Three new movie musicals coming soon. View the trailers.
For too much of my life Hollywood executives were gun-shy about making new movies based upon Broadway musicals. Despite the occasional hit like Grease (1978), the prevailing sentiment was that such...
View ArticleMovie review: Into the Woods: Disney gets it right. Almost
My God…they’re actually getting this right! There is no more terrifying emotion to experience than hope, and, within the opening moments of Disney’s long-awaited film version of Into the Woods, hope...
View ArticleMovie review: Annie
Leapin’ Lizards! “It’s a Hard-Knock Life” and “Tomorrow” have been auto-tuned to the point where the lyrics sound like they’re being sung by a toaster oven rather than by the optimistic moppet Annie....
View ArticleMovie review: The Last Five Years
Once upon a time, in 2001, there was a musical. Beloved by dozens, this teeny-tiny song cycle told the story of an ordinary, five year relationship in a highly unusual way – from the woman’s point of...
View ArticleHBO’s All the Way starring Bryan Cranston (review)
So — all right, you missed All the Way at Arena Stage and you are forced to your TV as a consolation prize. I’m here to tell you that as consolation prizes go, this is a pretty good one. In the HBO...
View ArticleDon’t miss these stars on Starz: Hopkins and McKellen in The Dresser
“This cold night will turn us all to fools and madmen,” speaks the Fool in King Lear. The action of The Dresser takes place over one night before, during, and after a performance of that venerated...
View ArticleSimon Helberg. Odd man out in Florence Foster Jenkins? Hardly.
One should probably not use the phrase “steals the show” to describe the performance of an actor in a movie featuring Meryl Streep as the leading lady, for such a thing is almost certainly impossible....
View ArticleReview: Florence Foster Jenkins. Streep is marvelous, but nearly eclipsed by...
The story of Florence Foster Jenkins is true; it’s strange; it brings up a lot of interesting questions about the intersection of money and the arts; and it is now a movie. In fact, it is the latest...
View ArticleFive film musicals to watch for – some you’ve seen onstage
I love musicals. I prefer my musicals live and in person; however, I will take a good musical wherever I can find it regardless of setting or format. Below is a list in chronological order of five...
View ArticleFox’s glitzy Rocky Horror Picture Show, tame and dull
Let’s do the Time Warp again! Then again, let’s not. The much an-ti-cip-at-ed reboot of the 1975 cult film The Rocky Horror Picture Show, despite its abundant glitz and glitter, is rather dull. Maybe...
View ArticleFritz Lang’s silent movie Metropolis gets new Tom Teasley percussive score...
In Constellation Theatre Company’s screeningof Metropolis, Tom Teasley’s live music breathes new life into the 89-year-old classic. Every production in Constellation’s 10th season will feature live...
View ArticleHairspray Live! Between commercials and cutaways, NBC proves they CAN stop...
Now that we’re mired in Trump America, there’s unexpected profundity to the pop confection Hairspray Live!, the live TV version of the 2002 musical that aired Wednesday night on NBC. If Trump and his...
View ArticleFilm Review: Denzel Washington brings Wilson’s powerful Fences to the screen
A great film version of a great play is a rare thing. More often than not, the alchemy that results in success on stage resists translation to the screen, and film history is replete with examples of...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Les Miserables – movie review
Have you heard there’s a film version of “Les Misérables”? Just kidding; of course you have. For the last several months the media bombardment preceding the Christmas day opening of this movie musical...
View ArticleClik here to view.
How Roy Berkowitz’ Source short became a movie, and where to see it free this...
Sometimes a play seems to have a mind of its own, and like an independent child, leaves its warm nurturing nest, wins awards across the country, and, in this case, gets turned into a film. That’s what...
View ArticleClik here to view.
In the House, adaptation of Spanish play, comes to FilmfestDC
Movies arriving from overseas are the bread and butter of Filmfest DC, the annual tour of cinematic works Washingtonians would otherwise have little chance to see. The French drama “In the House,” one...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Netflix renews Slings and Arrows in time for our summer viewing series
Fans of the hilarious Canadian TV series Slings and Arrows will be relieved to know that Netflix, which had planned to sunset it on June 1, has responded to howls of protest – including ours – and...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Avengers director goes light and jazzy with Much Ado About Nothing
Joss Whedon, a man whose name is synonymous with some of the most feverishly obsessed-over fantasy and science-fiction franchises of the last 20 years, is also a hardcore Shakespeare fan. In-between...
View Article9 reasons I’ll go to the movies
My friends know that I am a theatre nerd who sees an insane amount of live theatre. Unfair. I have interests beyond seeing live works of theatre. I also like to see films based on plays or featuring...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Into the Woods filming begins
The movie adaptation of the beloved Stephen Sondheim musical Into the Woods began shooting on Wednesday in England. Already promotional stills and footage are appearing on the web to promote what...
View Article