Oscars | The Sleepless Critic

REVIEW: Oscar nominated documentary shorts ‘Instruments of a Beating Heart,’ ‘Death by Numbers’ and ‘I am Ready, Warden’ at Coolidge Corner Theatre for a limited time

Posted on March 4, 2025 by The Sleepless Critic

The repercussions of two horrific and devastating crimes and a quiet lesson in discipline are just a few of the 2025 documentary shorts nominated for the 97^th annual Academy Awards which took place on Sunday, March 2. All of these shorts are available online and now playing at the Coolidge Corner Theatre in Brookline, Massachusetts through Thursday, March 6. Click here for more information and for tickets.

Please note that this review does not include Netflix’s The Only Girl in the Orchestra who took home Best Documentary Short or the New Yorker’s Oscar nominated documentary short Incident.

A beautifully engaging documentary from the start, Ema Ryan Yamazaki’s 23 minute Japanese short film Instruments of a Beating Heart, presented by Op-Docs, is a tender and endearing piece about an audition held for first graders for a part in a musical performance Ode to Joy in Tokyo 2022. The film’s cinematography is bright and inviting offering an inside look at these adorable, excitable and impressionable children learning about discipline amid competition. Their teacher is wise and firm with the students to help them grow. The film specifically focuses on intimidated Ayame who longs to play a particular instrument in the performance. The hidden meaning behind the title will not revealed here, but it is worth seeing this wonderful and tender film.

Ayame in ‘Instruments of a Beating Heart’

“Forever will always be yesterday.”

The classroom frozen in time, the warning signs and so much more encapsulate Parkland School horrific school shooting.

Written by Sam Fuentes and directed by Kim A Snyder, Death by Numbers dives deep inside case #26 from the perspective of traumatized survivor Sam Fuentes and the nature of what it is to live through this unimaginable loss.

The numbers represent not only the facts of the case, but what they know about the shooter through evidence of his mindset and sticks to Sam’s exclusive outlook on the case while tracing a fraction of her long and incalculable road to healing.

Death by Numbers also examines the unimaginable loss, guilt, forgiveness, grief, death, and mortality as well as an agonizing and riveting encounter with the shooter. It is a unique and chilling film that is humanized by Sam’s dynamic perspective.

In 2022, Texas Inmate John Henry Ramirez counts down the days until his execution after being convicted of the murder of Pablo Castro in 2004.

MTV Documentary Films presents I am Ready, Warden, a stirring 37 minute documentary set in Livingston, Texas that impressively covers just about every perspective of this heinous and unplanned act, its aftermath, and a snapshot into Ramirez’s background. It is mainly told from Ramirez’s perspective, but contains interviews with the godmother who supported Ramirez when his family left, the victim’s family, Ramirez’s son born when Ramirez was on the run, and takes a deeper look at Texas’s death penalty. I am Ready, Warden also examines the complicated emotions of everyone involved in this case including what results when Ramirez tries to reach out to the victim’s son, Aaron.

All of these shorts are available online and now playing at the Coolidge Corner Theatre in Brookline, Massachusetts through Thursday, March 6. Click here for more information and for tickets.

REVIEW: From loneliness to lovestruck: Oscar Animated Short films Nina Gantz’s ‘Wander to Wonder’, Loïc Espuche’s ‘Yuck (Beurk)’, Nicolas Keppens’s ‘Beautiful Men,’ ‘In the Shadow of the Cypress’ and Daisuke Nishio’s ‘Magic Candies’

Posted on March 3, 2025 by The Sleepless Critic

Please note that the Academy Award for Best Animated Short film winner was In the Shadow of the Cypress announced at the 97^th Academy Awards on Sunday, March 2. All the Academy Award nominated films including the winner are available online and now playing at the Coolidge Corner Theatre in Brookline, Massachusetts through Thursday, March 6. Click here for more information and for tickets.

From loneliness to love struck, this year’s Oscar nominated Animated shorts mixed lighthearted comedy and tragedy covering a wide range of issues including the effects of trauma, bullying, and PTSD.

Nina Gantz’s dutch and international stop motion animated short Wander to Wonder is a poignant and strange reflection of days past. It runs 14 minutes.

Though the short is about a children’s show, it is not for young children and features some disturbing content.

Flies swarm as a group of tiny performers are trapped inside an old studio and fighting for survival where 80s Belgium children program Wander to Wonder was filmed after its originator Uncle Gilly, depicted by Neil Savage, passes away. Wander to Wonder has a sorrowful and dank feel to reflect how much time has passed since the gleam of this beautiful and eccentric, if not widely watched children’s show was on the air. Delivering moments of wacky humor, Toby Jones as Fumbleton, Amanda Lawrence as Mary and Terrance Dunn as Billybud express an inherent yearning as they reflect upon the fond memories of the program and make an awkward attempt to recreate some of them while trying to survive which can be bereft, odd and gruesome. I felt for their sad situation, but didn’t find myself invested enough in the characters as they struggle to adapt.

Written and directed by Loïc Espuche featuring bright and inviting two dimension animation, French short film Yuck! (Beurk) is a 13 minute long sweet tale about discovering first love.

A group of children revel in spying on others at summer camp and are disgusted as they watch couples kiss. However, Leo discovers he has a crush on his friend Lucie. Yuck explores the discovery, joy, confusion and heartache of life through the eyes of a child. It is a brief and endearing tale that is worth every minute.

What if you can learn the truth about life around you?

Written by Baek Heena and directed by Daisuke Nishio, Magic Candies is an insightful 21 minute Japanese CGI animated short about a lonely boy named Dong Dong who purchases a pack of mysterious candies and runs 21 minutes. However, these colorful candies have a compelling and unexpected power that takes Dong-Dong by complete surprise.

With the exception of the distinctive characters, the settings are incredibly realistic. From Dong-Dong’s textured jeans to each detailed strand in the dog’s fur to the layered patterns in Dong-Dong’s wrapped blanket to sweeping fall foliage, Magic Candies unfolds is an aesthetically pleasing manner and is a must see film that is funny, moving, silly, clever and heartwarming.

Directed by Shirin Sohani and Hossein Molayemi, Iranian short film In the Shadow of the Cypress, winner of the Academy Award for Best Animated Short, delves into the strained relationship between a father who suffers from PTSD as the result of war and his daughter which is nearing a breaking point.

Both live together in an isolated seaside house. The two dimensional 20 minute animated film boasts finely delicate details that enhance the rippling waves, the slender and stylized design of each of the characters right down to the father’s long striped beard. Its remarkable sound design embellishes a storm of seagulls, an alarming ship ablaze, and the subtle triggers that set the father off as he struggles with his harrowing conflict within. It can be slow at times, but it is worth watching for its captivating conclusion.

How far would you go to look your best?

Balding brothers Steven, Bart, and Koen travel to Istabul to have hair transplants. However, it is quickly discovered that only one appointment is available. It traces each character’s nature, insecurities, and how they handle the situation as this error becomes known.

Nicolas Keppens’s Beautiful Men is a two dimension 19 minute international comedy drama short which combines cut out stop motion and white board animation and contains some adult content and nudity. It is at times a candid short that explores just how far one would go for self improvement.

Each of Academy Award nominated films including the winner is available online and at the Coolidge Corner Theatre in Brookline, Massachusetts through Thursday, March 6. Click here for more information and for tickets.

REVIEW: Greater Boston Stage Company delivers a heartfelt ‘Boulevard of Bold Dreams’

Posted on March 15, 2023 by The Sleepless Critic

Arthur and Dottie had big dreams beyond what 1939 could dream up. Then Hattie McDaniel arrived.

During Hollywood’s Golden Age, 1939 was deemed one of the greatest years in motion picture history. Gone with Wind was among a long list of acclaimed classic films that premiered that year including Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, The Wizard of Oz, Stagecoach, Wuthering Heights, Gunga Din, Ninotchka, Goodbye, Mr. Chips, and Dark Victory. However, Gone with the Wind also marked an indelible moment in history. At the 1940 Academy Awards, Hattie McDaniel was the first African American to win an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress.

Samantha Jane Williams and Stewart Evan Smith in Greater Boston Stage Company’s ‘Boulevard of Bold Dreams’ Photo credit to Nile Scott Studios

Directed warmly by Taavon Gamble, Greater Boston Stage Company delivers a perfectly timed, heartfelt tribute to one of the greats with the east coast premiere of Boulevard of Bold Dreams by LaDarrion Williams live and in person at Greater Boston Stage Company in Stoneham, Massachusetts and streaming through Sunday, March 19. The show is 90 minutes with no intermission. Click here for more information and for tickets.

This year’s 95^th annual Academy Awards marked a revolutionary year as Everything Everywhere All at Once not only dominated the night winning Best Picture, Best Direction, and Best Screenplay but also delivered a historic win for Michelle Yeoh as the first Asian actress to win an Oscar for Best Actress in a Leading Role. One of the actresses that presented Yeoh’s Oscar was none other than Halle Berry who was the first African American to win an Oscar for Best Actress in a Leading Role. When Berry won in 2002 she declared, “This moment is so much bigger than me.”

Michelle Fenelon, Stewart Evan Smith and Samantha Jane Williams in Greater Boston Stage Company’s ‘Boulevard of Bold Dreams’ Photo credit to Nile Scott Studios

Hattie McDaniel’s groundbreaking Oscar win as Mammy in Gone with the Wind garnered acclaim and ongoing recognition for the barriers she broke as well as controversy while she paved the way for Halle and many other actresses including Viola Davis, Whoopi Goldberg, Diahann Carroll, Jennifer Hudson, Regina King, Octavia Spencer, Lupita Nyong’o, and Ariana DeBose. Those actresses were able to write their own acceptance speeches, sit with their cast, and although some aspects of Boulevard of Bold Dreams is fictionalized, the show delivers some eye-opening facts about McDaniel within segregated Hollywood. Facing a tough road, McDaniel had had the foresight and tenacity to make sure her name was on that Oscar ballot.

Michelle Fenelon and Stewart Evan Smith in Greater Boston Stage Company’s ‘Boulevard of Bold Dreams’ Photo credit to Nile Scott Studios

Boulevard of Bold Dreams also boasts a memorable and tenacious cast. Bartender Arthur Brooks, an imaginative and aspiring director in a standout performance by Stewart Evan Smith, has big dreams well beyond his current occupation. Smith’s candor, charisma, and enthusiasm brighten each scene and his unflappable vision for his future makes it easy to root for his success in the face of any obstacle. Maid Dottie Hudson, a cynical, yet aspiring singer portrayed with wit and humor by Michelle Fenelon, has her feet planted closer to the ground. Smith and Fenelon strike a delicate balance of resourcefulness, wishful thinking and persistence when they arrived in Hollywood with little money and big ambitions. However, things are more complicated than they appear. In a distinctive and glittery blue gown, Samantha Jane Williams gracefully captures Hattie McDaniel’s humble and frank demeanor with an underlying anxiousness as she faces a potentially life changing night. Fenelon and Williams have quick and complex camaraderie as their strong vocals combine for a playful and impromptu duet.

Boulevard of Bold Dreams Samantha Jane Williams Michelle Fenelon and Stewart Evan Smith in Greater Boston Stage Company’s ‘Boulevard of Bold Dreams Photo credit to Nile Scott Studios

Kiara Escalera’s meticulous costume design recreates McDaniel’s look with precision as well as the vintage sophistication of the 1940s. Enhanced by red and gold jacquard curtains and distinguished black and gold doors, scenic designer Rachel Rose Burke elegantly recreates a section of the Ambassador’s Coconut Grove Night Club in Los Angeles.

Boulevard of Bold Dreams not only depicts life’s possibilities through McDaniel, but the extent of the segregation and racism of that time and the struggle to make their dreams come true. Whether or not a fan of the Academy Awards or Hollywood, Boulevard of Bold Dreams tells an inspiring story for all the dreamers of how one person can create lasting change one step at a time.

Greater Boston Stage Company’s Boulevard of Bold Dreams by LaDarrion Williams live and in person at Greater Boston Stage Company in Stoneham, Massachusetts and streaming through Sunday, March 19. Click here for more information and for tickets.

REVIEW: Company Theatre’s regal ‘The Audience’ delivers lessons from a queen

Posted on February 19, 2022 by The Sleepless Critic

So much can transpire in a certain room.

Though I’m not a fan of The Crown, the intriguing Oscar-nominated Spencer is new on Hulu and I was too curious about the polarizing acting abilities of Kristen Stewart to miss this film. Not only does the film focus on the tension, the princess’s fragility, and her deteriorating marriage, but what is deemed a fable of a tragedy taught me a bit about the monarchy’s strict regime before heading out to see the Company Theatre’s production of The Audience.

Directed by Steve Dooner and the inspiration behind the Netflix’s hit drama The Crown, Company Theatre presents Peter Morgan’s The Audience through Sunday, February 20 at Company Theatre, 30 Accord Park Drive in Norwell, Massachusetts. The show is 2 hours and 15 minutes including an intermission. Click here for more information and tickets.

Carol Laing Stearns as Queen Elizabeth II with Pembroke Welch Corgis Gregory and Laci Photo courtesy of Zoe Bradford/Company Theatre

The Audience is named after an important room inside Buckingham Palace where Queen Elizabeth II discusses a wide range of topics with various Prime Ministers over the Years. As Queen, she must live up to certain standards to have these meetings on a certain day for a certain length of time and keeping discussions strictly to Cabinet, Parliament, and Current Affairs. Needless to say, conversations often take a turn in unexpected directions. The show delivers light and subtle humor throughout the production, but this is mostly a historical drama.

Carol Laing Stearns portrays the sharp and coolheaded English monarch with sophistication, grace, and underlying prowess (with her royal corgis in tow). She dryly describes herself as “a postage stamp with a pulse,” but we all know better. Stearns has a natural and likable presence, but also stoic and headstrong. She rarely lets her emotions get the better of her, even when she is commenting on it. It is interesting to see the quirks and tenacity, navigating her age progression well. However in a rare moment, thanks to the keen lighting design of Dean Palmer. Jr, the spotlight shines on Stearns in a moment of vulnerability, and it is difficult not be entirely moved by it.

Carol Laing Stearns as Queen Elizabeth II Photo courtesy of Zoe Bradford/Company Theatre

Ryan Barrow’s elegant set is flanked with wall-to-wall gold trim, historical portraits, and a sparkling chandelier shining overhead. Charismatic Rama Rodriguez as Equerry acts as half narrator and half historian, sharing the relevance of this special room and its astute history. From a tartan skirt to the dapper suits on each Prime Minister to the very replica of Queen Elizabeth II’s white dress and royal sash symbolizing her position as the Dame Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order, costume designer Elizabeth Cole Sheehan has a meticulous eye for historically-accurate regal flair.

The depiction of Elizabeth II’s flashes of childhood is handled in a unique and insightful way though at first it can be a little confusing. Young Elizabeth, portrayed as a precocious and inquisitive old soul by Samantha LeBretton, struggles with her destiny and the separation of her public and private figure. Although she is unsure of her place exactly, she feigns surefootedness, but not without questions.

Chris DiOrio as Harold Wilson is the most sympathetic among the Prime Ministers while Julie Dennis as Iron Lady Margaret Thatcher comes in like a lion and remains one. The tension between Stearns and Dennis as a compelling Thatcher is quite thrilling to witness as two people with much in common can barely agree. DiOrio as Wilson thrives in the role, his strong Northern accent only accentuates his likability.

Among the many political, social, and personal topics addressed, the clash between royal rituals and traditions with modernization and talk of the end of the monarchy is always looming. However, The Audience presents a bigger picture and depicts just why Queen Elizabeth II’s, who just celebrated her Platinum Jubilee this month and is the longest reigning English monarch in history, secret to her longevity reaches far beyond her wit.

Company Theatre’s ‘The Audience’ is the inspiration behind Netflix’s ‘The Crown’ Photo courtesy of Zoe Bradford/Company Theatre

Company Theatre presents Peter Morgan’s The Audience through Sunday, February 20 at Company Theatre, 30 Accord Park Drive in Norwell, Massachusetts. The show is 2 hours and 15 minutes including an intermission. Click here for more information and tickets.

REVIEW: Creativity runs wild in Andrew Garfield’s Oscar-nominated portrayal as Jonathan Larson in Netflix’s ‘tick, tick…BOOM!’

Posted on February 17, 2022 by The Sleepless Critic

Though at times he has traveled under the radar from stage to screen aside from his turn as our friendly neighborhood Spiderman, Andrew Garfield has most deservedly been on the map lately. Though he was sadly overlooked by the Academy as the emotional center of David Fincher and Aaron Sorkin’s 2010 acclaimed drama, The Social Network, Garfield has finally scored an Academy Award-nomination for the musical hit, tick tick…BOOM! available on Netflix. Garfield has a knack for dynamic performances and though everyone is looking at Jessica Chastain as Tammy Faye Bakker in The Eyes of Tammy Faye, Garfield also brought a wealth of humor, quirkiness, and manipulative prowess to his portrayal of TV Evangelist Jim Bakker.

Once an Off-Broadway play, tick, tick…BOOM’s film adaptation is available now on Netflix and directed by Lin-Manuel Miranda. The film is currently Oscar-nominated for Best Actor for Andrew Garfield and Best Film Editing and Garfield has a Screen Actors Guild nomination for Best Actor in a Leading Role.

As Lin-Manuel Miranda was once a struggling writer himself, it is not surprising he is the director of the Academy Award-nominated musical tick, tick…BOOM!, a fascinating semi-autobiographical story about Jonathan Larson, a struggling writer living in New York City years before he created his hit rock musical, RENT. A writer writes about what one knows and so much of this story offers glimpses into Larson’s inspiration for that wildly-successful musical.

However, this is about the struggle and this musical film is brimming with it. The painstaking work of creativity and all that could go wrong illuminates tick, tick…BOOM! as Larson struggles to keep it all together to achieve what at times seems impossible, especially in New York City. tick, tick…BOOM! is not only about Jonathan Larson’s frantic life, but it is also an ode to the writer and the struggle to live that extraordinarily competitive dream while just skirting out and skimming by trying to get a chance.

At its center is narrator and lead Andrew Garfield who brings a driving intensity and delivers an electrifying performance as the frenetic Larson on the eve of Larson’s 30^th birthday. The unconventional, deeply creative, and quick-thinking Larson divides his time between writing and working at the Moondance Diner. Look for Lin-Manuel Miranda as a short order cook. However, music and writing naturally pours out of Larson’s soul and he is often consumed by it at the expense of everything else. For forward-thinking Larson, turning 30 is a looming chasm that soaks up every ounce of his time until that odious deadline as he demonstrates in the catchy and memorable number, 30/90. Thirty is not old, but maybe Larson always felt like he was running out of time.

The musical features a dynamic, infectious, and multi-dimensional soundtrack about living in your 20s in New York City and how life changes. RENT’s influence is unmistakably evident in the lighthearted and humorous numbers, Boho Days and No More. It is also easy to recognize the roots that will develop Larson’s future work. Inside the Moondance Diner, Sunday features beautiful harmonies that include some of Broadway’s biggest stars. Therapy is a fantastic and humorous number about the miscommunication of love. The rap-infused Play Game depicts the struggle between living out the uncertainty of your dream or entering the corporate world which is a prevalent theme throughout the film.

tick, tick BOOM! explores the little victories, the bigger victories, and the gut-wrenching defeats in Larson’s personal and professional world. However, what is genuinely important becomes painfully clear and what truly inspires his work changes as the film progresses.

tick, tick BOOM! is currently streaming on Netflix. Click here for more information on RENT’s 25th Anniversary Farewell Tour.