Aside from his musical artistry, I forgot to highlight his adorable sense of humour. I mean, I've known about it for many years since I'm a longtime fan, but opening night at the Opera House was a major treat for all of us!
Whether the jet lag was wreaking havoc with his mind or whether he was high from something else, I hadn't seen him that exuberant for quite a while, and it was absolutely delightful!
I especially love the stories from his childhood - about how his parents nurtured his love for music, how a school bully praised him for having "the voice of an angel, dude", and a rather nutty bit he had on Anything Goes.
He's a masterful storyteller, but had us all in stitches when he suddenly expressed a "wish to see your restrooms". He also referenced a "dick joke" together with You Raise Me Up, lol!
There's a reason I can remember everything so vividly, of course. But I can't reveal it here. :)
Anyway, I enjoyed your jokes immensely, Josh! Stay funny always.
On to some movie news...
I'm not one of those diehard comic book fans, and with all the DC / Marvel flicks flying around in recent years, I was beginning to suffer from fatigue. But Captain America: Civil War turned out to be one of the most awesome superhero films I have EVER seen, I kid you not!
It certainly helps that the same team behind Captain America: Winter Soldier took the reins on this one, in particular, the Russo brothers, who are raising the bar significantly.
I admit to expecting the worst, but instead, I was thrilled beyond words! The running time is 2.5 hours but felt an hour shorter. There was never a dull moment, and like Winter Soldier, the chase scenes are creative, adrenaline-pumping spectacles.
And that showdown at the hangar in Berlin! OMG my jaw hit the ground and just stayed there for 15 minutes!
Special mention goes to Paul Rudd, whose Ant-Man is so much more fun here compared to the mediocre standalone movie. Chadwick Boseman is perfect as the super-cool Black Panther, and Tom Holland melts hearts as an adolescent Peter Parker. Looking forward to the latter two's solo outings!
Another film I really want to discuss is The Danish Girl. Didn't manage to watch this when it was at the cineplex, and I'm guessing the DVD is banned in Singapore, so thank goodness it was available on KrisWorld.
It's an understatement to say that it blew me away. It's comparable to Whiplash in terms of the degree of awe it induced. But while Whiplash is brash and moves at a dizzy pace, The Danish Girl luxuriates in a leisurely tempo. Beautifully directed by Tom Hooper ( The King's Speech, Les Miserables ), the lead performances from Eddie Redmayne and Alicia Vikander are breath-taking and truly deserving of their Oscar nominations ( and Vikander's win ).
I was never a huge fan of Redmayne's but this role has converted me. He was incredible in The Theory Of Everything, but exceeds even that here - no mean feat, I assure you! His portrayal of a previously heterosexual man's gradual transition is riveting, simultaneously heartbreaking and uplifting. The last half hour of the film reduced me to tears, and I'd also like to point out that Alexandre Desplat's score is phenomenal! Check out his other amazing work on the soundtrack for The Painted Veil, which features Lang Lang ( the movie's another personal favourite of mine but was sadly overlooked by critics ).
A standout scene involves Redmayne and Ben Whishaw, whom I mostly know from the latest James Bond films. It takes place at a ball, and is just INTOXICATING. Again, the music adds tonnes to the overall atmosphere, but Whishaw also looks like a million bucks ( not scruffy and bespectacled like Q ) and demonstrates earth-shattering chemistry with Redmayne. I ended up pressing the rewind button multiple times. Wonder if any other passengers around me noticed haha.
As for TV updates, currently I have one - Netflix's second season of Daredevil.
Season 1 was good but faltered in quite a few places. However, season 2 is really terrific, especially from episode 5 onwards.
I think a major factor is the addition of Jon Bernthal as the Punisher. A comic book fanboy assures me that Bernthal looks exactly like the character, but I remember him from The Walking Dead and an assortment of movie roles, and consider him one of the finest yet grossly underrated actors of our generation.
Bernthal definitely changes the series' momentum and tone. He's unbelievably intense and handles the violent scenes like a pro. He also has great chemistry with Charlie Cox, who finally loses his boyish charm and turns completely dark.
Then there's Elodie Yung, who plays Elektra. I confess that I initially loathed her because of her posh accent and rather slutty performance, but she gradually grew on me and thankfully stopped playing the bimbo. She also kicks major ass in episode 10! Going head to head with French hottie Gilles Marini, no less! I almost got a heart attack haha.
Vincent D'Onofrio makes a welcome return as Wilson Fisk, but Debora Ann Woll and Rosario Dawson are even more irritating than ever, overdoing everything and just getting on my nerves. I just try to ignore them until their scenes are over.
Oh, and for the record, this show makes me have a strong urge to take up kickboxing lessons. But I'm currently preoccupied with Pilates, so maybe next time. :)
No chance to discuss Batman vs Superman, but I loved it even though the critics weren't impressed. Will be catching X-Men: Apocalypse next week, in spite of Empire's 2-star review. These are the people who thought Star Wars VII deserved 5 stars. WTF!?
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