Dreamgirls

[kddani]

Loved it, though I thought it the acting didn't get REALLY good until the middle and end- the beginning made me wonder, okay, so where's are these great performances.

Jennifer was amazing. My mom had no idea who she was and loved her. I've never heard a theatre so quiet. I hope that her people handle her right and make the right decisions for her... she could end up having one hell of a career.

Beyonce was much less annoying that she has been in previous roles. I really do not understand why she was nominated for Best Actress. Not only because she was not really the lead, but that there was nothing really outstanding about her performance. To me, she has two acting settings- over the top (i.e. Foxy Cleopatra in Austin powers) and flat (most of Dreamgirls). She was pretty good in the last few sequences. But that may also be due to the role itself. I actually forgot that she was Beyonce, which was a good thing. She lost a lot of weight for the role and looks a lot different when she is so thin, and also when she has very little makeup on.

I thought that the rest of the cast was fantastic as well.

About the only time anyone in the room talked was when Jaleel White was on screen- everyone was like hey, there's Urkel!

[MissCaramella]

Originally Posted by kddani

Loved it, though I thought it the acting didn't get REALLY good until the middle and end- the beginning made me wonder, okay, so where's are these great performances.

Jennifer was amazing. My mom had no idea who she was and loved her. I've never heard a theatre so quiet. I hope that her people handle her right and make the right decisions for her... she could end up having one hell of a career.

Beyonce was much less annoying that she has been in previous roles. I really do not understand why she was nominated for Best Actress. Not only because she was not really the lead, but that there was nothing really outstanding about her performance. To me, she has two acting settings- over the top (i.e. Foxy Cleopatra in Austin powers) and flat (most of Dreamgirls). She was pretty good in the last few sequences. But that may also be due to the role itself. I actually forgot that she was Beyonce, which was a good thing. She lost a lot of weight for the role and looks a lot different when she is so thin, and also when she has very little makeup on.

I thought that the rest of the cast was fantastic as well.

About the only time anyone in the room talked was when Jaleel White was on screen- everyone was like hey, there's Urkel!

I agree with all of that, especially the part about Beyonce being nominated for Best Actress. There just wasn't a clear cut lead in the movie, in my opinion.

[DeltAlum]

Random thoughts...

It could be that Jennifer Hudson is nominated for Supporting Actress because the nominators think she may have a better chance of winning there -- possibly figuring nobody in the movie has a chance for Best Actress, but throw Beyonce a bone with a nomination.

When we saw the show, it was the first time in years that there was actually applause during and after the movie. (Three or four times during the show)

The credits were about three times longer than necessary. Lots of ego involvement there.

As a TV director (somewhat of a technocrat), it was nice to see that as the movie timeline progressed, they changed the technology (particularly TV cameras and microphones) to match the movement forward in time. Nice work and research.

The theatre was full -- for We Are Marshall, it was pretty empty. That could be weather related, though. It's been pretty strange here recently.

[tld221]

agreeing with everything above.

saw it last nite. JHud was amazing, Beyonce was dead. and our theatre was a hot mess, hooting and hollering like it was church Sunday, and then when Beyonce did "Listen," she got the pity applause. me and my friends were seriously on some "black folx in the movie theatre" mess, screaming, "dont clap for that!" i dont even like that song, so she definitely wasnt getting props from me!

and yes, i could not take eddie seriously either, we kept singing "party all the time" everytime he came on the screen. jamie did a decent job in his role, especially when he got real Ike on Beyonce's character.

i felt a couple of parallels. that one scene, where he's telling her how her voice has no character and how no one knows her in her voice... man i was like, beyonce you gon have to step your game UP cause JHud is about to get it ON! also, the same way B's character was used to sell the group in the movie is the same way she was used to sell the movie. at the end of the movie, ANYONE couldve played her role.

lastly, i thought the baby story was extraneous and the ending a little too clean, like it all wrapped up nicely. it kinda fell flat and it didnt matter how it ended.

[kansas13]

Originally Posted by MissCaramella

There just wasn't a clear cut lead in the movie, in my opinion.

I totally agree with this statement!! All and all I thought the movie was great. I thought the singing was AMAZING and I just loved to hate Jamie Foxx's character. I too compared them to an Ike and Tina roll. I definately think that Jennifer should win the Golden Globe for best supporting actress and she should be nominted for an Oscar!!

[lyrica9]

Originally Posted by kansas13

I too compared them to an Ike and Tina roll.

i thought they were supposed to be a take on berry gordy and diana ross...?