At the Movies: ****^Wicked: For Good (2025)

 Family night at the movies last Tuesday.  We took the entire row with all of us.  This movie is Act II of the Wicked musical.  The music and acting are great.  I had forgotten that NessaRose (Marissa Bode) was considered a wicked which.  She is Elphaba's (Cynthia Erivo) sister.  The public relations boss Madame Morrible (Michelle Yeoh) has labeled Elphaba the Wicked Witch.  Meanwhile Glinda (Ariana Grande) is labeled the good witch.  Then there are the men.  Fiyero (Jonathan Bailey) is Captain of the guard.  He loves Elphaba but cannot find her.  He is to arrest her for wicked deeds with regards to animal rights.  Boq (Ethan Slater) loves Glinda; but Nessarose loves him.  Nessarose casts a spell on him so he will love her, but it goes wrong and shrinks his heart.  To save him Elphaba turns him into a tin man.  At the wedding of Glinda and Fiyero, Elphaba frees all the animals the Wizard (Jeff Goldblum) has in cages.  It destroys the wedding, but Fiyero discovers where Elphaba is living and puts her in a castle.   Madame Morrible causes a tornado which brings Dorothy's house to land on Nessarose.  When they are to arrest Elphaba, Fiyero saves her, but the guards turn on Fiyero and beat him up.  Elphaba changes him to a scarecrow so he will not feel pain.  Dorothy, the cowardly lion, the Tin Man and Scarecrow are tasked by the Wizard to kill the Wicked Witch.  They seem to do this, but instead the Scarecrow and Elphaba are seen crossing the desert out of Oz.  Of course Glinda and Elphaba meet before Dorothy throws water on elphaba, and sing of their undying relationship, "For Good."  This is the showstopper song and it is great to hear it.  

We really enjoyed this movie.  It is not the best movie I have ever seen, but it is good.

Musical Movie Review: *****Wicked (2024)

 Some movies are jest fun to watch, and this is one.  Can we accept things that are different--a woman who is green, animals talking and teaching, a woman who wears a different hat; and what is popularity, and friendship, are the themes of this movie.  You add in the defense of animal rights, a love triangle and a young sister in a wheel chair who wants to stand on her own and you have the makings of a great movie.  The music is superb.  My only complaint is that the story was not concluded but presented only the first act.  We have to wait for the second act.

Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba

Ariana Grande as Galinda/Glinda

Jeff Goldblum as The Wonderful Wizard of Oz

Michelle Yeoh as Madame Morrible 

Marissa Bode as Nessarose

Jonathan Bailey as Prince Flyero

Ethan Slater as Boq

Peter Dinklage as Dr. Dillamond (voice)

Movie Review: ***Pinocchio (2022)

 This is the 2002 version of Pinocchio which is a remake of the Disney 1940 version.  This movie is partly animated and partly live acting.  Tom Hanks portrays Gepetto.  This film is on Disney + and is in the pattern of making live versions of many Disney animated classics.  However in this case as noted it is mostly animated again with just a little live action.  The cat and wolf are animated, Of course Pinocchio is animated, and at one point does a kicking move like the boy in Incredibles. to motor a boat out of the clutches of a sea monster.  Pinocchio learns that it is best to tell the truth.  As the Blue Faerie this film gives us Cynthia Erivo who has a very beautiful voice.  Pinocchio is voiced by Benjamin Evan Ainsworth.  I am left wondering why this movie was made.  It doesn't really add anything to the story which has already been told.  Tom Hanks does an adequate job, but he has done much better in other films.