12 Reasons Why Supergirl’s Costume Will Never Make the Cover of Vogue

Primary colors were officially banned during the 1981 Fashion Week recovery from the 1970’s. Actually that never happened, but the fact that no one (except politicians) ever wears red and blue together (except at Halloween) gives a clue about how designers feel about bold on bold. Red and blue crayons are not even next to each other in the 8 piece box of Crayolas.

I wasn’t expecting Supergirl to get a costume. After all, this is the year 2015, and what the average female heroine wears has been dramatically reimagined and re-styled (i.e. Cinderella, Frozen). Also, it’s a network tv show, not a feature film so the “signature” costume had become irrelevant in my mind.

Original image credit. ScreenRant.com (http://screenrant.com/supergirl-tv-show-suit-images/)

But when Kara suddenly starting modeling a montage of costumes in front of her co-worker, Winn (not a designer or engineer), I was expecting an outfit for the ages, but was disappointed that she only ended up with one that screams, “Meh.” It was just one thread short of starting a trend.

12. It’s not seasonal. Even if red and blue were allowed to be worn together, Supergirl still needs her colors to reflect the seasons. For instance,
Winter = santasuit red and blue/green evergreen,
Spring = poppy and robin’s egg,
Summer = red rose and aqua
Fall= burgundy and navy.

11. It’s overstated. Her costume yells, “SUPERHERO”, instead of “Sophisticated Female Alien from 2,000 Light Years Away”. Our clothes tell a story. Hers should tell who she is and where’s she’s from. Kara comes from a royal family and lives in an incredible loft, so why should her costume reflect Halloween instead of Chelsea?

10. It has a cape. As Edna Mode, the superhero costume designer from the Incredibles quipped, “No capes!” Or at least make it reversible two-toned, a sheer cape, or add a lace overlay for that “invisible” look and for evening heroics.

9. That skirt length. I have a feeling that a man (not from the wardrobe department), couldn’t resist taking that hemline up as far as it could go on pretty Melissa Benoist. But extreme minis are terribly outdated. I would have preferred a romper look to suggest a little fashion modesty.

8. Long sleeves and short skirts don’t work.

7. No jewelry? Every Supergirl needs shiny accessories to complete the look. She doesn’t even own a large face watch.

6. They took away her glasses. Of all the times not to have a pair of stylish frames! I know she has laser vision but her specs are spectacular and add a bit of Warby Parker-esque, smarty-pants polish to her ensemble.

5. Pantyhose! Women stopped wearing hose a while back because they're uncomfortable and kept running whether you paid $0.99 or $19.99. Hose are thin, difficult to get on (and out of when you have to pee). Let’s liberate Supergirl’s legs!

4. Tall boots are well…They’re nice, but an ankle boot enhances the rest of the leg instead of hiding it. The girl is bulletproof so there’s no danger of getting her leg nicked. Pair with footless leggings and she's up, up and away!

3. The neckline. Wow, she wears a round-necked blouse. I didn’t know women still wore those. A more modern neckline teases with the slightest show of clavicle before plunging downward (without risking a wardrobe malfunction).

2. It’s not futuristic enough. A superheroine of the 21st century ought to have clothes that instantly change themselves. Why should she be bound by an immutable fashion law of putting one pants leg on at a time? I think Supergirl’s costume should instantly morph based on her mood like a cuttlefish.

1. Ralph Lauren didn’t design it. Neither did any other major designer. A star like Supergirl would instantly attract the attention of the 5th Avenue fashion houses. She shouldn’t be forced to piece her wardrobe together like Cinderella and those poor-overworked mice.

I don’t expect Supergirl to wear haute couture; I wouldn’t mind, but personally, I’m all about pret-a-porter. If Supergirl had to buy her costume from Zara or H&M, what would she pick?

I realize that the point of her costume is to hide her identity, but the audience was forced to believe that only one blurry image of Supergirl was captured on a crowded plane full of HD smartphones. I think we can suspend reality again. After all, she didn’t need a costume to save the plane so why can’t she switch up her clothes or go sans costume every once in a while?

The rest of Kara’s wardrobe choices are shop-worthy despite the stinging insult of her boss, Cat, about her “cheap pants.” But how could the superficial editor not notice Supergirl’s costume?  It’s difficult to accept that a character who wears designer clothes wouldn’t instantlly notice Supergirl’s threads.

The new Supergirl costume is a definite upgrade but a few changes are still needed.

"The Martian" - Too Much Pseudoscience, Not Enough Sci-Fi

**Spoiler alert**

Growing potatoes from human poop is a recurring punchline in this movie. But that's nothing compared to making your own water or being "caught" by a fellow astronaut after hurling yourself into outer space in a windowless craft (thank God for plastic and duct tape). But The Martian specializes in stretching all possibilities and hopes of life on Mars to the farthest reaches of the universe.

Matt Damon plays abandoned botanist/astronaut Mark Watney who is beaned with debris as he and his team are preparing to leave Mars after a joke-filled mission. As his unconscious body hurtles across the Martian landscape, one of the Nasa crew asks, "how long can he survive exposure?" The reply is less than a minute. Having no other choice, the crew boards their ship and leaves their beloved friend behind.

More silly questions that one would expect any astronaut to know and absurd "man on the moon" scenarios follow. A young NASA employee figures out the best way to bring Mark back from Mars all by himself without the help of the highly paid and much more senior and, presumably, more intelligent staff.

Initially there are several "crucifix" references (an obvious dig at the Christian movie lobby) when he realizes the dire state of his predicament but are abandoned shortly thereafter as Mark becomes the master of his own fate, presumably, unless the interpretation was that Jesus was some sort of alien.

Mark immediately becomes antagonistic towards Mars for some reason and becomes determined to thwart the evil planet by becoming an organic eco-farmer. He creates his own self-sustaining life pod with water and detailed calculations about how long his food and heat sources will last.

While his streak of Martian good luck holds out, back on Earth Nasa is deciding what to do. The moment of crisis comes in deciding whether to tell his crew, en route from Mars, that he is still alive. This is where I got stuck. I just didn't feel the urgency or buy in to the need to save this guy or for that matter feel vested in his death or survival. He was just so doggone self sufficient.

Eventually disaster strikes and his homemade farm blows up and he has to start from scratch. P.S. You will literally see Matt Damon shrink from beefy size XXL to an emaciated XXS, though I don't recommend it.

Obviously I've left out quite a few details, but I just didn't feel that this movie about Mars made me feel differently or interested in the red (dead) planet. The movie felt more like Martian propaganda about how much could be done if only the planet could be properly explored, if only the feds would give NASA more money. Okay, wish granted.

Making a space movie without aliens was risky enough and quite foolish. Mark is only in the same kind of danger as he would be in Death Valley or the woods - starvation or exposure. As far as "man against the world" movies, "Castaway" drew me in much deeper to the dark and lonely world of being abandoned on foreign soil. I think I felt more empathy for Optimus Prime than Mark Watney.

So should you see "The Martian?"

If you like a drawn out movie primarily about space and science, Yes. If you want excitement and at least one man-eating alien, No. I saw this movie in 3D, but there really is no reason to do that because there's not enough deep space action to warrant the price mark up.

"The Martian" is a film that wants to sell the excitement of S.T.E.M. and space to the masses but in the end, it was just too spacey for me.

"WAR ROOM" Urges Wives, Women to Hunker Down

War Room is the latest Christian movie to target the husband-wife dynamic. Paralleling marriage with a secret inner chamber for military strategizing stretches the artistic license a bit, but the Kendrick brothers manage to tone down the war analogies enough to create an emotionally layered movie with credible characters and a spiritual gender bend with women at the core.

The plot revolves around the increasingly bitter relationship between a busy upper middle class couple, Elizabeth and Tony Jordan. Elizabeth is a real estate agent and her husband is a successful pharmaceutical salesman. They have reached that point of stalemate where every encounter is a bitter argument and divorce is imminent. Actor T.C. Stallings plays the dissatisfied husband to Priscilla Shirer’s miserable wife. Some will be familiar with Shirer’s insightful "Jonah: Navigating A Life Interrupted" Bible teaching series a few years back.

Due to Tony’s busy work schedule, he has grown distant from his wife and 10 year old daughter and often takes out his impatience on them.  Meanwhile, Elizabeth’s latest client, Miss Clara, interferes in her life insisting that she turn to prayer for help with her husband.

Actress Karen Abercrombie, playing the elderly Miss Clara, steals every scene. She could have easily portrayed the character as a stereotypical kindly, but meddling older woman. Instead she created an authentic emotional personality of a feisty senior citizen who has lived a long time and has an interesting story to share. Her scenes garnered laughter and applause from the audience each and every time she appeared on the screen.

Miss Clara urges Elizabeth to fight for her marriage through prayer and by supporting her cheating husband. No feminist tome this is. It’s an obvious and frankly, encouraging look at what might be if perhaps more women (i.e. wives) took this route. The fact that the woman is put in the position of having to yield first will not sit well with all Christian women, some of whom are still fighting for positions of equal power in some denominations.

Elizabeth is alone in most of the scenes, so I think it is fair to say that the filmmakers’ view the burden of responsibility for a happy home as the main job of the wife.  There are quite a few scenes with her constantly making dinner and being almost solely responsible for her daughter.

Reluctantly, Elizabeth re-establishes her personal prayer life and determines to treat her husband with respect and love in spite of his philandering ways. She finds herself growing spiritually ad personally stronger and regaining her own sense of self.

While the means by which Elizabeth achieves this is slightly hyperbolic (it is a movie after all), it will make many women in difficult relationships bite their lips as unhappy memories surface. This type of film is designed to corner the viewer into facing themselves and ultimately facing God about their personal foibles that they often blame on God.

Meanwhile Elizabeth’s husband teeters on the brink of full-fledged adultery and is eventually exposed as a very dishonest salesman. As his sins finally catch up to him, he is fired and has to turn back to the wife that he despised. After discovering his wife’s “war room” covered in written prayers for him (like a personal Wailing Wall) he realizes the error of his ways and in a tearful breakdown, begs Jesus for forgiveness.

Some critics have lambasted the film for its overt sermonizing, but it was to be expected. “War of the Roses” freely used hyperbole in the escalating violent verbal battles and ultimately murderous finale between a divorcing couple over their large house. I think some critics may still not get that audiences are demanding a more personal lens on the lives they actually live and not the “Hollywood-ized” version and no one is demanding louder than Christian audiences. I didn’t take this movie as a conversion piece – I accepted it more as a forgiveness and reconciliation piece. Hoping against hope. Moving forward instead of wallowing in regret.

There are quite a few outstanding emotional and spiritual scenes. The actors really put their hearts into these pivotal scenes. At first I thought the movie would be a slow paced, sugary suburban “happily ever after” Bible belt bedtime story. But I came away feeling that the movie did show a more authentic anger between a husband and wife than some other Christian movies have been comfortable showing. Key performances are contributed by Michael, Jr., who delivers a hilarious and grounding presence as Tony’s best friend and child actress Alena Pitts, who plays the cute Double Dutch jumping daughter of Tony and Elizabeth.

The film is not without its faults. The story could have been a little tighter and there were too many gratuitous “convenience” moments like a mugging and text message about cheating husband that added melodrama without adding depth or character development. I also noticed some technical errors like camera shake. I can’t be certain if the technique was purposely used to try and convey a sense of drama but I could have done without it.

Ultimately, War Room fulfills a multipurpose function. Undoubtedly it will be used as a relationship building tool in Marriage Ministry classes across the country, demographically, it will serve as a departure from Christian films that have focused almost exclusively on the rightful place of the white Christian male, and spiritually it offers a much more up to the minute view of the current state of the Christian home – the real life war room.

"Madea On the Run" Takes Off With Audience Laughter and Appreciation (Spoiler Alert)

My first live Tyler Perry play and I am still smiling. "Madea on the Run", Perry's 14th staged play (according to www.tylerperry.com) performed at Hartford's famed Bushnell Theater September 11th and 12th, opened with a very exciting video montage of all of Mr. Perry's movies, plays, and tv shows. He later remarked joyfully that he was in the twentieth year of his long entertainment career.

Since my birthday fell on the weekend of the performance, I felt especially blessed and excited to attend. I have seen other Tyler Perry plays on video and had been looking forward to being part of the "TP play movement" since Hartford was announced as a date. I have long been an ardent Tyler Perry movie fan, however his "play groupies" exhibit an almost rabid affection that approaches Holy

Adoration.

The story of "Madea on the Run" has almost nothing to do with Madea running (from the police again) and centers on Aunt Bam's adult daughter and her two grandaughters, who are treated very differently. In essence, it is a Cinderella story. Madea dramatically rushes into her first scene amid police lights and a robust welcome from the audience, but her "getaway" is not focused on at all. Instead she once again fills the role as the aggressive and overbearing voice of reason in a dysfunctional family.

The action moves very quickly but the story is not difficult to follow nor is it intended to be. A bitter "boomerang" divorcee favors one daughter over another. However, the daughter she loves more is a liar and is dating an abusive drug addict. Aunt Bam (Cassi Davis) provides comic relief with frequent references to her compulsive "scription" marijuana smoking. Adultery, shopping addiction, and "blind" parenting advance the major theme that emotional healing is needed to overcome generational and personal dysfunction.

The first act is dialogue heavy, while the second act is filled to overflow with songs - all executed to pitch perfect standards. Most of the cast was new to me,except Mr. Perry and Ms. Davis. After reading the $5 collectible program, I discovered that several of the actors had performed in previous Perry plays. All are experienced singers and performers with numerous accolades. Perry has a talent for choosing wonderful stage actors with pristine studio quality singing voices and with the same fully realized vocal range as any Broadway singer.

Truthfully, Perry was the real star, literally standing head and shoulders above all the others, evidenced by the deafening welcome he received as his signature character and by the thunderous ovation he received at the close of the production. There was enough applause for two or three curtain calls.

However, Mr. Perry clearly enjoyed himself throughout the play and frequently interjected quips towards the crowd, poking fun at those unlucky people sitting in Orchestra and calling out well-known hot spots in Hartford.

The house was packed. Prime lower level seating looked completely full from my vantage point. In addition, both Parterre Boxes were also filled, showing that Perry's audience is not amiss to spending $100+ to be entertained for an evening. Front and Rear Balcony received a sizable number of guests (and a nod from Mr. Perry at the end) but was no where near filled to capacity, suggesting that Perry's core audience are the higher spending individuals.

The main and sole set was designed as a gorgeous two-story Craftsman home, a very popular style in Atlanta. Behind the scenes "set up" photos are included in the program as well. Most of the action takes place in the house, though one of the "rooms" in the house wasn't used at all. A few token scenes take place in the attached "garage" and "sidewalk". A bit more set movement would have been appreciated.

There were too many truly funny moments to count. Gut blasting laughter resounded throughout the theater, at times canceling out the actors' voices. Perry did his best to unseat his actors with ad libs, directing hints, and other "unscripted" behavior that make his "Madea" plays the audience favorites that they are.

Perry wasn't shy about acting as judge/jury/counselor or whatever other "voice" he chose. Actually, he frequently shifted his vocal range from Madea's nasal soprano to his real, octaves deep baritone adding to Madea's bizarre and larger than life presence. The audience loved it. His flexibility as a stage actor often goes under-appreciated, but he blithely maneuvered his large frame around a fairly packed set and petite actors.

Capping a very enjoyable evening, Mr. Perry exhibited authentic gratitude towards his audience which elicited rowdy shouts of devotion from the Orchestra section and tons of affectionate and ecstatic "whoots" coming from every direction and resonating well in the excellent acoustics of the Bushnell's Mortensen Hall.

There was nothing embattled or embittered about Mr. Perry's performance, which frequently makes glib asides to some of his personal struggles and current events. He performed like a seasoned performer, totally comfortable in his stride and at ease with the many fans and supporters who braved a rainy Connecticut evening for a hilarious play and the chance to "run" with Tyler Perry for a night.

Madea is still on the run around the country. Get your tickets for upcoming performances in Atlanta Oakland and other cities through this Ticketmaster link. http://www.ticketmaster.com/Tyler-Perrys-Madea-On-the-Run-tickets/artist/2087383

Noah Movie - A Complicated Antediluvian Hero

The movie is not titled "Noah and the Ark" for a reason. Most bible heroes given the Hollywood treatment are paired with their famous works like "Moses and the 10 Commandments" or "Jonah and the Whale".  But Noah, the movie, is much more about the man and much less about the ark or the flood.

The story opens and takes place in a post-apocalyptic wasteland. Post Creation and the Fall, man has quickly degenerated into bands of violent brigands roaming a desolate earth. Fallen angels, trapped in massive stone bodies, are the last remnants of a supernatural connection. Noah, the son of a man murdered by Tubal-cain, grows into a husband and father of three young sons.  God speaks to him via a dream predicting a flood and Noah's role in it. God's voice is silent throughout the movie so Noah's interaction with Him mostly consist of Noah looking up at a silent sky or relaying God's instructions to his family.

Noah's grandfather Methusaleh gives Noah a seed from the garden of Eden. The seed instantly transforms into a forest, providing wood and shelter. It also attracts the ruthless hordes of Tubalcain, who are intent on getting into the ark.

I wasn't sure what to expect with this on-screen debut of Noah. However, I came away with a deeper understanding of the magnitude of the job he was tasked with. When his family members begin to turn on him, you can't help but feel his isolation even as you're amazed at his dogged determination to go forth with the ark project. Noah voices conflicted emotions about being part of a divine design to destroy a sinful humanity when he sees the same sin within himself.

Noah believes God's plan is that once all other humanity is destroyed by flood, his family will be the last men. He gives instructions to his sons. As each family member dies off, the next younger person is to bury them until no one is left.  This really doesn't offer a plausible explanation for the flood because why save 8 only to have them ultimately die later? When Noah discovers that his daughter in law is pregnant, he realizes that he must kill the child upon birth. She and Noah's eldest son try to escape only to have Noah ruthlessly burn their escape raft, triggering an emotionally farcical scene where Noah remains deaf to the hysterical pleas of his wife, son, and daughter in law.

Plenty of artistic license is introduced, naturally. The animals are put to hibernation with a kind of sleeping incense, Tubalcain manages to hack a hole in the side of the ark to let himself in and hide out. Noah's wife (Jennifer Connelly) is rather nagging and interfering, like a wife who won't let her husband buy a hot rod with the kids college money. Noah retells his children the story of the fall, beautifully accented with CGI, explaining why and how the serpents skin has now become a relic with a kind of power. Tubalcain is another famous Bible figure who is known as the originator of all bronze and ironwork. The fallen angels, who help Noah build the ark, get released from their stone bodies when attacked by the hordes and are then "sent" back to heaven, which seems a bit of a stretch since they are banned from heaven for conspiring with Satan.

Ridley Scott couldn't quite explain how the earth was repopulated with a small band of people, one of whom ultimately abandons the family (Ham) and Noah's daughter in law gives birth to twin girls. He leaves us hanging out on the same ragged, sparsely vegetated mountain where the ark ultimately settled. Perhaps this was intentionally done to make way for another Biblically based epic.

While I didn't care for the bleak natural environment and a la carte Biblical influence, I did feel inspired by Noah because of his difficult task and the way he went about accomplishing it. I like that layers of convincing emotion and motivation were added to Noah, making him more of a man, which he was, instead of just a legend. The CGI used to illustrate the growth of the "eden forest" and the animals who came to the ark was not overdone at all.  It's a good adventure story about a father trying to keep his family safe and do what's best for them, despite their disobedience.  Don't expect this movie to answer deep spiritual questions but do expect it to take you on a journey back to the time before the flood.

Whitney Houston Biopic- Lukewarm at Best

Bobby Brown is an award winning singer.

Bobby Brown is a great dancer.

Bobby Brown doesn’t take anyone’s flak (even Whitney Houston).

Bobby Brown is a caring person.

Bobby Brown is fantastic in bed.

Bobby Brown is a good father.

Bobby Brown is a nice person.

Bobby Brown did not support his ex-wife’s drug use.

Bobby Brown is INNOCENT.

Clive Davis is EVIL.

Bobby Brown is fantastic in bed.

Bobby Brown did all he could to heal his childhood trauma and get off drugs.

Bobby Brown is fantastic in bed.

Bobby Brown is fantastic in bed.

Bobby Brown is fantastic in bed.

Beyond being a testimonial to all the good that is in Bobby Brown and how he tried to help Whitney, this movie is actually one of the least interesting tv movies I've ever seen.

In stark contrast to the Aaliyah biopic, there is nothing memorable about this movie. It is a vanilla perspective on one of the most interesting and tumultuous “odd couples” in Hollywood history.

Prominently featured is Bobby Brown, as essentially a good boy in a bad man’s body, endorsed by none other than the king of sensitivity, Babyface.

I almost suspect that Lifetime went out of its way to make this production as inoffensive as possible, while squeezing out every bit of heart this story could have had. With the exception of numerous raunchy sex scenes that I could have done without.

Whitney’s family is shown as an overbearing mob, suffocating her personally and emotionally out of “love”. Distressed by her engagement, they do everything they can to discourage the marriage. A scene between Bobby and Whitney suggests that they are both overburdened from having to care for their families financial needs. Mostly everyone wears gold crosses like some talisman as they seem to jockey for control. The scenes with Clive Davis are typical of what one expects from a music executive who is losing a substantial client. However, his confrontation with Bobby Brown was strangely placid, like a rich grandfather forced to discipline a disobedient grandchild- the age difference between them is as deliberately gaping as possible.

The one interesting camera move is the close-up of Bobby’s vengeful face in the nightclub, glaring at Whitney as she dances the night away, oblivious to his presence.

There are far too many lengthy singing interludes that add nothing to the story. We KNOW that Whitney Houston can sing. While Deborah Cox does a good job covering Whitney, there was simply no need for that much singing. This was not a musical.

If this was supposed to be a fairy tale gone wrong then yes, it did.  The hero and wronged party in this story is Bobby. The evil queen is Whitney, surrounded by her minions embodied in the form of her best friend/manager and her bourgeois family members. There is no happily ever after. There is not even a happy anything, since the movie ends on as sad a tone as it can manage. Alone on stage, Whitney sadly sings “I Will Always Love You” while Bobby, alone offstage, unhappily watches her.

It suggests doom to come and we all know that it does twofold, when the marriage ended 15 years later and Whitney’s untimely demise in 2012.

For some reason, Whitney didn’t want to stop taking drugs, as one of the final scenes suggests, showing her bedroom drawer practically overflowing with cocaine. But we don’t know why.

So the controversial production turned out to be a timid reenactment of a marriage gone wrong. A couple of alcohol or drug induced fights not between junkies, but between two talented people, hoping for love and finding only empty disappointment, as will the audience who watches this film.

Into the Woods: A Melange Of Stories Makes a Magic Musical Movie for the Middle-Aged

Fairy tale purists like the formula. We grew up on in it and like to quote the memorized opening and closing of every fairy tale, “Once Upon a Time….happily ever after” like Scripture. But "Into The Woods" delights in un-doing the formula and spiking it with something a little stronger and darker.

I didn’t see the musical, but several fellow filmgoers did and applauded after each musical number as if they were on Broadway. For the rest of the audience, there was plenty of wonder and interest in this latest adult tribute to “un-happily ever after.”

Similar to several other re-vamped fairy tale movies (Hoodwinked, Unhappily Ever After, Enchanted) “Into the Woods” deconstructs a fairy tale by giving us more facts than fiction. Every character develops distinct personalities, including the witch. For those of you who have read my earlier blogs, you know that I am also a witch purist and believe that witches are only evil and don’t deserve a backstory.

Red Riding Hood is a fresh-mouthed girl, The Wolf is perverse, Cinderella is conflicted, Prince Charming is a fornicator, Jack is as dumb as they come (and abused), The Baker and his wife are a modern couple with modern problems like infertility and typical young couple power struggles. Rapunzel, well her mother is the witch so… And the Witch is trying to overcome her own failings and come to terms with herself as a mother by not becoming her own mother.  In essence, the characters represent a microcosm of humanity instead of being standards of fairy tale perfection. This transition will confuse children and sadly, remind adults of our own un-fairy tale like lives. However, the catchy tunes- anthems of adult angst -soon make you forget your troubles as you start humming along.

All these stories are interwoven with the Witch being at the epicenter of the characters eventual convergence. These are also not the Disney fairy tales most of us grew up with; they incorporate some of the older, more medieval versions- which are in print so you can read up on why Cinderella spends so much time at her mother’s grave and why her stepsisters get their parts amputated.

The action moves at a decent pace so everyone can keep up with the story, which is somewhat complicated and absolutely convoluted.But I won’t spoil that for you.

The movie commits several of the same sins it chides the fairy tale world for. Unexplained things just happen. The giant is still a big, dumb giant. Several of the characters just sort of…die. I don’t mind the unexplained, weird, and wonderful. That’s what makes fairy tales and musicals great. But there is an apparent visual struggle between trying to logically explain fairy tale events while creating a few more.  

The singing is great, though a little tinny at times, similar to Hugh Jackman’s vocal performance in Les Mis. However, even Johnny Depp’s voice sounds very good. Meryl Streep hits the notes. Unlike Les Mis, the singing voices of these actors seem much more appropriate for an adapted Broadway musical. The casting is not just a bunch of celebrities straining their voices. They pull it off.

The cinematography is more eerie than fantastical, more weird, than wonderful. Defensibly, most of the movie does take place in the woods so I guess the darker lighting and mood are justified. You become totally immersed into a slightly sinister world where unfortunately, the trees don’t move or give advice. Still, there is more than enough of that “woods feel” to hint that it’s not a good place to be.  The CGI is good, not great. No biddidi-bobbodi-boo for Cinderella and she has to run home from the ball (yes, on foot).

While I loved the music and seeing some familiar actors in interesting roles, I still feel ambivalent about the cynical turn on fairy tales. Kids today are being robbed of a bit of innocence. Adults are plunged into stories that mirror sad realities instead of being transported into a dreamiverse. I’m not sure that there needs to be a moral dilemma about ambushing and killing a greedy giant or the fact that the witch is clearly to blame! Witches are just evil. Hopefully, at some point, Hollywood gets the memo.

Into the Woods is a great movie production with plenty of applause worthy moments. There is plenty of fun in it, but stops short of pure exuberance. I’m amazed at how these vastly different stories were believably intertwined, but it makes the plot almost too busy as if the writer(s) wanted the challenge of layering a bunch of stories just because.

Into the Woods is a foot-tapping, tongue-in-cheek, upscale drama for the discriminating fairy tale reader. Mirth mixes with reality to produce an adult-friendly bedtime story that you can hum.