Spoon it definitely deserves to be seen on the big screen, it is an adaptation that has a lot to offer, but which is actually quite shallow and superficial
We have entered the end of the year 2024 and, bearing in mind the increasingly heated political situation in Serbia (and not only in Serbia), it is difficult to focus on films and film criticism. However, it would not be right if "Vremen", before the end of the current year, does not feature one of the most successful Hollywood films of the year: it is, of course, Spoon, a kind of prequel to the cult The Wizard of Oz which focuses on cameo characters from the original novel/film: the witches Elphaba and Glinda. Elphaba, misunderstood because of her green skin, becomes the protagonist in Evil, so that the well-known story is problematized and seriously varied. The script of the film is based on the famous book of the same name the musical from 2003, starring Idina Menzel and Kristin Chenoweth (and they appear briefly, in other roles, in the film version), the longest-running Broadway show of the XNUMXst century, popular (or almost popular) as Poor people i Phantom of the Opera.
Music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz are an adaptation of the novel Wicked: The Life and Times of The Wicked Witch of the West Gregory Maguire, which is, of course, inspired by the legendary The Wizard of Oz - the novel by L. Frank Baum from 1900, i.e. with its film adaptation by Victor Fleming from 1939, in which Judy Garland shone. The hitherto "untold" story of the witches of Oz, the "wicked" Elphaba (later known as the Wicked Witch of the West), a young woman attacked and hated for her green skin (an allusion to racism and diversity), and the "good" Glinda, a lovely blonde in a pink woman who uses her popularity in order to take the best possible positions in life. Elphaba and Glinda meet at Sheez University, located in the fantastic land of Oz, and to their own surprise, they become good friends. After meeting the wonderful Wizard of Oz, their friendship is put to the test. Current Spoon, it should be noted, brings the first part of their story: the second part, which has already been filmed, will arrive in cinemas at the end of 2025.
The film was directed by John M. Chu, a director known primarily for musical films Catch the beat 2, Catch the beat 3 i New York Heights, as well as comedies Crazy rich Asians. In the center Spoons are two actresses: Cynthia Erivo, winner of Emmy, Grammy and Tony awards, in the role of Elphaba, and pop sensation and Grammy Award winner Ariana Grande, in the role of Glinda, who is not as charming and good as others think. Both actresses are up to the task: they act well and sing even better, completely fitting into the fantastic world of this musical. The film also stars Jonathan Bailey, Ethan Slater and Marissa Bode, as well as veterans Michelle Yeoh and Jeff Goldblum as the legendary Wizard of Oz. It's a good line-up and there's no weak link either in front of or behind the camera.
To be honest: I enjoyed the musical Spoon! Yes, the film has a more than generous running time (two hours and forty minutes), but there is no idle time (or not too much). Colorfulness, dancing, superb performances of well-known Broadway songs... everything fits into a story that shines and shines, but at the same time has heart. Or, more precisely, two hearts, green and pink, embodied in the main heroines. Undeniably, Spoon is also the so-called woke movie, that is a film that persistently strives to fight for the rights of minorities, with the fact that this aspect, although very present and prominent, does not spoil the enjoyment, of course on the very important condition that you like musicals. Everything here is timed just right, calculated down to the last detail. Again, it is clear from the beginning that it is a creation that is essentially ready-made. Yes, it is (paradoxically!) expensive clothing, but still clothing: everything is timed, measured, measured three times and only then cut, which certainly leaves a mark. The extremely irritating behavior of the main actresses during the promotion doesn't help either, although we are already reaching parafilmic heights. Spoon is a quintessentially anti-Trump film, and it doesn't try to hide it. The success at the box office only shows how tense the situation in the US is and how divided a nation Americans are. The film earned almost 400 million dollars in its home market, and is still in distribution. If you add almost 200 million more from the world box office, it is clear that we have a big hit, which was also praised by most critics and which is one of the most visible candidates for the Emmy and Oscar awards. Is all this noise about Spoons deserved? Partly so, although if you ask me, I certainly wouldn't put this movie on the top 20 musicals of all time list: Spoon is one big colorful lie, the embodiment of "Hollywood magic". As we (still) live in the time of the spectacle, this film fits perfectly into the trend and is recommended not only for its cinematic qualities, but also for what it essentially represents. In that context, Spoon it definitely deserves to be seen on the big screen, it is an adaptation that has a lot to offer, but which is actually quite shallow and superficial. Will the second part bring additional depth and balance to the story? Maybe, with the fact that it remains to be seen: the premiere Zlice 2 it is only scheduled for November 21, 2025. From today until then, who knows what will happen. We are monitoring the situation.
Less than two days of blockade - that's how long it took to see how weak and powerless the public media service is, both from the outside and from the inside. At the moment of writing this text, it is the eighth day of the blockade, and the sixth that RTS is not broadcasting its program. They also seem to be facing a strike inside the house. And the essence of blocking RTS is not in what it publishes, but in what it keeps silent
In the months after the fall of the canopy in Novi Sad, the flames of rebellion spread throughout Serbia. The first protests started in Novi Sad right after the tragedy. The authorities responded with arrests, police cordons and intimidation, but instead of calming down the protesters, new protests followed.
The rector of the University of Belgrade, Vladan Đokić, has been the target of top state officials and regime tabloids for months, who label him as an insidious instigator of student protests, an opportunist, "the face of evil" and "the leader of the criminal octopus." How and why a rector became "state enemy number one"
"I'm standing in the cordon, and my daughter is shouting at me 'aw, aw, killers'. What should I do? If they ordered me - I would throw down my baton and bulletproof vest and stand on the side of my child," a police officer from the south of Serbia, who works as needed in the Belgrade Police Brigade, told "Vreme"
The recent formation of the Đura Macuta government is part of the regime's revenge and cynicism. This can be seen most in the "black troika" of new ministers appointed to deal with the parts of society that are the leaders and symbols of the big rebellion that lasted for several months, the cause of which was the fall of the canopy in Novi Sad, which claimed 16 human lives. Education, universities, unsolicited media and parts of the judiciary that refuse to listen to orders, either publicly, with announcements, or hiding behind legal procedures, should be dismantled. Those who will have no problem doing everything they are told, even reinforcing the orders with their own inventions, are chosen for this.
RTS is blocked, universities do not work, and threats, insults and calls to the prosecutor's office and the police to arrest blockers, rioters and terrorists are pouring out from the top of the government. The Serbian state has turned into a farce
Anyone who condemns the regime's targeting of people from the media, the non-governmental sector, the opposition and universities, must not agree to this targeting of RTS editors and journalists either.
The government of Đur Mazut is "counter-revolutionary", focused on retaliation and state and street violence against opponents of the regime
The archive of the weekly Vreme includes all our digital editions, since the very beginning of our work. All issues can be downloaded in PDF format, by purchasing the digital edition, or you can read all available texts from the selected issue.
See all
