Pregaming before a Moody Center show will soon be more luxe.
rendering courtesy of Moody Center
Ricky Martin shares his la vida loca with Pitbull and Enrique Iglesias on February 9, Olivia Rodrigo bares her soul on February 28, and Madonna takes a victory lap on April 14. There are many reasons to go to Moody Center in the upcoming weeks. Now, the state-of-the-art venue is adding two more.
A tony private suite and an intimate speakeasy will debut in April, offering those who can pony up the funds for VIP perks a truly luxurious experience.
Founder's Room Speakeasy collaborates with Wally's Wine & Spirits entrepreneur Christian Navarro. The moody 1,000-square-foot, 50-capacity space squeezes in a bar and tufted banquettes under the watchful eye of framed portraits of musical greats. In addition to offering cocktails and bubbles, the lounge will serve a selection of posh snacks.
Although Founder's Room is a membership-only watering hole, a waiting list is available for those who hem and haw too long to secure a spot. For a small fee, procrastinators can join The LineUp — a privileged group that offers exclusive news and offers for upcoming shows.
Those looking to amp up their evenings can book the upcoming Bunker Suite next to Germania Insurance Club. The plush room, clad in slatted walls, features plenty of screens, a bar, and the kind of sleek lighting that makes Taylor Swift friendship bracelets look like Harry Winston.
Moody Center's website lets music lovers sign up for details on both spaces. Resources for new lines of credit are, sadly, not linked.
For every well-known/successful actor in Hollywood, there are thousands of others whose lives are more tenuous as they struggle to find work. The new film Misty Green is about one such actor who, after a period in the limelight, now finds herself on the outskirts of the industry, just hoping to find her way back in.
Misty (Rosalind Eleazar) won an Emmy for a 2000s-era TV show that still gets her recognition, but not much work. Still living in the apartment of a recently-deceased man with whom she was having an affair, Misty spends her days sleeping in and her nights getting blitzed on alcohol and drugs. She seems to be heading nowhere fast until a few things coincide to break up her routine.
The man’s wife (Amy Landecker) shows up and tells her she has seven days to vacate the apartment; Misty’s brother, Jay (Daniel Kaluuya) — who is bipolar — arrives after being kicked out of his facility for non-payment; and Jordan (Chris Rock), a former colleague with whom she had a falling-out, reappears in her life, offering a possible chance to rehabilitate her image.
Written and directed by Rock (his first feature since 2014’s Top Five), the film is a funny and excruciating look at how the entertainment industry might actually work. Misty is her own worst enemy thanks to late nights fraternizing with unsavory characters like Zach (Adam Driver), who deals in drugs and women in equal measure, but her frustration proves warranted when her agent, Randy (Topher Grace), and casting directors like Rhonda (Tracie Thoms) hardly give her the time of day.
Misty tries her best to stay positive, but when jobs like singing in a bar are the best she can do, the mountain seems insurmountable. Rock does an effective job of demonstrating the elements that are within and without Misty’s control that affect her ability to regain her position in the industry. The chip on her shoulder is almost as big as the bias some have against her, and other negative circumstances don’t help matters much.
There are many small touches that Rock and his crew put in the film to give it an air of authenticity. Filming in Los Angeles (a rarity these days), Rock uses both subtle and overt shots of homeless people in the city, suggesting that the line between the haves and have-nots is a fine one, especially with Misty on the verge of not having a place to live. He also has cameos from a few of his funny friends, including a bit of meta-casting of Anthony Anderson (who has faded a bit after starring in Black-ish) in a bit part as a cop.
Eleazar, a British actor best known for appearing on the Apple TV show Slow Horses, is a magnetic presence as Misty. The character herself is somewhat cringey in her decision-making, and Eleazar sells every bit of her righteous indignation and self-defeating actions. The supporting cast is great across the board, including Rock, Driver, Kaluuya, Thoms, Grace, Anna Kendrick, and Rich Sommer.
Misty Green makes you rage against the Hollywood machine, laugh at the various ways different people deal with its maddening quirks, and hide behind your fingers as Misty chooses options that don’t help, either voluntarily or because her back is against the wall. It’s a powerhouse of acting that gives a unique angle on the inner workings of Hollywood, one that ironically might be competing for awards at year’s end.
