Renfield

I thought the trailer for Renfield looked like a lot of fun so I spontaneously decided to see it yesterday afternoon.  It is definitely enjoyable but there are a lot of flaws that keep it from being great.  Count Dracula (Nicolas Cage), along with his familiar R.M. Renfield (Nicholas Hoult), relocates to New Orleans so that he can recuperate from a close call with some vampire hunters.  When Renfield is out searching for victims for Dracula to feed on, he runs afoul of the Lobo crime family, led by Bellafrancesca Lobo (Shohreh Aghdashloo) and her ne'er-do-well son Teddy (Ben Schwartz), and comes in contact with Rebecca Quincy, a police officer with a grudge against the Lobos.  Renfield decides to help Rebecca with her investigation and tries to free himself from Dracula's clutches with the help of a support group but mayhem ensues when the Lobos join forces with Dracula!  Cage is completely unhinged, in the best possible way, as Dracula and seems to be channeling the ghost of Bela Lugosi!  He is the best part of the movie and I wish that he was in it more!  I also enjoyed Hoult as an awkward and sniveling fop, especially whenever he interacts with Cage's Dracula.  The over the top action set pieces are incredibly gory, with decapitations and amputations that spew more blood than could possibly be found in a human body, but they are really campy and made me laugh out loud several times.  The references to vampire mythology, such as needing to be invited in and an aversion to sunlight, are also highly amusing.  However, my biggest problem is the inconsistent tone because this could have been so much better if it had fully committed to the comedy.  Instead, there is an unnecessarily dramatic subplot about a corrupt police force in league with the crime family that killed Quincy's father, himself a police officer, and her attempts to get justice for him.  Awkwafina's Quincy is, essentially, the straight man which is such a waste because she is a great comedic actress.  Awkwafina and Hoult have very little chemistry and their scenes together are surprisingly bland.  This is entertaining but it doesn't know what kind of movie it wants to be so a lot of its potential is squandered.  I would recommend waiting to watch this when it is available to stream.

Muse at the Vivint Arena

I am a huge fan of the band Muse and every time I've seen them live the show has been a sound and light extravaganza.  Last night's concert at the Vivint Arena, my first of 2023, was no exception and I had so much fun!  They began with "Will of the People" and played quite a few more songs from their latest album of the same name, including "Compliance," which is my favorite from the album, "Verona," "We Are F***ing F***ed," "Won't Stand Down," and "You Make Me Feel Like It's Halloween."  They also played the hits and some more obscure tracks, such as "Hysteria," "Interlude," "Time Is Running Out," a really sultry rendition of "Madness," "Plug In Baby," an instrumental version of "The Dark Side," "Thought Contagion," "Resistance," a rocking performance of "Uprising" that got everyone in Vivint Arena up and dancing, "Psycho," and "Supermassive Black Hole."  They ended their main set, as they often do, with "Starlight," which is my favorite Muse song, and I loved it!  For the encore they played "Kill or Be Killed," from the new album, and an epic version of "Knights of Cydonia" with a really cool harmonica intro.  Songs were accompanied by incredibly theatrical lights, lasers, visuals, pyrotechnics, streamers, confetti, and large animatronic figures looming over the stage.  The stage itself was made of clear panels with colored lights shining from below with a runway extending into the crowd and a smaller stage at the end of it.  It was really cool.  Matt Bellamy was a bit more subdued with his attire than usual (although an LED light-up jacket did make an appearance late in the proceedings) but definitely not with all of his antics.  He spent most of his time running and jumping around the stage and shredding on the runway!  Like every other Muse show I've seen this was a complete spectacle and I loved every minute of it (I think I will be on a high from it for days).

Note:  The opening acts were Highly Suspect and Evanescence.  I was not familiar with Highly Suspect but I was beyond excited for Evanescence because I love them and had never seen them before.  They played for over an hour and I especially loved "Going Under," "Call Me When You're Sober," "Imaginary," "My Immortal," and "Bring Me to Life."

What the Constitution Means to Me at PTC

Last night I went to see What The Constitution Means to Me at PTC and it is one of the most thought-provoking pieces that I have seen in a long time. It is a play written by Heidi Schreck, who performed the lead role during its run on Broadway, about her experiences as a 15-year-old student participating in an American Legion Oratorical Contest about the Constitution as a way to earn scholarship money for college. In this production the role of Heidi is played by Laura Jordan and the first part of the performance is the recreation of the speech that Heidi gave as a 15-year-old in the competition with a Legionnaire (Ben Cherry) acting as the moderator.  In her speech she specifically discusses the Ninth Amendment, which pertains to unenumerated rights such as the right to travel, the right to vote, the right to keep personal matters private, and the right to make important decisions about one's health care or body, and the Fourteenth Amendment, which pertains to equal protection under the law.  During the second part of the performance Heidi continues as her present self and relates anecdotes drawn from her own experiences, and those of the women in her family, relating to abortion, sexual assault, domestic violence, and immigration while Cherry portrays a character named Mike, based on one of Heidi's friends, who speaks about his sexuality. The point they both make, with several relevant Supreme Court cases, is that the Constitution does not protect the rights of women, racial minorities, immigrants, or those who are LGTBQ.  They argue that it wasn't designed to do so because the writers of the Constitution were mostly concerned with negative rights, or those which would not limit the freedoms of white male landowners. I found this discussion to be fascinating and I was completely riveted! The third and final part of the performance involves a parliamentary debate between Jordan (as herself) and a local student (last night's student was Naomi Cova) about whether or not the Constitution should be abolished. This debate is unique to each performance (last night Jordan argued that the Constitution should be abolished and Cova argued that it should be kept) and audience participation is encouraged. As someone who participated in debate all through high school I absolutely loved this! When Jordan had everyone in the audience who was not a straight white cisgendered male raise their hands (it was the majority), it was incredibly powerful to see how many of us are not protected and it really swayed my opinion.  However, I also found many of the arguments put forward by Cova, namely that more people need to participate in government to make changes from within, to be noteworthy as well. A member of the audience was selected at random to declare a winner and she voted to abolish. I was really impressed with Jordan because, even though these are not her stories, her delivery is spontaneous and authentic as if she is having a conversation with each member of the audience and the simple production design (sets, costumes, and lighting) keeps the focus on that dialogue. I do concede that one's enjoyment of this play will probably be directly related to the degree to which one agrees with Schreck's thesis but I also believe seeing it is a worthwhile experience that is ultimately very hopeful.  It runs at PTC through April 22 (go here for tickets).

Note:  As I previously mentioned I was on my high school debate team and I actually participated in an American Legion Oratorical Contest my senior year. I won at my school level (and received a huge trophy) but didn't move on past the state level.

Tori and Lokita

Yesterday afternoon I decided to see Tori and Lokita at the Broadway.  It is an incredibly powerful and heartbreaking look at the immigrant experience in Europe that left me absolutely shattered.  Lokita (Joely Mbundu) is a young teenage girl who emigrated illegally to Belgium from Benin.  She bonded with a ten-year-old boy from Cameroon named Tori (Pablo Schils) while on the journey and they now claim to be siblings in order to stay together.  She feels tremendous pressure from her mother back in Benin to send money home to support her family and is harassed by Firmin (Marc Zinga), the leader of the gang who smuggled them into Belgium, for payment of the exorbitant fee for his services but the only job she can get is as a drug courier for Betim (Alban Ukaj), a restaurateur who also frequently requests sexual favors from her.  She grows desperate when she is denied a work visa and accepts a dangerous job offered by Betim in return for fake papers but this takes her away from Tori and causes her tremendous anxiety about his welfare.  Tori, in return, does everything he can to rescue Lokita from her untenable situation.  I fell in love with both of these characters because they are so smart and resourceful and their relationship with each other is incredibly tender.  The two lead performances, by unknown actors, are exceptional and so sympathetic that the final resolution left me feeling both sad and angry at a corrupt system designed to exploit desperate people at every turn.  The gritty hand-held cinematography and the fast pace enhance the sense of urgency and at no time did I doubt the dangers that these characters faced.  This was difficult to watch but I loved the message about the power of friendship in a hostile world and I highly recommend it.

The Play That Goes Wrong at the SCERA Center for the Performing Arts

I have seen several different productions of The Play That Goes Wrong (PTC, HCT, and CPT) and it has become one of my favorite shows because it is absolutely hilarious! I had the chance to see SCERA's version last night and I don't think I stopped laughing from the first missed cue to the crash of the chandelier at the end! The play-within-a-play is the Cornley University Drama Society's production of The Murder at Haversham Manor by Susie H. K. Bridewell. The cast includes Max (Scott Hendrickson) as Cecil Haversham/ Arthur the Gardener, Chris (Dylan Burningham) as Inspector Carter, Jonathan (David Peterson) as Charles Haversham, Robert (Bryson Smellie) as Thomas Colleymore, Dennis (Samuel Wright) as Perkins the Butler, and Sandra (Eden Bostrom) as Florence Colleymore. The show is directed by Chris with Annie (Shannon Follette) as the Stage Manager and Trevor (Ethan Devey) as the Sound and Lighting Director. Everything that can go wrong does go wrong with this show, including a set that is slowly falling apart, props that either malfunction or go missing, a sound designer who accidentally plays Harry Styles instead of the sound cues, an actor who cannot stay still while playing the murder victim, an actor who cannot remember his lines, an actor who uses flamboyant gestures and then breaks the fourth wall to milk the audience for applause every time he does it, and a leading lady who is injured halfway through the show and must be replaced with two different understudies (with scripts in hand), but the show must go on with hysterical results. The physical comedy in this show is brilliant and my favorite moments were when Thomas must repeatedly drink paint thinner when whiskey cannot be found, when Cecil and Florence have an incredibly awkward kiss, when Cecil and Thomas have to answer the phone while holding the set together, when Cecil and Thomas break the swords they are using during a duel and then pretend to use light sabers (complete with sound effects), when Perkins must finish the show handcuffed to the chaise longue because the prop keys are misplaced, and when Sandra and Annie have a long and drawn out fight over who gets to play Florence. The entire cast is fantastic but the standouts for me are Smellie because he is so completely overwrought and Hendrickson because everything he does made me laugh (particularly whenever he would flash his megawatt smile at the audience). The set is simply amazing because not only does it fall apart spectacularly but it does so on cue (the technical aspects of this show are also quite impressive). The collapse of the second floor study is ingenious! I cannot recommend this show enough because it is so much fun (I was definitely not the only one laughing out loud). It runs through May 6 and tickets may be purchased here.

How to Blow Up a Pipeline

Last night my nephew Sean and I went to the Broadway to see How to Blow Up a Pipeline.  We were both really looking forward to this movie and it did not disappoint!  A ragtag group of young environmental activists, including Xochitl (Ariela Barer), Shawn (Marcus Scribner), Michael (Forrest Goodluck), Dwayne (Jake Weary), Theo (Sasha Lane), Logan (Lukas Gage), Rowan (Kristine Froseth), and Alisha (Jayme Lawson), come together in order to sabotage an oil pipeline in West Texas because they believe it is the only way to get people to care about the climate crisis.  What they are doing is inherently dangerous but they are also beset with other challenges that make this an intense thriller that will keep you on the edge of your seat.  The audience is dropped right in the middle of the action but there are flashbacks which show how each member of the group became radicalized (the most compelling reasons, in my opinion, are Michael's despair as an indigenous person over the fracking that is destroying his ancestral home and Dwayne's anger over the government's misuse of eminent domain to take his land for a pipeline) and the commentary on climate change, as well as other issues (particularly a scathing condemnation of the healthcare system), is incredibly thought-provoking without being too heavy-handed.  There is an unrelenting sense of urgency that is enhanced by a fast pace, a plot twist (that I figured out just minutes before it was revealed), and a pulse-pounding electronic score by Gavin Brivik.  The entire ensemble cast is outstanding with Goodluck as the standout for me.  Regardless of how you feel about climate change or eco-terrorism, this is incredibly powerful and I highly recommend it.

Ballet West's The Wedding

Last night I attended Ballet West's performance of three really intriguing ballets.  I still definitely prefer full-length ballets that tell a story but I am coming around to these smaller pieces in repertoire.  The first one on the program was Les Noces (The Wedding) with choreography by Bronislava Nijinska and music by Igor Stravinsky featuring vocal solos by Seth Keeton, Melissa Heath, Christopher Puckett, and Jin-Xiang Yu.  It tells the story of an arranged marriage between Russian peasants in four vignettes. A Bride (Victoria Vassos) is supported by a group of friends who form very interesting patterns around her while they braid her hair and her parents who comfort her as she expresses her fears about her upcoming marriage.  Next, the Bridegroom (Dominic Ballard) celebrates with his friends and parents with exuberant and athletic dances.  Then, the Bride is shown leaving her home to be married and her mother (Katlyn Addison, my favorite dancer in the company) laments losing her daughter.  Finally, the wedding is celebrated by the entire village, with choreography filled with ritual and symbolism, and then the couple depart for their own home after the Bridegroom promises his Bride a life of happiness. This ballet, in my opinion, is quintessentially Russian with the dancers costumed very simply as peasants in brown and emotional music that sometimes seems like the vocalists are wailing.  I particularly liked it when the choreography had the entire ensemble moving en masse because there was something so powerful and primal about it.  The next piece was In the Night with choreography by Jerome Robbins and music by Frederic Chopin.  It tells the story of three couples as they navigate their relationships in the starlight.  The first couple, Amy Potter and Hadriel Diniz, is costumed in white and purple and their dance is lyrical and incredibly romantic.  The second couple, Emily Adams and Adrian Fry, is costumed in a copper color and their dance is dramatic, tempestuous, and very passionate.  The third couple, Katlyn Addison and Brian Waldrep, is costumed in dark grey and red and their dance is athletic, playful, and filled with longing.  The piano music is beautiful and I think this ballet is really classical and elegant.  The final piece was Light Rain with choreography by Gerald Arpino and music by Douglas Adamz and Russ Gauthier.  This ode to youth is joyous and full of wild abandon and it was my favorite piece of the evening.  I really loved the original music, which is described as Eastern music played on Western instruments, because it is incredibly dynamic with lots of percussion and the acrobatic and sensual choreography was a lot of fun to watch.  The last pose in the Pas de Deux by the central couple, Emily Adams and Hadriel Diniz, is simply incredible and the audience erupted in applause!  The program is a bit eclectic and unconventional but it is really exciting and I thoroughly enjoyed it!  Get tickets here.

Into the Woods at West Valley Arts

I really love the musical Into the Woods and the production I saw last night at West Valley Arts is the best one I've seen there!  A Baker (Jared Lesa) and his Wife (Annie Ferrin), a Witch (Dianna Graham), Cinderella (Chloe Victoria), Jack and the Beanstock (Ren Cottam), and Little Red Riding Hood (Sibley Snowden) must go into the woods in order to make all of their wishes come true but they eventually learn that actions sometimes have unintended consequences and that wishes do not always turn out happily ever after. The entire cast is absolutely stellar and it is hard for me to single out just a few performances because every actor is so well-suited to his or her role and every musical number gave me goosebumps. However, the highlights for me were "Agony" because Chase Peterson as Cinderella's Prince and Woody Brook as Rapunzel's Prince are so hilariously overwrought with over the top facial expressions and gestures, "It Takes Two" because it is such a turning point and both Lesa and Ferrin give spirited performances, "Last Midnight" because Graham's rendition is incredibly powerful, and "No One Is Alone" because it is such a poignant moment between the Baker, Jack, Cinderella, and Red and Lesa, Cottam, Victoria, and Snowden sing it beautifully (I may or may not have had a tear in my eye). Another performance that I really enjoyed was Dan Radford's as the puppeteer for Milky White because he is very humorous during his interactions with Cottam (and the design for Milky White is fantastic). The choreography is innovative and perfectly suited to the small and intimate space. I was particularly impressed with "Into the Woods," "So Happy," "Ever After," and "Children Will Listen" because of the sheer number of people on the stage and the intricate patterns they are able to create. I also loved the staging of "First Midnight" and "Second Midnight" because all of the actors enter the stage carrying illuminated lanterns and it is quite dramatic. There are a lot of really fun special effects and I especially liked when the Baker saves Red and her Grandmother (Natalie Peterson) from the Wolf (Chase Peterson) and when the Stepmother (Kerilyn Johnson) mutilates the Stepsisters' (Sydney Claire and Jaymie Lambson) feet to fit into the gold slipper. The set is absolutely magical with giant moss-covered tree stumps on the main stage, groups of trees located in the areas above the wings, and trees that come down from the rafters. The costumes are some of the best I've seen at WVCArts and I was really impressed with the attention to detail. My favorites were the Witch's gown after her transformation and Cinderella's ball gown. I truly loved everything about this production and it is definitely one that you don't want to miss (go here for tickets).

Suzume

I really enjoyed Your Name so I have been anticipating the release of Makoto Shinkai's latest film, Suzume, for quite some time.  I was able to see it yesterday and I really loved it (even more than I was expecting).  Suzume (Nanoka Hara) is a 17-year-old girl who lost her mother at a very young age and continually dreams about searching for her after their neighborhood was destroyed by an earthquake and the subsequent tsunami.  She believes she can see her mother in a beautiful field but she cannot reach her.  One day she encounters a handsome and mysterious young man named Souta (Hokuto Matsumuro) who is looking for ruins.  She directs him to an abandoned resort and then impulsively decides to follow him.  She finds a free standing door and, when she opens it, she sees the same beautiful field where she thinks her mother is and tries to enter it.  But, instead of finding her mother, she finds a relic which unleashes something devastating into the world.  The relic is transformed into a cat named Daijin (Ann Yamane) who escapes and, without the relic guarding the door, a supernatural worm which causes earthquakes is allowed to escape.  Souta and Suzume are able to close the door and prevent the earthquake but Daijin curses Souta and turns him into a chair.  Suzume and Souta now must chase Daijin to various abandoned places all over Japan to close the doors he opens and to convince him to return Souta to his body.  It is only when Suzume learns to reject death that Daijin becomes the relic once again and Souta becomes whole again.  This has so many important messages about the connection between the spiritual and the natural world but I really liked the lesson that Suzume learns about overcoming her trauma and embracing life and new relationships (there are so many beautiful scenes where she and Souta are helped by kind strangers) and I found it to be incredibly moving.  There are some fantastical elements that might be problematic for some people but I think they work very well because they are grounded in the reality of the natural disasters that plague Japan.  The animation is absolutely beautiful, especially the use of light and color in natural settings, and I also really loved the emotionally charged score.  Definitely go see this, especially if you are a fan of Shinkai’s previous films or of Japanese anime in general.

Hairspray at the Eccles

Last night I had the chance to see Hairspray at the Eccles Theater and it is such a fun production!  Plus-sized Tracy Turnblad (Niki Metcalf) dreams of dancing on The Corny Collins (Billy Dawson) Show, of being noticed by teen heartthrob Link Larkin (Nick Cortazzo), of integrating the show so that her Black friends can dance with her, and of becoming Miss Teenage Hairspray 1962.  Velma Von Tussle (Addison Garner), the former Miss Baltimore Crabs, and her daughter Amber (Ryahn Evers) do everything they can to stop her but Tracy and her friends Penny Pingleton (Emery Henderson) and Seaweed J. Stubbs (Charlie Bryant III) and her parents Edna (Andrew Levitt AKA Nina West) and Wilbur (Ralph Prentice Daniel) prove that you can't stop the beat and make all of their dreams come true!  The main cast is outstanding but I was really impressed with Metcalf as Tracy because she is incredibly charismatic and can really sing and dance.  I also really enjoyed Lauren Johnson as Motormouth Maybelle, because her rendition of "I Know Where I've Been" just about blew the roof off of the Eccles Theater, as well as Levitt and Daniel, because their antics had the audience hooting with laughter during "Timeless to Me."  The ensemble is also fantastic, especially the dancers on The Corny Collins Show and the Dynamites (Sydney Archibald, Melanie Puente Ervin, and Jade Turner), because they execute the high-energy choreography very well, particularly in "The Nicest Kids in Town," "I Can Hear the Bells," "Welcome to the '60s," "Run and Tell That," "The Big Dollhouse," and "You Can't Stop the Beat."  My favorite song in the show is "Mama, I'm a Big Girl Now" and I really like how they staged it with the girls and their mothers in front of their vanities.  The sets have a fun retro vibe (although some of the set pieces seemed to be a bit unwieldy to move on and off the stage) with my favorites being Motormouth Maybelle's Record Shop and the Baltimore Eventorium (the giant can of Ultra Clutch Hairspray is awesome) and the period costumes are colorful and sparkly.  The humor is really suggestive so keep that in mind but I highly recommend this show for the great message about loving yourself and standing up for what you believe in.  It runs at the Eccles through April 16 (go here for tickets).

The Only Survivors

My April Book of the Month selection was The Only Survivors by Megan Miranda (the other options were Hang the Moon by Jeannette Walls, Romantic Comedy by Curtis Sittenfield, Camp Zero by Michelle Min Sterling, Adelaide by Genevieve Wheeler, Ana Maria and the Fox by Liana De la Rosa, and Advika and the Hollywood Wives by Kirthana Ramisetti). I picked this because I really liked Miranda's previous novel, All The Missing Girls, and I enjoyed this one just as much.  Ten years ago Cassidy Brent and eight other students survived a tragic accident with multiple fatalities involving two vans on a school trip. When one of the survivors commits suicide on the one year anniversary of the crash, the others decide to meet every year at a beach house on the Outer Banks in order to keep tabs on each other. After ten years Cassidy begins to feel like the retreat is doing her more harm than good so she decides not to go but she changes her mind when another survivor commits suicide. Now there are only seven of them at the beach house and tensions are already running high after another survivor goes missing and a terrible storm threatens the coast. However, when Cassidy discovers that one of them may have been revealing the damaging secrets about the accident that they have been keeping all of these years, she begins to wonder what each of them are still willing to do to survive. There is one timeline in the present from Cassidy's POV over the course of the seven days at the beach house and another one in the past revealing the events surrounding the crash from every survivor's POV in reverse chronological order. This narrative structure is very effective because it kept me engaged and reading well into the night (All The Missing Girls also uses this structure). It is a slow-burn mystery so I definitely found the timeline in the past to be more compelling because all of the emerging details about the accident eventually inform what is going on in the present. There is an incredibly tense atmosphere because of the storm, which keeps them trapped in the house without electricity, and because of all of the secrets and the tension keeps escalating as Cassidy comes to suspect each survivor of misdeeds both in the present and in the past. There are lots of twists and turns, and a bit of misdirection, that kept me guessing until the very end with a startling revelation about the crash that I was not expecting. I also really enjoyed the exploration of survivor's guilt and how trauma impacts people and keeps them from moving on. My only complaint is that Miranda uses a very complex syntax with lots of clauses separated by commas and I often had to reread certain sentences in order for them to make sense but this did not detract from my enjoyment. This is a thoroughly engrossing psychological thriller that I highly recommend to fans of the genre.

Avalanche vs. Oilers

Yesterday I went on my first road trip of 2023 to Denver to see the Colorado Avalanche play the Edmonton Oilers last night.  It was my first Avalanche game since I lost my Dad and I really missed him!  When I picked this game I was looking at dates rather than opponents but I think I subconsciously picked the game against the Oilers because my Dad and I were big fans when I was a teenager (because of Wayne Gretzky) and we watched almost every game together in the basement!  As much as I loved the Oilers back in the day, I am definitely an Avalanche fan now and I really wanted them to win!  Both are high scoring teams so this was a defensive showdown with stellar performances from both goaltenders, especially Alexandar Georgiev who stopped 38 shots.  It was my first time seeing Georgiev in action and I was really impressed with him.  The Avalanche scored first with a goal by Ben Meyers four minutes into the first period (which was really exciting) and then Mattias Ekholm scored for Edmonton 34 seconds later (which deflated all of the energy in Ball Arena).  No other goals were scored in regulation but it was still a really exciting game with several penalties and scoring opportunities from both teams.  I particularly enjoyed it when Georgiev saved a shot from a breakaway by Connor McDavid (who is an amazing player) in the second period.  The final minutes of the third period were really intense because Edmonton had a penalty and Colorado did everything but score (I think everyone in my section was standing up the last few minutes).  Just like the previous two meetings between these two teams, the game went into overtime but, unlike those other games, Edmonton scored on a power-play goal by Evan Bouchard to win (I think it is really unfair to call a penalty in overtime unless it is really egregious).  It is always a little disappointing to see the Avalanche lose, especially after driving eight hours to see the game, but I am really glad that I came because it was very cathartic for me.  It made me feel very close to my Dad (I cried a few times) because I have so many memories of Avalanche games with him.

Note:  The Avalanche did get a point for the overtime loss and, because the Minnesota Wild lost their game last night, they clinched home ice advantage in the first round of the playoffs!

Jazz vs. Nuggets

Yesterday afternoon I went to the final home game for the Utah Jazz 2022-2023 season with my friend Angela and it was so much fun!  The Jazz played the Denver Nuggets and I was really excited about this game when I picked it at the beginning of the season because I love to hate the Nuggets (I have a lot of friends and family who are fans).  However, I was a bit nervous when I walked into the Vivint Arena because the Nuggets are the best team in the West and our entire starting lineup, and even some of the bench, are injured (the only starter I recognized was Ochai Agbaji and there were only nine players dressed for the game).  I thought the best I could hope for was that it wouldn't be a blowout but I shouldn't have doubted because this team just does not give up!  The Jazz came out ready to play and went on a 15-2 run early in the first quarter!  It was so exciting!  They led by as many as 19 points but the Nuggets rallied after a sluggish start to get within three at the end of the first half.  The Nuggets got their first lead in the third after a 19-4 run and ended the quarter up 95-89.  The Jazz, as they have done so many times this season, refused to go down without a fight and battled back!  Agbaji scored three baskets in a 10-1 run to put the Jazz ahead 116-110 with one minute left!  I was pretty much losing my mind with excitement over the possibility that the Jazz could win this and so was the entire crowd!  Agbaji made two free throws and the Nuggets missed their last few shots to end the game 118-114 in favor of the Jazz!  Agbaji scored a career high 28 points and our new player Luka Samanic also scored a career high of 23 points.  The game didn't really mean anything for the Jazz in terms of the standings (many even thought it would be better for us in the long run to lose) but it was great to see them win the last home game for the fans!  It has been a fun season and I'm glad that Angela invited me along for a few games!  I can't wait until next season to see what this team does!

Note:  The Jazz won every game I attended both this season and last!  They might want to consider comping me some season tickets!

Florence Price's Piano Concerto

I had been looking forward to last night's Utah Symphony concert for quite some time because Shostakovich was on the program (you know how I love the Russian composers) but I was also blown away by the first two pieces!  The orchestra began with Elegia Andina by Gabriela Lena Frank and I loved this moody and atmospheric piece!  The composer was inspired by Peruvian folk music but, to me, it sounded like a thunderstorm with temple blocks imitating the sound of raindrops falling in the aftermath and dueling flutes and clarinets imitating birdsong.  Next came Piano Concerto in One Movement by Florence Price and I also really loved this piece!  Price was a brilliant composer but she didn't commanded the respect she deserved because she was an African American woman.  However, when the score for the Piano Concerto was discovered at her abandoned summer home in 2009, it brought her some well-deserved recognition because it has had many performances over the past few years.  The orchestra was joined by the amazing Michelle Cann, who is a champion of Price's works, for a sparkling rendition of it.  Even though there is only one movement there are three very distinct sections.  The first is incredibly romantic and passionate, the second is slow and lyrical with a beautiful theme played by the solo piano and an oboe, and the third is jaunty and playful (it reminded me of ragtime).  Cann performed it with so much emotion and expression and I loved watching her (the only thing that could distract me from her fabulous gown and the diamond clip in her hair was seeing her fingers flying up and down the keyboard).  The audience exploded into cheers and applause so she gave a marvelous encore featuring a jazz arrangement of Rachmaninoff's Prelude in C sharp Major by Hazel Scott (which I, of course, loved).  After the intermission came Symphony No. 10 by Dmitri Shostakovich which is absolutely epic (in my opinion, any piece that features the gong is automatically epic).  Many believe it is in response to the terror of Stalin's reign with a conclusion that depicts the ultimate triumph of the individual over tyranny.  There are beautiful and wistful themes played throughout by the various woodwinds which represent Shostakovich and violent and urgent themes by the strings, brass, and percussion (the aforementioned gong is spectacular) which represent Stalin and are quite unsettling.  Luckily, Shostakovich is the winner in this battle of wills in the powerful conclusion!  The orchestra was under the baton of guest composer Tito Munoz and I enjoyed watching him lead the orchestra through a wonderful performance that I highly recommend!  Go here for tickets to tonight's concert which features the same program.

Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves

Last night I finally had the chance to see Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves and it was so much fun!  A bard named Edgin Darvis (Chris Pine) becomes a thief in a crew with Holga Kilgore (Michelle Rodriguez), a barbarian, Simon Aumar (Justice Smith), a sorcerer, and Forge Fitzwilliam (Hugh Grant), a rogue, to support his daughter Kira (Chloe Coleman) after his wife is murdered.  He agrees to a dangerous raid for a mysterious stranger named Sofina (Daisy Head) because he wants to steal a Tablet of Reawakening to bring his wife back to life but he and Holga are caught and put in prison while the others are able to get away.  After two years in Revel's End prison, Edgin and Holga stage a daring escape only to discover that Forge, now the Lord of Neverwinter, is in league with Sofina, who is a Red Witch, and that the two of them orchestrated their capture.  Forge has also been taking care of Kira and has poisoned her against her father.  Elgin decides that the only way to get revenge and win Kira back is to rob Forge's vault but, in order to do that, they must go on a fantastical quest that has them reunite with Simon, recruit a shapeshifting druid named Doric (Sophia Lillas) and a paladin named Xenk Yendar (Rege-Jean Page), visit an underworld, retrieve an ancient relic, fight assassins, elude dragons, escape from a maze, and eventually defeat the Red Witch.  What I loved most about this adaptation of the popular role-playing game is that there are a lot of references and Easter eggs to keep players happy but it is accessible enough that you don't need to know anything about D&D in order to enjoy it (I have never played but a lot of my friends in high school did so I understood many of the references).  I also really liked the dynamic within the group of characters because, while there is a lot of witty banter and slapstick comedy, each of them has an important arc which allows them to overcome obstacles and grow over the course of the campaign!  Pine is incredibly charismatic, Rodriguez is a bad ass, and Grant is his usual hilarious self as a smarmy villain but Page steals the show and his detailed explanations had me laughing out loud.  The action sequences are great, especially those involving Rodriguez, and I loved all of the visual effects, particularly a sequence when Doric shapeshifts into several different animals to escape from Forge's castle.  As a fantasy loving nerd I expected to enjoy this but I actually really loved it and I highly recommend it!

Air

I love a good sports movie but I have to admit that I had my doubts about Air when I first heard about it.  How could a movie about the making of a basketball shoe be entertaining?  I had the chance to see a sneak peek last night and, not only was I completely riveted, I wanted to stand up and cheer by the end of it!  In 1984 Nike's fledgling basketball division is in third place behind Converse and Adidas.  A Nike executive named Sonny Vaccaro (Matt Damon) wants to change that by betting the entire budget on only one player, Michael Jordan, who has yet to play a game in the NBA because he sees greatness in him.  First he must convince the Nike Director of Marketing Rob Strasser (Jason Bateman), Nike CEO Phil Knight (Ben Affleck), sports agent David Falk (Chris Messina), and then a reluctant Michael Jordan who wants to sign with Adidas.  But, more importantly, he must convince Jordan's mother Deloris (Viola Davis) because she also understands her son's worth.  This movie is about how a game-changing partnership between an athlete and a sponsor came about but, rather ironically given my reservations, my favorite scenes involved the designing of the shoe!  I laughed out loud when the Creative Director Peter Moore (Matthew Maher) unveiled the prototype to Vaccaro and Strasser for the first time because it is bathed in light but the audience doesn't actually see the shoe just the reaction to it!  Damon and Davis are outstanding with several goosebump inducing moments but, really, the entire ensemble cast is great!  Bateman delivers a poignant monologue about the high stakes of this deal, Messina is completely unhinged in a scene on the phone, and Affleck is hilarious as an aphorism-spouting CEO beholden to his board.  As a child of the 80s, I really loved the nostalgia of the production design as well as the needle drops, especially the opening montage of pop cultural references with "Money for Nothing" by Dire Straits underneath it.  I also enjoyed the references to John Stockton (Utah Jazz fan here).  Affleck's direction should also be praised because, even though much of the action consists of conversations, many occurring over the phone, and almost everyone, even those who do not follow basketball, knows the outcome of the negotiations, he somehow infuses the narrative with heart and humor.  This is a crowd-pleasing slam dunk and I highly recommend it!  

Enys Men

The second movie in my double feature at the Broadway last night was Enys Men (which is Cornish for "Stone Island").  I am a big fan of experimental horror and I found this to be incredibly unsettling.  A Volunteer (Mary Woodvine) conducts daily observations of and logs the data for a group of white flowers on the cliff of an isolated and inhospitable island off the coast of Cornwall in 1973.  She follows the exact same monotonous routine every day and the results of her observations do not change.  She has very little contact with the outside world except for a short-wave radio and a Boatman (Edward Rowe) who periodically brings her supplies.  After the Boatman and his smashed up boat wash up on shore, however, the Volunteer begins to be haunted by the spirits of people who once inhabited the island and a strange lichen appears on both the flowers and on the Volunteer's body.  It seems as if the Volunteer is being subsumed by both memory and nature but this is my interpretation (everything is open to interpretation because what this movie does so well is put you inside the head of the main character so that, like her, you begin to question everything that you see on the screen).  The action happens in a very non-linear structure (the Volunteer is shown with a yellow rain slicker well before we see the floating body of the Boatman wearing it and she places a piece of his boat on the mantel before we see the wreck in the water) and the images are steeped in mythology and allegory, particularly the oft-repeated wide shots of circling birds, crashing waves, and a mysterious stone monolith.  The sound design, which features wind, waves, and static from the radio, emphasizes the disorientation and the use of grainy 16-millimeter film is incredibly evocative (it is almost as if the movie itself is a relic unearthed from the past).  Woodvine is absolutely riveting as a woman slowly going mad.  The narrative can be frustrating because it focuses more on atmosphere than plot and it is more unnerving than scary but I was fascinated by this movie and highly recommend seeking it out (it is playing in a very limited engagement at the Broadway).

A Thousand and One

I was so excited for another double feature at the Broadway last night!  I started with A Thousand and One because, after hearing all of the buzz, I really regretted missing it at Sundance this year.  Now that I've seen it, I definitely understand why it won the Grand Jury Prize at the festival because I loved this powerful exploration of what makes a home and family.  Inez de la Paz (Teyana Taylor), who is herself a product of the foster system, impulsively decides to kidnap her six-year-old son Terry (Aaron Kingsley Adetola) from his foster placement after being released from Rikers Island.  She loves her son fiercely and, even though what she has done is illegal, she is determined that he will have a better life than her.  Through sheer force of will and despite many obstacles she creates a home for Terry and enters a tumultuous relationship with a former boyfriend (Will Catlett) so that he will have a male role model.  As Terry grows older (Aven Courtney at age 13 and Josiah Cross at age 17) Inez is hard on him and pushes him to succeed in school but this gives him many more opportunities than she had.  However, their hard-won sense of security is threatened by the gentrification overtaking New York and by a secret that eventually comes to light.  This story about a young woman trying to build a stable home for her son is made even more poignant by the fact that she never had one herself and I had tears in my eyes several times!  Taylor gives an absolutely brilliant performance because it is so lived in.  It almost seems as if events are happening to her in real time because all of the many emotions she portrays are incredibly authentic.  I was also really impressed with the three actors who play Terry because they all have a stillness that belies what is going on behind their eyes.  I was especially moved by a scene in which Adetola asks why no one is looking for him and another one in which Cross tells his mother he will always remember his home.  This is now one of my favorite movies of 2023 and I highly recommend it!

Harvey at the Grand Theatre

Last night I had the opportunity to see a delightful production of Harvey at the Grand Theatre.  I was especially excited for this play because I had never seen it, or the movie adaptation starring Jimmy Stewart, before and I was very pleasantly surprised by how moving I found it!  A social climber named Veta Louise Simmons (Kristin Housley) is exasperated when her brother, Elwood P. Dowd (Roger Dunbar), interrupts one of her gatherings by introducing his imaginary friend Harvey, a six foot one-and-a-half inch tall white rabbit, to her high society guests.  Veta is humiliated by his behavior, and what it might mean for her daughter Myrtle Mae (Niki Rahimi) and her chances for an advantageous marriage, so she makes the drastic decision to have him committed to a sanitariam called Chumley's Rest.  However, when Veta attempts to explain the existence of Harvey to Dr. Sanderson (Aron Cain), he mistakenly assumes that she is the one who needs to be committed.  Hijinks ensue when everyone, including Dr. Harold Chumley (Mickey Goldstein), the orderly Duane Wilson (Robert A. Easton), Nurse Ruth Kelly (Angie Nicole), and Veta's lawyer Judge Omar Gaffney (Jeffrey Owen), tries to determine who is really crazy!  In the end, Veta realizes that Elwood is a kind man and that she doesn't want to change him even if it means living with Harvey!  I really loved the message about the importance of kindness, which seems particularly salient in these times, and Dunbar is fantastic as Elwood because he exudes warmth and charm in every scene even when all of the other characters are caught up in the chaos.  Housley is also a lot of fun to watch, especially when Veta becomes hilariously overwrought on Dr. Sanderson's fainting couch!  Speaking of which, the elaborate sets consisting of the wood paneled library in the old Dowd family mansion and the reception room of Chumley's Rest are quite impressive.  There is a fun bit of business involving a maid (Teresa McLeod) as the sets are changed from one to the other that is very effective as well as some great special effects that make the invisible Harvey an actual presence on stage (I especially liked his inclusion during the bows).  This heart-warming show put a huge smile on my face and I highly recommend it (go here for tickets).