A Million Dreams of The Greatest Showman

"Every night I lie in bed, the brightest colours fill my head. A million dreams are keeping me awake..."

Yes, dreams - they keep people awake. Dreams are the reason why we have sleepless nights, but they are also the thrust that keeps us going and awake under all circumstances. 

The lyrics sang through the heart of millions, who had millions of dreams waiting to come true. 

It all started from a random online search for an upcoming musical film. I enjoyed La La Land so much that I was in search for the next La La Land to amaze me. Then, topping the list of upcoming musical films was The Greatest Showman, marketed to be a musical biopic. That was when I watched the trailer. It didn't tell us much about the titular character P. T. Barnum, but the music (The Greatest Show) was an ear-catcher. And that's the one time I hoped Christmas came sooner. 

And finally, I got to watch The Greatest Showman in the theaters and I only had one word for it...

Wow.... just wow!

The Synopsis

The Greatest Showman is a story loosely based on the life of Phineas Taylor Barnum (P. T. Barnum) who was known as the pioneer of show business. Having gone through a poor and underprivileged childhood, a teenage Barnum decides to follow his dreams of becoming a successful showman. After marrying his childhood sweetheart, Barnum struggles to support his family of four, especially after he was laid off by his employer. Barnum then decides that it's time for him to live his dreams and he believes that if his dreams are fulfilled, he will be able to support his family. The story continues with Barnum's journey to becoming "the greatest showman" coupled with the trials and tribulations he has to experience before his dreams can finally be fulfilled. 

The Story

I know what the critics have been saying - while many applaud the movie for the cast and the music, the fact that the movie was not "biographically accurate" is one of the many reasons the critics did not certify it fresh. 

I beg to differ though, the movie was meant to be a loose adaptation of Barnum's life. If you would recently read about the actual Barnum, he was not a nice man indeed. But if you look at those stories from a different perspective, those "unusual people" could finally stand in the lights all thanks to Barnum. Despite the fact that they were mistreated by Barnum, I believe they were happier than they used to. I mean, who loves to be invincible? Who loves to be hid? No one, literally no one. In fact, by uniting all the unusual people, or the "outcast", people have or will soon come to realisation that they are not "unusual",  they are no much different from the rest of us. And that's what this movie's all about - embracing our differences and celebrating humanity.

So, I hereby certify The Greatest Showman 100% fresh on the Gerald-o-meter for the outstanding moral values embedded in this amazing movie.

The Music

Even though the movie was set in the 1800s, the songs and music were generally of the pop genre. While the music of the songs helped to keep audiences engaged to the movie, the lyrics of every single song in the soundtrack was accurately written to enhance the mood of the characters as the story continued on. Individually, the songs were wonderful to the ears and meaningful to the heart. Golden Globe winner "This Is Me" was no doubt a crowd favourite but I was very fond of "The Other Side" for its upbeat music since weeks before the movie released in the theaters. Before watching the movie, the soundtrack was already looping in my playlist; after watching the movie, I couldn't seem to get over how the lyrics of the songs were so accurate in depicting, not only the lives of the characters, but also the lives of all dreamers out there. And that adds another song to my list of favourites - "A Million Dreams".

The Cast

Jackman and Settle in The Greatest Showman

Needless to say, the cast did a tremendous job in portraying their respective roles. Hugh Jackman and Keala Settle stood out among the rest in my opinion. Jackman is always the right man for a movie musical. Dubbed (by me) as the male counterpart of legendary musical actress Julie Andrews. Jackman's charming personality was a perfect fit for the titular role. Acting in a musical film is technically what he does best. Think I am only one who thinks so? Well, at least the Golden Globe nomination committee agrees with me. 

Besides Barnum, Lettie Lutz, the bearded lady was my favourite character. The character is there to represent the minorities of all minorities - being a woman, a black, an obese and an unusually bearded person all at the same time. Settle's big showdown was her performance in the musical number "This Is Me", and really, I was so affected by her stellar performance that I could actually feel the pain and the desires of the "unusual" wanting or hoping to be accepted by the "usual" bunch. 

The Verdict

100% on the Gerald-o-meter and the #1 movie musical of 2017. A set of excellent cast paired with a series of marvelous musical numbers, the movie gives audiences a different perspective of the life of P. T. Barnum, The Greatest Showman of all time. 

The Greatest Showman is a movie no one in the world should miss. Catch it now at your nearest cinemas before it's too late!

Ed's note: Rumours say that there may be a special sing-along screening of the movie coming soon to Malaysian cinemas. Pray hard, peeps!

***

Instagram: @musicgerald

Share this article to your friends so that they could enjoy the musical film of the year!

Animated Feature of the Year: Coco (Spolier-free Review)

When I first chanced upon the theatrical trailer of Disney Pixar's Coco, I was excited to see how the story would unfold. Upon knowing it was going to be an animated musical film, my excitement doubled, especially after hearing bits of the film's music in the trailer. When I finally got to watch Coco in the cinemas, I was awestruck. And I can tell you, the long wait and anticipation was worthwhile!

Cr: Pixar Animation Studios

The Synopsis

Coco tells a story about a boy (named Miguel Rivera) from Mexico who loves music but his family refuses to accept music due to their century-long feud. Things start to stir up when Miguel steals the guitar of long-dead musical legend Ernesto De La Cruz so that he could perform at the music festival. Little did he know that his act of stealing could lead him to the Land of the Dead. The story continues with his exploration and adventures in the Land of the Dead while he seeks to find his blessings from his deceased great-great grandfather, which he believes to be Ernesto De La Cruz, so that he could find his way back to the Land of the Living before he becomes dead.

The Animation

The film once again proved Pixar to be one of the greats in computer animation. The vibrant colours and the detailed rendering of their characters amazed audiences worldwide. The skeletons (the dead people) were a tad bit scary at first but with time (and a few "hilarious" jokes), they looked tender, just like humans. 

The Music

The music is nothing less than awesome. With a pinch of Latin in most of the songs, including one written by the Oscar-winning team (Andersen-Lopez) who won their Oscar for Frozen's Let It Go, the songs were an impeccable fit to the movie. The title song Remember Me has three renditions in the movie, and two modern interpretations by pop singers Miguel (coincidence, really) and Inigo Pascual (yes, a Filipino). And trust me, the song will be stuck your head for weeks after watching movie - it was addictive, and meaningful at the same time. 

My favourite interpretation of the song, you ask? Watch the video above.

[Ed's note: They released a Spanish soundtrack too! Check them out in iTunes, Apple Music and Spotify]

The Story and its Production

With the story revolving around the folklore behind the Mexican holiday Dia de Muertos (Day of the Dead), its cheerful interpretation of the holiday was an eye-opener for those who never heard about the celebration (like me). For the story set in the country of Mexico, Disney made the effort to cast voice actors with a Latin descent and wow, that did miracles to the movie! Not only the script incorporated various Spanish words and phrases, the voice actors sounded very convincing as Mexicans - even their singing sounded Mexican! And I just realised that the character Hector (a friend Miguel met in the Land of the Dead) is voiced by the same person in both the English and the Spainsh-dubbed version. That's not a fun fact, it's a wow fact!

For most Disney movies, the message is always to "follow your dreams". Coco's message may seemed no different at first look. However, as the movie approached its climax, audiences would realised that the story mainly emphasised on the theme of "family" and "music" with the message of "following dreams" tailing behind, making this movie more meaningful than ever.

The Cast

Miguel and his dog, Dante (Cr: Youtube - Coco's Teaser Trailer)

While all casts did an excellent job in portraying their respective roles, I have to commend 12-year-old actor Anthony Gonzalez for his flawless performance as Miguel Rivera. The singing and vocals were all perfect. In fact, I think he deserves an Annie Award for this (Hello Annie Award's judging panel, can you hear me?).

The Verdict

A ten out of ten! This animated feature surpasses its Disney and Disney Pixar's predecessors such as Frozen, Moana and Toy Story for its excellent interpretation of the famous Mexican culture. This movie secures a confirmed nomination for Oscar 2018's Best Animated Feature. Oh wait, I think we already have a winner!

Coco opens in Malaysian cinemas on 23 November, 2017. Catch it now before it's too late!

***

Instagram: @musicgerald

Feel free to link my blog to yours, and share this post to your friends if you find it useful.

Questions? Comment below!