Les Miserables

Went to the theater to see The Hobbit cause a friend saw it the other day so knew it was still in the theaters (couldn't go during the Christmas season). I was an hour late for the last matinee so looked for something else to inspire me. It is my resolution to finish my damn novel (few chapters more and I'm done) and badly need a movie to turn the gears of my imagination. It always works. I saw Les Miserables opening Christmas day was still playing so check the times. Movie was starting in a minute. I saw the play in Chicago during a high school chorus trip and how could any teen forget the night in the balcony looking for Oprah, who friends saw by the stage. I can't recall if I saw here, but I look at 200 faraway faces trying to find her. Bought my ticket, hot dog, popcorn, and pop. I should not have bought food. Hour in and had to pee, but I didn't want to miss anything. This was good. I was surprised at the lack of opening credits, or maybe my brain just missed them. I recognized Russell Crowe off the bat though Hugh Jackson I had to stare at to recognize. Another bad guy role for Mr. Crowe. He harmonized his songs well though more spoken than sung without any passion. I didn't really believe him evil at first. At the end where he sings to himself about to commit suicide over doing a good thing, I finally saw the passion I was looking for and believed his character was so evil he couldn't handle giving compassion to a law breaker. Hugh Jackman was good as the hero of the tale and sang well. Like an opera this movie is all singing. Some people hate that, but I rather like it. Very passionate and sympathetic character. He is just a man trying to live a good life, but his criminal past won't allow that to happen. I cried when his character died. Anne Hathaway was amazing and sang like an opera diva (maybe dubbed, who knows). I loved her solo on dreams (how it suits my life) with so much passion I felt for her character. Her character was the victim of others and was only trying to survive to take care of her daughter. Though the story had a male as the one who fires her, it was a female in the book. She is the reason I made a note in my head when this movie came out. I'm only sorry I missed her in Batman as Catwoman. I cried when she died too. This is a very sad story and need a tissue to watch. Though I was rather confused at the prostitutes, they sang about pretty ladies when they looked like clowns with bad make- up and messy hair. Helen Bonham Carter was hilarious. Even as a villain I can't help but laugh (even as evil Bellatrix Lestrange). Her singing was more speaking than melody, but I was too busy enjoying her stealing from her customers (and her customers never figure this out?) to pay that close attention. I did notice sunglasses in 3 scenes and thought it out of place, but what movie is historical accurate. The infamous barricade scene was covered with handsome guys I look forward to seeing again in other movies. I'm a sucker for cute blonds even though they are too young for me. Very exciting to watch. I forget the king they were fighting against (history major who took a college course on history of France). Restoration put Louis XVI's brothers back on the throne, then Duke of Orleans as Louis-Phillipe, and then Napoleon III overthrew whoever to be Emperor, and was overthroned by the French and escaped to England under sanctuary of Queen Victoria. Then French Republic after that. Anyway, awesome to watch a biography of people in French history. I give it 5 stars. I like this better than the play in Chicago. In fact, I loved the name Cosette so much I wrote in my list of names I keep for story characters after viewing the play.