Next to Normal: A Powerful Piece of Theatre

Last night I had the pleasure of being blown away by the Pulitzer Prize winning musical, Next to Normal. It was the most vivid and emotional piece I've seen in a long time and is one of the few shows I've seen that has a strong message for the audience. The show focuses on the effects of living with someone with Bipolar Disorder and how it can tear a family apart. Sounds cheery, right? I was blubbering like a baby at the end of the play. I loved the fact that it was so innovative and actually left you with something to think about unlike, let's say, A Chorus Line or Shrek: The Musical. But most of all, Alice Ripley's performance as Diana (the woman suffering from the disease) was absolutely stunning. She originated the role on Broadway and won a Tony for her outstanding portrayal of the character, which I would say was extremely well deserved. The entire cast was lovely and the music for the show by Tom Kitt, the mastermind behind Spring Awakening's tunes, was phenomenal. If anything, I will have "Super Boy and the Invisible Girl," stuck in my head for the next few weeks. I would definitely look up the soundtrack and see the show if you ever have the chance because it is theatre like you've never seen it before.

                            Alice Ripley as Diana and Curt Hansen as her son, Gabe.
                            God, it doesn't get any more heartbreaking than this.

It's Almost That Time of Year Again...

If you couldn't already tell by my blog, I am a crazy movie obsessed teenager that retains infinate (and half the time, useless) knowledge of the film industry. Ever since I was young, the Oscar's have been for me, what the Superbowl is for most middle-aged men: my magical haven that comes one night a year. I love my feeble attempts to see all the nominated films, I love predicting the winners, I love the speeches, the glamourous fashions and the excitement of it all. Currently, I have seen very few of the nomination front runners (actual noms aren't announced until the end of the month) including Black Swan, Inception, True Grit, and The Kids Are Alright. This means that I will be having an "Oscar cramming session," during the next few weeks starting with my goal of seeing The Fighter and The King's Speech this weekend. I am legitimately excited to see these films and even more excited for the Academy Awards next month! Movie lovers unite!

GREEN HORNET

Before I say anything about the movie itself, just a fair warning: DO NOT SEE THE MOVIE IN 3D. It's absurd how many things are filmed in 3D that don't even display the effects. Green Hornet being one of them. I find it absolutely ridiculous that I have to pay 6 extra dollars to the already sky rocketing movie prices so I can watch a cartoon hornet fly out of the screen during the credits. Unfortunately, the quality of the film doesn't make up for this either. I mean you can't go in to a Seth Rogen movie expecting anything spectacular, but it was a disappointment. Don't get me wrong, Rogen was his usual ridiculously witty self and Jay Chou was also a bit of a character, but nothing special. James Franco's suprise appearance in the beginning was as equally entertaining. Movie as a whole: good comic fun, but not worth $15.50

                                ** Rent it

                               Although the movie did not meet expectations,
                               Rogen at the San Diego Comic Con Green Hornet
                               panel was absolutely adorable

By the way, I am a MAJOR Comic Con geek so when July comes around I will be doing massive blogging on the epic convention. I am volunteering this year, so great stories should be in store. (For those not in tune with your inner nerd, Comic Con is an annual convention held in San Diego in which movies, music, art, video games, toys, and of course, comic books come together into one amazing place).

TRUE GRIT

Oh God. I can't believe I didn't blog about this immediately after I saw it. As most people around me know, I was, and still am, on a major Jeff Bridges kick. After seeing Tron...three times....I saw True Grit and then watched him do a marvelous job hosting Saturday Night Live (in which I am a faithful follower of). Seeing Jeffy in all these different aspects only added to my deep, unconditional love for him. The performance that truly amazed me in True Grit, however, was 13 year old Hailee Steinfeld. She was so perfectly edgy and rough, and delivered some insane dialogue, which from an actor's perspective, must have been extremely hard for such a young girl to memorize. Oscar worthy? Maybe not qutie, but she really is a riot and a pleasure to watch. Despite the ending I wasn't too jazzed about, the entire film is so humorous and fun and I think the Coen Brothers did a wonderful job resurrecting this Western.

                               **** Stop what you're doing and see it now!

My beloved Jeff Bridges as Rooster Cogburn