I have been watching the previews for months now... And I honestly can not wait to see this movie.. I just bought the soundtrack, and well it makes me even more excited for the movie!!!
From IMDB:
quote:
A dock worker Jude (Jim Sturgess) travels to America in the 1960s to find his estranged father. There he falls in love with sheltered American teenager Lucy (Evan Rachel Wood). When her brother Max (Joe Anderson) is drafted to fight in the Vietnam War, they become involved in peace activism.
An original musical film, Across The Universe is a fictional love story set in the 1960s amid the turbulet years of anti-war protest, the struggle for free speech and civil rights, mind exploration and rock and roll. At once gritty, whimsical and highly theatrical, the story moves from high schools and universities in Massachusetts, Princeton and Ohio to the Lower East Side of Manhattan, the Detroit riots, Vietnam and the dockyards of Liverpool. A combination of live action and painted and three-dimensional animation, the film is paired with many Beatles songs that defined the time.
It is Rated PG-13 for some drug content, nudity, sexuality, violence and language.
Here are some interesting things be sure to look for some of them when watching it (the list is on IMDB)...
Although in the scene outside the high school everyone was dressed in jackets, coats, hats etc... It was actually near 80 degrees while filming. In fact, when the camera cut, they brought umbrellas over the principle actors to keep them in the shade.
Even though this is an obvious observation, most of the charactors are named after different Beatles songs (Jude, Mr. Kite, Dr. Rober, Lucy, Sadie, JoJo, Prudence, Max, Daniel), along with the title of the movie.
90% of the songs were recorded live on-set and were not dubbed with studio recordings in post-prodution. Evan Rachel Wood's verison of "IF I Fell" is totally live, and was successfully completed on the first take. (That song does not appear on the soundtrack)...
Early versions of the script included a segment involving a prison guard named Sgt. Pepper, with "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" set to accompany the scene. The entire idea was scrapped as the script was finalized for produciton.
Salma Hayek specifically requested to appear in the film.
The shipyard employee that gives Jude his paycheck says he thought he'd be doing something different when he was sixty-four, an allusion to the song "When I'm Sixty-Four."
Prudence first enters the apartment through the window, a reference to "She Came In Through The Bathroom Window."
When Max and Jude first see their apartment, Sadie comments that Max seems harmless, but could have murdered someone with a silver hammer, and in another scene Max is shown holding a silver hammer, both homages to the song that lends Max his name, "Maxwell's Silver Hammer."
The cavern area where Sadie and her band perform is a reference to the Cavern Club, where the Beatles performed for the first time.
Apple Records, the studio owned by the Beatles toward the end of their career as a group, is also referenced when Jude is trying to draw a green apple, then slices it in half and tries to draw it again, thus producing the two logos of the company.
The rooftop concert toward the end of the film is also a reference to the Beatles' rooftop concert atop Apple Records' headquarters, their final public appearance.
Songs from the Soundtrack:
All My Loving I Want To Hold Your Hand It Won't Be Long I've Just Seen A Face Let It Be Come Together I Am The Walrus Something Oh! Darling Strawberry Fields Forever Across The Universe Helter Skelter Happiness Is A Warm Gun Blackbird Hey Jude Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds
Some quotes (from the trailer):
JoJo: Music is the only thing that makes sense anymore... play it loud enough and it keeps the demons at bay.
Max: Jude, this is my sister. Jude: (Upon seeing Lucy) I caught you! You have perfect teeth.
Lucy: We're in the middle of a revolution, Jude. And what are you doing? Doodles and cartoons? Jude: Well I'm sorry I'm not the man with the megaphone, but this is what I do.
Jude: (drawing a picture of Lucy, looks at her) Come here. (Lucy comes closer) Jude: I just wanna get your eyes right.
Two not from the trailer:
Sadie: (Upon seeing Prudence for the first time) Where'd she come from? Jude: She came in through the bathroom window.
Max: So, where's that accent from? Jude: Same place that I'm from; Liverpool.
LoL, when I saw the title of this thread I started singing "Across the Universe" I love both versions of the song and will have to check out this movie. Thanks Jolie!
No problem Across The Universe has always been one of my favorite Beatles songs... And I know so many people that are planning on seeing it.. (A lot of guys I know want to see it)...
And hey Bono is in it (He sings I Am The Walrus (goo goo ga joob))
This should be a great movie. I look forward to seeing it.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- "Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass.. It's about learning to dance in the rain."
There is a review in US Weekly... It have the movie 3.5 stars out of 4... Here is what they said:
quote:
This lush, theatrical musical - the lyrics of 33 resurrected Beatles classics serve as much of the dialogue - stars Evan Rachel Wood and hot British newcomer Jim Sturgess as lovers who sing their way through the antiwar protests (and the psychedelia) of late-1960s NYC. Directed by Julie Taymor (Broadway's The Lion King), the colorful flick features cameos by Bono and Salma Hayek.
Here is the order that the songs appear in the movie...
1. Girl 2. Helter Skelter (reprised later in the film) 3. Hold Me Tight 4. All My Loving 5. I Want To Hold Your Hand 6. With A Little Help From My Friends 7. It Won't Be Long 8. I've Just Seen A Face 9. Let It Be 10. Come Together 11. Why Don't We Do It In The Road? 12. If I Fell 13. I Want You (She's So Heavy) 14. Dear Prudence 15. Flying (one of the two instrumentals the Beatles wrote) 16. Blue Jay Way 17. I Am The Walrus 18. Being For The Benefit Of Mr. Kite! 19. Because 20. Something 21. Oh! Darling 22. Strawberry Fields Forever 23. Revolution 24. While My Guitar Gently Weeps 25. Across The Universe 26. Happiness Is A Warm Gun 27. A Day In The Life 28. Blackbird 29. Hey Jude 30. Don't Let Me Down 31. All You Need Is Love 32. Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds (Played during the credits)
33. And I Love Her (the site I got the list from wasn't sure where this song appears)...
Here is a list of the charactor names and what songs they are from (as some might not be as obvious to people )
Lucy - Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds Jude - Hey Jude Max - Maxwell's Silver Hammer Sadie - Sexy Sadie Jojo - Get Back Prudence - Dear Prudence Dr. Robert - Doctor Robert Mr. Kite - Being For The Benefit Of Mr. Kite! Dan (Lucy's first boyfriend) - Rocky Raccoon Molly (Jude's English girlfriend) - Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da Desmond (Molly's husband - who she marries after Jude moves to America) - Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da Martha (Jude's mother) - Martha My Dear Julia (Lucy's sister) - Julia Rita (The Contortionist) - Lovely Rita
The song A Day In The Life is heard in an instrumental version by guitarist Jeff Beck from George Martin's 1998 album In My Life
The younger sister of Max and Lucy, Julia, is an autobiographical character: Julie Taymor explains, "Lucy and Max, the brother and sister, are modeled slightly after my own older brother and sister, and I'm Julia, the young girl who's watching" as her family dealt with the issues involved with being a young adult in the sixties.
Very interesting, thanks Jolie. I just saw a clip and review of the movie on TV where the critic gave it 4 stars out of 4.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- "Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass.. It's about learning to dance in the rain."
What can I say but, Beautiful!!I just saw this movie and loved it!!! For the most part anyway. There were a few parts that were weird but it was intended to be that way. If anyone has ever seen the movie "Tommy" from the 70's it sort of had that style. It was kind of maniac at times. You definitely feel removed from reality for this one.
I loved how the Beatle songs were used to describe was was happening in the movie. To me, the movie could be described as art, rather then a regular movie. If that makes sense.
I am anxious to get the soundtrack, I enjoyed the music so much. Any Beatles fan will like this I'm pretty sure just for the musical aspect.
One of my favorite parts: Lucy is heavily involved in the anti-war movement and Jude see's it as a fruitless battle.(thats the drift I caught anyway)
Lucy is yelling: Your just saying that because you know you'll never be drafted!!!
Jude: Neither will you.
Lucy: I'd lie down in front of a tank if I thought It would end the war and bring Max home.
Jude: Oh yeah, well it wouldn't
I loved that part because, you could understand the frustration on both sides. It could very well pertain to today and the war.
The use of the song, "Revolution" was incredible. A bit different, then usual, I beleive. Jude is using it to show the anti-war activists that they also may be going about it wrong. Very, very thought provoking I thought. That scene is probably my all time favorite.
I just saw the movie last night! IT WAS AWESOME! I mean, the songs were just done BEAUTIFULY! I agree... some parts were odd. (Like when they were in that carnival tent thing... I presumed they were getting high?) But yeah, Max and Jude are sexy. It was funny... casue, really, if you arent a Beatles fan, a ton of the movie could just go over your head. I read some of wheat Jolie said (about the when Im 64 and through the bathroom window and the rooftop preformance) and when I was watching the film, I made the conection. Over all, I loved it.
/\__/\ (>' '< ) (,,)(,,) Bob for world domination!
Yah, someone else saw it here. Wasn't it well done? I was thinking about that Uncle Sam part earlier after seeing a commercial. Normally, not into so much abstract but, I thought that part was awesome. I've seen it twice so far, the second time my husband came along. I wasn't sure he'd like it but he did, quite a bit actually. Oh yeah Max and Jude are very cute!!!
They still haven't gotten it here... I'm really annoyed, cuz I know so many people here who want to see it... And I know it's gonna be just like Becoming Jane and when we finally get it, it will be only one theater and it will have a viewing time of like 4:30 on Weds. only... I honestly don't understand this theater... (And its not like we don't get knew movies, cuz they were all about making sure they got Saw IV)....
Haha alright. On November 10th... me, my cousin, and the guy I like (who, by the way all LOVE the Beatles) are going to a Beatles tribute band concert. Its gunna be held in the local art place.
/\__/\ (>' '< ) (,,)(,,) Bob for world domination!
I haven't seen "Across the Universe" yet but plan to. I have been too busy with other stuff.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- "Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass.. It's about learning to dance in the rain."
(the list is on IMDB)... 
I honestly don't understand this theater... (And its not like we don't get knew movies, cuz they were all about making sure they got Saw IV).... 
Ohios got it.
Its gunna be held in the local art place.
