DROPS of GOD Series Takes Wine Tasting Seriously for Delicious Fun

The new sleek series screening on Apple, DROPS of GOD, is a wine connoisseur's delight, literally.  The drops refer to wine and God alludes to the acute ability to identify wines through taste and smell.  This lush looking series set in France and Japan jumps between French, Japanese and English with a lot of jet setting between countries which lends a lofty, seductive appeal.  We first meet our French, femme fatale, Camille, played with smoldering intensity by Fleur Geffrier, as a young, strawberry-blonde girl walking companionably with her dad in a vineyard.  Camille eagerly agrees to be blindfolded, ready to begin their game of identifying morsels fed by her father.  This proves an easy and enjoyable task until stumped. Her father becomes impatient and demanding she think harder. We're transported into Camille's subconscious immersed into a dense forest.  Here she uncovers moss and correctly identifies the sample.  The timeline jumps ahead a decade and Camille appears as an attractive, self-assured woman.  She's approached at a bar by an admirer offering a drink. Camille declines, explaining she never drinks alcohol.  She excuses herself to take a call from her dad whom we learn she hasn't seen since for eleven years.  Her father asks forgiveness and implores her to visit him in Japan where he's on his deathbed. The reasons for the riff are unkown but she'll consider coming.  She's welcomed back at the bar with a kiss; a ruse to coerce alcohol into her mouth.  Furious, she lashes out and collapses in a fit of rage bleeding profusely from her nose.  "Stranger Things" happen.  Camille decides to visit and is whisked to Japan by limo and private plane.  The allure and paradox of the last decade is infused with another intriguing character, a soon to be rival for her father's inheritance and legacy, Issei (played with icy charm by Tomohisa Yamashita).  Camille's arrives posthumously and learns of her father's final will and testament. The entire, mega-million wine collection and estate will be inherited by either Issei, whose benefitted from her father's recent mentoring or Camille.  The caveat being the two must compete for it in a wine tasting contest.  The stage is set for two formidable adversaries to bring their expertise to battle.  We've savored sips of both's enigmatic backgrounds and crave for more.  There's plenty to appeal to one's senses.  The masterful cinematography features rich shots of glamorous cosmopolitan cities, modern architecture and rustic countrysides.  We're learning alongside Camille of her father's adopted Buddhist faith.  From these initial wafts of intrigue with the promise of a full bodied melodrama, there are hints of an intoxicating new series that should prove  addicting.  

Doc. BAMA RUSH-Skewed Film that Lambasts Sororities Directed by Rachel Fleit

Having grown up with sisters, the thought of moving away from home and into a home full of sorority sisters seemed a sorry scenario with no appeal.  Still, the romantic notions that pique the desire to rush to join a sorority house seemed enticing. This doc. examines the ordeals for gaining acceptance into Greek-dom on the campus of Alabama (AL).  Actual life once inside its kingdom was not apparent.  At the time of the great gold rush when I matriculated, cell phones, TikTok and social media crazes were not yet on the horizon. Now, young people cannot conceive of existing without considerable time spent on social media. The influence of sites such as TikTok are so omnipresent as to impact heavily on how teens and young adults perceive themselves and society.  The clandestine rituals intrinsic to sorority selection system have been revealed to a great extent via social media.  For young women with aspirations of seeking a shot at a spot as a certified sister, they must create an overwhelming number of videos promoting themselves in numerous outfits and scenarios.  Desire for acceptance is universal and understandable and avails itself of an intriguing documentary.  However, dir. Rachel Fleit's film is a debacle for numerous reasons.  First, Fleit turns the camera inward, making herself a central focus that is self-serving while steering the storytelling away from its subjects into a self-analysis of her trauma stemming from not fitting in as young woman with alopecia; complete hair loss.  Fleit repeatedly drew analogies between her feelings of inadequacies and not belonging with the women in the film seeking solace by rushing. Second, the young women Fleit follows extensively share their personal anxieties and mental health issues. Rather than a voyeuristic peek into a surreptitious society, the film takes on an intense and inappropriate scrutiny of vulnerable women dealing with anguish.  The film features female professionals hired as mentors to steer girls through the process of rushing. This reenforces the notion that being accepted into a sorority is of consummate importance and necessitates special training.  Relevant topics worthy of further coverage were sadly brushed aside in a scurried manner.  Racial relations and minimal integration in sororities and on campus would have been far more compelling.  Referencing "The Machine" on AL's campus alluded to an omnipotence wielded by sororities and fraternities to be feared, but nothing was unveiled and only served to further dilute this already convoluted and misguided expose.  Fleit may have felt she shed light on the feminine mystique in search of sorority rushing but failed to make a charming or clever documentary.  The result is a desultory investigation which looks at women with issues stemming to a great extent from believing their looks don't measure up to high level stratifications set by accepted standards of beauty.   Put the brakes on watching BAMA RUSH.

Jazz Royalty Charles Lloyd and Gerald Clayton at 222

Last night Charles Lloyd and Gerald Clayton Duo performed for the season finale at 222 in Healdsburg.  This swan song for the season was a send off that kept the audience spellbound.  Legendary jazz musician, and composer Charles Lloyd, 85 years young, performed an extraordinary set with pianist Gerald Clayton.  Clayton (b. Netherlands 1984) is a composer, arranger and award winning recording artist. Clayton on piano paired with Lloyd performing on alto sax.  The two combined their artistries for an intricate, multi-layered aesthetic that fused classical jazz and relaxed constraints of blues and classical music for an innovative style that was paradoxically soothing and startling. Lloyd and Clayton both wore loose fitting shifts, knit caps and shades befitting jazz musicians.   Clayton has received six Grammy nominations and the Thelonious Monk Int'l Jazz Piano Prize (2006).  Lloyd has collaborated with numerous jazz luminaries  including Herbie Hancock, Keith Jarrett and Billy Higgins.  Watching Clayton's dexterous fingering on the keys was reminiscent of Monk's unpredictable playing that always strikes an unexpected note or riff with flawless results.  Together, Clayton and Lloyd utilized opposing ranges and tempos. Clayton favored higher octave ranges in allegro style while Lloyd embellished in richer, base octaves and an adagio tempo.   While both musicians demonstrated their unique virtuosities in long solos, the combination of the two disparate styles evoked a contemplative, somnolent score.  Lloyd deferred a majority of the playing time to Clayton while still demonstrating a formidable prowess on his wind instruments and a robust accompaniment on maracas.  The one composition in which Lloyd played an alto flute proved his excellent staying power offering a rich, mellow sound.  However, for this selection Clayton strummed the strings on the piano which had an alien, other worldly vibe I found discordant.  Clayton did all his talking through his instrument and Lloyd spoke only briefly during the program.   Lloyd did say, "I live in the music and not comfortable with verbiage."  He did share his unrelenting "research trying to find that note that is elusive and makes me feel blessed with the missive of a spiritual life."  I felt very fortunate to be in the audience for this intimate and intoxicating evening of transcendent jazz.  The final encore had the only recognizable melody; "Somewhere" from West Side Story.  I was mystified by this choice to close out the concert but their intelligent interpretation was profoundly melancholy.

Film POLITE SOCIETY-Martial Arts Comedy Drama Written/Dir. by Nina Manzoor

The film "Polite Society" just released on Prime Video is an action-comedy that throws jabs at several genres for a mishmash of scenarios that strikes with force on some fronts and fails miserably to connect on others. The film is written and directed by Nina Manor, ("Doctor Who" and "We are Lady Parts"). The plot spins around an Indian-British couple and their two lovely daughters.  Lena (Ritu Arya, "Umbrella Academy") is a high school student with aspirations of becoming a stunt woman and her older sister, played by Priya Kansara, recently dropped out of art school.  Lena, is working hard to fulfill her career dream and even harder at coercing her sister to pursue her plan to become an artist. The first half-hour of the film is the most enjoyable as Rena literally drags her sister into sparring with her.  Lena also tries to enlighten her traditional and social-status seeking parents of how things really stand.  Rena takes on the high school bully in a masterful martial-arts scene that is a big crowd pleasure.  The martial-arts fight scenes, social satire and earnest performances by Arya and Kansara are first rate but not worth the long detention of staying for the rest of the belabored film after it takes a low blow to its plot.  Lena becomes obsessed with thwarting the impending nuptials.  Her sleuthing into the palace where her future brother-in-law lives uncovers a secret lab where nefarious experiments are being conducted on women's wombs.  Her sister's future mother-in-law, Raheela (Nimra Bucha) is an evil foil whose on to Lena's attempt to spoil the wedding.  Credit Raheela's campy and bewitching performance for making a formidable and humorous nemesis.  The scenes in which Raheela's pampering turns to torture, rips new, fertile grounds in villainous comedy.  Nevertheless, the sisterly warmth, friendships and powerful performances fail to muster enough strength to maintain its satirical bite throughout the long winded "Polite Society."  

JURY DUTY-Courtroom Comedy "Reality" Series that Spoofs Jury Duty

A trial by our peers is a pillar of our democracy.  Jury service is a high duty of citizenship.  But, like me, most people hope to dodge jury service.  The new Amazon comedy series, "Jury Duty" is a spoof on jury service with an arresting premise; everyone is an actor except for one person who doesn't realize that everyone besides him, is an actor and the entire situation is staged.  Ronald Gladden is the sole non-actor serving time in a real court room in Los Angeles county and being punked.  Gladden is interested in experiencing the workings of being on a jury and gung-ho to be part of a documentary being made chronicling the inner workings of an American jury trial.  Assuming this is the actual premise, and Gladden is clueless to the farcical set-up, the first episode was hilarious and outrageously clever having pulled off a fraudulent courtroom assemblage of actors and scenarios.  I'm not sure how Gladden is duped into the chicanery or if the audience is all being duped, but go with it for a rollicking ride that is gut wrenchingly funny.  The judge and bailiff are perfect in their no-nonsense roles as are the prosecutor and defending attorneys.  The civil suit itself wears thin; a woman is suing a former co-worker for $1.8 million not $2,400 as the bumbling defense attorney flagrantly misinforms the court, and is admonished by the presiding judge.  The only recognizable actor you may know is handsome leading man, James Marsden.  Marsden, is a main reason the courtroom shenanigans are so much fun to watch.  Marsden plays himself contending he's a major star that should be excused from duty because his celebrity is likely to cause disruption.  The fact that Marsden is not recognized by Gladden or the judge makes his self-mockery ingratiatingly humorous.  On the first day of jury selection, several people explained to the judge their reasons for not being able to be jurors.  One elderly woman told the judge, "It's just not my thing."  The judge accepted this excuse and she was dismissed giving others in the juror pool reason to hope they too may get dismissed.  One young man wanting out of service to get away with his girlfriend asked for suggestions and was jokingly told to claim being a racist.  This didn't sit well in the courtroom and failed to get him removed but elicited snickers and angry glares.  Marsden's plan to stage paparazzi at the courthouse to get excused, backfires horribly.  The judge orders the jurors (Marsden included) to be sequestered.  The show is  a mock/doc by producers who made "The Office" and there is a similar zany appeal with a motley mix of likable, quirky characters.  The verdict is in on episode one, guilty on all counts of breaking new ground in comedy. The verdict is still out whether the show can maintain this level of first degree comedy.

Michael Berkowitz Conducts Broadway Tribute with David Burnham/LC Powell

The conductor and drummer extraordinaire, Michael Berkowitz conducted the Santa Rosa's Pop Orchestra in a tribute to Broadway tunes featuring Broadway alums David Burnham and LC Powell at the Luther Burbank Theater.  Berkowitz has been conducting the Pop Orchestra for fifteen years and this performance was his swan song with the Orchestra.  He's conducted numerous other orchestras including the Boston Pops and London Symphony and conducted for Sarah Brightman and Marvin Hamlisch.  As a drummer, he's performed for Liza Minnelli, Elton John and Henri Mancini.  The performance got an off kilter start with the orchestra's off-key overture from "Oklahoma".   David Burnham's first number "Something Coming" also had a rocky start with missed lyrics.  The wobbly start was short lived and followed-up with a program packed with great highlights.   Burnham's crooning of "Luck Be a Lady" was better than Sinatra.  It was obvious to see why he's been cast in numerous Broadway musicals.    LC Powell's lovely voice was more appealing when sung in duet with Burnham.   Their voices blended beautifully and they made magic happen with "They Can't Take That Away from Me" and "In the Wee Small Hours of the Morning."  Ironically, Burnham joked boasted his nephews consider him cool because he's been portrayed as an animated character in, and when LC Powell appeared, she personified Jessica Rabbit.  The other three outstanding numbers were the one's where Berkowitz put his baton down and picked up his drum sticks.  His playing was incredible and a concert featuring on drums would be something I wouldn't miss "Come Rain or Come Shine."  Berkowitz closed the show on the drums with "Sing, Sing, Sing".  He told us that Hamlisch was bent out of shape by the favorable attention grabbing press he received for his performing the number on his show.  Berkowitz hadn't performed the number since and since he was stepping down, he was going to step out, strike up the band and play, play, play!  It was almost like being in love.    

Zodiac Trio-Clarinet, Violin, Piano Perform Contemporary American Music at 222

The internationally performing Zodiac Trio performed a contemporary American program at the 222 in Healdsburg.  Founded in 2006 at the Manhattan School of Music featuring Kliment Krylovskiy on clarinet, Vanessa Mollard on violin and Rico Higuma who did much of the arranging, on piano.  The first composition by Peter Shickele, "Serenade for Three" in three movements.  "Dances" the first movement was an uplifting, lively allegro.  "Songs" the second movement was andante and sombre.   And, "Variations" the third movement picked up into a vivace tempo, but the three movements felt discombobulated.  Stravinsky's "Suite from "L'Histoire du Soldat".  Krylovsky gave a short synopsis prior to each movement for this Faustian, foreboding tale. Andrew List's composition "The Devil's Final Challenge," written for the Zodiac Trio, was also given a narrative by Krylovsky.  In this demonic tale, the hero outwits the devil.  However, part of the violin playing is intentionally off-key as the devil struggles to play and repetitive.  The friendly banter and theatric would have lent themselves to a family friendly program.   I preferred the compositions by Benny Goodman and George Gershwin's "An American in Paris," which was arranged by Riko.   Riko jokingly informed us that Krylovsky and Mollard are married and that she arranges equally melodic melodies for both.  I felt the music highlighted Krylovskiy's clarinet allowing the instrument to shine in its rich vibrato tenor range.  The piano and violin played off the clarinet's sured sounds.   The musicians all possessed a gifted musicality but the best display of their talents came through in Gershwin's and Goodman's compositions which gave a lift to the strength of the clarinet.    

Ted Lasso's Season 3 Leaves A Little Something to Cheer

Ted Lasso's first season was a champion surprise hit that took both sides of the pond by storm.  An American kid's football coach, Ted Lasso (Jason Sudeikis)  hired for the head coaching job of a London Soccer Club with the intent to fail, similar to the ploy in "Producers," but,  against all odds succeeds.  The components of the show that made it such a hit with a large fan base, was the sharp writing and dialogue and a cast of characters that were all extremely likable and a combined camaraderie that scored.  For anyone who has not had the pleasure of watching the first season, I urge you to and perhaps, watch for a second time.  The second series of "Ted Lasso" was an inimitable disaster.  Being such an unmitigated hit with fans and critics alike, the writers may have felt every character deserved more playing time.  As professional coaches will tell you, you don't put in players to give them all an equal shot.  This is not how you obtain a winning team, rather a recipe for disaster.  While I urge coaches of youth sports team to engage all their players, the business of a pro team is to win.  Skip season two.  This brings us to the current, and last season of "Ted Lasso."  The formula for what worked best has gone back to the playbook: characters that are agreeable and with whom we'd want to grab a beer.  The show at its core is about kindness and friendship.  In today's world this is something to be applauded.  Even if "Ted Lasso" season three doesn't muster the greatness of its original show, there's a warmth that provides a pleasant glow to make it worthwhile.   

Chris O'Dowd's Comedy/Drama The BIG DOOR PRIZE May Surprise

The new comedy/drama series on Apple TV, "The Big Door Prize" stars Chris O'Dowd as Dusty, a happily married man and father of a teenage daughter.  Dusty teaches history at the local high school where his daughter, Trina (DjoulletAmara) attends.  The charming small town is one where everyone knows one another and gets along famously.  The town's overall acceptance of differences in race and sexual identification is admirable but  from reality.  But, the enticing premise of the show stems from a mystical machine, the Morph, magically appears in the local general store without any explanation which offers to foretell one's future potential.  This becomes an alluring, addictive and somewhat divisive issue for the locals.  At first, Dusty is reluctant to buy into predicting into the future, but as he observes his neighbors and friends embrace their predictions with enthusiastic change in their lives, his curiosity gets the better of him and other skeptics.  The Morph machine is a catalysis for transformation and a vehicle for examining one's contentment with their life. The charm of the series is carried by numerous appealing characters including Dusty's teen daughter, Trina and classmate Jacob, the local priest and bartender.   These characters add intelligence, sensitivity and compassion.  The show brings in too many zany characters that are supersilious to a fault and derail the series from a being totally engaging and thought provoking.  The show shoots to please by throwing out a smorgasbord of surprises.  While attempting to have something to please everyone behind every door, less would be more. 

BEEF-Rage Retribution Reckoning in Netflix's Dark Comedy

BEEF, Netflix's new series is a dark comedy of unrepressed rage that dissects the adage of whether to best to bury the hatchet or ratchet up the revenge.  Whether tis nobler in the mind to suffer or launch slings and arrows on those we loathe.  Who hasn't harbored resentment towards an in-law's meddling, a manipulative boss or an annoying spouse?  Often, for the sake of harmony, civility or our self-interests, one's true sentiments stew behind the veneer of polite acceptance.  For some, the perceived safety and anonymity inside our cars, allots an outlet to vent our rage and frustrations.  Two drivers, Danny Cho (Steven Yeun) and Amy Lan (Ali Wong) become entangled in a road rage incident that turns into a madcap chase that boils over into an ongoing escalation of retaliations.  At first, there's a vicarious adrenaline rush in  watching two adults behaving badly with calculating viciousness aimed to inflict the most pain possible.   We're alarmed and disgusted when Danny finagles his way inside Amy's home under false pretensions and then urinates on the floors of her bathroom and hallway.  Amy is not taking this sitting down.  A quid pro row of retribution grows, entangling these two dynamic characters into each other's live with drastic consequences. There's more to savor in BEEF.  The sharp insight into what drives these two explosive characters. We witness the abject fawning Amy and Dave feign to achieve their end while simmering in resentment.  Added into this sumptuous stew an excellent cast of supporting actors in juicy roles.  Maria Bello is deliciously manipulative as Jordan, an eccentric business owner who dangles a carrot in front of Amy.  Danny's brother Paul (Young Mazino) with disdain for his big brother's drive while freeloading on him and his likable but nefarious cousin Isaac (David  Choe) who has just got out of prison and is running several questionable rackets.  BEEF's satirical look at how much a person can stomach before repulsion leads to projectile vomiting has a delicious appeal that is cathartic.  BEEF is a show best served up cold so as to savor all the layers of discontent.