
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off a camera and that you can make... deliberate
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choices that are character driven. What the hell
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did you do in Les Mis? It's just like, are you
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filming a music video? And it's just like, between
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this and Phantom, Fantasy Grunge, not a fan.
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And they're set in the same time. And it's like,
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okay, I guess like it's supposed to be a dichotomy
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between the rich and the poor, but it's just
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like, why is everything so dirty? And like, I
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get it's supposed to be more grounded, but just
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like, give me pretty Paris, man. I don't know,
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man. From what I've heard, Paris is actually
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pretty filthy, but I get what you're saying.
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It's just like, I don't know. It's a weird movie
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for me because I'm passionate about the things
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that I really love. It's like, it's like Apocalypse
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Now. I'm passionate about the things that I really
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love and also passionate about the things that
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drive me crazy. You know, I would, I would prefer
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you be that way as opposed to being, having a
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more
lukewarm opinion, you know, but I guess
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going with that, like, I don't know. Where does
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that strike the balance, you know, for you with
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this one in terms of what you really loved about
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it and what you hated? Well, I mean, just in
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keeping with the visuals, I thought there was
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some really good stuff. I thought the barricade,
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all the stuff the barricade was shot really well.
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Like you can, it's easy to follow and kind of
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stuff. I wonder if the coffins, specifically
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the coffins on the barricade, if that was pulled
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from the stage show? Because you see on the barricade
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itself, a rich person's coffin, poor person's
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coffin. And it's just like no matter what side
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you're on, you're both you're just going to end
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up in a pine box. Which I mean, that's that's
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great. That's great commentary in terms of in
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terms of the of the themes. Right. And just like
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kind of focusing like on this group of. Miserable
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people to use a inappropriate term, like just
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different groups of groups of people, you know,
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because whether they're rich or poor, you know,
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at least under the circumstances that they're
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placed under. You know, there's no one's particularly
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happy or at least gets off particularly, particularly
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well. So it's kind of a it's kind of a nice visualizer
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there to like, you know, death is the great is
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the great equalizer here. Yeah. You know, it's
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the one thing that we are all it's the one thing
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that everyone is guaranteed death and taxes.
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Yeah. And stupidity. That as well. That as well.
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Let's see. Sorry about production issues. I had
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no issues at all with the production. They did.
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Okay, fine. It definitely shows in the movie,
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in the film itself. between Anne Hathaway, Hugh
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Jackman, and Russell Crowe. They can all sing.
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It's just so frustrating because they were just
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such big stars that they were so busy with everything
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else that they couldn't get the
time to actually
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get with the same voice coach. And that's especially...
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the problem with Russell Crowe. I think he was
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filming a bunch of different projects and in
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each production he was going to a different voice
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coach and that's I think a big reason why his
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performance really suffered. Just like from a
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vocal standpoint or in general? From a vocal
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standpoint. Which, I honestly don't really agree
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with a lot of people that he was miscast or that
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those people were miscast. Because, like, they
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can sing. Like, he was a singer in, like, a metal
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band or something like that. And so it's just,
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like, I think the real issue happened when they
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were doing live singing. On set and using that.
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Right. I guess sticking to Russell Crowe just
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for a second, I'm not going to say that the guy
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can't sing, but at least in terms of what he
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gives, the nice way that I can put it is that
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the man can carry a tune, but in terms, at least
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for this particular performance, That's about
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as much as he can do, in my opinion. He can carry
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a tune. But that's what it is. I don't have too
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much of an issue with it. I even consider his
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performance to be even just a little bit stiff.
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But I can actually almost put that aside if I
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look at it in the context of... Well, he's playing
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a very rigid and stubborn man in his beliefs,
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in his philosophy. So for those particular aspects,
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or at least just for, I don't know, to tie it
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again to his character, it works for me. So I
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also would agree that I don't think he was miscast.
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Again, I think he carries a tune just fine, and
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he is a stubborn enough bloke that... You know,
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again, for the characters of Vare, you know,
00:17:01.179 --> 00:17:05.700
it works. It works for me. He's talking about
00:17:05.700 --> 00:17:12.619
casting and otherwise. I appreciate the work
00:17:12.619 --> 00:17:20.759
that Eddie Redmayne. Who's the other person he
00:17:20.759 --> 00:17:25.980
said? Sammy Tillman. Yeah, Amanda Siegfried.
00:17:28.539 --> 00:17:34.079
Eponine. Because all these other people, the
00:17:34.079 --> 00:17:37.019
voice work, the work that they put in to get
00:17:37.019 --> 00:17:42.380
the singing right. I love everything post -Stars.
00:17:43.859 --> 00:17:47.059
Aside from some of the visuals. Everything past
00:17:47.059 --> 00:17:52.980
that is great. Great with the singing. Even Bring
00:17:52.980 --> 00:17:57.210
Him Home. I love it. Like that's a lot of, that's
00:17:57.210 --> 00:17:59.170
a sticking point with a lot of people, but it's
00:17:59.170 --> 00:18:02.509
just like, I think he did a phenomenal job for
00:18:02.509 --> 00:18:06.690
what he was asked to do. Singing for 12 hour
00:18:06.690 --> 00:18:13.890
days, which is not what happens usually. Oh,
00:18:13.990 --> 00:18:18.829
exactly. Like, I guess just sticking to, I guess,
00:18:18.849 --> 00:18:20.349
again, what they had to do for this production,
00:18:20.450 --> 00:18:23.769
right? Because they did opt for a live setting.
00:18:25.180 --> 00:18:28.680
This is where I, I'm not, I'm not like a big
00:18:28.680 --> 00:18:31.000
theater or, well, no, I like theater. I'm not
00:18:31.000 --> 00:18:33.680
a big musical person, even like as a person that
00:18:33.680 --> 00:18:36.180
likes music myself. I have issues with a lot
00:18:36.180 --> 00:18:38.660
of things about musicals, but that's, I digress.
00:18:38.859 --> 00:18:41.599
What I like about this in terms of the adaptation
00:18:41.599 --> 00:18:45.779
is that like, here's the thing. I'm not, I'm
00:18:45.779 --> 00:18:48.140
not going to sit around and listen to. individual
00:18:48.140 --> 00:18:50.519
songs off of broadway musicals i'm not that kind
00:18:50.519 --> 00:18:52.539
of guy i find it quite annoying shout out to
00:18:52.539 --> 00:18:54.319
everyone that is cool with it though you know
00:18:54.319 --> 00:18:56.980
no no shade there but with this with this one
00:18:56.980 --> 00:18:59.519
too this isn't something again in terms of this
00:18:59.519 --> 00:19:01.559
specific production i'm not even necessarily
00:19:01.559 --> 00:19:03.920
like watching it or going back to it like for
00:19:03.920 --> 00:19:05.619
the music i'm going back to it for the performances
00:19:05.619 --> 00:19:10.400
and what they do with singing live is that again
00:19:10.400 --> 00:19:12.619
they're not just singing it's and i know the
00:19:12.619 --> 00:19:15.160
actors really enjoyed the aspect that okay, we
00:19:15.160 --> 00:19:17.099
have this freedom to act, because that's what
00:19:17.099 --> 00:19:19.140
they're doing. They are acting as characters
00:19:19.140 --> 00:19:21.960
in these situations, and they are expressing
00:19:21.960 --> 00:19:28.519
themselves by way of song. Yeah, it's not diegetic.
00:19:29.640 --> 00:19:31.480
Exactly. It's not going to be pitch perfect.
00:19:31.559 --> 00:19:33.279
It's not going to be a lot of things. It's going
00:19:33.279 --> 00:19:37.059
to be, honestly, pretty rough, pretty raw. And
00:19:37.059
--> 00:19:41.539
I actually prefer that. So, again, I actually
00:19:41.539 --> 00:19:44.819
think, again... The cast did a phenomenal job
00:19:44.819 --> 00:19:47.880
with that, again, really getting, being able
00:19:47.880 --> 00:19:49.680
to embody their characters and their emotion,
00:19:49.799 --> 00:19:53.460
again, through the way that they are, that they're
00:19:53.460 --> 00:19:56.460
singing. Obviously, of course, a standout moment,
00:19:56.579 --> 00:19:59.079
again, being, you know, being in Bring Him Home
00:19:59.079 --> 00:20:03.720
or, of course, the classic and popular, you know,
00:20:03.720 --> 00:20:06.339
either going back on my own or, of course, I
00:20:06.339 --> 00:20:09.160
Dreamed a Dream, which Anna Hathaway, I think,
00:20:09.160 --> 00:20:12.410
did phenomenal, like, show stealer with. Just
00:20:12.410 --> 00:20:16.869
that particular performance. Yeah. I don't know.
00:20:16.910 --> 00:20:20.730
I just feel bad for. I just feel bad for them.
00:20:20.789 --> 00:20:28.069
They get panned. For these. Singing performances.
00:20:28.609 --> 00:20:33.349
Where it's just like. In a studio. Like in a
00:20:33.349 --> 00:20:38.609
booth. They can really sing. And like they did.
00:20:40.220 --> 00:20:44.640
I don't know what song they did, but the cast,
00:20:44.980 --> 00:20:49.140
the main cast, did a song from Les Mis at the
00:20:49.140 --> 00:20:53.180
Oscars that year. Yes, I know it was... And I
00:20:53.180 --> 00:20:55.279
know I Dreamed a Dream was one of them as well.
00:20:56.180 --> 00:21:02.059
And this was like... I don't know if it's an
00:21:02.059 --> 00:21:09.059
issue with directing or just... I wish that they
00:21:09.059 --> 00:21:15.869
would... Have them sing live on the day but then
00:21:15.869 --> 00:21:22.769
have it recorded like ADR so you can get the
00:21:22.769 --> 00:21:28.069
emotionality but also you're letting them be
00:21:28.069 --> 00:21:36.009
able to sing at their best. Hmm. Um. Let's see.
00:21:37.480 --> 00:21:40.039
I got one more thought real quick in terms of
00:21:40.039 --> 00:21:45.059
the casting. This was actually kind of fun with
00:21:45.059 --> 00:21:48.220
what they did for this. But they sprinkled in
00:21:48.220 --> 00:21:52.740
a lot of little cameos from members of various
00:21:52.740 --> 00:21:55.859
productions from the West End in this, which
00:21:55.859 --> 00:21:58.579
I thought was a lot of fun. Well, first of all,
00:21:58.599 --> 00:22:01.940
Samantha Barks, who did Eponine. So she actually
00:22:01.940 --> 00:22:06.789
had just done it on the West End. and had auditioned
00:22:06.789 --> 00:22:08.730
for this, and actually she found out that she
00:22:08.730 --> 00:22:13.009
got the part of Eponine for the film during a,
00:22:13.250 --> 00:22:17.609
she was doing Oliver at the time, and that's
00:22:17.609 --> 00:22:21.049
when she found out. So that's fun, you know,
00:22:21.049 --> 00:22:24.329
came from Broadway and doing that role on the
00:22:24.329 --> 00:22:28.750
film, which is great. Probably my favorite cameo
00:22:28.750 --> 00:22:32.950
here, which is Colm Wilkinson, who he, he's the
00:22:32.950 --> 00:22:36.390
bishop. in the film yeah he was valjean right
00:22:36.390 --> 00:22:39.589
yep in the original west end production of it
00:22:39.589 --> 00:22:41.490
as well as for like the 10th anniversary concert
00:22:41.490 --> 00:22:45.430
so i thought that was a very fitting um cameo
00:22:45.430 --> 00:22:47.390
and and role placement there and then there's
00:22:47.390 --> 00:22:49.170
a bunch of a bunch of other ones as well but
00:22:49.170 --> 00:22:51.690
those are a couple notable ones that i uh i would
00:22:51.690 --> 00:22:58.269
spotlight it's so interesting it was like for
00:22:58.269 --> 00:23:05.180
me between this and phantom There are standout
00:23:05.180 --> 00:23:15.160
numbers in Les Mis that really get me going.
00:23:17.559 --> 00:23:24.039
But somehow I think that Phantom was just the
00:23:24.039 --> 00:23:29.519
perfect storm. It was so good. And it's just
00:23:29.519 --> 00:23:31.859
like the things that they were able to do with
00:23:31.859 --> 00:23:36.130
that. um but this isn't a phantom this isn't
00:23:36.130 --> 00:23:41.950
a phantom episode but uh yeah i had a thought
00:23:41.950 --> 00:23:49.369
and then my thought went bye -bye now is it a
00:23:49.369 --> 00:23:53.329
phantom now is it a phantom episode yes how you
00:23:53.329 --> 00:24:05.349
doing uh but why does this movie speak to you
00:24:05.349 --> 00:24:13.029
or not? Lovely. Um, I'm going to, okay. Well,
00:24:13.130 --> 00:24:17.029
I guess to answer the question, um, L there are
00:24:17.029 --> 00:24:20.269
elements of it that speak to me, but for the
00:24:20.269 --> 00:24:25.130
most part, it actually doesn't. I, I, I like
00:24:25.130 --> 00:24:31.559
it as again, a, a beautiful, like, visual spectacle
00:24:31.559 --> 00:24:34.779
and actually like i would i would love to see
00:24:34.779 --> 00:24:36.819
the stage production i'm sure that's that that
00:24:36.819 --> 00:24:40.119
in of itself is absolutely phenomenal um just
00:24:40.119 --> 00:24:42.160
because i love what you can do with these grand
00:24:42.160 --> 00:24:48.420
stage productions um but the thing is i i read
00:24:48.420 --> 00:24:51.640
i read the book i read the book in college granted
00:24:51.640 --> 00:24:54.480
it was granted it was an abridged version which
00:24:54.480 --> 00:24:58.420
which does remove a lot of sections that hugo
00:24:58.420 --> 00:25:03.079
spends on the actual war and the history. But
00:25:03.079 --> 00:25:04.720
still, you get a lot of the core elements and,
00:25:04.740 --> 00:25:07.480
of course, a lot of the themes and philosophy.
00:25:08.200 --> 00:25:10.759
But the thing is with... And this is actually
00:25:10.759 --> 00:25:13.420
a criticism that people had when the musical
00:25:13.420 --> 00:25:17.000
came out initially. There were two sides. There
00:25:17.000 --> 00:25:19.480
were critics that didn't care for it initially
00:25:19.480 --> 00:25:22.359
because it's like... Basically, you're like,
00:25:22.440 --> 00:25:25.099
look, you are... You're turning classic literature
00:25:25.099 --> 00:25:29.859
into just a, you know... a spectacle for everyone.
00:25:30.059 --> 00:25:32.579
And we were, we're losing a lot out of it. Right.
00:25:32.859 --> 00:25:35.119
Basically just watering, watering it down. And
00:25:35.119 --> 00:25:36.440
then there was again, the opposite. We're just
00:25:36.440 --> 00:25:38.519
like, look, this is actually just look, it's
00:25:38.519 --> 00:25:40.319
a great musical. It's a brilliant ad. It's a
00:25:40.319 --> 00:25:46.380
brilliant adaptation and like a bridging of the
00:25:46.380 --> 00:25:48.819
original work, which again, I can, I can see
00:25:48.819 --> 00:25:51.140
both. But again, I think it's in those respects
00:25:51.140 --> 00:25:54.400
why it doesn't like on a whole speak to me just
00:25:54.400 --> 00:25:56.940
because the, the actual novel speaks to me more.
00:25:58.400 --> 00:26:01.759
Right? Like, what I get, the things that I do
00:26:01.759 --> 00:26:05.900
glean from this quite a bit, it's mostly, I guess,
00:26:05.920 --> 00:26:10.079
again, it mostly just revolves around Jean Valjean's
00:26:10.079 --> 00:26:12.819
arc, just because I personally am particularly
00:26:12.819 --> 00:26:16.920
moved when I can see someone, especially, like,
00:26:17.019 --> 00:26:19.420
for whatever reason I have this fixation, like,
00:26:19.420 --> 00:26:21.980
especially, like, on, like, middle -aged males,
00:26:22.240 --> 00:26:24.920
but being able to see them kind of earn their...
00:26:25.359 --> 00:26:27.500
earned their end, you know, or earn their rest,
00:26:27.619 --> 00:26:30.539
so to speak. Uh, cause again, I, I like that.
00:26:31.279 --> 00:26:33.279
I don't know for me, like that's the kind of
00:26:33.279 --> 00:26:35.859
journey that I, that I'm interested in seeing
00:26:35.859 --> 00:26:40.519
them redeem themselves or again, or find ways
00:26:40.519 --> 00:26:42.460
in their life again, that they come to the end
00:26:42.460 --> 00:26:44.819
of their days and they earn the rest. I find
00:26:44.819 --> 00:26:48.119
that particularly beautiful. Actually one change
00:26:48.119 --> 00:26:51.680
at the very, that one change from the end, um,
00:26:51.880 --> 00:26:54.569
from the film. that the film did from the musical,
00:26:54.630 --> 00:26:57.569
which I actually thought was great in relation
00:26:57.569 --> 00:27:02.230
to this. So in the end of the musical, he sees
00:27:02.230 --> 00:27:06.809
Fantine and then Eponine is beside her. In the
00:27:06.809 --> 00:27:11.450
film, they change it to Fantine and the bishop,
00:27:11.710 --> 00:27:15.109
which I think is more fitting for his character.
00:27:15.230 --> 00:27:17.769
And actually that ties back to the book because
00:27:17.769 --> 00:27:21.069
when Valjean is on
his deathbed, he's asked if
00:27:21.069 --> 00:27:25.240
he wants... if he wants a priest or a bishop
00:27:25.240 --> 00:27:28.539
to give him final rites, and he says he has no
00:27:28.539 --> 00:27:31.559
need, and he points up towards the sky, which
00:27:31.559 --> 00:27:35.220
indicating that the bishop who has already passed
00:27:35.220 --> 00:27:38.819
is witnessing that moment already, right? So
00:27:38.819 --> 00:27:40.519
again, I think that's more fitting, and those
00:27:40.519 --> 00:27:44.680
are things that I grasp onto it. Outside of that,
00:27:44.799 --> 00:27:48.519
again, it's very beautiful. It's great. Okay,
00:27:48.559 --> 00:27:50.880
and Fontaine's story in and of itself, I think,
00:27:50.900 --> 00:27:54.279
is also beautiful. But other than that, it's
00:27:54.279 --> 00:27:57.519
just again for me, it's just like it's a good
00:27:57.519 --> 00:27:59.900
time. It's a good big production. We love to
00:27:59.900 --> 00:28:02.839
see it when it all comes through. But that's
00:28:02.839 --> 00:28:05.500
kind of that's kind of like it for me. You know
00:28:05.500 --> 00:28:07.259
what I mean? I'm not I'm not listening to the
00:28:07.259 --> 00:28:10.480
soundtrack on repeat. I'm not, you know, spinning
00:28:10.480 --> 00:28:14.880
this at, you know, parties or gatherings like
00:28:14.880 --> 00:28:17.079
every few months or so. Like, hey, let's get
00:28:17.079 --> 00:28:19.900
together. Let's watch Les Mis. You know, not
00:28:19.900 --> 00:28:22.460
really. Not really my type of my type of scene.
00:28:23.049 --> 00:28:25.130
But more than anything, I think I have respect
00:28:25.130 --> 00:28:27.109
for it. And then I think it's like I just have
00:28:27.109 --> 00:28:29.730
like a fondness towards it just because I lived
00:28:29.730 --> 00:28:31.630
through the initial cultural phenomenon that
00:28:31.630 --> 00:28:34.349
it was. But it's like I've kind of moved on from
00:28:34.349 --> 00:28:37.829
that in my life. So that's kind of where I like
00:28:37.829 --> 00:28:49.369
I am overall with it. Interesting. For me. Fontaine.
00:28:49.900 --> 00:28:53.299
eponine really speaks to me and it's just like
00:28:53.299 --> 00:28:59.119
on my own it's so weird this is like i'm a dude
00:28:59.119 --> 00:29:08.259
but i empathize so much with on my own and uh
00:29:08.259 --> 00:29:14.640
i'm not that girl from wicked crushes me every
00:29:14.640 --> 00:29:21.660
time and it's just like obviously it's sung by
00:29:21.660 --> 00:29:25.640
women. It's from a woman's perspective, but it
00:29:25.640 --> 00:29:28.759
connects with me on an emotional level that I
00:29:28.759 --> 00:29:35.660
can't depreciate. Actually, I got to agree with
00:29:35.660 --> 00:29:38.440
you on that. That's something I kind of, again,
00:29:38.539 --> 00:29:40.460
I didn't, I absolutely did not appreciate it
00:29:40.460 --> 00:29:43.839
as a teenager. I was like, okay, big deal. But
00:29:43.839 --> 00:29:46.670
again, like as, as an adult, and like seeing
00:29:46.670 --> 00:29:49.829
the situation that that they're in again with
00:29:49.829 --> 00:29:52.029
again with the rebellions with the wars and just
00:29:52.029 --> 00:29:56.650
the poverty it's just like it's like um there's
00:29:56.650 --> 00:29:59.630
a there's a there's a song by there's a song
00:29:59.630 --> 00:30:02.049
by the smiths um well there's a specific line
00:30:02.049 --> 00:30:06.089
by bias in a smith song um overall kind of talking
00:30:06.089 --> 00:30:08.410
about love but like the way the the phrase that
00:30:08.410 --> 00:30:10.829
the chorus ends talking about love is these are
00:30:10.829 --> 00:30:13.390
the riches of the poor and it's just like in
00:30:13.390 --> 00:30:16.380
their case it's just like look man like All she
00:30:16.380 --> 00:30:19.920
wants is love from one of the few people that,
00:30:19.920 --> 00:30:23.799
you know, saw her more than just the daughter
00:30:23.799 --> 00:30:26.559
of the Tenardiers, you know, who gets roped into
00:30:26.559 --> 00:30:28.720
their schemes and whatnot. Like, this is an actual,
00:30:28.779 --> 00:30:32.319
like, friend. And it's just like, I... Because
00:30:32.319 --> 00:30:34.180
of Eponine, I was watching something like, look,
00:30:34.279 --> 00:30:37.579
I actually have a large disdain and hate for
00:30:37.579 --> 00:30:41.539
Marius. I don't care about him getting with Cassette.
00:30:41.559 --> 00:30:45.200
You don't deserve her. Like... Like, look, man,
00:30:45.299 --> 00:30:47.619
I mean, yes, it's beautiful that Valjean saves
00:30:47.619 --> 00:30:49.420
your life at the end because he loves Cosette
00:30:49.420 --> 00:30:52.119
and you and all this. But I'm like, you don't
00:30:52.119 --> 00:30:55.220
deserve her, man. You don't deserve her. And
00:30:55.220 --> 00:30:57.660
you don't deserve Eponine's pining for you or
00:30:57.660 --> 00:31:01.180
the bullet that she takes for you. Like, God
00:31:01.180 --> 00:31:04.900
bless Eponine. I hate you, Marius. Totally disagree.
00:31:05.059 --> 00:31:09.440
I love Marius. Just because, I don't know, like,
00:31:09.539 --> 00:31:21.089
as a single dude. I love her. I can see both
00:31:21.089 --> 00:31:30.730
sides. But just the song that they sing and then
00:31:30.730 --> 00:31:35.670
bringing Eponine in with In My Life A Heart Full
00:31:35.670 --> 00:31:45.440
of Love and she brought him to And it's just
00:31:45.440 --> 00:31:51.960
the regret in her eyes and in her voice. Every
00:31:51.960 --> 00:31:54.359
word that he says is a dagger in me. Like, oh
00:31:54.359 --> 00:32:02.720
my gosh. Poor girl, man. That's what I'm saying.
00:32:02.819 --> 00:32:05.099
That's what I'm saying, man. That's what I'm
00:32:05.099 --> 00:32:12.849
saying. And then empty chairs. okay that all
00:32:12.849 --> 00:32:15.490
right that's where dude eight wins me back for
00:32:15.490 --> 00:32:19.849
a second dude eight redmane sing right okay redmane
00:32:19.849 -->
00:32:22.970
sings beautifully he has like again that perfectly
00:32:22.970 --> 00:32:25.970
gentle and quivering quality for that but also
00:32:25.970 --> 00:32:28.829
just like the again the quote the quote -unquote
00:32:28.829 --> 00:32:31.670
emptiness right that he's also laying out that
00:32:31.670 --> 00:32:35.509
survivor's guilt you know like out of everyone
00:32:35.509 --> 00:32:40.009
like i'm alive but everyone i love is gone you
00:32:40.009 --> 00:32:44.259
know I'm not one of the oppressed. That too.
00:32:44.339 --> 00:32:51.299
It's just like, I'm an aristocrat who got saved
00:32:51.299 --> 00:32:56.799
from the ire of the other aristocrats because
00:32:56.799 --> 00:33:05.440
of my station. And it's just like, oh, man. That
00:33:05.440 --> 00:33:09.259
is another one that, again, it won me back with
00:33:09.259 --> 00:33:13.109
him for a moment. Also because as a young teenager,
00:33:13.430 --> 00:33:18.670
why is he singing about empty chairs and empty
00:33:18.670 --> 00:33:21.829
tables? I'm like, yeah, your friends are gone.
00:33:21.970 --> 00:33:24.630
All right, buddy, get over it, I guess. I don't
00:33:24.630 --> 00:33:29.190
know. I was so less empathetic. Not an empathetic
00:33:29.190 --> 00:33:34.849
person at all. I wasn't, I wasn't. I think I
00:33:34.849 --> 00:33:37.109
just wasn't very invested with the guy, I guess.
00:33:37.170 --> 00:33:39.589
I don't know. But now it's just like... maybe
00:33:39.589 --> 00:33:44.329
you're maybe you're just already salty again
00:33:44.329 --> 00:33:48.029
i i probably am a little salty as is but he does
00:33:48.029 --> 00:33:50.809
win me back with that just because again the
00:33:50.809 --> 00:33:54.509
survivor the survivor's guilt um that that um
00:33:54.509 --> 00:33:57.049
that would hit for anybody you know what i mean
00:33:57.049 --> 00:33:59.730
well even just like in general like when he is
00:33:59.730 --> 00:34:01.289
singing that because he's not just talking about
00:34:01.289 --> 00:34:03.450
his friends but it's also like the plans that
00:34:03.450 --> 00:34:05.910
we had for the future their bright futures our
00:34:05.910 --> 00:34:09.119
bright future it's kind of like well All of that
00:34:09.119 --> 00:34:11.360
was just gone in an instant. We were just so
00:34:11.360 --> 00:34:15.059
full of life, right? For the cause, for each
00:34:15.059 --> 00:34:19.539
other, and now it's gone. And then he goes back
00:34:19.539 --> 00:34:22.440
to, ah, but I'm in love, who cares? Okay, maybe
00:34:22.440 --> 00:34:25.000
not so crass such as that, but he does kind of
00:34:25.000 --> 00:34:30.460
flip like, well, I am in love. Yeah, I mean,
00:34:30.539 --> 00:34:36.300
I don't know. I love it, man. Freaking... Okay,
00:34:36.360 --> 00:34:39.090
let's talk about... Really quickly, let's talk
00:34:39.090 --> 00:34:43.409
about performances. Yep. Who's your favorite?
00:34:45.969 --> 00:34:51.329
On a scale, favorite to least. Okay, favorite
00:34:51.329 --> 00:34:54.550
to least. Like, favorite to least, I'm... Okay,
00:34:54.690 --> 00:34:57.090
it's going to seem obvious, but for me, it is
00:34:57.090 --> 00:35:00.550
Hugh Jackman's very, very sympathetic, very,
00:35:00.650 --> 00:35:04.420
very troubled, just very, like... continuously
00:35:04.420 --> 00:35:06.840
reckoning with himself valjean i'll put him at
00:35:06.840 --> 00:35:09.599
the top like he is top billing like he's he's
00:35:09.599 --> 00:35:13.059
valjean for a reason in this um again i that
00:35:13.059 --> 00:35:14.599
i mean that's the character i connect with the
00:35:14.599 --> 00:35:17.719
most anyway but uh again beautiful uh beautifully
00:35:17.719 --> 00:35:20.800
done um he just he also is just really good at
00:35:20.800 --> 00:35:25.960
playing uh the bitter dad whose heart is um whose
00:35:25.960 --> 00:35:29.079
heart is softened by the adopted daughter we
00:35:29.079 --> 00:35:31.900
love it i love to see that kind of uh story play
00:35:31.900 --> 00:35:35.820
out So it's, yeah, he's at the top for me. Um,
00:35:36.019 --> 00:35:39.960
and then from there it would be, um, and Hathaway's
00:35:39.960 --> 00:35:44.400
Fontaine. Um, and then from there it's, it's,
00:35:44.400 --> 00:35:48.219
it bounces back and forth between again, either,
00:35:48.360 --> 00:35:51.679
um, Amanda Seyfried's cassette. Uh, cause I think,
00:35:51.679 --> 00:35:53.760
I think she actually does a wonderful job. She's
00:35:53.760 --> 00:35:58.139
a, she's a fantastic singer, but, um, again,
00:35:58.239 --> 00:36:02.280
even just being like that, I don't know. that
00:36:02.280 --> 00:36:04.639
young girl with, with dreams amidst all this,
00:36:04.719 --> 00:36:06.659
you know, all, all these things that she doesn't
00:36:06.659 --> 00:36:08.840
understand. Um, again, I think she did just,
00:36:08.860 --> 00:36:12.019
just did a great job with that. Um, but then,
00:36:12.079 --> 00:36:17.559
and then of course, um, uh, goodness, I forget
00:36:17.559 --> 00:36:19.780
her name right now, even though I, oh, Samantha
00:36:19.780 --> 00:36:22.340
Banks is eponine again, just a lot of great emotion.
00:36:22.840 --> 00:36:24.599
Um, just love what she did with the character.
00:36:25.360 --> 00:36:29.960
Um, and then from there probably goes to, I don't
00:36:29.960 --> 00:36:34.519
know. Probably Redmayne at this point. Because
00:36:34.519 --> 00:36:36.679
even though I didn't care for his character,
00:36:36.840 --> 00:36:38.940
I like him a lot as Marius. I think he's like
00:36:38.940 --> 00:36:41.739
the perfect person for that. Again, just like
00:36:41.739 --> 00:36:46.619
that embodiment of like youth and hope. But also
00:36:46.619 --> 00:36:48.420
being just like the lovestruck young man. I think
00:36:48.420 --> 00:36:52.059
he does a great job with that. And I'm not necessarily
00:36:52.059 --> 00:36:53.659
putting them towards the bottom here, but just
00:36:53.659 --> 00:36:55.059
because you're
making me rank them right now.
00:36:55.420 --> 00:36:58.119
But, you know, Helena Bonham Carter and Sacha
00:36:58.119 --> 00:37:01.070
Baron Cohen as the Tenardias. Excellent performances
00:37:01.070 --> 00:37:04.949
as both the comedic relief, but just like these
00:37:04.949 --> 00:37:10.849
wonderful, just sleazy crooks. Which Helena Bonham
00:37:10.849 --> 00:37:12.530
Carter, coming from Sweeney Todd beforehand,
00:37:12.949 --> 00:37:15.650
it's kind of like another embodiment of that
00:37:15.650 --> 00:37:17.530
similar character that she does in that. Which,
00:37:17.590 --> 00:37:20.570
fun fact, in the musical, it was the same actress
00:37:20.570 --> 00:37:24.230
on the stage that also did Madame Tenardier and
00:37:24.230 --> 00:37:29.170
Mrs. Lovett in Sweeney Todd. Really? Yeah. But
00:37:29.170 --> 00:37:31.190
between both her and Cohen, they play so well
00:37:31.190 --> 00:37:33.590
off of each other. They're so funny. You can't
00:37:33.590 --> 00:37:36.349
help but love them. Although in the book, they
00:37:36.349 --> 00:37:39.269
are a lot more despicable. And Tenardier actually
00:37:39.269 --> 00:37:40.809
is like the only one that gets away with like
00:37:40.809 --> 00:37:43.369
a happy ending. He ends up becoming, because
00:37:43.369 --> 00:37:46.869
he actually ends up like getting money out of
00:37:46.869 --> 00:37:48.590
Marius and then goes off to be like this rich
00:37:48.590 --> 00:37:52.070
slave trader. But anyways, I digress. But they
00:37:52.070 --> 00:37:55.829
play that to a T super well. And then again,
00:37:55.989 --> 00:37:59.500
like Russell Crowe's Javert. Again, I think it's
00:37:59.500 --> 00:38:03.199
perfect with how stiff he is. I think it's just
00:38:03.199 --> 00:38:05.599
kind of how it all ends up stacking out to people,
00:38:05.739 --> 00:38:09.719
but he still plays a good foil to Valjean kind
00:38:09.719 --> 00:38:12.239
of a thing. So if I had to stack the principal
00:38:12.239 --> 00:38:17.079
cast, that's how I'd do it. Freaking Gavroche.
00:38:18.280 --> 00:38:23.599
Oh, Gavroche shoutouts, man. Yeah. I just watched
00:38:23.599 --> 00:38:26.820
the... Sorry, I love that kid. His death scene.
00:38:27.260 --> 00:38:30.199
before this, and it's just like, oh my gosh,
00:38:30.340 --> 00:38:34.920
like, why? Like, I get, like, you're soldiers,
00:38:34.940 --> 00:38:39.039
you're police, you're trying to put down a rebellion,
00:38:39.539 --> 00:38:47.219
but why would you kill a kid? It's just, you
00:38:47.219 --> 00:38:53.920
kill your cause, man. Because nobody gets off
00:38:53.920 --> 00:38:58.539
free in this one, man. And Javert. pinning the
00:38:58.539 --> 00:39:07.059
metal on him. After the rest of the rebels are
00:39:07.059 --> 00:39:11.480
dead, and they're all lined up, and he just pins
00:39:11.480 --> 00:39:20.480
the metal on them. So let me make this even harder
00:39:20.480 --> 00:39:25.500
for you. So they give a nod to this in the musical.
00:39:26.090
--> 00:39:28.090
But when they're doing the master of the house
00:39:28.090 --> 00:39:29.530
scene, there's, like, the scene where, like,
00:39:29.610 --> 00:39:32.849
the Tenardiers, like, they swap, like, a baby
00:39:32.849 --> 00:39:34.889
in a basket for, I forget what it is that they
00:39:34.889 --> 00:39:37.849
swap it out with. But there's, when they're kind
00:39:37.849 --> 00:39:39.849
of, like, doing their, like, swaps with things
00:39:39.849 --> 00:39:41.469
as they're, like, stealing from people and all
00:39:41.469 --> 00:39:44.530
that stuff. So that's Gavroche. Gavroche is their
00:39:44.530 --> 00:39:50.269
child, which you have, it's a lot more clear.
00:39:50.329 --> 00:39:51.869
It's actually stated in the book, but that was
00:39:51.869 --> 00:39:54.739
a nod to it during that scene. So, that's their
00:39:54.739 --> 00:39:57.539
abandoned child. Sealing from, like, aristocrats?
00:39:58.920 --> 00:40:02.000
Uh -huh. Like, they swap their baby for, like,
00:40:02.000 --> 00:40:03.500
something else or whatever the heck. So, that's
00:40:03.500 --> 00:40:13.659
Gavroche. So, sorry, brother. Yeah. I know. But
00:40:13.659 --> 00:40:17.059
then, so there's also the metal itself, which,
00:40:17.139 --> 00:40:18.679
I mean, that one's kind of nice, but, like, the
00:40:18.679 --> 00:40:22.099
metal is... Okay, yeah. So, the metal... This
00:40:22.099 --> 00:40:24.159
is trivia. I'm just reading this to you. The
00:40:24.159 --> 00:40:25.860
medal that Javert affixes to the dead Gavroche
00:40:25.860 --> 00:40:28.099
is the Legion of Honor, the highest decoration
00:40:28.099 --> 00:40:30.260
in France. Tom Hooper claimed that the moment
00:40:30.260 --> 00:40:33.360
was Russell Crowe's idea, who wanted more foreshadowing
00:40:33.360 --> 00:40:39.320
to Javert's suicide. So, there you go. Little
00:40:39.320 --> 00:40:45.659
people, man. Yeah. When the pup grows and then
00:40:45.659 --> 00:40:50.920
shot before he can say it. Oh my gosh. That's
00:40:50.920 --> 00:40:56.340
tough. It's tough. Last thing that we'll bring
00:40:56.340 --> 00:41:00.559
up that I really enjoy and comparing it to Phantom.
00:41:02.019 --> 00:41:05.900
In Phantom, there are these little connecting
00:41:05.900 --> 00:41:13.059
sing -song dialogue that happens in Phantom and
00:41:13.059 --> 00:41:16.619
they do it again here. And I appreciate that
00:41:16.619 --> 00:41:23.389
they actually do it in Les Mis. It just becomes
00:41:23.389 --> 00:41:29.190
a lot more fun for me when, like, it's not a
00:41:29.190 --> 00:41:35.789
big number, but it's these character motifs being
00:41:35.789 --> 00:41:42.949
played in the middle of dialogue. And that to
00:41:42.949 --> 00:41:47.909
me is why movie musicals could exist. It's not
00:41:47.909 --> 00:41:51.480
about the numbers. It's about... How the music
00:41:51.480 --> 00:41:54.480
actually develops the story and develops the
00:41:54.480 --> 00:42:03.059
character. So that's personally why I feel.
Movie
00:42:03.059 --> 00:42:12.199
musicals deserve their place. I guess. To add
00:42:12.199 --> 00:42:15.719
to that, like for me. So first of all, actually.
00:42:16.710 --> 00:42:19.269
like my favorite movie musical and i think one
00:42:19.269 --> 00:42:22.150
of my favorite musicals in general um is actually
00:42:22.150 --> 00:42:24.309
fiddler on the roof i think it's phenomenal i
00:42:24.309 --> 00:42:27.230
think it's wonderful um again another case where
00:42:27.230 --> 00:42:30.570
topol who plays tevye was recruited from the
00:42:30.570 --> 00:42:33.170
stage production to the film um also just there's
00:42:33.170 --> 00:42:35.489
a lot of like excellent um there's a lot of themes
00:42:35.489 --> 00:42:38.369
and just just growth in that that i really enjoy
00:42:38.369 --> 00:42:42.329
um but i digress what i love um again other than
00:42:42.329 --> 00:42:45.349
the fact that like at least with um with like
00:42:45.349 --> 00:42:49.329
a movie musical, you know, it doesn't have like
00:42:49.329 --> 00:42:51.869
a lot of the limitations of the stage, although
00:42:51.869 --> 00:42:53.409
with the stage, they get creative with them,
00:42:53.469 --> 00:42:55.210
which is what makes it wonderful with those creative
00:42:55.210 --> 00:42:57.849
limitations. But if they're able to take that
00:42:57.849 --> 00:43:00.150
stage production and then, again, just really
00:43:00.150 --> 00:43:03.210
like open up the world even more, I think they've
00:43:03.210 --> 00:43:06.230
done a fantastic job with it. Along with that,
00:43:06.289 --> 00:43:08.929
though, why I think that movie musicals should
00:43:08.929 --> 00:43:12.469
exist comes from, I guess, a different perspective.
00:43:12.750 --> 00:43:16.769
And that's that... for, you know, it's, it's
00:43:16.769 --> 00:43:20.010
a way that allows the common people to actually
00:43:20.010 --> 00:43:23.389
experience these classic musicals because the
00:43:23.389 --> 00:43:25.829
admission price of a movie theater ticket or
00:43:25.829 --> 00:43:29.949
to rent it or stream it or, you know, or own
00:43:29.949 --> 00:43:32.570
it, it's, it's, you know, it's a lot, it's a
00:43:32.570 --> 00:43:34.650
lot more accessible to people than it is to,
00:43:34.690 --> 00:43:37.289
you know, purchase a ticket on, on, on Broadway.
00:43:37.610 --> 00:43:41.349
Right. Which is, again, that's, that's a whole
00:43:41.349 --> 00:43:43.489
nother can of worms and another conversation,
00:43:43.690 --> 00:43:46.909
but. Again, this is a way that allows other people
00:43:46.909 --> 00:43:50.010
to be able to experience these. Or experience
00:43:50.010 --> 00:43:54.610
maybe lesser known musicals that someone decided
00:43:54.610 --> 00:43:57.570
to take the chance to just adapt. There's a Rodgers
00:43:57.570 --> 00:43:59.869
and Hammerstein one that I never knew was actually
00:43:59.869 --> 00:44:03.250
a stage musical called Flower Drum Song. And
00:44:03.250 --> 00:44:05.309
I found out about it because I happened to watch
00:44:05.309 --> 00:44:08.590
the movie on TCM just at home on an evening with
00:44:08.590 --> 00:44:10.590
my mother. And I found that I really enjoyed
00:44:10.590 --> 00:44:12.730
it. I was like, wow, this is a great one. I really
00:44:12.730 --> 00:44:15.539
enjoyed it. I'll go look into the original, you
00:44:15.539 --> 00:44:17.019
know, do some research, blah, blah, blah. And,
00:44:17.039 --> 00:44:19.420
you know, go down those rabbit holes. But I don't
00:44:19.420 --> 00:44:21.420
know, it just it just opens us up, opens these
00:44:21.420 --> 00:44:24.920
these stories up to some more people. And, you
00:44:24.920 --> 00:44:27.699
know, I will always be for that and, you know,
00:44:27.699 --> 00:44:31.099
promote the heck out of it. So, yeah. And again,
00:44:31.159 --> 00:44:37.880
when they hit, they hit. Yes. Like. Say Wicked.
00:44:39.599 --> 00:44:42.179
I would have never had that. I would have never
00:44:42.179 --> 00:44:46.440
experienced that story and had that expansive
00:44:46.440 --> 00:44:50.360
world without that movie. Say what you will about
00:44:50.360 --> 00:44:54.780
it, but it's just like, I love it for that. Yeah.
00:44:56.099 --> 00:45:01.099
Say what you will about the original broadcast
00:45:01.099 --> 00:45:05.820
or the original Broadway cast of Phantom or Les
00:45:05.820 --> 00:45:12.630
Mis. comparing Bring Him Home. I don't care about
00:45:12.630 --> 00:45:16.010
the original guy. I connect with Hugh Jackman.
00:45:18.409 --> 00:45:24.510
It's just like, yes, the original Broadway cast
00:45:24.510 --> 00:45:30.030
of Phantom is far superior, but there's also
00:45:30.030 --> 00:45:36.150
some really fantastic visual representation in
00:45:36.150 --> 00:45:45.730
Phantom. It doesn't hit the same. Well, look
00:45:45.730 --> 00:45:49.989
at it this way, too. Say that you had the opportunity
00:45:49.989 --> 00:45:53.409
to actually catch the musical on Broadway with
00:45:53.409 --> 00:45:56.929
the original cast, whoever. Perhaps that might
00:45:56.929 --> 00:45:59.510
have connected with you more or hit more. But
00:45:59.510 --> 00:46:01.409
you don't have that opportunity. It's like, well,
00:46:01.530 --> 00:46:04.369
but we got Hugh Jackman. And it's not necessarily
00:46:04.369 --> 00:46:06.769
the case. oh, well, we have Les Mis at home,
00:46:06.849 --> 00:46:12.590
right? It's like, no. It's like, well, we do
00:46:12.590 --> 00:46:15.869
have it at home. And thankfully, again, it's
00:46:15.869 --> 00:46:18.349
still a very good adaptation of it, which in
00:46:18.349 --> 00:46:20.369
this case, you were able to connect with it.
00:46:20.429 --> 00:46:22.070
I connected with a lot of aspects of it. It's
00:46:22.070 --> 00:46:25.010
like, hey, man, at least we got it. And what
00:46:25.010 --> 00:46:29.449
we got, thankfully, is more than competent. Again,
00:46:30.030 --> 00:46:31.730
a lot of hard work was put into the production.
00:46:33.420 --> 00:46:35.019
For the, you know, for the most part, the cast
00:46:35.019 --> 00:46:38.719
absolutely did their thing. And again, now we
00:46:38.719 --> 00:46:40.460
get to, again, have those connections, establish
00:46:40.460 --> 00:46:45.139
those, those relationships. Because not all of
00:46:45.139 --> 00:46:47.440
us can afford that beautiful ticket on Broadway.
00:46:47.519 --> 00:46:48.880
And for those that do, I've heard it's a great
00:46:48.880 --> 00:46:50.840
experience. And for those that have been able
00:46:50.840 --> 00:46:52.360
to see it, I've heard it's also a phenomenal
00:46:52.360 --> 00:46:55.199
experience. So, you know, thankfully, again,
00:46:55.280 --> 00:46:57.280
thankfully what we were given was not like mediocre
00:46:57.280 --> 00:47:01.530
or anything. Yeah. Yeah, like it has its issues,
00:47:01.650 --> 00:47:05.829
but those issues are not insurmountable. Oh,
00:47:05.969 --> 00:47:10.110
and again, like I was going to say, and again,
00:47:10.150 --> 00:47:11.969
for me, it's just like, for me, it's still a
00:47:11.969 --> 00:47:14.829
fun little time capsule, right? Because again,
00:47:14.889 --> 00:47:16.670
we can kind of see that, you know, there's a
00:47:16.670 --> 00:47:18.969
lot that has kind of improved over time and we
00:47:18.969 --> 00:47:22.889
can only hope for that, right? Yeah. With that
00:47:22.889 --> 00:47:27.309
being said, final thoughts and numerical ranking
00:47:27.309 --> 00:47:33.750
out of 10. Okay, got you. Final thoughts. Again,
00:47:33.989 --> 00:47:37.150
going back, this was a really fun time capsule
00:47:37.150 --> 00:47:39.710
for me. I said it several times earlier, but
00:47:39.710 --> 00:47:42.630
again, I saw this at a very specific, you know,
00:47:42.630 --> 00:47:45.429
point in time in my life. I was a junior in high
00:47:45.429 --> 00:47:48.550
school. It was a big phenomenon. And it's just,
00:47:48.730 --> 00:47:51.530
I don't know, as fun of a time for me to reminisce
00:47:51.530 --> 00:47:54.940
as, you know. watching through like all the,
00:47:54.940 --> 00:47:58.340
all the Harry Potters or experiencing, or actually
00:47:58.340 --> 00:48:00.519
2012 was a fun year in general, you know, counting
00:48:00.519 --> 00:48:02.719
down to doomsday and all that, all that stuff.
00:48:02.860 --> 00:48:05.980
It was just part of a really, um, just fun and
00:48:05.980 --> 00:48:08.940
vibrant point in my life. So, um, again, because
00:48:08.940 --> 00:48:11.820
I hadn't seen it in such a long time, uh, I did
00:48:11.820 --> 00:48:14.159
go into it with, with a great fondness, right.
00:48:14.239 --> 00:48:15.639
And I still came out with it, with a, with a,
00:48:15.639 --> 00:48:17.820
with a fondness, but more of an appreciation
00:48:17.820 --> 00:48:20.980
for the original work by Hugh, by Victor Hugo,
00:48:21.099 --> 00:48:24.760
which Um, you know, if you, if, if, if y 'all
00:48:24.760 --> 00:48:26.400
out there get a chance to read it, please do.
00:48:26.860 --> 00:48:29.239
It's again, it's, it's, it's a classic novel
00:48:29.239 --> 00:48:31.940
for a reason. There's a lot to glean from it.
00:48:32.539 --> 00:48:35.440
Um, so this, this was, this was fun for me. I
00:48:35.440 --> 00:48:38.500
really enjoyed it. And, uh, you know, uh, per,
00:48:38.639 --> 00:48:43.139
per the French, for the French motto, which is
00:48:43.139 --> 00:48:46.659
liberty, equality and brotherhood or fraternity.
00:48:46.699 --> 00:48:49.920
So, you know, shout outs to the French. Um, I
00:48:49.920 --> 00:48:52.500
give this one, you know, it's, it's a solid seven
00:48:52.500 --> 00:48:56.199
out of 10 for me, you know? Um, so again, still,
00:48:56.300 --> 00:49:00.219
still a great epic. Um, and again, just kind
00:49:00.219 --> 00:49:02.440
of a font, kind of a, yeah, one that I, I hold
00:49:02.440 --> 00:49:05.340
fondly, but you know, I'll keep it in my memories
00:49:05.340 --> 00:49:09.280
for the time being. Yeah. Uh, I have to agree
00:49:09.280 --> 00:49:15.139
with you. Uh, I appreciate the story told, uh,
00:49:15.300 --> 00:49:20.039
doesn't hit as hard for me as Phantom. But that's
00:49:20.039 --> 00:49:33.039
in two episodes. Check that out. Go watch it.
00:49:33.079 --> 00:49:40.099
Experience it. If you don't have access to the
00:49:40.099 --> 00:49:43.599
original Broadway or to the Broadway show, go
00:49:43.599 --> 00:49:46.599
watch the movie. It's serviceable. It's great.
00:49:47.559 --> 00:49:58.380
With that said, I give it... I want to say 7
00:49:58.380 --> 00:50:06.659
.5, but it feels harsh. Come on. Let it out,
00:50:06.739 --> 00:50:09.280
baby. Let it out. This is your show. Yeah, 7
00:50:09.280 --> 00:50:18.760
.5. All right. There is... Not a 6 or a 7? there's
00:50:18.760 --> 00:50:23.079
enough for me, uh, that there's enough that works
00:50:23.079 --> 00:50:29.340
for me, um, to keep it as a passing grade. Um,
00:50:29.619 --> 00:50:33.280
but with that being said, that is our show brought
00:50:33.280 --> 00:50:35.980
to you by Popcorn Fumes and a Prayer. Our executive
00:50:35.980 --> 00:50:38.780
producer is Penny Pincher. Our director of photography
00:50:38.780 --> 00:50:41.860
is Cam Speed. Her first AD was Lay Clapper. Audio
00:50:41.860 --> 00:50:45.780
was by Check12. Legal was by Sumi Hyderia. Makeup
00:50:45.780 --> 00:50:48.780
was by Make You Pretty. Marketing Wizard was
00:50:48.780 --> 00:50:52.039
Trailer, Cents were by Fong Hard, Script Notes
00:50:52.039 --> 00:50:54.400
were from Paige Turner, our editor was Seymour
00:50:54.400 --> 00:50:57.780
Tex, Transport was via Miles A. Way, and Union
00:50:57.780 --> 00:51:01.079
Matters were handled, as always, by Salary. Thank
00:51:01.079 --> 00:51:02.860
you so much for watching and or listening, and
00:51:02.860 --> 00:51:04.559
remember, if it looks good, it was probably done
00:51:04.559 --> 00:51:05.039
in post.