I was a big fan of Sex and the City during all of its HBO years, but I must admit I was okay that it signed off after six years. I felt the tale of these four women had run its course. I was also kind of excited that, four years later, we could catch up with them again...like old acquaintances that you want to catch up with from time to time.
That being said, it was nice catching up with them, but nothing truly special. A colleague told me it was about as perfect as a Sex and the City film could be. I can't say I agree. If the television show is going to morph to film, it needs to be bigger--bigger issues, bigger consequences and bigger fashions. That is there, but the annoyance factor is also amplified.
While Sex and the City is all about the women, the men provided a moderating factor that grounded the show and kept it interesting. The men are largely missing from the film. Even Big--among the least interesting of the characters, though he's more 3-dimensional than in the series. But the film is about Carrie and Miranda and Charlotte and Samantha. Wait, once more... But the film is about Carrie and Samantha and some Charlotte.
The women have grown. The film treats them largely with dignity (Samantha and her nastiness not so much).
So, it was a pleasant afternoon with people I used to hang with, but not an intimate moment with a dear friend I hadn't seen in awhile. It will be nice to see them again in a few years.
Sunday, June 29, 2008
Sunday, June 8, 2008
Indiana Jones and the...
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull is a great 30-minute film. Unfortunately, it lasts about two hours longer than that. The action sequences largely fall flat, though Karen Allen's appearance gives the film a tremendous burst of energy just as you're likely to considering heading to the lobby or remembering that you need to renew your driver's license.
Harrison Ford is same-ole same-ole as Indy. The George Lucas's and Steven Spielberg's credit, they've aged Indy by the 20 years since the last film. Ford handles the role with the same smirk and hat as episodes one to three. Just in case a whole generation might not know Ford, Shia Lebeouf comes on board as Mutt, the guy who needs Indy's help.
The first action sequences are only moderately entertaining. As Indy and company enter the jungle for the big escape, things heat up and the film achieves the level of entertainment reached in the previous films. Cate Blanchett makes a compelling villain from which to run.
The rest of the film is rather ho-hum. Without ruining the ending, let's just say that Spielberg revisits themes from earlier films, such as E.T. and Close Encounters of the Third Kind. Even those don't amount to engaging filmmaking.
Is 30 minutes of great filmmaking enough to warrant a 2.5-hour film. In the summer, probably so, It's never boring, but it's only rarely engaging.
13
Goodspeed is producing a pre-Broadway engagement of Jason Robert Brown's new musical, 13, and I was privileged enough to take it in at its final scheduled performance. The show has some problems, but there is so much to recommend.
13 is an intimate musical about turning 13. Evan Goldman is about to turn 13 when his parents divorce and his mother moves him from Manhattan to Appleton, Indiana. Evan is faced with the dilemmas that always confront the new kid: Which clique will he join? Who will attend his bar mitzvah? Will he be a cool kid? When is tongue appropriate? The show takes place over the six weeks between his arrival and his bar mitzvah, with an ending that could have been a sell-out, but isn't.
I'm a fan of Brown's scores, big (Parade) and small (Last Five Years). 13 uses a 4-piece band of teens, and they do a great job with a score that is terrific. Only the second act opener, "Anything You Want," seems out of place, and most of the score ranks among his best. I do wonder, though, whether broadway can handle two shows with songs about kissing with tongue running simultaneously.
The book also has great humor. It's certainly going to be the most of-the-moment show, with constant references to texting, MySpace, Facebook, iChat and the like. But there's not much gravitas to the story. Will a show in which the dramatic tension hinges on whether the cool kids will come to Evan's bar mitzvah (and the corollary: are the cool kids really that cool) draw an adult audience?
The central conflict will draw and hold the attention of young kids and teens. That was clear at the performance, where a good forty percent of the audience was under 16. But adults without kids are more likely to find it a pleasant experience rather than a stirring, challenging, or engaging one.
The production at the Norma Terris Theatre is solid, but not stirring. The cast is largely inconsistent and several key performances are inconsistent within. Graham Phillips, who shares the role of Evan, had some nice moments, particularly when dueting with Aaron Simon Gross or Allie Trimm. But he never quite nails the character, and he moves awkwardly (and not in a way that necessarily fits with the character). The rest of the cast is largely no better and no worse, though Gross and Trimm have some fine moments, and Eric Nelson has great technique and presence.
There is much to recommend about 13. The score alone warranted the nearly 3-hour drive to Chester, and the book is often laugh-out-loud funny. It was also wonderful to see the show at this sage of its development. But mostly 13 is a divertissement. It's talented kids singing and very talented kids playing a score by a great composer that is quite entertaining but ultimately about as deep as the problems faced by its 13 13 year olds.
13 is an intimate musical about turning 13. Evan Goldman is about to turn 13 when his parents divorce and his mother moves him from Manhattan to Appleton, Indiana. Evan is faced with the dilemmas that always confront the new kid: Which clique will he join? Who will attend his bar mitzvah? Will he be a cool kid? When is tongue appropriate? The show takes place over the six weeks between his arrival and his bar mitzvah, with an ending that could have been a sell-out, but isn't.I'm a fan of Brown's scores, big (Parade) and small (Last Five Years). 13 uses a 4-piece band of teens, and they do a great job with a score that is terrific. Only the second act opener, "Anything You Want," seems out of place, and most of the score ranks among his best. I do wonder, though, whether broadway can handle two shows with songs about kissing with tongue running simultaneously.
The book also has great humor. It's certainly going to be the most of-the-moment show, with constant references to texting, MySpace, Facebook, iChat and the like. But there's not much gravitas to the story. Will a show in which the dramatic tension hinges on whether the cool kids will come to Evan's bar mitzvah (and the corollary: are the cool kids really that cool) draw an adult audience?
The central conflict will draw and hold the attention of young kids and teens. That was clear at the performance, where a good forty percent of the audience was under 16. But adults without kids are more likely to find it a pleasant experience rather than a stirring, challenging, or engaging one.
The production at the Norma Terris Theatre is solid, but not stirring. The cast is largely inconsistent and several key performances are inconsistent within. Graham Phillips, who shares the role of Evan, had some nice moments, particularly when dueting with Aaron Simon Gross or Allie Trimm. But he never quite nails the character, and he moves awkwardly (and not in a way that necessarily fits with the character). The rest of the cast is largely no better and no worse, though Gross and Trimm have some fine moments, and Eric Nelson has great technique and presence.There is much to recommend about 13. The score alone warranted the nearly 3-hour drive to Chester, and the book is often laugh-out-loud funny. It was also wonderful to see the show at this sage of its development. But mostly 13 is a divertissement. It's talented kids singing and very talented kids playing a score by a great composer that is quite entertaining but ultimately about as deep as the problems faced by its 13 13 year olds.
Saturday, June 7, 2008
Quick Take: Iron Man
I'm finally getting around to reviewing Iron Man as it's leaving the theaters. Of the potential summer blockbusters, Iron Man has been the best so far. Robert Downey is great in the role, supported by a great Gwyneth Paltrow. The battle scene at the end of the film is anti-climactic rather than a climax to the film. But the path to get there is always engaging.
Passing Strange: The Original Cast Recording
How do you sell a Broadway show that is so infinitely greater than the sum of its parts? I watched Passing Strange, one of my top-five theater experiences, on The View and thought it came off horribly. I've seen the commercial. Doesn't make me want to see the show. The web site? Well it's a little better, but nothing that makes the show a must-see. So, I had some hope that the original cast recording would capture at least some of the extraordinariness of Passing Strange.
Passing Strange is now available on iTunes and will be available on CD next month. In all honesty, the show doesn't translate all that well to cast album either. It brings back great memories of the experience of seeing the show live, but hasn't been all that impressive to the uninitiated.
The album is a live recording, a great idea given the way the audience's energy informs the show. On the recording, however, the audience seems distant and appreciative rather than enthusiastic. The recording never approaches the level of energy the show itself reaches.
The songs also seem truncated. The endings often seem abrupt. One- or two-minute songs that work seamlessly at the Belasco come across as excerpts on the cast album. So, ultimately don't think the album will sell anyone on the show.
There are some great things about the show and the recording. The performances are excellent. Stew comes off great, as do most of the supporting cast. Daniel Breaker is very good, though he seems less of a presence than on stage. The music is also excellent and the great songs from the show give me memory chills every time I give it a listen.
Passing Strange is now available on iTunes and will be available on CD next month. In all honesty, the show doesn't translate all that well to cast album either. It brings back great memories of the experience of seeing the show live, but hasn't been all that impressive to the uninitiated.
The album is a live recording, a great idea given the way the audience's energy informs the show. On the recording, however, the audience seems distant and appreciative rather than enthusiastic. The recording never approaches the level of energy the show itself reaches.
The songs also seem truncated. The endings often seem abrupt. One- or two-minute songs that work seamlessly at the Belasco come across as excerpts on the cast album. So, ultimately don't think the album will sell anyone on the show.
There are some great things about the show and the recording. The performances are excellent. Stew comes off great, as do most of the supporting cast. Daniel Breaker is very good, though he seems less of a presence than on stage. The music is also excellent and the great songs from the show give me memory chills every time I give it a listen.
Sunday, May 18, 2008
Speed Racer
So, I've finally had a chance to see the first three intended blockbusters of the 2008 summer season now that commencement is over. Of course, I'm saying intended, since Speed Racer has yet to break $40 million in its second weekend and Prince Caspian, which was expected to pull $80 million in its first weekend is "falling short," according to the blogs. Certainly, attendance out here in the hinters was sparse at all three films, though word is that Iron Man has legitimately earned the blockbuster label.
Let's take them in order, folks.
Given the brutal reviews Speed Racer was getting, I decided to hedge my bets and travel 90 minutes to the IMAX to see it. I was certainly taking a risk that five stories of Speed would be better than five feet of Speed on the local screen. And the Wachowskis have done interesting things with sound that attracted me to the larger experience, too.
Are the reviews right? Pretty much. Speed Racer is pitched at 10-year-old boys, and unlike the great kids films, it offers very little for the adult chaperone to chew on. The storytelling is muddled; character development is non-existent. Visually, the film is sometimes interesting and often headache inducing.
But the Wachowski brothers do interesting things and, flawed as Speed is, there are interesting things here. The film creates its own universe with its own rules. It doesn't rigidly follow its own rules, like, say, the Buffyverse, but it allows for curious things to happen. The visual style, that slips not so effortlessly back and forth into animation, keeps things moving (if not necessarily interesting).
The actors are reduced to cartoon characters, though generally with less depth. There's little opportunity for Emile Hersch (Speed), John Goodman (Pops) or Matthew Fox (Racer X) to do more than draw a passing familiarity to their animated selves. Any depth of character comes from our familiarity with the original cartoon. They're less wasted than irrelevant.
I could go through the plot, but it, too, is largely irrelevant. So what is relevant to the film. Largely, its the races. The animation is slick. The "Racerverse" has its own rules of gravity and geography that make the races is intriguing.
Mostly, though, there's far too little that is interesting or relevant in Speed Racer. It hardly invoked my fond memories of the cartoon I watched as a kid. It didn't bring out the sense of wonder in the kid that's inside me now. And it didn't even give me the adrenalin rush that even a bad Wachowski film usually does.
Let's take them in order, folks.
Given the brutal reviews Speed Racer was getting, I decided to hedge my bets and travel 90 minutes to the IMAX to see it. I was certainly taking a risk that five stories of Speed would be better than five feet of Speed on the local screen. And the Wachowskis have done interesting things with sound that attracted me to the larger experience, too.
Are the reviews right? Pretty much. Speed Racer is pitched at 10-year-old boys, and unlike the great kids films, it offers very little for the adult chaperone to chew on. The storytelling is muddled; character development is non-existent. Visually, the film is sometimes interesting and often headache inducing.
But the Wachowski brothers do interesting things and, flawed as Speed is, there are interesting things here. The film creates its own universe with its own rules. It doesn't rigidly follow its own rules, like, say, the Buffyverse, but it allows for curious things to happen. The visual style, that slips not so effortlessly back and forth into animation, keeps things moving (if not necessarily interesting).
The actors are reduced to cartoon characters, though generally with less depth. There's little opportunity for Emile Hersch (Speed), John Goodman (Pops) or Matthew Fox (Racer X) to do more than draw a passing familiarity to their animated selves. Any depth of character comes from our familiarity with the original cartoon. They're less wasted than irrelevant.
I could go through the plot, but it, too, is largely irrelevant. So what is relevant to the film. Largely, its the races. The animation is slick. The "Racerverse" has its own rules of gravity and geography that make the races is intriguing.
Mostly, though, there's far too little that is interesting or relevant in Speed Racer. It hardly invoked my fond memories of the cartoon I watched as a kid. It didn't bring out the sense of wonder in the kid that's inside me now. And it didn't even give me the adrenalin rush that even a bad Wachowski film usually does.
Sunday, April 27, 2008
Harold and Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay
What to do on a Saturday afternoon when you have to see a movie because it's been weeks. Well, April 25 did not bring an grand openings, though the promise of the summer movie season is just a week away. After reading a very positive review by A.O. Scott in the New York Times, I decided to check out Harold and Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay. Truth be told, the film has a little something to chew on.
Harold and Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay is not your typical stoner comedy. In fact, our heroes are not stoned or looking for bud for a large chunk of the film. Kumar's love of weed moves him to smuggle dope and a bong onto his flight to, where else, Amsterdam. When he says "bong" people hear "bomb" and hijinx ensue. Harold and Kumar are delivered to Gitmo, but escape two minutes later and spend the rest of the film being chased across the south.
The film has lots of laughs, and not just scatological humor (though such humor figures prominently as expected). Much of the humor and the plot are driven by judgments people make based on the appearance of others. That gives Harold and Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay a resonance that most stoner comedies never achieve.
The film is definitely deeply flawed, but a late scene with W alone makes the film worth an afternoon at the movies. The cameo by Neil Patrick Harris as "Neil Patrick Harris" is also worth the price of admission.
Harold and Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay is not your typical stoner comedy. In fact, our heroes are not stoned or looking for bud for a large chunk of the film. Kumar's love of weed moves him to smuggle dope and a bong onto his flight to, where else, Amsterdam. When he says "bong" people hear "bomb" and hijinx ensue. Harold and Kumar are delivered to Gitmo, but escape two minutes later and spend the rest of the film being chased across the south.
The film has lots of laughs, and not just scatological humor (though such humor figures prominently as expected). Much of the humor and the plot are driven by judgments people make based on the appearance of others. That gives Harold and Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay a resonance that most stoner comedies never achieve.
The film is definitely deeply flawed, but a late scene with W alone makes the film worth an afternoon at the movies. The cameo by Neil Patrick Harris as "Neil Patrick Harris" is also worth the price of admission.
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