Bryce Canyon 2021

After I drove through Zion on Sunday I decided to stay on Highway 89, as I often do, and visit Bryce Canyon.  It adds a lot more time to the drive home but, once again, the views are worth it and the drive to the park is also very scenic.  Bryce was a bit more crowded than Zion but I was still able to park at all of the viewpoints.  Here is another overload of pictures!

I really enjoyed the drive through the park because it was much cooler than in St. George and Zion and, of course, the rock formations are pretty spectacular!

Zion 2021

Ever since I visited it for the first time when I was a little girl I have been drawn to Zion National Park.  Every time I come to St. George I have a really hard time resisting the urge to drive home through the park.  It adds quite a bit of time to the drive (it doesn't cost anything because I have an America the Beautiful pass which paid for itself the first weekend I got it) but it is so worth it because the views are incredible.  I got up early yesterday morning and drove straight there.  I basically had the park to myself (which is very unusual).  Here is an overload of pictures!

I had such a great time in the park yesterday!  There is something almost mystical about the red rocks!

Beauty and the Beast at Tuacahn Amphitheatre

I always used to see at least one show at Tuacahn Amphitheatre every year but I haven't been there in a long time.  Since I am trying to get to all of my favorite outdoor venues this summer I decided to plan a quick road trip to St. George this weekend to see Beauty and the Beast.  I have seen this show many times, including the Broadway touring production, but Tuacahn's version is absolutely magical. The transformation scene where the Prince is turned into a Beast was the first thing that took my breath away because the Enchantress flies over the audience as she casts the spell.  She also flies back to the stage from the audience when she transforms the Beast back into a Prince, with swirling rose petals all around him, and this is pretty spectacular.  During the song "Belle," Gaston rides into the town square on a real horse and I actually gasped out loud when I saw him!  The big production number "Be Our Guest" is always a lot of fun but in this show there is a flying chandelier (played by a member of the ensemble) that actually made me giggle!  I also loved "The Mob Scene" because the villagers have real torches and the shadows cast by the flames are so cool.  This show uses quite a few projections, which I sometimes dislike, but in this case they are fantastic, especially all of the antlers in the song "Gaston," the giant bottle of champagne (which shoots actual fireworks when the cork is popped) in "Be Our Guest," and the library in "Something There."  The costumes are also amazing!  I especially loved the dress worn by the Enchantress because it looks like a stained glass window, the sparkling yellow ball gown worn by Belle in "Beauty and the Beast" because people clapped and cheered when she made her entrance wearing it, and the dress worn by Belle in the finale because it is simply stunning (I loved the rose).  The cast is incredibly strong, particularly Nathaniel Hackman as the Beast and Crystal Kellogg as Belle.  I loved their renditions of "If I Can't Love Her" and "Is This Home?"  Both of these numbers elicited quite the reaction from the crowd.  I also really enjoyed Todd Dubail as Gaston and Elliot Peterson as Lefou because their interactions with each other are very entertaining.  I actually felt like I was seeing this show for the very first time and I left the amphitheatre with a huge smile on my face!  It was definitely worth the four hour drive and I highly recommend it!  In addition to Beauty and the Beast, Tuacahn is also performing School of Rock and The Count of Monte Cristo in repertory through the end of October.  Tickets may be purchased here.

CODA

The movie CODA (an acronym for Child of Deaf Adults) was the darling of the Sundance Film Festival this year.  It won all the prizes (U.S. Grand Jury Prize, U.S. Dramatic Audience Award, Special Jury Ensemble Cast Award, and Best Director U.S. Dramatic for Sian Heder) and the distribution rights were acquired by Apple for a record $25 million.  Obviously I wanted to see it but I really wanted to see it on the big screen (I have a one year subscription to Apple TV+ because I recently purchased a new phone but I like movies better when I can see them the way they were meant to be seen).  It was released at a theater that is a bit out of my way last weekend but I was thrilled to discover that it expanded to several more theaters this weekend (including one near me).  I saw it last night and I absolutely loved it!  Ruby Rossi (Emilia Jones) is the only hearing member of a deaf family consisting of her father Frank (Troy Kotsur), her mother Jackie (Marlee Matlin), and her brother Leo (Daniel Durant).  Her family owns a fishing business in Gloucester, Massachusetts and they rely on her to translate for them in all of their business dealings (and, rather humorously, during an awkward doctor visit).  She loves her family but she is often embarrassed by them and sometimes feels left out as the only one who can hear.  She spontaneously picks choir as her extra-curricular activity at school because she likes to sing (and because the boy she likes also picks it) but she has never sung in public before.  After drawing her out and pairing her with her crush Miles (Ferdia Walsh-Peelo) for a duet, her choir teacher Mr. Villalobos (Eugenio Derbez) encourages her to apply to the Berklee School of Music and begins giving her private lessons.  Pursuing her dream eventually clashes with her family's dependence on her until they all learn to see each other from a different perspective.  To be sure, this is the type of formulaic coming of age story that we have all seen before but it is incredibly heartwarming!  It features an exceptional lead performance by Jones as well as an ensemble cast made up of deaf performers which adds authenticity to the story.  I was holding back tears for much of the third act, especially during a scene where Frank realizes for the first time that Ruby has a gift (which is extremely well executed), but I couldn't hold them back any longer when Ruby draws inspiration from her family during an audition (I challenge anyone to make it through that scene without crying).  This feel-good movie is now one of my favorites of 2021 and I highly recommend it!

Note:  The music in this movie is really good (I recommend the soundtrack).

Candyman

I have not seen the original or either of the sequels but I thought the trailer for Candyman, billed as a spiritual sequel, looked really intriguing so I decided to see it last night.  I think it is brilliant but it functions more as social commentary on racial injustice than as a horror movie.  Artist Anthony McCoy (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II) and his gallery director girlfriend Brianna Cartwright (Teyonah Parris) move into an upscale apartment located in a former low-income housing project that has been gentrified.  Brianna's brother Troy (Nathan Stewart-Jarrett) informs them that the area is haunted and relates an urban legend about the Candyman.  Anthony, desperate for an idea for an upcoming exhibit, decides to investigate and meets a longtime resident (Colman Domingo) of the area who tells him the origin of the myth.  Daniel Robitaille (Tony Todd) was tortured and killed for having an affair with a white woman in the 19th century and now takes his revenge by killing anyone who summons him by saying his name five times into a mirror.  Anthony becomes dangerously obsessed with the Candyman and creates an art installation that unleashes the horror once again into the community.  This movie is incredibly atmospheric with disturbing imagery (including the brilliant use of mirrors and shadow puppets) and an unsettling score but I didn't find it to be very scary.  There is not a lot of suspense or tension because the Candyman always kills his victims immediately after his name is uttered five times and it becomes predictable.  What really works, however, is the use of the Candyman as a proxy for all of the Black men who have suffered violence against them simply because of who they are and this upset me deeply because the racial dynamics in my family.  In fact, I had more sympathy for a Black bystander hiding in a bathroom stall than I did for the victims being attacked by the Candyman because I was afraid that she would be blamed.  In my opinion. the thought-provoking update to the original story far outweighs any shortcomings with the execution of the horror elements and I highly recommend it.

The Protege

I was pleasantly surprised by The Foreigner so I thought I would probably like another action thriller from director Martin Campbell.  I saw his latest, The Protege, last night and, even though it is not a great movie, I enjoyed it anyway.  Moody Dutton (Samuel L. Jackson) is a highly sought-after international assassin who rescues a young girl (Eva Nguyen Thorsen) in Vietnam after she kills the men who kidnapped her and killed her family.  He becomes a surrogate father to her and teaches her everything he knows.  Thirty years later Anna Dutton (Maggie Q) is also an international assassin working with Moody on high-profile contracts.  When Moody is assassinated Anna vows revenge and eventually locates the man responsible in Vietnam.  She must return to her native land to confront her past but not before going toe to toe with the killer's fixer, Michael Rembrandt (Michael Keaton).  The story is incredibly convoluted and doesn't always make sense (I had no idea what was going on some of the time and I felt like I had missed a key piece of information), the characters are very one-dimensional, and there is a strange twist in the third act but this hardly matters.  Maggie Q and Michael Keaton have tremendous chemistry, whether it is in the scenes where they exchange witty banter or in the scenes where they try to kill each other, and they are so much fun to watch.  The action sequences are fantastic, especially all of the hand-to-hand combat.  I also really liked the ending because it is bold and not what I was expecting.  Maggie Q is incredibly fierce in the role and I would definitely like to see her in more (and better) action thrillers in the future.  It's not what I would call a "must-see" but it is very entertaining so I recommend it to fans of the genre (especially when it becomes available on a streaming platform).

Reminiscence

I was incredibly unmotivated last weekend and canceled plans to see Reminiscence twice before I finally got my act together to see it last night.  Unfortunately, because I waited a few days, I saw some reviews and they were mostly negative so I was not especially looking forward to it.  However, I actually enjoyed it more than I was expecting.  I really liked the premise because it is a neo-noir thriller set in a dystopian future with a tortured protagonist named Nick Bannister (Hugh Jackman) and a mysterious femme fatale named Mae (Rebecca Ferguson).  Climate change has caused the level of the ocean to rise and temperatures to become more extreme, leading to wars and riots.  Such a bleak existence has forced many people to retreat into their memories.  Nick and a fellow combat veteran, Watts Sanders (Thandiwe Newton), run a business in Miami where people can see and experience their memories again and again and they sometimes use their equipment to help D.A. Avery Castillo (Natalie Martinez) interview incapacitated witnesses.  One night Mae arrives after hours asking to access her memories to find her missing keys.  Nick sees more of her memories than is necessary and falls in love with her.  They begin a relationship but Mae vanishes without a trace after a few months leaving Nick in despair.  Despite warnings from Watts about his reckless behavior, he spends most of his time using the equipment on himself to access his memories of Mae hoping to find a clue to her whereabouts.  Meanwhile, D.A. Castillo requests their help deposing a comatose patient to get evidence against a drug lord named Saint Joe (Daniel Wu) and, when Nick sees Mae in his memories, he realizes that she is not who he thinks she is.  The plot is very convoluted and I sometimes had a hard time keeping track of all of the secondary characters and stories.  It is also quite derivative (it reminded me a lot of Strange Days which is a better movie).  However, I enjoyed the world-building, particularly the depiction of a Miami that is mostly under water, and the images on the screen are often stunning.  The commentary about the division between the rich and poor is very interesting, especially regarding the control of land which is the most valuable resource in this society.  Jackman and Ferguson give great performances and I was always invested in their relationship.  I also liked the action sequences, especially a scene in a ballroom under water.  It is not perfect but there is enough for me to recommend it, especially if you subscribe to HBOMax.

The Magic of Queen at Sandy Amphitheater

Last summer I really missed seeing outdoor performances (I wonder if I have mentioned that?) so this summer I made a list of all of my favorite outdoor performance venues and I have been trying to get to all of them (it looks like I will be able to check off most of them before the summer is over).  A few weeks ago I realized that I didn't include the Sandy Amphitheater (which is a great venue) so I decided to look at the website and see if there was a show that I might like.  I got very excited when I saw a show called The Magic of Queen (I wonder if I have mentioned that I really love Queen?) and I got even more excited when I saw that there were still good tickets available (it eventually sold out).  The show was last night and the weather could not have been better for an outdoor show!  Most of the summer has been unbearably hot and this week there has been a lot of rain but last night was nice and cool.  This was the first concert I have been to since I saw Sarah McLachlan at the Eccles Theatre in February of 2020 and I loved feeling the energy from such a large and enthusiastic crowd!  The Magic of Queen is a show featuring Brody Dolyniuk and his band performing the music of Queen (he also does shows performing the music of Led Zeppelin and Elton John).  He sounds like Freddie Mercury but he doesn't try to imitate him and I really enjoyed his versions of the classic songs.  The first half of the show included "One Vision," "Tie Your Mother Down," "Play the Game," "Keep Yourself Alive," "You're My Best Friend," "Killer Queen," "Now I'm Here," "Somebody to Love," and "Under Pressure."  After the intermission, they played a beautiful rendition of "Love of My Life" and then the crowd came to life during "Another One Bites the Dust" and "Fat Bottomed Girls."  Next came "Crazy Little Thing Called Love" and "Radio Ga Ga" (complete with clapping).  Dolyniuk introduced the next song by saying that it was the title of a recent movie about a rock star and then started playing "Rocket Man," which got a huge laugh from the crowd.  Then they performed a stirring version of "Bohemian Rhapsody" which is the song I had been waiting all night for!  It did not disappoint!  The concert concluded, as Queen concerts often do, with "We Will Rock You" and "We Are the Champions." I had so much fun at this concert and I am so glad that I suddenly remembered to add Sandy Amphitheater to my list!  Go here for the remaining shows this summer.

The Night House

Last night I saw a late Thursday preview of The Night House in an empty theater.  In retrospect, that might not have been such a good idea because this movie is really scary at times and I may or may not have screamed out loud.  Beth (Rebecca Hall) lives in a lake house designed and built by her husband Owen (Evan Jonigkeit) who has recently died by suicide.  She has a very dark past and her husband's death has clearly sent her over the edge.  She begins to feel a presence in the house, which she believes is her husband, and becomes obsessed with finding out why he decided to kill himself, seemingly out of the blue.  As she searches through his possessions, she finds several books about the occult, a number of pictures of women who look astonishingly similar to her, and architectural plans for a house that is a mirror image of her own which Owen had actually started building across the lake.  As Beth becomes more and more traumatized by the strange goings on in her house, she discovers that her troubled past may have had more of an impact on her husband than she imagined.  This is incredibly moody and atmospheric (my favorite kind of horror movie) and I especially liked the use of light and dark in the negative space in the house.  Shadows and outlines suddenly morph into something sinister and then back again and the effect is absolutely terrifying because Beth is not really sure of what she is seeing and neither is the audience.  I am not usually a fan of jump scares because they seem really lazy to me but there is one in particular in this movie that is very well done (this is where I may or may not have screamed).  The sound design is extremely menacing and it really adds to the almost unbearable tension.  Hall gives a brilliant performance and completely sells her character's grief, depression, anger, paranoia, and terror.  My biggest complaint with this movie is that all of the elements of the story don't quite come together as cohesively as they could have and it is a bit confusing.  The ending is very abrupt and not altogether satisfying after the buildup.  On the whole I did really enjoy The Night House and I would definitely recommend it to fans of horror movies.

Not a Happy Family

My Book of the Month selection for August was Not a Happy Family by Shari Lapena (the other options were Damnation Spring by Ash Davidson, The Inheritance of Orquidea Divina by Zoraida Cordova, The Heart Principle by Helen Hoang, and Once There Were Wolves by Charlotte McConaghy). I discovered Lapena during the lockdown when reading was my biggest source of entertainment and she quickly became one of my favorite authors! I devoured every one of her books in one sitting so I was thrilled when her latest was an option this month! I eagerly anticipated getting my blue box delivered to my door and, just like the others, I read it in a single day!  Fred and Sheila Mercer are a wealthy couple living in a secluded and affluent neighborhood in the Hudson Valley. They invite their three adult children and their partners, Catherine and her husband Ted, Dan and his wife Lisa, and Jenna and her latest fling Jake, to dinner on Easter Sunday. Fred has been a cruel and vindictive father and Sheila has been a passive and disinterested mother so tensions are running high even before the dinner. Fred uses the occasion to profess his disappointment in each of them and to make a bombshell announcement. Two days later Fred and Sheila are discovered dead, the victims of an especially brutal homicide. At first, the police believe it is a robbery that turned violent but they soon come to suspect all three of the siblings. Each of them have a strong motive and, more importantly, none of them have an alibi for the time of the murders. Shocking secrets are revealed, circumstantial evidence is found to connect all three of them to the crime, and desperate siblings eventually turn on each other but which one of them killed their parents? The chapters are short and alternate between the POVs of multiple characters who are unsympathetic and unreliable so it is incredibly suspenseful. I could not put this book down because new revelations, that continually changed who I suspected, appear in almost every chapter and I had to keep reading. Lapena kept me guessing until the very end, which doesn't happen often, and the resolution is incredibly satisfying! The final sentence made me cheer out loud! As a huge fan of Lapena I think this might be her best yet and I definitely recommend it (as well as all of her other books) to fans of murder mysteries.