100 Years of Movie Musicals: The Tales of Hoffmann (1951)

~ Liam ~ Leave a comment

Next year marks the 100th anniversary of the movie musical, and to celebrate I’m embarking on a two-year project to watch 100 movie musicals from 1927 to the present!

Title: The Tales of Hoffmann
Release Date: April 4, 1951
Director:Michael Powell, Emeric Pressburger
Production Company: London Films | The Archers
Main Cast:

Role Actor Singer
Stella/Olympia Moira Shearer Dorothy Bond (Olympia)
Giulietta Ludmilla Tchérina Margherita Grandi
Antonia Ann Ayars
Nicklaus Pamela Brown Monica Sinclair
Schlemil Léonide Massine Owen Brannigan
Spalanzani/Franz Grahame Clifford
Lindorf/Coppélius/Dapertutto/Dr Miracle Robert Helpmann Bruce Dargavel
Kleinzach/Cochenille Frederick Ashton Murray Dickie (Cochenille)
Crespel Mogens Wieth Owen Brannigan
Hoffmann Robert Rounseville
Pitichinaccio Lionel Harris Murray Dickie
Andreas Philip Leaver
Luther Meinhart Maur Fisher Morgan
Stella’s partner in Dragonfly ballet Edmond Audran
Antonia’s mother Joan Alexander
Nathaniel John Ford René Soames
Hermann Richard Golding Owen Brannigan

Synopsis (via Letterboxd):

A melancholy poet reflects on three women he loved and lost in the past: a mechanical performing doll, a Venetian courtesan, and the consumptive daughter of a celebrated composer.

My Thoughts:

I occurs to me that full adaptations of sung-through opera on film are quite rare (I may be wrong, let me know if there are other examples).  The Archers’ adapt Jacques Offenbach’s 1881 opera in their trademark style with bold technicolor, expansive sets, and stunning costumes.  They’ve also brought together a lot of talented performers in acting, singing, and dance.

The story is framed by the poet Hoffman visiting a tavern while waiting to meet the prima ballerina Stella and getting progressively drunk. He tells an eager group of students three fantastical tales of his past romances.  The movie excels at visual and audio spectacle, but it never really feels like it has much heart.  Most of the performers are dubbed by professional singers, but the lipsynching doesn’t always match lending the film an uncanny effect.  There’s a nice touch in the finale when the actors and singers come out together to take their bows.

Rating: ***

Theater Review: A Midsummer Night’s Dream by Commonwealth Shakespeare Company

~ Liam ~ Leave a comment

A Midsummer Night’s Dream

By William Shakespeare
Directed by Steven Maler

Cast

Mustardseed/Fight Captain – Nicholas Bolton
Francis Flute – Michael Broadhurst
Helena – Annika Burley
Hermia – Meghan Carey
Philostrate/Puck – Nick Cearley
Moth – Evan Danyliw
Hippolyta/Titania – Nora Eschenheimer
Theseus/Oberon – De’Lon Grant
Demetrius – Jack Greenberg
Dairy – Bella Grace Harris
Lysander – Jaime José Hernández
Tom Snout – John Kuntz
Snug – Alex Leonedis
Petra Quince – Karen MacDonald
Nick Bottom – Paul Melendy
Peaseblossom – Dani Grace Nissen
Egeus/Robin Starveling – Brooks Reeves
Cobweb/Dance Captain – Alexandra White

After 30 years of providing free Shakespeare performances in Boston, the Commonwealth Shakespeare Company return to the very first play they did in 1996.  In this A Midsummer Night’s Dream, the forest outside Athens becomes a fantastic dance club with electronic music.  Highlights of the staging include a ball pit and faeries with light-up wings.  The play is not originally a musical, but several bits of the script are adapted as pop songs.  The stellar cast can sing, dance, and most importantly, provoke laughter. There are a lot of familiar faces in the cast, including: Michael Broadhurst (Gem of the Ocean), Meghan Carey (The Hills of California), De’Lon Grant (Our Town, Annie), Jack Greenberg (The Hills of California), John Kuntz (Art, Our Town, The Antiquities), and  Paul Melendy (A Sherlock Carol, The Mystery of Irma Vep). A Midsummer Night’s Dream closes August 9th with two performances, so get down the Common if you can!

Movie Review: Spider-Man: Brand New Day (2026)

~ Liam ~ Leave a comment

Title: Spider-Man: Brand New Day
Release Date: July 27, 2026
Director: Destin Daniel Cretton
Production Company: Columbia Pictures | Marvel Studios | Pascal Pictures
Main Cast:

  • Tom Holland as Peter Parker / Spider-Man
  • Zendaya as Michelle “MJ” Jones-Watson
  • Sadie Sink as Jean Grey
  • Jacob Batalon as Ned Leeds
  • Jon Bernthal as Frank Castle / Punisher
  • Florence Pugh as Yelena Belova / Black Widow
  • Tramell Tillman as William “Bill” Metzger
  • Marisa Tomei as May Parker
  • Mark Ruffalo as Bruce Banner / Hulk

Synopsis (via Letterboxd):

Fighting crime full-time as Spider-Man in a world that doesn’t remember him—and the pressure of seeing his old friends move on without him—sparks a change in Peter Parker he may not have the power to control. But that transformation might also be the only thing that can stop a shocking new threat to the city and those he loves – a powerful villain no one can even see.

My Thoughts:

*Note: This review for a recently released movie contains some minor spoilers* 

After the events of Spider-Man: No Way Home, the whole world has forgotten about Peter Parker including his friends M.J. and Ned.  Out of concern for their safety, Peter keeps tabs on his friends but chooses not to reconnect with them. Instead, Peter largely isolates himself focusing on preventing crimes as Spider-Man.  His loss of humanity becomes physically apparent as his spider D.N.A. begins to mutate his body in ways that he’s not comfortable with.

Peter is forced to deal with his past and his identity when threatened by an antagonist who has the ability to occupy and control other peoples’ bodies.  When this person learns of Spider-Man’s secret identity, he is forced to find and protect M.J.  The antagonist is ultimately revealed to be Jean Grey, a character familiar from X-Men comics and movies (although new to me, I did know her name).  Sadie Sink plays Jean with her characteristic gravitas as a conflicted character facing many of the same problems as Peter in being blessed and cursed by great powers.

The cast also includes Jon Bernthal as Frank Castle, a gun-toting vigilante who is a rival/frenemy to Spider-Man.  I wasn’t sure how much we’re supposed to know about Frank since he’s not appeared in a Spider-Man movie before, but he’s actually a character known as Punisher who appeared in a Netflix series a decade ago! Ultimately, though, I don’t think a lot of previous knowledge of Frank is necessary to appreciate his role in this movie and the character changes he goes through. In fact, the movie does a good job of incorporating the larger MCU without requiring a ton of continuity knowledge with appearances by Yelena Belova / Black Widow and Bruce Banner / Hulk that fit the story.

The style of the movie is well-done by director Destin Daniel Cretton who previously helmed the underappreciated Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. Aspects of the movie hearkened back to the 70s/80s with Spider-Man interacting with other characters in full costume while quipping jokes. But there’s also a heaviness to it as the characters, no longer teenagers, deal with the struggles of adulthood, loneliness, and finding one’s identity.  In its fourth installment, the Spider-Man series continues to be a highlight of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Rating: ****

MASTER LIST OF MCU REVIEWS

Films

Television Series

Album Recommendations – August 2026

~ Liam ~ 2 Comments

I’ve given up on trying to regularly write reviews of new albums, but I still want to share albums I enjoyed.  Below are several new (and new-ish) albums – no ratings, no criticism – just music I enjoy listening to and hope you will too

.

Album: ʅ͡(̸̢̛̼)̸͚͛:̴͓̑:̸͎̂ ҉ ͡ ͞ ͞ ͞ ҉● ࿀ ● ࿀ ● ҉⃝ ⃝͢ ͞ ͘ ͞⃝̕ ͢ ̛ ⃝ ̸ ̡ ͢⃝̧ ͡ ͡ ̀ ̧ ̢⃝͜ ҉ ͞ ͞ ⃝͞ ͘ ͞ ͡⃝ ⃝҉҈҉҈҉҈҉҈҉҈҉ :̶̢͙͆(̷̮͂)̵̳̊( ҈͜͢ͅ l̡ ̡͌ Ɵʅ͡(̸̢
Artist: ⣎⡇ꉺლ༽இ•̛)ྀ◞ ༎ຶ ༽ৣৢ؞ৢ؞ؖ ꉺლ
Genre: Electronic, Devotional Music
Release Date: June 12, 2026
Label: ҉҈҉҈҉҈҉҈҉҈҉⃝ ҉
Favorite Tracks:

  • “༼༭ຶཬɷԾㅍㅍ)აِّّْٕٔٓٓ ˓˚✧₊⁎❝᷀ົཽ*ೃ:(꒡͡  ❝᷀ົཽ ꉺლ༽:̸͎̟̯̂̓̌:̶̢͙͙͕̠̩͆(̷̮͍͚̫͚͂̍)̵̳̗̊(　̟̞̝̜̙̘̗̖҉̵̴̨̧̢̡̼̻̺̹̳̲̱̰̯̮̭̬̫̪̩̦̥̤̣̠҈͈͇͉͍͎͓͔͕͖͙͚͜͢͢͢͢͢͢͢͢͢͢͢͢͢͢ͅ l̡̡̡ ̡͌ Ɵʅ͡͡͡͡͡͡͡͡͡͡͡(̸̢̛̼̞̭͋ͅ)̸͚̰͛̔̾̀̿͒͂v̴̢͚͚͎ȯ̶̞̮͖̑̈́)̸̳̥̰̜̥̺̐ͅ)̴͎̜͍̱̋̌͋̓̾̚ ̷̨ ☼⃝◞⊖◟ ∷፨◉☼⃝◞⊖◟☼⃝ꉂꆭ(☼⃝❁)ᕗ　　҉⃝ ʅ͡͡͡͡͡͡͡͡͡͡͡　̟̞̝̜̙̘̗̖҉̵̴̨̧̢̡̼̻̺̹̳̲̱̰̯̮̭̬̫̪̩̦̥̤̣”
  • “☼⃝☼⃝◉　҉⃝O☼⃝⊖☼⃝☼⃝❁　҉⃝☼⃝☼⃝　⃝͢ 　̢⃝͜ ☼⃝☼⃝:̴͓̞̑̌̂̆̊͋̀:̸͎̟̯̂̓̌:̶̢͙͙͕̠̩͆(̷̮͍͚̫͚͂̍)̵̳̗̊(　̟̞̝̜̙̘̗̖҉̵̴̨̧̢̡̼̻̺̹̳̲̱̰̯̮̭̬̫̪̩̦̥̤̣̠҈͈͇͉͍͎͓͔͕͖͙͚͜͢͢͢͢͢͢͢͢͢͢͢͢͢͢ͅ l̡̡̡ ̡͌ Ɵʅ͡͡͡͡͡͡͡͡͡͡͡(̸̢̛̼̞̭͋ͅ)̸͚̰͛̔̾̀̿͒͂v̴̢͚͚͎ȯ̶̞̮͖̑̈́)̸̳̥̰̜̥̺̐ͅ”

 

 

Kieran Hebden, the English electronic musician who typically releases music under the name Four Tet, has opted to make his latest release nearly impossible to find on streaming services.  Set aside that the artist, album, and track listing are all written in unpronounceable “wingdings,” this is an engaging mix of spiritual and danceable tracks.

Album: Foreign Tongues
Artist: Rolling Stones
Genre: Blues Rock
Release Date: July 10, 2026
Label:Polydor | Capitol
Favorite Tracks:

  • Rough and Twisted
  • Ringing Hollow
  • Never Wanna Lose You
  • Beautiful Delilah

It seems inexplicable that the Rolling Stones are still releasing new music in the 2020s much less some of their best music since the 1970s.  The Blues Rock extravaganza features guest appearances from Steve Winwood, Robert Smith (of The Cure), Bruno Mars, and Paul McCartney, as well as some of the final contributions of the late drummer Charlie Watts.

Album: Florida Water Blues
Artist: Twisted Teens
Genre: Garage Rock
Release Date: July 10, 2026
Label: Going Underground Records
Favorite Tracks:

  • Why Did You Miss It?
  • Swamp
  • Florida Water Blues
  • Weather the Season

Twisted Teens are back with their second album of folk-and-country inflected, swampy, garage rock.  See my March post for their previous release.

Album: Emotional Junglist
Artist: Nia Archives 
Genre: Jungle, R&B, Indie Rock
Release Date: July 17, 2026
Label: Hijinxx | Island
Favorite Tracks:

  • Feelingz Go Numb
  • Danger
  • Get Me Down
  • Superlust
  • Boys in Blue

English DJ/producer/singer/songwriter Nia Archives is a self-described junglist, but this album doesn’t fit one genre.  The tracks explore R&B, Indie Rock, and Dream Pop to the extent that I sometimes forget that it’s the same artist.

 

Album: América!
Artist: Orquesta Akokán
Genre: Latin Jazz
Release Date: July 17, 2026
Label: Daptone Records
Favorite Tracks:

  • No Me Voy
  • Hace Tiempo
  • Girassol

This Cuban-American ensemble keeps alive the mambo traditions of the mid 20th century.  The energy of their performance is captured in this live in the studio recording.

Book Review: The Fifth Elephant by Terry Pratchett

~ Liam ~ 2 Comments

Author: Terry Pratchett
Title: The Fifth Elephant 
Publication Info: Doubleday, 1999
Summary/Review:

As Duke of Ankh, Samuel Vimes is sent with Sybil to act as a diplomat attending the coronation of the Low King of the Dwarves, Rhys Rhysson. Überwald is the region on the disc home to dwarfs, werewolves, and vampires (and Igors), based on the movie stereotypes of Transylvania.  In fact, Überwald is “Transyvania” translated from Latin to German.  Vimes soon finds himself investigating the theft of the Scone of Stone, a loaf of dwarf bread sacred to the coronation ritual.  Meanwhile, Angua learns of her brother Wolfgang’s conspiracy to stir up a dwarf civil war, and also travels to Überwald.  Carrot resigns from the Watch and follows Angua assisted by the talking dog Gaspode.  With Fred Colon in charge, the Watch falls apart as most of the guards quit or go on strike.

This is a longer and more complex novel than many Discworld novels – and more violent – but nevertheless carries the characteristic Pratchett creativity and cleverness.  It’s also a lot more progressive about gender identity than many of political leaders are three decades later.

Rating: ****

Discworld Reviews Master List

No. Title Published
1 The Colour of Magic 1983
2 The Light Fantastic 1986
3 Equal Rites 1987
4 Mort (radio drama)
5 Sourcery 1988
6 Wyrd Sisters (radio drama)
7 Pyramids 1989
8 Guards! Guards! (radio drama)
9 Eric (radio drama) 1990
10 Moving Pictures
11 Reaper Man 1991
12 Witches Abroad
13 Small Gods (radio drama) 1992
14 Lords and Ladies
15 Men at Arms 1993
16 Soul Music 1994
17 Interesting Times
18 Maskerade 1995
19 Feet of Clay 1996
20 Hogfather
21 Jingo 1997
22 The Last Continent 1998
23 Carpe Jugulum
24 The Fifth Elephant 1999
25 The Truth 2000
26 Thief of Time 2001
27 The Last Hero
28 The Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents
29 Night Watch (radio drama) 2002
30 The Wee Free Men 2003
31 Monstrous Regiment 
32 A Hat Full of Sky 2004
33 Going Postal
34 Thud! 2005
35 Wintersmith 2006
36 Making Money 2007
37 Unseen Academicals 2009
38 I Shall Wear Midnight 2010
39 Snuff 2011
40 Raising Steam 2013
41 The Shepherd’s Crown 2015

Other books by Terry Pratchett I’ve read:

100 Years of Movie Musicals: Victims of Sin (1951)

~ Liam ~ Leave a comment

Next year marks the 100th anniversary of the movie musical, and to celebrate I’m embarking on a two-year project to watch 100 movie musicals from 1927 to the present!

Title: Victims of Sin
Release Date: February 2, 1951
Director: Emilio Fernández
Production Company: Cinematográfica Calderón SA
Main Cast:

  • Ninón Sevilla as Violeta
  • Tito Junco as Santiago
  • Rodolfo Acosta as Rodolfo
  • Rita Montaner as Rita
  • Arturo Soto Rangel as Director de prisión
  • Francisco Reiguera as Don Gonzalo
  • Lupe Carriles as Doña Longina
  • Ismael Pérez as Juanito
  • Margarita Ceballos as Rosa

Synopsis (via Letterboxd):

A nightclub performer decides to raise the baby boy she found abandoned in a trash can, putting her job and social life in jeopardy.

My Thoughts:

This melodrama/film noir is set in the seedy red light district of Mexico City, where Violetta is a successful night club dancer.  When a fellow dancer abandons her newborn child in a trash can to please the gangster night club owner Rodolfo, Violetta takes the baby as her own. This results in her losing her job and downward spiral into sex work.  There’s hope for a time when Violetta and the baby when the kinder club owner Santiago takes them in, but the violent revenge of Rodolfo is always a threat.

The movie is not blunt in depicting women and children as “victims” with scenes of distressing violence, and the “sin” is wicked men like Rodolfo and the patriarchy that supports them.  The movie is beautifully filmed with stunning shots such as when a mariachi band crosses railroad tracks in front of a steam engine at night.  The film also captures the liveliness of the cabaret with several song and dance numbers featuring rumba, swing, and ballads.

Rating: ***1/2

Bird Nerd Report – July 2026

~ Liam ~ Leave a comment

There’s not much to report this month.  With the end of spring migration, heat waves, the World Cup and other events, I’ve not set aside any time for birding.  All the birds listed below are from casual observations, such as the birds I saw on the river behind Centreville Bank Stadium when I attended a Boston Legacy soccer game last weekend.  I’m looking forward to some bird walks and field trips in August.

Life List =  168
2026 Year List =  110
Complete July 2026 List = 17

Row # Common Name
1 American Goldfinch
2 American Robin
3 Black-capped Chickadee
4 Canada Goose
5 Chimney Swift
6 Chipping Sparrow
7 Double-crested Cormorant
8 Eastern Kingbird
9 European Starling
10 Great Blue Heron
11 House Sparrow
12 Killdeer
13 Northern Cardinal
14 Northern Mockingbird
15 Northern Rough-winged Swallow
16 Osprey
17 Song Sparrow

Previous Reports:

Book Review: Paul Takes the Form of a Mortal Girl by Andrea Lawlor

~ Liam ~ Leave a comment

Author: Andrea Lawlor
Title: Paul Takes the Form of a Mortal Girl
Narrator: Dani Martineck
Publication Info: Books On Tape, 2019
Summary/Review:

This is a challenging book to summarize or review since it is an experimental work.  The main character is a 23-year-old named Paul in the early 1990s who is a shapeshifter with the ability to change gender expression at will.  While at times Paul goes by the name Polly, the third-person narrator always uses the name Paul and he/him pronouns, so I will follow suit.  When we first meet Paul, he’s a student in Iowa City taking advantage of the small but lively LGBTQ scene.  Along Paul’s journeys he visits S&M clubs in Chicago, the Michigan Womyn’s Festival, an extended stay with a lesbian lover in Provincetown during the offseason, and ultimately the Castro in San Francisco.  There’s not so much of a plot here as an episodic sequence on a tour of the United States’ LGBTQ hotspots.  The book is especially true to the alternative culture as Generation X came of age and how it overlaps with the liberation of ideas around sexuality and gender expression at that time.  In this book, Paul also has a lot of sex.  Like I said, I’m not quite sure what to make of this novel but it is an interesting and unique work.

Recommended books:

  • Orlando: A Biography by Virginia Woolf
  • Written on the Body by Jeanette Winterson

Rating: ****

Book Review: The Complete Book of 2010s Broadway Musicals by Dan Dietz

~ Liam ~ Leave a comment

Author: Dan Dietz
Title: The Complete Book of 2010s Broadway Musicals 
Publication Info: Rowman & Littlefield (2020)
Other Books Read by the Same Author:

Summary/Review:

In the most recent edition of this Broadway musical history reference series, we see some positive trends. The number of revivals staged on Broadway actually goes down from the previous decade.  There are still a lot of them, but some feature significant changes such as a darker version of Oklahoma! and My Fair Lady ending with Eliza Doolittle leaving Henry Higgins by marching out through the audience (just as George Bernard Shaw intended).  The always opinionated Dan Dietz has OPINIONS about such things, but also includes more positive quotes from theater critics.

The biggest roadblock for new composers and lyricists to getting their work on stage is the predominance of jukebox musicals in which existing music is wedged in to serve plot and character moments.  New jukebox musicals include American Idiot, Bat Out of Hell, Escape to Margarittaville, Head Over Heels, and Jagged Little Pill. A growing subset of jukebox musicals is the musician’s biography musical in which you can see all the best songs by your favorite artists performed by someone else.  These include Ain’t Too Proud, Beautiful, The Cher Show, Million Dollar Quartet, Motown, A Nigh With Janis Joplin, On Your Feet, Summer, Tina, and We Will Rock You.  Personally, I’d rather see a cover band at a local bar than pay Broadway prices.  The 2010s was also a good time to see your favorite artists playing their own music on a Broadway stage, including David Byrne (American Utopia), Donny & Marie, Patti LuPone and Mandy Patinkin, Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons, Harry Connick, Jr., Hugh Jackman, Kristin Chenoweth, Barry Mannilow, Morrisey, The Rascals, Regina Spektor, and Bruce Springsteen. (With Morrisey’s proclivity for canceling shows I wonder how the producers got him to commit to the entire residency).

At the other extreme, if you were looking for newly composed music and words for book musical, but preferred to have a familiar plot, movie adaptations continued to rule the day.  The following movies (and TV shows) – most of which didn’t originally have a musical element – found their way to the stage in the 2010s: The Addams Family, Aladdin, An American in Paris, Amelie, American Psycho, Anastasia, The Band’s Visit, Beetlejuice, Big Fish,  Bring It On, A Bronx Tale, Bullets Over Broadway, Catch Me If You Can, A Christmas Story, Doctor Zhivago, Elf, Frozen, Gigi, Groundhog Day, Honeymoon in Vegas, King Kong, Kinky Boots,  Matilda, Mean Girls, Moulin Rouge, Newsies, Once, Pretty Woman, Priscilla Queen of the Desert, Rocky, School of Rock,  SpongeBob SquarePants, Sister Act, Tootsie, Waitress, and Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown.

All that being said, the decade also produced some completely brand-new musicals, a particularly strong crop of shows including some that will stand up as new Broadway classics,: Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson, The Book of Mormon, Come From Away, Dear Evan Hansen, Fun Home, Hadestown, Hamilton, Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812, The Scottsboro Boys, Something Rotten!,  and Tuck Everlasting. Broadway musicals are showing in the 2010s that the can continue to be innovative and relevant while gaining broad popularity, albeit the resulting rise in ticket prices is also becoming a barrier to more widespread enjoyment.  Hopefully nothing bad will happen in 2020 to throw a wrench into live theater.

I can’t find any significant biographical details about Dan Dietz, other than that he’s retired.  I suspect he will continue making notes about each musical opening on Broadway for as a long as he can, and hopefully in about 4 years he will release The Complete Book of 2020s Broadway Musicals.

Rating: ***

Book Review: Bird Talk: Hilariously Accurate Ways to Identify Birds by the Sounds They Make by Becca Rowland

~ Liam ~ Leave a comment

Author: Becca Rowland
Title:Bird Talk: Hilariously Accurate Ways to Identify Birds by the Sounds They Make by Becca Rowland
Illustrator: Becca Rowland
Publication Info: Storey Publishing, LLC (2025)
Summary/Review:

As a novice birder, I find birding by ear the most challenging aspect, and the little mnemonics are no help.  For me, the American Goldfinch just doesn’t sound like it’s saying “potato chip” nor is a Black-capped Chickadee saying “cheeseburger.”  Okay, I will admit that the Barred Owl actually does sound like “who cooks for you all?” but it’s a rare exception. (By the way, why do these all have to do with food?  Is someone cooking cheeseburger with potato chips?).  In this volume, writer and illustrator Becca Rowland describes the calls of notable birds from around the world using delightfully silly comparisons.  Each page is illustrated with an adorable cartoon of the bird in question adding commentary through a speech bubble.  Will this help me identify birds by ear?  I’m still not sure my brain works that way, but I still had an awful lot of fun reading this book.  At least I’ll always have the Merlin app.

Recommended books:

Rating: ****