Fences – Denzel and Viola Make a Powerful Team
There will always be debate when a play or musical is adapted for film. What seemed like a powerhouse story on a small stage may lose steam on the big screen. Despite its star power and award nominations, 2014’s August Osage County, with Meryl Streep and Julia Roberts, took in less than $40 million at […]
A Portrait of Emily Price – Fixing Art and a Family
This novel is the first one that I’ve read written by Katherine Reay. Now, I’m eager to read others. If A Portrait of Emily Price is an example, Reay has a talent for creating characters who have interesting jobs as well as interesting backstories. Emily is an art restorer and would-be artist, while the man […]
NBC’s This Is Us – Binge Watch It Now
This Is Us is being hailed as the only breakout hit for the networks of the 2016 fall TV season. It’s been nominated for three Golden Globes – Best Drama, and Mandy More and Chrissy Metz, for Best Supporting Actress. So one rainy afternoon, I decided to watch the first episode using my cable service’s […]
Arlington’s Signature Theater Produces a First Class Titanic
Nearly a decade after the musical Titanic docked in New York’s Lunt-Fontanne Theatre, Arlington’s Signature Theatre brings to the stage a production that is everything the original was not. Although it won the Tony Award for Best Musical, the Broadway production earned lackluster reviews. Nevertheless, Signature’s Artistic Director Eric Schaeffer remained a fan. “I’ve always […]
Passengers – Waking Up Ninety Years Too Soon
Aurora Lane (Jennifer Lawrence) is a writer after a great story. More than 5,000 people will ride the Avalon Starship into deep space where they will take up residence on a colony planet called Homestead II. There’s a hitch. Because that trip will take120 years, the passengers will avoid aging by hibernating in pods. Aurora […]
Michael Connelly’s The Wrong Side of Goodbye
Some mystery writers have trouble maintaining a series. After a few books, the plots seem repetitive, the characters stale, and the writing a bit dull. Michael Connelly is not one of those writers. Every book he turns out continues the story of Harry Bosch or, in some cases, Harry’s half brother, Mickey Haller. In The […]
La La Land Will Have You Singing and Dancing
Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone are not Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers. They’re not John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John. But their marvelous performances in La La Land will remind you of those famous teams as they bring to the screen something magical. The singing and dancing are terrific, but it’s La La Land’s love story […]
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story – How It All Began
After viewing Rogue One, a prequel to George Lucas’ original trilogy, you might find yourself wanting to binge watch the first three films. Rogue One fills in the blanks, specifically how the Rebel Alliance learned about the Empire’s Death Star. Without giving anything away, we know that Han Solo, Princess Leia, and Luke Skywalker, eventually […]