movies, plays, and plays about movies

I’m generally not a fan of musical adaptations of movies, but I saw two this week that were pretty good.  First, I got the chance to see Little Miss Sunshine at the La Jolla Playhouse.  I really loved this movie, so the fact that I loved it even more when it included people breaking into spontaneous song is probably not a surprise to anyone.  You can read my full review here. I also took the kids to see Star Wars: The Musical.   I didn’t even know there was such a thing, let alone such a thing happening right down the street from us.  But Mark drove by the other day and saw the people in costumes, and found out that it was a local group of 2nd and 3rd graders putting it on.  How cute is that? The adults in costume in these photos?  Not in the play.  Just doing it for fun. I know my children look forlorn/angry in these shots, but I can assure you, they were very excited.  Those are the faces they make when they are SO EXCITED to meet someone that they attempt to hide it by looking bored/mad.  Sort of like the face I made when I saw Joel McHale at the LA airport. The play was very cute.  I am a huge Star Wars fan, which doesn’t make a lot of sense because I am very literal and pretty much hate fantasy as an entire genre.  I think it has something to do with a pre-pubescent crush on Hans Solo.  Nevertheless, I was thrilled to see my geek love for Star Wars and Broadway merged into a musical parody.  All of the songs were covers of famous broadways songs, a fact that seemed to be lost on everyone in the audience except for myself.  The entire time, I was like, OMG, THIS SONG ABOUT DROIDS IS SONDHEIM!  Anyone?  Anyone? Not so much. Speaking of fantasy and my disdain for it, yesterday I took Jafta to see Tron.  I remember seeing this movie as a kid, and then not being able to sleep for several nights because I could not figure out how people got inside a video game.  In fact, I think that movie created an existential crisis that I have yet to shake.  So it seemed like a good idea to take my kindergartner to see it.  (And also, because it was at the cheap theater). It was a good movie, but some parts were SO unrealistic.  Like, in one of the first scenes, the main character stumbles upon an abandoned office where someone has left an eames aluminum group desk chair to collect dust for twenty-some years.  Dude. WHO WOULD DO THAT?  That’s like a $2,000 chair right there. This was a major inconsistency in what was an otherwise completely plausible movie with an air-tight and thoroughly explained potline.  Until the end, when the characters left behind four pristine barcelona chairs, and eames lounger, and an arco floor lamp just to return to life within the time-space continuum. I HATE MOVIES THAT DON’T MAKE SENSE.