Cats

Cats                                                                                                                                                                       March 30, 2020

I saw the theatrical version of Cats twice. The essence of Cats is its beauty and simplicity.  Wonderful songs, great dancing and minimal  staging defined it. The story  is based on a collection of poems by T.S. Elliot. Why Tom Hooper, the director, decided to blow up this story into a rambling quasi Busby Berkeley  production is a mystery? The cast members are extremely talented, well known and expensive. They include: James Corden, Judi Dench, Jason Derulo, Idris Elba, Jennifer Hudson, Ian McKellen, Taylor Swift, Rebel Wilson, and Francesca Hayward. The production cost $100m and the box office was $76m. Adverting costs usually doubles production, so we are talking about $200m all in. You may remember  NYC cabs with plastic roof advertisements sporting cat ears.

Is this film in the company of past cinematic bombs like, Heaven’s Gate, Pluto Nash or Hudson Hawks; I think not. Jennifer Hudson sings a powerful rendition of Memories. There were some impressive dance numbers and Francesca Hayward ,who is a principal ballerina,  gave  graceful performances. Some actors were nearly unrecognizable such as Idris Elba. I think the silliest thing in the movie were the giant sets. If a cat sat in a chair the chair was huge  making the actor look small (if you ever saw the children’s movie The Borrowers, you know what I mean) . Their cat tails danced and ears wiggled thanks to CG. The costumes were an abundance of fur but the makeup was very good. Judi Dench looked like a huge dust ball. Ian McKellen was wasted and had a minor role. Rebel Wilson kept on spreading her legs with her tail in between. If she was trying to imitate a cat, she looked more like a plump burlesque dancer.

One really bad scene was when the cats were rummaging through garbage cans and eating what were obviously cheap plastic props. It was cartoonish. Also Hooper interjected dialogue which was not part of the original Carts and it did not help the production.

Why did I spend $20 to see this on Amazon Prime? I guess it was morbid curiosity. The director is no light weight. He directed the King’s Speech and Les Misérables . The cast is outstanding and the songs are classics although they did add some diddlies that fell flat . The original Cats was a small tight production. What Hooper did was supersize it  which diminished its essence and soul. Unless you want to send your unemployment money foolishly for On Demand wait for HBO.

.

Mr. Holmes

Mr. Holmes

Sir Ian McKellen hails from the school of great British actors including John Gielgud, Derek Jacobi and Ralph Fiennes. This small jewel of a movie is a showcase for a master actor. Mckellen plays Holmes devoid of his pipe, cap and cape. This Holmes is more debonair with a silk top hat and a bespoke suit. His attitude is prickly and distant.  McKellen can play the role without words. You know what he is saying just by looking at him. He ages ten years just by using facial expressions. We have not seen this Holmes before. At 93 stands at the edge of darkness and refuses to look down.

Holmes retired 35 years ago and lives on a farm in Dover. He lives with his house keeper Mrs. Munro, played by Laura Linney and her young son Roger. All of Holmes’s loved ones have passed on: Dr. Watson, his brother Mycroft and Mrs. Hudson his former house keeper. These deaths put a profound sadness on Holmes, but what scares him more is his loss of memory. What Dr. Morioirty could not do with a gun and a dagger, Alzheimer is killing cell by cell. Desperately seeking a cure for his memory loss he travels to Japan for a plant found in the fields of Hiroshima. At home he cultivates Royal Jelly hoping for the same cure. They prove to be hokum. He is more frightened of losing his memory than death.

There is a story within a story. Compared to other Holmes tales this one is a simple. It is a vehicle to show how Holmes wound up in his farm house. The sad outcome of the case lead to his retirement.

Mercifully this movie is devoid of stunts and CG. The great unwashed will ridicule the movie’s low box office but be confounded by the great number of nominations it garners. This is an actor’s movie, the cast is outstanding. For the Master Piece Theater crowd this film is for you. For you Sherlock Holmes groupies, this movie is for you. For the rest, you could do a lot worst.