The Forgiven

The trailer for The Forgiven looked really interesting to me and, since I am a fan of Ralph Fiennes, I decided to see it last night.  David Henninger (Fiennes) and his wife Jo (Jessica Chastain) are traveling from London to attend a house party at a lavish villa in Morocco owned by an old school friend named Richard Galloway (Matt Smith) and his lover Dally Margolis (Caleb Landry Jones).  David is cynical and Jo is bored (which is established in the first shot before they speak a word of dialogue) and they can barely conceal their contempt for each other as they travel through the desert.  While arguing over which direction to go they hit and kill a Muslim boy who steps into the road to sell them a souvenir.  They cover up the details and, once they reach the villa, Richard bribes the police to rule it an accident so as not to ruin the weekend.  David seems unconcerned because he believes that the boy is just a nobody from nowhere but Jo is genuinely upset.  The next morning Abdellah (Ismael Kanater), the boy's father, arrives at the villa and demands that David accompany him to his remote village to attend the burial of his son.  David initially refuses but Richard convinces him to go because he does not want trouble with the locals.  The narrative then alternates between David's journey to redemption and Jo's descent into debauchery with Richard's guests, including a British aristocrat (Alex Jennings), a French journalist (Marie-Josee Croze), an Australian model (Abbey Lee), and an American financier (Christopher Abbott), at the house party.  This is a fascinating commentary on classism and racism because all of the guests, who are truly despicable people, view the Muslim servants at the villa as lowly and primitive as they stoically serve them and clean up all of their messes.  I felt uncomfortable watching certain scenes but I couldn't look away.  I found the juxtaposition between David and Jo to be incredibly compelling because I despised David and sympathized with Jo during the first act but my opinion about them slowly reversed.  I especially loved a powerful moment between David and his interpreter Anouar (Said Taghmaoui) and another one with a servant named Hamid (Mourad Zaoui) near the end.  Chastain is fantastic (a certain scene where she says that the accident should remain in the past gave me chills) but Fiennes gives a brilliant performance because you can literally see his transformation happening in his eyes.  This is a slow burn that is more character driven than plot driven but I found it to be very thought-provoking (although I'm still not sure how I feel about the ending).

Mr. Malcolm's List

Last night I went with my sisters and my niece to see Mr. Malcolm's List and we had a great time watching it together!  Lady Julia Thistlewaite (Zawe Ashton) sets her sights on the wealthy Jeremy Malcolm (Sope Dirisu) but he rejects her publicly.  Feeling hurt and humiliated, she sends her cousin Lord Cassidy (Oliver Jackson-Cohen) to investigate and he discovers that Mr. Malcolm has a list of requirements for a bride and that she has been found wanting.  She devises a plan for revenge which involves having her old school friend Selina Dalton (Freida Pinto) portray all of the qualities he is looking for and, when he falls in love with her, ruthlessly reject him with her own list.  Complications arise!  This is a very lighthearted Regency romance that had me (and my sisters) laughing from beginning to end.  However, having said that, I really enjoyed the journey that Julia takes because, even though she is vindictive in her desire to make Mr. Malcolm suffer, she realizes that she has been just as dismissive of her own suitors, especially where a certain Captain Henry Ossory (Theo James) is concerned.  Ashton is fantastic in the role and her reactions to the goings-on provide much of the comedy but also a few tender moments. Pinto and Dirisu have tremendous chemistry, particularly during a dance at a masquerade ball (dancing is often the turning point in Regency romances), and, even though you know how their story will end after their very first scene together, it is so entertaining watching them realize it.  As much as I loved the main cast, Divian Ladwa steals the show as a footman in the Thistlewaite household because his facial expressions are hilarious. Finally, I really enjoyed the colorblind casting (as I did in The Personal History of David Copperfield) and I hope this trend continues. The gorgeous Regency-era costumes, lavish interiors (my favorite is the opera house), bucolic outdoor settings, sweeping score, and witty banter all provide a bit of escapist fun.  The four of us loved it and I recommend it as a delightful way to spend an evening with a group of friends.

Official Competition

The trailer for Official Competition made me laugh out loud and that was enough to convince me to see it last night at the Broadway.  Humberto Suarez (Jose Luis Gomez) is a wealthy businessman contemplating his legacy after turning  80.  He briefly considers building a bridge so that it can be named after him but then decides to finance a prestigious art house film.  He acquires the rights to a Pulitzer Prize winning novel at great expense, which he admits he has not read, and hires a brilliant but eccentric auteur named Lola Cuevas (Penelope Cruz) to adapt and direct it.  She chooses Ivan Torres (Oscar Martinez), a pretentious legend of the stage known for his extreme method acting, and Felix Rivero (Antonio Banderas), a vain but insecure action movie star, to play two estranged brothers and requires them to join her for several weeks of rehearsal where she subjects them to several increasingly bizarre and seemingly irrelevant exercises to help them discover their characters' motivation.  Both Ivan and Felix let their egos interfere with their performance as they compete with each other over whose acting technique is most effective and chaos ensues. This is a biting satire about the creative processes involved in making a film and it is absolutely hilarious because it totally rings true.  Lola reminded me of many of my favorite directors, especially when she spends seven hours picking out fabric for a sofa to be used in the movie (Wes Anderson), when she reacts with hostility to a question posed at a film festival press conference (Ridley Scott), and when she has the actors read a line of dialogue over and over until she is satisfied for no discernible reason (Noah Baumbach).  It also calls to mind the ridiculous lengths to which some actors will go in preparing for a role (Daniel Day-Lewis) and the outrageous demands big stars make on set via their personal assistants (Tom Cruise).  Cruz, Bandaras, and Martinez give pitch-perfect performances and watching the three of them spar with each other is so much fun.  I can't remember when I have laughed so much during a movie and, if it weren't for a few pacing issues and a somewhat underwhelming ending, this would definitely be one of my year-end favorites!  I recommend it to all fans of independent film.

Silent Sky at HCT

Last night I went to see HCT's beautiful production of Silent Sky and I loved this incredibly moving play so much! It tells the true story of Henrietta Leavitt (Becca Ingram) who begins working at Harvard University in 1900 as a human computer in the astronomy department along with a "harem" of women, including Annie Cannon (Tamari Dunbar) and Williamina Fleming (Samantha Beyer). She is very eager to use the university's refracting telescope to find answers to all of her questions about the universe but she is not allowed to because she is a woman. She may only use the images on photographic plates taken from the telescope to map the stars and she must keep her analysis to herself. Despite these obstacles she is able to make an important discovery that allows future astronomers to calculate the distance between galaxies but her dedication to her work puts her at odds with her sister Margaret (Madeline McBeth) over family obligations and with her supervisor Peter Shaw (Dallin Bradshaw) over their romantic relationship. One of the things I really loved about this play is the juxtaposition between the two sisters because Margaret believes in home, family, and religion while Henrietta believes in hard work, exploration, and science but they both find the light they seek. The story is simple but incredibly compelling and that is due in large part to the lovely performance by Ingram. She portrays many different emotions very convincingly such as exasperation at her lack of opportunity in the department, singleminded determination to succeed, giddiness at the possibility of love, and wonder at the infinite nature of the universe. Her final monologue about her legacy is delivered so powerfully I had a tear in my eye. The rest of the cast is equally strong and I particularly enjoyed Beyer's sassy Scottish brogue and Bradshaw's awkwardness as he tries to get Henrietta's attention. As usual, the set for this production is amazing. The stage features a map of the constellations upon which sits a large wooden box (it reminded me of a large old-fashioned card catalog) with cupboards and drawers that open to reveal desks, chairs, and other items found in an academic office. The box rotates several times for Margaret's home in Wisconsin or Henrietta's apartment in Cambridge during different scenes. Many characters stand on top of the box, accessed by drawers which are converted into stairs, when communicating with Henrietta through letters. Above the box is the outline of a large lens of a telescope and during a poignant moment in the show it is lowered to display projections from space and this gave me goosebumps. There are also projections of stars throughout the theater and I found myself looking up with wonder multiple times! I honestly had no idea what to expect when I walked into the theater last night but I ended up loving this beautiful play and I highly recommend getting a ticket (go here).  It runs on the Sorenson Legacy Jewel Box Stage through August 27.

Note:  Don't miss out on seeing the delightful production of Singin' in the Rain on the Young Living Main Stage through August 13 (go here for tickets).

Mary Poppins at the Terrace Plaza Playhouse

I really love the musical Mary Poppins so I've been looking forward to seeing it at the Terrace Plaza Playhouse for quite some time. I had the opportunity last night and, other than some wonderful performances from the main cast, I thought it was a very disorganized and messy production. Mary Poppins (Annie Ferrin) comes to 17 Cherry Tree Lane to look after Jane and Michael Banks (Daphne Dixon and Owen Talbot, respectively) but, after a few adventures with Bert the chimney sweep (Josh Curtis) to teach them a lesson, she ends up saving their father, George Banks (Jon Talbot), as well. I really enjoyed Ferrin's performance as Mary because she has a beautiful voice, especially in "Practically Perfect," "A Spoonful of Sugar,"and "Feed the Birds," and she has wonderful chemistry with Dixon and Talbot, who are adorable as the Banks children, especially when she is being stern with them.  Curtis is extremely charismatic as Bert and I really liked all of his facial expressions. Talbot is quite sympathetic as Mr. Banks, even when he is being disagreeable, and Karlie Ady portrays Mrs. Banks's character arc from a woman who does not know her role to one who provides strength for her family very well. While the main cast is outstanding, there are some additions to the cast that seemed very odd to me. There are a trio of characters in colored costumes with hair to match (they reminded me of the fairies in Sleeping Beauty) who seem to serve no purpose other than standing around (or sitting) on stage. Even more perplexing are the toys (a Raggedy Andy, teddy bear, ballerina, and toy soldier) that come to life when Mary has the children clean the nursery and appear throughout the entire show with their stuffed counterparts rather than briefly during "Playing the Game" as they usually do (I could never figure out what they were doing). The ensemble is incredibly large and even seems to include the very young children of ensemble members (who do nothing but stand there and look cute). It is almost as if anyone who auditioned was allowed to be a part of the show. The choreography for the big song and dance numbers "Jolly Holiday" and "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious" is really good but the staging, with so many cast members on such a small stage, is chaotic. I was sitting in one of the side sections and I could hardly see Mary, Burt, or the Banks children (who are meant to be the principals in these numbers) because there are so many people blocking them. I was most disappointed by "Step in Time" because it is usually a show-stopper involving Burt, Mary, the Banks children, and the chimney sweeps tap dancing on the roofs of London. In this production the entire cast is used, including the statues from the park, the fairies, the toys (a break dancing teddy bear definitely took me out of the moment), as well as Mr. and Mrs. Banks (which makes no sense because they are supposed to be angry when Mary and the others return through the fireplace) and it is so messy. Once again, I couldn't see Mary or Burt at all which was frustrating. The set consists of the nursery and the bank on either side of the stage above the seats (I am always impressed with how every part of the theater is used) but the sitting room and kitchen are located down stage so the large fireplace and chair block everything that happens up stage.  Furthermore, the chair, inexplicably, faces away from the audience so Mr. Banks is frequently hidden from view. The costumes are great, especially Mary's iconic dress in "Jolly Holiday" and all of the Edwardian dresses worn by the female ensemble, but I do not understand the reasoning behind having Mrs. Banks wear large hoop skirts (a more Victorian silhouette).  Finally, I certainly do not expect a community theater to have the same special effects as the production I saw recently at Tuacahn but this is a show that requires some magic. I do not think it is unreasonable to expect Mary to fly because it is one of her defining characteristics (I've seen high school productions, including Hunter High, with characters flying) but at the very least the kites should fly in "Let's Go Fly a Kite." I know that it sounds like I am being overly harsh but after seeing outstanding productions of Seven Brides for Seven Brothers and The Scarlet Pimpernel at this theater I was definitely expecting more from this show.