Hadestown: Teen Edition at the SCERA Center for the Performing Arts

Last night I went to see a production of Hadestown: Teen Edition by Acting Up (a theatre company of high school students) at the SCERA Center for the Performing Arts. This is one of my very favorite musicals because it recontextualizes the mythology of Orpheus and Eurydice to expose what is wrong with the world, including climate change, poverty, and the exploitation of workers, while espousing the hope that the the world could be better through the power of love and art. The teens in Acting Up always do a phenomenal job and last night was no exception because I was blown away by the amazing talent on the stage! This production does not feature musicians playing live on stage but this allows for a large ensemble of over forty which is quite impressive. The choreography for the expanded ensemble is especially powerful in "Why We Build the Wall," because seeing a large group of workers marching in formation is intense, and in "Wait For Me (Reprise)," because they become a maze for Orpheus and Eurydice to walk through, a tunnel for them to walk under, and obstacles for them to climb over and it is incredibly dramatic. I also enjoyed the choreography for the male ensemble in "Our Lady of the Underground" because it is really athletic. Gage Gillette is outstanding as Orpheus (one of the best I've seen in this show) because the role requires a tremendous vocal range as well as vulnerability and, not only does he hit all of those high notes, he gives impassioned performances of "Come Home With Me" and  "If It's True" (I found it entirely plausible that he could sway all of the workers to his side). I was also impressed by his guitar playing in "Epic I," "Epic II," and Epic III." Emma Stewart has a beautiful voice and she brings a lot of pathos to her performance as Eurydice. My favorite songs in the show are "Any Way the Wind Blows" and "Flowers" and I loved her heartbreaking renditions (the latter brought tears to my eyes). Cedric Smith is a very compelling Hades because he has a rich baritone voice that is deceptively charming in "Hey, Little Songbird" but menacing in "Why We Build the Wall." Emma Pierson is a lot of fun to watch as Persephone because she is a great dancer and she can definitely sing the blues, especially in "Our Lady of the Underground." Her voice also blends really well with Smith's in "How Long?" My favorite performance was from William Madsen because he is a charismatic and appealing Hermes. He has a great voice and a captivating stage presence, particularly in "Road to Hell" and "Way Down Hadestown." I love the role the Fates (Katelynn Lee, Claire Moreira, and Lexi Williamson) play in the story and the three of them harmonize beautifully in "When the Chips Are Down" and "Doubt Comes In." The set features a brick mansion in an old New Orleans neighborhood with a wrought iron balcony on the top level and a large metal factory with train tracks that lead to a station on the bottom level (I think it is more elaborate than the Broadway production) and the costumes are very striking, especially all of the boiler suits worn by the workers. If you love this musical as much as I do, I highly recommend getting a ticket (go here) to this production because it is extremely well done. It runs at the SCERA Center for the Performing Arts on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays through March 28.

Undertone

I was excited to see Undertone at a matinee yesterday because it got a lot of buzz at Sundance this year.  I found it to be incredibly unsettling!  Evangeline "Evy" Babig (Nina Kiri), the host of a popular podcast about paranormal activity with her friend Justin (Adam DiMarco), has moved back into her childhood home to care for her comatose mother (Michele Duquet) who is in the last stages of a terminal illness.  The old house is filled with religious iconography which unnerves Evy because she is an unbeliever.  Justin receives an anonymous email that includes ten audio files of a couple named Jessa (Keana Lyn Bastidas) and Mike (Jeff Yung) as they seemingly become possessed by a demon known for driving mothers to murder their own children.  They decide to record an episode for their podcast using the audio files with Evy as the skeptic and Justin as the believer.  However, as they listen, Evy begins to experience the same phenomena as the couple and she spirals into madness.  Kiri and Duquet are the only actors who appear on screen so most of what happens is depicted through sound.  It is incredibly immersive, and disturbing, because the audience hears what Evy hears and it is easy to believe that the sounds are coming from inside the house because of the way the dark and empty spaces are filmed.  There were many moments when I thought I saw something lurking in the shadows in response to something I heard.  It is one of the most atmospheric movies I have seen and the escalating dread is unbelievably intense.  What I loved most is that, unlike many recent horror movies, the ending is ambiguous (Evy could be possessed or she could be the victim of her own isolation, grief, and guilt) so the tension painstakingly created in the first two acts is not derailed by a tedious explanation in the third.  See this in a theater with the best sound capability possible!

The Secret Agent

The second movie in my double feature featuring the Academy Award nominees for Best Picture yesterday was The Secret Agent (click on the titles to read my commentaries for Bugonia, F1, Frankenstein, Hamnet, Marty Supreme, One Battle After Another, Sentimental Value, Sinners, and Train Dreams).  There is a lot to unpack but I found this to be absolutely riveting.  During the military dictatorship in Brazil in 1977,  Armando Solimoes (Wagner Moura) is a former science professor on the run from a phony corruption charge brought by Henrique Ghirotti (Luciano Chirolli), the head of a utilities company who is threatened by his research.  He arrives in Recife during Carnival to visit his son Fernando (Enzo Nunes) who lives with his maternal grandparents (Carlos Francisco and Aline Marta Maia) after the murder of his wife Fatima (Alice Carvalho).  He stays at a safe house for political dissidents run by Dona Sabastiana (Tania Maria), adopts the name Marcelo Alves, and is aided by a resistance leader named Anisio (Buda Lira) who inadvertently involves him with the corrupt chief of police Euclides (Roberio Diogenes).  He learns from another resistance leader named Elza (Maria Fernanda Candido) that Ghirotti has hired two hitmen, Augusto (Roney Villela) and Bobbi (Gabriel Leone), to kill him so he decides to flee with his son.  Mayhem ensues.  The action is nonlinear and there are a lot of characters to keep track of so I only had the vaguest notion of what was going on at any given time (it is definitely a slow burn with lots of colorful details specific to the time and place) but everything mostly comes together in the conclusion even if that conclusion is abrupt and a bit anticlimactic.  What I found most compelling is the portrayal of the sometimes absurd (the corrupt police chief is trying to cover up the discovery of a leg found in the body of a shark) and often cruel reality of living under a military dictatorship and the escalating tension surrounding Armando's uncertain fate is almost unbearable.  Moura's performance is captivating because he is playing multiple versions of himself in different timelines (he even plays the adult version of his son in present day) and the changes in characterization are subtle but powerful.  Finally, I loved the 1970s vibe in the costumes, production design, and soundtrack (the use of vintage camera equipment also adds to the period verisimilitude).  I have not been able to stop thinking about this and I highly recommend it!

Note:  Now that I have seen all of the nominees, I want Sinners to win Best Picture but I wouldn't mind if One Battle After the Other does.

Train Dreams

When the Academy Award nominees for Best Picture were announced last month, there were two movies that I had not seen yet (click on the titles to read my commentaries on Bugonia, F1, Frankenstein, Hamnet, Marty Supreme, One Battle After Another, Sentimental Value, and Sinners).  Since I always like to see each of the nominees on the big screen, I went to a double feature for the remaining movies yesterday beginning with Train Dreams.  It is a hauntingly beautiful and meditative look at the extraordinary story of America at the beginning of the 20th century through the eyes of an ordinary man.  Robert Grainier (Joel Edgerton) is brought to the Pacific Northwest on a train as an orphan with no recollection of his parents and spends his early years alone and without purpose until he meets and falls in love with Gladys (Felicity Jones).  They build a cabin on an acre of land near a river and have a daughter named Kate but he is forced to leave them for long periods of time to work in the logging and railroad industries which transform the country.  As he witnesses the rapid growth taking place around him, he has many experiences, including a series of tragedies involving strangers, co-workers, and family members, which cause him to search for meaning.  What I loved most about the narrative is that there is no answer and yet Grainier still continues to live with hope and the memories of those lost all around him.  It is slow but incredibly moving and I loved Edgerton's restrained performance (one of his very best) because he is able to evoke so many emotions with very little dialogue (so much so that the voice-over narration by Will Patton sometimes feels intrusive).  There is a large supporting cast of characters who drift in and out of Grainier's life but I especially loved William H. Macy as Arn Peeples, a grizzled explosives expert, and Kerry Condon as Claire Thompson, a surveyor for the U.S. Forest Service.  The cinematography is absolutely gorgeous (I lost count of how many times I was mesmerized by the beauty of a particular shot) and the atmospheric score by Bryce Dessner enhances the otherworldly vibe.  I really loved this and highly recommend it!

Little Shop of Horrors at the Empress Theatre

Last night I went to see a really fun production of Little Shop of Horrors at the Empress Theatre and I had a great time! Seymour (Riley Ernst) and Audrey (Taylore Cahoon) both work in a run-down flower shop on Skid Row owned by the persnickety Mr. Mushnik (Nate Fairclough). Seymour thinks that displaying a strange and interesting plant, which he found during a total eclipse of the sun, will bring more business to the shop but he can't find it in any of his reference books so he names it Audrey II because he is secretly in love with his co-worker. The shop becomes wildly successful because of Audrey II but Mr. Mushnik worries that it isn't thriving. Seymour inadvertently discovers that Audrey II likes drinking his blood after he cuts himself on a thorn and, eventually, it grows to a giant size and asks him to feed it more. When Seymour cannot spare any more of his own blood, his first victim is Audrey's boyfriend Orin Scrivello (Carl Smith), a sadistic dentist, which wins him the love of Audrey but now her namesake wants more and more. Seymour enjoys the notoriety that Audrey II brings him but soon feels guilty about everything he has done to feed it. He wants to destroy it but realizes too late that Audrey II has an evil plan for world domination! The music is a great mix of rock and roll, doo-wop, and Motown. A girl group, including Crystal (Michelle Frierson), Chiffon (Leyla Vave), and Ronnette (Rebecca Meats), acts as a sort of Greek chorus narrating the action and the three of them bring a little bit of sass and a lot of vocal power to the songs "Little Shop of Horrors," "Skid Row (Downtown)," and "Da-Doo." They harmonize really well together and they were the highlight of the show for me. Smith is hilariously unhinged and his rendition of "Dentist!" was definitely a crowd favorite, Cahoon is over the top in her characterization of Audrey and she does a great job belting out "Suddenly Seymour" but she also shows some vulnerability in "Somewhere That's Green," and Ernst is so much fun to watch with all of his nerdy and awkward mannerisms in "Grow for Me" and his growing confidence in "Suddenly Seymour." I really enjoyed how Audrey II is portrayed.  The puppets (operated by Easton Fairclough), which grow larger and more elaborate as the show progresses, look great and they function really well (I was particularly impressed with how the largest one eats people) and I loved the smooth and seductive vocal performance from Joshua Adams in "Feed Me (Git It)." The set, which is dominated by Mr. Mushnik's flower shop, is now among my favorites at this theatre and it was fun to see all of the changes (I was impressed with how quickly they happen) as the shop becomes more successful and as it gets overtaken by Audrey II (I especially loved an effect used in "Don't Feed The Plants" at the end of the show). There are three more opportunities to see this fantastic show and I highly recommend getting a ticket (go here).

Jazz vs. Knicks

Last night I went to see the Utah Jazz play the New York Knicks with my friend Angela.  I specifically picked this game because I wanted to see Jordan Clarkson's return to the Delta Center.  I really liked him when he played for the Jazz (Angela liked him, too) so it was bittersweet to see him playing for another team (especially since he had such a great game for the Knicks).  The fans gave him a very warm reception when he came on to the court and there was a nice tribute video during a timeout.  After the game he interacted with Jazz players, trainers, and coaches (I even saw him hug one of the team photographers), he gave multiple interviews, and he signed lots of autographs.  He is definitely a class act!  The game was really exciting and I think it was the most fun I've had watching the Jazz in a very long time (the crowd was really hyped up) because the Jazz got to an early lead when Brice Sensabaugh, Ace Bailey, and Kevin Love combined for seven three-pointers to end the first quarter 41-26.  I saw a huge improvement in shooting and rebounding, both offensively and defensively, since the last game I saw and it gave me some hope that we could win.  In the second quarter, the Jazz let the Knicks cut their lead to nine to end the half 65-56.  I have often witnessed the Jazz have a disastrous third quarter and, true to form, they started to fall apart in the last few minutes.  Clarkson got them within a point when he hit two free throws and then the Knicks took the lead for good when Jalen Brunson made three points after being fouled on a jump shot.  The Jazz started the fourth quarter down by two but then Clarkson spurred a 20-4 run with two back-to-back baskets (he finished the night with 27 points) to push the lead to 22.  New York ended up winning 134-117 and, even though it was great to see Clarkson again, this game was frustrating because I really think we could have won it after such a great start.

The Hunchback of Notre Dame at HCT

I saw the musical The Hunchback of Notre Dame for the first time at HCT in 2018 so I was thrilled to see a new production there last night (I was also thrilled to see Josh Richardson and Rebecca Burroughs reprise their roles as Frollo and Esmeralda, respectively). I find the story by Victor Hugo about outcasts who find sanctuary in a Gothic cathedral to be incredibly moving and I loved everything about this show. The cast is absolutely phenomenal! Alex Young is slight in stature so his Quasimodo has a vulnerability that often brought tears to my eyes. I especially loved his versions of "Out There" and "Heaven's Light" because they are full of longing. Richardson is an imposing and powerful Frollo and his performance of "Hellfire" is definitely a highlight of the show, both for his portrayal of Frollo's torment and for the spectacular way that it is staged (the special effects left the audience in awe). Burroughs is a beautiful singer and dancer who is able to portray so many different emotions through song and movement. She is alluring in "The Rhythm of the Tambourine," plaintive in "God Help the Outcasts" (my favorite song in the show), playful in "Top of the World" with Young, and heartbreaking in "Someday" with Ethan Kelso as Phoebus de Martin. Kelso is quite different from most actors I have seen play Phoebus and he is very nuanced in his performance, particularly in "Rest and Recreation" when he remembers the trauma of battle and in "Esmeralda" when he refuses to comply with the order from Frollo. Scotty Fletcher is by far the best Clopin I have ever seen! The character acts as the narrator for the show and appears in practically every scene. He is incredibly energetic and absolutely commands the stage in "The Bells of Notre Dame," Topsy Turvy," "Tavern Song," and "The Court of Miracles." This production features a young girl (Lydia Sandor-Pitcher) who stands in for the audience as Clopin tells the story and their interactions are very poignant.  I really liked this addition because it emphasizes the importance of teaching children to be kind. The set is amazing and it makes watching the show an immersive experience because it feels like you are actually inside the cathedral with statues and gargoyles all around the perimeter of the theatre and Gothic arches that come down from the rafters. A large multi-level bell tower, complete with bells that Quasimodo periodically rings, also comes down from the rafters and elaborate staircases leading to the tower come up from the pit.  Beautiful costumes (Frollo's purple cassock and the headdresses worn by the gargoyles were my favorite) and dramatic lighting add to the spectacle while the lively choreography and clever staging (the aforementioned staging of "Hellfire" is worth the price of admission alone) are very entertaining. This is one of my favorite musicals (I don't think I will ever get tired of seeing it) and I really loved this production. It runs on the Young Living Centre Stage through April 25 and I definitely recommend getting a ticket (go here) but act quickly because most shows have low availability.

Note:  I am always so happy when I see Christian Johnston, a former student of mine, on stage. He is Saint Aphrodisius in this show and I loved his performance of "Flight into Egypt."

Hoppers

I thought the trailer for Hoppers was a bit weird but I decided to see it last night because the response has been overwhelmingly positive.  I am so glad I did because I ended up really enjoying it!  Mabel Tanaka (Piper Curda) is an animal lover who learned an appreciation for nature from her grandmother (Karen Huie).  After her grandmother's death, she becomes determined to save the forest glade she visited with her as a child from a freeway overpass developed by Mayor Jerry Generazzo (Jon Hamm).  She turns to her biology professor, Dr. Samantha "Sam" Fairfax (Kathy Najimy), for help and inadvertently discovers her secret research project, known as "Hoppers," which allows human consciousness to hop into a lifelike animal robot in order to interact with real animals.  Thinking that she can encourage the animals to return to the glade by becoming one of them, she hops into a beaver and escapes from the lab even though Dr. Sam warns her against interfering with the natural order.  She befriends the Mammal King, a beaver named George (Bobby Moynihan), and persuades him and the other beavers to build a new dam in the glade.  However, when this effort fails, George appeals to the Animal Council which includes the Insect Queen (Meryl Streep) and her son Titus (Dave Franco), the Amphibian King (Steven Purcell), the Fish Queen (Ego Nwodim), the Reptile Queens (Nichole Sakura), and the Bird King (Isiah Whitlock, Jr.).  Chaos ensues when Mabel's impassioned plea persuades the Council, and the new Insect King Titus, to assassinate Jerry.  The narrative becomes a bit unwieldy at this point but I really loved the ultimate message about cooperation, compromise, and coexistence because it is both powerful and timely.  I also really loved Mabel's character arc because she thinks that she is the only one who cares about the environment and trying to make a difference all by herself feels daunting but she eventually succeeds when she finds community and is willing to listen to what others have to say.  The character design is adorable, the animation showing the natural world is beautiful, the action sequences are exciting (especially the scene in which a shark is used as an assassin), and the comedy is a lot of fun (the montage of building the dam to "Working for the Weekend" by Loverboy made me laugh out loud).  I was very pleasantly surprised by this and highly recommend it!

Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man

I love the show Peaky Blinders (I recently rewatched all six seasons and was reminded again of how brilliant it is) so I was beyond excited to see Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man with my nephew.  I have been disappointed with some of my most anticipated movies lately but luckily, despite my impossibly high expectations, that was definitely not the case last night!  In the midst of the Blitz, Erasmus "Duke" Shelby (Barry Keoghan) is running the Peaky Blinders with a recklessness that worries Ada (Sophie Rundle).  She visits Tommy (Cillian Murphy), who is now living in self-imposed exile with Johnny Dogs (Packy Lee), to get him to intervene with his son but he is consumed by the ghosts of his past.  However, when Duke is recruited by John Beckett (Tim Roth), a Nazi sympathizer involved in a plot to destabilize the economy of England, Tommy is visited by a gypsy medium named Kaulo (Rebecca Ferguson) with a message from her dead sister Zelda, Duke's mother.  He will only find the peace he is searching for if he saves his son so he makes a dramatic return to Birmingham.  After another tragedy and a physical confrontation between the two of them, Tommy and Duke form a plan with Hayden Stagg (Stephen Graham) to stop Beckett but can Tommy trust Duke?  Much like the series, this is stylish and intense with a compelling plot that subverts expectations, outstanding performances (especially from Murphy and Keoghan), and an epic soundtrack.  The action sequences are thrilling and I loved seeing the Peaky Blinders do the iconic slow-motion walk in formation along the canal.  In fact, I was practically giggling out loud at all of the call-backs to the show, especially the scene in which Tommy rides through the streets of Birmingham on horseback with an updated version of "Red Right Hand" by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds because it mimics the opening scene in the first episode.  I do think the villain is a bit underdeveloped compared to other storylines (a casualty of only having two hours rather than six) but I really enjoyed Duke's character arc and I think Tommy has a more emotionally satisfying conclusion.  I loved this and think fans of the show will love it, too!

Note:  I wish that I had worn a peaked cap because so many in the audience were wearing them!

The Bride

Last night my nephew and I went to see The Bride, one of my most anticipated movies of 2026, with a large crowd at the Broadway.  I appreciate Maggie Gyllenhaal's bold swing for the fences but I didn't love it as much as I thought I would.  The spirit of Mary Shelley (Jessie Buckley) possesses a gangster's moll named Ida (Jessie Buckley), who lives in Chicago in 1936, because she was denied the opportunity to tell the next chapter in Frankenstein's story when she was alive.  While Ida is possessed, she identifies the victims of the crime boss Lupino (Zlatko Buric) to a crowded speakeasy so he sends his henchmen Clyde (John Magaro) and James (Matthew Maher) to deal with her and she dies after falling down a flight of stairs.  Frankenstein's monster (Christian Bale), a lonely cinephile who idolizes the actor Ronnie Reed (Jake Gyllenhaal), visits Dr. Cornelia Euphronious (Annette Bening) and he convinces her to create a companion for him using the body of Ida.  She is reanimated but cannot remember who she is so Frank tells her that she is his bride.  Frank eventually kills two people who harass Ida and they are forced to go on the run while Detective Jake Wiles (Peter Sarsgaard) and his assistant Myrna Malloy (Penelope Cruz) pursue them.  Ida is also forced to kill multiple times when possessed by Mary's rage and this incites a revolution of women who are tired of being silenced but it also gets the attention of Lupino who sends Clyde after her.  This leads to the inevitable confrontation.  There is a lot going on in the narrative and it is often very messy with wild tonal shifts.  Furthermore, the message is unclear.  I think I get what Gyllenhaal is going for (a woman finally finds her voice and a so-called monster is vilified by men who are the true monsters), but she doesn't quite get there because Ida speaks with Mary's voice, which often horrifies her, rather than her own and Frank's behavior is still very problematic.  Having said that, I loved the cinematography and the visuals, especially the use of Ida's bright orange dress against an almost black and white background because it is so striking.  I also loved the scenes in which Frank inserts himself into Ronnie Reed's movies and the scene in which he and Ida recreate a big production number is seriously cool.  Bale gives an incredibly nuanced performance as the lonely monster but Buckley is absolutely unhinged (in the best possible way) and you cannot take your eyes off her!  This is a mixed bag for me because it is definitely a case of style over substance but I have to admit that I really enjoyed the style!

Jazz vs. Pelicans

Last night I went to my first Utah Jazz game of 2026 with my friend Angela (she has season tickets and very graciously allows me to pick several games to attend with her) and it was a lot of fun despite the final score.  The Jazz, who were without Jaren Jackson, Jr., Lauri Markkanen, Walker Kessler, Jusuf Nurkic, and Vince Williams, Jr. because of injuries, played the New Orleans Pelicans and lost to them for the second time this week in a very sloppy game.  They didn't even score until the middle of the first quarter when Ace Bailey hit two free throws (I joked at the beginning of the game that he was our only hope).  That seemed to give the team a bit of a spark and they went on a 14-6 run to end the quarter 27-22.  The Pelicans deflated the crowd by hitting two quick shots to increase their lead to 10 in the first few minutes of the second.  After that, the Jazz couldn't seem to get anything going offensively or defensively so they ended the first half down by 25.  Keyonte George, who was back after missing 9 games with an ankle injury, scored 12 points in the third quarter, including a really pretty three-pointer and several free throws, and Elijah Harkless hit back-to-back three-pointers to spur a 13-0 run (and to spur the crowd back into the game) to get the Jazz within 16 points at the end of the third quarter.  I got really excited when the Jazz went on a 9-0 run to begin the fourth quarter but the Pelicans answered back with a 8-2 run.  Isaiah Collier got 12 points (he led the Jazz with 21) and Brice Sensabaugh got an exciting three-pointer at the end of the quarter but it wasn't enough and New Orleans won 115-105.  It is a bit frustrating to be a Jazz fan (I've only seen them win once in two years) but I always have a good time at the games with Angela!

Scream 7

Despite the controversy surrounding Scream 7, I thought the trailer was really intriguing so I decided to see a Thursday preview with my nephew last night.  I am only a casual fan of the franchise but I was incredibly disappointed with this installment (I am 0 for 3 with movies this week).  When Ghostface sets fire to the Macher house in Woodsboro, California after killing a couple spending the night there as part of the "Macher Experience," there is speculation that Stu (Matthew Lillard) is still alive.  Sidney Prescott-Evans (Neve Campbell) now lives with her husband Mark (Joel McHale) and daughter Tatum (Isabel May) in quiet Pine Grove, Indiana.  When she receives a video call from Ghostface threatening Tatum, she is unnerved when the killer unmasks and it is Stu.  However, when her family is attacked, Ghostface is revealed to be a mentally ill serial killer.  She suspects that the call was AI and begins investigating with Gale Weathers (Courteney Cox) but soon all of Tatum's friends, including Hannah (McKenna Grace), Lucas (Asa Germann), Chloe (Celeste O'Connor), and Ben (Sam Rechner), are brutally killed.  Eventually, Tatum must confront Ghostface in a scene that mirrors what happened to Sidney 30 years ago.  I did not mind the nostalgia that some have taken issue with because I think the dynamic between Sidney and Tatum, and her fear of passing on generational trauma to her daughter, is very compelling.  I also liked the subplot with Gale as she passes the torch of reporting on Ghostface to the Meeks-Martin twins (Jasmin Savoy Brown and Mason Gooding).  There are even some really grisly kills and I did enjoy the opening sequence.  In fact, I liked the first two acts well enough despite the fact that the meta-commentary about horror tropes that makes these movies so much fun is largely missing.  What is most disappointing is the ridiculous and underwhelming Ghostface reveal because the motivation is convoluted and makes absolutely no sense (it also makes one of the kills truly diabolical).  What I also found incredibly frustrating is that, in my opinion, the perfect ending (to the movie and to the franchise if this is actually the final one) was right there.  Ugh!  Definitely avoid this!

Midwinter Break

The second movie in the double feature with my nephew last night was Midwinter Break and, based on the trailer, this looked like the kind of slow-burn drama that I usually enjoy.  However, I found it even more disappointing than the first movie we saw.  Stella (Lesley Manville) and Gerry (Ciaran Hinds) are an older couple who seem companionable but have grown apart so Stella surprises him with a trip to Amsterdam for Christmas.  They excitedly pack, gush about their hotel room, and begin seeing all of the usual sights.  However, as they visit churches for her and pubs for him, flashbacks slowly reveal that Stella was the victim of an attack forty years ago during the troubles in Northern Ireland.  She views her survival as a miracle and, as a result, she is extremely devout but he views what happened as a failure to protect her and buries his pain in alcohol.  Tensions, which appear after he mocks her piety and she criticizes his drinking, eventually force them to address their long-buried trauma.  There are way too many tedious scenes in which Stella and Gerry do everything but talk about what is wrong (she tries to pretend that everything is fine and he is completely oblivious) and I spent most of the runtime waiting for some kind of catharsis which, when it does happen, is incredibly rushed and anticlimactic.  The ambiguous resolution also left me feeling very frustrated and made me wonder what the point was.  Manville and Hinds are brilliant actors but not even they can elevate this dull material into something compelling.  I did enjoy the beautiful cinematography featuring the city of Amsterdam (and my nephew loved the soundtrack) but I recommend giving this a miss.

How to Make a Killing

Last night my nephew and I had a double feature and we started with How to Make a Killing.  I was really looking forward to this because the trailer reminded me of the hilarious stage musical A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder (both are inspired by the 1949 film Kind Hearts and Coronets) but, unfortunately, it was very disappointing.  Becket Redfellow (Glen Powell) is visited by a priest (Adrian Lukas) hours before his scheduled execution for murder.  He recounts the events that led him to his fate beginning with when his mother Mary Redfellow (Nell Williams) was disinherited by her wealthy father Whitelaw Redfellow (Ed Harris) for becoming pregnant with him.  His mother tells him that, even though there are seven people ahead of him, he is still in line to inherit the vast Redfellow fortune and, when he reconnects with his childhood crush Julia Steinway (Margaret Qualley), she gives him the idea to kill all of them to get the money.  Party boy Taylor Redfellow (Raff Law), photographer Noah Redfellow (Zach Woods), megachurch leader Steven Redfellow (Topher Grace), philanthropist Cassandra Redfellow (Bianca Amato), and pilot McArthur Redfellow (Alexander Hanson) all die under unusual circumstances but suspicious FBI Agents Brad Matthews (Stevel Marc) and Megan Pinfield (Phumi Tau) are unable to prove Becket was involved.  He eventually inherits the fortune when stock broker Warren Redfellow (Bill Camp) dies from a heart attack and when he shoots the patriarch of the family, Whitelaw Redfellow, in self-defense but complications ensue when he begins a relationship with Noah's ex-girlfriend Ruth (Jessica Henwick) and when Julia wants in on the fortune.  What I love most about the musical, which is one of my favorites, is the manic energy as each member of the family is dispatched in an absurd and completely over the top sequence.  This version is strangely inert because it plays it straight with an eat the rich message that becomes muddled in the third act and the family members have little more than cameos in scenes without any bite.  Powell's charisma is wasted, in my opinion, as a character that is surprisingly bland and Qualley does not do much beyond displaying her long legs for the camera.  I wanted this to be funny, or at the very least satirical, but I found it boring and I recommend giving it a miss.

Pillion

Last night I went to see Pillion at the Broadway and I was surprised by how much I loved it!  Colin (Harry Melling) is a timid young gay man who lives with his parents Pete (Douglas Hodge) and Peggy (Lesley Sharp), works a menial job as a parking lot attendant, and spends his free time singing with a barbershop quartet.  When a blind date arranged by his mother proves disappointing, he catches the eye of a handsome and enigmatic leader of a biker gang named Ray (Alexander Skarsgard) which leads to an awkward sexual encounter.  Colin is very inexperienced but Ray quickly initiates him into the world of BDSM as his submissive and he soon proves his aptitude for devotion.  Colin is so desperate for a connection that he allows Ray to have complete control but, as their relationship progresses, he demands more autonomy which Ray initially refuses.  However, Ray eventually begins to allow more and more intimacy but his feelings for Colin overwhelm him and he suddenly disappears from his life.  Colin emerges from the relationship devastated but with more confidence and a greater understanding of his own boundaries which ultimately leads to a new partner.  This is explicit (although, in my opinion, it is not shockingly so) but it is also a very tender love story where both men are transformed by being together even if they cannot stay together.  There are powerful turning points for each of them, including when Colin steals Ray's motorcycle and feels the freedom of actually controlling the bike rather than riding pillion and when Ray kisses Colin for the first time and realizes that he loves him (Ray's moment of truth is more subtle than Colin's but it is no less compelling).  This is also features a lot more humor than I was expecting, especially the scene in which Colin meets up with Ray for the first time with his family's long-haired dachshund only to see that Ray has a rottweiler (it perfectly telegraphs their eventual relationship without saying a word).  Finally, both Skarsgard and Melling give brilliant performances.  I have to admit that my motivation for seeing this movie was Skarsgard, and he is both sexy and vulnerable as Ray, but I was especially impressed by Melling because his portrayal of Colin's journey to self-discovery is incredibly dynamic and I was particularly struck by the difference in his demeanor in the two scenes with his barbershop quartet.  I highly recommend this with the proviso that some of the sex scenes might make some people uncomfortable.

Ballet West's Peter Pan

Last night I went to see Ballet West's production of Peter Pan, a ballet I had never seen before, and I was incredibly impressed by the thrilling athletic performances.  As with Jekyll and Hyde, I really enjoyed how movement is used to tell the story (especially since the story differs significantly from the one that audiences may be more familiar with) and I found the choreography to be very innovative and fun to watch.  The Darling children, including Peter (David Huffmire), Wendy (Lexi McCloud), Michael (Victor Galeana), and John (Jacob Hancock), are under the care of terrifying nursemaids who eventually lose Peter so Tinkerbell (Maren Florence) and other Fairies regularly visit their nursery to protect them.  After Mr. and Mrs. Darling  (Jordan Veit and Katlyn Addison, respectively) say goodnight to the children before attending a party, Wendy has a nightmare in which she is chased by shadows.  When she awakens, she sees that a wild boy named Peter has chased them away.  He teaches the Darling children to fly and invites them to join him in Neverland where they are welcomed by the exuberant Lost Boys who ask Wendy to be their mother.  They have a great adventure rescuing Mermaids (Alexis Bull, Tea Hinchley, and Anisa Sinteral) from Captain Hook (Adrian Fry), who has a mangled hand in the shape of a claw, and his band of Pirates but, when Wendy longs for home, the Lost Boys want to go there with her which angers Peter so he abandons them.  This gives Captain Hook the chance to take everyone prisoner on his ship, and to try to gain their sympathy by having his son James (Vinicius Lima) act out how his hand was mangled by a teacher who beat him, until Peter sneaks on board and challenges him to a duel.  The Mermaids help Peter throw Hook overboard where he is swallowed up by a crocodile.  The Darling children are then reunited with their parents but when Peter returns and asks Wendy to visit Neverland again she refuses and begins a family of her own.  I loved the sequence when Wendy dances with the shadows, both real and those portrayed by dancers, because it is such a cool effect and I loved all of the powerful acrobatic leaps and spins as Peter interacts with the Darling children in the nursery.  The aerial choreography when Peter and the children fly is absolutely magical because it seems like a natural extension of the steps they perform on the ground.  The Lost Boys and the Pirates execute wild and boisterous steps in unison while the villainous Captain Hook's movements are very stylized with flamboyant jumps and spins.  My favorite moments came in Act II when Huffmire and McCloud dance a beautiful and emotional Pas de Deux in which Wendy feels the push and pull between the excitement of Neverland and the contentment of home and in Act III when Huffmire is flying in the air while mirroring McCloud's movements on the ground because it shows their impending separation.  The sets are really imaginative, especially the way that nature is incorporated into the nursery to emphasize the influence of the fairies who protect the children and the way that Hook's ship resembles the skeleton of a whale with its skull serving as the prow, and the puppets are a lot of fun.  The score by Edward Elgar is very lively and adventurous during the battles but I also loved the plaintive violin during the Pas de Deux.  This is an enchanting production but there are only two more performances so act quickly to get a ticket (go here) before you lose your chance to visit Neverland!

Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie

Last night my nephew and I went to see Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie at the Broadway and it is a hoot!  Canadian filmmakers Matt Johnson and Jay McCarrol play fictionalized versions of themselves in this mockumentary based on the web series and, later, the television show Nirvanna the Band the Show (you don't need to be familiar with either because the movie definitely works on its own).  Matt and Jay are musicians who form Nirvanna the Band in 2008 and create a series of elaborate plans, always detailed on a white board, to get a gig playing at the Rivoli in Toronto.  When their latest plan to get publicity for their band by skydiving from the CN Tower into the SkyDome goes horribly wrong seventeen years later, Jay is exasperated when Matt comes up with yet another plan.  This one involves converting an RV into a time machine inspired by Back to the Future in order to travel back to 2008 for reasons but, when it actually works after Matt's last bottle of Orbitz is spilled in the flux capacitor, Jay takes steps to change the future by interacting with his younger self.  However, once they return to 2025, Jay regrets his actions so he convinces Matt to go to 2008 again to change things back. Complications ensue when they cannot find another bottle of the discontinued Orbitz and have to execute another plan involving the CN Tower.  The physical comedy is absolutely hilarious because it is filmed as a documentary with cameras following all of their stunts (the scenes at the CN Tower were filmed without permits and they used a GoPro positioned on a tour guide without his knowledge) and the reactions from the crowds they interact with are genuine (and so quintessentially Canadian).  It is also extremely amusing when they periodically break the fourth wall, especially when they talk about the potential copyright issues for all of the movies they reference.  This is one of the funniest comedies I've seen in a long time (I saw it with a big crowd and heard people laughing out loud the entire time) but it also has a surprisingly touching message about friendship.  Definitely seek this one out because you will have so much fun watching it!

Note:  I grew up about an hour south of Toronto and have returned several times since moving to the United States to see Blue Jays and Maple Leafs games so I enjoyed all of the inside jokes about the city.  I laughed out loud every time they referred to the baseball stadium as the SkyDome.  The name changed to the Rogers Centre in 2005 but the locals still call it the SkyDome!

Wuthering Heights

Last night I finally had the chance to see Wuthering Heights at the Broadway and, even though they may take away my English degree, I liked it.  The volatile Mr. Earnshaw (Martin Clunes) returns to Wuthering Heights, his Gothic estate, with a young boy (Owen Cooper) he rescued off the streets.  His daughter Catherine (Charlotte Mellington) adopts him as her pet, names him Heathcliff, and the two become inseparable, much to the dismay of Catherine's paid companion Nelly (Vy Nguyen), the illegitimate daughter of a lord.  Cathy (Margot Robbie) and Heathcliff (Jacob Elordi) develop intense but unrequited feelings for each other as the years pass but Mr. Earnshaw lets Wuthering Heights fall into disrepair through his drinking and gambling so she contemplates marrying Edgar Linton (Shazad Latif), a wealthy textile merchant who lives in neighboring Thrushcross Grange, to escape her circumstances.  She encourages his attentions and accepts his proposal but confesses to Nelly (Hong Chau) that she loves Heathcliff and is having second thoughts.  However, Heathcliff leaves Wuthering Heights unaware that Cathy loves him so she reluctantly marries Linton.  Her life at Thrushcross Grange is luxurious but empty so when Heathcliff returns as a gentleman with a mysterious fortune she begins a passionate affair with him.  Cathy is overcome with guilt and ends the affair so Heathcliff marries Linton's ward Isabella (Alison Oliver) to make her jealous which leads to tragedy.  Emerald Fennell takes many liberties with the novel by Emily Bronte to emphasize the tragic love story between Cathy and Heathcliff but what this version retains, in my opinion, is the scathing criticism of the rigid class system with the character of Nelly.  Much like Farleigh in Saltburn, Nelly is not a member of the aristocracy as represented by the Earnshaws (or even the wealthy merchant class represented by the Lintons) but neither is she a servant like Heathcliff.  She has no agency but she considers herself above all of these characters and manipulates their self-indulgent and self-destructive behavior to emerge as a survivor.  In addition to this intriguing social commentary, I absolutely loved the bold visuals.  The juxtaposition between Wuthering Heights, which is dark and foreboding and dominated by the intrusion of nature, and Thrushcross Grange, which is unnaturally bright and colorful and full of artifice (even in the costumes), is very striking and symbolic.  I also enjoyed the gorgeous cinematography on the moors and the atmospheric score.  Robbie and Elordi have tremendous chemistry (although I was expecting their scenes to be a lot more provocative) and I liked that their characterizations are appropriately unsympathetic but I was much more intrigued by the performances from Clunes, Oliver, and Hau.  I definitely enjoyed this more when I viewed it as inspired by, rather than adapted from, the novel and I recommend it as such.

Singin' in the Rain at Hopebox Theatre

I had the best time seeing Singin' in the Rain at Hopebox Theatre last night because the show is a favorite of mine and they did a great job with it! Don Lockwood (Braden Charles Hull) and Lina Lamont (Caitlin Olsen) are popular silent film stars in the 1920s.  They are working on their latest collaboration but, when Monumental Pictures is forced to transition to "talkies," Lina's obnoxious voice and terrible acting threaten to ruin the picture. Don's best friend Cosmo Brown (Garrett Stephenson)  suggests that they dub Lina's voice with that of Kathy Seldon (Jordyn Tracy), an aspiring actress with whom Don has fallen in love. Complications ensue when Lina finds out and wants Kathy to keep singing for her. I love this show so much because it features so many big song and dance numbers (you know I love to see tapping) and the choreography in this production is so much fun. The female ensemble really shines in "All I Do Is Dream of You," "Beautiful Girls," and "Broadway Melody" and I also enjoyed "You Were Meant for Me" because it features some fun effects and Hull and Tracy have a lot of romantic chemistry in this number, "Good Morning" because Hull, Tracy, and Stephenson perform it with so much energy, and "Make 'Em Laugh" because Stephenson steals the show with his physicality and comedic timing. However, the highlight of the show is the iconic number "Singin' in the Rain" because, not only does Hull tap dance beautifully around a lamp post, he does it in the rain! I am so impressed that a small community theatre actually made it rain on stage because it was very impressive (it rained once again when the cast came out in raincoats for the bows). All of the leads have beautiful voices but shoutouts go to Matty Boyd for his lovely rendition of "Beautiful Girls" and Olsen who is an absolute hoot in "What's Wrong With Me?" (she is also really funny in the scene where Lina struggles to use a microphone). The set is also noteworthy because the stage is configured as a large Art Deco Theatre with panels that open to become a screen (the movie footage from The Dueling Cavalier is hilarious, especially when the sound is out of sync with the images) and various set pieces are brought on and off by the ensemble to become other locations (my favorite was the large cake hiding Kathy). The 1920s costumes include some gorgeous flapper dresses and headdresses as well as some dapper suits and sweater vests. Finally, the mission of the Hopebox Theatre is to provide support for someone in the community battling cancer and Heidi Green is the recipient for this production (go here to learn more about her). I had a smile on my face during the entire show and I highly recommend getting a ticket (go here). It runs on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays through March 14.

Good Luck, Have Fun, Don't Die

Late last night I went to see Good Luck, Have Fun, Don't Die and it is absolutely bonkers!  An unnamed man (Sam Rockwell) from a dystopian future arrives in the present day and takes all of the patrons of a popular Los Angeles diner hostage.  He is looking for a specific combination of people to help him save the fate of humanity but tells them that, since this is his 117th attempt, he is not very optimistic about their chances for survival.  He eventually coerces Bob (Daniel Barnett), Marie (Georgia Goodman), Scott (Asim Chaudhry), and the couple Mark (Michael Pena) and Janet (Zazie Beetz) to join him and then Susan (Juno Temple) and Ingrid (Haley Lu Richardson) volunteer for reasons.  He explains that people in the future have become obsessed with virtual reality to the exclusion of their own reality and, as a result, the natural resources in the real world have run out causing a catastrophic number of deaths.  The only hope for the future is to find the nine-year-old boy responsible for creating the AI that is about to take over the world and install a safety protocol into the program (he doesn't want to destroy the program because he believes that AI is inevitable). However, there are forces working against him and mayhem ensues. I enjoyed the surreal tone and the satirical humor made me laugh out loud on more than one occasion but there is also a powerful message about the dangers of technology that really resonated with me, especially the scene showing students enslaved to their phones.  I also enjoyed Rockwell's performance because he commits fully to the insanity.  His physicality is almost manic and it is fun to watch, particularly when he is trying to convince the customers at the diner that the world is about to end.  I sometimes found the pacing to be a bit off because the action is periodically interrupted by flashbacks to the backstories of some of the characters and, while these are interesting and inform what is happening, the transitions back to the present are jarring.  I also think the third act is unwieldy and goes on far too long (the drawn out explanations of several twists become very tedious).  This was a mixed bag for me but it is entertaining and I recommend it to those who appreciate a bold, if not always effective, swing for the fences.