AFI World Premiere: "tick, tick... BOOM!"

by Nathaniel R

Tiny gasps and squeals gave way to shrieking and thunderous applause at the world premiere of Lin-Manuel Miranda's directorial debut tick, tick... Boom last night at the AFI Festival. And that was just from one of the numbers. We shan't spoil the surprises but let's just say that if you're a musical theater nut, you won't have a single greater high at the movies this year than during its "Sunday" setpiece. That song by Rent's gone-too-soon composer, Jonathan Larson, is a personalized silly riff on Stephen Sondheim's transcendent song of the same name from Sunday in the Park with George. 

For those who are unfamiliar with "tick, tick... BOOM!" in its original form, it was a rock monologue that Jonathan Larson wrote and performed a few times in the early 90s...

Click to read more ...

Are we really getting TEN movie musicals in 2021?

by Nathaniel R

In the Heights

In the recent Yes No Maybe So post I mentioned that we were getting three musicals in the space of seven months. But that was a gross understatement as I hadn't yet finished my Oscar chart research for 2021. There are actually TEN musicals... no make that eleven (!) that are supposed to arrive before Christmas. Release dates are subject to change, of course. The current schedule represents Hollywood doubling-down, no quintupling down, on audiences salivating en masse for musicals in the way they currently only do for animated fare and superhero films. (That'd be a wonderful world of course, if audiences were so inclined.)

Lin-Manuel Miranda, of Hamilton fame, is spectacularly talented but looking at this schedule we're a little worried for him. We don't want Miranda to become the next Ryan Murphy -- i.e. stretched thin, predictable, veering into being a Brand first and artist second, and offering diminishing returns. Given that Miranda is involved in more than a third of these musicals, that's a major oversaturation risk. Tell us which of these ten you're most excited about in the comments...

Click to read more ...

Links

Gurus of Gold - current predictions
Cartoon Brew - talks to the directors of all the animated short nominees
Movie City News - David Poland thinks the Oscar season is not too short but not short enough. Eeep! We wildly disagree since the shortened season made voters even lazier than usual.

More after the jump including Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, Under the Skin, Lee Grant, and List-Mania...

Click to read more ...