We booked the matinée showing of the movie Burlesque at the Cobb CineBistro in Hyde Park and were treated to an entertaining and lavishly produced movie that was vaguely reminiscent of the Busby Berkeley musicals of the 1930s.
 |
| Photo from Burlesque web site |
This Cher and Christina Aguilera pairing had the hallmark Berkeley clichés: The hard-nosed Broadway director dying for a hit - in this case, Cher's character trying to save her club from foreclosure; an egotistical star breaks an ankle making way for - Christina Aguilera, the small town girl from Iowa yearning for a big break (no pun intended, as there was no broken ankle); the unknown but talented chorus kid who takes over the starring role and triumphs. Not only did Aguilera's character take over the starring role, but she also saved the club from foreclosure.
Like the musicals from the thirties, Burlesque was not a deep, dark, enigmatic mélange of computer graphic imagery nor was it one of those horrific and ubiquitous 3D disasters. Burlesque is an entertaining, feel-good movie that can lift the spirits of a disheartened American audience not unlike the Berkeley musicals did for the depression era audiences many years ago.
The production sequences were spectacular, and like earlier musicals the stage tended to grow larger as the dance numbers progressed. The vocals were superb with Aguilera's Tough Lover and Cher's You Haven't Seen The Last Of Me being two stand-outs.
 |
| Photo from Burlesque web site |
As usual, the Hyde Park Cobb CineBistro was the perfect venue for enjoying a really good movie and some tasty food. We ordered a bucket of beer and a couple of their juicy hamburgers. Then we sat back in the plush, cozy seats and enjoyed the show.
0 comments:
Post a Comment