SOMEBODY UP THERE LIKES ME ARE WORDS NICK OFFERMAN CAN HONESTLY SAY! by Pamela Powell

I'll admit it...I adore Nick Offerman.  The fact that he is from a small town in Illinois that my kids have traveled to in order to play sports makes him a regular kind of guy...relatable.  Then there's the fact that he did local theater in Chicago.  That's just another bonus in my mind.  You all know, if you've read my play reviews, that I love Chicago theater.  Mr. Offerman and I have the same appreciation for the quality "store-front" theater that only Chicago can offer.  He was once a part of that scene in the Defiant Theater before he became "A Man's Man" on televison.  Mr. Offerman now has produced and starred in the soon-to-be released "Somebody Up There Likes Me."

Keith Poulson

Honestly (It is Reel HONEST Reviews, you know.), I didn't know what this film was about until the end.  It started at the cemetery with Offerman's character, Sal, stating that you can't live forever.  We then were introduced to our other main character, Max (Keith Poulson) who was having some marital issues...that's putting it lightly.  Max and Sal worked together in a high-end steak house as waiters.  Each of these characters' lives became intertwined over the years showing us their bumpy road of life.  Sounds pretty benign with that description.  Where the film comes to life is with its quirky writing and off-beat humor that only Nick Offerman could pull off.  Although the other characters were minor by comparison, they are nonetheless very important.  As with 'Parks and Recreation,' Offerman's wife was in this film as well.  She too personified off-beat humor with her voice, her reactions, and facial expressions.  Words are just a bonus with her humor!  As Offerman stated after the showing, his wife stole the film with just her hair.  It was true.

Poulson with Jess Weixler

This movie was quirky.  Truly, it was the essence of quirkiness.  It wasn't a "sit on the edge of your seat" kind of movie, but it was a movie that you had to stay glued to the screen.  It just didn't make sense until the end.  But the end was worth it.  It was one of those 'Ah Ha' moments!  The unorthodox (I needed to find another word besides "quirky!") writing perfectly fit each of the characters.  Each scene was equally balanced with words and actions to tell the story.  And the humor was (let me go to my thesaurus) wacky and peculiar (I love my Mac!) which was right up my alley.  This unconventional (yes, I'm still on the "quirky" thesaurus page) film was fun, light, funny and a pleasure to watch.  I liked the fact that I didn't "get it" until the end!

Demonstration of ballet positions!

One of the best things about this screening was that it was at Chicago's Music Box Theatre.  Mr. Offerman reminisced fondly about his time in Chicago and this particular theatre.  Offerman took questions from the audience and continued to amuse and amaze the audience.  It was fun to hear him laugh at his own jokes in a laugh I wouldn't have anticipated coming from this "Man's Man."  It was adorable!  In being this "Man's Man," it was heart-warming and refreshing to hear him talk about his wife, Megan Mullally.  He stated, "That lady is my hero."  Wow!  How many husbands talk about their wives with this much adoration.  It's true.  He is a "Man's Man!"

OZ THE GREAT AND POWERFUL DROPPED LIKE A LEAD BALLOON by Pamela Powell

Red flag #1:  Disney.  If you've followed my blog, you know I am not a Disney fan.  In fact, one of the most fun movies I saw at Sundance was the Anti-Disney Movie called "Escape from Tomorrow."  Red flag #2:  Lots of hype.  Mega Marketing.  Sometimes, we need to follow Mies Van Der Rohe and go with "less is more."  Red flag #3:  They were messing with a classic.  The classic that I grew up with .  The classic that I looked forward to seeing each and every year as I circled it in the TV Guide and counted down the days until it was on.  The classic that I didn't know changed from B&W to color until 1975 when my family finally got a color TV set.  And the classic that I watched from under the dining room table to protect me from the monkeys just in case they were real.  In fact, I memorized the witch's lines in hopes of one day playing The Wicked Witch of the West in a play when I was older.  I wrote feverishly under that dining room table on one of my father's yellow legal pads to later read the lines into a cassette recorder; mastering each line in front of the mirror.  It's no wonder I loved playing a witch for the local "Haunted Bridge" event.  I stopped once the liquid latex which produced wrinkles on my face didn't appear to come off!  In any case, I digress...just a smidge.  Back to OZ.  The red flag system (more than 2) has been pretty accurate.  And in this case, my batting average is better than Derek Jeter's!












I sat, in my usual seat, waiting to be entertained.  I loved the B&W intro along with the beginning of the story filmed in B&W.  This rang true (at least after 1975 for me) with the original.  After all the hype, I watched as James Franco played the Wizard, knowing that he was not director Sam Raimi's first choice.  (See Entertainment Weekly's great article about the making of this film.)  The beginning, to be honest, was entertaining with its rather corny jokes and situations of irony.  Then, you guessed it, the tornado hit.  Oz (short for Oscar) was pulled violently into the whirlwind to land in the Technicolor land of Oz.  As he awoke, CGI did as well.  The hummingbirds and butterflies brought me back to Disney's land of Snow White.  In fact, I was transported back to 1937 with the special effects/cartoonish feel to the insects and feathered friends.  With the hummingbird's blue color, I then started to sing Zippity Do Dah from Song of the South!  Maybe that was Disney's intent:  to reminisce about old Disney films.  I can't seem to reconcile the CGI effects with the 1939 effects of the Wizard of Oz.  In the 1939 film, those monkeys were real.  Oz and the Emerald City were real.  It felt real.  For 1939, they did a great job with what they had to work with.  Now here we are in 2013 and it was not perfect CGI.  My eye was drawn to the fact that Franco and Williams were working with air...the space that the later incorporated CGI character would take up.  There were spaces between the hands and the CGI China doll and many other examples.  Disney was sloppy.

We are introduced to the first witch played by the gorgeous Mila Kunis.  Oz, ever the philanderer and womanizer, dupes this poor, trusting witch into thinking that kissing and dancing equates love and marriage....typical male!  The sibling rivalry is really what this film is about.  The three sisters, although raised by the same man who was apparently the King of Oz, were oh so very different.  I'm not sure where mom was.  Maybe that's another story in and of itself!  Rachel Weisz and Michelle Williams round out the Witch Sister characters.  The costumes and make-up were wonderful.  Rachel's green gown would be perfect to wear to the Green Tie Ball in Chicago.  I hope someone can hook me up with that!

The backgrounds and settings were truly beautiful.  Total technicolor at its finest.  No doubt the acting of the "extras" was exaggerated and a bit hoaky, but I'm guessing (and hoping) that's the effect they were after.  As we s-l-o-w-l-y moved through the story with the close-ups and predictable background music,  more of the focus of the story was revealed.  We have a moral to the story and a place to leave off which is where Dorothy and the classic that I love picks up.  The movie is probably geared toward everyone.  Let's face it, who didn't grow up with "The Wizard of Oz!"  No one!  It'll pull everyone and every age group in.  I felt it was slow and disappointing.  I would recommend waiting for the DVD.

JACK THE GIANT SLAYER FAIRY TALE COME TRUE by Pamela Powell

I will admit this.  I seem to do a lot of admissions on this blog site.  It's cheaper than therapy, so it's a good thing.  Anyway, here's my admission.  I really didn't want to go see "Jack the Giant Slayer."  It was either that or "21 and Over" and you couldn't pay me enough money to see that one.  Ok...you could offer me some exorbitant amount and see what I do.  Go ahead.  I will also admit (looks like you're my therapist of the month) that I don't remember a whole lot about the story Jack and the Beanstalk other than the obvious bean thing, giants, and Fee Fye Foe Fumm chant.  But alas, no worries, I was not lost during the film.  I was also surprisingly entertained and hooked in the first 5 minutes before the opening credits rolled.

This star-studded cast (Yes, it was star-studded, believe it or not), reinforced "Jack" and all it appeared to want to accomplish which was pure child-like entertainment.  Suspend all belief and be transported back into English folklore and bed-time stories.  Stanley Tucci, Ewen McGregor and Ian McShane magnified the validity of this movie.  Yes, it was still a child's fairy tale, but it definitely was one they can be proud to have been a part of.  It was nothing like "Beautiful Creatures" and Emma Thompson.  Our hero was played by Nicholas Hoult from the recently positively reviewed "Warm Bodies" and our heroine or damsel in distress (Damn fairy tales typifying weak women!) was Eleanor Tomlinson.  Both actors embodied their characters well.    Stanley Tucci can play any role.  In "Jack," he played royalty with suspicious motives.  I loved the denture!  Thankfully, Ian McShane did not drop any f-bombs as his role of King Brahmwell as he typically did in 'Deadwood.'  And that leaves us with Ewen McGregor.  What is it about this guy?  From "Beginners" to "Salmon Fishing in the Yemen" and "The Impossible," he is perfect in any role he plays.  He played our princess's protector valiantly. The special effects and talents of those behind the scenes were truly at the forefront with our Giants and Miracle-Gro vegetation.  I'm not sure what was CGI and what was makeup and camera angles.  Those blurred lines are a compliment on its own.

This was an entertaining movie and perfect for a family or kids between the ages of 9 and 15.  It was a fairy tale.  It was also a cute little love story with heros and damsels in distress...everything little girls and boys read about.  Although there was some violence, it was really in the realm of fairy tales scope, so nothing too terribly disturbing.  The most disgusting things were the

farts, burps, and nose picking/eating...right up any little boy's alley.  Yes, I can say that.  I raised a boy and drove 5 boys to and from soccer tournaments.  There.  Credibility established.




7 Reels

NEVER THE BRIDESMAID IS A LESSON IN LOVE by Pamela Powell

Polarity Ensemble Theatre presented the Jeff Recommended Never the Bridesmaid, written by Chicago playwright Bill Jepsen and directed by Richard Shavzin in their quaint and intimate new location in Wicker Park.  Chicago, as I have stated in numerous reviews, is fortunate to have such quality theater is these charming spaces.  The viewer truly feels a part of the theatrical experience.  Although sitting in the front row made me nervous that I might accidentally have my feet in the way of the actor!  Luckily, last night, the actors came away unscathed from my clumsiness.  But it is in these venues that we truly can experience and feel what the actors want us to feel through the writer's words.

Never the Bridesmaid took a thorough look at love; examining the lives of siblings and their parents.  Maria (Lindsey Pearlman) and Anthony (Nick Lake) are twins who have less than a perfect track record in the game of love.  Their parents, on the other hand, appear to have an ideal marriage and are set to celebrate their 40th anniversary.  What pressure these two feel, trying to live up to and even replicate what their parents have.  Anthony and Maria are both living at home and are in their mid to late twenties.  Nick, ever the scholar, is working on master's degree number two and can't afford to live on his own and Maria, once widowed and twice divorced, well, you figure that one out.  The common theme is "love."  How to find it, how to avoid it once you have found it so you don't get hurt, and maybe even how to keep it.

Maria and Anthony were an absolute pleasure to watch on stage.  Maria's animated character enabled the viewer to connect immediately with her.  We believably watched her help her distraught friend through a break up.  We also observed her slightly drunken state during an interaction with her parents and her brother.  She was spot-on with her perfectly written lines.  Her ease and genuine affect in these situations made her real.  Anthony's charm and naturalness lured you in to his character's dilemma as we watched him struggle with having been dumped, yet he still yearned for so much more.  His love or rather, avoidance of love, was tested when he reconnected with his sister's best friend, Kathleen (Kristin Danko).  He tried desperately to build walls around himself for protection, but was that really what he wanted?  I felt so connected with the characters that I found myself wanting to respond to some of the questions.  (Thankfully, I kept my mouth shut!) Again, this is one of the wonderful aspects of these intimate theater settings.

Never the Bridesmaid was brilliantly written to capture realistic conversations about love, relationships, and hope.  Within that framework, humor was a large part of this play.  The father, Elmer (Steve Pringle) was perfectly cast as the 'typical father.'  His inability to get one idiom straight was hilarious.  Anthony's never-ending frustration with this inability just added to the hilarity.  What adult child doesn't have an on-going pet peeve with a parent?  Again, this was completely realistic.  Conversations between all the characters were familiar and could have happened in any viewer's home.  Reality of these conversational exchanges enabled you to more deeply relate to each of the characters.  As Anthony expressed the pain and turmoil he experienced in his last break up, you truly saw his passion.  In that moment, he was reliving the pain.  This realistic environment continued with the relationship between the mother, Doris  (Daria Harper) and Maria.  It was so natural and comfortable that they truly seemed like mother and daughter.  At one point, Maria, feeling sad, snuggled up on the couch with her mom.  Doris pulled up Maria's head to straighten the pillow and fix her daughters hair.  She wasn't extremely gentle, but she was natural.  They trusted one another which brought the level of believability of the play that much higher.  As we got to know each of the characters and their history of love, the stories intermingled and came together to give the viewer a complete feeling of satisfaction.

Never the Bridesmaid, with its creatively entertaining writing and talented cast, was a delight to watch.  Its intimate setting enabled me to be a part of the play; to feel what the actors were feeling and to understand them fully.  Truly, a delightful, engaging and thoughtful play to tell this generational story of love.  Let's be honest here, at the heart of all things, isn't love what we all want?

Never the Bridesmaid runs from February 26 through April 7.  For a complete listing of show times, see their website:  www. petheatre.com.  Friday, March 1 is the gala premiere and on Thursday, March 7 is a post-show discussion. Tickets are under $20 and there are phenomenal restaurants in the Wicker Park neighborhood such as Absinthe Cafe where I dined.  

OSCARS WERE PREDICTABLE by Pamela Powell

With all the award shows, the hype, the buzz, and the preparation, this year's Academy Awards Ceremony was predictable.  Not a surprise to be found.  Anne Hathaway for Best Supporting Actress in "Les Miserables?"  Predicted.  "Argo" for Best Picture?  Predicted.  Daniel Day Lewis for Best Actor in "Lincoln?"  Again, predicted.  William Shatner predicting the future headlines for this year's Oscar?  A bit surprising and a bit raunchy, but I was expecting a bit of raunchiness with our new host this year.  The fact that the networks could fill 3 1/2 hours of fluff on the red carpet was amazing to me...not the red carpet, but the fact that they could blather on and on about not too much was amazing.  And finally the length of the show, which clocked in over 4 hours, was not surprising.  It's always too long.  Here it is in a nutshell:
"Argo" took home Best Picture, Best Adapted Screenplay, and Best Film Editing.  "Life of Pi" was on top with 4 Oscars in the categories: Best Director, Best Original Score, Best Cinematography, and Best Visual Effects.  "Lincoln" took home 3 little gold bald guys in the categories: Best Actor and Best Production Design. And finally, "Django Unchained" brought home Best Supporting Actor and Best Original Screenplay.  Best Actress went to Jennifer Lawrence, Best Foreign Film to "Amour" and Best Documentary to "Searching For Sugar Man."

While I love movies and the Academy Awards, the drawn out production lends me to look at other aspects of stars that, to be honest (this is Reel HONEST Reviews), I'm not proud of.  For example, I was critiquing the men with their really long, stringy, old-thyme rock band hair styles.  Then there's Quentin Taratino that couldn't be bothered to tie his tie properly?  Really?  Maybe Sally Field should have helped him out as she did with the ever-young Joseph Gordon-Levitt.  And I am always so captivated by the uber-botox of the stars.  Nicole Kidman is gorgeous, but there is something creepy about her face not really moving.  I like my smile lines and my ability to raise my eye brows.  I like the fact that my kids know how I am feeling based on my expressions.  But again, I am doing what millions of others did last night...looking at the aspects that have nothing to do with the entertainment industry's shining night of awards.  I'm not proud of it, but maybe shorten it a bit and people wouldn't be looking at that.

That being said, I loved hearing Daniel Day Lewis' speech; it's always so down-to-earth and humble.  Ang Lee and his wife were adorable and again, humble and appreciative.  And there's no denying the honesty of Jennifer Lawrence with her short, heart-felt acceptance speeches.  She's had a lot of them this year, but I never seem to tire of hearing from her.  I also love the fact that she can have a ripped dress or fall UP the stairs and still not only have composure but  humor as well.

I'm glad it's over.  Maybe some decent movies can be released on the upcoming Fridays to entertain us all.  Life can get back to normal which brings a big smile to my face (and you can see the crow's feet around my eyes when I do it)!

BE 'ENLIGHTENED!' by Pamela Powell

Reviewing a TV show isn't usually my thing.   I review movies.  I really don't have time to watch TV and what is available is just really such a waste of time.  HOWEVER, while running on the treadmill, not finding a movie I hadn't seen, I came across 'Enlightened,' a new (to me) HBO Series.  Laura Dern's face caught my eye.  I loved her in so many movies like "Wild At Heart" and "Novocaine" to name a couple of films.  Laura Dern and Mike White, among many other talented writers and producers, have joined forces to come up with a unique and creative show full of awkward adventures, relationship issues, and life questions. While on this entertaining journey of Amy's life, the story is  sprinkled with humor and laughter which hooked me from the first episode.  It continued to get better and better as I got to know each of the characters.  My cardio also improved as  I ended up running for an hour instead of 30 minutes just to catch the next installment!  Had I have known the show could be cancelled, I would have savored each 30 minute episode and not blown them all in a couple week's worth of runs!

'Enlightened' is about Amy who is an executive in the health and beauty department of a powerful California company who flips out on her boss with whom she had an affair.  After this breakdown,  she seeks treatment in Hawaii where she finds ways of dealing with her anger and resentment.  Upon her return to work, Amy thinks things should be back to normal.  Normal is not how you would describe any of the rest of the events.  Although Amy takes things to an extreme, her intentions are understandable and admirable...for the most part.  As she befriends her co-workers in her new department (because, shockingly, her previous department job is no longer available), Amy's goals in life change.  She wants to make a difference.

The cast of 'Enlightened' is remarkable!  Dern is a 40-something recently divorced woman, who lost her position in her company, and now lives at home with her mother, Helen, played by Diane Ladd.  Their relationship issues are so typical of the generations they are depicting that any daughter could relate to them.  Amy's ex-husband is Levi played by Luke Wilson.  Amy needs to be needed (Don't we all?) and wants to "save" Levi from himself.  Work, friend, and love relationships are still things Amy is working out.  Although Amy is our main character, the style of the show allows for each character to be the focal point.  This enables the viewer to really get to know the character.  Mike White plays Amy's co-worker in IT, Tyler.  What a talented actor.  You truly feel absolutely everything he is feeling.  Your heart breaks when you hear him describe his insignificance in this world.  That's what sets this TV series apart from anything else I have ever seen...you feel what each character is feeling.  You can relate to each character whether they are male or female or young or old; there is a part of each of us in each of those characters.  With the great writing that takes on a multitude of perspectives with believable characters and acting, you can't ask for more than this in any show.

So why would I write a review on a television show?  Because there is the distinct possibility that this show will be canceled.  I have finally found a decent, no, let me change that, wonderful television show that I feel is worth my time and HBO, due to numbers, isn't going to give it a chance to continue on!  When did the marketing for this start?  My friends who DO watch TV hadn't heard of it.  My husband who seems to know every show ever presented hadn't heard of it.  So what are the PR and Marketing departments doing?  They had a gift and tossed it in with the pile of socks under the Christmas tree.  What?  It wasn't wrapped in the Tiffany Blue paper so why bother?  Little did they know it was the Hope Diamond in just an ordinary cardboard box!

Take the time to see this show which is still available on demand on HBO.  You can also access it on your computer through their website, hbo.com/enlightened.  If you enjoy it and want to see more (and you will!),  LET HBO KNOW!  Twitter @HBO or @EnlightenedUp or hbo.com or find HBO or Enlightened on Facebook.  For direct links, you can find them on my facebook page as well...www.facebook.com/reelhonestreviews.

Amy thinks she can make a difference; let's be a little bit like Amy and make a difference in what we see on TV.  Let HBO know.

SAFE HAVEN A TYPICAL SPARKS PRODUCT: I Apologize To All Males by Pamela Powell

I want to apologize to all males out there.  You must really hate Nicholas Sparks.  As we "girls"have read his books and watched his movies, we long for that perfect guy.  You know the one.  The one that you can never be, but we want you to be that one so badly.  The one that is handsome and rugged, yet still so in touch with his feelings.  The one that can talk, make eye-contact, predict our moods and our needs.  That spontaneous one that can sweep us off our feet and kiss us passionately, losing ourselves in your touch, and dancing in the rain.  (And in the rain, we still have good hair and our make up is perfectly intact.) The one that fills our every need even when we don't even know what our needs are.  That one.  We know you don't exist, but for some reason we compare each and every male to That One.  The Nicholas Sparks male.  So again, I apologize to all males.  We know you can't be That One, but we repeatedly go to these movies or read these books and create this ideal male...That One.  You'll know when we have finished one of his movies or books without even asking because you will see these typical behaviors from us:  You ask us how our day was when you have been home all day and there are dirty dishes in the sink to welcome us home.  We generally respond with something like, "What do you care?" or "Looks like I have to do EVERYTHING!" or "You just don't get it."  Maybe you asked us how the movie was (not knowing the title before-hand because you didn't really care...you were thrilled to stay home and watch the game, all comfy in your Lazy Boy recliner) and we just respond by looking pathetically at you, sighing, and going straight to bed...alone.  Again, I am sorry.

That being said, the movie was a typical Nicholas Sparks book turned into a movie.  That One was played by the gorgeous brunette, Josh Duhamel.  He nailed the part perfectly.  He was sensitive, resilient, a caring father, strong, but needy.  Oh, the couple of love scenes blew my socks off sitting in the theater and this was a pretty PG movie!  Duhamel played Alex, recently widowed with 2 young children living in a small seaside town in the South.  Julianne Hough ("Rock of Ages," "Burlesque") played Katie who was on the run from the law for unknown reasons, settled down in this sleepy little town, and resisted getting to know anyone.  Love, however, cannot be controlled and we saw the two main characters become involved.  The brutality of the situation that Katie left behind was slowly revealed and may eventually catch up with her.  The rest of the story, albeit predictable, left me looking like a love-struck sap with a few tears welling up.  Damn!  I hate it when I get sucked into the concept of That One!  Although most of the film was predictable, it did have a surprise which I thoroughly enjoyed and didn't see coming.

As with The Notebook, I think I would have enjoyed reading Safe Haven more than the movie, but hey, Josh Duhamel is pleasant to look at and reading the book would take a couple of days.  That's a couple of days that my husband would have to listen to strange and slightly bitchy responses to benign questions as opposed to a quick movie and only one or two strange (and slightly bitchy) responses.  The movie is not a must-see, but if you like sappy love stories about That One, go see it or save a few bucks and wait for the DVD.

6 REELS (because I'm a romantic at heart!)