Three
films scheduled for release this summer look quite promising for fans of movie
musicals. And that makes me very happy indeed! Jersey
Boys swings
into our multiplexes on June 20; Begin Again follows on July 4; and Get
on Up completes this eagerly-awaited trio on August 1. To
whet your appetite, here’s a bit of information about each of these movies:
JERSEY
BOYS. Finally,
the popular Broadway musical about Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons has been
adapted for the screen. John Lloyd Young, a Tony winner for his portrayal
of the “falsetto giant” on stage, also appears as Valli in this film.
Christopher Walken joins the cast as the mobster who becomes a father figure to
the famous singers. Clint Eastwood directs. Yes, you read that right!
Eastwood and a musical may not seem to go together (remember Paint Your
Wagon?), but he is a fine composer and musician (remember Bird?), so
don’t worry about this one. Although I haven’t seen the Broadway play, the
clips of musical numbers from the stage production come across as exceptionally
entertaining.
BEGIN
AGAIN. Keira
Knightley, Mark Ruffalo, Hailee Steinfeld, Catherine Keener and Adam Levine
star in this dramatic film about struggling New York musicians. Knightley plays a British singer who inspires a
depressed label executive (Ruffalo) to record an album about the spirit of New
York. Keener and Steinfeld portray Ruffalo’s estranged wife and teenage
daughter, respectively. Levine takes on the unsympathetic role of Knightley’s
partner who dumps her after he becomes famous overnight. I can hardly wait to
see these excellent actors bring this story to life. And I’m eager to hear the tunes that Entertainment Weekly says might
be candidates for a Best Original Song Oscar.
GET
ON UP. At
last, a film about Godfather of Soul James Brown! Chadwick Boseman, who wowed
viewers as Jackie Robinson in 42, snagged this key role. Octavia Spencer
is cast as Brown’s aunt, and Viola Davis appears as the mother who abandons
him. How good is Boseman at portraying Brown? Spencer told Entertainment
Weekly that she “actually mistook his screen test for documentary footage.”
Evidently the talented actor can really belt out a song and has all the right
moves. Yay!!!
Labels: Begin Again, Get on Up, Jersey Boys, new film musicals
