Begin Again (2013)

Begin Again is filled with good music.  Keira Knightley's singing voice is surprisingly pleasant.   Her singing is notably better than Adam Levine's acting.  Mark Ruffalo, as always is phenomenal.  The two leads have excellent chemistry.

However, the star of the film is definitely the music.  Gregg Alexander, John Carney and Glen Hansard have composed a solid soundtrack.  The song Lost Stars is sure to be a front runner for Best Song at the Oscars.  Carney is known for making movies about music, and he succeeds at integrating the songs into the plot.  The film must be compared to Once, and the fact of the matter is that Once is a better movie.  Begin Again seems to lack the emotional depth and the authenticity that Once has.

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)

Interstellar (2014)

Christopher Nolan makes some really special movies.  The unique ideas that he comes up with are always thrilling, mind blowing and thought provoking.  This is no exception.

Interstellar presents some really ambitious, out-there science fiction (in science fiction, you just have to roll with it).  Granted, some of the ideas are unbelievable, especially as you get further into the movie, but I feel like I followed it up to the last 20 minutes or so.  Without giving too much away, the story falls apart a bit at the conclusion.  Nonetheless, the film triumphs at integrating powerfully emotional scenes and human drama with a confusing and complex plot.  

On the creativity front, I was most impressed by the conception of the planets that they visit.  It's hard for us to imagine what the environment of other planets might be like, and Nolan shows us two interesting, well conceived theoretical planets.  The robots are not anthropomorphic, rather they are made up of four bars, that can arrange into different useful formations.  Perhaps the wackiest creative freedoms were taken in the physical representation of higher dimensions.

The visuals are stunning and are especially incredible in the IMAX 70mm format.  The visual effects, especially when in the emptiness of space, or in the unreal environments of the planets, or looking in a black hole or a worm hole, are breathtaking.

Hans Zimmer, as always, has composed a magnificently fitting score for the film.  With the backdrop of empty space, or the varied environments of the different planets, or the expansive corn fields on Earth marred by dust storms, Zimmer's score adapts and shines.

Interstellar features a star-studded cast, from frequent Nolan collaborator Michael Caine, to Hollywood's current it-man Matthew McConaughey.  McConaughey's character and dialogue resemble the soft philosophical ramblings that we've come to know him for in the Lincoln ads and True Detective. Anne Hathaway is also excellent, though she has way too much makeup for someone going to lonely outer space.  I appreciated the casting of Mackenzie Foy as a young Jessica Chastain.  The resemblance is uncanny and Foy proved to be a very capable young actress.

In summary, despite some problems with the plot and the science, Interstellar is a solid film that truly embodies the magic of the movies, featuring imagination, spectacle, and pure entertainment.

The Theory of Everything (2014)

The most memorable part of this movie is the incredible performances from the two leads, Eddie Redmayne and Felicity Jones.  Everyone will refer to this as the Stephen Hawking biopic, but do not forget that the screenplay is adapted from Jane Wilde Hawking's autobiography.  Stephen Hawking's ex-wife is just as important and Felicity Jones holds her own.  She plays a strong woman under a lot of pressure tasked with caring for not only her children but her husband requiring all of her attention.  Redmayne transforms into Stephen Hawking, and as his health deteriorates, his speech becomes more difficult to understand.  Eventually, he becomes mute but still communicates his feelings to the audience.  He walks crookedly (which is not easy for a mobile person) up till the point that he requires the aid of a wheelchair. And in the wheelchair, he convincingly plays a man who has lived with ALS for decades.

The adaptation does a good job of explaining the scientific theories to a general audience.  These are not easy concepts, and Stephen Hawking understood that.  His magnum opus "A Brief History of Time" made his ideas accessible for an audience without a scientific background.  The movie has some really beautiful scenes thanks to superb cinematography.   Footage from the early years appears as authentic as possible.   Complementing the cinematography is a lovely score.  Altogether, a tremendous movie.