'Angels and Demon' is a bloated bore

For a movie about attempting to prevent the murder of four cardinals and the destruction of Vatican City, "Angels and Demons," the sequel to 2006's "The Da Vinci Code," is, dare I say, boring.

"Angels and Demons" is another adventure featuring author Dan Brown's symbologist Robert Langdon. The book took place before "The Da Vinci Code," but on film it takes place after. Not that it really matters either way.

"The Da Vinci Code" as a film was largely dismissed by critics, but audiences didn't seem to care as it made more than $750 million at the box office worldwide. There truly is no accounting for taste.

I enjoyed "The Da Vinci Code" as I was watching it but it didn't linger in my mind.
Three years later it is barely there. It wasn't a terrible film, but it wasn't a particularly great one either. It had middling entertainment value in unraveling the mystery, but was overlong and poorly paced. If it wasn't for the fine actors, the film would've been an ordeal to sit through. The same criticism applies for "Angels and Demons."

Tom Hanks returns as Langdon as does director Ron Howard, but they haven't learned from their mistakes from the first time around, or perhaps they are willingly repeating them, since after all you don't want to mess with a $750 million winning formula.

The plot involves a vengeful science-based organization called the Illuminati, who were terribly wronged in one of the darker corners of Catholic Church’s past. Now on the eve of the naming of a new pope, the group is back to kill the pope's four possible successors in an ancient ritual. Oh, and they're going to blow up the Vatican for good measure. Langdon, an expert on the Illuminati, is brought in to save the day.

This should be the set up for an exciting film, especially since there is a one-hour deadline to save each cardinal, but the execution is all wrong. Too much time is spent with Hanks casually explaining the various clues and the history behind them. There's no sense of the urgency of the deadlines.

Furthermore, the film sets up a formula: find a clue, figure out the clue, get to the designated location at the last minute, find the next clue, and so on. Will Langdon and his fetching female assistant (this time played by Ayelet Zurer) make it in time? It becomes repetitive and ultimately numbing.

There's little to no suspense, although a booming score from Hans Zimmer comes clamoring in during all the supposedly exciting parts to tell you it is time to be excited even though there is very little on the screen to be thrilled about.

There are things to admire about "Angels and Demons" including some well placed jabs at the media that get a laugh and help to break up the monotony. It also has a uniformly strong cast that helps keep the film watchable.

Hanks is an innately likable performer and he does his best to get through wordy monologues on par with a mediocre high school history lesson. Ewan McGregor as the former pope's aid is particularly strong as an open-minded man of God with a big heart.

Familiar faces like Stellan Skarsgård ("Pirates of the Caribbean") and Armin Mueller-Stahl ("The International," "Eastern Promises") add a necessary level of credibility to a film that is anything but.

The film does feature a thoughtful discussion of faith and science and whether they can co-exist. For all the bloody murders and pyrotechnics, this is easily the most interesting aspect of the film and so welcomed and refreshing that it almost compensates for the film's shortcomings.

The same can be said of the ending, which is the only time the film feels emotionally genuine. Unfortunately it comes two hours too late.

Fans of Dan Brown and the film version of "The Da Vinci Code" are likely to enjoy this installment, but non-believers will not be converted.

Local 'working class' band rocks Meadowbrook with Korn

It is a pretty classic scene. The Berlin-based band buRne is playing a gig in a bar in Gorham and a brawl breaks out. Pool tables are being flipped. Chairs are flying. The state police show up. And the band just keeps playing.

“Girls are fighting, guys are fighting, state troopers are fighting, they are closing the bar. We didn’t know what to do,” said the band’s lead singer Antly Horne, of Conway. “That was awesome. Interesting, I don’t know about awesome, but it was interesting.”

Last September, in a very different kind of show, the self-described working class band played the Tweeter Center in Mansfield, Mass. with Queensrÿche, Alice Cooper, Dio and Black Sabbath. On May 23 the band will join Korn and 30 other bands at the Meadowbrook U.S. Pavilion in Gilford. Not too shabby for an unsigned band from Berlin.

“We all have jobs outside of this, but this is just something we never let go of,” said Horne. “It is a side lifestyle, is what it is really. We’re playing and writing and trying our best to do what we can and trying to stay unique to other bands and it has been going good so far.”

buRne started out as a two-piece band about seven years, but started getting more serious three years ago —and things been on the rise ever since. The band recently released its self-produced first album, “Surface.”

Horne describes the band’s sound as grunge based, but not “scream-rip-your-head-off music.” The band is not above playing a ballad, and in fact intends on playing one at the Meadowbrook show.

“We weren’t sure we were going to do it because we are playing with all these heavy bands, but you know that’s the sort of stuff that makes us stick out,” said Horne. “We are not afraid to be ourselves, and that’s what we’re going to do be: ourselves. That’s what got us to where we are now and we’re not going to stray away from that.”

Horne says that the band's diverse influences, which include Alice in Chains, Jethro Tull, Dave Matthews and Megadeath, are what keeps the band’s sound unique.

“Everyone puts their own style into it and nobody critiques each other,” said Horne. “You want to do something one way, then do it. That’s what is going to stick out.”

And that’s the theme that keeps surfacing when talking with Horne: Try to find a way to stand out and be original. That’s the same advice he gives to aspiring musicians.

“Everybody starts at the bottom,” said Horne. “Some people are just a little bit more fortunate than others. The chances of making it are slim to none, but if you make it in your own mind that’s all you need. You got to keep that in mind. You don’t have to please anybody but yourself.”

Bands playing the Meadowbrook show must sell tickets using a special unique code in order to climb their way higher on the main stage. Currently buRne is high on that list and hopes to stay there.

For more information about the band visit www.myspace.com/burnethelifestyle.

'Star Trek': A summer movie at its best

I am by no means a Trekkie, or a Trekker — the preferred term these days — but I have no qualms saying I loved the new “Star Trek” film. This is exactly what a summer movie should be: smart, fast and fun.

Director J.J. Abrams (creator of “Lost” and “Alias”) wastes no time with an opening that features George Kirk sacrificing himself in a space battle to save the crew of his ship. He does this all while his son, the future Captain James T. Kirk, is being born in an escape pod. This opening has more thrills and emotion than some whole movies and is one helluva hook.

Like “X-Men Origins: Wolverine,” this is an origin story where we get to see young versions of Captain Kirk, Spock, Dr. Bones McCoy and all the rest. This origin work is so much more than “Wolverine” because of how inclusive it is to fans and non-fans alike.

This new “Star Trek” is accessible to even those who have never watched a single episode of the original “Star Trek” series or any of the films, because Abrams and screenwriters Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman have taken the time to create their own world while honoring what came before and to flesh out even the secondary characters.

Abrams has wisely not stuffed his cast with big names, but instead cast actors that perfectly fit their roles regardless of the size of their Hollywood star. It would be an overstatement to say it is a cast of unknowns as there are several familiar faces, but these actors aren’t household names.

Fans were concerned by the casting of Chris Pine as Kirk because his sparse resume featured a couple unremarkable teen films (“Princess Diaries 2” and “Just My Luck”), but Pine is excellent as Kirk. He emulates William Shatner cockiness, but without going the easy route of doing a direct impression. He’s a dynamic and charismatic lead.

Zackary Quinto of “Heroes” as Spock is equally well cast. Spock is half human and half Vulcan, an emotionless alien race. The emotions his human side gives him are seen as a disability by other Vulcans.

Spock’s human side has been touched upon before, but never quite to the extent here. Quinto captures the stoic, logical mind of Spock, but also hints at the emotions he is struggling to repress. They have a tendency of showing through in caustic remarks or subtle facial expressions.

Kirk and Spock’s relationship was always the center of the “Star Trek” movies, and here we get to see an alternate take where they aren’t the close friends that they will later become. There is a rivalry that is well played.

The plot of the film involves a vengeful Romulan named Nero (a fantastically creepy, but underused Eric Bana) who has come from the future to destroy Spock’s home planet because he wrongly believes Spock destroyed his.

This time-travel device allows for Leonard Nimoy, the original Spock, to reprise his role and play scenes against the young versions of Kirk and himself. Nimoy has much more than a mere wink-wink cameo, and his appearance adds a certain gravitas to the proceedings.

Other highlight of the cast include Simon Pegg (“Shaun of the Dead, “Hot Fuzz”) doing a hilarious scene-stealing turn as Scotty; Anton Yelchin (“Charlie Bartlett”) sporting an over-the-top Russian accent and youthful enthusiasm as genius whiz kid Pavel Chekov; Karl Urban doing a spot-on impersonation of DeForest Kelley's Dr. McCoy; and John Cho (“Harold and Kumar”) taking Sulu out of his seat for some fencing action.

Abrams keeps the film moving, and there are some spectacular action sequences, especially one involving a fight on a laser drill, and the digital effects are top notch. The visuals have a sense of place and base in reality that was lacking in George Lucas’ overly glossy and artificial looking “Star Wars” prequels.

As a director, Abrams is fond of shaky cam, quick editing and close-ups. This style of action is getting a bit tiresome, but Abrams does it better than most.

Above all else, the new “Star Trek” is funny — and that’s crucial to the film’s success. It is smart enough to take its characters and universe serious, but also realizes not to take itself too seriously. The humor and pitch-perfect cast make this a great time at the movies.

'Facing' the truth

M&D's 'Facing East' offers rewarding night of theater

Faith can be a beautiful, uplifting thing with the power to wrap people in a comforting love. But faith can also have an ugly, destructive side, and M&D’s production of Carol Lynn Pearson’s “Facing East” confronts that darker side head on.

“Facing East,” which opens Thursday, May 14, at Your Theatre in Willow Common in North Conway, is set at the grave of Andy, following his funeral. His parents, Ruth and Alex (Karen O’Neil and Kevin O’Neil), have stayed behind because Alex believes the funeral was a lie and wants to do it right even if it is only the surrounding trees that hear it.

The lie was ignoring that Andy was gay, something that went directly against his Mormon upbringing. That conflict between his true identity and a faith that deemed it a sin led to a self loathing that would drive him to suicide.

Ruth clings to her faith, even using it justify the death as a blessing in disguise, but Alex can no longer take solace in his faith. When Andy’s partner Marcus (Jeff Warach) joins Ruth and Alex at the grave, there are revelations that challenge Ruth’s views of her faith.

“Facing East” is similar in tone and theme to John Patrick Shanley’s play-turned-movie “Doubt.” The play doesn’t condemn religion, whatever denomination someone may be, but instead it explores the dangers of following the dogma of a church blindly and with an unremitting rigidness.

It is not humanity’s job to judge who is damned, and yet so many do. That is the theme at the center of Pearson’s play. Pearson is an advocate of forgiveness and acceptance.

Both leads are effective at showing the grief on their faces. Even without a line of dialogue, we know that they are grappling with heavy emotions. Much of the dialogue is delivered directly to the audience, giving the show an intimacy and intensity that is hard to ignore.

There are flashbacks, with Karen O’Neil and Kevin O’Neil alternating playing Andy. This is an effective device that is enhanced by moody blue lighting.

Kevin O’Neil is quite affecting portraying Alex’s struggle with his son’s death and the guilt he feels for not being understanding enough of his son.

Karen O’Neil has a tricky job as she manages to make Ruth empathetic even though she is often insufferable and infuriating. All Ruth has ever known is her faith, and so in this time of mourning she holds it tightly and refuses to let go.

Warach’s appearance comes late in the play, but injects new life into the proceedings.
He is good at balancing Marcus’ anger toward Ruth and Alex with his anguish.

The sparse set of an open grave surrounded by bare trees on a slanted stage is evocative and never lets the audience forget what was lost.

“Facing East” is an emotionally charged play that isn’t easy viewing, but it raises important issues and as an acting showcase is a strong piece of theater that is well worth the effort.

For more information visit www.yourtheatre.com or call 662-7591.

'Wolverine' is overstuffed

“X-Men Origins: Wolverine” is a tough one to review. It isn’t a mind-blowing movie-going experience, but isn’t an unmitigated disaster either. There are large stretches that are entertaining, but it is too unfocused to be fully satisfying.

Wolverine (Hugh Jackman), also known as Logan, is a mutant with powerful healing abilities, heightened animal-like senses and who ages slowly. He also has retractable metal claws, and in this film we see how and why he gets them.

His origin story is a pretty straightforward revenge tale involving his half brother Sabretooth (Liev Schreiber, “The Manchurian Candidate”), also known as Victor Creed. Victor has similar abilities to Logan, but where Logan attempts to suppress his animal instincts, Victor embraces them.

Their brotherly bond is severed when Victor kills Logan’s love interest. With the help of William Stryker (Danny Huston, filling in for Brian Cox from “X2”), Logan gets those oh, so shiny claws and becomes Wolverine.

The film opens with a great title sequence showing the brothers fighting alongside each other from the Civil War through to the Vietnam War. I would’ve liked more of that and to see these characters interacting throughout the ages. What was Logan like during the roaring '20s or during The Depression?

Jackman and Schreiber’s dynamic is the best thing in the film. They are fantastic together. Schreiber, who has never played a role quite like this, is completely convincing. He is oddly charismatic and menacing at the same time.

This is Jackman’s fourth time playing Wolverine, the role that put him on the map. He has the role down cold as he ably tosses out dry one-liners, is believable in the elaborate action scenes and hints at deeper emotions hidden just below the surface.

Unfortunately, the emotion of the Wolverine/Sabretooth plot line gets lost. As with the third “X-Men” film, that human element is largely missing as the focus in “Wolverine” has been placed on action and the screen is overpopulated with too many underdeveloped characters.

Several secondary characters are given five to 15 minutes of screen time and then are killed off or just dropped. We don’t get enough time to get to know these characters and they just take away from the real star of the film.

One such character, Wade Wilson, also known as Deadpool, is particularly under-utilized. Deadpool is a wisecracking mercenary who is ideally played by Ryan Reynolds at the beginning of the film, but he returns so drastically altered at the end of the film that fans of the comic won’t even recognize the character they love. For the average moviegoer, the character works within the context of the film, but for fans it is sure to be a sticking point.

Another popular “X-Men” character that finally makes his long-awaited appearance in the series is Gambit (Taylor Kitsch, “Friday Night Lights”). His few scenes are flashy and he seems interesting, but his appearance in the film has little to do with making the film better, but rather appeasing fans.

There is a lot to like about “Wolverine,” including a great action sequence involving Jackman taking down a helicopter, but it could’ve been so much more. What made the first two films in the series work was that even though the films were action-packed there was a thoughtfulness at the core. Mutants were used as an allegory for social prejudices and to explore moral ambiguities.

“Wolverine” is simply a summer action movie with some decent acting and some fun scenes. Fans of the series should see it, but don’t expect it to be this year’s “Iron Man” or “The Dark Knight.”

Nothing to 'obsess' over

If you want a laugh, check out “Obsessed,” not that the film is a comedy. You’ll be laughing, but at the film, not with it.

“Obsessed” stars Idris Elba (currently on “The Office”) as a successful asset manager with a beautiful wife (Beyoncé Knowles) and baby who is fending off the pursuits of an attractive, but delusional office temp (Ali Larter, “Heroes”). This is a “Fatal Attraction” rip off without a single original moment in it.

The minute Larter’s temptress comes on screen it is clear exactly where this movie is going. A movie being formulaic isn’t necessarily a problem. We watch romantic comedies because we know in the end the couple will get together. It is the journey that is key, not the destination. In “Obsessed” that journey is pedestrian and at times boring.

Ultimately, the film’s raison d'être is the inevitable throw down between Larter and Knowles and it is one heck of a fight, but it is a 90-minute wait before you get there. The fight also seems out of tone with the rest of the film. Suddenly, Knowles' character seems like something out of a blaxploitation film.

The film is riddled with cheesy dialogue, but unlike something like the “Scream” movies, it is clear this isn’t meant to be a self-satire. Until the final fight scene where the film gives over to total camp it is evident that the film was attempting to be a serious drama and it fails at that. The inconsistent tone is just one of its problems.

The acting in the film ranges from good to adequate. Elba is quite strong in the lead. He has a definite screen presence and gives more credibility to his lines than they deserve. With a better film he could really shine.

Larter is good at playing crazy, but her performance is fairly one note. Knowles, who also was a producer, is fine, but it seems like she took the role solely for that final fight because she doesn’t truly come alive until those scenes.

The direction by Steve Shill is workman like, but he does create some suspense in places, even if it isn’t sustained for long. With a better script this could’ve been a decent thriller, so if we must put the blame for this film on someone it is screenwriter David Loughrey.

Loughrey writes script by the numbers, if you have any doubt compare “Obsessed” to last year’s “Lakeview Terrace,” which he also scripted. Both films center on a married couple being terrorized by someone who is mentally unstable and ends up in a confrontation that would seem more appropriate for a slasher movie.

As with his script for “Lakeview Terrace,” Loughrey had an intriguing premise with the potential to raise serious issues, in this case that men have to fight harder to prove sexual harassment. Loughrey’s script flirts with the issue, but settles for ham-fisted exploitation dialogue and cliché scenes.

This is a bad film, but for some people it will be so bad it is good. Let me be perfectly clear, don’t waste your money seeing it in theaters. Once it is on DVD and you’ve got nothing better to do on a rainy afternoon, perhaps lower your standards and rent it. You will laugh for all the wrong reasons.

'State of Play' is a top notch thriller

“State of Play,” a political thriller centered on the murder of a congressman’s aid, is a top-notch piece of intelligent filmmaking made for adults. This is a film that respects its viewer’s intelligence instead of spoon feeding them mindless swill.

Russell Crowe stars as a slovenly, but efficient investigative journalist in Washington, D.C. who begins finding connections between two seemingly unrelated murders, one involving his former roommate turned congressman’s (Ben Affleck) research aid. Slowly an elaborate and ever shifting conspiracy is unraveled.

On the level of plot not much else can be revealed as it would undermine the film’s best surprises. There are twists upon twists in this film, but each new turn is so carefully placed that the film never feels cheap or eye-rolling.

The film has an excellent pedigree. Director Kevin McDonald’s first film was the first rate “Last King of Scotland” and the cast is populated with some of the best and brightest actors working today.

The cast is so strong that even minor roles are populated by the likes of Jeff Daniels, Robin Wright Penn and Jason Bateman ("Hancock"), who appears late in the film to provide some comic relief, but also reveals some serious acting.

Helen Mirren (“The Queen”) is completely believable as Crowe's editor. Rachel McAdams (“The Notebook,” “Red Eye”) is a blogger that Crowe teams up with to research and write the story.

McAdams is one of the more underrated actresses in her generation and she and Crowe have a nice dynamic. The film thankfully never attempts to force a romantic subplot between the two. They are simply colleagues who learn to respect and trust each other.

Affleck, who after several years of bad career moves, is back on track. As he did in “Hollywoodland,” he has taken a supporting role in an ensemble film and proves he can act when he isn’t in a big dumb action movie.

The screenplay is written by Tony Gilroy, the writer and director of “Michael Clayton” and “Duplicity,” Billy Ray, who wrote and directed “Breach” and “Shattered Glass” and Matthew Michael Carnahan who wrote “The Kingdom" and “Lions for Lambs.” These are writers that write smart films that aren’t clear cut or black and white.

“State of Play” is based on a six hour BBC mini-series and the screenwriters deserve a lot of credit for finding a way to cut the screen time in third and still have a film that is coherent. The timeline of events is perhaps too condensed, especially towards the resolution, but things are never confusing. McDonald keeps the film moving briskly, but not at the expense of character development.

Given that newspapers are going bankrupt and shutting their doors across the country, many are wondering if this will be the last newspaper film. The film is aware of the current state of print journalism and authentically comments on it. Mirren has several scenes in which she struggles with whether to be gossip hounds or hold the story until it is accurate and solid.

“State of Play” is very much in the tradition of “All the President’s Men” and while that film may have more of a dramatic edge since it was based on true event, "State of Play" is in many ways its equal. This is compelling, surprising drama that is well worth your time and money.

Owen and Roberts shine in 'Duplicity'

Julia Roberts and Clive Owen bring their considerable star power and charm to writer/director Tony Gilroy’s light-as-a-feather but largely satisfying comic thriller “Duplicity.”

“Duplicity” feels like a lighter reworking of Gilroy’s terrific debut “Michael Clayton” with corporate intrigue replacing legal intrigue. Where “Michael Clayton” created a complex web and gripping drama, “Duplicity” creates a just as intricate web, but plays things for low-key laughs.

Roberts and Owen play former spies turned lovers who set up shop in opposing corporate companies in hopes of playing the companies against each other and in the process steal an idea that they can sell to the highest bidder.

The rival companies are headed up by Paul Giamatti and Tom Wilkinson, who in a fabulously funny opening scene fight it out on an airport runaway while their handlers look on in shock. Giamatti and Wilkinson are always reliable character actors, and they give fantastic supporting performances here.

“Duplicity” is a throwback to light comic thrillers like “Charade,” or more recently the “Ocean’s” movies, where the film is more about the stars’ chemistry, charisma and banter than the plot itself.

These are films that create elaborate plots with so many twists and switcheroos that the audience just has to go along for the ride and smile at the filmmaker’s audacity. These are films that intentionally play with the audience.

As a screenwriter Gilroy is probably best know for his work on the “Bourne” franchise, but his work here is closer in spirit to his script for 1992’s “The Cutting Edge,” about a hockey player paired with a figure skater. That film had the same sort of clever, combative dialogue-masking attraction that is on display in “Duplicity.”

Gilroy has the comic dialogue down cold, but when he has to switch to the straight romantic scenes he loses his edge and goes cliché. This held true in "The Cutting Edge," and it remains true today.

There’s a scene where Owen and Roberts proclaim their love for each other that goes on for far too long with dialogue that didn’t need to be spoken. Gilroy should’ve trusted that the audience got that they were in love.

Roberts and Owen, who worked together previously in “Closer,” have a palpable chemistry together and play Gilroy’s dialogue just right. While their scenes together in “Closer” were comprised of acidic barbed banter meant to devastate, here the repartee is just as sharp and quick, but is now playful and affectionate.

Owen has been in a lot of heavy thrillers and gritty action pictures recently, and it is nice to see him dial down the intensity and play up the charm. He reveals a fine comedic touch and slides nicely into a Cary Grant mode.

Roberts is simply required to be Roberts, and she still does it well. It is also nice to see that she is allowing herself to age gracefully. It doesn’t appear that, as with so many of her colleagues, she has started to nip, tuck and pull.

“Duplicity” is not a demanding or challenging film, but it is fun. And with locations such as Italy and the Bahamas as the backdrop for several scenes, it is pretty to look at. It is a soufflé — light, fluffy and delicious, but not very substantial. It goes down easy and offers quick pleasure.

'Fast & Furious' is running on fumes

“Fast & Furious,” the fourth installment in the street-racing franchise, isn’t an awful movie, but it is so inconsequential that it is hard to even be bothered to write anything about it. But I have already wasted 90 minutes watching it, so I guess I’ll waste more time.

The film made $72.5 million its opening weekend, the highest opening of a film released in April. It would appear that fans were eager for the return of the four principle leads from 2001’s “The Fast and the Furious” after only Paul Walker returned for two and Vin Diesel made a cameo in three.

Diesel, Walker, Michelle Rodriquez and Jordana Brewster all return this time, but the film’s “New Model, Original Parts” tagline is a misnomer. Fans excited to see the dynamic of the four leads again will be disappointed because the female leads get substantially shortchanged. Rodriquez’ appearance is not much more than a cameo, and Brewster only fairs marginally better.

Then again, “The Fast and the Furious” was always more about Diesel and Walker’s relationship than their love interests. In fact, if you want a quick laugh, search “The Fast and the Curious” on youtube for an amusing reworking of the trailer for the first film.

Seeing Diesel and Walker’s chemistry together again may be enough for fans to give the film pass, but for anyone else it is a messy bore.

The plot has something to do with drug trafficking, and naturally street racing factors into the mix. Diesel is wanted for various nefarious deeds and Walker is now working for the FBI, but both have motivations for taking down the drug kingpin, and they make an uneasy alliance to do so.

There are two worthy sequences in the film. The best is the film’s opening featuring Diesel and his crew attempting to steal gas tankers as a trucker makes his way up a winding road. It is pretty spectacular and offers something different for the series, but after that it is back to more of the same.

The other noteworthy scene is the inevitable Diesel and Walker street race, which despite being undermined by an annoying GPS gimmick that makes much of the sequence look like a cheap video game, does excite. It is a well directed, if completely ludicrous race.

Unfortunately, the rest of the car sequences rely too heavily on mediocre and obvious CGI. One setting, tunnels through a mountain, is used twice. The first time through it is mildly interesting; the second time it is mind-numbingly dull.

This is nothing more than a shameless cash-in. All the careers of the four leads aren’t doing too well, and this was a guaranteed hit. Unsurprisingly, the door was left open for a sequel, which chances are we’ll get. The producers already removed “the” from the title; maybe next time they can get rid of “and” too and simply call it “Fast Furious."

Rudd and Segel a comedic duo to 'love'

Paul Rudd, a reliable supporting comedic actor for more than a decade, continues his transition to leading man in the very funny “I Love You, Man.”

“I Love You, Man” is the latest in the recent trend of films being termed bromances. These are films that take the outrageous frat boy humor of films like “Old School” and “Anchorman” and graft it on to a romantic comedy structure. Just as much, if not more, time is spent with the male lead hanging with his guy friends as courting the female lead.

Writer, director and producer Judd Apatow (“Knocked Up”) is responsible in some way for the vast majority of these movies, which play to a large cross-section of moviegoers because the sweetness and positive values buried at their core counterbalances the coarser, low-brow humor.

“I Love You, Man” takes the concept of a bromance and runs with it. This time the central relationship is the male one. Rudd stars as Peter, who after proposing to his finance (Rashida Jones, “The Office”) realizes he has always only had female friends and begins a quest to find a guy friend to be his best man.

Peter goes on a series of failed man-dates until he meets Sydney (Jason Segel, “Forgetting Sarah Marshall”) and they instantly hit it off despite, or because of, the fact that they are opposites. Peter is repressed and painfully awkward while Sydney is the sort of free spirit who justifies not cleaning up after his dog because it is good for the environment.

The film has their relationship go through all the romantic comedy clichés: the meet cute, the first few dates, and the inevitable break up over a misunderstanding followed by the even more inevitable reconciliation. Some may complain this makes the film predictable, but having the platonic male relationship play as a romantic one yields laughs as familiar conventions are tweaked.

John Hamburg, the writer of “Meet the Parents” and “Meet the Fockers,” co-wrote and directed the film. After being stuck in PG-13 world, Hamburg seems to be liberated now that he is in the R-rated realm.

Hamburg is dealing with the same sort of humor that made the “Meet” films popular, but here it seems less forced and more sincere. A lot of that has to do with Rudd and Segel, who both have a natural ease on screen and an inherent likability.

Rudd makes Peter’s awkwardness sublimely funny, but never to the point of being annoying. Watching him desperately try to be nonchalant and cool by making up nonsensical nicknames and expressions gets big laughs, but it is a credit to Rudd’s performance that he has the audience rooting for him.

Segel is also very good here. His Sydney could have come up off as obnoxious or grating, but like Rudd’s performance, he emanates a sweetness. Segel and Rudd have a great comedic chemistry together that is easygoing and fun. Much of the film is them just hanging out, which could drag except we enjoy spending time with these guys.

It isn’t just their show. The film is populated by a good supporting cast including Jon Favreau (“Four Christmases”) and Jamie Pressly (“My Name is Earl”) as a bickering couple, and J.K. Simmons (“Juno”) and Jane Curtin (“3rd Rock from the Sun”) underused as Peter’s parents.

Andy Samburg (“Saturday Night Live”) amuses in a low-key performance as Peter’s gay brother that busts all the gay stereotypes. Then there is Lou “The Hulk” Ferrigno playing himself. He is worked into the movie because Peter is a Realtor selling Ferrigno’s house, but whatever the excuse it is cameo that could’ve been gimmick that turns out to work.

Rashida Jones’ finance character is underwritten, but she’s very good here and thankfully isn’t written or played shrill. We like her and want Peter to be with her. Jones, in her first major film role, is funny and warm, and it will be interesting to see what she does with a bigger role.

“I Love You, Man” offers further prove that its leads are two of the funniest comic actors working today, and that should be enough to warrant seeing it. Thankfully, the movie holds together quite nicely as a whole.

'Warmth of the Cold' hits close to home

M&D's latest production set in Berlin, N.H.

M&D Productions’ latest show opened Thursday at Your Theatre in Willow Common in North Conway, and it hits close to home. “The Warmth of the Cold” is a family drama set in Berlin, New Hampshire during the year’s worst snowstorm.

The play, directed by Neil Pankhurst of the Winnipesaukee Playhouse, deals with issues perhaps all too familiar: the closing of a mill and the devastating effect it can have on a family. The press materials released for the show quoted the Tennessee Williams’ expression, “the thundercloud of a common crisis.”

The evocation of Williams’ work is an accurate one as New Hampshire playwright Lowell Williams’ script deals with a dysfunctional family very much in the same way Tennessee Williams did in such works as “The Glass Menagerie,” “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof” and “A Streetcar Named Desire.”

Each member of the family has a different reaction to the mill closing. Hal (Dan Tetreault), the husband and father, takes to the road as a truck driver to support his family. Carol (Rae McCarey), the mother and wife, becomes mentally unstable, forever clinging to the idea that the mill will reopen.

Daughter Samantha (Katie Gustafson) retreats into her studies in hopes of earning a college scholarship. Son Robbie (Kyle Mulcahy) feels the pressure to be the man of the house in his father’s absence and takes a path of easy money to help support his family.

There is a major plot point and reoccurring theme that wouldn’t be fair to reveal here because its discovery within the play is something the audience should not be robbed of. It does make discussing some of the finer details of the play more difficult.

The dynamic between the two siblings is an interesting one, which is a polite way of saying their relationship will make people ill at ease. Robbie is very emotionally dependent on Samantha, and the idea of her leaving leads to some vehement arguments.

Although her children are in their teens, Carol is far more childlike than they are, in think in a complete role reversal they often send her to her room. Carol’s mental state has good days and bad days and Robbie placates and feeds into his mother’s fantasies, which becomes another point of confrontation with Samantha.

All the performances are first rate. These actors are dealing with heavy emotions and are involved in intense scenes that leave them exposed and vulnerable. There is a good deal of shouting in the play, and there is a danger of actors coming off as shrill or simply yelling instead of getting at the emotion behind the screaming, but that is definitely not the case here.

McCarey does a good job portraying Carol’s mental instability in a way that doesn’t become cheap, over-the-top or insincere. It is a sympathetic portrayal that should make audiences care about her.

Mulcahy plays Robbie’s struggle to keep his family together well. You can sense the pressure to stay strong for his family tearing at him until, in a pair of climatic scenes in the second act, he can no longer hold it together.

Gustafson’s Samantha is the play’s most stable character, but even she struggles with insecurities that she won’t be able to get into college. Samantha fears she will be stuck in town working at Wal-Mart for the rest of her life. Gustafson registers these fears in subtle ways such as a facial expression or the way she carries herself.

Tetreault’s Hal is romanticized for much of the play as being a great husband and father, but it is revealed in a flashback with Mulcahy that he was far from perfect. His ideas of how men and women should interact were outmoded. Tetreault is effective at hinting at Hal’s darker side behind a seemingly ideal façade.

“The Warmth of the Cold” is a challenging night of theater, but one with rewards for those that accept the challenge. For tickets or information call 662-7591 or e-mail info@yourtheatre.com.

Rourke is astounding in 'The Wrestler'

Mickey Rourke may not have won the Oscar for Best Actor for his astounding performance in “The Wrestler” but he won nearly every other major film award including the BAFTA, the Golden Globe and the Independent Spirit Award and deservedly so. Don’t miss this performance.

Rourke was a promising young actor in the 1980s who became a star with performances in such films as “Diner” and “The Pope of Greenwich Village,” but several bad career moves and a detour into professional boxing left him on the outs in the film industry.

In recent years he has slowly been making a comeback with strong supporting roles in films such as “Sin City” and “Domino.” “The Wrestler” marks his return as a great actor.

In “The Wrestler,” Rourke plays a washed up professional wrestler named Randy “The Ram” Robinson, who is barely staying afloat and desperately trying to make a comeback. It is easy to see why Rourke was drawn to this material and he taps into raw emotions that few actors do. There’s a speech toward the end of the film where he could easily be talking about himself.

Randy has a strained relationship with the daughter (Evan Rachel Wood, “Across the Universe”) he walked out on years ago. This is familiar material, but rarely are scenes like this written with such honesty and performed with so much intense, seemly real emotion. Wood and Rourke share scenes that could make even the toughest tough guy shed a tear.

The other relationship in Randy’s life is with Cassidy, a striper (Marisa Tomei, “My Cousin Vinnie”) at a club he frequents. They have a rapport that could be more than simply her being nice to him because he’s a costumer and he would like to create a real relationship. She’s guarded about this, but slowly let’s herself become involved.

Tomei does strip in the film, and not just typical “movie striping” this is the real, nasty deal. The amazing thing about her performance is that she makes Cassidy a full character. She’s a tender, compassionate person with a daughter. She stripes as a means to an end. Again, this may sound familiar, but the script by Robert Siegel instills all these scenes with authenticity.

The film is a departure for director Darren Aronofsky whose previous films “Pi,”
“Requiem for a Dream” and “The Fountain” were full of visual trickery. The filmmaking here is more simplistic, restrained and less showy. Aronofsky simply trusts the story and character instead of the visual gimmicks that while effective in his other films would’ve been distracting here.

This is not a wrestling movie although there are scenes in the ring and for those who are wrestling fans there are scenes that show some of the tricks of the trade and post-show clean up that are fascinating. Those who aren’t wrestling fans should not dismiss the film because of the occupation of its title character.

"The Wrestler" is a study of someone who is broken by life and just struggling to make it through each day. Rourke’s Randy is a man who is desperately reaching out for some sort of emotional connection whether it is with his daughter or a striper turned potential girlfriend. It is a movie about how much a person can take before they just give up.

Spread the word

Arts in Motion Youth Players and the Kennett Drama Club present 'Grease'

There is a great debate over what the word is. The Beatles said it was love. The Trashmen claimed it was bird. For the next two weeks at Kennett High School’s Loynd Auditorium in North Conway there is no question that the word is “Grease.”

“Grease,” a collaboration between the Arts in Motion Youth Players and the Kennett Drama Club, opened Thursday and will be performed March 19-21 as well as March 26-28.

The 1950s-set musical first appeared on Broadway in 1971, and, thanks to the 1978 film adaptation starring John Travolta and Olivia Newton John, has had staying power. “Grease" has slipped into our greater cultural consciousness and, whether they like it or not, most people are at least familiar with some of the songs.

For those who have managed to avoid “Grease,” it tells the story of Danny (senior Ged Owen) and Sandy (senior Molly Paven) who meet over the summer and fall in love only to find that when school starts they run in different social circles. Danny is a greaser with a reputation to protect, and Sandy is a goody-two-shoes who doesn’t fit in with the tough, fun-loving Pink Ladies.

Three new songs were written for the film including the popular “You’re the One That I Want.” In Broadway revivals of the show, these songs are often included — and that’s also the case with the production at Kennett.

In the film as well as on stage, the roles have almost always been played by adults, so one plus that a high school production of “Grease” has is that all the actors are age appropriate for their roles.

This production directed by Glenn Noble is bright and lively with some spectacular choreography by junior Rebecca Sciola.

“Born to Hand Jive” features some nicely incorporated swing dance moves that are well performed by the cast. “Greased Lightning,” featuring choreography by junior Shannon Reville, is a show highlight with many of the guys doing some impressive flips.

All the show’s most popular songs are presented and performed here well. “Summer Nights,” with Danny and Sandy telling contradictory version of their summer romance to their gossip-hungry cliques, starts the show off with high energy and the right tone of humor.

Senior Casper Van Coesant is a standout as Teen Angel serenading the ditsy Frenchie (freshman Shelby Noble) on the cheeky “Beauty School Dropout.”

The two leads, Owen and Paven, carry the show nicely, with Owen effective as a greaser with a softer side and Paven playing uptight and love sick just right. Owen and Paven are particularly strong in their big final number, “You’re the One That I Want.” Paven, who was forced to play prude for most of the show, has fun unleashing Sandy’s repressed bad girl and helps to end the show on a high note.

Part of the fun of a high school production is for students and parents to see their classmates and children on stage. The environment in the audience is less reserved than the traditional theater experience as parents and friends hoot, holler and cheer when the person they’ve come to see graces the stage.

“Grease” is successful on that level and should leave students plenty to talk about in the school halls.

For more information visit www.artsinmotiontheater.com.

You should be watching the 'Watchmen'

After years of claims of being un-filmable, director Zack Synder (“300”) has found a way to bring Alan Moore’s acclaimed graphic novel “Watchmen” to the screen and retain most of the scope, humor and message.

“Watchmen” is perhaps the most highly regarded graphic novel ever written, so much so it is respected as a piece of literature. It won the Hugo Award and was named one of Time Magazine’s 100 best English language novels since 1923 and has had such heavyweight directors at Terry Gilliam, Darren Aronofsky and Peter Greengrass attached to it.

The film, like the source material, is set in an alternative 1985 in which the
United States won the Vietnam War and Richard Nixon is still president. A group of masked heroes known as the Watchmen were outlawed in 1977, but when one of these retired heroes is brutally murdered the team is reunited and a complex plot involving possible nuclear war is unraveled.

A team of superheroes is hardly an original concept, but those expecting the Fantastic Four or the X-Men are in for a rude awakening. The heroes in “Watchmen” have some serious issues. Moore structured “Watchmen” not only as an indictment of the political environment of the 1980s, but as a satire of comic book heroes.

If you thought Peter Parker and Bruce Wayne had their demons, just wait until you meet Walter Kovacs (Jackie Earle Haley, “Little Children”) and Edward Blake (Jeffrey Dean Morgan, “Grey’s Anatomy”) and their alter-egos Rorschach and The Comedian.

Rorschach and The Comedian are borderline sociopaths that sometimes cross the line. In this world the heroes are a very fine thread away from being villains. “The Dark Knight” played in this playground last year too, but “Watchmen” takes the question of how far do you go to protect humanity from itself much further than "The Dark Knight" did.

The film is often brutally violent. Synder doesn’t shy away from the book's more unsavory visuals, but the violence isn’t without purpose. The disturbing images on display force the audience to ask serious questions about human nature and morality.

The characters are well cast. Patrick Wilson (“Hard Candy”) brings a nice weariness and reluctant heroism to Nite Owl II, perhaps the most normal of the bunch, but even he has his problems that bring a whole new twist to role playing in bed. Matthew Goode (“Match Point”) plays Adrian Veidt, the world’s smartest man, with an appropriate level of arrogance.

The cast’s standouts though are Haley and Billy Crudup (“Almost Famous,” “Big Fish”) as Dr. Manhattan, who after a freak accident becomes a demigod with the power to manipulate matter, space and time. Crudup spends most of the film as a computer-enhanced creation, but he brings a lot of depth to Dr. Manhattan’s struggle with a humanity he is becoming further disconnected from.

Haley is nothing short of fantastic. He delivers the majority of the movie’s film noir-esque narration to sheer perfection. Although his face covered in an ever-shifting inkblot mask for the majority of his screen time, his presence is undeniable.

The only weak link in the cast is Malin Akerman (“The Heartbreak Kid”) as Silk Spectre II. Michael Philips of the Chicago Tribune called her “possibly the worst actress in Hollywood.” I wouldn’t go that far, but there are certainly more talented actresses that could have filled the role. She does look great in a skin-tight outfit as well as her birthday suit. My more cynical side thinks that’s where her audition ended.

Synder has done a good job of distilling the book into a cohesive film. It clocks in at nearly three hours, but Synder keeps the film moving briskly with compelling visuals that effectively recreate the graphic novel. There’s a lot going on here, and the film is just as much several character studies as an action film.

Some of the harsher reviews of the film have claimed the film is incoherent and confusing. Even some fans of the film are claiming those unfamiliar with the graphic novel will get lost. At the time I saw the film I hadn’t read the book and I had no problem following it.

While the film is told in a non-linear fashion with a lot of flashback, I would question the ability of someone to follow any story if they are unable to keep up with “Watchmen” as this is pretty clear storytelling. Yes, it is at times puzzling, but that is to be expected. After all, the film is structured as a mystery. In the end when things are explained, everything clicks in a way that doesn’t feel like a cheat.

High marks for 'Henry V'

Advice to the Players brings Shakespeare to Conway, N.H.

Advice to the Players brings history to life in William Shakespeare’s “Henry V.” The play opened Thursday at the Interlakes High School Community Auditorium in Meredith, N.H. and will be performed there again Friday before moving to the Salyards Center for the Arts in Conway, N.H. for performances Saturday at 7 p.m. and Sunday at 1 p.m.

“Henry V” focuses on the titular king’s invasion of France and the climatic battle of Agincourt in which the underdog English miraculously defeated the French. Shakespeare gives the audiences scenes of both sides in the trenches as well as unexpected scenes such as Princess Katherine of France learning English.

In the last decade or so the trend has been to do contemporary updates of Shakespeare or to put some sort of twist on the material. I’ve seen “Othello” on a military base, “Two Gentleman of Verona” and “A Midsummer’s Night Dream” set in the 1960s and “Richard II” in the corporate world. At this point, it is almost braver to do a traditional interpretation of the material.

“We started doing them traditionally from the very start because we were dealing with a population up here who had never really seen these plays at all and it just struck me that really a lot of the fun is to have costumes,” said Caroline Nesbitt, the artistic director of “Henry V.” “It also means we can use broad swords, which in all our productions is a very large drawing point.”

The broad swords, and more specifically how they are used, certainly are a drawing point for this “Henry V.” The fight scenes choreographed by Kevin Coleman, the director of education at Shakespeare and Company in Lenox, Mass., are thrilling and elaborate, but not confusing. They are worth the price of admission alone.

Thankfully, though, this is production is more than just battle scenes. Mark Woollett as Henry is a dynamic lead. He was appeared in other Advice to the Players Shakespearean productions including “Taming of the Shrew” and “Macbeth,” and his ease with the language is evident.

Woollett delivers the play’s most famous passages in which he rallies his troops into battle with great bravado, but also shows an assured knack for light comedy when he awkwardly attempts to woo Katherine (Mimi Gindoff).

Gindoff gives a fine low-key comedic performance. The previously mentioned scene in which she is attempting to learn English is a highlight of the show. She plays her frustration with the ugliness of the English language just right.

The performance I saw was a dress rehearsal and some of the performances were still in a formative state, so it wouldn’t be fair to nitpick too much. The cast includes actors as young as 13, and, although some of these younger performers don’t quite have the gravitas for some of the more dramatic scenes, their ability to handle the language is impressive.

Even though Nesbitt refers to the costumes as being “motley,” they are actually quite successful at hinting at the Elizabethan era. The production features a moody original score by Patrick Hornig that is sparingly but effectively used throughout the production.

Those accustomed to Shakespeare being a lengthy night out at the theater will be relieved to know that this performance is under two hours with a 10-minute intermission. It is a fast-moving, well-mounted production that makes for a good night (or afternoon) of theater.

Tickets are available in Tamworth at The Other Store, in Sandwich at Mocha Rizing, at the door, or by calling managing director Rebecca Boyden at 986-6253.

'Frost/Nixon' a rich character study

“Frost/Nixon” is a fascinating look at the infamous multi-day televised interview between British talk show host David Frost and former President Richard Nixon, but the film is more about the lead up to the interview than the event itself.

The film is closest in spirit to George Clooney’s “Good Night and Good Luck” which also recreated a famous television event. As with Clooney’s film, “Frost/Nixon” is more then mere recreation. While we do get reenactments of the interview toward the end of the film they don’t take up the majority of the running time.

Director Ron Howard’s film and Peter Morgan’s (“The Queen”) screenplay adapted from his play is a behind-the-scenes look at the research process of Frost’s writing team as well as a character study of the title figures. By the time the film gets to the interview there’s a clear understanding of what is at stake.

Frank Langella and Michael Sheen (“The Queen”) both reprise their roles from the play. It is clear that both actors, having played the characters nightly on stage, are quite comfortable playing these men. Langella won a Tony award for his stage portrayal of Nixon and it's easy to see why.

Nixon has been portrayed by many great actors from Anthony Hopkins to Rip Torn to Dan Hedaya. What makes Langella’s Nixon stand out is that there’s a sense that he’s captured the essence of the man. This is more than just impersonation.

Some may be upset that the portrayal of Nixon here is a sympathetic one. Morgan and Howard are hardly condoning his actions, but merely reminding that he was a human, perhaps a tragically flawed one, but a human none the less.

As portrayed by Langella, Nixon is even sort of likable. As a viewer you certainly don’t agree with the illegal actions he took as president, but the film does a good job of painting a portrait of the man that made them.

The film is just as much about Frost as it is Nixon and Sheen does an excellent job at playing Frost as a man who has ambitions beyond his station in life. His public persona was that of a shallow playboy and he wasn’t taken serious when he under took the Nixon interviews endeavor. Sheen adds subtle layers to his characterization and makes Frost’s struggle to be taken seriously worth watching.

The two leads have an excellent supporting cast behind them. Oliver Platt (“Pieces of April”), Sam Rockwell (“Confessions of Dangerous Mind”) and Matthew Macfadyen (“Pride and Prejudice”) are wonderful as Frost’s writing team. The three actors have a great chemistry together and their scenes with Sheen are some of the most interesting in the film as you see the process behind the interviews.

Kevin Bacon plays Nixon right hand man who can’t stand the way “liberals” are so disrespectful to the former president. It is the kind of solid, non-flashy performance we’ve come to expect from Bacon.

Rebecca Hall (“Vicky Cristina Barcelona”) has the thankless role of Frost’s girlfriend, but even she gets to shine in a couple scenes. She doesn’t have much screen time, but she makes it count and offers further evidence that she is an actress to watch. Her flirtatious first encounter with Frost is well written and played.

The film takes some dramatic license for the sake of making the film more entertaining. Each day of the interview had a specific subject matter and the order of these was altered for the film to have Nixon's apology during the Watergate interview be the climatic final interview. It certainly is more dramatically satisfying that way and this is ultimately an entertainment not a documentary.

A scene of complete fiction features a drunken Nixon calling Frost in the middle of the night before the night of the Watergate interview. The scene is perhaps the most compelling in the film as Langella’s Nixon discusses how he and Frost aren’t really that different. More so than in any other scene, Langella is completely riveting.

For a generation of people who actually lived through this and might be thinking “I was there I don’t need to see this” you’d be wrong. This is rich and enthralling look at two men and the historic moment that brought them together.

Loosen up with 'Footloose'

M&D Productions’ lively production of the musical version of the 1984 film “Footloose” opened Thursday at the Loynd Auditorium at Kennett High School in North Conway, N.H.

The large cast features actors from both Kennett and Fryeburg Academy as well as performers from the community, under direction from Christy Hikel and musical direction by Tracy Gardner.

Confession: I haven’t seen the “Footloose” film in its entirety. The 1980s dance movies such as “Footloose,” “Flashdance,” “Fame” and “Dirty Dancing” never really appealed to me. So, being upfront with this bias, I can still say I had a decent time with this largely student-based production.

With its premise of a city kid moving to a rural town where dancing is banned, “Footloose” seemed to be a throwback to 1950s rock 'n' roll rebellion films — albeit with contemporary music. The musical is written with nostalgia for the 1980s songs at its center, so essentially the show is a throwback to a throwback.

It has been a popular trend for Broadway to do musical adaptations of films. For every “Lion King,” "The Producers” or “Spamalot” there are head-scratchers like “The Wedding Singer” or “High Fidelity.” “Footloose” makes sense as a film to stage transfer. The film was essentially a musical, except the songs were not sung but used in montages or as background music.

The screenwriter, Dean Pitchford, also wrote or co-wrote nearly every song on the soundtrack including the title track, “Let’s Hear It for the Boy,” “I’m Free,” “Almost Paradise,” “Holding Out for a Hero” and “Somebody’s Eyes.”

All those familiar songs appear in the musical version, as well as new songs that were added to fill out the show. These new songs, also by Pitchford, range from fair to great in at least one case. Of the songs written for the musical “Learning to Be Silent” and “Mama Says” are highlights.

“Learning to Be Silent” is a powerful ballad featuring the two mother characters (Kelly Karuzis and Caryn Robinson) and the female lead, Ariel (Courtney Phelps) singing about how their marriages and relationships have become repressed as things are left unsaid to avoid confrontation. The song is well performed and emotionally resonates.

“Mama Says” is a comedic number about all the things Willard (the Chris Penn character in the film, here played by Jake Dunham) learned from his mother. There are some very funny lyrics here, including: “Mama says don't use a toaster while standing in the shower.” Dunham delivers the song well and gets some of the show's best laughs.

Rafe Matregrano as Ren, the role originated by Kevin Bacon, gets to show vocal range on “I Can’t Stand Still,” which features him doing Michael Jackson-esque falsettos and hitting bluesy lower ranges. He also shines during his duet with Phelps on “Almost Paradise.” Their voices complement each other nicely.

Taylor Hill as Ariel’s best friend and Willard’s maybe girlfriend, Rusty, is a stand out on “Let’s Hear It for the Boy.” She has a strong voice that is also showcased nicely on “Somebody’s Eyes” where some of the town girls warn Ren of the town’s watchful eyes.

Dan Phelps in the John Lithgow role of Reverend Moore gives a strong performance as a man who genuinely thinks he is doing right by his town. Phelps and Matregrano share an affecting scene where they discuss loss and moving on.

Katie Gustafson is worth noting as well. She plays three small roles in the show but as the roller-skating owner of a burger joint she secures the show's biggest laughs and reminds that it isn’t the size of the role, but what you do with it.

“Footloose” is not a perfect show or production, but it is an entertaining one. The actors are good throughout. A lot of the performers are still learning and are rough around the edges, but there is some real talent here and that is always nice to see.

For more information visit www.yourtheatre.com.

Broadway National Tour of 'Sweeney Todd' bloody good fun

Blood was running freely in Portland as a vengeful barber took his wrath out on his patrons, at least on stage that is. Merrill Auditorium presented the Broadway National Tour of Stephen Sondheim’s musical “Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street” Feb. 27 and 28.

“Just from an aesthetic stand point this is one of the better Broadway productions I’ve seen at Merrill,” said Tom Ayres of PCA Great Performances, the exclusive presenters of Broadway through Merrill.

“Sweeney Todd” is the third of a four-show Broadway series at Merrill and was preceded by “Stomp” and “Chicago” in the fall. The last show in the series, “Spelling Bee,” is coming to Merrill for three performance March 27 and 28 and will feature celebrity guest spellers including recent “Survivor” winner Bob Crowley.

“Sweeney Todd,” as with Sondheim’s other musicals, is astounding to just listen to. The complexity of the lyrics, music and overlapping harmonies make it one of the bigger challenges an actor will encounter. The songs are operatic in scale and seeing them performed live is quite literally spine-tingling and hair-raising.

The sheer talent on display in this staging of the show is extraordinary. In addition to acting and singing, all the performers also accompany themselves with instruments on stage in place of the traditional orchestral accompaniment. Actors step forward from out of the band to take their leads. It takes a moment to adjust to, but it is a daring and original staging.

The show’s two leads, Merritt David Janes as Sweeney Todd, who seeks vengeance on all of humanity for having his wife and child taken away from him, and Carrie Cimma as Mrs. Lovett, Todd’s accomplice who bakes his victims into meat pies, are excellent.

This is tricky material that flips from dark satire to ironic tragedy and Janes and Cimma make it look easy. Janes is fabulous on songs such as “Epiphany” and “A Little Priest,” his cheeky duet with Cimma.

Saturday’s performance brought in a broad cross section of patrons from pre-teens to senior citizens something Ayres also noticed as he walked around Merrill’s lobby.

“It was a very diverse audience across the age spectrum,” said Ayres. “Part of my speculation about that, particularly with the younger audience that was there, is that I think it is some residual effect of the Johnny Depp movie, which really introduced ‘Sweeney Todd’ to a whole new audience and whole new generation.”

Those who were familiar with only the film didn’t simply get a retread as the film version removed several songs including “The Ballad of Sweeney Todd,” which bookends the show and several love songs. Some of Sondheim’s satire on consumerism was removed for the film and the stage version has a few more twisted laughs than the film.
Ticket sales for “Sweeney Todd” were a couple hundred below expectations Ayres said, but overall he hasn’t seen a significant drop in ticket sales due to the economy.

“In tickets sales for other genres, we also present popular music, classically music, theater and dance, tickets sales have actually been holding fairly steady,” said Ayres. “Where I do know arts organizations, ours as well, are having some issues right now is in fund-raising and development.”

Even with this challenge Ayres is hopeful that there will be a place for the arts.

“I think in times like these the arts become a refuge or a haven,” said Ayres.

For more information about upcoming shows at Merrill Auditorium, including “Spelling Bee,” visit www.porttix.com.

Katy Wright-Mead 'graduates' to bigger things

A lot of people move to New York City to pursue their dreams only to return broke and defeated or stay and settle from something they never aspired to be. This is not the case for Katy Wright-Mead, a 2001 graduate of Fryeburg Academy.

Wright-Mead, formerly of Fryeburg, Maine, moved to New York City October 2001 and studied for two years at an acting conservatory. Although she thought her career would start in theater, things have played out a bit differently.

“I’ve mostly found myself doing film because I’ve gotten more responses from films,” said Wright-Mead. “I honestly thought that I’d be starting off in theater but I found myself doing film and that’s where I wanted to end up so I am happy where I am right now.”

Wright-Mead has appeared in short films and was the lead in a feature that was never completed. “The Graduates,” Wright-Mead’s first role in a feature length film, will be available online in its entirety this weekend for a free sneak preview (ending 11:59 p.m. March 1) at www.thegraduatesmovie.com.

“The Graduates” is an indie comedy, and, without the backing of the Hollywood system or a distributor, it can be difficult to get support behind a film, but director Ryan Gielen and his team are giving it a go.

“It was in a handful of festivals and it won awards too, so it did well. It is hard to get comedy into festivals,” said Wright-Mead. “But people really received it well once it got there. It sold out every screening.”

The film has been having sneak preview screenings, but is going to be released nationwide in May.

“It is going to be in cities like Portland, New York, L.A., Chicago, major cities and a lot of the cities the actors are from because you’ve got that built in audience there,” said Wright-Mead.

The film is a teen comedy that follows the formula of so many others before it: a group of friends head down to the beach for one last week of fun before going to college. There’s the typical desperate pursuit to lose virginity.

Ben (Rob Bradford), the lead character, is futilely chasing after the hot girl (Stephanie Lynn) when the best friend (Laurel Reese) is the obvious right choice that he continually turns a blind eye to.

Too often teen movies, especially ones centered on the pursuit of sex, have a glib, smarmy feel and a fixation on gross-out humor. “The Graduates” has a couple low-brow gags, but for the most part it is trying to achieve something more sincere than the average multiplex teen movie.

Gielen is aware of the formulas he is using, but merely uses them as a template in which to slide in some moments of insight. Despite it’s similarity in plot to “American Pie” or “Superbad” the film is closer in spirit to “American Graffiti” or “Dazed and Confused.”

On a story level things are fairly predictable, but there are several moments and lines of dialogue that float up from the party clichés and take you off guard. A scene in which the subject matter of divorce comes up is nicely handled. The scene starts out comedic, but smoothly shifts in tone and nicely balances that line between comedy and drama.

Wright-Mead, who is meeting with HBO for workshopping a play and is producing an industry showcase for actors, has only one scene in “The Graduates,” but it is memorable one and one that shouldn’t be given away. She definitely leaves an impression in her few minutes of screen time.

Like Wright-Mead, this was the first feature for much of cast. The film is populated with solid performances throughout from the small roles, like Wright-Mead’s, to the leads. There’s a realistic chemistry between the five main characters and an unforced quality to the performances.

Watching a film like “The Graduates” reminds you of how much great “undiscovered” talent is truly out there. Unfortunately, sometimes the actors that make it the furthest are the one’s least deserving. On the plus side, “The Graduates” is an excellent calling card for everyone involved.

“It was awesome from beginning to end from the first audition to now trying to promote it," said Wright-Mead. “I am just really excited about the whole thing.”

Oscars 2009: Changing, but still the same

During his interview with Barbara Walters before the Academy Awards, this year’s host Hugh Jackman promised “a little more show and a little less biz.” As the 81st annual Academy Awards began last Sunday it looked like he’d make good on his word. Unfortunately, it turned out to be largely business as usual.

This year was meant to be a reinvention year for the Academy Awards, but the changes seem mostly cosmetic. The orchestra was moved out of the pit and onto the stage in a swinging big-band style. This was nice, but didn’t greatly alter the feel of the evening.

The other big change was having five previous winners in the Best Actor, Best Actress and Best Supporting categories present the awards this year. Each presenter would spend a couple minutes talking about why each nominee’s performance was so great. The speeches ranged from overly ingratiating to sincere praise to gentle ribbing. This was a fine addition that at times grew tiresome and added to the running time.

The choice of Jackman as host was a surprise. Instead of going with the traditional comedian to host, the academy went for an actor more known for dramatic work. But Jackman is also a song and dance man, who found great success on Broadway in “The Boy from Oz.”

Jackman opened the show with a fantastic song and dance reenacting the five best picture nominees (plus “The Dark Knight” perhaps as an unofficial sixth nominee). Billy Crystal had done something similar in the past, but Jackman’s routine had more of a Broadway edge.

The set piece featured cheeky lyrics like “I ironed all my men, and I frosted my Nixon” and a great bit with Best Actress nominee Anne Hathaway being pulled out of the audience to play Richard Nixon to Jackman’s David Frost. There was a romantic tense between the two that probably didn’t exist between the real Frost and Nixon, but, hey, you never know.

About halfway into the ceremony there was a medley of songs from movie musicals compiled by director Baz Luhrmann. Jackman got an assist from Beyonce Knowles and a couple of the actors from “High School Musical” and, as with the opening, the number was an absolute show-stopper. Both routines were well choreographed and presented with energy to spare.

Outside of these two numbers, though, this was a fairly standard Oscar’s presentation, which is a shame because the producers of the ceremony were onto something. If you’re going to have filler between awards, it should be spectacle.

Sadly, as usual the running time was padded out with the inexplicable inclusion of clip shows. There were fewer than usual, but the montages of the best action and romance movies of 2008 were gratuitous and added nothing.

These montages were cleverly parodied in a short film by Judd Apatow featuring Seth Rogan and James Franco in their stoner “Pineapple Express” personas watching and giggling through clips.

One clip shows did work: the always affecting In memoriam montage of those in the film industry who passed away in the previous year. This year it was given extra emotional weight by a live performance from Queen Latifah.

As for the awards themselves, the evening was mostly predictable with nearly all the favorites winning. As expected the late Heath Ledger won Best Supporting Actor for “The Dark Knight.” There was hardly a dry in the house as his family accepted on
his behalf, which wasn’t surprising, but still quite moving to see.

My personal favorite acceptance speech was when “Slumdog Millionaire” director Danny Boyle started jumping up and down at the podium and then explained that years ago he told his kids if he ever won an Oscar he’d do it in the spirit of Tigger.

The night’s one big upset was Sean Penn’s win over Mickey Rourke for Best Actor. Penn, who won for his performance as gay activist turned politician Harvey Milk, started his acceptance speech with a great line: “You commie, homo-loving sons-of-guns.” He proceeded with a surprisingly humble speech and then switched to activist mode.

In recent years, the academy has been nominating and awarding a more diverse pool of actors and filmmakers and spotlighting films that take on challenging subject matter. The academy knew exactly what they’d get if they gave the award to Penn, and it is probably safe to say they were making a statement by doing so.

Of the presenters, Ben Stiller stole the show with his impression of Joaquin Phoenix’s bizarre recent behavior on “The Late Show with David Letterman.” Jack Black also scored a big laugh with how he makes more money doing voice work than acting: “Every year I make a DreamWorks picture, come here and bet everything on Pixar.”

Overall there was plenty of stuff to see, but you had to sit through a lot of slow patches to get to the goods. For all the changes, you’re still dealing with an award show that clocks in at nearly four hours if you include the red carpet. The average American may stay up until midnight for a sporting event, but for an award show? I think not.

Important, powerful portrait of Harvey Milk

“Milk,” Gus Van Sant’s chronicling of Harvey Milk’s (Sean Penn) political career as California’s first openly gay elected official is an important and relevant movie that addresses the still prickly issue of gay rights.

In 1978, Milk fought against Prop 6, a law that would have made firing gay teachers and any public school employees who supported gay rights mandatory. Thirty years later it was Prop 8, a rewrite to California’s state constitution defining marriage as between members of the opposite sex, that gay right’s activists had to contend with. Milk won his vote; the same can’t be said of the Prop 8 vote last November.

The re-creations of Milk’s speeches and debates bring the issue down to its most base level: human rights. Milk’s message, the man and film, was simply that gays be given the same rights as everyone else.

This is a bio-pic, but one that focuses in on Milk’s rise as a politician and leading up to his assassination. We learn little about Milk’s life before he moved from New York to San Francisco. Too often bio-pics become overly muddled with childhood flashbacks, “Milk” side steps this entirely. It is implied that his pre-California life was a repressed one full of tragedy, and we are told enough to understand his drive to fight for gay rights.

Van Sant, working from a screenplay by Dustin Lance Black (HBO’s “Big Love”), delivers a film that seamlessly blends archival footage with re-creations and traditional narrative filmmaking.

Black’s script captures Milk’s humor and compassion in a way that never feels condescending or contrived. Black addresses the film’s issues in a way that is not heavy hand. This is commendably not an exploitive or manipulative piece of propaganda, although I’m sure some will accuse it of that.

As a director, Van Sant has balanced more mainstream work like “Good Will Hunting” and “Finding Forrester” with indie films such as “Elephant” and “Last Days.” “Milk” is his most accessible, broadly appealing film in nearly a decade. It is like he has taken everything has learned from his experimental films and applied it here.

Although Penn, per usual, gives a strong, layered performance, this is not entirely his show. He is surrounded by one of the stronger ensemble casts of 2008,and there are several standout performances.

James Franco gives a nuanced performance (“Pineapple Express”) as Milk’s boyfriend who struggles with sharing him with his political career following several failed attempts to be elected supervisor. Franco, after being stuck playing second fiddle to Tobey Maguire in the “Spider-Man” movies, really came into his own as an actor in 2008.

Emile Hirsh (“Into the Wild”) has a memorably flamboyant energy as Cleve Jones, a member of Milk’s campaign staff. Alison Pill (“Dan in Real Life”) as the one lesbian of the staff brings a hard edge and biting wit. The key to all these performances is that actors aren’t simply “acting gay,” but creating full performances that never slip into broad stereotypes.

Josh Brolin (“W.”) as Dan White, one of Milk’s fellow supervisors, with whom he often comes into conflict, has one of the less showy roles in the film, but he gives a compelling, conflicted performance. Milk and White’s relationship is an uneasy one that takes a tragic turn.

The film’s final scenes are deeply powerful and moving, and would be standing on their own, but they are all the more so because the film has done such a beautiful job creating a portrait of Milk and of his movement.

12 favorite films of 2008

With the Academy Awards Sunday the time seems right to count off my 12 favorite movies from last year. Why 12? Because 10 was not enough. I choose the word favorite over best because I haven’t seen every film of 2008 and I don’t presume to have seen only the best.

“The Bank Job”
This taut little thriller based on London’s Walkie Talkie Robbery in 1971 is a straightforward genre film told extremely well. This isn’t a breezy romp like the “Ocean” movies; instead “The Bank Job” is a throwback to the gritty British crime films of the era in which it is set. The film proves that its star, Jason Statham, can act when given the right material, unfortunately he usually wastes his talents in schlocky action films.

“The Dark Knight”
Writer/director Christopher Nolan’s follow up to “Batman Begins” expands the film from its comic book origins into a fully realized crime epic and deepens and enriches previously presented themes. The film is fueled by the late Heath Ledger’s extraordinary performance as the Joker but is populated by strong performances by Christian Bale in the title role, Michael Caine, Gary Oldman, Morgan Freeman, Aaron Eckhart and Maggie Gyllenhaal.

“Forgetting Sarah Marshall”
The latest raunchy romantic comedy from the Judd Apatow-factory stays true to the template of blending crass humor with surprising tenderness. When Jason Segal (“How I Met Your Mother”) is dumped by the title character (Kristen Bell) he heads to Hawaii to try to escape only to run into her with her new rock star lover (Russell Brand). A familiar plot is enlivened by an assortment of funny supporting performances and sharp writing by Segal.

“Frost/Nixon”
This compelling behind-the-scenes account of the lead up to the historic David Frost (Michael Sheen) interview with Richard Nixon (Frank Langella), in which Frost was able to get Nixon to admit to his involvement in Watergate captures the significance of a major television event, but also satisfies as a piece of drama. Ron Howard's direction is clean and elegant and Langella’s Nixon is so much more than mere impersonation. He manages to capture something deeper.

“Ghost Town”
A misanthropic dentist (Ricky Gervais) is given the ability to see dead people in this charmingly low-key romantic comedy. One persistent spirit (Greg Kinnear) wants Gervais to break up the pending marriage of his widow (Téa Leoni). Gervais, the star of the original “Office,” is known for his snarky humor, but here he reveals a sweet side. Writer/director David Koepp, who is known for thrillers, shows a deft hand for light comedy and the cast is in top form.

“In Bruges”
Two hit men (Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson) are sent to Belgium after a botched hit in this unique reworking of tired clichés. This isn’t your typical buddy film or action packed assassin film. There is quiet, poetic beauty throughout the film, which blends a dark, off-beat sense of humor with more serious philosophical questions. The two leads are excellent and a late movie appearance by Ralph Fiennes is fantastic.

“Iron Man”
2008 was a good year for the superhero movie. While “The Dark Knight” took the genre to new levels of sophistication, “Iron Man” is simply a well-crafted film that takes the time to create well-drawn characters and a basis in reality, however tenuous it may be. Robert Downey Jr. is pitch perfect as a playboy billionaire turned hero and he is ably supported by Gwyneth Paltrow, Jeff Bridges and Terrence Howard.

“Milk”
Gus Van Sant’s chronicling of Harvey Milk’s (Sean Penn) political career as California’s first openly gay elected official is an important and relevant film as the issue of one’s sexuality is still a hot topic. The film addresses the issue in a way that is not heavy handed nor manipulative and does so with humor and heart. Penn gives a nuanced performance and he is surrounded by a wonderful supporting cast including Emile Hirsh, James Franco and Josh Brolin.

“Slumdog Millionaire”
Danny Boyle’s “Slumdog Millionaire” centers on how a teen (Dev Patel) from the slums of Mumbai wins India’s “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire.” The film blends hard to watch scenes with a feel-good story that emotionally resonates. Boyle keeps things moving along at the pace of a thriller, but stays focused on the humanity of the story. Cleverly structured, imaginatively directed and well acted.

“The Visitor”
Richard Jenkins stars as a quiet, withdrawn college professor that discovers illegal immigrants are living in an apartment he keeps in New York. Through music he bonds with the immigrants. This is an important film for putting a face on the immigration issue, but it is also one of the most human stories of 2008. Writer/director Thomas McCarthy doesn’t offer easier answers; rather he presents a film filled with warmth, compassion and a sense of joy.

“WALL-E”
The most strikingly original animated film since, well, Pixar’s last release, “WALL-E” doesn’t pander to children and instead respects their intelligence. Much of the first half of the film is essentially a silent film. In the future, Earth has been left trashed by humanity which now resides in a giant spaceship. The titular robot is left to clean up the mess. The film morphs into a rather sweet robot love story that is more involving than some human love stores.

“The Wrestler”
Given his falling out with Hollywood, it isn’t surprising that Mickey Rourke would be drawn to the story of a former professional wrestler who is just barely living above the bottom of the barrel. What is shocking is how dramatically involving the film is given the wrestling subject matter. You don’t need to be a fan to appreciate this film. This is an emotionally raw film powered by Rourke’s born-to-play performance.

On the scene

T.J. Herlihy lives a double life as police officer and actor

The phrase "don’'t quit your day job" gets tossed around a lot when an amateur tries an artistic endeavor. But if T.J. Herlihy didn't love his day job so, he could probably quit and become an actor.

Herlihy has performed in three community theater productions. By "day," he is a police officer for Conway (New Hampshire) Police Department.

"I think that it's great he does both,”" said Chris Wong, a teacher at Kennett High School, who worked with Herlihy while he was the school resources officer. "“It makes him and the policemen more approachable, because it makes them more human.”"

Wong knew Herlihy before he entered into both police work and acting and believes that both are a perfect fit for him.
“
"I think that being a police officer and an actor have been natural extensions for him,"” said Wong. “"He has always been charismatic, good natured, and fair.”"

Herlihy is supported in his acting pursuits by the police department, which, according to Lt. Chris Perley, encourages its officers to participate in recreational pursuits and activities that benefit the community.
“
"It would appear that he has been able to combine a passion for the theater with something that will also be enjoyed by many, many community members and we encourage that because police work can be a stressful and dangerous line of work and we want officers to be well-rounded in all aspects of their life,”" said Perley.

Herlihy got into police work because it has always been part of his nature to want to help others, and becoming a police officer seemed the natural progression of that impulse.
“
"At the time I applied I was in a place where I wasn’'t going anywhere, so I saw the ad in the paper and thought, '‘Huh,'’”" said Herlihy. "“I had thought about becoming a police officer, people around me had talked about me becoming one, and I just went for it. I thought it would be interesting, definitely another way to help people."
”
At first glance, acting and police work may seem like an odd combination, but a closer look reveals parallels.
“
"Presence might be a good portion of it because when you arrive on the scene you need to present a confident, knowledgeable, you know what you'’re doing [attitude],”" said Herlihy. "“Sometimes you really have to take control of the scene. That’s the only way to make sure the scene is safe. So having the presence, busting out the confidence on stage comes from the police work.”"

Herlihy also possesses an extroverted personality that always him to be able to transfer what he learned on the scene into a scene on stage.

“"He is a goofy guy,”" said Rae McCarey, who has acted with Herlihy twice. "“I don'’t know if I a lot of people know that because his job means a lot to him. He takes it very seriously and you only get this glimpse through the rabbit hole, so to speak, of T.J. being funny.”"

Herlihy will freely admit to his sillier side.
“
"Throughout my life I’'ve always joked around, impersonated whoever was around me, just for fun,”" said Herlihy. “"It was somewhat easy for me to pretend to be someone else, but there are a lot of things you have to learn in theater, how to project your voice and be bigger and louder than life so that everyone can hear you, you know that’s different because you feel awkward."
”
Previous to his first show, Herlihy had no acting or singing experience outside of the shower or the car, but it had been something he wanted to try. Fittingly enough, his path to acting also started with an ad in a newspaper.
“
"It was something I always wanted to do, but I just never had the courage to do it,”" said Herlihy. "“One day I was in my office at Kennett and my wife came in and flipping through the pages she shows me an audition for '‘L'i’l Abner"’ and she said ‘I think you should go."’”

Herlihy did go to the audition and to his surprise got one of the lead roles in Arts in Motions’ production of "L'i’l Abner.”"
“
"I wound up singing a Christmas song because I don’t have that many songs in my head that I can bust out,"” said Herlihy. "“So I sang a Christmas song, they thanked me, had me read a couple lines and I left. I got a call couple days later at the school. Gino Funicella was the director and he said ‘We’d like to offer you one of the leads, Earthquake McGoon’ and I was like, ‘'Oh, OK’' and that’'s how it started.”

That was last May and that could'’ve been the end of the story. But in December, he graced the stage again as the love interest in the Resort Players’ “"Carol’'s Christmas,"” a gender reversed reworking of "“A Christmas Carol."” He followed that up with his first lead role in a musical in M&D Productions'’ “"Company,"” which finished its run in January.

Herlihy didn'’t go to the walk-in auditions for “Company” because he heard it was a difficult show to sing and he didn’'t think he had a chance. The day before rehearsals, director Ken Martin was still looking for his lead and on a tip called up Herlihy.
“
"He did a great audition for the part,"” said Mark DeLancey, tech director on “"Company.”" "“It was certainly fun to watch him grow and progress into the role. You could see by closing night how comfortable he really was with adding his own little unique things into the role. It was fun to watch him have a good time."”

As an untrained singer, Herlihy, even with natural abilities, had a lot or work to put in for “"Company"” — and he was up to the challenge.
“
"He has a very beautiful, natural voice," said Mary Bastoni-Rebmann, who as the music director for “Company” did voice training with several of the actors. "“With T.J. he had his voice in his throat so I worked with him to get his voice forward and it just made all the difference in the world. As a matter of fact Ken was in the room when that happened and it was like day and night.”"

Bastoni-Rebmann was pleased with Herlihy as an actor and a singer and said he was a great success and a pleasure to work with.
“
"T.J. was a great actor to work with because he came in with a willingness to do the work and a willingness to grow, which isn’t always the case,”" said Bastoni-Rebmann. “"A lot of times you have blocks with actors, but he was terrific.”"

In addition to being a full-time police officer and part-time actor, Herlihy is a husband and a father — something that McCarey, who acted with Herlihy in “"Carol'’s Christmas"” and "“Company,"” can'’t quite wrap her mind around.
“
"He is a full-time police officer, he was the go-to guy at Kennett, and he has children, he'’s a husband, that’s full-time, right? And he did the acting and it was like ‘How do you this? How exactly are you doing all of this,"’” said McCarey, an admitted big fan of Herlihy.

McCarey, who studied acting, was surprised and excited to encountered Herlihy’s natural talents.

“"It was exciting to meet somebody new that hasn’'t acted that is up here and low and behold can hold his own and then some,"” said McCarey. “"There were moments where the hair stood up like, 'Wow he sounds really, really beautiful.' If he had more time and right brain shutdown, left brain allowed to flow through, can you imagine?”"

Not only does Herlihy juggle his career, acting and personal life, he manages to do it all in good cheer.
“
"T.J's ebullient personality was a fresh breath of air at Kennett High School,"” said Mark Ross, a teacher at Kennett. “"It is this same ebullience and charisma that would translate beautifully to the stage."”

McCarey agrees that his sweet, good-natured approach to life makes it hard for anyone to have a complaint about him.
“
"Nobody has anything bad to say about T.J. ever,”" said McCarey. "“No one has ever had anything negative to say about T.J., and he never says anything negative about anyone.”"

Unfortunately, Herlihy will have to take a hiatus from acting for a while. For the last three school years, he was the school resource officer at Kennett, a shift that gave him nights and weekends off, but he has recently been reassigned.
“
"I am going to be rotating to 3 to 11, so that is a nine-week rotation for everyone,"” said Herlihy. “"I don’t see that I’ll be able to do anything during that shift. The only two days off I’ll be with my kids, so that’ll be tough. But once I rotate to midnights then I could have my evenings free and then go to work that night. I might be able to do something then.”"

But rest assured, Herlihy will be back because he has “definitely developed a passion for it." But for now he’s just pleased with the opportunities he has had, especially "“Company.”"
“
I am very happy that Ken and Mary let me do it,” said Herlihy. “I am very thankful that they thought that I was worthy of it and I appreciate what they did. Mary was very helpful with voice lessons and she is an amazing performer herself, so I’m just a pretty thankful, happy guy.”

'Millionaire' is anything but a 'dog'

“Slumdog Millionaire” is up for 10 Academy Awards and has already won a slew of high profile awards, including best movie of 2008 from the National Broad of Review and the Golden Globes.

Is the film worthy of all the accolades? It is hard to say, but if it isn’t the best film of the year, it is worthy of the attention simply because it will get people to see a very good film that they might not see otherwise.

The film tells the story of how a contestant was able to win India’s version of “Who Wants to be a Millionaire?” Jamal (Dev Patel) is suspected of cheating because he grew up on streets of Mumbai and somehow managed to get further on the show than doctors and lawyers.

Jamal is interrogated in by Mumbai authorities, which gives the film its structure. As Jamal and the police inspector (Irrfan Khan) go through each question from the show, Jamal tells how he knew the answers through life experiences, which the audience is shown in flashbacks.

It is an interesting premise, and the rags-to-riches premise is universally appealing. There is also a love story. The real reason Jamal went on the show was to find Latika (Freida Pinto), a girl he has loved since childhood but who life keeps tearing away from him.

The film is directed by Danny Boyle (“Trainspotting,” “28 Days Later”) and written by Simon Beaufoy (“The Full Monty,” "Miss Pettigrew Lives For a Day”) from a novel by Vikas Swarup. Both the director and writer are English, but this is still very much an Indian production.

“Slumdog” doesn’t feel like foreigners coming in to tell a story about a country they don’t understand. Boyle was surrounded by a largely Indian crew and had an Indian co-director, Loveleen Tandan, who also helped with the script’s Hindi dialogue. This is crucial to the film’s feeling of authenticity.

Boyle is an extraordinary visual stylist who has always been able to find beauty in the mundane. There are shots that are brief, like a dog lying in the street during a chase through the slums of Mumbai, which add detail and richness to the film. Boyle is also a master of pacing and editing, and he keeps his film moving along like an action film yet keeps a focus on the humanity of his story.

The audience is told Jamal wins the game at the beginning of the film, but Boyle is such an assured filmmaker that the film’s final scenes of the show are still engrossing. The final question is absolutely perfect.

Visually and in tone, the film’s flashbacks recall the brilliant “City of God” that portrayed the escalating violence in a neighborhood of Rio de Janeiro. This is a softer representation of that sort of life, although there are some scenes that are hard to watch. Jamal’s parentless childhood with his brother Salim (Madhur Mittal) includes being taken in by a Fagan-esque thug, run-ins with gangsters and scamming tourists at the Taj Mahal.

The film has a nice sense of humor about it. The lengths in which young Jamal (Ayush Mahesh Khedekar) goes to get an autograph from his favorite actor will make you cringe and laugh at the same time. The story Jamal concocts about why the Taj Mahal was built is also quite amusing.

The acting in the film is excellent. Jamal, Salim and Latika are all portrayed by three different actors at different stages of their lives and everyone delivers solid work.

Patel as the adult Jamal is a dynamic, likable lead and it is easy to root for him. Hopefully this is the beginning of big career for him. Patel’s back-and-forth scenes with Khan’s inspector are particularly good. Khan slowly drops his guard when he gets pulled into Jamel’s story.

This is a genuinely uplifting, feel-good movie largely because it earns its happy ending. The film goes to dark places and its characters rise above it, and it is hard not to smile when Jamal and Latika finally get to be together.