clevelandjewishnews.com
Blood is on their hands and the murder weapon is at their feet. But when the cops arrive in formulaic murder mysteries, the culprit always exclaims “It’s not my fault!”
Check out my latest review of “Blood Money” in the Cleveland Jewish News!
clevelandjewishnews.com
Having turned an underutilized church hall into a new stage for local talent, the newly-christened Bay Village Community Theater’s production of “Almost, Maine” is a match made in heaven.
Here’s my review for “Almost, Maine”, the inaugural production for the Bay Village Community Theater. Was a pleasure to see the show. They are well on their way to being a new and exciting place to see local talent.
CSU program is ‘win-win-win’ for student-critics, community theaters and local newspapers
Cleveland State University journalism students are critiquing the Northeast Ohio theater scene – and they’re earning rave reviews for their work.
For a prime example of Engaged Learning in action, look no further. Bob Abelman, Ph.D., a professor of media arts and technology in the CSU School of Communication, received a CSU Civic Engagement Grant to recruit and train a small corps of student-critics to review the productions of dozens of community theaters throughout the region. Delivered on tight deadlines, their write-ups run in print or online for several local media outlets, including the Cleveland Jewish News, The Chagrin Valley Times and The News-Herald.
“The students are not only learning to be arts journalists, but they’re also learning how to be critical thinkers and writers,” Dr. Abelman says.
:D It’s great to know that our work is appreciated by Cleveland State, and that the grant is gaining exposure for future reviewers! Thanks Prof. Abelman for sharing!
clevelandjewishnews.com
Even in its 21st year of one-act festivals, the Fine Arts Association in Willoughby manages to surprise and amuse with its eclectic selection of original ten-minute plays.
This show was very cool and different from the norm! I highly recommend going to see the one-act festival @ the Fine Arts Association.
clevelandjewishnews.com
Like tepid water in a teapot, a murder mystery isn’t satisfying until it gets to full-boil.
My first published piece in the Cleveland Jewish News!! Be on the lookout for several more over the coming months!
Another special thanks to Prof. Bob Abelman for the opportunity. This review is thanks to the Cleveland State University Civic Engagement grant.
A Cold Death Meets Warm Reception
by Roman Macharoni
The death of President John F. Kennedy has become something of an enigma. The controversy and mystique behind his untimely demise can be compared to that of Jimi Hendrix, Kirk Cobain and Janis Joplin, of a person taken from us at the peak of their potential and life. “Jackie” — released Dec. 2 — singles out the week of his death, burial and memorial from a unique perspective: his wife, in the forefront of the swarming media as well as a country in mourning. But instead of sheltering her family and moving on, she displays her grief in a more… grander fashion, and by doing so she secured a lasting final memory of Jack Kennedy.
Jackie (Natalie Portman) is shown in varying degrees of grief, anger, shame and bright moments of fond recollection. Her fights with Bobby (Peter Sarsgaard) over the nature of the funeral are cold and distant, almost unnerving to watch. It feels authentic and bitter, but such is the nature of these kind of talks. It’s brutally sincere and clear-cut: there is mourning and moving on simultaneously. Her struggle with letting go and moving out of the White House is understandable yet bizarre in its presentation. The entire film has an almost eerie vibe to it, but ends with a slightly more optimistic note of the importance of legacy and the ideas passed on by those with the position to enact them.
As far as performances go, Portman does a fine job at depicting the First Lady. Her accent was a bit odd at the first ten minutes, but it became more comfortable and genuine as the movie progressed. The guy they got to play JFK, Caspar Phillipson, is picture-perfect. However, they don’t have him talk (unless it’s dubbed over by the real JFK’s voice), so the looks may have been the only reason they got him. To single out performances, John Hurt’s portrayal of a priest attempting to get Jackie towards the path to God is perfect. His talks with her are among the best parts of the film. Billy Crudup’s portrayal of the journalist to interview her is also a bright spot in the justifiable dreariness of the subject matter. Her at-first shrill nature is quite humorous as she slowly opens up to him.
The pacing of the film, though taking place in a relatively short amount of time, is slow yet methodical. The cinematography reflects this, taking the time to show the anguish of Jackie throughout. It highlights her performance and becomes an instrument of intimacy. It was undoubtedly a wise choice dictatorially.
I don’t often comment on sound design, but they did a great job with the authenticity of vintage tape playback, as there are scenes showing the recording of the White House tours by Jackie Kennedy, and the voices are dubbed and manipulated to sound like the real thing. This also hearkens back to my comments on Phillipson’s performance; his few on-screen lines are dubbed in this manner, and it look convincing enough because it was used with restraint.
The harsh reality of the 35th President’s death is competently and beautifully envisioned and placed on a pedestal in “Jackie”. It’s a fitting representation to the death and legacy of JFK, and a brutally honest depiction of a woman with such grace and vanity that she became arguably as big of a symbol as her husband. I’d recommend this to fans of biopics and historical pieces, as well as fans of movies that offer a clear view into the mind of a person with inner struggle.
Grade: B
I know some critics say that 2016 was a bad year for music (and yes, it was, let’s be honest). We also lost quite a few great musicians too. The world won’t be the same without titans like Prince, Bowie, and George Michael.
That doesn’t mean there wasn’t a lot of awesome music out there. Quite a few songs set fire to the charts in more ways than one and really showed us that there are diamonds in the rough. There were 15 in particular, similar to my film list for the year, so here we go. These were the best songs of 2016.
First, some honorable mentions…
“Dangerous Woman” by
Ariana Grande
https://open.spotify.com/track/7l94dyN2hX9c6wWcZQuOGJ
The only reason it’s not on the list itself is because of its poor sense of pace. The build is way too monotonous and slow. The chorus kills it, though, as Ariana feels right at home hitting this sweet spot on the album of the same name.
“Chunky” by Bruno Mars
https://open.spotify.com/track/0mBKv9DkYfQHjdMcw2jdyI
Bruno Mars’ newest album, 24K Magic (which title track is on the actual list, spoilers), has quite a few winners on there, but this sticks out as the second best of the album. Though it’s weird to refer to normal sized, curvy woman as ‘chunky’, it’s still a pleasant jam with a tight production as it plays to Mars’ strengths. The back-up vocals complement him well, and the keyboard adds some welcome spice to the composition.
“Adventure of a Lifetime” by Coldplay
https://open.spotify.com/track/69uxyAqqPIsUyTO8txoP2M
I feel like this has become a commercial song (not that’s always a bad thing), but this is still a solid track. Delightful to listen to when you’re in a good mood. Coldplay isn’t what they used to be, but they are far from bad with this new direction. That guitar ‘drop’ if you will is trance-like and peppy. With all the slow stuff we got this year, it’s nice to have something like this on the radio.
“The Good News” by
Bloc Party
https://open.spotify.com/track/3FI3nRETDMfK3z9SQwfVZr
While bright and loaded with the religion-inspired direction of Bloc Party, this song has some needed grit. Those guitar on the chorus give this track warmth and something to chew on while you’re listening. Kele’s soft vocals pair well with the strings to create something wonderful.
“Play That Song” by
Train
https://open.spotify.com/track/3ZMFrvkNgwwMfPdX3aThYs
This is what “Soul Sister” should have been. Happy, short and sweet. Not great, but still an enjoyable song. That’s probably because Pat Monahan isn’t inserting his odd lyrcial nuggets in there (See in previous songs: “I’m so gangster, I’m so thug”, “Hefty bag to hold my love”).
“The Plain Moon” by
The Besnard Lakes
https://open.spotify.com/track/0p6DGv92OOuXu927xxlkmH
Call it bias (I did an article on them for coming to the Beachland Ballroom), or my apology for my editor messing up the headline for a story I did on the band (sorry again, if you’re reading this). Regardless, this song is the strongest track on “A Coliseum Complex Museum”, meshing a psychedelic flow with heavy guitars to create a haunting atmosphere. The vocals have the feel of ghosts, slowly moving in and out of the lush acoustics laid on thicker than honey. It’s a powerful jam in terms of sonics and a brilliant piece of music that honestly should have charted. Also, you can put “Towers Sent Her to Sheets of Sound”, reminiscent to a Beach Boys jam mixed with the usual psychedelic sound, on here as well. They’d be tied if this wasn’t an honorable mention.
You can read my piece on the Besnard Lakes here.
“East Coast Girl” by
Butch Walker
https://open.spotify.com/track/2PMRCXna6KCB5D5EVU3hzD
Consider this the unofficial #16 of this list. A modern fusion of personalities such as Bruce Springsteen and John Mellencamp collide in this cool little flashback track. Butch really projects himself in the chorus, opposed to his laid-back delivery in the verses. The storytelling feel to the verse as well places you into that throwback mood this song gives off.
Now, onto the list…
I’ve been a fan of Hawthorne for a while. His use of old and new conventions to create fantastic pieces of music has been on my radar for equally as long. His appeal mimics how Chromeo came on the scene in 2014. Of his three singles released this year, “Love Like That” feels the most fitting for the radio and this list. Its crisp production is paired with a bombastic chorus and tight percussion. Mayer clearly knows what he’s doing here. A strong song to start off this list.
Bloc Party’s “Hymns”, another re-invention for the decade-and-counting post grunge Brit-punk band, begins with a looping, weaving synth. It’s met with a thudding bass drum and Kele’s voice welcoming you to their new musical direction. And then the drop hits, and you know that this will be a fun ride. Very few albums this year start out this strong. I still haven’t heard anything like this so far. It’s just fantastic, and at the same time fascinating.
While I did enjoy “When We Were Young” off her album “25″ a lot, “Send My Love” layers her voice beautifully and gives her a unique platform to provide her heavenly vocal work and deliver a great performance. The minimalist nature of her music is a little less evident here, but it’s not overpowering. It feels more free than her usual mega-smash hits, which is why I decided to place this track on here rather than the aforementioned “Young”. The lone guitar providing the majority of the back beat is solid and quite atmospheric. And as always, Adele knocks it out of the park.
So Kanye West helped out Sia for this song off her album “This Is Acting”. You can tell. The delivery is very close to West’s part in the previous year’s “FourFiveSeconds”, and Sia has the conviction to make it feel genuine. I guess her ‘acting’ is just fine for this. I enjoy the sing-a-long feel to this track and the flow of the lyrics in the chorus most of all. Sia can really let herself lay it all out on this one, and it’s probably why this was chosen to be a single off the record.
You can read my review of “This Is Acting” as an album right here.
I made sure to not include non-charting songs (as in not on the Hot 100) out of my Top 10, as I try to focus on hits, but I had to include this one. Plus, their third album — appropriately entitled “Three” — placed 9th on the Billboard Hot 200 in late October, and this song feels like the star of the album, burning so bright that’s blinding. It’s an elegant orchestration with gorgeous vocal work, and a killer guitar break towards its conclusion. Phantogram have always been known to brilliantly deconstruct and build their tracks to create sweeping pieces of music, and this is no exception. A fantastic piece I can recommend to everyone.
From those of you who may have read my review for “This Is Acting” (link above), you might have seen that I said that the album was only slightly above average, a mixture of hits and misses. However, when Sia hits… it’s masterful. This one isn’t the most well written or put together, but it captures a feeling better than anything else on the album. I guess she’s been writing for Rihanna for so long that I can’t tell if this is her attempt to sound like her or Sia’s elements that she adds to Rihanna’s repertoire, but it works. This pseudo-island feel suits Sia as perfectly the odd face-concealing wigs she wears.
The first four tracks of her third studio album “Dangerous Woman” are pretty stellar, a mixture of the elements that make Ariana shine among the other pop divas (Daya, you could learn a thing or two). This string of songs is capped off by this slice of polished and refined pop excellence. The structure and production screamed for this to be a hit, and the populous answered accordingly. Grande’s grand on this track (see what I did there?), belting it out and oozing with sensuality.
I don’t mean the other version with Hudson Thames. His vocals alone are… not as good as the original released with the trailer for “Sing Street”. The added filters to his voice as well as the back-up performers fit the mood of the bouncy instrumental a lot better. Simply put, a welcome homage to 80′s pop ballads. The beat almost has a doo-wop feel to it, fitting for a film that somewhat resembles an alternative “Footloose”. The final chorus breakdown is also what I consider hair-standing-up-on-neck pop perfection.
The Weeknd made my top spot last year (in a tie, too!) but this year there was quite a few acts who really stepped up their game, so here he sits. That doesn’t mean that this song isn’t kick-ass, though. Daft Punk found a great partner in ol’ Saturday/Sunday here, as they meld a tight and methodical instrumental to pair with Weeknd’s always fine-tuned vocals. Elements of Daft Punk blend with Weeknd’s usual darker tones to create a melody that manages to be glittery and haunting simultaneously. It’s an ear worm in the best way. The stars are far from the limit for this pairing; I really hope they try another collaboration.
I’m placing the extended version on here because I believe it builds the instrumental easier without just throwing it all out there first thing. However, either version is solid. The original by Cookin’ on 3 Burners is nostalgic kick-back to blues classics, but this sped-up and pumped-up remix by Kungs gives this song some needed pep. And those trumpets, my God. They’re loud, they’re large and in control; they make this song an instant summer classic in my opinion. Best drop of the year, bar none. I can’t say enough good things about this song.
DJ Snake has really stepped up his game. This song feels minimal but is structured perfectly for a satisfying experience. Bieber’s vocals are great here, it feels like he’s really found his rhythm in this song. The drop is pure bliss and quintessential DJ Snake. It almost feels sad, as it complements the nearly pleading nature of the lyrics. The build works around the vocals to spotlight them and let them complement the composition.
Mars’ “Unorthodox Jukebox II: Electric Boogaloo” “24K Magic” opens with a
bodacious nod to Zapp and Roger before breaking down into the grooviest track
of the year. It’s also prove that lightning can be caught in a bottle, as it
models itself and improves on “Uptown Funk” from the prior year. Normally I
dislike the use of his ‘posse’ back-up vocalists, but they a lot to this track and make
it feel like a true ‘playa’s’ anthem. Mars feels so loose on here, just
shooting the breeze, juxtaposing the tight, restrained composition. A perfect
party-starter with endless re-playability.
This is one of the funkiest tracks to come out this year, a mix of a tribute to Bootsy Collins and R&B slow jams with a modern flair. Glover has a tremendous sense of pace here, taking its time to build. His voice throughout is strange yet inviting. I find myself always going back to this song by any mood, it’s just a beautiful piece of music.
Depression and optimism mix to create such a solid song. Mike Posner’s meaningful lyrics are better highlighted here with this punchy bass rather than the original slow acoustic delivery. This personifies a state of lull with sparks of excitement. Even the small things like the tambourine in the bridge (you’ll never not notice it once you do) and the voice manipulation add so many layers to the track. It’s just so satisfying to listen to.
This is the closest thing to a perfect song we got last year, and it came so early in the year as well. It stuck with me all this time. From the moment the drums kick in, it’s like a musical euphoria. This is where the dark scratches the surface of the light for me in terms of tone, a proverbial sweet spot if you will. The somber, beautiful saxophone pairs with a light funky bass and David’s brutally honest delivery. This is simply a masterpiece, a perfect final note for a career as varied and brilliant as Bowie’s. RIP Ziggy Stardust, even in death you showed us all what you’re capable of.
Yes, I know. This review is LOOONNNNGGGGG overdue. But since I added this to my worst list of 2016, I felt I needed to give you my unedited opinion on this. This is what I couldn’t post in the Cauldron. Enjoy.
Batman vs. Superman vs. Studio Mandates
by Roman Macharoni
Original Grade: C+
Looking up in the sky is not a bird nor a plane, but a concept that may have sputtered and careened over the heads of comic book fans and critics alike.
It’s a clash of icons— and of creative control— in “Batman V Superman” Dawn of Justice”, released March 25, undoubtedly one of the more polarizing films in some time.
After the events of “Man of Steel”, the government is trying to monitor the actions of Superman. (Henry Cavill, who should have gotten a better set of lines to read), who has plunged himself into problems with unintended larger ramifications to global security and safety. This gets the attention of Bruce Wayne/Batman (Bruce Wayne, arguably the best thing about this film), who is suspicious of the Man of Tomorrow’s actions and devices a failsafe plan to stop him if the world ever was in danger of Superman’s power.
Also devising a plan is Lex Luthor (Jesse Eisenberg, who is trying way too hard), who quietly manipulates and plots to make the world—and these two heroes—bend to his perverted sense of order.
There are several issues with characterization for Superman and Batman, but for the sake of brevity, Batman is portrayed with more realism and closeness to the source material.
I feel that director Zack Snyder has a primal understanding of the ideals of Detective Comics’ most iconic characters, but fails to present them as little more than reason to provide some admittedly spectacular visuals. Entire scenes seem to be constructed simply because Snyder feels it would look ‘cool’ on the big screen. This includes the abundance of flashbacks and dream sequences, which initiate a lot of the character studies in the film. And you don’t want to only establish character through flashbacks and hypotheticals. Just like in comics, the audience needs something more to tether themselves onto.
“Batman vs. Superman” is everything it had to be, and goes down its own checklist of what information should be shown to the audience to hype up the next line-up of films that will stem from this movie (So I don’t sound like I’m only hating on DC, “Age of Ultron” did this too to only some avail). In this way, the film succeeds, establishing the tone that will also accompany these upcoming films—such as a solo “Batman” film and “Aquaman”, both slated for releases within the next few years. On the other hand, it leaves its audience flustered.
However, the filmmakers seemingly did not stop to comprehend if what they are creating or shoehorning into its already congested story is necessary, and the film loses much of its charm and novelty in the process. This film is exactly what it needs to be, but does not aspire for more, as a film of this magnitude should. The end product is, unfortunately, only satisfactory when it should have shot for the amazing. It ran with its idea, when it should have soared. And that means that this clash of champions ended up being a big waste of potential, from the creative people behind and in front of the camera.
Grade: C
It was a great year for movies… but that doesn’t mean that some terrible movies didn’t fall through the cracks.
To clarify, this is a list of movies I have seen in 2016. Films that were considered either awful (“Meet The Blacks”, “Gods of Egypt”) or films I just haven’t had the time for (“Man Down”, “Assassin’s Creed”) I didn’t bother with. I also didn’t watch the new “Ghostbusters”. Sorry not sorry guys.
In this list, you’re getting the films that I thought either could not live up to their potential or films that truly sucked. I suppose it’s a good thing I found more films that I enjoyed than not, but that also means there were a LOT of films that were simply mediocre. Speaking of mediocre, let’s start off the list with something that epitomizes middle of the road.
*First off, not listing the Extended Version. If you want people to like your movie, you release what you want people to watch with the main release.*
I said in my year-end film review last year (My #1 worst was “Fantastic Four” which surprised absolutely no one) that nothing is worse than wasted potential. I suppose there really is no better example of this than in “Dawn of Justice”. The ability to make a phenomenal movie was in their grasp; nevertheless, it ended up being little more than an average movie. Being an average movie for a premise as monumental and—I’ll preface this by saying I’ve come to hate this word because of overuse in the media— ‘epic’ as this is a slap in the face to comic book fans and moviegoers alike. Not even Superman can save this from being just a blip on the radar in terms of the [very early] summer blockbuster season. I guess it looked nice though. In some parts. While compromising story.
You want my uncut opinion on this? Read my unedited review of the film on my blog, available January 6th. (I know, it’s late, but it gives context to this capsule review)
It’s “Fifty Shades of Grey”. With Marlon Wayans. And no real punchlines. That’s it.
Oh, you want to elaborate? Alright, let us do that. The premise for a parody like this is ripe for the picking, but ultimately this is a soft and albeit lazy comedic adaptation. The amount of jokes that could have been squeezed out are immense (and many have been done to great effect just on YouTube and Tumblr alone), but for some reason the entire plot of “Grey” is rehashed—which is odd because most people even interested in seeing this already saw “Grey”— as we’re forced to watch comedians who could be trying much harder try and fail.
Do you like straw man arguments and shameless exploitation, and only live on the internet to start flame wars on religion? Have I got a film for you!
Also, I should preface the rest of this by stating that I’m not saying that I don’t like this movie because it’s Christian. It wouldn’t matter if this was a movie about the Christian, Jewish, Buddhist, or Islamic or any other faith. This is just a bad film. There are good Christian movies (”The Passion of the Christ” and “The Prince of Egypt” come to mind), but this is not one of them.
This film’s self-gratification (I guess you could say ‘holier-than-thou’) is quite frankly unjustified. The fear it tries to instill is also not plausible; to spoil the plot a little, the ‘danger’ and subsequent legal trouble the protagonist goes through is unwarranted and overblown for what has been said to have been based on real court cases. The protagonist refers to the Bible as a literary source without mentioning her own beliefs, which is completely fine. I’ve taken religion classes in college and it’s the same thing.
This script is structured like they were holding your hand and making sure you didn’t get lost along the way. The cinematography, audio, score and acting are all bland and void of anything creative. It’s like a film made on auto pilot. This film is, ironically, lifeless.
The first film felt a bad TV movie that got clearance to screen in thousands of theaters, and this sequel is even worse. Imagine that.
Want a review of this movie that goes into a lot more detail? Try this one, it’s grand.
At least this one doesn’t offend me personally as much as the last one. But man o’ man, it’s been a while since I saw an animated film as fundamentally broken as this one. Top to bottom, this film is a train wreck. The story is stretched out yet still leaves huge plot holes, the characters are either unmemorable or annoying, the whole thing feels like a cash grab and it’s so terrible than even Rob Schneider deserves better than this. This movie should fade away from obscurity like so much of the polar ice caps (sorry to make that joke so dark).
It’s sad when not even the writers care about what they’re putting out. A blatant attempt to recreate lightning in a bottle, this film falls flat because it doesn’t even try. It’s on par with some Happy Madison productions, and I honestly don’t care if people say “It’s supposed to be bad”. There is a difference between being so-bad-it’s-good and just being bad. You can still make a nice-looking movie and still have it suck. Making a joke that a premise is ridiculous isn’t enough to make it funny. There has to be a reason for it. Don’t get me wrong, there are a couple good jokes, mostly in the form of cameos, but this whole thing just ends up being a mess.
Hello everyone,
It’s been a while since I’ve posted here, but that is mostly because I forgot my login information for this account! Apologies.
I also have been working as a blogger for Cleveland State Campus Recreation Services, posting content (including videos!) about three-to-four times a week. So, this personal blog had to suffer just a bit. If you want to check that stuff out, just go here!
Also, I’ll be posting my favorite articles I’ve written for the Cauldron right here every once in a while. Plus, a Top 15 Movies of 2016 (and Top 5 Worst) and a Top 10 Best and Worst Songs of 2016 within the next week or so.
Hope everyone enjoyed the holidays, you’ll be seeing some more stuff from me soon.