Sing Sing

Last night I went to the Broadway for Sing Sing, a movie that I have been anticipating for months, and it absolutely delivered because I loved it!  It is about a group of men incarcerated in Sing Sing Maximum Security Prison who participate in a real-life theatre program operated by Rehabilitation Through the Arts (RTA) and the cast features many formerly incarcerated men who are alumni of the program.  The narrative alternates between the brutal realities of living behind bars with scenes of guards roughing up inmates and tossing cells and the chance to escape from those realities for a few hours with scenes showing the men participating in acting exercises and rehearsals for performances. The dialogue is very authentic as the men work through how their life experiences inform their characters and how their characters allow them to express feelings that have been repressed.  It is incredibly powerful, especially when one of the men says that this program allows him to be human again.  I especially loved the relationship between John "Divine G" Whitfield (Colman Domingo) and Clarence "Divine Eye" Maclin (Himself).  Divine G feels very protective of the group and is initially hesitant when Divine Eye joins because he is resistant to the process but he soon does whatever he can to help Divine Eye find success both on stage and in seeking parole.  Then, when Divine G suffers a setback and gives into despair, it is Divine Eye who helps him find his way back to the stage (the resolution between the two characters is so emotional that I was practically sobbing and I wasn't alone).  I also loved that it is Hamlet's soliloquy that helps Divine Eye express his emotions.  Domingo's brilliant performance absolutely blew me away, especially when the camera comes in close to show the subtle changes in his expression, and he should definitely be in the conversation for every Best Actor award.  Maclin is also very affecting as is Sean San Jose who plays Divine G's cellmate.  This is an incredibly moving depiction of the redemptive power of art and it is one of the best movies I've seen this year.  I highly recommend seeking it out.

Alien: Romulus

I think Alien is one of the best science-fiction movies ever made so, even though I like some of the many sequels and prequels more than others, I have been beyond excited to see Alien: Romulus.  I had the chance last night at a Thursday preview and I loved it.  Rain (Cailee Spaeny) is an orphaned indentured laborer on a desolate mining colony eager to escape from Weyland-Yutani Corp.  She and Andy (David Jonsson), an android reprogrammed by her father to take care of her, are invited to join a group, consisting of Tyler (Archie Renoux), Kay (Isabela Merced), Bjorn (Spike Fearn), and Navarro (Aileen Wu), traveling to a decommissioned spaceship floating near the colony in order to access the cryogenic chambers required to leave because they need Andy to communicate with the computer on board.  When they arrive, they discover that the ship is really a space station and that it wasn't decommissioned but destroyed.  They also discover a damaged android who reveals that a xenomorph recovered from the wreckage of the Nostromo is on board and that they have inadvertently provoked an attack by multiple facehuggers.  They attempt to escape by implanting the android's chip into Andy so he can access the space station's controls but this changes his directive with terrifying results.  I was impressed by the story because it is definitely an homage to the movies that have come before (one specific callback had my audience cheering) while still bringing a unique vision to the franchise.  The practical sets, featuring damaged labs, airlocks, corridors, and elevator shafts, brilliantly emphasize the claustrophobia and the use of atmospheric lighting and unsettling sound design add to the almost unbearable tension.  There are some incredible action sequences, especially in the absolutely wild third act (which had me on the edge of my seat and holding my breath), and I was particularly blown away by one involving gravity.  I loved the relationship between Rain and Andy because it provides some emotional depth that I wasn't expecting and both Spaeny and Jonsson give outstanding performances (I was quite impressed with Jonsson because he effectively shifts between two different personalities).  My only complaint is that I sometimes had a hard time with the geography because I couldn't figure out where everyone was in relation to various locations and to each other.  Ultimately, I think this is the best entry in the franchise since Aliens and I highly recommend it.

Legally Blonde at West Valley Arts

Last night I went to see Legally Blonde at the West Valley Performing Arts Center and it was more fun than should be allowed on a Wednesday night! Elle Woods (Rachel Matorana), a fashion merchandising student and president of the Delta Nu Nu sorority at UCLA, is sure that her boyfriend Warner Huntington III (Wesley Valdez) is about to propose but he breaks up with her instead. He explains that he is going to Harvard Law School and he needs a more serious girlfriend for the future he imagines. She decides to prove him wrong and succeeds in getting into Harvard Law School but no one there takes her seriously, especially the notoriously difficult Professor Callahan (Jared Lesa) and Warner's new girlfriend Vivienne Kensington (Teaira Burge). However, a teaching assistant named Emmett Forrest (Geoff Beckstrand) and a beautician named Paulette Bonafonte (Madison Archibald) show her that she has what it takes to be a lawyer and she eventually gets an acquittal for her first client, fitness guru Brooke Wyndham (Bryn Campbell). Like most musicals adapted from popular movies, the songs are a little bit contrived but I have to admit that I enjoyed them, especially "Omigod You Guys," "What You Want," "Positive," "Blood in the Water," "Chip On My Shoulder,""Whipped into Shape" (this is incredible), and "Bend and Snap," because the fun and energetic choreography had the crowd cheering out loud! Matorana is absolutely perfect as the irrepressible Elle because her joy and optimism are palpable in every number. She definitely has the charisma to carry the show because you can't take your eyes off her and her voice is very well suited to the score. I also really enjoyed Archibald's performance because she oozes personality as well as Beckstrand's because he is both lovable and vulnerable. The use of a big group of Delta Nu Nu sorority sisters, rather than just the three that are usually found in most productions, as a Greek chorus whenever Elle needs inspiration really adds to the energy. Every inch of the stage is covered in pink and the set pieces for the Delta Nu Nu house, various locations at Harvard, the courtroom, and the beauty parlor are incorporated with very clever staging (I especially loved the scene where Elle is kicked out of class because it is so seamless). The costumes and lighting design also make liberal use of the color pink and it is so vibrant and playful. If you love the movie you will definitely love this entertaining show! It runs at the West Valley Performing Arts Center on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays through August 31 (go here for tickets).

Cuckoo

The second movie in my double feature at the Broadway last night was Cuckoo.  It is a bit confusing but it is definitely unnerving.  After the death of her mother, seventeen-year-old Gretchen (Hunter Schafer) unexpectedly joins her father Luis (Marton Csokas), stepmother Beth (Jessica Henwick), and half-sister Alma (Mila Lieu) in the Bavarian Alps.  They have been invited by the enigmatic Herr Konig (Dan Stevens) to stay at his isolated resort while Luis and Beth create the plans for his next development but Gretchen is almost overcome with grief and wants to leave.  Konig takes an unusually proprietary interest in Gretchen but, even more unsettling, she is plagued by mysterious shrieking noises and is stalked by a hooded figure which results in several severe injuries.  The only one who believes her version of events is a detective named Henry (Jan Bluthardt) but he may not be entirely trustworthy.  Eventually, Gretchen discovers a sinister plot that is now targeting her family and she cannot be allowed to interfere.  There is an almost unbearable atmosphere of tension created by disturbing sound design, disorienting visuals, scary set pieces, and a committed performance from Schafer who portrays her character's growing paranoia, and physical deterioration, very well.  Everyone in my audience had a palpable reaction to a scene where Gretchen seems to be chased by someone or some thing while riding a bicycle late at night (I almost screamed out loud).  Stevens is hilariously creepy (he is having quite a year playing over the top characters) and the scenes between Konig and Gretchen are incredibly menacing.  However, this reminded me a lot of Longlegs in that it features a highly original premise with a feeling of dread that is painstakingly crafted in the first two acts only to lose focus as the central mystery is revealed.  The convoluted exposition actually left me with more questions than answers.  Even though this is another movie that comes undone in the third act, I can't say that I didn't enjoy seeing this with a large crowd and I would recommend it.

Didi

Last night I decided to have another double feature at the Broadway and I started with Didi because it is one that I missed at Sundance this year.  I absolutely loved this touching portrait of early adolescence.  Chris Wang (Izaac Wang) is spending the final weeks of the summer before his freshman year of high school suffering from teenage angst.  His awkward behavior pushes his best friends Fahad (Raul Dial) and Soup (Aaron Chang) away and his attempt to get closer to his crush Madi (Macaela Park) ends in embarrassment.  He tries to befriend a group of skateboarders by promising to create videos of their tricks but this eventually backfires.  His father is away working in Taiwan, his grandmother Nai Nai (Chang Li Hua) is critical of everything he does, his mother Chungsing (Joan Chen) embarrasses him, and his sister Vivian (Shirley Chen) bickers endlessly with him.  Just when he feels alienated by everyone in his life, his mother gives him the courage to start high school with his head held high.  What I loved most about this movie is that even though it is about a very specific perspective (the child of Chinese immigrants dealing with the pressure to succeed) and a specific time (the early days of social media in 2008) it is also universal in that almost everyone can relate to what Chris feels and experiences as he tries to navigate the transition to high school (I had a flashback to when I called my crush but then immediately hung up when he answered because i didn't know what to say).  I also like that the filmmakers don't sentimentalize Chris because a lot of his problems are of his own making and they don't magically disappear after his moment of catharsis.  Izaac Wang gives a wonderful performance but I was most impressed with Joan Chen because she portrays the hurt and anger that Chungsing feels with subtlety, especially in a scene when she responds to criticism from her mother-in-law.  Finally, I loved seeing the early iterations of YouTube, MySpace, and Facebook!  This is a movie that I think anyone can enjoy and I highly recommend it!