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this-is-an-open-letter · 6 years

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Do you feel like what the Canadian skaters are doing goes beyond using the music as soundtrack to actually inhabiting the roles of Christian and Satine from the movie? I think so. With Scott Moir and Tessa Virtue, the Canadian skaters, it feels like he is singing Ewan McGregor’s lines to his partner. It feels like they’re having a relationship. And it’s kind of gone into another place by [the Olympics allowing songs with] lyrics. Because whether you consciously receive it or not, it’s a narration inside your head. And like a ballet of “Romeo and Juliet”; you understand the story. I look at the routine that the two Canadian skaters did, and it’s ballet on ice. … It’s an extraordinary thing to watch. It uplifts the soul. It exalts the spirit. You’re sort of aware of how brilliantly clever the choreography is, but all of that just melds into one gesture, until you’re just completely inside the emotion between those two characters. It’s kind of another level.

Like you said, “Lady Marmalade” was the hit, but it’s other songs that the athletes have gravitated toward — the deep tracks. Are you surprised by which songs the athletes use? The Canadian routine is just exquisite. What they do is compress the whole relationship of the movie into one three-minute bite, and it’s very well cut, and each movement moves from one thing to another. You have an opening statement of “The Show Must Go On,” and then I think it goes into “El Tango de Roxanne,” which is kind of how volatile the relationship is. And then it ends with “Come what may, we will be together forever.” So that sums up the somewhat tragic, operatic structure of the movie.

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Baz Luhrmann is nowhere near South Korea at the moment, but you could be forgiven for thinking that he had a hand in the winter Olympics. A good part of it is playing out as a tribute to his 2001 movie, “Moulin Rouge.” Skaters from four different countries have revived at least a half-dozen songs from the film’s soundtrack for their routines — most notably, the Canadians who have now become the most rewarded ice dance team in history, with an assist from soundtrack cuts like the Ewan McGregor-sung “Come What May.” This is the first year that the Olympics have allowed songs with lyrics to be part of the skating competition, and it’s as if 17 years’ worth of bottled-up “Moulin Rouge” mania is being unleashed all at once.

The director spoke with Variety about his fandom for the Olympians’ “Moulin” fixation, along with his appreciation for what’s being done with the upcoming Broadway adaptation of the film, which he’s observing from only slightly less of a distance.

Variety: With a Broadway stage musical version of “Moulin Rouge” opening this year, some might think the production had an endorsement or sponsorship deal with the Olympics. Was an arrangement made on the sly? Baz Luhrmann: I can tell you that when I woke up and the “Moulin Rouge” album was No. 13 on the iTunes chart — and I don’t know if it had even been on the charts in 10 years — I was as surprised as everybody else. But hey, I’m happy to consider “Moulin Rouge on Ice: The Skating Spectacular!” I know how I’d cast it.

The soundtrack album was a strong seller at the time, but it wasn’t “Thriller” big. Hearing it used in the Olympics might lead you to believe that it was more ubiquitous than it was. I’ve got quite a few “Moulin Rouge” platinum records — I mean, CDs — on my wall. But I certainly don’t have anything near what I’m sure Quincy [Jones] and Michael had on their walls. “Moulin” was very much driven in the early parts by the single that we did with Christina [Aguilera] and Pink (“Lady Marmalade”), when they were new on the scene. And the soundtrack has had a life.

But the film itself… There’s a greater love, appreciation and openness now to the musical form—thank God. I went through such a war to convince people that maybe there was a way of mashing the musical door open again back then… As with all the work I did, there was a hugely divided critical response. The two critics for Time [Magazine], I think one called it the second best film of the year, and one called it the worst. (Indeed, Richard Corliss did have it as his second-best for 2001, while his comrade Richard Schickel had it as the year’s 11th worst film.) But the audiences find it, and they’re very passionate and connected to it.

You’re surprised by the level to which this is happening, but have you been getting a feeling over the years that the music is getting this kind of use, outside of the Olympics? Now we’ve moved into an era where there are many successful [film] musicals. And even currently, with “”Greatest Showman,” it’s just grown and grown. The thing about musicals is that once they start to work, they never go away. I mean, “Sound of Music” is being performed somewhere in the world every day. “Moulin Rouge” has had a different kind of life. Remember when Obama was running? He used “Yes We Can Can Can” (“Because We Can,” by Fatboy Slim) in his original campaign [in 2008]. So the music has been used and been ongoing. And, musicals, operas, by their very nature, they’re heightened emotion. They’re not meant to be realist. That’s why you have very simple plots, but you can have extremely exalted emotions. And that really suits the narrative you need to play out on ice.

Skating has a history of using opera or ballet scores, like “Swan Lake” and “Carmen.” It has to be as emotional as possible in three minutes. There’s not a lot of time to waste in getting to that heightened state you are talking about. Exactly. I remember when I was a kid — Nadia Comaneci, do you remember her, the Romanian gymnast? She was doing her gymnastics to the theme [from “The Young and the Restless”], and it became such a huge radio hit that they renamed it “Nadia’s Theme.” And that was the first time I can remember when sport popularized a piece of music that was relatively dormant.

And when [American bronze medalist] Vincent Zhou uses “Nature Boy”… I worked with David Bowie on doing that vocal, and even though his interpretation isn’t that present in the movie, it’s one of the more extraordinary vocal performances that I’ve ever been involved in — or seen, really. I always thought it was a really remarkable recording, and was a bit sad that it didn’t get as much exposure. Eden Ahbez wrote that [in the 1940s, originally recorded by Nat King Cole] about a kind of singular and almost messianic boy, and I think [Zhou] sort of embodies that. So I was surprised and really liked how he used the music in that.

If “Nature Boy” can become one of the hits of 2018, then life can surprise all of us in pleasant ways. You know what, man, I love your outlook, because I believe that, too. That’s where the human condition can atone for the stupidity of our situation, when we can bring out a little bit of beauty. And “Nature Boy” is just such a remarkable piece, and thank God the music and the art and the sport and those things cut through a lot of the ugly noise, which ultimately will pass.

This should lead to greater interest in the film on Netflix, as well as re-popularizing the soundtrack. Do you foresee a leap in revival screenings? “Moulin Rouge” and “Romeo + Juliet,” and “Gatsby” even, there are screenings all the time, (especially) in Los Angeles. Because the films are made to be seen more than once. And in fact in London, there was a thing called Secret Cinema, where you had to come dressed as characters, and it was a thousand people a night. Can you imagine? It ran for several months. They built all the sets to “Moulin Rouge,” and they performed in front of the movie, a bit like “Rocky Horror Picture Show,” where it was meant to be participatory. It just keeps having its own interpretations. That’s what it’s there to do.

And the latest interpretation is the upcoming stage version of “Moulin.” You’re not involved with it? I’m not doing the live stage musical, which is opening in Boston and then coming to Broadway. Because I’m kind of at the center of it, but I’ve moved on myself, it’s a bit like a child who’s gone off to college. You know, I hear from it occasionally.

It’s being directed by Alex Timbers, who did “Bloody, Bloody Andrew Jackson” and David Byrne’s “Here Lies Love,” which was lesser-seen but just great. [That was] fantastic. Loved it. I can tell you, I’m like a distant uncle. I drop in occasionally and give them great encouragement. My whole thing about it is that when you make these works — when I made “La Boheme” the opera on Broadway, and when I did “Strictly Ballroom,” which is ultimately about rebelling against artistic oppression — I was a bit of a young rebel. I’m not that person anymore. So I feel much better about saying, “Alex, you take it and interpret it as you see it.” Alex is kind of a fan, and his team are fans, and they’re young. It’s so much better if they do that, and it’s such a joy to see them go off with it. The original parent getting in the way of the process is probably not that helpful.

Can you say what you’re working on now, or is it a secret? Uh, it is a secret. It’s a big music piece. There are two of them, actually, two really large movies I’ve been working on for years. I’m deciding which one is the most relevant in this oh-so-messy, ugly world. … There is so much just dissension and division and anger and grubbiness that to see two athletes actually create not only an extraordinary physical achievement but something that is poetic – and above all, something that is human – that’s really touching to me to have contributed to that in any way whatsoever.

It must be gratifying to have something like “Moulin,” which was, as you say, “dormant,” come back to life… There is music and culture, stories and art that move through time and geography. And to me that’s what defines classicism: It’s actually got relevance in a different place and a different time, way after the fact… You can’t turn to any corner of existence, no matter who you do, who you are, where you are, without seeing that the old tectonic plates of history are smashing together, and it’s bigger than all of us.

#tessa and scott #he loves it so much i am so happy for VM for nailing it so hard #the fact that VM and their team were able to nail it so much that Baz was like yup thats exactly the story in 4 minutes - is amazing

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queeniewriteshockey · 5 years

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ok but what would nolan be like when u were sick? i feel like if he was on the road you’d mention it really nonchalantly, not expecting much sympathy or anything bc everyone gets sick and nolan can be like a rock sometimes when it comes to emotions but he absolutely FLIPS and he considers leaving two games into the road trip to come home and take care of u and eventually u have to go to the hospital and u don’t tell him but he finds out and comes home early anyway and ahhhhh fluffy nolan i luv u

He’s a really focused guy, so like it would take a lot for him to break that. His game is his thing, he’s always looking to stay in the moment. On the ice its all about hockey. He’s hardworking and driven. It’s what makes him one of the best and why he was so high on the draft list. He’s just like that, though. When he’s in the zone, there is nothing getting him out of it.

On away games, you talk to him seldom. You text from time to time, but he’s always pretty busy. You’re not expecting the phone call you get from him late at night. You’d left him a VM earlier in the day to celebrate a grade on a test you’d been stressing about and mentioned in passing that you probably could have done better if you hadn’t picked up the flu along the way. You even sound sick in your message. It’s nothing, you’ve been sick plenty of times. You’ll pop some echinacea and some zinc and chill on the couch with a Netflix binge. You finish the call with an ‘I love you and can’t wait to see you’

You figured that was the end of that. You’d spent the day on the couch, resting and trying to shake the fever that had nailed you. You hadn’t mentioned that to Nolan in the message or the fact that you’d gone to class with it. Your throat was burning and your body hurt to the touch. You’d be over it by the time he got home, you were sure.

His phone call comes late at night and you answer it, expecting something to be wrong. There isn’t. He just wants to check on you and make sure you’re okay. He can tell that you’re not okay, though. Your voice is less milk and honey and more craggy rocks on chalkboards. You sound like shit and you know it. It takes you longer than it should to convince him you’re okay and that you don’t need him to miss his games and come home.

As much as you love the idea of your boyfriend taking care of you, you are not going to be the reason he’s scratched from important games. You understand some of the standings and the bids for the playoffs. You aren’t taking him out of the mix. You aren’t doing that to him or the team. You are fine.

Except... you’re not. Three days pass and the fever gets worse. Your throat swells to the point of barely being able to breathe and you can’t eat, drink or even swallow anything. A trip to the ER is in order and you can’t get around it even if you wanted to. Turns out... strep throat doesn’t go away unless you use antibiotics. Scarlet fever anyone?

It’s less than 12 hours after your trip to the ER, less time than you’ve been on the meds and you still feel like absolute shit. You’ve grown roots in your house, the couch has been your best friend. You barely hear the front door open but the keys jingle and cause you to join the land of the conscious living for a moment. You’re almost sure that Nolan is a fever dream when you look up but when you reach out and touch him, he’s actually there.

You could cry, you’re so happy to see him. He doesn’t give you a chance to talk, though. He’s scooping you up off the couch and carrying you to bed when he tucks you in and watches over you until the fever breaks and your mind is clearer. It's then that you realize that he’s supposed to be playing a game instead of sitting by your bedside looking over you.

You want to feel bad about that, but you’re just too sick to care. He’s there with you. That was what you actually wanted.

#nolan patrick #Anonymous

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felicityb-reviews · 6 years

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iKON "Love Scenario" MV Review

Tfw your mans gets lines when you weren't expecting him to

Hi guys!! My name is Jace (aka Felicity B), and iKON released something I didn't gay up straight up despise?!?! Sorcery...

*ahem*

Welcome to my review for Love Scenario!! I'm not gonna lie, I'm not in a love scenario for Love Scenario (hell, not even a like scenario), BUT!! It's a major improvement over previous title tracks. Specifically that it's not a four year old demo B.I made in 2.592 seconds, and YG made them release because it reminded him of M.A.D.E era BIGBANG.

~The Song~

*sigh*

I said this in my Neverland review, and I'm gonna say it here - I review music, not people. Granted, I don't actually like iKON (I might have caused some trouble a year and a half ago by calling them iKEA on Tumblr, but that's nothing y'all can prove), but I'm mature enough of an adult to not outright trash them unless they deserve it. To be honest, I pity iKON more than I actually dislike them; YG put a ridiculous amount of pressure on iKON to outsell WINNER be his most successful boy band since BIGBANG, but it didn't happen, so he exiled them to Japan. He also doesn't give Double B as much creative control over iKON's music as he acts like he does (if the company lets you make your own music but then tells you what kind of songs they want, that's not creative control). So, unless I address Double B or the other members of iKON by name, I'm not critiquing them.

I don't know why I put these disclaimers in my reviews, because I know someone is gonna see some random ass blurb, take it out of context, and then cry to their five followings that the Mean Black Gay™ dragged them when I call them out on it. It always fucking happens.

Love Scenario is not a bad song. It's not a particularly good song, but it's not straight up trash like Bling Bling. There are elements here that could make this song great, but they're overpowered by all the problems of the track.

Look, I wholly understand that YG wants iKON to be his Hood Fabulous™ NuGen boy band, but this song suffers because of the trap elements. Or rather, it suffers from Double B and MILLENIUM randomly throwing the trap beats into the song and then dropping them without warning. It gives Love Scenario a really stuttered start/stop pace, and that makes the song feel like it never actually gets off the ground.

I mean, there's the full time section at the end that reminds me of Black Pink's Whistle, but it's at the end, sis. Why these niggas always puttin' the best parts of the song at the end?!?!?! They did this same shit with Dumb and Dumber, and I'm still mad about that.

Two Years Later.

Moving on, I also found the excessive use of cowbells and claps on every beat in the prechorus and chorus sections to be annoying as fuck. Especially when it would have made a lot more sense to have dropped out all the percussion for the prechorus (except a snare roll to lead it into the chorus), and then pull the trap beats in at the start of the actual chorus. I'm really not trynna be shady (okay, maybe a lil bit), but it sounds like they forgot to turn off the click track in those bits, and when they did their first play though, they thought it sounded cool or somethin'.

Another problem I have with Love Scenario is that it suffers from crap line distribution. To be fair, it's not as bad as some previous iKON feature tracks (Dumb and Dumber *ahem*), but sis. What is the point of having a seven member group when only four of the members consistently get lines?!?!?! I'm so tired of iKON songs being 85% Double B, 10% Jinhwan/Junhoe, and the other three scrap over the last 5%. Y'all, I was whole ass Shook™ when I watched the Inkigayo comeback stage, and it was Yunhyeong who sang the bridge, not Jinhwan. That should not be A Thing™ for a group I've been following since their debut.

And while I'm asking the Big Man™ questions - why are Double B, iKON's rappers, singing more than Chanwoo and Yunhyeong?!?! E S P E C I A L L Y when the two of them rap the entirety of the verses?!?!?!

YG!!

SIS!!

DON'T

UNDERSTAND!!

~The Video~

The video for Love Scenario is directed by VM Project, and it shows. She's got a theme, every shot is deliberate (nothing seems like it was thrown in there just to fluff out the video), and the editing is tight. But while there were some really cool shots (like the 360 cam in the circle room, showing off the different stages of the relationship described in the song), this video it really fucking boring.

And before y'all flame my ass, I do realize that that's partially because this group doesn't do much for me. But it's also because this video is so painfully standard, it's boring. In fact, this video is probably the most boring video I've ever watched that was directed by VM Project.

Why?!?!!

Because, instead of focusing on the theme of the video (the comparison of a relationship to a film), the video is 90% choreography shots and iKON just bein' bros. In fact, I'm pretty sure YG blew most of the budget on those album teasers (that VM Project also directed), and that's a major contribution as to why this video is so lackluster.

I think this video could have been far more interesting, because of the metaphorical nature of the lyrics, but the Management™. She wasn't being particularly smart that day.

A Shame™.

Of course, when is Mistress YG ever being smart?!?!?

~The Choreography~

Love Scenario's routine works the same angle that many of iKON's previous routines (hell YGe routines, in general) have, and I'm bored. Granted, this one has a lil bit more creativity put into the formations.

But I'm still bored.

For those of you who've been here since BC (Before Chanwoo), YG would not shut his trap about iKON's dance skill. In every one of his frou frou ass press releases (sorry, personal letters to Da Fans™) about iKON/Team B, he would mention that they were a strong dance unit. And credit where it's due; they turned it out with the dance routines on their survival shows in a way that WINNER never did (which is to be expected when only two of the five members of WINNER actually liked to dance). But ever since their debut, iKON haven't given us anything close to what they're capable of.

And that's as much a critique against iKON as it is at YG's choreographers, because Black Pink's routines are just as whack. But catch me stannin' Black Pink, cause they actually give me something on stage.

In fact, one could easily frame why boy band stans who say that girl groups don't do as much on stage are speaking out of their ass with a comparison between Black Pink and iKON's performance abilities, but this isn't that kind of post. I'm just saying that iKON and YG's choreographers need to get it together, because a group of this caliber should not be outchea dancin' like 2016 EXO. It's not a cute look.

~Overall And Final Thoughts~

Quite frankly, I'm tired of YG Entertainment's bullshit, and iKON's output is a great example of why. This group has so much fucking potential (just like all their acts do), but this abominable agency has no fucking idea to carry that shit through. YG, himself, is a misogynist creep who literally does the most to do the fuckin' least, and I'm over it.

Y'all, it's been almost two and a half years, and I'm still waiting on this group to do S O M E T H I N G out of the box. And Love Scenario came so close, sis. SO CLOSE!! Those album teasers had me a lil hype. The music sounded like GroovyRoom phoning it in like they did for ONE's debut, but it was S O M E T H I N G. Hell, even the song teasers had me loosening the drawstrap on my wig!! But the final product missed mark.

And yes, as I've consistently pointed out throughout this review, it's not entirely fair for me to put so much of the blame on iKON. But sis, I don't know what I'm supposed to say!! I've given this group S O M A N Y chances to really nail my wig to wall (like I do all of YG's acts), but they continue to just be so damn lackluster.

Also, YG does the same bullshit to all his other acts!! But why is it that WINNER and AKMU and Lee Hi (who doesn't even write any of her own music) are able to release decent music, despite YG's bullshit, but not iKON!?!?! Why, sis?!?!!?

I just don't understand!!

Bottom line is that I'm tired of trying to like this group. They've shown some potential here, but it's not enough. Love Scenario would have a cute release back in 2015, but it's not 2015 anymore. iKON should be past this by now.

#iKON #Love Scenario #Review #Felicity B

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