#David Stoll

[smashpages]

Preview pages from Dead Mall (IDW, July 2023) by Adam Cesare and David Stoll

[polarseven]

I love that there were SO many inklings that Winter King was just so fucked up. Like, start of song? Excited, happy, maybe a lot but hey that's fine!

Halfway through? Glimpse of insanity, but not Ice King's kind. The more sinister, evil kind that's subtle and creeping.

Also? They did SUCH a good choice casting BRIAN DAVID GILBERT?!?!!!! LIKE. A little bit into the episode it just clicked and I went no FUCKING way god DAMN it. And I was right! It was him!!!!! And BDG is so accustomed with like...subtle horror and characters that are fucked up that I felt this is an AMAZING rope for him, I love it so much, like...he's not crazy right? This universe just has them flipped, right??? But the crown corrupts in every universe, so that could never be the case.

I could also go on a whole rant about how our Simon is so much better and healthier than him, and that Simon Petrikov is a really interesting example of taking accountability for your mental illness. Like, we can all agree that Winter King is absolutely fucked up for casting a spell for a hundred years to project his insanity from the crown onto that universes Princess Bubblegum and then say that it was fucking WILLPOWER?!?? But how much responsibility should our Simon take? It's true he was insane with very little to no control over his actions, but they still occurred. What about if he puts the crown back on? Ahpuld he be responsible for his actions then since he's making the decisions o do that, if he succeeds. And plus Simon already feels horribly guilty for his actions!! Like, perhaps Simon takes a bit more guilt than he should, or maybe just the right amount. But Our Simon OWN it. It's his and he wouldn't EVER want anyone else to struggle and go through what he went through, and I think that's commendable. And he also, I personally feel, has the right balance. Ice King wasn't him, but it was still him who did those things. He shouldn't be blamed for it, but he's also understanding of the fact that some people may see him in a different light because of it. It's so fascinating and I promise someone who's was more educated than me on more severe mental illnesses could tall a lot better on this topic. It's just such a fascinating complicated issue to me, especially to be depicted in a show.

[camyfilms]

WEST SIDE STORY 2021

That's right, and who are you? Friend or foe?

[haveyouseenthisseries-poll]

[abs0luteb4stard]

W A T C H I N G

[bungandmunchpi]

Just wanted to write a little something about the shows I saw in New York before the Tony noms come out tomorrow! I never write long-form about the things I've seen any more so thought I'd indulge myself quickly.

Stereophonic, 13th April

Theatre twitter was abuzz about this when it was at Playwrights' Horizons and the transfer rumours were very exciting as we were planning our trip. We managed to nab some $40 seats in the rear mezz for previews and went with it as the first show of our week!

It's a great play, although I don't think totally deserving of the raves/five stars it's getting everywhere. It could do with some pruning in places and I think both Nancy and I thought the female characters were a little bit underwritten: I'd say the scenes where it's just the two of them discussing their careers and personal lives are the weakest of the play, although Sarah Pidgeon and Juliana Canfield are both fantastic. The rest of the cast is as well - it's stacked top to bottom, with six out of seven making their Broadway debuts which is thrilling! Will Butler's music is absolutely phenomenal, and the show really soars when the band kick into gear and are recording successfully: we were both nodding our heads and tapping along, and I can't wait for the album to come out on May 10th.

Shout-outs to basically everyone in the cast, as everyone gets their little (or large) moment, but I think Eli Gelb really anchors the thing and has a gorgeous arc, and Will Brill is incredibly funny and sad at the same time. Tom Pecinka is doing fantastic work too as the antagonist/engine of the show, and I've really enjoyed watching his Gold Derby interview where he speaks about the hostility he experiences from the audience a lot of the time, and how he processes that and stays true to the text without being tempted into making the character more likeable.

We stagedoored too and everyone was very lovely! We got to compliment Will on his British accent and meet Tom's dog Molly, who was totally over the two-show day and ready to be on her way (but very sweet with it). A great start!

Merrily We Roll Along, 14th April

This was the show I spent the most money on, and I went on my own as Nancy was off being immersed at Punchdrunk (/the McKittrick Hotel, apologies). I love Sondheim and I really love this show - I was introduced to it by Lonny Price's beautiful documentary The Best Worst Thing That Ever Could Have Happened, which I would really recommend even if you're not a big Sondheim/musical theatre person, as it deals with being creative and dreaming big at a young age, and how we adjust when those dreams aren't realised or turn sour. It felt very special to be seeing Merrily on Broadway, as I believe Sondheim used a lot of his own early experiences in the theatre to make it. So special in fact that just hearing the overture made me extremely emotional (although it's a different version/orchestration to the overture on the original cast recording, which is one of my favourites of all time).

It's brilliantly directed/somewhat reworked by Maria Friedman, and she's been credited with turning what was a notorious flop originally into an absolute smash off and on Broadway this season. I think she does a lot of good work but it's undeniable just how brilliant a lot of the songs in it are: when Daniel Radcliffe finished Franklin Shepherd Inc, the man sitting behind me exclaimed "what a number!" to his seatmates. The material in the second half in particular is extraordinary, and I thought all three leads were fantastic as the characters get younger and younger, with It's a Hit, Opening Doors, and Bobby and Jackie and Jack highlights. Our Time, the brutally optimistic climax of the show, had me tearing up as soon as it started, and I cried all the way through the curtain call, just because I felt so lucky to have been in that space experiencing that piece of work made by this team of cast and creatives.

Jonathan Groff, Lindsay Mendez, and Daniel Radcliffe are all phenomenal in it: I was expecting less from Daniel Radcliffe as I know he has the least musical theatre experience of the three, but he did a great job and brought so much humour to Charley, which I really enjoyed. Jonathan Groff's Growing Up is stunning and he just leads the show so well - he's a real star and would be very deserving of the Tony, which I have a feeling he may just land. Lindsay Mendez has been out of the show now and then so I was preparing myself not to see her and then was thrilled I got to: her voice is so solid and her arc was beautifully drawn, from Mary's acerbic comedy at the beginning of the show to her brightness as she's entering the creative world early on in her career.

In terms of emotion, this was probably the highlight of my trip, and I'm excited to see the production sweep a lot of awards in June!

An Enemy of the People, 17th April

As soon as this was announced, it started making my New York trip plans more concrete. I think Jeremy Strong is one of the best actors we have working today, and it was brilliant to see him onstage - I don't think he's done any theatre for a decade, and Circle in the Square is pretty intimate for a Broadway venue, so that was extremely exciting.

I was left a little cold by the production: I think that may be Amy Herzog's version, which gets through the nuts and bolts of Ibsen's play, but does so at quite a lick (the show runs about two hours with a five minute pause in the middle). The character work the actors are doing is beautifully detailed, so you really want to spend some more time with them all. Jeremy Strong is totally transformed from Succession, endearing and frustrating in equal measure, and he and Michael Imperioli work so well together as very different brothers. I saw Branden Jacobs-Jenkins' The Comeuppance recently at the Almeida, so it was fun to see Caleb Eberhardt and try to read him back into that play: I thought he was really fantastic and nuanced in Enemy, and would love to see him snag a Tony nom, although I think Featured Actor in a Play is insanely crowded (and I would hate to see any of the Stereophonic guys lose out).

Sam Gold's staging is nice although the space seems to be a little difficult to work in. There are some interesting details in the second half as things become less naturalistic, with characters remaining onstage to watch the action, and Jeremy Strong being Jeremy Strong has to put himself in some kind of physical peril (getting buckets of ice poured on him as the townspeople turn on Stockmann, leaving him wet through (and I presume freezing) for the rest of the show).

Overall this was good if not as impressive as I'd hoped, but it was amazing to see Jeremy Strong onstage and he again was lovely at the stagedoor, so I'd recommend that if you're interested!

Appropriate, 17th April

This was the best show we saw all trip, from the writing to the direction to the performances, and so brilliant that we didn't try very hard to get into something on the Thursday evening, as we didn't want to spoil the high we'd experienced the night before.

I love Branden Jacobs-Jenkins' writing, and the way he plays with drama as a form to create his shows. Appropriate sits in the tradition of American domestic drama, and it's harrowing and screamingly funny all in one go. Again a real thrill to see a cast this stacked, and fun to pick up another Succession cast member, with Natalie Gold so good in what could be a tricky role. Sarah Paulson leaves it all out there in the lead role, and does a fantastic job: another actor who isn't afraid to be unlikeable, and who goes deep in the cruelty she exhibits towards other characters. Corey Stoll does some great, solid work too, and Michael Esper is so SO good as Franz. The role is so disruptive and interesting and gross and funny, and he does a beautiful job. Nancy and I really bonded over the production of The Glass Menagerie he was in in London in 2017, so it was wonderful to see him onstage again and to see him bring it so hard.

The design elements of Appropriate are phenomenal too, particularly the final sequence, which I won't spoil but is one of the most extraordinary things I've seen done onstage.

That was the trip!! I had a brilliant first ever week in New York and the best time seeing my first shows on Broadway: I was very sad to leave but it's made me really excited to see great work in London over the summer, and I'm ready to start saving up again to go back!

[theconjurervfx]

The Master.

[pygartheangel]

"West Side Story" (2021)

[demifiendrsa]

New official character poster for Marvel Studios’ Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania

[lily-s-world]

THE height difference.

[smashpages]

Smash Pages Q&A | Adam Cesare and David Stoll on ‘Dead Mall’

The two creators discuss their love for malls, their approach to ‘mall horror,’ the potential for a sequel and more.

[ruleof3bobby]

ANT-MAN AND THE WASP: QUANTUMANIA (2023) Grade: C+

I didn't think it was as bad some say. Kang the Conqueror was a good villain & Jonathan Majors was excellent.

The climax could've been improved. Maybe an overall shorter time length as well. Special effects were average.

[nothingunrealistic]

right in line with will declaring asia to have rum tum tugger energy

[camyfilms]

QUANTUMANIA 2023

You think this is new to me? Do you know how many rebellions I put down? How many worlds I've conquered? How many Avengers I've killed? And you think you can beat me? I am Kang!

[adamwatchesmovies]

Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (2023)

Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania is a disappointing 31st entry in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Why? I'm having difficulty pinpointing that. The setting is pretty incredible, with loads of geography and characters that look unlike anything we’ve seen before. That's saying something considering some of the places the Guardians of the Galaxy have taken us. Paul Rudd once again proves himself a charismatic everyman, the action scenes are exciting and occasionally go in some pretty wild places thanks to the shrinking/growing abilities of the lead character… but something feels off.

When Scott Lang/Ant-Man (Paul Rudd), his daughter Cassie (Kathryn Newton), girlfriend Hope van Dyne/Wasp (Evangeline Lilly), her father Dr. Hank Pym (Michael Douglas) and mother Janet (Michelle Pfeiffer) get sucked into the Quantum Realm, they discover it isn’t empty at all; it’s filled with inhabitants, all of whom live in fear of Kang the Conqueror (Jonathan Majors).

The film’s issue is the story. This is a wild departure from the previous Ant-Man films. It’s closer to a space adventure than anything else, complete with crazy aliens, spaceships, armies of robots (at least I think they were robots) and talks about other dimensions & multiverses. There’s nothing necessarily wrong with that, but it just doesn’t feel Ant-Man-like. Aside from his team-ups with the Avengers, none of Scott's adventures have been world-threatening; he’s always felt like “the little guy”, complete with serious, down-to-earth problems like being an ex-con, having trouble finding a job and being estranged from his daughter. This is closer to Guardians territory. The scale of everything encountered in Quantumania should have a much bigger impact on our heroic family. They take it in such strides that there isn't much opportunity for our characters to grow or learn things - except for Cassie, who struggles with some fighting moves. This means the movie is only about two things: the adventure and the villain.

I’ve heard Kang described as a top-tier villain, the one that’s supposed to fill the hole left by Thanos. I don’t know about that. Kang is certainly powerful… but I mean, if they’re pitting him against Ant-Man (no offense), how strong can he REALLY be? I like Jonathan Majors in the role. He brings extra dimension to his character and we see enough of Kang to want more but against a guy that can grow and shrink, he's an ill-fit. It's almost like Ant-Man is a B- to C-tier character that didn't have a great rogues gallery, so they slotted in someone else for the Phase's sake…

There’s another villain in the film: the “I don’t know how we’re going to make this guy work in live-action” M.O.D.O.K. Some of what they do with the Mechanical Organism Designed Only for Killing is inventive. What ultimately happens to the character, however, just doesn’t work. Generally, the comedy in the film is amusing but it’ll give you severe emotional whiplash more than once and when director Peyton Reed and/or writer Jeff Loveness use M.O.D.O.K. humorously, it lands with a resounding "thud".

I’ve been pretty harsh on Ant-Man 3 so far, which makes me a little sad. I was never bored watching it. The climactic battle is fun and Kang's slew of powerful abilities means the stakes are high. The cast is great, with the family dynamics between the in-laws and between Scott & Cassie being the highlights. The picture teems with unique sights, which makes it fun to just watch. You’ve always got a crazy alien, some weird animal, bizarre architecture or something else moving somewhere and their designs show a lot of inventiveness.

I wasn’t crazy about Ant-Man and the Wasp. I’m not crazy about this follow-up either. Actually, this is a step up from the last one. That doesn't mean I didn't enjoy it. This third chapter introduces important concepts and characters to the MCU. There are enough moments that work to make it worth seeing as part of a subscription package, for the price of a rental or even if a discounted ticket at the cinema. When you do, stay through the credits to see what's coming next. (August 11, 2023)