Graduate student in occupational therapy. Professionally reflecting on holistic health. Personally reflecting on TV and pop culture. Boston. Links: Personal AV Club NY Mag: Vulture
I live in Watertown, and am lucky enough to be close to the Arsenal Center for the Arts. They are a lovely local theatre, showing several plays through the season thanks to New Repertory Theatre company.
Tonight, I watched The Whipping Man. The setting bases events right after the end of the Civil War. A wounded Confederate soldier stumbles into his family's home to find his former slaves still living there. As the play unfolds, much of the backstory for the characters is tense and interesting. However, the writing drags out and the scenes seem stuck in trying to build up such tension among one dark revelation after another. It is a 3 person play, all set in one set, but still. Sometimes, less is more.
Links:
Boston Globe Review
New Rep Theatre
Arsenal Center for the Arts
NY Times Review for 2011 NYC Producation
hello tumblr! i'm sorry it's been awhile! as per usual, life got in the way and then i had a stake of reviews i wanted to write which seemed more like a chore than fun. ANYWAYS i'm hoping to take a new approach to this blog, maybe with some shorter reviews about tv, film, and even theatre shows i've watched. it should be interesting and hopefully fun again :)
This little show has some of the best character development you could ever hope for in a TV comedy. Amy Jellicoe (played by Laura Dern) is an executive who, after having a nervous breakdown, comes back from her stint in rehab to her old life. Whereas Amy anticipates being welcomed with open arms from everyone in her life, including her mother and ex-husband (portrayed by Dernâs own real life mom and the later by Luke Wilson), that is far from the case. After trying to get her old job back, Amy is pushed to work in a new, âlowerâ department. From there, Amy begins scheming what she feels is her destiny to bring the down who she feels are the very people who rejected her in the first place.
Without giving too much away (itâs such a fantastic series, probably one of my favorite now), Enlightenedâs first season is more of an opening of who Amy is and the world she comes from (and eventually tries to reenter). The writers of the show never portray Amy as 100% sympathetic. Her character can be incredibly manipulative, a quality that makes it not hard to imagine Amy as a corporate type so long ago. Or Amy can be incredibly pitiful and insightful, as portrayed by some of her contemplative voiceovers. The second season delves more into the perspectives of side characters like Tyler (Mike White) and Levi (Luke Wilson). But almost every character portrays more than their personas would suggest, whether itâs a reveal of more negative qualities or something else. Thus making interesting, wonderful characters.Â
There are some wonderful guest stars whose characters are explored perfectly in such short time frames. Robin Wright makes an appearance as Amyâs closest friend in rehab and Molly Shannon comes on as Tylerâs crush. The characters on this show, even when scheming or admitting to something terrible, are so human in a way that makes the viewer just want to relate with them. Even when Amy is at her lowest, you not only understand her flaws, but understand we as humans can be that desperate at times, too.
 In other notes:
- Super sad this series got cancelled (click here for a tumblr that emphasizes the showâs small, yet strong fanbase)
 - Did not connect Mike White with writing Orange County, School of Rock before this. Yet he did look familiar
 - Speaking of Mike White, check out Year of the Dog, a small independent film he wrote starring Molly Shannon. Very similar themes, though (IMO) Enlightened is much better
 - Something about Levi makes Luke Wilson so attractive to me. Omg. I just love his repertoire with Laura Dern was great.
 - By the way, Tyler is my favorite character. Heâs like a sad puppy that you just want to hug FOREVER. (favorite gif/advice from Tyler EVER)
 - Reblogged a couple months ago a review of the series, because this post described everything I wanted to say in a much more eloquent fashion.
rewatching some DW episodes, all from different seasons. Random, but man, series 6 must be the most beautifully directed series of DW as of late. I'm rewatching The Girl Who Waited, and the scene shots of Amy walking through the 'palace of versailles' are so pretty. Just the colors are great. Kind of makes me annoyed that some of series 7 has some noticeably bad camera work (like, there are times the camera LITERALLY seems to shake, like what the hell). Just a random thought I wanted to posted.Â
Also - forgot how much I love Rory. "Good question - bit sinster...what's the answer to not get us killed?!!!!!!" ahahahaahhaa
Having binge-watched the whole thing â and then rewatched my favorite scenes all over again â Iâm a little surprised by how quickly fans have turned against the show. The new season is actually pretty good, and it gets better with each episode. This is the problem with binge-watching: It often leads to binge-judging, with some viewers fiercely overrating or underrating what theyâve seen before theyâve really gotten the chance to think about it. And thatâs particularly difficult when youâre watching a show like Arrested Development, which gives you new things to dissect every time you watch, and offers a growing sense of satisfaction as time goes on and loose narrative threads get tied up.
Entertainment Weeklyâs Review of âArrested Developmentâ Season 4 (x)
TRYING to stay up late (and I guess I'll study while I'm at it...) for that awesome Arrested Development premiere because I am so excited for it. It's gonna be like being given a large buffet of food and not knowing where to start.Â
oh god i LOVED the latest DW. maybe it's because it sets up for the 50h anniversary special. maybe because of it's ending. maybe it's the answer to clara's mysterious. or maybe it was just so much better and more emotional than a lot of the latest episodes....
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