Judy Garland and The Beatles Redux

MUSIC Popular music styles may change over the years but well-written songs last a long time. Judy Garland and The Beatles were huge in their day and the recent rerecordings I've been listening to are totally satisfying and, like Garland sang, I find them "spinning round in my brain like the bubbles in a glass of champagne."

Despite all of her ups and downs, Garland's voice was strong and she popularized countless standards. Her legendary concert at Carnegie Hall in April 1961 showcased many of them and was a career highlight.

Singer-songwriter Rufus Wainwright recreated the entire concert several times and his 2006 Carnegie Hall performance Rufus Does Judy at Carnegie Hall is available on CD. (His live show at the London Palladium is available on DVD.) Though his singing style and vocal quality are not the same as Garland's, Wainwright is quite the showman and easily carries off songs like "San Francisco", "Zing! Went the Strings of My Heart!" and "That's Entertainment". Several slower songs particularly lend themselves to Wainwright's wailing style like "Do It Again", "A Foggy Day", "If Love Were All" and "How Long Has This Been Going On".

I've usually heard "Come Rain or Come Shine" by Harold Arlen and Johnny Mercer sung sweetly and in a moderate tempo. But Wainwright flawlessly executes Garland's version that starts a little more up-tempo and transitions to an almost manic frenzy. It drives me crazy and is absolutely my favorite version.

A faithful recreation of the cha-cha sounding version of the 1938 song "You Go to My Head" by J. Fred Coots and Haven Gillespie has catchy and festive lyrics that have hooked me. And Wainwright includes little details as when he sings midway "…and I forgot the god darn words…" reproducing the Garland recording, exactly the way she did.

He enlists familial help from sister Martha Wainwright on “Stormy Weather,” and mother Kate McGarrigle on “Over the Rainbow”. Garland's daughter Lorna Luft appears on “After You've Gone.”

Though at time theatrical, Rufus Does Judy at Carnegie Hall is unlike the revival of a well known musical, like The Sound of Music, but proves how timeless good music can be. The variety of composers Garland used were popular in the first half of the 20th century making way for four fabulous dudes from Liverpool to take over and change popular music and rock and roll in the latter half.

While the orchestrations are very similar to the original Carnegie Hall production, many of the arrangements of songs by John Lennon, Paul McCartney and George Harrison on the Across the Universe soundtrack are new and maintain the integrity of the original compositions. The movie's storyline may be light but the music is as solid as it should be.

This 2-disc deluxe compilation features, among others actors, Jim Sturgess and Even Rachel Wood as the central love interest in the film and therefore sing a bulk of the songs. Rocking tunes "Hold Me Tight" and "It Won't Be Long" have a relaxed feeling, which Wood carries off just as easily as she handles the sweet yet slightly slowed-down versions of "If I Fell" and "Blackbird". But it is Sturgess' soothing voice that makes the biggest impression overall lending a more personal tone on "All My Loving", an intimacy to "Something" and even making "Revolution" sounding sexy.

T.V. Carpio adds an aching urgency to "I Want to Hold Your Hand" while Dana Fuchs appropriately belts out the songs "Don't Let Me Down" and "Why Don't We Do It in the Road" but blends nicely with the other voices in "Dear Prudence". (She must have been perfect as Janis Joplin in the Off Broadway show Love, Janis.) Bono, Eddie Izzard and Joe Cocker show up but it's the lead actors that are worth listening to.

So if you're nostalgic for timeless pop and rock classics, or just newly discovering them, Rufus Does Judy at Carnegie Hall and Across the Universe harmoniously kick butt and bridge any gap from yesterday to today. Forget your troubles, come on, get happy!

Lost: Meet Kevin Johnson

Another great episode of "Lost" and another bunch of new questions...

So I guess I have to wait almost a month to find out if Rousseau is really dead. (Karl looks to be a goner.) Many think she is but I'm not ready to let go. Are we never going to get her backstory? I still want to know more about what her science team was doing when landing on the island and if it's possible that her crew died not only by the "sickness" but because they actually posed a threat to the Others. She supposedly finished them off because they were dying but could they have contracted the sickness from Ben and his people in the same way that the Dharma people died? And why was she the only one not to become afflicted? I'm thinking that she was spared by the Others because she was pregnant and could bring new life to the island. She is one more mysterious piece of the puzzle and I hate to see her go.

Some think that Ben set up the final scene in this episode but I disagree. I think that Ben did want Alex to reach the Temple safely because she could be used as leverage against him if caught. So I don't buy that he would have Karl and Rousseau killed when they were escorting her to safety. Unless there is some other reason unknown at this time, Karl and Rousseau were victims, but by whose trigger finger? Rebecca would an obvious option but most likely is the least likely suspect.

Michael’s flash was “forward” from the time he left the island, which is a few days after Thanksgiving and around two weeks before Christmas 2004. When Tom, AKA Mr. Friendly, stops Michael from killing himself he tells him the island won't let him. So is it that the island won't let him kill himself because he has "work" to do or the island just doesn't believe in suicide? And is this the same reason that Jack didn't kill himself by the bridge or is that a different circumstance?

Tom realized that the reason Walt won’t talk to Michael because of what he did to Ana Lucia and Libby. And now Michael is having visions of Libby, and disregarding her warning on the boat not to detonate the explosives. Was it just a little silly to see the flag pop up with the words "NOT YET"?

I'm on board believing Tom and Ben saying that the freighter belongs to Charles Widmore and that he's the real bad guy, including the story of digging up the dead bodies and staging the underwater crash site of Oceanic Flight 815. At least for now I am.

And in keeping with the diversity of the characters, it was nice to see that Tom gets to have a little free time with Arturo!
Does Sayid have something up his sleeve when he turned Michael in to the guys on the boat or is he just pissed off?

Another cheery Mama Cass song, "It's Getting Better", plays on the radio of the 70's car that Michael plowed straight into a maritime cargo container and when he is on the boat just before he presses the execute button.

"We kind of, like, knew that forever ago." – Another great Hurley response to Miles' comment that the freighter folk are there to get Ben.

"…Considering a week ago you had a gun to his head and tonight he's eating pound cake, I'd say he's a guy who gets what he wants." – Miles' subtle observation of Locke being manipulated by Ben.

And it looks as if Aaron is part of the Oceanic Six. How will they explain that one since he was not on the flight manifest? Is this going to be solved with a time travel explanation? I fear that many of our questions are going to be unsatisfactorily answered that way.

The Piano Lesson by August Wilson

THEATER If you're interested in the distinctive voice of American theater, then don't miss the Pulitzer Prize-winning play The Piano Lesson by August Wilson now on the mainstage at the Arden Theatre Company in Philadelphia. Wilson's classic is one of ten in a cycle chronicling the African American experience in each decade of the 20th century.
Set in 1936 in the Hill District area of Pittsburgh, The Piano Lesson centers around an intricately carved piano owned by Beniece, who lives with her uncle, and her brother Boy Willy, looking to advance his life by purchasing land. When Berniece learns his visit is to take and sell the piano that was handed down from their grandfather, a family dispute begins pitting an emotional hold on the past against moving forward and away from the thoughts of slavery and tradition.
Wilson's lyrical dialogue is delivered with heart by a top-notch cast that is as solid and harmonious as the ever-present upright that sits center stage. Kes Khemnu as Boy Willie keenly reigns his constant energy with determination to draw you into his character's plan to get ahead. Also amazing as Berniece is Kala Moses Baxter who, with one day of rehearsal, scores highly and owns her part. She exudes an appropriate amount of strength that the only negative is that she isn't on the stage more. Director Walter Dallas appropriately shifts the cast around the single set so as to create an appearance of motion within the two-room first floor of the family house that reflects the push and pull squabble of the brother and sister.
Celebrating its 20th anniversary season, Arden artistic director, Terrence J. Nolan, wisely and accurately commented that August Wilson is "a playwright whose exploration of family, community and identity is an unparalleled achievement full of insight, poetry, heartbreak and humor."

LOST: Ji Yeon

TELEVISION If you've been following the TV show Lost, you'll most likely agree that the storytelling in each episode this season is full of depth – for the characters and the labyrinthine plot – and totally engrossing. Here are a few thoughts on the most recent episode titled "Ji Yeon" that contained both a flashback and a flash-forward!
Again, the old cell phone gave away that Jin was not in the present. But if I had been up on my Chinese calendar I would have known when the cashier suggested the stuffed dragon to Jin that it would be very popular during the year of the dragon, the year was 2000.
Jin’s gravestone says he died on 9-22-04, the date of the crash. But it most likely is a false cover story. It suggests Sun lied about when Jin died if he died at all. Most likely Jin is alive on the island as well as many others left behind, which the Oceanic 6 is pretending are dead. When Sun and Hurley visit the grave, she says, "I miss you", which sounds like Sun misses him more than grieves for him. Neither of them was nearly upset enough as they should have been.
And it was nice to see Hurley visit Sun – presumably before his meltdown that sends him back to the mental institution.
So Sun is one of the Oceanic 6, along with Jack, Kate, Hurley and Sayid. In the Season Three finale titled "Through the Looking Glass" the name in the obituary was listed only with a Jo, so it’s a stretch but could it be possible that it’s Michael’s alias Kevin Johnson?
With Harold Perrineau’s name in the opening credits since the season began, and speculation that he was Ben’s spy on the boat, what should have been a truly surprising moment was anticlimactic – like a soufflé falling. This is why I hate spoilers. So we'll most likely have to wait for the next episode to learn what Michael is up to.
On the boat, Regina was reading a book called The Survivors of the Chancellor. According to Wikipedia: "(it) is an 1875 novel written by Jules Verne about the final voyage of a British sailing vessel, the Chancellor, told from the perspective of one of its passengers (in the form of a diary)." Later when Regina appears on deck, seemingly in a trance and wrapped in chains, she jumps off the boat. I doubt it was cabin fever as suggested by Captain Gault.
The captain shows Desmond and Sayid the black box from Flight 815 and suggests that Charles Widmore staged the wreckage that found at sea. What’s up with Widmore and where exactly does one come across 324 dead bodies?
Didn’t you just want to slap Juliet when she blurted out to Jin about Sun having had an affair? We know that it was just to keep her from going to Locke’s camp, and it worked. But that was extreme. It also gave Jin time to talk and reflect with Bernard about karma and how he’s changed since landing on the island. Still it was most touching when Jin said that he would go wherever Sun goes.
Sun’s scene in the OR was weird. The doctor who came in saying that he would be treating her was not her regular doctor. This led me to believe that something was going to happen to the baby, like a switch or kidnapping. And when he said he wanted to do a C-section, the nurse shortly thereafter said Sun was crowning. Neither instance seemed necessary except only to create urgency in the scene.

"Expose" was on the TV at Sun’s house in the background.

10,000 B.C.

FLICK Knowing the kind of lightweight big-budget movies director Roland Emmerich has produced (Independence Day, Godzilla) I had my doubts about going to the screening of 10,000 B.C. But when I lost interest in the film within the first 10 minutes I knew I was in trouble.
The plot centers on a love story. D'Leh (Steven Strait) meets the love of his life, the blue-eyed Evolet (Camilla Belle). When a mysterious and unidentified gang kidnaps her, D'Leh leads a small group of hunters from snow-covered mountain peaks through a tropical jungle and then the dry sand of desert to save her. How long would this take by foot? Then there is some fighting…
My mind drifts: Why do some actors speaking English do so with an accent and some without one? Do the bad guys have to speak in another unidentified language – shown with subtitles – to create more realism?
D'Leh and the dudes try to escape a stampede of mammoths. Their long curvy tusks look pretty good but overall not very scary. It looks as if the makeup department worked overtime draping long, straggly hair on them but given their number they no doubt are computer-generated images.
My mind drifts again: how did they make pants for those guys in 10,000 B.C.?
Though the mammoths, saber tooth tigers and landscapes were visually captivating we should care more about the characters and not be distracted by things like plucked eyebrows and dreadlocks.
My mind wanders to the dark side: Steven Strait occasionally looks like Colin Farrell but with a more buff body. I wonder what his workout routine is. And with his pearly teeth shining brightly, how often does he get them whitened? Did he think health coverage included dental cleanings for cavemen?

And why does the ending take place at the Pyramids when they were built around 1500 BC? Given the lack of drama, suspense and believable acting, caring whether any of this is even historically accurate is prehistoric. My Score: 2.5 out of 10.

Rendez-Vous with French Cinema

If you don't have the time to travel to France this week, do the next best thing and check out the films in the Rendez-Vous with French Cinema series happening in New York City. With 15 US premieres being presented through March 9, you're bound to find a bonbon that will please your palate as well as your eyes. Though my train from Philadelphia arrived in the city a half hour late, the subway trains ran like clockwork taking me cross-town to get tickets and to screenings at the IFC Center in the Village and uptown to Lincoln Center.

The IFC Center, with its exposed brick walls and cushy seats, is a comfortable environment for indie and foreign films. My first screening of the day was the involving Those Who Remain, which warranted more than its half-filled audience. Vincent Lindon and Emmanuelle Devos, who previously costarred in the psychological drama La Moustache, play Bertrand and Lorraine who meet in the cancer ward of the hospital when visiting their bedridden significant others and come to fill an emotional void in each other. Though there is a backdrop of impending death, this drama is rarely bleak or maudlin. Those Who Remain has the feel of an American independent film yet retains a feeling that is distinctly French, taking a simple situation and focusing on the behavior of the characters. Devos (Kings and Queen) lends a lightness to Lorraine that plays well against the concern and guilt of Lindon's Bertrand. Writer-director Anne Le Ny takes a novel approach blurring the lines of love and comfort in a time of need.

Heading to the Walter Reade Theater at Lincoln Center the subway proved to be the best mode of transportation over a cab, as the train pulled into the station just as I arrived and delivered me uptown with a six-minute travel time.

Probably one of the best films shown in the series is A Secret, which deservedly garnered multiple César-award nominations and Best Film at the 2007 Montreal World Film Festival. Adapting the novel by Philippe Grimbert (published as Memory in the US) writer-director Claude Miller casts Mathieu Amalric (The Diving Bell and the Butterfly) as François, the story of a man looking back on his childhood during the outbreak of World War II. As a boy, taking an imaginary playmate has deeper meaning when François considers the secret in his family's history and how it continues to affect his life in 1985. Miller conducts the flashback structure with ease, using multiple visual tones for the different time periods. As he stated in a Q&A afterwards, things in the past are recounted in the present and the things recounted in the past are happening now. It's this attention to storytelling that elevates A Secret to its cinematic heights.

Director Cédric Klapisch (L’Auberge Espagnole, Russian Dolls) was on hand to speak about his latest film Paris, which uses a large cast to tell multiple stories from differing neighborhoods in the City of Lights. One of his stars in the ensemble, Romain Duris, makes his sixth collaboration with Klapisch. Playing a young man with a potentially fatal heart condition, Duris easily fluctuates from the sadness of his character Pierre's mortality to incredible glee shown during the happy days as a chorus dancer in a pink and white suit. Juliette Binoche displays a comfortable and natural quality as Elise, Pierre's sister who comes to live with him while awaiting word on a heart transplant. Fabrice Luchini is also captivating as a historian who attempts to woo a much younger woman by sending her anonymous cheezy text messages. Though love is in the air not a lot of new terrritory is covered in this fanciful tale. Yet Paris creates smiles and has enough charm to make any misanthrope say oui oui.

There are a dozen other titles playing at the two salles de cinema during the upcoming week. Be sure to rendezvous with popular young actor Louis Garrel (The Dreamers), director Christophe Honoré (Ma mere, Dans Paris) and other filmmakers scheduled to appear at screenings. Though I'd rather have been in Paris this past weekend, viewing French films in New York proved to be a très pleasant alternative.

My FLICK Scores: Those Who Remain = 8; A Secret = 9; Paris = 7.5

The Other Boleyn Girl

FLICK The story of Anne Boleyn's rise to become Henry VIII's queen and her eventual beheading is somewhat accessible these days with many versions told in movies and on television. The historical fiction novel The Other Boleyn Girl, by Philippa Gregory, speculates on Anne's relationship with her sister, the lesser-known Boleyn, Mary.
Scarlett Johansson as Mary carries the emotional weight of the picture even in her adulterous scenes with the handsome Eric Bana as Henry VIII who is less a focal point than the sisters. Henry appears to have more of a connection with the fair and sensitive Mary rather than with the darker-haired Anne who uses her wits to snare the crown. Though Mary conceives a son with Henry, the little bastard is not considered royal material and is kept hidden. Natalie Portman's performance is strong as the conniving Anne determined to become Henry's queen. Persuading Henry to leave the Roman Catholic Church to divorce Catherine of Aragon is one thing but a male heir is still what matters most. Anne walks on shaky ground when producing daughter Elizabeth and creating the speculation of incest with brother George (Jim Sturgess).
And it's the speculation of Mary where things revolve. The script by Peter Morgan (The Queen) succeeds when contrasting emotion versus intellect, which Johansson and Portman do very well. But the feeling of passion is lacking overall. Kristen Scott Thomas is memorable as their mother who can't convince the men of the family that lives are being destroyed when trading their daughters for financial reward. Though neither wins only one lives with her head intact. My Score: 7 out of 10.