God Help the Girl

Twee is not a word which not nearly enough films can be described by, Gid Help the Girl can definately be described in this way, directed by Belle and Sebastian frontman Stuart Murdoch and starring Emily Browning and Olly Alexander this film is a delightfully quirky musical comedy.

It’s quirkiness is definitely part of its appeal, and it also allows us to forgive some of the films shortcomings, whilst the film does often feel aimless and bloated, it is too adorable and cute to truly dislike.

The films stars are really rather good despite neither of them being known as great actors, Emily Browning partly makes up for her earlier missteps such as Sucker Punch and Years and Years frontman Olly Alexander proves his acting chops in his first leading role.

God Help the Girl is the story of Eve, a girl suffering from anorexia and living in a mental hospital in Scotland who escapes to Glasgow and meets James, a struggling musician, together they start a band, called God Help the Girl, along with Cassie, a young music student.

The film suffers majorly from third act drag, and it definitely starts to feel very long after about an hour, ironically this sense of aimlessness was one of the films greatest strengths in the early on, as the meandering plot mimicked the sense of aimlessness of the main character, however the audience soon begins to tire, and I wanted to know where this story was going, thankfully the films climax is at least relatively satisfying.

God Help the GIrl is a massively flawed film, though it is enjoyable and its use of music is superb, despite its aimlessness and meandering plot the performances in this film are strong, and its a fairly enjoyable romp through an incredibly musical Glasgow.

The Many Faces of Edna Turnblad

I have some rather exciting personal news, i have been selected to play Edna Turnblad in the university production of Hairspray. While this news is hugely exciting, i do have some especially large shoes to fill, as this is a role that has been played by many legends, including, but not limited to, John Travolta and Harvey Fierstein.

John Travolta as Edna

The role was played by Divine in the original 1988 film directed by John Waters. The character is different from other interpretations of the role, and is, believe it or not, less camp than other iterations. Divine is a legend, and this in addition to being one of his final performances, was one of his best, and hugely influenced the other actors on this list. Divine's performance is what started the tradition of having each subsequent version of Edna played by a man in drag.

The second performer to take over the role was Harvey Fierstein, who was the original Edna on Broadway, and who won a Tony for his efforts. Vocally Fierstein is more gravelly than subsequent versions of the character, however he successfully took elements of Divines performance, especially his appearance, and then added other things, making the character more camp and lighter.
The third high profile performance, and the one most memorable to you readers was that of John Travolta in the 2007 film adaptation of the musical. Travolta's interpretation of the character was wildly different from either that came before it, and yet in a strange way it also pays homage to both the actors who came before him, the character is somehow even lighter than either Devine or Fierstein, and Edna is jolly, loving and full of life, she is somehow light, as if she imagines that she only weighs 40 kilos.

Divine as Edna

I have some pretty big shoes to fill, and each of these actors brought something different to the role of the voluptuous jolly Edna Turnblad.

Queer Prizefight: Rocky Horror Vs Priscilla Queen of the Desert

This is a rather personal edition of Prizefights, as these are two of my favorite movies, a psychologist would probably tell me that this is a disturbing fact, but these were two of the films that i first felt defined me, the films that made me know who i wanted to be, and what i aspired to. I saw Rocky Horror first, and it gave me a sense of self and a sense of belonging. Next i saw Priscilla, and again the pop culture references and liberal sprinklings of ABBA music were just my thing, and i have mow seen it in excess of fifty times, these films are two of the most personal to me and to others.

 Both The Rocky Horror Picture Show and The Adventures of Priscilla Queen of the Desert are hugely important films in the history of gay culture, when Rocky Horror was first released, it became a cultural phenomenon, it was denied a regular theatrical release, and so it became a midnight movie, shown after hours to groups of misfits soon amassing a huge gay following. The Adventures of Priscilla Queen of the Desert was released in 1994, and while Rocky Horror introduced fringe themes to the mainstream gay community, Priscilla introduced the gay community to wider straight audiences. While these films are not exactly the same, they are both films that are hugely beloved, and while i see that it may be impossible to choose between them, i will attempt to analyze them based on their following, music and costume design.

Both films have dedicated fanbases, though fortunately neither gives their followings punny names. The Adventures of Priscilla Queen of the Desert has a much larger and much more mainstream fanbase, the music of the film is well known, and the soundtrack was commercially successful, the songs in the film are of particular interest to the gay community, but are also well known universally. The Rocky Horror Picture Show is an original musical, featuring songs written by Richard O'Brien. The Rocky Horror Show started out as a musical, played on the west end with much of the same cast before being adapted to film. The adventures of Priscilla Queen of the Desert was later adapted to a musical which premiered in Australia before moving to the west end and Broadway. Both shows were hugely successful, and both continue to show to this day.

Both also have fantastic costume design, being gay movies though, this is superfluous information. The costume design of Rocky Horror is now iconic as it has been replicated by fans for the last forty years, the character of Frank-N-Furter is a transvestite, and thus wears an outfit consisting of lingerie, heels and a black velvet cape. Riff Raff and Magenta dress as a typical butler and maid, and Columbia wears a delightfully effervescent covered in gold sequins, also imitated is the heavy make up that Frank wears, which has also been reproduced by fans. The costumes of Priscilla are also typically overstated, as only a film about a group of drag queens could be, the costumes are larger than life and over the top, and the film is like a typical drag show on GHB.

Both Rocky Horror and Priscilla are fantastic films, both have great music and an absurd sense of fun. It is emotionally impossible for me to choose between these films, i love them both too much, they are both a part of me and I don't think it is possible to say that one is better than the other. Both are great cult classics, and both deserve a unique place in cinematic history.

Dreamgirls

Forgive me if this post seems a little bitter, the VMA’s of Sunday night burned a bleeding hole in my soul so deep it will take months to heal, but I will soldier on regardless. Dreamgirls is a 2006 movie musical directed by Bill Condon and featuring an ensemble cast starring Jennifer Hudson, Beyoncé Knowles, Jamie Foxx, Eddie Murphy and Anika Noni Rose. The film remains the most expensive film ever made with an all-black cast, and one of the highest grossing musicals. Based on the Broadway musical, the film is essentially a film a clef about The Supremes, with the film being a story about a three part girl group from Detroit, who find fame and stardom, despite being entirely controlled by the group’s manager and lead singer.

Many of the characters in the film are partially based upon real life individuals, Jamie Foxx’s character; Curtis Taylor Jr. is strongly based upon Berry Gordy, the real life owner of Motown Records and the manager and producer of The Supremes. Knowles’ character is strongly based on Diana Ross, like Deena Jones, Diana Ross was neither the strongest or best singer of The Supremes, nor was she the original lead singer of the group. Jennifer Hudson’s character mirrors the story of Florence Ballard, the original lead singer of The Supremes who was later fired by their manager and replaced.

The film succeeds largely due to the performances of its talented and charismatic cast. Knowles, despite easily being the weakest singer of the group, is perfectly suited for the part, and despite her film performances in the past and since having been savaged, this role perfectly suits her, although her voice is weak and often thin, she comes into her own during Listen, when she isn’t forced to compete with stronger singers, and when her voice really soars. Jamie Foxx is also great as Curtis Taylor Jr., despite Taylor Jr. being the obvious villain of the piece; Foxx plays him with a complexity and a sense of malice that keeps the character from becoming two dimensional or camp. Eddie Murphy’s performance is unusually restrained, and he imbues the character with a comic tragedy. Anika Noni Rose, despite not being given a huge amount to do gives a fine performance, and her scenes with Eddie Murphy in addition to the characters emotional evolution throughout the film are a highlight

The standout performance of the film is that of Jennifer Hudson, who, in her feature film debut, who was awarded an Oscar for her performance. She is superb in this film, she has one of the best voices recoded since Aretha Franklin, and her voice is strong, clear and powerful, she infuses it with a heartbreaking sense of tragedy. Her performance of And I Am Telling You is now the definitive recording, and she portrays Effie as someone fragile and gentle, who is hurt easily, and who has her heart broken by a man attracted to mere beauty, and who has her career stolen by a woman far less talented than she.

Dreamgirls succeeds as an adaptation of the hit show and as a standalone movie; the film is a fascinating look at the Motown music scene of the sixties, and the history of the Supremes. It is also slightly validating to see Beyoncé out sung in every scene by an American idol alumni (who didn’t even win). Dreamgirls is fun, visceral and energetic. A perfect movie musical featuring perfect performances.

Five Favorite Male Performances In Musicals

In the interests of gender equality and to complete the post I wrote previously, I decided to write a companion post featuring the best male performances in musicals. I found this list far more difficult to write than the previous post, and I found in retrospect, that far more musicals are female orientated, and that few movie musicals feature strong male performances.

• ·        Antonio Banderas as Ché in Evita

I adore this film, and it is one of my favorite movie musicals, Antonio Banderas is equally as fantastic as Madonna is this picture, his role is in someways more difficult than hers, Banderas has to play a character with only one name, no past, no future and no backstory, he succeeds in crafting an omnipresent narrator who is magnetically enthralling despite his lack of character development. His character is also never properly explained, as he never actually talks to Evita, ans it is unclear if he is a real person, or a figment of her consciousness. Nonetheless, Antonio Banderas shines in this engaging movie musicals.

• ·        Gerard Butler as The Phantom in The Phantom of the Opera

Like Banderas, Gerard Butler is not a trained singer, but his performance as the mysterious benefactor living in the catacombs beneath the opera house is magnetic and mesmerizing, again, Butler plays a man with no name and who only shows half of his face. Looking at Gerard Butler’s filmography, Phantom is a highly odd addition, but he truly is fantastic in the title role, and his incarnation of the Phantom is the best to date, even outshining Michael Crawford’s now iconic performance in the original production. Despite not being a trained singer, Gerard Butler’s voice is crisp and clear, and his rendition of Music of the Night is outstanding.

• ·        Jim Broadbent as Harold Zidler in Moulin Rouge

Jim Broadbent is truly one of my favorite actors, few other thespians have such a consistent or varied filmography. From his star turn in Iris to his performance in Cloud Atlas, Broadbent has consistently show his acting chops to be honed and refined. In Moulin Rouge Broadbent plays Harold Zidler, the owner and manager of scandalous and salacious Parisian nightclub the Moulin Rouge. Broadbent seems able to walk a knife’s edge between gaiety and gravity, from his performance as the morbidly obese jet jolly nightclub owner front of house, to his grappling with the death of his little sparrow and the threat of violence from The Duke, Broadbent’s multi-faceted performance is entertaining without being superficial, and his singing is surprisingly good.

• ·       Gene Kelly as Don Lockwood in Singing in the Rain

The fact that Kelly had a hundred degree fever whilst shooting his iconic dance sequence in this film makes it all the more impressive. Kelley merits a place on this list because of one scene alone, and his dancing in this film is stunning and iconic. Singing in the Rain is a great film, and sparked a new era of color and light for movie musicals, launching the golden age of musicals, Singing in the Rain is a testament to Kelly’s talent as an actor, a singer and a dancer, a true triple treat.

• ·        Tim Curry as Frank-N-Furter in The Rocky Horror Picture Show

I simply adore this film, it is one of my favorites, and much of this is because of Tim Curry’s now iconic performance as Frank-N-Furter, everything in this performance works, from the insane crazed make-up and the chunky string of perls, to the british accent and slight aristocratic drawl. Successfully being able to walk in heels is impressive enough, and Tim Curry gives a truly gonzo performance in this quirky musical. After originating the role in the West-End, Curry felt no need to tone down his performance for the cameras, and his fourth wall breaking bravura acting is one of the main reasons to watch this film.

Five Favorite Female Performances in Musicals

Again, an oddly precise list, however i simply adore musicals, and many of my favorites seem to be female led, about a year ago i did a list of my seven favorite musicals (here). You will see that most of the films on the list have female leads, and continuing my Five Favorites series, i decided to list my five favorite female performances in movie musicals.

• Nicole Kidman as Satine in Moulin Rouge

Oscar nominated, Kidman's performance in this film is often unfairly overlooked, but Kidman is perfect in this role as the effervescent, sexy and sensual nightclub singer and courtesan, she manages to be fragile and honest, as well as being the powerful and manipulative femme fatale. Kidman also has a fantastic singing voice, and the soundtrack of this movie is one of my favorites. Her performance during the reprise of Come What May is particularly spectacular, and the pain in her voice is all too apparent.

• Julie Andrews as Mary in Mary Poppins

 One of the earliest modern musicals, Mary Poppins set a stunningly high bar for movie musicals in the century that followed, Julie Andrews is so ideally suited to the role of Mary Poppins that it would be utterly inconceivable to imagine anyone else playing her on screen, Andrews imbues the role with grace and class, and her voice is crisp and elegant. Andrews' performance is so iconic that it influenced performances not only in musicals but other cinematic nannies for years to come, and Mary Poppins became instantly the quintessential English nanny for audiences across the globe.

• Jennifer Hudson as Effie White in Dreamgirls

 I love this movie, and Hudson's performance is one of the reasons why i adore this film so, vocally Hudson is an incredibly strong vocalist, and her performance in this film is entirely believable, her arc in this film is incredibly sad and full of pain, and Hudson's acting chops are unbelievable for someone who was discovered on American Idol. She deservedly won the Oscar for her performance in Dreamgirls, and her rendition of And I Am Telling You cements her place as one of the best female vocalists since Aretha Franklin.

• Catherine Zeta Jones as Velma Kelly in Chicago

 Although a supporting performance, Jones performance in Chicago is one of the best things about this film, despite Catherine Zeta Jones not being the best vocalist in Hollywood or even in this film, her performance succeeds due to her managing to craft a believable personality from this vaudevillian sex kitten Velma Kelly, her performance is delightfully catty, and she is unbelievably cool in the role. So despite not being the greatest vocalist, somehow Catherine Zeta Jones is the best thing about Chicago.

• Madonna as Eva Peron in Evita

How could i not? Yes, I am a huge fan of Madonna, and yes that probably makes me biased, but Madonna is simply astounding as Eva Peron, despite being cruelly snubbed an Oscar nomination, her performance in this film remains iconic and transgressive. Watching this film, not as a contemporary, but as a modern viewer, and being such a huge fan of Madonna makes her performance all the more impressive, her performance is chameleonic, and throughout the entire film, i never noticed Madonna once, she became Eva Peron in spirit and in appearance, and as the film contains virtually no speaking whatsoever, her acting is done almost exclusively through expression and song. Madonna's performance is not only one of the greatest in a musical, but one of, if not the best female performances of all time, she is simply astounding, and easily exceeds all expectations.

The MDNA Tour - DVD Review

About a year ago, i reviewed Adele at the Royal Albert Hall, a concert DVD, i think that was probably the latest concert film i had seen, until now. The other night, i settled down for a sketch and a watch of Madonna's latest tour DVD, The MDNA Tour, the tour took place in 2012 and was the highest grossing tour of the year, in addition to becoming the second highest grosing tour ever by a female artist, behind Madonna's Sticky and Sweet Tour from 2008, and higher than The Confessions Tour from 2006. The tour was filmed in Miami in 2012 and was broadcast on Epix.

Despite being majorly filmed at the shows in Miami, the show also uses footage from other shows of the north american leg of the tour, the show was filmed in HD using multiple cameras mounted on the stage, giving the audience the feeling of actually being on stage with Madonna. The editing between the multiple shows is seamless, and there is no break between songs, the show is highly edited using multiple cuts per song, adding to the phrenetic energy of the performance, the DVD is essentially a two hour music video, highly produced and well directed.

Thematically the show is split into four segments, the first, entitled Transgression, deals with themes of violence, religion and sex. The second segment, entitled Prophecy features music that brings people together. The penultimate segment is entitled Masculine/Feminine, features the iconic cone bra and is an exploration of eroticism, masculinity and femininity, nudity and power. The final segment is called Redemption and has an appropriately religious feel, with Madonna taking the role of Pope (of course)

The DVD is highly impressive, particularly for Madonna's performance, at 55 Madge shows no signs of slowing up, her dancing is energetic and entirely on point and her vocals are surprisingly even and strong. What is mostly impressive with this DVD is how brilliantly successful is is as a DVD, many concert tours struggle to find a reason to be filmed, and the MDNA tour needs no reason, the show is energetic, visually stunning and thematically engaging, the tour itself and this DVD is a testament to Madonna's work as a visionary artist and her unique voice in the music industry today. Rating: A+

 Madonna: Fuck Yeah!

The Rise and Fall of Glee

A few years ago i got hooked on a little show called Glee. Enchanted by the dancing and the music, the show appealed to some of my more camp sensibilities. The show just celebrated their 100th episode, and with the announcement that the next season would be the last, i though now was as good a time as ever to write about the show, and to compare the latest episodes of the show with the early episodes, that made me fall in love with the show. The show is currently in it's sixth season, and i've been watching it since the second season. Particularly for a high school show, six years is a long time for a show to be on the air, and as such the show has gone through numerous cast changes.

The show as it is today is a mere shadow of what it once was, the show has gone from being fiercely proud of how uncool it was, to desperately trying to be cool. The music performed on the show has gone from being a fun blend of show tunes and 80's pop music, to being so up to date and of the moment that watching back old episodes three weeks later they suddenly feel dated. The show is trying so hard to be current that in some cases by the time the episodes air, they are already dated. For example in one episode they covered 'What Does The Fox Say', about a month after that fad had already ended.

Being a high school themed show, the cast has changed cyclically since the first few seasons. Where the show really started to go downhill for me was when the first class graduated. The class of students that included Rachel, Kurt and Mercedes had so much charisma and charm, and were such a disparate group of misfits that they were somehow endearing. They were believable, because one could truly understand that they would be the outcasts in school and that they would be shunned by the popular kids. The current class of students, however attractive are in no way believable as misfits, because they would all be the popular kids in school. Let's be honest, Marley, obese mum aside, would have lots of friends in school, and as one of the highly unpopular kids in school, i can say that unpopular kids do not look like this.

There is also a sharp difference in talent, Mercedes, Rachel and Kurt are all truly fantastic singers, and although Marley, Jacob, Ryder and Wade are okay singers, none of them is fantastic. Interestingly one episode focused on finding 'the new Rachel', and despite devoting a whole episode to it, the show still hasn't found one, and the show doesn't have a single lead character to anchor the show around.

The other problem is the storylines, the original seasons were lauded for their frank description of sex, teen pregnancy, sexuality and relationships. The pregnancy storyline involving Quinn, Puck and Finn is a particular highlight, as is the romantic storyline between Santana and Brittney. Although i highly praise the current transgender storyline featuring Unique, and it is really the only trans storyline in a mainstream show, but the rest of the storylines feel very pedestrian, the love triangle between Marley, Jake and Ryder is a little overdrawn, and a bit been there done that.

Overall, the new Glee is a shadow of what it once was, i have high hopes for the fest of this season, with the show's focus switching to New York, where many of the show's good cast members lie, and i hope that the show can regain what it once had before the show ends for good. Focusing on the more interesting cast members and shifting focus away from some of the newer cast members (Marley, Jake, Ryder) will aid the show in regaining some of it's old character and personality.

RIP Corey Monteith: 1982-2013

Inside Llewyn Davis

Finally, an actual review about an actual movie right? Inside Llewyn Davis is a film by the Cohen brothers, premiered in 2013 at the Cannes film festival and won the Grand Prix du Festival. The film stars Oscar Isaac as Llewyn Davis, a struggling folk musician living in New York's Greenwich Village, and attempting to make it big in the music industry. Carey Mulligan stars as his friend and former lover, Justin Timberlake as her husband and F Murray Abraham as a music executive.

Oscar Isaac is Llewyn Davis, a young folk artist who has released an album, which has failed and has nowhere permanent to live, he ends up shifting between friends sleeping on couches and on floors, and hitchhiking to Chicago to meet with a record executive. Llewyn Davis used to be a member of a duo, with his best friend with whom he released an album, however his friend committed suicide, and he now has to try to make it as a solo artist, Llewyn Davis is a man who lives without consequence, and who doesn't think about the future, his life is lived on a day to day basis, and thus the film has a meandering structure, with no real plot.

The film, being about folk musicians features plenty of music, and the films music was produced by T Bone Burnett, the man who made Joaquin Phoenix and Reese Witherspoon sing, and who won an academy award for his work on the film Crazy Heart. The music in the film is fantastic, and is mostly constituted of covers of old, and mostly little known music. Part of the film features around The Gaslight Cafe, a Greenwich Village bar known for it's music scene, and it's discovery of artists such as Bob Dylan.

The film features a nonlinear plot, however one won't know that it is nonlinear until the end, the only thing that tells us that the plot is linear is the appearance of a cat that Davis picks up, the film opens with Llewyn Davis playing the gaslight, and then eventually shows us the week leading up to this point, however the film makes no attempt to iron out the plot and tell us where we are, it instead contents to simply allow us to work it out. This is a kind of audience respect that few contemporary films have, as most seem to incorrectly or not assume that their audiences are morons.

Oscar Isaac is fantastic in the title role, he carries the weight of the whole film, and manages to show us inside someone who is complex, conflicted and mourning. Llewyn Davis is a man who cannot look past his own self importance and who despite desperately trying to make it in the music industry, isn't willing to sacrifice his musical integrity in order to make it big. Isaac is really likeable in the title role, and we feel his pain as we rejoice with his triumphs. F Murray Abraham also has a bit part as a record executive. It is fantastic to see Abraham in a feature film again, after having been absent for so long, and although his part is small, it is entertaining.

Overall i really enjoyed this film, despite the film not really going anywhere, it is a fun journey nonetheless, and in this case, the journey is not really external, but internal, it is not the characters on screen who change, they are exactly the same at the end as they were at the beginning, it is more our perception of them that changes, and as we come to understand why they are the way they are, we understand who they are. Wonderfully shot and beautifully acted, Inside Llewyn Davis is a powerful character study, and a harrowing portrait of the hardships of the 1960's music scene. Rating: A

Jean: I should have had you wear a double condoms. You should be wearing condom on condom and then wrap it in electrical tape.

Host and Musical Guest: Lady Gaga!

Well, please forgive the insular nature of this post, whilst i appreciate that no-one really want's a blow by blow account of Lady Gaga's hosting stint on Saturday Night Live, i have an intense desire to write one. I do promise that there are some real cinema posts coming along soon, i am going to see Inside Llewyn Davis tonight and recently watched The To Do List, so reviews for those will be up soon, but right now i am far to immersed in the music industry and whilst i accept that SNL is not film, it is funny, and you never know what funny can do. Whilst i am a huge Lady Gaga fan as you may know she has never hosted SNL before despite having appeared on it twice in 2009 and 2011, and i was intrigued by her acting abilities, Gaga is actually a trained actor, and studied at TISCH school of the Arts at NYU, however she has really only started doing  film work this year. Having previously been highly impressed by Miley Cyrus' hosting gig earlier this season, i was looking forward to this episode.

The episode started badly, the first sketch featured various interviews with recently disgraced Toronto mayor Rob Ford on canadian television. Despite Taran Killam's rather uncanny handling of the canadian accent and Bobby Moynahan's transformation into the disgraced mayor, this sketch is way too long, clocking in at 4 minutes, it becomes a bit of a bore, and whilst being current, the subject matter really isn't that interesting to me. Rating: C

The first recorded skit features Jay Pharaoh playing Obama as a severely depressed president advertising a new anti-depressant (formulated for second terms), and also available in republican strength, whilst this sketch wasn't as strong as other SNL advertisements, it was effective, if not particularly funny for the most part. Rating: C+

The first live sketch of the night featuring out host was a fictional morning show hosted by Kim Kardashian and Kanye West, called "Morning with Kimye", Nasim Pedrad plays Kim and Jay Pharoah plays Kanye. The sketch is funny and plays up Kanyes arrogance, Kim's stupidity and his apparent control over what she wears. The featured guest that week was Karen, who works at the Apple store, and who thought she was there to fix an macbook air. Kanye then criticizes what she is wearing and Apple calling her a genius. Kanye pits her style against Kim's in a segment called Kim Wore It Better, despite them not wearing the same thing, and decides that, indeed, Kim wore it better. Gaga then pokes fun at her own love of fashion and eccentric dressing style. Overall the three are very funny in this sketch, and it is an fun dig at modern pop culture. Rating: B+

The next sketch features famous people singing bad covers of other peoples songs. It is amusing and fun, and their are some really odd pairings, such as Susan Boyle singing We Didn't Start The Fire and Adele singing the theme song from LA Law, which incidentally has no words. Lady Gaga plays herself, supposedly singing a cover of Express Yourself, but simply singing Born This Way instead, and poking fun at the similarities between the two songs. Overall this sketch is fun, and the celebrity 'cameos' are entertaining. Rating: B

Next Lady Gaga performed Do What U Want alongside R Kelly, the performance was significantly toned down, featuring no backing dancers except one woman who was there simply to hold R Kelly's sunglasses. . . really? The vocals during this performance were fantastic, and the simple staging ensured there were no distractions from their vocal abilities. Overall the whole performance was just a little wierd, and that's me talking. It felt a little improvised, which i'm sure was the point, but it just seemed a little awkward. Rating: A-

The next sketch wasn't great ever, again it lacked coherence, the sketch featured a couple trying to get approved by a co-op board, and meeting the buildings kooky inhabitants, overall it was a little boring and too eccentric to be funny, and again not quite eccentric enough to be funny. Rating: C

I didn't like the next sketch either, it featured children who are part of an acting school, acting out famous scenes from films, Gaga was perfectly adequate in this sketch, and on paper it seems like a good idea, however the whole thing was just a bit shrill and annoying for me, plus i hate children. Rating: B-

The next recorded sketch was a tribute to blockbuster featuring a trio of employees who are laid off, and who go on a spiritual journey, and who are reborn by a Gaga-like goddess as Best Buy employees. The sketch is effective and funny, and highly topical seeing as Blockbusters just closed down all their locations in the United States. Rating: B

The next performance featured Gaga singing Gypsy from her new album, i will admit that i do have a soft spot for this song since hearing it on the album, however this performance really is something special, Gaga sounds fantastic, and the staging is fantastic, i might be biased, but this is just really great. Rating: A+

The penultimate sketch featured John Milhiser and Lady Gaga as annoying and driven stage parents who give their daughter a complicated and inappropriate dance routine to perform at her schools talent show, and then proceed to dance along with her in the audience like annoying pageant parents. The sketch is simple and amusing, and becomes more and more outrageous as it goes on, so overall, success! Rating: A-

The final sketch is as hilarious as it is tragic and moving, Lady Gaga plays a geriatric version of herself in the year 2063 on the upper west side, when everyone has forgotten about her, and she has to call the super up to her apartment just to have someone to talk to, however unfortunately he doesn't recognize her, and knows none of her music, Gaga's willingness to make fun of herself is astounding. The sketch is as funny as it is sad, and is a reflection of the fickleness of fame in our society, and it makes one think about the fact that there are actually people who live like this, and who are unable to let go of the people they used to be. Rating: A+

Overall Lady Gaga sets a high bar for the rest of this season of SNL, her ability to make fun of herself makes her a successful host, and this episode of SNL is the best so far this season, almost topping Miley Cyrus and even Tina Fey's hosting gig's, i mean, if she's as good as Tina Fey she's doing something right, right?