Now that the mega star has checked out of her pricey Houston digs, it can be told that Madonna called the swank St. Regis Hotel home for the better part of the week during her Rebel Heart Tour.
Word is that she tucked into bed in the Presidential Suite, reserved another suite for her chef and kitchen and yet another for her exercise room. In all, her entourage took over a whopping 45 rooms.
Ms. Ciccone used the St. Regis not only as home base in Houston but also as her jumping off place for her concerts in San Antonio and Tulsa.
The only sign that a big name had checked into the five-star hotel was the unmarked tour bus hauling a black trailer parked out front. That generously sized trailer was said to carry Madonna's luggage. We're assuming that included her costumes.
(We know of only one other diva who travels with that much luggage and she lives here in Houston.)
Madonna's dancers, however, called the Four Seasons Hotel downtown home for those nights. And that's where make-up artist Edward Sanchez ran into the twentysomethings Wednesday night in the hotel bar. An instant friendship formed and the kids wanted to take a busman's holiday — go dancing. Sanchez led them to Tony's Corner Pocket where he left them rocking the night well after midnight.
The dancers were all wearing surgical masks. As explained to Sanchez, their contracts do not allow them to take selfies with fans. So when someone's in a photo, they slip on the surgical mask to hide their identity. Who knew?
The unmarked tour bus hauled a hefty black trailer which was said to house Madonna's luggage.
Photo by Shelby Hodge
The unmarked tour bus hauled a hefty black trailer which was said to house Madonna's luggage.
The career of actor Chris Hemsworth is a curious one, as it feels like he’s a huge star (mostly from playing Thor in Marvel movies) and not at the same time, with most of the non-MCU movies featuring him in a lead role failing to become big successes. But he still has a certain presence about him, which is why he’s being given another chance to prove his star power in the new thriller, Crime 101.
Hemsworth plays Davis, a talented thief who knows how to get what he wants without resorting to violence. When a job early in the movie turns slightly sideways, it makes him think twice about working with his handler (Nick Nolte), who seems to prefer someone with a stronger touch, like the up-and-coming Ormon (Barry Keoghan).
Davis is the main character, but two others who come into his orbit get their own subplots. Lou (Mark Ruffalo) is a slightly schlubby LAPD detective who’s convinced he knows the pattern of an unknown thief that likes to hit places close to Highway 101. Sharon (Halle Berry) works for a high-end insurance agency known for working with ultra-wealthy clients, the types who might be a great target for a thief like Davis.
Written and directed by Bart Layton, the film has a decent propulsion to it that comes with most crime thrillers. Davis and Ormon represent the yin and the yang of criminal approaches, and and it’s interesting to see the juxtaposition between the two as their simmering rivalry heats up over the course of the film. When the film commits to actually showing its crimes, it has an excitement that’s worth watching.
Unfortunately, Layton displays a real lack of focus, taking the audience into subplots with each of the three main characters that prove unnecessarily distracting. Lou’s marriage problems may explain his disheveled appearance, but there’s no need to see him deal with them with wife Angie (Jennifer Jason Leigh). Sharon’s troubles with her male-dominated company prove slightly pivotal, but still don’t merit the time put into exploring them.
The most baffling subplot is Davis pursuing a relationship with Maya (Monica Barbaro), a woman he randomly meets. At different points in the movie, including many of his interactions with Maya, Davis seems like the most uncomfortable, antisocial person in the world. And yet he somehow morphs into a suave smooth-talker who’s able to convince anyone to do what he wants at other key points, making it unclear exactly what kind of person he really is.
Hemsworth does relatively well in the lead role, but he’s still missing that certain something to make his character, and therefore the movie, truly compelling. The rest of the cast is fine, too, but each of them seem to be putting in just the minimal amount of effort to make the film watchable. Ruffalo and Barbaro come off the best, but with the talent in the cast (11 Oscar nominations and one win), they could have been used better.
Crime 101 has most of the ingredients to be another great entry in the genre, and it succeeds when it actually decides to deliver on its promise. But too much of the film is spent on things that have no real bearing on plot or character development, leaving the movie in the middle of the pack.
