Category: Arts

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Golden Globes Pre-Game

Joe Pesci best in The Irishman. Van Zandt nailed Jerry Vale and Bo Dietl was well himself. It was an intimate slice of the big bad Giancana mobster world which took out Jimmy Hoffa and a President. Reminded me of the old days with my father’s cousins.

Worth mention. Kirsten Dunst as a working class cult survivor in Central Florida. And. The noms for Unbelievable. An outstanding riveting series with Dever & Wever & Collette all winners for their great performances.

Streep brought a compellingly complicated new character to Big Little Lies. Brian Cox & Kieran Culkin faves for Succession. Jeremy Strong robbed. Adam Driver is good in anything. Waller-Bridge of course.

Two on my Worst of the Year List have nominations. Season 3 of Mrs. Maisel and Mirren as Catherine the Great. Bad writing and editing the former and ditto plus creepy the latter. So. Nope.

Pats will top the Titans.

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New Flix

The Two Popes. Light fare. Tour-de-force from two legendary actors. Anthony Hopkins as the self-deposed Benedict and Jonathan Pryce who transforms into Francis. Sweet if mostly fiction.

The Report. Pedantic look back at the failed Brennan CIA-Cheney terrorist torture doctrine. And its coverup. Adam Driver good as the stalwart investigator. Annette Bening captures the stolid Senator Feinstein. However, more preachy critique than entertainment.

Marriage Story. A completely different Adam Driver shows up in this film. His multi-layered depth of performance as the husband in this bleak study of a marriage coming undone is worthy of its accolades. Scarlett Johansson is raw in her vulnerability.

None of the three outstanding. Each more about the acting than the stories. Barry’s girlfriend and Sheldon’s math teacher keep popping up.

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2019 Good/Bad List

GOOD

BEST
Watching Tiger win The Masters  with Gary & Ben
mAdBen’s crazy cool career &  interview

TV
Succession
Killing Eve & Fleabag, Phoebe Waller-Bridge
The Affair, Series Finale – The Whole of the Moon

THEATER
Moulin Rouge
Peter Dinklage as Cyrano
Brothers Wright by Colby Herchel

JOURNALISM
Miranda Devine, Steve Cuozzo NYPost & West Side Rag
Shining the bright if futile light on the scaffolding cabal

POLITICS
Mayor Mike joins the Dem race

BOOKS

A Decade of The Side Trek

 

BAD

WORST
Hotels have become kennels
Sheds shroud the entire City
Man-hating woke-tards

JOURNALISM
If everything is a bombshell breaking news story,
nothing is a bombshell breaking news story

SPORTS
NFL IR List
Bryson de Chambeau’s robot golf

POLITICS
Mueller Report fizz
Schiff Show bore
Dem Scrum – too many meh candidates

TV
Mrs. Maisel  Season 3
Catherine the Great

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Tyrion de Bergerac

Peter Dinklage as Cyrano de Bergerac.

In a league of his own. Stage actor par excellence. Evocative mesmerizing powerful performance. True to Edmond Rostand’s French oeuvre. Black box intimate venue in Union Square. Un cadeau de la saison.

Game of Thrones Tyrion Lannister’s passion and pathos came through up close. It’s all in his eyes.

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Pop Opéra

Moulin Rouge. The Musical.

Cheeky Whimsical Parody of the Original. Serial Show-Stoppers. Modern Pop Playlist. Dancing. Singing. Dying. Confetti. Aerial stunts. Fun!

La Traviata and La Bohème all rolled into one.

Kitschy. Kitschy. Ya. Ya. Ga. Ga.

Front row mezzanine. Loved the lavish sets and costumes. Paris. Montmarte. Giant Elephant. Le Moulin Rouge- The Red Windmill.

Every Broadway Cliché you could ask for. Just what we needed after a day of impeachment fatigue. Ten minutes from home. Allons-nous-en!

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UWSiders

Although nothing compares to the vote to maybe think about starting to think about impeachment hearings. Or tonight’s Democrat debate.

Drink when anyone says “soul of our country” and “who we are”.

 

It is also pretty exciting when Dr. Husband’s twice-weekly alternate side parking routine includes a visit from a typical Upper West Side couple, Steven & Kate, shlepping their old dog down the street for a walk. But. Hey. They do live on our block.

 

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First ObamaFlick Scores

If American Factory is any indication of Barack & Michelle’s talent for choosing great content, then they could have their own Network.

This first choice is a documentary about a Chinese glass company that takes over a moth-balled auto factory in Dayton, Ohio. The stories of both Americans who want to welcome the company for its jobs and the Chinese management and workers who come with it is astoundingly intimate. Access is based on trust of the local filmmakers through the ups and downs of a foreign entity taking over a community workplace.

A willingness to bond with each other’s cultures turns to a clash. Resolution is never complete nor easy. This is a must-see brilliant view of life in middle America and working-class China. Global realities. Bravo.

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Phoebe Phenom

Phoebe Waller-Bridge. A 34-year old Brit who has conjured the most unique television series phenomenons. Her Killing Eve a sociopathic edgy thriller. And. Just finished FleaBag. Her genius writing only eclipsed by her acting in the lead role as … Claire’s sister?

Quirky doesn’t begin to capture her characters. Sui generis. Villanelle. Fleabag. Not easy to watch. Yet. Can’t stop. All. Like nothing else.