It was a good night for me. I had a rehearsal for the upcoming theater benefit I am singing in for Hell in a Handbag Productions and the movie: “Catfish” afterwards.
“Bea Arthur” & “Shelley Duvall” sing “Scarey Monsters”photo: Rick Aguilar
Hell in a Handbag is headed by its founder, creator, writer Dave Cerda, a brilliant lyricist and comic writer who specializes (though not exclusively) in parody and casts (though not only) men in drag for some of the main roles. I can’t even describe the funny bits this guy comes up with. Sometimes I am laughing so hard that I really can’t believe it! And the talent he finds is amazing. I was thrilled when he asked me to participate in his fundraiser this weekend. I am portraying Aretha Franklin who sings Respect with “Bob Dylan” and has-been: “Rip Nelson” on his Holiday Special. The other guests include Charo, Brooke Shields, Joan Crawford, Donny Osmond, Shelly Duvall and others. Hysterical!!! And Cerda fronts his own rock band: “The Joans.” He fronts the band as Joan Crawford, of course. More fun!
Following rehearsal I hitched a ride downtown to the movie plex to see the documentary ”Catfish.” I was curious about the film because it was an indie movie about Facebook released alongside the blockbuster: “Social Network.” You know I had to go for the little Indie movie!
The trailers are deceiving. They really don’t give you a clue about what the film is really about and I feel like I should stick with that… BUT I will tell you what it ain’t:
Contrary to the trailer – it is not a thriller.
It is not just a movie that warns you of the ills of Facebook and social networking.
Note: Evidently, there’s been a bunch of controversy about whether it’s a true documentary or not. It felt real enough to me.
The movie turns into a bittersweet picture that tells us that showing a little compassion never hurt nobody… The reviews say that it breaks your heart in the second half – and it does. I was weeping. But I was happy to see it. Loved it. Though I don’t know if it’s for everyone… there were some immature young women in the back of the theater giggling and it made me nuts. Leave the silly twenty-somethings at home. They don’t get the concept of a missed life and disappointment and the lengths one will go to have just one taste of something special- even if it is all a fantasy.
P.S. The Catfish profile page tells the plot.
