The Lyric Theatre Blog

What a good movie!  Sugar is the story of Miguel Santos, a boy growing up in the Dominican Republic who likes to play baseball and who is a great pitcher.  It follows his rise up the ranks of DR baseball and in to the United States with minor league baseball.  Sugar is very young, family oriented, and speaks next to no English.  The movie develops his character with grace and honesty as he watches his friends move up or down based on how well they play baseball.

When he first comes to the US,  his group is told they are 75 pitchers trying for 50 positions.  In addition to language problems, Miguel is a teen ager in an adult world where his young emotions clash with adult “sensibilities.” The culture, customs and even the food are in stark contrast to what he was used to in the DR.  There are racial problems and sexual problems he needs to confront as well as an injured ankle and the prospect of failure.

The movie delves in to his character and  his inner strength to show how he copes and conquers his problems.  More discussion would spoil the ending which surprised me - not a Cinderella story but a satisfying, and more realistic story.

There are two more nights of Sugar at the Lyric and few people have seen this great movie.  I wish more people will go so I have people to discuss it with.  I might even buy lunch.  There are subtitles which are clear and last on screen long enough for even an old fart like me to read, although I found my rudimentary Spanish served me well.

GO SEE THIS MOVIE!  Don’t wait for Netflix, you’ll want to see it on the big screen.  I highly recommend it.

The Lyric showed Mil Mascaras vs. the Aztec Mummy last night to a large and enthusiastic crowd.  I have never seen a Mexican masked wrestling movie before but found this one to be highly entertaining.  It ALMOST took itself seriously and reminded me of the Batman movies of the 1960s minus the “BOP” “SLAM” bubbled subtitles.  There was also a broad element of the science fiction movies of the 1950s.  Batman and the Justice League of America versus Skeletor would make a good frame of reference, especially in the closing scenes.  Colorful costumes, rapid camera action following rapid fight scenes, all made for an eye-popping movie.  The dialog was brisk, in English and of course, pithy.  The Professor does a great job getting more subtle portions of the plot line progressed.  I would highly recommend this for a Saturday night DVD party enhanced perhaps with pizza and your favorite adult drink of choice (I was drinking water but many in the audience had been to Sharkey’s at the pre-movie party).  Don’t see it alone, you’ll want to share some running commentary with those with whom you view it.

In addition to the movie, the film makers were available, one even masked (El Cardo), to sign autographs and discuss the genre with his many local fans.  A fine time was had by all.

Alas, it was a one night only showing.  This could become a cult classic!!!

Here is a movie with something for just about everybody.  Decent animation, funny characters, lots of things to keep every age group amused.  Take a scene from just about any alien or monster movie from Mothra to Star Wars, include ET and Close Encounters (my favorite part of the movie), add a touch of disco and a Napoleon Dynamite ending and you have Monsters Vs Aliens.  This was a 3D movie in a 2D theatre but you still got some of the same effects - you knew when the 3 D would kick in.  The surround sound was fantastic with bumps and bangs and sllymphs coming at you from all angles.  Was it a great movie?  No, but it was a good movie and a fun movie.  It seemed to  hold everyone’s attention at the first show on Tuesday night.  If you have nothing on your social calendar, be sure to see it.

Lots of good movies coming in June, starting with Earth, then Star Trek and more. Check out thelyric.com for more information!

I started out enjoying, if hat’s the right word, Gomorrah.  There seemed to be a good building of several story lines, some good characters, and I liked the gritty photography.  Why did I leave 37 minutes in to the film?  White on white subtitles!

I like foreign films and I have no problem reading a movie.  My problem is when the subtitles are white letters on a white background!  I lost track of who was who and why they were doing what they were doing because I don’t speak Italian.  37 minutes in to the movie I was sure Luigi was dead but maybe he’d been wearing a bullet proof vest so when his mafioso boss shot him it was just an initiation rite.  (And why didn’t the Columbian drug dealers have guns??)  But by then I had lost track of what was going on with Roberto and decided to head on home and read a book instead.  

Would it be so hard when doing subtitles to make them in a color contrasting the background?  This is not the first movie where this was a problem.  I found it irritating even in Slumdog Millionaire and many others.  Who does the subtitles and why don’t they want me to read them??

What a difference a week makes!  Two movies, similar themes - family owned cleaning business, marital infidelity, suicide - and there the similarities end.  Sunshine Cleaning is about people who may be at the bottom, or close to it, who make life happen.  The characters in this movie are flawed, vibrant, plucky, and likable. Instead of watching life go by, as in Two Lovers, the characters in Sunshine Cleaning take charge of what life throws (including the cat) at them and come to a much more agreeable end.   There is poigancy, laughter and some gross crime scenes (I think the grossest is the baby shower - not a crime scene - but just my opinion) but there is resolution in the end which makes their journeys worthwhile.  Watching the way the color went from vibrant to sepia and back depending upon the scene topic made for a good contrast.  This is not a must see movie but it is a good movie.  If you enjoyed Little Miss Sunshine, be brave and watch Sunshine Cleaning.  It is a darker movie with less comedy relief, but very enjoyable.  they are characters with stories that are their own  and you will care what happens to them.

I was not disappointed in Two Lovers, probably because I had been warned that the Joaquin Phoenix character should have just drowned in the opening scene and been done with it.  Well, I wouldn’t have wished that on him but he and most of the characters were pretty shallow and I could gain no sympathy for them.  I have known people who were going through hard emotional times and did stupid things that seemed rational, maybe, to them at the time, but Gwenyth and Joaquin seemed to go overboard stupid and poor Isabella is in for a rude awakening the next time Gwenyth texts Joaquin and he runs to her aid.  Perhaps that was the point of the movie - that the three “lovers” were so shallow they deserved to drift in and out of reality.  I just could not suspend reality enough to empathize or sympathize with them,

While I won’t ask for the 100 minutes of my life back again, Like Isabella, I think I’d rather go watch the Sound of Music.

I had some feedback from a previous post that The Lyric no longer brought good bands to play anymore.  Several things have changed over the years: first, there are more venues for music.  Floyd County has added several new venues, the Jefferson Center has created several popular showcase series, other counties are refurbishing old theatres, a la Lyric, and they are drawing off crowds.  Second, let’s face it, the economy has gone in the toilet which means three things - higher band costs to make their touring worthwhile, higher ticket prices to meet the rising band costs and less money for consumers so they need to pick their concerts with more care.  So here is a chance for you to let The Lyric know who you’d like to hear AND who you and your 300-477 closest friends would pay $25-30 per ticket to hear.  Ground rules: be realistic - the Rolling Stones ain’t coming here - remember The Lyric doesn’t serve alcohol, and be honest that you think we could make enough of a big chunk of cash to pay the band.  

Another thought has occurred to me - do you know of companies or individuals who would help sponsor getting the band of your choice to help keep ticket prices down?  A corporate endowment would gladly be taken under consideration, I am sure.   If you would like to help sponsor a show or know of a company or organization that would like to support Live @ The Lyric shows, call 540-951-4771 to let The Lyric know you would support Live @ The Lyric shows with cash sponsorship.  

I have no say in who The Lyric books, but I WILL let the booking person know who you think you would like to hear and who you think would bring in a crowd.

I had seen part of Gran Torino while cleaning up after the Juxtaposition concert last Friday.  Well. it looked okay although some of the characters were a bit wooden.  But I thought I would hang around after volunteering Tuesday night anyway.  I am glad I did.  

Gran Torino is like an old friend.  Clint Eastwood plays a crusty old Korean War veteran cum auto worker. in Michigan whose neighborhood is becoming more “diverse.”  It goes on to chronicle how he changes with the neighborhood and proves himself to be a likable old codger.  The movie is very predictable but fits like a favorite pair of jeans.  The wooden performance by the priest turns out to be predictable but a perfect also.  My friend Mary came out and said she felt a tear in the corner of her eye but didn’t cry.  It worked like a mint condition green Gran Torino.

I really liked Daisy as a character.  As an old man with an old dog, I sympathized probably more with the dog than wit Eastwood at times.  An old Lost and Found song puts it well, seems like the rabbits run much faster than they used to.  

I don’t want to give a lot away in fear of making people who haven;t seen this movie not want to see it.  I really enjoyed it - it had many laugh out loud moments and yet was a good character study of changing cultures and changing neighborhoods.  It is also about acceptance of what is and how some things can’t or shouldn’t change.  

If you haven’t seen it - SEE IT.  It has Wednesday and Thursday yet to run.  We had a bigger than normal audience Tuesday and it was thoroughly enjoyed by most!

Is the Lyric Theatre still a relevant part of Blacksburg and the New River Valley?  After ten years, does it still make sense as a part of, even centerpiece for, Downtown Blacksburg?  With art galleries, new music venues such as The Lantern and Gillies, the new black box theatre going up across the street, Awful Arthurs, the various Squires venues, The Regal in Cburg,  and the availability of Netflix bringing movies in to your home has he Lyric Theatre become an anachronism? 

A popular saying in the late 60s and early 70s was live fast, die young and leave a beautiful corpse.  A lot of people followed that advice and are now old, worn out and still kicking.  So is Ram the Wrestler.

The Wrestler is a movie about broken people with broken lives. The acting in this movie is superb.  Micky Rourke is phenonmenal as the aging Ram, worn out from hard life, hard work, steroids, and living alone.  After his by-pass surgery he tries to make amends with his daughter.  He has neglected her all her life and she is afraid he wants her to take care of him now that he is sick.  After a journey through the past, he again fails her and the link between them is broken.

His relationship with the stripper Pam, played by Marisa Tomei, is also fragile, as she is also a mom with a 9 year old son.  As it grows, you see the hard facade they both show the world in their professional lives begin to crumble.  I must say, their body doubles/stunt doubles deserve a good deal of credit for making this movie believable.

Another level is Ram’s interaction with his fellow wrestlers.  They are a close knit community and take care of one another, whether it be in keeping one another supplied with pain killers, both physical and emotional pain, or planning their strategy for the upcoming match.  Yes, pro wrestling is fake, but as they show, there is still pain and violence.  If anything, they are the only true family Ram has.  Of course, the staple gun scene is a little hard to take.

I really enjoyed this movie.  Micky Rourke was fantastic and totally believable in the part of Ram, Tomei a little less so but outstanding none the less.  IF you don’t see it on the big screen, make sure it is on your Netflix list.  And to Jimmy “Boogie Woogie Man” Valentine, down there in Alleghany Springs/Shawsville - this one’s for you.