This movie is not for the squeamish — it starts out with a throat-cutting and a near miscarriage. Later on, you see Viggo Mortensen in a bloody fight inside a bathhouse — you picture the rest. Or not. The gore and violence (and some nudity) was not a surprise, considering how the film aimed to provide an authentic look at the Russian mafia in London. The filmmakers and the actors conducted considerable research before filming. Viggo even went to Russia and hung out with some seedy Russians. What’s interesting was that the main actors were not Russian, but were required to speak in a Russian accent. Perhaps after speaking elvish, Russian wasn’t so hard for Viggo after all.

Filed under: Movies

At first glance, the movie might seem like an Armeggedon knock-off, but good thing Michael Bay wasn’t involved with this one. The premise is familiar, though: a team of astronauts is sent to save humanity, and this time the mission is to save an ailing sun. But this isn’t like your run-of-the-mill sci-fi summer blockbuster, which seems to be the only kind of science fiction film that does well these days.

Focusing on the characters rather than the special effects, the film does a good job of displaying the range of emotions that come with extended loneliness (from traveling months in space) and the knowledge of impending death (they’re flying towards the sun!). However, the film toes that line — it shows us how the crew members react to horrible events, but does not really delve any deeper. The movie takes a strange turn towards the end, but I’ll spare you the spoiler, since I think it’s worth a try.

Filed under: Movies

The musical is an interesting genre. It obviously lacks a certain level of realism — it’s not everyday that you see someone spontaneously burst into dance and song. Sure, music can tap into deeper wells of emotion than mere words, but communication through song can, in some ways, remove one from reality. Yet this vehicle works perfectly for Wicked; the story is set in the imaginary land of Oz, but the characters’ emotions are authentically human. The set and costume design were gorgeous, though they sometimes border on creepiness — pale-faced people wearing a lot of makeup, dressed in gregarious costumes, and dancing around a witch with green skin isn’t exactly the recipe for a fun dream.

For me, the most memorable character was Glinda (played by Megan Hilty in the performance I saw). Though she was ditzy almost to the point of being annoying, she was downright hilarious. It was also refreshing to see a female character provide comic relief. Musically, Wicked isn’t Les Miserables, but it executed its scores well, and the lyrics were sharp and funny without being too cheesy. Overall, it was a fun musical, but the creepiness factor makes me hesitant to recommend it to the young ones.

Filed under: Musicals