The Da Vinci Code (movie)

I know, I know... you're all wondering "Ryan Charisma, what did you think? Did you like it? Should I go see it? Will my Christian faith be compromised?" Well..., where should I begin...

I liked the movie, it followed the book for the most part. Although, certain aspects of the ending of the movie are different than the ending of the book. First off, I would never have thought of Tom Hanks for the title role, but he did win me over. He was fine, the rest of the cast was good as well. I found that the movie lacked the thrilling pace that the book had. I assume it's because of all the "cerebral" scenes that needed to be added. Mr. Adam had a hard time believing the Tom Hank's character happened to be an expert on everything. Overall, I'm glad I saw it - so I could tell you to wait for the DVD. It will have just as much impact and you'll enjoy it just as much at home; that is... unless you read the book. As for those kooky Christians and all their picketing. Initially I needed to ask myself, why weren't they picketing this book (that is sold in the "fiction" section of the bookstore) three years ago when it was first out? Where were they then? Poor stupid, stupid people. It's only a story. Sort of like the Bible - just a story. But these Christians have got to carry on picketing the movie. Don't they know that any publicity is good publicity?

Besides - why couldn't Jesus have been married? It's not that far fetched of an idea. Is it?

The Drowsy Chaperone

Sam & Manny, Mr. Adam & I went to go see this musical in a comedy last night. Oh, I adored it. 90 minutes - no intermission - chock full of talent. From the minute the lights went down, the audience is treated to a unique, fresh take on Broadway theater at it's best. In the spirit of not ruining it for you I'll only give a brief outline of the show.

We (the audience) meet a Man in Chair played by Bob Martin, our narrator. No, he has no name. The play is set in present day in his average NYC apartment. He has some of the best monologue material I have heard in a long, long time. In this monologue he invites us to listen to his favorite musical from the 1920's - "The Drowsy Chaperone". He puts the original cast recording - double album (does anyone still remember albums?) on his turntable and begins to relate to us the story. His enthusiasm telling this story throughout the entire show is wonderful. As the we listen to the cast album, it comes to life in his living room before us. A sugar-coated, piece of 1920's show that was built around the stars of yesterday ensued. And ensued hysterically I must add. As this story is told the narrator, unseen by the actors "on the album", starts/stops and jumps into scenes & numbers. At times, I thought I would laugh so hard my sides would split. The show is chock full of great talent. I won't go into each performer because they all were great and I couldn't pick one over another. See the ensemble cast, and see what real musical theater is all about. I urge you to go see this show. Although now that it's nominated for so many Tony Awards, I hope you can get tickets.

Digital Fortress

I've finished another Dan Brown book. This is one of Mr. Brown's first books from what I could tell. I'd hate to say it, but you can tell - but only around the edges. The ending is a little "Hollywood"; but the pace of the book is great. I enjoyed actually reading it and looked forward to getting back into the book; as I usually only read on the subway. The story is about the NSA and it's computer TRANSLTR, which the government uses to read private e-mail. The book, although a thriller, askes the question of "do human beings have the right to secrets?" According to our government "no". Is it possible that our government is watching us like some Orwellian nightmare? Sad to think, but in today's day & age - I think the government is. The pace of the book is typical of Mr. Brown's other books as is his final plot twist. A good one, but I guessed the code. You may ask "how did you do it Ryan Charisma?" Well, I'm smart and I took honors chemistry in High School. This book is an action packed thriller perfect for poolside or the beach.

TARZAN - the musical

Last night, Evan & Jeffrey, Mr. Adam & I went to go see the new Disney musical Tarzan. I was excited about this show because it rumored to be the next "spectacular-spectacular," in the veins of Lion King. Jeffrey arranged for tickets in advance and we had awesome seats. Well, then the reviews came out and they were tepid. Sad, I really was looking forward to it, so I refused to read any reviews of it until after I had seen the show. I had heard a few "word of mouth" reviews, but nothing in the media.

First off, I did enjoy the show. I adored the actors, first and foremost, for being gorillas. Their bodies and stage movement showed the studying and rehearsal time they put in. Their physicality alone is worth watching the show for. But I'm an actor fan to begin with so maybe you might not be as impressed as I am. The set, although sparse, was basically made up of various shades of green shredded fabric and ropes. It moved in and out, up and down. I have to say, I liked watching the set changes even more so than some of the scenes themselves. As for the costumes, well - I have mixed feelings. I thought most of the costumes were quite good, if not great. But, the main character(s) - the gorillas - their costumes were terrible. Now I understand that their costumes needed to be highly functional; I just think Disney's creative team could have come up with something better than this. Now the choreography/gymnastic/high-flying staging was spectacular. I wanted to go hang on the ropes with them. The show looks exhausting for the performers but I couldn't see it on any of their faces. Now the bad part, the music - I can honestly say that my two favorite numbers were instrumental. There is not one song you leave humming. Honestly, utterly forgetful songs. Perhaps Phil Collins should stick to pop ballads? I might mention also, the orchestra (and I've heard quite a few) was phenomenal. Let me repeat that, phenomenal!

Now, Tarzan was played by Josh Strickland (American Idol) and quite well I might add. He's hot,... sexy, damn hot to be exact. And that's a good thing because all he wears is a loincloth for the entire show. Jane was Jenn Gambatese, who I loved in ALL SHOOK UP! She was great and I just love her voice. She shows up at the end of act I and gets the final bow with Tarzan. Lucky her. That should be fixed, the bow is unfair to Merle Dandridge, who plays Tarzan's ape mother and has much more of a role in the play.

Overall, I liked the show. The music was dull, I didn't find I really even needed it to enjoy the show, it (the show) was so visual. I would say, if you have 10 year old children this is a great family evening out. I liked it, I really did.

ERASURE - Acoustic

My friend Michael and I went to go see ERASURE at the New York Society for Ethical Culture last night. First I must warn you that I'm a huge fan. I went in armed with my Internet research of the set list and made playlists ahead of time to dutifully make sure I was on top of the material. I read reviews and of course, had the new "Union Street" CD. The show in NYC was one night only, and the last performance of the tour. I was psyched. Excited and desperately waiting for Andy Bell to sing "Alien" - my favorite, double, extra-favorite Erasure song. Michael and I walked into the "theater" in the New York for Society for Ethical Culture (64th & Central Park West) to find that the theater was intimate (approximately 800 seats) but it resembled a church. I'll explain, the stage was a circular thrust with the audience surrounding it on pew-like benches in a circular shape around it. We were close to the band, I became excited, too excited to sit. So Michael and I went off to find me a fabulous t-shirt, and I got it too thanks to Michael. Thank you Michael. So, with set list in hand, ticket in pocket and t-shirt in possession we took our seats. Michael and I were in for an evening of Andy Bell & Vince Clark without their synthesizers. Yes, you read right. This tour was still all songs from ERASURE's catalogue but without electronics. In the past, they been known to perform an acoustic set in concert; but this time it was the concert. Was I ready? Yes, yes I was. What a great show. Speaking for myself, I loved their acoustic interpretations of so many of their songs. They performed a good mix of known and lesser known songs. The show was great, Andy's voice was in super shape. The show was stripped down of outlandish costumes and set pieces and seriously focused on the craftsmanship of the music. A traditional concert, per se. I really enjoyed the show. And from what I can tell, so did Michael. Well, maybe he was also enjoying my enthusiasm for the show too. And as for "Alien" - he sang it. And that is good.

The HISTORIAN

Oh my God. I finished it, this 650 page novel. I'm a pretty quick read, but I must tell you all, this book is a test. Not your typical vampire story. This Summer read from last year, tracked Dracula through the centuries. We learn of his life through three generations of historians. Reading their letters, papers & the documents they've encountered and translated through their travels. And although the main characters are American, almost all of the story takes place in Europe (half of the cities I've never heard of, and the other half were referred to their Ottoman, Turkish or Rumanian names). I'm torn over this book. It's a commitment, but I wanted to know the ending. I think if anyone is a history buff, I'm sure they'll eat up this novel. But if you're looking for a quick read. Search elsewhere.

ABBA v. Joan Crawford

AKG K 26 P Headphones

I bought these headphones for my iPod because the earbuds that they come with never last and are a pain in the ass to replace. These fantastic sounding headphones (after researching) were my mid-price ($40ish) choice. I use them daily on the subway, and never have I invested better money. They don't block out sound, so I can hear a nut job coming at me. But at the same time, they have tremendous bass and treble for my eclectic collection of music. Get these if you listen to portable music regularly. These fine "cans" are great for everything except the gym. Find another pair for that. I love these man, you gotta hear this!

Kinky Boots

Michael, Sam & I went to go see "Kinky Boots" last Friday night. I enjoyed it. I thought it would be more comedic like "Priscilla" or "Too Wong Foo..." But it wasn't. It was a do good, feel good movie where a misunderstood drag queen melts the hearts of shoemakers. We find a conservative shoe company going under and it's new inherited owner wants to close the shop. His heart melts for the people he has to lay-off so he figures out a way to save the company. Sell women's high heeled boots/shoes to drag queens and transvestites. What's the difference? Well, the movie explains it like this: "transvestites look like a man in a frock, drag queens look FABULOUS." The film is good, and I would definitely buy it for my own personal movie collection. But you don't need to run out to you local art house and see it on the big screen. The drag queen with the hear of gold, Lola, is a wonderful, rounded character expertly played. I could never walk in those heels. And remember "RED! It's the color of SEX!"

FESTEN

My friend Michael took me to see this play last night. I must first tell you that I expected (I'm not sure why) this play to be similar to an Agatha Christy play like 10 Little Indians and such. I was wrong. Actually I was so wrong that the play wasn't even a mystery. The play was based on the film DOGME from Scandinavia. It's set was a raked, naked, black carpeted stage with a black painted brick wall background. Very stark and cold. The lighting was the same stark, naked and used sparingly and in isolated areas on the stage. From scene to scene we saw set pieces fly in and out ( bed, chairs & a huge dining table that sat the entire cast). As far as the story goes, we find we're joining a Danish (well to-do) family celebrating the father's 60th birthday shortly after the suicide of one of this father's twin children. All the children have come home for this event and are staying the night in the mansion they grew up in. Through the course of the evening Christian (the surviving twin played by Michael Hayden) accuses his father, in his birthday toast, of raping both he and his twin sister through their childhood at bathtime. Now I find this a very brutal subject matter, but what makes it uglier is the fact that the family goes on and pretends that Christian is just causing trouble and no such thing ever happened to him or his twin sister. Later we find that Christian also accuses his father of being responsible for his twin sister's suicide (which was slitting her wrists in a bathtub). Again, the evening goes on as if Christian is just trying to make trouble. Lot's of wine and food ensue and the audience watches the entire cast have dinner after finding out all of this. Silence. Is the silence the meaning of the play? It may well be, but I kept feeling the Scandinavian direction of the play throughout the entire play. The clean lines of the set. The silence and lack of music, but instead the director played the sounds of a little girl laughing and the trickle of water in a bath. Not so much scary as disturbing. I won't tell you the ending, but you won't leave the theater uplifted with a Hollywood ending - that's for sure. As for the cast, playing the matriach of this family Else, was Ali MacGraw. She was awful, I've seen better performances in community theater. I wanted to send my friend Michael onstage and have him read the role cold, out of the script, and it would have been better than her horrible, awful performance. And she's a star? Oh my. Also, the two other children were played by Jeremy Sisto (Michael) and Julianna Margulies (Helene). Jeremy Sisto basically played the same character from Six Feet Under and honestly, not that good. He kept tripping on his own lines and had to start them over again. I would venture to guess he did this 10 times before act 1 was over. I was unimpressed. As for Julianna Marguiles, she was great. She absolutely had the tools for stage acting and used them impressively. The lesser known actors in the show were truly the talent though. With such a raw, difficult script they brought their characters to life with layers and depth Ali MacGraw could only hope to read about one day. On the whole, don't spend your money on this one. It's an actor's show - and if your not in the biz you'll most likely only be shocked by the stark, harsh reality.

bittersweet

Well, the days of Jason getting Sam & I into trouble have come to an end. No more finding fuchia hair dye all over my bathroom. No more outlandish, androgynous outfits. And certainly no more pasta bolognese leftovers in the refrigerator. Jason is moving away to Seattle, Washington. Forever. Well, he never said forever, but I have a feeling. Call it intuition, or the fact that I danced naked under a full moon on my rooftop. Either way, that's where it's at. I'm sad he's going, he's the first friend I made in NYC, when I moved here in July of 1989. Since then, Jason, Sam & I have all been in/out of several relationships, death, hiv, insane parents, high-demand holidays, evil people, dogsitting, bad boyfriends, Madonna and my fat ass. Sam & I are so sad to see him go. But it's for the best, moving usually is. He's found a home in Seattle and he'll make it work. I can hear the hope in his voice again. Jason's got a purpose and finally that purpose is himself. And that my friends, is the good news. The bad news is I can only give selfish reasons that I don't want him to go. As Freddie Mercury sang "Spread your wings and fly away, high away - far away, pull yourself together 'cause you know you can do better....that's because your a free man"

I'm having a difficult goodbye - it's very painful.

Silent Hill

I took Mr. Adam to go see this film last Saturday night. I was really excited because I had played the video game on Playstation 2 years ago. I will admit that the story followed the game almost precisely. But in the end, Mr. Adam hated it and didn't find it scary at all. I however, appreciated the attention to detail to follow the game, I wasn't blown away by the story. Don't go see this in the theater, if you must see it (like me), wait until it's on dvd. It will be just as good. Or bad, whichever word suits you.