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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

Pop Culture

Pop Culture Serial Killers We Love to Love

By Emily Temple on

If you’re anything like us, you’re at the edge of your seat in anticipation for tonight’s season six premiere of Dexter. Indeed, our culture has long had a strange fascination with serial killers, with the trope popping up again and again in literature, films, television and even popular musicals. As Jeff Lindsay, the writer of the original Dexter series, wrote, ”There’s a special sense of dread that comes with that phrase, ‘serial killer.’ It represents an inhuman psychology that is beyond us, and because of that, we can’t look away.” Though often the murderers are simply evil and must be eradicated, sometimes they’re strangely compelling, or even — surprising as it may be — downright sympathetic. In honor of the sixth season of our beloved Dexter, click through to check out our list of six serial killers we can’t help but love a little bit, and let us know if we’ve missed any of your favorites in the comments. … Read More

Film

From Stage to Screen: 10 Plays Turned Movies

By Daniel McGillivray on

Philip Seymour Hoffman’s directorial debut, Jack Goes Boating, arrives in theaters tomorrow. Hoffman joins John Ortiz and Daphne Rubin-Vega in the film as he did on stage — all three reprising their roles from Bob Glaudini’s original play. Though Beth Cole played Connie in the stage version, Amy Ryan is a great substitute on the screen capturing several of the film’s darkest, sweetest, and most hilarious moments.

Jack Goes Boating is a success for Hoffman, and we think he’ll continue excelling both in front of and behind the camera. This got us thinking about the other play-to-movie jumps, their varying degrees of success, and the actors who’ve benefited from a little time under the stage lights. Come with us now as we look back on 10 of our favorite musicals and plays turned movies. … Read More