We first screened Jack in a Box in 2010.  We screened a second round of episodes in 2011 and featured Jack in a Box in our Top 11 of 2011!

Visit the Jack in a Box website HERE.

See how it all started below:

Visit Ballard’s website HERE.

Read what Lil Jon had to say about it HERE.

Check out the video below!

THE TOP 10 SEMIFINALISTS HAVE BEEN POSTED AND AS THE JUDGES ARE CHOOSING THE FINALISTS, YOUR VOTES WILL SELECT THE ONLINE VIEWER’S CHOICE FOR BEST PITCH VIDEO!  VOTING WILL BE OPEN THROUGH APRIL 1ST!

Playing with a show that people know and love can be a dangerous thing.  You can sometimes damage a beloved classic (see 2002’s wildly uneven Into the Woods revival) or you can practically reinvent the wheel, as John Doyle did in his elegant and brave revivals of Company & Sweeney Todd.  Two theatre companies have brought two well-known works to the stage: one re-telling classics and another going the straight revival route.  Both have things to be proud of but both lack the complexity of their original works.

A man walks into a bar to have lunch with his lawyer.  His lawyer asks what he’s doing to keep himself busy.  The man replies, “I’m producing a Chekov theatrical piece in NY.”  The lawyer replies, “There’s no money in theatre!”  To which the man snaps back, “You asked me what I was doing, not how I was making money.”  This is an actual conversation that happened recently with a production team member of the recently opened Chekhovek and really, that’s where the joke should have ended.  Instead, the lawyer bets the man that everyone in the restaurant will respond Star Trek when asked, “What’s the first thing that comes to mind when I say ‘Anton Chekhov?’”  Sadly, when the man took the bet he found that the lawyer was right.  It’s unfortunate that even in a theatre town like NYC people are sometimes ignorant to one of its glorious writers.  Director and Adaptor, Melania Levitsky, has attempted to retell some of Anton’s more famous tales in different ways with Chekhovek; each of his nine short stories end with wildly varied results.  Some stories are very interesting (The Death of a Government Clerk & The Chemist’s Wife both work very well) while others simply fall flat (The Black Monk is just stale while The Lady with the Dog & The Chorus Girl goes on for far too long and don’t delve nearly deep enough).

The cast, however, is wonderful; each character is beautifully highlighted.  Eddie Allen & Celia Schaefer both shine in various roles and even though The Lady with the Dog doesn’t work, it’s not because of the actors’ lack of effort.  Elizabeth Fountain is quite lovely in The Chorus Girl (though the piece ends far too abruptly and drags on at times).  David Anderson is sublime as the “Government Clerk” and the entire cast of The Chemist’s Wife is wondrous to watch.  Overall, it’s a much better idea than executed as a theatrical piece.  Levitsky knows her source material well, but doesn’t always know the soul of the pieces; the guts and glory of Chekhov is surprisingly missing.  That however shouldn’t push you away from seeing Chekhov.   The cast is the real draw here and for once, not Chekhov himself.

The Second Stage Theater revival of Paula Vogel’s How I Learned to Drive strives for a slightly different feel of its original incarnation (featuring a brilliant Mary Louise Parker and David Morse) but doesn’t quite achieve the heights of Vogel’s gloriously twisted writing.  Elizabeth Reaser takes on the role of Li’l Bit, a young woman (aging from 11 to a much older and wiser woman) who recalls to us the tale of how she learned to drive from her uncle Peck (Norbert Leo Butz) and was forced into womanhood via his dangerous and twisted advances.  Li’l Bit is a prematurely busty young woman who delights in her time spent with her much older Uncle Peck because he actually talks to her and treats her like a person instead of just like a child.  He sympathizes with her and teaches her how to take care of herself on the road.  He also is quite sexually attracted to her and slowly advances his predatory moves upon his young niece.

Ms. Reaser is a gifted film actress who is very pleasant to watch and, in one delicately played scene set inside a hotel room, can be quite powerful.  Sadly, her portrayal gets lost in most of the moments, and instead of really delving into the role, she seems to skimmer it and doesn’t embody the complexity of who Lil’ Bit truly is.  Mr. Butz, however, owns every moment he has on stage, completely engaging you with his charm in one scene and making you cringe in the next.  Uncle Peck is a wildly interesting, twisted character, and Butz knows exactly how to draw you in.  The supporting cast is good, especially Jennifer Regan as the quite affected Aunt May, but Kevin Cahoon never nails the role of the Grandfather.  The direction by Kate Whoriskey is simplistic and flowing, but often feels slightly lacking and doesn’t always leave the punch you want it to.  When presenting a show as complicated as Vogel’s work here, you need to make every moment count.

CHEKHOVEK Adapted from nine Anton Chekhov short stories and Directed byMelania Levitsky Starring Eddie Allen, David Anderson, Elizabeth Fountain, Rob Leo Roy, Celia Shaefer Closes on March 4^th 2012 at The Arclight Theatre, 152 W. 71st Street NYC For tickets: https://web.ovationtix.com/trs/pr/889285

HOW I LEARNED TO DRIVE Written by Paula Vogel Directed by Kate Whoriskey Starring Elizabeth Reaser, Norbert Leo Butz, Kevin Cahoon, Jennifer Regan and Marnie Schulenburg Closes on March 11^th, 2012 at Second Stage Theatre, 305 W 43^rd Street NYC For tickets: http://purchase.tickets.com/buy/TicketPurchase?organ_val=2948

Mateo’s Grades: Chekhovek: B-, How I Learned To Drive: B

What BVEW Members Might Like: Both shows engage in multiple moments and feature actors that will leave lingering effects on you long after you leave.

Bottom Line: Neither shows compare to their originals, but don’t let that draw you away.  David Anderson and Norbert Leo Butz alone should entice you to see these productions.

Writer/Director/Actor Eric Schaeffer has always drifted on the brink of hitting it really big.  His 1996 film, If Lucy Fell, costarring Sarah Jessica Parker, Ben Stiller & Elle Macpherson has remained a cult favorite throughout the years.  His work has appeared on TV, from the short lived sitcom Too Something to last years Gravity, on Starz. As an actor, he’s appeared in numerous projects, from a Stephen King mini series to 2009’s Adventureland but he’s never found the success of many of his indie cohorts such as Kevin Smith, Wes Anderson & Edward Burns.  His films don’t try to play to a mass audience, but rather invite you to his brand of humor and style of storytelling.  Some may not enjoy such exclusiveness, but I find him refreshing and am always am excited to see his latest project.  Even if I don’t always love what he creates, it’s original and has a unique voice.  Currently in NY theatres and available on VOD and iTunes, After Fall, Winter marks Schaeffer’s latest big screen effort, and I actually didn’t like it; I loved it.

Schaeffer plays Michael Shiver, reprising the role he created in the 1997 film Fall, but is also playing himself in a way.  He’s a writer who found success with a book entitled, “Fall” which was about the dramatic relationship he had with a woman named Sarah (Amanda De Cadenet).  It ended badly and his career wasn’t going much better.  Several years and several books later, he found himself tired.  To paraphrase Michael, “I refuse to write the kind of books that people who read books will enjoy (a hilarious sort of self realization of Schaeffer’s own career).”   So he leaves his beloved NYC and heads to Paris, spending some time with dear friends.  It’s there that the depressed man sees a radiant French woman named Sophie (Lizzie Brocheré), who works as an S&M mistress. She saves him completely in his lowest moment and perhaps he’s there to save her too.  But how long can a moment last seems to be the question here and are these two very different souls meant for each other at all?

Schaeffer writes with such a realistic tone that often you feel as if the actors are improvising (which perhaps sometimes they are) and here he definitely found the right leading lady.  Brocheré is completely enchanting, funny and moving.  She’s absolutely the woman you’d want to meet on a chilly night on the streets of Paris.  Schaeffer himself is charming, sad and quite affecting.  There are some odd moments here and there (Michael seems to jump very quickly back into the saddle) but their relationship is real and bracing, and the film itself is sweet, harsh, heartwarming and heartbreaking.  Much like real love, After Fall, Winter shows that love isn’t perfect; it isn’t always pretty but it is always worth it.  Search out for this gem in the big screen if you can, or on demand if you can’t.  It is worth it.

Written and Directed By: Eric Schaeffer Starring: Eric Schaeffer, Lizzie Brocheré   Rated R Content Disclaimer (Adult Situations, Language, Violence, Nudity) Now Playing at the Quad Cinema in NYC and VOD and iTunes everywhere else

Mateo’s Grade: A-

What BVEW Members Might Like: A truly independent and original voice, refusing to be silenced and fighting the true independent fight.

Bottom Line: It’s heartbreaking, beautiful and a true accomplishment.  If you like the haunting song over the credits, check out singer Amanda Kravat’s full-length album, “Wrong All Day.”

There’s something incredibly exciting about seeing an action star doing their own stunts.  Half the fun of the Mission Impossible films is seeing Tom Cruise actually fling himself around instead of using a stunt double.  Or in Quentin Tarantino’s Grindhouse we watched Zoe Bell play a stuntwoman who actually did all of her own stunts (That Car Chase?  Still one of the coolest things I’ve seen in years).  So it was with much anticipation that I walked into Steven Soderbergh’s new film Haywire starring mixed martial arts champion Gina Carano because even five seconds of watching a real fight of hers, you know she can kick some serious ass.  If only Soderbergh wouldn’t have let her down so much with this lifeless, dreary action flick.

Carano plays Mallory Kane (a bad ass Tarantino-esque name if I ever heard one), a covert-ops specialist who at the beginning of the film is running away from…something.  Channing Tatum comes knocking, searching for his career co-worker.  Seems that the boss man sent him to retrieve Mallory and bring her home.  But she has a sinking suspicion that something more sinister is going on.  Through a series of endless flashbacks (and a long driving sequence that’s entirely useless and unneeded) we begin to learn that Mallory was set up, and she’s out to get her revenge on everyone.  Hell hath no fury than a Mixed Martial Arts Champion scorned.

I really do like Steven Soderbergh.  But much like another fav of mine Woody Allen, he’s known to make fantastic films and then veer off into pretty terrible fare (see Bubble, Full Frontal).  I won’t go to say that Haywire is terrible; it’s not.  Sonderbergh did cast the right leading lady, and he has a hell of a supporting cast (Michael Fassbender, Michael Douglas, Ewan McGregor, Antonio Banderas).  Carano herself looks ridiculously cool in the fight scenes.  In many of them, I literally gasped at the level of badass on display.  The film itself, in its direction, editing, and photography is where it goes wrong.  Not to mention the pretty poor script and one of the most boring scores I’ve heard in some time (thanks a lot for that David Holmes).  Since Sonderbergh takes the task of doing it all himself (save for the script; that’s credited to Lem Dobbs) he traps himself into a corner and doesn’t seem to have anyone to bounce ideas off of.  So he’s ended up with shots that go on for far too long, dialogue that’s far too stiff, and color saturation to the film that is trying to resemble a dark, retro quality but seems to more resemble a film that got thrown into a vat of mud before hitting our multiplexes.  Mallory jumps from many exotic locations, but they all look dark brown, which isn’t very impressive at all.

Most of all he lets down his leading lady by not directing her well.  Whether he was overworked, feeling burned out (recent talk of his retirement seems to indicate this), or simply feeling like this was a throwaway movie, he directs Carano (and the film) with very little pizzazz or joy even though Carano shows a natural promise.  No, she doesn’t bring the intensity of, say, Rooney Mara in The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, but she does have a natural ease with the camera (even with some bad dialogue and a director that seems to keep saying, “Just stare into the camera…for the next five minutes.”).  The problem with Soderbergh is that he’s now made a film that seems to be a lazy birth of all of his previous films.  And Carano herself?  I truly believe she can be the female action hero we’ve been waiting for.  She’s got the moves, the charisma, and the camera loves her (let’s face it, she’s a bad ass and incredibly beautiful).  She may have been Soderbergh’s muse in this project, but she now needs the right trainer to get her into fighting shape for her new career.  Both will survive this detour, but let’s not repeat it okay?  Gina, go get ‘em.  Sonderbergh, take a nap and learn more colors than gray and brown.

Written by Lem Dobbs Directed by Steven Soderbergh Starring Gina Carano, Ewan McGregor, Michael Fassbender, Michael Douglas, Channing Tatum, Antonio Banderas Rated R Content Disclaimer (Adult Language, Violence) Now Playing Everywhere

Mateo’s Grade: D+

What BVEW Members Might Like: Watching Gina Carano literally kick some serious ass, flipping her way through bad guy after bad guy with a pulsating ease.

Bottom Line: It’s a misfire, and sadly I believe most of the blame lies in Soderbergh’s overworked hands.  However, David Holmes score definitely doesn’t help matters in any way, unless you’re looking for a faster way to fall asleep tonight.

We have had so much fun putting together our top 11 projects of 2011 that we have screened.  Please join us this Wednesday evening in NYC (1/15) for the screening of the Top 11 of 2011 and a special announcement from BVEW and RocketHub:

There is still time to submit your work for our BVEW Incentives: The National Film Pitch Competition, sponsored by Canon and the BVEW/Constellation.tv incentive!

Canon’s & BVEW’s Search for the Next Great Feature Film

Pitch your feature film idea to Canon & BVEW for the chance to win over $100,000 in prizes!  The purpose of Big Vision Empty Wallet’s National Film Pitch Competition is to find the next great feature film and GET IT MADE!   Click here to submit a pitch video and written treatment for your film by January 30th to participate in this incredible opportunity. 

BVEW & Constellation.tv Screening Incentive

Submit your feature film or documentary for a screening on Constellation and a simultaneous live screening event in NYC!  We will select one feature length film (narrative or documentary) from a BVEW member.  Email a brief summary and a link to view online to submissions@bigvisionemptywallet.com.

A successful sci-fi movie is really hard to pull off.  Just ask George Lucas.  Or anyone who makes movies on the Syfy network.  But when done correctly, it can capture your imagination like no other.  Special effects of course help out, but really a great science fiction story that can capture your imagination is all you need.  Currently, two different companies are attempting to bridge the gap between Science Fiction and Theatre, with varied results.  They both use long monologues and personal relationships as a way of drawing you in, and when the moment’s right, they strike with a moment of pure theatrical thunder.  Sadly, only one show fully pulls this off.

The Mad Ones are a NY based group that uses several unorthodox methods to create their shows (such as Automatic Writing) and create sometimes groundbreaking work.  Their last show, The Tremendous Tremendous (about a comedy troupe in the 1939 Worlds Fair), was my favorite show of 2011.  Currently running at The New Ohio Theatre is their 2012 production Samuel & Alasdair: A Personal History of the Robot War.  It’s set in an alternate timeline where the Cold War ended in a vastly different way; there was a Robot invasion.  Part of the world has been destroyed and in the places that have been left alone sit survivors awaiting their soon to be decided fate.  A group of Russian survivors sit together in a radio station, broadcasting an “Americana radio hour,” telling tales of a very different world, until their feeds start to get interrupted and the madness from the outside world slowly starts to creep in.

What’s most impressive about this dynamic group is how un-theatrical their shows seem (and I do mean that as a compliment).  They draw you in not by its clever dialogue (though they do have plenty of that) but by their emergence into a real moment.  Watching a show devised by “The Mad Ones” you feel as if you stumbled into a room and the occupants of the room can’t see you.  They never play to the audience, yet never forget that they have a story to tell.  All four of the actors in the piece are wonderful.  Both Michael Dalto and Marc Bovino add a calming presence, even when launching into somewhat nervous chatter (in the case of Dalto, his silent presence is even quite profound).  We get the sense, as he plays his musical instruments, that this is how he communicates.  Truly shining are Joe Curnutte and Stephanie Wright Thompson, as the Radio Host and Aanastasia Volinski the radio singer/actress.  Both actors are striking to look at, even when surrounded by silence (and often darkness).  Details about the “Robot War” and the current state of the world are sometimes given in throwaway lines or short radio interruptions, and they all seem like the most important thing in the world, and yet not at all.  It’s really the connection of this fabulous group that unites us into their world and though we never get all the details, we’re drawn in just the same.

Another impressive writer debuts his latest opus this month at the small but charming Secret Theatre in Long Island City.  Mac Rogers Advance Man is the first part of a trilogy of plays, subtitled The Honeycomb Trilogy and concern a group of well respected Astronauts who have recently returned from an expedition from Mars.  Bill (Sean Williams) has returned home to his family but his wife (Kristen Vaughan) suspects that he’s now being unfaithful due to him keeping secrets and always being out.  So she hires a private investigator (Amanda Duarte) to keep an eye on him, unaware of what she’s about to discover.  Her two young kids Ronnie and Abbie (Becky Byers, David Rosenblatt) are lost in their own worlds; Ronnie directly in her rebellion teenage years and Abbie lost in the comic book he’s creating.  Though this set up seems like a typical family drama, it ends up being nothing of the sort as Bill’s secrets come out slowly (very slowly actually) and the family has no choice but to deal with it.  Or do they?

The first Mac Rogers play I attended was Viral at the 2009 NY Fringe Festival and was blown away.  The writing, the concept, the acting… All of it was simply a stroke of wonder and here there’s bit of that wonder seeping into a very audacious concept.  Yet the structure seems off, scenes sometimes ramble on longer than they should, and the twists and secrets can be guessed within five minutes of the play.  There is something here, though, and the grand concept, perhaps, will come into better light once I’ve seen all three parts because I did enjoy many moments of Advance Man but there were just as many moments that were simplyundercooked.  Some strong acting does stand out, notably Kristen Vaughan as a nervous wreck of a housewife.  Her emotion seethes through her skin, and she literally catapults her energy onto you (though her character’s refusal to think anything of the very obvious weirdness of her husbands situation is a tad annoying).  Equally as good is Jason Howard, portraying one of the wounded astronauts Conor.  He’s severely brain damaged and can only speak a few words and phrases, and Howard never plays into a stereotype, instead embodies with fearless force a man who’s been through hell and back and desperately wants to communicate, yet doesn’t remember how.  Byers and Rosenblatt are charming, and their dialogue is crisp and very authentic, especially a scene involving the young woman’s sexual adventures.  Not all of the characters were as successful, including Sean Williams who’s a charming but whose emphasis on the comedic moments rather than the dramatic doesn’t serve the emotional conflict of the character.  Also distracting is some very clunky stage combat from where I was sitting I had a full view of the actors backstage waiting to come in via a very bright reflection on a window.  Obviously not a choice, but it was so distracting it pulled me out of the performances quite often.  Still, as I said before, there is something to this piece, and perhaps part one is simply all set up.  The aftermath, I imagine, is going to really be where the excitement lays.

Samuel & Alasdair: A Personal History of the Robot War Conceived by Marc Bovino, Joe Curnutte, & Lila Neugebauer and created with the ensemble Written by Marc Bovino & Joe Curnutte Directed by Lila Neugebauer Starring Joe Curnutte, Marc Bovino, Stephanie Wright Thompson, Michael Dalto Opened on January 5^th, 2012 Closes on January 21^st, 2012 at New Ohio Theatre, 154 Christopher Street, between Greenwich and Washington, NYC For tickets: http://tix.smarttix.com/Modules/Sales/SalesMainTabsPage.aspx?ControlState=1&DateSelected=&DiscountCode=&SalesEventId=1259&DC=

Advance Man: Part I of the Honeycomb Trilogy Written by Mac Rogers Directed by Jordana Williams Starring Sean Williams, Kristen Vaughan, Jason Howard, Becky Byers, David Rosenblatt, Abraham Makany, Amanda Duarte, Shaun Bennet Wilson, Rebecca Comtois, Brian Silliman Opened on January 12^th, 2012 Closes on January 29^th, 2012 at The Secret Theatre, 4402 23^rd Street, Long Island City, NY For tickets: https://web.ovationtix.com/trs/cal/1681/1325466000000/prm/

Mateo’s Grades: Samuel Alasdair: A- Advance Man: C+

What BVEW Members Might Like: Science Fiction on stage!  And any chance to see “The Mad Ones” is a chance you need to take.

Bottom Line: “The Mad Ones” are, well, Tremendous, while Mac Rogers latest is uneven, but an interesting set up to a trilogy that will hopefully showcasing the thrilling voice that his past work has shown.

Photo of Samuel & Alasdair by Ian Saville

2nd and 3rd Photo by Deborah Alexander

PHOTOS BY RUSS ROWLAND

In a dark corner of Dublin lies a shadowy bar called Dedalus Lounge.  It’s a place where you can slip away from everything & everyone but those closest to you.  It’s a place where you can argue and scream at those dearest to you, steal a kiss or misunderstand a glance and all will be right by the stroke of midnight.  You don’t need to apologize when you say something extraordinarily inappropriate; everyone around you is your life long friend and they’ll always forgive you.  Right?

Right?

Gary Duggan’s pitch black Christmas story, Dedalus Lounge, makes its American premiere thanks to Interart Theatre and Royal Family Productions, and the cast is completely game for the dark proceedings.  James Kautz (Artistic Director & co-founder of “The Amoralists”) plays Daragh, an extremely rough around the edges Dubliner, who spends most of his time drinking himself into self loathing, sleeping around, and stealing things like tank tops and rubber duckies to give to his friends for Christmas.  His two best friends in the world are a couple other Irishmen he’s known for many years.  Anthony Rapp’s Danny dreams of singing in a Queen cover band.  He’s even grown a Freddie Mercury-esque stache and has started writing his own “Queen inspired” songs.  Then there’s Delphine (Dee Roscioli), a confused young woman who has a fantastic knack for picking really terrible men and ends up on the receiving end of both of them.  Through a mix of dark and truthful scenes mixed with wonderfully crafted song and dance numbers (Curtis Howard and Heather Phillips dance on and off the stage with ease), this dark Christmas story has a lot to offer.  Yet it also feels much like the characters it presents: somewhat empty.

Duggan’s writing is often sharp and mean, truthful and beautiful.  Yet the transitions from certain scenes are somewhat bumpy ones and several of the scenes feel a tad overwritten.  Director Chris Henry does stage the show beautifully, using the small space to a wonderfully haunting effect.  Adding great effect to the proceedings are original “Queen Inspired songs” performed by Rapp’s Danny that are written by Daniel A. Weiss and Rapp.  The songs are very good and it’s a shame that there aren’t more of them; they add quite a jolt each time they appear.

The cast has fantastic chemistry.  Rapp gives Danny a frail and loving quality that is very relatable as is his somehow unreachable yet completely attainable goal of being in his dream job/band.  The musical sequences really let Rapp shine and reminds you what a true talent he really is.  Roscioli gives a vulnerable and subtle performance, wearing her heartbreak on her sleeve with grace.  Finally, Kautz brings a powerful force to the trio of friends, swirling from friendly care to violence and sociopathic tendencies within a moment’s notice.  He has the hardest job letting the audience into his angry character but instead of worring about what we think, his performance just rages on, only occasionally stopping to catch a breath.

There are a lot of really strong elements in Dedalus Lounge yet it feels somehow disjointed.  Some scenes need to be trimmed and the finale, while quite bracing, doesn’t quite work, perhaps due to its odd transition.  Adding the songs are a great touch, but the show now faces the prospect of either committing to being a musical or a play.  Obviously it worked as a play (it’s been performed in Dublin and Bucharest) so it would be really interesting to fully commit to a musical, add some more songs and see where that takes it.  Though it left a feeling of loss and heartache after watching it, only part of it was due to the solid performances and directing.  The other was thinking of what it would look like after a couple more workshops.  Raise your glass.  Here’s to the next version of Dedalus Lounge.  I certainly can’t wait.  Cheers.

Written by Gary Douggan Original Songs by Anthony Rapp & Daniel A. Weiss Directed by Chris Henry Starring James Kautz, Anthony Rapp, Dee Roscioli, Curtis Howard, Heather Phillips Content Disclaimer (Adult Situations, Adult Language) Opened on January 12^th, 2012 Closes on January 30^th, 2012 at Interart Theatre, 500 W 52^nd Street, 2^nd Floor NYC For tickets call 1.800.838.3006 or http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/215254

Mateo’s Grade: B+

What BVEW Members Might Like: A very different kind of Christmas story, with some great acting, solid staging, and memorable songs by Rapp and Weiss.

Bottom Line: Though not perfect, it is quite memorable.  Check out this Dublin import at the cozy Interart theatre during this Chilly NYC January.