Category Archives: Review

These aren’t so much reviews as contemplations on the subject matter. What I loved, what pissed me off, what intrigued me, what I disliked, what made me think, what made me beg Google for answers.

V For Vendetta

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This movie was absolutely fantastic. I didn’t read the original graphic novel (available in your local comic shop or booksellers and WELL WORTH THE INVESTMENT) until I saw the trailer, but the story is relatively easy to comprehend…it’s all about one man’s quest for power and another man’s quest to defeat him. Despite the seemingly obvious political connections behind movies like this and like Good Night and Good Luck, I’m absolutely fascinated by them. The connection is fairly obvious, but they both show it to different degrees and in different environments. It’s about people creating and maintaining a state of crisis so as to maintain power. Hell, it’s what’s so fascinating about the politics of the Star Wars saga. It’s just all so beautiful. It’s also what happens when something is taken to it’s logical (no matter how radical) extreme and clearly demonstrates the danger of extremism in any and … Continue reading →

John Cleese Seven Ways To Skin An Ocelot

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John Cleese Seven Ways To Skin An Ocelot He didn’t know the ocelot was an endangered animal…he thought it was a rare artichoke only grown in Jerusalem. So then he renamed the show to My Life, Times and Current Medical Problems, after which he detailed the removal of part of his infected colon…he showed us pictures and raised shirt to show the scar and everything. He detailed his life growing up in Weston Super-Mare which was, in his words the most boring place on earth. He also shared several slides/video clips including: That time after Graham Chapman died were they got together for an interview and brought Chapman’s ashes. Halfway through the interview, one of the Python’s accidentally kicked the urn and it broke, exploding Chapman everywhere. Hilarious. An anti-smokng ad he did where he impersonated his father. His highlights from Flying Circus. His highlights from Faulty Towers. Having never … Continue reading →

Ruthless

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Ruthless All I really want to talk about here is the Broadway cast. The production I saw was at an all girl’s high school somewhere in Los Angeles in a hole in the wall black box-ish theatre and was thoroughly enjoyable. Tina, the title character, was played on Broadway by Lindsay Ridgeway. Shortly after this, she went on to voice America’s sweetheart Darla Dimple in Mark Dindal(CHICKEN LITTLE!!!!)’s CATS DON’T DANCE, which is admittedly my favorite film EVER.

Barnum – NoHo Arts Center

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This show was absolutely fantastic. The cast, small as it is, is electrifying in such a small space and James Mellon is incredible as flimflamming, hogwash selling huckster Phineas Taylor Barnum. It’s not enough that I love the show because it’s Cy Coleman (City of Angels & Will Rogers Follies). This show is so flamboyantly patriotic that you can’t help loving it. It’s so infuriating to me to see everything being politicized…especially musical theatre. I thoroughly enjoy just about anything that takes place before the 1950s because it isn’t politicized so liberally as things are now. Sorry, getting lost in my own thing here. I just thoroughly enjoy the energy and patriotism that is P.T. Barnum. But beyond the fantastic job of every aspect and part of the performance is the emphasis on the possibilities of small spaces. This marks the third show (in recent memory) that I’ve seen that … Continue reading →

Bombay Dreams

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This is a script. See? “Diamond In The Rough”. Do you even know how to read? Oh yes sahib. I can even say big words like condescending and pretentious. …the honest poor of Bombay. The honest poor? You found some? These quotes were part of what I enjoyed so much about this show. It is a fantastic portrayal of the Bollywood culture, the Hollywood like culture that has evolved in India as a result of the introduction of Western culture, but it’s also a modern deus ex machina. The ending is so fantastically contrived. Guy: You can’t marry him he’s evil. Girl: Judo chop! Hooray! Guy: You can’t tear down this village! I’m a movie star. See? That’s me on the poster. Construction Worker: Oh, I see. Can I get your autograph? Thanks! Have a nice day! Hooray! It’s just so funny. It’s also got some really cool pop music. … Continue reading →

Firewall

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That’s it. I’m moving to Seattle…it’s the coolest place in the world. It rains a lot (I like the rain) and there’s wireless internet access and cell phone signal everywhere! Even out on some dirt road by the train tracks. All sarcasm aside, this movie is best at its portrayal of human drama. Not the bad guys. The bad guys were a bunch of crap. I’m talking about how Jack Stanfield (Harrison Ford), his wife Beth (Virginia Madsen) and their kids (Carly Schroeder and Jimmy Bennett*) deal with being held hostage. It’s about the human drama involved, it’s not about a plausible story. Bill Cox (Paul Bettany…you know, Jennifer Connelly’s husband?) is a fantastic bad guy and plays evil incredible well, but to me, it was out of proportion. Here’s the problem. Bill got together with his friends one day and said, "Hey I have an idea. Val, you’re good … Continue reading →

The Last Five Years

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The Last Five Years Having thoroughly enjoyed the soundtrack, the show could offer little surprise in the form of plot twists. So the only thing that could surprise me about the Chance Theatre’s production of the show is how the show actually flows…because the soundtrack is never enough. Their decision to stage it around a hexagon raised portion of the stage brings different aspects of the performance to prominence, highlighting the ups and downs that Jamie and Cathy’s relationship goes through. Another really cool bit was the use of the “boxes.” The stage was bare most of the time except for two boxes that move toward the front and then back to the rear of the stage as the show progresses, mirroring the relationship as it comes back together and shatters apart. Because I don’t like to be extremely judgmental with material that I mostly enjoy, I am very hesitant … Continue reading →

It Came From Beyond

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IT CAME FROM BEYOND (click for the homepage) If you love the 50’s as much as I do, you have to see this show. It is a hilarious send-up of that classic age with fantastic music and lyrics. Taking place at a high school in the 1950’s, Harold has a new comic book that will make or break his science project due tomorrow. However, slacker Steve is paired with Harold by their teacher, Mr. Fielding during a two-hour detention session in…the Twilight Zone. For you see, Harold’s new comic book doesn’t just tell a story, it affects and reflects the world around him as everything goes wrong and aliens invade from…BEYOND! Biggest selling point for me was Kevin Earley, whom I saw as Terry in the Colony Theatre’s production of Sideshow and as Sherriff Joe in the Laguna Beach Playhouse production of Spitfire Grill. But when I get there, I … Continue reading →

Underworld Evolution

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Rated R for two tiny scenes of sexual content…and enough blood to fill the Nile river in Egypt. Wow. I have to say that I absolutely loved this movie. It picks up right where the first one left off*, and takes everything we know and (maybe) love from the first film and continues the story. That’s what I loved about the first movie…it’s strict adherence to it’s own mythology. I just loved this movie so much…there’s humor, there’s violence and it tells an incredible vicarious story that I really enjoyed. Because this is a science-fiction/fantasy film✝, the highlight should not be the actors, the music or the directing…it’s the special effects and the story that matter the most to these films. And what was my personal favorite special effect? Actually there were two: the CGI transformations from human form to vampire or werewolf or hybrid (especially the vampire eyes…) and … Continue reading →

Glory Road

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Jerry Bruckheimer plans on making a movie for every college sport that ever had race problems. Next up…RUGBY! Entitled Remember the Glory, it tells the true story of a college rugby team in Australia that is the first to integrate Aboriginals. After many trials and tribulations, they win the championship against all odds. Now all jabs aside, I really enjoyed this movie. I felt it was very powerful and wonderfully portrayed the historic first challenge to the NCAA’s white supremacy movement. Josh Lucas really delivers as girl’s basketball coach Don Haskins who moves to West Texas to coach a bottom-of-the-barrel college basketball team. Choosing to integrate the team with players that nobody wants (it’s the 60’s), he creates a power-house team based on fundamentals that comes out of nowhere to challenge “The Baron” (it looks like Jon Voight…it can’t be Jon Voight…he wouldn’t put on that much prosthesis just for … Continue reading →