Across the Universe - "Why Don't We Do It in the Blog"

Across The Universe (2007)

H: This movie was a bunch of music videos strung together. Also of note, this is a musical that was never performed in a theater before becoming a movie (see Once (2006), Moulin Rouge! (2001), White Christmas (1954)).

K: This begs the question, do musicals need to be performed on the stage before becoming a movie? Cirque De Soleil also staged a Beatles show around the same time. Will we ever tire of the Beatles?

H: The answer is no. You tire of life before you tire of The Beatles. Still, it’s easy to get on that bandwagon. In general, musicals should be vetted on the stage first before gracing the silver screen. I never want to see Pirates of Penzance on Blu Ray (or HDDVD).

K: It would be sacrilegious to not like anything by The Beatles – tangent! My sister bought a videotape at the dollar store of cartoons set to The Beatles and it was better than this movie. I know that’s a bold statement, but I can explain why. It used the music as background. The conflicts and characters of the cartoon were the story, the music just helped develop that story. Example: There were these two bugs – I think they were a ladybug and a lightening bug. The lightening bug had all of these different ways of showing that he had the hots for the ladybug. It was set to the song “Michelle”. There wasn’t any dialogue, it’s very cartoonish, but it sets the mood for what it’s trying to establish. This movie misses that mark.

H: This movie deviates from the number one rule of musicals – songs need to propel the story, either through plot or character development. Few of the songs in this movie develop the plot. They feel like, “let’s put the story on hold and sing a Beatles’ song”. They do an excellent job of naming characters after Beatles’ song characters, but the story doesn’t feel strongly rooted enough to the songs’ content.

K: It’s an easy way out to explain the song lyrics as a drug trip. It’s also an easy way out to throw strawberries at a canvas to get to the song “Strawberry Fields Forever”. Doing so, does it attract the wider audience or are they trying to make a movie for the utmost Beatles’ fan? Who’s the audience, everyone who’s ever heard a Beatles song or their diehard fans?

H: It did tend to take the literal way out, between the names of characters and what as happening when a particular song was being sung. Let’s be more positive. What song did you like in the movie?

K: My favorite Beatles’ song is “Across the Universe”, but my favorite song in this movie was “A Day in the Life”. No singing, full orchestra – that’s how you use Beatles’ music in a movie. It was actually used really well. The feeling of the song matched the feeling of the movie. It makes you wonder, if the Beatles ever had to make a movie soundtrack (Sorry “Hard Day’s Night” and “Help”, you don’t count) what would it be like?

H: I liked “Happiness is a Warm Gun” because it was legitimately rocking and “Revolution” because he kept walking back into the revolutionaries’ compound with each succeeding verse. I still have those songs in my head.

K: Ok, Ebert. Let’s discuss the propelling action of this film, which is the turmoil of the late sixties. Was it, let’s make a movie of Beatles music about that time or these songs fit that time so well, let’s play ‘em?

H: I think it was the former. This movie was alternately carefree and heavy – the scenes where “Let it Be” was played over the consequences of race riots in Detroit seemed too serious for a movie about the directionless college-age, twentysomething crowd. Also, it didn’t really have anything to do with the thrust of the story about the collection of characters this movie is about.

K: By putting these songs in the film, did it lose the chance of achieving real characters? Did it feel as though it was waiting for the next Beatles song to play? Kind of like a game? (Ex: Guys having fun= With a Little Help from my Friends, Prudence in a Closet (literally)= Dear Prudence)

H: I liked that Bono’s character was a total asshole. It’s about time he wasn’t saving the world. I’m just sore that they didn’t show some mammal digging through the garbage, an occasion to sing “Rocky Raccoon”.