It means that I, like God, do not play with dice and I don't believe in coincidences...

I grew up reading plays. There are times I think that it's more rewarding to read a play than to see it. Now I know that goes against all the rules and regulations of theatre. I can hear my college professors yelling at me now, "Plays are meant to be seen, not read". I get it. But sometimes I just want to hear the words than see the actions. I think that's where the beauty of theatre comes from. Considering the fact that you could have the worst seats in the house and be only able to see the hem of one of the actress' skirt, how is it that you can still be moved by the play? Simple, the dialogue. Every word that a playwright includes is not by chance. It always means something. That's what I cling onto from theatre. I want to make sure I know what diction was chosen. You might have noticed with past reviews that I love the meshing of theatre and film. I love the visual metaphors that are possible in cinema, but I also adore when they include the verbal metaphors as well. One film that accomplishes that is V for Vendetta.
      It's a political allegory about what could happen when we stop being active participants in our government. If we forget that the government works for us and not the other way around, then we relinquish our rights. V is one of those heroes that hasn't forgotten about the "fifth of November" and is planning a revolution to claim back his liberty. On the way, he encounters Evey and falls in love, even though he never thought he could. They risk everything, including their lives, in order to be free. Now we may all believe we're free, but this film illustrates that were clinging to bondage because we're afraid to make our own decisions. But all it takes is a little flame, a match to set off an Armageddon.


Hugo Weaving's voice is sooo sexy in this movie.

sunday movie classic: Dial M for Murder

There's a new segment in town and it's called Sunday Movie Classic. There's nothing on tv and you're not about to hit the town when you have an 8am class Monday morning (or maybe you will. Honestly I don't recommend it). So what's a film lover to do? How about curl up on your sofa with a loved one or a loved mug of hot cocoa and watch some of cinema's finest offerings. In my mind, a classic is anything more than ten years old (and most things get finer with age). To kick start our new tradition, I thought I would pick one from my favorite directors. I went through a phase a few summers ago where I would watch only Hitchcock films and I became really intrigued by his signature and noticing what makes a great Hitchcock film. Dial M for Murder is definitely one of his better mysteries. The plot is that an ex-tennis players hires an old acquaintance to murder his wife, who he found out is cheating on him. The husband has planned out the murder perfectly and if all goes well, no one will be to blame. Of course it doesn't go well and long story short, the murderer ends up being murdered. The twists and turns of this plot gave me an ulcer from the anticipation of what the outcome would be. Would they figure out that the husband is to blame or will he go free? What I love about this movie is that we all think we're clever enough to get away with a crime. We've all watched CSI and think we can outsmart any forensic scientist. However, regardless of how efficient the plan is, you can never trust that minx called circumstance. If you want to see a dazed Grace Kelly and figure out if the husband is every found, I suggest you get your classic fix this Sunday!