The Tiny Spectacular March 25, 2006

I went to the Tiny Spectacular at Magnet Theater, expecting to see an awesome improv show performed by some fantastic improvisers. This night, however, proved to be above par. The show usually features a mix of Rachel Hamilton, Ed Herbstman, Abby Sher, Miriam Tolan, Jean Villepique, plus Tara Copeland, James Eason, Jason Mantzoukas, Christine Walters and guests. It’s always a great mix of performers. Last night, though, the audience was treated to a surprise guest, Mike Myers.

Let me tell you, everyone at that show, including Mr. Myers, brought their “A” Game! Jean Villepique was a full-of-herself life-coach, Tara Copeland was a down-on-herself NY single and Mike Myers was Jesus. Jesus fought Buddha, without any pants, mind you. Wow, truly great stuff!

The regular cast of the show is always on point, butt I would like to take this opportunity to point out how great of an improviser Mike Myers is. Throughout the show, he always gave out information, he always agreed and he was fully committed to making his scene partners look great! This was just solid improv and I’m so happy I got a chance to see it!

Oh, and for the record, Mike Myers will drop his pants if the scene calls for it. He was wearing tighty whiteys, in case you were wondering.

The Tiny Spectacular runs at the Magnet Theater every Saturday night at 7:30. I urge you all to see it.

Oh, and while you’re at it, check out my buddy Vinny’s show, No Filter. There’s a free preview Sunday, March 26 at 7:00 at the Magnet and the run starts Friday, April 7 at 9:30, also at the Magnet.

Xoxo
Ian

P For Propoganda!

Due to lost cell phones and whatnot, I wound up seeing V For Vendetta last night. Boy, was it awful!

Anyone who has read the comic will notice the film is an off-balance interpretation. Even the few scenes taken directly from the comic seem untrue. The filmmakers lacked the vision to properly translate the still image to a moving one.

Example: The colors in the comic are washed out, causing a fogged effect throughout. This effect helps set a tone and mood that feels very much like London. The film's colors, however, are crisp and could have easily taken place in any other city in the Western World.
Alan Moore and David Lloyd were very specific, London was just as much a character in the story as The Man In Room 5 and Evey Hammond. Sadly, the backdrop is not specific enough, nor is it terribly engaging. The audience is told this is London, but there's no feeling to it.

Gone is the almost too strict adherence to Aristotle's Poetics. Now, there's tons of action in the film. Now, I understand that some action needed to be seen on screen, it's a movie. A filmmaker must show the action instead of talk about it. If he's not going to do that, he should make it a play.

The film is preachy. Very, very preachy. The comic, while tackling difficult and controversial subject matter, always avoided this. Granted, it had the luxury of being written in a Pre-9/11 world, but that's no excuse for the mess the Wachowski's made of the adaptation. Instead of following the piece's essence, they pushed their own agendas. First, they hijacked The Invisibles, and now one of Alan Moore's best works. No wonder they seem sympathetic to a terrorist's plight.

Bottom line, save your money...better yet, go to a comic store and buy the graphic novel. It'll make you think about the world we live in and how puritanical and divisive it's becoming.

xoxo
Ian

Copyright 2006 Ian Gonzales