They'll Love Me When I'm Dead (2018) & The Other Side of the Wind (2018)

They'll Love Me When I'm Dead is the accompanying documentary to the long awaited "The Other Side of the Wind". Not only is this a making-of documentary, but it also assists in deciphering the very experimental movie. This is important because the saga of the making of the movie is the majority of the allure. And in its own meta way, the ordeal of the creation of "The Other Side of the Wind" is self-referential. You see, the "The Other Side of the Wind" is about the final day of director Jake Hannaford, who is extraordinarily Orson Welles-like, who is struggling to finish a movie called "The Other Side of the Wind". Welles may have said that the movie was not autobiographical, but the documentary insinuates so much as fact. And the documentary is quite interesting because Welles was a character.

The ironic film-within-a-film structure is trippy. Welles was supposedly parodying Michelangelo Antonioni, whose style he abhorred. He does so with such disdain, it is actually spot on, very pretty looking but wondrously empty and wordless. The broader film is shot in documentary style. It seems as though Welles pioneered the modern documentary style. Though in reality, he was so far ahead of his time that we still have not caught up. Documentarians follow Hannaford's every move, on different cameras, in different colors and aspect ratios. And they're all cut together very quickly. The edits are lightning fast accompanied by a jazz score. It's so fast it is impossible to follow. And it makes the task of cutting together someone else's hours and hours of footage a gargantuan task. I don't think it's Netflix's fault that the movie is so incoherent, Orson Welles just left us with a really difficult movie. Too artsy for me.

Battle of the Sexes (2017)

This is a fun movie about a sport I love and an iconic American. The importance of Billie Jean King transcends sport (and she is arguably the one of the most important athletes of the 20th century). Her story is interesting, daring and entertaining. The Battle of the Sexes was obviously a big and important event, but the US Open awarded equal prize money the same year to the men's and women's tournaments apparently outside of that context and it would have been useful to include that more directly. A little less of their personal lives would have been fine too. It was kind of long, otherwise they could have included more tennis politics. The movie is quite funny and it boasts a big cast of comedians, even in small roles like Fred Armisen, who has a couple lines and then sits quietly.

The Good Wife (2009-16)

The Good Wife has consistently been one of the best shows on TV. In the era of cable television, The Good Wife has been the lone standout on the networks, delivering 23 episodes of high quality drama per season. It was procedural without ever feeling procedural. It was definitely the best legal drama, showing audiences different types of courts, a cast of quirky judges and lawyers, and interesting and innovative interpretations of the law. It glorifies the legal profession and, as an aspiring lawyer, inspires. Apart from the law, the politics was always engaging, especially behind the scenes of the campaign. The show always did a good job reflecting reality, bringing in stories from the current newspapers, like the brilliant NSA arc. Plus the writing was funny. It was overall an enjoyable show to watch--a show I would actually look forward to watching every week.

I didn't really like the finale.  It's one thing to leave us with uncertainty, but doesn't Alicia deserve some finality? Don't we deserve to know that she can be happy? I will always remember Josh Charles's last episode, a shocking moment coming out of left field in the middle of an episode in the middle of one of the best seasons, so we were given plenty of time to process what we'd just seen.

Not only was the main cast excellent, including Emmy winners Julianna Margulies and Archie Panjabi and my favorite Alan Cumming, but the recurring guest cast was phenomenal and memorable as well. Michael J. Fox and Carrie Preston are particular standouts. But each season had several new names worthy of praise. It was a show full of strong female characters played by strong female actors. Julianna Margulies will forever be known for playing The Good Wife. The show's title is a bit of a misnomer. The show quickly became so much more than a show about a woman who stood by her man. She was defined by her own accomplishments and prowess, never merely by her role as a wife.

The Tonys 2015

This is an exciting year for the Tonys with some close races.   Fun Home and An American in Paris lead with twelve nominations each.  Finding Neverland, the Harvey Weinstein backed production, received no love from voters (Weinstein isn't used to that).  Alan Cumming, fresh off of his Tony-winning run in Cabaret, is sharing hosting duties with Kristen Chenoweth, who is nominated for her role in On the Twentieth Century. The two of them will surely have a fun show.  I have only seen one of the nominees so far, On the Town, but here goes nothing:

Best Play
Will win: Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
Watch out for: Wolf Hall Parts I & II

Best Musical
Will win: Fun Home
Watch out for: An American in Paris

Best Book of a Musical
Will win: Fun Home
Watch out for: Something Rotten

Best Musical Score
Will win: Fun Home
Watch out for: The Last Ship

Best Revival of a Play
Will win: The Elephant Man
Watch out for: Skylight

Best Revival of a Musical
Will win: The King and I
Watch out for: On the Town

Best Actor in a Play
Will win: Alex Sharp (Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
Watch out for: Bradley Cooper (The Elephant Man)

Best Actress in a Play
Will win: Helen Mirren (The Audience)
Watch out for: Ruth Wilson (Constellations)

Best Actor in a Musical
Will win: Michael Cerveris (Fun Home)
Watch out for: Biran d'Arcy James (Something Rotten!)

Best Actress in a Musical-- the closest race
Will win: Kelli O'Hara (The King and I)
Watch out for: Kristen Chenoweth (On the Twentieth Century)
Also watch out for: Chita Rivera (The Visit)

Best Featured Actor in a Play
Will win: Nathaniel Parker (Wolf Hall: Parts I & II)
Watch out for: Micah Stock (It's Only a Play)

Best Featured Actress in a Play
Will win: Patricia Clarkson (The Elephant Man)
Watch out for: Sarah Stiles (Hand to God)

Best Featured Actor in a Musical
Will win: Andy Karl (On the Twentieth Century)
Watch out for: Christian Borle (Something Rotten!)

Best Featured Actress in a Musical
Will win: Judy Kuhn (Fun Home)
Watch out for: Sydney Lucas (Fun Home)-- she's only 11!

Best Director of a Play
Will win: Marianne Elliott (Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time)
Watch out for: Jeremy Herrin (Wolf Hall: Parts I & II)

Best Director of a Musical
Will win: Sam Gold (Fun Home)
Watch out for: Bartlett Sher (The King and I)

Best Choreography
Will win: Christopher Wheeldon (An American in Paris)
Watch out for: Joshua Bergasse (On the Town)

Best Orchestrations
Will win: An American in Paris
Watch out for: Fun Home

Best Scenic Design of a Play
Will win: Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
Watch out for: Wolf Hall: Parts I & II

Best Scenic Design of a Musical
Will win: The King and I
Watch out for: An American in Paris

Best Costume Design of a Play
Will win: Wolf Hall: Parts I & II
Watch out for: The Audience

Best Costume Design of a Musical
Will win: The King and I
Watch out for: An American in Paris

Best Lighting Design of a Play
Will win: Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
Watch out for: Wolf Hall: Parts I & II

Best Lighting Design of a Musical
Will win: An American in Paris
Watch out for: Fun Home


Update: I scored 18/24.  I went 0 for 4 in the featured acting categories, but to be fair they were all toss ups.  Fun Home and Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time were the big winners with five wins each, including the top prizes.

Cabaret (Broadway) (1998/2014)

In the recent restaging of Sam Mendes's Tony-award winning production of Cabaret, Alan Cumming reprises his role as the emcee at the Kit Kat Klub.  Studio 54 is transformed into the seedy Berlin nightclub with tables and lamps throughout the audience. The atmosphere in the theater is unlike anything else on Broadway.  Gaudy light bulbs line the walls (and light up the room periodically).  The lighting work is excellent, with good use and execution of the spotlight and shadows(especially in the second act).  The first thing you notice when you walk into the room is the stage (which is kind of small for a Broadway stage) which is uncovered without a curtain.  The orchestra sits above the stage and every scene or so you see the musicians shuffle in and out of the pit as they're also part of the company.  The orchestra gets its own moments to shine, with a big solo in the second act, though no overture.

The story of Cabaret is very dark, taking place as the Nazis come to power in late-Weimar Germany.  There is no definitive beginning, middle, end to the plot.  Coming out of the play, I was not quite sure what exactly had happened--if you take out the subplot, not that much happens with the main love story.  Maybe my own fault, the progression of the story is not totally clear.  The ending, especially, is a little difficult to interpret.

I appreciate the excellence of Kander and Ebb.  The songs sung in the Cabaret are metaphors for what is occurring outside the club enhancing the plot.  Their music and lyrics are brilliant. And the very best song is the opening Willkommen.  It is an excellent introduction to the Kit Kat Klub and Alan Cumming has mastered the song after hundreds of performances.

Alan Cumming is devilishly good.  A very versatile actor, this is the role he was born to play. He's so seedy, edgy and dark.  He plays the emcee as an overly sexualized ringleader.  He dances and sings his heart out.  His costume and makeup are perfectly fitting for his character.  A Tony winner already for this role, you can tell that he really enjoys playing the emcee.  Tony nominees Danny Burstein and Linda Emond are both excellent.

I suspect that if Emma Stone originated her role, she too would have received a nomination.  Emma Stone is stunningly gorgeous as the iconic Sally Bowles.  Her singing is not the best, but Sally Bowles is not the best singer.  she believes herself to be very talented, but in actuality is mediocre.  Her first number, Don't Tell Mama, puts her off to a good start.  She really shines in the titular number.  In Cabaret, the audience hears and feels her devastating anguish.  She builds up to the climax at the coda and lets the emotion flow uninhibited.  It noticeably and appropriately affects her pitch.  Her rendition is strikingly different from Liza Minelli's recording.  It is more raw and I think that's what the song calls for.  Any shortcomings she might have had in the first act is made up for completely by Cabaret.  (I hope the new cast, now with Emma Stone, does a recording)