11:11
wishing
Hello you,
I have officially published 11 weekly updates on substack (including this one). My 11:11 is that I am able to continue this for as long as I want!!
The heatwave is getting to me. I am melting onto the red bus seats into a sweaty puddle in the shape of a girl.
What inspired me this week:
Paranormal activity
The Mirvish run of Paranormal Activity was electrifying! The play revolves around a Chicago couple who moved to London, UK, for a fresh start. They are pregnant with their first child, but the wife is suffering from insomnia.
The set design looked like a full-size dollhouse, with all the rooms of the London home visible except for the mysterious nursery. There were a lot of jump scares where the lights suddenly turned off several times.
The play confronts who we are more likely to believe: the husband or the wife? The man or the woman? I felt compelled to sympathize with both characters in their troubles with a mysterious entity. The ending had a plot twist that shattered my perception of the characters, and it made me reflect on the entire play.
I haven’t encountered a horror play before. I got scared to the point that I accidentally dug my nails into San’s arm.
Macho Dancer dir. Lino Brocka
The film follows Pol (Alan Paule), who moves to Manila for a better life. He falls under the wing of Noel (Daniel Fernando), who teaches him the ins and outs of sex work in Ermita, Manila. Their life takes a turn for the worse when Noel tries to find his sister and crosses the police chief.
Brocka doesn’t pity their position, but he doesn’t glorify their lives either. He shows the gritty reality with unshakeable honesty.
The film has long-running scenes of macho dancers dancing for their lives. The dances slow down to real-time as if bringing the audience as onlookers into the club.
The shower dances are essential in showing the sensuality and closeness of the different men. In the last dance, Pol takes Noel’s position. Pol has now become what Noel always wanted to become but didn’t get to be. Pol escapes Manila back to his provincial town with more money than before.
The Muppet Movie dir. James Frawley
The Muppet Movie is an origin story for how the muppets came to be. Kermit gets discovered by a Hollywood agent who tells him he has talent! Kermit decides to follow his dream to go to Hollywood. He attracts a gaggle of characters in his journey. We also get to see the greatest love story unfold: Kermit and Miss Piggy.
I teared up when Kermit sang the final “Rainbow Connection.” FIVE STARS!
Tenet dir. Christopher Nolan
And on the second day, God said let there be Tenet Tuesday!
Tenet is about the Protagonist (John David Washington), who gets recruited into this role after choosing to die instead of giving up his colleagues. After his recruitment, he is given a word: Tenet. He is led to a mysterious case involving time travel that can lead to the destruction of the universe. It is up to him to stop that from happening.
As someone who is not moved by time-travel movies, I like Tenet! I completely understand why people may not like it. Nolan doesn’t make it easy for you to follow what is happening. It is made to be rewatched. There are many details that I have missed on my watch. David had to draw the timeline out for us to figure this out.
The Outsiders (the musical)
“I’ve never been out of Tulsa before. I wonder what it would be like. I've never known anyone to leave. Most people get stuck here for life.”
The Outsiders, for those who are uninitiated, is the story of Ponyboy and his friends, the Greasers. He is the youngest of three orphan boys, Sodapop and Darryl. Most of the time, he is beaten up by the rich kids of West Tulsa. After a freak accident involving the death of a rich kid, Ponyboy and his best friend, Johnny, run away. They redeem themselves when they save children from a burning church. However, Johnny becomes fatally sick from his wounds when he was saving the children. Johnny’s death has a huge impact on the Greasers, especially Ponyboy and Dallas. The musical ends with a letter from Johnny to Ponyboy.
I didn’t have this as required reading or watch the film, so I am not aware of what happens in this musical. I am aware of the “stay gold” saying before, but I didn’t really get it until watching this musical. During Johnny’s letter, I cried at the emotional weight of those words for Johnny and Ponyboy.
The opening lyrics of Tulsa 1967 have been stuck in my head for the whole week. Everyone at the show was at their utmost best. No weak links!
Can I also say I am looking very respectfully at Sodapop? Thank you, Mr. Himbo.
What I made this week:
Thank u for reading + luv u!
You can reach me at: isabelleespaldon.ca and on instagram (at) mangrovevisuals.
mama! luv u, ill let you have my 11:11 wish!