Pandora is a Tempting Seductress!

Pandora is a tempting seductress!

She starts off the morning bright, playful and full of soul with Van Morrison’s Brown Eyed Girl.

Then she settles easily under the covers with a live version of "A Pirate Looks at Forty" with Jimmy Buffet and Jack Johnson.

But she's not done.  She reminds you, not that she needs to, that her algorithm is smart, full, luscious and in no way shallow with Bob Marley’s "Buffalo Soldier".

Then she ramps up the energy using all her skills and knowledge to pamper you with the not-so-guilty pleasure of Lynyrd Skynyrd’s "Sweet Home Alabama".

If that wasn't enough she changes speed to wind you down with the images of sun and beaches and days on the sand. She reminds you that all good things will eventually come to an end with Zac Brown’s "Toes".

Then…..all of a sudden…..Pandora jumps up, grabs a bucket of ice water and laughs at your vulnerability as she dumps a gallon of Jason Aldean’s Take A Little Ride?!?!!?!?!?!?!?!!?

WTH Pandora.  You frigid Slut!

Unsolicited Musical Review - OKLAHOMA!

Unsolicited Musical Review  (see what I did there?) - OKLAHOMA!

Took the fam to High Point Community Theater's (HPCT) production of OKLAHOMA!  A classic show brought to life in a GREAT production by a talented group of theater hands, actors and volunteers.

This is Community Theater? As a rule you aren't dealing with folks who make their living in the arts. You have bankers, students, stay-at-home Moms, the occasional eccentric who happens to know how to run a light board and any number of folks who make their living everywhere but the theater. They all merge together and put on a show. So Community Theater can be a crap shoot. Some are more reliable than others and heading into their 40th season HPCT is about as reliable as you get. 40 years? Carter was still in office for God's sake.

The GOOD - (cast and crew) - This was the opening night of an amateur theater production with a huge cast of 51 actors.  So it is to be expected that many in the cast are in their first production.  This is a show with fight scenes, large production numbers, a full orchestra and tons of choreographed movement all over the place.  In other words there are ample opportunities for disaster. No worries. This troupe carried it off without a hitch. I saw ONE minor technical gaffe in a three hour production on opening night. That is nuts.  There may have been more but as it should be the audience never knew just as the Good Lord intended and the Good Director prayed it would happen

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The VERY GOOD - (Set Design/Lighting Design) - Visually it was a beautiful production. From the vast backdrop of an Oklahoma wheat field to the star-specked expanse of the Oklahoma sky the set and lighting designs were superb. Tricky transitions from live to dream sequences that could have been clumsy and confusing were sharp and concise. The set and lighting were precise and effective. Each enhanced the storytelling which is what they are supposed to do.  My 12 year old, who didn't know the show, followed along easily. 

(Featured Players) - A quick word about the featured parts. Jud Frye (Michael Jones), Ali Hakim (James Litteljohn), Aunt Eller (Ivey Harris) and Will Parker (Noah Dalton) are the colorful details that paint this show and these actors were more than up to the task. No opening night jitters here.  No missed cues. They attacked these beloved roles and took very good care of all of them.

The GREAT - (Curly and Laurey and Ado Annie) -. 

Ado Annie (Michelle Martino) was, to put it mildly, a force. "I'm Just a Girl Who Can't Say No" was a show stopper. The worry is that the actor puts all her energy in that one song and the rest of the performance would be less energetic. Miss Martino carried the energy throughout the rest of the show and as Ado Annie she chewed up the scenery. She didn’t miss a laugh. Not one.

Curly (Bryan Cox) and Laurey (Kathryn Muhlenkamp) - The silliest complaint you will ever hear about community productions is "Well its not Broadway or It didn't sound as good as the record".  WELL DUH!  This isn't Broadway. That being said Mr. Cox and Ms. Muhlenkamp are Broadway level vocalists. Are they Shirley Jones and Gordon McCrae?  No. But then again neither is anyone else. 

Both actor's vocals were top notch. Mr. Cox's Curly was full of life and playful. Mrs. Muhlenkamp's Laurey was beyond delightful. They had chemistry as a couple. You believed it when they kissed. Their jokes worked and dammit, both of them can really, really sing. Could either of them be on Broadway? Absolutely.  Will either ever get an opportunity or have the desire?  Who knows?  But, at least for now, they are here along with the rest of a wonderful theater troupe sweeping down the plains of High Point.  This is a thoroughly enjoyable show.

The show runs for the rest of the weekend at the High Point Theater tonight through Sunday. As I understand it tickets are still available.  Just call 336-887-3001 for the box office. Or visit their website for more info

http://www.highpointtheatre.com/boxoffice.asp

So be like Ado Annie and Don't Say No.  Trust me.  You're gonna get lucky! 

Oscar Picks 2015 Best Picture

With the Oscars upon us I put together a few thoughts on this year’s Best Picture nominees.  All you can do is judge the films in front of you for how they made you feel. Every year has its controversies and snubs. My favorite film of the year was “Interstellar”.  It’s not even nominated.  I’ll live.  The fact is every movie based on actual events contains inaccuracies. It’s the same case this year. Three movies about real events and I guarantee you every one of them takes significant, artistic license and portrays historical inaccuracies.  You know what else?  Poop stinks, sugar makes you fat and not everybody is going love you.  Life goes on.   These are listed in my personal order ranked by how I would vote if I were voting.   For the record the two movies I liked the least are the most likely to win the Oscar.  My bet is that “Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) takes the prize.  Guess we will find out Sunday.

American Sniper – One of the two best movies I saw this year. The other one wasn’t nominated (Interstellar).  More than any other film it stayed with me after I left the theater. Rarely will you see a movie about war that you can describe as subtle and understated, at least not a great one. Bradley Cooper enveloped his character every bit as much as Eddie Redmayne as Stephen Hawking in “The Theory of Everything”. It just isn’t as obvious due to the subject matter.  Eastwood is consistently one of the finest directors Hollywood has ever produced. His handling of this film (especially the ending) and the choices he makes (fake baby aside) just proves it even more.

Whiplash – If it weren’t for American Sniper this would get my vote. It is powerful, fast, emotional, disturbing and deceptively one of the most technically brilliant movies of the year.  This one stuck with me as well. JK Simmons’ brutal portrayal of a megalomaniacal music instructor is something most actors only dream of doing. He crushes it as does his student played by Miles Teller. This isn’t a quiet, little drama with two main characters that could have just as easily been a stage play. The technical prowess used by the filmmakers interweaving intricate jazz compositions with mind-boggling editing really transform this into a film to be studied.  I cannot recommend this movie enough.

The Imitation Game – A historical drama about a little known aspect of the espionage and science used to the defeat the Germans is right up my alley.  Cumberbatch is superb as is all the cast. In a lot of ways it reminded me of “The Social Network”. The way the film makes the “invention” of computer science suspenseful is a bit of minor miracle.  

“Sometimes it is the people who no one imagines anything of who do the things that no one can imagine.”  AMEN

Selma – Strong Film. Important Film.  The part I liked most about the film was that it showed King in a much rawer light that I have seen him in the past. So often and rightly so he is shown as the figure head and CEO of the movement. He was also a “roll up your sleeves” activist. He was a tactician and planner and I think that gets lost at times. The acting was excellent all around. I do find it interesting that we often get British actors to portray some of our most American of icons.  I don’t have a problem with it. I just find it interesting. Seems to me Denzel was a marvelous Malcom X and George C. Scott was and still is George Patton. We didn’t have a single long tall Texan who could take on LBJ or a black actor who could bubble up the spirit of MLK?  If we ever sent Martin Sheen to play Churchill the Brits would start another war.

The Theory of Everything – As a rule I like biographies. There is something inherently dramatic about the lives of people who have overcome obstacles and struggles. It is almost cheating in a way because you don’t have to manufacture the drama. Regardless it usually works and it works here. That being said I don’t know if it works so well as to make it a Best Picture of the Year nominee.  I’ve seen this movie before. “Ray”, “My Left Foot”, “A Beautiful Mind” and two dozen more to boot were all practically the same movie.  “The Theory of Everything” is that movie this year. Take a predictable script with a phenomenal performance of a famous icon by a great actor and it is a winning formula. It works.  I enjoyed it. But, as in 99% of these films the true, lasting emotion is our connection to the brilliance of the portrayed and not the art of those who portray them.

The Grand Budapest Hotel – A Wes Anderson film that made me laugh a few times and I didn’t hate.  That alone makes it worthy of a nomination.  Beautifully shot and designed it is the same quirky, pretentious and “seriously artistic” movie we expect from Anderson.  If you like him then bully for you. If you hate him you may not hate this movie as much as all his others.

Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) – I hated it. I got it. I recognize the artistry. I appreciate the performances. Keaton, Norton, and Stone were wonderful.  The script is sharp and the technical aspect of shooting in long, uninterrupted scenes was effective if not necessarily ground breaking. All that being said I still hated it and should have just taken a walk.

Boyhood – Ambitious to be sure with it being shot using the same actors over a period of 12 years. At times it is a really nice film. At other times it is an “Afterschool Special” with a few F-bombs. The movie does a really nice job of portraying “real life”.  The scenarios and life events are realistic and make sense. It is an extremely, believable journey of this young man’s life. Some of the dialogue however is just bad and the moments of philosophical enlightenment from the boy are sophomoric at best. If somebody had asked “If I were a tree what kind of tree would I be?” I would not have been surprised.

Thanksgiving, The Letter U and

Letter U...Underwear

I know it is a simple thing but what a fabulous thing. 

Think of life without it. It is functional, practical and at times provocative and arousing. There are tons of reasons for me to be thankful for underwear not the least of which is a propensity to chafe.

Thanksgiving, the Letter T and

Letter T...Teenager

Yes, one of the scariest words in the English language is my entry for today's Thanksgiving alphabet.

I've got one and she is a beauty. My daughter Lindsay is my first born and one of the goofiest, dearest and sweetest souls I know.

Yes I'm biased but it doesn't make me wrong. I know in a blink of an eye she will no longer be a teen. She will be graduated and married and probably a Senator or curing cancer or being an artist or caring for animals out in the world and she will thrive and succeed in a million ways. I also know that she will being doing it all with a kind and gracious heart. An attribute she most obviously got from her Mother.

But for today I've got her and am thankful for the joy she has brought my heart and my soul.

 I love ya Lou!

Thanksgiving, the Letter S and

Letter S...Steven Spielberg

To represent all my favorite movie makers over the years I picked dear old Steven Spielberg. Let's face it. Over my life there hasn't been a bigger name in the movie industry. His breadth and depth of film making is just ridiculous.

I love movies and have my whole life. Much like music, politics, plays and books movies have been more than just a form of my entertainment but of my education and my escapism.

Documentaries, dramas, comedies, war films, shoot-m-up westerns, historical period pieces and the occasional chick-flick all fill the bill.  I love them all and probably a bit too much.

So for this entry to the Thanksgiving Alphabet I give  a few shout outs to some of my favorite Cinema personalities: Spielberg, Frank Capra, Josh Logan, Jimmy Stewart, John Wayne, Charlie Chaplin, Gene Kelly, Elia Kazan, Jimmy Cagney, John Huston, Howard Hawkes, Gene Simmons, Bette Davis, Cary Grant, Gene Hackman, Joan Allen, and on and on and on and on and on.......

Thanksgiving, the Letter R and Religion

Letter R...Religion

For today's letter I simply say that I am thankful for my religion and all that it brings and offers me. I am at times cynical, short to anger, anxious and angry but my religion and my faith serve as comfort and a steadying force in my life and for that I am thankful.