If I could, I would rent three billboards and they would read:
Billboard One: This movie is frustrating
Billboard Two: Because its story is badly flawed
Billboard Three: But the performances are great
Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri goes rogue after the first act/first third of the movie.
The screenplay evidently attracted some spectacular actors led by Frances McDormand and Sam Rockwell, and my guess is that the script by Martin McDonagh -- who is a terrific playwright -- was much different than what eventually made it to the screen. That's the only way I can imagine that such great actors would sign on to this Indie film. In my fantasy, the film as originally intended didn't test well and sat on a shelf until it was radically re-cut and then released. [Note: I have no idea whether this happened, it is my fantasy.]
The plot, such as it is, revolves around McDormand seeking justice for her daughter who was raped and murdered.
Billboard One: This movie is frustrating
Billboard Two: Because its story is badly flawed
Billboard Three: But the performances are great
Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri goes rogue after the first act/first third of the movie.
The screenplay evidently attracted some spectacular actors led by Frances McDormand and Sam Rockwell, and my guess is that the script by Martin McDonagh -- who is a terrific playwright -- was much different than what eventually made it to the screen. That's the only way I can imagine that such great actors would sign on to this Indie film. In my fantasy, the film as originally intended didn't test well and sat on a shelf until it was radically re-cut and then released. [Note: I have no idea whether this happened, it is my fantasy.]
The plot, such as it is, revolves around McDormand seeking justice for her daughter who was raped and murdered.
- 12/5/2017
- by Mark Weston
- www.culturecatch.com
Wind River is the best movie this year that you likely haven't seen and possibly haven't heard of.
That's the problem with Hollywood these days. While the film won accolades at Cannes (and has done well internationally), it's $11 million budget is it's (or Hollywood's) problem. Hollywood allocates marketing and advertising dollars based primarily on the size of a film's budget. The bigger the budget, the bigger the ad campaign. And then there are the tiny Indie films with budgets of $1 million - $5 million. They are worth the risk of ad dollars because the profit reward can be so enormous. But, in the $10 million - $25 million range, movies get stuck in a no-man's-land.
These are financial decisions. They have nothing to do with the quality of the film in question. These are decisions made by accountants and lawyers, not artists.
Back to Wind River. It is a taut, quiet thriller set...
That's the problem with Hollywood these days. While the film won accolades at Cannes (and has done well internationally), it's $11 million budget is it's (or Hollywood's) problem. Hollywood allocates marketing and advertising dollars based primarily on the size of a film's budget. The bigger the budget, the bigger the ad campaign. And then there are the tiny Indie films with budgets of $1 million - $5 million. They are worth the risk of ad dollars because the profit reward can be so enormous. But, in the $10 million - $25 million range, movies get stuck in a no-man's-land.
These are financial decisions. They have nothing to do with the quality of the film in question. These are decisions made by accountants and lawyers, not artists.
Back to Wind River. It is a taut, quiet thriller set...
- 9/28/2017
- by Mark Weston
- www.culturecatch.com
The Treasurer Playwright's Horizons, NYC Through October 22nd, 2017
Some plays have an inner logic that defies linear story-telling. That doesn't mean they need be inaccessible or opaque. It merely means that the playwright's imagination sometimes takes over - for better or for worse.
I tend to be critical of those plays. Most of the time, the lack of an inner logic spells randomness in the story. Why is that scene there? What purpose does it serve to the over-arching dramaturgy of the play?
So, when a play like The Treasurer by Max Posner comes along - at times stubbornly prosaic, at other times elegiacally poetic -- it can be hard to win me over.
The Treasurer won me over. And moved me in ways that a lesser play would not. It is wonderful.
The plot couldn't be simpler: A Son (Peter Friedman) lives in Colorado while his recently widowed Mother (Deanna Dunagen) lives in Albany.
Some plays have an inner logic that defies linear story-telling. That doesn't mean they need be inaccessible or opaque. It merely means that the playwright's imagination sometimes takes over - for better or for worse.
I tend to be critical of those plays. Most of the time, the lack of an inner logic spells randomness in the story. Why is that scene there? What purpose does it serve to the over-arching dramaturgy of the play?
So, when a play like The Treasurer by Max Posner comes along - at times stubbornly prosaic, at other times elegiacally poetic -- it can be hard to win me over.
The Treasurer won me over. And moved me in ways that a lesser play would not. It is wonderful.
The plot couldn't be simpler: A Son (Peter Friedman) lives in Colorado while his recently widowed Mother (Deanna Dunagen) lives in Albany.
- 9/25/2017
- by Mark Weston
- www.culturecatch.com
Weeks before it closes, I got a chance to catch up with Groundhog Day, The Musical.
[I'm tempted to simply repeat the above sentence 28 times but will fight the urge!]
I guess it makes no sense to question why there was an imperative to create a musical out of Groundhog Day, The Film which, in itself, is hardly worthy of such an effort. Unless, that is, you had Bill Murray to star -- again. Asking the question "why" seems churlish.
The show itself is actually pretty good. It's cute. It's fun. It features a tremendously winning performance from the tremendously winning Andy Karl who, truth be told, created a new Phil Connors that didn't have me longing for the iconic Bill Murray. That's quite a feat. And kudos to the super-talented Andy Karl for pulling it off.
If only it was shorter.
At 2:45 (with intermission), it is an hour longer than the movie, and you might say that the movie itself extended the...
[I'm tempted to simply repeat the above sentence 28 times but will fight the urge!]
I guess it makes no sense to question why there was an imperative to create a musical out of Groundhog Day, The Film which, in itself, is hardly worthy of such an effort. Unless, that is, you had Bill Murray to star -- again. Asking the question "why" seems churlish.
The show itself is actually pretty good. It's cute. It's fun. It features a tremendously winning performance from the tremendously winning Andy Karl who, truth be told, created a new Phil Connors that didn't have me longing for the iconic Bill Murray. That's quite a feat. And kudos to the super-talented Andy Karl for pulling it off.
If only it was shorter.
At 2:45 (with intermission), it is an hour longer than the movie, and you might say that the movie itself extended the...
- 8/29/2017
- by Jeff Cohen
- www.culturecatch.com
When the New York Times gushes that a movie is "ridiculously entertaining" the expectations for that movie go through the roof. Few if any films can live up to that kind of over-the-top hype.
And that leaves me in a quandary. Because Logan Lucky is a terrifically fun movie. Is it "ridiculously entertaining?" I don't know about that, but it's pretty freakin' good!
Logan Lucky is deceptive and far more low-key than I expected. It is a heist movie among hillbillies that takes place at a Nascar event. And yet it isn't a shoot-em-up (I don't think a gun appears in the entire movie) and, while its characters fetishize muscle cars, it isn't a movie chock full of slow motion car crashes.
In certain ways, it is movie full of cartoon-like characters who speak with thick (often comically thick) hillbilly accents and who sport outlandish hair-dos. When we first meet them,...
And that leaves me in a quandary. Because Logan Lucky is a terrifically fun movie. Is it "ridiculously entertaining?" I don't know about that, but it's pretty freakin' good!
Logan Lucky is deceptive and far more low-key than I expected. It is a heist movie among hillbillies that takes place at a Nascar event. And yet it isn't a shoot-em-up (I don't think a gun appears in the entire movie) and, while its characters fetishize muscle cars, it isn't a movie chock full of slow motion car crashes.
In certain ways, it is movie full of cartoon-like characters who speak with thick (often comically thick) hillbilly accents and who sport outlandish hair-dos. When we first meet them,...
- 8/24/2017
- by webmaster
- www.culturecatch.com
Steven Spielberg's Saving Private Ryan's first act -- at 20 minutes -- depicts some of the most realistic and harrowing war footage in all of movie making. Christopher Nolan's Dunkirk takes that feat and turns it into two hours of equally harrowing, white-knuckle horror.
I assume the story of Saving Private Ryan is a fiction, and it strains credulity to the point of silliness. The story of Dunkirk is historical, and it is even more absurd. Both strive to depict the bleak, random, entropic lunacy of fighting wars.
And yet, while I enjoy re-watching Saving Private Ryan, I have no interest in seeing Dunkirk again. The reason? The sensibility of the two filmmakers. Spielberg is a filmmaker who is mostly interested in character and formula and, once we are on the beach at D Day, he turns Saving Private Ryan into a fairly formulaic buddy movie led by the consistently likable Tom Hanks.
I assume the story of Saving Private Ryan is a fiction, and it strains credulity to the point of silliness. The story of Dunkirk is historical, and it is even more absurd. Both strive to depict the bleak, random, entropic lunacy of fighting wars.
And yet, while I enjoy re-watching Saving Private Ryan, I have no interest in seeing Dunkirk again. The reason? The sensibility of the two filmmakers. Spielberg is a filmmaker who is mostly interested in character and formula and, once we are on the beach at D Day, he turns Saving Private Ryan into a fairly formulaic buddy movie led by the consistently likable Tom Hanks.
- 8/20/2017
- by Mark Weston
- www.culturecatch.com
On Sunday, LeAnn Rimes proved once and for all that she has outgrown the child prodigy country music label that launched her career at age 14(!) with the release of the mega-hit record "Blue," making her the youngest artist ever to win a Grammy (she won two).
She was the headliner at Pride Fest in Greenwich Village in NYC and she demonstrated the voice and charisma which has made her a superstar, wowing the massive crowd with "Love Is Love Is Love" and her #1 Billboard Dance Club hit "Long Live Love" -- both off of her latest album Remnants. She capped things off with a remix version of her hit Top 10 single from 2000 "Can't Stop The Moonlight."
She was dressed in a stunning black lacy corset -- provocative and gorgeous -- complete with spike high heels that were the envy of every cross-dresser, transvestite and transsexual in the boisterous crowd.
In...
She was the headliner at Pride Fest in Greenwich Village in NYC and she demonstrated the voice and charisma which has made her a superstar, wowing the massive crowd with "Love Is Love Is Love" and her #1 Billboard Dance Club hit "Long Live Love" -- both off of her latest album Remnants. She capped things off with a remix version of her hit Top 10 single from 2000 "Can't Stop The Moonlight."
She was dressed in a stunning black lacy corset -- provocative and gorgeous -- complete with spike high heels that were the envy of every cross-dresser, transvestite and transsexual in the boisterous crowd.
In...
- 6/27/2017
- by Mark Weston
- www.culturecatch.com
Me The People: The Trump America Musical Triad Theater, NYC June 24th through....
If you hate Trump like I hate Trump and you have the urge to smash your TV to smithereens every time you see his orange headed smirk, or hurl your phone into the river every time you read one of his tweets - Don't Do It!!!!!!! Go see Me The People instead!!!! Me The People is a laugh-out-loud-funny satirical revue at the Triad Theater on the Upper West Side and I guarantee it will turn your Trump loathing howls of presidential pain that have you hiding under the covers into Trump loathing howls of cathartic laughter that will have you rolling in the aisles. Four supremely talented cast members and one hard-working pianist skewer everything from shredding the Constitution (literally) to the Supremes to Russian Spies to Mar-a-Lago to Melania to Korea to Putin to chocolate cake...
If you hate Trump like I hate Trump and you have the urge to smash your TV to smithereens every time you see his orange headed smirk, or hurl your phone into the river every time you read one of his tweets - Don't Do It!!!!!!! Go see Me The People instead!!!! Me The People is a laugh-out-loud-funny satirical revue at the Triad Theater on the Upper West Side and I guarantee it will turn your Trump loathing howls of presidential pain that have you hiding under the covers into Trump loathing howls of cathartic laughter that will have you rolling in the aisles. Four supremely talented cast members and one hard-working pianist skewer everything from shredding the Constitution (literally) to the Supremes to Russian Spies to Mar-a-Lago to Melania to Korea to Putin to chocolate cake...
- 6/26/2017
- by Mark Weston
- www.culturecatch.com
Indecent Cort Theatre, NYC
Indecent is a strange play. It's like getting a gorgeously wrapped package and finding something insubstantial and vaguely disturbing inside the box.
The packaging of Indecent includes fantastic direction from Rebecca Taichman, engaging writing from Paula Vogel and a near-perfect ensemble of performers. But once you get past the seduction of the production, you have to wonder why so much talent was lavished on what is no more than a historical theatrical footnote.
That footnote is the closing of God of Vengeance on Broadway early in the last century for indecency. The play was apparently a big hit both way downtown (in the thriving Yiddish theater) and mid-downtown in Greenwich Village -- not to mention in many European cities -- but the move to Broadway seems unnecessary, unless the producer purposefully wanted to traffic in scandal.
What's most emotionally compelling about Indecent is also what's most intellectually disturbing about it.
Indecent is a strange play. It's like getting a gorgeously wrapped package and finding something insubstantial and vaguely disturbing inside the box.
The packaging of Indecent includes fantastic direction from Rebecca Taichman, engaging writing from Paula Vogel and a near-perfect ensemble of performers. But once you get past the seduction of the production, you have to wonder why so much talent was lavished on what is no more than a historical theatrical footnote.
That footnote is the closing of God of Vengeance on Broadway early in the last century for indecency. The play was apparently a big hit both way downtown (in the thriving Yiddish theater) and mid-downtown in Greenwich Village -- not to mention in many European cities -- but the move to Broadway seems unnecessary, unless the producer purposefully wanted to traffic in scandal.
What's most emotionally compelling about Indecent is also what's most intellectually disturbing about it.
- 5/14/2017
- by Mark Weston
- www.culturecatch.com
LeAnn Rimes Patchogue Theatre for the Performing Arts, NY March 17, 2017
LeAnn Rimes performed last Friday night at the Patchogue Theatre for the Performing Arts, a beautifully (and recently) renovated former movie palace and Broadway style theater. At 1100 seats it is a warm an intimate venue.
Let me get this out of the way right away: LeAnn Rimes is incredible. It's one thing to hear her on record or see video clips, but to watch her in concert is a revelation. Her voice is amazing and my guess is that there isn't a pop singer alive with a better voice than hers, including Adele. LeAnn's pitch is perfect. The quality of her voice is so beautiful it is thrilling. It can be strong, powerful, soulful and sexy and then sweet, simple, fragile and disarming. Her range is incredible and she can growl when she needs to growl, belt when she needs...
LeAnn Rimes performed last Friday night at the Patchogue Theatre for the Performing Arts, a beautifully (and recently) renovated former movie palace and Broadway style theater. At 1100 seats it is a warm an intimate venue.
Let me get this out of the way right away: LeAnn Rimes is incredible. It's one thing to hear her on record or see video clips, but to watch her in concert is a revelation. Her voice is amazing and my guess is that there isn't a pop singer alive with a better voice than hers, including Adele. LeAnn's pitch is perfect. The quality of her voice is so beautiful it is thrilling. It can be strong, powerful, soulful and sexy and then sweet, simple, fragile and disarming. Her range is incredible and she can growl when she needs to growl, belt when she needs...
- 3/22/2017
- www.culturecatch.com
Fiddler On The Roof Broadway Theatre, NYC
I was in my local supermarket when Gwen Stefani came on the speakers:
If I was a rich girl (na, na) See, I'd have all the money in the world, if I was a wealthy girl No man could test me, impress me, my cash flow would never ever end 'Cause I'd have all the money in the world, if I was a wealthy girl
And it made me wonder how many teenage music consumers around the world had any idea where that little tune came from. My conclusion? Not many.
Oh sure, Jewish kids, musical theater kids, maybe even most New York City kids. But that’s about it.
In musical theater, context is everything. In the Stefani version, it’s about the ability to shop til you drop. But in the original version, as the wonderful showcase song at the heart of Fiddler On The Roof,...
I was in my local supermarket when Gwen Stefani came on the speakers:
If I was a rich girl (na, na) See, I'd have all the money in the world, if I was a wealthy girl No man could test me, impress me, my cash flow would never ever end 'Cause I'd have all the money in the world, if I was a wealthy girl
And it made me wonder how many teenage music consumers around the world had any idea where that little tune came from. My conclusion? Not many.
Oh sure, Jewish kids, musical theater kids, maybe even most New York City kids. But that’s about it.
In musical theater, context is everything. In the Stefani version, it’s about the ability to shop til you drop. But in the original version, as the wonderful showcase song at the heart of Fiddler On The Roof,...
- 12/31/2015
- by webmaster
- www.culturecatch.com
The Following Episode 207
“Sacrifice”
Written By: Scott Reynolds
Directed By: Adam Davidson
Original Airdate: 3 March 2014
In This Episode…
Joe, Emma, and Mandy drive out to a gate in the middle of nowhere to wait for Robert. He was a Roderick recruit, and he is part of another cult. Joe assumes they will be a vulnerable group, easily swayed, but he admits he is “winging it.” They are greeted by eager young Robert - and a handful of armed militia-types, led by a woman named Julia. She demands they humble themselves and drop to their knees, hands behind their backs. The go with it, are zip-tied, hooded, and tossed into vans. Once inside the compound, they are ordered to strip and shower, “divesting” themselves of their belongings and identities. Mandy is scared; Joe tells her to go along with it.
Joe and his girls are dressed in white robes and plain white masks.
“Sacrifice”
Written By: Scott Reynolds
Directed By: Adam Davidson
Original Airdate: 3 March 2014
In This Episode…
Joe, Emma, and Mandy drive out to a gate in the middle of nowhere to wait for Robert. He was a Roderick recruit, and he is part of another cult. Joe assumes they will be a vulnerable group, easily swayed, but he admits he is “winging it.” They are greeted by eager young Robert - and a handful of armed militia-types, led by a woman named Julia. She demands they humble themselves and drop to their knees, hands behind their backs. The go with it, are zip-tied, hooded, and tossed into vans. Once inside the compound, they are ordered to strip and shower, “divesting” themselves of their belongings and identities. Mandy is scared; Joe tells her to go along with it.
Joe and his girls are dressed in white robes and plain white masks.
- 3/4/2014
- by Alyse Wax
- FEARnet
An Assassin’S Creed movie is coming to the big screen starring… Michael Fassbender. Fassbender is a great choice for any role, but after Prince Of Persia, we’re more than a little skeptical.
From Deadline:
New Regency has made a deal to finance and distribute Assasin’S Creed, the screen adaptation of the Ubisoftvideo game that has Michael Fassbender attached to star. The project was hatched by the game maker’s Ubisoft Motion Pictures division, and the company will have strong creative input as the projects moves into the script stage. Details of the deal were not disclosed, but this is a whopping commitment for a franchise that has sold 37 million games, with the latest installment arriving in stores on Halloween.
“This is the perfect intersection of what we have been trying to do, and that is to work with top quality talent like Michael Fassbender,” said Regency CEO Brad Weston.
From Deadline:
New Regency has made a deal to finance and distribute Assasin’S Creed, the screen adaptation of the Ubisoftvideo game that has Michael Fassbender attached to star. The project was hatched by the game maker’s Ubisoft Motion Pictures division, and the company will have strong creative input as the projects moves into the script stage. Details of the deal were not disclosed, but this is a whopping commitment for a franchise that has sold 37 million games, with the latest installment arriving in stores on Halloween.
“This is the perfect intersection of what we have been trying to do, and that is to work with top quality talent like Michael Fassbender,” said Regency CEO Brad Weston.
- 10/23/2012
- by Alvin
- FamousMonsters of Filmland
To mark the release of Emma on Blu-ray 19th September, Miramax have given us two copies of the movie to give away.
Based on the novel by Jane Austen, this period romantic comedy stars Gwyneth Paltrow as Emma Woodhouse, a young woman who imagines herself an authority on matters of the heart. With the best of intentions, Emma plays matchmaker for her friends, most notably her friend Harriet (Toni Collette), who Emma links up with the Reverend Elton (Alan Cumming), and her governess, (Greta Scacchi), who she introduces to her future husband, Mr. Weston (James Cosmo). However, Emma is not nearly as good at playing Cupid as she likes to imagine, and she spends so much time trying to solve everyone else’s romantic problems that it takes her quite some time to realize that she’s fallen in love with Mr. Knightly (Jeremy Northam).
Extras: Trailer
To be in...
Based on the novel by Jane Austen, this period romantic comedy stars Gwyneth Paltrow as Emma Woodhouse, a young woman who imagines herself an authority on matters of the heart. With the best of intentions, Emma plays matchmaker for her friends, most notably her friend Harriet (Toni Collette), who Emma links up with the Reverend Elton (Alan Cumming), and her governess, (Greta Scacchi), who she introduces to her future husband, Mr. Weston (James Cosmo). However, Emma is not nearly as good at playing Cupid as she likes to imagine, and she spends so much time trying to solve everyone else’s romantic problems that it takes her quite some time to realize that she’s fallen in love with Mr. Knightly (Jeremy Northam).
Extras: Trailer
To be in...
- 9/9/2011
- by Competitons
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
Welcome back, my fellow burned spies and trigger happy ex-girlfriends. Did you miss me? I missed you! This week, Michael and Sam sit in Mike’s car while they watch planes take off and land. Wow, that sounds like a blast! Michael’s voice-over complains about how all of his former confidants and handlers don’t take his calls anymore since he was burned. They won’t even follow him on Twitter. How sad. The goal of all this flight watching is to track down an agent that can’t avoid him. Sam and Mike, after an entertaining montage of stake out, finally track down a covert-ops supply plane. They’ve been in that car for a while, and I bet they smell.
Back at his loft, hopefully after a shower, Michael is taking an exacto-knife to a fake ID of some kind when Fi storms in, dressed in a bikini and a negligee.
Back at his loft, hopefully after a shower, Michael is taking an exacto-knife to a fake ID of some kind when Fi storms in, dressed in a bikini and a negligee.
- 7/10/2009
- by Everyn
- TVovermind.com
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