Friday, December 31, 2021

2021: Year In Review

This has been an extremely difficult year for me (in some ways it was even harder than 2020) but there have been a few noteworthy moments with lots of outdoor performances, a few road trips, and some outstanding theatre productions.  Here are some of the highlights!

I don't have any big plans for 2022 but my goal is try to get back to being me!  I hope everyone has a safe and happy new year!

Hamilton at the Eccles

It has been 783 days since I last saw Hamilton (in San Francisco) and I really missed it, especially since all of the plans I had to see it in 2020 had to be canceled.  The Broadway touring production is currently making a stop at the Eccles Theater and I was so happy to be back in the room where it happens again last night!  I love this musical so much and I eagerly anticipated every single song as much as I did the first time I saw it!  I was practically hyperventilating by the time I heard the opening notes of "Alexander Hamilton."  I really enjoyed Julius Thomas III as Hamilton.  When I saw a production in Las Vegas a few years ago, I was really looking forward to seeing Joseph Morales in the lead role and was a bit disappointed to learn that the understudy was performing.  However, I immediately changed my mind because the understudy was Thomas and he has a beautiful voice!  Last night I was especially impressed with his versions of "Dear Theodosia" and "Hurricane."  I was also quite moved when he put is head on Eliza's shoulder during "It's Quiet Uptown" and I saw several people sitting near me wipe tears from their eyes at this moment, as well.  Donald Webber, Jr., who played Aaron Burr when I saw it in San Francisco, gave an incredible rendition of "Wait For It" and the transition from the verses to the chorus was so powerful that it received spontaneous applause!  He also sang "The World Was Wide Enough" with a great deal of remorse and that made it even more poignant than other versions I have seen.  When Darnell Abraham, as George Washington, stormed the stage during "Right Hand Man" he gave me goosebumps and this also received spontaneous applause ("We are outgunned, outmanned, outnumbered, outplanned.  We've got to make an all out stand").  I had to check to see if the roof was still attached to the Eccles Theater after "One Last Time" because his version just about blew it off.  I saw Paris Nix, as Marquis de Lafayette/Thomas Jefferson, in the Chicago production and I laughed out loud once again when he did the running man in "Cabinet Battle #1" last night.  With all of the discourse about understudies, standbys, and swings performing on Broadway lately, I am happy to report that DeAundre Woods, a standby, and Milika Cheree, a swing, were fabulous as Hercules Mulligan/Philip Hamilton and Peggy Schuyler/Maria Reynolds, respectively.  I thought that Victoria Ann Scovens was a little bit weak as Eliza and Rick Negron portrayed King George as regal rather than pompous and angry rather than petulant and, as a result, much of the comic relief that the character usually provides was missing.  When I saw the filmed version on Disney+ I saw lots of little things that I had never noticed on stage before so I paid very strict attention last night.  I actually saw it when The Bullet (performed by a member of the ensemble) misses Hamilton at the beginning of "Stay Alive" and when Philip stands in the background at the beginning of the duel in "The World Was Wide Enough" and this, for some reason, thrilled me!  I really loved seeing this last night and I am happy that I had the chance to end a difficult year on a good note (literally).  Hamilton runs at the Eccles Theater through January 23 but there are very few tickets available (go here).

Thursday, December 30, 2021

Favorite Movies of 2021

This year I ended up seeing 105 new releases and all but 3 were in a theater.  I really enjoyed most of what I saw so it was actually quite difficult to compile my annual list of top ten favorites but I finally narrowed it down!  As in year's past, my ranking is not based on the critical response or on box office receipts but, rather, on how much I enjoyed each movie and, as ever, it is an eclectic list.  (Click on the title to read my original review).

10.  CODA
Even though CODA is the type of formulaic coming of age story that we have all seen many times before, it is incredibly heartwarming and I absolutely loved it.  This feel-good movie features an exceptional lead performance by Emilia Jones as a young woman trying to find her place in the world as the only hearing member of a deaf family completely dependent on her for its livelihood.  It also features a delightful ensemble cast made up of deaf performers who add authenticity to the story.  I laughed out loud many times and was reduced to tears by the moving conclusion.

9.  Pig
I was not expecting to love Pig as much as I did but this powerful meditation on finding meaning in a meaningless world surprised me.  Nicolas Cage (who is hit or miss with me) plays Robin Feld, a man who goes in search of his prized foraging pig after it has been stolen, and he gives one of the best performances of his career.  This movie is a complex character study rather than a traditional revenge thriller, which might be disappointing to some, but I think it is absolutely brilliant.  While it is definitely a slow burn, everything that happens builds upon the central idea and the resolution is more hopeful than I was expecting.

Another movie that really surprised me this year was C'mon C'mon.  It took me awhile to become invested but, once I did, I found it to be an immensely moving story about what kids can teach adults and what adults can do to help the kids in their lives.  Joaquin Phoenix gives an incredibly warmhearted performance and his chemistry with Woody Norman, who is extraordinary, feels really honest and natural.  Not a lot happens but it is a beautiful film about human connection.

Many scenes in The Power of the Dog do not seem important on the surface, and could almost be called mundane, but they are fraught with tension leading to a resolution that took me completely by surprise.  Benedict Cumberbatch, in one of his best performances, is unnerving and captivating as someone who feels compelled to assert his masculinity at all times and Kirsten Dunst, in one of her best performances, is haunting as a woman who comes undone after unknowingly changing the status quo between two brothers.  I loved the beautiful cinematography and atmospheric score but, more than anything, this is one of the most thought-provoking movies I saw this year.

I am a huge fan of Wes Anderson and The French Dispatch is the most Wes Anderson-like movie that he has ever made!  When the editor of the Sunday supplement to the Liberty Kansas Sun located in the French city of Ennui-sur-Blase dies, his staff picks four of the best articles to reprint for its final issue and each story has its own distinct visual style and mode of communication (my favorite is Revisions to a Manifesto).  The cast is made up of Anderson's usual roster of actors (with a few new faces) who all give humorous and quirky performances.  It is incredibly witty and I laughed out loud through the entire movie.

When I found out that my favorite actor Adam Driver was starring in The Last Duel, I immediately read the book upon which it is based by Eric Jager and I was captivated by the true account of the last legally sanctioned trial by combat in France during the Middle Ages.  I think the structure of this movie is brilliant because it shows each character's view the same events and the subtle differences are very powerful.  Jean de Carrouges believes he is the hero demanding justice for his wife, Jacques Le Gris believes his actions are justified, and Marguerite de Carrouges believes that she is the victim of both men.  The performances are excellent and the scenes involving medieval warfare are spectacular, especially the duel.  It is a shame that more people didn't see this because, in my opinion, it is outstanding.

The critical response to Eternals was very mixed but I loved it!  In fact, it is probably my favorite entry in the MCU.  I particularly loved how the character arcs and motivations for each of the Eternals are informed by the mythology surrounding their names.  I also loved the relationships between the characters and how they are developed in a nonlinear way throughout ancient history to build the narrative cumulatively.  Finally, I loved the philosophical debates between the characters about whether humanity deserves to be saved and I think the resolution of this question is beautiful and poignant.  Like most movies in the MCU the visuals are gorgeous, the action sequences are a lot of fun, and the score is amazing but it also the most thought-provoking entry in the franchise and I am looking forward to seeing more of these characters.

3. Dune
As a huge fan of the book Dune by Frank Herbert, I think Denis Villeneuve's adaptation is absolutely brilliant.  The message about the evils of colonialism, the oppression of indigenous peoples, and the destruction of the environment in pursuit of a valuable resource is supported by a scope that is epic with some truly spectacular and visually stunning sequences (I loved the depiction of the ornithopters and the sandworms).  The entire cast is outstanding but I was especially impressed by Timothee Chalamet's portrayal of Paul's journey from resistance to then acceptance of his destiny and Jason Momoa's depiction of Duncan's loyalty to Paul and House Atreides.  Hans Zimmer's score is incredibly atmospheric, particularly the chanting of the choir, and adds to the grandeur.  I can't wait for the next installment!

I love literary adaptations and The Green Knight is a bold retelling of the classic legend.  I usually do not like it when liberties are taken with the source material but the final sequence is incredible and left me sitting in the theater pondering what it means to live with honor long after the final credits rolled.  The cinematography is beautiful and atmospheric and the literal and figurative journey taken by Gawain is shown through powerful imagery and symbolism.  Dev Patel is riveting in the role and and I was spellbound by his performance.  It is a masterpiece and I love it more with each viewing.

1.  Annette
My favorite movie this year is the musical Annette.  The romance between Henry McHenry, a provocative comedian, and Ann Defransnoux, an international opera star, is incredibly surreal and fantastical as the lines between reality and performance are continually blurred.  The use of a puppet to portray their daughter Annette is absolutely brilliant because she is used by both of her parents for their own ends and becomes a real little girl only after she refuses to perform for them ever again.  Adam Driver gives a tour-de-force performance that is arguably the best of his career.  I was so impressed by his physicality in an expletive-laden and rage-fueled rant during a comedy routine and by his singing ability, especially in the emotionally charged "Stepping Back in Time" and "Sympathy for the Abyss."  This is one of the most thought-provoking movies I have ever seen with music (written by Ron and Russell Mael of Sparks) that I can't get out of my head.  Every time I watch it, I find something new that blows my mind!

Licorice Pizza

I have had the movie Licorice Pizza on my list for quite some time but, after all of the negative discourse about the age gap between the main characters and the use of racial stereotypes, I became ambivalent about it.  I eventually decided to see it last night and I ended up liking it more than I thought I would.  It is 1973 in the San Fernando Valley and fifteen year old Gary Valentine (Cooper Hoffman), a former child actor turned entrepreneur, is having his picture taken for the yearbook at school when he notices Alana Kane (Alana Haim), the photographer's assistant who is 25.  He is wise beyond his years, even employing his mother in one of his businesses, and she is still trying to figure life out while living at home with her parents and sisters (played by Haim's real-life family).  He asks her out to dinner and they begin a tumultuous friendship and have a series of misadventures as he starts a waterbed business and builds an arcade while she auditions for a movie role and works for a politician.  This is, essentially, a hang-out movie where not a lot happens but Haim and Cooper give incredibly charismatic and appealing (much more than I was expecting) performances so I was always invested in their fate. I also really enjoyed several hilarious cameos, particularly Sean Penn as Jack Holden, a middle aged actor who goes to great lengths to impress Alana, and Bradley Cooper as Jon Peters, Barbra Streisand's boyfriend who buys a waterbed from Gary.  The period costumes are fabulous (I was five years old in 1973 and I had a dress very similar to one Alana wears) and the soundtrack is very nostalgic (I especially loved "Let Me Roll It" by Paul McCartney and "Life on Mars" by David Bowie).  I didn't mind the age gap because the tone is so lighthearted and the romance mostly consists of an endless cycle of flirting and fighting.  I did, however, find the exaggerated Japanese accent to be quite cringe-worthy (and not really needed in the story).  I don't necessarily think this is worthy of a Best Picture nomination but I enjoyed it and would recommend it.

Wednesday, December 29, 2021

Nightmare Alley

Last night I went back to my favorite art house theater to see Nightmare Alley, a neo-noir thriller by director Guillermo del Toro that I really enjoyed.  After disposing of a body and setting fire to his house, Stan Carlisle (Bradley Cooper) takes a bus going anywhere and joins the traveling carnival at the end of the line owned by Clem (Willem Dafoe).  At first he does odd jobs but soon he is drawn to a clairvoyant named Madame Zeema (Toni Collette) and her mentalist husband Pete (David Strathairn).  He assists with their act and asks that they teach him their techniques for conning the audience.  When he becomes involved with Molly (Rooney Mara), a fellow performer, he suggests that they leave the carnival and use these techniques in a more lucrative setting and she eventually agrees.  After a psychologist named Lilith Ritter (Cate Blanchett) attempts to expose him during a performance in a swanky nightclub, Stan conspires with her to con Ezra Grindle (Richard Jenkins), a wealthy but dangerous businessman with a secret only she knows.  But who is conning who?   Del Toro once again effectively emphasizes that monsters are often not who or what we think they are and I loved the juxtaposition between the grotesque at the carnival and the glittering Art Deco interiors in the city.  I also really enjoyed the stylized cinematography, the atmospheric lighting design, and the menacing sound design.  The entire cast is outstanding but Cooper is particularly good as a man who cannot outrun his past (his performance in the final scene is absolutely devastating) and Blanchett is the perfect femme fatale.  It is absolutely fascinating to watch them manipulate each other.  If you are a fan of del Toro, you are sure to enjoy this mesmerizing tale about the dark side of human nature. 

Monday, December 27, 2021

The Lost Daughter

During the week between Christmas and New Year's I love going to see as many movies as I can and, now that I have seen most of the big Christmas releases, I have quite a few independent films on my list.  Last night I returned to my favorite art house theater for the first time since the pandemic began to see The Lost Daughter, Maggie Gyllenhaal's directorial debut.  Leda Caruso (Olivia Colman) is a professor of comparative literature on holiday alone at a resort on a Greek island.  While she is sunbathing peacefully, the beach is invaded by a large and boisterous family and she immediately becomes fixated on a young woman named Nina (Dakota Johnson) and her three-year-old daughter Elena (Athena Martin).  She sees that Nina is unhappy in her role as a mother and this brings up memories of her own claustrophobia as a young mother (played by Jessie Buckley) juggling her responsibilities to her daughters with a promising academic career.  When Leda sees Nina becoming involved with Will (Paul Mescal), an employee of the resort, she fears that Nina will repeat the mistakes of her past when she chose an affair with a scholar (Peter Sarsgaard) who admired her work over her daughters.  Colman gives a brilliant performance as a complex and somewhat unsympathetic character because, even though there is not a lot of dialogue, she conveys everything that Leda is thinking and feeling with just an expression.  Johnson and Buckley are also superb at portraying the feeling of being trapped by the responsibility of motherhood and the societal expectations that come with this role.  Gyllenhaal infuses every shot with a tension that is palpable, especially with regards to a certain prop.  There were many times when I felt that Leda was in danger and this uncertainty kept me completely riveted.  To be sure, this is a psychological character study with a narrative that is often very ambiguous rather than straightforward but I liked it and would recommend it.

Sunday, December 26, 2021

Sing 2

Last night Marilyn and I took Sean and Tashena to see Sing 2 and we had so much fun.  I really enjoyed the first movie but I think I liked this one even more!  Buster Moon (Matthew McConaughey) and his troupe have a hit show at his newly renovated theater but he aspires to greater things.  When a talent scout named Suki (Chelsea Peretti) dismisses him as a small-time player, he is encouraged by his patron Nana Noodleman (Jennifer Saunders) to take the show to Redshore City and audition for an entertainment mogul named Jimmy Crystal (Bobby Cannavale).  When Crystal rejects their act, Gunter (Nick Kroll) pitches his idea for an elaborate production starring Clay Calloway (Bono), a legendary rock star who has not performed for fifteen years.  Crystal enthusiastically backs this show because of Calloway's supposed participation but each member of the troupe faces a crisis of confidence during rehearsals.  Rosita (Reese Witherspoon) is scared of heights and is unable to perform the stunts required for the show so her role is given to Crystal's spoiled daughter Porsha (Halsey), Johnny (Taron Egerton) clashes with choreographer Klaus Kickenklober (Adam Buxton), Meena (Tori Kelly) is nervous about performing a romantic duet with the self-absorbed Darius (Eric Andre), Ash (Scarlett Johansson) is disillusioned when her idol refuses to perform, Calloway must overcome the devastating loss of his muse, Porsha has something to prove to her father who believes her to be an embarrassment, and Buster feels intimidated by Crystal and wants to cancel the show.  Does this ragtag group have what it takes to make it big?  As a huge fan of Bono, I really loved Clay Calloway and, while every character has a similar arc, I especially enjoyed watching him find the confidence to perform again after a long absence.  I had a tear in my eye as he listens to the crowd sing one of his songs after fearing that he had been forgotten.  I loved all of the songs used in this movie but my niece had to tell me to stop singing when "Where The Streets Have No Name," "Stuck in a Moment You Can't Get Out Of," and "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" were performed and I immediately downloaded the new U2 song "Your Song Saved My Life" which was written especially for the movie.  Sean and Tashena liked this movie as much as I did (they were singing "There's Nothing Holding Me Back") so I highly recommend it as a fun movie for families to see over the Christmas break.

Christmas 2021

Christmas was a little bit subdued this year because we were missing the one member of our family who loved Christmas the most and it wasn't the same without him.  We all had fewer presents because we didn't have as much free time to prepare but we were all very happy to be together and spent a lot of time reminiscing about past Christmases.
We really enjoyed having Thanksgiving dinner from Cracker Barrel this year so we decided to do it again for Christmas dinner.  This time we chose Olive Garden and it was delicious!  Later in the evening we played Shanghai rummy again (we love playing cards).  This time Kristine won (I have had a streak of bad luck).  It ended up being a really nice day.
I hope you were able to have a wonderful Christmas with the ones you love.

Saturday, December 25, 2021

Christmas Eve 2021

We have a tradition of opening one present each on Christmas Eve and it is always new pajamas.  My Mom was pretty excited about her pajamas but Sean was absolutely thrilled because his have the Flash (his favorite comic book character) on them.  After opening presents, we once again played Shanghai rummy (and ate so many treats).  It got pretty boisterous and at one point we were all laughing so hard we couldn't breathe.  It felt really good because we haven't had many opportunities to laugh for the past few months.  Trent beat all of us again but we have all vowed that he is going down when we play again tonight!

The Matrix Resurrections

Yesterday afternoon I went with Kristine, Trent, Tashena, and Sean to see The Matrix Resurrections and it was so much fun to see it with my family.  I am a big fan of this franchise (I recently watched all three movies again) so I was really looking forward to this installment and I absolutely loved it!  Within the present-day iteration of the Matrix, Thomas Anderson (Keanu Reeves) is a successful video game programmer who has difficulty separating his dreams from reality.  He is inexplicably drawn to a woman named Tiffany (Carrie-Anne Moss), a married mother of three who has an affinity for motorcycles, and has an antagonistic relationship with his business partner Smith (Jonathan Groff).  His Analyst (Neil Patrick Harris) prescribes blue pills to keep him sane but he eventually stops taking them and inadvertently creates a modal with a program embodying Morpheus (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II).  Bugs (Jessica Henwick), a human outside the Matrix and the captain of the Mnemosyne, discovers this modal and realizes that Neo is still alive.  With the help of Morpheus, she extracts him from the Matrix and takes him to Io, the new human headquarters, where he meets Niobe (Jada Pinckett-Smith) and the sentient program Sati (Priyanka Chopra Jonas) who tell him what has happened since the Machine War ended sixty years ago.  As he struggles to assimilate within his new environment, he requests permission to extract Trinity but this request is denied.  Bugs and her crew go rogue in order to assist him but first he must confront several exile programs, including the Merovingian (Lambert Wilson), Agent Smith, and the Analyst (in some epic action sequences that are exciting even though they don't quite live up to those in the original).  I loved the winking self-awareness about this specific franchise (and of sequels in general) and I loved all of the nostalgia.  I was giggling out loud with every reference, call-back, and revelation.  I also loved the relationship between Neo and Trinity (Reeves and Moss give fantastic performances and they still have so much chemistry) and the meaning it gives to the notion of being the "One."  Finally, I loved the concept of free will and how it is used in Trinity's character arc as well as the implication of it when the swarm is used during the final battle within the Matrix.  It should be noted that Sean, who is as big a fan of the franchise as I am, also loved it (we spent quite a bit of time discussing it afterwards and have plans to see it again); Kristine and Trent, who are casual fans, liked it and thought it was very clever; and Tashena, who hasn't seen any of the movies in the franchise, was totally confused and fell asleep.  You should probably use these reactions as a guide in deciding if you want to see it but I highly recommend it!

Friday, December 24, 2021

Gingerbread Houses 2021

One of my family's favorite Christmas traditions is making gingerbread houses and, since we all needed a bit of Christmas cheer yesterday, we had our annual party and then played Shanghai rummy.
We had a lot of fun and, as always, we ate as much candy as we used on our houses!
Marilyn's house
My house
Tashena's house
Sean's house
I think they turned out pretty good this year!
After we made our gingerbread houses, Kristine and Trent joined us for Shanghai rummy.  It honestly felt good to relax a little bit after such a difficult month.  Trent won but the rest of us declared a rematch tonight!

Thursday, December 23, 2021

Remembering My Dad

My Dad passed away peacefully at home surrounded by his family last Wednesday after a courageous battle with multiple medical issues.  It is really difficult to lose your Dad but it is comforting to know that he is free from pain.  We held a visitation for family and friends last night and hearing so many lovely things about my Dad was also very comforting.
It was my Dad's wish to be cremated and we had a dear family friend make his urn.  We asked for the flowers to be red and white to honor his Canadian roots.
We had a display of pictures of when he was young (and very handsome) as well as pictures of him playing Santa Claus.  We also displayed all of his hockey jerseys.
We were so worried about how my Mom would handle seeing so many people, which can be overwhelming for her, but she did really well.  She was able to visit with most of her siblings as well as her cousin (pictured above) and she was able to recognize many neighbors and friends.
I was very touched by how many people came and I wish that I had been able to get more pictures.  The only time I lost my composure was when friends would talk about their memories of watching hockey with my Dad!
I am so happy that my niece Tashena was able to come home from college to be with us and I can't believe how handsome my nephew Sean looked (he was wearing my Dad's watch).
I want to thank everyone who came to the visitation because it really was wonderful to see and talk to all of you about my Dad.
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