Trisha’s Take: “Not the Messiah” review

Not the Messiah: He’s a Very Naughty Boy

Directed by Aubrey Powell
Written by Eric Idle, John Du Prez
Starring William Ferguson, Rosalind Plowright, Shannon Mercer, Christopher Purves, Eric Idle and featuring the BBC Symphony Orchestra and Chorus
Special Guests (in order of first appearance): Michael Palin, Carol Cleveland, Terry Jones, Terry Gilliam, Neil Innes

When I first heard that they were going to be turning Monty Python and the Holy Grail into a Broadway musical, my immediate reaction was to scoff and wonder which idiot it was who thought it up. Imagine my chagrin when I learned that the “idiot” was original Monty Python cast member Eric Idle, he who was responsible for writing and performing many of their more popular songs, including “Always Look on the Bright Side of Life” and (my favorite)“Penis Song (Not the Noel Coward Song).”

I never got to see Spamalot in its original run, but considering that it was nominated for 14 Tony Awards, won the Best Musical Award in 2005, and got some very good reviews, you can imagine why I didn’t hesitate to press play when I learned that the performance of an oratorio written by Idle and John Du Prez, his Spamalot collaborator, was streaming on Netflix.

Based on Monty Python’s Life of Brian and called “Not the Messiah: He’s a Very Naughty Boy,” this particular production was filmed at the Royal Albert Hall as part of the 40th anniversary celebration of the creation of the TV series. For those of you who aren’t British or Anglophiles but are Doctor Who fans, you’ll know this place as the one where they held a two different concerts featuring music from the series and featured an original video in 2008 starring 10th Doctor David Tennant and hosted by Matt Smith (the 11th Doctor), Karen Gillan (Amy Pond), and Arthur Darvill (Rory Williams) in 2010. Continue reading “Trisha’s Take: “Not the Messiah” review”

Trailer Watch: Easy A first full trailer

At first I was afraid (I was petrified) that the adaptation of the novel The Scarlett Letter into the live-action film Easy A would be a “torturous hack job” but I recanted that when I learned more about director Will Gluck and his screenwriter Bert V. Royal.

I became even more optimistic with the casting of Emma Stone as the lead, and the addition of a kick-ass supporting cast that includes folks like Thomas Haden Church, Stanley Tucci, and Lisa Kudrow.

After having watched the first trailer, I gotta say…? I’m totally digging it:

Here’s a synopsis:

After a little white lie about losing her virginity gets out, a clean cut high school girl (Emma Stone) sees her life paralleling Hester Prynne’s in The Scarlet Letter, which she is currently studying in school—until she decides to use the rumor mill to advance her social and financial standing.

I like how Stone’s character Olive Penderghast is a smart girl who is secure enough not to be overly cowed by the uproar over her actions. I desperately hope that this thread of sassiness remains through the entire movie, and I also hope that none of her sass gets sacrificed in the name of “restoring” her reputation.

Easy A is out in U.S. theaters on September 17.