Shazam!

The one and only time I ever waited outside of a theater door is when I saw the Broadway revival of She Loves Me a few years ago because I wanted to meet Zachary Levi.  He signed Playbills and posed for pictures with every person in line and I thought he was adorable. I have been looking forward to seeing him in the new superhero movie Shazam! and I absolutely loved his performance!  In 1974 a young boy named Thaddeus Sivana is magically transported to the Rock of Eternity where the Wizard Shazam (Djimon Hounsou) has been looking for a champion who is pure of heart to battle against the Seven Deadly Sins which have been unleashed into the world.  He is judged to be unworthy and sent back to Earth but in the present day the adult Sivana (Mark Strong) finds a way back to the Rock of Eternity to become the host for the Seven Deadly Sins.  Fourteen year old Billy Baston (Asher Angel), a troubled orphan searching for his birth mother, is placed in a group home along with Mary (Grace Fulton), Pedro (Jovan Armand), Eugene (Ian Chen), Darla (Faithe Herman), and Freddy (Jack Dylan Grazer) but he is not happy about being there.  When Billy saves Freddy from a group of bullies, he is summoned to the Rock of Eternity and chosen by the wizard to be his champion.  He is transformed into an adult (Zachary Levi) with all of the wizard's powers whenever he says his name.  With Freddy's help, he discovers all of his superpowers but lets them go to his head.  He is more concerned with his status as a YouTube personality rather than his responsibility as a hero. Sivana eventually discovers that the Wizard has a champion and challenges him but Billy must figure out what is worth fighting for before he can defeat him.  This movie is a really fun superhero origin story with a great message and I had a smile on my face the whole time.  Levi is so endearing in the title role because he is, essentially, playing a fourteen year old boy who happens to have superpowers.  Grazer is also fantastic as the disabled foster kid who has it all and the scenes where the two of them discover Shazam's powers are hilarious (and feature the song "Don't Stop Me Now" by Queen!).  The special effects and action sequences are great and I really liked all of the bright primary colors (as opposed to the dark color palette used in most of the DCEU movies).   I enjoyed this movie so much and I highly recommend it!

Pet Sematary

I love Stephen King (I once argued the literary merit of his novels with one of my English professors in college).  I especially love his earlier novels and I read them all when I was an impressionable teenager.  All of them scared me but Pet Sematary terrified me, so much so that I slept with the light on for over a week after I read it in eighth grade.  The story about an ancient Micmac Indian burial ground haunted by a malevolent spirit known as the Wendigo was entirely believable to me because I grew up in eastern Canada and was very well acquainted with the folklore surrounding the Wendigo.  I was so unnerved by this book that I debated for quite some time whether or not I should see the 1989 adaptation.  I finally decided to see it and I was very disappointed because it replaced what actually made it scary with gore.  After similar deliberations I decided to see the new adaptation last night and it is both more and less faithful to the source material than the 1989 movie.  Louis Creed (Jason Clarke) and his wife Rachel (Amy Seimetz) decide to move from Boston to the rural town of Ludlow, Maine with their two children, Ellie (Jete Laurence) and Gage (Hugo and Lucas Lavoie), and their cat, Church.  Their house is surrounded by forests but it is also near a busy highway.  As Rachel and Ellie explore the forest they discover a cemetery used by the local children for burying their dead pets.  When Church is killed by an Orinco truck on the highway, Louis wants to bury him in the pet cemetery but the Creed's neighbor Jud Crandall (John Lithgow) shows him the ancient Micmac burial located beyond the cemetery and instructs him in the ritual of burying his cat.  Later that night, Church is discovered to be alive but much more aggressive.  When another tragedy strikes the family, Louis is grief-stricken and decides to make use of the burial ground again with catastrophic consequences.  The biggest difference from the novel is that the other child is killed (but that decision makes the third act even more terrifying, in my opinion, because it enhances the physical threat) and the ending is a bit hokey (although I loved the Starcrawler cover of "Pet Sematary" by the Ramones during this scene).  What is retained from the novel is the story of the Wendigo and the unsettling and dread-filled atmosphere of the burial ground which scared me as much as the novel did.  This version is definitely much more menacing than the 1989 movie and I just might need to keep the light on at night.

Spring Avalanche Trip

My Dad and I really like to go to at least one and sometimes two Colorado Avalanche games every season.  We went over Thanksgiving break and decided to take in another game in the spring.  I hadn't used any of my personal days off from school yet so we could basically pick any game we wanted.  I have seen the Avalanche play just about every team in the NHL except for the Winnipeg Jets so that is the game we picked.  It also happened to be the last home game of the regular season so we were hoping that it would be an exciting game with playoff implications.  It was on both counts!  The Avs only needed one point to clinch a playoff spot so they just needed to tie the game.  They got a lot of scoring chances in the first period but the Jets ended up with two goals (one of them should not have counted).  In the second period Tyson Barrie scored a beautiful goal to cut the deficit by one.  The crowd went crazy and we were giving high fives to everyone around us!  It was so much fun!  In the third period Carl Soderberg tied it up with 9:25 remaining.  The crowd went into hysterics at this goal because all we needed was a tie for the playoffs.  I've been to a lot of exciting games before but I don't know if I've ever seen the Pepsi Center this wound up!  With only 1:26 left in the game Colorado got a too many men penalty (which, in my opinion, is one of the stupidest penalties you can get) which left them down a skater at the end of the game.  Every time the Avs iced the puck (sent it down the ice to kill time in the penalty)  the crowd went absolutely crazy until the clock wound down.  The Avs had to start overtime with more than 30 seconds left in the penalty but Erik Johnson took a pass from Nathan MacKinnon to score the winning goal.  It was epic!  The Avs needed one point but ended up with two and are going to the playoffs!  It was such a great game!

Note:  This was my first chance to see our new goalie Philipp Grubauer in action.  He made 34 saves!  I love him!

Sweat at PTC

Last night I went to see Sweat, the latest production at PTC which chronicles the demise of the industrial town of Reading, Pennsylvania when the once enviable jobs at factories are outsourced.  I didn't know anything about this play when I walked into the theater but I found it to be incredibly compelling.  The action takes place at a working class bar frequented by Tracey (Margot White), Jessie (Susanna Florence), and Cynthia (Nafeesa Monroe) who work the line at a local manufacturing plant.  Cynthia's estranged husband Brucie (Vince McGill) wanders in and out with a cautionary tale about how he lost his job at another factory when management wanted to cut costs and shut the workers out when the union took a hard line.  Stan (Christopher Duvall), a former factory worker severely injured on the job, is the bartender who lends a sympathetic ear.  Oscar (Xavier Reyes), the barback who is viewed as an immigrant because he is Hispanic, is trying to find a better job.  When Cynthia is given a promotion from the line to low-level management, Tracey, who also applied for the job, believes it is because Cynthia is African-American and she blames her when the factory wants to cut salaries and benefits and then locks them out.  Jason (Callum Adams) and Chris (Hassiem Muhammad), the sons of Tracey and Cynthia, respecively, who also work at the factory, blame Oscar when he crosses the picket line to take a job at the factory leading to tragedy.  What I found so interesting about this story is that the audience is clearly meant to sympathize with the workers who have given more than twenty years of their lives to a company that only cares about the bottom line but playwright Lynn Nottage also wants her protagonists to be held accountable for lashing out at the wrong people (Hispanics and African-Americans) instead of blaming corporate America.  This production is so well done and the ensemble cast is outstanding.  Every single character elicits sympathy and understanding even when expressing opposing viewpoints.  Almost all of the action takes place in one location and the choreography moving the characters in and out of the bar is very innovative.  The bar itself is fabulous with so much detail (I loved all of the sports pennants and neon signs for local beers).  I really enjoyed this production but it should be noted that there is an excessive amount of profanity (many people around me left at intermission) and there were several racial slurs that really upset me.  Sweat runs at PTC through April 13 (tickets may be purchased here).

The Mustang

Last night I had the chance to see The Mustang, a film that generated a lot of buzz at Sundance this year and rightly so!  It is a beautiful story about the redemption of a violent convict through his bond with a horse that is just as wild as he is.  Roman Coleman (Matthias Schoenaerts) has recently been transferred to a prison in Nevada after spending several years in isolation because of anger management issues.  A prison psychologist (Connie Britton) refers him to a rehabilitation program, run by the curmudgeonly Myles (Bruce Dern), in which convicts are used to train wild mustangs rounded up by the government to keep the population sustainable.  Successfully trained horses are sold at auction and unsuccessful ones are euthanized.  Myles pairs Roman with the wildest of the horses hoping that they will be able to tame each other (the resolution is beautiful but it might surprise you).  The more success he finds in the ring, the more Roman is able to make peace with himself and with his daughter (Gideon Adlon).  Schoenaerts gives an exceptional performance, one in which there is not a lot of dialogue but one in which body language and facial expressions show the full extent of Roman's pain.  He exudes a fury that is palpable which makes his transformation in the scene where he finally breaks down with his daughter all the more powerful.  The action is quite slow because the trust between Roman and the horse is developed very gradually, culminating in one of the most beautiful scenes in the film.  It is visually striking with the wide open spaces of the desert juxtaposed with the claustrophobic interiors of the prison.  I also really liked the score, especially a plaintive theme played by a guitar when Roman is in solitary confinement.  I was very moved by this film and I highly recommend seeking it out.

The Aftermath

I love books and movies about World War II.  I especially love romances set during World War II so as soon as I saw the trailer for The Aftermath I was almost giddy with anticipation for it to hit SLC theaters.  It finally reached my favorite art house theater this weekend and I had a chance to see it yesterday afternoon.  I really enjoyed it.  Colonel Lewis Morgan (Jason Clarke) is stationed in Hamburg with the British Forces tasked with rebuilding Germany at the end of the war.  He sends for his wife Rachael (Keira Knightley) to join him in a house requisitioned by the British government for their use.  Their reunion is chilly and it is slowly revealed that their son was killed during the Blitz and that they have never really resolved their feelings about his death.  Rachael is horrified when she learns that her husband has allowed the previous owners, Stefan Lubert (Alexander Skarsgard) and his teenage daughter Freda (Flora Thiemann), to remain in the house with them.  Both Rachael and Stefan resent each other's presence in the house and the atmosphere is incredibly charged. Lewis wants everything to go back to how it was before the war and is largely oblivious to the tension in the house as he deals with the tensions between the British Forces and the German citizens.  Eventually Rachael and Stefan bond over their love of music and they begin an affair.  This domestic betrayal mirrors a larger one leading to a dramatic confrontation.  It is a very standard story about a love triangle but what elevates it is the exploration of what happens when you have to live and work with someone who was once your enemy and about finding forgiveness for actions, large and small, committed during war.  I found it to be very compelling.  All three main actors give outstanding performances, especially Knightley during one particularly emotional scene.  Of course, the costumes and sets are exactly what you would expect in a historical drama and I was especially impressed with the overhead shots of the bombed out city.  If you have enjoyed other period pieces starring Keira Knightley (there are so many to choose from), I would recommend seeking this out.

Dumbo

Last night I went to see Disney's remake of its animated classic Dumbo and, while I absolutely loved the flying baby elephant, I didn't love the movie.  Holt Farrier (Colin Farrell) returns to the Medici Brothers Circus after being wounded in World War I only to discover that the circus is in financial difficulty.  Max Medici (Danny DeVito), the ringmaster of the circus, has gambled on the purchase of Jumbo, a pregnant elephant, hoping that the novelty of a baby elephant will bring business.  He puts Farrier and his children Milly (Nico Parker) and Joe (Finley Hobbins) in charge of the elephants.  The baby, named Dumbo, is born with extremely large ears and is ridiculed during his first appearance in the ring causing Jumbo to go on a rampage.  Max is forced to sell Jumbo but Farrier's children discover that Dumbo can fly which brings business back to the circus.  This attracts the attention of the impresario V.A. Vandemere (Michael Keaton) who brings the circus to Dreamland, his elaborate amusement park, and has Dumbo perform with the aerialist Colette Marchant (Eva Green).  However, Dreamland is not all that it appears to be and the circus performers decide that they must rescue Dumbo and reunite him with his mother.  I found most of the acting in this movie to be flat and lifeless, especially the children.  Honestly, the CGI elephant is much more expressive than any of the actors and I absolutely loved Dumbo's character design, especially those big blue eyes.  I also found the story to be very convoluted with the addition of themes of corporate greed and animal cruelty to the simple story told in the original.  But, ironically, it is the simple story of a baby longing to be reunited with his mother that is the best part of this movie and I found the early scenes between Dumbo and Jumbo to be incredibly affecting.  I wish that they had stayed at the circus longer to develop that relationship more.  Once the action moves to Dreamland it becomes very bloated with thinly drawn characters and loses focus until the heartwarming ending between Dumbo and his mother.  Dumbo is just so adorable and endearing and his yearning for his mother is so poignant that I was willing to overlook its faults and I would recommend it.

Fun at the Jazz Game

Tashena and I have been trying to get together for a Jazz game since January but with one thing or another we couldn't find a time that worked for both of us (she is so busy).  Since the regular season is ending soon (the Jazz have clinched a spot in the playoffs) I decided that I better get my act together and make it happen.  We went to the game last night and watched the Jazz play the Washington Wizards.  We always get to the arena early so that I can buy Tashena a shirt (this is tradition) and so we can get something to eat.  Because of the remodel of the Vivint arena there are so many great choices for dinner but I am partial to Hires (even though it is so expensive).  When the game started I mentioned to Tashena that I hoped the Jazz would win.  She answered, "Umm.  They're playing the Wizards!"  Apparently the Wizards don't have a very good record but they definitely gave the Jazz a run for their money and took the game to the final seconds which was a bit tense.  Tashena really likes Donovan Mitchell (whom she refers to as her husband) and he got an amazing breakaway to dramatically dunk the ball.  About halfway down the court he looked to see if anyone was close to him and got the biggest grin on his face when he saw that there wasn't!  Mitchell ended the night with 35 points to lead the Jazz to a 128-124 victory.  It was a great game but, honestly, I had such a good time just being with Tashena.  I haven't spent much time with her lately and I think we spent more time talking and laughing than we did watching the game.  She told me that I was embarrassing her about twenty times (mission accomplished), made fun of me for cheering every time Kyle Korver had the ball, and had me set up a Snapchat account so she could send me funny pictures!  It was such a fun night!  After the game she told me how glad she was that we were able to go!  I feel the same way!

Hotel Mumbai

Last night I went to a Thursday preview of Hotel Mumbai, the second movie starring Dev Patel this week (this is a good thing).  It is based on the 2008 attack of Mumbai where Muslim terrorists staged a coordinated attack on various locations throughout the city.  This movie focuses on the attack on the Taj, a luxury hotel where the guest is considered to be a god, and the heroism of the staff, who could have escaped through service exits, in trying to save as many guests as possible. Patel plays Arjun, a hotel waiter who is constantly berated by the head chef Hemnat Oberoi (Anupam Kher).  When the terrorists enter the hotel and shoot everyone in the lobby, both Arjun and Oberoi sequester a group of guests in the hotel restaurant, including Zahra (Nazanin Boniadi) and David (Armie Hammer) a socialite and her American husband, as well as Vasili (Jason Isaacs), a wealthy Russian businessman.  With Special Forces hours away in Delhi, they eventually realize that they will have to take matters into their own hands to save themselves and this involves many harrowing sequences as they try to elude the terrorists, especially when David attempts to go back to his room to rescue his infant son who is being cared for by a nanny (Tilda Cobham-Hervey).  This movie is intense and unrelenting.  The action sequences put the audience right in the middle of the attack but it is very graphic and there were times when I needed to look away.  There are also moments when the tension is almost unbearable, particularly when the nanny is hiding from a group of terrorists and trying to keep the baby quiet.  I sometimes wondered if the brutality was necessary but it highlights the incredible lengths to which the staff members go in order to keep their guests safe.  I was quite moved by their courage and heroism!  There is an incredibly poignant scene where a wealthy British guest asks that Arjun remove his turban because she thinks that he is also a terrorist and she is afraid of him.  Arjun, who is a Sikh, shows her pictures of his family and explains the religious significance of his turban which brings her to tears.  This moment of understanding during a terrorist attack motivated by hatred for those who are different makes this movie one of my favorites this year (Patel is brilliant in this scene).  I recommend it but it is difficult to watch.

Steel Magnolias at HCT

Before Steel Magnolias was a popular movie, it was a play written by Robert Harling as a way for him to deal with the death of his sister from complications resulting from diabetes. I loved the movie so I was really excited to see Hale Theatre's production of the play last night. I laughed out loud many times and I admit that I wiped a tear from my eye. The story is about the bond a group of women, including Truvy Jones (Michelle Linn Hall), Annelle Dupuy (Amy Ware), Clairee Belcher (Teri Cowan), M'Lynn Eatenton (DeLayne Bluth Dayton), Shelby Eatenton (Madison Ford), and Ouiser Boudreaux (Jayne Luke), share in a small town in Louisiana and how they cope with the death of one of their own. The action takes place over several years in Truvy's beauty shop where the women meet to discuss the triumphs and challenges of their lives. Through it all the women support each other saying that they might be as delicate as magnolia flowers but, when it comes to adversity, they are as tough as steel. All six of the actresses are superb and very well suited to their roles but my favorite was definitely Luke! Ouiser has some of the best dialogue in the show ("I'm not crazy! I've just been in a very bad mood for forty years.") and Luke's delivery is absolutely hilarious with lots of physical comedy. The characters are very well known and I associated them with the actresses who portrayed them in the movie so I was pleasantly surprised that each actress in this production was able to make the character her own. The set is a lot of fun with all of the accoutrements of a real beauty parlor and they actually work! Annelle literally washes and sets M'Lynn's hair during one scene. I loved all of the wacky seasonal decorations, made by Annelle after she discovers arts and crafts, to denote the different time periods. The 1980s period costumes are a hoot and I especially liked all of Shelby's outfits in different shades of pink (her signature color). The best thing about this show is the message that you can get through anything with the support of your friends! I really enjoyed this heart-warming production and I highly recommend it (especially if you are a fan of the movie). It runs at HCT through June 1 (go here for tickets and information).

The Wedding Guest

I am a big fan of action thrillers and I am also a fan of Dev Patel so I was excited to see The Wedding Guest yesterday afternoon at my favorite art house theater.  A mysterious man named Jay (Patel) travels from London to Lahore, Pakistan.  He methodically and efficiently makes his way from Lahore to Islamabad, frequently changing vehicles and identities, and purchases guns, duct tape, and a suitcase.  He tells people that he is on his way to attend a family wedding but it turns out that he has been hired to kidnap the bride, Samira (Radhika Apte), by her secret lover, Deepesh (Jim Sarbh).  When the plan goes awry, Deepesh loses his nerve and wants Jay to return Samira to her family but she sees Jay as a way to escape from an arranged marriage and convinces him to go on the run through India.  Patel is great as an action hero (I would like to see him in more roles like this) and Apte gives a highly nuanced performance as a victim who might be more than she seems and their chemistry together is smoldering.  The plot is engaging because the audience never really knows who is playing whom and the action is full of suspense and intrigue.  I really enjoyed the first two acts but, after such a dramatic build up, the resolution does not really deliver what was incipiently promised and it loses focus.  However, two hours of Dev Patel, frequently shirtless, does have its compensations!

Note:  I am looking forward to seeing Dev Patel once again when Hotel Mumbai is released next weekend!

Us

Last night I went to see Us, the brilliant new horror movie from Jordan Peele that I am still thinking about.  In 1986 a little girl named Adelaide (Madison Curry) is visiting the boardwalk on Santa Cruz beach.  She wanders away from her parents and goes into a Hall of Mirrors attraction where she sees her physical double.  This encounter traumatizes her but her parents are never able to get her to talk about what happened.  In the present day Adelaide (Lupita Nyong'o) returns to Santa Cruz on vacation with her husband Gabe (Winston Duke), her daughter Zora (Shahadi Wright Joseph), and son Jason (Evan Alex).  She is uneasy and seems to fear being at the beach.  When she wants to leave, she finally confides what happened to her husband saying she senses that her double is still out there.  Moments later the doubles of all four family members break into their house and terrorize them.  This movie is incredibly suspenseful and the tension is almost unbearable but there are also some really funny comedic elements which lighten the mood periodically.  It is pretty gruesome (you will never look at scissors in the same way again) as the family tries to elude and then kill their doubles but it is also quite metaphorical and thought-provoking as the mystery of who the doubles are finally unravels.  Everything, literally everything, in this movie is portentous and full of symbolism so you really need to pay attention (and perhaps see it again) and there is a plot twist that is absolutely mind-blowing!  If you can handle the gore, I highly recommend this movie for its brilliant mixture of horror, comedy, and social commentary.

To Kill A Mockingbird

Unbelievably, the only time I have ever seen the movie To Kill A Mockingbird is when we watched it in my ninth grade English class after reading the novel!  I was so happy for the opportunity yesterday to see it again, this time on the big screen, as part of the TCM Big Screen Classics series.  It is a brilliant adaptation of one of my very favorite novels and it had a very powerful impact on me.  Jem (Phillip Alford) and Scout (Mary Badham) Finch learn that their father Atticus (Gregory Peck) is a hero when he defends an innocent black man named Tom Robinson (Brock Peters) against a charge of rape, even though he knows he will lose, simply because it is the right thing to do.  They also learn not to judge people until they have seen things from their perspective through their interactions with the reclusive Boo Radley (Robert Duvall). Peck gives an incredible performance as one of the most beloved characters in literature and there is a moment when he is giving his summation to the jury that took my breath away!  I love how this scene was filmed because as he leans towards the jury he is looking directly into the camera so it seems as if he is talking to the audience.  It is so powerful and I hoped against hope that the jury would be convinced and return a different verdict.  Another moment that I found especially poignant was when all of the black people sitting in the gallery rise as a sign of respect as Atticus walks out of the courtroom.  It brought a tear to my eye!  The young actors, Alford, Badham, and John Megna as their friend Dill, also give wonderful performances as precocious, yet innocent, children who must learn difficult life lessons.  I loved the scene where Jem refuses to leave his father alone when facing a lynch mob and the scene where Scout walks Boo Radley home.  Finally, I loved Elmer Bernstein's haunting score and the realistic sets representing the sleepy town of Maycomb, Alabama during the Depression.  It was an incredible experience seeing this beautiful movie on the big screen and I highly encourage everyone to take advantage of one last opportunity to see it on Wednesday (go here for information and tickets).

Chitty Chitty Bang Bang at CPT

I have a distinct memory of watching the movie Chitty Chitty Bang Bang with my sisters at one of the PTA summer movies when I was in elementary school (do they still have this program at elementary schools?) so I thought it would be fun to see it performed by CenterPoint Theatre last night. It was just delightful! The Potts children, Jeremy (Preston Spencer) and Jemima (Kaylee Call), love playing with their favorite car, which happened to win the Grand Prix back in the day, at a junk yard. When it is sold for scrap metal they beg their father, an eccentric inventor named Caractacus Potts (Ryan Zaugg), to buy it instead. Caractacus raises the money through a series of inventions such as a candy making machine and a hair cutting machine. He restores the car and, renaming it Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, takes the children and Truly Scrumptious (Alisa Woodbrey) to the seaside for a picnic where they discover that the car can float and fly. Two Vulgarian spies (Clark Bullen and Kannon Servoss) see this and want to steal it for the Baron and Baroness Bomburst (Mark Gurney and Jessica Love, respectively) who love toys. They kidnap Grandpa Potts (David Nielsen) so the family take Chitty to Vulgaria to rescue him and banish the Baron and Baroness. This production is not quite as polished as some of the others I have seen at CPT but the reason why I like community theatre is because it is so quirky. Everyone involved gave it their all and there were several highlights. Spencer and Call are adorable as the Potts children, especially in "Truly Scrumptious." I also really enjoyed the children's ensemble and "Teamwork" is definitely the best of the big song and dance numbers. Bullen and Servoss are hilarious as the Vulgarian spies and I loved watching their facial expressions and their physical comedy. The set pieces are a lot of fun, particularly the breakfast making machine, and it is really clever how they are able to make Chitty fly! However, the very best part of this show is Zaugg's performance as Caractacus because he has a lovely voice. The songs "You Too" and "Hushabye Mountain" are absolutely beautiful. I enjoyed this show and I recommend it, especially for children (go here for information and tickets).

Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto No. 2

I am now officially on spring break (such as it is) and I can think of no better way to begin the long weekend than by hearing Rachmaninoff performed by the Utah Symphony at Abravanel Hall.  The concert last night was an incredible experience and it took away all of the stresses of the preceding week (the end of the term is always difficult).  The orchestra began with a piece called Play by Andrew Norman.  The composer was there to introduce it and he called it a journey from chaos, where the instruments compete with each other rather jarringly, to peace in which the instruments cooperate with each other in harmony.  The percussion instruments control all of the other instruments and seem to turn them on and off at various times.  Norman also ascribed different moods and emotions to each instrument (my favorite was the "angry" clarinet) and has them make sounds in unusual and unexpected ways, such as having the horn players hit their mouthpieces and having the pianist strum the strings directly.  It was very unusual but I enjoyed it.  This piece required a high level of concentration and engagement to listen for all of the different emotions and moods so the next piece, Vocalise by Sergei Rachmaninoff, was a nice break.  It was lovely, with a beautiful theme performed by the strings, and I closed my eyes and let it envelope me.  After the intermission, the orchestra played Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto No. 2, one of my favorite pieces, and they performed it brilliantly!  I love Rachmaninoff because he is so emotional and tempestuous and this piece is, at times, incredibly dramatic with themes that are repeated until they build to a swelling crescendo, and, at other times, it is poignant and filled with so much longing, especially the second movement with a theme played by the piano and then echoed throughout the orchestra.  Soloist Alexander Gavrylyuk, with fingers flying up and down the keyboard, interpreted this piece beautifully and was rewarded with a thundering ovation.  The Utah Symphony can always be counted on for a lovely evening!

Note:  A shortened version of this program will be performed tonight as part of a new series called Unwound.  You can dress casually, applaud whenever you want, participate in a variety of activities in the lobby, and purchase food and drinks before the concert.  Go here for more information and tickets.

Howard Jones at the Eccles Theater

I love Howard Jones and I have seen him in concert more times than I can count.  When I heard that he was coming back to SLC I decided that I probably didn't need to see him yet again.  Then my friend Cyndi mentioned that she had an extra ticket to the concert and asked me if I wanted to go.  Of course I said yes!  The show was last night and it was so much fun!  This time he performed at the Eccles Theater, which is a great venue for a concert, and he was joined by Nick Beggs and Robin Boult for an acoustic set.  He started things off with "Pearl in the Shell" and then proceeded to play all of the hits, including "No One is to Blame," "Like to Get to Know You Well," "You Know I Love You, Don't You," "Don't Always Look at the Rain," "Everlasting Love," "Things Can Only Get Better," "Life in One Day," "Hide and Seek," and "What Is Love?"  It was amazing to hear stripped down versions of these instantly recognizable songs and my favorite was a really bluesy rendition of "Don't Always Look at the Rain."  He also played a few Beatles covers, including "Oh, Darling," "Come Together," and "Twist and Shout" which were fabulous.  For the encore, he played a new song from his forthcoming album called "Hero in Your Eyes," which I really liked, and he ended the evening with "New Song," which is the song that turned me into a Howard Jones fan all those years ago!  In between songs he told lots of stories (he mentioned that we probably knew all of his stories because he's been to SLC so many times!).  He said that watching Bohemian Rhapsody made him really nostalgic for Live Aid before he sang "Hide and Seek" (which is the song he sang at Live Aid) for us and that made me love him even more.  I loved every minute of this concert because it brought back so many memories of my youth and I am so glad Cyndi asked me along!

Note:  I went with Cyndi the last time I saw Howard Jones at Red Butte Garden.  I decree that we must always see Howard Jones in concert together from now on!

The Kid

Ever since I saw the remake of The Magnificent Seven I have been a fan of Western films.  As such I was very intrigued by the premise of The Kid (I am also a huge fan of Ethan Hawke who I think is very underrated as an actor) so I went to see it yesterday.  A young boy named Rio (Jake Schur) kills his father in self-defense after the latter beats his mother to death.  He and his sister Sara (Leila George) go on the run through the Southwest but he is tormented by what he has done.  They encounter the legendary Billy the Kid (Dane DeHaan) and his gang just before he is captured by Sheriff Pat Garrett (Hawke).  Rio and Sara decide to travel with Garrett as he takes Billy to justice in Santa Fe.  Both Garrett and Billy sense what Rio has done and they each have occasion to tell him about the first man they killed.  Each murder was committed under similar circumstances but each man chose to take a different path, one becoming a man of justice and the other an outlaw.  When Sara is kidnapped by her uncle (Chris Pratt) in retribution for his brother's murder, Rio must decide whether to enlist Garrett's help to bring him to justice or to join Billy the Kid and seek vengeance.  I found the story of a boy who must decide what kind of man he wants to become to be very compelling and both Hawke and DeHaan (who is hit or miss with me) give very strong performances.  It was also quite interesting to see Pratt play a villain and he was more than up for the challenge.  The action sequences are fantastic and the final shoot-out is one of the best I've seen.  I also really enjoyed the sepia toned cinematography with beautiful wide shots of the Southwest.  Because this movie was released opposite Captain Marvel it is very much under the radar but, if you are a fan of the genre, it is definitely worth seeking out.

La Cage aux Folles at PTC

Several years ago PTC created a series featuring rarely performed musicals in concert format.  The actors use scripts and there are minimal costumes, sets, and props to let the music take center stage.  They began with The Rocky Horror Show (which was so popular that PTC presented it two years in a row) and continued with Chess and In the Heights.  I am a huge fan of this concept and I was excited to learn that this year's show was La Cage aux Folles because I've never seen it before.  I saw it last night and it was so much fun!  Georges (James Patterson) is an impresario of a Saint-Tropez nightclub featuring performers in drag and Albin (Jamison Stern) is his partner and star attraction.  Chaos ensues when Georges's son Jean-Michel (Patrick Ryan Castle) announces that he is engaged to Anne (Barbara Camara), the daughter of a conservative politician (former Utah senator Jim Dabakis) who wants to meet his family.  This show is full of laughs and big song and dance numbers (this has the most extensive choreography I've seen in PTC's concert versions) but it is also very heartwarming because it is, ultimately, about the importance of family.  The entire cast is very strong but Patterson has an incredible voice, especially in "Song in the Sand," and Brandon Contreras steals every scene he is in as Albin's "maid."   Stern is also fantastic, especially when he performs as the drag queen Za Za with the Cagelles.  I thought the scene where Georges tries to teach Albin how to be more masculine was the funniest thing I had ever seen until Senator Jim Dabakis appeared in drag at the end of the show.  That alone was worth the price of admission!  I enjoyed this show so much and I can't wait to see what the concert production will be next year.

Note:  One of the characters in this show is named Phaedra!  I can't think of a better name for a drag queen!

Utah Opera's The Magic Flute

Even though The Magic Flute is not one of my favorite operas (I much prefer the tragedies to the comedies), I have seen it several times because the Utah Opera programs it often.  You might think, then, that I would have no interest in Utah Opera's current production but two things compelled me to attend a performance last night.  First, Thierry Fischer, Director of the Utah Symphony, is the conductor and, second, Celena Shafer, a Utah fan favorite, plays the Queen of the Night.  The story, essentially, is a simple one in which the main character goes on a journey of discovery but it does contain some very powerful themes including light vs. dark and good vs. evil.  The Queen of the Night (Shafer) persuades Prince Tamino (Andrew Stenson) to rescue her daughter Pamina (Zulimar Lopez-Hernandez) from the clutches of the high priest Sarastro (Matt Boehler) but she really just wants Sarastro's power.  The Queen's bird-catcher Papageno (Joo Wan Kang) accompanies Tamino and her three ladies (Abigail Rethwisch, Melanie Ashkar, and Anne Maguire) give them a magic flute, silver bells, and three spirits (Oliver Laughlin, Theodore Hyngstrom, and Liam Khor-Brogan from the Madeleine Choir School) to help and guide them.  Tamino has fallen in love with Pamina but Sarastro requires him to undergo trials of initiation involving fire and ice (which are dramatically staged) before he can be with her and, using the magic flute, he prevails which banishes the Queen of the Night.  Papageno fails his trials but, by using the silver bells, he is rewarded with his ideal match, Papagena (Grace Khal), anyway.  The libretto may be fantastical but the music is absolutely glorious.  Thierry Fischer has such a light touch so his interpretations of Mozart are always beautiful and last night was no exception.  I had goosebumps multiple times.  Shafer was brilliant as the Queen of the Night, especially in the famous aria "Der Holle Rache."  It was received with cheers and an extended round of applause from the audience.  In addition to Shafer, I was really impressed with the entire cast, particularly Lopez-Hernandez as Pamino and Boehler as Sarastro.  I also really enjoyed the physical comedy (more than I usually do) and the gorgeous costumes.  There is only one performance left but I would recommend getting a ticket (go here).

Captive State

Last night I went to see a Thursday preview of Captive State and, while it was not quite what I was expecting, I really enjoyed it.  In fact, I am still thinking about it!  Ten years after an alien invasion of Earth, a group of insurgents are trying to spark a rebellion against the aliens who control the city of Chicago and a group of collaborators are trying to stop them.  One of the insurgents, Rafe Drummond (Jonathan Majors), was involved in a former rebellion that failed and is presumed dead but he resurfaces to organize a new cell with members who communicate with each other through an elaborate sequence of messages (everyone has implants which monitor their actions) and create an intricate plot to bomb a unity rally at Soldier Field.  Police Detective William Mulligan (John Goodman), the former partner of Rafe's father who was killed during the initial invasion, sees signs around the city that Rafe has resurfaced and attempts to quash the rebellion.  Gabriel Drummond (Ashton Sanders), Rafe's younger brother, is the unwitting pawn in both sides of the rebellion as he is used as a courier by the insurgents to get a message to his brother and he used by Mulligan to infiltrate the cell.  The most intriguing, and often the most frustrating, aspect of this movie is that you never really know anyone's true motivation because the audience is dropped in the middle of things without a lot of explanation of who the characters are.  There were many times when I wasn't sure what was going on but felt intuitively that every detail would eventually lead to something very important.  That proved to be the case with a reveal in the third act that pretty much blew my mind.  This movie is not really about the aliens but, rather, the humans who collude with them to create a totalitarian state and what a small group of people are willing to do to end the oppression.  It is gritty, fast-paced, and exciting with hand-held camera work that puts the audience in the middle of the action.  I found it to be compelling, if sometimes confusing, and very entertaining.

Five Feet Apart

Last night I went to an advance screening of Five Feet Apart and while I do love a good adaptation of a YA novel, if I am honest, the main reason I wanted to see this movie was Cole Sprouse.  When I was watching the trailer I thought the brooding love interest was really cute and when the names of the actors were revealed at the end I was really surprised to see Cole Sprouse.  Wasn't he one of the twins from The Suite Life of Zack & Cody?  I watched many episodes of that show with Tashena when she was a little girl and, apparently, the twins are all grown up!  Stella Grant (Haley Lu Richardson) is a cystic fibrosis patient in the hospital trying to get healthy enough for a lung transplant and she is obsessed with following her extensive daily regimen of drugs and treatments.  Will Newman (Sprouse), another cystic fibrosis patient in the hospital for a drug trial to combat a serious infection that makes him ineligible for a lung transplant, has a fatalistic view of his illness and is very lackadaisical about following his regimen.  Even though they are forced to to stay six feet apart to prevent cross-infection, they manage to elude their ever vigilant nurse Barb (Kimberly Hebert Gregory) and eventually develop feelings for each other.  She pushes him to follow his daily regimen and he helps her to loosen up (her act of rebellion is to allow him to come one foot closer to her).  Richardson and Sprouse give touching performances and have lots of chemistry together, which is quite the accomplishment because their characters cannot touch each other, and their love story is very poignant.  However, while most movies about doomed relationships between teens with terminal illnesses can't help but be emotionally manipulative, the melodramatic plot twist at the end of this movie is incredibly contrived and far-fetched.  I did really enjoy this movie (and I had a tear in my eye during some of the more emotional scenes) but the ending kept it from being great.  I suspect teenagers will absolutely love it!

Captain Marvel

Is there anything more thrilling than sitting in the middle of a large and rowdy crowd in a darkened theater with a big tub of popcorn waiting for a much-anticipated blockbuster to start?  I was so excited to see Captain Marvel last night and it did not disappoint!  On Hala, the home planet of the Kree, Vers (Brie Larson) is a member of the Starforce eager to prove herself to her mentor Yon-Rogg (Jude Law) who tells her that she must keep her emotions in check and control her mysterious powers.  She is selected for a mission to rescue an undercover operative who has infiltrated the Skrulls, shapeshifters with whom the Kree have been at war for years, but the Kree are ambushed and Vers is captured by the Skrulls and subjected to a memory probe which reveals some unsettling details about her past.  She manages to escape and takes a pod which crashes on Earth.  She attracts the attention of S.H.I.E.L.D. agent Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson), survives an attack by a group of Skrulls who have followed her, and has recurring images of life as USAF test pilot Carol Danvers.  With Fury's help, Vers goes on a journey to discover who she really is, intervenes in the conflict between the Kree and the Skrulls, and ultimately becomes Captain Marvel.  I loved this movie so much!  Carol Danvers is such a great character and her arc is so satisfying, particularly when she realizes, in a series of flashbacks to her childhood, that her greatest weakness is really her strength!  I loved the dynamic between Carol and Nick Fury and some of their scenes together are absolutely hilarious!  I also enjoyed the relationship between Carol and her best friend and fellow test pilot Marie Rambeau (Lashana Lynch) because they are so supportive of each other.  Larson is fantastic in the role, giving Danvers some emotional heft while being completely kick-ass in the fight sequences. The visuals are dazzling (I saw it in 3-D) and I loved all of the fun 90s references, especially the music!  The story does a clever job of fitting into the MCU and setting up Avengers: Endgame (I can't wait!).  Definitely see this powerful and entertaining movie!