THE BEGINNING OF THE END // A FILM REVIEW OF "THE HUNGER GAMES: MOCKINGJAY PART 1"

BY CHRISENA RICCI

I’m convinced that every woman in America wants to be Katniss Everdeen. Or maybe they want to be Jennifer Lawrence. Or both, I don’t know whom I would prefer to be actually. They both get to hang out with absolute dreamboat leading men, wear the best clothes and be kick ass role models for the entire country. After seeing THE HUNGER GAMES: MOCKINGJAY PART 1, I’m going to have to take a pass on wanting to be Katniss. Between her tear-filled episodes of extreme PTSD and her teen angst, she manages to get strangled and almost blown up. No thanks.

I absolutely adore the Hunger Games franchise. I devoured the books and have eagerly anticipated every film release. This one was by far my favorite installation yet. This film steps away from the pathetic puppy dog love triangle that is so pivotal in the second film. Instead it evolves into a true war story.

We meet President Coin of District 13, played by Julianne Moore, and her chosen panel of strategists played by Woody Harrelson and the late Phillip Seymour Hoffman. With the all-star cast comes some all-star acting.  My favorite performance though comes from Elizabeth Banks, who plays Effie Trinket, the fashion obsessed advisor from the capitol. She really dug into a character that could have otherwise been an archetypal nightmare. Effie Trinket doesn’t even survive the rebellion at this point in the book series, so I was nervous when she showed up. The director (Francis Lawrence) does a fantastic job of showing us the depth of this character by allowing Banks to not play every line for comedy. It is so appreciated.

What I didn’t appreciate was the brutal violence of the final scene. In the final moments of the film, Katniss is strangled by the rescued Peeta Mellark, nearly to death. And it was uncomfortably detailed. I could have lived an entire lifetime without seeing a man strangle a woman like that. The film spares no detail, even showing us the blood vessels popping in Katniss’s bulging eyes. It was too graphic. For a series that has a huge teenage following, I think it was too much. I’m not suggesting that they should of changed what happens between the two characters. Only that it should have been less detailed, or the scene itself should have been shorter in length.

CHRISENA'S GRADE: B-

Directed by: Francis Lawrence Screenplay by: Danny Strong and Peter Craig Based on the novel by: Suzanne Collins Starring: Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth, Woody Harrelson, Julianne Moore, Phillip Seymour Hoffman, and Stanley Tucci

FINAL THOUGHTS: It’s heavy on the acting chops, interesting dialogue and cringe worthy violence.

CHRISENA RICCI once went to a costume party dressed in an all black dress and black wig. No one there could guess who she was. So she shouted out, "I'm Christina Ricci, without the T or I and add an E!" Everyone stood there confused, she was annoyed, so she stormed off. She never returned to that apartment ever again. Which is fine, because she later realized she was at the wrong party. She now lives in New York City.

YOU SAY YOU WANT A REVOLUTION? // A THEATRE REVIEW OF "THE VELVET ORATORIO"

REVIEWED BY MATEO MORENO

In 1989, just a mere eight days after the fall of the Berlin Wall, the beginning seeds of The Velvet Revolution began in Prague. It was the beginning of the end of their communist reign and the beginning of a new era. It would be an era that would force the entire party to relinquish power in Czechoslovakia, see the resignation of Gustáv Husák as president (after he appointed the first non-communist government in 40 years), and the election of Václav Havel as their new leader. It was a non violent, powerful revolution that brought about a sudden and dramatic change. The Untitled Theatre Company No. 61 has worked on several Czech history pieces over the years, and now they are presenting their first fully staged production of THE VELVET ORATORIO, an operatic/play hybrid telling the story of the revolution seen through the eyes of Havel's signature character, Ferdinand Vaněk.

We begin with news of the falling of the Berlin Wall given to us by the United States Ambassador to Czechoslovakia Shirley Temple Black (yes, THAT Shirley Temple), played by Andrea Gallo. Then we’re off to an interrogation room where Ferdinand Vaněk (Matthew Trumbull) is being held by a police officer (Ross DeGraw). He toys with Vaněk, trying to get information from him; information regarding a march the officer thinks Vaněk may be a part of and states he only wants to keep things from getting “out of hand.” Sure enough, they do, and a rumor that a student is killed in the melee spreads like wildfire, enraging everyone around. From there we go from “found text” scenes (partly based, according to press notes, on recently released U.S. State Department documents and corresponding Czechoslovakian / Soviet documents and interviews with journalists, diplomats, and ordinary people who were in the streets of Prague during the revolution), opera chorus numbers, and powerful scenes with Havel’s character Ferdinand Vaněk piecing together the revolution, the removal of power, and the aftermath. It may seem like a large mixture to swallow, but it’s a powerful structure that goes off with a bang.

Librettist Edward Einhorn and Composer/Director Henry Akona have crafted a delicate, layered, and powerful retelling of the Velvet Revolution, keeping it informative for all but simple enough for an audience member without much prior knowledge of the event to grab on for the ride. The production is structured into pieces. There are the “Found Text” speeches, gathering the facts of the day to day movement of the Revolution. There are the opera choruses, beautifully sung by a large ensemble including the lovely voices of Moira Stone, Terence Stone, John Gallop, & Jenny Lee Mitchell. Then there are the Vaněk scenes, played with confusion and firecracker dead pan timing by Matthew Trumbull. Trumbell is fantastic here, showcasing our own face into the fray with bewilderment, humor, and a take charge performance. However he’s not up there alone in those scenes, and there are plenty of scene stealing moments from Ross DeGraw as a conniving officer, Mick O’Brien & Yvonne Roen as two pushy old friends, and an almost Albott and Costello routine by Mike Maloney & Michael Villastrigo comically describing the Martin Šmíd story (my favorite scene of the night occurred between Trumbell and DeGraw in a bar, which brimmed to a near perfection from the two talented actors). Akona stages it simply, never allowing busy bodies to distract from the central story, but leaving way for striking and powerful images. He also projects the English lyrics to the Opera as they’re sung (which are sung also in English). And Einhorn really achieves a nail biting rhythm, especially in his writing of the Vaněk scenes. They’re a beauty to behold.

Of course, not everything runs perfectly, this being only the second performance that I attended. There were a few flubbed lines, the Martin Šmíd comedy scene definitely needs tightening, and the Opera solos were so wonderful I could have definitely spent more time hearing their wonder. But I feel by the next round of performances (they perform on and off again in November, December, and January) they’ll have a true rhythm and grace. Even with a few hiccups, it’s filled with beautiful moments to witness. Perhaps I was a bit more emotional, as I attended Velvet on the anniversary of the falling of the Berlin Wall, or perhaps simply between the strings, the opera graces, and the stirring dialogue, acting, and direction, this wonderful ensemble truly moves you. It definitely moved me.

MATEO’S GRADE: A-

Liberetto by: Edward Einhorn Music and Direction by Henry Akona Original Dramaturge Karen Lee Ott Starring: Matthew Trumbull, Ross DeGraw, Craig Anderson, Andrea Gallo, John Gallop, Jonathan Kline, Jillian Kuhl, Mike Maloney, Jenny Lee Mitchell, Mick O'Brien, Eric B. Oleson, Yvonne Roen, Anna Marie Sell, Emily Shankman, Phoebe Silva, Moira Stone, Terence Stone, Michael Villastrigo Content Advisory: Some Language Playing at: Bohemian National Hall (321 East 73rd Street) Dec 12-13 & Jan 13-14 For Tickets: http://www.untitledtheater.com/

FINAL THOUGHTS: An original, beautiful evening of Opera, drama, and history. More evenings should be so bold.

MATEO MORENO is an actor, playwright, and director in New York City. He owns and runs TheArtsWireWeekly.com and has had four of his plays produced, including BOHEMIAN VALENTINE, HAPPILY AFTER TONIGHT, WITHIN OUR WALLS, & LOVES ME LIKE A ROCK. He is currently working with Boomerang Theatre on a short play piece and spends his days working on the Broadway hit MATILDA.

LOST IN THE STARS // A FILM REVIEW OF "INTERSTELLAR"

BY CHRISENA RICCI

If a WRINKLE IN TIME, the childhood classic could have a baby with the space thriller APOLLO 13, you would get this film. Admittedly, I was daunted at first by the almost 3-hour run time. However, by the end of the viewing, I found myself hoping for more. It’s possible that I could easily have watched that film for another 2 hours without commenting on the need for a bathroom break. My film companion, my father, is a male in his mid-fifties who believes in mercilessly drinking diet coke while at a movie, and he didn’t get out of his seat for a trip to the lavatory a single time. Old man bladder be damned!

The story is absolutely riveting, and incredibly expansive. It starts out in our near future on earth, where our planet is dying out. Matthew McConaughey plays a scientist-gone-farmer who decides to go to the final frontier as a last hope for human kind. The cast is packed with some of my favorites. Anne Hathaway plays a logic driven co-astronaut, Michael Caine her ageing father, and Jessica Chastain plays Matthew McConaughey’s brilliant minded heroic daughter.  To deal with the difficult themes and hard-hitting struggles of humanity that are presented on full, raw display, you need a cast of this magnitude.

McConaughey’s performance specifically struck me as poignant. His character is pushed to every limit of the human condition in just under three hours. He loses his family, his long-held notions, and nearly his life. I found his brutally honest attack with this role absolutely fantastic.

My one qualm with the film is that there is one specific idea that doesn’t get fleshed out. The idea of “aliens” or “a greater being” in the universe is presented during a pivotal moment in the film and appears in one line of dialogue. It’s possible that one line is enough for a smarter person, but I wanted more. I needed more clarity. I mean, as an audience member I’ve already invested two and half hours at that point, I could’ve lasted an extra fifteen minutes in the theatre for some sort of explanation. One line of dialogue about such a large concept just wasn’t enough process time and felt extremely rushed.

CHRISENA'S GRADE: A-

Written by: Jonathan Nolan and Christopher Nolan Directed by: Christopher Nolan RATED: PG-13

Starring: Matther McConaughey, Anne Hathaway, Jessica Chastain, Bill Irwin, Ellen Burstyn, and Michael Caine

FINAL THOUGHTS:  Gripping, intriguing, somewhat confusing and highly entertaining.

CHRISENA RICCI once went to a costume party dressed in an all black dress and black wig. No one there could guess who she was. So she shouted out, "I'm Christina Ricci, without the T or I and add an E!" Everyone stood there confused, she was annoyed, so she stormed off. She never returned to that apartment ever again. Which is fine, because she later realized she was at the wrong party. She now lives in New York City.