Mickey 17

Last night my nephew and I saw Mickey 17 with a large crowd at the Broadway and it is the most fun I have had at a movie this year!  Mickey Barnes (Robert Pattinson) and his friend Timo (Steven Yeun) are on the run from a loan shark and decide that their only option is to join a crew leaving Earth to colonize the planet Niflheim under the leadership of a failed politician named Kenneth Marshall (Mark Ruffalo) and his scheming wife Ylfa (Toni Collette).  Timo signs up as a pilot but, because he has no skills, Mickey signs up as an "expendable" which means that he is given lethal assignments and is reprinted with his memories intact every time he dies.  On the voyage to Niflheim, Mickey begins a relationship with a security guard named Nasha Barridge (Naomi Ackie) and is reprinted seventeen times.  Once on Niflheim, Mickey 17 is assigned to capture one of the native lifeforms, insect-like creatures dubbed "creepers."  When he falls into a crevasse and is swarmed by the creepers, he is presumed dead and is reprinted again but the creepers rescue him resulting in two iterations which is forbidden.  Mickey 17 and Mickey 18 fight each other for control but they ultimately join with Nasha to save the creepers, and the planet, from Marshall's tyranny.  This is a hilarious satire with commentary on the evils of authoritarianism, religion (one of the funniest scenes is when Marshall's religious advisor, played by Daniel Henshall, leads a group in song), and colonialism as well as the ethics of cloning, the fear of death, and the futility of guilt.  Admittedly, there is a lot going on and the narrative does become a bit unwieldy with lots of subplots and unnecessary characters but the theme that resonates the most is the economic disparity found in a post-capitalist society (which is popular with director Bong Joon Ho).  Pattinson gives an absolutely bonkers performance (with two more silly voices in his repertoire and an impressive physicality) that is both highly sympathetic and fun to watch.  Ruffalo and Collette are completely over the top but I suspect that people will either love or hate what Ruffalo does with the character.  The production design and visual effects are distinctive and add to the overall dystopian tone and I loved the ponderous score.  This will not be for everyone but the dark humor really worked for me and I had a blast watching it with a crowd who laughed out loud every time I did.

Fiddler on the Roof at Hopebox Theatre

I first learned about Hopebox Theatre at the SCERA gala (they were also honored for their contribution to the arts) and I was really impressed by their mission of bringing hope to someone in the community who is battling cancer (they donate a portion of the ticket sales during the run of a show to a nominated recipient) so I knew that I wanted to support them. Their current production is Fiddler on the Roof and I thoroughly enjoyed seeing it last night. It tells the well-known story of Tevye (Jacob Draper), a poor Jewish dairyman living in the small Russian village of Anatevka at the turn of the century, and the traditions he clings to in order to guard against the harsh realities of life until his three oldest daughters, Tzeitel (Sidney Brown), Hodel (Abby Rubin), and Chava (Rachel Stephenson), push against them when finding a match. The performances by the talented cast are all outstanding and I had a smile on my face during all of my favorite songs, especially "Matchmaker, Matchmaker" by Brown, Rubin, and Stephenson, "If I Were a Rich Man" by Draper, and "Far From the Home I Love" by Stephenson. The Hopebox Theatre features a small thrust stage and this production has a large cast so I was particularly impressed by the dynamic choreography in "Tradition," "To Life," "Sunrise, Sunset," and "The Bottle Dance" because it makes very good use of the space and I absolutely loved "Tevye's Dream" because Fruma-Sarah (Andrea Whootton) appears very simply by running out on stage but it is still quite dramatic because of the costumes and lighting design (I am always intrigued by how she appears because I once played her and I came up through the bed). I was also impressed by lots of little details that make this production stand out from the many that I've seen before, most notably the extended interactions between Tevye and the Fiddler (Jennifer Ostermiller) during his monologues, the care taken with the authenticity of the religious ceremonies (it is incredibly moving when Tevye removes the mezuzah from the doorpost before leaving Anatevka), and the dance sequence between Chava and Tevye before Fyedka (CJ Rawlins) steps in during "Chavaleh (Little Bird)." The elaborate set features a house and barn made of weathered wood with objects such as benches, blocks, and doors that are cleverly moved and configured to become the village inn, Motel's tailor shop, the railway station, and other locations. This is a great production for an even greater cause (go here to read about Wendy Thurman) and I definitely recommend getting a ticket (go here). It runs Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays through March 15.

The Monkey

The second movie in my double feature at the Broadway last night was The Monkey.  I was really looking forward to this and, even though a lot of liberties are taken with the original short story by Stephen King, I enjoyed it.  Petey Shelburn (Adam Scott) attempts to get rid of a toy monkey before abandoning his twin sons Bill and Hal (Christian Convery) but they eventually find it in a closet of his belongings.  They wind a key, which makes the monkey play its drum, and their babysitter Annie (Danica Dreyer) is decapitated in a freakish accident soon after.  Hal attributes Annie's death to the monkey and, after Bill bullies him in a cruel incident at school, he turns the key hoping that Bill will be its next victim but it is his mother Lois (Tatiana Maslany) who dies.  They are taken in by their aunt Ida (Sarah Levy) and uncle Chip (Osgood Perkins) who live in a small town in Mane but, when Chip becomes the next victim, Bill and Hal throw the monkey in a well.  Decades later, the brothers (now played by Theo James) are estranged and Hal is horrified when he realizes that the monkey has mysteriously reappeared after Ida dies in another unusual accident.  Terrified for his young son Petey (Colin O'Brien), from whom is is also estranged, Hal returns to Maine in order to find the monkey but he finds more carnage and an even bigger threat.  This is absolutely bonkers with some really wild and gruesome scenes (my favorites are when someone is electrocuted in a swimming pool and when someone's head is smashed by a swinging bowling ball) but I think this absurdist tone works because it emphasizes the irrational fear of death that keeps both Hal and Bill from living.  James gives a great performance, as both the sympathetic Hal and the villainous Bill, because it is his reaction to the almost comical deaths that creates the tension.  I also enjoyed several hilarious cameos, particularly Nicco Del Rio as a clueless priest and Elijah Wood as young Petey's stepfather.  Finally, the design of the monkey is really unnerving and I found the eyes to be especially malevolent.  A lot of horror movies that I've seen in the past year begin with an intriguing premise and then unravel as they go on, including Longlegs which was also directed by Osgood Perkins, but I actually loved the ending of The Monkey because it reiterates the theme that death is inevitable and you have to find a way to live anyway.  I highly recommend this to fans of horror.

Riff Raff

Last night I went to a double feature at the Broadway and I started with Riff Raff because I thought it would be a lot of fun with such a great cast.  It wasn't.  A retired hitman named Vincent (Ed Harris) is celebrating the holidays at his vacation home in Maine with his second family, wife Sandy (Gabrielle Union) and stepson DJ (Miles J. Harvey), who know nothing about his former occupation.  However, his carefully crafted new life is disrupted when his son Rocco (Lewis Pullman) unexpectedly arrives in the middle of the night with his pregnant girlfriend Marina (Emanuela Postacchini) and his inebriated mother, Vincent's ex-wife, Ruth (Jennifer Coolidge).  Through endless flashbacks, we learn that Rocco is being pursued by Vincent's former partner Lefty (Bill Murray) and Lefty's new associate Lonnie (Pete Davidson) for reasons.  This eventually leads to a violent confrontation in which Vincent must reconcile his past with his present.  The convoluted story unfolds at such a glacial pace that, by the time everything is revealed, I didn't really care any more because I was so bored.  The ensemble cast is stacked but the performances are surprisingly bland because they all just seem to be going through the motions portraying characters they've played before.  Finally, this doesn't work as a crime drama because the scenes of violence happen so haphazardly or as a comedy because it is not funny (the only time I laughed was during a brief scene with Vincent's overly helpful neighbors).  This had so much potential but it is ultimately very disappointing and I recommend giving this a miss.

The Pajama Game at the Terrace Plaza Playhouse

I had never seen the musical The Pajama Game before so I was really excited to attend a production at the Terrace Plaza Playhouse last night. It is a fun old-fashioned show with lots of songs that I recognized. Romance is in the air at the Sleep-Tite Pajama Factory in Cedar Rapids, Iowa but things really heat up when a new Superintendent named Sid Sorokin (Nick Balaich) falls for the leader of the union grievance committee Katherine "Babe" Williams (Clarissa Wykstra). They fall in love but their relationship is tested when Mr. Hasler (Spencer Stevens), the owner of the factory, refuses to give the workers a 7 1/2 cent raise and they find themselves on opposite sides of the dispute. Even though the story takes place in the 1950s, the issues are still just as relevant today and I liked that compromise is used to settle the conflict between management and labor as well as the one between the sexes (although some of the characters behave in ways that are very dated and problematic). I can't decide if it is the dialogue that is stilted or if it is the delivery but sometimes the pacing is very sluggish, particularly a scene that is so awkward it made me think that the actors were ad-libbing in order to stall long enough for a costume change that took longer than usual. However, the actors really shine during the big song and dance numbers. Balaich has a beautiful tenor voice and his performance of "Hey There" (one of the songs I immediately recognized) is incredibly touching and it was the highlight of the show for me, Wykstra is confident and sassy, especially in the song "I'm Not At All in Love," and the two of them are perfect foils to each other in the delightful "Small Talk" and "There Once Was a Man" (the other song I recognized). The ensemble do a fantastic job with the energetic choreography in "Once a Year Day," "Think of the Time I Save," and "7 1/2 Cents" and these numbers are so fun to watch. I also really loved "Racing With the Clock," especially when it is slowed down in the reprise to mimic the slow down in production, the Fosse-inspired "Steam Heat" because it is dazzling, and the sultry "Hernando's Hideaway" because the choreography is so dynamic (the lighting design is very effective in this number). The set and costumes are colorful and nostalgic and I especially loved the retro sewing machines and all of the pajamas during the bows. While there are issues, the cast is enthusiastic and the show is very entertaining. It runs on Mondays, Fridays, and Saturdays through April 5 (go here for tickets).