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Sly Wit

~ Random musings on all things cultural

Sly Wit

Tag Archives: Adaptations

What Is Your Capitalist Trauma? The Year in Film, Part 2

12 Sunday Jan 2020

Posted by Sly Wit in Film

≈ 4 Comments

Tags

Adaptations, Awards

Choi Woo-shik, Song Kang-ho, Chang Hyae-jin, and Park So-dam as the Kim family in Gisaengchung (Parasite)

If there is one thing that characterized many of the best films of 2019, it was their questioning of the economic and social status quo. While I don’t think it was as good a film year as the last few have been, I saw plenty of great films and there remain a few unseen works that I am keenly interested in.

Top Ten 2019 Films (So Far*)
Gisaengchung (Parasite)
Hustlers
The Farewell
Little Women
Transit
Uncut Gems
The Souvenir
Dolemite Is My Name
Knives Out
1917

Best Film Seen in a Theater: Gisaengchung (Parasite) by Bong Joon-ho. Much like Annihilation, which took this spot last year, I couldn’t stop thinking about this one for a long time after I saw it. It was funny, thought-provoking, unsettling, and even terrifying at times, and built to one of the best final acts I’ve seen since, well, Annihilation. And the production design, my god, the production design. Fantastic.

Best Theater Experience: Hustlers by Lorene Scafaria. This was just such a great movie to see with a crowd. In fact, I enjoyed it in the theater so much I thought I might have rated it too highly after my first viewing and rewatched it on the plane over the holidays to see if I needed to move it down on my list. Readers, I moved it up. It is really the complete package and it simply boggles my mind that this hasn’t been a bigger part of the Oscars conversation.

Jennifer Lopez in Hustlers

Best “Personal” Film (tie): The Farewell by Lulu Wang and The Souvenir by Joanna Hogg. There is no doubt in my mind that if these films were made by men they would be up for all the awards. Just look at Marriage Story. But, beyond the stories that these films are telling, the visuals in both represent strong directorial statements that deserve to be recognized.

Most Shocking Ending: Uncut Gems by Ben and Joshua Safdie. I’ve read some people didn’t like this ending but I don’t know why. Sure, it was shocking, but also inevitable? I just can’t imagine how else you would end it. There were a few directorial decisions and plot points that threw me out of the story, but overall I really liked this tension-filled movie. If you liked Good Time, I’m pretty sure you’ll like this.

Best Adaptation: Little Women by Greta Gerwig. I am not one of those women who adore this novel. In fact, just this year I turned off the George Cukor version halfway through because I was so bored. (I eventually went back to it, but it still gets no love from me.) However, by using the writings of Alcott alongside the novel to make a sly meta-version, Gerwig managed to make a Little Women I not only cared about, but thoroughly enjoyed. While I have some quibbles with her direction, I would be more than thrilled if she took home an Oscar for her script.

Saoirse Ronan in Little Women

Best Adaptation (runner-up): Transit by Christian Petzold. While I didn’t like this as much as Petzold’s Phoenix, this adaptation of a 1942 novel about the German invasion of France reset to something close to modern day was an extremely creative look at the bureaucracy of borders and the plight of refugees. It also happened to be superbly acted. A Casablanca for our times.

Most Impressive Visuals: 1917 by Sam Mendes. I thought the whole “made to look like one shot” thing was going to be distracting, but it really wasn’t except for a few times where I was like “How the hell did they do that?!?” Just give Deakins his award now. Bonus: the movie is actually very good overall.

Most Improved on Rewatch: The Souvenir by Joanna Hogg. I didn’t really like The Souvenir the first time I saw it, I mean, at all. I hated the main character and I hated the pacing. I just couldn’t connect with it. On second viewing, I paid more attention and began to see what Hogg was doing and to appreciate the nuance and subtlety I had missed the first time around.

Most Fun to Watch (tie): Dolemite Is My Name by Craig Brewer and Knives Out by Rian Johnson. I mean, come on, Dolemite is really just a feel-good sports movie by another name and Knives Out is an Agatha Christie mystery for our time, what’s not to love?

Eddie Murphy in Dolemite Is My Name

The Next Ten 2019 Films (So Far*)
Booksmart
The Standoff at Sparrow Creek
The Peanut Butter Falcon
The Irishman
A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood
Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
John Wick 3: Parabellum
Jojo Rabbit
Be Natural: The Untold Story of Alice Guy-Blaché
Fast Color

Gugu Mbatha-Raw in Fast Color

And now, the awards!

Standout Performance (Female): Lupita Nyong’o in Us

Standout Performance (Female) (runner-up): Awkwafina in The Farewell

Standout Performance (Male): Franz Rogowski in Transit

Standout Performance (Male) (runner-up): Adam Sandler in Uncut Gems

Standout Performance (Tween): Roman Griffin Davis in Jojo Rabbit

Best Supporting Performance (Female): Florence Pugh in Little Women

Best Supporting Performance (Male): Joe Pesci in The Irishman

Best Ensemble: Gisaengchung (Parasite)

Best Ensemble (runner-up): Knives Out

Best Debut: Zack Gottsagen in The Peanut Butter Falcon

Favorite Scene: Ramona’s entrance in Hustlers

Best Scene Stealer: Billie Lourd in Booksmart

Most Heartwarming: The Peanut Butter Falcon

Looking for a better life in The Peanut Butter Falcon

Best Documentary: Be Natural: The Untold Story of Alice Guy-Blaché

Most Relevant Premise: Transit

Most Existential Ennui (aka Frenchiest): High Life

The Rupert Giles Award (aka Mathiest): Uncut Gems

Best Would-Be Double Feature: Les Gardiennes (1918) and 1917 (2019)

“Every Frame a Painting” Award for Special Achievement in Cinematography: 1917

Dean-Charles Chapman and George MacKay in 1917

Most “Out There”: High Life

Most “Out” There: Rocketman

Best Romantic Comedy: Long Shot

Best Franchise Film: John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum

Best Action Sequences: John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum

Most Overrated: Joker. Okay, this is really only overrated by some people since critics didn’t like it very much at all. But those people are vocal. Very, very vocal. And extremely sensitive to criticism it turns out.

Most Underrated: Wine Country. I watched this on Netflix over the holidays in a rush to make good on my #52FilmsByWomen pledge. I had low expectations based on the fact that no one seemed to be talking about it when it came out, but I have to admit I laughed throughout.

Better Than Reviews Would Imply: The Kitchen. Critics hated this female take on the New York mafia that admittedly struggles to find the right tone, but I found it thoroughly entertaining.

Melissa McCarthy and Elizabeth Moss in The Kitchen

Biggest Disappointment: The Lighthouse. After really liking The VVitch—apart from the ending which basically ruined the movie for me—I had high hopes for this one. I mean, it takes place entirely at a remote lighthouse so it seemed tailor-made for me; however, it was not. It was everything I didn’t like about The VVitch writ large.

Biggest Surprise: The Standoff at Sparrow Creek. I saw this taut thriller on the recommendation of @Schofizzy and it blew me away. It’s the feature debut of Henry Dunham and I can’t wait to see what he does next.

Most Effective Trailer: John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum

Most Effective Trailer (runner-up): Once Upon a Time in Hollywood

Best Sense of Place: The Last Black Man in San Francisco

Best Sense of Place (runner-up): Once Upon a Time in Hollywood

Best Use of a Song (tie): “Criminal” in Hustlers and “San Francisco (Be Sure to Wear Flowers in Your Hair)” in The Last Black Man in San Francisco

Most Coveted Outfits: Downton Abbey

Most Coveted House: Knives Out

Most Coveted House (runner-up): The Last Black Man in San Francisco

Jimmie Fails in The Last Black Man in San Francisco

Three 2019 Movies I Can’t Recommend
Under the Silver Lake
Maleficent: Mistress of Evil
The Lion King

Ten 2019 Movies I Haven’t Yet Seen But Want To
American Factory
Atlantics
Ford v Ferrari
Her Smell
Marriage Story
Les Misérables
Monos
The Nightingale
Pain and Glory
Portrait of a Lady on Fire

What are your favorite movies of 2019? What did I miss that I absolutely must see? Let me know in the comments.

For thoughts on the 330 or so pre-2019 films I watched last year, see I Wake Up Streaming.

*The 2019 movies I have seen to date are: Ad Astra, Always Be My Maybe, Apollo 11, Avengers: Endgame, Be Natural: The Untold Story of Alice Guy-Blaché, A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood, Blinded by the Light, Booksmart, Captain Marvel, Carmilla, Dolemite Is My Name, Downton Abbey, The Farewell, Fast Color, Gisaengchung (Parasite), High Life, Hustlers, The Inventor: Out For Blood in Silicon Valley, The Irishman, John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum, JoJo Rabbit, Joker, The Kitchen, Knives Out, Knock Down the House, The Last Black Man in San Francisco, The Lighthouse, The Lion King, Little Women, Little Woods, Long Shot, Maleficent: Mistress of Evil, 1917, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, The Peanut Butter Falcon, Rocketman, The Souvenir, The Standoff at Sparrow Creek, Transit, Uncut Gems, Under the Silver Lake, Us, La Verité (The Truth), Wine Country

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Opera 101—(Don’t) Kiss the Girl

30 Sunday Jun 2019

Posted by Sly Wit in Music, Opera

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Tags

Adaptations, Opera

There you see her
Sitting there across the way
She don’t got a lot to say
But there’s something about her
And you don’t know why
But you’re dying to try
You wanna kiss girl

—Howard Ashman, “Kiss the Girl”

The Prince tries to have his cake and eat it too and gets his just deserts in Rusalka. Photo by Cory Weaver.

Antonín Dvořák, Rusalka (1901)
Based on: the fairy tales of Karel Jaromír Erben and Božena Němcová
Setting: Once upon a time in the land of nymphs and goblins

Plot in 101 words or less: Water nymph Rusalka moons about a Prince who moons around her lake. Her father warns that water and earth signs are ultimately incompatible but sends her to witch Ježibaba anyway. Mixed messages, dad! Ježibaba says no take-backsies on her potions but Rusalka is like cool, cool, cool, hit me. And we’re off to the castle for below-stairs gossiping! The fickle Prince likes Rusalka okay but quickly ditches her for some rando Foreign Princess, screaming, “I’ll vote for a woman, just not that woman!” He lives to regret this but only long enough to get the kiss of death from now-will-o’-the-wisp Rusalka.

Sung in: Czech
Memorable Music: “Měsíčku na nebi hlubokém” (“Song to the Moon”)

Do you think the Prince is a hunter? The darkly predatory ballroom in Rusalka. Photo by Cory Weaver.

Upon leaving the first performance of Rusalka that I attended at San Francisco Opera on June 25, I immediately thought to myself, “When does the box office open tomorrow? Because I need to see this again.” Yes, folks, it was that good. Luckily, because I hadn’t yet used either of my subscription upgrades and I was going solo, I was able to score a premium orchestra seat on the closing night for next to nothing. I also bought a second balcony ticket for Orlando because why not? I’m starting to see multiple productions in a run. What is this world coming to?

My love for Rusalka is somewhat odd because, frankly, the libretto is sort of a mess. Things don’t really make a lot of sense. Why does becoming human mean she loses her voice? What’s in it for Ježibaba exactly? Where and why does the “white doe” come in to things? Where does this foreign princess come from? (She is not the witch in disguise as in the Disney version.) Why does the princess spin on a dime and curse the prince? Why does the prince suddenly become “sick”? (Hmm, maybe the princess is supposed to be the witch.) I know it’s opera, but there are limits.

What is going on here? Who the hell knows? But it was beautiful to watch and listen to. Photo by Cory Weaver.

In any case, plot holes and loose ends aside, this production was stunning (Production: David McVicar). A real foresty-looking forest. A gorgeous ballroom. A workhorse of a kitchen. Lovely foreground and background elements (Set Designer: John Macfarlane). Exquisite costumes (Costume Designer: Moritz Junge). Beautiful music, with a superb conductor at the podium in Eun Sun Kim, who was making her San Francisco debut. [Side note: More of her in future seasons, please.] Even the bit of ballet in the castle scene was well done and integrated into the whole—something I find is not often true at San Francisco Opera (Choreographer: Andrew George).

And the singing, my god, the singing.

Rachel Willis-Sørensen as Rusalka and Kristinn Sigmundsson as her father Vodník in Rusalka. Photo by Cory Weaver.

Soprano Rachel Willis-Sørensen (last seen in Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg) as Rusalka was a picture of frustrated love and emotional torment, though I sometimes found her movements a bit peculiar. Bass Kristinn Sigmundsson, who I loved in Der fliegende Holländer (The Flying Dutchman) seemed perfectly cast as water goblin Vodník, a grim but ultimately loving father. A highlight of the first act was mezzo-soprano Jamie Barton’s turn as Ježibaba, the witch. After being somewhat overshadowed by Sondra Radvanovsky in Roberto Devereux, it was nice to see her steal the show here.

Jamie Barton as Ježibaba administers her potion to Rachel Willis-Sørensen in Rusalka. Photo by Cory Weaver.

At the castle, tenor Brandon Jovanovich, who I love more and more each opera (Remember him from Susannah?), sang and acted beautifully to express the twists and turns of the crazy plot and the fickle nature of his Prince. In this he was aided and abetted by Sarah Cambidge’s all too brief appearance as the dastardly and world-wise Foreign Princess. And shout out to Laura Krumm, who played the Kitchen Boy with real flair.

Finally, the cavorting of the wood nymphs, led by Adler Fellows Natalie Image, Simone McIntosh, and Ashley Dixon was raucous, fun, and just a little bit sinister.

Adler Fellows Ashley Dixon, Natalie Image, and Simone McIntosh as raucous wood nymphs. Photo by Cory Weaver.

Truly, it was the dark fairy tale you imagine (and hope for) behind the Disney version.

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Jane Got Her Gun: The Year in Film, Part 2

31 Monday Dec 2018

Posted by Sly Wit in Film

≈ 6 Comments

Tags

Adaptations, Awards, French Cinema

Natalie Portman in Alex Garland’s Annihilation

After struggling to come up with a top ten list in 2015, I had thought that both 2016 and 2017 were very good cinema years. But I never would have predicted they would be so trounced by 2018. Not only did I have no trouble coming up with a top ten, but there are a further eighteen films at the bottom of this post that I still want to see, many of which could easily be “top ten” material from what I’ve heard about them.

What’s more, it was a great year for the normalization of the film landscape. What do I mean by that? Well, seeing a broader range of characters and experiences up on the screen for one. You know, like the world we actually live in? More blockbusters and critical darlings than ever before seem to be centered on women and/or people of color, and, while there is still a long way to go, especially behind the scenes of film production, this is a significant step. I hope the trend continues—mainly because it makes for better stories.

In short, boys, I hope you are finally ready to accept that you are not the universal human experience you think you are.

Top Ten 2018 Films (So Far*)
Annihilation
Leave No Trace
A Star Is Born
First Reformed
BlacKkKlansman
You Were Never Really Here
Paddington 2
Revenge
Roma
Eighth Grade

Best Film Seen in a Theater: Annihilation by Alex Garland. I couldn’t stop thinking about this one for a long time after I saw it. It even got me to watch Stalker, as noted in Be Kind, Please Rewind: The Year in Film, Part 1. I like to say I’m not a huge science fiction person, but then I also loved Arrival so maybe I need to stop saying that. This film was gorgeous, thought-provoking, unsettling and even terrifying at times, and built to one of the best final acts I’ve seen in some time. And the sound design, my god, the sound design. Fantastic.

Natalie Portman in Alex Garland’s Annihilation

Best Theater Experience: A Star Is Born by Bradley Cooper. It is hard to beat the theater experience of seeing this film at the Dolby Laboratories theater with a post-screening interview of Bradley Cooper by Metallica’s Lars Ulrich. So much of this movie is the music that it was thrilling to see it in a theater with such fantastic sound. But even if that hadn’t been the case, I think I would have loved this film. The story is pure movie magic, the camerawork was extremely effective in making you feel you were on stage, and the performances were rock solid. Now that I have seen the three previous versions, I think Cooper did an excellent job in bringing the story up to date.

Best Remake That’s Not a Remake: First Reformed by Paul Schrader. After coming home from the theater following a screening of First Reformed, the Math Greek immediately suggested watching Winter Light by Ingmar Bergman. I thought this was because he is often trying (unsuccessfully) to get me to watch Bergman, but actually it was because the basic plot of First Reformed is so similar. Like, really, really, similar. Not that I have a problem with that, rather, I find it fascinating how we can interpret and appreciate similar material differently in different eras and at different times of our lives. Despite any similarity to previous works, this film (and Ethan Hawke’s exceptional performance) stands on its own. In fact, First Reformed would probably be ranked number one on my list above were it not for the “fantasy” sequence in the middle. If you’ve seen it, you know the one. I hated that scene.

Best Film by a Female Director: Leave No Trace by Debra Granik. This film was simply a stunning achievement for a director whose last feature (Winter’s Bone) was released eight years ago and nominated for four Academy Awards, including Best Picture, but somehow wasn’t flooded with offers to direct something else. Hmm, I wonder why that is? [Side note: I don’t actually wonder.] Not many directors could pull off such a “quiet” film—the script, performances, sound, and editing have to be pitch perfect to make something like this work. Granik makes it look easy. If she is not up for Best Director this year, it will tell you everything you need to know about how little progress Hollywood has made.

Most Shocking Ending (tie): BlacKkKlansman by Spike Lee and A Star Is Born. I normally hate spoilers of any kind, but in the case of BlacKkKlansman, I wish I had been warned of what was to come. In fact, I’m still not sure how I feel about that particular directorial decision by Lee. It certainly had an effect, but I don’t think it was necessary. Which is sort of my main quibble with this excellent film—its message is quite clear without the obvious references and linkages to contemporary events scattered throughout. Trust your audience, Spike. As for A Star Is Born, I am so happy I wasn’t spoiled for where that was going, because, man, I did not see that coming at all. I know that many people see this film as having a split personality, and don’t like the second half, but that’s kind of baked in to the story, isn’t it? In any case, the second half is completely worth watching if only for that one look by Sam Elliott.

Laura Harrier and John David Washington in Spike Lee’s BlacKkKlansman

Most Improved on Rewatch: You Were Never Really Here by Lynne Ramsay. Mostly because I watched this at home with only half an eye and wasn’t that impressed, but when I actually focused on it the second time around was blown away. Because there is so much below the surface of this tale of a gun for hire (or hammer, as the case may be). A violent movie, but one that focuses on the results and impact of violence, rather than showing the violence itself. The trauma of abuse and military service are highlighted, but not presented as an excuse for Joe’s actions. Nor is he put on a pedestal for his “rescues” of young girls. Come to think of it, while they are very different films, this would make an excellent pairing with Leave No Trace.

Favorite Sequel: Paddington 2 by Paul King. I can’t tell you the number of people who have given me the “Really?” look when I recommend Paddington 2. Yes, I do like bears very much, but that is not the reason I love this film. Because there are so many other reasons to love it: the message, the visual design, the characters, the script—which is just straight up appealing and doesn’t resort to the “wink wink nudge nudge” common to many family films that try to appeal to adults. There’s a reason it is the only major release along with Leave No Trace to maintain a 100% critic score on Rotten Tomatoes. [Side note: For maximum impact, it does help if you have seen Paddington (2015), but luckily that is also an excellent film, so just make it a double feature when you’ve had a hard day.]

Most Squirm-Inducing Realism: Eighth Grade by Bo Burnham. I went to see this movie on a whim with my sister and niece and wasn’t quite sure what to expect. I mean, a movie about an eighth-grade girl made by a dude? A father-daughter relationship depicted by a dude without kids? Actually, I thought I knew what to expect, and that was the absolute worst. But instead I got this sensitive and insightful portrait of teen life in the age of social media, parenting at a difficult age, and dealing with social anxiety.  The accuracy of Burnham’s observations are cringe-worthy in the best way possible. His direction of Elsie Fisher’s YouTube videos alone is a remarkable achievement. And Fisher is a revelation.

Most Deceptively Ranked: Roma by Alfonso Cuarón. Roma seems to be headed to Oscar glory and it is well deserved to be sure. Its placement at number nine on my list is a true testament to what an incredible year it has been for films of all shapes and sizes. And again, with the number of films I have left to see, it may even fall off my top ten! Which is insane because this film is gorgeous. And the sound design is amazing as well, so if you have a chance to see it in a theater, you should really make the effort. It just didn’t hit me in the gut like some of the other films on my list, perhaps because I lacked the background to appreciate the nuances of some of the historical and cultural elements. But I will say that it is one of the few films I’ve seen to make me think about Latinxs as colonizers.

Most Underrated: Revenge by Coralie Fargeat. Revenge is surely the most controversial choice for inclusion in a top ten. In fact, it is a movie I myself avoided watching for some time because I really didn’t want to see yet another rape-as-plot-motivator on screen. I should have trusted the difference a female director makes. Fargeat turns the rape-revenge subgenre on its head to make for an incredibly satisfying action horror film. Yes, there were parts of this film that were hard for me to watch and it is not for the faint of heart, but the rape was not one of those parts. Plus, a bonus cameo for my little pink iPod nano!

Matilda Lutz in Coralie Fargeat’s Revenge

The Next Fifteen (So Far*)
Three Identical Strangers
The Rider
The Death of Stalin
The Miseducation of Cameron Post
A Simple Favor
Black Panther
The Oath
American Animals
Game Night
Won’t You Be My Neighbor?
Hearts Beat Loud
Crazy Rich Asians
Mission: Impossible – Fallout
The Ballad of Buster Scruggs
Shirkers

Rather than go into detail on each of these selections or any of the other 2018 films I have seen, let’s just get to the awards, shall we?

Standout Performance (Female): Helena Howard in Madeline’s Madeline

Standout Performance (Female) (runner-up): Blake Lively in A Simple Favor

Standout Performance (Male): Ethan Hawke in First Reformed

Standout Performance (Male) (runner-up): Joaquin Phoenix in You Were Never Really Here

Standout Performance (Teen) (tie): Elsie Fisher in Eighth Grade and Thomasin McKenzie in Leave No Trace

Best Supporting Performance (Female): Michelle Yeoh in Crazy Rich Asians

Best Supporting Performance (Male): Adam Driver in BlacKkKlansman

Best Supporting Performance (Male) (runner-up): Sam Elliott in A Star Is Born

Best Ensemble (drama): Annihilation

Best Ensemble (comedy): Game Night

Best Debut: Helena Howard in Madeline’s Madeline

Best Villain: Hugh Grant as Phoenix Buchanan in Paddington 2

Favorite Scene: Jackson and Ally singing “Shallow” on stage in A Star Is Born

Best Scene Stealer: Rachel McAdams in Game Night

Rachel McAdams in John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein’s Game Night

Best Documentary: Three Identical Strangers. There were a number of excellent documentaries put out this year, and the three in my top twenty-five have all made the Oscar shortlist, along with RBG, which I also saw and liked, but is more run-of-the-mill than the others. I watched Three Identical Strangers on a plane and found it fascinating. I didn’t know much about the story going into it, which is probably a good thing. An astonishing tale well told.

Best Documentary That’s Not a Documentary: The Rider. Director Chloé Zhao was already planning to make a movie with Brady Jandreau when he had the accident that inspired The Rider. While a complete fiction, the film stars Jandreau as a rodeo star whose accident prevents him from competing again on the circuit and his real-life father and sister play his father and sister. Rather than follow what might be a typical sports film trajectory of a road to recovery, this story instead tells a tale of survival, the hard choices we must sometimes make, and the family dynamics that may or may not help us along the way—all against the incredible backdrop of the South Dakota badlands. Despite his lack of acting experience, Jandreau is utterly compelling and I hope to see more of him in the future.

Best Documentary That’s Not a Documentary (runner-up): American Animals. This film uses a mix of interviews with the real protagonists of a rare-book heist interwoven with a fictional re-telling of that heist for an interesting look at memory, truth, and the consequences of one’s actions.

Most Heartwarming Documentary: Won’t You Be My Neighbor?

Most Heartwarming Fiction Film: Hearts Beat Loud

Hardest to Categorize: A Simple Favor. It’s a comedy! It’s a noir! It’s a thriller! It’s an ode to French pop! In short, I’m not quite sure what I saw, but I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Anna Kendrick in Paul Feig’s A Simple Favor

Best Use of French Pop: A Simple Favor

Most Existential Ennui (aka Frenchiest): Un beau soleil intérieur (Let the Sunshine In)

The Rupert Giles Award (aka Mathiest): A Wrinkle in Time

“Every Frame a Painting” Award for Special Achievement in Cinematography: The Ballad of Buster Scruggs

Best Would-Be Double Feature: The Snake Pit (1948) and Unsane. Unsane didn’t make it into my top ranks mostly because it hit so close to home with its horror: from the stalker, to the insurance fraud, to the fear of being trapped in a mental institution. But it did make me want to watch The Snake Pit again.

Most Relevant Premise: The Oath

Most “Out There”: Sorry to Bother You

Most “Out” There: The Miseducation of Cameron Post

Best Romantic Comedy: Crazy Rich Asians

Best Franchise Film: Black Panther

Best Action Sequences: Mission: Impossible – Fallout

Rebecca Ferguson in Christopher McQuarrie’s Mission: Impossible – Fallout

Most Overrated: Black Panther by Ryan Coogler. I liked Black Panther, and it is certainly one of the better Marvel movies, but I do not think it’s a “film” that should be competing for major Oscar categories. Especially this year.

Biggest Disappointment: The Sisters Brothers. I love westerns, I love Jacques Audiard, but, much like the book, this story just fell flat. I had really been hoping this would be one of those cases where the visual medium would make up for the book’s deficits.

Biggest Surprise: Never Goin’ Back. This movie just missed out on my top twenty-five. A raunchy comedy about two young down-on-their-luck waitresses who just want to get to the beach in Galveston. The characters aren’t particularly likable but they are somehow charming as hell.

Better Than Reviews Would Imply: Red Sparrow. I think people went into Red Sparrow thinking it was going to be more of a Mission: Impossible action film than the John Le Carré deliberate slow burn that it turned out to be. It has problematic elements to be sure, but I still found it entertaining.

Best Bear (three-way tie): Annihilation, Christopher Robin, and Paddington 2

Worst Abuse of Geography: Mission: Impossible – Fallout

Best Use of a Major U.S. Tourist Attraction: Lombard Street in Ant-Man and the Wasp

Most Coveted Outfits (tie): Cate Blanchett in Ocean’s 8 and Blake Lively in A Simple Favor

Best Backstabbing (tie): The Death of Stalin and Mary Queen of Scots

Saoirse Ronan in Josie Rourke’s Mary Queen of Scots

Most Effective Trailer: A Star Is Born

Top 18 2018 Movies I Haven’t Yet Seen But Want To
Blockers
Burning
Can You Ever Forgive Me?
Capernaum
Cold War
The Favourite
Hereditary
If Beale Street Could Talk
Minding the Gap
The Old Man and the Gun
Private Life
A Quiet Place
Shoplifters
Skate Kitchen
Support the Girls
Widows
Wildlife
Zama

Rachel Weisz in Yorgos Lanthimos’s The Favourite


A big thanks to some of my favorite film podcasts (Fighting in the War Room, Movie Geeks United, Movies Now and Then, and Top 5 Film) for calling my attention to many of these films, especially American Animals, Madeline’s Madeline, and Shirkers.

What are your favorite movies of 2018? What did I miss that I absolutely must see? Let me know in the comment box below.

*The 2018 movies I saw this year include: American Animals, Annihilation, Ant-Man and the Wasp, The Ballad of Buster Scruggs, Beautiful Boy, Black Panther, BlackkKlansman, Christopher Robin, Crazy Rich Asians, The Death of Stalin, Eighth Grade, First Reformed, Game Night, The Hate U Give, Hearts Beat Loud, Incredibles 2, Leave No Trace, Madeline’s Madeline, Mary Queen of Scots, The Miseducation of Cameron Post, Mission: Impossible – Fallout, Never Goin’ Back, The Oath, Ocean’s 8, Paddington 2, RBG, Red Sparrow, Revenge, The Rider, Roma, Shirkers, A Simple Favor, The Sisters Brothers, Sorry to Bother You, A Star Is Born, Three Identical Strangers, Un beau soleil intérieur (Let the Sunshine In), Unsane, Won’t You Be My Neighbor?, A Wrinkle in Time, You Were Never Really Here

Note to email subscribers, there is embedded video in this post that may not appear in your email. Please click through to the actual post to see the complete list of selections.

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Film Quarterly, Vol. 2016, Issue 4

08 Sunday Jan 2017

Posted by Sly Wit in Film

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Adaptations, Awards, Challenges

This image of teen angst from The Edge of Seventeen pretty much sums up my feelings post-election.

This image of teen angst from The Edge of Seventeen pretty much sums up my feelings post-election.

This quarter I saw thirteen films in the theater and sixty-five at home (either on DVD or streaming). I watched thirteen female-directed works, making good on my 52 Films By Women pledge, while also managing to complete a thorough review of classic horror, watching forty-eight horror (or horror-adjacent) films released between 1920 and 1960. In addition to these films that were mostly new to me, I rewatched eight of my favorites from earlier in the year to confirm my 2016 top ten rankings; however, I didn’t feel I should include these in my yearly viewing totals a second time. At least it was all a nice distraction from the disastrous election.

Best Movie Seen in the Theater: Arrival (2016). I saw Arrival just days after the election and its hopeful message was exactly what I needed at the time. I was already big fan of Villeneuve’s work through his recent films (Prisoners, Enemy, Sicario) and Arrival made me seriously hopeful for the Blade Runner sequel. One thing I love about Villeneuve’s work is that it always makes me think. Arrival is no exception and I recommend going into it as unspoiled as possible. That said, I did see this film a second time in the theater and I’m happy to report it was just as enjoyable on rewatch. In fact, the second viewing left me with even more admiration for its structure, score, and Amy Adams’s performance.

“They’re here!” (and there, and there…) in Denis Villeneuve’s Arrival

Best Theater Experience: The Love Witch (2016). I was very privileged to attend a local showing of The Love Witch in the presence of its director, the lovely and talented Anna Biller, who also served as the film’s set designer, costumer, and composer, among other tasks. It is very hard to describe this gorgeous film in only a few words, but for me it was Alfred Hitchcock’s Family Plot meets Jacques Demy’s Peau d’Âne meets The Court Jester, all wrapped up in a feminist witch bottle. Shot to look like an old Technicolor film, I consider myself privileged to have seen this in a theater, especially since the audience took such a delight in it.

Samantha Robinson as Elaine in The Love Witch

Samantha Robinson as Elaine in The Love Witch

Best Adaptation: Ah-ga-ssi (The Handmaiden) (2016). I had only read about one hundred pages of Fingersmith when I saw this and I’m glad for that because this is not a film you should be spoiled for. It’s a thriller with incredible twists and turns, but also romance and humor. I would have cut way down on the extensive sex scene (a number of previous scenes are full of sexual tension and the explicitness wasn’t necessary) and some of the gore at the end, but otherwise this film was near flawless. One of the best examples I have seen of successfully resetting a story in another time and place entirely and still having it work. [Side note: I loved that they set the subtitles in different colors depending on whether the characters were speaking Japanese or Korean so you could understand the class implications.]

The cast of Park Chan-wook's The Handmaiden

The cast of Park Chan-wook’s The Handmaiden

Best Directorial Debut: The Edge of Seventeen (2016). I wasn’t quite sure what to expect of this coming-of-age tale, but I didn’t expect it to be so laugh-out-loud funny. Yet, the teen awkwardness on display was also so real and so uncomfortable at times as to make me squirm. While being full of the usual elements found in teen flicks, debut director Kelly Fremon Craig manages to present each character as a fully developed person, not just a cliché. Hailee Steinfeld delivers an excellent performance as the misfit teen trying to navigate the treacherous waters of high school.

Hailee Steinfeld as Nadine in The Edge of Seventeen

Hailee Steinfeld as Nadine in The Edge of Seventeen

Speaking of female-directed films, I completed my 52 Films By Women challenge this quarter, watching thirteen films that qualified: L’Avenir (Things to Come) (2016) by Mia Hansen-Løve, Bachelorette (2012) by Leslye Headland, The Bling Ring (2013) by Sofia Coppola, Crossing Delancey (1987) by Joan Micklin Silver, The Edge of Seventeen (2016) by Kelly Fremon Craig, The Fits (2016) by Anna Rose Holmer, The Invitation (2016) by Karyn Kusama, The Love Witch (2016) by Anna Biller, Real Women Have Curves (2002) by Patricia Cardoso, Saving Face (2004) by Alice Wu, 13th (2016) by Ava DuVernay, The Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill (2005) by Judy Irving, The Wolfpack (2015) by Crystal Moselle.

#52FilmsByWomen Ranked
The Edge of Seventeen (2016)
The Love Witch (2016)
Saving Face (2004)
L’Avenir (Things to Come) (2016)
Crossing Delancey (1987)
13th (2016)
The Fits (2016)
The Invitation (2016)
Real Women Have Curves (2002)
The Bling Ring (2013)
The Wolfpack (2015)
The Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill (2005)
Bachelorette (2012)

I haven’t quite decided if I’m going to undertake this challenge again in 2017. Fifty-two films represents about a quarter of my movie viewing for the year, which is a significant commitment given the small percentage of films out there that are directed by women. While I support the cause, my selections are really starting to feel very random. At this point I have seen a lot of the best older films directed by women and I’m not sure seeing obscure films is really helping promote women in the industry today. Instead, I may try to focus on seeing a certain number of current films in the theaters. I missed a number of high-profile female-directed films in the theaters this year (due to travel, schedules, or sheer laziness) and I’d like to rectify that.

Isabelle Huppert contemplates her future in L'Avenir (Things to Come).

Isabelle Huppert contemplates her future in L’Avenir (Things to Come).

You can see the complete list of films I watched for the #52FilmsByWomen challenge at Letterboxd.

Top Ten Classic Horror
Freaks (1932)
The Old Dark House (1932)
The Cat and the Canary (1927)
The Unknown (1927)
King Kong (1933)
The Mummy (1932)
Mystery of the Wax Museum (1933)
Frankenstein (1931)
Cat People (1942)
The Bad Seed (1956)

I’m not going to go into my horror series much here or below since I am planning to post about the remaining films eventually. Suffice it to say that I enjoyed a number of these movies, but that watching so many (48!) in such a short time was overwhelming and didn’t leave much room for other older films I might have chosen instead.

You can see the complete list of films I watched for my Horror 101 series at Letterboxd.

Fay Wray contemplates a Trump presidency.

Fay Wray contemplates a Trump presidency.

In terms of my other movie watching this quarter, here are some favorite (and not-so-favorite) selections:

Best Classic Rewatch: Freaks (1932)

Best New-to-Me Classic: The Old Dark House (1932)

Best Silent (tie): The Cat and the Canary (1927) and The Unknown (1927)

Best Documentary: 13th (2016). A highly informative documentary about race and racism in America and its implications for the U.S. prison industrial complex.

Must-Watch Documentary: Tickled (2016). I don’t even know how to describe this bizarre film that gets weirder and creepier as you go along. It is not a particularly good example of documentary filmmaking and definitely rambles, but the story it tells is utterly fascinating. Just watch it; it’s not what you think.

Best Math Greek Selection: Exotica (1994). Speaking of bizarre, and weird, and creepy, Exotica is all of these and more. Atom Egoyan proves himself to be a master at drawing you into the least attractive mysteries possible and providing utterly satisfying conclusions (even when they don’t necessarily answer all your questions). The Math Greek is getting so good at picks for me that when he proposed watching this I was convinced I must have seen it already when I was living in Paris once upon a time, but I hadn’t.

Mia Kirshner as Christina in Exotica

Mia Kirshner as Christina in Exotica

Most Underrated: The Accountant (2016). Speaking of math, going into the theater I didn’t realize The Accountant was going to be like John Wick but with math. To be sure, The Accountant is no John Wick, but it is far more enjoyable than critics would have you believe. I feel like I should have figured out a few things before their reveal but didn’t and I loved many of the performances and the resolution of the lead couple’s relationship. I’m not claiming this is a great film, but it would be a good rental and most other decent films I saw this quarter were fairly (or over) praised. Speaking of which…

Most Overrated: Moonlight (2016) and La La Land (2016). Both of these are perfectly fine films and I’m happy to see them on the screen and reaching an audience, but I don’t get the raving to high heaven in either case. Both have a number of great scenes but, for me, those individual moments don’t hang together successfully (for very different reasons). While they start and finish very strong, these films fall apart in the middle either through clichéd, clunky, or inconsistent storytelling. I just wasn’t transported by the story in either case—and I so wanted to be. Given the subject matter and hype, I would have expected these to be among my favorite films of the year, but they aren’t even in my top ten. In the case of Moonlight, I’ve seen comparisons to both Malick and Carol, neither of which I get but perhaps explain why I wasn’t blown away by it. That said, some of the performances, notably those of Mahershala Ali, André Holland, and Ryan Gosling, really elevate themselves above any script limitations.

Biggest Theater Disappointment: Rogue One (2016). Admittedly, I was so looking forward to Rogue One that it would have been hard for anything to live up to what was in my brain. There was a lot to like about it, but I really wish they had stayed off the Death Star altogether and focused more on the caper elements of the plot and the characterization of those on the squad. A side bonus to such a plan would be that the completely unnecessary (and atrocious) CGI character could have been completely avoided.

Worst Movie Seen in the Theater: Rules Don’t Apply (2016). I don’t know what Warren Beatty was thinking with this one. A waste of great period set design.

Lily Collins as Marla in Rules Don't Apply recovers from a night out in her mid-century modern house above the Hollywood Bowl.

Lily Collins as Marla in Rules Don’t Apply recovers from a night out in her mid-century modern house above the Hollywood Bowl.

Worst #52FilmsByWomen Movie: The Bachelorette (2012). I felt like this was trying to be a female Hangover but I don’t remember the guys in that film being as mean as the girls in Bachelorette. I just can’t decide if this is being subversive or reinforcing ugly stereotypes. I don’t need characters to be likeable per se, but who are we rooting for here?

The Rupert Giles Award (aka Mathiest): The Accountant (2016). See above.

Most Existential Ennui (aka Frenchiest): L’Avenir (Things to Come) (2016). This film is so French it hurts. It is also one of those good films that doesn’t really go anywhere so it will never be on any “favorites” list of mine, but it’s solid filmmaking nonetheless.

Quirkiest: The Lobster (2016). I wasn’t sure what to expect of this film, and I’m not sure it is entirely successful (for one thing, it is extremely repetitive in its message), but it held my attention all the way through and that’s more than I can say for a lot of films I watch at home. If you can accept the absurd premise and have an offbeat sense of humor, this may be a film for you.

Colin Farrell as David in The Lobster

Colin Farrell as David in The Lobster

Most Romantic Couple: Black and Kevin in Moonlight (2016)

Sexiest Couple: Lady Hideko and Sook-hee in The Handmaiden (2016)

Best Romance to Take Place in a New York Immigrant Community (tie): Crossing Delancey (1987) and Saving Face (2004). Saving Face focuses on a young Chinese American doctor whose family is not necessarily accepting of her homosexuality. Meanwhile, her widowed mother, played by Joan Chen, is pregnant and refuses to say who the father is, also causing a rift in the family. This story reminded me a lot of Appropriate Behavior, but is lighter in tone. Crossing Delancey, which takes place in New York’s Jewish community, centers on a young, intellectual, single woman whose grandmother hires a matchmaker to ensure she settles down. The film is very sweet, but super dated at this point. Still, it was very interesting to see how independent and unlikable Amy Irving’s character was allowed to be (and not in an “adorably awkward” way).

Most Confusing Geography: Elle (2016). Both my sister and I have lived in and around Paris but neither of us could figure out where Isabelle Huppert lived or worked in this movie and it drove us crazy.

Worst Abuse of Geography: The Love Witch (2016). While this could have been Arrival (Where exactly does Louise live that you can fly from her house to Montana in a helicopter?) or La La Land (Pasadena, Hermosa Beach, and Watts are all just a hop, skip, and a jump away in La La Land’s Los Angeles), I chose the geographical quirk that most bothered me while watching, namely, if Elaine is driving north from San Francisco (which I think is implied), why is the ocean on her right?

Best Opening: La La Land (2016). A great ode to the traffic that essentially validates the fact that much of the rest of the action is pure fantasy.

film_la-la-land

Best Closing Shot: The Invitation (2016). I’m sure some might argue that it is too cheesy, but I loved the Twilight Zone-like ending.

Best Closing Shot (runner-up): The Lobster (2016). If you know my issues with certain kinds of violence on screen, you’ll know why I thank god this movie ended how and when it did.

Freddy Mercury Real Life-Fantasy Award: The Wolfpack (2016). This is either a middle-of-the-road documentary or a brilliant performance piece. I just can’t decide which.

Joss Whedon “Bored Now” Award: Captain America: Civil War (2016). Oh good god, make them stop already. Or at least let’s stop pretending these bloated superhero movies are in any way good filmmaking.

Gloria Steinem “Thank God This Film Wasn’t Made by a Man” Award: Real Women Have Curves (2002). “Thank god this film wasn’t made by a man” is a serious thought I had at multiple points during this film. While I loved the fact that this movie was so body positive and that the women were complex and super independent, the lead character wasn’t very sympathetic, which I guess is good in the sense that she seemed like a real teenager, but I couldn’t fully root for her as a result.

Reading is FUNdamental Award: The Handmaiden (2016). This movie is book porn in every sense of the word.

Least Faithful Adaption: Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1931). This film isn’t bad by any means, but it doesn’t come close to resembling the original novella.

Most Sherlockian: Zero Effect (1997)

Best Western: The Magnificent Seven (2016). There was nothing really innovative about this western except the casting, but it was very fun and serves as another example of how female or PoC directors can help revitalize and/or reenergize stale genres.

Best Sports Movie: The Fits (2016). I didn’t really understand this movie, or what the director was trying to say with it, but I loved the coming-of-age through sports element and seeing Toni, played by Royalty Hightower, move from the world of boxing to dance.

Royalty Hightower as Toni in The Fits

Royalty Hightower as Toni in The Fits

Best Worst Dancing (tie): The Lobster (2016) and The Fits (2016)

Biggest Head-Scratcher: Elle (2016). My sister and I left the theater and simultaneously said to each other “WTF was that?” I’m still wondering. Isabelle Huppert is great though (of course).

Best Headshake: Janelle Monáe in Moonlight (2016). One of the many scenes in the first third of this movie that stood out to me. I’d love to know how many takes it took to get her glance just right.

Best Score: Arrival (2016)

Best Score (Classic Edition): Candyman (1992)

Best Mantra: Rogue One (2016)

I’m one with the Force; the Force is with me.

Best Gloves: The Handmaiden (2016)

Best Lingerie: The Love Witch (2016)

Best in Birds: The Big Year (2011). I came to this delightful film about obsessed birders via Far Out City. I think it was underrated upon its release because it’s not a clear-cut comedy or buddy picture, but it has amazing actors and a fascinating story.

Best in Birds (runner-up): Arrival (2016)

Worst in Birds: The Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill (2005). I had wanted to watch this documentary about the parrots in San Francisco for some time but I was sorely disappointed. It is more about one man than about the birds, a fact that is problematic at best when you realize the director ends up in a relationship with her subject.

Most Surprising Lack of Birds: The Cat and the Canary (1927)

Best in Cats: L’Avenir (Things to Come) (2016)

Most Cats: Cat People (1942)

Most Superfluous Cat: The Black Cat (1934)

Least Effective Watch Cat: Elle (2016)

Most Unfortunate Cat: A Bucket of Blood (1959)

Most Unfortunate Cat (runner-up): The Fly (1958)

Most Misunderstood Cat: The Leopard Man (1943)

Most Surprising Lack of Cats (tie): The Cat and the Canary (1927) and Curse of the Cat People (1944)

film_huppert_cats

So many cats. So, so, so many…

Best in Dogs: Village of the Damned (1960)

Best in Dogs (runner-up): The Uninvited (1944)

Most Dogs: Les Yeux sans visage (Eyes Without a Face) (1960)

Most Unfortunate Dog (tie): Candyman (1992) and The Lobster (2016)

Best Camel: The Lobster (2016). I mean, obviously.

Biggest Waste of Hollywood Cred: Sofia Coppola’s The Bling Ring (2013)

Five Films I Can’t Recommend
Bachelorette (2012)
Beat the Devil (1953)
The Black Cat (1934)
Son of Frankenstein (1939)
White Zombie (1932)

film_devil

I wanted to like this film noir parody, I really did, but Beat the Devil fails on almost every level.

For Vol. 2016, Issue 1, click here.
For Vol. 2016, Issue 2, click here.
For Vol. 2016, Issue 3, click here.

*The movies I saw or rewatched this quarter include:

2016: The Accountant, Allied, Arrival, L’Avenir (Things to Come), Captain America: Civil War, The Edge of Seventeen, Elle, The Fits, Ah-ga-ssi (The Handmaiden), The Invitation, La La Land, The Lobster, The Love Witch, The Magnificent Seven, Moonlight, Rogue One, Rules Don’t Apply, 13th, Tickled

2015: The Wolfpack

Released prior to 2015: Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein, Bachelorette, The Bad Seed, Beat the Devil, The Big Year, The Black Cat, The Bling Ring, The Body Snatcher, Bride of Frankenstein, A Bucket of Blood, The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, Candyman, The Cat and the Canary (1927), The Cat and the Canary (1939), Cat People, The Corpse Vanishes, Creature from the Black Lagoon, Crossing Delancey, Curse of the Demon, The Curse of Frankenstein, The Curse of the Cat People, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Dracula, Exotica, The Fly, Frankenstein, Freaks, The Ghost Breakers, Horror of Dracula, House of Wax, House on Haunted Hill, I Walked with a Zombie, The Invisible Man, Invasion of the Body Snatchers, Island of Lost Souls, King Kong, The Leopard Man, The Monster, The Mummy, Mystery of the Wax Museum, Nosferatu, The Old Dark House, One Frightened Night, The Phantom of the Opera, Real Women Have Curves, Saving Face, Secret of the Blue Room, Son of Frankenstein, The Thing from Another World, The Uninvited, The Unknown, Vampyr, Village of the Damned, White Zombie, The Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill, The Wolf Man, Zero Effect

Note: These posts are in no way affiliated with the Film Quarterly journal published by the University of California Press.

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Opera 101—Dream Weaver

28 Wednesday Sep 2016

Posted by Sly Wit in Music, Opera

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Tags

Adaptations, Opera

Fly me high through the starry skies
Maybe to an astral plane
Cross the highways of fantasy
Help me to forget today’s pain

—Gary Wright, “Dream Weaver”

Crimson Pearl Flower (Pureum Jo) enters the mortal realm as Dai Yu. Photo by Cory Weaver.

Crimson Pearl Flower (Pureum Jo) enters the mortal realm as Dai Yu. Photo by Cory Weaver.

Bright Sheng, Dream of the Red Chamber (2016)
Based on: an eighteenth-century novel by Cao Xueqin
Setting: Dynastic China
Sung in: English

Plot in 101 words or less: A heavenly stone and flower use a magic mirror to become kissing cousins on Earth. Okaaay. Spoiled brat of the Jia clan, Baoyu (aka stoner boy) tries to impress poor relation Daiyu (aka flower girl) with mad poetry skillz, but mama bear Lady Wang, whose other cub is raising the red lantern at court, is not playing. She schemes to pay off family debt by marrying a reluctant Boayu to Baochai, of the wealthy Xue clan. A strategically placed veil does the trick. But the emperor uses the red wedding to swoop in and confiscate everything from both clans. Oh, snap!

It's a nice day for a red wedding. Photo by Cory Weaver.

It’s a nice day for a red wedding. Photo by Cory Weaver.

New operas are always hit or miss and one never knows quite what to expect, especially when said opera is an adaptation of a classic novel that runs more than one thousand pages. I’m happy to report that San Francisco Opera’s world premiere of Dream of the Red Chamber falls more on the hit side, mostly due to extremely high production values and great singing. The sets, designed by Tim Yip, were absolutely stunning. No surprise there I suppose, as Yip won an Oscar for his art direction on Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. I thought that Stan Lai’s direction mostly complemented Yip’s work, though there were times I wished that the blocking of the singers matched the energy and activity of the sets.

As for the actual opera, composed by Bright Sheng with a libretto by Sheng and David Henry Hwang, author of M Butterfly, there are certainly interesting musical and orchestral moments (especially Dai Yu’s arias and anything that involved percussion), but overall it seemed hampered by the lackluster libretto. The work is also hampered by the gender imbalance in the cast. As much as I hate to say it, there were just too many women. Given the context of the story, this was perhaps unavoidable, but it made the singing seem a bit repetitive as the night wore on. [Side note: Are we seeing a flip side of last year? Will our fall season be a string of stunning sets and ho-hum operas? Tune in next time when I review Don Pasquale.]

Kicking back at the home of the Jia clan in Dream of the Red Chamber. Photo by Cory Weaver.

Kicking back at the home of the Jia clan in Dream of the Red Chamber. Photo by Cory Weaver.

Still, the biggest problem for me in the libretto was the almost completely superfluous narrator. If his action had been strictly relegated to the prologue, it might have been fine, but he would periodically arrive to pompously proclaim (not sing) the most useless information. The best example of this came during an otherwise delightful bit of stagecraft: As women literally swept changing colored leaves across the stage, the narrator explained about changing seasons. There’s a Clinton-Trump debate joke to be made here I’m sure.

Luckily, the singing itself was superb. Yihie Shi as Bao Yu certainly held his own as the lone male voice and Pureum Jo as the delicate Dai Yu was very convincing. Hyona Kim stood out to me as Lady Wang, but arguably had a juicy part to work with, while Irene Roberts (last seen as Carmen this past summer) as Bao Chai was very good but didn’t have much meat to her role. I was much less enthusiastic about contralto Qiulin Zhang as Granny Jia. When I commented at intermission about how much I disliked her singing style, La Maratonista replied that she thought Zhang sounded like the Cowardly Lion—I almost lost it laughing during the second act when I realized how right she was. Sorry, but it’s true.

Hyona Kim as Lady Wang (left) and Yihie Shi as Bao Yu (right) in Dream of the Red Chamber. Photos by Cory Weaver.

Hyona Kim as Lady Wang (left) and Yihie Shi as Bao Yu (right) in Dream of the Red Chamber. Photos by Cory Weaver.

All in all, this opera looked gorgeous and was sung well, but I mostly hope to “see it again” by having the sets and costumes repurposed for the next run of Turandot. (Remember how horrific those costumes were? Good times.)

There is just one more performance of Dream of the Red Chamber at the War Memorial Opera House on September 29.

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About Me

Half American, half French, and
all-around opinionated.

“Maybe it’s the French in my blood. You know, sometimes I feel as if I’m sparkling all over and I want to go out and do something absolutely crazy and marvelous and then the American part of me speaks up and spoils everything.”--Bette Davis in The Petrified Forest

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