Here's a thought. Why put up petrol prices when you are closing post offices, therefore forcing us to drive further, therefore having to buy more expensive petrol, therefore inflicting more damage on the environment?
I appreciate it's a reaction to the current financial climate but can't someone just give us some slack or at least create a balance somewhere along the line?
I watched an old episode of 'I'm Alan Partridge' the other night and there was a scene in a petrol station, where unleaded petrol was 76p. Aah the good old days, when comedians were funny, British sitcoms were clever and even the cost of running a car was laughable.
Shortly after this blog was published, Helen had the soapbox removed from her feet following successful surgery. Normal apolitical service shall resume shortly.
Monday, 21 July 2008
Monday, 14 July 2008
A spoonful of sugar
While walking through the corridor of my local cinema to get to screen 9 at the weekend, I was faced with the exiting audience of screen 4. Bounding out like Labrador puppies after a roll of toilet paper, the predominately female crowd of varying ages were smiling, laughing and happily scoffing the last stray Revels whilst humming the hits of Benny, Bjorn and co.
For the last 2 hours they had forgotten about the problems in their life, the impending threat of a recession, the continued rising cost of fuel and car tax and even who the hell got kicked out of Big Brother on Friday. Thus is not just the power of the movies, but in particular, the warm, fuzzy glow of the musical and in this case, 'Mama Mia'.
The trend of the last 6 years of re-introducing musicals and stage shows to the screen comes at a time when our 'real world' isn't such a happy place - you only have to pick up a newspaper or listen to a general conversation to hear of the previously mentioned social downers as well as the increase in gun and knife crime.
In a similar vein, the musical first came to the big screen back in the hard days of war and in America, the great depression. Directors were specifically asked to produce uplifting, positive films and short movies to act as a form of utopia for the masses - to help them forget about the darkness that was looming outside the cinema.
Synchronised girls diving into lush blue pools as their make up remained immaculate, Fred and Ginger tap-dancing, and songs everyone could join in with certainly helped this.
You can't help but wonder if this has been the same thinking behind the reprise of the musical in modern day cinema, perhaps not in the same way that the directors have been told but instead the films are responding to society's reaction to bad times.
The first notable and successful musical of this kind was 'Chicago', which won the Oscar for Best Picture in 2003 - a memorably subdued affair for the biggest night in Hollywood as it coincided with the invasion of Baghdad. At an event where often you get as much if not more media coverage for what you wear instead of what you win, the evening was muted with many of the world's most beautiful actresses dressing down in black and acceptance speeches including support for the troops but disrespect for their President.
Although clearly a brilliant film, and one of my own personal favourites from the musical genre - you can't help but think that it winning the top prize as well as other accolades for its cast, gave the film the type of publicity to encourage everyone who hadn't seen the film to go along. This in turn would provide its audience with enriching, happier thoughts at the time of impending war, death and destruction.
Before and since this time we've had 'Moulin Rouge', 'Phantom of the Opera', 'Happy Feet', 'Hairspray', the 'High School Musical' films and now, 'Mama Mia'. Not only does it give us the chance to see if some of the most well-known actors and actresses can actually hold a note (some should definately stick to the day job...even if Daniel Craig now has it), it gives us the wonder of being able to break into song, knowing that the whole street will join in, complete with dance routine (me and my friend tried it in French class, aged 14, sadly it doesn't happen!) and the inevitable ending that everyone lives happily ever after (I can't promise that either).
It's escapism at its most colourful, camp and toe-tapping best and if its job is solely to help us forget about our day to day problems, then I'd happily sit there in screen 9 and watch it over and over again...if the pots of Revels could keep coming too then who am I to stress that £20 only gets me a quarter of a tank of unleaded these days.
Musical films certainly aren't the cure to the problems in our society, but if they try and help us look on the bright side and put a spring in our step for at least the rest of the day let alone the long term future, then as Julie Andrews once said in 'The Sound of Music'...
"...that's a very good place to start."
For the last 2 hours they had forgotten about the problems in their life, the impending threat of a recession, the continued rising cost of fuel and car tax and even who the hell got kicked out of Big Brother on Friday. Thus is not just the power of the movies, but in particular, the warm, fuzzy glow of the musical and in this case, 'Mama Mia'.
The trend of the last 6 years of re-introducing musicals and stage shows to the screen comes at a time when our 'real world' isn't such a happy place - you only have to pick up a newspaper or listen to a general conversation to hear of the previously mentioned social downers as well as the increase in gun and knife crime.
In a similar vein, the musical first came to the big screen back in the hard days of war and in America, the great depression. Directors were specifically asked to produce uplifting, positive films and short movies to act as a form of utopia for the masses - to help them forget about the darkness that was looming outside the cinema.
Synchronised girls diving into lush blue pools as their make up remained immaculate, Fred and Ginger tap-dancing, and songs everyone could join in with certainly helped this.
You can't help but wonder if this has been the same thinking behind the reprise of the musical in modern day cinema, perhaps not in the same way that the directors have been told but instead the films are responding to society's reaction to bad times.
The first notable and successful musical of this kind was 'Chicago', which won the Oscar for Best Picture in 2003 - a memorably subdued affair for the biggest night in Hollywood as it coincided with the invasion of Baghdad. At an event where often you get as much if not more media coverage for what you wear instead of what you win, the evening was muted with many of the world's most beautiful actresses dressing down in black and acceptance speeches including support for the troops but disrespect for their President.
Although clearly a brilliant film, and one of my own personal favourites from the musical genre - you can't help but think that it winning the top prize as well as other accolades for its cast, gave the film the type of publicity to encourage everyone who hadn't seen the film to go along. This in turn would provide its audience with enriching, happier thoughts at the time of impending war, death and destruction.
Before and since this time we've had 'Moulin Rouge', 'Phantom of the Opera', 'Happy Feet', 'Hairspray', the 'High School Musical' films and now, 'Mama Mia'. Not only does it give us the chance to see if some of the most well-known actors and actresses can actually hold a note (some should definately stick to the day job...even if Daniel Craig now has it), it gives us the wonder of being able to break into song, knowing that the whole street will join in, complete with dance routine (me and my friend tried it in French class, aged 14, sadly it doesn't happen!) and the inevitable ending that everyone lives happily ever after (I can't promise that either).
It's escapism at its most colourful, camp and toe-tapping best and if its job is solely to help us forget about our day to day problems, then I'd happily sit there in screen 9 and watch it over and over again...if the pots of Revels could keep coming too then who am I to stress that £20 only gets me a quarter of a tank of unleaded these days.
Musical films certainly aren't the cure to the problems in our society, but if they try and help us look on the bright side and put a spring in our step for at least the rest of the day let alone the long term future, then as Julie Andrews once said in 'The Sound of Music'...
"...that's a very good place to start."
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