Across the Universe

This one blew me away. Director Julie Taymor uses the music of the Beatles to tell the story of Jude (Jim Sturgess) a young Liverpool man who travels to the U.S. in the 1960’s and falls in love with Lucy (Evan Rachel Wood). With the Vietnam War as a backdrop, Lucy and Jude travel the country and encounter various characters from the Beatles universe. Dr. Robert (a very cool Bono), Mr. Kite (Eddie Izzard) and Prudence (T.V. Carpio) all make wonderful appearances. The music is sung by the actors, and is often given a brand new spin. Taymor has always been a visual genius, and this is her best looking film to date. Sturgess looks and sounds like a combination of all the Beatles, and that’s quite the physical feat. Wood is simply beautiful in the female lead, and she has an excellent singing voice. The movie is a nice illustration of the power of the Beatles music. A movie that you must see on a big screen, and make sure the theater has got the sound right.