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Ultimatum Disasturbator from The Wiggle Room (Old as dirt) Relationship Status: Who needs love when you have waffles?
Disasturbator
#251: Dec 30th 2019 at 7:42:40 AM

P. T. Barnum is god damn repulsive man and they made a glee styled musical about his life.

Edited by Ultimatum on Dec 30th 2019 at 3:43:20 PM

have a listen and have a link to my discord server
alliterator Since: Jan, 2001
#252: Dec 30th 2019 at 8:32:07 AM

What works on Broadway doesn't always work as a movie, though. Again, Cats is relatively plotless and on stage it works as a song and dance revue. You are much more willing to sit down to a plotless musical when there are actual singers and dancers right in front of you.

But a movie makes everything just a bit more removed. A movie, thus, requires a bit more plot. Hell, they even added more plot to the CGI monstrosity by making Victoria — a background cat in the musical — into the POV character with a sympathetic backstory. None of that was in the stage musical.

Unfortunately, "POV character" doesn't equal "plot that people will understand." And I don't think it was the fans clamoring for a super-faithful adaptation — I highly doubt the fans wanted it adapted — but rather Andrew Lloyd Webber himself. The article about the previous animated tries with Spielberg talked about how the writers tried to rewrite the play to add a plot, but Webber resisted everything that didn't include basically all of his songs (which, again, are just cats introducing themselves one after another, no plot). Webber is terribly picky about adaptations of his musicals — hell, look at the adaptation of Phantom of the Opera, which was co-written and produced by Webber himself and you'll see that he basically changed nothing. And what worked on stage didn't work on screen.

Edited by alliterator on Dec 30th 2019 at 8:35:37 AM

Silasw A procrastination in of itself from A handcart to hell (4 Score & 7 Years Ago) Relationship Status: And they all lived happily ever after <3
A procrastination in of itself
#253: Dec 30th 2019 at 12:07:16 PM

As a big time fan of the theatre version I will say that while I saw it I disliked a lot of it.

Some of that is Purism on my part (I like particular songs and characters the way I know them) but I’d say they also failed to capture parts of what makes the music so good. The attempt at making a plot just felt silly, the fact that the first two songs (well almost 3) got regular interruptions for fat jokes meant I couldn’t enjoy the songs and the look of the cats wasn’t anywhere near as good as just having humans in stage costumes.

From a theatre fan perspective, it was at its best when I could zone the plot and the jokes out and focus on the singing and dancing, but such moments were few and far between.

That’s going to be part of why it’s a failure, it’s turned away regular people by being inherently absurd and nonsensical and it’s turned away theatre people by attempting to normalise it and add in screwball comedy.

“And the Bunny nails it!” ~ Gabrael “If the UN can get through a day without everyone strangling everyone else so can we.” ~ Cyran
ArsThaumaturgis Since: Nov, 2011 Relationship Status: I've been dreaming of True Love's Kiss
#254: Dec 30th 2019 at 2:54:33 PM

An idea for a... "plottification" of Cats, that occurred to me just earlier:

Make it a "great journey" plot, thus allowing the protagonist to bump into or hear about various cats along the way—hence all the introductions.

So, for example, one might have part of the journey take place on a train, producing the "cat of the railway" song. On the train itself, the protagonist might (in the dining car perhaps) meet the old actor-cat, regaling all with the exploits of his youth.

(I would also be inclined to keep Macavity entirely or almost entirely in the background—after all, he's the "Mystery Cat", and "when they reach the scene of crime, Macavity's not there".)

It might also allow for some neat set-pieces: Cutting through a park, our protagonist might be stopped by and witness to the battle of the Pekes and the Pollicles. And boating down the Thames, they might hear about and then see the finale of Growltiger's Last Stand. (I don't know that either of those have songs in Cats; such songs could be made if not, perhaps.)

As to where the protagonist is going, I'm not sure. Perhaps they're a young Jellicle (here conforming to the description in the song/poem), on their way to the Jellicle Ball.

Of course, this would arguably be less an adaptation of Cats than of Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats, in all fairness.

Edited by ArsThaumaturgis on Dec 30th 2019 at 12:55:25 PM

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megaeliz Since: Mar, 2017
#255: Jan 1st 2020 at 7:16:43 AM

[up] that might actually work. The songs are fine, it’s just everything else that’s an issue.

CATS: An Existential Crisis

alliterator Since: Jan, 2001
#256: Jan 1st 2020 at 11:17:13 AM

I just want to remind everyone that Crazy Ex-Girlfriend already made a plot out of Cats: it was Rebecca's journey to get laid.

eagleoftheninth Shop all day, greed is free from a dreamed portrait, imperfect Since: May, 2013 Relationship Status: With my statistically significant other
Shop all day, greed is free
#257: Jan 1st 2020 at 9:27:58 PM

Not planning to see it yet, but I found this meme.

One day, we will read his name in the news and cheer.
Silasw A procrastination in of itself from A handcart to hell (4 Score & 7 Years Ago) Relationship Status: And they all lived happily ever after <3
A procrastination in of itself
#258: Jan 2nd 2020 at 3:33:16 AM

Reasonably funny, though the LGBT point is wrong, as a lot of theatre fans saw Rum Tum and Mistoffelees as a gay couple, but the film removed all their interaction and created a relationship between Mistoffelees and Victoria.

“And the Bunny nails it!” ~ Gabrael “If the UN can get through a day without everyone strangling everyone else so can we.” ~ Cyran
Spottedleaf Fit check for my napalm era! (Experienced, Not Yet Jaded) Relationship Status: Yes, I'm alone, but I'm alone and free
Fit check for my napalm era!
#259: Jan 2nd 2020 at 8:12:59 AM

To be fair, though, Mistoria was also a pretty popular ship in its own right.

>^owo^<
Mullon Since: Jan, 2001 Relationship Status: And here's to you, Mrs. Robinson
#260: Jan 15th 2020 at 7:36:33 AM

I'm trying to remember something that used the names in the musical as a reference, but I can't remember what.

Never trust anyone who uses "degenerate" as an insult.
Larkmarn Since: Nov, 2010 Relationship Status: Hello, I love you
#261: Jan 15th 2020 at 8:20:00 AM

Rum Tum Tugger comes up a fair amount. At least, I had heard the name and didn't know it was associated with Cats until now.

Boyle from Brooklyn Nine-Nine tries to use it as a Call Sign at some point, at least.

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Spottedleaf Fit check for my napalm era! (Experienced, Not Yet Jaded) Relationship Status: Yes, I'm alone, but I'm alone and free
Fit check for my napalm era!
#262: Jan 15th 2020 at 11:50:45 AM

There's a band called Mungo Jerry, which is also the name of a character in cats (though it's spelled Mungojerrie).

>^owo^<
megaeliz Since: Mar, 2017
Pichu-kun ... Since: Jan, 2001
...
#264: Feb 3rd 2020 at 4:34:30 PM

[up](x5) Victoria's a Launcher of a Thousand Ships. She gets shipped with everyone.

It's a shame the film didn't use the fanon that Victoria's deaf. Oh well.

Pichu-kun ... Since: Jan, 2001
...
#265: Mar 17th 2020 at 1:31:29 PM

The film still doesn't have a home release.

Weirdguy149 Former King from Lumiose City Since: Jul, 2014 Relationship Status: I'd jump in front of a train for ya!
Former King
#266: Mar 17th 2020 at 1:51:35 PM

Knives Out took a long time to get out on home video too, so it's not a problem exclusive to Cats.

The legend has returned.
Krory21 Since: Jan, 2019
#267: Mar 17th 2020 at 1:55:41 PM

Rise of Skywalker came out before Cats, and it isn't out yet either. I'd bet Cats hits early or mid April.

Blueace Surrounded by weirdoes from The End Of the World Since: Dec, 2010 Relationship Status: Chocolate!
Surrounded by weirdoes
#268: Mar 17th 2020 at 1:56:40 PM

Well, now that it's known what kind of movie it is, bring the Bile Fascination crew.

Wake me up at your own risk.
Pichu-kun ... Since: Jan, 2001
...
#269: Mar 17th 2020 at 6:05:04 PM

As a fan of the musical, I just wanna buy it on Demand for $6 and then try to forget about it except to complain about it.

Larkmarn Since: Nov, 2010 Relationship Status: Hello, I love you
#270: Mar 18th 2020 at 6:39:42 AM

... you guys know it's available on streaming, right?

Like it's weird that this thread was bumped to complain about there not being a home release on the day of a home release.

No physical release yet, however. That's April 7. Which usually means no streaming rentals, sadly. Generally studios don't let you rent until physical copies come out.

Edited by Larkmarn on Mar 18th 2020 at 9:42:56 AM

Found a Youtube Channel with political stances you want to share? Hop on over to this page and add them.
alanh Since: May, 2010
#271: Mar 18th 2020 at 7:49:50 AM

Okay, it's just a rumor but this is funny.

A VFX producer friend of a friend was hired in November to finish some of the 400 effects shots in @catsmovie. His entire job was to remove CGI buttholes that had been inserted a few months before. Which means that, somewhere out there, there exists a butthole cut of Cats

Blueace Surrounded by weirdoes from The End Of the World Since: Dec, 2010 Relationship Status: Chocolate!
Surrounded by weirdoes
#272: Mar 18th 2020 at 7:54:03 AM

More to joke about how oddly horny this movie was.

Wake me up at your own risk.
slimcoder The Head of the Hydra Since: May, 2013
The Head of the Hydra
#273: Mar 18th 2020 at 7:56:16 AM

[up][up] Okay but why?

"I am Alpharius. This is a lie."
Beatman1 Since: Feb, 2014 Relationship Status: Gone fishin'
#274: Mar 18th 2020 at 7:57:31 AM

[up]I feel like that’s an applicable question to every aspect of this production.

alanh Since: May, 2010
#275: Mar 18th 2020 at 8:28:40 AM

Ordinarily I'd just say this was a joke, but given how weird the release version was... who knows? Poe's Law has taken over everything.


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