No Day But Today
I saw Rent tonight.
Wow, wow, wow, wow. I laughed, I cried, I got choked up and sometimes, I forgot to breathe at how beautiful it was. It is definitely one of my Top 5 movies of the year.
It just really so full of emotion and energy and sheer joy of being alive and in love and feeling anything really. For a movie that has a large chunk of its characters living under the death sentence (for 1989) of AIDS, it's remarkably hopeful and beautiful.
And the singing and the music? Unbelievable. The word "soaring" it totally cliche and overused, but it fits here. The funny thing is, I came to Rent with really fresh eyes. I have never seen the musical on Broadway, nor have I even heard the soundtrack before walking into the theater. When it was first on Bway, I was going through a snob phase, so I went "How dare they do a modern version of La Boheme? Yuck" and stayed away. Boy, how wrong I was. I am completely won over and bowled over.
The cast has amazing chemistry with each other. Not just the couples, but as friends. And I was so happy to see that most of the cast is Original Bway cast. Totally deserved. They knocked my socks off. Also, I now totally understand elvensapphire's thing for Adam Pascal (whoa, baby! He is attractive but when he opened his mouth for his first solo song, I meted into a puddle) and have the world's hugest girlcrush on Rosario Dawson.
I also loved what it had to say on love and tolerance. It wasn't preachy in that "oh yes, gay people are just like us" way that sets my teeth on edge. No, it just showed three couples, three couples in love, in lust, in relationships. And the fact that one was gay, one was lesbian and one straight really made no difference. They love each other, the end.
So, what is the plot, ask the 5 people who don't know.
OK: This movie "documents" a year in the life of a group of Grenwich Village bohemians in 1989. There is Mark, a documentary maker, who still has a thing for his ex, a free-spirited performance artist Maureen, who left him for Joanne, a lawyer. There is Collins, who just moved back to NYC, and who meets the love of his life, Angel, after being mugged. Both Collins and Angel have AIDS. And there is Roger, a musician, who also has AIDS and who is a recovering junkie. He attracts thr attention of his beautiful neighbor Mimi, a dancer at an exotic club who is also HIV+. He is reluctant to get involved, but slowly...
Oh, and then there is a little matter of rent, that is demanded by their landlord Benny.
If you want to see more pictures, go to this LJ entry of mine. Oh, and go see the movie!
Wow, wow, wow, wow. I laughed, I cried, I got choked up and sometimes, I forgot to breathe at how beautiful it was. It is definitely one of my Top 5 movies of the year.
It just really so full of emotion and energy and sheer joy of being alive and in love and feeling anything really. For a movie that has a large chunk of its characters living under the death sentence (for 1989) of AIDS, it's remarkably hopeful and beautiful.
And the singing and the music? Unbelievable. The word "soaring" it totally cliche and overused, but it fits here. The funny thing is, I came to Rent with really fresh eyes. I have never seen the musical on Broadway, nor have I even heard the soundtrack before walking into the theater. When it was first on Bway, I was going through a snob phase, so I went "How dare they do a modern version of La Boheme? Yuck" and stayed away. Boy, how wrong I was. I am completely won over and bowled over.
The cast has amazing chemistry with each other. Not just the couples, but as friends. And I was so happy to see that most of the cast is Original Bway cast. Totally deserved. They knocked my socks off. Also, I now totally understand elvensapphire's thing for Adam Pascal (whoa, baby! He is attractive but when he opened his mouth for his first solo song, I meted into a puddle) and have the world's hugest girlcrush on Rosario Dawson.
I also loved what it had to say on love and tolerance. It wasn't preachy in that "oh yes, gay people are just like us" way that sets my teeth on edge. No, it just showed three couples, three couples in love, in lust, in relationships. And the fact that one was gay, one was lesbian and one straight really made no difference. They love each other, the end.
So, what is the plot, ask the 5 people who don't know.
OK: This movie "documents" a year in the life of a group of Grenwich Village bohemians in 1989. There is Mark, a documentary maker, who still has a thing for his ex, a free-spirited performance artist Maureen, who left him for Joanne, a lawyer. There is Collins, who just moved back to NYC, and who meets the love of his life, Angel, after being mugged. Both Collins and Angel have AIDS. And there is Roger, a musician, who also has AIDS and who is a recovering junkie. He attracts thr attention of his beautiful neighbor Mimi, a dancer at an exotic club who is also HIV+. He is reluctant to get involved, but slowly...
Oh, and then there is a little matter of rent, that is demanded by their landlord Benny.
If you want to see more pictures, go to this LJ entry of mine. Oh, and go see the movie!