Karen Kourtessis has joined Post Factory, New York, as partner/editor. She previously held the same position at the New York office of bicoastal Crew Cuts….Composers Marty Peters and Chris Hugan have opened Ozone Music, Royal Oak, Mich…. Spin Productions, a visual effects house with offices in Atlanta and Toronto, added Jeff Campell to its staff. He will hold the title of partner/Inferno artist, and will be based in the shop’s Toronto location. Campbell joins Spin after six years with Toronto-based Toybox where he was senior Inferno artist/visual effects supervisor….Editor Robert Pennington has joined Northern Lights Post, New York. His background includes stints with Palestrini Post Production (now The Blue Rock Editing Company, New York); bicoastal Lost Planet; and most recently earth2mars, New York…. Portland, Ore. agency Big Ads has changed its moniker to R/West….Ad agencies Hampel/Stefanides, New York, and HDC, Fort Lauderdale (formerly Harris Drury Cohen) have shut their doors….
Review: Director Jon M. Chu’s “Wicked”
It's the ultimate celebrity redemption tour, two decades in the making. In the annals of pop culture, few characters have undergone an image makeover quite like the Wicked Witch of the West.
Oh, she may have been vengeful and scary in "The Wizard of Oz." But something changed — like, REALLY changed — on the way from the yellow brick road to the Great White Way. Since 2003, crowds have packed nightly into "Wicked" at Broadway's Gershwin Theatre to cheer as the green-skinned, misunderstood Elphaba rises up on her broomstick to belt "Defying Gravity," that enduring girl-power anthem.
How many people have seen "Wicked"? Rudimentary math suggests more than 15 million on Broadway alone. And now we have "Wicked" the movie, director Jon M. Chu's lavish, faithful, impeccably crafted (and nearly three-hour) ode to this origin story of Elphaba and her (eventual) bestie — Glinda, the very good and very blonde. Welcome to Hollywood, ladies.
Before we get to what this movie does well (Those big numbers! Those costumes!), just a couple thornier issues to ponder. Will this "Wicked," powered by a soulful Cynthia Erivo (owner of one of the best singing voices on the planet) and a sprightly, comedic, hair-tossing Ariana Grande, turn even musical theater haters into lovers?
Tricky question. Some people just don't buy into the musical thing, and they should be allowed to live freely amongst us. But if people breaking into song delights rather than flummoxes you, if elaborate dance numbers in village squares and fantastical nightclubs and emerald-hued cities make perfect sense to you, and especially if you already love "Wicked," well then, you will likely love this film. If it feels like they made the best "Wicked" movie money could buy — well, it's... Read More