The Gospel at Colonus

This retelling of the story of Sophocles' Oedipus is currently running at the Zachery Scott Theatre. Directed by Dave Steakley, the producing artistic director, this show brings some of the best talent Austin has to offer.

The Gospel at Colonus was an inspirational play for me. As I continue to toy with the idea of putting together a musical, this performance includes, song, dialogue and the spoken word.

Once again the set design was interesting. There were no changes of scenery, it was set in a revival tent and there were a few special effects used. The pond was an awesome feature and the rising of Oedipus played by Tim Curry was great.

Colby Cotton gets the audience in a gospel mood as he plays the organ as the audience is seated and waits for the show to begin. The play opens as some of the audience members are greeted as if we are a part of the revival. The voices come through the audience and enter onto the stage from both sides.

In this performance the men seem to have the cool songs and the great moments. Roderick Sanford, Mark Anthony Hall and Kenny Williams made you want more. Judy Arnold has a voice like Patti Labelle.

The Gospel at Colonus is one of those shows that makes you reflect on your own life. It’s filled with music that makes you wanna get up or at least stomp your feet and clap.
The choreography was done by Christa Oliver.

Felicia Dinwiddie plays Evangelist Ismene, and Eugene Lee is Preacher Oedipus. It would make for a great family outing to see the show Easter Sunday. The show does run until April 27, 2014.

Movies April 4 - April 13, 2014

Movies since the last entry included more films I had never seen before and some I hadn‘t seen in a long time.

(A couple relaxing along town lake in Austin Texas. (c) 2013)

The Sea Wife (1957)- (DDDD) starring Richard Burton, Joan Collins Basil Sydney and Cy Grant. This film reminded me of Alfred Hitchcock’s film Life Boat. A group of people become stranded on a boat and must put up with the various personalities and backgrounds of each other.

Hunk (1987) - (D) starring Deborah Shelton, James Coco, John Allen Nelson This is a quirky film that could have been better, but it wasn’t. I’m not sure if this had a theatrical release or was made for television. It’s a make a deal with the devil type of film with some comedy thrown in. Deborah Shelton is the beauty in the film who works for the devil, but falls in love after getting the young geek to give being a hunk a try for a few days. The acting isn’t all that great. I became a fan of Deborah Shelton after I saw her in the film Body Double.

For Keeps- (DDD) starring Molly Ringwald, Randall Batinkoff, Sharon Brown and Pauly Shore. Molly Ringwald had broken away from John Hughes, but still ended up playing a high school student. In For Keeps she plays a senior who gets pregnant and is forced with the decision to keep the baby or to have an abortion. Everyone has their opinion on the subject as the two kids involved try to decide what is best for them. The parents are not crazy about the situation and it tears them apart. It you are a fan of Molly Ringwald and haven’t seen this film it’s a must see. And if you’ve seen it, watch it again. The film was directed by John G. Avildsen.
I’m watching all of her films that are a part of my collection. Including the not so popular films such as Strike it Rich, The Pick Up Artist, Malicious and Fresh Horses.

Village of the Giants - (DDD) starring Beau Bridges, Tommy Kirk and Ronnie (Ron)
Howard. This film is based upon a book by H.G. Wells, Food for the Gods. It’s about a kid played by Ronnie Howard who is a young genius in the small town of Hanesville. He spends his time experimenting in the basement of his family home. One day by accident he creates a concoction which can make things larger. They then call it goo and hope to make money selling it to farmers who can enlarge animals for food consumption. A group of juvenile delinquents come to town and get their hands on the goo and proceed to take control of the small town. I’m sure the film was very racy for its time. It’s a fun film if you can get your hands on it. There are so many films that are just not available. I recall seeing this film when I was really young as part of a double feature with Escape from the Planet of the Apes.

Fantastic Voyage - (DD) starring Stephen Boyd, Raquel Welch, Arthur O’conner and Donald Pleasance An interesting sci fi film about a new way to perform surgery by shrinking scientists and putting them inside of the body. The film has its moments. The special effects are pretty good. Check it out if you are a fan of Raquel Welch

Toby McTeague   (1986)- (DDD) Starring Winston Rekert, Yannick Bisson and Andrew Bednarski I had never heard of this film before and it wasn’t that bad. I bought this pack of DVD’s called The Excellent Eighties and its filled with some interesting films. The quality of the films isn’t the best, but its okay. Some of the films I’m just watching since there are several on a disc and I can say I saw them. The film is about a young teenager who lives with his father and younger brother in Canada raising sled dogs. Toby and his father don’t always see eye to eye. Toby wants to help the family save their dogs by racing in a big race, but his dad stands in his way. An old Indian helps Toby reconcile with his father and he is able to race the dogs. There are some really good moments in the film.

Dog Day - (1984) (D) This film stars Lee Marvin, Miou-Miou and Jean Carmet I had never heard of this film, but I figured I watched it. I’ve not seen a lot of films with Lee Marvin. This isn’t the best film, but it was certainly a surprise. It was definitely a foreign film that was dubbed in English. Lee Marvin and his girlfriend played by Tina Louise of Gillian’s Island fame star as outlaws on the run after a big heist. Lee Marvin camps out in a farm house becoming a captive and then turning the tables on the sadistic family that lives there. It’s a very bizarre film.

Scandal Sheet - (1985) (DD) This film stars Burt Lancaster, Robert Ulrich, Pamela Reed and Lauren Hutton. Burt Lancaster is a ruthless tabloid publisher who will stop at nothing to get a scoop on a story that could destroy an actors career. Robert Ulrich is an actor trying to over come his alcohol addiction and Lauren Hutton is the supportive wife. Burt Lancaster recruits Pamela Reed to cover the story unknowing to her it’s because she is great friends with the couple. It’s an interesting film.

Here is my new rating system. DDDDD highly recommend. DDDD It should be watched. DDD Entertaining DD So, so if you like the stars. D Just out of curiosity watch it.
(I like all movies. Even those that most people don’t like, it makes for great conversation.)


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Movies March 28 - April 3, 2014

Since my last entry I’ve probably seen a dozen or so movies. I continue to catch movies that I’ve never seen or wouldn’t pay to see on Movies TV network as well as films in my collection. There are still many films to see. I have yet to sit down and watch Warhorse.

(I took this picture when I was in New York many years ago.)

It had been many years since I had seen the Batman movie (1966) with Adam West, Burt Ward, Lee Meriwether, Burgess Meridith, and Caesar Romero. It's fun to see the films I watched as a kid and realize what was really going on. The action was always the fun part, but now the fighting just seems so fake and you understand the relationship between Batman and Cat Woman. All of the villans are present, The Joker, The Riddler and The Penguin. It's the comics brought to life. With all the Splash, Whams and Splunks.

On April 1, 2014, It was an interesting night of films, No Highway in the Sky (1951) (DDDD) starring Jimmy Stewart and Marlene Dietrich. I Don’t recall ever seeing a film with Marlene Dietrich. I’ve seen clips from the film in which she sang in the tuxedo, but never all the way through. The film is in black and white, it’s about an aeronautical engineer who believes planes will begin falling out of the sky after his research reveals how many hours a plane can fly before parts begin to malfunction.
The Psychopath (D), about a killer that left a doll resembling each of his victims at the scene of the crime.  I watched the film April Fool’s Day (1986)  (DD) which played over and over again. There were some familiar faces in the film including Amy Steel from Friday the 13th part 2.

I watched The Belles of St. Mary (DDDDD) with Bing Crosby and Ingrid Bergman. I’m not sure if I saw this as a kid with my grandmother, but I know she liked Bing Crosby. I really enjoyed this film and its still relevant today. It brought back some memories of attending catholic school. It also made me think about the importance of prayer and if you believe it does work. May not work the way you wanted it, but you have to be specific in what you are asking for.

The Easter Parade  (DDDD) was another one of those films I remember seeing when I was a kid. This film stars Judy Garland, Peter Lawford and Fred Astaire. It’s sort of a Pygmalion type story as a dancer loses his partner and says he can turn anyone into a good dancer. He discovers Hannah Brown played by Judy Garland and the two women compete against each other in their own shows. Costumes are really colorful and there are some great musical numbers; Fred Astaire does some incredible dancing.

Twisted Obsession is an 80’s film (DD) that stars Jeff Goldblum and Miranda Ricardson. It’s in English, but was filmed in France. It’s about a writer who becomes obsessed with  a young film maker’s sister who is used to get his artistic film made.

Portrait of a Showgirl (D) stars Lesley Ann Warren, Rita Moreno and Tony Curtis. Another film from the 80’s. I’m pretty sure this was a made for Television film. There are several stories going on here which aren’t hard to follow, but they aren’t all that interesting. A showgirl, played by Lesley Ann Warren, becomes a mistress in New York and moves to Vegas to try and start anew. She is still being wooed by the guy that won’t leave his wife and she falls for a younger guy that just isn’t ready to grow up. Rita Moreno plays the veteran showgirl that just wants to stay afloat because her husband, played by Tony Curtis, keeps falling for get rich quick schemes.

Here is my new rating system. DDDDD highly recommend. DDDD It should be watched. DDD Entertaining DD So, so if you like the stars. D Just out of curiosity watch it.
(I like all movies. Even those that most people don’t like, it makes for great conversation.)


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SXSW in review

 (ZACH at night)

I only got to see four films this year. I would have seen more, but I was tired. I am feeling it now as my body is asking for rest.

(Part of the cast, writer and producer of the film Obvious Child)

I really had no expectations of any of the films. I was just going on the small write up in the paper that I had. Some of the films I didn’t know the stars, but I decided to take a chance and see something I might not get a chance to see any other time.
That’s the one thing about film festivals. You never know if a film will get a theatrical release so at least you can say you saw a film that no one else will ever see. Some may go straight to DVD.
When I used to do the Seattle International Film Festival, there were many films that never saw the light of day. Some of the films were in limited release and some were cult classics, but are hard to find.

(Writer Gillian Robespierre and Jenny Slate of the film Obvious Child.)

Obvious Child - (DDD) This was an hilarious look at a touching subject. The story of a comedienne going through a breakup, a one night stand, an accident and the lost of her job simultaneously. I really enjoyed this film. It was just what I needed after such a busy day. The film stars Jenny Slate who has a reoccurring role on the series Parks and Recreation Jake Lacy and Gabby Hoffman.

 (The writer of the film Faults.)

Faults - (DDD) From the synopsis the film sounded interesting. It was the story of a writer who specializes in deprogramming people involved in cults. This film really is interesting. Riley Stearns directed this film that has some unexpected turns. The film stars Leland Orser, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Chris Ellis, Lance Reddick and Jon Griest.

(During the Q & A.)

(Patrick Brice, writer, director and star of the film Creep.)

Creep - (DDD) This film is from first time director, writer, and star Patrick Brice. It’s weird how this came together. I wasn’t sure if I was going to see this film, but when Patrick arrived we chatted and I told him where to park. He then came back out to let me know the producer may show up and he wanted to make sure he got a parking space. I informed him that he would not have a problem. I told him I was hoping to see the film and he said he hoped I would. He asked if I needed a ticket and I decided to take the ticket just to have as a souvenir. The story I think is original, but the filming made me think of The Blair Witch Project.

 (The editor and Patrick Brice during the Q & A.)

Creep is about a photographer that answers an ad on Craigslist to document a guy who is dying. He wants to leave a diary for his son. There are many surprises. It’s not your typical horror film, but it does make one think. It’s beautifully shot with a handheld camera that each actor takes turn filming. Patrick Brice is a recent film graduate. If you want to see something different then this is the film to see. There are many surprises as the story unfolds and there is a great ending. The film is very creepy.

Cesar Chevez - (DDDDD) Once again I wasn’t sure what to expect. I didn’t know a lot about Cesar Chevez. I had never heard of him until I came to Texas. There is a street named after him. He’s like the MLK of the Hispanic community. I thought this might be a documentary, but it was an actual film with an all star cast. Michael Pena gives a great performance as Cesar Chevez, America Ferrera plays his wife. Rosario Dawson, Wes Bently, Jacob Vargas, and John Malkovich round out the great cast. This is truly a powerful film as Cesar Chevez changes his life. He becomes a part of the revolt of the grape workers in California and how he united immigrants and cause wine makers to give them fair wages.

 (The moon over Austin Friday night.)

Here is my new rating system. DDDDD highly recommend. DDDD It should be watched. DDD Entertaining DD So, so if you like the stars. D Just out of curiosity watch it.
(I like all movies. Even those that most people don’t like, it makes for great conversation.)


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Talking About Movies

 (Gillian Robespierre, the writer of Obvious Child during a Q&A after the film.)

Obvious Child - DDDD starring Jenny Slate and Gabby Hoffman. This story of a comedienne who goes through a rough patch finds love after an unexpected event. It’s an interesting film. The humor isn’t for everyone, but you’ll get over it. It’s one of those films that takes a comedic look at a subject that isn’t all so funny and effects many people. Jenny Slate gives an interesting performance. I thought the love making scene was captured artistically. It’s an intimate act that many try to bring a different approach without it being pornographic. It’s an experience that is different for each individual. Sometimes fun or emotional. According to the writer, the title of the film is in reference to a song of the same name. It could be used as a metaphor in a sense. If you get the chance, check this film out.

 (Gillian Robespierre and Jenny Slate on the red carpet before the film Obvious Child.)

Bamboozled - DDDD Spike Lee is a great film maker. There are only one or two films I’ve not seen. I have yet to watch his follow up documentary on Katrina, but I plan to do it this year.

School Daze - DDDDD is my all time favorite Spike Lee film even though I thought some of the musical numbers were too long. Malcolm X is second on my list, followed by Summer of Sam and Inside Man.

As Black History month goes into its final week I decided to watch as many films as possible. Either it has an all black cast or it was directed by a black director.


Menace II Society - (DDDDD) This is a powerful film. Larenz Tate shines in this film as O’Dog, a young man who just doesn’t care any more. I recently mentioned on Facebook that sometimes the leading role isn’t always the best role. This film opened the doors for Larentz Tate to become a leading man. The film stars Tyrin Turner, and Jada Pinket.

Poetic Justice - (DD) This was John Singleton’s second film. The first Black director ever to be nominated for an Oscar, takes us on a road trip, but it doesn’t seem to go anywhere. It was as if there was a struggle to make a point or be a comedy. Once again, one of the secondary characters shines. This time its Regina King who has all of the best moments on screen. Perhaps if Janet Jackson were given that role critics would have been kinder.

Cabin In The Sky - (DDDD) Eddie Anderson, Lena Horne and Ethel Waters star in this good vs. evil musical with an all black cast. The film was directed by Vincent Minelli, this was his first film. Butterfly McQueen, Louis Armstrong, Rex Ingram and Duke Ellington also appear in the film. The film is based on the stage play of the same name. There are some great musical numbers and interesting effects.

In The Pursuit of Happyness - (DDDD) This film stars Will Smith and his son Jaden co-stars. It is based on a true story about a man trying to live the American Dream. He doesn’t give up and after a lot of heart ache he gets his life together to take care of his son.

Jason’s Lyric- (DDDD) When I first saw this film I thought this is what Poetic Justice should have been. It’s a love story, it’s filled with conflict, and a good cast. The film stars Jada Pinket, Allen Payne, Lisa Nicole Carson, Eddie Griffith and Treach.

Ali -(DDDDD) This was Will Smith’s first Oscar nominated performance. Will Smith plays Cassius Clay aka Muhammed Ali in the early 60’s. The film focuses on his fight with Sonny Liston and George Forman. His relationship with Malcolm X and the nation of Islam along with his refusal to fight in the Vietnam War. There is a documentary playing SXSW that deals with the controversy around his decision to fight the system against going to war.

Here is my new rating system. DDDDD highly recommend. DDDD It should be watched. DDD Entertaining DD So, so if you like the stars. D Just out of curiosity watch it.
(I like all movies. Even those that most people don’t like, it makes for great conversation.)


Thanks for stopping by and keep an open mind. Become a follower while you are here.

Check out my other blogs:
http://ArtbyDlonzo.blogspot.com
http://dlonzo-OpenYourMind.blogspot.com

SXSW at ZACH

Jason Bateman walked to Red Carpet last night at the Zachery Scott Theater to promote his new film Bad Words. I was not able to see the film, but it seemed to be the hottest ticket in town based upon the crowds.

This film marks the debut for Jason Bateman as a director.

 It's a supposed to show his darker side in a funny manner.

 The film is about a man that invades a children's spelling bee and the motivation that drives his ultimate goal.

Kathryn Hahn, who I didn't know also walked the red carpet. Rohan Chand, Philip Baker Hall and Allison Janney also star in the film.

Thanks for stopping by; do come again and remember to keep an open mind.

The Oscars

The Oscars were given out last night and people will be talking, tweeting and searching to see what they missed. What went viral, etc. People have always wanted things immediately and now technology offers that.

In one word the fashions went as follows from what I saw. I was not impressed with the coverage from Robin Roberts, Lara Spencer and Tyson Beckford. They all looked great, but going live was not the best choice. There was too much noise from the screaming fans.

Lupita Nyong'o won best supporting actress for her performance in 12 Years a Slave. She looked stunning, but could have gone without the jeweled head band. She was a breath of fresh air. Her speech was the best I've heard in some time.

Cate Blanchet won best actress for her performance in Blue Jasmine. She was a stand out in Armani.

Jessica Biel - Radiant
Whoopi Goldberg - Whimsical
Bette Midler - Interesting
Kerry Washington - Lovely, but not the best choice.
Amy Adams - WOW! in Gucci Coutoure.
Sandra Bullock rocked the Alexander McQueen

All of the winners gave good speeches.

Jared Leto best supporting actor and Matthew McConaughey  best actor, both won for their performances in Dallas Buyers Club.

A lot of actors went on to that studio in the sky, Harold Ramis, Karen Black, Shirley Temple - Black, Jim Kelly, Juanita Moore, Peter O'Toole, Paul Walker, Julie Harris, Richard Griffiths, Roger Ebert, Elleanor Parker, Maximillian Shell James Galdofini, Eileen Brennan, Sid Ceasar, Joan Fontaine, Annette Funicello, Ray Harry Hausen, Esther Williams and Phillip Seymour Hoffman.

Best Director went to Alfonso Cuaro'n for Gravity and 12 Years a Slave won best picture.