December Podcast Roundup

In November, I re-listened to the first season of Serial. It’s one of the first podcasts I ever discovered and I’ll never forget how fascinated I was with that. So fascinated, I’ve consistently been searching for new shows that will bring me that same level of dedication and attachment. Check out my top five podcasts like Serial s1 here, and let me know if you have any more.

As for this month, there was a lot going on. I found this great new podcast Terms and I really got stuck into The Black Tapes, a show that recently finished its second season.

Top Five: Whistler Film Fest picks for each day!

The Whistler Film Fest starts today and there’s so much on offer that it’s a little overwhelming. With over 23 world premieres and 17 Canadian premieres, it’s a hot ticket event. I’ve compiled a list of my top picks for each day of the festival: an easy guide to help you sort through everything going on. For a complete list, check it out here.

Oscars 2015 — Original Screenplay

Boyhood was put together beautifully by Linklater, with enough of the script planned out to give the actors a guide each year while still allowing for diversity through the changes of the actors and the world from year to year. However, this is in a real three way race with both Birdman and Budapest. With the recent BAFTAs win for Budapest it seems this may get the statue for screenplay and then bow out for Best Picture. Despite all of this, we would love for Nightcrawler to win for the tightly wound script that is both convoluted and quick to the point.

1. Wes Anderson (The Grand Budapest Hotel) – sixth nomination
2. Richard Linklater (Boyhood) – fifth nomination
3. Alejandro G. Iñárritu, Nicolás Giacobone, Alexander Dinelaris, Armando Bo (Birdman) – fifth nomination for Inarritu, first for the other men
4. Dan Gilroy (Nightcrawler) – first nomination
5. E. Max Frye, Dean Futterman (Foxcatcher) – Frye’s first nomination, Futterman’s second nomination

Bard on the Beach September Events — More Shows Added!

Bard on the Beach Shakespeare Festival has announced it is adding performances to its September schedule in response to the high ticket demand for its popular 25th anniversary season.

Three evening performances of A Midsummer Night’s Dream (BMO Mainstage) have been added between September 14 and 19. Six afternoon and evening performances of Cymbeline (Howard Family Stage) have been added between September 9 and 20, including a rescheduled later closing performance of Cymbeline on September 20 at 7:30pm. A Midsummer Night’s Dream also closes that evening, the final day of the 2014 festival. “Vancouverites and visitors alike have told us how excited they are about all our plays this season, and we’re happy to be able to provide more opportunities to see these two wildly popular productions before they disappear”, notes Artistic Director Christopher Gaze.

Bard is also adjusting its September student matinee schedule in response to the unresolved labour situation in the BC public school system. Some student performances are being consolidated and others have been rescheduled or cancelled. All remaining shows have been opened up for public sale.

In addition, the performance schedule has been changed for Will Shakespeare’s ImprovMusical, a new comedy event at Bard this season, and the 25th anniversary special event Gazing Back, hosted by Christopher Gaze. See below for more event details.
Check http://www.bardonthebeach.org or call the Bard Box Office at 604-739-0559 for the complete revised September schedule.

Bard on the Beach has a wide variety of special events coming up this month. Join in its 25th birthday celebrations by attending one of the colourful events being held at the Vanier Park site, including sword-play, improvisational comedy, music and beer-sampling.

Opera and Arias: Shakespeare’s Opera – Monday, September 1 (matinee & evening)
Christopher Gaze will host Shakespeare’s Opera, which features vocal and orchestral repertoire inspired by some of Shakespeare’s greatest plays, from Hamlet and The Merry Wives of Windsor to Romeo & Juliet. The concert is an annual tradition, highlighted by Bard’s unique and beautiful performance space. The operatic showcase features the rising stars of the UBC Opera Ensemble, directed by Nancy Hermiston; members of the Vancouver Opera Orchestra provide instrumental performances conducted by Leslie Dala. Shakespeare’s Opera will be staged on Monday September 1 at 2pm and 7:30pm. Matinee ticket prices are $35 for adults and $27 for youth (ages 6-25); evening ticket prices are $47 (adults) and $27 (youth).

Will Shakespeare’s ImprovMusical – Mondays, September 1, 8 & 15
Get a taste of what Broadway musicals would have been like if William Shakespeare had written them! Bard on the Beach hosts a unique musical theatre event based on the language and plots of William Shakespeare. Performers from Grand Theft Impro will improvise every night, making each show a brand new experience. Performances begin on Monday, September 1 at 7:30pm on the Howard Family Stage with additional performances on Monday, September 8 and 15 at 7:30pm. Ticket prices are $25 for adults, $20 for students.

Fight Night: Academie Duello – Monday, September 8
Experience the excitement of rapiers, swords, shields and longswords in action – plus a unique twist on a quarterstaff fight! Academie Duello, the world’s largest school of European swordplay, will descend on Bard on the Beach for a thrilling night of martial arts, including sword fights from Shakespeare’s plays, a behind the scenes glimpse of how fight choreography is created, and an authentic historical Prize Fight. Featuring Academie Duello Director Devon Boorman, Stage & Screen Program Head David McCormick and AD senior students, plus Bard’s longtime fight choreographer Nick Harrison; Bard Artistic Director Christopher Gaze also appears. Fight Night: Academie Duello is a one-time event on Monday, September 8 at 7:30pm on the BMO Mainstage. All tickets are $25.

Bard, Beer & Pretzels! – Monday, September 8
Start your evening off with some Elizabethan-inspired revelry! Sample fine ales from NorthAm Beverages and crafted pretzels from Swiss Bakery – plus Emelle’s food truck will be on site to further satisfy your appetite. Continue the night with Bard on the Beach’s Fight Night: Academie Duello or Will Shakespeare’s ImprovMusical. Ticket purchasers to both the beer tasting and either of the two evening events receive $5 off their combined ticket price. Bard, Beer & Pretzels is at 5pm on Monday, September 8 in the Bard Village; tickets are $25.

Gazing Back – Reflecting on 25 Years at Bard – Friday, September 12
Join Christopher Gaze, the Artistic Director of Bard on the Beach, as he recalls highlights, hiccups and some well-kept secrets from twenty-five years of fascinating Festival history. The founding force behind Vancouver’s signature summer theatre event begins with his early vision for his life, carries on through his travels west and finally delves into the creation and success of Western Canada’s largest Shakespeare festival. Gazing Back starts at 7:30pm on Friday, September 12 and all tickets are $25.

Bard on the Beach is Western Canada’s largest professional Shakespeare festival, staged every June through September in Kitsilano’s Vanier Park, adjacent to Vancouver’s downtown core. Bard productions are staged in open-ended tents on the waterfront against a stunning backdrop of mountains, sea and sky. Performance schedule and information are on the Bard website at bardonthebeach.org. For full details and to buy tickets, call 604-739-0559 or (toll free) 1-877-739-0559 or order online through the Bard website.

Bard on the Beach’s CYMBELINE Delights Audiences and Keeps Them Guessing

Shakespeare is generally known for two types of plays: tragedy and comedy, but in CYMBELINE we get the best of both genres. This dramatic story rife with mistaken identity, murderous plots, and convuluted tricks is turned on its head with Shakespeare’s unmistakable one liners. Cymbeline is one of the most rarely performed plays, but I am incredibly delighted that Bard on the Beach has chosen to tackle it for their 25th season.

One of the best decisions in this production that added wonderfully to the comedy was to have each of the male actors double up on how many characters they were playing. It kept the play light enough to allow for the comedy to come through. As the drama heated up, actors were quickly swapping their costumes onstage to play both of their characters at once. This Monty Python-esque, TheatreSports style was a great addition and seemed as though it were how the play was meant to be performed.

Some of the standout performances in these roles were the villanous Queen, stepmother to Imogen, who plots her death. Played by Shawn Macdonald, he kickstarted the play with his stark contrast to all others initially on stage, the only one not laughing and joining in the fun but instead hands clasped tightly together with a cocked eyebrow that immediately identified him as one to watch.

Bob Frazer presented the cunning Roman seducer with a goal to entrap Imogen, the ungrateful Second Lord to her stepbrother, and a Roman soldier set to bring war to England. He transfers between roles smoothly, but his best moment is as the seducer Iachimo when he manages to get himself in front of Imogen herself.

The most stunning of these multiple character performances was surely done by Anton Lipovetsky, as Imogen’s lover, hated stepbrother, and unknown brother. With three large roles and references between them, it was always enjoyable seeing him on stage. The characters were each so incredibly separate from each other it was sometimes forgotten that they were all played by the same man. The different emotions and mannerisms from each character seemed to take complete control of him, requiring no other distinction for the audience.

The sole woman of the play, Imogen (Rachel Cairns), King Cymbeline’s daughter, was a vision on stage. Her evil stepmother the Queen plots her death while a Roman bets her lover that she’ll fall to his advances, but all throughout Cairns delivers an amazing performance as the audience experiences each of her emotions just as strongly as she does, and ends up falling in love with her much as the rest of the characters do.

The energy of this play would have been impossible without Benjamin Elliot’s musical creation that was threaded throughout each scene. With the actors usually sitting at the back of the set they contributed to this production with mandolins, guitars, drums, and an accordion and kept the casual, comedic aspects of the play through every scene.

Although this play may not be one you’re familiar with, that’s part of the fun. Experiencing one of Shakespeare’s masterful creations for the first time, especially when it’s presented so wonderfully, is part of the joy of theatre. You can get a ticket for this play, or any of Bard on the Beach’s 25th season here.

Les Miserables Was Enjoyable But Not Engaging

Les Miserables has always been a popular production, but since the 2012 Hollywood movie more young people have become interested in the show. This production at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre (QET) in Vancouver felt very similar to that movie version, but it didn’t live up. I left the QET feeling a bit apathetic after the 25th anniversary Broadway Across Canada touring performance of Les Miserables. It isn’t that I wasn’t caught up in the story during certain scenes, it was that this overall performance wasn’t captivating as others have been.

Most of the performances weren’t engaging like in other productions of Les Mis. Jean Valjean requires a captivating actor with a strong voice. Although at times Peter Lockyer had the voice, he never moved me as I expected. He lacked a certain quality that Valjean needs to possess. He also seemed to be replicating Hugh Jackman’s Jean Valjean without adding anything substantial to that adaptation of the character. I was most disappointed by the Thenardier’s. I found them unfunny, too exaggerated, and boring although many others in attendance seemed to enjoy them.

Luckily, there were a few performances that I loved. Javert (Andrew Varela) had an amazing voice full of emotion that kept me interested. The chemistry between Marius (Devin Ilaw) and Cosette (Julie Benko) was palpable which definitely added to my enjoyment of the play. I’ve found many times where the two actors don’t click, or they don’t have enough emotion in their voice as they profess their love of each other. Luckily, this production was never lacking.

Believe me, this story has the ability to turn me into a crying mess, but I only ever found myself tearing up about Eponine (Briana Carlson-Goodman) and Gavroche (Gaten Matarazzo). The way they did Gavroche’s death was spectacularly emotive, and as I found Eponine to be such a lovable character I was of course upset in her final scenes.

One thing I always forget about the QET is the size of stage. I found the usage of this small space was great, especially during the tunnel sequence via projection screen on the back wall. Lastly, the pacing. The front twenty minutes seemed to be very rushed. I’m not sure if they condensed it down between they didn’t want to go over three hours, or if it was for another reason, but it was all too fast. Both the singing and orchestra was sped up to the extent where I couldn’t understand what they were singing at points. After the first little bit everyone slowed down and it was at a more normal pacing for Les Mis.

Despite my complaints with this production of Les Miserables, I generally did enjoy it. For those who are new to Les Mis I wouldn’t suggest seeing this as it wasn’t a performance that would make you fall in love with the story, but people who know and love the story will probably enjoy this production. Les Miserables runs at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre through until June 23, 2013.

 

Photo Credit: The Company of the New 25th Anniversary of Les Miserables (Jason Forbach as Enjolras). Photo by Kyle Froman.

Random Netflix Movie Night #10

Tonight I watched Ruby Sparks, the story of a writer having difficulty finding inspiration until he begins writing about his dream girl who magically comes to life off of the pages.

Very enjoyable film, cute, good casting, Ruby was beautiful, Paul Dano was likeable but not us, good message (perfect ‘dream girl’ isn’t what we should strive for: it’s never perfect), such a great ending. All is happy! Sort of like (500) but not awful.

ABC’s ‘Mistresses’ Was A Hot Mess

To be honest, I don’t know if I can even call this show a hot mess. It was bland, boring, and cold. Everything I didn’t want in a show was in Mistresses. Awful dialogue, poor acting, ridiculous (and embarrassingly bad) moans and sex scenes, and no intriguing drama. ABC made a bad decision to pick up this one.

Mistresses could have been a lot better if it didn’t have such a bad script. Or perhaps if it had better actors. I’m not sure which, but neither was very good. Was it an entirely male writing staff for all of the silly female dialogue? Nothing was relatable. Then, there was the vibes sent off from the four women. Were we supposed to judge the “slutty” (note: promiscuous) woman? Clearly she’s doing the wrong thing, sleeping with a married man for job benefits, but isn’t that the point of the show? Could we feel more sorry for the woman who lost her husband, she does have good things going for her as well. And the psychiatrist… I’m not sure whether to feel sorry for her because the man she loved died, or horrified that she was having an affair with him and then helped him die. The last girl was the worst though. I didn’t haven’t any feelings towards her, merely derision at her fellow employee. Making sexualized comments and offering to do work for seeing her lingerie is called sexual harassment. You’re in a law office, and although I’m not saying it doesn’t happen, why is she hooking up with him at the end of the episode? Very empowering…

Perhaps I’m just not the right person to watch this show. But I happily watch The Bachelorette, and everything in that ‘nation’ which came on right before this premiere so they clearly meant this to be a show that I would enjoy. Unfortunately for them it backfired, because it only made me realize how much better the fake ‘reality’ show was compared to this disaster.

Another problem was their attempt at being risqué. This type of show, just like The Playboy Club by NBC a few seasons ago, requires a certain amount of flirtation with sex that these channels can’t pull off. Even at the 10pm time slot they don’t know how far to go and when to rein it in. A few awkward moans along with glimpses of hands and scrunched up dresses is not the way to go. Amp up the action by focussing the camera without showing too much skin and quiet the porno moans a little, then maybe it’ll be believable.

Each storyline was so incredibly obvious to pick just from this first episode, and I hadn’t even seen the British version. After reading information on the UK original I discovered this US version is practically a carbon copy. I made the following predictions before I read about the UK show, but if you know that one then it’ll sound the exact same. Predictions for this season include the psychiatrist girl having a relationship with this Sam guy (who’s father she was having an affair with and helped his suicide) who discovers her involvement with his father was more than just doctor-patient and he rats her out. The realtor girl gets attached to one of the girls in the lesbian couple who considers leaving that partnership. The woman with the dead hubby discovers he was unfaithful (we already know this from the first episode’s ending), gives some of the insurance money to the woman with his other child, and maybe he ISN’T really dead to spice up this boring drama. The woman with the lingerie I mentioned before? Clearly she’ll be unfaithful to her husband who she’s already on the outs with, due to the failed sperm problem, and will have an affair with the sexual harassment employee, perhaps ending up pregnant by him (they already were hooking up in the first episode).

Let me know if I’m right, because I certainly won’t be watching any more of this show. Let me know, do you think I’m wrong about this show?

Top 5: Fast and the Furious Films

The sixth Fast and the Furious action movie comes out today and I thought it would be a great time to rank the ones that have already been released. This is a series that doesn’t always put a number in its titles so the only real way to tell the order is through the dates, which I’ve included.

5. The Fast and the Furious – Tokyo Drift (2006). Although the film is a little fun, the music continues to get better, and the drifting is more fun than drag racing it doesn’t live up to the original. Suddenly we’re following around high schoolers who look like they’ve been held back for ages? No, it just doesn’t work for a racing movie. Not only are we suddenly stuck with teenagers but we get a silly teenage romance mixed with even worse ‘adult’ drama to make them seem more grown up. It just doesn’t work. With none of the cast from the original two films returning they shouldn’t have tried to put out this one. Luckily, they got better again once the originals came back. The most puzzling part? Han (the only good character from this film) is in films 4, 5, and now 6. In both 4 and 5 they referenced Han going to Tokyo but he’s back again, so I guess he hasn’t made it to his death yet? How far in the future is Tokyo Drift? 4.5/10

4. The Fast and the Furious (2001) is an introduction to some of the main characters and story lines that are brought up throughout the series making it an important entry in this popular franchise. Surprisingly I realized I had barely seen this first one before sitting down to watch all of them for this list. I love Vin Diesel and Paul Walker in the whole series, so it’s no surprise I enjoy them in this one. Unfortunately, being made in 2001 it shows it’s age. It’s fun to watch but I don’t have a desire to rewatch as I do for some of the others. The music is plain bad and the style and language is out of date. Luckily they got the cars right, even if they’re a little old now. Yes, I do understand they can’t always be in style. 5/10

3. 2 Fast 2 Furious (2003) was better than the first. This is the movie from the franchise that I see most often, it’s always the one on TV and I think this one really set up the series more than the original. They got rid of the drag races and brought in circuitous races with surprises. The music is much better, perhaps in part due to bringing Ludacris into the cast. Although Vin Diesel isn’t in this one Ludacris is a lot of fun and Tyrese Gibson is a great sidekick to Walker. The storyline is also much better than the first, instead of deceiving Walker’s friend (Diesel), he’s working with a friend to defeat the bad guys. Generally it was more enjoyable, but I really wish they’d stop using the surfer slang. Did people really talk like that in 2003? 6/10

2. Fast & Furious (2009) is a newer, better version of the first film. This incorporates more backstory than the second movie as we get the Diesel/Walker pairing again but without them starting off as best friends. I love that FBI/criminal dynamic as they repair their friendship and as Walker repairs his relationship with Diesel’s sister. Better music, faster cars, and more exciting races all aid in making this better than those before it, and when Walker doesn’t talk like a surfer boy it makes me even happier. 6.5/10

1. Fast Five (2011) was definitely my favourite movie of this franchise. Apart from Tokyo Drift which was awful other than Han this series continues to get better with each entry. Admittedly, this one also had so many returning members I couldn’t contain myself. I love that they keep pushing Tokyo Drift farther into the future so Han doesn’t have to be dead yet. Immediately upon seeing him and the other unattached girl I wanted them together, and Dwayne Johnson is always a great addition to action movies. I loved the way they set this one in another country without trying to make it another version of America, as Tokyo Drift did. Basically, this was the most fun, exciting, awesome movie of the franchise so far, and I’m excited to see where the sixth film takes it. Also, Walker/Brewster babies? Yes please! 8/10

Fast & Furious 6 opens for wide release today, May 24, so be sure to check it out! PS, Jason Statham has been confirmed for Fast 7!

Survivor: Blood Vs Water Predictions and Reveals

As with every reunion episode of Survivor, Jeff Probst reveals clues about the new season that will air a few months down the line. At the end of Survivor Caramoan Jeff changed it up by revealing the title without telling us anything else.

After blood drops into the water this title card appeared. No images of where the castaways will be sent, no reveal about who the castaways will be, no discussion on twists such as Redemption Island or the like… So what does this next season of Survivor entail?

Initially it made me think of the phrase “blood is thicker than water” when talking about family.

Will castaways be in family pairs? That’s a big twist, but it sounds a little difficult and quite complicated to put into action. Who wins the million? Is it down to a final two and all the other family pairs vote for one of the family members?

Some have suggested it could be a tribe with families and a tribe with friends, but again that sounds a little complicated and a bit cruel. Are they all from the same family? That could destroy families. The friends have chosen to be friends, so that could result in disaster.

My thought was that there will be two tribes, each with a related returning castaway. Perhaps there will be families split up between the two teams as well, but generally I was thinking bringing back Amber & Boston Rob or Brandon and Russell Hantz or something of that nature. Not that I really wanted either pairing on the show again… well, maybe Rob.

But today we found out more. This coming season will feature returning castaways and their family members. That’s definitely an interesting twist, and I’m excited to see how they play with that. Will it be returnees vs family? Or a pairing thing? Playing with the family aspect could be really detrimental to relationships but it’s just a game so hopefully everything goes well.

Survivor: Blood vs Water has started filming in the Philippines and will air starting in September 2013! What do you think the next season of Survivor will feature?