The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (2015)

The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel is not as good as the first, a little less charming. The first was a pleasant surprise that did well with an ensemble cast of older British actors, meriting a sequel.  The premise of the movie mirrors the success of the franchise; having done well with the first hotel, they are seeking to build a second hotel.  The focus is less on the exotic nature of India than it is on the new lives these retirees are building for themselves, complete with jobs and new love interests.  There is a detour in Mumbai, giving the audience a change of scenery from Jaipur, but we see little of the majesty of Mumbai.  The movie is really more character driven than the first, which is why it loses some of its charm.  With characters as old as these, death looms over the hotel, with constant reminders that time is limited.  Naturally, the best part of the movie, as with most Indian-themed movies, is the dancing scene towards the end.  Indian music and dance is so much fun to watch, especially Richard Gere trying to do Bollywood.    

Chris Tucker Live (2015)

Chris Tucker works sparingly.  He is known for his role as Agent Carter in the Rush Hour trilogy, because he made so much money from this franchise that he has not had to make many more movies. To his Netflix stand-up special, he brings the same flair.  He relies heavily on physical comedy and voices, portraying all involved parties.  The best part of his routine is a long bit doing a Michael Jackson impression.  But he also does vocal impressions of people we don't know, his family members. His stories are personal.  In Chris Tucker fashion, he does lots of high-pitched yelling (which can be attributed to the large size of the room, but is more likely just his style). Overall, there are some very funny bits, but the routine is way too long. The running time is about 90 minutes, which included too many unfunny bits.

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time (Broadway) (2014)

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time is the most innovative play since War Horse. Based on the book by the same name that was long-listed for the prestigious Booker Prize, this play takes us inside the mind of a fifteen-year-old autistic savant named Christopher.  The book is told in the first person perspective in a diary of sorts, putting the reader in Christopher's shoes. The play cleverly gets around this, by casting his teacher as a narrator, reading directly from the source material as a play within a play.  Notably, the book chapters are numbered by prime numbers, and so this is integrated in the audience; prime numbered seats have a surprise envelope that got us a free pin.  

Another feature of the book is several diagrams and drawings, which appear on stage.  The stage has a back panel, two side panels, and a floor panel, each of which contain many LED lights and projections.  They are also blackboards, and Christopher draws on them in chalk, and these drawings magically replicate on the other walls so everyone can see no matter where you're sitting.  In a stirring scene, Christopher is overwhelmed by all the stimuli at the train station, and the audience is equally overwhelmed seeing all the lights and signs that Christopher sees, including the ones that he envisions.  This multimedia experience is incredible to behold.  The play very rightfully was awarded Tonys for lighting and scenic design.  The lights partition off houses and rooms in different colors aligned on the grid of LEDs.  And bright compartments appear in the walls housing a train set that Christopher assembles in parts in Act I building up to a climax.     

Alex Sharp plays the young Christopher, and he too is very young at 26.  Fresh out of Julliard, this is notably his first professional role, and he kills it.  He beat Bradley Cooper in Elephant Man for the Tony. He is so deserving and I am glad they took a chance on a rookie.  He has so many lines, and Christopher talks very fast and yells and screams when he feels uncomfortable. Christopher is awkward in social situations, and that comes through in every scene.  The play, thanks largely to Sharp and a great script, evokes tears and laughs equally from the audience. Sharp also maneuvers some intricate choreography bouncing off the walls and spinning through crowds which competed against traditional dancing in musicals at the Tonys.  

Mel Brooks: Live at the Geffen (2015)

Mel Brooks is a legend with a legendary career that has spanned television, film and theater. Brooks is an EGOT, a true entertainer who has earned the industry's highest awards.  In this stand-up special, Brooks goes through some of the highlights of his life, does a few songs (that he wrote in the course of his illustrious career), and even does a Q&A with the audience. Admittedly, some of the questions seemed staged.  Brooks has a surprisingly good singing voice, and his songs have the same wit that he brings to the microphone.  Now I have to go watch his films.   

Tig (2015)

Tig Notaro is one of the funniest stand-up comedians today. Her self-titled documentary directed by her friend offers an intimate look at an infamous year for Tig.  She was hospitalized for C-Diff. Shortly thereafter, her mother died and she went through a break-up.  And to top it off, she was diagnosed with breast cancer.  And still, she did her regular-turned-legendary set at the Largo, and produced comedy gold out of tragedy.  This is a life-affirming documentary that proves the power of comedy that can make you both laugh and cry.  The Largo does not permit cameras, so Tig's set, now known as the album Live, is solely audio. The documentary cleverly flashes the transcript on the screen in different font sizes, making a visual art out of verbal art.  The documentary also features several snippets from Tig's appearances on late night talk shows, including Conan, which is where I first discovered Tig.  Praise to Netflix for featuring this comedienne who deserves her time in the spotlight.

7 Days in Hell (2015)

In the vein of This is Spinal Tap, this mockumentary details a legendary match at Wimbledon that never happened.  Kit Harrington and Andy Samberg (in a role that just screams Andy Samberg) play two rival tennis players in a ridiculous match that lasts for seven days.  The documentary features clips from the "match," a voice-of-God narrator, "home footage" and talking head interviews with tennis stars and comedians, like a real genuine documentary.  Andy Samberg plays the adopted brother of Venus and Serena Williams in a "reverse blindside"--that is the most brilliant moment in the whole short movie.  Overall, it is so funny because the premise of this match is so preposterous. So long as you don't question anything too much, it is quite enjoyable. And who knew Kit Harrington and all these athletes could do comedy?

Emmy Nominations 2015

Wow. So the Emmy nominations did a lot of things right, and also sprung a bunch of surprises (some good, some strange, some bad, as usual).  Game of Thrones leads the way with a whopping 24 nominations.  Now let's break down the notables by category:

Lead Actor in a Drama

Jon Hamm is still going for his first Emmy after seven previous nominations for playing Don Draper. Now for the final season of Mad Men, I think this will be his year. Missing from this category (and many others) is Empire's leading man Terrence Howard. So we ended up with no diversity here.

Lead Actress in a Drama

Tatiana Maslany has finally garnered some recognition for her roles in Orphan Black after years of internet protests.  But her inclusion meant Juliana Margulies was left out after another fantastic season of the Good Wife.  In any case, the race probably comes down to two new powerhouses in Taraji P. Henson for Empire's lone major nomination, and Viola Davis for How to Get Away with Murder.  Either would become the first African-American to win this award.

Lead Actor in a Comedy

This category features seven actors, and yet somehow excludes perennial favorite and reigning champ Jim Parsons from Big Bang Theory. Jeffrey Tambor leads the way in a highly unique role as a transgender father.  The surprise nominee here is Anthony Anderson for black-ish.

Lead Actress in a Comedy

Lisa Kudrow is back, making two former Friends with nominations (the other is Matt LeBlanc for Episodes). Lily Tomlin edged out her costar Jane Fonda for Grace and Frankie. And Amy Schumer rightfully broke through for her groundbreaking Inside Amy Schumer. This category features no diversity, leaving out noteworthy performances from Gina Rodriguez for Jane the Virgin, Tracy Ellis Ross for black-ish, and Constance Wu for Fresh Off the Boat.  And though the Emmys showed her show Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt some love, Ellie Kemper did not pick up a nomination.

Lead Actor/Actress in a Limited Series or Movie

No huge surprises here. But a big kudos to Emma Thompson for earning a nomination for her role in the New York Philharmonic's production of Sweeney Todd, broadcast on Live From Lincoln Center. I didn't even know she qualified for the category. 

Supporting Actor/Actress in a Drama

Downton Abbey picks up two nominations, but none for the Dowager Countess Maggie Smith. Game of Thrones earns three nominations, much deserved for Peter Dinklage and Lena Headey, but none for crowd favorite Kit Harrington's Jon Snow. The Good Wife got two acting nominations as consolation, but none for Matt Czuchry, who is just as good as Alan Cumming.  Orange is the New Black gets just one nomination, now that the actresses are competing in the supporting category instead of the guest category. And for Mad Men's final season, Jon Slattery misses out, but Christina Hendricks gets her due.

Supporting Actor/Actress in a Comedy

You can tell love for Modern Family is waning because it only got two acting nominations here for Ty Burrell and Julie Bowen. Keegan-Michael Key broke through for his sketch comedy Key & Peele, taking the slot that I thought might go to Fred Armisen for another sketch comedy Portlandia. Nominations for Tituss Burgess and Jane Krakowski kind of make up for the snub of Ellie Kemper for Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt.  The actress category has a whopping 8 nominees, including surprise nominee Niecy Nash for Getting On. Kate McKinnon is representing for SNL.  

Guest Actor/Actress in a Drama

The Good Wife gets just one nomination for Michael J. Fox, leaving the likes of David Hyde Pierce, Carrie Preston, Dylan Baker, Ed Asner, and Oliver Platt. Honestly, they could've filled the whole category with just actors from The Good Wife. Robert Morse failed to earn a nomination for Mad Men's final season.  Cicely Tyson is nominated for How To Get Away With Murder a day after it was announced she would be receiving a Kennedy Center Honor. Allison Janney for Masters of Sex proves her capabilities with acting nominations in drama and comedy.

Guest Actor/Actress in a Comedy

Two SNL hosts Bill Hader and Louis CK earned nominations. Christine Baranski for The Big Bang Theory and Jon Hamm for Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt earn second nominations in comedy to go with their drama nominations. Comedy legend Mel Brooks is nominated for The Comedians. 

Outstanding Reality Competition/Host

Again, Survivor and Jeff Probst are inexplicably left in the dark. 

Outstanding Variety Talk Show

This is a huge category. All the nominees are heavyweights, and it even left out some very deserving shows like Conan and Real Time with Bill Maher and The Late Late Show with James Corden. Last Week Tonight with John Oliver broke into the category with a phenomenal and important first season.  David Letterman is nominated for his final season after a storied career, and could even beat Comedy Central stalwarts Stephen Colbert and Jon Stewart both also ending their runs.

Outstanding Variety Sketch Show

This was a much needed addition to the crowded Variety category. Now deserving shows Key & Peele, Portlandia, and Inside Amy Schumer join the ranks alongside SNL coming off of its 40th season.

Outstanding Limited Series or Movie

Neither of these categories are very surprising, and compared to the quality of TV series these days, these categories are a little disappointing. The critically panned Grace of Monaco even earned a nomination for Lifetime. And what about 24: Live Another Day?

Outstanding Comedy

Modern Family is going for a history-making six-peat, but it earned considerably less love this year than in previous years, landing just two acting nominations and no writing or directing nominations (not even for the episode entirely on Claire's laptop). Parks and Recreation picked up Big Bang Theory's slot for its final season.  Tina Fey returns to the category with her hilarious Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt. And streaming service Amazon joined the ranks of Netflix, earning a nomination (and maybe even a win) for Transparent.

Outstanding Drama

Orange is the New Black successfully made the changeover to the drama side, giving Netflix 2 of the 7 nominations.  The Emmys continues its infatuation with Downton Abbey, otherwise leaving the networks with nothing. Even the highest rated drama Empire could not break into the category. The Good Wife is snubbed again.  And Vince Gilligan's Better Call Saul picks up where Breaking Bad left off.

The Rape of Europa (2006)

The Rape of Europa is an engaging documentary that unfolds like a drama. It was very interesting to watch after having seen The Woman in Gold and The Monuments Men.  But the story about Klimt's Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer is only a small part of the film.  The film is very comprehensive, spanning from before WWII to the present day, and covering many different perspectives--American, German, Italian, Russian, French, Polish, etc.  As a consequence, the film features interviewees speaking all different languages.  Aside from an interesting look at history, the film affirms the importance of art and culture to our humanity.  It explains and rationalizes the painstaking care taken to preserve Europe's treasures amidst a deadly war characterized by destructive firebombs. And it praises the efforts of those lovers of art who protected these cultural icons so we could continue to admire them today.

Spy (2015)

Melissa McCarthy is in fine form in her latest film after a string of subpar films. Her performance reminds us why she is an Emmy winner and Oscar nominee.  She is self deprecating and fully adept at physical comedy.  A spoof on the classic 007-type spy movies, Spy is raucously funny. The audience is constantly reminded that McCarthy does not look like your stereotypical secret agent, and in actuality that is to her benefit as an undercover spy.  McCarthy's performance is only one in a movie full of excellent performances.  Jason Statham turns up his intensity factor to play a satirical version of himself.  British comedian Miranda Hart is hilarious as is Rose Byrne, who puts on a pretentious British accent to play a villain. This is a solid, worthwhile comedy.

The Mentalist (2008-15)

I stuck with The Mentalist for seven years, but there were several times I thought about giving up on the show.  But whenever that thought entered my mind, I would watch a really good episode that would convince me to stay.  Perhaps that is just the procedural format.  When there are such long seasons, there are bound to be less interesting filler episodes.

Simon Baker's Patrick Jane single-handedly made this show worth sticking around for. Jane uses his powers of observation and sleight of hand as a "psychic" to consult for the California Bureau of Investigation.  What ensues is a brilliantly devised plan to catch the baddie.  This is what distinguished the show from typical crime procedurals.  Baker is calm under pressure, speaking softly, and operating at the beat of his own drum.  Baker is an excellent actor who has really emerged into his own with this show. Baker received an Emmy nomination for the first season.

The story revolves around Baker's pursuit of serial killer Red John, introduced in the pilot.  What I will remember most is being afraid of Red John's creepy blood-drawn smiley face. The chase lasts six seasons, and the series should have ended there.  It was a satisfying end to a long battle, but CBS kept going.  Don't get me wrong; the rest of the series was not bad, the quality was kept up to the same standard.  However, for the sake of closure and storytelling, it should have ended there.  In the final season and a half, we went through a cast change and venue change that could have otherwise been avoided.

On another note, coincidentally the series ended with one of my favorite songs: "September" by Earth, Wind and Fire.

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000)

This Chinese classic is one of the best martial arts films I have ever seen.  The choreography is complex, fast-paced and mesmerizing. Action choreographer Yuen Wo Ping is returning to direct the sequel.  It is very impressive that these actors do their own fighting sequences.  Attached to invisible strings, the actors fly through the air in fantastical chase sequences.  Consider this film an introduction for the western world to the Chinese wuxia genre, which follows the adventures of heroic martial artists in ancient China. And a good one at that, mostly free from the cheesiness that westerners might perceive from Asian films. As an introduction to China, the film does an unusual tour of the vast country, from the well-known regal courtyards of Beijing to the lesser-known barren deserts of China's western region, to the majestic temples of the mountains straight from a painting.

The story is not particularly unique, but it is engaging and under Ang Lee's direction, the story is told beautifully.  Lee creates a grand fantastical world full of wonder, supported by very likable characters in Chow Yun-fat and Michelle Yeoh.  Tan Dun takes traditional Chinese sound and gives it searing melodies and a driving force in Yo-Yo Ma's beautiful cello solos.  Altogether, Lee strikes a perfect balance between action, emotion, beauty and substance.