Footloose

Footloose was pretty good. The opening credits were clever, and the story was well written. The music was very well mixed into the story which was of great importance considering the premise of the story. There was a scene that used a mirror as a prop lens, and that was really good, also there were some very unique and interesting camera angles that added interest to the scenes they were used in. The story had good pacing as well. It isn't one that I think I would ever watch again, but it was worth watching once.

Les Miserables

The Liam Neeson version of Les Miserables is very unique. As someone who was introduced to the story of Les Mis through the stage musical I was uncertain that the story would be as good when it lacked the music. I was however proved wrong. The story itself is very powerful and the actors in this film did a really good job portraying that depth of the story. Just like Victor Hugo's book, the theme of Law vs. Grace is very apparent in this film. From the moment that the priest gives Liam Neeson the candlesticks the character of Jean Valjean begins to symbolize the grace of God and the ability for a sinner's life to be turned around and redeemed. Javert, portrayed by Geoffrey Rush, symbolizes the law, and the idea that only strict adherence to the law can save a man's soul. The costumes were beautiful, as were the sets and locations. The script was well written, the story moved at a very good pace to keep viewers interested and involved. Overall it was beautiful, simply beautiful! 

Spiritual Twist Productions Christian Youth Theater's "Beauty and the Beast"

Beauty and the Beast is probably the weakest CYT production that I have been a part of. There were some really clever things about the play through, like for instance the set. The set was designed to be a storybook. Whenever there was a different location the page in the book would be turned to reveal that new place. Also there was the song "Wonder what they'll write about me" which was very good. That song alone contained many different allusions to the works of Mr. Shakespeare himself. They way the play-write, Mrs. Snapp, worked in each allusion within such a small frame of time was very unique! The set really was amazing though, it was one of the most clever sets CYT has ever done, it is right up there with the radio set CYT had for Ruth: A Love Story.

Spiritual Twist Productions Christian Youth Theater's "Around the World in 80 Days"

This play, written by Mr. Brian Shrager, was fantastic! It had great humor spread throughout it, as well as many audience interactions for those sitting in "the splash zone". Around the World in 80 Days is one of the fastest moving and difficult plays that CYT does. Every cast member has a lot of stage time, and the characters are always on the move. It is a fast paced adventure, that leaves the audience quoting it for days and even years afterwards! It tells the story of a man, Mr. Fog, who was beaten and ridiculed for his faith when he was a young man; because of this treatment he has remained silent much of his adult life. Fog's character unfolds and develops beautifully as he is challenged to make a trip around the world in 80 days or less. Once again, this is a DVD that presents a story that was written for the stage, and is therefore better when presented live, but the quality of this performance is higher than the usual quality of the Tuesday 13+ group's plays at CYT, so it makes a better DVD than many of the other plays. It was quite a difficult play to be in, but fun nonetheless, and a great one to sit back and watch years afterwards from the comfort of your living room!

Spiritual Twist Productions Christian Youth Theater's Production of "Jesus!"

This was a beautifully written chronicle of the life of Jesus Christ. It was not written to be a film, so the DVD is not the best way to view it by any means. Also some of the vocals were not as professional as the best seen at CYT. However despite the mistakes, and such that come from it being presented by an amateur theatre, it was great! I am certainly grateful to have the DVD. The backstage memories from this play were fantastic. It is hard to look at this play with an unbiased view because I know everything that went on backstage. The sets, I must say, were gorgeous! They were a little noisy at times, but they were very visually stunning! 

Man of Steel

Man of Steel was a good movie. The music was not all that great, and overall very forgettable. The story was very fast paced and did some very interesting things. For example, the exposition with Superman's parents was very well laid out. The portrayal of the planet Krypton was very good. I loved all the costumes for the movie, especially all those worn by the council members on Krypton. Also it really helped the pacing of the movie that they used flashbacks to Superman's past throughout the film rather than simply telling the story in chronological order. The special effects were very well done, but the movie almost relied on them a bit too much. The story could have been stronger if it had not relied as heavily on these special effects. Also the story was not as relatable as it could have been. Yes, Superman by nature is a harder character to relate to, but both the villain and the hero of this movie were portrayed as very disconnected from Earth. Yes, Superman saved the Earth, but there was a lot less of that feeling, and the emotional side of the story and more pure action and battle sequences. Without those emotional aspects in the story the audience does not grow as attached to the characters and does not relate as well. If there had been more emotion behind the story it might have helped Superman be more relatable. Don't get me wrong, there was still a lot of emotion in the movie, such as when Superman finally got his victory and snapped General Zod's neck and yelled wildly, only to be comforted by Lois Lane. This scene and the scene where Clark was a kid and couldn't handle all his senses were the most emotional of all the scenes. The emotion level just seemed to drop a lot when there were battle sequences and that lowered the quality of those scenes and forced them to rely on the special effects to awe the audience rather than make them feel attached to the story. Overall it was a pretty good movie.

Casablanca

Casablanca had a very slow beginning, but once the story was set up and things started rolling, it is a great story! The classic love triangle, friendships, and the hardships of wartime all fill this classic story. There are several very excellent uses of flashbacks throughout the film such as the one which explains the Paris love story. My favorite part of the film is the use of the song "As Time Goes By" to set up the relationship between the characters of Rick Blaine and Ilsa Lund. The song becomes a theme in the movie as it is repeated several times. Overall a good film, as long as you can be patient through the beginning of it.