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Movie review: Zany 'Death of Stalin' paints Soviet history with a dark, satirical brush
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Dermot Crowley as Kaganovich, Paul Whitehouse as Mikoyan, Steve Buscemi as Khrushchev, Jeffrey Tambor as Malenkov, and Paul Chahidi as Bulganin in The Death of Stalin." - photo by Josh Terry
THE DEATH OF STALIN 3 stars Steve Buscemi, Simon Russell Beale, Jeffrey Tambor, Andrea Riseborough; R (language throughout, violence and some sexual references); in general release

If you ever pictured Steve Buscemi as former Soviet leader Nikita We Will Bury You! Khrushchev, congratulations! Your long-awaited casting has come.

Armando Iannuccis The Death of Stalin is a black comedy about the chaotic turmoil that followed the death of the infamous Soviet leader Josef Stalin in 1953, and Buscemi is just one familiar face cast as a Cabinet member who gets caught up in the scramble.

The film opens as a group of underlings desperately gathers an orchestra for a repeat performance of a Mozart concerto, after learning a little too late that Stalin (Adrian McLoughlin) wanted a recorded copy. In the process, pianist Maria Veniaminovna Yudina (Olga Kurylenko) slips Stalin a note outlining her detest for the murdering monster, but he doesnt get a chance to read it before collapsing in his private quarters of a brain hemorrhage.

With Stalin on the verge of death, members of his Cabinet converge to plan their next move. Assassination orders for figures such as Vyacheslav Molotov (Monty Pythons Michael Palin) are put on hold as higher-ups, including Khrushchev (Buscemi) and Lavrenti Beria (Simon Russell Beale), get the lay of the political land.

The begrudging consensus seems to be that Georgy Malenkov (Jeffrey Tambor) is next in line to take over for Stalin, but that doesnt put a stop to all the drama, which eventually involves Stalins daughter Svetlana (Andrea Riseborough) and Field Marshal Zhukov (Jason Isaacs) and continues to roll through Stalins viewing once the leader finally expires.

Its a dark, comic portrait of the kind of political intrigue where anyone can pinball from ordering executions to finding themselves at the wrong end of a pistol with little to no warning. The insanity on screen is obviously played for laughs, and the dark comic tone has a way of muting the horrors of the situation (for the most part, the films violence takes place off screen, and the films rating mainly comes from R-rated profanity).

Death of Stalin was featured earlier this year at the 2018 Sundance Film Festival, and Iannucci who also created the TV series Veep suggested that everything in the film that seems made up was true, and that only the boring bits were invented to patch together the story.

Interestingly, all the major players speak English in their natural accents, which puts the focus on the twists and turns of the story rather than in trying to re-create the historical authenticity of the event. As such, the performances from Buscemi and Tambor have to be rated for their comic timing more than for historical nuance, and of the group, Beale stands out the most as he feels the walls of conspiracy closing in.

Iannucci also insists that the film went into production before the 2016 U.S. presidential election, so any contemporary commentary would have to be seen as coincidental. Regardless of how you feel about any current administrations (Russian included), The Death of Stalin is a vivid juxtaposition of the realities of horror and comedy.

The Death of Stalin is rated R for language throughout, violence and some sexual references; running time: 107 minutes.
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Have You Seen This? Street musician slays with clarinet
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Better than almost every face-melting guitar or drum solo. - photo by Facebook video screenshot

THE BIG EASY — Yeah, yeah, we all know that New Orleans is stuffed to the gills will incredible musicians.

But knowing that fact and then hearing that fact are two different things. You can step into any number of jazz clubs on any given night on Bourbon Street, and you’ll probably be impressed with virtually every act. Or you can sit at home on your comfy couch and watch this featured video.

In the video, you’ll see a woman who is in the groove. She is swinging hard, and wailing on her clarinet with a practiced expertise that makes it sounds so easy.

From note one you’ll be drawn in; your appreciation will grow with every second, and then your face will melt off when you realize how incredible she really is.

If you’ve never played a woodwind or a brass, you may not know everything that comes with a performance like this. Lung capacity and breath control are huge factors in keeping your notes clear and loud, and hitting those high notes is especially difficult.

So when this woman hits that high note and holds it for several seconds, you know you’re dealing with an exceptional musician. It means she has worked hard for years to develop skill on top of her natural talent, and we get to benefit.

It kinda makes you wonder how we let people get away with mumble rap and autotune when talent like this exists in the world.

I wish this video were longer, and I wish I had more information about this woman, but as it is, we’ll just have to appreciate the little flavor of New Orleans jazz posted by the Facebook group Clarinet Life.

Street musician killing it on clarinet

She must have lungs of iron! Its inspiring hearing the upper registers being played so well.

Posted by Clarinet Life on Tuesday, December 11, 2018

Martha Ostergar is a writer who delights in the ridiculous that internet serves up, which means she's more than grateful that she gets to cruise the web for amazing videos to highlight for your viewing pleasure.
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