Reverend's Reviews: Sin & Dance

The 1992 movie Leap of Faith wasn't very well-received by audiences or critics upon its release, with more than a few calling its story of miracles performed by a questionable man of God (played by Steve Martin) in a small, drought-ridden town heavy-handed. I admired it, though, for depicting well the religious truth that God can — and often does — work miracles through what we might judge to be the most tainted hands and souls.

The film didn't do well at the box office and isn't very well remembered today, so it would seem an unorthodox choice for a big budget, Broadway-bound musicalization. Such projects rely primarily on name recognition and a built-in audience's love for the source material. However, the involvement of eight-time Academy Award-winning composer Alan Menken, Tony Award-winning director and choreographer Rob Ashford, and stars Raúl Esparza and Brooke Shields have certainly piqued people's interest.

Leap of Faith, the musical, had its world premiere before a star-studded audience (including Glee's Matthew Morrison, Neil Patrick Harris, most of the male stars of Modern Family, Garry Shandling and Mario Lopez) Sunday night at the Ahmanson Theatre in Los Angeles. Despite excellent production values and a very capable cast that also features Broadway heavy-hitters Jarrod Emick, Kendra Kassebaum, Kecia Lewis-Evans and Dennis Stowe, the show is a mixed bag at this stage that ignores a fundamental commandment: good theatre does not a religious revival make.

Those who found the movie heavy-handed or preachy will find the stage version even more so. The musical has nothing but religious fervor and conversion on its mind, not only for the protagonist but everyone else as well. At times, Jonas Nightingale (the faux evangelist played by 4-time Tony nominee Esparza) even speaks directly to audience members, attempting to elicit an "Amen" here and a "Hallelujah" there. Esparza is admirably passionate in the role but should be reined in more by Ashford; the 11th-hour "Jonas' Soliloquy" goes on too long and Esparza goes over the top emotionally. Subtlety is not a gospel value in this production.

Brooke Shields, God bless her, is the one performer who keeps this Leap of Faith grounded. While her singing voice is not the best, especially at its lower register, Shields delivers the most authentic performance in the production as Marva, a jaded waitress with a disabled son (Nicholas Barasch, a talented teen with a great voice). Unlucky in love, she naturally finds herself drawn to the slimy but knowing Nightingale. Shields, to her credit, doesn't make Marva a victim. It's a strong turn by a longtime model-actress better known for film and TV roles.

Menken and lyricist Glenn Slater have crafted a serviceable if generally unmemorable song score, although opening number "Rise Up" (accompanied by, for lack of a better description, a "drought ballet"), the tongue-in-cheek "Hotline to Heaven" and the climactic title song make an impression. Slater — who prior to this authored the dreadful lyrics for Andrew Lloyd Webber's Phantom of the Opera sequel, Love Never Dies — is obviously more comfortable with the gospel and country-western styles employed here.

The mostly African-American cast members (including the aforementioned Lewis-Evans and Stowe) who make up Nightingale's "Angels of Mercy" choir are awesome vocally, and likely don't need electronic amplification even in a house as large as the Ahmanson. When a female trio is employed at the start of Act II, their impressive voices are over-miked to decibel-rattling levels. I wanted to yell out from my aisle seat in the orchestra, "I'm right here, stop screaming at me!" They wouldn't have heard me, of course. Such is the eardrum-shattering nature of modern musical theatre.

Leap of Faith does have its share of genuinely moving moments, most of them courtesy of Ms. Shields. These are ultimately what will resonate most with audiences, not the lukewarm songs or simplistic theological conundrums. The show's best visual effect is wisely saved for last, and it is joyously impressive. It may not take a proverbial leap of faith to enjoy this musical, but it can't hurt either.

Review by Rev. Chris Carpenter, resident film critic of Movie Dearest and the Orange County and Long Beach Blade.

Reverend’s Preview: Get Your Flicks On at the 2010 Q Film Festival

As a first-time member of the programming committee for the Long Beach Q Film Festival — or for any film festival, for that matter — it was a daunting task to go through nearly 100 submissions from all over the world for this year’s fest, which will run October 7-10 at the Art Theater and The Center Long Beach. Having done so, I can assure readers that the 8 feature films and 23 shorts to be screened over those four days are the absolute best of the best and not to be missed.

Here’s a full rundown of the festival schedule:

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 7th
7:00 PM: A MARINE STORY at the Art Theatre. The Long Beach premiere of this timely drama about a lesbian officer discharged from the military under the flawed “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy was a multiple award-winner at this summer’s Outfest Gay & Lesbian Film Festival. It will be preceded by the world premiere of a music video, MARRY ME, by Long Beach-based filmmaker Camrin Pitts, and followed by Q&A with filmmakers and cast members.
8:15-10:15PM: OPENING NIGHT PARTY at The Center Long Beach.
9:15 PM: UNDERTOW (CONTRACORRIENTE) at the Art Theatre, preceded by the MARRY ME music video.

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 8th
5:00 PM: Transgender Program at The Center Long Beach with the feature THY WILL BE DONE, a powerful documentary about a transgender woman striving to become an ordained minister in the Presbyterian Church. It will be preceded by the moving short film REMEMBER ME IN RED and followed by Q&A with filmmakers and local clergy members.
7:00 PM: MEN IN BRIEFS: PROGRAM 1 at The Center Long Beach, featuring the short films JOHNNY & LYMAN: A LIFE TOGETHER, an inspiring documentary; GAYSHARKTANK.COM, a hilarious exposé of hooking up in the Internet age featuring Coco Peru among other familiar faces; A MACHINE BELOVED, a hard-to-describe but extremely stylish sci-fi romance; and REMEMBER ME IN RED. Seating in The Center’s screening room is limited, so the program will be repeated at 9:00 pm.
9:00 PM: Repeat of MEN IN BRIEFS: PROGRAM 1 at The Center Long Beach.
11:30 PM: The big-screen Long Beach premiere of ZMD: ZOMBIES OF MASS DESTRUCTION at the Art Theatre. I was fortunate to catch this horror-comedy, in which a gay couple must lead the effort against an uprising of the undead, at the 2009 Los Angeles Film Festival. It’s smart, gory, funny and totally gay.

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 9th
1:00 PM: Bisexual Program at the Art Theatre with the feature ROSE BY ANY OTHER NAME…, compiled from the acclaimed web series, and followed by Q&A with the filmmaker and cast members.
2:15 PM: MEN IN BRIEFS: PROGRAM 2 at the Art Theatre, featuring the remarkable gay-themed short films BEDFELLOWS, LITTLE LOVE, YOU CAN’T CURRY LOVE, 306 and OUTPOST, followed by Q&A with filmmakers and cast members.
3:30-5:30 PM: SHORTS PARTY at The Center Long Beach
4:30 PM: WOMEN’S SHORTS Program at the Art Theatre, featuring the extraordinary lesbian-oriented films MS. THING, MEESKEIT, ORDINARY GIRL, OUR WEDDING, DOOR PRIZE, A SQUARE WITH THREE SIDES and CRIED SUICIDE, followed by Q&A with filmmakers and cast members.
7:00 PM: SWIMMING WITH LESBIANS, a revealing feature documentary about the GLBT community on the East Coast of the US, at The Center Long Beach, preceded by the short film DOOR PRIZE.
9:00 PM: OUT IN THE SILENCE, an award-winning feature documentary, at The Center Long Beach, preceded by the short film NOCHE SIN LUNA and followed by Q&A with the filmmakers.
11:30 PM: Special community viewing of SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE with guest host Jane Lynch on the big screen of the Art Theatre. Admission is free; donations to support The Center Long Beach will be accepted.

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 10th
12:40 PM: ON THESE SHOULDERS WE STAND, the award-winning feature documentary about the early years of LA County’s GLBT community, at the Art Theatre, followed by Q&A with director Glenne McElhinney and participants.
2:45 PM: LAUGH YOUR SHORTS OFF Program at the Art Theatre, featuring the hysterical short films CHICO’S ANGELS: 24ISH; CRIED SUICIDE; PURGATORY, INC.; RUBDOWN; PRETTY and GO GO REJECT, and followed by Q&A with the filmmakers and cast members.
5:00 PM: ROLE/PLAY, the festival’s Closing Film, at the Art Theatre. This gay, romantic drama about a closeted soap opera star and a leader in the same-sex marriage movement who meet at a Palm Springs resort has gained attention at festivals from coast to coast. Writer-Director Rob Williams and stars Matthew Montgomery and Steve Callahan plan to attend.
6:30 PM: CLOSING NIGHT PARTY at The Center Long Beach, featuring the ROLE/PLAY filmmakers and cast members.

Q Film Festival ticket prices range from $5-$15 for individual screenings and parties. An All Fest pass, which allows admission into all screenings and parties, will cost $120. An All Film pass, allowing admittance into all screenings but not parties, is $85. Tickets and passes are available for purchase through The Center Long Beach website as well as through the Long Beach Lesbian & Gay Pride website.

Long Beach Lesbian & Gay Pride, Inc., producer of the annual Long Beach LGBT Pride Festival and Parade, is co-presenting this year’s Q Film Festival with The Center Long Beach for the first time. All net proceeds from the festival will benefit The Center Long Beach and Long Beach Lesbian & Gay Pride. For additional information about the festival or individual films, please visit the Q Film Festival's official site.

Review by Rev. Chris Carpenter, resident film critic of Movie Dearest and the Orange County and Long Beach Blade.

Reverend's Interview: OC Floral Artist Meets TV Reality

I'm no fan of reality television, although I watched Boy Meets Boy religiously back in the day and I've more recently gotten semi-hooked on Hair Battle Spectacular. After speaking recently with one of the contestants on Logo's new series The Arrangement, though, I'll definitely be watching when it debuts tomorrow.

Anil (pronounced "A-neel") Pacheco is one of ten talented florists who will be competing on the show for $25,000 cash, a new Smart car and, of course, national exposure and potential notoriety. The 26-year old Pacheco was born in Orange County and still resides here, and — contrary to what the show's publicist initially told me — he's one of us.

"Gay and loving life" is how Pacheco described himself when he spoke with me in early September. He is also described in his bio for The Arrangement as "promiscuous, egotistical, talented and handsome," adjectives that Pacheco was only too happy to claim. "I think sexuality is a beautiful thing and I'm not conservative," Pacheco said regarding the "promiscuous" label. "I believe in exploring all my options." Needless to say, Pacheco is currently single.

During the course of The Arrangement, Pacheco and his fellow designers will be taking the art of floral design to the extreme. According to a press release: "The show pits ten talented designers against each other in a series of over-the-top challenges that demand using flowers in entirely unexpected ways; contestants are much more likely to be asked to clothe a nude body in flowers than to create the perfect wedding bouquet."

"It's been amazing," Pacheco said of his experience on the show. "I didn't even have an idea about what to expect." When he was 19, Pacheco took a part-time job in a florist shop while attending college in Anaheim. His current passion for floral design bloomed from there. Pacheco was working with a florist in Tustin earlier this year when, according to him, "She received an e-mail about casting a reality show." He sent his picture in and got an audition the next day.

"For the longest time, people have been telling me 'You need to be on TV' because of my big personality," Pacheco said. He continues to do freelance floral art for weddings and other events throughout Orange County. Information about his services is available at his website, Floral Artistry by Anil.

The Arrangement is backed by the producers of RuPaul's Drag Race. According to Pacheco, "This show is exciting and full of surprises, full of tears. It's an emotional roller coaster for all of us designers. The show is crazy; crazy fun and just crazy."

I asked Pacheco, who is the son of a Mexican-Spanish father and a Colombian mother, about the good, the bad and the ugly of the floral trade. In discussing what he likes or enjoys most about his business, Pacheco responded positively "Having someone tell me what they want and having me re-create their vision or image; I love being able to fulfill someone's vision." He mentioned a limited budget as chief among the negative aspects of floral design. "Sometimes people don't have as much money as I wish they did," Pacheco said.

"I've had customers come into the shop, usually older women," he continued, "who see that I'm tall and assume that I'm straight and can't do a good job for them." Pacheco says he usually tells them: "Men don't know how to decorate, but I took over my Mom's Christmas years ago!"

Pacheco and I also discussed his "Do's" and "Dont's" regarding the growing market of same-sex weddings. "Don't toss a bouquet at a gay male wedding," he states emphatically. "Maybe toss a decorated shoe instead." Generally, though, Pacheco believes the same rules apply to same-sex nuptials as they do to those of the opposite-sex.

The floral artist and likely reality TV star is looking toward his future. "I just want to be able to work for myself full-time, be financially stable and not work for 'The Man'," Pacheco says. "I would like to possibly do a book; I really want to change the perception of flowers and have floral design used in everything."

According to Pacheco's hyperbolic press bio for The Arrangement, the young man has "a big mouth and big balls (metaphorically speaking)." We'll all have to tune in to Logo beginning tomorrow to determine just how accurate that statement is.

Interview by Rev. Chris Carpenter, resident film critic of Movie Dearest and the Orange County and Long Beach Blade.

Monthly Wallpaper - October 2010: Doctors Demented

The doctors are in for this month's Movie Dearest Calendar Wallpaper, but you may not want to make an appointment with them.  You see, these cinematic doctors are a bit, shall we say, demented.

Mad scientists, evil physicians and demonic dentists are all on call for the month of October, including Doctors Doom, Frankenstein (both -stein and -steen), Furter, Jekyll, Lecter, Moreau, No, Phibes and Strangelove.  And yes, they do perform house calls ... but you may not want to let them in.

All you have to do is click on the picture above to enlarge it, then simply right click your mouse and select "Set as Background". (You can also save it to your computer and set it up from there if you prefer.) The size is 1024 x 768, but you can modify it if needed in your own photo-editing program.