Mountain Views News          Saturday, July 25, 2015

Mountain Views News Saturday, July 25, 2015 
11ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT Mountain Views News Saturday, July 25, 2015 
11ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT 
SEAN’S SHAMELESS 
REVIEWS: 


“TRAINWRECK” DOESN’T DERAIL 
FOR ITS 2-HOUR RIDE 



Amy Schumer is this year’s

“it” girl. With her sketch 

show renewed for a fourth 
season on Comedy Central and gracing the cover 
of GQ, it’s safe to say this girl is on fire. Last week,
her new film, “Trainwreck,” in which she wrote 
and stars in, debuted to strong critical praise andhealthy box office numbers. It was directed from 
Judd Apatow, known as the king of comedy for thepast several years. Apatow is coming off two averagecomedies, “Funny People” and “This is Forty,” but 
is better recognized for helming “The 40-Year OldVirgin” and “Knocked Up,” and producing a ton 
of popular R-rated comedies throughout the years.
However, Apatow rebounds terrifically here and the 
best reason I can postulate is that he did not writethe screenplay. His directorial style remained the 
same with the long scenes (rare for comedies) andparticular soundtrack choices, often utilizing a song 
or two from the band Wilco in his films. What’s 
even more surprising is that Apatow didn’t include 
his usual cronies (Seth Rogen, real-life wife LeslieMann) that have appeared in multiple films of his. 
Being said, “Trainwreck” is a one-woman show andSchumer nails it and nails it damn hard. 

In “Trainwreck,” Schumer plays Amy, a magazinewriter who has made promiscuity her dogma. She 
lives an uninhibited life free of commitment, which 
her father told her as a young girl that monogamy 
isn’t realistic. She drinks, smokes, and has a foul 
mouth. Basically, she’s a riot in this film with zingers 
lined up one after another. As for her character, shehas numerous one-night stands and believes she is 
indeed having fun while actually she’s in a rut. Shesees her sister (Brie Larson) married with a familyand at first doesn’t seem to want that. However, 
after meeting a nerdy, but sincere sports medicinedoctor (Bill Hader), her skewed view of relationships 
starts to slowly change for the better. Then there’sher dysfunctional relationship with her father, who 
she visits in a convalescent home. There’s a strongdynamic that starts out amusingly, but ends with a 
bit of sorrow and sadness. The set up is very familiar, 

but the twist here is the role reversal. Usually theguy protagonist is up to no good, the one who is 
an alcoholic andthe womanizer, but Schumer flipsit around. Does Trainwreck ever go off the rails? 
Despite a typical third act, it certainly stays on courseat a high speed. The jokes consist of belly laughs and 
the chuckles remain consistent throughout. I canforgive the cliché ending because I was laughing so 

Directed By: Judd ApatowWritten By: Amy SchumerRated R for strong sexual content, nudity, 
language and some drug useRelease Date: July 17th, 2015 
much for about 75% of the movie. 

“Trainwreck” is very contained and is purely 
straightforward. It is refreshingly humorous though.
Schumer not only has a great delivery, but she writes 
terrific jokes. What I loved about “Trainwreck” is thatit relied on smart, witty, funny dialogue for humor 
and not physical action such as characters doingdumb things or saying completely vulgar verbiage.
“Trainwreck” was a wonderful adult comedy that 
easily can reach out to many generations, especiallyyoung females. While R-rated Hollywood comedies 
tend to gravitate more to a men demographic, it’sstimulating to see a young, successful woman in the 
driver’s seat delivery way better humor than mostmale driven comedies. Thanks to “Bridemaids” (also 
produced by Judd Apatow), R-rated female comediesare becoming more and more popular and rightfully 
so. In the end, “Trainwreck” is the comedy of thesummer thus far. It deserves your full attention and 
is a perfect starring vehicle for Amy Schumer, whoseems to have a bright future ahead of her writing 
and starring in movies. I am definitely lookingforward to what she does next. Let’s just hope she 
doesn’t hit the sophomore slump, but my feeling is,
this girl is just warming up. 

Grade: 4 out of 5 

On the Marquee: Notes from the Sierra MadrePlayhouse
SEASON’S GREETINGS IN JULY By Artistic Director, Christian Lebano 


Being the Artistic Director of 
SMP has satisfied a long-time 
goal for me – one I never really 
thought would happen. There 
was a time in my life that I 
pursued my theatrical ambitions 
more vigorously. I was very 
lucky to work at some of the best 
regional theaters in America 
and I thought that would be my 
future. But then my desire for a 
family overtook me and I couldn’t 
see how to make both work, so I 
put my energy into building a life 
that would support building a 
family. 

Finding the Playhouse and 
establishing the relationship that 
I have created here has given me 
so much satisfaction and allowed 
me to have both my family and 
my dreams. I’m a lucky man.
I tell everyone that I am a work in 
progress as an Artistic Director. I 
had my fantasies about what the 
job would entail and now I’m 
learning the realities. There are 
so many aspects of this position 
that are more complicated than 
I had anticipated. Take putting 
a season together, for example. 
Elsewhere in the paper we have 
announced our complete season 
for 2015-16 and I’m very excited 
about the plays we’ll be putting on 
in this, my second year as Artistic 
Director, but they were not all my 
first choices.

 Scheduling a season is a little like 
putting together a house of cards 

– so much depends on balance, 
timing and luck. As you know, the 
Playhouse’s mission is to celebrate 
the American experience so that 
was the starting place for putting 
the season together. From the 
many wonderful American plays 
we needed to find seven that 
would make a season that had 
something in it for all of our 
patrons – understanding that not 
every play would appeal to every 
patron. Then there is the whole 
rights issue. I was turned down 
for several plays – being in LA 
makes it harder to get rights to 
produce shows. A lot of shows 
go on “hold” because of film and 
TV, or aren’t available because 
there is a production in NYC that 
may move west, or because one of 
the larger theaters in town have 
expressed interest – you never 
learn why you’ve been denied 
the rights to a piece. But then 
you have to rethink your choices 
and rejigger your plans. Beyond 
that you have to consider the 
resources we have available – 
cast size, set requirements, and 
technical needs. 

 Here’s a little of my thinking 
about the plays you’ll be seeing in 
the coming year: Always…Patsy 
Cline is pure entertainment. It 
is a wonderful way to end the 
summer (I think of this first slot 
as the musical slot because we 
have a little longer lead time to 
produce the show and musicals 
are such great entertainment.) 
Deathtrap is another show that 
we’ve been talking about doing 
for a while. I’d been turned down 
for rights before, so was overjoyed 
when we got them this time. The 
show takes SMP back to its roots 

– we haven’t produced a thriller 
in a long time and many patrons 
have been asking for one. This 
one is the best of all of them. I 
found a beautiful holiday musical 
in A Christmas Memory and we 
are thrilled to be doing the LA 
premiere of this wonderful show. 
It will be perfect for the entire 
family; it celebrates everything 
that is good about Christmas and 
friendship. I think you’ll love this 
little gem. 
Those were easy choices, but 
then how to start the new year off? 
I knew I needed something more 
contemporary, I looked at several 
comedies but this slot needed 
to be a smaller cast because of 
rehearsing over the holidays, 
with minimal set and be more 
contemporary to balance against 
the last plays of the season. And 
I was hoping it might have a part 
in it for me – I’ve been hoping to 
get back on stage for a while. I’m 
also a big proponent of saving 
neglected plays – last year it was 
6 RMS RIV VU – there are so 
many shows that deserve to be 
seen again. I’ve settled on Other 

People’s Money – a terrifically 
funny adult comedy about the 
go-go 80’s and all the financial 
wheeling and dealing of the 
period. It was very popular when 
it was first released but hasn’t 
been produced in a while. 

 Finding a Field Trip Series play 
that worked was easy when I came 
across the script for Charlotte’s 
Web. We’ll be marketing this 
one to elementary schools. It’s 
a perfect show for our younger 
patrons and the adults who 
love them. It is such a beloved 
American story – I am thrilled 
that we’ll be doing it. But then I 
needed to find a play that would 
work in repertory with it and 
was so excited when I thought 
of Of Mice and Men. The play 
was adapted by John Steinbeck 
himself from his novel. It is a 
beautiful story about friendship 
and loyalty – the perfect thematic 
companion to Charlotte’s Web 
AND will be able to work on the 
same set.

 Finally, we are ending the season 
with one of the greatest American 
plays ever written – Tennessee 
Willliams’ The Glass Menagerie. 
I’m so excited to finally bring this 
play to SMP and to get to direct 
it. It will be such a joy to spend 
time with those characters and 
Williams’ beautiful story.
So there it is. I hope we’ve 
piqued your interest and that 
you will be in the audience for 
every one of these shows. You 
are the reason we do this. Let 
me know what you think by 
writing me at ArtisticDirector@
SierraMadrePlayhouse.org 

Always…Patsy Cline is in technical 
rehearsals now for its Friday 
opening. Tickets are selling well – 
don’t miss out, buy yours now! The 
show opens July 31. Remember 
we give 20% discounts for groups 
of 10 or more who purchase their 
tickets ahead of their attendance 
date. Please call Mary Baville 
at 626.355.4318 to arrange your 
purchase. 

Jeff’s Book Picks By Jeff Brown 

THE BLACK BOX (HARRY BOSCH)the native Kipsigis tribe who share his estate. Herby Michael Connelly unconventional upbringing transforms Beryl intoa bold young woman with a fierce love of all things

In a case that spans 20 years, Harry Bosch links

wild and an inherent understanding of nature’s

the bullet from a recent crime to a file from 1992, 

delicate balance. But even the wild 

the killing of a young female


child must grow up, and when 

photographer during the L.A. riots.

everything Beryl knows and trusts

Harry originally investigated the 

dissolves, she is catapulted into a

murder, but it was then handed 

string of disastrous relationships.

off to the Riot Crimes Task Force 

Beryl forges her own path as a

and never solved.Now Bosch’s 

horse trainer, and her uncommon 

ballistics match indicates that her 

style attracts the eye of the Happy

death was not random violence, 

Valley set, a decadent, bohemian

but something more personal, and

community of European expats

connected to a deeper intrigue.

who also live and love by their own

Like an investigator combing

set of rules. But it’s the ruggedly

through the wreckage after a plane

charismatic Denys Finch Hatton

crash, Bosch searches for the “black 

who ultimately helps Beryl navigate

box,” the one piece of evidence

the uncharted territory of her own

that will pull the case together.

heart. The intensity of their love

Riveting and relentlessly paced,

reveals Beryl’s truest self and her

THE BLACK BOX leads Harry

fate: to fly.Set against the majestic

Bosch, “one of the greats of crime

landscape of early-twentieth


fiction” (New York Daily News),

century Africa, McLain’s powerful

into one of his most fraught and

tale reveals the extraordinary

perilous cases.Set in Los Angeles he

adventures of a woman before 

travels streets and places familiar

her time, the exhilaration of 

to us that live here.A fun ride. 

freedom and its cost, and the 
tenacity of the human spirit. 

CIRCLING THE SUN: A NOVEL 

by Paula McLain 

AURORA 

by Kim Stanley Robinson 

Paula McLain, author of the 
phenomenal bestseller The Paris

A major new novel from one of

Wife, now returns with her new 

science fiction’s most powerful

novel, transporting readers to 

voices, AURORA tells the incredible 

colonial Kenya in the 1920s. Circling

story of our first voyage beyond the

the Sun brings to life a fearless

solar system.Brilliantly imagined

and captivating woman—Beryl

and beautifully told, it is the work

Markham, a record-setting aviator

caught up in a passionate lovetriangle with safari hunter Denys Finch Hattonand Karen Blixen, who as Isak Dinesen wrote the 
classic memoir Out of Africa.Brought to Kenyafrom England as a child and then abandoned byher mother, Beryl is raised by both her father and 

of a writer at the height of hispowers.Our voyage from Earth began generationsago.Now, we approach our new home.Robinson’snovels have won 11 major science fiction awards,
and have been nominated on 29 occasions 

ROTARY OF SIERRA MADRE PRESENTS 
Harry Shahoian as Elvis 
Sunday, August 2, 2015 from 6-8 pm 
Sierra Madre Bandstand 
Rounds Premium Burger Truck 
Ice Cream Princess 
Serving from 5pm