No Man's Land

The next movie on my list was No Man's Land and I decided to see it last night.  This is a moving take on immigration from a completely different perspective and I loved it.  Bill Greer (Frank Grillo), his wife Monica (Andie MacDowell), and his sons Lucas (Alex MacNicoll) and Jackson (Jake Allyn) live on a struggling ranch on the Texas-Mexico border.  It is a popular place for illegal immigrants to cross from Mexico into the United States but cutting through the barbed wire allows the cattle on the ranch to escape so the Greers regularly patrol the area to stop them.  Jackson is a hot prospect for the New York Yankees farm team so Bill and Lucas often leave him behind when they go on patrol but one night he follows them.  Gustavo (Jorge A. Jimenez) has a green card but his son Fernando (Alessio Valentini) has been denied one so he tries to bring him across with a few others.  They encounter the Greers at the border and a chaotic confrontation ensues in which Lucas is shot and Fernando is accidentally killed by Jackson.  Bill tries to take the blame but the Texas Ranger (George Lopez) who questions them becomes suspicious and Jackson panics and flees on horseback into Mexico.  He goes on a journey of discovery where he confronts his biases about Mexican immigrants and ultimately decides to take responsibility for his actions.  The story of redemption and forgiveness is incredibly compelling (one scene absolutely gutted me) but it is quiet and contemplative as Jackson slowly travels through Mexico and meets a series of locals who help him (it is incredibly refreshing to see Mexicans portrayed in a non-stereotypical way) so people expecting a thriller might be disappointed.  One of the many things I really liked about this movie is that it shows the toll that this type of violence takes on the people involved and there is an incredibly poignant scene where Monica and Gustavo, unaware of who the other is, are both grief-stricken while riding in the same elevator at the hospital (the composition of this scene is brilliant because the focus goes from one to the other).  I also really liked the wide shots of the beautiful Mexican landscape and the haunting Spanish guitar used in the score. Allyn (who co-wrote the script) is incredibly appealing as Jackson and portrays his character arc with a lot of empathy and humanity (I especially appreciated the fact that there isn't any fish-out-of-water humor inserted into the narrative).  This movie was much more impactful than I was expecting and I would definitely recommend it.

Our Friend

Last night I saw the movie Our Friend, a true story based on the article "The Friend" written by journalist Matthew Teague about his wife's death in Esquire magazine.  It is an incredibly moving story about the power of friendship that had me in tears several times.  Matt (Casey Affleck) is a journalist who is frequently away from home on assignment.  His wife Nicole (Dakota Johnson), an actress involved in community theatre, is often resentful about having to care for their two daughters Molly (Isabella Kai) and Evie (Violet McGraw) by herself.  Their friend Dane (Jason Segel) is a bit of a lost soul who wants to be a stand-up comic and have a family of his own but works a dead-end job at a sporting goods store and can't seem to commit to any of his girlfriends.  When Nicole's cancer diagnosis becomes terminal, Dane decides to move in with the Teagues to help out in their obviously overwhelmed household (running errands, making dinner, doing laundry, chauffeuring the girls, etc.) but he ends up helping the family mend their relationships and deal with their grief which, ultimately, helps him to heal.  The story is a very accurate portrait of the realities of cancer and how it affects patients (physically, emotionally, and mentally), their families, and their friends.  There are some incredibly poignant scenes where Matt drives through the neighborhood and sees all of their friends who are supposed to be at Nicole's book club, where Dane convinces an exhausted Matt, who feels guilty about leaving, to take a break and go hiking, and where Nicole angrily lashes out and accuses everyone of wanting her dead.  All three actors are absolutely brilliant.  I am a huge fan of Affleck and his performance in this movie almost rivals that in Manchester by the Sea for the rawness of his muted anger and grief.  Johnson gives an incredibly authentic performance, one of her best, in an emotionally complex role.  However, I was most impressed with Segel whose touching portrayal of a man at loose ends is somehow able to make the audience laugh and cry (sometimes in the same scene) and I especially loved his interactions with Kai and McGraw (the scene where the three of them sing "Call Me Maybe" made me laugh out loud).  I loved the use of Led Zeppelin in the soundtrack, particularly "Ramble On" in a bucket list montage and "Going to California" as Matt drives through the neighborhood.  My only issue with this movie is the non-linear narrative structure because, while it does effectively establish the impact of the diagnosis by jumping back and forth between before and after, it is sometimes difficult to follow the timeline.  This is a heartbreaking but, ultimately, life-affirming movie and I highly recommend it (bring tissues).

Don't Tell a Soul

Last night I impulsively decided to see Don't Tell a Soul because I was really intrigued by the premise but I was very disappointed because it could have been so much better.  Brothers Joey (Jack Dylan Grazer) and Matt (Fionn Whitehead) steal a large sum of money from an empty house that is being fumigated in order to pay the hospital bills for their mother Carol (Mena Suvari) who has lung cancer.  They are seen by a security guard named Dave Hamby (Rainn WIlson) who pursues them into the woods but then falls into an abandoned well which allows them to escape.  Matt is jubilant because they have gotten away with it but Joey is bothered by his conscience over what has happened to the guard.  He wants to contact the police but Matt, who has become as physically and verbally abusive as their father who is now dead, threatens him to keep him quiet.  Joey secretly visits Hamby at the well, bringing him food, blankets, and medicine for his injured ankle, and soon develops a rapport with him.  Joey comes to see him as a sort of surrogate father but Hamby is not who he appears to be.  Eventually Matt discovers what has been going on which leads to an epic confrontation (after a few twists and turns).  There are some big themes here, such as the generational cycle of violence within families and the hopelessness of living in an economically depressed area, but the execution is so bad that I couldn't take the social commentary seriously.  The plot goes completely off the rails in the third act because everyone inexplicably behaves in a way that is inconsistent with the characterization established in the first two acts, especially the resolution between the two brothers which, in my opinion, is not earned because it is so sudden after everything that has happened between them.  The dialogue is incredibly cringe-worthy (but it is definitely not campy or self-aware enough for this to be considered a dark comedy) and there were times when I couldn't stop myself from laughing out loud.  The performances are fine (I actually enjoyed seeing Whitehead, who is more noted for playing sensitive young men in British dramas, as a villainous psychopath) but the actors can't really do much to elevate the material.  This movie had a lot of potential with such a compelling moral dilemma and a talented cast but it suffers from bad writing, erratic plot twists, and poor character development.  Give it a miss.

The Play That Goes Wrong at HCT

I saw The Play That Goes Wrong at PTC a few years ago and I thought it was one of the funniest shows I've ever seen so I have really been looking forward to HCT's production. I was able to see it yesterday afternoon and I laughed out loud through the whole thing! The Cornley University Drama Society is performing the play The Murder at Haversham Manor by Susie H. K. Bridewell. It stars Chris (Bryan Dayley) as Inspector Carter, Jonathan (David Marsden) as Charles Haversham, Robert (Ben Abbott) as Thomas Colleymoore, Dennis (Jeffrey Whitlock) as Perkins the Butler, Sandra (Erin Royall Carlson) as Florence Colleymoore, and Max (Dan Radford) as Cecil Haversham/ Arthur the Gardner. Annie (Ali Bennett) is the Stage Manager and Trevor (Armando Serrano) is the Sound and Lighting Technician. Literally everything that can go wrong does go wrong with this play including a set that is slowly falling apart (Annie must resort to having an audience member help her construct the mantel before the show begins), misplaced and malfunctioning props, a sound designer who keeps playing Duran Duran instead of the real sound cues, a missing dog (the tech crew was searching the audience frantically for the dog before the show began and during intermission), an actor who cannot stay still while playing a dead body, an actor who cannot remember his lines, an actor who insists on using flamboyant gestures whenever he reads a line, and a leading lady who is injured halfway through the show and must be replaced first with Annie and then Trevor (with scripts in hand). However, the show must go on until the murder is solved (I've seen it twice now and I still don't know who the murderer is because I am always laughing so hard). The physical comedy is absolutely hilarious! My favorite scenes involved a long and drawn out fight between Sandra and Annie for the chance to play Florence, a sword fight between Thomas and Cecil in which the swords are broken, and an awkward kiss between Cecil and Florence (and then with Trevor later in the show). The entire cast is superb with absolutely brilliant comedic timing but my favorite performance was by Radford (he is single cast) as Cecil! I don't know where they found him but everything he does on stage is hysterically funny, especially when he milks the audience for applause! I am almost always impressed by the sets at HCT but this one might be my favorite because it falls apart so spectacularly, especially the second floor study. I highly recommend this show because I can't remember the last time I laughed so hard and I think we can all use a bit of laughter right now! Unfortunately, all shows are currently sold out because of state and county seating limitations but I would keep checking (go here) because more shows could be added during the run which continues through April 3.

The Secret Garden at CPT

My first show of 2021 was The Secret Garden at CenterPoint Theatre last night and, even though I'm not a big fan of this musical, I really loved this production. CPT chose to perform the shorter Spring version with a very minimal set and projections to keep the cast and crew safe and I think this actually puts the spotlight on the actors who all do a wonderful job! Mary Lennox (Caroline Drake) is orphaned by a cholera outbreak in India and sent to live with her uncle Archibald Craven (Zach Watts) at Misselthwaite Manor in Yorkshire. He has been grieving the death of his wife Lily (Laura Strong), who died in childbirth, for ten years and has closed off his heart, the house, and Lily's garden. Mary receives a cold welcome from the housekeeper Mrs. Medlock (Michelle Clark) and an indifferent one from her uncle. She is lonely and unhappy but is encouraged by a maid named Martha (Jessica Wadley) and her brother Dickon (Alex Young) to play outside and she soon discovers Lily's abandoned garden. She also discovers her cousin Colin (Colin Burke) who has been kept an invalid by Archibald's brother Neville (Russell Maxfield). As Mary brings the garden back to life, she also brings Colin and Archibald back to life. As I previously mentioned, the entire cast is phenomenal but I was especially impressed with Drake as Mary, Young as Dickon, and Burke as Colin. I always prefer the interactions between the children over the interactions between the adults in this show and these young actors are absolutely brilliant in the songs "Wick" and "Come Spirit, Come Charm." I particularly liked Young because his portrayal is so charming and charismatic. My favorite song has always been "Hold On" and Wadley gives a very powerful rendition of it. I also really enjoyed Strong's version of "Come to My Garden" because she has a beautiful voice and her duet of "Lift Me Up" with Burke gave me goosebumps because it is so emotional. Even though the set is very minimal, featuring a series of platforms at various levels, and there are only a few props, such as Mary's skipping rope and Colin's wheelchair, the costumes are quite elaborate, the lighting is dramatic, and the projections of various rooms in the manor and the gardens during the different seasons are very effective. I had a lovely time watching this show and I highly recommend it for the inspirational story of redemption and the stirring performances. It runs on Fridays, Saturdays, and Mondays through January 30 and tickets are $15 for the balcony and $18 for the main floor (go here).