■ The long-anticipated spring Port Jefferson Documentary Series kicks off Feb. 28 with a screening of Fiddler’s Journey to the Big Screen at Theatre Three, 412 Main Street, Port Jefferson. Narrated by Jeff Goldblum, the film draws on behind-the-scenes footage of the making of Fiddler on the Roof with interviews and never-before-seen stills, capturing how this beloved musical made its triumphant, hazardous journey to the big screen and its unparalleled impact as a cultural force. Guest speaker via live Zoom will be Director Daniel Raim.
■ Up next on March 7 at Theatre Three is Youth v. Gov, the story of 21 young people, ages 13 to 19, from all over the nation and all walks of life who collectively sue the United States government for violating their constitutional rights by threatening their futures with the effects of climate change. Guest speaker will be Director Christi Cooper via live Zoom.
■ The season continues with Refuge, a story about fear and love in the American South, at Theatre Three on March 14. A leader in a white nationalist hate group finds healing from the people he once hated — a Muslim heart doctor and his town of refugees. Guest speakers via live Zoom will be directors Din Blankenship and Erin Bernhardt, and Chris Buckley and Heval Kelli, subjects in the film.
■ After a brief hiatus, The Automatwill be screened at Theatre Three on April 11. Chock-full of rich archival footage of old Philadelphia and NYC, this everything-you-wanted-to-know-about-automats film is a lighthearted trip through the history of Horn & Hardart’s iconic and innovative eateries. Guest speaker will be Director Lisa Hurwitz.
■ a-ha, The Movie heads to Theatre Three on April 18. The music of Queen and the Velvet Underground instilled a sense of destiny in three teenagers living in a small town in 1970s Norway. That dream led to A-ha: the synth-pop trio featuring keyboardist Magne Furuholmen, vocalist Morten Harket, and guitarist Pål Waktaar-Savoy. Featuring new interviews with the band and previously unreleased behind-the-scenes footage. Guest speaker via live Zoom will be Director Thomas Robsahm.
■ Next up is Zero Gravity to be screened at John F. Kennedy Middle School, 200 Jayne Blvd., Port Jefferson Station on May 2. The documentary follows a diverse group of middle-school students from San Jose, CA, who compete in a nationwide tournament to code satellites aboard the International Space Station. Guest speaker via live Zoom will be Director Thomas Verrette.
■ Final documentary at Theatre Three on May 23 TBA.
*All screenings will be held at 7 p.m.
All tickets are $10 and are available online or at the event (cash only). For more information or to purchase tickets, visit www.portjeffdocumentaryseries.com.The series is sponsored by Brightview Senior Living of Port Jefferson Station and Covati & Janhsen CPAS PC of Port Jefferson.
A behind the scenes moment in the documentary with director Norman Jewison (right) and Chaim Topol in the role of Tevye on the set of Fiddler on the Roof.
By Melissa Arnold
The long-anticipated spring Port Jefferson Documentary Series kicks off Feb. 28 with Fiddler’s Journey to the Big Screen, a homage to the beloved movie musical.
There is something visceral about Fiddler on the Roof. Whether on stage or on screen, it has a way of gripping your emotions and stirring up memories like few other musicals can.
Based on the story Tevye the Dairyman by Sholem Aleichem, the original Broadway production of Fiddler on the Roof opened in 1964 and became the first musical to run for more than 3,000 performances. The epic, three-hour film adaptation came along in 1971, and quickly earned accolades as the highest-grossing movie of that year.
Rosalind Harris (Tzeitel)
Nearly 50 years later, filmmaker Daniel Raim set out to document all that he could about the film through the eyes of its cast and crew. Along the way, he explored what Jewish culture, faith and family ties mean to him in the present day.
The finished product, “Fiddler’s Journey to the Big Screen,” is narrated by actor Jeff Goldblum and presented by Zeitgeist Films.
“I brought a lot of curiosity into my exploration of Fiddler on the Roof,” said Raim, who lives in Los Angeles. “It wasn’t just about what makes [director] Norman Jewison’s film so great, but what Norman Jewison’s personal and spiritual journey was like in the process of making it.”
Raim’s grandparents were Holocaust survivors, and his parents met in Israel, where he moved as a teenager. While there, he attended an art-focused high school and, upon graduation, began to make documentaries for the Israeli Defense Force during his required time of military service. He later returned to the United States and attended the American Film Institute.
As for Fiddler on the Roof, Raim recalled watching it for the first time at his grandparents’ house.
“My great-grandparents died in the Holocaust, and when I was watching Fiddler with my grandparents, a portrait of them hung on the wall. My great-grandfather was a kosher butcher and a rabbi, and my grandfather took me to synagogue and taught me about their values,’ he recalled.
“I was so moved watching it with them — it felt like I was looking at a realistic portrait of Jewish life in Tsarist Russia in 1905, what life might have been like for my great-grandparents’ generation as they wrestled with changing times and anti-Semitism. I had a very specific connection to it and began to ask questions: Who am I? Where do I come from? How did my family live? It made it very meaningful to me.”
Ironically, director Norman Jewison wasn’t Jewish at all. Despite this, he had a deep desire from early childhood to learn more about Jewish culture, especially as he faced harassment because of his last name.
Neva Small (Chava)
It took Raim more than 10 years to complete the film as he traveled the world interviewing the cast and production team. The 88-minute documentary offers an intimate, heartfelt peek inside the memories and creative process of Chaim Topol (Tevye), Rosalind Harris (Tzeitel), Michele Marsh (Hodel) and Neva Small (Chava), among others. The film also includes behind-the-scenes footage and thoughts from production designer Robert F. Boyle, lyricist Sheldon Harnick and renowned composer John Williams.
Raim made a point of showing just how much effort and research went into developing the Fiddler film, so that it could be as authentic as possible. Norman Jewison and John Williams traveled to Israel for a research trip before production began, where Williams pored over Yiddish archives and music. In the documentary, Williams shares what he learned about different types of music that were meaningful in that era and culture, and about the importance of the fiddle in a musical and historical context.
Similarly, producer Robert Boyle had to research what life was like in a shtetl, or small Jewish community. It was a difficult process, as the shtetls were targeted and destroyed during the Holocaust. Despite this, Boyle was able to faithfully recreate a Jewish painted synagogue based on the very little information he could find.
The attention to detail and commitment to authenticity is only part of what makes Fiddler on the Roof so enduring, Raim said.
“I think the appeal of the stories by Sholem Aleichem, up through the Broadway musical and the film, is that their themes and issues are universal — the breaking down of traditions, the relationships and tensions between family members,” he said. “Everyone can relate to it. You have these beautiful narratives with complex, fun characters, and it can be both joyous and heartbreaking. And then for Jewish audiences, it’s almost like an origin story that they can see themselves and their families in.”
While many in the film industry faced life-altering changes during the pandemic, Raim used his downtime as the final push to complete the documentary.
Michele Marsh (Hodel)
“At the start of the pandemic, I began to collaborate with Michael Sragow, who was the co-writer, co-producer and lead researcher, and producer Sasha Burman. The three of us worked together over Zoom during the lockdown. I thought, now is the time to pull out the juiciest archival footage and interviews I’d ever shot and start working on and shaping them. I really feel like thanks to the pandemic I could really focus on this film, and I was blessed to be able to continue filming original interviews in 2021.”
Production was completed this past December, making the Port Jefferson Documentary Series one of the first showings with an audience.
The Port Jefferson Documentary Series began in 2006 with a group of friends around a dining room table. The series has since won the title of Best Film Festival on Long Island for six consecutive years.
“When I screen a film, I need to experience an emotional connection before I share it with my board members, and one doesn’t need to be Jewish to appreciate Fiddler on the Roof,” said Barbara Sverd, co-director of the twice-yearly Port Jefferson Documentary Series.
“Why is it so successful? I think it’s because it’s about average, everyday people trying to make a living, trying to keep old traditions alive, trying to fit into an ever-changing world they may not understand and leaving the Old World behind for an unknown future. But its broader message is about hope, faith and acceptance,” she said.
“We are proud to present Fiddler’s Journey to the Big Screen as a sneak peek before its theatrical premiere and as a welcome back to our Long Island audience. It’s the first in our upcoming Spring Series, and we are thrilled to have director Daniel Raim as our guest speaker by Zoom.”
IF YOU GO:
Fiddler’s Journey to the Big Screen will be shown on Feb. 28 at Theatre Three, 412 Main Street, Port Jefferson at 7 p.m. A conversation with Daniel Raim via Zoom will follow, where audience members can ask questions and share their thoughts. All tickets are $10 and are available online or at the event (cash only). In accordance with Theatre Three’s policy, masks, vaccination cards and a photo ID are required to attend. For more information or to purchase tickets, visit www.portjeffdocumentaryseries.com.
Lady Sings The Blues, the Academy Award®-nominated biopic of the incomparable Billie Holiday, returns to select theaters nationwide in celebration of its 50th anniversary on Feb. 20 and 23. From working as a housekeeper in a brothel to headlining at Carnegie Hall, the film follows Holiday’s legendary, groundbreaking career and her tragic death at age 44.
Filled with the greatest songs of the incomparable “Lady Day,” the film received five Academy Award® nominations, including Diana Ross for “Best Actress.” Starring opposite Ross are Billy Dee Williams and Richard Pryor.
This special anniversary screening includes exclusive pre- and post-film commentary, presented by TCM Primetime Host Ben Mankiewicz.
Locally the film will be screened at Farmingdale Multiplex Cinemas on Feb. 20 at 3 p.m. and Feb. 23 at 7 p.m.; Island 16 Cinema de Lux in Holtsville on Feb. 20 at 3 p.m. and Feb. 23 at 7 p.m.; and AMC Stony Brook 17 at 7 p.m. on both days. To order tickets in advance, visit www.fathomevents.com.
Jennifer Lopez and Owen Wilson in a scene from the film. Photo courtesy of Universal Pictures
By Jeffrey Sanzel
Romantic comedies cover a broad spectrum. Whether classics, such as It Happened One Night, The Philadelphia Story, or The Shop Around the Corner or contemporary favorites, like When Harry Met Sally, Four Weddings and a Funeral, and Love Actually, most viewers have their personal favorites.
On the low end are unwatchable travesties, usually humorless and coarse (thank you, Holidates, for ruining an entire year’s worth of celebrations). The majority play somewhere between, floating in that B-/C+ range on the bell curve. They are watchable but by-the-numbers predictable or just fail to reach their potential. Marry Me, now playing in theatres and streaming on Peacock, is guilty of both.
Singing superstar Katalina “Kat” Valdez (Jennifer Lopez) is poised to marry the younger Bastian (Maluma) in a spectacular event. The combination concert and ceremony will play to five thousand “guests” and twenty million watching from around the world. It will also unveil the titular duet. Just before she is about to enter and take her vows, an online news source posts video of Bastian carrying on with Kat’s assistant. After a speech about “love is a lie,” Kat selects an unwitting audience member to be her husband. He is math teacher Charlie Gilbert (Owen Wilson), who happens to be holding his daughter Lou’s (Chloe Coleman) “Marry Me” sign. He comes onstage, marries her, and the story begins.
The premise is ridiculous, but there is an opportunity for both humor and insight if one embraces the idea. The opening shows preparations for a celebrity wedding in all its excess, both the over-the-top production and the media coverage. How much more interesting would the film have been to continue this path, emphasizing the misplaced values and the constant internet hype? Instead, the story becomes painfully predictable.
Kat’s people convince Gilbert to continue in the faux marriage so she can “change the narrative.” Because he is such a good guy—the windbreaker is a dead giveaway—he agrees. But, of course, they fall in love. She takes him to openings; she teaches his mathalon students to dance. It is all precious and precocious.
The supporting cast is reduced to ciphers, with Sarah Silverman playing Gilbert’s best friend, a school guidance counselor, who is the “kooky sidekick.” John Bradley (interesting in the execrable Moonfall) and Michelle Buteau play Kat’s considerate handlers. But they are given so little character, they function more to move things along, reminding Kat that she has a photoshoot or a plane to catch. The banality of their performances is no fault of theirs. Maluma, a gifted singer, is given the caricature Latin lothario. Coleman does well enough as Gilbert’s daughter, caught between divorced parents and trying to fit in her new school.
But the film’s sole reason is Lopez and Wilson, and, unfortunately, they seem uncomfortable much of the time. Lopez is saddled with the worst of it; she is the star who is lonely in the crowd. Lopez is a charismatic performer, which shines through when she is allowed to sing. Here, she engages fully, and these are the brighter spots. Wilson is trying to channel an everyman but just comes across as clueless (projected through his use of a flip phone).
There is not so much a lack of chemistry as no fusion. Kat and Gilbert are quickly too comfortable yet remain distant, mouthing speeches that are a patchwork of cliches. It is as if someone has cut up Hallmark cards and pasted them together as a script. In this case, the someones are John Rogers, Tami Sagher, and Harper Dill, who penned the pedestrian screenplay (based on a graphic novel by Bobby Crosby). Director Kat Coiro fails to bring any originality or point of view.
Many obvious moments will either satisfy expectations or just annoy. The whimsical challenge: Kat will attempt to function without assistants; Gilbert will go on social media. (The arc lasts all of three minutes and then is forgotten.) The requisite surprise birthday gift:A visit to a childhood amusement park. The romantic date:They chaperone the school dance. The build-up to consummation: It might be the first time in fifty years that anyone has been inspired by Robert Goulet’s “If Ever I Would Leave You.” The final obstacles involve the Grammy Awards and the big math event, lacking stakes and tension. So much for conflict, contrast, and texture.
One of the major missed opportunities is mentioned in passing. Kat is “north of thirty-five.” Far more interesting would have been incorporating the fears of a not-young-star in a youth-centric culture. Lopez would have brought both depth and dimension to this element.
Ultimately, it comes down to what you want. If you hope for wit and originality, Marry Me does not deliver. But, if you can accept a bland if not unpleasant movie, there are worse ways to spend a couple of hours.
Rated PG-13, Marry Me is playing in local theaters and streaming on Peacock.
Hallie Berry and Patrick Wilson in a scene from the film. Photo courtesy of Lionsgate
By Jeffrey Sanzel
Did you ever stop to think that the “disaster” in “disaster movie” could have two meanings? You’ll have plenty of time to contemplate this during the two-hour running time (one hundred and twenty minutes (twelve thousand seconds)) that Moonfall takes to grind through its machinations.
Roland Emmerich directed, co-wrote, and produced Moonfall. His other science-fiction films include Stargate (1994), Independence Day (1996), Godzilla (1998), The Day After Tomorrow (2004), and Independence Day: Resurgence (2016). So, Emmerich is the guilty party.
On a 2011 Space Shuttle mission, a mysterious black swarm kills an astronaut. A fellow crewmember, Brian Harper (Patrick Wilson), is accused of negligence, blamed for the death, and fired. The other crewmember, Jo Fowler (Halle Berry), was unconscious when the attack occurred.
Fast forward ten years. Harper, now divorced, is on the verge of eviction from his seedy apartment. Fowler (also divorced) holds the position of NASA’s Deputy Director. Conspiracy theorist K.C. Houseman (John Bradley) discovers that the moon’s orbit has shifted, bringing it closer to the earth. Failing to get Harper to listen, he goes public on social media. “Moon panic” and looting ensue. A failed attempt to investigate the moon situation leads to the exposure of the black swarms that attacked ten years earlier.
A scene from ‘Moonfall.’ Photo courtesy of Lionsgate
An hour into the film, Harper, Fowler, and Houseman venture out on a space shuttle taken from a museum; they are off to save the world. Spoiler Alert. In a convoluted explanation, everything comes back to rogue Artificial Intelligence destroying a civilization that colonized earth. The moon is a megastructure built by the aliens. (A fun drinking game would involve imbibing on this oft-repeated word. If you don’t want to wait for the myriad recurrences, say it to yourself ten times before going to the movie and take a nap instead.)
Meanwhile, on earth, a subplot involves Harper’s semi-delinquent son, Sonny (Charlie Plummer), rescuing his mother (Carolina Bartczak) and her new family, as well as Fowler’s son. They are trying to get to a Colorado bunker where Fowler’s ex-husband (Eme Ikwuakor), an Air Force four-star general, is holed up with the keys to the about-to-be-released nuclear weapons. Sonny outdrives a tsunami in an amazing feat of auto-heroics, possibly the greatest plug in Lexus history. He is also involved with a preposterous rescue involving the moon’s gravity saving the day.
Science fiction movies have been built on less but have triumphed in style, special effects, and an appeal to a sense of wonder. Moonfall manages to tick no boxes. What is not CGI looks like cardboard models. The same is true for most of the performances.
Academy Award-winner Halle Berry is truly an exceptional actor and rarely disappoints; here, the headline should be “Halle Berry Cashes a Paycheck.” Patrick Wilson usually does not lack charm, but he comes across as a low-rent Captain Kirk meets Hans Solo.
John Bradley (best known for his role as Samwell Tarly in Game of Thrones)gives the most interesting performance as the backward Houseman (attached to his mother and his cat Fuzz Aldrin). But, today, something is disturbing in the conspiracy theorist as the voice of reason. Donald Sutherland’s minute-and-a-half of screen time is a minute-and-a-half of screen time. (Beneath Berry’s headline should be “So does Donald Sutherland.”) Often, the performances seem one beat away from Airplane. We wait for Wilson to turn to the other two and say, “And don’t call me Shirley.” Alas, he does not.
Movies like this can be entertaining. Unfortunately, Moonfall is not so much fun as unintentionally funny. With lines as painful as “I work for the American people,” “The sand on the hourglass is dropping quickly for all of us,” “I hope the moon holds together at least for a little while,” “I didn’t come this far to fail,” “I hate to tell you this, but we’re running out of time,” and (multiple times) “I’ve got a plan,” the script is cobbled together from The Big Book of Movie Cliches. A personal favorite is “If the earth gets a second chance, I think we deserve one too.” The pseudo-scientific jargon does not help the situation.
Moonfall makes us yearn for the integrity of Georges Méliès’ A Trip to the Moon (1902), in which a cannon propelled capsule lands in the eye of an annoyed moon.
No words can truly describe the Moonfall’s final moments. They must be seen to be believed. Or better, not. Among the film’s promotional taglines is “Earth … We have a problem.” Yup. With deep gravitas, Harper says, “Save the moon. Save the earth.” Perhaps it should have been, “Save your money.”
Rated PG-13, Moonfall is now playing in local theaters.
From left, Matt McGorry, Mamoudou Athie and Dina Shihabi star in Archive 81.
Photo from Netflix
By Jeffrey Sanzel
One of Netflix’s top ten most popular shows is the first season of the supernatural Archive 81. The twisty thriller runs parallel timelines that eventually entangle. Smart and well-plotted, the eight one-hour episodes deliver intriguing concepts in a literate, engaging storyline.
Based on the podcast of the same name, Archive 81 focuses on Daniel Turner (Mamoudou Athie, understated and riveting), an expert archivist for the Museum of the Moving Image in New York City, who is hired to restore fire-damaged twenty-five-year-old videos. The head of the shadowy LMG corporation, Virgil Davenport (folksy malevolence as played by Martin Donovan), ensconces Daniel in a remote compound to do the work.
Mamoudou Athie as Daniel Turner in a scene from the series. Photo from Netflix
The found-footage video belonged to documentarian Melody Pendras (Dina Shihabi), who was writing her Ph.D. dissertation about an apartment building, The Visser. However, Melody’s prime goal was locating her birth mother, who had left her in a church as an infant.
While Melody lived in the building and investigated, The Visser burned down, leaving thirteen people missing. As Daniel watches the tapes, he becomes obsessed with Melody. Additionally, he is suspicious of the coincidence of his own tragic childhood loss of his entire family in a fire.
The expansive construction of Archive 81 allows for full portraits of the isolated Daniel and the determined Melody. Their pain and struggles are palpable and are a study in contrast. Melody ferociously seeks the truth, even if it puts her in danger. On the other hand, the damaged Daniel spends his life on the sidelines, not as a creator. Asked if he is a filmmaker, he responds, “No, I restore … films, tapes, photographs … things that have been damaged, lost, or forgotten … I bring them back.”
When Melody begins speaking to him in the tapes and then appearing in person, he questions his sanity. But gradually, both realize they are connecting across time and space, with the lines not so much dissolved as tangled. Time is out of joint in both minutes and years, conceptually playing into the commentary of lost spirits who do not know where to go. Ultimately, this poses the question: “Can the present haunt the past?”
Creator Rebecca Sonnenshine (with four other writers and four directors) has crafted inventive mythology, well-developed characters, and clear and differing styles for 1994 and 2019. The driving force is the building and its occupants.
Harkening to Rosemary’s Baby, the denizens of the Visser are a strange bunch, harboring secrets and holding clandestine meetings in the community room. But this is to be expected in a story that deals with covens, satanic cults, human sacrifices, and a god-demon named Kalego.
Add to this spirit receivers, lost television tapes, a Hollywood connection, and drug addiction, Archive 81 boasts a complicated but not convoluted plot. The emotional investment is appropriately life-and-death, with the revelations smartly unveiled.
The acting is solid, with Athie and Shihabi anchoring the narrative. Matt McGorry is excellent as Daniel’s friend and confidant Mark who runs the paranormal podcast Mystery Signals. McGorry mines the role for dimension, raising it above the stereotypical sidekick. Julia Chan just avoids caricature as Melody’s aggressive artist roommate, Anabelle. Ariana Neal’s Jessica is a likable, off-beat teen groomed for darker purposes. Evan Jonigkeit is wholly believable as Samuel, the most welcoming of The Visser’s residents. If Kristin Griffith and Kate Eastman are two of the more over-the-top tenants, Sol Miranda’s fortuneteller/medium makes a difficult scene soar.
There is little gore, and the handful of jump-out scares are well-earned. Unfortunately, the special effects are not as high-end as the series warrants, landing more functional than impressive.
Oddly, in the penultimate episode, Archive 81 loses tension as it is filled predominantly with straightforward flashbacks of the 1924 origin of the cult. The explanations deflate the existential dread, and its linear style is far less interesting than the early, more peripatetic entries. Clarification seems to diffuse the energy. The final moment sets up for at least a future season, if not seasons.
Archive 81 is an enigmatic fast-paced story grounded in riddles and played for high stakes. And what more could you ask for in a binge-watch? The series is now streaming on Netflix.
Pierce Brosnan and Kaya Scodelario in a scene from the film. Photo courtesy of Gravitas Ventures
Fan Bingbing and Kaya Scodelario in a scene from the film. Photo courtesy of Gravitas Ventures
William Hurt in the role of Père La Chaise. Photo courtesy of Gravitas Ventures
By Jeffrey Sanzel
Vonda N. McIntyre’s The Moon and the Sun (1997) blended science fiction and historical romance. The novel won the Nebula Award for Best Novel, besting George R. R. Martin’s A Game of Thrones. Among the book’s other accolades were a Publishers Weekly Best Book Award, Locus Recommended Book, and Intergalactic Award for Best Novel. Set in the seventeenth-century French court of King Louis XIV, the story follows the longest-reigning monarch’s search for immortality by ingesting an endangered sea monster’s flesh.
Talk of a movie version can be traced back to 2002, with Natalie Portman attached as the lead. But the film failed to be greenlit. Eventually, The Moon and the Sun was filmed in 2014, set for a 2015 release date, but the film remained on the shelf for nearly seven years. Various reasons have been proffered, including test audiences’ less than positive reaction to the visual effects and a tax evasion scandal involving the film’s mermaid, Fan Bingbing, China’s highest-paid female star. The film has finally been released under the title The King’s Daughter.
It has taken a quarter of a century for The Moon and the Sun to land on the big screen. But sadly, one suspects that this is not what McIntyre had in mind.
Choosing Julie Andrews as narrator probably seemed like a good idea on paper, but the once-upon-a-time illustrated prologue along with Andrews’ unique warmth and whimsy point towards Disney’s Beauty and the Beast. Unfortunately, the child-friendly prologue presents the wrong signals for what is—or at least should be—a darker tale.
The opening convent scene features Rachel Griffiths as the Mother Abbess channeling The Sound of Music as she disciplines Marie-Josèphe (Kaya Scodelario) for being too … well, too Maria von Trapp. The Abbess’ departing shot to the girl is that she is going “to a lavish, glimmering hell … where you no doubt will thrive.” If only.
The court seems to be short on courtiers. Outside of a scene of the king (Pierce Brosnan) addressing what looks like the peasants from a road company operetta, the population of Versailles seems to be on holiday. Perhaps they are off buying some of the strangely non-period dresses that occasionally pop up in the oddest places.
Quickly, with very little explanation other than a gift for music, she is whisked away to the court by the king’s personal confessor, Père La Chaise (William Hurt). Louis quickly elevates the feisty lass to court composer.
Meanwhile, sailor Yves De La Croix (Benjamin Walker) has found the sea creature (Bingbing). The villainous court doctor (Pablo Schreiber) has promised the monster’s heart and life force will grant the king eternal life. The mermaid must be sacrificed during the upcoming solar eclipse.
Louis shows particular interest in Marie-Josèphe, as she is his illegitimate daughter, spawning some of the most uncomfortable parent-child scenes ever found outside of the plays of Eugene O’Neill.
The mermaid’s singing draws Marie-Josèphe to the pool in which the creature is imprisoned. The musician uses the siren’s pinging vocalizations to inspire her composition, meeting the king’s immediate approval. In addition, the girl falls for the sailor. However, as the court is in dire financial straits, Louis wants Marie-Josèphe to marry the wealthy merchant-heir Jean-Michel Lintillac (Ben-Lloyd Hughes).
Barry Berman and James Schamus have taken a range of liberties with the source in fashioning their clumsy screenplay. Director Sean McNamara’s lack of nuance does nothing to enhance the performances. Teeth-grinding earnestness fills every line; emotion is replaced by slow motion. Brosnan is always charming and could have excelled in the role, but the writers could not commit to what they wanted their Sun King to be. His relationship with Hurt’s priest seems like lifted from a buddy movie. Scodelario alternates between pleasantly upbeat (though occasionally a bit rom-com) and crying.
Films of this ilk can be saved by style-over-substance. Lady-in-waiting Magali (Crystal Clarke) tells Marie-Josèphe that “color and bravado are the order of the day.” Again, if only. The filmmakers were granted access to shoot at Versailles. Somehow, they made the spectacular palace look cheap—as if shot in the producers’ Hampton’s backyard.
The royal ball in the Hall of Mirrors is a missed opportunity to showcase excess and opulence, further ruined by an excruciating father-daughter dance. The underground cave where they keep the mermaid is quasi-Pirates of the Caribbean (not the film—the ride). The special effects seem generated on an ancient laptop, with the final sequence particularly appalling.
After dithering about souls and morality, the final platitude is “only love is immortal.” Yes. But clear storytelling and character development can be nice, too.
Rated PG, The King’s Daughter is now playing in local theaters.
A scene from 'Homecoming: The Story of African American Farmers.' Photo courtesy of CAC
The Cinema Arts Centre in Huntington will present a free special online screening of Homecoming: The Story of African American Farmers on Wednesday, Jan. 26 at 7 p.m.
The final program of its LI AgriCULTURE series, the event will include a discussion with the film’s director, Charlene Gilbert.
In 1920 there were hundreds of thousands of black farmers in America; in 1999 there were fewer than 18,000. Filmmaker Charlene Gilbert travelled to Georgia, the place she calls home, where her cousin still farms the family’s land. Gilbert recounts her family history while she investigates the social and political implications of the decline of black farming, and explores the bittersweet legacy of the land, a symbol of both struggle and survival.
Homecoming paints a picture of the courageous journey of black farmers who started as freed slaves after the Civil War. By 1910, there were 200,000 African American farmers who had bought land, a staggering number considering the poverty and discrimination they faced. However, the Supreme Court’s 1954 decision on Brown v. Board of Education polarized the whole country. Its impact in the South went far beyond the classroom; many farmers who needed credit found they suddenly couldn’t get it, a process known as “red-lining.”
Gilbert unearths footage of U.S. government farm bureaucrats paying lip service to black farmers. A 1964 study of the Department of Agriculture under the Johnson administration found that there had been discrimination against African Americans in every level of the agency. Homecoming explores the spiritual and symbolic meaning of land for black farmers in America.
A link to view the film and an invitation to join the discussion and Q&A will be provided in your email order confirmation after you RSVP at www.cinemaartscentre.org.
Jenna Ortega
in a scene from 'Scream.'
Photo from Paramount Pictures
By Jeffrey Sanzel
The horror and comedy genres have always been an uneasy mixture. Early examples show a clumsy and ultimately juvenile mix, fodder for the preteen matinee crowd. The most obvious examples include the Abbott and Costello/Universal outings where the duo clashed with a rogue’s gallery of baddies from Frankenstein’s monster to Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.
Jenna Ortega with Ghostface in a scene from ‘Scream.’ Photo by Brownie Harris/Paramount Pictures
Horror films shifted with the aggressively cold Hammer films and then found a reemergence in the late 60s into the 70s. Rosemary’s Baby (1968) ushered in an era of grudging respect for cinematic terror. The genre reached its peak with John Carpenter’s near-perfect Halloween (1978). Any humor found in these works was incidental and subtle. Wes Craven’s A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984) introduced elements of dark comedy. (As the series deteriorated, serial killer Freddy Krueger descended to the level of a quippy late-night TV host, rather than the rooted evil in which he was forged.)
Kevin Williamson’s screenplay for Scream (1996), directed by Craven, successfully blended horror and humor. Scream and its franchise are rooted in a meta-view of the clichés acknowledging the classic tropes. The first Scream movie was clever, brilliantly tense, and genuinely funny; its opening scene (featuring Drew Barrymore) is horrifyingly smart. The characters’ awareness of the rules of the slasher film informed their perceptions.
Three sequels followed with the cleverest element: the introduction of the film-within-a-film, Stab (and its sequels), taking self-awareness to another degree. While not completely deteriorating like most films followed by a number, the quality, insight, and thrills were less.
The newest incarnation, returning to the original title, Scream, continues where Scream 4 ended. Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett have taken the directorial reigns (Craven having passed away in 2015), working from a script by James Vanderbilt and Guy Busick. Though attempting to dodge a numerical appellation, this is Scream 5 and a standard slasher:
Group of teenagers in various generic relationships. Check.
Some connection to past storylines. Check.
Cameos of expendable characters from earlier films. Check.
Excessive violence and blood. Check.
People being brutalized but managing to not be in too much pain. Check.
Legacy characters appearing as Deus ex machina. Check.
At one point, the writers have given the “expert” a speech about “requels.” These are the films that are neither sequels nor reboots but some hybrid. Whether this is clever or justifying the new Scream is hard to say.
The story occurs twenty-five years after the Loomis-Macher murder spree in Woodboro. The first scene shares DNA with the opening of the original. While on the phone with the killer, terrified high school student Tara Carpenter (Jenna Ortega) must answer questions about the Stab franchise, or her friend will be murdered. Ghostface is actually in the Carpenter home and stabs Tara seven times (though the girl survives).
Ghostface in a scene from ‘Scream.’ Photo from Paramount Pictures
The attack is a ploy to get Tara’s estranged sister, Sam (Melissa Barrera), to return. Joined by her attentive if slightly uniformed boyfriend, Richie (Jack Quaid), Sam quickly reveals her connection to one of the original killers. She and Richie recruit the dissipated former sheriff Dewey Riley (David Arquette). Ghostface continues his attacks, and the teenagers spout quips, referencing the horror movie rules. Running in the background is the release of a much-maligned Stab 8.
The jump scares are plentiful, predictable, and pedestrian, lacking a sense of danger, either on-screen (or in the audience). Even though there is a sadistic killer in their midst, the town strangely takes it as business-as-usual.
Just before the halfway mark, Sydney Prescott (Never Campbell) and Gale Weathers (Courtney Cox) show up to join the hunt for the killer. The old gang is back together. The most painful, excruciating moment has nothing to do with knives: The reunion of the now divorced Dewy and Gale manages to be both under- and over-written simultaneously.
Throughout, nods to other horror films include the dangerous hospital (Halloween 2) and the shower scene (Psycho). A character named Wes and an Elm Street memorialize Craven. A vague analysis of toxic fandom is important but not fully realized. A lack of texture and a plethora of stiff dialogue keep the film at a distance.
Even with the return of Arquette, Campbell, and Cox, the film fails to ignite. The new cast members do their best, each suspecting the other of being the killer. Even saddled with excessive exposition, Barrera and Ortega make for self-actualized Scream Queens.
There are definite flashes of wit and enormous meta potential. But clichés are sometimes just that: clichés. And, with all the blood, Scream is the hardest to watch when trying to be noble and sincere.
Whether a sequel, a reboot, or a “requel,” Scream is more of a whimper. And just as in the movie’s world where there will be a Stab 9, we can expect a Scream 2. Or 6. Number it as you will.
A CLASSICAL EVENING
The award-winning Emerson Quartet (from left, Paul Watkins, Eugene Drucker, Philip Setzer and Lawrence Dutton) heads to the Staller Center on Jan. 26. Photo from Staller Center
Thursday January 20
Theater Talk
Northport Public Library, 151 Laurel Ave., Northport presents a program titled New Hollywood— American New Wave Cinema of the 1970s at 7 p.m. The 1970s brought some of the most momentous films and filmmakers of all time. Historian Greg Blank will explore directors and their films, including Francis Ford Coppola’s The Godfather, Steven Spielberg’s Jaws, and George Lucas’ Star Wars. To register, call 261-6930.
Friday January 21
Friday Night Face-Off – Update: This event has been canceled.
Join Theatre Three, 412 Main St., Port Jefferson for Friday Night Face-Off, Long Island’s longest running improv comedy show, tonight at 10:30 p.m. on the Second Stage. For ages 16 and up. $15 cash at the door. Call 928-9100 for more information.
Saturday January 22
Maple Sugaring Day
Join the staff at Caumsett State Historic Park Preserve, 25 Lloyd Harbor Road, Huntington for a Maple Sugaring program from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. This interactive program for adults will teach you how to identify and tap a maple tree so you can make real maple syrup at home. You will also learn the cultural, historical, economical, and scientific background of this uniquely American craft. Very short-walk. $4 per person. Advance reservations required by calling 423-1770.
Sunday January 23
The Golden Age of Broadway
Join Celebrate St. James for a program titled The Golden Age of Broadway with Jack Ader at the St. James Community Cultural Arts Center, 176 Second St., St. James at 1 p.m. Enjoy a video presentation of interviews with some of the stars during the golden age of Broadway along with anecdotes of Ader’s own personal experiences. Donation $20/ $15 seniors. To register, call 984-0201 or visit www.celebratestjames.org.
Monday January 24
No events listed for this day.
Tuesday January 25
Medicine Collection
The Northport Police Department and the Suffolk County Sheriff’s Office will collect unused or expired prescription and over-the-counter medications in pill form only at the Northport Public Library, 151 Laurel Ave, Northport and the East Northport Public Library, 185 Larkfield Road, East Northport from 3:30 to 6:30 p.m. No questions asked. Call 261-6930.
Wednesday January 26
Cinema at the Library
Northport Public Library continues its Cinema at the Library series tonight at 6:30 p.m. Join Cinema Arts Centre co-director Dylan Skolnick for a viewing and discussion of The French Dispatch (rated R). The plot follows three very different storylines as the French outpost of the fictional Evening Sun newspaper creates its final issue. Registration required by calling 261-6930.
Emerson Quartet in concert
Stony Brook University’s Staller Center for the Arts, 100 Nicolls Road, Stony Brook presents the award-winning Emerson String Quartet in concert in the Recital Hall at 7 p.m. The program will include String Quartet #2 by Walton, Quartet #1 by Bartok and Quartet #3 by Shostakovich. Tickets range from $52 to $60. To order, call 632-2787 or visit www.stallercenter.com.
Atelier Art Talk – Update: This event has been moved to February 2
The Atelier at Flowerfield in St. James presents an online lecture titled Noctures: A Brief History Art of the Night Sky from 7 to 8:30 p.m. Join instructor Randall DiGiuseppe in exploring different artists and landmark works from the Paleolithic Age to modern times and how our ever-evolving understanding of the night sky has influenced art. Free. To register, visit www.theatelieratflowerfield.org.
Thursday January 27
Native American Drumming
All Souls Church of Stony Brook hosts a Native American Drumming Meditation program at its Parish House, 10 Mill Pond Road, tonight from 7 to 8:45 p.m. Led by elder drummer Ric Statler, the meditation seeks to integrate the physical, mental, emotional and spiritual parts of the human self, creating a state of well-being. Call 655-7798 for more information.
Film
‘Homecoming: A Story of African American Farmers’
The Cinema Arts Centre will present a free online screening of Homecoming: A Story of African American Farmers via Zoom on Jan. 26 at 7 p.m. On Long Island there were once numerous Black-owned farms stretching from Queens to the East End. During the 19th and early 20th centuries, Black Long Islanders established farms in and around the communities of Sag Harbor, Manhasset, New Cassel, Roslyn Heights, Amityville, Glen Cove, Setauket, Bridgehampton, as well as many others. The screening will be followed by a live discussion and Q&A with director Charlene Gilbert. Free. To register, visit www.cinemaartscentre.org.
Theater
Ken Ludwig’s ‘Baskerville’
A scene from ‘Baskerville.’ Photo by Brian Hoerger
The play is afoot! Theatre Three, 412 Main St., Port Jefferson presents Ken Ludwig’s Baskerville: A Sherlock Holmes Mystery from Jan. 8 to Feb. 5. The play is afoot! Comedic genius Ken Ludwig transforms Arthur Conan Doyle’s classic The Hound of the Baskervilles into a murderously funny adventure. Sherlock Holmes is on the case. The Baskerville heirs have been dispatched one by one and, to find their ingenious killer, Holmes and Watson must brave the desolate moors before a family curse dooms its newest descendant. Watch as the intrepid investigators try to escape a dizzying web of clues, silly accents, disguises, and deceit as five actors deftly portray more than forty characters. Tickets are $35 adults, $28 seniors and students $20 children ages 5 to 12. To order, call 928-9100 or visit www.theatrethree.com.
‘Rock of Ages’
The John W. Engeman Theater, 250 Main St., Northport presents Rock of Ages from Jan. 27 to March 13. The five-time Tony Award®-nominated Broadway musical smash tells the story of a small-town girl, a city boy, and a rock ‘n’ roll romance on the Sunset Strip. But when the bar where rock reigns supreme is set to be demolished, it’s up to these wannabe rockers and their band of friends to save the day — and the music. Rock of Ages’ electric score features all your favorite ’80s rock anthems and power ballads, including “Every Rose has its Thorn,” “I Wanna Know What Love is,” Here I Go Again,” “Don’t Stop Believin’,” and more! Tickets range from $75 to $80 with free valet parking. To order, call 261-2900 or visit www.engemantheater.com.
‘The Marvelous Wonderettes’
Theatre Three, 412 Main St., Port Jefferson presents The Marvelous Wonderettes from Feb. 19 to March 26. This blast-from-the-past musical takes you to the 1958 Springfield High School prom, where we meet Betty Jean, Cindy Lou, Missy, and Suzy, four girls with hopes and dreams as big as their crinoline skirts! Featuring over two dozen classic ’50’s and ’60’s hits including “Lollipop,” “Dream Lover,” “Wedding Bell Blues,” and “Son of a Preacher Man.” Tickets are $35 adults, $28 seniors and students, $20 children ages 5 and older. To order, call 928-9100 or visit www.theatrethree.com.
■ a-ha, The Movie heads to Theatre Three on April 18. The music of Queen and the Velvet Underground instilled a sense of destiny in three teenagers living in a small town in 1970s Norway. That dream led to A-ha: the synth-pop trio featuring keyboardist Magne Furuholmen, vocalist Morten Harket, and guitarist Pål Waktaar-Savoy. Featuring new interviews with the band and previously unreleased behind-the-scenes footage. Guest speaker via live Zoom will be Director Thomas Robsahm.
■ Next up is Zero Gravity to be screened at John F. Kennedy Middle School, 200 Jayne Blvd., Port Jefferson Station on May 2. The documentary follows a diverse group of middle-school students from San Jose, CA, who compete in a nationwide tournament to code satellites aboard the International Space Station. Guest speaker via live Zoom will be Director Thomas Verrette.
In 1920 there were hundreds of thousands of black farmers in America; in 1999 there were fewer than 18,000. Filmmaker Charlene Gilbert travelled to Georgia, the place she calls home, where her cousin still farms the family’s land. Gilbert recounts her family history while she investigates the social and political implications of the decline of black farming, and explores the bittersweet legacy of the land, a symbol of both struggle and survival.
Prev
