Saturday, May 27, 2017

Six Degrees of Separation on Broadway

Many years ago I enjoyed the film Six Degrees of Separation. The thriller with a sense of humor is creative and well done with a great twist. Decades later, a revival of the play comes to Broadway with a stellar cast. I was lucky enough to be in NY during the run and got tickets from TKTS. We were treated to a creative presentation and outstanding performances, especially the leads, Allison Janney, Corey Hawkins and John Benjamin Hickey. I went back and watched the film later and the performances in the play were so much better. An interesting piece that I'm so glad I got to see live.

Wednesday, May 24, 2017

Cameraperson

Presented as a video memoir, Cameraperson is a tour around the world through clips from the works of Kirsten Johnson.

Tuesday, May 23, 2017

My Life as a Zucchini

Stop action animation is the media for the film My Life as a Zucchini. As gorgeous as the animation is, the story is the real star of this film. The subject matter is for older children (PG-13 rating makes sense). There are references to sex, alcoholism, drugs and prison.

Friday, May 19, 2017

I Am Michael

The story of Michael Glatze is told in the film I Am Michael . A gay man finds religion and goes straight. There is drama, there is conflict, there is frustration. The most refreshing scenes are with Zachary Quinto, whose performance grounded the characters and story.

Thursday, May 18, 2017

Split

A man with multiple personalities kidnaps three girls and menaces them in the film Split. When they figure out what is going on with this guy, they try to work with the personalities to escape. In the mean time the man is seeing is therapist, which gives more insight to the personalities. This thriller's strong point is the performances. This is the best performance I've seen from James MacAvoy and the supporting actors are excellent as well. This is a psychological thriller I liked.

Wednesday, May 17, 2017

The Late Shift

I've been a fan of David Letterman's for a long time, so when I heard John Michael Higgins talk about the HBO film The Late Shift I immediately rented it. This film is a dramatization of the behind the scenes business surrounding late night television as Letterman and Jay Leno came on the scene. Most of the drama is between the agents and studio executives. This is an interesting film that made me wonder how accurate the details were. Well done.

Tuesday, May 16, 2017

Sing

A singing competition brings a bevy of animals to the auditions in the animated movie Sing. There are many stories, almost too many. It takes this movie over an hour to actually make a point and find its heart. When it does, it is sweet and entertaining. The music selections were well placed and fit the plot. I especially liked the finale. A decent rental.

Sunday, May 14, 2017

Colossal

The less you know going into the film Colossal the better. I will say is that it is probably the most original film I've seen in both plot and structure. Also, see it.

Wednesday, May 10, 2017

Who Am I This Time?

In a discussion of the works of Johnathan Demme, the TV series American Playhouse came up, specifically the episode Who am I this Time? I was happy to find the DVD of this episode in the Netflix library. A woman finds her artistic voice in a community theaer group. There is a charm and honesty to the emotions of her journey. The young actor who inspires her is intense and focused. It is interesting to watch the people behind the scenes guide these two with a variety of techniques. A very young Christopher Walken and Susan Sarrandon are wonderful in this story. I'm glad I found this gem.

Tuesday, May 09, 2017

Swing Time

Listening to the podcast Pop Culture Happy Hour, one of the hosts declared Swing Time the best movie of all time. Upon renting it I can see why. Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers dancing together are a marvel to watch. Now I know where the song The Way You Look Tonight comes from. In the story Astaire's character is a cad and pursues Rogers' character while engaged to another woman. His roguish ways were a bit off-putting to me, but I can see how they were considered charming when this film was made. A must-see for the dancing.

Wednesday, May 03, 2017

Hitchcock / Truffaut

Alfred Hitchcock's work was explored in Francois Trffaut's book "Cinema According to Hitchcock". In the documentary Hitchcok/Truffaut we see how both men's work effected film makers through the years. An insightful film to style and influence. I liked this one.