Phil Villarreal's Blog, page 39
February 14, 2022
Book Report: "Ready Player Two"
Ready Player Two by Ernest ClineMy rating: 3 of 5 stars
Somewhat of a step back for Cline, the book is a worthwhile sequel for superfans of the first novel, which become a cultural phenomenon.
The story is plagued by a critical tone-deafness, as well as a protagonist whose plight is tough to care about because all he is doing is solving a problem he created. By opening a Pandora's Box of A.I. brain tampering while mass-producing Oasis immersion rigs, the hero drives away the love of his life and puts his mentor and just about everyone he cares about in jeopardy.
Cline follows the same formula he established in the first book, but scales down video game references in favor of obsessions with John Hughes and Prince. This time around, the contest is open to him alone, and there is an arbitrary time deadline he's racing against.
With nothing much at stake, it's sometimes a slog to lumber through the saga, in which seven shards must be collected -- each of them connected by obtuse riddles.
As with the first book, Cline's prose is riddled with stiff dialogue and dull humor.
A strange twist ending left me unnerved, and I credit Cline for the bold choice. It may make some feel alienated.
Despite my disappointment with the book, I enjoyed the experience. Cline is a natural, brisk storyteller, and his geeky enthusiasm is infectious. I would read a "Ready Player Three" if it comes.
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February 9, 2022
PHIL ON FILM: "I Want You Back"
For my full review, click here.
February 5, 2022
Arizona Theatre Company Review: "Women in Jeopardy"
The Bechdel Test-thrashing comedy "Women in Jeopardy" manages to wring two hours of humor out of a murder mystery concept.
The focus is on three divorced middle-aged women who have forged an ironclad bond of mutual support and judgment.
Working from an insightful, irony-tinged script by Wendy MacLeod, the play maintains fluid momentum throughout its two-hour run, delighting the audience with wit and poise.
Julia Brothers plays the sassy, fatalistic Jo, who cranks out scene-stealing one-liners. Veronika Duerr, stepping in on short notice for Aysan Celik, is Mary, a down-to-earth taskmaster whose wry reactions to the shenanigans deliver continual smiles and smirks.
The third member of the trio is the flighty, impulsive Liz (Gail Rastrorfer), whose budding romance casts with the oddball dentist Jackson provides the focal point of the drama. Jackson's dental assistant has gone missing, the latest possible victim in a string of murders of young women.
Joel Van Liew does double-duty as Jackson and Sgt. Kirk Sponsullar, whose bumbling investigatory ways perks up the romantic interest of Mary. Van Liew's deadpan delivery of morbid material is deliciously effective.
Lurking on the periphery are young on-again, off-again lovers Amanda (Ashley Shamoon) -- and Trenner (Damian Garcia). Amanda, Liz's daughter, has an ill-advised camping trip planned with Jackson. Jo, Mary and Trenner conspire to undermine the trip and dig for evidence that backs up their belief that Jackson is the killer.
Elaborate lights and set switching keep thjigns lively, and scene-transition dances spark moments of unexpected joy.
Filled with surprising twists, incisive observations about gender and age issues and nonstop laughs, "Women in Jeopardy" is a lighthearted treat with messages to boot.
"Women in Jeopardy" plays at the Temple of Music and Art until Feb. 5. Buy tickets here. It plays in Phoenix from Feb. 10 to Feb. 27.
February 4, 2022
February 2, 2022
PHIL ON FILM: 5 Shows to Binge in February
For my full story, click here.
January 28, 2022
Book Report: "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest"
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest by Ken KeseyMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
Ken Kesey's acid-tinged writing is incredibly incisive and intelligent. His exploration of not only the broken mental health care system of the mid-to-late 20th century, but the plight of mental illness in its varying forms.
Far ahead of its time -- probably even ahead of our time -- the devastating novel is even more rich and nuanced than the landmark Milos Forman movie adaptation.
Randle McMurphy, a walking id and embodiment of American excess, daring and longing, pretends to be insane to beat a criminal rap that has sentenced him to a work camp. Conniving and brimming with bravado, he rebels against the controlling, infantilizing infrastructure that crushes the hearts and minds of those who are committed.
The genius of the novel starts with the narrative device of telling the story through the ever-churning mind of Chief, a gentle giant whom others dismiss as a checked-out, mute man whose mind has been so scrambled that he can't process human interaction and has become a drone obsessed with mopping.
Instead, Chief is secretly a master of observation, nuance and intense feeling. He processes his surroundings for the reader, acting as the entry point.
In the Audible version, John C. Reilly's urgent narration gives listeners an even deeper, more nuanced access to Chief's inner workings.
A tragic and ephemeral experience, "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" floored me with its style, substance and urgency. It was one of the rare books that broke my heart not only in its storytelling, but that it ended altogether.
Publisher provided review code.
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January 27, 2022
Broadway in Tucson Review: "Wicked"
The spell "Wicked" casts is tough to emulate. The tireless touring production is a traveling gift to musical theater lovers across the nation.
Since debuting on Broadway in 2003, the adaptation of the Gregory Maguire novel has thrilled audiences, inspiring passionate devotion akin to that of a sports fan. The story turns "The Wizard of Oz" tale inside out, positioning the Wicked Witch of the West, Elphaba, as the misunderstood hero.
Graced with a knockout soundtrack, edgy cinematography and a boundless sense of momentum, the show is as much a thrill ride as it is a moving drama of acceptance, perception and forbidden romance.
Elevated by ethereal performances by Talia Suskauer as Elphaba, Allison Bailey as Glinda and Amanda Fallon Smith as Nessarose, "Wicked" soars with an elegant majesty.
Bailey, in particular, thrives in the role of the pompous princess, whose oblivious musings elicit continual chuckles from the crowd. Suskauer's choices with Elphaba are equally moving, drawing pathos for her plight of eputational martyrdom as she pursues some semblance of personal happiness while striving for the greater good for those she loves. Smith's character is one-dimensional, but played with magnetic verve by the smirking, seething actress.
Jordan Litz also impresses as Fiero, instilling a workmanlike nuance and sensitivity into his emotionally torn character.
Spellbinding stagecraft, with giant set pieces, stirring flying, makeup and pyrotechnics give the production an air of class and top-flight quality. Watching "Wicked" is a true modern rite of theater appreciation, and not only a status symbol but a transcendent experience that colors the way you experience all other shows.
To see "Wicked" is to defy not only gravity, but the weights of society that drag people down and pin them into boxes. The hard choice is not whether to see the show, but whether or not you can stop yourself from going again and again until it takes flight to the next lucky town.
"Wicked" is playing at Centennial Hall through Feb. 6. Buy tickets here.
January 26, 2022
PHIL ON FILM: "Rifkin's Festival"
For my full review, click here.
January 19, 2022
Phil on Film: Movies and Shows Leaving Netflix in February 2022
For my full story, click here.
PHIL ON FILM: "Redeeming Love"
Click here for my full review.
