Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: Mamma Mia (2008)

my profile | my password | search | faq & rules | forum home

»	Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE » Community » Film Handlers' Movie Reviews » Mamma Mia (2008) (Page 3)

This topic comprises 3 pages: 1 2 3

Author

Topic: Mamma Mia (2008)

Frank Angel
Film God

Posts: 5305
From: Brooklyn NY USA
Registered: Dec 1999

posted 08-06-2008 04:29 PM

Well, if you guys think you are going to embarrass me into not going to see this movie, let me tell you, those days of me grabbing my ABBA LPs in a panic and hiding them under the bed every time one of my friends rang the doorbell, well those days are over. I am too old to be pretending that I am too hip to like ABBA....now I just leave 'em out right there on the coffee table in plain sight for everyone to see....and those friends all know that they'd better not even raise an eyebrow or they're out the door!

Nope, I am going and I am gonna sing at the top of my lungs --evidently someone's gotta drown out Pierce Brosnan. Yep, I've got my $10.50 already saved up as well as $38.75 for popcorn. Of course, right at the credits I will walk directly to the Manager's office and demand my money back because "The Name of the Game" WAS MISSING?!! Really....how could they?

You have at least got to give ABBA points for longevity. I mean, we just had Bjorn Again, the knockoff group who have been making a tidy sum for over a decade being ABBA reincarnate, down to the accents and inflections when they chit-chat with the audience. We packed the place and I mean standing room only. The audience was very mixed and half way thru, no one was sitting any more, they were up on their feet for the last full hour swining their arms, doing that pointing thing in the air -- which I never understood (it used to be so nice, it used to be so good). Sorry, couldn't resist. This concert turned into on big sing-a-long with 2500 people and amazingly, everyone knew the lyrics!

quote: Mike Blakesley
I do not understand the universal craze for ABBA. I mean, they had some pretty good songs (and two great ones in my opinion: "Waterloo" and "SOS") and the women were (are?) definitely hot, but other than that their music is just plain old good pop music.

Hey, what more do you want from pop music? And like I tell those of my friends who mock me, what accounts for their sustained popularity is : 1) MELODIES....stuff that sticks to your brain cells like mice to a glue pad. 2) HOT, BLOND WOMEN who can sing too, 3) POP MUSIC that had more top hits on the charts thant the Beatles, 4) and of most importance -- you can spell their name backwards and forwards. [Razz]

| IP: Logged

Mike Heenan
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1896
From: Scottsdale, AZ, USA
Registered: Mar 2000

posted 08-07-2008 07:26 PM

Personally, I like me some redhead singers [Smile]

| IP: Logged

Mike Blakesley
Film God

Posts: 12767
From: Forsyth, Montana
Registered: Jun 99

posted 08-08-2008 11:49 AM

quote: Frank Angel
stuff that sticks to your brain cells like mice to a glue pad

That's no kidding. Every time I even see the Mamma Mia poster, I can't get that damn song out of my head for the next half hour.

| IP: Logged

Steve Maggs
Film Handler

Posts: 22
From: Brisbane , Australia
Registered: Apr 2000

posted 08-22-2008 12:09 AM

Funnily enough, this morning a patron told me she was seeing the movie for the 10th time today. It is mostly the Seniors that are coming back over and over again. There have been many of my regulars who have seen it at least 5 times.
Our morning screening of this film still attracts our largest audience out of the 9 sessions we have at that time.
All those asking what the deal is with ABBA..... should watch ABBA The Movie, directed by Lasse Hallström in 1977. Then you really will laugh (vomit) whatever your keyboard dictates.

| IP: Logged

Mike Blakesley
Film God

Posts: 12767
From: Forsyth, Montana
Registered: Jun 99

posted 08-23-2008 11:12 AM

We watched this last night. My wife loved it, as I thought she would. I liked it OK - it was entertaining and moved along at a good clip. I was never bored, and I did enjoy the music - I had never really paid all that much attention to ABBA lyrics before so that was a "new" experience for me (and yes I realize they changed a few lyrics for the film).

I agree with most of the sentiments about the singing - although I was hoping for a better rendition of my favorite ABBA tune, "SOS." I thought Meryl was OK for the most part, except she didn't do much justice to "The Winner Takes It All."

I thought the ending concert part felt kind of tacked on, but those two songs are among my favorite ABBA tunes so I didn't mind too much.

3 out of 5 stars from me. My wife gave it a 4.

| IP: Logged

Hillary Charles
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 748
From: York, PA, USA
Registered: Feb 2001

posted 08-24-2008 08:38 AM

quote: Mike Blakesley
I thought the ending concert part felt kind of tacked on, but those two songs are among my favorite ABBA tunes so I didn't mind too much.

That's exactly how the stage version is. Apparently, nobody could figure out how to include "Waterloo" in the storyline, so the cast comes out like that as an encore of sorts, along with "Dancing Queen". I would have been very disappointed if that had not been included in the movie version.

| IP: Logged

Mike Blakesley
Film God

Posts: 12767
From: Forsyth, Montana
Registered: Jun 99

posted 08-27-2008 12:32 AM

Good to know. I figured it was something like that.

Although I thought it was a serious mistake to have Meryl Streep do that "Do you want another one?" schtick between the songs. For one thing she looked drunk. For another, there was obviously no audience there and people are generally conditioned NOT to yell out in movie theatres. (I am sure there are plenty of places where the crowd did yell with great vigor though...right?)

| IP: Logged

John Wilson
Film God

Posts: 5438
From: Sydney, Australia.
Registered: Dec 1999

posted 08-27-2008 12:33 AM

quote: Mike Blakesley
I am sure there are plenty of places where the crowd did yell with great vigor though...right?

Not once.

| IP: Logged

Blaine Young
Master Film Handler

Posts: 477
From: Kirkland, WA, USA
Registered: Sep 2006

posted 08-30-2008 09:28 PM

We started playing the "Sing-Along" version on the 29th, cutting in for 2 of the showings of the regular version.

So far, not too much singing - but it is (oddly) bringing in more people than the "regular" one.

| IP: Logged

Stu Jamieson
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 524
From: Buccan, Qld, Australia
Registered: Jan 2008

posted 08-31-2008 02:53 AM

quote: Mike Blakesley
Although I thought it was a serious mistake to have Meryl Streep do that "Do you want another one?" schtick between the songs. For one thing she looked drunk.

She certainly does! It's kind of embarrassing but at the same time it's also funny when they start boppin' for Waterloo and they're all WAY out of time. Then there's a sudden jump cut to where they've all got their shit together. I suspect they reshot that after they'd all sobered up. [Big Grin]

| IP: Logged

All times are Central (GMT -6:00)

This topic comprises 3 pages: 1 2 3

Printer-friendly view of this topic

The Film-Tech Forums are designed for various members related to the cinema industry to express their opinions, viewpoints and testimonials on various products, services and events based upon speculation, personal knowledge and factual information through use, therefore all views represented here allow no liability upon the publishers of this web site and the owners of said views assume no liability for any ill will resulting from these postings. The posts made here are for educational as well as entertainment purposes and as such anyone viewing this portion of the website must accept these views as statements of the author of that opinion and agrees to release the authors from any and all liability.