The Last Five Years

The Last Five Years is a musical that follows Jamie, a writer, and Cathy, a struggling actress. It is a story that rings with truth. Two people fall in love, get married, go through struggles and ultimately do not have a happy ending. It is heartbreaking and relatable.

Mind you I have never seen this on stage which from what I understand is the best way to experience this story. Fans of the stage production, were not fans of the film due to the interpretation. I thought it was lovely, but who knows? Maybe if I see this on stage one day, I'll hate the movie adaptation as well, but until then let's dive into the story. The film opens up on Cathy (Anna Kendrick) singing "Still Hurting" on the floor of her empty apartment. It is gray and dreary and watching it gave me chills. Already you feel the pain of a relationship ending.

The story works like this, Cathy sings about the ending of the relationship to the beginning while Jamie sings about the beginning of the relationship to the end. It is interesting to see the relationship being sung from two different points of view and from two different points in time. One major flaw in the film is Jamie (Jeremy Jordan). Jamie is likable enough, but only at the beginning of the relationship. Once the relationship starts to fail, he becomes an insufferable jerk and you side with Cathy. You never get the sense that Jamie is sad to see the relationship end, and something tells me that that isn't supposed to be the case.

The biggest strain on the relationship is the different success levels of the characters. Cathy is a struggling actress. She goes from audition to audition without anything coming her way. She spends her summers at a summer stock theatre in Ohio. Jamie is a writer. He becomes published and is soon a best-selling author. With his success comes an endless slew of parties. Pretty soon both their lives revolve around Jamie's success and everything that comes with it. It takes a toll on Cathy.

As I mentioned, it's a problem that Jamie is not a likable character. He ends the film losing only his marriage, but keeping everything else while Cathy loses everything. There are wonderful moments in the film, though. Anna Kendrick is fantastic. Anytime she is on screen you are invested in everything she is going through. Jeremy Jordan does a good job as well, but not sympathizing with him is a major problem. When it is revealed that he has a number of women to keep him company while Cathy is away, you want nothing more than to see him fail.

The movie ends where it begins. In a dreary apartment while Jamie sings about the end of his relationship and Cathy sings about the hopefulness of her new relationship. It's a juxtaposition that brings more truth to the relationship. Love does not always have a happy ending. It throws us through loops and it's crushing in many ways, but in most relationships there are always the good times and memories. Life sucks. So does love, but at the end of it you grow as a person, and that's not a bad thing.

Providence (2016)

The time for silent films is long gone. No one in the modern day would ever watch one. I saw one recently. It was released earlier this month and it was good.

Fred and Sharon Wilharm have been working on this project for a while. Finally they were able to bring this project to life and they are able to keep the audience engaged during the 80 minute run time without anyone on the screen speaking a word.

The story follows two friends. They meet and continue to miss each other romantically until finally they come together. It is strange to see a story told with no words, but once you get used to it it is easy to get sucked into the narrative.

The story is easy to follow. Mitchell and Rachel almost meet as children. They finally meet while in high school. They are attracted to each other, but it never goes anywhere. They lead separate lives and going into adulthood they are never truly happy.

The actors playing teenage Mitchell and Rachel (Josh Allen and Stacey Bradshaw) and adult Mitchell and Rachel (Rich Swingle and Juli Tapken) all deliver strong performances. They never overact. In a film where you have to rely solely on your body language and facial expressions, it's easy to go into clown mode, but the actors never do. They are truthful and the soundtrack does nothing but aid the story.

While this is a Christian film, it is not overtly religious. The focus of the story is love. Pure and simple.

Both characters are sympathetic and we feel for what they are both going through. We might not know exactly what they are saying or asking for, but we do know what they are feeling and in a film with no words, that is what is most important.

Providence
4.5/5
Cast: Josh Allen, Juli Tapken, Rich Swingle, Stacey Bradshaw
Writer-Director: Sharon Wilharm
Run Time: 80 minutes
Rating: Unrated

"Old Hats" with Bill Irwin and David Shiner

My roommate Adam provided me with tickets to this show and I had no idea what to expect. After the show was over, I was glad I had gotten a chance to see it.

"Old Hats" is a hilarious clown show put on by veteran clowns Bill Irwin and David Shiner featuring music by Shaina Taub. It was a fantastical romp.

Bill Irwin and David Shiner team up at the Signature Theatre to bring a series of comedic sketches. Their experience is apparent as they do the whole show never missing a comedic beat. The facial expression, the body movements, the timing are all perfect.

Bill Irwin and David Shiner in "Old Hats" at the Pershing Signature Theatre.

The other very important member of the show is Shaina Taub. Taub provides the entertainment between sketches. She is a talented composer and her jazzy songs are one of the best things about the shows.

One of the coolest aspects of the show is the incorporation of modern technology. It was used cleverly.

The show opens with our two clowns running from a gigantic boulder in the style of Indiana Jones. From there the projections get bigger and better.

In "The Businessman", Bill Irwin has projections and videos on his iPhone and iPad. There are mini Bill Irwins on the screens and it is cool to see real Bill interact with the ones on the screen. From poking each other, to shrinking and growing, it is a cool combination of classic clowning with modern technology.

One of my favorite sketches was "The Debate". We find Bill and David in a political debate and it is not too far off from what we see on TV. They mime arguing their political standpoints while arrows behind them show their popularity growing  and failing. Even though we cannot hear what they are saying, I would vote for them as my next president.

They start off simply enough. One candidate mimes their viewpoint and then the other does. It continues to get more ridiculous from there. From fighting to show who is more patriotic to kissing babies the situation gets more and more satirically hilarious.

After intermission, Shaina prompts the old hats to learn some new tricks. They begin to speak and sing and compete for the audience's attention with their new found resources.

Shaina Taub's music is like being inside a nice jazz cafe. She provides a nice rest from the laughs while the two clowns get ready for their next sketch. Her band also kept the audience entertained during intermission. And that's how I earned my mardi gras beads. ;)

Bill Irwin and David Shiner in "Old Hats" at Pershing Square Signature Theatre

Near the end of the show, Shaina joins Bill and David on stage and three engage in a fun dance number. We knew Shaina could sing, so it only made sense to find out she could dance as well.

Another sketch I enjoyed was "The Hobo". A true comedic clowning sketch. The hobo is dressed like a clown, complete with big shoes and makeup. He ends up on a park bench next to a trash can. Feeling lonely he digs through the trash, trying to find some sort of comfort. Without giving too much away, it does not go as planned.

Of course the best things come at the end of both acts. "The Magician" closes off the first act and it is absolutely hysterical. One plays the magician, while the other plays the magician's assistant. They bring in the audience at this point and the results, are of course, funny. The two play well off of each other and they play off of the audience as well. The magician is a flirt while the magician's assistant is jealous. No one in the audience is ever hurt in any way of course, but there is scrambling over audience members and almost kissing.

The best part is at the end of the second act in "Cowboy Cinema". The comedy works in this one since most of the people on the stage for this one are members of the audience. They have no idea what is going on and this ensues in hilarity. While things get repetitive since they are people who are not rehearsed, the members of the show are able to keep the gag from going on too long.

Old Hats
The Pershing Square Signature Center/Irene Diamond Stage480 West 42nd Street
between Dyer Avenue & 10th Avenue
New York, New York 10036

Category
Off-Broadway

Credits
Tina Landau (director)
Written by: Bill Irwin & David Shiner
Lyrics by: Shaina Taub
Music by: Shaina Taub 

Cast List:
Bill Irwin
David Shiner
Shaina Taub

Show Dates:
Performances from 26 Jan 2016
Opening: 18 Feb 2016
Closing: 03 Apr 2016 

Locke (2014)

Making a movie starring one actor is tricky. It rests upon their shoulders to keep audiences engaged and they must deliver a great performance or people will tune out before the ten minute mark. Stephen Knight who wrote and directed Locke made a good choice in casting Tom Hardy who continues to prove his acting ability. While no one can deny his talent, I feel as though it has been overshadowed by one factor or another in some of his films. In this, it is nothing but Hardy driving along a major English highway for eighty-minutes.

Ivan Locke is driving from Birmingham to London which is how long it takes the character to arrive at his final destination. This is another risk as the audience is left looking at Hardy and the highway for that amount of time. There are no changes in scenery to distract us. There is only the story and the acting.

Yet in spite of this, the audience is never bored. We learn many things about Locke during this long drive. He is trying to handle three major moments in his life with nothing but his car, bluetooth and road for support. The reason for his drive: Bethan (voiced by Olivia Colman). Bethan is a woman he had a one-night stand with and now is about to give birth to his child.

He not only has to balance Bethan's anxieties about giving birth, but his wife who he tells over the phone about the affair and upcoming birth, the pouring of concrete he was supposed to be supervising early the next day and a cold. It is a lot for a man to handle over nothing but his bluetooth.

Ivan is the only person we see. We get to know the other characters through the phone conversations. Locke has two sons with his wife Katrina (Ruth Wilson). His wife is obviously upset over the news of his affair. Locke talks to both of his sons at one point or another and the only clue they get about their parents' troubles are when they realize their mother is in the bathroom crying. Bethan is nervous about giving birth as she is delivering early and later in life. Donal (Andrew Scott) is Locke's construction aide and now has the responsibility of the pour hanging over his shoulders. Locke loses a lot in these eighty minutes. He loses his job and possibly his marriage.

Locke shows only Hardy mainly with medium shots. Occasionally we see the bluetooth in his car when he has incoming calls and the other items strewn in the front seat of his car. Otherwise, it's nothing but Hardy from beginning to end. When he is not on the phone, we learn bits about his past. Specifically his father who becomes an invisible character in the story whenever Locke directs monologues at him.

Ivan is a good man who made bad decisions. In fifteen years of marriage, Bethan is the only woman he has cheated on his wife with. He loves his sons and is trying to give them the love and attention he never received. It is for this reason as well that he resolves to be a father to Bethan's child. He feels nothing towards the woman, but he refuses to let the child grow up fatherless.

He is also an excellent builder. One of the best and if he has a flaw it is this: sometimes his job comes before his family. Still, he tries to do the right thing, regardless of the consequences.

Hardy is a fantastic actor and this film is ultimate proof. He delivers a subtle performance. No matter which of the characters he talks to, he manages to keep calm and is able to soothe and reason with most of them. The exception is his wife, but that's understandable as she has just found out her husband cheated on her and that has resulted in a child. The most heartbreaking phone call comes at the end as he speaks to his son Eddie (Tom Holland).

Tom Hardy has no other actors to react to. He has to rely on the voices on the phone and this is one of the reasons this film is worth watching.

Moonstruck (1987)

"Moonstruck" (1987) movie poster

This is an awfully cute movie and it is hilarious as well. The script, written by John Patrick Shanley, is romantic, but not cheesy.

Loretta Castorini (Cher) is a widowed bookkeeper. Her husband was the love of her life, but after he died, she refused to fall in love again. When her current boyfriend Johnny (Danny Aiello) proposes she says yes, mainly because it's the practical thing to do. Johnny heads to Italy to take care of his ailing mother, but asks Loretta to invite his estranged brother Ronny (Nicolas Cage) to the wedding.

She tracks Ronny down and since he is insufferable and they do not see eye to eye, she ends up sleeping with him.

Nicolas Cage and Cher in a scene from "Moonstruck"

Loretta feels guilty and refuses to see Ronny again, but Ronny has fallen for Loretta and is determined to win her over. When Loretta continues to refuse his advances Ronny invites her to the opera saying he will happy having the two things he loves the most in one night.

Loretta gets ready and goes to the opera, but while there she sees her father with his mistress. The resolution to the film is is quick to come after this, and of course it has a happy ending for everyone.

The main thing that stands out here is the acting. Everyone does a great job with their roles. I have only seen Cher act in "Burlesque" and that was such an awful film that I don't even remember how her acting was, but in this she's great as is Nicolas Cage. I don't know what happened to him since this film, but this shows he had the acting ability.