Time to Catch Up...Across the Universe

I'm spending a little time today catching up on a few posts after a crazy few weeks. I'm told that if you go for more than two weeks without blogging, you're a poseur. Well, dammit, I've been busy. However, I did manage to catch a few things here and there (wipe that smirk off your face).

Count me as one of the big fans of Across the Universe. Yes, I'm a Julie Taymor devotee. I'd have to look hard for a more creative mind. While Across the Universe is not her best work, it's a strong, powerful film. Taymor does a masterful job of evoking the period and setting a compelling story within it.

I like the Beatles, but they didn't define my youth. Most Beatles music I own is recorded by someone else. But I do appreciate their importance to those who came of age during my diaper years. The songs provide a great context for the story.

The film is trippy. The visual imagery is incredible.

In May 2006, I saw the CanStage production of Hair. It was so powerful, I drove up to see it again the night before I moved from New York to New Hampshire. I'd seen Hair many times, but every prior production was a nostalgia piece, a greatest hits of the 60s. There was no attempt at relevance beyond that. The CanStage production was the first production to argue for the continued relevance of Hair.

I got the same sense from Across the Universe. Taymor locates the Beatles music in a context that is real, gritty, psychedelic. The performances--mostly--feel like they're located in the period. The leads are good, and the supporting players are better.