Rock of Ages (2012)

[forg]

I'm not familiar with the musical Rock of Ages but for what is worth the concept is something that would definitely appeal to the mainstream audience so it's no surprise a movie adaptation happened. Featuring music that is well-loved by the general public and with committed performances from it cast, Rock of Ages is a crowd pleaser that aims nothing but to entertain.

Sherrie (Dancing with the Stars' Julianne Hough) is a small town girl who moves to Sunset Trip and meets Drew (Rebelde's Diego Boneta) who works for a popular night club Bourbon Room and he helps her get a job as a waitress. Sherrie & Drew pursue their Hollywood dreams together but they soon realize that the road to stardom is not as it easy as it seems. Meanwhile, Bourbon Room's owner Dennis (Alec Baldwin) stages a final performance of popular rock band Arsenal to raise money for the club's unpaid taxes which raises the ire of Patricia (Catherine Zeta-Jones), the conservative mayor's wife, who has a vendetta against Arsenal's frontman Stacee Jaxx (Tom Cruise). Staxx, who is leaving the band to pursue a solo career, meets someone on the night of the concert who will rock his world in ways he never thought.

There's nothing much to say to the plot as it tells a lot of stories at once but didn't fall into place. The core story between Sherrie and Drew is so predictable but the songs they perform make them watchable. The music is definitely the strongest asset of the movie and almost makes up for the poorly constructed screenplay. There are a lot of scenes in the movie that exist only to lead up to a musical number. For one, Mary J. Blige's subplot (and her character for that matter) is pointless and they could have gotten anybody for Blige's role but she sings all her songs magnificently and led one showstopping performance of Anyway You Want It.

The movie features a LOT of songs and it feels like for every 5 minutes a musical sequence comes in but despite that, Rock of Ages didn't feel exhausting to watch because you can feel the energy and enthusiasm on each performance. The cast performances are a mixed bag though. Hough and Boneta are charming on screen but their acting abilities are limited while their voices suit certain type of songs only. Their rendition of Don't Stop Believing is so-so but their mash up of More Than Words/Heaven was good. Baldwin looks and sounds awkward when he sings while Russell Brand's shtick is not my cup of tea but those two have great chemistry which made their Can't Fight This Feeling number a riot to watch. Catherine Zeta Jones is stuck with such a broad and dumb role that she couldn't do much about it but dial up the camp.

But definitely the one who stole the show is Tom Cruise. I was surprised how he sounded good and how devoted he was to the character. Was it a believable take of a crazy, egoistic and aging rock star? I'm not sure actually but it's absolutely a fascinating performance. The movie lights up everytime he is on screen and his charm & skills were in full swing in I Want to Know What Love Is, a number so nutty but he sells the scene effectively.

Rock of Ages is not for someone who is a music purist or a "true" rock fan but if you are someone who can tolerate over the top performances, silly broad characters and insane sequences that literally interprets a song's lyrics then you are in for one fun ride.

Rating: 7. 5 / 10
Genre: Musical, Comedy
Cast: Julianne Hough, Diego Boneta, Catherine Zeta Jones, Alec Baldwin, Russel Brand, Paul Giamatti, Bryan Cranston, Malin Akerman, Mary J. Blige and Tom Cruise as Stacee Jaxx
Distributor: Warner Brothers Philippines

Opens today (June 14) in theaters nationwide



Discuss the movie at the Rock of Ages thread

[CaRaMBa]

I actually forgot she was in the cast kasi sa bandang huli na nagpakita. Well she was just there to sing, I think mas madami pa yung musical segments nya than actual dialogue

Yeah... lovely voice but useless character!

[carlhiro]

A story of a small-town girl and a city boy pursuing their hollywood dreams, alongside the attempt of a rockstar to have a solo career and a mayor's wife determined to shut down a rock-and-roll bar much to the dismay of its owner and manager. Rock of Ages is Adam Shankman's second attempt to portray a popular Broadway musical.

I was looking forward to this movie, not because I was a fan of the musical, but because of the stellar cast, which includes Tom Cruise, Alec Baldwin and Catherine Zeta-Jones. I thought the cast was great, but not in an ensemble-y type of way. It was like putting together pieces of great performances and the end product was just okay. The cast seemed to work well in their own pairs/groups such as Baldwin/Brand, Boneta/Hough, Cruise/Akerman, and Zeta-Jones, Blige and Giamatti kind of shined on their own. I love how the film featured actors relatively new to feature movies, Diego Boneta and Julianne Hough. I thought they are going to be outshined by their supporting cast, but I guess they casted the pair really well. I think they did their roles alright.

One of the best parts of the film was the songs. A fan of Rock and Roll music and/or the musical may cringe to the weird singing voice of Tom Cruise, but I was satisfied. I found myself singing along with some of the songs I know. I recommend buying its soundtrack because it's good.

As good as the songs were the performances themselves. The comedic nature of the musical was translated to the film as well. I laughed my a** out in Baldwin and Brand's version of 'Can't Fight This Feeling'. Cruise and Akerman's 'I Wanna Know What Love Is' is a close second. I guess if you're into passenger buses that rock out to Sister Christian or strip clubs singing 'Anyway You Want It' in chorus, this is the film for you.

Rating: 8.5/10
Genre: Musical
Cast: Julianne Hough, Diego Boneta, Catherine Zeta Jones, Alec Baldwin, Russell Brand, Paul Giamatti, Bryan Cranston, Malin Akerman, Mary J. Blige and Tom Cruise as Stacee Jaxx

Opens June 14 in theaters nationwide.



Check other movie reviews at the Official PEx Movie Reviews thread.

[manubol_rama]

i was able to catch a matinee screening of this movie at the MOA this afternoon (2:45pm). i swear there were not more than 20 of us in the theater. it's a great movie. but since it's hollywood, expected na they'd alter the plot to make the redeeming value of the story a little bit easier to understand. sulit yung
heaven isnt too far away and more than words medley. laugh trip naman yung can't fight this feeling duet ni alec and russel brand.

[carlhiro]

Tawa kami ng tawa ng friend ko pag lumalabas si Mary J. Blige, kasi kanta lang siya ng kanta. But when she sings, she sings good. Hahahaha.

Isa talaga ako sa mga tuwang-tuwa sa film, pareho lang ng pagkatuwa ko sa Mamma Mia siguro. At tulad ni forg, di ko gusto si Russell Brand talaga, pero ok siya sa film na to.

Saka sana marami pang projects si Diego Boneta, I love this kid.

[carlhiro]

i was able to catch a matinee screening of this movie at the MOA this afternoon (2:45pm). i swear there were not more than 20 of us in the theater. it's a great movie. but since it's hollywood, expected na they'd alter the plot to make the redeeming value of the story a little bit easier to understand. sulit yung
heaven isnt too far away and more than words medley. laugh trip naman yung can't fight this feeling duet ni alec and russel brand.

Favorite ko na sa soundtrack yang Heaven/More Than Words mashup. Ang galing lang.

[Impenneteri]

I'm a big fan of 80's rock like AOR, Glam Metal, Hard Rock parang narinig ko na lahat yung kanta sa trailer.

Would you recommend this movie for me?

[carlhiro]

I'm a big fan of 80's rock like AOR, Glam Metal, Hard Rock parang narinig ko na lahat yung kanta sa trailer.

Would you recommend this movie for me?

The covers are not that great for big fans of 80's rock, IMO, but if you don't mind that, then watch it. The movie is entertaining itself.

[CaRaMBa]

I'm a big fan of 80's rock like AOR, Glam Metal, Hard Rock parang narinig ko na lahat yung kanta sa trailer.

Would you recommend this movie for me?

Imagine your favorite songs sung in Glee. If you're okay with that, then you can watch this movie. If not, then you might not enjoy it.

[paddylast]

Rock of Ages is a film adaptation of the 2006 Broadway musical by Chris D'Arienzo of the same name. Set in 1986 on Los Angeles, Sherrie Christian (Julianne Hough) travels from Oklahoma with head full of dreams. She meets Drew, a bus boy at the popular nightclub "The Bourbon Room" who gets her a job as a waitress and soon steals her heart. The club, though, is in danger of shutting down due to unpaid taxes and opposition from the Mayor (Bryan Cranston) and his wife (Catherine Zeta-Jones) who wanted to clean the Sunset Strip. With Rock legend Stacee Jaxx (Tom Cruise) final performance with his band, things picked-up between Drew and Sherrie's relationship that led to many different things.



Watching the film feels like watching a big-budgeted adult "Glee" movie version. I find myself cringing and laughing at the same time whenever one of the casts burst into song, which happened in about 80% of the film. I love that Julianne Hough can actually sing and delivered outstanding performances. Also, Mary J. Blige playing the strip club owner killed it! In contrast, I thought Alec Baldwin playing the club owner, Russell Brand as his right-hand and Tom Cruise altogether failed miserably. They're just off. It’s like SNL gone wrong.



The film actually started full of energy and full of promise. It was absorbing and the pacing was great but halfway through, all the elements just dropped off and it suddenly became too karaoke. The musical numbers were great alright but the plot suffered tremendously. Ultimately, the film became less charming and ended up as a”star-studded” karaoke film.

Rating: 7/10
Genre: Musical, Comedy
Cast: Julianne Hough, Diego Boneta, Catherine Zeta Jones, Alec Baldwin, Russel Brand, Paul Giamatti, Bryan Cranston, Malin Akerman, Mary J. Blige and Tom Cruise as Stacee Jaxx
Distributor: Warner Brothers Philippines



Read more film reviews at the Official PEx Movie Reviews thread

[randy orton]

Just finished watching the film and I kinda loved it. Diego Boneta was good, I hope he gets more projects soon, kasi parang sa mga TV shows na sinasalihan nya, pang ilang episodes lang sya palagi. This is also the first time I am seeing Julianne Hough in a movie and she is adorable. I miss seeing her on DWTS.

I enjoyed all the musical numbers even those that featured songs I am not familiar with. I especially liked the 'I Wanna Know What Love Is' and 'Can't Fight This Feeling' numbers because they were weird in a good way. Panalo ang Alec-Russel love team.

Ang babaw lang ng conflict between Sherri and Drew that involved Stacee Jaxx. Well, yung mga featured songs and numbers lang naman talaga ang pangbenta ng movie na ito and not the story itself kaya pwede na.

I must say 'Don't Stop Believing' is really an iconic anthem. It is a song that needs to be featured during the finale of anything. I kinda remembered Glee's Pilot during the final scene. Talagang Go Underdogs kailangan kapag finale na.

Sa soundtrack, favorite ko yung More Than Words/Heaven and yung Every Rose Has Its Thorns.

[st.anger]

It was an amusing film but those expecting a total rockfest will be disappointed, the story and music is much closer to Glee.

[Qubetha]

Just finished watching the film and I kinda loved it. Diego Boneta was good, I hope he gets more projects soon, kasi parang sa mga TV shows na sinasalihan nya, pang ilang episodes lang sya palagi. This is also the first time I am seeing Julianne Hough in a movie and she is adorable. I miss seeing her on DWTS.

I enjoyed all the musical numbers even those that featured songs I am not familiar with. I especially liked the 'I Wanna Know What Love Is' and 'Can't Fight This Feeling' numbers because they were weird in a good way. Panalo ang Alec-Russel love team.

Ang babaw lang ng conflict between Sherri and Drew that involved Stacee Jaxx. Well, yung mga featured songs and numbers lang naman talaga ang pangbenta ng movie na ito and not the story itself kaya pwede na.

I must say 'Don't Stop Believing' is really an iconic anthem. It is a song that needs to be featured during the finale of anything. I kinda remembered Glee's Pilot during the final scene. Talagang Go Underdogs kailangan kapag finale na.

Sa soundtrack, favorite ko yung More Than Words/Heaven and yung Every Rose Has Its Thorns.

anong kanta yung sa scene na baguhan pa lang yung babae sa Pole dancing kanta ng journey yun ?

[infairvarona]

First off, I do want to still thank PEX and its random excel system for picking me as their winner, regardless of how abysmal this film was, thank you for the gesture.

....t those expecting a total rockfest will be disappointed, the story and music is much closer to Glee.

I agree with St. Anger's statement about this movie being less "Rock" and more "Glee."

And that is the crux of the problem.

This film was campy, boringly formulaic, incredibly predictable, cheesy, tacky and the acting of the leads were AWFUL. It's supposed to be a film wherein hte characters poke fun at themselves but unlike the musical, they seem to be taking their cheesiness and lack of any real depth, seriously. The only redeeming factor/s were with the veteran actors (and I found they didn't even have enough material!) Tom Cruise couldn't have played Stacee Jaxx better and he is convincing as a rock star! He and Malin Akerman did alright with their "I Wanna Know What Love Is" duet and were surprisingly funny. Russel Brand brings his dry wit as usual but it definitely isn't one of his best performances. Bryan Cranston and Paul Giamatti were outstanding actors as always but were underutilized and did the most with the material they were given. Mary J Blige was forgettable. My heart was breaking though, watching Alec Baldwin (who is absolutely genius and perfect as Jack Donaghe on 30 Rock) have to utter such corny lines and act like.. THAT. I cringed at the awful choreography that Catherine Zeta-Jones was given. It should be a crime to make an incredibly talented person do something stupid instead. I felt as if they were directed like this, "Okay cast? Are you familiar with "Glee"? Yeah? Okay, TEN TIMES CHEESIER AND OVERACT and be really corny about it with no glint of irony to make sure there is absolutely no humor in it!" It was the most god-awful film I have seen this year. How many more times do we need to see and hear the same remade songs done in a cutesy way in "Glee"? And the cheesy renditions of "Don't Stop Believin'" and "Can't Fight This Feeling", please make it STOP! What are raw and awesome great rocks songs are turned into cheap novelty songs watered down to crap, "baduy" songs. It's called "Rock of Ages" and this movie does nothing but insult Rock and rape its bu**hole and make an utter fool out of it. But don't take me word for it and see what the other critics have to say about it or if you want something vomit-inducing, watch the movie.

http://www.theatlanticwire.com/enter...-my-boy/53612/
And don't get me wrong, I love musicals and am very open-minded about musicals turned movies and the other way around. "The Producers", "Moulin Rouge", "Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory (1971), ""Sweeney Todd", "The Blues Brothers" (1980), "Chicago" and "Robin Hood: Men in Tights", "Down With Love" were all brilliant! This movie, however, was horrible, worse than "Gigli", and this is coming from someone who thinks "Burlesque" was okay. Heck even "Enchanted" was a million times better than this joke of a film.

[icol]

Adam Shankman films usually does not require any thinking at all. It is not necessary to bring your brains when you enter the cinema. This works in his favor though, as he tends to focus more on the glitz and the glamour and the big throw away scene in his films (see: Hairspray). Rock of Ages follows the same path as the above, but this benefits more because of the music that they incorporated in the film. It is very difficult to hate on the film once More Than Words, We Built This City, or Every Rose Has Its Thorn play on the background. With that said, I won’t totally give it a free pass. There are times when it tends to fall into Glee territory especially with the overload of Julianne Hough-Diego Boneta love angle.

Rock of Ages is in no way life changing or Oscar level. The biggest factor that works in its benefit is the fact that it is highly entertaining, and that (together with the music) gives more than enough satisfaction for the readers to enjoy the film.

Grade: B

Full review here

[randy orton]

anong kanta yung sa scene na baguhan pa lang yung babae sa Pole dancing kanta ng journey yun ?

'Any Way You Want It' and Journey nga kumanta nun.

[bluegrey]

It was an amusing film but those expecting a total rockfest will be disappointed, the story and music is much closer to Glee.

This. But I enjoyed the movie
I Want To Know What Love Is is my favorite part.

[C.I.C.C.I]

TOM CRUISE'S NEW FILM FLOPS IN DEBUT

[jingdalagan]

40% pala ito sa Rotten Tomatoes. I have a feeling na maeenjoy ko ito ng todo!

OK din naman yung mga kantang kasama.

enjoy na enjoy nga ako kahit na underwhelmed ako sa singing voice ni TC (oh well ...)

LSS worthy ang mga kanta rito

[jingdalagan]

kwento ko lang yung isang spoiler sa story

when the reported mentioned to Stacee/Stacie (wapakels sa spelling na nga) na he's become a has-been and a shadow of his old self that he's been singing the same old songs that made him famous for the last 10 years, naalala ko tuloy yung ibang "journalists" na feeling music nerd pa-snob effect yun din pala bibigay