As a fan of Outkast I was excited to see "Idlewild" with the simple hope that there'd be great, new music to be heard. On that point the movie excelled, but I was pleasantly surprised to find the movie itself to be absolutely entertaining too. I loved it!
Visually the movie is beautifully shot. Alternately whimsical with its vibrant colors, fabulous period costumes, and odd ball touches, (a talking Rooster flask anyone?), then color faded and drama laced when the mood turns serious. I thought the way it was shot was clever and endlessly interesting. I really have no idea what some critics are complaining about when it comes to the look of this movie. It's wonderfully done with unusual camera work and surprising edits, but rather than finding it confusing, I was constantly entertained by what I was seeing. I think the director was going for a visual spectacle, and he succeeded. "Idlewild" is a quirky, delightful movie musical with some surprisingly nuanced performances nestled within.
Big Boi and André are obviously gifted men when it comes to music, so it's no surprise they're at their best when they're performing one of the many songs throughout the movie. In addition to new music from the "Idlewild" album, I was surprised when they also performed some songs from their last record, "Speakerboxxx/The Love Below". Big Boi has a couple big numbers, and the most memorable are songs from "Speakerboxxx" - "Bowtie" & "Rooster" - then a wild action scene to "Church". André actually shines performing some of their new tunes, though some songs from his "The Love Below" record do make appearances.
As actors, they have moments where they're good, other times they slide over to the awkward side, but the good outweigh the awkward in my mind. Big Boi is best when he's playing the brash playboy, while André seems best when sing-emoting. They were smart to surround themselves with quality actors in the supporting cast.
Ben Vereen, as André's father, gets a little hammy considering his role, but I was happy with the other performances. Malinda Williams, as Big Boi's wife, is great. And each actor seemed to fit his or her role well. Cicely Tyson has a lovely cameo and Terrance Howard, I thought, was still excellent: *SPOILER* Maybe a little over the top, but he's basically playing a sociopath who various characters repeatedly call "crazy", in the most basic meaning of the word so, yeah.
In the end, I was happy after watching "Idlewild". I felt like I'd been thoroughly entertained and I also felt compelled to buy the soundtrack as soon as possible. Both good things in a movie musical.
Visually the movie is beautifully shot. Alternately whimsical with its vibrant colors, fabulous period costumes, and odd ball touches, (a talking Rooster flask anyone?), then color faded and drama laced when the mood turns serious. I thought the way it was shot was clever and endlessly interesting. I really have no idea what some critics are complaining about when it comes to the look of this movie. It's wonderfully done with unusual camera work and surprising edits, but rather than finding it confusing, I was constantly entertained by what I was seeing. I think the director was going for a visual spectacle, and he succeeded. "Idlewild" is a quirky, delightful movie musical with some surprisingly nuanced performances nestled within.
Big Boi and André are obviously gifted men when it comes to music, so it's no surprise they're at their best when they're performing one of the many songs throughout the movie. In addition to new music from the "Idlewild" album, I was surprised when they also performed some songs from their last record, "Speakerboxxx/The Love Below". Big Boi has a couple big numbers, and the most memorable are songs from "Speakerboxxx" - "Bowtie" & "Rooster" - then a wild action scene to "Church". André actually shines performing some of their new tunes, though some songs from his "The Love Below" record do make appearances.
As actors, they have moments where they're good, other times they slide over to the awkward side, but the good outweigh the awkward in my mind. Big Boi is best when he's playing the brash playboy, while André seems best when sing-emoting. They were smart to surround themselves with quality actors in the supporting cast.
Ben Vereen, as André's father, gets a little hammy considering his role, but I was happy with the other performances. Malinda Williams, as Big Boi's wife, is great. And each actor seemed to fit his or her role well. Cicely Tyson has a lovely cameo and Terrance Howard, I thought, was still excellent: *SPOILER* Maybe a little over the top, but he's basically playing a sociopath who various characters repeatedly call "crazy", in the most basic meaning of the word so, yeah.
In the end, I was happy after watching "Idlewild". I felt like I'd been thoroughly entertained and I also felt compelled to buy the soundtrack as soon as possible. Both good things in a movie musical.