They Shot the Piano Player (2024)
Spanish director Fernando Truaba is one of those [...]
Musical
Tick, Tick . . . BOOM! (2021)
I sat through the opening moments of Lin-Manuel Miranda’s adaptation of Jonathan Larson’s Tick, Tick . . . BOOM! with a strange sense of personal investment. Jonathan Larson, the creator of “Rent,” sings about the pangs of his upcoming 30th birthday. The timing here is a little odd since just 15 days ago, on November […]
The Pod Bay Doors Podcast, Special Episode: The Day the Music Died (1959-2019)
This special episode of The Pod Bay Doors commemorates the 60th anniversary of The Day the Music Died, February 3rd, 1959, when rock ‘n’ roll luminaries Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and The Big Bopper died in a plane crash outside Clear Lake, Iowa. Join Doug and Jerry as they discuss the impact of this tremendous […]
The Oscar nominees: La La Land (2016)
From now until February 26th, I will be taking to be taking a brief look at the nominees for The 89th Annual Academy Awards, one film at a time in several categories. Nominated for: Best Picture | Best Director | Best Actor – Ryan Gosling | Best Actress – Emma Stone | Best Original Screenplay […]
Into the Woods (2014)
It seems natural that a musical about a meshing of fairy tale character would come from Disney, added to the fact that it comes from Chicago director Rob Marshall makes it doubly tantalizing. It works. It’s a pleasure to report that Into the Woods is an entertaining ball of fun, a movie that breathes with […]
Annie (2014)
In the past few days, critics have had a grand time running all over the new film version of Annie with a steamroller. It’s an easy movie to pick on. It’s corny. It’s flawed. It’s too long. The musical numbers are, for the most part, forgettable. Plus it has the single worst performance of Cameron […]
Muppets Most Wanted (2014)
The Muppets are overjoyed to find themselves in yet another sequel. As their new movie Muppets Most Wanted opens, they not only acknowledge it but – in true Muppets fashion – they turn this fact into a production number. The Muppets have always worn their self-referential style on their sleeves, so they are wise enough […]
Les Misérables (2012)
To even attempt a movie version of the musical Les Misérables is an act of insanity. There are few musical productions more beloved or more memorized, and so the end result is either going to be a success or a colossal failure. Seeing the finished product, it can be confidently said that director Tom Hooper, […]
Katy Perry: Part of Me (2012)
To watch Katy Perry onstage is something akin to visiting a carnival. Her stage shows are firework displays of lights, colors and outfits that redefine the word “kinky.” With her Bettie Page hair-style, lollypop dresses and candy-colored stage props, she resembles less a serious artist than some kind of strange anime sex dream. Under that […]
