DREAMGIRLS Rekindles Motown

 Baltimore’s Center Stage revived the award winning musical Dreamgirls, a fictionalized version of the beginnings of a Motown-like recording label. Its depiction of a Supremes style, girl group and the ostracizing of one of its members forms the centerpiece of intersecting storylines with the rise and fall of R&B stars amid a white recording industry. Brought to life by an outstanding cast of singers who also act and dance, the show was two and a half hours of a living, breathing tale of angst, betrayal, love, and the price of fame.  The show makes clever use of minimal sets and projections while the splashy costumes and music dazzle the eyes and ears. Without a doubt, the songs are headlined by Dreamgirls and an especially stirring rendition of the signature classic, And I’m Telling You I’m Not Going. This gem plays through December 12.

Bennett and Gaga Shine Together

 

CBS broadcast the final performance of Tony Bennett who appeared with his friend Lady Gaga at a momentous lovefest at Radio City Music Hall. At 95 and stricken with Alzheimers disease, the legendary crooner of over seventy plus years capped his career in the most touching way. His professional reflexes kicked in and not only did he know the standards word for word, note for note, his vocals still had the power and nuance that brought his audience to tears. What a moment.

Broadway Musical Legend Is Gone

Broadway legend and supreme lyricist Stephen Sondheim has passed at 91. He won the most Tony Awards at seven plus a lifetime achievement Tony. He was mentored by the great Oscar Hamnerstein II and in turn mentored to a degree Jonathan Larson (Rent, Tick Tick.... Boom!) and Lin-Manuel Miranda (Hamilton).  He was lyricist (and often composer) for West Side Story, Gypsy, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, A Little Night Music, Sweeney Todd, Into the Woods, and many others. He won a Pulitzer Prize, an Oscar and 8 Grammys. And yes, he was able to give a seal of approval to Spielberg's updated West Side Story. He transformed modern musical theater in the 20th century.

He Got 'No Respect'

 

Hard to believe but this would have been the 100th birthday of Rodney Dangerfield, the premiere standup comic who passed away almost 20 years ago at 82. This fixture of late night talk shows in the sixties and seventies who complained that he got "No respect", hit his stride when he starred in Caddyshack, and he never looked back.

I had the pleasure of seeing him at Constitution Hall in DC doing his stand up routine, and about a dozen of my friends all bought front row tickets and dressed up in dark suits and thin red ties like him.  When he came out and saw us, he laughed and pointed at us. It's a moment I'll never forget.
He was funny and quick with comebacks to any shoutouts.  The Gold Standard.

Priceless Memories in BELFAST

Writer /Director Kenneth Branagh’s (Henry V) fond remembrances of his childhood at a pivotal time in Ireland form the basis of Belfast, a personal celebration of family bonds amid adversity that is certain to draw universal praise.  It’s a magnificent film and Branagh’s finest.  

In 1969, Belfast is lined with neighborhoods where everyone knows each other by name and working class families raise their children and attend church. Buddy (Jude Hill is wonderful) and his brother live an idyllic childhood cared for by their Ma (Caitriona Balfe), Pa (Jamie Dornan), and grandparents (Ciarán Hinds and Judi Dench).  Going to school and developing a schoolgirl crush, Buddy’s world is traumatized when he witnesses violence between Catholics and Protestants, and the community becomes a religious warzone.  Ma struggles to keep the family together as Pa works away for weeks at a time, and with finances tight and the threat of further violence, the family must decide whether to leave their beloved home. 

The film is seen from Buddy’s perspective, a surrogate for a young Branagh.  Family dynamics are explored revealing how deeply they love each other, and in turn, because you care about them, their special moments carry more weight. 

Shot predominantly in gorgeous black and white, the film is brimming with the look and feel of sixties styles and pop culture especially TV and movie references. There is also a sublime soundtrack featuring Van Morrison. This is a subgenre of semiautobiographical films (including John Boorman’s Hope and Glory, Giuseppe Tornatore’s Cinema Paradiso, and Alfonso Caurón’s Roma) that have affectionately recalled the past.  

The cast is simply outstanding, and Branagh deserves credit for this nostalgic tribute that touches the heart all the way to its final images and epilogue. Expect Oscar nominations all around. 

  **** of **** stars

KING RICHARD and a Remarkable American Family

 

Family bonds and destiny are at the heart of King Richard, the true story of a father’s unwavering vision to groom his daughters into world champions and achieve the American dream. It features an outstanding performance by Will Smith and is an uplifting crowd pleaser.

Richard Williams (Smith) is a black father in Compton who develops an ambitious plan to train daughters Venus (Saniyya Sidney) and Serena (Demi Singleton) to become the greatest tennis stars ever. In a largely white world and racially charged background, the Williams are a loving, supportive family placing a premium on education. Richard dreams big, taking his girls from rundown courts to upscale clubs using his guile and boldness, and then engaging top tennis coach Rick Macci (Jon Bernthal). When Macci wants to enter the girls in junior competition and later entertain potentially lucrative endorsements, Richard objects preferring to do things his way. With a special match scheduled between Venus and a professional tennis champion, the Williams clan captures the tennis world’s attention and the adulation of girls everywhere.

Smith’s Richard, himself traumatized by the absence of a supportive dad, not only coaches his girls and manages their careers, but empowers them with a belief that their hard work will pay off.  Imbued with boundless energy, his indomitable spirit collides with conventional wisdom and even runs afoul of his wife Brandi (Aunjanue Ellis in a strong role). 

The screenplay has some witty moments, but the real life drama is compelling. We know what the Williams sisters did as sports legends, but how they got there makes for an inspiring, heartfelt story with a gem of a role for Smith that won’t be forgotten come Oscar time.

***1/2 of **** stars (add ½ * for Smith fans)

Humanity on Trial in THE ETERNALS

 

Directed by Chloé Zhao (Nomadland), The Eternals is an ambitious (beautifully filmed) introduction of super beings who bring a new wrinkle to the Marvel Cinematic Universe.  

7000 years ago, the all-powerful Celestials create immortal, super powered beings, The Eternals, who help to foster human progress but are forbidden from interfering in conflicts (even Thanos) except for one threat, The Deviants, monstrous creatures bent on destroying humans.  The Eternals assimilate as humans experiencing emotions and begin to care for humanity.  When the Deviants,  more powerful than ever, make another appearance, The Eternals must band together to stop them, but new threats emerge from within that expose a devastating secret causing them to question their purpose even as earth faces extinction.

Boasting a strong cast including Gemma Chan, Richard Madden, Angelina Jolie, Kumail Nanjiani, Salma Hayek, and Kit Harrington, this is a higher concept film than standard Marvel fare and with a completely different vibe.  The narrative covers a wide expanse of time and place while centering on the assemblage not one but ten new characters each endowed with unique powers. Though the exposition starts methodically, the back half picks up steam and becomes engaging.  This is also the most inclusive Marvel film ever with its themes of acceptance and coexistence.

It's a different kind of film than fans are accustomed to (somewhat influenced in tone by Zack Snyder’s DC Universe where death can strike anytime) and a gamble to push the boundaries of Marvel with its world building of new faces (more so than Black Panther and Shang- Chi). It has a lot to unpack, but those who are patient will find this a stepping stone for the broader MCU.  Two post credit scenes have huge implications.

 *** of **** stars (add ½* for hardcore Marvel fans)

THE FRENCH DISPATCH and Its Joyful Stories

 

The French Dispatch is a quirky, unusual comedy as only writer/director Wes Anderson (The Grand Budapest Hotel) can deliver. Not for all tastes, but for those who like ‘off the wall’ humor with a heavy dose of style over substance, it will be nirvana. 

Once upon a time, a newspaper in Europe, The French Dispatch, employs a small staff of reporters charged with various sections of politics and arts resulting in offbeat stories like a prison inmate’s (Benicio Del Toro is a hoot) art inspired by his muse, a female guard (Léa Seydoux). Other pieces involve a love story amid a student rebellion and a madcap chase involving gangsters, police, and kidnapping.  It’s all framed under the watchful eye of the news editor (Bill Murray).

This is Anderson’s loving tribute to publications like The New Yorker and an excuse to tell some outrageous tales populated with colorful characters spouting sharp, snappy dialogue.  He brings out the best from his collaborators by pulling everything from his creative toolbox including animation, and the film shines alternately with colorful and black and white set designs and costumes embellished with dazzling camerawork.  You realize you are in the hands of a filmmaker at the top of his game.

Anderson attracts the best acting talent with a stellar, ensemble cast including Tilda Swinton (a standout), Frances McDormand, Owen Wilson, Timothée Chalamet, Adrien Brody, and many others having a ball.

Anderson is in full flourish here.  Fans will revel in this confection which should feast on Oscar nominations across the board.  Years from now, his impressive body of work and unique brand of comedy may be compared to auteurs like Ernst Lubitsch and Preston Sturges. Wait, it already is.

***1/2 of **** stars (add ½* for Anderson fans)

The Visceral Thrills of ONE NIGHT IN SOHO

 

Obsession with past lives is explored in the thriller, One Night in Soho, writer/director Edgar Wright’s (Baby Driver) valentine to 1960s London that blends disturbing imagery with pure nostalgia.   

Ellie (Thomasin McKenzie) is a wide eyed, young woman attending fashion school in London where she rents a room from Miss Collins (Diana Rigg is her final role).  Ellie has the ability to see visions of her deceased mom and later a mysterious singer, Sandy (Anya Taylor-Joy), from 50 years ago who dreams of being a singer only to descend into the seamy, dark side of the bar scene.   At first Ellie forms a kinship with Sandy’s world until her dreams becoming more graphic and terrifying.  Haunted by Sandy’s fate, she loses her grip on reality, and when things take a decidedly deadly tone, the shocking truth emerges from an unexpected source.

The two principal females are initially contrasts in appearance and personality until they parallel and begin to merge.  There are repetitive, startling vignettes and red herrings, but the film’s narrative evolves into one big mystery that may or may not involve murder.  What really happened to Sandy; is she real or is Ellie going mad?

As usual, Wright has a sharp eye for stylized visuals and impeccable taste in period music (Petula Clark sales of Downtown should spike) and pop culture.  The movie successfully recreate sixties’ London bursting with energy and tunes of the day permeated with nightmarish scenes and threatening figures that echo Repulsion and Jacob’s Ladder.

It’s a film with a promising start that doesn’t quite stick its landing.  Wright’s talents deserve more substantive material.  Hopefully this is a warmup to bigger and better things in the future.

*** of **** stars (add ½* for Wright fans)