um....don't judge me

So, a friend from high school came into the city and wanted to see a Broadway show. I said that I knew a great show that was closing this week, and it is so worth checking out. Anyway, the point is, I got to see 110 IN THE SHADE one more time before it closed, and it was once again, perfection. That really was the last time that I am going to get to see the show, and that makes me super-sad in my soul.

photo credit: http://www.playbill.com/

happy birthday to me!

I woke up on Sunday, and found that my birthday was a gorgeous day. I then proceeded to have a lovely day that was all about me. I decided to see a movie, and ultimately ended up seeing HARRY POTTER AND THE ORDER OF THE PHOENIX again for $6. The movie was just as fun the second time around. After the movie, I got some lunch at this cute Mexican place that I like, and then headed downtown to see FROST/NIXON starring Michael Sheen and Frank Langella (Tony winner). What an interesting play. Having been part of a public school in America, I know very little about my country's history, and so hadn't ever heard about this interview prior to the show. Both lead actors are fabulous, and they head up an extraordinary group of actors while telling this story. Frank Langella was a treat to see. He very much deserved the Tony, and there was just something about him that really electrifies the stage. Michael Sheen is amazing. When his costars get a Tony and an Oscar (Helen Mirren, QUEEN), you know that this is a guy who is going to be thrilling to watch. He doesn't disappoint. Kudos to Stephen Kunken who acts as narrator for the proceedings. I look forward to seeing him in other projects. After the show, I wandered uptown, picked up a cupcake from Crumbs, and then met a couple of people from work for dinner at Nice Matin on 79th/Amsterdam. We had a lovely French-ish dinner, including a strawberry tart dessert to die for. (I sadly didn't actually eat my cupcake for my birthday, but did partake on Monday night....) The only downside about my amazing, perfect birthday weekend is that I had so much fun that I didn't work on my film class midterm paper that was due on Tuesday. So, Monday night was a drag (barring the delicious cupcake!) as I worked on getting my paper done.

photo credits: www.playbill.com

better and better

I have the best roommate in the world. He takes such care of me, and I am so happy that he is in my life. As you may recall, I am slightly obsessed with a production of 110 IN THE SHADE that is playing at Studio 54. We have gone twice before, and for my birthday, he got us tickets for one final performance in the front row. We started with dinner at a French restaurant called Pigalle which is at 48th/8th. After steak, coke (praise be!), and strawberry tart, we headed off to the theatre. Audra McDonald proved once again that she is the greatest performer of this generation, and I fell a little more in love with Christover Innvar who played File. After purchasing a t-shirt and key chain, we left the theatre, and tried to recall every moment on that stage. (My heart breaks a little that this is the last time we will be able to see it as it closes next week.) There is nothing quite like seeing live theatre in New York. Honestly, I am so happy in my soul being part of this amazing community. I can only hope that someday I will have the opposite view in a Broadway house.

Final thoughts: I can think of no better way to have spent the night before my birthday. Audra McDonald was flawless, and the love story was perfect. Every time I have seen it, it has just gotten better and better.

photo credit: www. sheilaomalley.com

done right

One of my favorite movie experiences is when you go to see something, and you have a little bit of trepidation....and then it is better than you even dreamed! Yes, I take movie watching that seriously. (I am not proud of it....bit at least I am honest!) My birthday is this weekend, so the roommate and I (with his friend Alex) started the weekend off right by going to see HAIRSPRAY on Friday night. This movie version of the stage show based on a John Waters' movie was done right. Newcomer Nikki Blonsky is so fresh and lovely as the zaftig Tracy. She has a gorgeous voice, and brings a sweetness to the part that is just a joy to behold. Elijah Kelly brings some fabulous funk (don't judge me!) as Seaweed, and Zac Efron is appropriately dreamy as Link Larkin. John Travolta pulls off the cross-dressing to bring a surprisingly deep Edna to the screen, and Christopher Walken is both creepy and sweet as the understanding dad. The biggest treat for me is the gorgeous James Marsden who has a voice made of chocolate, and the dreamy eyes to match. Full of energy and life, HAIRSPRAY captures the heart of the stage play, and translates well to the screen. Yes, it does get preachy at times, and the integration message is playing loud as hell, but the movie is just so much fun that these don't seem to bring it down. John Waters' may have the best cameo in the history of time....and my favorite line in the stage play is alive and well in the movie. (Look for it when Seaweed is freeing Penny from her bedroom. It mentions the word ghetto.....) I honestly spent the entire movie smiling at the screen, and hoping that this is the first of many movie musicals to come.

Final thoughts: It is done right. Run, do not walk to the theatre and check it out!

photo credit: http://www.movieweb.com/

pure magic

In a great NYC tradition, my Aunt and I headed to the cineplex and watched the HARRY POTTER movie. We have been doing this since the first one came out in 2001. So, early Sunday, we wandered down to the 84th Street Loews, and took in HARRY POTTER AND THE ORDER OF THE PHOENIX. I loved it. In all honesty, this was my favorite HP film to date! The films have started crossing to the dark side, and I like it! Voldemort is back, but no one believes Harry or Dumbledore. Harry finds himself treated with suspicion and the belief that he murdered Cedric Diggory in the previous year's Triwizard Tournement. The ministry is taking over Hogwarts, and suddenly they no longer learn actual Defense against the Dark Arts and teachers are being let go right and left. What's a kid to do but form a secret class where he teaches others how to fight? Daniel Radcliffe takes a giant step forward, and I feel a good actor has truly been born. (Getting naked on the West End stage seems to have done him some good.) The underused Rupert Grint and Emma Watson are lovely in their return to Ron and Hermione. Harry even shares his first kiss with Cho. The kids are growing up, and evil is taking over. What's not to love? Once again, there is a parade of great English actors filling in the parts of adults. Imelda Staunton is fun to hate as she takes over Dumbledore's position as headmaster. All in all, this picture is committed to telling the story, and not trying to sugarcoat it. I loved the first three films. They captured the "fun" of magic and youth. The fourth, although my favorite book, didn't seem to work as well as it went with some of the darker themes, but tried to keep the "fun" alive. This film says things are getting crappy....let's embrace and find what inside us will ignite us to fight against said crappiness. Perhaps it makes it a less kid-friendly film....but it makes a better film. The shortest movie, it is also tighter and less effect-heavy.

Final thoughts: This is one heck of movie. Get your popcorn and check it out on the big screen. A great adaptation that trims the fat, and makes a lean, mean, magic machine.

Photo credit: www.movieweb.com

disappointing interview

It is always a little sad when a trailer for a movie is better than the actual movie. Such was the case with the recent release, INTERVIEW, directed by Steve Buscemi, and starring him along with Sienna Miller. The premise is interesting. A political journalist is sent on what he considers a "puff" piece to interview film/television star Sienna Miller. They meet, they hate each other, and through a series of circumstances end up spending the night talking to one another at the actress' apartment. (Um....yes. One does have to suspend one's disbelief.) So, it starts off well enough, but eventually they both just seem like vindictive, nasty people, and I just stopped caring about either of them. That is not a particularly good reaction for the audience to have. Sienna Miller is the one to watch in this one. She is naughty and nice, and is incredibly beautiful. It is easy to buy her as a young star, navigating her way through the art of being a celebrity. Sadly, I wanted to love this movie, and I just didn't.

Final thoughts: I can think of worse ways to spend a day, but you might skip this one unless you are die hard fan of Buscemi or Miller.

photo credit: www.movieweb.com

citizen kane

As I continue to be edubucated by my film class, I have enjoyed seeing movies that I feel like I should see, but never got around to actually seeing. Case in point, CITIZEN KANE. I can't count how many times my dad suggested that we watch this movie on our Bexley Pizza Plus movie nights, and every single time I turned him down and suggested we watch things like BACK TO THE FUTURE 3 or THE NAVIGATOR. I guess we will add this transgression to the list of ways that I have fundamentally let my father down in life. At any rate, I finally got to see the film last night, and really enjoyed it. [SPOILER] I kind of already knew that Rosebud was a sled, but that didn't deter from the extraordinary journey that this film takes you on. And the biggest surprise? This movie is kind of about an opera singer. Who knew? (Perhaps that is why my father was always pushing this film....the evil stage parent he is!) Anyway, Orson Welles has made a fascinating film....and is totally yummy while doing it. (Did you actually think I was going to analyze this film using new-found wisdom from my course? Do you know me?) Well, he is yummy when he plays the young (and tall!), impassioned Kane. Things that really stuck out to me were the excellent use of shadow puppets, and seeing the same events from different perspectives. In particular, Susan's Chicago opera debut, and seeing it from the audience with Leland, and then from her perspective on stage. I was pleasantly surprised that Susan wasn't as horrible a singer as I had imagined her to be. I mean, obviously the music is out of her range, but she had a good technique. In terms of the music, some fun facts from IMDb are (Thanks, Robin!):

• The piece of music that Susan is repeatedly shown singing is "Una voce poco fa" from "Il barbiere di Siviglia" by Gioacchino Rossini. The character in the opera who sings it, Rosina, sings in this piece about the voice of an admirer she has just heard and how she plans to escape with him from her jealous and overbearing guardian.


• Susan's singing voice was provided by a professional opera singer who, under Orson Welles' direction, sang outside of her vocal range. She agreed to having her voice used this way on the condition that her identity never be revealed, fearing it would harm her career. She was Jean Forward of the San Francisco Opera.

All in all, this film more than lived up to the hype. As a contemporary audience, yes, some things seem dated and antiquated, but you can't escape from the compelling and well-produced story. It is simply mind-boggling that what is perhaps considered the greatest film ever made was a huge flop at the time of it's release.

Final thoughts: Brilliant film worth seeing. I look forward to looking at some of Welles' other works as well.

photo credit: http://www.theatlantic.com/

more than meets the eye

What TRANSFORMERS lacks in plot, it more than makes up in explosions. And these explosions are awesome! On Saturday, while home for my 10-year high school reunion (oy!), my brother, sister-in-law and I went and took in a $4 movie. Yes, I said a $4 movie. It seems that in Ohio when you go to an AMC theatre before noon, it costs only $4. So, with my $4 ticket in hand, I sat down and was amused for two hours. First, you can't talk about this movie without raving about the special effects. The transformers transforming is unbelievable. The technology is truly impressive....and I even found myself becoming emotionally invested in these machines. Next, we have to talk about Shia LeBeouf. He is absolutely charming in this film. He is dorky and awkward, yet manages to come across as endearing and hilarious. Although he spends most of the film just running away, I still found myself emotionally invested in his battle. He plays a kid trying to raise money to buy a car. He does this by putting old items belonging to his Arctic-exploring great-Grandfather onto E-bay. At the same time, the planet starts being attacked by large robots that are trying to hack into the Government's computer files and download information. There are bad robots, and there are good robots who are trying to save the humans. Okay, so the plot is a little thin. Let's be honest, you are not going to this movie for plot, you are going to watch the beautiful people run around and to watch giant robots kick the crap out of each other. The best thing the plot can do is stay out of the way. Thankfully, it does. If you have a 30ish brother like I do, the best thing you do is take them to this movie. My brother turned into a 10 year-old, and practically clapped with glee as the different transformers came on screen. He was even yelling out their names in excitement like two seconds before they were introduced on screen. Although, I have to say that the little kid inside of me was pretty excited too. Bonus: Julie White, recent winner of the Tony for Leading Actress in a Play is a riot as Shia's mother.

Final thoughts: The ultimate summer popcorn movie. Grab a coke, sit back, and enjoy the ride.

photo credit: www.movieweb.com

May 30, 2008

Here I go again getting super-excited for a movie that is not coming out for almost a year. Produced by the team that brought you KNOCKED UP and THE 40-YEAR OLD VIRGIN, FORGETTING SARAH MARSHALL tells the story of devastated Peter (Jason Segel) who takes a Hawaii vacation in order to deal with recent break-up with his TV star girlfriend, Sarah (Kristen Bell). Little does he know Sarah's traveling to the same resort as her ex ... and she's bringing along her new boyfriend.

This flick stars two actors that I really like, and is written by Jason Segel as well. Anyway, I can't wait to see it! It is so far away.......

photo credit: tv.yahoo.com (Segel)

photo credit: movies.about.com (Bell)

movie redux

Hi all. I have seen several movies over the last ten days or so, and I thought I would put them in one quick session. I have exciting news for you! I have started taking my film class, and with this new alleged education, my reviews and thoughts about films should get better. Or, I will continue to spew out the crap that I always do.

big, fast, and hard

No, this is not an ideal date, but rather a quick summation of the fun LIVE FREE OR DIE HARD. Now, to be honest, I did not see the second or third DIE HARD films, but very much enjoyed the first one with the delicious villain Alan Rickman. (Can that man do any wrong?) In his fourth trip out, Bruce Willis now finds himself older, divorced, and out of touch with his kids. A techno-terrorist seems to be declaring war on the USA, and the government asks local police forces to help bring in known hackers who might be up to the job. McClane heads out to pick up Justin Long's character, and finds a computer nerd who is freaked out and overwhelmed. During the time of pick-up, assassins come to take care of the hacker, and the a**-kicking begins. Willis is in fine form, and is always ready with a quip as he does ridiculous things, destroying everything between him and the bad guy. Long is hilarious as the computer hack, and it is great to see him onscreen again. (I was a fan of his on ED, the NBC television show of yesteryear.) Will this movie elevate film making to a new level? Heck, no....but it is good fun, and accomplishes what is should. Although many of the sequences border on the absolutely absurd, leave common sense at the door, and enjoy the ride!

Final thoughts: Have popcorn, laugh, root for the good guy. The perfect summer movie.

okay evening

I always seem to get myself really excited about a movie, only to feel kind of let down when I actually see it. EVENING looked to be an excellent film. With a cast including Claire Danes, Patrick Wilson, Hugh Dancy, Eileen Atkins, Toni Collette, Vanessa Redgrave, Glenn Close, and Meryl Streep, chances are this film would be acted to within an inch of its life. A woman lies dying in her bed (depressing) with her two grown daughters sitting vigil beside her. The woman is talking seeming nonsense about people the daughters have never heard of. The film then switches to flashbacks of the woman attending her friend's wedding and meeting a boy. This movie can't decide what it is about. With the deathbed, the flashbacks, and the daughter's issues, there is a lot going on, and none of the story lines seem to really be resolved. The film is well acted, with Hugh Dancy leaving the strongest impression on me. He is sweet, sad, and dark, and plays well off of the lovely Claire Danes. (Was any one's life not changed watching MY SO-CALLED LIFE?) I didn't hate this movie, by any means, and my mother with whom I saw it, loved it. I think I would have appreciated a more focused look, perhaps having fewer story lines, and more thoroughly exploring and resolving those.

Final thoughts: Some top-notch actors in an okay movie. Perfect if you need a good cry, or a movie to see with girlfriends, or with your mother. You can probably just add it to your NetFlix list.

girl/boy crush

I have a boy crush on John Krasinski. I have a girl crush on Mandy Moore. (Girl crush is defined as having a crush on someone but without the sexual element as I am not gay.) Therefore, I happily attended the film LICENSE TO WED with my roommate yesterday at 11am for $6. I had read some terrible reviews about this film, and found myself pleasantly surprised that it wasn't the piece of poo I thought it might be. Moore and Krasinski play an engaged couple who must attend couples counseling prior to getting married at the church the bride has chosen. The pastor, played by Robin Williams, sets up a series of exercises meant to prepare the couple for the rigors of marriage. There are some very funny moments, but all in all, the movie doesn't quite come together to become a great comedy. Both Moore and Krasinksi do well, but are stuck playing victims for the majority of the movie. Williams works hard to be ridiculous, and he gets there, but ridiculous doesn't always equal comic brilliance. I guess the real problem is that it doesn't feel very fresh or new. Where a movie like KNOCKED UP succeeds in taking a familiar premise and interjects humor and heart, LICENSE TO WED fails to bring something new and fresh, nor does it have much heart to fall back on. That said, I had a good time at the movie. Of course, loving the lovers made me want to enjoy the film. I look forward to seeing them both move on to (hopefully) better projects.

Final thoughts: At $6, it was a fun way to spend the morning. Has some funny moments, but if you are not a die-hard fan of Moore, Krasinski, or Williams, don't bother.

photo credit: www.movieweb.com

weekly audra!

Hooray for fun news! It was just announced that Audra McDonald (my favorite musical theatre artist of all time) is joining the TV show PRIVATE PRACTISE! I will be able to see her every week on television. This makes me quite happy in my soul. Of course, I am sad that she will have a reason not to appear on the Broadway stage.....but she is such a great actress, and this could give her some great exposure. One fun tidbit: Taye Diggs will be playing opposite her as her ex-husband on the show. The two of them shared the stage in the 1994 Lincoln Center revival of CAROUSEL. She played Carrie (and got the Tony), while he was a member of the ensemble. Happy musical theatre times.

photo credit: http://www.imgartists.com/

hard questions

To be perfectly honest, I had never seen a Michael Moore movie before SiCKO. I knew who he was, and as a raging liberal, I respected that he was out there pounding the pavement fighting the good fight. I had just never gotten around to seeing any of his films. SiCKO is a brilliant movie. It is brilliant, and disgusting, and powerful, and hopeful, and sad, and absolutely hilarious. The American health care system gives Mr. Moore plenty to talk about, and he handles the material with both epic humor, and also, surprising sensitivity. Why is America one of the only countries in the world that has a heath care system that works for profit? Is a socialist health care system such a terrible thing? It seems to be working in Canada, France, England, and Cuba, where Mr. Moore goes to speak to people about their experiences. Approaching a couple at a London hospital who are leaving with their newborn, he asks them how much the trip cost them. The couple are confused and amused that he is unwilling to believe their response that it costs them nothing. In fact, they end up laughing at the notion that they would have to pay. One particular figure that really stuck out in my mind is that the United States was listed number 37 on a list ranking the world's health care systems. That staggers me. I hope that everyone will go and check out this movie. When did making money become more important that saving people's lives? Why is the American public not crying foul at what is going on?

Final thoughts: A very powerful (and funny!) look at an incredibly messed-up system. Is the only answer to find a Canadian and marry him?

photo credit: http://www.movieweb.com/