Ricky Patterson and the Deathly Silence

Now that I've finished the final book in the Harry Potter series, almost exactly one week after getting the book in the mail at 3 PM on Saturday afternoon, the deathly silence of my room is unnerving.

How a book can manage to be as bafflingly confusing, terribly satisfying, and wonderfully gut-wrenching all in one is beyond me. I still need to suss out the explanations for a few things in the final chapters of the book, but overall it was a much darker read that delivered the exciting climax to the series that readers were expecting -- with a few twists and turns. 

After I finished the book's epilogue, I thought back to reading the first few books in middle school and the innocence of young Harry, Ron, and Hermione, and I can't help but believe that J.K. Rowling is a most deft master of the story arc.

A theme that pops up several times in Deathly Hallows is the importance of children's stories and fairy tales. To anyone who dismisses Harry Potter as mere child's play, I would say that, to quote Meg Ryan's character in You've Got Mail (one of my all-time favorite guilty pleasure movies), "When you read a book as a child it becomes part of your identity in a way that no other reading in your life does." 

Agreed, Meg. Agreed.

The quality of our children's books reflects upon the quality of generations to come. If Harry Potter is our generation's obsession, maybe we have less to fear from our generation and generations to come than we may fear.

You can't stop the Blonsky!

Nikki Blonsky is oozing with talent in Hairspray.

Today, while I was waiting for my copy of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows to arrive on my doorstep from Amazon.com, I went to see Hairspray. Having seen the Broadway show based on the John Waters movie, both of which have inspired this new film version, I was expecting it to be light and fun and probably totally forgettable. And the casting of John Travolta as Edna Turnblad, the role originated by Divine in the original John Waters movie and Harvey Fierstein in the Broadway show (a role for which he won the 2003 Tony Award) made me terrified. 

My fears were totally baseless. Though certainly there would have been better actors to play Edna Turnblad (Fierstein, in fact, should have reprised his role!), Travolta did a rather appealing job. Despite the fact that audiences will almost definitely fawn over the fact that they're watching noted star John Travolta in a fat suit playing a woman and despite obvious vocal limitations, he really does do a good job disappearing into the role. I believed him as a middle aged woman - no small feat. 

Though Travolta, Queen Latifah, Michelle Pfeiffer, Christopher Walken, and Allison Janney in featured adult parts and Elijah Kelley, Zac Efron, Amanda Bynes, and newcomer Taylor Parks in featured young adult parts are all pleasing and adequately talented, there is, however, one shining star hovering over the rest of the cast - newcomer Nikki Blonsky. Shapely, with a powerhouse voice and killer moves to boot, it's astounding that this is her feature film debut. She's worth the price of admission.

The movie is fancifully directed (with realism and nonrealism spectacularly blended), colorfully designed, magnificently choreographed, family friendly while retaining a positive message crusading on behalf of those who are different from the status quo, and very funny. What more is there to say? Go see it!

Everything's Coming Up Roses

So this weekend was my excursion to New York City. After more than two months of no theatre, it was really nice to have a break from Pennsylvania and to get to see three excellent shows: Gypsy with Patti LuPone, eurydice at 2nd Stage Theatre, and The Drowsy Chaperone.

Patti LuPone in Gypsy.

Everything I expected and more, the production of Gypsy at City Center starring Patti LuPone, Boyd Gaines, and Laura Benanti was outstanding. Patti as Mama Rose, perhaps the most famous female role in Broadway history -- played previously by Ethel Merman, Angela Lansbury, Tyne Daly, and Bernadette Peters -- brought her indomitable presence and take-no-prisoners voice to the role, and it really, really worked. Benanti was also particularly notable for the marvelous transformation she makes from young, awkward Louise to stripper star Gypsy Rose Lee. 

This production was directed by Arthur Laurents, who wrote the book for the show, which originally opened on Broadway in 1959. At 90 years of age, it's amazing that he's still directing for the stage, and his insight must have added a great deal to this production, which seems pitch perfect throughout. Even the somewhat trying kiddie numbers in the show seemed funnier than when I saw the show in 2003 with Bernadette Peters. It's a must-see for those who love musical theatre and want to see one of the greatest shows and greatest performers in its history.

Clips of the show are on view here.

Maria Dizzia and Charles Shaw Ronbinson as Eurydice and her father in eurydice.

Having seen The Clean House at Lincoln Center Theater this past fall, I knew of the tremendous talented that is young playwright Sarah Ruhl. Soon after seeing that whimsically affecting play, I read her collection, The Clean House and Other Plays, published by TCG, but I found the play eurydice rather flat on the page. Still, I looked forward to seeing Ruhl's next New York production -- of that play -- at 2nd Stage Theatre, a nice place to see plays by American playwrights. 

And eurydice, which I saw on Saturday night, was definitely much more impressive onstage than it was to read. With stunning costumes, scenery, and music, all of the elements came together to produce a really dazzling and thought-provoking evening at the theatre. The performance were excellent all around, and what's great about Ruhl is that she obviously has the visual side of a play in her mind while she's writing. 

There's a moment in the play where Eurydice's father writes her a letter from the Underworld, and as he finishes, he places it on the back wall of the theatre, where what formerly looked like tiles are illuminated and revealed as a litany of letters. So many lovely stage pictures. Ruhl's stage directions are written with a poetic flair, and as directed here by Les Waters, they take on extraordinary life. It's a must-see for those who love imaginative new work.

On Sunday, I revisited The Drowsy Chaperone, which held up very well with age. I think I may even have enjoyed it more this time around. Maybe it was because I was in one of the first-row rush seats.

Shopping in Brooklyn (at CB I Hate Perfume and Beacon's Closet), wonderful Thai food at Pam Real Thai, a trip to Marc by Marc Jacobs, and some very nice weather rounded out a lovely weekend.

Mark (Ronson) my words!

So, there's this DJ/producer/musician named Mark Ronson, and his new album, Version, is pretty damn sexy. The album is made up of various covers, including one improbably delicious cover of "Toxic" by Britney Spears by Ol' Dirty Bastard and Tiggers. Don't let the mention of Britney scare you off though; even that square song takes on new life. Ronson adds really fresh beats to everything, making formerly slow songs pulse with new life. It's sort of like hip hop meets Motown, with a big brassy feel to many of the moments on the album. Lily Allen and Amy Winehouse make fun appearances. Also particularly notable is "Stop Me," a cover of a song by The Smiths. But the whole album is listenable from start to finish. It's great music to walk to. Check it out!

...and he's handsome. And Jewish. Two cool points.

Toni Collette and the Finish

Not only is Toni Collette (The Sixth Sense, About a Boy, Little Miss Sunshine, The Hours, Evening, In Her Shoes) a wonderful actress, she's also the lead singer and songwriter for the Australia-based band Toni Collette and the Finish. Check out the video for their latest single, "Look Up," which is very pretty. Reminds me a little bit of the Chicken Little story.

Open Mic a Success

So, the open mic at MilkBoy went quite well. I had a blast listening to the diversity of voices in attendance, and I thought my poems went over pretty well. I expected to be anxious about the whole thing, but rather than being terribly nervous, I was instead quite invigorated. I'll definitely be going to the next Mad Poets Society event held at MilkBoy, which will be on Thursday, August 2 at 7PM, so mark your calendars.

Mad Poets Society Open Mic

Just a heads up that I'll be making my open mic poetry debut this Friday night at MilkBoy Acoustic Cafe at 824 W. Lancaster Avenue in Bryn Mawr, PA. The event, hosted by the Mad Poets Society, starts at 7 PM, and I have no idea when I'll be reading, but hopefully people will come check it out. Don't be alarmed if you check out the MilkBoy website and don't see the open mic listed; that calendar is wrong. It's part of the First Friday Main Line arts event that celebrates local arts and music throughout the Main Line, so hopefully there will be some rather talented poets there. 

"Evening" should have been put to sleep.

Settling into my plush stadium-configured seat to see Evening, the star-studded new film adaptation of Susan Minot's novel of the same name, it was clear who the target audience was: old ladies and weepy-eyed girls. And me, the lone gay boy in awe of the distinguished actresses on parade.

The film has a cast that's to die for: Claire Danes, Toni Collette, Vanessa Redgrave, Patrick Wilson, Hugh Dancy, Natasha Richardson, Mamie Gummer, Eileen Atkins, Meryl Streep, and Glenn Close. Wow. I saw three of these people (Redgrave, Streep, and Dancy) on New York stages this year, and each impressed me far more in a theatrical environment. Together, they try their best, but there are but a few glimmers of truth present in this rather disjointed film.

This overcalculated weeper did little for me overall. Almost every member of the cast was in some way or another able to transcend their limitations to make some sort of an impression onscreen; I don't blame them for the overall debacle. I never really felt hopelessly bored, because the actresses were trying their absolute hardest to make what they could of this project. I just felt slightly embarrassed for the hardworking cast.

The movie is about Redgrave (and as her younger self, Danes), who's dying, and her reminiscences over her regrets on the day of her friend Streep's (as her younger self, Gummer's) wedding. Redgrave's daughters, Collette and Richardson, also figure prominently in a present-day storyline that's far weaker than the flashback portions, which involve Danes's involvement with Hugh Dancy and Patrick Wilson, the drunk and the handsome doctor respectively. Sound sort of drippy? Well, it is. 

I fault several people with the failure of this movie to hit its mark. Though I've never read the novel of the same name, Minot (who adapted her own book) and her collaborator Michael Cunningham (who wrote The Hours, which was adapted into such a fine film) seem to show little sense of the pacing that their flashback-heavy story should display. The flashbacks seem to come at awkward moments, and the proceedings return to the present day in a haphazard fashion. It's clear that David Hare, who adapted Cunningham's The Hours (which featured another star-studded cast: Streep, Collette, and Danes from Evening, as well as Nicole Kidman and Julianne Moore) to such fine effect, would have been a far better choice as screenwriter for Evening. Hare was able to thread together three relatively divergent storylines and keep an audience totally compelled throughout. It's no small feat, as Cunningham and Minot have hopefully learned.

In spite of insurmountable pacing problems, there are bits and pieces of dialogue that come across well, particularly between Streep and Redgrave. But the director, Lajos Koltai, a relative newcomer to the director's chair, does everything he can to mess things up. It seems as if all of the actresses have been instructed to ham it up a bit, and the moodiness of the film makes the whole thing seem like a big overstuffed cream puff with extra powdered sugar on top just to ensure that you leave in tears (which I didn't, though several girls in my row seemed thus effected). The silly Lifetime movie-style music didn't help add much-needed ingenuity to the story at hand.

I tried my absolute hardest to enjoy this movie. I wanted very much to think that the reviewers were probably missing something when they blasted this film so, but I hate to admit that they were mostly right. Though I was delighted to see Streep and her daughter Mamie Gummer playing the older and younger versions of the character Lila, and I also enjoyed seeing Vanessa Redgrave and her daughter Natasha Richardson as mother and daughter, the all-star cast couldn't weave a magnificent tapestry out of the disparate threads they were given. It's a royal shame.

Rent The Hours instead.

"Sicko" coughs up some straight talk.

Yesterday night, I saw Sicko, the latest film by Michael Moore, which takes aim at the U.S. healthcare industry. I'm very glad I did, because it raises a wide variety of important issues that we as enlightened documentary filmgoing Americans should take note of as those responsible for changing things in our fine (but flawed) country.

While fearmongers and conservative pundits will inevitably be spouting off about issues like gay marriage and abortion as the 2008 election nears, trying to use these hot-button issues to ensure that the poor conservative masses vote the conservative big business guy into the Oval Office to run amok as he pleases, Michael Moore is sending out a clarion clear reminder in his latest documentary Sicko that our nation's priorities may be out of whack.

Sure, gay marriage is important to me, just as much as abortion is a very important issue to others, but these issues seem like bourgeois quibbles next to the elephant in the U.S.'s collective room: healthcare. Can anyone enjoy relative comfort in a nation that doesn't take good care of its citizens? When the sad fact is that Canada, Great Britain, France, and -- most surprisingly -- Cuba have socialized healthcare systems that work far better than our own privatized HMO-based ones, it's clear that something is wrong. Shouldn't the case be, Michael Moore asks, that as a country grows more and more economically successful it treats its poorest better and better than other less successful nations? Seems logical enough to me.

What I liked most about Sicko is that, in comparison with the other two Michael Moore movies I've seen, Bowling for Columbine and Fahrenheit 9/11, this seemed like the most bipartisan of them all. While Moore took shots at Richard Nixon for his approval of this privatized healthcare system, he also turned his criticisms toward liberal poster girl Hillary Clinton herself, who, though an early supporter of healthcare reform under Bill Clinton, soon took a much more mum approach, eventually receiving plenty of cash from the healthcare industry itself to keep quiet. It remains to be seen whether she'll live up to her early promise in the area of healthcare reform (she still makes a rousing speech on the subject), but Moore does a good job shaking up his audience's trust in individuals to spearhead the issue of healthcare.

Moore takes sidetrips to show us a handful of medical horror stories and also makes a lively (and far lighter) segue to make a point about the Guantanamo Bay prisoners and their medical treatment. For sure, Moore's movie, while sobering, also offers a dose of lighter moments to keep its viewers from reaching a point of utter dispair (there's hope yet, he reminds us). 

The trouble with U.S. healthcare, Moore eventually concludes, is that in many other nations, the government lives in fear of its people, constantly worried that its public will stage an uprising and overturn the powers that be. In the U.S., it's we the people who fear the government, a big bureaucratic jumble that we no longer feel able to stand up against in times of chaos and mass suffering. Have we as Americans become too comfortable, I wonder, to put our feet back down on the pavement and stand up for what we believe? I'm not even sure what I'm willing to get angry about anymore, and I care about a variety of important social issues.

I've believed as such about gay issues for a quite a while now, and Michael Moore has raised some pertinent issues in Sicko that lead me to believe that there need to be a plethora of revolutions in our country before we're up to snuff with other industrialized Western nations.

It's a movie that reminds us that human rights should be fundamental to all people. Now excuse me while I ravage my bastion of freedom fries. What?! Quite staring and check out Michael Moore's Sicko.