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!)

BEAUTIFUL CREATURES WAS ROAD KILL by Pamela Powell

If you're looking for the next "Harry Potter" series of movies in "Beautiful Creatures," keep looking.  I gave this one a shot because of Emma Thompson, Viola Davis, and Jeremy Irons.  Shame on all three of you for duping me into thinking this movie had potential.  You are all officially off my Christmas Wine Giving List!

"Beautiful Creatures" takes place in a small, backward South Carolina town. Young Ethan (Alden Ehrenreich) wants nothing more than to escape, go off to college, and stay as far away from Gatlin as he can.  That is until he is bewitched by a newcomer to his high school, Lena Duchannes (Alice Englert).  Lena has some family secrets that could have quite a high price to pay when she turns 16 in just a few months.  Lena and Ethan learn secrets and solve puzzles together as their love grows.  However, true love can be a blessing, but it can also be a curse in "Beautiful Creatures."  The story intertwines in predictable ways, spoon-feeding us each and every aspect of the film.  Viola Davis plays the role of "fill-in" mom to Ethan as his mother was killed in a car accident.  I loved Ms. Davis in "The Help" and "Doubt."  What a sincere actress, but even she couldn't give this film the jolt of lightning that it needed to keep it alive.  Emma Thompson had a double role; one of true good and one of true evil.  While she probably had fun with this role (Who doesn't like playing out of character?), I couldn't help but feel slightly embarrassed for her. The same was true of Jeremy Irons who played the well-educated, elegantly attired uncle of Lena's.  (He generally does look quite dapper!)  Oh, and he was a Caster (aka Witch/Warlock).  Dear, dear, dear.  What have these actors done?  While both Ehrenreich and Englert were fine in their roles, they truly made the geeky, awkward years of high school look even more ridiculous.  I should know.  I have a 17 year old daughter.  My expertise is now authenticated.




The film continued on until I thought it must truly be close to dinner-time. (I saw the 10:30 am matinee.) The film needed to end.  When I wish that everyone would just die or the Earth would just explode, I really can't recommend seeing the film.  124 minutes plus the requisite 15 minutes of previews was too much time to be spoon-fed.  When I'm in the nursing home, then you can spoon feed me, but until then, please provide smarter movies!  If you're 15-18 and female, you might like the love story aspect of it, but really, just go see "Warm Bodies" instead.


2 REELS

GAME OF CHANGE SCREENS IN KANKAKEE by Pamela Powell

GAME OF CHANGE, the documentary addressing the championship game between Loyola and Mississippi State's 1963 teams, will screen at the Kankakee Public Library on Wednesday, February 13 at 6pm.  This year marks the 50th anniversary of this controversial game.  The film will also travel and screen in Chicago on Friday at Loyola.

Jerald Harkness created this film to tell the story of his father, Jerry Harkness who was the captain and All-American player of the Loyola basketball team.  GAME OF CHANGE delves deeper into this history changing sporting event between Mississippi State and Chicago's Loyola teams in 1963.  Not only was there racial tension, but the entire country was watching and judging what was happening.  The fall-out could have been astronomical.  Players, coaches, and schools took risks that changed college ball as well as our forward progression against discrimination.


Don't miss this opportunity to watch history, basketball, and character react together in this though-provoking and enlightening film.

Check out the trailer below

http://vimeo.com/28073431

SIDE EFFECTS HAD A POWERFUL PUNCH by Pamela Powell

"Side Effects" has been hyped for quite some time which, in some cases, can be a red flag.  Luckily, this was not the case with this film.  Touted as a Psychological Thriller, it delivered.  As a very topical theme, "Side Effects" put several questions out there for the viewer.  For example, "How powerful are pharmaceutical companies?"  Or "When do the side effects of a medication negatively outweigh the benefits?"  Or how about, "To what degree is a doctor responsible for their patient's reactions?"  These, and many other questions are brought to mind while watching this well-written and deftly directed movie.

Jude Law played a psychiatrist called in to treat Emily (Rooney Mara), a patient who had apparently just attempted to commit suicide by driving directly into a brick wall.  Emily had struggled with depression in the past.  Her husband, Martin (Channing) had just been released from prison for committing insider trading. Emily and Martin were trying to get things back in order.  Unfortunately, her depression got in the way.  As she tried various medications prescribed by Dr. Jonathan Banks (Law), each one had a negative side effect.  That's where the movie really started.  With its slow, but very well-done, beginning, the scene was perfectly set.  The film kept me guessing about each of the characters and their motives.  I was never a step ahead of the film. This made the twists and turns so unexpected and surprising!  No one was who they seemed which made it all the more fun to watch.


Law and Mara were wonderfully cast in their parts.  Catherine Zeta-Jones' character appeared to be a role like she had never played before.  I'll leave it at that.  You'll have to see it to understand.  Although I'm not a huge fan of Channing Tatum, he was fine in his role and really not on the screen too terribly much.  The direction, writing, and timing of this film kept me guessing and glued to the screen.  The end was unexpected and perfect.  Frequently, the ending ruins the movie, but in "Side Effects" it was the perfectly planned powerful punch.

This is a movie that I would recommend paying your hard-earned money to see in the theatre.  We don't often get a smart, creative, and topical film that can capture your undivided attention.

9 REELS