Black Mass/ 3 1/2 Palm Trees

by Eduardo Victoria/[email protected]

Black Mass is a tempest of a film that exposes the tragedy, drama, suspense and intrigue of its characters as they slowly but surely have their lives pulled out from underneath them. This is a rare case in which the end result is saved by the tiny details of Scott Cooper’s direction, from the spot on performances, grainy 35mm photography, lavish production design and Tom Holkenborg’s (ditching the Junkie XL moniker for this dramatic project) score, which is a key element in playing up the sadness on screen.

The story starts in 1975 when we meet James “Whitey” Bulger (Johnny Depp), known as Jimmy to his friends and family. As the leader of the Winter Hill gang, Bulger forms an alliance with childhood friend turned FBI Agent, John Connolly (Joel Edgerton) thanks to a meeting with James’ sibling senator Billy Bulger (Benedict Cumberbatch). As an unofficial informant to the FBI, Jimmy Bulger is asked to provide key information to help bring down the Italian Mafia, but does little to abide by their condition of no killing, causing Connolly to spin all the stories he can to protect him.

Really, it’s the film’s presentation which creates an inescapable tone of psychological dread. Stefania Cella’s production design transports the viewer back to the era of Bulger’s time in the Winter Hill Gang without shouting at the viewer that we’re in a period drama. Shot on 35mm, the film has a grainy, dirty patina that lends itself beautifully nighttime events which evoke uncertainty. Cinematographer Masanobu Takayanagi beautifully lights dinner scenes to isolate the fragility and unease around characters. Holkenborg’s music seals the deal, impacting us with a troubled cello melody that keeps morphing throughout the film.

If there’s a standout to the film, it’s Edgerton, who is a great foil to Depp’s cold, calm, and calculating Bulger. As Connolly, we see Edgerton squirm, sweat, panic, and eventually come to crushing realizations regarding his involvement in the very crimes he denies have occurred. Though Johnny Depp’s performance is getting all the attention, it really is Joel Edgerton’s performance that steals the entire film. He’s a great foil to Depp’s cold, calm and calculating Bulger. As Connolly, we see Edgerton squirm, sweat, panic, and eventually come to crushing realizations regarding his involvement in the very crimes he denies have occurred. Edgerton’s lead isn’t surprising however, his previous effort in The Gift (both behind and in front of the camera) earlier this summer was brilliant, and now Black Mass proves that he’s a force to be reckoned with.

I can’t remember the last time I saw a film where every single performance was incredible. Films with major actors in every role often end up wasting actors with little screen time. Black Mass finds a way for every single thespian to bring their absolute best to one of the most intense crime dramas this year. Rory Cochrane heads up the backing cast as Stephen Flemmi, Whitey’s right hand man, while scenes at Boston’s FBI headquarters are ruled by great moments with actors Adam Scott, Kevin Bacon, and Corey Stoll.

Come awards season, Black Mass’ performances will leave everyone talking. The film tells the story of men caught in their own game of cops and robbers with their judgments (particularly Connolly’s) clouded by their own childhood loyalties. It’s a focused character study into the tragedy of those closely associated with the notorious, savage James “Whitey” Bulger.

Playing Century10 Downtown Rating R

Nora reinterprets a classic
by Jim Spencer & Shirley Lorraine

Back in 1879 Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen debuted his now classic domestic drama, A Doll’s House.

The story deals critically with the paternalistic attitudes and cultural restrictions imposed on married women in the 19^th Century, who were treated like dolls rather than persons.

The central conflict involves the fallout from an incident where a Victorian era wife, Nora, forged her ailing father’s signature to borrow money for her husband’s ultimately successful medical treatment. Ever since she has been diligently repaying the loan – all facts unknown to her husband, Torvald.

Now, several years later when Torvald is stepping into a management position at the bank, the money lender threatens to, and ultimately does, reveal the illegal act to her husband. Torvald’s only concern is how his image may be damaged if it is known his toy wife committed a criminal act, regardless of the motive.

In 1981 famed Swedish film and theatrical director Ingmar Bergman penned Nora. The script reinterprets Ibsen’s original tale. It deletes now irrelevant details and characters, reduces the run time by over 50%, and spotlights and enhances the character of Nora as a person of savvy and depth.

It is Bergman’s script Nora that is now being presented at the Santa Paula Theater Center.

Presented with no intermission, the drama unfolds in the Torvald and Nora Helmer’s home in a variety of representative settings. The design is simple and effective. Period costuming provided by Barbara Pedziwiatr is well done. Minimalistic lighting gives the production just the right shaded overtones for the mood although, as nearly everyone is dressed in dark colors, perhaps a few more amps wouldn’t be amiss.

Jessica D. Stone holds her own as the initially naïve seeming Nora. As the play progresses, so does her character’s complexity. Contending with her moral dilemma, she ably leads the young wife from frothy to furious in under two hours.

Director Laurie Walters stages the additional characters waiting in chairs alongside the main set, melding into their scenes effortlessly. Additionally tasked to clear and reset the scenes, the actors are fully involved throughout.

Noah Crowe as the condescending husband Torvald maintains a staccato delivery that, especially during long passages, makes him seem more undecided than strong. His character would benefit, in our opinion, from straighter posture and more precise diction.

Additional depths to the plot are added by Maranda Mobley as Nora’s old friend and now Widow Christine Linde, Tyler McAuliffe as beleaguered Nils Krogstad, and Anthony Stetson as the smitten Doctor Rank, all of whom perform their parts with aplomb.

Nora provides ample fodder for discussions of the mindset of men in Victorian times, the progression of women’s liberation and ethics as it relates to actions taken in the name of love.

Nora is on the boards weekends at the Santa Paula Theater Center, 7^th & Main Streets, Santa Paula until October 18, 2015. Times: Friday & Saturday – 8 p.m. Sunday – 2:30 p.m. Tickets: $18-$20. 525-4645 or www.santapaulatheatercenter.org.

Grandma/4 Palm Trees

By Eduardo Victoria/[email protected]

Grandma gets straight to the point. Armed with a fast pace and brief runtime, there’s nary a wasted moment, but instead a frank simplicity that hooks us from the very start up until the bittersweet end. Impressively directed and written by Paul Weitz, his latest film is an unabashed celebration of women, their beautiful diversity, struggles and bonds that only they can share with one another.

It’s also an undeniable showcase for star Lily Tomlin, who delivers by a large margin one of the best performances of the year as a no-nonsense grandmother confronting her demons in order to help her grandchild. Endlessly funny from minute-to-minute and with a massive heart, Grandma is one of this year’s absolute musts, brimming with vitality and a keen reflection of the women who shape the world for the better.

The story begins with Sage (Julia Garner), who visits her grandmother Elle (Lily Tomlin) with a predicament. Sage is pregnant, but afraid to tell her mother and needs over $600 for an abortion before the end of the day. Elle can’t find it in her heart to deny her granddaughter, but has also just cut all of her credit cards to shreds, so the two set out to scrounge up the funds any way they can. With only hours before an appointment, the two revisit a host of characters from Elle’s past; from old friends to ex-lovers and the like, Elle’s past will help to secure Sage’s future.

With such a simple but elegant premise, Weitz’s film is a breathtaking character study of one incredible woman, the choices that have defined her and how she holds up in light of a challenge. Told in chapter format, each encounter slowly reveals more about Elle and is straightforward but refreshingly honest, clear and precise.

Most notable is how Weitz takes potentially grim subject matter and executes it in a way that fully understands the breadth of its importance with a hopeful and positive viewpoint. In addition, much of the film’s strongest elements are understated, from Elle’s sexual preference to the inevitable abortion, making both status quo and in turn respecting his characters’ decisions in a way not really shown on screen before. Ultimately, the film never feels didactic when it easily could’ve been, instead amounting to a powerful examination of choice, consequence and female bonds.

It goes without saying that Lily Tomlin utterly owns this film as the whip smart, fast talking Elle. There’s a very stoic nature to Tomlin, with her character baring the weight of so much responsibility, yet consciously choosing to carry the load for the sake of others. Selfless yet flawed, Tomlin is utterly disarming and empowering at the same time.

I could watch her do anything and this role seemingly made for her. Julia Garner as Elle’s granddaughter Sage, Judy Greer as Oliva, Elle’s estranged lover and Marcia Gay Harden as Judy, Sage’s mother all get a chance to shine in their respective roles, but by design, none of them reach the heights of Tomlin’s firecracker of a character. It’d also be remiss of me if I didn’t mention how the cast is made up of exclusively women, it’s just another way the film excels, bringing to light incredible women who are all so different but fully formed.

Grandma is the unabashed feminist film that is sorely needed right now. Stunning and revelatory in its narrative economy, Weitz’s film cuts straight through the noise with urgency and powerful emotion. Intimate yet lively, this is a film that just needs to be seen, and another step in the right direction concerning the way women are celebrated on film with the complexity and honesty they deserve.

Playing at Century Downtown10  rated “R”

Mad Gravity – it’s the law at Flying H Theatre

by Jim Spencer and Shirley Lorraine

Many plays billed as comedies often have only sporadic comedic moments. Not so with Mad Gravity, the current production at Ventura’s Flying H Group Theatre Company. The laughs start in the first 60 seconds and continue constantly to the final blackout.

Mad Gravity is a 21st Century farce from the fertile mind of playwright William Missouri Downs. It features frenetic layers of physical action, literate dialogue and situational complications, all exquisitely blended and choreographed into a remarkably cohesive piece of theatre by the skilled hand of director Larry Swerdlove.

Here are the basics. Archie (Taylor Kasch) and his wife, Eudora (Brenda Evans), are free spirited, performance artists of the absurdist school of theatre. They have installed spectator seating throughout their house and invite audiences to watch as they live
out their lives as performance art. Akin to reality TV, they view it as 3D Reality Theatre without the glasses. Archie finances their efforts with a “government arts grant,” as he calls unemployment insurance.

Their teen daughter, Dakota (Sam Sullivan), has announced her love for a classmate, Tommy (Trent Trachtenberg). So, Archie and Eudora have invited Tommy’s parents, Joe (Scott Blanchard), a local dentist, and Mary (Angela DeCicco), to a get acquainted dinner in their home. Unfortunately, nobody has clued-in Joe and Mary about Archie and Eudora’s life style or that there will be an audience on one side of the room during dinner.

But wait, there’s more. A TV news anchor announces a comet is being pulled toward earth and there is a high probability everyone, including the audience, has only an hour to live. This leads to a series of events and confessions that heighten the hilarity
and furthers the chaos, even after the comet ultimately fails to make direct contact.

Major issues are resolved in the second act, which is very short (only one page in the script), and, as a finale, the meaning of life is revealed to the audience (really).

The cast is a tight ensemble and the actual audience is very much a part of this production, giving an additional dimension to the experience. Although Archie implores the cast not to break the fourth wall, it is frequently shattered, to the delight of all. We especially enjoyed how the material was personalized with local references to heighten the feeling of being intimately involved in the couple’s antics.

The Flying H is known for providing unique theatrical experiences. We highly recommend this one. Mad Gravity plays weekends (plus a Thursday performance on September 17) until September 19 at the intimate Flying H Group Theatre Company, 6368 Bristol Rd. (between Johnson Dr. and Victoria Ave.) in the Montalvo area of Ventura. All seats $15. Cash or check only at the door. Reservations recommended 901-0005. Advance tickets on-line at http://madgravexampleity.brownpapertickets.com. No late
seating. Doors open 30 minutes before show time: 8 p.m. Thur/Fri/Sat and 4 p.m. Sun.

By Eduardo Victoria / [email protected]

One of the great divides of the musical world is the rap genre. Relatively speaking, it’s still in its infancy and changing as much as the times it has existed in. Straight Outta Compton tells the story of 3 important figures in rap: Eric Wright (Eazy-E), O’Shea Jackson (Ice Cube), and Andre Young (Dr. Dre). Played by Jason Mitchell, O’Shea Jackson, Jr, and Corey Hawkins respectively.

1986. Gary Gray does an amazing job setting the time and place for the film. Compton, CA – 1986. Wright, Young, and Jackson find themselves living in the slums of California, racially charged due to gang violence and crime. What Jackson and Young have in common is a love for music, which eventually connects them with fellow struggling artists Lorenzo Patterson (MC Ren) and Antoine Carraby (DJ Yella). Actors Aldis Hodge and Neil Brown, Jr. portray the rappers in the film, respectively.

What ensues is their rise to fame and eventual fracture as the group NWA. The film is a rare case in which it felt that it ran too long but we didn’t see nearly enough. It’s apparent that the group’s long and troubled history is perhaps too great to fit into just one film. So many characters come and go that we’re still meeting new people in the third act.

Paul Giamatti is three for three this year, delivering another great performance, this time as Jerry Heller, the group’s manager. The acting is brilliant, particularly the performance from O’Shea Jackson, Jr. playing his own father (very meta indeed, especially because they look just like each other). One of the best soundtracks of the year also supercharges the picture to almost angry levels, just as the young rappers were back in the late 80s, dealing with gangs, drugs, police brutality, and the evils of the music industry.

Even with all of that, the film just didn’t click with me. There are many scenes that go nowhere. A great example is early on when we see Heller approach the guys at a swimming pool, accompanied by two other people, yet in the next shot, they’re gone. The film’s score by Joseph Trapanese sounds like it’s more at home in an action picture than a dramatic biopic about the NWA. A chase sequence through Downtown LA culminates with a booming crescendo of bass drums that’s a little a “too Dark Knight.”

The loose editing, pointless story beats, unnecessary character introductions (sorry Snoop and ‘Pac), and bizarre explosions of action make Straight Outta Compton feel like a rushed product. For a film that runs at 2 hours and 27 minutes, we see a lot but only scratch the surface. The film should have strictly focused on Eazy, Cube, and Dre to have really hit home in the dramatic department.

Because I’m not a rap fan, nor have I followed their careers closely, I can only judge the film on its cinematic merits, for which it is getting a lot of awards buzz. Only time will tell if Oscar will give Compton a watch. For me, this is a rare case in which I’m hoping for an extended or director’s cut on the Blu-Ray, which I probably should have waited for anyway.

Rated R. Now playing at Downtown Cinemark 10. 147 minutes.

Little Shop filled with big delights
by Jim Spencer and Shirley Lorraine

This month the rafters at the Simi Valley Cultural Arts Center are rocking as the Actors Repertory Company of Simi (ACTS) presents the classic sci-fi rock musical Little Shop of Horrors.  But this production is anything but a horror.  It is filled with big delights.

Based on the cult classic movie with some slight differences, the popular musical is both an engaging spoof and a tribute to sci-fi movies of the 1950s where an alien life form arrives to take over the earth. In Little Shop the visitor is a tiny plant.  It is discovered by Seymour, a budding wannabe horticulturist who works as a go-fer in Mr. Mushnik’s skid row flower shop. The shop’s sales clerk is Audrey, a winsome platinum blonde with an inferiority complex and an abusive dentist boyfriend.

Renamed Audrey II by Seymour after his secret love, the plant begins to grow after tasting a drop of blood when Seymour accidentally pricks his finger. As long as Audrey II receives nourishment she continues to grows, and both the shop and Seymour are blessed with increasingly unusual good fortune, until….

All the actors turn in delightfully polished performances. As the hapless Seymour, Bob Moran is endearingly earnest.  Jen Ridgway, as Audrey, is appropriately ditzy. Martin Feldman’s portrayal of the stingy and self-absorbed shop owner, Mushnik, is as a crusty but lovable curmudgeon.  Nicholas Ferguson is up to the challenges of his multiple roles.

The biggest delight is the vocal talent of the entire cast. Ridgway has a powerful, clear voice uniquely suited to musical theatre.  Moran matches her clarity. Feldman’s experience and training are strongly evident.

Much of the action is propelled by a circa-1960s female trio of do-wop singers – Jennifer Sun Bell, Saundra Agababyan and Kyle Green. Each displays remarkable vocal ability, individually and as part of the trio’s balanced blend.  In addition to their vocal contributions, each plays a definable character with style and attitude. A plentitude of costumes changes make them even more fun to watch.

Kudos are also due to Bailey Ramirez and George Chavez II as the operator and voice, respectively, of Audrey II.

Musical direction is under the baton of Matthew Park.  The creative choreography provided by Rebecca Castells heightens the action and compliments the direction of Davis Daniels.  The winged set is used effectively to highlight both the flower shop interior and the street outside.

Rock music is renowned for being loud. While the singers need and have personal body microphones, in our view feathering down on the overall vocal amplification would enhance the experience at this venue.  At times we found the sound volume and decibel intensity almost painful.

Little Shop of Horrors, presented by the Actors Repertory Company of Simi, plays until August 30 at the Simi Valley Cultural Arts Center, 3050 Los Angeles Ave., Simi Valley. Show times: 8 p.m.-Fridays and Saturdays. 2 p.m.-Sundays. Tickets: General-$25/60+ & Students-$22/under 13-$18.   583-7900. On line at www.simi-arts.org.

Mira Reverente has been a staff writer of the Ventura Breeze since 2009, covering the local business, sports and non-profit beats. She is also the associate editor of the Conejo Valley Happening Mag, a local all-digital mag.

“Suddenly Single Women’s Guide to Finances,” is Mira’s first book. “The material for this book came at the right moment. Post-divorce, I was running into women who were going through emotional and financial hardships like me – jugging children, bills and jobs,” said the mom of two. “Their experiences coupled with advice from financial experts inspired me to put this book together, in order to help women who are going through the same ordeal or help prevent it from happening to others.”

Mira teamed up with Tracy Marcynzsyn, a former co-worker, fellow local journalist and author of NaturalAwes.com, Firefly and Return to Paradise. Tracy also writes and edits for a variety of publications and people, helping perfect their writings for publishing. Like Mira, Tracy has also been in search of sound financial advice post-relationship break-up.

Kickstarter, the crowd-funding web site has been a popular pick among book authors, artists, inventors and techies who need that extra boost from the public to get their independent projects off the launching pad. The campaign is all-or-nothing – project creators cannot keep any of the funds raised, unless they reach 100 perfect of their funding goals.

For more info or to make a pledge before May 10th, go to https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/suddenlysinglewomen/suddenly-single-womens-guide-to-finances

by Victoria Usher

On Thursday April 16^th there was a truly inspiring event that took place at Ventura College in the school’s Wright Event Center.This event was the 16^th Annual Phoenix Scholarship Ceremony where 28 re-entry students who have chosen to return to Ventura College to finish their education were not only congratulated but they were also given a $1,000 Phoenix Scholarship from the Ventura College Foundation. These 28 adult re-entry students were all individually picked to receive this specific scholarship because of their future goals, because of their financial need, but above all else because each and every one of them have learned to overcome their own difficult circumstances in order to be able to pursue their studies at Ventura College. During the ceremony each of the students had an opportunity to share their stories about how these scholarships have truly helped them to face their own personal challenges and be able to pursue their education.

When the Ventura College Foundation’s board of directors learned about the special needs of Ventura College re-entry students that’s when they established this scholarship in 1999. The Foundation’s staff and board of directors also hosted the scholarship ceremony on April 16^th.

Stan Weisel sponsored the event this year. Weisel is a Ventura resident and founder of the Stan Weisel Endowed Scholarships; he has also pledged to sponsor this specific event for the rest of his life.

The students that received awards at this ceremony are from many different areas of Ventura.

The Ventura College Foundation has created something truly wonderful with this scholarship, they have discovered a way to truly help re-entry students have the kind of success that they deserve to have.