![]() The songs are a bigger distraction than the visuals. And none of these elements shows much in the way of technical achievement - they're the kinds of things any reasonably adept graphic designer can accomplish on a properly equipped home PC. Like the shot of Wood's left breast (more nipple than one normally sees in a PG-13 production), it's all a bit of a tease. Somehow, however, it all seems gratuitous - a way to distract the viewer from how pointless the story is. Taymor has always been best known for the imaginative visual aspects of her films and stage productions (see Titus for her best screen work), and there's no shortage of tricks in her bag this time: animation, puppets, underwater sequences, psychedelic imagery, and more. Carpio), a Janis Joplin clone (Dana Fuchs), and a Jimi Hendrix wannabe (Martin Luther). They are joined on their odyssey by an Asian lesbian cheerleader (T.V. Soon, these three are doing road trips, fighting against the War in Vietnam (or, in Max's case, fighting in Vietnam), and experiencing everything the era has to offer. He is befriended by Princeton drop-out Max (Joe Anderson) and falls in love with his sister, Lucie (Evan Rachel Wood). It's the 1960s and Liverpool native Jude (Jim Sturgess) has traveled across the Atlantic in search of the dad he never knew. The lack of anything resembling a compelling narrative is part of the problem. If it's not, I shudder to think how much worse a longer edition could be. Apparently, the 133-minute theatrical cut is Taymor's version. The producers re-cut the movie and it was received with more warmth, but Taymor went public with her gripe and this stirred up controversy. It was reportedly taken away from director Julie Taymor after advance preview screenings resulted in jeers and catcalls. The film has had a troubled production history. But if you like the Beatles and the idea of hearing about 20 covers of their work fills you with a perverse joy, this may be the movie for you. ![]() Elements of Across the Universe are shockingly awful and the film lasts at least 30 minutes past the bearable stage. ![]() Glenn Kenny of Premiere magazine called it "the perfect disaster" and, while I think that's a little harsh, I understand where he's coming from. However, like many ambitious movies, this one fails spectacularly. One could never argue that Across the Universe isn't ambitious. ![]()
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