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Film

10 Stage-to-Screen Musicals Hollywood Got Right

By Emily Temple on

Adapting a musical, Broadway or otherwise, to film is a tricky business. Musicals have their own specific magic that can sometimes feel inextricably tied to the stage, and their inherent theatricality can, if not handled correctly, come off as unbearably camp on the big screen. On Friday, we got chills after watching the new international trailer for Les Misérables, and, especially after Anne Hathaway’s performance on SNL last night we are registering our feelings as squarely hopeful that the film will knock us out. Though Hollywood has had many failures in this area (Phantom of the Opera, Nine), some of their adaptations have been completely brilliant, in some cases even overtaking the original productions. After the jump, we’ve put together a list of some of the best ever stage-to-screen musicals — both to warm you up for Les Mis and just maybe to give a little inspiration to the producers and directors of the upcoming film remakes of Jersey Boys and Into the Woods. Make it work, you guys. … Read More

Film

Timeline: The Life and Death and (Maybe?) Rebirth of the Hollywood Musical

By Jason Bailey on

In spite of all our best efforts, Rock of Ages — currently sitting at 38% fresh among top critics on Rotten Tomatoes — is out this Friday, because if the multiplexes were missing anything this summer, it’s painfully earnest renditions of “Waiting for a Girl Like You” and Tom Cruise in assless chaps. Yes, the movie musical has fallen on rather hard times, but if we can learn anything from tracking its ebbs and flows of popularity, it’s that you can never count the genre out; after the jump, we’ve put together a brief but educational timeline to illustrate the many beat-downs and comebacks of the movie musical. … Read More

Pop Culture

The Most Memorable Sleepovers on Film and TV

By Judy Berman on

In case you couldn’t tell, we’re big fans of coming-of-age movies here at Flavorpill, so we’re really looking forward to seeing The Myth of the American Sleepover, which came out Friday and, promisingly, reminded New York Times critic A.O. Scott of Freaks and Geeks and Dazed and Confused. Although the movie isn’t entirely, or even mostly, about a slumber party, it can’t help but remind us of some our favorite sleepovers on film and TV. Ten of the most memorable, from Grease to Beverly Hills, 90210 to Superbad, are after the jump. … Read More

Film

The 15 Greatest Ladies Grooming Moments in Movies

By Emily Temple on

Even movie characters have to get ready in the morning. Though our daily grooming routine is one of the most mundane activities we can think of, somehow other people’s adventures (and misadventures) in beautifying themselves are still kind of fascinating. Case in point: we recently came across this hilarious list of film’s 25 Greatest Male Grooming Moments over at Details, and we loved it so much that we decided the ladies needed some love too. While there aren’t as many blatantly ridiculous moments as in the guys’ list (apparently, movie beauty is not for the faint of heart), there are some great ones in the mix. Click through to see our list of great ladies’ grooming moments in film, and let us know which of your favorites we’ve missed in the comments! … Read More

Web

What’s on at Flavorpill: Links That Made the Rounds in Our Office

By Kelsey Keith on

Today at Flavorpill, we started off the morning with a hit of breathable coffee instead of our usual Saturdays roast. We swooned over The (NSFW) Poetry of Craigslist and cheered that MoMA acquired the @ symbol for its permanent design collection. We ogled a visual timeline of Delta uniforms, and realized they ain’t what they used to be. We supported a decision to return Grease to its R-rated roots. We wondered who Stefano Tonchi will bring with him when abandons one lettered fashion mag (T) for another (W). We were bummed to have missed out the Art Handling Olympics this weekend and comforted ourselves with the announcement of a television show from the pranksters at The Onion. We heard that new signage for the New York MTA got nixed in budget cuts and that Diablo Cody wasn’t exactly pleased with the first season of her show United States of Tara. And last but not least, we were equally amused, impressed, and horrified at these cigarette packs as book… Read More

Dance/Opera

The 35 Best Dance Sequences in Film

By Bethany Larson on

Forget the so-so acting and formulaic plots — there is a long and illustrious history of great dance moments captured on film. Be it Ginger Rogers and Fred Astaire tap dancing, John Travolta doing the disco, Patrick Swayze and Jennifer Gray practicing lifts in the water, or Julia Stiles fusing ballet and hip hop, everyone has a favorite dance scene that they have tried to memorize and perform. After the jump, we have compiled our favorite dance scenes from film in chronological order. We’re willing to bet you won’t stay in your chair for long. … Read More