TheBigDave

It's now up on Hulu:

http://www.hulu.com/the-rocky-horror-picture-show/

randian

Seeing Victoria Justice reminds me how much I liked Eye Candy.

joe_b

This would have been more entertaining as a live production. Imagine all the potential wardrobe malfunctions.

Anyway, I didn't really care for it. Laverne Cox was trying to sound like Tim Curry and it came off a bit weird. I chuckled every time she pronounced Brad as "Bread". Reeve Carney was better with his Riff Raff impression, but it just reminded me how much I prefer Richard O'Brien in the role.

TheBigDave

I had high hopes for this. I'm a big Rocky Horror fan. And I enjoyed the live Grease last year.

Unfortunately, I thought this was awful. It was badly miscast, except for Brad, Janet and Eddie. Riff Raff, Magenta, Columbia, and Dr Scott were all lousy. And I love Tim Curry, but he's too feeble to do anything.

Frank-n-Furter was a distracting mess. I don't have a problem with a black transsexual playing that role. They just picked the wrong actress. Or maybe she needed better direction. I'm not familiar with her other work, but she wasn't good here.

I wasn't impressed by any of the musical performances. The choreography was also boring. One thing I really like about RHPS is when you see it performed, everyone on stage is having a blast. Watching this, I felt like they were going through the motions and not having any fun.

I did like some of the sets and wardrobe. Probably the only thing I liked about the production.

The whole thing had the feeling of a Disney Channel movie. Then I noticed it was directed/choreographed by Kenny Ortega. The same guy who did Disney Channel's High School Musical 1-3 and The Descendants.

DWilson

I remember seeing the original RHPS at a college showing right after it opened, long before it became a cult hit (it had a trailer attached for this movie coming out that summer called "Star Wars"), -crickets. Seriously, half the audience left before it was over. The next time was at a bootleg video showing at a local SF convention and the audience was playing along, -a night and day difference.

Personally, I like the first third of the musical, but I feel it kind of goes downhill from there. That being said, this version didn't change my mind. The direction was rather limited and I just didn't care for Laverne Cox's performance.

I was seriously wondering if Tim Curry was recovering from a stroke.

dex14

Is that a joke?

Adam Tyner

He did have a stroke a few years back, confining him to a wheelchair, and this is his first on-camera role since.

DWilson

Sorry to hear that. My comment may have seemed insensitive, -and probably was, -but I didn't know and that was my thought when I saw him.

TomOpus

Especially the commercial they stuck between "I'm Going Home" and "Superheroes."

Solid Snake

Yeah. I thought this was awful too aside from the Science Fiction double feature bit. I think they had the right intentions but no soul. They had all these designs and things to create but no soul. They had money and they had a lot of time but no struggle to make it great. Again... lack of soul. The film or even the original cast singing in the play musical.. just.. put so much into it. This was just too much flash for no bang.

dfmaverick2

I enjoyed the usherette's opening. I usually watch the movie until Rocky comes to life and don't finish the rest; with other things on last night, I didn't make it that far.

Giantrobo

Yeah that was the biggest turn off form me while watching the promos for this. Cox has a Southern accent (b. Alabama) she has not overcome and it clashes with her line delivery at times. Add that to trying to imitate Tim Curry's unique and very recognizable voice and it is a train wreck.

TheBigDave

If anyone liked this enough to buy it, it's only $2.99 at Vudu:

http://www.vudu.com/movies/#!content...ror-Reimagined

Double_Oh_7

I thought that's what it was supposed to be. Otherwise what's the point?

Abob Teff

Between the commercials and the bugs (the graphic advertisements during the show) they completely killed most of the enjoyment that was there.

I didn't think it was awful, but I agree with Snake. So much too work with yet it came off soulless. It was extremely flat despite great casting and a wonderful visual appeal. Lots of eye candy but it didn't taste so sweet. The musical performances weren't bad, but also just didn't have anything special going for them.

Everytime Curry was on film I was extremely saddened that they would wheel him out like this. Somebody please tell me he was acting and I should reconsider my position.

Original Desmond

Only worth watching for Victoria justice in a bra

Jason

It didn't work because it was a gimmick.

Tim Curry was great as the over-the-top Frank-n-Furter, but that's because he's a good actor who was allowed to dive in and make the character his own. Putting Laverne Cox in the role was the producers trying to check off certain boxes. I haven't seen her in anything else, but I understand she's good on Orange is the New Black. Maybe it was bad direction? Trying too hard? Too obvious? Maybe you just can't catch lightning in a bottle twice?

Abob Teff

I think I would lay it at the feet of the director. I was intrigued by the choice of Laverne Cox, and I think she has the acting chops to pull it off. I just don't think she was allowed to dive in and take ownership of the character. I think the director kept pulling her back to an imitation of Curry.

It was Rocky Horror Saturday for me ... Watched the new, then the old, then put the new back on again. The new one played better the second time around, but it still was a bit flat.

This time I noticed lots of interesting little changes that I thought were improvements, many of which tied back to Riff Raff (blasphemy as that may be). When he lets Janet and Brad in he spends more time leering at Janet and then does not hold the door for them. Later, when Janet faints it is Riff Raff who catches her, not Brad.

Some other improvements: I LOVED the opening sequence with the HOT usher. While we miss the classic lips, this is just a great scene. The dueling bedroom scenes were staged much better with the spanking additions. Somebody lamented the new Columbia but I really liked her.

DWilson

It could have been the director, but since this is Television, it could be that's what The Network wanted.

Solid Snake

The thing about this as well is that.. the sexuality is just too upfront. It's not cheeky anymore. It's not like RHPS was subtle but it was cheeky w/ it. This one was just sexuality for the sake of sexuality. There was a level of taste to it considering how wild they went but this one.. just... didn't have any boundaries to push.

I did like the opening but... even w/ that... I hated the look of the people going in. And to a degree didn't care for the usherette's look or sexuality. It was all just amped up. From the recordings of when RHPS was originally on stage... I liked how the SFDF bit was a cutesy gal singling a bubbly usherette. It was just... fun. This one was too much of a product. Wild/sexy for the sake of wild/sexy w/ no point.... to the point where it's bland. No depth to the roles here. In the film, you can feel that the gears are going in the characters. Here it's all produced to hell to where the motions are just that... motions.

About Cox, eh. I don't think she was any good. Just lack of ability to bring out the nature of that role. Curry was all gears going w/ that one. Just bursting at the seams. Great fucking actor.

Just a soulless reproduction of something that has previously been handled by much better talent w/ less money. I may not be fans of any the "name" actors here but I know they've some talent. This just didn't gel. Too manufactured.

Jason

A real nit pick, the opening would have been much more cohesive if the exterior shots has been a real theater, instead of Franks's castle. There are a lot of beautifully restored theaters out there, and they are as impressive on the outside as the interior they used here. I'm an old theater fan, so this is something I pick up on. The audience didn't bother me much, but 50's sock hop kids would have been cool too. No issue with the usherette, thought she worked well. Sure, she amped up the sexuality a bit, but that's just what you get these days.

I didn't see the whole thing, but overall I think the opening promised something that the show didn't quite deliver.

LiquidSky

Ageed. The "new" Columbia was awful.

caligulathegod

Was it just me, or did the Usherette say, "And I really got HIGH when I saw Janette SKY fight a Triffid that spits poison and kills. THEN Andrews said prunes gave him the runes, and passing them used lots of skill."

Just a shame they did it more as a remake of the movie than just a presentation of the play like BBC did. If there was any difference they deferred to the movie. I have seen the movie 100s of times. The joy of seeing a live production is when they bring something original to it. The live show has more energy, like a rock concert. The movie tried to be a Hammer pastiche. There's a reason audiences filled in those interminable pauses and plodding pacing.

First time I saw a live production was in Atlanta in 1985 and RuPaul played Riff Raff! It was his first role. It was before he took on his drag persona. He was just a singer in a funk band called Wee Wee Pole. Something was up, though, because the program called him "Miss Thang" and noted that he got dressed in the ladies dressing room. Made sense when he later became famous (this WAS Atlanta in the mid-80s).

mnementh

I'd rather see her without a bra.

Josh-da-man

You're in luck. She was one of the first releases of "The Fappening" two years ago.

And, yes, they're spectacular.