Theater Review - Minor Fantastical Kingdoms

Minor Fantastical Kingdoms

Written by Michael Gotch

Directed by Marc Lamos

Where: Thompson Theatre for the Roselle Center for the Arts

(University of Delaware, Newark, DE)

When: Sunday, January 20, 2pm

Posting well after seeing play...

• Totally enjoyable play by REP actor Michael Gotch.  
• Became a bit too serious at the end after being a comedy for so much of its runtime -- it really didn't earn the drama and heft it was striving for in the end.
• Still, one of the better (if not the best) premiere production of an original piece the REP has done thus far.

Good Time

Good Time (2017)

Starring Robert Pattinson, Benny Safdie, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Buddy Duress, Peter Verby, Taliah Webster, and Barkhad Abdi

Directed by Benny Safdie and Josh Safdie

Written by Ronald Bronstein and Josh Safdie

***This film is currently streaming via Amazon Prime***

Summary (in 500 words or less):  When a bank robbery lands his brother (Benny Safdie) in prison, criminal Connie (Robert Pattinson) does what he can in order to break him out of jail.

Click here for my Letterboxd review

The RyMickey Rating: B

I Feel Pretty

I Feel Pretty (2018)

Starring Amy Schumer, Michelle Williams, Rory Scovel, Emily Ratajkowski, Busy Philipps, Aidy Bryant, Naomi Campbell, and Lauren Hutton

Directed by Abby Kohn and Marc Silverstein

Written by Abby Kohn and Marc Silverstein

Summary (in 500 words or less):  After hitting her head at SoulCycle class, insecure and incredibly body-conscious Renee (Amy Schumer) suddenly becomes a confident woman who decides to go out and get everything she wants.

Click here for my Letterboxd review

The RyMickey Rating: D+

Mary Poppins Returns

Mary Poppins Returns (2018)

Starring Emily Blunt, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Ben Whishaw, Emily Mortimer, Pixie Davies, Nathanael Saleh, Joel Dawson, Julie Walters, Colin Firth, Meryl Streep, Angela Lansbury, and Dick Van Dyke

Directed by Rob Marshall

Written by David Magee

Summary (in 500 words or less):  The iconic Mary Poppins returns to help Jane and Michael Banks save the family home on Cherry Tree Lane.

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The RyMickey Rating:  B

Mary Poppins

Mary Poppins (1964)
Starring Julie Andrews, Dick Van Dyke, David Tomlinson, Glynis Johns, Karen Dotrice, and Matthew Garber
Directed by Robert Stevenson
Written by Bill Walsh and Don DaGradi 

Summary (in 500 words or less):  A magical nanny (Julie Andrews) arrives at the Banks household and changes the lives of the children (Karen Dotrice, Matthew Garber) and adults (David Tomlinson, Glynis Johns) therein.

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The RyMickey Rating:  B+

Widows

Widows (2018)

Starring Viola Davis, Michelle Rodriguez, Elizabeth Debicki, Cynthia Erivo, Colin Farrell, Brian Tyree Henry, Daniel Kaluuya, Garret Dillahunt, Carrie Coon, Lukas Haas, Jacki Weaver, Robert Duvall, and Liam Neeson

Directed by Steve McQueen

Written by Gillian Flynn and Steve McQueen

Summary (in 500 words or less):  After their criminal husbands are killed while attempting to complete a robbery, their widowed wives are forced to contemplate committing a crime of their own when a shady man demands money their husbands owed him.

 

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The RyMickey Rating:  B

Jungle

Jungle (2017)

Starring Daniel Radcliffe, Thomas Kretschmann, Alex Russell, and Joel Jackson

Directed by Greg McLean

Written by Justin Monjo

***This film is currently streaming via Amazon Prime***

Summary (in 500 words or less):  Based on a true story from the 1980s, Israeli explorer Yossi (Daniel Radcliffe) travels to the Amazon rainforest where he meets fellow adventurers the Swiss Marcus (Joel Jackson) and his American friend Kevin (Alex Russell).  The trio decide to travel into the Amazon jungle on an expedition led by a mysterious Austrian man (Thomas Kretschmann) and find themselves in a chaotic situation struggling to survive.

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The RyMickey Rating: B-

Christmas in July

Christmas in July (1940)

Starring Dick Powell, Ellen Drew, Ernest Truex, and Raymond Walburn

Directed by Preston Sturges

Written by Preston Sturges

Summary (in 500 words or less):  Jimmy MacDonald enters a $25,000 contest to create the new catchphrase for Maxford House Coffee.  When his friends send him a joke telegram saying he won the contest, Jimmy goes on a spending spree that is complicated by the obvious notion that his winnings were predicated on a joke.

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The RyMickey Rating: C-

Schindler's List

Schindler's List (1993)

***viewed in theaters for 25th anniversary release***

Starring Liam Neeson, Ben Kingsley, Ralph Fiennes, and Embeth Davidtz

Directed by Steven Spielberg

Written by Steven Zaillian

Summary (in 500 words or less): Oskar Schindler (Liam Neeson) attempts to save hundreds of Jews in danger of being sent to Auschwitz by hiring them to work at his factory during WWII.

 

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The RyMickey Rating:  A-

Creed II

Creed II (2018)

Starring Michael B. Jordan, Sylvester Stallone, Tessa Thompson, Phylicia Rashad, Florian Munteanu, and Dolph Lundgren

Directed by Steven Caple, Jr.

Written by Juel Taylor and Sylvester Stallone

Summary (in 500 words or less): Adonis Creed (Michael B. Jordan) is approached by a wrestling promoter to take on a bout against Viktor Drago (Florian Munteanu), son of Ivan Drago (Dolph Lundgren) who defeated and killed Creed's father in the ring decades ago.

Click here for my Letterboxd review

The RyMickey Rating: C

The Glass Castle

The Glass Castle (2017)

Starring Brie Larson, Woody Harrelson, Naomi Watts, Ella Anderson, and Max Greenfield

Directed by Destin Daniel Cretton

Written by Destin Daniel Cretton, Andrew Lanham, and Marti Noxon
***This film is currently streaming via Amazon Prime***

Summary (in 500 words or less):  In the 1970s, a family with four children moves from place to place as they live in poverty that is self-inflicted by an artist mother (Naomi Watts) and an anti-establishment, anti-government father (Woody Harrelson).  When the 1980s roll around, the children have grown and left their parents, but find themselves having to reconcile with their past.

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The RyMickey Rating:  C-

Gaga: Five Foot Two

Gaga: Five Foot Two (2017)

Directed by Chris Moukarbel

***This film is currently streaming via Netflix***

Summary (in 500 words or less):  A documentary focusing on Lady Gaga in the months leading up to the release of her album Joanne and her halftime performance at the Super Bowl.

 

Click here for my Letterboxd review

The RyMickey Rating:  C-

Okja

Okja (2017)

Starring Tilda Swinton, Paul Dano, An Seo Hyun, Byun Heebong, Steven Yeun, Lily Collins, Yoon Je Moon, Shirley Henderson, Daniel Henshall, Devon Bostick, Woo Shik Choi, Giancarlo Esposito, and Jake Gyllenhaal

Directed by Bong Joon Ho

Written by Bong Joon Ho and Jon Ronson

***This film is currently streaming via Netflix***

Summary (in 500 words or less): Teenager Mija (An Seo Hyun) has raised a genetically engineered super pig for nearly a decade in the mountains of South Korea, but when the Mirando Corporation headed by Lucy Mirando (Tilda Swinton) comes to take their pig back in order to begin selling its meat, Mija takes matters into her own hands with the help of an animal rights organization.

Click here for my Letterboxd review

The RyMickey Rating: D+

Pottersville

Pottersville (2017)

Starring Michael Shannon,  Judy Greer, Ron Perlman, Thomas Lennon, Christina Hendricks, and Ian McShane

Directed by Seth Henrikson

Written by Daniel Meyer

***This film is currently streaming via Netflix***

Summary (in 500 words or less):  After discovering his wife (Christina Hendricks) wants to leave him, small town store clerk Maynard (Michael Shannon) goes on a nighttime drunken romp through the town of Pottersvilee in a gorilla costume.  When he wakes up the next morning, Maynard discovers that the town is all abuzz with a sighting of the mythical Bigfoot the night before.  Upon realizing how much Pottersville community has come together over this Bigfoot excitement, Maynard decides to continue dressing up in the gorilla costume in order to keep the town at its best.

Click here for my Letterboxd review

The RyMickey Rating: C-

Boy Erased

Boy Erased (2018)

Starring Lucas Hedges, Nicole Kidman, Joel Edgerton, Joe Alwyn, Xavier Dolan, Troye Sivan, Britton Sear, Flea, Cherry Jones, and Russell Crowe

Directed by Joel Edgerton

Written by Joel Edgerton

Summary (in 500 words or less):  When Jared (Lucas Hedges) comes out to his parents after a semester at college, his preacher father (Russell Crowe) enrolls his son into a gay conversion program. 

Click here for my Letterboxd review

The RyMickey Rating: B-

Mudbound

Mudbound (2017)

Starring Carey Mulligan, Garrett Hedlund, Jason Clarke, Jason Mitchell, Mary J. Blige, Jonathan Banks, and Rob Morgan

Directed by Dee Rees

Written by Dee Rees and Virgil Williams
***This film is currently streaming via Netflix***

Summary (in 500 words or less):  The saga of a white and black family living on a farm in WWII-era Mississippi.

Click here for my Letterboxd review

The RyMickey Rating: B+

Can You Ever Forgive Me?

Can You Ever Forgive Me? (2018)

Starring Melissa McCarthy, Richard E. Grant, Dolly Wells, Anna Deavere Smith, and Jane Curtin

Directed by Marielle Heller

Written by Nicole Holofcener and Jeff Whitty

Summary (in 500 words or less):  The true story of biographer Lee Israel who, despite having a best-selling book, is no longer able to get her old-school-styled works published.  In 1991, desperate to make a living, she turns to a life of literary crime, creating letters in the voices of famous writers -- like Noel Coward and Dorothy Parker -- forging their signatures, and passing these fakes off as the real deal in an attempt to get money. 

Click here for my Letterboxd review

The RyMickey Rating: B

Roman J. Israel, Esq.

Roman J. Israel, Esq. (2017)

Starring Denzel Washington, Colin Farrell, and Carmen Ejogo

Directed by Dan Gilroy

Written by Dan Gilroy

Summary (in 500 words or less):  When his law partner at his small practice dies, Roman J. Israel (Denzel Washington) joins a bigger practice and discovers some facts about his new bosses that go against his morals.

Click here for my Letterboxd review

The RyMickey Rating: C-

Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald

Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald (2018)

Starring Eddie Redmayne, Katherine Waterston, Dan Fogler, Alison Sudol, Ezra Miller, Zoë Kravitz, Callum Turner, Claudia Kim, William Nadylam, Jude Law, and Johnny Depp

Directed by David Yates

Written by J.K. Rowling

Summary (in 500 words or less):  The evil Grindelwald (Johnny Depp) escapes from custody while being transported from the USA back to Europe.  He settles down in Paris and prepares his evil wizards to stand up to the rules set forth by the wizarding world while also attempting to track down the young Credence Barebone (Ezra Miller) whose powers are some of the strongest known to wizards.  Meanwhile, Newt Scamander (Eddie Redmayne) and Tina Goldstein (Katherine Waterston) try and track him down.

Click here for my Letterboxd review

The RyMickey Rating: C-

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (2016)

Starring Eddie Redmayne, Katherine Waterston, Dan Fogler, Alison Sudol, Ezra Miller, Samantha Morton, Jon Voight, Carmen Ejogo, and Colin Farrell

Directed by David Yates

Written by J.K. Rowling

Summary (in 500 words or less):  In 1926 New York City, wizard/British author/magical creature zoologist Newt Scamander (Eddie Redmayne) finds himself caught up in a city under siege by some mystical entity that seems to be a beast that he may be able to catch.  Can the magical wizards keep their secrets from the Muggles of the USA?

Click here for my Letterboxd review

The RyMickey Rating: C