Cult of Love (2024) (Broadway)

I had no expectations for Cult of Love, a stressful Christmas eve family drama. I had no idea what it was about. I got this ticket on Culture Pass simply because I saw Shailene Woodley and Zachary Quinto were in it. Little did I know the rest of the cast were also very good and some recognizable: Mare Winningham, David Rasche from Succession, and Barbie Ferreira from Euphoria. And I was very pleasantly surprised at the very engaging play that also features a number of songs, Christmas carols sung by the cast in four-part harmony as well as played on instruments played on stage by the actors (banjo, drums, piano, tambourine, etc.). The cast are not all known for singing but they sing valiantly in harmony. They're a convincing dysfunctional family who learned to sing as kids in church. The plot unfolds slowly and deliberately, secrets withheld until they're released at a time to land most dramatically on the audience. There are themes of mental illness, religiosity, drug addiction, bigotry and family. It deals with heavy themes with some levity.The playwright Leslye Headland has written a cycle of plays about the Seven Deadly Sins; this one is about pride. I don't think it's obvious, not necessarily the most prominent theme. But pride in a religious sense is about putting oneself above God. And I guess they all kind of do that, not least the would-be prophet. But I think in another sense, the four children have a pride represented by a burden they feel to their family; and they each feel like they must be the bigger person to take it upon themselves because the other kids are negligent. It's not exactly pride but it blinds them nonetheless from having relationships with their siblings. And we have to mention the casting of Shailene Woodley, the biggest star in the cast, who has a reputation that precedes her that she kind of leans into by playing this character. She is a would-be cult leader who is mentally ill but presents as an ultra-religious nutjob who is compelled to say awful things to her family. They're stunning zingers that either silence the audience or induce audible gasps. But don't we love to be shocked. 

High Flying Bird (2019)

Steven Soderbergh's latest experimentation with iPhone filmography is excellent fun. It makes you think anyone can make a movie, but he has a special vision. You don't realize it, but it's a heist movie disguised as a sports movie. It's a basketball movie that takes place during a lockout. And this is all about the politics of the game, the game on top of the game, if you will. The message is overt and searing, delivered with smart writing and great acting.

Snowden (2016)

Edward Snowden's saga has been well documented, thanks to the efforts of Snowden himself. It will be redone many times. It's an enthralling tale. I don't think any account will match up to Citizenfour. But this dramatization does an excellent job of painting Snowden as a patriot. Having seen all these different accounts over the last several years, I've gone back and forth on the issue. I constantly ask myself, would I be able to work for the NSA, or for the intelligence community generally? And I honestly have not arrived at an answer yet. I am really unsure about how I feel about the NSA's questionable efforts to enhance our safety. This film actually had the opposite effect of what I imagine was intended. It gives the impression that Snowden did the right thing and it did that. But I actually felt more inclined to join the intelligence community. It looked like they were doing important, cutting edge work. Some methods are better than others, but on the whole it is positive. Even if their morals are debatable, Stone does not undercut the work that the NSA does, in my view (though he might've been trying to). And although he disagrees with their methods, we know that Snowden has always maintained that it was for the public to decide, they simply had the right to know and make an educated decision. He's a humble bragger--that certainly comes across. Well done, JGL.

Star Trek Beyond (2016)

It was not as mind-blowing as the two previous installments of the reboot, but this is still a very good effort. JJ Abrams can do no wrong. The writing was excellent. It was quite humorous (thanks to Simon Pegg) and also really complex. Being a student of international relations, I have been taking Theories of International Relations. And the plot of this film is essentially the classical debate between realism and liberalism. Of course, the Federation is an interplanetary institution meant to reduce conflict between planets. They are the liberals. That interplanetary organization (and the intricate leadership structure of each starship) is my favorite part of Star Trek. And Idris Elba is the realist. He believes that power is everything. The Federation doesn't work. What's more realist than that?  Spoiler alert: the liberal galactic order wins.