Wicked Double Feature

Yesterday my sister, my nephew, and I went to a Wicked and Wicked: For Good double feature and it was so much fun!  I am glad that I got to see the first movie on the big screen again before the new one because, in my opinion, both of them form one cohesive narrative.  I think Wicked tells Elphaba's story (a misunderstood young woman learns how to control her magic and becomes the Wicked Witch of the West to fulfill her destiny) and Wicked: For Good tells Glinda's story (a popular young woman realizes that she doesn't need magic and becomes Glinda the Good to fulfill her destiny).  I was initially a bit concerned when it was announced that the stage musical was being divided into two movies because I think the second act is weaker than the first but Wicked: For Good definitely improves upon the source material with additions (of songs and scenes) that deepen the relationships between the characters.  I do think the movie gets off to a slow start with an expanded version of "Every Day More Wicked" (which includes reprises from many of the songs in the first movie) but I really loved the new songs "No Place Like Home" and "The Girl in the Bubble" and the expanded version of "Wonderful" because they add to the characterizations of Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo), Glinda (Ariana Grande), and the Wizard (Jeff Goldblum), respectively.  I also liked the addition of a scene between Nessarose (Marissa Bode) and Boq (Ethan Slater) because it shows her control over him, the wedding scene between Glinda and Fiyero (Jonathan Bailey) with cuts to Elphaba because it is so powerful, and several scenes with the animals because they emphasize Elphaba's motivation.  I was impressed with how the filmmakers portrayed Nessarose's enchanted shoes as well as how Dorothy (Bethany Weaver), the Tin Man, the Scarecrow, and the Cowardly Lion (Colman Domingo) are depicted.  My favorite scenes were definitely the duet of "As Long as You're Mine" between Elphaba and Fiyero and the confrontation between Elphaba and Glinda at Dorothy's farmhouse after the tornado (the audience cheered during both of them).  As I previously mentioned, this movie focuses more on Glinda and Grande does a brilliant job portraying her journey.  Her acting is as exceptional as her singing, especially in "I Couldn't Be Happier," "I'm Not That Girl (Reprise)," and "For Good" (the scene that follows this song brought me to tears).  Erivo's performance of "No Good Deed" is absolutely amazing (I had chills), Bailey's portrayal of Fiyero's inner conflict is very affecting, and, even though her singing is not great, Michelle Yeoh is fun to watch as the villain Madame Morrible.  It is not as big a spectacle as the first movie (there are few big choreographed numbers) but I enjoyed the world-building, particularly Elphaba's tree house hideaway, the production design, and the costumes.  I really loved this (my sister and I are already talking about seeing it again) and highly recommend it!

Note:  My sister made us pink and green hoodies (my sister and nephew had pink ones and I had a green one) with the logo embroidered on them.  We got lots of comments!

Keeper

I didn't like Longlegs as much as other people seemed to (I think the unbearable tension so painstakingly crafted in the first two acts is completely undone when the mystery is explained) but I was willing to give Osgood Perkins another chance because the trailer for Keeper looked intriguing.  I went to see it last night at the Broadway with my nephew and, in my opinion, it is even worse than Longlegs.  Dr. Malcolm Westridge (Rossif Sutherland) arranges for a romantic weekend with his girlfriend Liz (Tatiana Maslany) at his secluded cabin in the woods for their one year anniversary.  When they arrive, Malcolm insists that Liz eat a piece of the cake left there for them by the caretaker and, even though she doesn't like chocolate, she eventually acquiesces.  The next morning Malcolm is called away to a medical emergency and Liz begins having disturbing visions, which may or may not be real, of strange women who seem to be haunting the cabin.  It is only when Malcolm returns that Liz discovers the true horror lurking inside.  There is an opening montage and an early scene between Malcolm and Liz that set up a possible exploration of toxic relationships and men who are unwilling to commit (my nephew had an even better take about a serial killer who preys on women) and I would have preferred that, or literally anything else, to the actual resolution to the mystery.  Even more frustrating than the underwhelming ending is the incredibly slow, and monotonous, build-up that prioritizes style over substance (I did really like the cabin, which is a character in and of itself, with architectural angles and plate glass windows that allow for some interesting shots with cool perspectives and reflections). This isn't even remotely scary and I found the creatures to be bizarre rather than creepy (my nephew and I laughed out loud several times).  Finally, I didn't especially like Maslany's performance (my nephew argues that she does the best she can with the cringe-worthy dialogue) but Sutherland is one of the worst actors I have ever seen and the two of them have zero chemistry.  I definitely recommend avoiding this (even to fans of Perkins). 

Note: I think Perkins needs better material.  He excels in creating atmospheric visuals but they are undermined by weak screenplays.

A Christmas Story at CPT

I think the musical A Christmas Story is really fun and the new production at CPT, which I was able to see last night, is so good it deserves a major award! It is one month to Christmas and Ralphie Parker (Sam Akerlow) desperately wants an official Red Ryder carbine action 200-shot range model air rifle with a compass in the stock and this thing that tells time. However, his Mother (Lindsey Stephens), his teacher Miss Shields (Abigail June Mathews), and even Santa Claus (Micah Young) all tell him that he will shoot his eye out despite all of his elaborate schemes to convince them. What I love most about this show is that all of the iconic scenes from the movie (which I love) are brought to life on stage, including when Randy (Danny Gallagher) eats like a piggy, when Schwartz (Atticus Bronson) triple dog dares Flick (Jack Stephens) to stick his tongue to the flag pole, when the Old Man (Andy Leger) wins a major award, when Ralphie says the F-dash-dash-dash world while helping the Old Man change a tire, when Ralphie gets into a fight with Scut Farkus (John Nelson Wakley), when Ralphie gets a bunny costume from Aunt Clara, and when one of the Bumpus Hounds (played by Annie, making her stage debut) eats the turkey. I looked forward to all of these scenes and I often found myself mouthing all of the dialogue as it was spoken (I watch the movie several times every year). What I loved most about this specific production is the incredible talent of the young cast! Akerlow is a very endearing Ralphie and I loved his heartfelt performances of "It All Comes Down to Christmas," "Red Ryder Carbine-Action BB Gun," "Ralphie to the Rescue," and "Before the Old Man Comes Home." The kids in the ensemble are also outstanding, especially with the choreography in "It All Comes Down to Christmas (Reprise)," "When You're a Wimp," "Ralphie to the Rescue," "Sticky Situation," "You'll Shoot Your Eye Out" (I loved seeing the kids tap dance!), "Up On Santa's Lap," and "Somewhere Over Indiana" because they are so energetic. I particularly enjoyed Luciana Foster (the youngest member of the ensemble) because she is in character the whole time (her facial expressions are absolutely hilarious) and her tap dancing is incredible! The adults in the cast also do a great job and I really liked Rick Murdock, who narrates the show as radio personality Jean Shepherd, Mathews, who does a great job with the tap dancing in "You'll Shoot Your Eye Out," and Leger, who gives a spirited performance in "A Major Award" (I loved the kick-line with the lamps) and ad-libs a steady stream of made up expletives (my favorite was Fahrvergnugen).  Finally, this production features one of the best, and most elaborate, sets I've ever seen for this show (including the Broadway touring production and the one at PTC). I was really impressed by the Parker house, which features three large set pieces that rotate to show different views, and the Santa display at Higbee's Department Store, which includes a large slide. I had a huge smile on my face during the entire show and I recommend getting a ticket (go here) for a big dose of Christmas cheer! It runs on the Mountain America Main Stage through December 16.

The Running Man

I am a big fan of Edgar Wright so I was really excited for his remake of The Running Man.  My nephew and I went to see it last night and we were both a bit underwhelmed.  In a dystopian future, Ben Richards (Glen Powell) cannot work because he has been blacklisted for insubordination so he is desperate for money when his daughter gets sick and needs costly medicine.  He decides that his only option is to attend the tryouts for one of the many violent game shows shown by the network to distract the population from the totalitarian regime and he is ultimately selected for The Running Man along with Tim Jansky (Martin Herlihy) and Jenni Laughlin (Katy O'Brian).  The object of this game is to survive for 30 days while being pursued by masked hunters, led by Evan McCone (Lee Pace), who eliminate the contestants when found.  Members of the community are encouraged to report sightings of them and they must record themselves and send in the tapes using monitored drop boxes every day.  If they survive, they win one billion dollars.  The show is produced by Dan Killian (Josh Brolin) and hosted by Bobby "Bobby T" Thompson (Colman Domingo) and it eventually becomes clear to Richards that the two of them are manipulating the footage to keep the audience engaged and determined to find them.  Richards is soon the only contestant left and, after 14 days on the run, he has a dramatic confrontation with Killian but discovers that he has become a hero to the working-class who use him as a catalyst to rise up against the network.  I really liked some of the action sequences and the stylized production design but this ultimately becomes a slog to get through with too many underdeveloped characters helping Richards (my favorite is an unhinged Michael Cera who plays a rebel who only wants revenge against the hunters who killed his father) and a really heavy-handed message.  I also found Powell's performance to be strangely uneven (he is usually much more charismatic, especially in Hit Man) and, in my opinion, he doesn't quite pull off the wisecracking antihero.  This is definitely not the worst movie I have seen this year (that would be Magic Farm) but I was a little bit disappointed.

Note:  The funniest part of this movie is The Americanos, a trashy reality show that is also shown by the network, featuring matriarch Amoré Americano (Debi Mazar), Ariané Americano (Cat Cohen), Antoné Americano (Noah Ritter), and Adriané Americano (Emma Sidi).  It is very obviously a reference to the Kardashians and I laughed out loud every time it was shown.

Now You See Me: Now You Don't

Last night my nephew and I went to see Now You See Me: Now You Don't (he is a big fan of this franchise) and it was a really fun movie to see with a big crowd on a Saturday night.  The Four Horseman, including J. Daniel Atlas (Jesse Eisenberg), Merritt McKinney (Woody Harrelson), Jack Wilder (Dave Franco), and Henley Reeves (Isla Fisher), reunite after twelve years for an underground magic show during which they expose a corrupt cryptocurrency trader only to reveal that they are actually three young magicians, Bosco (Dominic Sessa), June (Ariana Greenblatt), and Charlie (Justice Smith), who are impersonating the Horsemen.  However, Daniel is in the audience and he recruits them to help him with the heist of "The Heart," the world's largest diamond owned by Veronika Vanderberg (Rosamund Pike), at the behest of the mysterious Eye.  After stealing the diamond, they are aided in their escape by the three other estranged Horsemen who claim that they were also recruited by the Eye.  They eventually learn the real reason for the heist and this leads to a confrontation with Vanderberg that proves to be another illusion.  I really enjoyed the elaborate scenes involving magic, especially a sequence in which they all perform magic tricks and sleights of hand in order to outdo each other and when they use the illusory rooms in a chateau owned by the Eye in order to elude the police (I loved the Ames room which plays with perspectives and the Infinity room which uses mirrors to create an endless space).  I also enjoyed a fun action scene in which Bosco steals a Formula 1 car in order to create a distraction and I loved the hilarious interactions between the older and younger generations (the bickering between Bosco and Daniel is especially funny but I also laughed when June opens a lock after Jack is unable to figure it out).  As with the other movies in this series, there are lots of plot twists (my nephew figured out a big one way before I did!) including one which could lead to another sequel.  I enjoyed this and would definitely recommend it to fans of the first two.