No redemption

I watched "Sicario" tonight (not the sequel but the original).  It was very gripping, but my son said it was not "that violent" -- I would say it was extremely violent and disturbing.  The acting was terrific -- Benicio del Torro was just seething -- but poor Emily Blunt got the short end of the stick.  She's playing us and so she is out of the loop and confused for most of the movie, like we are, and spends a lot of time looking stunned and shocked and out of her depth, which is what she is supposed to do, but doesn't give an actor much satisfaction, I don't think.  It made me think that Mexico is a scarier place than I suggested in my last post.  I'm sure it's not all like the way they portray Juarez, but you certainly couldn't just sit back and let the movie wash over you -- you were tense the whole way through.

I was impressed with Denis Villeneuve's direction -- the scenes in the tunnel were so oppressive and the traffic jam at the border and the mass of people at the bus terminal gave you a very strong apocalyptic sense and Benicio del Torro squatting down and speaking softly to the migrants in Spanish and the scene in the bank and the use of the security camera.  The music reminded me of "Arrival".  He likes that kind of industrial groaning sound.

I read Coriolanus and Winter's Tale today.  I was thinking about Bard on the Beach's production of Winter's Tale and wondering again how you could make Hermione's statue more palatable.  I think the Bard production had a good idea with the theatricality of the show, but I don't think they went far enough.  Rickie said she saw a great production of Coriolanus at Stratford this year and I wanted to remind myself of it.  I have never seen it produced.  I thought you could do a lot with the two tribunes, but reading it made me feel like the ending comes up super fast.  You'd have to really choreograph something big for the attack scene, I think.

I'm sleepy.  I was up very early this morning even though my phone is not working properly and my alarm didn't go off.  Daisy likes to get up and about before 7!  She starts clunking around and I wake up and then I feel like it's my responsibility to take her out.  Once I get up, I'm fine.  And so good night.  Flights of angels sing thee to thy rest!