CamandtheCity
Joined Jun 2000
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Reviews8
CamandtheCity's rating
As a fan and five time repeat visitor to the magical experience that was "Passing Strange" on Broadway, I will reticent to see the experience moved into the world of film. The play achieved such a delicate balance of beauty, art, and reality that I was terrified that a film was going to upset the balance.
I could not have been more worried for naught.
Spike Lee's film opened Friday, and at the time of this writing it is early Sunday morning, and I have now seen the film 3 times in the sole theatre it is playing in here in NYC.
The magic of this exquisite piece of theatre encompasses brilliance in direction, acting, singing, and writing in both the script and the music and translates BEAUTIFULLY to the screen.
Spike Lee manages to lightly and expertly place his own fingerprints on an already marvelous piece without upsetting the delicate balance director Annie Dorsen achieved with the live show. He captures a subtlety in the performances in the filmed version that was evident but not as crystalline clear in the theatre from 30 feet away. Every subtle moment registers in closely framed film in a way that manages to not only capture the electricity of the performances, but the subtlety of being in very close proximity to the actors.
And the acting is nothing short of brilliant. All of the original cast is present in the film and this wonderful ensemble cast is one of the most attuned ensembles i have ever had the privilege to see. From Daniel Breaker's nuanced and wonderfully ranged performance as the everyman character "Youth" to Eisa Davis' heartbreaking performance as his mother to Stew's incredible turn as the narrator of the story of his own life, there is enough rawness and reality to turn even the hardest of hearts.
This is without even having thus far mentioned the brilliant range of performances that Colman Domingo, De'Adre Aziza, Chad Goodridge and Rebecca Davis (in no particular order) bring as no fewer than 16 different characters ranging from constricted upper-middle class California residents to free-thinking freedom experts in Amsterdam to self-tortured artists and revolutionaries in riot-torn Berlin. Singling out individual characters or performances among this delightful cast of roles and actors is impossible as there aren't any among them that don't deserve mentioning in great detail.
And the music... good lord: the music. From blues to pop, from punk to funk, this score has it ALL. The band, always present on the stage, is just as much a part of the show as the singer/actors. Band members Heidi Rodewald (who co-wrote), Christian Cassan, Christian Gibbs, and Jon Purney perform in a way that makes them almost akin to a Greek chorus, providing the instrumentation, commenting and interacting with the story as it unfolds.
This show was a very rare show indeed. An everyman's' tale of self-discovery that is relatable to anyone with any intelligence. The movie only manages to improve on an already wonderful experience.
Do yourself a favor: see this now.
As for me, I have to sleep now so I can get up and experience this film again tomorrow and see where "Passing Strange" takes me today.
I could not have been more worried for naught.
Spike Lee's film opened Friday, and at the time of this writing it is early Sunday morning, and I have now seen the film 3 times in the sole theatre it is playing in here in NYC.
The magic of this exquisite piece of theatre encompasses brilliance in direction, acting, singing, and writing in both the script and the music and translates BEAUTIFULLY to the screen.
Spike Lee manages to lightly and expertly place his own fingerprints on an already marvelous piece without upsetting the delicate balance director Annie Dorsen achieved with the live show. He captures a subtlety in the performances in the filmed version that was evident but not as crystalline clear in the theatre from 30 feet away. Every subtle moment registers in closely framed film in a way that manages to not only capture the electricity of the performances, but the subtlety of being in very close proximity to the actors.
And the acting is nothing short of brilliant. All of the original cast is present in the film and this wonderful ensemble cast is one of the most attuned ensembles i have ever had the privilege to see. From Daniel Breaker's nuanced and wonderfully ranged performance as the everyman character "Youth" to Eisa Davis' heartbreaking performance as his mother to Stew's incredible turn as the narrator of the story of his own life, there is enough rawness and reality to turn even the hardest of hearts.
This is without even having thus far mentioned the brilliant range of performances that Colman Domingo, De'Adre Aziza, Chad Goodridge and Rebecca Davis (in no particular order) bring as no fewer than 16 different characters ranging from constricted upper-middle class California residents to free-thinking freedom experts in Amsterdam to self-tortured artists and revolutionaries in riot-torn Berlin. Singling out individual characters or performances among this delightful cast of roles and actors is impossible as there aren't any among them that don't deserve mentioning in great detail.
And the music... good lord: the music. From blues to pop, from punk to funk, this score has it ALL. The band, always present on the stage, is just as much a part of the show as the singer/actors. Band members Heidi Rodewald (who co-wrote), Christian Cassan, Christian Gibbs, and Jon Purney perform in a way that makes them almost akin to a Greek chorus, providing the instrumentation, commenting and interacting with the story as it unfolds.
This show was a very rare show indeed. An everyman's' tale of self-discovery that is relatable to anyone with any intelligence. The movie only manages to improve on an already wonderful experience.
Do yourself a favor: see this now.
As for me, I have to sleep now so I can get up and experience this film again tomorrow and see where "Passing Strange" takes me today.
A very brilliant movie, very powerful, with EXCELLENT and remarkable performances from the two lead boys as well as the father, as well as a very effective supporting cast, a profound script, divine direction and cinematography. Amongst all of these elements, it really surprised me and kept me guessing. I would think that it was going to go one direction, and then it would go another. It rode the thin line between painful and warm/fuzzy, with perfect balance, never becoming saccharine nor falsely-depressing.
This is one of the better gay films i have seen in some time, even if the end is a bit disturbing.
I found the movie to be very bleak and touching all at the same time, and I would say it is a highly recommended film, I could not take my eyes off of it.
This is one of the better gay films i have seen in some time, even if the end is a bit disturbing.
I found the movie to be very bleak and touching all at the same time, and I would say it is a highly recommended film, I could not take my eyes off of it.
This movie is a truly interesting mess. It's little more than a soft-core gay film, but aspires and wants to be a romantic comedy. The acting is quite good for a film that looks like it was made on a shoestring college class budget, but any interesting thought the script has about modern gay romance is quickly buried by excessive nudity and simulated (or is it?) sex.
The script is cringe-worthy and taken from your average porno at times, and this is part of what makes it so muddled. A character actually happily yells "I AM YOUNG, DUMB AND FULL OF ***" at one point before jumping on top of his scene partner.
It could have been more, and seems like it really wants to be.
The script is cringe-worthy and taken from your average porno at times, and this is part of what makes it so muddled. A character actually happily yells "I AM YOUNG, DUMB AND FULL OF ***" at one point before jumping on top of his scene partner.
It could have been more, and seems like it really wants to be.
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