'Looper' is a time travel film full of wit, action and surprises

Writer/director Rian Johnson's "Looper" is a tricky film to discuss. It is a densely packed piece of science fiction with intricate layers. Once you understand the film's logic, it is easy to follow. In terms of the characters' objectives, the plot is simple and direct, but to explain it in too great of detail ruins the numerous surprises the film has to offer.

"Looper" is set in 2044, a time in which time travel doesn't exist, but 30 years into the future it does. The process is illegal, but the mob uses time travel to send back people they want to dispose of. Men known as loopers are hired to be at a certain place to kill these people sent back in time. The victims are always bound with a hood over their head.

These men are called loopers because eventually the old versions of themselves will be sent back and the younger version kills the older. Their services are no longer needed, the loop is closed and the looper gets a big pay day, but he is always aware that in 30 years he'll be killed.

Joseph Gordon-Levitt stars as Joe, a drug-addicted looper saving up is money to leave for France for his retirement. Things become complicated when Joe's older version (Bruce Willis) is sent back without a hood and young Joe hesitates at the trigger. Now old Joe is on the loose and young Joe's boss (Jeff Daniels) wants both Joes dead.

That is merely the set up. Johnson's script goes to dark and unexpected places. Old Joe is on a mission in 2044 to protect a loved one in the future. What this mission entails is the latest thing you'd expect a character played by Bruce Willis to do.

The film builds to a final confrontation on a farm run by Emily Blunt and her young son (Pierce Gagnon). Blunt's character doesn't appear until late in the film, but is more than an obligatory damsel in distress or love interest.

Blunt's character made a terrible mistake that she's trying to rectify. She doesn't play the character as weak, but strong and resourceful. How she becomes entangled with the two Joes should not be spoiled, but it packs an emotional wallop that no one is likely to see coming.

Time travel stories are usually filled with paradoxes that create plot holes. Johnson attempts to address that issue in his approach to time travel. One neat trick is that young Joe's action in the present instantly changes old Joe's memories. Any injuries that young Joe endures appear as scars on old Joe. Johnson uses this in clever ways.

The film also gets to play with the question: What if you got to talk to your older self? There's a great scene in a diner between Levitt and Willis. Their conversation is direct. There isn't much time for philosophical musings. Instead there is a barded exchange as the older, wiser Joe literally looks back on his more foolish, younger self. Much of the dialogue of the scene is simply meant to give the audience plot information, but it is written in such a smart way and performed so perfectly by Levitt and Willis that the scene has a real spark.

Both actors are stellar throughout. Levitt, who starred in Johnson's first film "Brick," a hard boiled film noir set in high school, brings a hardened, brooding intensity to young Joe, but also adds subtleties as he slowly connects to emotions he had long disconnected from.

Willis, who has explored time travel before in "12 Monkeys," brings his expected kick-butt action persona to the table, but doesn't merely walk through this role. This is a dramatically heavy role and Willis reminds that in addition to being a great action star he can also be a great actor.

Johnson borrows themes, visuals and motifs from other time travel movies, most notably "The Terminator" and "12 Monkeys," but the film doesn't feel like a retread of previous films. He has fully rendered his world and its rules. The film feels fresh in its approach to time travel.

"Looper" is not merely about the mechanism of its plot though. It is deeply grounded in emotion and ultimately the story is driven forward by real and relatable emotions. The conclusion finds a way to close the loop on the story in a way that is surprising, satisfying and will lead to a lot of discussion afterward.

'Halpern and Johnson' offers a great showcase for Russo and Bownes

CONWAY — Two older men who have been linked for over 50 years by a shared love for one woman finally meet in M&D Productions production of "Halpern and Johnson," a thoughtful, funny and honest rumination on life and love.

"Halpern and Johnson," which opened Thursday, Oct. 4, at Your Theatre in North Conway, N.H. and is playing Thursday through Saturday until Oct. 20, began as an obscure 1983 TV movie starring Laurence Olivier and Jackie Gleason. Decades later the author Lionel Goldstein expanded the hour-long film to a two-hour play.

As the show opens, Joe Halpern (Rich Russo) is mourning at the grave of his recently deceased wife as another man approaches with flowers. This man, Dennis Johnson (David H. Bownes), reveals that he had a secret relationship with Joe's wife, Florence, that even predates Joe's relationship with her.

What follows is these two different men — Joe is working class and Dennis is an accountant with a tendency for flowery language — discussing the woman they both loved. Both learn things about the woman they thought they knew and have their views on themselves and life challenged.

Dennis has a distinct advantage over Joe since he has been aware of his existence for 50 years and would talk with Florence about Joe and their life together. Dennis even knows Joe's favorite drink and sandwich.

Joe is understandably infuriated to learn of this decades-long deception. Dennis, after lying to himself for years, sees knows nothing wrong with his relationship with Florence as it wasn't sexual. They simply met "thrice a year" to talk. That certainly is innocent enough, but that both Dennis and Florence decided to keep it secret reveals it isn't pure as Dennis would like it to seem. Emotional cheating is still cheating.

Goldstein's script doesn't paint Dennis as a villain and Joe as a saint. Both men are written with complex shading. Each man has both virtues and flaws and are written and portrayed by the actors sympathetically.

Late in the show, Joe reveals information about his relationship with Florence that makes him no better than Dennis and yet, in a way, it was Dennis' behavior that may have created the atmosphere for Joe's actions.

The play is very dialogue heavy with the burden of that falling on just two. Each actor has a full range of emotions to portray: hurt, anger, jealousy, regret, wistfulness and even warmth and compassion. Russo and Bownes prove more than up to the challenge.

Director Ken Martin gets performances from Russo and Bownes that are credible and honest. Each actor handles their lengthy passages of dialogue with ease, but, perhaps more importantly in a show like this, also seem to truly be listening to each other rather than just wait for their turn to speak. Each actor seems present and engaged.

Russo gives a wonderfully expressive performance. His facial expressions as he listens to the supposedly virtuous relationship his wife had with another man are priceless. He also reveals deep pain during a monologue about his past.

Bownes plays Dennis Johnson as a pragmatic and logical man who uses highfalutin language to distance himself from his emotions as if intellectualizing them will make them less painful. The emotions don't stay in check, though. Bownes makes Dennis' love for Florence seem very real especially as he nostalgically remembers when they first met.

"Halpern and Johnson" may simply be two people talking, but when the conversation is this engaging, revealing and relatable that's all you need. M&D's production of "Halpern and Johnson" is only the third ever produced, which makes the show all the more of a splendid discovery.

For more information or tickets, call the box office at 662-7591.

No 'trouble' with a formula film done right

On the surface, "Trouble with the Curve" is about baseball, but while there is plenty of scenes at baseball games and the sport is discussed extensively, the film is really about relationships and reconciliation.

Clint Eastwood stars as Gus, an aging baseball scout for the Atlanta Braves whose eyesight is going. His contract is up and a young hotshot within the organization (Matthew Lillard) wants to put him out to pasture for not embracing computers and statistics. In this regard, the film is the opposite of "Moneyball," last year's film about ignoring the wisdom of baseball scouts and looking purely at the numbers.

Gus' loyal friend and colleague (John Goodman) asks Gus' daughter, Mickey (Amy Adams), to join Gus on the road as he scouts Bo Gentry (Joe Massingill), a potential big league hitter with an even bigger ego. If Gus makes the wrong call it could mean his job. Gus and Mickey have a strained relationship at best and extreme communication issues.

While at games scouting Gentry, father and daughter cross paths with Johnny (Justin Timberlake), a pitcher turned scout. Gus had scouted Johnny and they have a mutual respect. Mickey begins a tentative flirtation with Johnny.

"Trouble with the Curve" is pure formula. Naturally, Gus and Mickey's time together finally helps them to communicate with each other. Of course Mickey and Johnny fall for each other. And it goes without saying that Lillard's smug character will be proven wrong for his blind trust in statistics. It is how it is all played out that makes the film so pleasurable.

Some stories are about their plots, but other stories are character driven and the plot is merely there to give the performers a platform to stand on. The baseball aspect of the story really could be replaced with anything else. It merely adds color and serves as the background issue to bring these characters together.

The film clearly has a love of baseball that sports fans will appreciate, but even those who could care less about baseball can become emotionally invested in the characters. The screenplay by first-timer Randy Brown does a nice job of developing the three central characters. There are good dialogue-driven scenes between Eastwood and Adams, Adams and Timberlake, and Eastwood and Timberlake. Their relationships feel real.

Eastwood is playing a variation on the bitter gruff, grumbling old man with a buried heart of gold that he has been doing for at least a decade. His performance here is a softer version of his work in "Gran Torino." Within his familiar persona, Eastwood finds quiet, subtle grace notes as when he touchingly talk/sings "You are My Sunshine" at his wife's grave.

Adams, a bubbly screen presence who can handle both comedy and drama, gets to show off both skills in this film. In her scenes with Eastwood she reveals the lasting hurt of years of abandonment and her desperation to reconnect with her distant father. With Timberlake she showcases her lighter side as the two trade cute banter.

Pop star turned actor Timberlake continues to prove he is a genuine actor. His range isn't huge, but he is likable and has a natural unforced quality that can't be faked. He is strongest at comedic repartee, but he is also credible in the quieter dramatic moments. He creates an easy chemistry with Adams.

Goodman takes the generic best friend role and makes it so much more than what is on the page. He has become such an expressive actor that he can say more in his body language and facial expressions than with an entire monologue.

Lillard has a standard villain role that the film's formula requires. It is a thankless role that he doesn't really do much with.

The film is cleanly directed by Robert Lorenz making his directorial debut after being Eastwood's assistant director for decades. Like Eastwood's directing, Lorenz isn't showy, but simply tells the story and gives the characters room to breathe and develop.

Anyone watching knows that everything is going to be tied up nicely by the end, but how the film does it is quite a neat trick and deeply satisfying. The conclusion reminds that even a formulaic film can still surprise.

Hollywood's sequel obsession continues with 'Resident Evil'

This past weekend I saw "Resident Evil: Retribution," the fifth film in the series based on the popular mutant-zombie video games. The film is so inconsequential that it doesn't even deserve a full review.

Each of the "Resident Evil" films is essentially the same: Milla Jovovich's Alice does battle with the evil Umbrella Corporation which continues to do experiments with a virus that mutates the living and reanimates the dead.

Writer/director Paul W.S. Anderson says the next film will be the final film in the franchise and that he has an idea of how to wrap up the story. Having sat through "Retribution," it is unclear why the series hasn't been wrapped up already.

When you reach the final scene, it is apparent that what you've just watched is a 90-minute teaser for the sixth film. The key plot points to get from the fourth to the sixth film could've been covered in 10 minutes or less. The other 80 minutes is gratuitous padding.

"Resident Evil: Retribution" is the most cynical type of sequel. It is a film that realizes its undiscerning fan base will come out no matter what. For fans, these films are (very) mindless fun, but even the fans deserve better than this. The "Resident Evil" series is little more than a shameless cash grab that is emblematic of Hollywood's continuing obsession with sequels.

The sequel has been around almost as long as the motion picture. The first sequel dates all the way back to 1916's "Fall of a Nation," a follow up to the iconic "Birth of a Nation." So, while the sequel is hardly new it seems like with each passing year Hollywood becomes more fixated on building franchises. For Hollywood, moviemaking is about making money and if you have a proven product then you need to give the public more of what they want.

I'm not against sequels by definition. I gladly saw "The Bourne Legacy" this summer and I'm excited to see that series continue. That has been a series with consistently high quality control. The same can be said of Marvel's stable of superhero movies and Christopher Nolan's "Batman" films.

Unfortunately, most sequels are not made with such care and really are only about making more money rather than actually expanding the story or exploring the characters further. Last year's "The Hangover: Part 2" was little more than a carbon copy of the original with very little to justify its existence, but it was a hit and so number three is on the way.

One of the bigger surprises of last year was that "Fast Five," the fifth installment of "The Fast and the Furious" franchise somehow managed to be the best of the bunch. Universal Studio took that to mean that there needs to be a "Fast Six" and "Fast Seven." Universal appears to have forgotten that sometimes it is good to just walk away from the table when you're ahead.

But, increasingly, studios don't seem willing to just let a series of films end gracefully, but simply continues to churn out the next installment until audiences lose interest. Disney's "Pirates of Caribbean" series is a prime example of this. None of the sequels, even though they have their moments, have matched the original, but the films keep raking in the dough and so we'll likely see "Pirates 5" in the coming years.

Even this summer's comedy hit "Ted" is going to get a sequel. People will see it because there's always that curiosity of what happens next. I'm all for spending more time with characters we've learned to love in a film, but sometimes things are best left unknown.

I get the feeling that if many film classics were made today we'd be seeing sequels. The further exploits of Rick in "Casablanca 2" (which nearly did get made) or perhaps "Gone With the Wind 2: I Still Don't Give a Damn." But we don't need to know what happens beyond those films. They're perfect on their own. Hollywood is forgetting sometimes one is enough.

'Beasts' offers rare exploration of child's view on life

"Beasts of the Southern Wild" is a wonderfully odd and oddly wonderful film. This is a rare film that captures a child's perspective and their sense of wonder and awe of the world.

The film is set in the Bathtub, the "wet side" of a levee in an unspecified part of the Southern delta. A ramshackle community chooses to live here in spite of an ever present threat of flooding of what little land they have. The people here live a simple, nearly primitive life. To the outside world their existence would seem like living in squalor, but to them it is the only way to live.

We see all this through the eyes of Hushpuppy (Quvenzhané Wallis), a 6-year-old girl who is fascinated by the life and death of animals. She constantly picks up small animals to listen to their heartbeat. In addition, she is imagining the ice caps melting and letting loose prehistoric beasts.

Hushpuppy's father Wink (Dwight Henry) is the sort of leader of the community. Unfortunately, his health is failing and he isn't sure how to deal with this as a man or father. Hushpuppy's mother is out of the picture, but she still "talks" to her mother represented by an old basketball jersey.

Despite a setting that is often decrypt and desolate, the film has a certain magic quality. Much of that can be attribute to a wonderful horn-heavy score by director Benh Zeitlin and Dan Romer that is equal parts sweet, majestic and uplifting. The score helps to make the film almost fantastic, which is appropriate given it is from Hushpuppy's youthful point of view.

Director Zeitlin chooses a handheld camera approach, a technique that has become increasingly overused in action films often resulting in confusing, incoherent sequences. Here though the approach is effective and gives the film a documentary-like feeling as if we are roaming around the Bathtub with Hushpuppy.

The film, unlike a lot of films that rely heavily on handheld camera work, is quite beautiful to behold. Zeitlin and cinematographer Ben Richardson find simple, lasting compositions.

Wallis gives a rather extraordinary performance, continuing this summer's trend of great child performances as represented in "Moonrise Kingdom" and "The Odd Life of Timothy Green." She is asked to carry much of the film and provide it with voiceover narration and she ably does that.

Much of the film requires Wallis to silently react to the world around her and she always seems present and active in these moments. She has a striking, natural screen presence. She is sweet and cute, but never too precious.

Henry is also strong as Wink. He is hot tempered and often doesn't really know how to deal with raising a daughter on his own. He is loving, but only knows how to show it by teaching his daughter how to be a man. When Wink allows himself to finally show some tenderness as when he lets Hushpuppy sleep on his chest it is a powerful and touching moment.

"Beasts of the Southern Wild" isn't a complex film in terms of its plotting. In fact, very little happens in terms of actual events. It is about a girl's journey to find courage and understand her world. Unlike many such tales, Hushpuppy's search isn't heavy with its message or morals. It is just one girl's story simply told with grace and beauty.

"Beasts of the Southern Wild" is playing at the Majestic Theater at the Conway Cafe in Conway Village.

'Lawless' is a violent, well acted drama

The generically named "Lawless" is an imperfect, but compelling prohibition-era drama about moonshiners, gangsters and a crooked federal agent that is graphically violent and exceptionally well acted.

Based on the semi-factual novel "The Wettest County in the World" — a much better name — the film is a character study of the Bondurant brothers, who are the most successful moonshiners in Franklin county, Virginia.

Forrest (Tom Hardy), the oldest, is the leader and a man who local myth claims to be immortal as he has defied death on numerous occasions. The middle brother, Howard (Jason Clarke), is Forrest's right-hand man and enforcer. Jack (Shia LaBeouf) is the runt of the family and is only allowed to be the driver, although he is hungry for more.

The trio run a gas station and diner as the front for their moonshining operation. Into their world enters Maggie (Jessica Chastain), a beautiful Chicago woman on the run from the treachery of the city, who accepts a waitress job.

Their simple life is shaken when a special agent (Guy Pearce) comes to town looking to shut down all moonshining. While others in the county fall in line, the Bondurant boys refuse leading to several bursts of brutal violence.

Jack takes it upon himself to expand business to Chicago and sell to gangster Floyd Banner (Gary Oldman). After an initial uncertain confrontation between Jack and Floyd this subplot doesn't really go anywhere. This aspect of the plot simply exists to provide the brothers with wealth. Oldman is fantastic playing a 1930s-era gangster, but his role is not much larger than a cameo. There is a lot more that could've been explored here.

The real antagonist of the film is Pearce's special agent. On the surface he is a prim and mannered man, but this merely hides a slimy, cruel and sadistic nature. Pearce gives a performance that is genuinely disturbing and makes your skin crawl.

The Bondurants are able to evade Pearce for a time, but Jack, with his new found wealth, brings attention to himself by buying fancy new clothes and cars and courting the preacher's daughter (Mia Wasikowska).

LaBeouf's Jack is essentially the film's main character. He provides the film's narration and has the central story arc. LaBeouf, once a critical darling before "The Transformers" series and his tabloid antics, is getting largely dismissed in most reviews of this film.

As an actor, LaBeouf's range is still limited, but this sort of material suits him far better than big-budget action. He is not expected to be a tough guy in this film. He is actually a rather pathetic weakling who must grow into the violent confrontation that marks the climax of the film. LaBeouf shows this growth admirably and nicely carries the film.

Although LaBeouf is good, it is Hardy that makes the stronger impression. He makes Forrest a quiet, stoic man who believes his own myth. Hardy gives Forrest a deep, growl of a voice that at times is difficult to decipher, but perhaps that is the point. Forrest is meant to be enigmatic. He is a man of few words, but every one counts.

Hardy develops an intriguing relationship with Chastain. They don't say much to each other, but in glances and body language they create a palpable chemistry. Chastain breathes life into a character that could be standard. Both Hardy and Chastain feel like real people rather than the cliches they may have been in lesser actors' hands.

Clarke, as the third brother, isn't given much to do. He has a distinct, memorable screen presence, but his character is underdeveloped and is just there to throw punches and shoot guns.

Directed by John Hillcoat from a screenplay by rocker Nick Cave, the film is deliberately paced and with beautiful, atmospheric photography by cinematographer Benoît Delhomme. Most scenes are of quiet conversation. Even the more intense dialogue exchanges aren't shouting matches. This makes the violence, which often comes seemingly out of nowhere, all the more striking.

'Rome' a mixed bag off Woody Allen stories

Woody Allen continues his European film tour, which has included stops in London, Barcelona and Paris, with "To Rome With Love," a collection of stories set in Italy's capital that hits more often than it misses.

Coming off of the delightful "Midnight in Paris," one of Allen's best films in this or any other decade, "To Rome With Love" is a slight disappointment. For more than 40 years, Woody Allen's annual new film has been as reliable as the changing seasons. With that level of production, not every film can be great. On balance though, his latest entertains.

"To Rome With Love" weaves together four different stories. In story one, a middle aged architect (Alec Baldwin) visits Rome for the first time since his youth and runs into a younger version of himself (Jesse Eisenberg) who is considering cheating on his sweet girlfriend (Greta Gerwig) with her best friend (Ellen Page), a sexually charged faux-intellectual actress. Baldwin freely, and inexplicably, pops in and out of this trio's life. The best interpretation of this is that Baldwin is reliving and advising his memories.

This is the best and funniest of the four plots. Baldwin is very funny as he sarcastically advises his younger, more foolish self. Eisenberg effectively plays a variation on Allen's nebbish neurotic. He gets laughs just with his facial expressions as he listens to the outlandish things that come out of Page's mouth. As Page has proved in the past, she can deliver fast-paced dialogue better than just about anyone in her generation. Only Gerwig seems shortchanged in this story arc.

In story two, a perfectly average Italian man (Roberto Benigni) becomes a celebrity for no reason at all. He is hounded by the press and paparazzi who want to know everything about him from what he had for breakfast to whether he thinks God exists. Live footage of him shaving is a major scoop. This plot is an amusing commentary on our ever increasing obsession with celebrity and how, thanks to reality TV, anyone can become a false idol. The ultimate theme of this plot reveals Allen's thoughts on his own celebrity.

The third story features Allen's first on screen appearance since 2006's "Scoop." Allen is a retired opera director who visits Rome with his wife (Allen regular Judy Davis) to visit their daughter (Alison Pill) who is engaged to marry an Italian (Flavio Parenti). It turns out the father (Fabio Armiliato) of Pill's fiance has the ability to beautifully sing opera. The problem is he can only sing in the shower.

This is a one-joke story, but at the very least it is a very funny joke, with a nice, and not overly heavy-handed, message that isn't too late to follow a dream.

In the fourth, and weakest, story, a recently wed couple (Alessandro Tiberi and Alessandra Mastronardi) arrives in Rome only to lose track of each other. Through a misunderstanding, a prostitute (Penelope Cruz) must pose as the new bride while meeting high-profile family members. While this is happening, the real bride is off contemplating an affair with a movie star.

Whenever Allen cuts to this plot line the film comes to a halt. With its reliance on dumb characters, lame slapstick and tired one-liners, this story is terribly unfunny. The infidelities perpetrated by the couple also leave behind a nasty after taste. The dubious theme seems to be that a little adultery is good for a marriage.

There's actually a lot of adultery in the film, but, in the other stories, it is used to explore a larger theme. This doesn't exactly excuse the behavior, but it gives it a purpose.

This is decent Allen, but I'll take that over most of the films that come out on any given week. At 76, Allen still seems sharp and spry and with no indication of slowing down. For Allen it isn't so much quantity over quality, but that he simply needs to keep working. It would seem that filmmaking is like breathing for Allen and he'll continue to make films until his final breath.

To paraphrase a line from "Annie Hall," Allen's film career is like a shark. It has to constantly move forward or it dies. More power to him.

"To Rome With Love" is playing at the Majestic Theater at The Conway Cafe in Conway Village.

'Stop the World' is well acted, but flawed

CONWAY — The Mount Washington Valley Theatre Company ends its 42nd season with "Stop the World, I Want to Get Off" a handsomely mounted and well acted production that nevertheless seems to be having an identity crisis.

"Stop the World," which opened Tuesday, Aug. 21, at the Eastern Slope Inn Playhouse and is playing through Sept. 2, was first produced in 1961 and has not aged particularly well.

Musicals and plays are often a product of when they were written. Shows like "The Music Man" or "Damn Yankees" are clearly from the 1950s, but have a certain timeless quality. "Hair" is a show that captures the vibe of the 1960s and acts as a time capsule. "Stop the World" reflects an attitude of an era gone by, but simply feels dated.

"Stop the World," written by Leslie Bricusse and Anthony Newley, tells the story of Littlechap (Andy Lindberg), a lowly tea boy for a big English company. His station in life begins to change when he gets the boss' daughter, Evie (Hillary Parker), pregnant. He marries her and gets a promotion at work. Through hard work he makes his way into the higher ranks of the company.

Littlechap is dissatisfied with his life, though, and jumps into the arms of several women (all played by Parker). Naturally, it is only late in life that Littlechap sees the error of his ways and realizes that all he needed was the love of his wife.

Littlechap comes off as a philandering cad who does often deplorable things, and yet, it is presented as light fun. Littlechap is a tragically flawed figure, but, as directed by Nathaniel Shaw, it is hard to sympathize with him even though Lindberg is likable in the role.

The original production of "Stop the World" had a circus as a backdrop, a metaphor for life as a circus, and Littlechap was dressed as a mime. Shaw removes both of these aspects and it is to the detriment of the show. There's a certain sadness to a mime, often portrayed as sad clowns or fools, that just in appearance would help to bring across the tragedy of Littlechap.

"Stop the World" has an odd shifting tone that is clearly difficult to balance. The show goes from broad slapstick featuring mimed actions that recall the silent film era to savagely on-target social and political satire to a morality tale in the final scenes. Individual elements work and entertain on their own but don't hang well together. At least in this production, the darker concluding scenes, which are supposed to be poignant, feel entirely unearned.

The cast can't be faulted, though, as everyone involved does accomplished work.

Lindberg, who appeared in the infamous pie-eating contest scene in the film "Stand By Me," has an easy-going stage presence especially when he asks to "stop the world" to address the audience. He has a strong voice that stands out on the shows best songs "Gonna Build a Mountain," "Once in a Lifetime" and "What Kind of Fool Am I." He is also good at portraying the aging of Littlechap and is particularly strong at bringing across the character as an old man.

Parker has the thankless role of Evie, who is given nothing to do but have kids and nag. Parker does get to let loose and have fun playing the various women Littlechap meets including a Russian, a German and an American. Her characterization of these women are fun and funny and enliven the production.

The rest of the cast is made up of an ensemble featuring Natasha Repass, Emilie Jensen, Jennifer Lauren Brown, Liz Wasser, Erica Moore and Lizzie Porcari. Everyone plays multiple roles and these players often upstage and get bigger laughs than the leads. While their comic timing, facial expressions and body language are admirable and greatly appreciated, you can't help but feel that their antics reveal a production that doesn't trust its central plot.

For more information or tickets call 356-5776 or visit www.mwvtheatre.org.

'Odd,' but wonderful family film

"The Odd Life of Timothy Green" is the sort of heartwarming live-action Disney film that used to be the company's mainstay for decades. In recent years, modestly budgeted family comedy/dramas have been replaced with bloated, big-budgeted action extravaganzas. "Timothy Green" is both a throwback to feel-good Disney films of the past and something deeper and richer than the typical Disney fare.

Writer/director Peter Hedges' screenplay, from a story credited to Ahmet Zappa, focuses on Cindy and Jim Green (Jennifer Garner and Joel Edgerton) a couple who are unable to conceive a child. One evening, in an attempt to move on, they write down all the ideal attributes they'd want their kid to have. They bury this list in their garden. A magical wind, not dissimilar to the one that carried Mary Poppins, blows in and the subsequent storm brings Timothy (CJ Adams), a boy with all the qualities Cindy and Jim asked for as well as leaves growing out of his ankles.

Hedges, who wrote and directed the warm and funny "Pieces of April" and "Dan in Real Life," wrote "What's Eating Gilbert Grape" and co-wrote the screen adaptation of "About a Boy," knows how to write characters and family dynamics that feel real. His characters are smart and funny without feeling overly written.

"Timothy Green" is simple and formulaic, but doesn't feel hollow in spite of a seemingly trite, silly premise. The story is framed with the Greens at an adoption agency telling the story of Timothy in hopes of being able to adopt a child. This device lets the audience know that Timothy's time is limited, which gives a poignancy to many of his scenes. Timothy is there to help his adopted parents learn to be parents.

The film is clever in the way that it delivers the Greens' various wishes of their dream child ("honest to a fault," "our kid will rock," "just once our kid scores the winning goal") in unexpected ways. Timothy is not the perfect child, that's not what Cindy and Jim wanted, but he is funny, open, friendly and ever so slightly odd.

Timothy quickly wins over Cindy Aunt Mel (Lois Smith) and Uncle Bub (M. Emmett Walsh). Jim's gruff, distant father (David Morse), Cindy's know-it-all sister (Rosemarie DeWitt) and Cindy's witchy boss (Diane Wiest) are tougher sells, but eventually warm to Timothy.

Timothy develops a sweet relationship with Joni (Odeya Rush), a girl who discovers his leaves, but instead of mocking him for his difference likes him for it as she as her own secret. They quickly form a strong bond as they begin building a special world all their own. Adams and Rush have a easy, believable chemistry.

Through Timothy, Joni is able to embrace her own differences with pride. Hedges doesn't hit the audience over the head with this moment, but simply presents it without drawing attention to it and is all the more affecting due to the restraint.

Adams' strong performance goes a long way to making the film work. Often child actors can come across as too precious and cute, but Adams finds a delicate balance between being sweet and likable, but also emotionally honest. His performance is natural and unforced. Along with the two leads in Wes Anderson's "Moonrise Kingdom." it is one of the best child performance to come around in quite some time.

The cast surrounding Adams is exceptional strong. Garner and Edgerton give heartfelt performance that easily could've been overly sappy and cloying, but instead feel based in real emotion.

All the supporting characters are loosely sketched and fairly one-dimensional, but they serve their purposes and are given life by the talented cast. Hedges is telling a fable that plays more on an emotional than intellectual level. The actors enrich their characters with genuine feeling and convictions.

At its core, Hedges' film takes on a serious subject, a family not being able to conceive and trying to adopt, in a way that is light and whimsical. The film is a tearjerker, but Hedges gentle tugs on the heartstrings instead of shamelessly yanking on them.

Eastern Slope Inn Playhouse is the place to 'bee'

The Mount Washington Valley Theatre Company's 42nd season continues with the light and funny "The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee," which opened at the Eastern Slope Inn Playhouse in North Conway, N.H. Aug. 7 and is running through Aug. 18.

"Spelling Bee" is a one-act musical comedy conceived by Rebecca Feldman with music and lyrics by William Finn, a book by Rachel Sheinkin and additional material by Jay Reiss. It predates "High School Musical" by a year, but is similar in tone and themes, but is, you know, good. The show centers on six quirky adolescents participating in a spelling bee overseen by three eccentric adults.

William Barfee (Joshua Levin) is the ultimate nerd with a special technique of spelling with his foot, Olive Ostorvsky (Jennifer Lauren Brown) is a sweet, word obsessed girl with parental issues, Chip Tolentino (Jake Levitt) is the previous year's winner, Marcy Park (Emilie Jensen) is an over achiever, Logainne Schwartzandgrubenierre (Jill Twiss) is the gay rights advocate daughter of two dads, and Leaf Coneybear (Alex Herrea) is a particularly weird child who goes into a trance when spelling words.

The spelling bee enthusiast Rona Lisa Peretti (Liz Wasser) runs the show with Douglas Panch (Ryan Murvin), a man with unknown personal issues, providing the words and parolee Mitch Mahoney (M. Elijah Caldwell) acting as a comfort councilor. The cast often takes on double or triple roles in flashbacks and dream sequences.

Four people are chosen out of the audience to fill out the ranks of the spellers and are actually called upon to spell. It is a cute gimmick, but one that adds needless running time to the show.

The show's songs are upbeat and fun, but it is the characterizations in "Spelling Bee" that stand out the most. While the characters aren't much more than archetypes they are given bright personalities that this talented cast bring vividly alive.

Herrera, with a talking finger, strange clothes and stranger antics, is a scene stealer. He makes Leaf a loveable kook.

Levin is very funny, nerding out in a big way on songs like "Magic Foot." He makes seemingly bland catchphrases like "Of course" and "I know!" hilarious. He also develops a sweet, tentative flirtation with Brown's Olive.

Jensen is solid as an uptight priss who shines on "I Speak Six Languages," a lively number in which she shows off her many talents ranging from karate to wine making.

Wasser nails the perky teacher-type and has an amusing comic chemistry with Murvin. Some of the shows best laughs come from the definitions and usages of words in sentences, and Murvin delivers each one perfectly. Caldwell has the smallest role, but has a dynamic stage presence that is memorable.

Director Nathaniel Shaw and choreographer Lisa Rumbauska keep the show moving at a brisk pace. One of the show's highlights is a scene that starts in high speed and then, riotiously, is performed in slow motion.

Musical director Michael Hopewell has done a fine job guiding this cast of uniformly strong vocalist. Kenneth John Verdugo provides a nice gymnasium set. Costumes by Barbara Erin Delo do a good job of making the cast look younger. Victoria Miller provides effective lighting.

The show does have one song, the generically titled "The I Love You Song," that is surprisingly heartwrenching. The song explores Olive's emotionally distant parents and her troubled home life. Brown pours a lot of hurt into her performance, building to a powerful final moment. It is the emotional highlight of the show and helps deepen an otherwise fluffy show into something with a bit more substance.

For more information or tickets call 356-5776 or visit www.mwvtheatre.org.

Bourne-less Bourne film more than a shameless money grab

"The Bourne Legacy," the fourth film in the Jason Bourne series, doesn't actually star Matt Damon's Bourne. How does one make a Bourne film without Bourne? You center it on another super spy similar to Bourne and have Bourne's action in the previous films have a direct effect on this new character.

On the page, "Bourne Legacy" seems like nothing more than a shameless cash grab, but it is less shameless than you might think. "Bourne Legacy" runs congruent with the actions of "Bourne Ultimatum," the third film in the series, making it less a sequel or prequel and more a parallel-quel.

Jeremy Renner stars as Aaron Cross, one of a new breed of super spies created by a government program called Outcome. These agents are given pills that enhance mental and physical abilities. This is an intriguing idea of the government essentially getting these super agents addicted to a drug to keep them loyal. The amnesic agent of the previous films is replaced with an addict agent.

Writer/director Tony Gilroy, who has been a writer on all the previous films, doesn't spoon feed the audience. For a while, it is unclear what is going on or who Renner is. Whether "Legacy" takes too much time and is needlessly confusing is certainly up to debate. There are references to Treadstone and Black Briar, the government agencies from the previous films, and a lot of scientific mumbo-jumbo that doesn't really add up too much. It eventually does make sense.

Basically, what the plot boils down to is that Bourne represents the failure of Treadstone, and Outcome fears there will be backlash once public gets more wind of that. The program head played by Edward Norton decides to dissolve Outcome and kill its field agents and anyone who knows too much information. That is a familiar plot device, but a cliche can still play if it is presented well and Gilroy does a reasonable job presenting it.

Aaron evades death and saves an Outcome doctor (Rachel Weisz) in hopes of her being able to get him his drug fix. She doesn't have any pills, but there is a way to makes his enhancements permanent.

As was true of "Michael Clayton" and "Duplicity," Gilroy's other films as writer and director, he is fascinated with showing the mechanisms behind things we normally don't see. There have always been scenes of men and women in back rooms surrounded by computers in these films, but Gilroy gives us even more of that this time. This seems to intrigue Gilroy far more than elaborate action scenes and indeed there is less action in "Legacy." There are a couple fight scenes spread throughout and an elaborate chase in the end that feels tagged on because it has to be there. It is well delivered and exciting, but slightly forced.

Every one of these films has one or two characters that stands in a room of monitors and barks random instructions. It has always been a thankless role filled by great actors (Chris Cooper and Brian Cox in "Identity," Cox and Joan Allen in "Supremacy" and Allen and David Strathairn in "Ultimatum"). This time it is Norton's turn. Norton is such a good actor that he makes his dialogue work better than it really should. He has a moment of wide-eyed shock and indignation that I was quite fond of.

Renner, who brought an unpredictable energy to films like "The Hurt Locker" and "The Town," seems a bit restricted having to play an agent trained to be cold and emotionless, but he does work some expressive moments in.

Aaron is a different personality-type than Bourne, who became increasingly more stoic as the series progressed. In early scenes in the film, Aaron is congenial and curious when he encounters another agent. He also provides a twitchy intensity when he starts jonesing for his meds. There's a backstory that helps add interesting shading to the character's motivation.

There is a definite break in the character though in the final scenes. The first hour of of film is more thoughtful and character driven. When Gilroy switches to the obligatory action finale, Aaron basically changes into Bourne. Which begs the question: Why did they bother spending the time to develop a character to toss out that development?

Even with its flaws, though, "Legacy" is a worthy expansion of the Bourne film universe and it would be interesting to see a Damon/Renner mash up in the future.

M&D serves up some 'real' laughs

After the intense drama of Sam Shepard's "A Lie of the Mind," M&D Productions is going for something a good deal lighter with "The Real Inspector Hound," Tom Stoppard's parody of the mystery genre, which opened Thursday, Aug. 9, at Your Theatre in North Conway, N.H. and is playing Thursday through Saturday for the next three weeks.

M&D is going from its longest show — at two hours and 45 minutes — to its shortest at 65 minutes. "The Real Inspector Hound" is like an after dinner mint after the heavy meal that was "A Lie of the Mind."

In that short running time, Stoppard packs a lot in as he explores the idea of a play within a play and breaking the fourth wall. This is a show that can be viewed on two levels. It can be enjoyed simply as a madcap and absurdist comedy or as a satire that blurs the line between fiction and reality and dissects the very role of theater itself in a way that can lead to some meaty discussion after the show.


But I don't want to become too pretentious or ponderous in my reading of the show lest I become like the self-aggrandizing critics of Moon (Ken Martin) and Birdboot (Kevin O'Neil), who are tasked to review a murder mystery.

Moon and Birdboot can barely be bothered to watch the show as they are too busy talking about themselves and pontificating prose for their reviews that has nothing to do with the actual content of the show. Moon is constantly muttering about his station as a second-string critic, and Birdboot is distracted by romantic longings for the actresses on stage. About half through the show they actually take part in the very performance they're supposed to be reviewing.

The play within the play is a standard whodunit writ large with broad comedic flourishes. A madman is on the loose near the Manor Muldoon where the widowed Lady Muldoon (Karen Kustafson) and her guests Major Magnus Muldoon (Andrew Brosnan) and Felicity Cunningham (Janette Kondrat) are visited by Simon Gascoyne (Eric Jordan), who has had an affair with both women. The inept Inspector Hound (Bill Knolla) arrives just in time to provide no help at all.

Jane Duggan plays a maid who humorously speaks entirely in exposition or cryptic, foreboding monologues. Duggan facial expressions and overly dramatic line readings provide many of the shows biggest laughs.

The show's funniest scene involves Duggan serving tea in a maddeningly slow and precise manner, which increasingly infuriates Kondrat's Felicity. Kondrat does comic wonders with a fan that she is constantly folding and unfolding.

Everyone in the play within the play performs their parts in a gloriously campy fashion. Jordan spends most the production wide eyed and bewildered. Kustafson squeezes every bit of overwrought melodrama out of her intentionally cliche dialogue. Brosnan speaks in a Scottish brogue and rocks a fake moustache.

Martin, who also designed the impressive set, and O'Neil's performances are less broad, but no less funny as they perfectly capture the essence of an arrogant critic. Not that I speak from experience or anything.

Comedy is just as difficult if not more so than drama, but director Richard Russo keeps the pace appropriately fast and the humor well timed. Russo doesn't let the comic energy run completely out of control, but he also gives his actors the freedom to go big and goofy. It is not a spoiler to say there are several deaths, but one actor's extended death scene is particularly laugh-out-loud funny.

The sound design by Russo and Martin cleverly uses bits of Henry Mancini's "Pink Panther" theme, Bernard Hermann's "Psycho" theme, Beethoven's "Fifth Symphony" and other songs.

"The Real Inspector Hound" is quick, breezy, fun theater that, while not exactly profound, does reward an attentive audience.

For more information or tickets call the box office at 662-7591.

'Rises' ends Nolan's Batman trilogy brilliantly

Director Christopher Nolan completes his dark, reality-based "Batman" trilogy with "The Dark Knight Rises," which makes good on its title. Nolan raises a bleak film into something hopeful and uplifting.

Starting with 2005's "Batman Begins" and continuing with 2008's "The Dark Knight," Nolan has created a version of the Batman universe that, relatively speaking, is believable. The more fantastic aspects of the characters have been removed and replaced with more plausible variations. "Dark Knight Rises" asks for some suspension of disbelief, but far less so than your average superhero film.

Nolan, who co-wrote the films with his brother Jonathan and David S. Goyer, has ingeniously taken various elements of Batman lore and combined them in a way that remains faithful to the source material even when altering the details.

The film picks up eight years after the events of "The Dark Knight." Batman (Christian Bale) has taken the fall for the horrific actions of Harvey Dent, the district attorney who was driven mad by the Joker. Dent was seen as Gotham's savior, and, with that image preserved, organized crime was swept out of the city.

With Batman retired and the love of his life dead, Bruce Wayne has become a crippled recluse stalking the dimly lit halls of Wayne manor as Alfred (Michael Caine), his loyal butler and confidant, looks on with evermore concern.

Wayne is brought out of hiding when a cat burglar named Selina Kyle (Anne Hathaway) breaks into Wayne manor. Her actions turnout to be connected to the schemes of a brilliant terrorist named Bane (Tom Hardy), who has his sights on the destruction of Gotham and Batman. To say more would start getting into the realm of spoilers, but a look back at "Batman Begins," while not necessary, would certainly be helpful.

One of the film's primary themes is whether there's such thing as a good lie. Commissioner Gordon (Gary Oldman) was able to clean up Gotham, but that admirable deed is hollow as it was based on a lie. Similarly, a lie Alfred told to protect Wayne's feelings may have done more damage than good. Secrets have a way of turning things rotten from the inside, out and Bane exploits that.

Bane's plot against Gotham brings Batman out of retirement, but Wayne has underestimated Bane, who proves to be a more than worthy adversary both mentally and physically. Comic book fans will know what happens between Batman and Bane and, yes, Nolan unflinchingly shows it. Hardy, his face almost entirely obscured by a mask, gives a deceptively nuanced performance. Just with his eyes and body language, he creates a formidable, frightening villain.

There are other characters at play here as well. Marion Cotillard plays Miranda Tate, the new head of Wayne Enterprises, Joseph Gordon-Levitt plays John Blake, a young noble cop, Matthew Modine plays an older glory-seeking cop, and Morgan Freeman is back as Wayne's gadget man.

That's a large cast, but Nolan does a superb job juggling the characters and how they all intertwine. Nolan is a filmmaker who takes time to develop his themes and characters. The film clocks in at two hours and 45 minutes, but the length is never noticeable as Nolan doesn't waste a single minute. From frame one, the film engages and begins building a nearly unremitting sense of dread and tension.

This is a film made on a huge scale. Nolan, unlike Michael Bay and other manic directors, doesn't edit his action scenes into confusing seizure-inducing messes. The film's stunning set pieces include an extraordinary opening heist in which one plane hijacks a smaller plane. There's a lot of screen time for the Bat-Pod and The Bat, Batman's new flying contraption, both of which are exceptionally cool.

Nolan also includes plenty of small, quiet moments. Most of the film is structured as Wayne interacting with a series of different characters each one, in their own way, helping him on his journey to not only save Gotham, but himself.

Bale gives his best performance yet in the series. His Wayne is a brooding, tortured man who has lost sight of who he is. Watching Bale play off this exceptional cast is just as thrilling as any of the elaborate action sequences.

Hathaway, who is playing Catwoman, but is never referred to as such, is fantastic. She provides a sultry, sarcastic cynicism to the film. She's hard, but not lacking compassion and neither a clear hero or villain, which brings a nice ambiguity to the character. Her scenes with Bale, as both Wayne and Batman, have a genuine spark.

Gordon-Levitt is also strong, particularly in a scene in which he confronts Wayne about a shared moment in their past. An interesting dynamic develops between Blake and Wayne that pays off in a big way.

Caine is heartbreaking as his Alfred struggles to watch Wayne go down a path he can no longer support. Freeman provides light, and necessary, comic relief. Oldman, once again, gives a subtle performance as the guilt-ridden commissioner.

What distinguishes "The Dark Knight Rises" from the average blockbuster is that, in spite of its massiveness, it is a deeply personal and intimate film. This is the perfect balance of entertainment and substance.

Take a trip to 'La Mancha'

The Mount Washington Valley Theatre Company’s 42nd season continues with a smashing and thoroughly engaging production of “Man of La Mancha,” which opened Tuesday, July 24, at the Eastern Slope Inn Playhouse in North Conway, N.H. and is playing through Aug. 4.

Based on Miguel de Cervantes’s classic 17th century novel “Don Quixote,” “Man of La Mancha,” by Dale Wasserman with lyrics by Joe Darion and music by Mitch Leigh, first appeared on Broadway in 1965.

The show has a story frame in which a fictionalized version of Cervantes (Larry Daggett) is thrown into a prison to await trial by the Inquisition. Cervantes’ fellow prisoners have their own trial for him and accuse him of being an idealist.

To defend his case he acts out the story of Don Quixote, a simple man who has read so many tales of chivalry that he has driven himself mad and created a fantasy world in which he is a knight. Cervantes asks those around them to fill parts as needed.

In the play-within-a-play, Quixote is joined by his loyal squire Sancho Panza (Patrick Michael Valley) in his courageous quest. Their journey brings them to an inn that Quixote believes is a castle. There Quixote meets Aldonza (Leah Monzillo), a tavern wench that Quixote sees as his virtuous Dulcinea. He shows her tenderness for the first time in her life and she doesn’t know how to accept it.

The plot also features family members trying to convince Quixote of his true identity, which leads to one of the show’s musical highlights “I’m Only Thinking of Him.” The song features complex, overlapping vocals provided by Jennifer Lauren Brown and Liz Wasser. The song also establishes one of musical’s key themes of whether bursting Quixote’s bubble is what is truly best for him.

“Don Quixote” was originally written as a satire of chivalrous adventure stories. Written in two parts, the first was farce, but the second was more serious and bleak with Quixote seen as a madman who was cruelly ridiculed.

“Man of La Mancha” explores these two sides of Cervantes’ work with a light and fun beginning giving way to a darker second half. There is a brutal rape scene that director Richard Sabellico doesn’t shy away from. It is difficult to watch, but necessary in bringing the show’s message across.

Sabellico’s direction throughout is superb and filled with interesting choices enhanced by the lighting design by Victoria Miller. Music director George Wiese has gotten the cast to an exceptionally high level of quality. The set designed by Kenneth John Verdugo and costume design by Barbara Erin Delo effectively creates the 17th century atmosphere.

Daggett is fantastic in the dual role of Cervantes and Quixote. He makes both characters distinct. His Quixote is full of bravado and performed with a Shakespearean quality. He has a rich and powerful voice and he sings with a conviction appropriate for the stubborn, strong willed Quixote. He makes the show’s most famous song, “The Impossible Dream” moving and powerful.

It is also a very physical performance with his impassioned and sincere stare getting across that Quixote means everything he says. Daggett makes it easy to see why those around Quixote would like him in spite of his seeming madness.

Valley provides strong support and comic relief as Sancho. Daggett and Valley have a nice comedic chemistry that is played effectively low key instead of for broad, easy laughs. Valley makes the best of his one song “I Like Him.” He sings the song with a good balance of warmth and humor.

Monzillo nicely captures Aldonza ‘s cynical, bitter edge. There’s a caustic anger to her performance that shines on songs like “It’s All the Same,” which showcase her powerful vocals. It is also a subtle performance as she slowly begins to embrace Quixote’s worldview as her own.

The three leads are supported by a well rounded cast. The inn is populated by The Muleteers, a group of rough men, who never the less sing the sweet “Little Bird, Little Bird.” This song later gets a dark, sinister reprise.

Todd Fenstermaker is fun in the dual role of the “governor” of the jail and the innkeeper. As the innkeeper he takes a shine to Quixote and takes pleasure in participating in his fantasies even when they turn aggravating. Playing against type, Craig Holden, who starred as Quixote in 2009 for Arts in Motion, makes an impression as the cruel Pedro and Jake Levitt is funny as a barber.

“Man of La Mancha” is ultimately a funny and moving show with an important message. In a world that is unfair, no one’s dream, however absurd, should be squashed.

For more information or tickets call 356-5776 or visit www.mwvtheatre.org.

'Moonrise' a sweet exploration of young love

In "Moonrise Kingdom," Wes Anderson, the quirky filmmaker of such films as "Rushmore," "The Royal Tenenbaums" and "Darjeeling Limited," heads to summer camp for a sweet, melancholy exploration of young love.

The film is set in 1965 on isolated island off the coast of New England. As "Moonrise Kingdom" opens Sam (Jared Gilman), a camper at a boy scout camp, has gone AWOL to meet up with Suzy (Kara Hayward), a girl he met the previous summer. Through year-long letter correspondence, the pair plan to escape on a 10-day hiking trip of their own.

Gilman and Hayward, making their acting debuts, are splendid. Sam and Suzy are both given odd quirks that if overplayed could have become too cute, but, under Anderson's direction, Gilman and Hayward are natural and believable. They capture all the uncertainty and awkwardness of being in love as a pre-teen.

Their relationship is based on their shared status as outsiders dealing with similar emotional issues. Sam is an orphan, and Suzy's mother (Frances McDormand) is having an affair with the local cop (Bruce Willis). They lash out, in hopes of someone noticing or caring, or perhaps because they simply don't know how to deal with their feelings. No one ever truly attempted to listen to or understand them until they met each other. This connection may not be love, but they are certain that it is and that's what counts.

The film is squarely centered on Sam and Suzy, but they are surrounded by an extraordinary cast. Edward Norton is the scoutmaster, Bill Murray is Suzy's father, Tilda Swinton works for civil services and Jason Schwartzman pops up as another scout leader.

All the adult actors are wonderful performing within Anderson's very particular style. Willis, who plays a sad, lonely man, is a standout. As of late, Willis hasn't been acting so much as doing lazy variations on the familiar "Bruce Willis" persona, so it is nice to see him challenging himself again. A couple scenes with Gilman recall the quiet tenderness of his work in "The Sixth Sense."

Anderson is a filmmaker who could be considered an auteur. The auteur theory, developed by French critics in the 1950s, regards the director as the true author of a film. It is a highly debated theory as it ignores the contributions of everyone else involved in the filmmaking process, but it also changed how audiences perceive films.

We often attribute a film to its director. Most film directors really don't leave a distinct stamp to their work, so the theory doesn't hold water for every filmmaker. Directors such as Woody Allen or Tim Burton have a style so recognizably their own that you instantly know you're watching one of their works.

Anderson, who also co-writes his films, has such a unique visual style and tone that it is safe to say that no one else makes films like him. Anderson's films are a genre unto themselves. They are categorized as comedies, but their tone is so dry and deadpan, that it is difficult to discern the comic from the serious.

Visually, Anderson is fond of slow-mo sequences set to pop tunes, long tracking shots, sweeping pans, shooting things from above, medium shots of his actors and first-person perspectives of moving vehicles. His films are realistic, but with absurdist flourishes.

Anderson's characters are often eccentric and, yet, in spite of their idiosyncrasies, are recognizable as they grapple with emotions and situations that are relatable and real. No matter how offbeat Anderson's films become, there is always an emotional honesty.

Too often comedies mock their characters, but Anderson doesn't ridicule his misfit creations. His affection toward them reveals that he sees himself as one, too. In all his films, Anderson's characters are struggling to be understood and accepted as they are.

"Moonrise Kingdom," perhaps more so than any of Anderson's previous films, flaunts its peculiar tone proudly. This is the kind of film where a character gets struck by lightning with no ill effects, but also features the accidental killing of a dog. The film also features an on-screen narrator — in the style of a historical or nature documentary — wryly played by Bob Balaban. It is a delicate balance of realism with the utterly ridiculous.

It is an uplifting and heartwarming story, although it certainly doesn't get there through the traditional route of feel-good films. As holds true for all of Anderson's films, this is not going to be for everyone. Some films are meant to have a broad appeal and others a very specific, limited audience. "Moonrise Kingdom" rewards the audience members willing to take the risk on something different.

New 'Spider-Man' offers worthy reboot to franchise

Five years after audiences last saw Tobey Maguire swinging around New York as our favorite arachnid superhero in "Spider-Man 3," we have the "The Amazing Spider-Man," a complete reboot with a new cast and a retelling of the origin story.

Going into "The Amazing Spider-Man," the biggest complaint seems to be that we don't need another film about how Peter Parker becomes Spider-Man. It was only a decade earlier that Sam Raimi's "Spider-Man" told the story of how geeky Peter Parker was bit by a radioactive spider and gained super powers.

But is this really any different than when we get a new James Bond every decade or so? "The Incredible Hulk" did a reboot five years after "Hulk" with little complaint from either critics or audiences. That film, though, streamlined the origin of the Hulk to the opening credits sequence.

The world of comic books is all about different perspectives with artists and writers bringing multiple takes on iconic characters. In the cases of comic characters that have been around for decades, there is often no definitive version of their story and fans will debate whose interpretation is best.

"The Amazing Spider-Man" exists because if Sony, which owns the movie rights to the character, didn't make a "Spider-Man" film it would lose those rights. The film takes the form of a reboot because the studio had a falling out with Sam Raimi, who was briefly set to do as many as three more "Spider-Man" films.

It is probably for the best though that the studio went for a fresh start as Raimi's series had completed its story arc. Raimi's first two "Spider-Man" films, particularly the second one, were well made, acted and visually compelling, but by third film the series was showing signs of fatigue. Even at their best Raimi's films were melodramatic and, at times, cornball.

This new film has a different tone. Andrew Garfield plays Peter Parker with a chip on his shoulder. He is still an awkward outsider, but even before he gains his powers he's willing to stand up to a bully.

Peter is also given back his sense of humor. Spidey was a smart aleck and a wisecracker in the comics, but there was little of that in Raimi's films. Garfield is given sharp, clever dialogue and he delivers it with the perfect amount of snarkiness.

Garfield is fantastic in the role and makes the film work. As Peter he holds himself as someone who is still growing into his body. Through gaining his powers he gains confidence in himself. "Spider-Man" was always an allegory for puberty, and Garfield, under the direction of the appropriately named Marc Webb, gets this across more so than Maguire and Raimi ever did.

Maguire's Peter, despite having his occasional doubts about being "Spider-Man," was pretty saintly. Garfield's Peter is a bit more rebellious and impetuous, but he still remains a character who wants to do right with his newly found gifts. There's a sincerity to Garfield's performance that balances out the brooding elements.

This isn't solely Garfield's show as he's surrounded by a particularly strong cast. Emma Stone plays Peter's love interest Gwen Stacy. The sweet, funny and immensely likable Stone has a wonderful chemistry with Garfield. Their scenes together capture the awkwardness of teen love. It is easy to become emotionally invested in them as a couple.

Rhys Ifans plays Curt Connors, a one-armed scientist doing research in cross species genetics in hopes of being able to regrow his missing limb. When he tests a new serum on himself it does indeed grow his arm back, but also has the nasty side effect of turning him into a giant lizard who wants to transform the rest of humanity into human lizards.

Ifans makes Connors a worthy villain. Like so many of Spider-Man's adversaries, Connors is a tragic figure with dueling personalities. He's a good, gentle, if ever so slightly mad scientist, who is transformed both externally and internally into a monster. Ifans brings a nice subtly to the performance instead of going over-the-top.

There's a lot of typecasting, in a good way, with Sally Field, Martin Sheen and Denis Leary all playing variations on roles they've played before. Field and Sheen are ideally cast as Aunt May and Uncle Ben with Leary as police Captain Stacy. The characters are one-dimensional, but the actors are so familiar to audiences that we fill in the blanks.

Perhaps more so than ever before, Hollywood is very franchise-minded. You no longer simply make a single film. Now studio execs plan out whole series. So, yes, perhaps we are getting this new "Spider-Man" a bit too soon, but if they had to tell Spidey's origin again at least they have done it rather well.

Mount Washington Valley Theatre Company back in the habit with 'Nunsense'

The Mount Washington Valley Theatre Company opens its 42nd season of professional theatre at the Eastern Slope Inn Playhouse in North Conway, N.H. with "Sister Amnesia's Country Western Nunsense Jamboree," the third installment in Dan Goggin's immensely popular "Nunsense" series.

The original "Nunsense" opened off-Broadway in 1985 and became an international sensation translated into at least 26 languages with more than 8,000 productions worldwide. Goggin, to date, has written seven sequels including a Christmas and all-male show. The Mount Washington Valley Theatre Company did the Las Vegas-themed "Nunsenations" in 2006.

If you've seen one "Nunsense" show, you've seen them all. Each one features a group of nuns from Hoboken, N.J. cracking jokes, singing and interacting with the audience for two hours. The plot of "Nunsense Jamboree" focuses on the singing sisters hitting the road in promotion of Sister Amnesia's new country western album.

The "Nunsense" concept originated as a line of greeting cards, which makes sense as the jokes are on the level of the lame punchlines and puns that are common in greeting cards. How much you'll enjoy a "Nunsense" show depends on how high your tolerance for Christian jokes is.

"Some people think it's fluff and worthless," Goggin said in a 1996 New York Times article. "It is fluff but it ain't worthless."

The "Nunsense" series is lazy, but in its simplicity it is a crowd pleaser. This is theater for people who don't normally go to theater. It is non-demanding and non-challenging. A "Nunsense" show makes something like "The Music Man" seem like "MacBeth."

As Semina De Laurentis, the original Sister Amnesia, noted in the same New York Times article: "Because of 'Nunsense' we see people developing as theater-goers. These shows are bringing them in."

This production, which is playing through July 24, stars Jill Twiss as Sister Amnesia, Liz Wasser as Sister Mary Wilhelm, local girl Emilie Jensen as Sister Mary Leo, Jennifer Lauren Brown as Sister Robert Anne and Ryan Murvin as Father Virgil.

It is an amicable cast featuring high energy and strong vocals. The show stealer, though, is Brown as a tough talking nun from Brooklyn. With a New York accent and a sassy attitude, she commands the stage with songs like "A Cowgirl from Canarsie." The highlight of the show, at least musically, is "Growing Up in Brooklyn," which Brown makes a sweet, funny and tender ballad.

The best songs of the show are the ones that don't push too hard for the jokes or force the Christian message. "Seven A.M. in Phoenix" is a song that sister Mary Wilhelm sings to Sister Mary Leo to convince her to not give up being a nun, but it is also a beautiful ballad about not letting fear prevent you from being with someone or doing something you love. Wasser does a lovely job singing it.

The cast is given a fun barn set designed by Kenneth John Verdugo to play in. The rest of technical aspects are also in good form with solid lighting design from Victoria Miller and costume design from Barbara Erin Delo.

I'll be the first to admit that "Nunsense" is not for me. Reviewing the content of a "Nunsense" show seems moot. This isn't great or even good theater, but with the right cast and good direction it can be high energy fun.

Luckily, the Mount Washington Valley Theatre Company's production has both. Director and choreographer Richard Sabellico, musical director Michael Hopewell and the cast do a good job of making sense out of the nonsense that is "Nunsense."

For more information or tickets call 356-5776 or visit www.mwvtheatre.org.

Looking 'back' on The Beatles' early days

Thirty years after The Beatles first graced the big screen they returned, albeit in fictional form, in “Backbeat.” The film chronicles the tragic story of Stu Sutcliffe (Stephen Dorff), The Beatles’ fifth member during the band’s formative years in Hamburg. Sutcliffe left the band to pursue his real passion of painting only to die from a brain hemorrhage just as The Beatles were about to explode.

Roger Ebert wrote in his review of Backbeat that “the exhilaration of the young Beatles has already been captured in one of the best musicals ever made, 'A Hard Day’s Night' and this movie never convinces us Stuart Sutcliffe could have held his own in the band.” But that’s not the film’s intent.

Sutcliffe wasn’t a musician. He joined the group because his friend John Lennon (Ian Hart) asked him to. He went to Hamburg for a laugh and out of loyalty to his best mate. Ebert, like many other critics, complained that Sutcliffe’s life and death is far less interesting than The Beatles story and that the only reason we are hearing his story is because of his peripheral presence in the band. Both statements are true, but don’t necessarily mean Backbeat is an unworthy film.

The Beatles are the reason the film exists and also, in many respects, what undermines its central story. There is genuineness between the friendship of Stu and John as portrayed by Dorff and Hart, who have the chemistry of lifelong mates. There is a sense of betrayal when Stu falls in love with German photographer Astrid Kirchherr (Sheryl Lee). Astrid took the definitive photos of the band from this era and helped define the image that would make them stars a couple years later.

Dorff and Lee have a sweet chemistry that is completely different than that of Dorff and Hart’s and makes for an interesting counterpoint. A subtle love triangle develops, but not in a typical Hollywood fashion. It is the sort of triangle that you find in life, quietly there and deeply painful. Astrid is stuck between two men who care about each other deeply, but are heading down separate paths. Hart smolders with anger, desire and ambition to be something great. While Dorff’s Stu is content to just work on his art and be in love.

If Backbeat’s story was about fictional characters it would intrigue, but since it features characters that would go on to be debatably the most influential pop group of the 20th century, there is a sense that there should be more to the film. The film focuses so directly on Stu, Astrid and John that Paul (Gary Bakewell), George (Chris O'Neill) and original drummer Pete Best are barely present. Director and co-writer Iain Softley even debated changing the band and character names to avoid the film being overwhelmed by The Beatles unavoidable mystique. That the band is indeed The Beatles isn’t mentioned until near the film’s end.

While "Backbeat" doesn’t focus specifically on The Beatles it does capture their essence. Ebert was right in saying “A Hard Day’s Night” is the definite time capsule of The Beatles youthful energy and humor. But “Backbeat” does capture some of that humor in dialogue, for instance: “I had a word with Van Gogh last night. He said, ‘If he could do it all again he'd be down here shaking his bottom to 'Blue Suede Shoes.’ I gave him your regards.” Yet the film wisely doesn’t live and breathe on the loony-dialogue showcased in Richard Lester’s films. Instead the dialogue has a realness to it. The goofy camaraderie is balanced with desperation and yearning, whether it is for fame or love, that feels truthful.

This being a film featuring The Beatles, the music is, naturally, great. Softley chose not to use the actually Beatles, most likely out of necessity since recordings from the time period are unavailable or are bootlegs at best. In its place, Softley compiled a super group of post-punkers and grunge artists that included Nirvana’s Dave Grohl, R.E.M.’s Mike Mills, Sonic Youth’s Thurston Moore, Soul Asylum’s Dave Pirner and Afghan Wings’ Greg Dulli. It is a dynamite recreation of the music The Beatles were playing at the time, primarily covers of their favorite American 50s rock. It doesn’t quite sound like The Beatles, but it does capture the raw, infectious energy of the band. In addition to the music being spot on, so are the period details. The hair, costumes and atmosphere feel right. It is clear Softley and his crew took great care to have everything look and sound right and the attention to detail pays off.

The film has its flaws. It is implied that Sutcliffe’s death was due to a combination of a blow to the head in a bar fight and the use of speed, but neither rings true. Although we are shown Sutcliffe having one devastating headache and a drastic mood swing, his death occurs too abruptly. In actuality his death was a slow and painful one that left him bed ridden with agonizing migraines. Softley’s decision to cut that away for the sake of running time is reasonable, but Sutcliffe’s death feels almost like an afterthought. The film also has an annoying habit of cheekily dropping Beatles song titles into conversations. It is too knowing and cute for a movie that is otherwise above such gimmicks.

'Lie of the Mind' offers powerful, challenging night of theater

With their production of Sam Shepard's "A Lie of the Mind," M&D Productions is doing what they're known best for: challenging, emotionally complex and thought-provoking theater.

Clocking in at two hours and 45 minutes including two intermissions, "A Lie of the Mind," which opened Thursday at Your Theatre in North Conway and is playing Thursday through Saturday for the next three weeks, is not a light, easy night of theater. The play is an exploration of the repercussions and the self-perpetuating nature of abuse.

The play opens in the aftermath of a brutal act of violence. In a jealous rage, Jake (Brian Chamberlain) has beaten his wife Beth (Janette Kondrat) to the point of brain damage. He believes her to be dead and runs to his brother Frankie (Tomer Oz) to calm him down.

Beth is in the care of her brother Mike (Daniel Otero), but eventually Beth's parents Baylor and Meg (Bill Knolla and Stacy Sand) get involved. On the other side, Jake's mother Lorraine (Christina Howe) and sister Sally (Kate Gustafson) are trying to help as well. The play bounces back and forth between the parallel reactions to this terrible event.

The actors are performing on a stage designed by Deborah Jasien to look like a pane of shattered glass. This is a none-too-subtle, but effective representation of the minds of the characters.

Although it was Beth who was left physically brain damaged, Jake's actions against Beth seem to have left his mind fragmented and confused as well. Both Beth and Jake are reduced to childlike states as they lie to themselves about what happened.

The New York Times' Ben Brantley wrote in his review of the 2010 Broadway revival of the show that "it's not easy putting together a complete ensemble (there is no starring role) up to the demands of a script in which hyperreal and surreal teeter in delicate balance."

Director Ken Martin has managed to do just that though. He pulls performances out of his actors that go to deep, dark places. The entire cast bravely exposes raw nerves.

Kondrat, who played a different kind of crazy in "Misery's Child," finds a sweet innocence in portraying Beth. Beth's mind is damaged, but not lost. The pieces are all there, but the order is jumbled. Sometimes she has moments of clarity, but other times she's like a child lost in a supermarket.

Chamberlain finds similar notes in his performance, but also has an extraordinary anger inside of him that comes seething out of him. Even so, in spite of Jake's act of cruelty being the catalyst for the entire play, Chamberlain manages to make the character sympathetic.

Howe and Gustafson share a powerful scene together as mother and daughter attempt to confront a grim secret. It is a hard scene to watch with both actresses tapping into heavy emotions. Howe reveals previously unseen depths as an actress. Her Lorraine is full of bitter hatred and venomous vengeance and Howe brings those emotions painfully and completely across.

Knolla is a bellowing cantankerous old man, who is often cruel, but just as often right in how to deal with Beth's fragile state. Sand's Meg has a mind that is nearly as flighty as her daughter's and Sand does a nice job capturing her sweet-natured simpleness. This dysfunctional family is topped off with Otero's over-protective brother, who is angry at everyone, even the one he means to protect.

This already tense family dynamic is further complicated when Frankie shows up to confirm Beth is alive. Frankie spends much of the play in pain, for reasons best left discovered by the audience. When everyone around him appears to be going insane, he oftens seems to be the only voice of reason, but no one will listen. Oz does a good job portraying his confusion and frustration.

"A Lie of the Mind" is a difficult, often obtuse play that challenges its audience. Shepard realizes that the world is not black and white. He asks hard, even troubling, questions about the essence of humanity, love and how to break a continuing cycle of abuse. In the place of simple answers he leaves uncertainty and ambiguity. It is an intense, but rewarding experience.

For more information or tickets call the box office at 662-7591.

'Ted' is raunchy, sweet fun

Seth MacFarlane, the creator of the hugely popular animated series "Family Guy," makes the leap to live action feature films with "Ted," a gloriously coarse film about a grown man and his foul-mouthed living teddy bear.

In recent years, there have been a lot of arrested development comedies of man-boys, who are forced to face the real world. "Ted" takes this story arc one step further by making the protagonist best friend a teddy bear.

As "Ted" opens, we are introduced to little Johnny (Bretton Manley). He is so loathed by the other kids that they won't even beat him up as that would further acknowledge his existence. Even the little boy getting pummeled tells him to get lost. Johnny makes a Christmas wish that his teddy bear would come to life and be his lifelong friend.

The wish comes true, leading Ted to become an instant celebrity including an appearance on "The Tonight Show" with Johnny Carson. Flash forward 27 years later and Ted (voiced by MacFarlane) and John (now played by Mark Wahlberg) are lazy stoners obsessed with the 1980 film "Flash Gordon."

Remarkably, John is dating Lori (Mila Kunis), who is beautiful, intelligent, well employed and incredibly patient. After four years of putting up with Ted's negative influence, Lori is finally asking John to move on by having Ted move out.

There are subplots involving Lori's lecherous boss (Joel McHale) and, even stranger, a creepy stalker (Giovanni Ribisi) who wants to buy Ted. For the most part, though, the film focuses on the friendship of John and Ted and John's strained relationship with Lori.

This is more or less an R-rated live-action version of "Family Guy," complete with cutaway gags in the form of flashbacks and fantasies. There's even a score that recalls the sitcom-esque music of "Family Guy."

Much like "Family Guy" and MacFarlane's other shows, "American Dad" and "The Cleveland Show," "Ted" is full of vulgar and offensive humor. The film is proudly un-politically correct with racist, sexist and homophobic jokes. So, how is that acceptable?

MacFarlane's sense of humor, however crude it may be, is rarely mean spirited or truly negative. His jokes are meant to point out the hypocrisies and double standards of a culture that has become overly PC. He is holding both the bigots and the overly uptight to task. He doesn't condone the actions of bigoted people, but rather mocks a society that claims to loath them and yet creates an environment that continues to produce them.

The biggest problem with MacFarlane's style of humor is that his target audience of 15 to 30 year olds doesn't always understand the satirical elements of his humor and simply repeat the offensive jokes because they seem cool.

For those who have a taste for low brow humor with an edge, "Ted" has some very funny bits. Two of the best parts — already seen in the R-rated trailer — the "Thunder Buddies Song" and Wahlberg's listing of white trash women names are instant classics.

On a technical level, Ted, a computer-generated creation using motion capture technology, is impressive. Similar to last year's little seen "Paul," which featured a foul-mouthed alien instead of a foul-mouthed teddy bear, it isn't long before you stop seeing Ted as a special effect and simply see him as real.

Wahlberg, who first showed off his talents at outrageous humor in 2010's "The Other Guys," is a good dramatic actor, but continues to prove that, with the right material, he may just be a better comedic actor. He has a believable easy-going chemistry with Ted, which is even more impressive when you consider that Wahlberg was playing against nothing as Ted was added in post-production.

Kunis, a fine comedic actor in her own right, is sadly just given the thankless role of the girlfriend. Fortunately, she isn't written to be a shrill harpy, but it would've been nice to see Kunis get to build some comic energy with Wahlberg and MacFarlane. Instead, she is just seen as a buzzkill, which is usually the case with women in MacFarlene's creations.

In terms of direction, MacFarlane paces his film right. He knows how to set up a gag and not cut away too soon. In fact, he often lets a gag run long, a trademark from his animation. When the film builds to a climactic confrontation with Ribisi, MacFarlane manages to create some genuine, and unexpected, tension.

What will be most surprising though to MacFarlane fans is how sweet and tender the film becomes. The film takes a dark turn in the final act and there's some real emotions mixed in with the laughs. This injection of heart into the proceeding helps to make the film become more than just another crass comedy.