Movies being released nationally this Friday (and how could you forget?): Dark Knight and Mamma Mia. 

You can count on me seeing Dark Night, as soon as humanly possible *without* having to battle ridiculous New York crowds.  Christian Bale gets my bacon sizzling.  He gets my coffee brewing.  And of course, it’s Heath Ledger’s last completed movie- ’nuff said. 

But can I just say that the Mamma Mia madness is getting on my freakin’ nerves?  It’s everywhere!!  And that SONG just gets into your SKULL, wraps its bouncy, cheery, perfectly annunciated refrain (MA-MA MI-A…Here I go ag-a-ain!….MY MY!…HOW CAN I RE-SIST YO-OU?!) around your cerebral cortex and will NOT let go!! 

Don’t get me wrong, I am a big fan of the movie musical- Chicago was great fun, Moulin Rouge is one of my favorites, and I thoroughly enjoyed Enchanted and Sweeney Todd.  But you could not pay me to see this movie.  I feel the same way about the Broadway show.  People say it’s riotous fun, complete with people dancing in the aisles and such, but I just don’t know.  I’m not a big Abba fan anyways, although I even used to like the song “Dancing Queen,” but it’s just one of those songs that our society has latched onto and that gets overplayed again and again, like “Satisfaction” or “Hotel California.”  I suppose it’s a modern anthem for gays and party girls alike, and that’s all well and good, but it’s just become ubiquitous at every party or drinking hole with a dance floor.  So the idea of seeing a huge choreographed number on the big screen to the tune of “Dancing Queen” does not get me too excited. 

Although I am super curious- does Meryl Streep do her own singing??  Who knew?!  I love how the return of the movie musical in this decade has outed all these long-time movie actors who we never knew could sing, like Richard Gere.  Do Pierce Brosnan and Collin Firth sing too??  On second thought, I may just have to see this movie.  If for NO other reason than to see Collin Firth singing and dancing.  That’s another one that gets my muffins rising.