Many might claim Christine & the Queens’ frontwoman, Héloïse Letissier, as many things. She’s Jacques Brel and the Cocteau Twins, with a bit of David Bowie and Laurie Anderson thrown in for good measure. She’s Bob Fosse and Pina Bausch reincarnate — or better still, Michael Jackson and Beyonce’s long-lost, would-be French love-child (apologies toContinue reading “The Star Who Fell to Earth: Christine and the Queens Showcase Their Mettle at Brooklyn Steel”
Category Archives: Review
Twee and Twang: Stuart Murdoch’s ‘God Help the Girl’ is a Delightful Burst of Quirk
Some of you already know how much I love my movie-musicals — and recently, I’ve become very much obsessed with one in particular that I’ve been meaning to see for a while now: God Help the Girl (2014). The brainchild of Belle & Sebastian musician Stuart Murdoch, the film also happens to be the offshootContinue reading “Twee and Twang: Stuart Murdoch’s ‘God Help the Girl’ is a Delightful Burst of Quirk”
The Pulchritude of Passion: Wong Kar-Wai’s ‘In the Mood for Love’ and Luca Guadagnino’s ‘I Am Love’ Showcase Beauty in Tragedy
There’s no question about it: I am a very visual person. As this blog will certainly attest to, it’s perhaps no surprise that the films I gravitate towards are ones that not only strike the viewer emotionally, but also aesthetically. In this edition of #FilmStrips, we’ll be looking at two films that do just thatContinue reading “The Pulchritude of Passion: Wong Kar-Wai’s ‘In the Mood for Love’ and Luca Guadagnino’s ‘I Am Love’ Showcase Beauty in Tragedy”
The Body Keeps the Score: Marta Mondelli’s ‘Toscana, or What I Remember’ Exercises Some Muscle Memory
For many, memories can be a wonderful thing. They have the ability to transcend time and space — perhaps to when things were simpler or more innocent. For others, they can often leave one paralyzed in more ways than one, stuck on a never-ending loop. In the case of Marta Mondelli’s Toscana, or What IContinue reading “The Body Keeps the Score: Marta Mondelli’s ‘Toscana, or What I Remember’ Exercises Some Muscle Memory”
Brief Encounter: Richard Linklater’s ‘Before’ Films Stand the Test of Time
Those who know me personally (or have read my literary blog, starts & stops.) might also know of my particularly soft spot for Richard Linklater’s Before trilogy. (And when I say soft, I mean like…ooey-gooey-caramel-filled-Stroopwafel-melting-atop-your-espresso soft.) (Yeah…that soft.) (Can you tell what I’ve just been snacking on before typing this?) (This is a lot ofContinue reading “Brief Encounter: Richard Linklater’s ‘Before’ Films Stand the Test of Time”
A Bittersweet Symphony, Served With Zest: Heather Litteer Peels Away the Layers of the Past
The prospect of seeing a solo performance often, admittedly, triggers a silent panic in one whose job it is to dole out an objective opinion about it. As that they are often based upon a performer’s life experiences, one-man (or, in this case, one-woman) shows often carry with them the possibility of turning out toContinue reading “A Bittersweet Symphony, Served With Zest: Heather Litteer Peels Away the Layers of the Past”
Girl Anachronism: Aquila Theatre Company Reveals the Feminine Side to Literature’s Most Famous Private Eye
Just as a certain wildly popular celebrity departed from New York to commence production on a certain wildly popular television show based on a certain wildly popular, old-timey-but-updated sleuth, another iteration made its way back to the city. Over at the Queens Theatre, Aquila Theatre Company presented an adaptation of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s classicContinue reading “Girl Anachronism: Aquila Theatre Company Reveals the Feminine Side to Literature’s Most Famous Private Eye”
How History Happens: TITAN Theatre Company Fearlessly Ushers ‘Julius Caesar’ Into a Brave New World
TITAN Theatre Company has seen the future — and the future is bleak. The political climate gains momentum, with public opinion ruled by sweeping promises of Rhetoric, rather than the practicality of Reason. This could refer to the mud-slinging rat race currently going on in our country, referring instead to one which occurred hundreds ofContinue reading “How History Happens: TITAN Theatre Company Fearlessly Ushers ‘Julius Caesar’ Into a Brave New World”
Lost in Translation: Ran Xia Defies Definition With ‘Word Play’
There are things in life that are hard to explain merely with words. Sometimes, the best way to transcend obstacles is simply to revel in the ineffable intricacy of emotions we are dealt with. What is left when one not only runs out of memories, but the words to describe them? Such are the trialsContinue reading “Lost in Translation: Ran Xia Defies Definition With ‘Word Play’”
Stranger Than Fiction: Director-Auteurs Brian Klugman and Lee Sternthal Pay Tribute to the Written Word by Weaving Their Own Tale of Intrigue and Ambition
One of the many reasons I write about drama — or write at all, period — is not just because of the films and Broadway shows that I was lucky enough to be exposed to as a young girl living in New York. Yes, I live for costume dramas and shows with spectacle, but it’sContinue reading “Stranger Than Fiction: Director-Auteurs Brian Klugman and Lee Sternthal Pay Tribute to the Written Word by Weaving Their Own Tale of Intrigue and Ambition”
Jessica Taghap 