Monday, April 16, 2012

"Never Fear, Brooklyn Is Here."

NEWSIES (1992)
There is really nothing I don't like about Newsies. It's an underdog story. It's got great choreography and musical numbers. Christian Bale looks like a baby. And best of all, it's set it the best place on earth. New York City. Represent! Newsies is a period piece based off the newsboy strike of 1899. In short, a bunch of young newsboys are tired of getting shafted by the big, bad businesses and go on strike to prove their worth. Complete with ridiculous accents, clever one-liners, and cigar-smoking orphans. It's fun, it's creative, and it's a hell of a catchy tune. Not to mention, it's an epic story. When I say "epic" here, I don't mean, "Whoa, dude, that gnarly wave was epic." I mean it's got the full-on battle with the police, the dance numbers filled with swinging, tapping extras, the whole nine-yards of a grand, musical epic. 

The most impressive part is probably the fact that this movie is chockfull of young faces, yet none of them are annoying. We don't have Anakin Skywalker acting like he's in some cereal commercial. They're all likable kids, not to mention extraordinarily talented. If you're a fan of Christian Bale, you've really got to see him sing and dance his ass off in this one. It will be two hours put to good use. As for the rest of the cast, while the kids are epic, there aren't a lot of names anyone's going to be quick to remember. But we do have a couple well-known adults here, such as Bill Pullman, who I've had a soft spot for ever since Spaceballs (1987). Really, I know he tries to be known as "the president in Independence Day", but he will always be Lone Starr to me. Next up, Robert Duvall makes an appearance, and everyone just loves seeing his face, no matter what role he's in. As for the movie itself, my only real complaint is a contrived romantic subplot thrown in the midst of all that singing and dancing. But I suppose we had to get some boobs in there, or else this would probably be classified as an LGBT film. All in all, excellent movie. So excellent that they've taken it to Broadway, 20 years later. You can bet I'll be waiting in line for that one. That's all I've got for this one, kids, now put an egg in your shoe and beat it. 

10 comments:

  1. I have never seen this. I was 13 when it came out. I was waaaay more concerned with being cool then. And that didn't turn out so well.

    Thanks for the review! I'll throw it in the queue!

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    1. HAHAHA! Yeah, it's not a very "cool" movie, but it's still fun as hell. And I get the feeling you might enjoy it a little more than Hop. Let me know what you think!

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    2. Whoa, now. Let's not get carried away here. Better than Hop? These newsies better poop some impressive shit.

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  2. OMG. YES YES and DOUBLE YES. I am forever and ever in love with this movie... I think I had a crush ON EVERY SINGLE character... LOVE.

    Jo
    In Which We Start Anew

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    1. Victory! One person who loves this one. Racetrack is my homie. What up.

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  3. Great. We don't get to the cinema much - actually, not at all. BUT we do watch stuff on video, and there is nothing worse than looking at shelves and not knowing idf what you are looking at is any good or not. I'll look out for this one. i used to go by the star ratings on the back - but now every film seems to have been rated 5 stars by a magazine or newspaper i wouldn't read and it puts me off!

    I'm leaving you my A-Z link as blogger
    always identifies me as my shared blog with other poets - my A-Z is this one: http://www.lizbrownleepoet.com

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    1. If you're looking for a good rental, this is one. Definitely a family film, but a fun one nonetheless. As a pseudo-movie critic, never trust the critics.

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  4. I never saw it. I did see the trailer on the front of what seemed to be every movie released for about 18 months in the early 90's. In the end, I don't think they made it for me.

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    1. It is what it is--a musical about paperboys. Nice choreography and catchy songs, and exactly what it sounds like.

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