MM Theater, Film, & Dining Blog

Cate Blanchett gives a strong performance in the title role of Gillian Armstrong's romantic World War II drama Charlotte Gray, as a Scottish woman who joins the French Resistance.

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Studio Theatre's production of Athol Fugard's My Children! My Africa! starts out at full volume, and continually builds in intensity. It has been extended several weeks due to its popularity. Yet I am of the minority of those who I did not like this play.

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Part of the Black Restaurant Group, Addie's successfully blends New American cuisine, an eclectic atmosphere, a multitude of outdoor dining options, and good service for a very satisfying dining experience.

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Director Bill Paxton pulls out all the stops in this period golf drama, based on the true story of the 1913 U.S. Open, a battle between 20-year old amateur Francis Ouimet and 1900 U.S. Open Champion, Englishman Harry Vardon. This is a wonderful film for golf enthusiasts, but you don't have to love golf to love the film.

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Yes, camels really do weep. I wouldn't have believed it either. Set in Mongolia's Gobi region, the film portrays a group of nomadic camel herders attempting to reunite a rare white Bactrian camel calf with its mother, after being rejected by the mother due to a difficult delivery.

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The Game Plan is formula Disney all the way. But hey, why not? It's a formula for success!

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When asked why I prefer theater over movies, my usual response is that there is magic in a theatrical experience which just cannot be achieved in a film. Disney's The Lion King directed by the very talented Julie Taymor is just such a magical experience! Yes, the film was wonderful. But the theatrical experience is beyond description.

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Well, well, well. Probably the best way to describe Lisa Kron's Well is as a theatrical experience, unlike any other. It begins as an autobiographical work -- vignettes from Lisa's life, punctuated by Lisa's monologues which border on stand-up comedy. Then chaos ensues and things slowly deteriorate as Lisa's mother keeps butting in with her own commentary, a character who wasn't written into the play keeps popping up out of nowhere and derailing the action, and the actors themselves take matters into their own hands.

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Ernest J. Gaines' 1993 novel, A Lesson Before Dying, is being dubbed a "modern classic". Though this may sound like a contradiction in terms, Romulus Linney's adaptation certainly does address some very classic themes in a contemporary manner, which makes for a compelling evening of theater.

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