Movie Review: The Greatest Showman

Happy Holidays and almost New Year, everyone! I hope you and your family have been blessed with good food, good times and warmth this frigid season. We’ve been under a cold snap for a week or so and it hasn’t been fun. One morning I walked to work it felt like -41C with the windchill! Hurry up, Spring!

Last night we braved the cold and went over to the movies and watched The Greatest Showman, staring Hugh Jackman, Zach Efron, Zendaya and Michelle Williams. Honourable mention to Keala Settle as the Bearded Lady, in which she was wonderful. A lot of what I can say about this movie has already been said; the score and songs are lively and bright, even the more somber pieces, with Hugh Jackman showing us yet again why he is a true Hollywood star. The man can sing, dance AND act, making it seem almost effortless. At one point he’s running through the streets of New York, singing his lungs out, and I believe him. When the movie ended my husband and I turned to each other and said “We have to get this soundtrack!” And we will. My favourite song was This is Me, carried by Keala Settle, which won a well deserved Golden Globe this year.

Zack is no slouch, with his duet with Zendaya being another highlight in the film. Ryan didn’t realize he could sing but I pointed out that pretty much anyone who gets their start with Disney has to be able to sing and dance, and he didn’t disappoint. 

The lack of CGI was a treat as a lot of the time it really felt like the characters were in the old building, interacting with each other and the sets. I understand *why* they needed CGI lions and elephants but it would’ve been neat to have real ones for the shows. Some more interaction between characters without Hugh or Zack around would’ve added needed depth to a lot of the circus performers, but at over 2 hours already I imagine those scenes were cut. I have no idea what any of their names are, to be honest, not even Zendaya’s, and that lack of detail bothers me. P.T. Barnum made his fortune and enduring legacy off the backs of these folks and we don’t even really get to know them.  It also touches on the racism at the time without centering it, which is both a positive and a negative.

This is a family friendly film as there is only brawl and a fire, with most of the drama being interpersonal without being violent. It’s a rags-to-riches story in the most literal sense, a good time out that will get your toes tapping, and it’s always a pleasure to see Hugh Jackman on the big screen not tearing out someone’s entrails and screaming. 

8/10



via Fat and Not Afraid http://ift.tt/2zRO7lG

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

9th Turkey Awards: Obesity Eugenics Media Campaigns

Image
A fairly recent article in an Australian newspaper ─ October 2016 ─ had the inflammatory headline, " Call to stop obese women from having babies. " The picture below it featured a woman with a slight double chin and said, " Experts warn obese women should not have children. " Well, here we go again with the Obesity Eugenics Wars. This incredibly discriminatory movement is the winner of not one but two Turkey Awards. It's time to call these egregious practices out. If you aren't familiar with them, the Turkey Awards are the "prizes" I hand out to highlight fat-phobic treatment of people of size from care providers, biased attitudes or studies from researchers, or troubling trends in the care of fat pregnant women these days. In past years of the Turkey Awards, we've talked about: #1:  fat-phobic care providers #2:  scare-mongering and shaming tactics #3:  jumping to conclusions about risks #4:  scorched earth tactics #5:  prenatal weight gain e
Read more

Keep Children in Rear-Facing Car Seats Longer

Image
Image from Consumer Reports article cited below As we head into the new school year and the holiday weekend, it is a good time to remind parents and guardians to double-check their car seat usage. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) has issued new guidelines suggesting that parents keep their young children in rear-facing car seats until they reach the height or weight limits of that seat.  In other words, don't be so eager to get those children front-facing because children really are safer rear-facing.  In the past, AAP recommendations were age-based. Generally they recommended that children become front-facing at age two . But there is such a wide variation of size in children, even at the same age, that going only by age doesn't make sense. Also, research shows that rear-facing remains the safest position even for children older than two. Instead, parents should consult the height and weight limits of the car seat they use and use those to guide when to switch to fron
Read more

Women Are Dying From This: Taking Cesareans Seriously

Image
When women have cesareans, they are rarely warned that a possible complication can be placental problems in future pregnancies. Many women (and especially higher weight women ) are pressured into cesareans in their first pregnancy. Many of these same women are counseled away from Vaginal Birth After Cesarean (VBAC) and into repeat cesareans in subsequent pregnancies. Few of these women have been told that cesareans raise the risk for Placenta Accreta, a very serious complication, and that every cesarean increases the risk for it. I know *I* wasn't told this. This is a tremendous disservice to parents and to the importance of informed consent. About Accreta In Placenta Accreta, the fertilized egg implants near or on scar tissue in the uterus. This scar tissue is usually from a prior cesarean, but can also be from a D&C procedure, fibroid removals, a perforation from an IUD, or any uterine surgery or instrumentation. The placenta then grows into the uterine wall in this scar tis
Read more