Film AFTER YANG-Pinocchio Tale

What does it mean to be human.  What's so great about being human?  The visually stunning film, AFTER YANG ponders these theoretical questions.  Yang (a marvelous Justin Min) plays big brother to Mika.  Mika (Malea Tjandrawid in a star making performance) is the precocious and adoring little sister. Yang and Mika, both of Asian ethnicity, are in the family of a bi-racial couple.  Set in a utopian looking, not too distant future, Yang is an android, a.k.a., technosapien. He was purchased by her parents to help care for their real, adopted daughter.  The couple convince each other Yang was bought to teach Chinese and Asian culture to Mika.  Mika rightly asks, "What does it mean to be Asian?"  Yang is a steadfast friend and mentor to Mika.  During a lesson in grafting tree limbs  Mika points out fake limbs attached to trees by tape.  The overriding lesson Yang brings to the family is there is no substitute for being present in your child's life and in one's own.  The tangents on wake up and smell the roses trope stems from the genesis of the movie's heart.  This theme echoes and reverberates throughout in poetic and astute imagery.  Director Kogonda and cinematographer Benjamin Loeb have collaborated to create a stellar work of art. The film's dreamlike quality transends threads of recognition into our consciousness.  Memories makes us who we are.  Our memories spring from sensations and emotions.  Are humans capable of never telling lies?  Did Pinocchio want to be a real boy?  It was tears that transformed Pinocchio into a real boy?  Mika asks her father watching a documentary, "Are those tears of boredom?"  For the vast audience, the turgid pace and pretentiousness will put them to sleep, perchance to dream.  For a watered down audience, this is a movie to revel.

Fast Paced SLOW HORSES is a Spy Thriller that Thrills

The spy thriller series SLOW HORSES based on the Mark Herron novel is brilliantly cast and totally captivating. The British series stars the irrepressible Gary Oldman as a slovenly M15 agent Jack Lamb and Kristin Scott Thomas as Diane Taverner, the unflappable Deputy Gen. Director of M15.  Lamb in charge of "Slough House" dubbed for being M15's purgatory punishment for agents who've messed up.  Lamb is a lush who relishes assigning tedious tasks to his misfit cast who possess skills that belie their banishment to Slough House.  Meanwhile, there's murderous subterfuge amidst a major fiasco brewing under Taverner's watch at M15.  Could the measly, motley staff subjected to Lamb's abuse assemble into an ace team of espionage agents and bring down the duplicitous M15 Goliath?  One doesn't have to be a sleuth to deduce the outcomes but you should come along for the roller coaster ride of sinister intrigue.  Thomas is in top form as the icy Director who keeps everything running at race horse pace.  Goldman playing the washed up detective who still has game will win you over.  The supporting ensemble cast include Jack Lowden, the latest casualty sentenced to Slough House along with Saskia Reeves as Lamb's perpetually abased assistant Catherine Standish are sensational. The rest of cast is uncommonly good whether playing deranged assassins or innocent pawns.  The late night London hours lend a glossy look to this slick production. The indubitable game of chess in SLOW HORSES is checkmate.   

The Pottery Throw Down is a Reality Show to Get Down With

Tired of reality shows that melt your brain cells?  Even if you're not, "The Pottery Throw Down" is a hot contestant show that breaks the inane mold.  Watch, learn and enjoy.  There is much to praise including an exciting elimination competition.  We observe the burgeoning camaraderie formed out of a compelling contest of skill.  The show is hosted by expert potters Keith Jones and Kate Malone.  They act as judges for a group ten amateur potters that gets whittled down to a final four.  Keith and Kate are not your belligerent judges taking sadistic pleasure in finding faults.  On the contrary, they're discerning and encouraging.  Both judges take pride in the contestants' efforts and achievements.  Keith is known to cry when he finds something especially well done which feels genuine and well deserved.  The motley mix of contestants and judges share a passion for potting.  This is what melds everyone from divergent backgrounds together.  The challenges are demanding and intriguing.  Contestants must draw on their technical skills, problem solving and artistic creativity.  I was blown away following the process and seeing their final creations.  This show is produced by the same people who bring us the "Great British Bakeoff."  "The Pottery Throw Down" lets you have your cake and eat it too!

Alvin Ailey Dance Theater Perform's Aszure Barton's "BUSK" at LA's Dance Center

BUSK is not a new work by Canadian choreographer, Aszure Barton.  First performed in 2011, it's reflective of Barton's dark comedy milieu utilizing dance as its art form.  Her body of work continues to dazzle for its pro creativity and originality is anything but mundane.  Busk means a street performer who entertains in public for donations.  One does not consider a mendicant with a sign besieging hard cash as  amusing.  In fact, many of us (myself included) will do our utmost to turn away or feign nonchalance for the homeless.  Barton who has choreographed for the Canadian Nat'l Ballet, ABT, Nederlander Dance Theater and individual artists such as Mikhail Baryshnikov and Misty Copeland has been bestowed many awards in the arts including Canada's Arts and Letters, is anything but subtle.  BUSK taunts you to look away from the androgynous dancers sheathed in what appears to be Grim Reaper's hooded capes.  The smoky, dark setting with sport lighting morphs the dancers' faces to appear macabre and nightmarish.  The dancers move frenetically while coming together in groups with rippling waves.  The music is ironically and idealistically operetic enhancing a beseeching quality.  The Alvin Ailey Dance Theater is comprised of the most elite and versatile dancers in the world.  Thankfully, there are solos in which the dancers shed their body covering robes and the graceful athleticism of the dancers can be admired.  Having seen BUSK several times prior, I'm still very engaged by the combative relationship between the dancers and the audience.  Barton's brilliant piece "Busk" is provocative.  The audience is not afforded the luxury of turning away.