The world in my eyes: Burlesque

It has been quite a while since the last time we saw a musical movie in theater, with the last one being Mamma Mia, if my memory serves me right, so when it came to the choice between Burlesque and Season of the witch, both of which premiered on the same day, we all went after the music. Well, I don't say it was a bad choice, since the movie did give us a good time, but it still pales in comparison with the like of Chicago and Moulin Rouge, and I will be very surprised if this movie wins some major awards :)

The movie revolved around a small town girl who wanted to make it big in a large city, and eventually got it. The plot is not new, not original, quite predictable and easy to guess. I will not go into the details, and since this is a musical, the plot really does not matter too much, as long as the music is good. Luckily, I can proudly say that the music is quite good, at least good enough to make me go online and search for the OST to listen to them again :P

Xtina's acting in this movie is just average, but she more than made up for that with the songs she sang in the film. She had a great, strong and high, raspy and sexy voice, and she managed to show it off with her solo performances, especially the parts which she sang without music. Her deep voice, once heard, sent chill down my spine. I enjoyed her "Tough Love", and the way she "Express" herself. And the way she Burlesque, well, it was cool. If I happen to watch this movie again, it will be for the music, and music only :D

Another star of the night was Cher, who played Tess, Burlesque's owner. She did not have as much screen time as Xtina, but she used her time well to showcase her singing talents, and proved once again that class is forever. Her voice was very deep, very strong and very addictive. She had only 2 songs, and she nailed them both. The first song was an undeniable invitation to come and enjoy the world she created, to have fun and spend money there, while the second song was a well of pain that was also full of determination. Xtina's songs were catchy and sexy and attractive, but Cher's songs were really the heavyweights of the night.

One more thing to note, in this movie, we meet again the cunning vampire James of Twilight. He still had the menacing but tempting glare, the half smile and the beautiful body, only less the fangs and the burgundy eyeballs. Besides, he is a good guy this time, a bit funny, a bit half baked character and easy to forget. By the way, his love scenes with Xtina sucked, or did I only see the toned down, edited version? Anyway, nothing much to discuss about him either.

There were some other familiar faces, including Stanley Tucci, again as a gay assistant who had a great love for his work and women' clothes. It seems that every time there is such a role, he is the guy to call for. I believe he is much better than that, and I still remember her cool portrait of a serial killer some time ago. It's time for him to be in the limelight again.

Overall, the movie was just ok, entertaining and forgettable. The plot was quite simple and borrowed, and the situation in which the girl discovered the truth that could shatter her world was very similar to the one in "The devil wears Prada", but less natural. By the way, Xtina in this movie does not look as sexy as she normally looks outside. I don't know whether it's because of her outfits, or her moves, or what. I just feel it, a gut feeling that is hard to explain. Well, she was meant to be very sexy and tempting in the act where her clothes just flew off one piece after another, but as it was again too predictable that she would not show anything at all, so the act became funny in the sense that we all laughed at the cheeky way she managed to cover herself :)