Billy Elliot is a movie adaption about a boy discovering his love for dancing, set in the 1980s, a generation when the idea of boys dancing are frowned upon.

The story showed Billy’s struggle to learn how to dance and convince his family to support him in this “bizaare” endeavor.

It is about being yourself, making your dreams come true and believing that you can achieve what you want as long as you work hard for it.

It also showcases the love of a mother which served as a big inspiration to the main charater in fulfilling his dreams.

The musical is entertaining–funny and touching at certain times; lyrics were very inspiring and the scenes where dancing was involved will make you wanna dance.

This is one musical that hits home, made me asked myself “Why didn’t I pursue dancing before?” (I realized now that the answer to that was because I chose to finish school instead of dance) There was one part of the musical when Billy Elliot was asked why he liked dancing and he answered with a song called “Electricity”:

I can’t really explain it,
I haven’t got the words
It’s a feeling that you can’t control
I suppose it’s like forgetting, losing who you are
And at the same time something makes you whole
It’s like that there’s a music playing in your ear
And I’m listening, and I’m listening and then I disappear

And then I feel a change
Like a fire deep inside
Something bursting me wide open impossible to hide
And suddenly I’m flying, flying like a bird
Like electricity, electricity
Sparks inside of me
And I’m free I’m free

There’s one song called “Shine” that made me remember my Affirmation before called “Shine!” The song inspires one to shine no matter who you are and what you do, what’s important is when you do something, do it well and shine!

Doesn’t matter if you’re short or squat
Cerebrally challenged, completely shot
You might have it or might not
All you really have to do is
All you really have to do is shine
Give ’em that old razzle dazzle and shine
Give ’em that old razzle dazzle and shine
And shine
And shine.

The most touching part of the story is the love between Billy and his Mom. The Mom sings:

And I will have missed you growing,
And I’ll have missed you crying
And I’ll have missed you laugh.
Missed your stomping and your shouting,
I’ll have missed telling you off,
But please Billy,
Know that I was always there.
I was with you through everything.
And please, Billy…

know that I will always be
Proud to have known you
Proud that you were mine
Proud in everything
And you must promise me this, Billy

In everything you do
Always be yourself, Billy
And you always will be true

….I was with you through everything.
And please, Billy,
Know that I will always be.
Proud to have known you.
Love you forever.

That song made me remember my mother. And I guess anyone who loves their mother will think of their mother the very moment they hear that song.

As the Brits and Aussies say, “This musical is bloody brilliant!” and it is. It is entertaining and provides a lot of insights in life and inspires one to reach for your dreams.

The second musical we watched this year (and probably the last, not unless they bring “Wicked” to Sydney) on 20 July 2008. First time to watch in Capitol Theatre –which is a better theatre venue than Lyrics Theatre.

The theatre is stunningly beautiful. We weren’t allowed to take photos inside so here’s some photos I got from the net.

Inside the Capitol Theatre

Let’s keep this short and sweet.

How do I love “The Dark Knight”? Let me count the ways:

a. The best Batman movie ever because it’s the most realistic, has a screenplay that makes the most sense and better cinematography as compared to the previous Batman movies.

b. Awesome performances of actors (in order of preference):

Heath Ledger at The Joker

I couldn’t agree more with everybody that this was Heath’s best performance as an actor and best portrayal of The Joker. Anyone who will play The Joker next will probably have a hard time encompassing Heath’s performance.

Heath’s The Joker portrayal had stirred so many emotions in me while watching this film: fear because he was psychologically scary, excitement because he simply lights up every scene when he’s in it, pity because his eyes showed a certain despair and need for revenge, joy because he was funny and entertaining and awe because he simply was so different from the Heath that played lead actors in his other movies. He was simply The Joker here, nothing more, nothing less.

Maggie Gyllenhaal as Rachel Dawes

It would be unfair to compare her to Katie Holmes but I can’t help it (so sue me hah!). I liked her as Rachel Dawes because she was convincing enough to be a lawyer, her acting was simple but substantial and her death (sorry, spoiler!) was a surprise.

Michael Caine as Alfred Pennyworth and Morgan Freeman as Lucius Fox

Two actors that supported the lead role and yet they delivered. Bow.

On why I won’t give it 5 stars?

Because the voice of Batman (played by Christian Bale) was soooo hoarse, it was annoying. The only thing I said when I first heard it was “Kiko Matsing, is that you?” Good thing, Batman doesn’t speak so much. But I do like Christian Bale as Batman…he’s way better than all the other Batmans put together.

If you haven’t seen this film, watch it! And I really hope you watch it on the big screen beacause this Batman has more substance than ever, more haunting and very entertaining…it’s worth your money and your time.

We watched this movie last Friday, 18 July 2008.