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Theater Review: WICKED – Kansas City

WICKED
The Music Hall
Kansas City, Missouri

Here’s some musical theater trivia that a lot of people are stunned by. Did you know that “West Side Story” did NOT win the Tony Award for Best Musical? That’s right. One of the most beloved musicals of all time did not take home the big prize. That honor went to “The Music Man,” also one of the most beloved musicals of all time – and currently running on Broadway starring Hugh Jackman and Sutton Foster.

I mention this to not only promote the new film version of “West Side Story,” but to point out that another show whose title begins with the letter W, “Wicked,” also did not win the Best Musical Tony Award. That year the Best Musical was “Avenue Q.” The more you know.

“Wicked” comes to Kansas City in top form. The previous engagement for this company was in Cleveland and, due to COVID, seven understudies were given their chance to shine. At tonight’s performance, everyone was where they should be and the show was fantastic.

I’ve seen the show before, and what I like about this production is that not a lot has changed. I’ve seen some shows where lines and songs have been altered over the years but here the show was presented just as it was when it debuted on Broadway 18 years ago.

The cast was in great form as the story of witches Glinda (Allison Bailey) and Elphaba (Talia Suskauer) unfolded. With well known songs such as “Popular” and “Defying Gravity,” the audience tapped their toes to every note. Another standout was Cleavant Derricks as the Wizard. Mr. Derricks created the role of James “Thunder” Early in the original production of “Dreamgirls” and deservedly won a Tony for his performance.

If you haven’t seen “Wicked,” what are you waiting for? If you have seen it, see it again. It is definitely a show that shouldn’t be missed.

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Filed Under: Theatre Reviews Tagged With: city, kansas, review, theater, wicked

Film Review: “A Shot Through the Wall”

Starring: Kenny Leu, Ciara Renee and Clifton Davis
Directed by: Aimee Long
Rated: NR
Running Time: 89 minutes
Vertical Entertainment

There are plenty of days where I feel like nuance is missing. I say that because we have so much content at our fingertips now, it’s hard to really dive into the meat of something. We need to get to the next piece of content to devour, so we look at the headline or photo and move on. Without diving too deep into the realm of politics “A Shot Through the Wall” still manages to do a very impressive job of reminding us that not everything is black and white.

Mike Tan (Leu), the son of two Chinese immigrants, is a fresh-faced street cop in New York City. Unfortunately for him, his white and also fresh-faced partner looks for trouble where it isn’t, spotting a few young African-American teens who “should be in school.” One of those teens flees, for reasons we don’t know and soon won’t care about. Tan, just a dozen steps behind the teen, ends up in an apartment complex, unholsters his gun, but accidentally fires off a shot under pressure. That one accidental gunshot enters an apartment, killing an African-American man and setting off a chain of events.

“A Shot Through the Wall” plays with a lot of unfortunate things that happen during officer-involved shootings. We see the immediate outrage from the public, even when all the facts aren’t in yet. We also see the cellphone footage that’s released of Officer Tan attempting to revive the man he accidentally shot. What the cellphone doesn’t capture, is everything that led up to that shooting, as well as everything after. Nonetheless, the cellphone footage captures only one part of the incident which still paints Officer Tan in a negative light. We also see accusations of racism and conspiratorial thinking along the lines of police cover-ups, as well as the threat of vigilantes looking for their own brand of justice. On the flip side, we do see how police attempt to smooth things over, through potential plea deals and PR campaigns. While all of this is interesting, that’s not what makes “A Shot Through the Wall” unique, because we’ve seen this before in other movies.

“A Shot Through the Wall” takes us through the emotional toll this takes on Tan, his family, his African-American fiancée and others. The movie does make a critical mistake in not showing us the emotional pain the actual victims family and friends are going through, but that may also be a creative choice on the end of Aimee Long in her first written and directed film. She’s not shy about showing some unmentionable truths, like the fact that Tan isn’t racist at all, but his parents are. Or the fact that Tan goes back and forth on whether or not to put his relationship on the line by publicly proclaiming, “I have a black girlfriend, so I can’t be a racist who shot an unarmed black man.”

In the end though, and throughout the movie, the audience has to wonder: Is Officer Tan innocent? It’s a tough call and the movie, to it’s credits, opts to let Officer Tan say if he is or isn’t himself before the credits roll. “A Shot Through the Wall” isn’t about red vs. blue, Black Lives Matter vs. Blue Lives Matter, or any of the usual nonsense that’s associated with officer-involved shootings nowadays. It’s about the pain of it all. For that, I’m grateful I watched “A Shot Through the Wall” because we sometimes need a reminder that we’re all humans on this random spinning globe and the only way to confront pain is head-on.

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Filed Under: Film Reviews, Movies, Uncategorized Tagged With: a shot through the wall, aimee long, film, film review, jeremy werner, kenny leu, ...

Film Review: “The Harder They Fall”

THE HARDER THEY FALL

Starring: Jonathan Majors, Zazie Beetz

Directed by: Jeymes Samuel

Rating: R

Running Time: 2 hrs 19 mins

Netflix

Add one part Quentin Tarantino, one part Sergio Leone, and one part Sam Peckinpah and you have the recipe for “The Harder They Fall,” or at least that’s what it initially promises it could be. This violent western, which goes over the top during its crescendo, is a breath of fresh air at first with a great aura of originality, modern hip hop music, and a pair of stellar supporting performances. However, its lead actor in the form of Jonathan Majors (introduced as the next main Marvel super villain in the mini-series “Loki”) does not deliver a commanding performance nor one that contains meaningful depth. Moreover, the story itself devolves from its promising beginnings into a myriad of boring western cliches.

The origin of Nat Love (Majors) as a vengeful, bad-good guy is rooted deep in his past. At the age of 11, Nat watches his father and mother shot to death at the dinner table by an unflinching Rufus Buck (Idris Elba, “The Suicide Squad”) who leaves his mark by carving a cross into the young boy’s forehead. Years later, Nat, who has turned to a life of crime himself, gets revenge on one of Rufus’s associates.

When Nat reunites with his on again, off again lover and saloon owner Mary Fields (Zazie Beetz, “Deadpool 2”), he learns that members of his gang inadvertently stole money intended for Rufus, who has been sitting in prison for several years. About this time, Rufus’s gang, led by the remorseless Trudy Smith (Regina King), free their leader after getting paid to kill the corrupt soldiers who are guarding him on a transport train.

The two men and their respective gangs, which are filled with largely unimaginative characters, are destined to collided, especially after an aging U.S. Marshal Bass Reeves (Delory Lindo) decides to help Nat get his revenge. This results in a long stretch of gunplay that becomes downright silly after a while.

The pluses to “The Harder They Fall” include a diabolical performance by Elba who commands the silver screen in every shot he is in. He exudes a tangible sense of authority that makes it easy to understand why his cohorts follow him without question. Unfortunately, Elba is vastly underused. Kudos also go to King as she skillfully displays a ferocious brutality while maintaining a look of cold steel, something the rest of the cast, besides Elba, fail to do.

The infusion of modern music in a western setting is akin to what was also done in “A Knight’s Tale” as it heightens the overall entertainment value of the film. Director Jeymes Samuel (“They Die by Dawn”) does a fantastic job with grabbing our attention, yet it slips through his fingers as the story becomes painful to endure. Every aspect of “The Harder They Fall” becomes a caricature of everything that’s ever been done in the Western genre. Majors’s performance is lackluster as he comes off completely unbelievable as a man that’s supposed to be filled with traumatic pain and vengeance. He plays it too, happy go lucky and soft.

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Filed Under: Film Reviews Tagged With: fall, film, harder, review

Film Review: “Being the Ricardos

BEING THE RICARDOS

Starring: Nicole Kidman, Javier Bardem

Directed by: Aaron Sorkin

Rating: R

Running Time: 2 hrs 11 mins

Amazon Studios

Director/writer Aaron Sorkin again demonstrates why he is one of the greatest screenplay writers alive today with the wonderfully entertaining “Being the Ricardos.” A quasi biopic told over the span of five days in 1953, “Being the Ricardos” contains rich, rapid-fire dialogue spoken with expert craftmanship by its exemplary cast, most particularly between Nicole Kidman as Lucille Ball and Javier Bardem as Desi Arnaz. Although Sorkin missteps a couple of times, it doesn’t mean this newest creation of his should not be considered for a few Oscar nominations.

When we are first introduced to Lucille and Desi, it’s clear that they have a tumultuous relationship, one in which she always lives in fear that her husband is cheating on her. This proves to be just part of the issues they have over a five-day span that begins with influential syndicated radio news commentator Walter Winchell announcing to the world that Lucille is a communist. It was the age of McCarthyism and if you were accused of being a “Red” then it meant your career was over. In the case of Lucille and Desi, it is presented as a looming specter that could end their show.

As the saying goes, the show must go on and so, they forge ahead with getting the next show ready to be performed in front of a live TV audience. The process makes for an interesting, backstage glimpse into how a television comedy was made in the 1950s, but more importantly, Sorkin lets us into the inner workings of America’s favorite couple for a sliver of time. Of course, like with any TV family, reality is not the fantasy everyone sees on the screen. Their relationship is a roller coaster and spills over to involve everyone around them.

Sorkin, a four-time Oscar nominee for screenplay writing, including one win in 2011 for “The Social Network,” throws the fast-paced rhythm of the story out of whack when he intersperses documentary-style interviews in “modern day” with two writers and an executive producer who were there. These scenes are more of a distraction than anything else. He also plays with the historical timeline a bit by having Lucille and Desi announce their pregnancy even though in real life it occurred a year before the events of “Being the Ricardos” occurred. While it’s a bit misleading, it does help add another layer of tension to the story since saying the word “pregnant” was taboo on television then. (One of Sorkin’s greatest moves is when he puts us into Lucille’s mind as we watch in black and white how she devises corrections to scenes in the script.)

Kidman delivers one of the best performances of her career, never mind that the makeup department for “Being the Ricardos” made her face look plastic. She channels Lucille’s strength and determination in a blatantly sexist world where men always had the last word. Her Lucille comes off as someone who was not only a genuine trailblazer, but someone who can be looked upon with enhanced respect and admiration. However, she brings out her frailties as well, including an unwillingness to bend at times.

Bardem may not resemble Desi, who was 36 in 1953 and his portrayer was 51 when the film was shot, but it doesn’t matter in the grand scheme of things as he brings out the soul of the Cuban born singer/actor in spectacular fashion. Like Kidman with Lucille, he portrays a myriad of complexities in his character that no one could see by watching “I Love Lucy.”

Additionally, Oscar-winner J.K. Simmons (“Whiplash”) and Tony-award winner Nina Arianda deliver brilliant supporting performances as cantankerous William Frawley, who played Fred Mertz, and Vivian Vance, who played Ethel Mertz. They nailed their portrayals of two people who may have shared great on-screen chemistry yet could hardly get along with each other off screen.

Overall, “Being the Ricardos” is a delightful drama, especially if you love fantastic, fast-paced dialogue with a focus on character development.

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Filed Under: Film Reviews Tagged With: film, review, ricardos

Film Review “The Matrix Resurrections”

Directed by: Lana Wachowski
Starring: Keanu Reeves, Carrie-Anne Moss, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Jessica Henwick, Jonathan Groff, Neil Patrick Harris, Priyanka Chopra Jonas
Distributed by: Warner Bros. Pictures
MPAA Rating: R
Running time: 148 minutes

Our Score: 3.5 out of 5 stars

In terms of films that revolutionized not only the genre that they belong in but the industry as a whole, The Matrix is a shining example of one that changed our culture and our perception of how “good” action films can really be. The sequels, while having their fans (myself included), didn’t quite receive the same amount of praise – but the influence the franchise and the Wachowski’s have had over cinema is undeniable. And with the world getting more and more tech-heavy and blatantly leaning into A.I., what better time to get a Matrix reboot/sequel than right now?

I don’t want to spoil the plot of this one, because the trailers have been pretty vague with the mystery of how certain characters return and how the Matrix universe has evolved since 2003’s The Matrix Revolutions. I can honestly say, warts and all, this film did something that not a lot of blockbusters do nowadays – it genuinely surprise me. While hardcore fans of The Matrix might have a certain idea of where the story could go, I was still shocked to find that this is the most “meta” of the entire franchise thus far.

Sometimes when franchises get to the point of repetition and they try to incorporate more meta elements to acknowledge fans’ frustrations or anxieties of the franchise, it can be truly forced and poorly done. But The Matrix Resurrections feels like an extremely personal movie for Lana Wachowski, almost like she’s expressing to us how she feels about the state of the industry and her role in revolutionizing the action genre/industry as an artist herself; and that’s what makes this stand-out amongst all the yearly reboots we get. It’s not only genuinely clever and funny, but feels like it has narrative and thematic purpose as it comes directly from the creator of the original films.

Undeniably, The Matrix Resurrections is a bit of a mess and falls into a lot of the same issues the other two sequels do with exposition and storytelling. But it’s also a truly audacious and fascinating piece of work that I think pays off greatly by the end, with wonderful action, truly gorgeous cinematography, and a surprising amount of heart to tie it all in. It doesn’t work on every level, but the film is unlike any other blockbuster playing right now and is all the better for it.

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Blu-ray Review “My Stepmother Is an Alien”

Movie: 3.5 out of 5 stars
Blu-ray: 4 out of 5 stars
Extras: 2 out of 5 stars

“My Stepmother Is an Alien” is a lost comedy/sci-fi classic from 1988. It packs a stellar cast of Dan Aykroyd (“Ghostbusters”), Kim Basinger (“Batman”) and Jon Lovitz (“North”) Alyson Hannigan, (TV’s “Buffy the Vampire Slayer”). It is a fun silly movie that I haven’t seen in over 30 years and probably wouldn’t have ever seen again if it wasn’t for this release from Arrow Video.

Official Premise: When widowed astronomer Steve Mills (Aykroyd) inadvertently causes a gravitational disruption in deep space, a race of hyper-advanced alien lifeforms sends one of their own to investigate, disguised in the alluring human form of Celeste (Basinger). Tasked with seducing the lovelorn Steve in a bid to gain access to his scientific research, Celeste finds herself falling for the man she’s been sent to swindle. But they’ve not counted on Steve’s young daughter Jessie (Hannigan), who’s none too thrilled by the prospect of a new mother – especially not one from another planet.

For a 1988 film, “My Stepmother is an Alien” looks solid on Blu-ray. It’s 1080p transfer in 1.85:1 aspect ratio are on point and looks great. The film was restored in 2K by Sony Pictures Entertainment and was 4K scanned from the 35mm Original Picture Negative. IT also features a reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Colin Murdoch and first pressing will also include an illustrated collector’s booklet featuring new writing on the film by Amanda Reyes.

The special features are really the only letdown on this release. There is an Audio Commentary track by from film critic Bryan Reesman. There is a short audio interview with director Richard Benjamin. Lastly there is a trailer and image gallery included. Regardless of the lack of extras, this is still a great release and is a must own for fans of this cult classic!

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Filed Under: DVD/Blu-Ray Reviews Tagged With: alien, bluray, review, stepmother

Film Review “Spider-Man: No Way Home”

Directed by: Jon Watts
Starring: Tom Holland, Zendaya, Benedict Cumberbatch, Jamie Foxx, Willem Dafoe, Alfred Molina, Jacob Batalon
Distributed by Sony Pictures
Running time: 148 minutes

Our Score: 4.5 out of 5 stars

The ending of 2019’s Spider-Man: Far From Home, where our friendly neighborhood Spider-Man’s identity was revealed to the world by Mysterio, busted the doors open for an abundance of possibilities for what could happen to Peter Parker in his next outing. Spider-Man: No Way Home picks up quite literally right where Far From Home left off, with Peter scrambling through New York while its citizens are shouting either in support of him or straight-up attacking him. This leads Peter to the Sanctum Sanctorum, where he asks Doctor Strange for help to get the world to forget he’s Spider-Man. Things don’t go quite as planned, and from there, multiversal shenanigans ensue.

Like most people, I was incredibly excited for this film. It feels like the first true event film we’ve gotten as a collective since Avengers: Endgame. As more was revealed about who would be returning and how much the film would lean into the multiverse, it both got me more excited but a tiny bit more cautious – I hoped that the film wouldn’t lose sight on our central, MCU Peter Parker in the midst of all of these returning villains or sacrifice character and story for nostalgia. And while the film will certainly be nostalgic for anyone who grew up with Spider-Man like I did, it isn’t a film that is reliant on it for anything but telling a personal and truly ambitious Spider-Man story.

I won’t name specific names in case you’ve gone this far without knowing which villains are returning exactly – but the film does a great balancing act of making them exciting foils for Peter as well as narratively important to the themes. In fact, this might just have the most personal and interesting story for Peter Parker in the MCU so far. The crux of the film is him having the crushing realization of not being able to have everything he wants and still be Spider-Man despite how hard he tries to balance both of his lives. This is a common theme throughout the entire history of the character throughout various forms of mediums – but No Way Home does a fantastic job at making both an epic yet simultaneously personal story for Peter that truly advances and grows the character in dark, powerful, and important ways.

Tom Holland delivers his absolute best outing as Peter Parker/Spider-Man yet here, working with a seriously impressive script full of nuance and moments of real weight and consequences for Peter to grapple with. His chemistry with Zendaya has truly never been better, and the way he interacts with all the villains is as equally charming as it is poetic at times. This is sure to be a massive success, and I’m happy to say that I think it’ll deliver for all the people who have already bought tickets. The action is absolutely incredible from start to finish (see it in IMAX if you can!), the humor is on point, the characters and cast that play them are the best they’ve ever been, and it is far and away the best MCU Spider-Man movie, as well as the most ambitious live-action Spider-Man film thus far. A true love-letter to the character full of heart, ambition, darkness and a whole lot of fun.

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Filed Under: Film Reviews Tagged With: film, home, review, spiderman

Film Review – “Spider-man: No Way Home”

SPIDER-MAN: NO WAY HOME
Starring: Tom Holland, Zendaya and Bennedict Cumberbatch.
Directed by: Jon Watts
Rated: PG 13
Running time: 2 hrs 28 mins
Columbia Pictures

Let me say right here at the outset of this review that I am not going to give any spoilers away. Thank you for your attention.

When we last saw our friendly, neighborhood web-slinger in “Spider-man: Far From Home,” he, and the rest of the world, were shocked when Mysterio announced to the world that young Peter Parker was Spider-man. Those of us in the audience knew it but now EVERYONE knows it.

So now, along with the pressures of starting his senior year of high school, worrying about what college will accept him – he has his heart set on M.I.T. – he has to deal with hundreds of people taking photos of him or hovering in a helicopter above his apartment building. As things progress Peter discovers that his two best friends, M.J. (Zendaya) and Ned (Jacob Babalon) are having their lives disrupted simply because they are close to Peter. Hoping to make things better for his friends, Peter pays a visit to Doctor Strange (Cumberbatch) and asks him for a spell to make everyone forget he’s Spidey. Well, not everyone. The spell goes horribly wrong and the adventure begins.

What you’ve read so far can easily be gleaned from the film’s coming attraction, so I haven’t given away any secrets. And I won’t. But DAMN, what a great film!

Though I enjoyed the earlier depictions of Spider-man by Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield, they always seemed a little too mature for the Peter Parker I grew up reading in Marvel Comics. Tom Holland hit the nail on the head. He gives both Peter and Spidey a certain innocent bravado, showing their best faces even when the doubt inside is eating away at them.

As the film progresses, Peter/Spider-man not only have to deal with the police, the press and the public, but also with some villains quite familiar to fans but unknown to him. Welcome to the Multiverse.

As in the case of most films in the MCU, the cast is outstanding. As I’ve already mentioned, I love Holland in the roles of Peter/Spider-man and he is equally matched by Zendaya and Babalon. I will admit here that Ned is one of my favorite characters in the series, his love and loyalty for Peter know no boundaries. The rest of the cast is strong as well, from Cumberbatch to Marisa Tomei’s Aunt May to a variety of familiar faces from the Spider-verse.

The script is the perfect combination of humor and action, with a few emotional moments thrown in to remind us why we care for these characters. The film is well paced by director Watts, and the 2 ½ hours of action seem to fly by.

The MCU has had more gems than rocks over the years, with pretty much each hero (“Iron Man, Thor) hitting an occasional bump in the road. Not Spider-man. To me his series of films is head and shoulders the best of the stand-alone films.

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Filed Under: Film Reviews Tagged With: film, home, review, spiderman

Concert Review: Every Time I Die “Tid The Season” 2021

“Tid The Season” 2021

December 9-10, 2021
Riverworks, Buffalo, NY

Our Score: 3 out of 5 Stars

After a year hiatus due to Covid-19 Buffalo’s favorite sons Every Time I Die returned with their annual “Tid The Season” holiday bash. The sprawling Riverworks complex in Buffalo, NY once again played host to the two-day event which featured ice skating, curling, wrestling and bands such Circa Survive, Knocked Loose, Ice-T and of course Every Time I Die.

Media Mikes had the opportunity to check out day two of the event which started off with a full bill of wrestling courtesy of Empire State Wrestling. Highlights from the multi match card included hometown favorite Puf opening the event with a fun filled match which had him blasting opponents with an array of confetti cannons one of which he even saved for an unsuspecting referee. AEW stars Evil Uno and The Blade w/ The Bunny squared off in the main event which started out quite heated after Uno took multiple verbal jabs at Buffalo and its inhabitants. Being local The Blade and Bunny didn’t take very kindly to Uno’s tirade and the match quickly ensued. After a tense couple moments of back-and-forth action between the two participants Blade’s tag team partner Butcher (Andy Williams) emerged donning what appeared to be attire inspired heavily by Donald Gibb’s character in “Bloodsport”. Though the Butcher didn’t fair to well initially the match concluded with the duo’s signature finishing move “Full Death” being delivered to a weary Evil Uno before the count of 1,2,3, was made. Prior to leaving the ring the team thanked the ever-growing crowd for the continued support which helped usher the team to the locker room accompanied by a wave a cheers and chants.

After a brief intermission to clear the floor of the ring the music portion of the night would be kicked off by the extreme Hardcore group END. The band consisting of members from the bands Misery Signals, Counterparts, Reign Supreme, Shai Hulud, and Fit For An Autopsy wasted no time delivering to the near capacity crowd as they ripped through songs from their “Splinters From an Ever-Changing Face” release setting a high standard for the bands still to come. Three-piece Ontario rockers The Dirty Nil took the stage next and proved that big things can come in small packages as the three-piece group decimated the audience with their unique blend of fuzz infused overdrive. Certainly, a highlight of the performance was a rawkus rendition of the Metallica classic “Hit the Lights” which was performed near flawlessly and left the crowd wanting more. Vancouver natives Spiritbox would follow and though I personally found the set to be rather lackluster and vocalist Courtney LaPlante quite pitchy at times the band invoked a solid reaction from the crowd that you had to applaud.

Heading into the meat of the nights lineup we saw Los Angeles based The Bronx return to the stage for their second performance of the weekend (the band performed on night one of the event with their Mariachi El Bronx lineup). The band helmed by energetic front man Matt Caughthran kept the nights energy going despite battling feedback issues as they performed crowd favorites such as “Shitty Future”, “Six Days a Week” and “History’s Stranglers” before closing out the set with “Around the Horn” from the bands 2006 album “II”. Tid The Season regulars Knocked Loose would follow instantly re-igniting the crowd after a brief reprieve. Guitarist Isaac Hale dominated the stage left position with his precise chuggery while front man Bryan Garris commanded the attention of capacity crowd while the band performed such tracks as “God Knows”, “All My Friends” and “Counting Worms”. The set also featured a couple guest appearances including Brendan Murphy on “Billy No Mates”, Courtney LaPlante on “A Serpent’s Touch” and Keith Buckley on “Forget Your Name” all of which garnered loud roars from the bustling crowd. The Original Gangster Ice-T occupied the direct support slot this evening and despite a much different sound than the other bands on the bill Ice and his crew fit in perfectly as they threw down his signature West Coast rhythms backed by long-time DJ Evil E’s beats. Despite more widely known tracks like “New Jack Hustler” and “Lifestyles of the Rich and Infamous” missing from the set Buffalo did get to hear “O.G. Original Gangster” along with a few other classics prior to Ice leaving the stage with his wife Coco and daughter Chanel in tow.

As a white banner projecting of a large burning fireplace dropped from the ceiling and Christmas music began to play through the PA the anticipation level jumped threefold as what has become the marker signaling for the evenings hosts Every Time I Die to take the stage. As a dangerous windstorm swirled outside and synthetic snow began dropping from the ceiling the band burst on to the stage with the song “Roman Holiday”. The band appeared as though they were shot of a cannon as the opening number set a solid foundation for tracks like “A Colossal Wreck”, “Post-Boredom” and “The New Black”. The set features a couple new tracks as both “Desperate Pleasures” and “People Verses” from the newly released “Radical” album made their way into the set for the first time fitting perfectly amongst more seasoned ETID tracks like “We’rewolf”, “Decayin’ With the Boys” and “Map Change”. Despite internal tensions within the band being reported recently the members of Every Time I Die showed they are consummate professionals at the top of their game as the band once again delivering to the sold-out Buffalo crowd.

Every Time I Die Set List:
1.) Roman Holiday
2.) Romeo a Go-Go
3.) Off Broadway
4.) A Colossal Wreck
5.) Desperate Pleasures
6.) Underwater Bimbos From Outer Space
7.) The Marvelous Slut
8.) Post-Boredom
9.) The New Black
10.) Sly
11.) Pigs Is Pigs
12.) The Sweet Life
13.) Champing at the Bit
14.) Cities and Years
15.) No Son of Mine
16.) Thirst
17.) I Been Gone a Long Time
18.) We’rewolf
19.) AWOL
20.) Bored Stiff
21.) The Coin Has a Say
22.) White Void
23.) Decayin’ With the Boys
24.) Floater
25.) Map Change
26.) People Verses
27.) Indian Giver

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Filed Under: Concert Reviews, Music Tagged With: 2021, concert, die, review, season, tid, ...

Kansas City Concert Review – James Taylor/Jackson Browne

JAMES TAYLOR w/ JACKSON BROWNE
December 5, 2021
T-mobile Center – Kansas City, Missouri

James Taylor and Jackson Browne have been major parts of the soundtrack of my life. I played Taylor’s “JT” album repeatedly in my youth and, after saying “I do” to each other my wife Juanita and I walked back up the aisle while my best friend Matt played Taylor’s “How Sweet It Is (To be Loved by You).”

As for Mr. Browne, I’m dating myself here by saying that “Running on Empty” was the first album I owned on cassette, vinyl, 8-track and compact disc. In that order. And yes, I had an 8-track player in my sweet 1969 GTO. You know you love something when you make sure you have it with you ALWAYS. When I play along with the Facebook post that asks, “If you were going to be stranded on a desert island, what 10 albums would you take with you?” “Running on Empty” is always near the top of the list.

Loving these two amazing artist’s music as much as I do, I was overjoyed when I heard they were coming to Kansas City in one amazing show. And amazing it was.

Mr. Browne took the stage first, opening with his hit “Somebody’s Baby,” which was featured in the film “Fast Times at Ridgemont High.” He was in great voice and his band was tight.

For the remainder of his set he mixed in some popular classic songs (“Late for the Sky,” “Doctor My Eyes”) with a selection of songs from his new album – which I heartedly recommend – “Downhill From Everywhere.” During one song from the album, “The Dreamer,” he was joined on stage by singers Tiffanie Cross and Alethea Mills. Together the trio had the crowd in the palms of their hands with their harmonies. Taylor surprised the audience by coming on stage on joining Browne in a fine rendition of “The Pretender” and the set ended with a lively singalong to “Running on Empty.”

The second half of the show began with a short video highlighting the music of James Taylor. He took the stage to a loud round of applause and he and his band kicked off the set with a country-tinged medley of “Fiddle and Drum/Country Road.”

Like Browne, the set was a well divided combination of newer material and classic songs. As he notes in “That’s Why I’m Here” – one of my favorite JT tunes, sadly inspired in part by the tragic death of John Belushi (a neighbor of Taylor’s on Martha’s Vineyard), people “Pay good money to hear Fire and Rain again and again and again.” Before the break Taylor and his band did a rousing “How Sweet It Is” causing my wife and I – and a lot of others – to slow-dance in the aisles.

When everyone returned to the stage, Jackson Brown came with them and the two combined for a mellow version of “Take it Easy,” a song Browne co-wrote with Glenn Frey and was a hit – gulp – nearly 50 years ago for the Eagles.

As the show concluded, Taylor led the audience in a moving rendition of “You’ve Got a Friend,” which inspired the crowd to hold their lit cellphones high above their heads (where have you gone, Bic disposable lighter?).

To sum it all up, it was a great night of great music – one I highly recommend you take in when they come to your town.

SET LISTS

JACKSON BROWNE

Somebody’s Baby, Barricades of Heaven, Long Way Around, Fountain, Downhill from Everywhere, TheDreamer (with Tiffanie Cross and Alethea Mills), Until Justice is Real, Doctor My Eyes, Late for the Sky, The Pretender (with James Taylor), Running on Empty.

JAMES TAYLOR

Fiddle and Drum/Country Road, Copperline, That’s Why I’m Here, Mexico, You Make it Easy, Line ‘em Up, Steamroller, Rolling Off, Sweet Baby James, Fire and Rain, Carolina, Shower the People, How Sweet it Is (To Be Loved by You), Shed a Little Light, Take it Easy (with Jackson Browne), You’ve Got a Friend, Close Your Eyes

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Filed Under: Concert Reviews Tagged With: browne, cith, concert, james, kansas, review, ...

Blu-ray Review “Kevin Can F**K Himself: Season 1”

Actors: Annie Murphy, Mary Hollis Inboden, Eric Petersen, Alex Bonifer, Brian Howe, Raymond Lee
Run time: 5 hours and 54 minutes
Release date: ‎November 16, 2021
Studio:‎ IMAGE ENTERTAINMENT

Season: 3.5 out of 5 stars
Blu-ray: 4 out of 5 stars
Extras: 3 out of 5 stars

If you are a fan of “Schitt’s Creek” and love Annie Murphy like I do, this new show “Kevin Can F**K Himself” is a winner. Definitely darker than “Schitt’s Creek”, Murphy gets to take a rather different role here and she nails every second she is on the screen. I love how the show work that when she is with her husband everything is lit up and laugh track plays but once she closes the door or walks out where she is alone everything gets a little more real and we get some great comedy/drama throughout the season. The show was already renewed for season 2 and will release on AMC+ and AMC in 2022, so can’t wait here!

Created by Valerie Armstrong (“Lodge 49”), Kevin Can F**K Himself is directed by Anna Dokoza (“Up All Night,” “Flight of the Conchords”) and Oz Rodriguez (Vampires vs. the Bronx, “A.P. Bio”). The series stars Emmy winner Annie Murphy (“Schitt’s Creek”), Mary Hollis Inbodin (“The Righteous Gemstones”), Eric Peterson (“Kirstie”), Alex Bonifer (“Superstore”), Brian Howe (“Vice Principals”), and Raymond Lee (“Here and Now”).

Official Premise: Allison McRoberts is the prototypical Sitcom Wife married to Kevin, her self-centered husband. When she learns that the perfect future she envisioned is impossible, she teams up with her neighbor Patty as she attempts to escape her confines and take control of her life. A completely original new dark comedy, Kevin Can F**K Himself shows what happens when you leave the brightly lit sitcom set and see the reality behind the laugh track.

The Blu-ray looks amazing with the differences between the dark and light scenes. I also noticed differences in the score when the set changes, I didn’t notice that the first time I watched on TV, so the audio track definitely delivers. In terms of special features, there are a few behind-the-scenes featurettes. First up we have “A Look at the Series”, then we have “Meet the Characters”, which dives into our cast and lastly there is “Making of the Show”, which is worth checking out for sure. I would have loved to see a commentary track or two. Well, there’s always season two.

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Filed Under: DVD/Blu-Ray Reviews Tagged With: 1, bluray, fk, kevin, review, season, ...

Film Review – “West Side Story”

WEST SIDE STORY
Starring: Ansel Elgort, Rachel Zegler and Rita Moreno
Directed by: Steven Spielberg
Rated: PG 13
Running time: 2 hrs 36 mins
Warner Bros

FULL DISCLOSURE: I worship Steven Spielberg. He made, in my opinion, the greatest film ever – JAWS – and has produced so many favorites of mine that if I tried to make a list it would stretch longer than this review. That beings said, when I learned he was putting his spin on “West Side Story,” a film that won 10 Academy Awards, including Best Picture, SIXTY YEARS AGO. A film that was based on a show that was nominated for 6 Tony Awards, winning two (surprisingly, “The Music Man” was named Best Musical that year), I was a little confused. Why, I wondered? If he wanted to do a musical, why not give “Hamilton” a try? When the first trailers for the new film were released, I saw nothing in them that made me think “this is going to be amazing.” Mr. Spielberg, my sincere apologies sir. This film IS amazing!

Inspired in part by Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet,” the film tells the story of New York City in the late 1950s. Immigrants are flocking to America in one particular neighborhood the local residents are not fond of their new Puerto Rican neighbors. Two gangs – the Jets (white) and the Sharks (non-white) constantly battle for control of their “turf.” Their’s is not a pretty neighborhood, with the ancient brownstone apartment buildings scheduled to be demolished to make way for new high-rises.

When tensions get too high, Riff (Mike Faist) tells the gang that he will challenge Bernardo (David Alvarez) to a rumble at the school dance being held that evening. Also attending the dance that night are Tony (Elgort), co-founder of the Jets and Riff’s best friend and Maria (Zegler), Bernardo’s sister attending her first dance. Sounds pretty innocent to me…what could possibly go wrong?

Faithful to the original film while also bringing the story to a new generation, ‘West Side Story” is a masterpiece of film making. From an outstanding cast to the memorable music to the production design, this is a film to be seen on the biggest screen possible and taken in frame by frame.

Fans of the 1961 film will find the story a little darker than they remember. Here Tony is on parole, having served a year in prison for almost beating a boy to death in a rumble. The city is grimy and dusty and, with the exception of at the dance, the gang members wear threadbare and dirty clothes, a far cry from the pressed and pleated pants there wore previously. Also, as expected, the Sharks and their associates speak a lot of Spanish, sans subtitles, though I found it easy to follow along with the conversations.

The cast, led by Elgort and Zegler, is out of this world. Both are fine in the dramatic scenes and have a true chemistry when they get close. And they both have excellent singing voices. This can be said about the rest of the cast, with special mention of Mr. Faist, Ariana DuBose, who plays Anita, Bernardo’s girl and the immortal Rita Moreno. Ms. Moreno won the Supporting Actress Oscar for “West Side Story” sixty-years ago and very well may do it again with her performance here. The rest of the supporting cast is equally good and I want to put a spotlight on Iris Menas, who plays Anybody’s. She doesn’t have a lot of screen time but she is the emotional heart of the film when she is on-screen.

The music is timeless, and even if you’ve never seen the original film you are certainly aware of the many songs the show and film made famous. Sadly, lyricist Stephen Sondheim passed away a couple of weeks ago but his words will live on forever. The choreography is well crafted, with the original ideas of Jerome Robbins being folded into a new, more frenetic style.

With a few weeks left in 2021, “West Side Story” is looking to be the best film of the year.

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Filed Under: Film Reviews Tagged With: film, review, side, story, west

Blu-ray Review “Prisoners of the Ghostland”

Director: ‎Sion Sono
Run time: ‎1 hour and 42 minutes
Release date: November 16, 2021
Actors: Nicolas Cage, Sofia Boutella, Bill Moseley, Nick Cassavetes, Tak Sakaguchi
Studio: Image Entertainment

Film: 2.5 out of 5 stars
Blu-ray: 3.5 out of 5 stars
Extras: 2 out of 5 stars

When I see Nicolas Cage coming up in a movie, I am first in line with my money out! “Prisoners of the Ghostland” was no different, especially with the film being branded with Cage’s quote “The wildest movie I’ve ever made”. My expectations were wicked high. Damn, what a let down. If you want to see Cage’s “wildest movie” that definitely has to be “Mandy” from 2018. Hands down, bat shit crazy! This film tries way to hard and fails on nearly every turn.

The film is directed by this (self-proclaimed) acclaimed Japanese director, Sion Sono (Why Don’t You Play in Hell), I have never seen any of his films and after this I want to keep it that way. Other than Nicolas Cage (Mandy) there isn’t any talent for him to work with. Sofia Boutella (The Mummy), Nick Cassavetes (Face/Off), Bill Moseley (Texas Chainsaw Franchise), Tak Sakaguchi (Tokyo Tribe) and Yuzuka Nakaya (The Forest of Love) also co-star. Kudos do need to go to Joseph Trapanese (Tron: Legacy, The Greatest Showman), who composed the original score.

Official Premise: “Prisoners of the Ghostland” is set in the treacherous frontier city of Samurai Town where a ruthless bank robber (Cage) is sprung from jail by wealthy warlord The Governor (Moseley), whose adopted granddaughter Bernice (Boutella) has gone missing. The Governor offers the prisoner his freedom in exchange for retrieving the runaway. Strapped into a leather suit that will self-destruct within three days, the bandit sets off on a journey to find the young woman—and his own path to redemption.

As a Nicolas Cage hardcore fan, I am obliged to see all of his films and if you are in the same boat as me, I know you are going to at least be curious about this film. But personally, I wouldn’t purchase this Blu-ray. I would though try and purchase the separately-available 4K/Blu-ray Steelbook. That’s just my opinion. In terms of a Blu-ray, this film does have a 1080p presentation (but it would look better in 4K) and a solid DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio track. Sadly, there is only one quick featurette, The Making of Prisoners of the Ghostland, included on this release.

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Filed Under: DVD/Blu-Ray Reviews Tagged With: bluray, ghostland, prisoners, review

A Review of Online Slot Game Bigger Bass Bonanza

It’s not a secret that online slots are the most popular online casino games in the world. This is mostly because of the fact that many newbies and novices in the online casino industry will turn to online slots as the gateway game. However, even though many prospective online gamblers are flocking to various online slot games, it’s still an incredibly competitive space for developers and casino operators. That’s why it’s important for slot games to really set themselves apart from the competition. The online slot game industry is becoming increasingly oversaturated to the point that new players might not even know what games to start with. This is why it’s always worth noting whenever there are certain titles that just manage to stand out from the crowd.

Bigger Bass Bonanza is the official sequel to the big hit Big Bass Bonanza that was originally developed by online casino giant Reel Kingdom. The prequel Big Bass Bonanza was such a huge success for many avid online gamblers and grew to big and unexpected heights. It managed to do so without necessarily integrating a lot of unique features and gameplay dynamics that other games need in order to set themselves apart from the competition. Big Bass Bonanza was a game that had all of the basic elements of a slot game along with some very immersive graphics and immersive details. In fact, the game was so popular despite its relative simplicity, that many fans of the platform clamored for a follow-up title. Reel Kingdom delighted the hearts of these fans by coming out with Bigger Bass Bonanza towards the end of 2020.

One of the major changes that the sequel has is the extra row that’s been added to the game. Bigger Bass Bonanza now boasts of a 5-reel 4-row game panel with 12 fixed paylines. That alone has done a lot in terms of beefing up the gameplay for loyal fans of the original game. Aside from that, the game underwent some very dramatic cosmetic changes for its sequel while also maintaining a lot of the classic design elements that original fans of the game have grown to love. The background image no longer sports a deep-sea excursion that was present in the original game. Now, it shows a line of beautiful palm tree silhouettes nested against the backdrop of neon buildings. It’s very evocative of the 80s Miami Vice aesthetic.

For the backend modeling of the game, certain changes were undertaken as well. The default RTP of the sequel is the same with 96.71%. However, some major changes took place when it comes to volatility. The sequel’s volatility is now rated at 5 out of 5, a very high level when compared to its prequel which had a 4 out of 5 rating. The betting system has also been revamped in order to match the new payline structure. Bets top out at a maximum of £/€240 per spin.

Another big feature in the game are the scatter symbols that appear on all reels. During free spins, wild symbols that land at the same moment as money symbols will entitle the angler to collect all of their values. The money symbols add a layer of excitement to the game with their randomly assigned money values as well. Aside from that, there’s an exciting fish scatter that is worth 4,000 times the initial bet.

Lastly, wild symbols can be collected on a moving meter that’s located right above the reels. For every fourth wild symbol that is collected, a retrigger takes place and awards the player an additional ten free spins along with a multiplier for the wild money symbol collector. The added dynamics to this game should be welcome developments to fans of the original who were clamoring for more depth to the gameplay. These new gameplay elements ultimately justify the name Bigger Bass Bonanza as it offers all of the familiar charm and appeal of the original game while also building upon the foundation that it has already set. Bigger Bass Bonanza is on track to amass the same kind of success that its predecessor had by sticking to the same winning formula while adding more layers of interest and depth to the actual gameplay.

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Filed Under: Games Tagged With: bass, bigger, bonanza, game, online, review, ...

Film Review “House of Gucci”

Directed by: Ridley Scott
Starring: Lady Gaga, Adam Driver, Jared Leto, Jeremy Irons, Salma Hayek, Al Pacino
Distributed by: United Artists Releasing
Running time: 157 minutes

Our Score: 3 out of 5 stars

At the ripe age of 83, Ridley Scott has delivered us with *two* star-studded dramas this fall alone. For every The Counselor the man has made, he is undeniably the gift that keeps on giving with big budget, adult dramas. And House of Gucci is no exception to that pitch – from Lady Gaga to Jeremy Irons to Adam Driver to Al Pacino and even Jared Leto, the film has an absolutely stacked cast. The film follows Patrizia Reggiani (Lady Gaga) as she marries Maurizio Gucci (Adam Driver) and into the Gucci family name. From the get-go, the marriage is full of drama, resentment, and disapproval from all corners of the Gucci family and business. This ultimately leads to a lot of betrayal and revenge as the family and dynasty collapses upon itself.

I went into House of Gucci with pretty high expectations. Despite Scott cranking out some duds over the last few years, The Martian and The Last Duel both gave me some hope for his work moving forward as they were immensely solid dramas. However, despite the film featuring an absolutely incredible cast and a lot of potential for meaty, hard-hitting drama – it mostly results to lightly entertaining, campy story-telling. It’s not to say that House of Gucci is necessarily a bad film, because it isn’t. It just feels like it has so many opportunities to be better than it is at nearly every turn, and it succumbs to being “decent and entertaining enough” for a majority of its running time.

One thing that I can’t fault the film for are the performances. Despite the story and script not coming together as much as I feel like it should have, the entire cast really comes to play here. Just like she did in 2018’s A Star is Born, Lady Gaga absolutely steals the show here with a harrowing and viciously entertaining performance that rides the line of just being sympathetic enough before it excuses what her character does. Adam Driver, Al Pacino, and Jeremy Irons also all do really solid work here as well, and work even better when they’re acting alongside one another. The only performance I’m a bit mixed on is Jared Leto, who is under some HEAVY makeup and prosthetics. There were points where I laughed at his performance and found it to be effectively amusing in a way that feels intentional. However, I feel like the film too often tries to make you feel for the character while at the same time it makes him out to be an absolute imbecile to say the least. I’m curious if a rewatch changes this for me.

Another complaint I have is that the film runs on a hefty 158 minute running time. Running times usually aren’t an issue for me if the film justifies the length with proper storytelling, but House of Gucci feels ridiculously overlong even by the halfway point. Even with that being said, the film gets by on having a superb cast that elevate the material and Ridley Scott does a decent job at making it entertaining. The story just feels a bit unfocused and there is really no urgency to the plot progression. It’s fine in the moment, but I can’t help but feel a bit disappointed in how it feels like it could’ve been better.

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Filed Under: Film Reviews Tagged With: film, gucci, house, review

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