Q: You know what I always wanted for Christmas?
A: A miserabilist musical epic about whores, convicts, slum lords, revolutionaries and starving street urchins in 19th century France.
Thanks, Santa!
And thanks, Baby Jesus! Even though your dad was not as forgiving as Fantine (Anne Hathaway) dreamed. Les Misérables trailer and discussion after the jump
YES
- It should be clear to anyone reading The Film Experience that Nathaniel (c'est moi) lives for musicals so there is no way he'd ever miss this.
- Anne Hathaway. Dreaming that iconic dream gorgeously over the handsome imagery. This is what musicals require that Hollywood always forgets: great actors with impressive vocal instruments. Not great voices that can't act or great actors that can't sing.
- "I dreamed that God would be forgiving ♫" over an image of Jean Valjean in church? I can already hear myself weeping in the movie theater.
I dreamed a dream in time gone by.
When hope was high and life worth living.
I dreamed that love would never die.
I dreamed that God would be forgiving...
- ........Chills. I tell you. Chills.
- Anne Hathaway's overdue Oscar! (shut up. She was Gah!mazing in Rachel Getting Married)
- Hugh Jackman. Singing In a Movie! FINALLY!
- SINGING WHORES! That never ever gets old (see also: Moulin Rouge!, Candide, Chicago, Sweet Charity, Miss Saigon, Cabaret, Gypsy, The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, Oliver!, etcetera)
Singing Whores! YES
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
- Not the off-center compositions all over again. Stop it, Tom Hooper. Just stop it. This definitely got old by the 118th minute of The King's Speech two years ago.
MAYBE SO
- With long awaited epics where anticipation is built as high as revolutionary barricades on the dreams and tears of feverish fandom, the risk of disappointment always looms as dangerously as approaching well armed government troops. Can this movie ever deliver like the stage show did for decades for millions and millions of fans? And if does can it ever win enough Oscars?
The Trailer...
Are you a Yes, No, or a Maybe So?
Sing your song and dream your dream in the comments.