Movie Info:
Writer: Jonathan Larson
Director: Michael John Warren
Cast: Adam Kantor, Will Chase, Renee Elise Goldsberry, Michael McElroy, Justin Johnston, Eden Espinosa, Tracie Thoms, Rodney Hicks
Rating: NR
Studio: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment

Release Info:
Theatrical Release: September 24, 2008
DVD Release Date: February 3, 2009
Online Availability: Amazon for $27.99

I am the ultimate musicals connoisseur. I love musicals. I have a musical theatre background. It’s pretty clear that’s why I am the one who had the opportunity to watch and review Rent: Filmed Live on Broadway. I also have seen Rent, live on Broadway. I guess that makes me somewhat of an authority on the show. I also went through a period of my college life where I was addicted to anything and everything Rent related. That makes me the perfect guy to review this DVD.

Truth be told, there will NEVER be a better cast than the original. The cast, which included Taye Diggs, Idina Menzel, Anthony Rapp, Jesse L. Martin, and Adam Pascal have all gone on to do other shows on both Broadway and television. The cast had excellent chemistry and personified the roles they played. The cast I saw was primarily made up of those who replaced the original cast, but it was still very exciting and unlike any other performance I’ve seen on stage, to date.

I was looking forward to seeing Rent: Filmed Live on Broadway. I knew it was a filming of the final production of Rent, so I wanted to celebrate this remarkable show. Come to find out, I’m really disappointed in this Blu Ray. Not only is Rent no longer on Broadway, a show that was on stage for over 12 years, but I felt the cast, the final cast, didn’t do Jonathan Larson or his musical justice. It’s the casting that I have the biggest problem with, because I know the musical and I love it. There were performers who couldn’t sing the actual part so they sang up in another octave, which ruined the songs, in my opinion.

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Written by Dominick - Visit Website
Dominick Evans is in his late 20's. He spends his days working as a full time writer/editor and a part time musician/composer. His passions in life include music, directing films, watching movies, reading books, watching sports, wheelchair football, politics, his religion (Hellenic Reconstructionism) and spending time with his family (fiancée Ashtyn, son Robert, and shih-tzu Oliver). Other interests include being an advocate for the disability and GLBT communities.

Movie Info:
Writer: Terrance Zdunich, Darren Smith
Director: Darren Lynn Bousman
Cast: Paris Hilton, Alexa Vega, Sarah Brightman, Paul Sorvino, Bill Moseley, Anthony Stewart Head, Ogre, Terrance Zdunich
Rating: R
Studio: Lions Gate

Release Info:
Theatrical Release: 2008
DVD Release Date: January 20, 2009
Online Availability: Amazon for $18.99

“You know you want it baby! Geneco’s Got it!”

Have you ever started off loathing a movie before seeing it only to find that it becomes your favorite movie of the year? The idea of Repo! The Genetic Opera, to me, prior to seeing it was something similar to a train wreck. Maybe it was the inclusion of Paris Hilton that bothered me, but I really thought there was no way they were going to pull this one off. I have faith in Bousman and I absolutely adore the Saw franchise, but I didn’t think he could do it this time.

I didn’t understand how Hilton could be in a musical because she cannot sing well enough to accommodate the needs of something like that. Furthermore, I didn’t understand why seasoned vets like Sarah Brightman and Paul Sorvino would want to be in a movie that Hilton would be sure to butcher. Well, when I am wrong, I will admit it. Bousman has my utmost respect for playing things out the way he did. He gave Hilton a part straight out of most anti-fans minds and hearts. It couldn’t have been better if I had thought of it myself. Needless to say, no one could have been better for the part than Ms. Hilton was.

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Written by Ashtyn - Visit Website
Ashtyn Evans is a writer, advocate, free thinker, and all around cynical person. Always quick to find the negative in anything pop culture, she loves being a part of that which she despises. Ashtyn and Dominick own numerous blogs together, as well as a full-time writing business. In her spare time she is a full-time college student studying History and Psychology. She plans to one day give up her freelance career and be a full-time blogger, novelist, and domestic goddess. She can be contacted for writing projects, fan mail, or just to say hi. She really is friendlier than we make her look.