13 replies to this topic

[Harmsway]

NINE is a flick I've been anticipating for quite a while. It's the film adaptation of the award-winning stage musical of the same name (which is, in and of itself, an adaptation of the famous Fellini film, 8 1/2). It's from director Rob Marshall (CHICAGO, MEMOIRS OF A GEISHA), and boasts an amazingly star-studded cast (Daniel Day-Lewis, Marion Cotillard, Nicole Kidman, Penelope Cruz, Judi Dench, Sophia Loren, Kate Hudson).

I don't know how many other musical fans sit around CB.n, but suffice to say, I think the recently released trailer looks excellent. What do you guys think?

[Matt_13]

Watched the trailer for this earlier today and thought it looked fantastic. Love DDL and I can say I am most definitely anticipating this one.

[Loomis]

NINE is a flick I've been anticipating for quite a while. It's the film adaptation of the award-winning stage musical of the same name (which is, in and of itself, an adaptation of the famous Fellini film, 8 1/2). It's from director Rob Marshall (CHICAGO, MEMOIRS OF A GEISHA), and boasts an amazingly star-studded cast (Daniel Day-Lewis, Marion Cotillard, Nicole Kidman, Penelope Cruz, Judi Dench, Sophia Loren, Kate Hudson).

I don't know how many other musical fans sit around CB.n, but suffice to say, I think the recently released trailer looks excellent. What do you guys think?

I liked Marshall's MEMOIRS OF A GEISHA (yes, I know it's not a musical), and this trailer boasts a couple of interesting visuals, but it's gonna befuddle anyone unfamiliar with 8½ or the musical, which I guess means the vast majority of the public. There were complaints that the WATCHMEN trailer was too difficult for the uninitiated, and I think the same sort of thing may be going on here.

Trying to marry 8½ with MAMMA MIA! seems an interesting, if risky, idea, and one wonders whether it'll pay off into a smash hit or whether it'll end up as, well, the WATCHMEN of musicals in terms of grosses.

Let's not forget, though, that 8½ is one of the very greatest films of all time and cannot possibly be topped. If Marshall's effort turns out to be a hit, it'll hopefully draw attention to 8½ and other wonderful Fellinis.

[Harmsway]

There were complaints that the WATCHMEN trailer was too difficult for the uninitiated, and I think the same sort of thing may be going on here.

A lot of trailers for recent musicals have been similarly non-story focused, so I don't think NINE is too unique in that regard. I don't know that this will turn anybody off in the way WATCHMEN's "too cool for you" advertising campaign did.

Trying to marry 8½ with MAMMA MIA! seems an interesting, if risky, idea, and one wonders whether it'll pay off into a smash hit or whether it'll end up as, well, the WATCHMEN of musicals in terms of grosses.

I suspect it will have something to do with whether or not it manages to snag any Oscar noms.

[dodge]

NINE is a flick I've been anticipating for quite a while. It's the film adaptation of the award-winning stage musical of the same name (which is, in and of itself, an adaptation of the famous Fellini film, 8 1/2). It's from director Rob Marshall (CHICAGO, MEMOIRS OF A GEISHA), and boasts an amazingly star-studded cast (Daniel Day-Lewis, Marion Cotillard, Nicole Kidman, Penelope Cruz, Judi Dench, Sophia Loren, Kate Hudson).

I don't know how many other musical fans sit around CB.n, but suffice to say, I think the recently released trailer looks excellent. What do you guys think?

I liked Marshall's MEMOIRS OF A GEISHA (yes, I know it's not a musical), and this trailer boasts a couple of interesting visuals, but it's gonna befuddle anyone unfamiliar with 8½ or the musical, which I guess means the vast majority of the public. There were complaints that the WATCHMEN trailer was too difficult for the uninitiated, and I think the same sort of thing may be going on here.

Trying to marry 8½ with MAMMA MIA! seems an interesting, if risky, idea, and one wonders whether it'll pay off into a smash hit or whether it'll end up as, well, the WATCHMEN of musicals in terms of grosses.

Let's not forget, though, that 8½ is one of the very greatest films of all time and cannot possibly be topped. If Marshall's effort turns out to be a hit, it'll hopefully draw attention to 8½ and other wonderful Fellinis.

I think you've just nailed the hit on the head. CHICAGO was one of my favorite films and Lord knows Rob Marshall can direct. But I can't think of a worse idea for a musical. Or a more certain course to commercial disaster. Personally, I wish he'd married QoS with XANADU instead.

[Vauxhall]

Been keen on this one for a while. The trailer seems suitably stylish. All evidence so far suggests this one will be floating around come Awards Season next year.

[Loomis]

There were complaints that the WATCHMEN trailer was too difficult for the uninitiated, and I think the same sort of thing may be going on here.

A lot of trailers for recent musicals have been similarly non-story focused, so I don't think NINE is too unique in that regard. I don't know that this will turn anybody off in the way WATCHMEN's "too cool for you" advertising campaign did.

I think this trailer is "too cool for you". Who on earth is it supposed to appeal to, other than (and no offence to anyone here) the snooty and foppish? It kept making me think of BRUNO, but unfortunately not of a flick full of Baron Cohen brilliance but of the kind of people BRUNO sends up. Heck, even as a Fellini fanboy this leaves me cold. I'm with dodge. I think this is gonna be a mammoth bomb. And quite deservedly so, probably.

[Harmsway]

But I can't think of a worse idea for a musical.

Why?

For what it's worth, I'm not well acquainted with the musical NINE, so I can't at all speak to its merits (or lack of them). But I do know that NINE has received more than its share of acclaim over the years, and I daresay the subject material lends itself to a musical pretty well. Untraditional narratives dealing with a maze of relationships have worked before; Stephen Sondheim's wonderful COMPANY serves as an example.

Who on earth is it supposed to appeal to, other than (and no offence to anyone here) the snooty and foppish?

The same crowd who enjoyed CHICAGO.

[Turn]

I saw a preview of this on Entertainment Tonight or something like that, knowing nothing about it and found myself intrigued although I don't normally get into musicals. The cast alone makes it interesting, but I have a feeling Daniel Day Lewis will make the film.

Maybe the world's most overpaid actress will actually have a hit for once.

[Harmsway]

Well, we have a new trailer (better than the first, in my opinion):



Reviews of NINE have been all over the map. Some have preferred it to CHICAGO and consider it a wonderful tribute to Fellini, some found it an uninvolving mess. It seems that the press can't even agree on which members of the cast fail to hit the mark (though there have been a number of darts thrown at Daniel Day-Lewis). They generally agree that Marion Cotillard steals the show and is the film's only real hope for an acting nomination at the Oscars.

Cotillard's star number is "My Husband Makes Movies," the beginning of which can be glimpsed in the clip below:

[Mr. Blofeld]

You know, for some reason, I thought this was the musical version of 8MM, not 8½; imagine the thoughts going through my head...

[dinovelvet]

You know, for some reason, I thought this was the musical version of 8MM, not 8½; imagine the thoughts going through my head...

I'd see that. I can just imagine some toe-tapping numbers like "I'm going to kill him, him, and film him".

[Harmsway]

I gave the soundtrack a listen (it's up on the official site) and read the screenplay (the Weinstein Company released it for Awards consideration), and it's easy to see why NINE is receiving middle-of-the-road reviews merely from that sampling.

The music itself is a bit of a mix of good and bad. We have one awful number (Hudson's "Cinema Italiano") a couple of forgettable tunes (in particular, Day-Lewis' two numbers are a snoozefest), some okay "fun" showstoppers ("Be Italian," as featured in the trailer, being one of 'em), and one striking dramatic number ("My Husband Makes Movies," which Cotillard knocks out of the park). But it's never, ever excellent, and the lyrics are almost always pretty dodgy, which is unfortunate.

The script, though, makes a very shoddy use of these numbers. Almost all of the songs are poorly integrated into the narrative (which is flimsy, at best, and feels like a bit of a patchwork). At least one character--Hudson's--could be excised from the story without making any difference. She literally appears for a song and then vanishes, with little to no affect on any other character. Dench's character plays an important role, but her musical number doesn't really fit.

But the biggest problem is that for such an abstract story about artistic struggle and character relationship, we never really delve into the psychology of the characters. Everything's paper-thin, and none of the characters get any significant development. Things just aren't as meaty as they should be.

I'm still interested to see NINE. Some sequences should crackle and the cinematography and locations look great. But it definitely seems to be a bit of a mess, even if it ends up being a mess with some real bright spots.

[dodge]

You know, for some reason, I thought this was the musical version of 8MM, not 8½; imagine the thoughts going through my head...

I'd see that. I can just imagine some toe-tapping numbers like "I'm going to kill him, him, and film him".

Indeed. And I liked 8mm. But we're probably far better off having Day-Lewis un-Caged.