Brave is set in Scotland so I chose Quilt 2 as today's fractal "cookie" since it looks like plaid and the colors are featured pretty prominantly in the movie. Now--on with the review!
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First the good news: Brave is absolutely gorgeous! Every frame is beautifully drawn and drenched in amazing color. I don't know if I've ever seen a more beautifully-done computer-animated movie. There's also a really nice soundtrack loaded with Celtic music: if you're a fan (which I am) you're sure to enjoy listening to the music. The bad news: to see all this beauty you actually have to WATCH the movie. It's a great movie for girls and even women (the Baroness certainly enjoyed it) but any guy who has past puberty is going to be less-than-enthralled by this girly tale of self-discovery and empowerment.
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Merida (voiced by Kelly Macdonald) is none-too-happy to be a Princess of "marriageable" age: she's happy to be off riding, shooting and having adventures and is none too interested in in any of the suitors from the other Clans. After acting out she flees to the woods and encounters a witch who offers her a spell to change her fate. Of course no spell is cast without its consequence--and this one turns Merida's overbearing mother, Queen Elinore (voiced by Emma Thompson) into a gigantic bear! King Fergus (Billy Connolly) lost his leg to an ancient bear (an earlier victim of the witch) so the girl must hide Mamma Bear and figure out a way to break the curse. From this you ought to be able to figure out how the story unwinds from here.
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Honestly, I think the message that girls should be masters of their own fate and make their own choice is a great one--I just don't know if Brave is the best way to get that message out. The movie tries to mix action and slapstick but, like oil and water, it just doesn't work. I'm not a slapstick fan so I don't find physical humor all that funny. There wasn't a lot of laughter (even though the theater was crowded) so I'm guessing the jokes weren't that good. Even so, a lot of people were making positive comments on the way out of the theater so I'm guessing I just wasn't the target audience. Brave is the kind of movie parents can take their kids to see--and both should have a great time. Even the most jaded individual will find something worthwhile here.
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FINAL GRADE: B
Les Miserables is uniquely French--and what is more uniquely French than Bastille Day? Hence I chose it for today's fractal "cookie". Also, the musical deals with the (or at least A) French Revolution so it seemed doublly appropriate. So--on with the review!!!
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The latest national tour of Les Miserables is overwrought, overblown and oversung--and the audience completely ate it up. I found myself (strangely enough) thinking of the movie Spinal Tap when I was watching the show. ("We're turning the amps up to eleven!!!") The music starts big and goes bigger and biggest--but it doesn't stop 'til it hits gargantuan: furthermore--most of it is hard to sing with loads of impossibly high notes for every cast member. The good news is that everyone in the large cast is up to the task (there's not a bad voice among them) and they had to sing over a large orchestra (12 pieces instead of the usual 3-5 players). Honestly, it would be a sin to try and find fault with any aspect of the performances--they were 99 44/100% spot on. If there is anything to complain about in the show, it's the plot itself.
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Les Miserables, the novel from which the musical is taken, is a behemoth: the story spans many years and many locales. Following the story on stage is next-to-impossible: you would be completely lost without program notes. Furthermore, the whole story is one gigantic roller coaster: characters are either purely good or evil and motivations can swithc 180 degrees on a dime. For me, those are major "minuses" in a show. There's not a ounce of subtlety in ther show: everything is full out--whether it is the singing or the plot. I found myself wishing for a little less now and then--but I was definitely in the minority. I don't think I've seen the PAC fuller and the entire audience went wild for everything.
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This is the kind of show for those who don't attend theater regularly to go see: the audience can feel like they've seen something important without being mentaly or emotionally challenged. The songs are beautifully written and memorable (even if the average person will never be able to hope to sing one). Even though the cast is unknown they are all incredibly talented and their vocal instruments are spectacular to hear.
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FINAL GRADE: B+
Remember this fractal from early April? I used Winter White for my review of Mirror Mirror. No it's time to review Snow White And The Huntsman so I decided that the same story needs the same fractal. That being said--on with the review!
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Snow White has been revived and revised a number of times of late: this time the story gets the "sword and sorcery" treatment. Snow is no longer the sugary-sweet, completely innocent maiden we know from the Disney flick: she's still revoltingly pure but now she's plucky and strong in her own will. Kristen Stewart comes across like Bella Swan 2.0 with a broody, low-energy performance--but she really looks the part. Charlize Theron is suitably cold as the wicked Queen Ravenna but she doesn't get to go over the top. Chris Hemsworth draws on his experience playing Thor: this performance has all the gravitas but none of the fun. The Dwarfs (played by a bunch of normal-sized British Character Actors CGIed down) are a disreputable lot. The Queen gets a brother in this version (played by Ian McShane) has a thankless role as the Chief Stooge. There's a Prince (actually a Duke's son) but he's not super charming--but that's the script's fault not the Actor (Sam Claffin)--he's just not given anything to do her.
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Basically, you've seen this before: the whole movie is shot in muted tones that give the whole thing a cold, bleak tone. The costumes are adequate to the story but not over the top. The FX ran the gamut from pretty good to ho-hum. The whole tone of the movie is solemn and it evens ends on an ambiguous note: for me though--fairy tales need to end with "happily ever after" but this one never pays out. Neither Robyn or I enjoyed the movie but I think it might speak to the collective angst that the younger generation seems to love so maybe it just wasn't made for me.
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FINAL GRADE: B-
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Lets be brutally honest: neither Snow White And The Huntsman nor Mirror Mirror NEEDS to be seen on the big screen. Still, you might want to rent the video for one or the other some time down the line so I'm going to give you a comparison guide to decide which one (if any) you might want to spend your hard-earned cash on.
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SNOW WHITE: Lily Collins has it all over Kristen Stewart in the beauty department but Kristen is way more badass. Still, I'd much rather date Lily.
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THE EVIL QUEEN: Julia Roberts get the wardrobe and the over the top rants (not to mention a much better wardrobe) but Charlize Theron gets the award for evilest behavior.
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THE PRINCE: Army Hammer gets a much bigger part in Mirror Mirror and he has a goofy charm. Sam Claffin isn't given a lot to do so you can forgive him for being forgettable. Of course rhis movie IS titled Snow White And The Huntsman so what did you expect?
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THE DWARFS: both sets are disreputable fringies forced to evil by the actions of the Queen. Honestly neither movie really needed these guys.
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THE APPLE: yeah, Snow gets put to sleep in both flicks (however briefly) but the Apple hardly makes in impact on the either story.
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COSTUMES and SETS: Mirror Mirror wins the award for sheer creativity and spectacle (in fact these are the best things in the whole movie). Snow White And The Huntsman falls back on every 'sword and sorcery" convention you've seen since the 1970s. Mirror Mirror might score some "Oscar" noms but I doubt the other will get a mention anywhere.
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THE HUNTSMAN: this character only appears in one movie (and you should know which). His character didn't leave a lot of impression and, worst of all, (according to the Baroness at least) Chris Hemsworth keeps his shirt on through the whole movie.
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PACE and MOOD: Mirror Mirror plays like a squirrel on acid it tries to be a hybrid of action flick and romantic comedy but ends up being neither fish nor fowl. Snow White And The Huntsman has a decidedly Gothic tone: the pace is slow and deliberate. There isn't a lot of energy to move the audience to a lot of interest.
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FAMILY FRIENDLY FACTOR: Mirror Mirror has its share of action but there are fewer scary moments that might upset the kiddies. Snow White And The Huntsman is aimed more at the young adult market and nobody but the youngsters will have an issue with it.
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So now you have it all in one easy-to-compare bit. View at your own risk!
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'nuff said.
Picking a fractal cookie for Chicago is a near-impossible task. In the end I chose Opposites Flower because of the black-and-white costumes (OK mostly black but still...) worn in the show. Now you know--on with the review!
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Chicago has an iconic look that makes it instantly recognizable on stage. The mostly-black costumes, bare-bone staging and tortured choreography by the legendary Bob Fosse making the show live and die by its performance. Performance Riverside was smart enough not to touch the basic elements and Director Matt Neves was smart enough to cast first-rate talent.
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The story of Chicago is sort of secondary to the social commentary on the celebrity of scandal and the manipulation of-and-by the media. Back in 1976 when the show debuted on Broadway it didn't do well but a revival twenty years later was well received by the public who had grown much more cynical. Even though the show is set in the "Roaring Twenties" the contemporary style and message strikes a chord with today's audience. The latest production by Performance Riverside sticks closely to the standards an pretty much got the look right. Yes, there were a few bits that weren't the best lit and it wouldn't be a performance at the Landis without some sound issues (but there were fewer than usual so I suppose I should count hat as a win).
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Ayelet Firstenberg and Chelsea Emma Franko brought the brass as Velma and Roxie respectively but there was no subtlety in the performance. Still, both girls were good singers and dancers and were a lot of fun to watch. Kudos to both. Jason Webb in the role of Billy Flynn has an excellent voice, can dance and is a good actor: still, there was this weird Nathan Lane vibe in his performance that Robyn and I both noticed. Jamie Snyder (who got castigated in this blog for his rendition of Alfred Doolittle in the recent production of My Fair Lady) fares much better as Amos Hart: yes he had some accent issues (it went in and out--not to mention sounding like a NYC Jew for the most part) but he has a strong voice and brought a wounded-teddy bear quality to the role that made you want to jump on stage, give the poor guy a hug and say "there, there". Good job Jamie! As Mama Morton, Kami Martin Crump successfully navigated a tricky role that of "ball-bearing be-atch" with a heart of gold and made both aspects believable. Loved her! I won't reveal R.C. Sands big secret as Mary Sunshine (for the sake of those who haven't seen the show) but who knew that voice could come out of that body??? The Chorus danced and sang well (although one tenor kind of stood out from the chorus (and it's never a good thing when you can pick out an individual voice in a choral piece.) Still, they were up to the task and supported the leads wonderfully well.
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Chicago has a special place in my heart: the show appeals to my cynical nature (and it was what got Robyn and I into regular theater attendance) and frankly I was terrified that Performance Riverside would screw it up royally. Thankfully, the didn't: in fact in enjoyed this performance better than the national touring production I saw a few years ago. This show is well worth seeing.
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FINAL GRADE A-
