My first contribution to CoP is an old remniscence on Grease I (another on Star Wars III is to follow shortly). The movie proves that a good soundtrack can go a very long way. Easy Rider, for example, is very boring without music, unless you like watching post-card perfect pictures of the American West of strange looking men on Harleys. (By contrast, the battle at Helms Deep at the end of the second Lord of the Rings just needs rain on the soundtrack). While there were a few scenes where I expected The Fonz to make a cameo appearance, Grease surprised me with its sense of humour (you keep a straight face during Frankie Avalon’s “Beauty School Drop Out!”), and its treatment of 50s (or high school) nostalgia. The musical succeeds because even though it does not aim to rise above ‘mere entertainment,’ it does not condescend to its characters or its audience. (More ’serious,’ artsy/indie movies would do well to remember this.)
(more…)

Technorati tags:
• chokingonpopcorn
• movie
• Ponderings
• On Singing and Dancing Australians