True Grit

I enjoyed this movie more than I thought I would, as it is the first Coen Brothers film which I actually watched.  Halle Steinfeld is great as Maddie, the straight-laced, no-nonsense 14 year old who is overseeing her late father’s affairs. Dakin Matthews has a great bit role as a horse trader who’s on the wrong side of a contract with Maddie.  Jeff Bridges gives a great performance as Rooster Cogburn, the drunk, sodden old codger trying to finish his life out with no scruples or regard for personal dignity.  Matt Damon is also good as a Texas Marshall who also lends help and support at times in the pursuit of Josh Brolin as an outlaw wanted for murder.

There is great dramatic tension throughout as to who this ragtag team of people will encounter next and whether they will survive.  There is a scary moment of Maddie being attacked by a rattlesnake in a cave that will lead to her arm being amputated. It was a great Western, showing the thrill of the open road. Made me want to spend more time in this world of the Wild West with lawlessness, outlaws, and crazy gunslingers. I have never really been a fan of Westerns, but this movie did begin to cultivate an interest in them inside me, and I would be interested in exploring more movies within that genre.

No Strings Attached

I’m working through my back-log of theater and film reviews for productions I have seen in the last four months, so please bear with me if these reviews seem like past news!  Since Friends With Benefits is still due to be released, I thought it would make sense to post this review and then compare both movies. 

I thought No Strings Attached was a pretty enjoyable movie.  Predictable at times but still funny and entertaining.  Ashton Kutcher was actually likable as a struggling writer stuck being a Production Assistant for the High School Musical-esque show he wants to be on the writing staff for.  He was more grown-up and grounded than other characters he has played, which made his portrayal more realistic and likable.  Natalie Portman was quite amusing and likable as a young doctor who initially resists his romantic advances until the morning after a drunken party when they end up in bed together and decide to give “friends with benefits” a try.  They do make a good couple, and have some chemistry with each other.

The movie also benefits from a strong supporting cast.  Mindy Kaling has some great one-liners as a roommate/co-worker of Natalie Portman’s and Greta Gerwig has some scenes as well as a longtime friend.  Kevin Kline hams it up as Ashton Kutcher’s father, a washed-up actor dating annoying women half his age, including Lake Bell as a funny and very awkward co-worker of Kutcher’s.  Abby Elliot makes the most of her screen-time in a small role as a waitress. The upcoming Friends with Benefits will probably top this movie, but it wasn’t a bad movie at all.

Freud's Last Session

I have seen Freud's Last Session several times since last fall, and I highly recommend it to anyone who doesn't mind thinking while being entertained. In the play, C.S. Lewis and Sigmund Freud engage in a battle of wits about love, war, sex, religion, and many other topics, but the main focus is on their differing views of faith and religion. The play, by Mark St. Germain, is based on Dr. Armand Nicholi's book The Question of G-d. It is unknown whether C.S. Lewis and Sigmund Freud actually met in real life, but it is possible that they did in London on the eve of World War II, which is when this play is set.  One of the running plots is Dr. Freud listening to the news on the radio, culminating in King George VI's speech to the nation preparing for World War II, the same speech which forms the climax of The King's Speech. This play has many traits of an Oscar-nominated film itself:

• Strong acting, 
• Based on historical events
• Dialogue which is both humorous and emotionally stirring
• Main character overcoming adversity
• British period piece 

Martin Rayner and Mark Dold have provided a wonderful master class in acting with their performances. They have wonderful chemistry with each other.  The play is very thought-provoking and makes you question your own views and beliefs. A very funny, well-written verbal sparring match and battle of the wits.  Martin Rayner gives an amazing performance as Sigmund Freud, at the end of his life and in pain from oral cancer, but still with his wits about him and able to hold his own in debate. Mark Dold as C.S. Lewis is his scene partner and foil, and is definitely up to the task. The chemistry between them is what elevates this show even further.  I enjoy plays and movies which have a historical basis, and I enjoy the historical detail of late 1930's Britain on display here. Additionally, the play recently won the Off-Broadway Alliance's 2011 Best Play of the Year. Freud's Last Session is currently enjoying an open-ended run at the Majorie Deane Little Theatre at the West Side Y, 10 West 64th St.  You can also visit www.freudslastsession.com for more information and to purchase tickets.

Anything Goes, Stephen Sondheim Theatre

Back in March, I saw Roundabout Theatre Company's revival of Anything Goes, at the Stephen Sondheim Theatre. Since I wasn't able to see Patti LuPone and Howard McGillin perform the show at Lincoln Center in 1987, and I liked Sutton Foster and Joel Grey, I decided that I definitely wanted to see this production, so I got a ticket for a preview. Also I knew that the mezzanine was pretty comfortable with great sight-lines, so I wasn't worried but I brought my binoculars and used them anyway.

I thought the production was really great, but not overwhelmingly so. It felt a little subdued so I would give a B+. Kathleen Marshall's choreography only pops during the title number and in the 11 o'clock number "Blow Gabriel Blow," which are the two most important numbers in the show in any case. That is what lifts this show from a B to a B+. There are many classic Cole Porter songs in this show, mostly from the original score and a few that were interpolated beginning in the last revival. Rest assured all of these songs are performed at least adequately.

Sutton Foster looks wonderful as a blonde and has a great entrance scene, getting to perform "I Get A Kick Out of You" right off the bat. The show overall is much more alive when she is onstage. She plays Reno as a droll, blowsy woman, different from her usual characters, and gets to deliver some great standards.  She does her trademark split and gets to dance in most of her numbers. I can't say for sure but I would assume that she does more actual dancing than any of her Broadway predecessors in the role. Although I am impressed with Patti LuPone's Tony Awards performance from the last revival.

Joel Grey receives second billing as Moonface Martin, Public Enemy #13, and a very inept criminal posing as a minister aboard the ocean liner that most of the show takes place on.  He plays the role like the little Jewish man that he is, but always clever and trying to think ahead with his planning.  His "Friendship" duet with Ms. Foster is pretty good. He has one solo, the odd number "Be Like the Bluebird".  He seems to be in his element when he has a partner to play off of.

Colin Donnell as Billy Crocker is adequate. He's the romantic lead but he is virtually unrecognizable from the ensemble. This is his first principal role on Broadway, coming after his stint as Fiyero in the national tour of Wicked.  He sings and dances very well but he doesn't seem to have much personality or charisma.

Laura Osnes as Hope Harcourt, the object of his affection, fares slightly better. Ms. Osnes is a very talented actress, and she performs Hope as the pretty, standard issue ingénue she was written to be. The role doesn't really have any distinguishing characteristics, and Ms. Osnes plays the role as could be expected given the old-fashioned plot she is trapped in.

Living Broadway legend John McMartin appears as the eccentric, near-sighted, and lovelorn millionaire Elisha Whitney. He is great in all his scenes, providing comic relief.  His object of affection is Jessica Walter as Hope Harcourt's mother Evangeline. Her character is also fairly standard- the wealthy and snobbish dowager who is protective of her daughter and intent on increasing her fortune by marrying off her daughter to the highest bidder.  Ms. Walter excels at playing these types of roles, as any fan of Arrested Development can attest to.

Adam Godley appears as Hope's fiancée, an eccentric British lord whose comic number "The Gypsy In Me" is also a highlight of the show, especially his dancing with Sutton Foster. We get to see an external display of the silliness inside this amusingly befuddled Brit.

Walter Charles and Robert Creighton make a great comic team as the ship's captain and purser respectively. They are the most underrated part of the show. Mr. Charles has had a long and illustrious career and Mr. Creighton's star has been rising in the last few years, with a string of replacement roles in shows such as Chicago and The Lion King.

Jessica Stone gets a few funny bits as Erma, Moonface Martin's sidekick, who passes the time by romancing the ship's sailors.  The ensemble deserves some credit as well. Special mention goes to Joyce Chittick with her deadpan delivery as one of Reno's angels.  William Ryall does a great job in his small role of a minister. The male ensemble get to perform some amazing athletic choreography.

I definitely recommend this show to anyone who wants some good old-fashioned entertainment and has an interest in musical theater history.  I believe the show is on sale through the end of 2011.  I apologize for the delay in posting the review, and I have many more reviews to post as well, which I hope to do over the next few weeks, so keep checking back!