On my watchlist this week were two very different live events: comedy, documentary and The Battle Below screens at The Anthology Film Archives.
Kevin Hart: Let Me Explain wasn’t the laugh-out-loud set I expect from Hart, one of my favorite comics. I appreciated his opening, as he took viewers around the world to see the different stops on his 2012 comedy tour – I didn’t realize he had such global appeal. I also appreciated how he opened up about his divorce (why are all the successful comics divorced? I’m praying for Jim Gaffigan.) but in a tasteful, respectful way.
Still the laughs were few and far between for me on this set, and for that I would say this one can be skipped. HOWEVER, there is a bit at the end, after the show is over, when Hart thanks his audience at Madison Square Garden and talks about how it’s a dream come true for him to play the Garden. He tears up and gets emotional and it’s a beautiful thing to watch. For that alone, I would add this to your Netflix queue.
The Battle Below showed at the latest NY WIFT screening series on March 18. The Anthology Film Archives has a beautiful theatre, and I was so grateful to see our little short play on a big screen.
Paired up with our film was a documentary by Primavera Ruiz, Ana and I, a fascinating look at a big, mixed family with a very colorful matriarch. This film features a world champion equestrian vaulting team (I didn’t even know gymnastics on horseback was a sport but there it is!), a touching family reunion in Equatorial Guinea, and a serial entrepreneur for a mom, so it has something for everyone. It’s a touching film, and I was happy to have been paired with it.