Directed by Jon M. Chu and formerly a Broadway musical by Lin-Manuel Miranda (Hamilton), In the Heights centers on an eclectic group of characters living in the neighborhood of Washington Heights, on the northern tip of Manhattan.
It’s based on Broadway, in which a bodega owner has mixed feelings about closing his store and retiring to the Dominican Republic after inheriting his grandmother’s fortune.
The main character of the story is Usnavi, played by Anthony Ramos, as the bodega owner who looks after the aging Cuban lady next door, pines for the gorgeous girl working in the neighboring beauty salon, and dreams of winning the lottery and escaping to the shores of his native Dominican Republic.
Meanwhile, Nina, a childhood friend of Usnavi’s, returns from her first year at college with surprising news for her parents, who have spent their life savings building a better life for their daughter. Ultimately, Usnavi and the residents of the close-knit neighborhood get a dose of what it means to be home.
Thank you, IMDB and Broadway.com, for the information.
The filmed version of the original Broadway production of Hamilton combines the best elements of live theater, film, and streaming to bring the cultural phenomenon to homes around the world for a thrilling, once-in-a-lifetime experience.
With book, music, and lyrics by Lin-Manuel Miranda and direction by Thomas Kail, Hamilton is inspired by the book Alexander Hamilton by Ron Chernow.
Featuring a score that blends hip-hop, jazz, R&B, and Broadway, Hamilton has taken the story of American founding father Alexander Hamilton and created a revolutionary moment in theatre. This musical has had a profound impact on culture, politics, and education.
Hamilton stars: Daveed Diggs as Marquis de Lafayette/Thomas Jefferson; Renée Elise Goldsberry as Angelica Schuyler; Jonathan Groff as King George; Christopher Jackson as George Washington; Jasmine Cephas Jones as Peggy Schuyler/Maria Reynolds; Lin-Manuel Miranda as Alexander Hamilton; Leslie Odom, Jr. as Aaron Burr; Okieriete Onaodowan as Hercules Mulligan/James Madison; Anthony Ramos as John Laurens/Philip Hamilton; and Phillipa Soo as Eliza Hamilton.
“I’m incredibly grateful that the world will be able to see this. Theater is a communal artistic experience, and this film is a love letter to live theater,” Lin-Manuel Miranda.
Capturing the essence of the Broadway show were six camera positions with six camera operators. Additionally, there were three fixed camera positions, one dolly and a Steadicam, a crane and two angles capturing each performance. There was one overhead camera and one at the rear of the stage, strategically hidden in a brick wall. The Steadicam, crane, and dolly were used on the scene the day the audience was not present. They shot 13 or 14 numbers from the 46 numbers in the show.
Director Thomas Kail describes directing Hamilton for the screen, “This film celebrates the work of our extraordinary designers.”
Offering the example with one of the most moving scenes, he says, “Satisfied changes time and plays with the time dynamic. The show doesn’t proceed in a linear fashion. It’s elliptical… it’s not continuous time, but it’s always moving forward, and Satisfied is the first moment in our show where we stop time.”
The song is also doing more, “What we are doing in that song is setting up the final duel… we’re setting up the bullet, and what we’re able to do on film is be much more subjective with the camera, so it feels a little more like we’re going inside her brain. The cut pattern is quite accelerated, and the camera angles are quite varied, and we did that because we wanted to also break the form in the cinematic language in the same way that we break the form in the theatrical language in the theater.”
Screenplay by David Magee with the story co-written by David Magee, John DeLuca, and Rob Marshall, Mary Poppins Returns with direction by Rob Marshall. The sequel takes place during Depression-era London. Suppose you are familiar with the original Disney Mary Poppinswith Julie Andrews and Dick Van Dyke. In that case, you will relate to the now-grown Jane, played by Emily Mortimer, and Michael Banks, played by Ben Whishaw. Together with Michael’s three children, they are, once again, following a personal loss visited by the enigmatic Mary Poppins, played by Emily Blunt.
Through her unique magical skills and with the aid of her friend Jack, played by Lin-Manuel Miranda, she helps the family rediscover the joy and wonder missing in their lives.
The movie clip shows the brother and sister, now older, up in the attic, finding memories.
The latest featurette explains how the movie is not a remake but a sequel.
The studio now blocks one clip of the movie I posted. What I liked about the video was it showed the energy each actor contributes to the scene and, thus, the film.
My family and I saw the movie over the holidays and loved it. The film is upbeat and fun. The curtain call at the end will raise your spirits. Emily Blunt became Mary Poppins, which differs from Julie Andrews’ version but is more faithful to the books.
Here are more movie clips. The “Sing For Us” is now blocked, so I removed it, but Emily Blunt is still stunning in all the other clips.
The featurette is true to the Mary Poppins stories. Enjoy!
Other cast members include Meryl Streep, Dick Van Dyke, Julie Walters, Colin Firth, and Angela Lansbury.
After my family saw the movie, we all agreed that the little dance scene was the best in the film. Next is the curtain call with balloons at the end, a great ending. I highly recommend the movie.
Emily Blunt marvels at how she takes “The Place Where the Lost Things Go” and sings it gently and beautifully to the Banks children. I hope Blunt sings an Oscar-nominated song at the Academy Awards presentation. I’d be ecstatic! The movie nabbed another Oscar nod for Original Score – Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman. Listen in on their discussion with Richard Sherman about developing the music for the film.
Mary Poppins Returns Blu-ray and DVD are on the streets, with streaming happening online. Now, you can see the movie again with the bonus features.
