Across the Universe

Last night Ron rented Across the Universe, a movie we've both been very much wanting to see ever since we saw a trailer in the theater. We never made it to the theater to see it, but it came out on DVD this week - yay! We were thinking about just going out and buying it without watching it first, but I am sort of glad we didn't. Let me explain...

First of all, I really did like the movie. The characters were interesting, the plot was decently emotional (even if a little predictable), and of course the musical and visual aspects were wonderful - some scenes were just beautiful. On the other hand, some scenes were highly disturbing to the point of us not really knowing what to make of them - most notably the scene with the song "Being For the Benefit of Mr. Kite", which is under normal circumstances a decent Beatles song. However, here it reaches new levels of creepiness. I'm still debating whether or not I can actually watch the clip I just linked. I probably will since I'm still trying to make sense of it, and as much as it freaked me out, I have to say it was very creative and strange - and I'm sure the way it made me feel was exactly the response they were looking for. I liked the scene with Bono okay (other than the fact that it led to the creepy Mr. Kite scene)... but actually I think Joe Cocker's character(s) & performance was better. The other thing I liked about the movie is how the characters (and the changes they undergo) and the mood of the movie parallel the Beatles's career...

If you go to the movie's site (link above) you can watch a few clips (non-YouTube) check out "I've Just Seen a Face", which is one of my favorite scenes. In fact, there were several scenes I loved loved loved! I just wanted to warn you that this is not the kind of modern musical that you might be expecting. I can't compare it to anything I've ever seen before! I'm glad we rented, we probably won't buy it, but I definitely want the soundtrack.