American Idol: The Little Rock and San Francisco Auditions

The January 7 episode showed the auditions that took place in Little Rock and San Francisco. The mother lode of talent proved to be in Little Rock.

The Good

Cameron Richard -  A cajun kid who overcame a cleft palate, he sang "Give Me Love" by Ed Sheeran. J Lo loved the voice and passion. Something about his tone annoyed me. Not sure he'll get out of Hollywood Week. 

Daniel Farmer - A student from Memphis, he declared he wanted to seduce J Lo.  The build up made it seem like he would bomb, but he showed a lot of vocal control when he sang D'Angelo's "How Does It Feel." J Lo felt he was funny and sexy. I think he needs to ditch the grinding and tone down the antics.

Dalton Rapattoni - Wow, I found my new Idol crush! Dalton is a vocal coach at the School of Rock in Dallas. He was super cute with his big blue eyes, eyeliner and flowered Doc Martens. He sang "Phantom of the Opera" and played guitar, delivering a unique arrangement. Even Harry Connick Jr had to admit - "That guy was pretty."  He looked like a new wave boy and definitely has teen idol potential. 

La'Porsha Renae - She has an amazing afro and a voice that's just as big. She brought her baby to the audition and has escaped an abusive relationship. She sang "Creep" by Radiohead and put her own spin on it. She reminds me of Macy Gray. Harry called her "an assassin with runs."

Trent Harmon - He grew up on a farm that features its own farm-to-table restaurant. He sang "Unaware" by Allen Stone. The judges annoyingly talked through the beginning of his audition, expressing their disbelief that the country boy is actually an R&B signer. Harry said it was his favorite audition so far. I wasn't that blown away but he's good. 

Brook Sample - This waitress from Tucson couldn't have been more irritating. They did a montage of her saying "Sorry" over and over while flubbing her interview segments. She sang "Cold Day in July" by The Dixie Chicks. Her nerves subsided when she sang, and the judges liked her. Harry told her she needs to stop apologizing, I hope she listens. Overuse of Sorry is really a very typical self-sabotaging habit for women.

Olivia Rox - A cute girl whose parents are musicians. She sang "When I Was Your Man" by Bruno Mars. She's likable and cute, with pink highlights in her hair, but I think she may be overshadowed by the larger voices in the competition. 

Jessica Clark, Ameet Kanon, and Kayla Mickelson - These 3 were in a quick montage demonstrating that a lot of talented women were making it to Hollywood.

Melanie Tierce - This was a weird audition. Harry interrupted it by walking out after she sang a few notes, saying it was a yes from him but he needed a break. Keith got choked up. Harry returned to say it was one of best auditions in his 3 years. I don't like the tendency of these judges to interrupt or talk over the contestants. 

Malie Delgado - She was Miss Alaska 2014 and is a radio morning show personality. She did a Gretchen Wilson song and showed that she was confident and likable. Judges felt she was already a star. 

Brandyn Burnette - He played piano and sang an original song called "Lost." He's a cute kid from St Louis, who reminded me a bit of Bruno Mars. Harry snuck up and hugged him while he sang the final notes. Ryan Seacrest was filling in for Harry who was on yet another break, so Brandyn ended up getting 4 yes votes. 

Kyrsti Jewel - Her family are idol groupies who have attended TV tapings and who for some reason still use a VCR and have a videocassette library of all the Idol shows through the years (come on, the show doesn't go back THAT far!). Lee DeWyze gave her a pep talk before she went in. The girl can really belt. I may have to forgive the weird spelling of her name.  

Tristan McIntosh - They saved the most heartwarming audition for last. Tristan's mom is deployed overseas. She is only 15, but she displayed great maturity and talent, playing piano and singing "Why Baby Why" by Mickey Guyton. She's a pretty girl and J Lo pointed out her resemblance to Alicia Keyes, both in looks and in heart. Harry read an email from her mom and she started to cry and then they brought her mom out to surprise her. Keith cried. Everyone watching at home cried. J Lo said she might win.

The Bad

Again, there was very little focus on bad auditions, and I'm glad. 

Maddie McAllister - A cute girl who brought her state fair chicken to her audition and declared, "My chickens have the biggest breasts in Arkansas."  She is only 16 and the judges felt she needed more practice.

Sarah Hayes - This girl seemed like she had a good voice but she was totally discombobulated. She sang "Hero" by Bonnie Tyler but quickly forgot the lyrics. She tried "Invincible" and stopped herself and apologized. Harry wanted to put her through anyway and, in a rare moment of self-awareness, blamed himself and the other judges for goofing around with her too much at the start of the audition, but the Keith and J Lo said no.  I don't think she could have handled the pressure.  

This episode got me excited as some definite talent was revealed.  Plus Dalton is so dreamy! 

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American Idol: The Atlanta and Denver Auditions

I watched the first 10 seasons of American Idol and blogged about most of them, and then I just lost interest. Simon was always the big draw to me, and it seemed like nobody was keeping it real after he left.  But I decided to come back for the fifteenth and final season, as much for the retrospective nuggets they'll give us as for the thrill of discovering new talent.  

The first episode showed auditions in Denver and Atlanta.  The judging triumvirate of Harry Connick, Jr., Jennifer Lopez, and Keith Urban is back.  Many former idols came back to participate as preliminary judges. Taylor Hicks seemed to get into it the most - jamming with contestants and advising the girl with the cello that perhaps she should consider the harmonica.  I will always have a soft spot for Taylor - he's my favorite winner.  Constantine is my favorite runner up. So with that being said, you can take my opinions with a grain of salt as they aren't as knowledgeable as Simon Cowell's and I'm likely to fall for whoever is the best lounge singer. 

The Good

• Michelle Marie - There was something very endearing about this 15-year-old super fan who sang "Blue" by Lee Ann Rimes. She has braces and her outfit resembled a Disney princess. 
• Josiah Siska - Johnny Cash fan Josiah sang one of my favorites - "Ghostriders in the Sky" and Harry Connick added some creepy ambiance.  It's not clear to me if he can do more than be a Johnny Cash impersonator.
• Lindita - She is a personal trainer who lost 150 pounds before her audition.  J Lo said, "She sings like a heavy girl," proving the adage about the fat girl inside always being there in the newly thin body. Lindita has an amazing voice and should go far in the competition, plus she only has one name so that must mean she's destined for stardom.
• Lee Jean - Cute kid - his older brother died in a accident, so he has a good story. I'm not sure he has the vocals to get out of Hollywood week. 
• Jeneve Rose Mitchell - This girl is a hoot, with her cello and cowboy hat. Her family lives on a farm that is off the grid, yet her father seemed very familiar with the judges and the show format. Do they show it at the local saloon? 
• Sonika Vaid - She is the beautiful daughter of Indian immigrants, likable, with a very pure voice. Harry said he thinks she could win. I don't disagree. 
• Reanna Molinaro - She's a wacky cop who handcuffs Harry per his request. Once the silliness was over, she revealed a nice voice, but I can't say it really stood out. 
• Shevonne Philidor - 6th time auditioning, and this time she made it! Not a huge voice but an interesting look
• Kory Wheeler - 2nd time auditioning, and this time he made it! A likable singer/songwriter type.
• Laurel Wright - 2nd time auditioning and this time she made it. Very pretty girl who says she came in with improved confidence.
• Joshua Wicker - He's church music director who brought his pregnant wife to garner some oohs and ahhs. He didn't need the pregnant wife, because his vocal was quite unique and the judges were impressed. 
• Jordan and Alex Sasser - They are a couple who are worship leaders and brought their baby. Alex sang first and played a pink ukelele. She was a bit quiet and seemed nervous and didn't make it. Jordan went next and revealed he was a big Celine Dion fan. He belted out "It's All Coming Back to Me" and got a ticket to Hollywood. Afterward, Alex cried, sought the family spotlight and blamed Jordan for dancing with the baby in a way that distracted the judges from her performance. Here's hoping the marriage survives this!
• Kerry Courtney - His mom died of cancer when he was a teen. He sings a Death Cab for Cutie song, while making crazy twitchy faces. The judges loved it. J Lo said it was "super quirky and dark" while noting it might be too dark for America. I think this may be the case, but if he bathes and grooms himself a bit better, he could actually be a very handsome kid.
• Shelby Z - A zaftig small town hairdresser, she reminded me of the women on Hee Haw who would sing "you'll never hear one of us repeating gossip, so you better be sure and listen close the first time." She sang "Last Night" by Carrie Underwood and revealed a very powerful voice that was shouty at times but always impressive.

The Bad

• Billy Bob Evett - a very heavy country boy who kind of looked like a Campbell's Soup kid. Keith Urban sang along as Billy Bob was auditioning, which was annoying. He had pitch problems.
• Joseph Kohlruss - a very confident, opera singer type who also had pitch problems and was not a good fit for the show
• Sylvia Lee Walker - This Southern girl talked a mile a minute. She's 16 but in college because she skipped grades but sometimes she goes home to the family farm where she has a show goat named Jim. She did a yodeling song but had pitch problems that couldn't be overcome. 

I was relieved that they showed very few bad auditions. In the past seasons I'd watched, it seemed like they were really getting off on shattering people's ill-conceived dreams.  There was a cameo by Kanye West pretending to audition and rapping "Goldigger" to J-Lo, while a very pregnant Kim Kardashian waited in the wings talking to family friend / KUWTK producer Ryan Seacrest.  This reminded me of one of the Idol tapings I attended many years ago, where Kris, Kim and Khloe Kardashian were in the audience, getting a lot of attention from Ryan, before their show had taken over the world. 

This was an entertaining episode with some promising new talent, so I'll keep watching. 

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Star Wars: My Crush on Harrison Ford Reawakens

I have now seen Star Wars: The Force Awakens twice and I place it as my third favorite film in the Saga (Empire is first, A New Hope is second).  Those of you who find that blasphemous can stop reading now.  Those of you who haven’t seen the new film should stop reading to, as this will be full of spoilers.

My Star Wars fandom is somewhat more than casual, yet somewhat below obsessive.  As a kid, I had some of the toys, the trading cards, iron-on t-shirts. I was 5 years old when A New Hope came out - it was the formative filmgoing experience of my childhood. I consider myself very lucky to be born at the right time for that to wow me. As a pre-teen, I developed a crush on Harrison Ford around Empire and Jedi, so I had a lot of posters and pin-ups on my bedroom wall (and even the ceiling - see pic below).  I saw the original films multiple times in the theater and bought the VHS tapes and then DVDs.  I didn't like the prequels. For me the humor, good writing and acting of the original trilogy was missing in the prequels. I only watched them once. The drama of these films was lessened since we all knew the outcome would be Anakin becoming Darth Vader. In my mid-30s, I met my boyfriend Dave who is a very big fan and that has made my fandom grow to where I again have a lot of Star Wars t-shirts and even attended the Star Wars Celebration last year in Anaheim.  

So I was really eager to see the new film. We got tickets for a midday screening on the Friday it opened, and we saw it in 3D at the Rave cinema in Westchester. As we took our reserved seats, we were a bit concerned as there were parents with 2 children under age 5 seated behind us and the little boy was kicking Dave's seat.  And then as they were arranging themselves, the mom accidentally dumped part of her bag of popcorn on Dave's head. We had a bad feeling about this. We got worried our experience might be compromised, yet the show was close to sold out so there was nowhere to move. The mom apologized profusely and got the little boy to stop kicking the seat.  As the movie rolled, the kids sometimes blurted out questions and were occasionally afraid, but in the end, they were so happy and excited.  I went up to the parents after the movie and told them how much I enjoyed sitting in front of the kids. It really made me remember being 5 and seeing A New Hope with my parents and the excitement I felt.  Between that memory and seeing the aged trio of Hamill, Ford, and Fisher on the screen - well, it just felt like the Circle of Life.  I was a bit verklempt.

I didn't want to criticize the film at all after the first viewing. I just wanted to bask in the emotions it brought up and the joy I felt. As the days passed, I read reviews and talked about it more with friends, and then we went back for a second viewing this week, about 2 weeks after the film opened. This time we saw it in Dolby Vision at the El Capitan- Disney’s flagship theater in Hollywood.  We went to a late show on a Tuesday night and there were only about 20 people in the theater. The El Capitan also has some models and costumes in the basement. They are worth a look, if only to prove that Carrie Fisher isn't fat - her outfit is very petite.  There's also some cool life size Lego figures of Kylo Ren, Rey, and BB8 in the lobby. Before the show there's a laser light saber show that had some hokey charm, kind of like a Waltzing Waters show. The sound and picture were amazing here, but the theater was overly air conditioned to the point of being uncomfortable. I wished for a tauntaun sleeping bag. The staff member I spoke to about it said they are having trouble regulating the temperature because the new projector is much hotter than the old one. Still, I would recommend seeing the film here for the quality projection and the overall experience - just bundle up.

It is Harrison Ford that makes this film. He is the force that binds it together.  When he and Leia reunite, I cried. When he died, I sobbed.  I felt like I rediscovered my crush on him, although he's in his 70s now.  We had a long cooling-off period, Harrison and I. Fifteen years ago, I even wrote this scathing article about him called "Note to Harrison Ford: You Can Go Back to Making Bookshelves Now" in which I suggested he might prefer puttering around his workshop and rediscovering carpentry (the way he made a living before hitting it big with Star Wars), since he was picking such terrible movie projects and basically phoning in the performances (Six Days Seven Nights, Hollywood Homicide, What Lies Beneath, etc). 

Force Awakens rediscovers the sense of humor and goofiness of the original films and gives Harrison a solid script to work with. Thank you, Lawrence Kasdan! Empire is my favorite film because of his writing, and once again here we have dialogue that is believable and fully developed characters to deliver it.  The new heroes - Finn and Rey - are both multi-dimensional. I found myself rooting for them and wanting to know more about them. And their possible romance is intriguing as well.  As in Empire, not all goes well for our heroes and we are left with many questions, leaving us eager for the next installment.

Another thing I loved was all the new creatures and the use of practical effects.  I can't get into films that have too much CGI - it makes me disconnect. Some of the CGI really worked here, however, particularly the character of Maz Kanata (voiced by Lupita Nyong'o). She had a lot of warmth and humor to her, although her saloon was far too reminiscent of the original cantina.  A CGI character that didn't work as well is Snoke, who reminded me of a cartoonish Harry Potter villain. The Emperor was much creepier.

In general, I was disappointed that so much of the film was a retread of the earlier films - yet another Death Star with a fatal flaw, a mission beginning on a desert planet with a droid with an important message that must be delivered to the Rebels, another wintry planet, another forest planet, a place that looks like Coruscant but isn't, etc.  It's too bad the originality of the new characters couldn't carry over into more original situations.  It would also have been nice to see C3PO and R2D2 get more use, although C3PO’s opening line about his red arm really cracked me up. There was missed opportunity for more comedy if there had been more interactions between the old droids and BB8.

In my first viewing, I wasn't really impressed with Kylo Ren.  I had trouble thinking of Adam Driver as anyone but his character in Girls.  He does bring the same sense of awkwardness to this role.  Upon thinking about it more and after the second viewing, I actually really like this villain because he is conflicted and neurotic. I love his tantrum scene and his conversation with his grandpa’s helmet. When he commits patricide, it's shocking and powerful.  

Unfortunately, I don't feel Han's death got the respectful treatment it deserved.  They should have let Chewie mourn more and embrace Leia when he sees her - instead he walks right by and she hugs Rey who she has never met. Chewie is involved in a lot of action and has a bigger role than in past films, yet he is robbed of an opportunity to show true grief.  I suppose it's always possible Han didn't die and is hanging from a vent somewhere, like Luke did at the bottom of Cloud City. A girl can dream.

Why do I place Force Awakens above Return of the Jedi? Well, it’s a close call, as I do love Jedi. For me, Jedi lost momentum once the Han Solo rescue was completed. I loved Jabba’s palace and the creatures there and the sail barge action. I thought the ewoks were cute, but I can understand why hard core fans hate them. Clearly, they paved the way for Jar Jar Binks. I found myself not that interested in another Death Star space battle. And Harrison Ford didn’t seem interested either. It’s no secret he asked George to kill off his character in that film. He had so many other opportunities at that point in his career and he really seemed like he would rather be doing them. And since he was my main attraction in the films, I felt it and it kept me at a bit of a distance when watching Jedi. In Force Awakens, he seems happy to be there and reenergized by the role and the good dialogue he gets to deliver. It feels like he has come to terms with the importance of these films in his life and all our lives and he wants this one to succeed. He was even so much more relaxed in his interviews promoting this film, like he’s at peace with the universe. He had to have more fun with this film than he did with Kingdom of a Crystal Skull - and so do we all!

The John Williams score is strong as one would expect. Rey's Theme is the standout track for me.  The opening crawl and fanfare gave me chills. There's a lot of fun easter eggs for hard core fans, like the reappearance of the remote and the chess game on the Falcon. Fun is really the word for the movie - it may lack the depth of A New Hope and Empire - but it's damn fun! There’s so much action and such a fast pace. BB8 is just a happy fun ball. How adorable was it when he went down the stairs? I even find myself wanting a remote control BB8. He's just so cute and clever too.  

It's unlikely to happen, but I'd love to see Harrison Ford get a nomination for Best Supporting Actor. He conveys so much with his glances and crooked smile. He radiates class and gravitas when he says, "It's true. All of it." And we can see his tender side in his interactions with Leia (I wish she had more to do). We remember all the fun he brought to the saga through his humorous lines, like when he tells Finn that "women always know the truth", and even in the silly fight with the gangs and the monsters when he's taken the Falcon onto his freighter.  It’s tough to picture the next film being as strong without him being at the center. I know he has signed on to be in the next film, but it’s unclear what that will mean. It might be a brief cameo like Mark Hamill’s in this film.

My parents saw A New Hope before taking me to see it, to make sure it wouldn't be too scary. My mom skipped the second viewing and just let my dad take me. She said the only thing she liked about the film was Han Solo, that he was pretty cute.  And by the time Empire came out, I agreed with her. Our shared crush on Harrison Ford was something that we had in common, even in my teen years when it seemed we didn’t have anything else in common. My parents have passed on, but after seeing this film I found myself thinking about them and feeling grateful that they introduced me to Star Wars. I think my mom would still think Han Solo was pretty cute - and so do I.  

For Generation X, this is the saga of our lives, so it's quite emotional to come back to it and see the original actors again. I am willing to forgive a lot of plot holes for an experience that is so rich and nostalgic, yet fresh and well-crafted too.  

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Season of the Force at Disneyland - Opening Day

We had an awesome day being among the first to check out Disneyland's Season of the Force! Warning: spoilers about the rides and food offerings will follow...

We arrived when the park opened at 9:00 AM and there was a short line to get into the park. Many people were dressed in Star Wars outfits. We even saw a Slave Leia who must have been quite chilly as the morning temperature was only in the 50s. I was glad I had my Ewok winter hat.  

Once inside, we headed straight for Tomorrowland, just like everyone else did, although I was tempted to loiter in Main Street and get pictures with Mickey and Donald who were dressed in holiday sweaters. We grabbed fast passes for Hyperspace Mountain and then checked out the breakfast offerings at the Tomorrowland Terrace (now known as Galactic Grill). Dave tried the Bantha Blue Milk Bread (french toast). He felt the food coloring flow through him. I got the Darth Tamale, which was tasty and a bit spicy. We also got the awesome Chewbacca stein. We saw people waiting in a long line for the TIE Fighter popcorn container, but we passed on that. It's a nice design but awfully unwieldy to carry around during a day at the theme park. I expect lockers were full of TIE Fighters that day.

The line to get into the Star Wars Launch Bay was going to take two hours, so we decided to delay that. We rode Star Tours and enjoyed the new segment based on The Force Awakens, as well as a BB-8 appearance. We checked out the Tomorrowland gift shop. I was glad to see a large selection of Her Universe merchandise. There were other cool new items, including lots of BB-8 items. We went into the theater to see "Path of the Jedi," a highlight reel of all the Star Wars films that culminates with the trailer for the new film. As we moved into the theater, the cast member asked us to fill all the seats and said the theater was seeing more people today than it had in quite a few years (the years of Captain EO, where Michael Jackson's bad acting had been slowly digested by crowds on and off over the course of 29 years). We visited Pizza Port to check out the theme menu items including The Fields of Naboo (salad) and Darth by Chocolate (not salad). We were stoked to find the BB-8 sippers that we'd been told had already sold out, and we also got BB-8 rice krispie treats that were packed with orange and brown M&Ms and iced (in case they weren't already sugary enough).  How many times can I mention BB-8 in this paragraph? Well, that is how hard BB-8 is being marketed.

Now it was time for our fast pass return for Hyperspace Mountain, so we eagerly made our way through the line, appreciating some new Star Wars theming along the queue. We got the front seat and the refreshed ride is truly exhilarating, with great visuals, sound effects and dialogue from the films. It actually felt like the ride was faster, but I think this was just an illusion from the stars and ships racing by us. Everyone applauded as the ride ended. It was about noon when we rode it and they had run out of fast passes for the rest of the day. The ride would have a 60-90 minute wait the rest of the day, even though it was a chilly Monday in November. We felt a little nauseous after riding it, so just riding it once that day was good enough for us.  

By this point, the wait for the Launch Bay was only fifteen minutes, so we checked it out. There's a behind the scenes film and a collection of props and costumes. It seems that none of the model ships on display were actually used in the films, but they are still fun to look at and to appreciate for the fine detail. This is also the area where you can have your photo taken with Chewbacca and Darth Vader (not at the same time). There's a video game room with X-box consoles so you can play the Disney Infinity Star Wars game and tablets for playing Star Wars Angry Birds. The store in the Launch Bay has some very high end items including a $4000 Darth Vader costume and a $3000 six-foot tall Boba Fett that looks like the original action figure (for $3000, shouldn't that rocket pack actually work!?!). You can find the Gentle Giant and Sideshow Collectibles figures in this store, along with some autographed cast photos and artwork.  It's kind of a mini Comic Con shopping experience.

We then moved on from Tomorrowland and met some friends for lunch at the Big Thunder Ranch Barbecue. It was quite crowded as the restaurant will be closing on January 10 to make way for the Star Wars Land that Disney will be building. I will be sorry to see this restaurant go. The ribs just fall off the bone and the service is excellent.  

It's not only the Season of the Force...but also the holiday season...and a lot of the holiday decor is already in place. The big tree is up on Main Street. There's a giant gingerbread house in the Grand Californian, but the tree isn't up in the lobby yet.  I watched the Holiday parade in Disneyland, and tried two of the holiday drinks at Trader Sam's.  The Red Nosed Zebra was a tasty rum punch but the Jungle Bells had too much anise.  Between the anise and the pine branch garnish, it was kind of like drinking Vicks VapoRub.  

We're not sure how long the Season of the Force will be with us (always?)...so go check it out when you can! 

Check out all my photos from the Season of the Force opening day. 

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AFI Fest, Part II: Reviews of Chronic, The Lobster, and Sworn Virgin

Here's some brief reviews of AFI Fest screenings I attended.  

Tuesday, November 10 - Chronic

Chronic follows a nurse named David (Tim Roth) who takes care of seriously ill patients in their homes. Roth is very believable as a nurse who brings compassion to the job without being cloying. Yet, David gets overly attached to his patients, even to the point of taking over their lives or imagining different relationships with them. It's uncomfortable and painfully familiar to see how the families have a hard time being natural around their sick loved ones, and their awkwardness forms a sharp contrast to David's easy-going demeanor. David is a broken man also trying to build a relationship with his estranged med student daughter. The film won best screenplay at Cannes, and it's quite intricate in the way the vignettes of different patients build to reveal more of David's character. There's no music in the film. It feels very immediate, intense and intimate. After the screening director Michel Franco and Tim Roth did a Q&A. Roth pointed out some nurses in the crowd who had helped him prepare for the role and coached him on the set. An elderly lady in the crowd stood up to say the film was good but she felt it was missing something, and she just couldn't really put her finger on it. The director took this criticism in stride and said perhaps he would show her his script before he filmed his next project. Chronic is a difficult film to watch, but it's worth the pain.

Tuesday, November 10 - The Lobster

I only got tickets for The Lobster because I thought my boyfriend would like it. The description in the AFI program of the film's dystopian future made me picture Logan's Run or THX-1138, and I am not much into sci fi in general. It turned out to be my favorite film of the festival.  Colin Farrell plays David, a man whose wife leaves him at the opening of the film. In this society, everyone must be coupled. David and his dog are sent to a hotel where he is given 45 days to find a new partner - or else he will be turned into an animal and released into the woods.  But it's not all bad, because he can choose the animal he will become! John C. Reilly plays a man he befriends in the hotel. The film is twisted but very funny and has a lot to say about courtship, how we tend to settle and the compromises we make to be in a relationship. This future world looks pretty much just like today's world, despite the insane rules of the society. Yorgos Lanthimos directed the film, and its quirkiness makes it totally fresh. Farrell gained weight for the role and uses his pudgy midsection to convey a lot about his character's passive, blah nature. The Egyptian Theater was completely full for this screening, and the producers did a quick introduction, but there was no Q&A.  

Wednesday, November 11 - Sworn Virgin

Film festivals are a good opportunity to see films about somewhat obscure topics that probably will never get a wide US release. In Sworn Virgin, Italian filmmaker Laura Bispuri tells the story of Hana (aka Mark), an Albanian sworn virgin, who leaves a remote Albanian village to travel to Milan and experience city life. There she reconnects with a childhood friend and wrestles with questions of identity and sexuality and decides whether or not to keep her vow. Sworn virgins really exist in these remote Albanian villages, where women do not have any rights and are basically property of the men. Some women choose to live as a man in order to hunt, escape being a wife and mother, have jobs outside the home or have more status in society. This is allowed, but they must swear to the elders that they will remain virgins. The cinematography of Albania is breathtaking and the performance of Alba Rohrwacher as Hana/Mark anchors the film with believability. After the film, Bispuri did Q&A and she revealed the film took quite a few years to develop and she had to make multiple trips to the Albanian mountains to win the trust of locals who appear in the film.  I hope this sensitive, thought-provoking film will find an audience. 


Read AFI Fest Part I - Field Niggas, Baskin, and The Lady in the Van

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AFI Fest, Part I: Reviews of Field N*ggas, Baskin, and the Lady in the Van

AFI Fest doesn't just offer a great selection of films - all the tickets are free! That doesn't mean getting them is easy. I spent about two hours online when they were made available, dealing with website glitches, things disappearing from my shopping cart, etc. Many films seemed to be immediately sold out.  The "voucher" system for galas led to people having to camp out to get a chance for the big films. But for the smaller films or the daytime screenings, I found it was no problem to get in, although showing up 45 minutes early was sometimes necessary to get a good seat. If you didn't get tickets online, you could also show up early and wait in a rush line and probably get into most screenings. This will be the first of two posts offering short reviews of the six films I saw.

Friday, November 6 - Field Niggas

The theater was full for Field Niggas. We saw a videotaped introduction by the director, Khalik Allah, as he was not able to attend in person. The film presents late-night life on the busy Harlem corner of 125th and Lexington. The audio and filmed footage don't sync up, so you will hear a person talking but it isn't always the person you see on screen, or at least you can't be sure. Many of the people are high on K2, and although I have not tried it, I felt like I too was high on K2 while watching the film due to its woozy, dreamlike cinematography and the asynchronous audio. The film is only 60 minutes long, but since there is no narrative, it tends to drag. I found myself wanting to know more about the people that we only saw in brief snippets. It was a bit like Slacker in that way - we just see glimpses of people.  I left the film feeling a little nauseous. I feel it is artistic, and the cinematography is beautiful and colorful, but it lacked character development that could have made it a truly moving documentary.


Monday, November 9 - Baskin

The trailer made me very excited for Baskin, but the film didn't deliver. It's a Turkish horror film that tells the story of five cops who respond to a distress call from another cop and end up at a creepy dilapidated building in the woods, where of course a cult is performing violent rituals and in need of humans to sacrifice.  None of the cops are particularly likable, so we don't care too much about their fate. The middle sequence of the film, where the cops arrive and start exploring the building in the dark, is very suspenseful but the final act doesn't really go anywhere. It does provide some gross-out moments, and the high priest (Mehmet Cerrahoglu, a parking attendant making his acting debut) is quite mesmerizing. Argento was cited as an influence, and the film does have a supernatural bent. It mixes the supernatural with low-grade torture porn in the Eli Roth vein, but never quite has the squirm factor that Roth's films do. The director Can Evrenol revealed during the Q&A that the script was written very hastily, after Roth saw his short film and asked if there was a feature-length script. The director fibbed and said he had a script and then had to write it quickly.  Hopefully, he will spend more time developing his next script.  The title also makes no sense. When asked about it, Evrenol admitted only that it was kind of an in joke and that he had some regrets, since it gets lost in search results on twitter for Baskin Robbins. The theater was only about 1/3 full, but it was a 1:00 PM weekday screening.


Monday, November 9 - The Lady in the Van

It's always a treat to watch Maggie Smith, and this role is totally in her wheelhouse. Based on a true story, The Lady in the Van tells the story of a homeless lady in the van who creates a stir on a nice upper middle class block of Camden Town by daring to park her van there. The playwright Alan Bennett is the neighbor who treats her with the most compassion. When overnight street parking becomes restricted, he agrees to let her park the van in his driveway. As the years go by, they trade quips and Bennett learns more about her true identity and what brought her to this lowly state.  Smith is really just a smelly version of her Downton Abbey character, so it doesn't require her to stretch much. Still, it's a pleasure to watch, even if it's not groundbreaking cinema. It's kind of a like a story you might have read in "The Most Unforgettable Character I Ever Met" section of Reader's Digest and enjoyed but quickly forgot. There was no Q&A at this screening, and it was a full house.


Stay tuned for Part II - Reviews of Chronic, The Lobster, and Sworn Virgin.

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Courtney Love and the Kansas City Choir Boy Take Culver City

As a long-time Courtney Love fan, I couldn't pass up the unprecedented opportunity to see her on stage a mere two miles from my condo. She is currently co-starring in Kansas City Choir Boy at the Kirk Douglas Theater, running until November 8.  

This was my first time to this theater and it was arranged for this show with seats on three sides of the action. The staging area for the musical was quite small, and it felt very intimate.  This is not the kind of show I normally like, as it has very little narrative, but I found myself really enjoying it.

Todd Almond wrote and stars in the musical, as the unnamed Kansas City Choir Boy, who recounts his relationship with Athena (Courtney Love) in flashbacks after seeing a TV news report that she was murdered in a park. Girl meets boy in Kansas City, girl dreams of being an actress, boy writes music, girl leaves to pursue dreams in New York, girl meets a tragic end, boy struggles to go on and seeks her inspiration from beyond the grave.  That's about as much of the storyline as I could gather. It's never really explained why he doesn't want to go to New York with her, since he has artistic aspirations, too.

Besides the two principals, there's a group of women known as the sirens who form a Greek chorus. The choreography for the sirens kept things interesting, as did the creative lighting.  At times the sound mix was a bit muddled, so it was hard to make out what the actors were singing. A string quartet plays at some points and provides refreshing interludes. The songs were appealing, but I couldn't hum any of them a day after seeing it.

Courtney is mesmerizing with her alabaster skin and commanding presence, however she doesn't have much to do and her character isn't really developed. She basically functions as a muse.  At one point, she appears in a black dress that is just spectacular. It's hard to keep your eyes off her. I have been glad to see her in Empire and I hope she continues to focus more on acting. Her singing voice is not for everyone but since the material here is rock-oriented, it works. It would be even better if the script was developed further. It's more of a sketch than a fleshed-out story. 

There's palpable chemistry between Almond and Love, and anyone who has loved and lost will find something relatable in the show.  Almond based it on his own experience growing up in the midwest and watching TV news and seeing the face of an actress he had been working with who had been murdered in a park.  

After the show, there was a talkback, and most of the audience admitted they had no idea what they had witnessed or what the story was about.  One woman mentioned she had not been familiar with the music of Cyndi Lauper before seeing the show - clearly, she had her singers with the initials CL confused! Most enjoyed the show for its creativity in lighting, staging, and music. The musical is only an hour, so I think it can get away with its vagueness without wearing out its welcome.  

Although I bought tickets through Goldstar Events, we ended up in the front row, and I felt a bit starstruck to be so close to Courtney. A girl next to me could hardly sit in her seat due to her excitement at almost being able to touch the rock icon. I realized the last time I was this close to Courtney was way back in 1994, when I saw Hole on their Live Through This tour at a small club in St Louis. 21 years later, she is still mesmerizing, raw, and a very real presence in an ethereal musical.  


Kansas City Choir Boy official website

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