| |
Celeb News: Two new Katy Perry: Part of Me reviews
Member Since: 8/20/2011
Posts: 12,590
|
Two new Katy Perry: Part of Me reviews
Quote:
I must admit, before seeing Katy Perry: Part of Me, the pop princess with the candy-coated cleavage was on the periphery of my pop culture intake. Sure, I'd see some of her goofy and glittery music videos online, read about her Sesame Street scandal and cheeky response on Saturday Night Live, was aware of her short-lived marriage to crass comedian Russell Brand and had certainly sung along to her most popular singles at karaoke. Yet I hadn't formulated an opinion on Katy Perry and her particular brand of pop confection. That was the main reason I wanted to see her concert doc, to take a look at Perry and her work head on. And now, I can be counted as unabashedly a Katy Kat. Giddy, girly and engaging, Katy Perry: Part of Me 3D is a thoroughly jubilant and inspiring cinematic experience sure to delight her legions of fans as well as win her countless new ones.
Directed by the founders of Magical Elves, Dan Cutforth and Jane Lipsitz who have crafted compelling narratives from reality before with Project Runway, Top Chef and Air Guitar Nation, Part of Me unveils Perry's path to stardom--as well as the career highs and personal lows she experienced during her California Dreams Tour--by interweaving behind-the-scenes footage, interviews with her friends and family, and home movies with kinetic and exhilarating 3D performances from her spectacle-driven stage show. Pumping up the music and showcasing Perry's over-the-top costumes, Part of Me fires up audiences from its first scene, then uses pop music—most often hers, but sometimes covers—to envelop us in her emotions, be it the exhilaration of success, the dizzying swoon of infatuation, or the crushing blow of a breakup, making for a wonderfully moving narrative.
The daughter of a born-again Pentecostal preacher, Perry was barred from most pop culture until her teen years, when she discovered Alanis Morissette, whose raw and edgy music urged her to give up the gospel songs of her youth and write something more true to herself. From there, Perry pursued her girlhood dreams of glittery stardom with an undying ambition and remarkable self-certainty. But beyond this backstory, Part of Me gives audiences a look at all the work that goes behind her flashy stage show. Costume fittings with her trusted stylist Johnny Wukej, workout sessions where Perry works off the fast food that is her favorite indulgence, and tech rehearsals where she pushes to make every effect absolutely perfect. Far from the colorful and impeccable presentation she shows on red carpets and talk shows, Perry is shown without make-up, and in her darker moments, without defenses as she shatters into tears.
While Perry's tour was taking her all over the world to perform 124 sold-out, 2-hour long arena shows, she and Brand were trying to make their new marriage work. But despite Perry's fairy tale dreams of happily ever after, and her tireless efforts to fly to her husband's side at every opportunity, he filed for divorce by year's end. As it's her movie, take a grain of salt with the point of view on this, but it does seem Perry gave her all--much as she does in her stage shows--and when it is not enough to save her marriage, we see her quivering and crying on a makeup chair, removing her wedding band before crumbling into despair. On the whole, she's diplomatic about Brand, never slinging mud or blaming him directly, but it's at this breaking point—with her manager and assistant pressing her to get into costume, despite her personal crisis—that we see Perry for who see is above all else: a true and dedicated performer. Broken and heartsick, she gives her team the go sign, and her makeup artist swabs away her tears to begin preparations for the show. The moment where Perry physically pulls herself up from a slumped stance of a heartbroken girl into the joyous carriage of pop idol who has it all, including a dazzling smile, is one of the movie's most awe-inspiring moments. She is the light she wants to see in the world and inspires us to be the same.
Whether you're hot or cold on Perry's music—I couldn't help myself—it's impossible not to be pulled in by her inspiring tale of self-discovery and tenacity. Stepped through her early brushes with record labels, we're told how refused to be "the next Kelly Clarkson," or "the next Ashlee Simpson," insisting all the while she wanted to be the first Katy Perry. She fought for her vision at every turn, and still does, powering through her own pain and exhaustion to deliver to her fans a remarkable jubilation. I genuinely struggle to remember the last time I felt so consistently joyful in a theater. From the kinetic choreography to the cheeky costume changes, wild stage props and Perry's uniquely extraordinary showmanship, Part of Me is a so much more than portrait of a pop star, it's a party.
4 out of 5 stars
|
http://www.cinemablend.com/reviews/K...f-Me-5909.html
Quote:
And so go the words to "I Kissed a Girl," the 2008 song that put Katy Perry on the map and sums up her persona to a tee.
In her new concert film "Katy Perry: Part of Me 3D," out next week, the mega-star puts it all out there for fans to see.
It's the ups and downs of Perry's present and past that make this movie more fly-on-the-wall documentary than just an overblown music video. Sure, the tweens will love it for the unfettered access to the world of KP, but if there's one thing you walk away from, it's that being famous and pretty isn't always what it's cracked up to be.
The film chronicles the challenges of her 2011 California Dreams world tour and interweaves biographical segments with Twitter and Youtube shout-outs from her legions of fans. From her wig-less preparation backstage to her painful breakup with comedian Russell Brand, the movie shows a side of Perry you've only read about on blogs or in the press. You get to know what a good cry can do for someone and what global love looks like.
The pacing of the film is something of a mixtape of Perry songs. Her most recent hits put up front with a slow build to the song that introduced her to the masses: "I Kissed a Girl." A scene shows her in sultry fashion and breathy song singing an acoustic version of the hit, with thousands of teenagers, boys and girls, men and women mouthing right along with her.
This isn't just disposable pop music, but the makings of one of the greatest hitmakers to ever do it, according to the movie. She's second only to Michael Jackson in terms of number one songs from a single album.
Perry's grueling tour schedule shown in scenes of her travelling from venue to venue and the montage of city names that float across the screen, comes across as not only a necessity for her to reach her audience but also as a way to employ dozens of assistants, stage managers and techinical engineers. She's a global corporation on two legs.
One of the more touching scenes is when she meets with a young fan from the Make a Wish Foundation, the organization for kids with serious illness. The young boy is an expert in Perry's oeuvre and fires off from a list of questions that she patiently answers. Her tone is always playful, weird, genuine.
You may not be a fan of Perry's music, or you fight the urge to listen every time she's on the radio, which is a lot. But any parents who get dragged to see it will be able to appreciate what the movie suggests about fame and love and long road it takes to find both.
|
http://summit.patch.com/articles/mov...photo-10486170
So far the reviews have been positive. Hopefully there will be more coming.
|
|
|
|
Member Since: 10/15/2011
Posts: 4,670
|
Coming for those Oscar nominations!
|
|
|
|
Member Since: 5/1/2012
Posts: 10,570
|
Quote:
|
I must admit, before seeing Katy Perry: Part of Me, the pop princess with the candy-coated cleavage was on the periphery of my pop culture intake.
|
|
|
|
|
Member Since: 12/16/2008
Posts: 59,380
|
Yas Katy get those reviews
|
|
|
|
ATRL Contributor
Member Since: 11/5/2011
Posts: 100,491
|
|
|
|
|
Member Since: 10/7/2011
Posts: 20,627
|
Great reviews.
|
|
|
|
Banned
Member Since: 6/18/2012
Posts: 226
|
|
|
|
|
Member Since: 12/26/2011
Posts: 14,707
|
|
|
|
|
Member Since: 11/29/2006
Posts: 4,549
|
Make those critics stan for you Katy
|
|
|
|
Member Since: 1/5/2012
Posts: 1,702
|
Yesssss
|
|
|
|
Member Since: 11/15/2011
Posts: 13,901
|
only katy
|
|
|
|
Member Since: 8/29/2011
Posts: 18,282
|
Quote:
Originally posted by jqnetto
|
They know the true tea. 
|
|
|
|
|
|
