What's your damage?

[rogueslayer452]

++ With the news that the Heathers 2018 reboot has been cancelled/scrapped (good riddance too, since nobody wanted this mess to begin with, due to it not only being completely unnecessary but also lacking in understanding of the entire point of the original), I do have a recommendation that is a better substitute.

Heathers: The Musical. This is an Off-Broadway musical based off of the 1988 film that started in 2014 and has grown steadily over the years with more and more people discovering it. I wasn't even aware of this musical until people started recommending it not too long ago in light of the unneeded modern reboot, and after listening to the entire soundtrack and watching some clips online I ended up loving it more and more. Unlike what the reboot appeared to be, the musical remains absolutely faithful and true to the original movie, with the messages and the story, while adding its own flare to it, being a musical adaptation and all. The songs are catchy and the singing is great. I've also found that the musical has its own little fandom, where people are recreating scenes, singing covers of the songs, doing animations for them, fanart, etc.

So if you haven't already, please listen to the soundtrack of the musical, at least the first two songs which are absolutely fabulous and it's what got me hooked in the first place. Especially recommended to those who are fans of or familiar with the film.

++ I watched the series premiere of Reverie on NBC, which stars Sarah Shahi, and I have to say that, while it has an interesting concept (a mixture of Stitchers and Inception), it left much to be desired with everything else. I know it's just the pilot and it might get better as it continues on, but when it comes to first impressions it didn't leave me wanting more, to be honest. It just felt too...basic, almost flat and generic in the writing and execution, never mind that the CG seemed rather unpolished, showing how it's lacking in budget and production costs, which is a problem when your premise centers primarily around technology and virtual reality. The only strong points seem to be the multi-cultural cast, including Sendhil Ramamurthy (❤) who I was pleasantly surprised was part of the cast as well, but aside from that it was rather meh. I'll give it a few more episodes, but unless it improves significantly then it might not be a show I'll continue watching.

++ It's only days away from the Sense8 finale special, June 8th on Netflix! I'm both ready and not ready at the same time.

Comments

[little-huntress.livejournal.com]

I'm glad the tv show isn't happening, it was completely unnecessary and pointless. I love the musical, the songs are great.

I'm so excited about the Sense8 special!

[rogueslayer452.livejournal.com]

It seemed like the guy behind it only wanted to create something ~edgy and for the ~shock value with little to no regard of the actual message of the original film. The musical does a way better job, and it doesn't have to try hard to impress when the music bops and it still remains true to its predecessor.

I can already tell the finale special is gonna make me cry. I'm not ready to say goodbye, but at the same time I'm excited to see how it all wraps up. :)

[author-by-night.livejournal.com]

I've never even seen the original Heathers. I probably should. I've heard Mean Girls was kind of a lighter and softer Heathers, but... from what I've heard, it sounds like a faulty comparison, with the only real connection being that both deal with vindictive teenage girls. But I guess I won't know unless I see it. Maybe I'll watch it over the weekend.

[rogueslayer452.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I've heard that too, including seeing people say that Heathers was the original Mean Girls, which on the surface is probably the only description to make when doing comparisons, but as someone who has seen both films, they are nothing alike aside from the mean girl aspect. There are a lot of things in media over the years that take inspiration from it, for sure, but none of them will be comparable to Heathers. That movie is one of a kind and can never be replicated, nor should anyone try.

Heathers is one of those films that I watched many years ago because I knew of its reputation being among the cult classics and people constantly making references to or quoting from it, though sometimes classics in general can be a hit or miss with me just due to personal preferences and tastes, or just simply not understanding the hype because I wasn't "there" when the thing was popular. But I really ended up loving the movie, so much to the point where I've consumed plenty of meta and discussions analyzing the film and its themes, messages, and social commentary, and why the film seems to be so universal despite it being made in the 80s. Yes, the dark humor is one of the iconic highlights many refer to when talking about the movie, but that is just one facet of the story.

This is a really long-winded way of saying that, yes, I absolutely recommend watching the movie. ;)

[author-by-night.livejournal.com]

I find a lot of people will draw comparisons between various media when in reality, they only have so much in common.

Though sometimes classics in general can be a hit or miss with me just due to personal preferences and tastes, or just simply not understanding the hype because I wasn't "there" when the thing was popular.

Yeah, I think with some things, you really have to have been "there." I sometimes wonder if that's why certain John Hughes movies left me nonplussed. I like The Breakfast Club and Ferris Bueller, but Pretty in Pink and Sixteen Candles were... meh to me.

[http://users.livejournal.com/_profiterole_/]

I'll try Reverie if it gets to Netflix. I was curious about it.

[rogueslayer452.livejournal.com]

I feel like the premise has potential if was executed better. Overall, I felt it was severely lacking in pulling me in to actually care about what was going on. Perhaps you might feel differently once you've seen the pilot for yourself.

[verdande-mi.livejournal.com]

I am looking forward to Sense8, but I don't want it to be the end. Such an interesting story, great cast and wonderfully told and filmed.

[rogueslayer452.livejournal.com]

I'm excited but also sad, because like you I don't want this to be the end. I want it to get miraculously picked up again for more seasons and continue telling the story, because it was building up to something spectacular. With the story and the characters and the uplifting messages and the unique plot, Sense8 is such a beautiful show that deserves so much better.

[rheasilvia.livejournal.com]

I am relieved to hear about Heathers. As I understand it, the antagonist "Mean Girls" were a gay guy, a lesbian African American woman and an "overweight" (for TV series values of overweight, meaning not unhealthily skinny) woman. All being mean to our heroine, a straight thin white girl. Which, WOW. No words.

[rogueslayer452.livejournal.com]

Not only that, but I think the lesbian Heather was actually secretly straight and was only pretending to be a lesbian in order to seem cool and more accepted. Plus, the series got postponed from premiering a few times, and thus ultimately cancelled, due to the slew of ongoing school shootings because, surprise surprise, apparently they have a mass school shooting in the season finale where it seems the teachers are the ones carrying guns. Just, wow. Like, making marginalized groups, who are still targeted and oppressed today, be the "Heathers" in this unnecessary reboot is bad enough, but with everything else revealed about this shitshow it's kind of obvious whoever made this had no idea what the original Heathers was about and didn't care, only wanted to do something controversial and ~edgy just for the sake of it without any kind of meaning behind it, right alongside his own personal soapbox leaking through as well (i.e. possible hatred for millennial culture and the caring about social issues). I'm glad that it got scrapped, we don't need this mess.

[nemophilist.livejournal.com]

So excited about Sense8!

[rogueslayer452.livejournal.com]

Me too! Excited, a little sad though because it means it'll be the end unless another miracle happens, but getting a proper conclusion is better than not having one at all. And I just miss these characters so much, and I can't wait to see them again!

[place-to-hide.livejournal.com]

That's sad. Reverie looked interesting.

Yeah, no one asked for the Heathers reboot anyway. :P I was never going to watch it anyway.

[rogueslayer452.livejournal.com]

I feel like with better writers and production team Reverie could actually work, since the story does have potential, but as it stands I just wasn't that impressed with it. Will it get better? IDK. As I said, I'm willing to give it a few more episodes, but if it doesn't improve I'm just gonna give it a pass.

Sometimes (lbr, most of the time), classics are better left alone unless you're able to do something with it that remains faithful to the story, like what Heathers: The Musical does.

[place-to-hide.livejournal.com]

Yeah. When I was watching something on Hulu, I kept seeing trailers for it. Well, I hope it gets better.

Yup! Most times, it's better to leave classics alone. Right!

[brunettepet.livejournal.com]

I'd love to see the musical.

I, too, was underwhelmed by Reverie. Too bad because I was really looking forward to having Sarah Shahi on my television again. Oh well, I'm giving it two more episodes and if it doesn't improve dramatically I'm out.

[rogueslayer452.livejournal.com]

The musical is pretty awesome. :)

Yeah, it just didn't leave a good impression on me. It was really underwhelming and underdeveloped. It got me thinking to how much I honestly wished we could've had Sarah Shahi as Nancy Drew, that would been awesome. But CBS were all misogynistic with their "but it has too many women" complaint and passed on it, which was only stupid but also a damn shame.

[elizalavelle.livejournal.com]

Yes to Heathers the musical!!!! It's so great. I watched it online but I'm hoping someone around here mounts a production eventually.

I've not watched the Sense8 finale yet so I'm skipping your post about it for now. I want to have the time to sit down and watch without a rush so it might be next weekend :(

[rogueslayer452.livejournal.com]

I've listened to the soundtrack and watched it online, and it's just so great. With the modern (anthology? idek anymore...) reboot cancelled, I'm hoping more people turn to the musical and that it gets more recognition that it deserves. It has a nice small fandom, but I want it to rise similarly like Hamilton did.

That's alright, take your time! I'll be making more posts about it soon, so just keep an eye out once you finished watching it. :)