Music Review: Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, Original Cast

This is the C.D. of the original cast which featured Angela Lansbury and Len Cariou.  I cannot get enough of the song "Johanna" with its moving notes and melody.  It is sung by Victor Garber.  This music and lyrics is written by Stephen Sondheim.  I have had difficulty with watching the movie because it is so graphic.  taking the musical in this manner is much more enjoyable.  The reprise adding Sweeney Todd is also wonderful.  It also adds the crazy lady (Merle Luise).  Turns out she is the most sane of all.  The other song I really enjoy is "Pretty Women" which Sweeney Todd sings with the judge (Edmund Lyndeck).

Musical Movie Review; ****^Anastasia (1997)

This is one of my favorite animated musicals.   This film boasts an all star cast.  Meg Ryan portrays Anastasia, and Kirsten Dunst plays the girl Anastasia.  However they do not provide the singing parts.  Liz Callaway sings for Anastasia.  John Cusack and Kelsey Grammer plan the two who discover her.  Christopher Lloyd plays the evil Rasputin.  Bernadette Peters plays the grandmother's cohort, and Angela Lansbury the Queen mother, or Anastasia's grand mother.  I love the song "Once Upon a December."  "Journey to the Past" is also wonderful.  And the story of finding yourself, and then maybe that is not the thing you really want to do.  I think the Rasputin character may be over done.  He is always falling apart and putting himself back together, and it gets old after a time.

Movie Review: Nanny McPhee

This is an excellent movie.  Emma Thompson played a huge part in this project.  She wrote the screen play based on the book by Christiana Brown.  Thompson also star as Nanny McPhee.  Her character changes the most, from an ugly nanny to a handsome woman.  As she teaches the children lessons, her warts and other blemishes disappear.  She comes to a family in need.  Mr. Brown (Colin Firth) has lost his wife, and has seven uncontrollable children.  They chase away all available nannies.  Mts. McPhee is the last hope.  Only through magic is she able to teach her lessons.  "As long as you need me, even though you don't want me I will stay.  When you no longer need me, even if you want me, I will have to go."
Mr. Brown is desperate to find a wife, at the insistence of his former wife's Aunt Adelaide (Angela Lansbury).  She has given him a deadline, and as a result he makes a very poor choice.  When the wedding falls through, they are due to be kicked out of the house if an alternative bride is not found.  Simon (Thomas Sangster) suggests the scullery maid, who was taken in by the aunt and refined.  Evangeline (Kelly Macdonald) and Mr. Brown do love each other.  

Movie Review: ***^ Mr. Popper’s Penguins (2011)

***^  Mr. Popper’s Penguins

This is a good forum for Jim Carrey to interact with some penguins in his suite in New York.  Carrey portrays Mr. Popper, a businessman who is hoping to be made partner.  He has one more assignment to earn the promotion.  Purchase the property of Mrs. Van Gundy (Angela Lansbury), the last available property in Central Park.  The company wants to knock it down and then make a large sky scraper of some kind to make lots of money.  Popper approaches the project with this goal in mind.  However Mrs. Van Gundy is not selling, she does not want to let down her staff.

In the mean time, Popper receives a last present from his father who has deceased—penguins. 

At first the penguins are a nuisance and troublesome, but eventually they grow on Popper.  It is when his son comes for a birthday, and thinks they are his cool present, that Popper decides to keep them instead of giving them to the zoo.  However, the penguin master at the zoo is intent on getting them.

The penguins destroy a meeting with Mrs. Van Gundy, but Popper persists.  When they have eggs, he becomes obsessed with the penguins; but then one egg doesn’t hatch.  He becomes discouraged, and sends the penguins to the zoo.  He is just the same old Popper who is only worried about his career, not his kids or ex-wife.  However the kids are so disappointed, he decides to get them back, and his wife goes with him as a date.  The zoo keeper says they can’t have them, he has traded them with other zoos for other specimens.  However they haven’t been sent yet and we have a big zoo escape scene.

This movie was pretty fun.  Sheri had read the book.  It is another family oriented theme movie—what is more important, your career or your relationships?

Music Review: *****Music and the Spoken Word: Chirstmas Season

"Music and the Spoken Word" comes on multiple times on BYUTV.  You can also see some episodes on their website.  They add special guests this time of year, or you can watch old episodes with special guests.  I have seen Alfie Boe sing "Hark the Herald Angels Sing."  This was followed by the story of the "candy bomber" narrated by Tom Brokaw.  I was just watching David Archuleta singing a couple years ago with the choir.  I have also seen the story of Silent Night from WWI. Another episode has Angela Lansbury singing "We Need a Little Christmas.  Some of the episodes even feature dancers and performers.
I give a heart endorsement for these musical presentations.  There is sure to be something to bring peace to your heart.
http://byutv.org/search?query=christmas
This is a link to BTUTV where you can see many of these episodes.