The Testaments

The TV series on Hulu has made The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood extremely popular again but I remember reading it as a teenager when it was first published in 1985.  I also had the opportunity to hear Margaret Atwood speak about it at the University of Utah when I was in college. The dystopian story about the subjugation of women in the totalitarian society of Gilead affected me as no other book has before or since so I was beyond excited to learn that this month's book club selection was The Testaments, Atwood's long awaited sequel to The Handmaid's Tale. More than anything I wanted to know the fate of Offred and this book answers that question...sort of. Offred is a powerful and integral part of the story but she is not an actual character. Instead, the narrative alternates between the perspectives of Aunt Lydia, a young girl living in Gilead named Agnes, and a young girl living in Canada named Daisy. Aunt Lydia is a villain in The Handmaid's Tale but, fifteen years after the events in that story, we learn that Lydia has been creating an illegal document recounting her life before Gilead and how she had to overcome many obstacles to become a respected judge, how she chose to accept her role as an Aunt as a means of survival, and her attempts to undermine the patriarchy. Agnes is a privileged young girl who is being prepared for marriage to a Commander. She is content with her role in society until she is allowed to read the Bible for herself and realizes that she has been lied to her entire life. Daisy has never been told that she was smuggled out of Gilead as a baby, that the people who have raised her are really members of the Resistance, and that she is now an important symbol to the people of Gilead. When she learns her identity, she decides to work for the Resistance and infiltrate Gilead society. What I loved about this book is that you never really know what any of the three main characters will ultimately do until the final resolution because the stakes are so high for them. It actually felt like a suspenseful thriller more than a manifesto. My book club last night had some great discussions about the corrupting influence of absolute power and how the oppressed will always find a way to rise. We also talked about the dangers of fundamentalism and how the narrative seems to echo many events in the world today which is truly frightening.  Finally, we discussed the important role that reading (we are a book club with members who love reading, after all) played in toppling the totalitarian regime. As a huge fan of The Handmaid's Tale I really enjoyed this sequel (I finished it in two days because it is so compelling) and I would highly recommend it.

Note:  Next month's selection is Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo.  The early reviews of this book are great so I am eager to start reading it.  Go here for more information about the Barnes & Noble Book Club and join us for a lively discussion of this selection on Nov 5.

Rambo: Last Blood

My Dad is as much of a night owl as I am and we have decided that we like going to late movies on Saturday nights (we saw Ad Astra a few weeks ago) and now we want to go as often as we can.  Last night we decided to see Rambo: Last Blood and we had such a good time.  Vietnam veteran John Rambo (Sylvester Stallone) is suffering from PTSD but has found a measure of peace on his father's horse ranch in Arizona and has created a surrogate family with his housekeeper Maria (Adriana Barraza) and her granddaughter Gabriela (Yvette Monreal).  Gabriela has tracked down the father who abandoned her and her mother and, against Rambo's advice, she travels to Mexico to confront him.  After her father rejects her, she goes to a club where she is drugged and kidnapped by a sex-trafficking ring run by Hugo and Victor Martinez (Sergio Peris-Mencheta and Oscar Jaenada, respectively).  Rambo travels to Mexico to save her but is unsuccessful.  He ultimately kills Victor forcing an epic confrontation with Hugo and a large group of his hitmen back at his ranch where he has booby trapped a series of elaborate underground tunnels.  This confrontation, which is the entire third act of the movie, is violent, graphic, and intense but it is strangely satisfying.  Even though they are violent, the action sequences are amazing because Rambo uses a variety of different weapons in very innovative ways and I actually wanted to cheer when a particularly despicable character meets a grisly end.  I really liked Rambo's character arc in this movie because this time around he is exacting revenge for the brutal death of a loved one and there are scenes that are filled with genuine emotion.  I also liked the fact that Rambo isn't entirely invincible in this movie.  He willingly puts himself in harm's way, and gets beaten very badly, for the sake of someone he loves and that is what makes this a fitting conclusion his story.  All of the critics hated this movie but I think fans of the franchise will enjoy it.

The Hunchback of Notre Dame at CPT

The first time I saw The Hunchback of Notre Dame, I fell in love with both the story about a group of outcasts who take refuge in Notre Dame Cathedral and the beautiful music!  I was very impressed with HCT's production so I was really looking forward to CPT's version. I got to see it last night and, once again, I loved everything about it! Quasimodo (Christian Lackman) has been hidden by his master Frollo (Daniel Frederickson) in the bell tower of Notre Dame Cathedral all of his life because of his deformity. He wonders what it would be like to leave the cathedral and decides that he will be safe on the streets of Paris during the Feast of Fools. He is eventually crowned the King of the Fools but when the crowd turns on him the gypsy Esmeralda (Becca Burdick) rescues him. She also catches the eye of the captain of the cathedral guard Phoebus de Martin (Spencer McCoy) who falls in love with her and she bewitches Frollo who becomes obsessed with possessing her. When Esmeralda rejects Frollo, he orders Phoebus to arrest her.  When Phoebus refuses they both become fugitives who are aided by Quasimodo until the final confrontation in the bell tower. The four main leads are outstanding! My favorite song in the show is "God Help the Outcasts" and Burdick sings it so beautifully; Frederickson's version of "Hellfire" is incredibly dramatic and powerful (it is also staged brilliantly);  Lackman's rendition of "Heaven's Light" brought tears to my eyes; and McCoy is so romantic when he sings "Someday" with Burdick.  The talented ensemble also does an excellent job narrating the story in "The Bells of Notre Dame" and its multiple reprises.  One of my favorite aspects of this show is the use of gargoyles (Jacob Grossenbach, Loren Atwater, Kylee Turner, and Azia Moeai) as characters who help and inspire Quasimodo, especially in "Made of Stone."  The choreography is very energetic and engaging, particularly when the gypsies dance in "Rhythm of the Tambourine" and "Topsy Turvy."  The set is spectacular with large moving pieces that instantly transform the stage into the bell tower of the cathedral, the town square in front of the cathedral, and the Court of Miracles.  I especially loved the rose window of the cathedral and the the giant bells above the stage that would "ring" when needed.  Everything about this production is fabulous;  in fact, it is one of the best productions I've seen at CPT.  I highly recommend seeing this beautiful story come to life for yourself (go here for tickets).

Joker

Last night I went to a Thursday preview of Joker and I thought it was as brilliant as it was disturbing.  Arthur Fleck (Joaquin Phoenix) is a mentally ill young man who suffers from a condition where he laughs uncontrollably in inappropriate situations.  He is a clown for hire during the day and an aspiring comedian at night who feels alienated from everyone around him.  He feels that he has been rejected by his mother, his colleagues, a would-be girlfriend, his social worker, and a society that values the wealthy over the less fortunate.  After he is attacked on the subway by a group of wealthy young men who are provoked by his clown costume and his laughter, he brutally kills them.  This starts a series of riots where people dressed as clowns attack the wealthy and it also awakens something inside Arthur who begins taking revenge against everyone who has hurt him.  His killing spree culminates on a TV talk show hosted by Murray Franklin (Robert DeNiro, in a nod to The King of Comedy), a comedian who ridicules him by playing footage of his disastrous routine at a comedy club.  Arthur eventually becomes a cult hero for the less fortunate of Gotham City with unforeseen consequences involving the wealthy Wayne family.  This is a thought-provoking condemnation of a society that fails to protect the vulnerable and it is upsetting to watch, particularly because of the tension that builds and builds as Arthur descends into a madness that feels inevitable.  Phoenix is absolutely brilliant in this physically and emotionally demanding role.  As much as I was repulsed by the violence of Arthur's actions, Phoenix actually made me empathize with the character and that left me feeling incredibly unnerved.  It is a performance that I will definitely not soon forget.  The cinematography is striking with an incredibly dark and gritty tone that calls to mind Martin Scorsese's best films of the 1970s and the score by Hildur Gudnadottir is haunting.  I don't know if I can recommend something that left me feeling so traumatized but it is one of the best movies of the year.

Hustlers

I didn’t initially have a lot of interest in seeing Hustlers but several people whose opinions I value recommended it very highly to me so I decided to see it last night.  I'm glad that I took a chance on this movie because it is much better than I was expecting.  Dorothy (Constance Wu), who takes the stage name Destiny, is working at a strip club to support her infirm grandmother but she is barely getting by.  She turns to veteran stripper Ramona (Jennifer Lopez) who coaches her on how to get better tips.  She begins making a lot more money but, more importantly, she and Ramona become close friends.  Everything changes when the financial crisis of 2008 happens and both Destiny and Ramona become desperate to make money.  Ramona comes up with the idea of luring wealthy Wall Street traders into the club, drugging them with a mixture of ketamine and ecstasy, and running up their credit cards to the limit.  Destiny and strippers Mercedes (Keke Palmer) and Annabelle (Lili Reinhart) join her and they all become fabulously wealthy until it all falls apart.  This movie is a true story based on a 2015 New York Times article called "The Hustlers at Scores" so there is a framing device of having a reporter (Julia Stiles) interview the strippers in 2014 with flashbacks to the past.   What I really loved about this movie is that it has a powerful message about friendship and female empowerment.  While there are a few fun shopping montages, both Ramona and Destiny are ultimately trying to improve the lives of their daughters so that they will have more choices than they did.  I also found the biting social commentary to be very interesting (it reminded me a lot of The Big Short).  The women justify what they are doing by saying that these corrupt Wall Street bigwigs have fleeced Americans for years with their unscrupulous policies so they are just trying to get some of the money back.  It's hard not to root for them to succeed!  Finally, the performances are great!  Wu is incredibly affecting, especially when her conscience begins to bother her, but Lopez gives a tour-de-force performance that is definitely one of her best (it has already generated some Oscar buzz).  Cardi B and Lizzo have some fun cameos as strippers as does Usher who plays himself.  I would recommend this movie with the proviso that it does earn its R rating with quite a bit of nudity, sexuality, (the characters are strippers who dance provocatively) drug use, and language.

Judy

There has already been a lot of Oscar buzz about Renee Zellweger's performance as the legendary Judy Garland in the new biopic, Judy, so I was very eager to see it yesterday.  It is 1969 and the former star is homeless, in debt, addicted to pills and alcohol, and reduced to performing in second rate clubs for payment under the table.  She is in the middle of a bitter custody battle for her children with ex-husband Sidney Luft (Rufus Sewell).  She reluctantly takes a five-week gig singing in a club in London hoping to make a substantial amount of money and rehabilitate her tarnished reputation.  She gives her all on stage, singing such hits as "Somewhere Over the Rainbow," "The Trolley Song," and "Come Rain or Come Shine" to standing ovations, but eventually the turmoil of her life, including an ill-advised marriage to a younger man who takes advantage of her neediness, takes a toll on her performances.  There are flashbacks to a young Judy (Darci Shaw) who is belittled by Louis B. Mayer, denied food, and plied with drugs to keep her working an impossible schedule.  As a young girl and as the tragic figure she becomes, it is always the audiences who love her that keep her going.  This movie is your standard cautionary tale about the destructive nature of fame that we have all seen time and again but what elevates it is the absolutely brilliant performance of Zellweger.  She performs Garland's iconic songs live with a full band behind her and an actual audience in front of her.  It is incredibly impressive.  Even though she doesn't sound exactly like the singer, she is able to inhabit her with all of her idiosyncrasies as a performer.  She also gives Garland a sort of humanity amidst all of her bad diva-esque behavior.  I was especially impressed by a scene where she calls her children from a payphone to see if they really want to live with their father.  She is trying to control her voice so her daughter feels comfortable enough to tell her the truth but her face shows all of her pain.  It is so powerful.  Ultimately, it is an average movie but I highly recommend it for Zellweger's Oscar worthy performance

Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band at the Vivint Arena

When I was camping with a friend and colleague a few years ago, he played a Bob Seger CD featuring his greatest hits while we were sitting around the campfire.  I had never really realized just how many great songs he had until then.  My friend mentioned that he had seen him in concert recently and that it was an amazing show!  I suddenly really wanted to see him!  I finally had my chance last night and it was such a great concert!  He played hit after hit, including several that he had not played in over twenty years, and I absolutely loved it!  Some of my favorites were "Still The Same," "Old Time Rock & Roll," "Shame On The Moon," "Like A Rock," "You'll Accomp'ny Me," and "Turn The Page."  The highlight for me came towards the end of his main set when, accompanying himself on the piano, he sang a very beautiful rendition of "We've Got Tonight" which he dedicated to his mother because it was her favorite of all the songs he had written!  He also sang a lovely cover of Bob Dylan's "Forever Young," which he dedicated to Glenn Frey.  He frequently mentioned that this was to be his final tour so he ended his set with his very first hit from 1968, "Ramblin' Gamblin' Man."  During the first encore he played my favorite song, "Against The Wind," which was amazing, and he got the audience on their feet with "Hollywood Nights."  For the second encore, he played "Night Moves," to the delight of the crowd, and then "Rock & Roll Never Forgets."  Seger, who is 74 years old, sounded great (with his signature raspy voice in fine form) and so did his band, particularly the horn section, and they played for over two hours.  He was incredibly exuberant and interacted with the crowd all night, telling stories from his fifty year career in the music business.  He looked like he was having the time of his life.  I'm so glad that I got to see him live, especially if it really is his final tour.

Note:  The opening band was The Wild Feathers.  I had never heard of them before but I really liked their sound.  They reminded me a little bit of the Eagles, especially with the three-part harmony on "Big Sky."  I also really liked their cover of Tom Petty's "I Won't Back Down."

Respighi's Pines of Rome

I thoroughly enjoyed last night's Utah Symphony concert because every piece the orchestra played was exceptionally beautiful!  The first half of the concert featured Mozart, who is my very favorite composer, and the second half featured Respighi, who I was unfamiliar with before the concert but who I now count among my growing list of favorites.  The first piece was the Overture to Idomeneo.  I have never seen this opera before but I loved the overture because, like much of Mozart's music, it is light and delicate but still quite dramatic.  Next came Mozart's Sinfonia Concertante for Violin and Viola, featuring guest soloist Viviane Hagner, a great favorite with Utah Symphony audiences (and the reason I chose this particular concert) on violin and Brant Bayless on viola.  This piece is highly emotional and I particularly loved the juxtaposition between soft and loud.  Hagner and Bayless performed the piece brilliantly and I really enjoyed the interplay between the violin and viola.  After the intermission, the orchestra played The Birds by Respighi and this piece was delightful.  Various instruments represent the dove, the hen, the nightingale, and the cuckoo.  I think the solo clarinet perfectly captured the sweetness of the dove.  The concert ended with Respighi's Pines of Rome which is a tribute to various scenes around Rome.  I thought it was amazing and I especially liked the dark and rich tones of the cellos in the second movement, "The Pines near a Catacomb," and the triumphant fanfare of the trumpets and the timpani depicting the grandeur of the Roman army in the final movement, "The Pines of the Appian Way."  I loved every minute of this beautiful concert (so did the rest of the audience judging from the thunderous standing ovation at the conclusion) and I highly recommend getting a ticket for tonight's performance of the same program (go here).

Cagney at PTC

The musical Cagney is getting a lot of buzz because PTC's expanded production of the show is a preview before eventually transferring to Broadway!  I was so excited to see it last night and, even though I was really tired (I had parent teacher conferences this week), I enjoyed this tap-dancing extravaganza!  The story about the life and career of James Cagney (Robert Creighton) is framed by the presentation of a SAG Lifetime Achievement Award to Cagney by Jack Warner (Darrin Baker), with whom he has an acrimonious relationship, in 1978.  The show begins with Warner bragging about plucking Bette Davis, Errol Flynn, Lauren Bacall, and James Cagney out of obscurity to turn them into stars.  It then traces Cagney's humble beginnings as a laborer in New York City, to a job as a member of the chorus in a vaudeville act to pay the bills, then as a featured performer along with his future wife Willie (Jessica Wackenfuss) which leads to a role on Broadway and then to the momentous call from Jack Warner offering him a role in The Public Enemy, where he memorably ad libs a scene throwing a grapefruit in his costar's face and becomes a star.  Cagney fears that he is being typecast as a gangster, leading to friction with Warner, until he returns to the studio to star in one of his most memorable movies, White Heat.  Since Cagney worried about being remembered only for his gangster roles, his entire Hollywood career is compressed into two very clever numbers, "Warner at Work," when he is a part of the studio system, and "Cagney at Work," when he has his own production company.  The rest of the show focuses on Cagney as a song and dance man with with big production numbers, including his vaudeville number "Every Sailor," his performance as George M. Cohan in the movie Yankee Doodle Dandy, and his USO shows with Bob Hope (Matt Crowle) during the war.  I really enjoyed these numbers because the choreography is spectacular and Creighton is an exceptionally agile tap dancer.  My favorite song in the show is "Tough Guy," in which Cagney accepts his legacy, because Creighton imbues it with so much pathos.  Cagney's story is interesting and compelling and this musical hearkens back to a by-gone era with wonderful performances.  My only criticism, and it is a big one, is that the projections used throughout the entire show are out of focus and I found this to be incredibly distracting!  I would still recommend seeing this show about a "hoofer who got lucky in the movies."  It runs at PTC until October 5 (go here for tickets).

Note:  I didn't know a lot about James Cagney before seeing this musical.  Now I want to watch some of his movies, especially The Public Enemy and White Heat.

Phantom at HCT

I have seen Andrew Lloyd Webber's Tony Award winning musical The Phantom of the Opera dozens of times but I have never seen Phantom, the Yeston and Kopit version of Gaston Leroux's story, before. As a huge fan of the former I didn't know what to expect when I went to see Hale Centre Theatre's production of the latter last night. I needn't have worried because I absolutely loved it!  Erik (Austin Smith) has lived most of his life in the catacombs under the Paris Opera House because he is horribly disfigured. Gerard Carrierre (John Philpott), the general manager of the opera house, has kept Erik's secret all of these years but he is fired by the new owner Alain Cholet (Patrick Kinz) and can no longer protect him. The wife of the owner, La Carlotta (Mandi Barrus), becomes the company's new diva but Erik cannot abide her terrible voice and begins haunting the opera house. Count Philippe de Chandon (Stephen Faulk), an important opera patron, hears Christine Daae (Jennifer Neff) singing on the street and falls in love with her. He arranges for her to have singing lessons at the opera house but, in her jealousy, Carlotta employs her in the costume department instead. Erik, who wears a mask, hears Christine sing and secretly begins giving her lessons while wreaking havoc on Carlotta's performances (in some amusing scenes). Christine is eventually given a lead role but Carlotta sabotages her debut. Erik takes his revenge on Carlotta and brings Christine to his lair. Carriere attempts to warn Christine about Erik by telling her his story but she chooses to stay with him until he removes his mask. Brokenhearted, he chases her with tragic results. This show may not be the spectacle that The Phantom of the Opera is (there is still a dramatic chandelier crash at the end of the first act), but the characterization of the Phantom is much more in-depth and much more emotional (I had tears in my eyes during the final scene). I always sympathize with the Phantom and this version of the story gives me a reason to. I also think the music is every bit as powerful as Lloyd Webber's version and I especially loved the songs "Home," which is sung by Christine when she is given a job at the opera house and then echoed by Erik when he hears her sing, and "My True Love," which Christine sings to convince Erik to remove his mask. Neff and Smith have incredibly beautiful voices as the two leads and Barrus is hilarious as Carlotta. I loved the sets, especially Erik's lair in the catacombs, the catwalk above the stage in the opera house, and the elaborate chandelier. I also really liked all of the opera posters hanging throughout the theater. Even if you are a huge fan of the Broadway version, give Phantom a chance because you might be pleasantly surprised by how much you also love this production.  It plays on the Young Living Stage through November 9 (go here for tickets).

Note:  Don't forget about the creepy and kooky production of The Addams Family on the Jewel Box Stage through November 16 (go here for tickets).

The Shawshank Redemption

Yesterday I went to see one of my favorite movies, The Shawshank Redemption, on the big screen once again and it made me so happy!  Mild-mannered banker Andy Dufresne (Tim Robbins) is convicted of killing his wife and her lover and sentenced to two consecutive life terms despite the fact that he is innocent.  When he arrives at Shawshank State Penitentiary, he is horrified by the violent captain of the guards (Clancy Brown) and the corrupt warden (Bob Gunton) but he refuses to give into his emotions on the first night.  He befriends Ellis "Red" Redding (Morgan Freeman) and uses his skills as a banker to curry favor with the guards and the warden and to help his fellow prisoners.  Throughout his time at Shawshank Andy clings to hope.  I love that he never gives into despair but, instead, he quietly takes steps to obtain his freedom and does so when he deems that he has done enough penance for his sins.  I love that he also instills a sense of hope in Red who believes that he has been institutionalized by his time in prison and wonders if he will suffer the same fate as Brooks (James Whitmore), who is unable to live on the outside after 50 years in prison.  I love the triumphant ending when the two of them reunite in Zihuatanejo, a place with no memory where they can find redemption.  The story is so inspirational and I especially love the scene where Dufresne plays an aria from the opera The Marriage of Figaro by Mozart for the entire prison to remind them that nothing cannot take away the memory of the things they love!  Both Robbins and Freeman give powerful performances that are incredibly moving.  Robbins is so rigid and self-contained in his portrayal of Dufresne that even they way he walks is circumscribed.  This makes the scene where Dufresne raises his arms in victory after escaping from the sewers of the prison so poignant (I wait during the entire movie for this scene).  Finally, the score by Thomas Newman is incredibly beautiful and evocative.  In my opinion, this is one of the best adaptations of a Stephen King story (it is based on the novella Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption) and I highly recommend seeing it!  You have another chance to see it on the big screen on Wednesday (go here).

Note:  This movie is celebrating its 25th Anniversary which makes me feel old because I remember seeing it in the theater during its first run!

Ad Astra

My Dad and I have been anticipating the movie Ad Astra for quite some time and we were able to see it last night.  We both thought it was brilliant!  In the near future, the Earth is being threatened by solar power surges which U.S. Space Command (SpaceCom) has traced to the Lima Project.   A group was sent to the far reaches of the Solar System to search for intelligent life under the command of Dr. Clifford McBride (Tommy Lee Jones), a legendary astronaut who abandoned his wife and son for the mission, twenty-six years ago.  They lost communication with McBride sixteen years ago and he was presumed dead but now they have reason to believe he is still alive.  McBride's son Roy (Brad Pitt) is also a decorated astronaut whose personal life has suffered as a result of his dedication to the job.  He is given the mission to travel to Mars to send a communication to his father but once he gets there he learns that SpaceCom may have other plans for the mission and that his father might not be the hero he has always believed him to be.  He sends an emotional appeal to his father but is then judged to be psychologically unfit to continue with the mission.  He sneaks aboard the ship traveling to the Lima Project base stationed near Neptune and he both longs for and dreads a meeting with his father.  While this movie does have some spectacular action sequences, including an amazing free-fall from a space antenna, a lunar rover chase, a dramatic manual landing on Mars, and a flight through space that is only propelled by the thrusters on a spacesuit, it is primarily a psychological portrait of a man who both reveres his father but fears that he is becoming like him.  Roy's character arc is incredibly satisfying and the ultimate message about the universe is strangely positive. Pitt gives an understated but riveting performance that is among his best, especially in the scene where he confronts his father.  I really enjoyed the depiction of space travel, especially the commercial flights to the moon operated by Virgin Atlantic, and the visual effects are spectacular.  This may not be the action adventure that people are expecting from a space movie but it is a meditative, haunting, and powerful masterpiece.  I will be thinking about it for days to come and I highly recommend it!

The Goldfinch

When I saw the first trailer for The Goldfinch, I was so intrigued by it that I decided to read the Pulitzer Prize winning book by Donna Tartt upon which the movie is based.  I was absolutely captivated by it, so much so that I stayed up reading well into the early morning hours on several occasions (not a very good idea during the first week of school) because I could not put it down.  It is an epic story that is Dickensian in scope so I wondered how it would translate to film.  I finally had the opportunity to see it yesterday afternoon and I loved it as much as I did the book!  Theodore "Theo" Decker (Oakes Fegley) is a 13-year old boy when his mother is killed by a bomb at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.  In the confusion after the explosion he takes a painting called The Goldfinch by Carel Fabritius from the rubble.  His life then becomes incredibly chaotic.  He is first placed with the Barbours, the wealthy family of a school friend, and he bonds with Samantha Barbour (Nicole Kidman) over art and antiques.  Just when he is about to be adopted by the Barbours, his estranged and alcoholic father Larry (Luke Wilson) and his girlfriend Xandra (Sarah Paulsen) show up to take him to Las Vegas.  Larry's motivation is to access Theo's trust fund to pay off his gambling debts.  He is left to his own devices much of the time and eventually meets Boris (Finn Wolfhard), the son of a Ukrainian emigre working on a mine in Las Vegas.  Boris introduces Theo to smoking, drinking, and shoplifting and the two of them eventually drop acid in a pivotal scene.  When Larry is killed in a car accident, Theo returns to New York and finds James "Hobie" Hobart (Jeffrey Wright) and Pippa (Aimee Lawrence), the business partner and niece, respectively, of Welty Blackwell (Robert Joy), a man who spoke to Theo in the museum before dying from the explosion.  Hobie restores antique furniture and allows Theo to live with him.  As a young adult, Theo (Ansel Elgort) is incredibly unhappy.  He is selling fake antiques which brings serious consequences to Hobie, is addicted to drugs, is engaged to Kitsey Barbour (Willa Fitzgerald) as a way to hold on to a relationship with the Barbours even though he has unrequited feelings for Pippa (Ashleigh Cummings), and becomes involved in a dangerous criminal underworld when he reconnects with Boris (Aneurin Barnard).  Throughout the turmoil, the one constant in Theo's life is the painting.  It is only when he realizes that the painting is a symbol of the guilt and trauma he feels over his mother's death that he can release it and be happy.  It seems like every critic in the world hated this movie but I loved it.  I can understand why people not familiar with the story about loss, survival, obsession, and the importance of art might find it confusing, especially because the explosion at the museum is shown in a series of random flashbacks, but having recently read the book I did not have that problem.  I will also concede that there are some elements of the story that do feel rushed, especially the ending, but I am still impressed with how faithful the movie is to the book (which is almost 800 pages).  The story is beautiful, the images on the screen are luminous, and the performances are incredibly powerful.  I'm glad I saw this movie, despite the dreadful reviews, and I recommend seeing it for yourself if you enjoyed the book.

The Music of John Williams

Last night I went to my first Utah Symphony concert of the 2019-2020 season and I was so happy to be at Abravanel Hall after a long week!  This concert featured iconic film scores composed by John Williams and it was absolutely wonderful!  The orchestra began, rather appropriately, with Call of the Champions which was commissioned for the Opening Ceremonies for the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City.  John Williams actually conducted the Utah Symphony and the Mormon Tabernacle Choir for the recording that was used in the Opening Ceremonies and it was so fun to hear it again.  Then the orchestra played the "Superman Theme" from Superman which I really enjoyed because I will be seeing the movie on the big screen in a few weeks.  Next came "Flight to Neverland" from Hook which was very stirring.  The movie A.I.: Artificial Intelligence is not one that I enjoy but "David's Theme" is quite poignant and I especially loved the solo cello in this piece.  Next came the Overture from The Cowboys which is a movie that I have never seen before but I really liked the music from it.  The highlight from the first half was a series of excerpts from Close Encounters of the Third Kind because it is one of my favorite movies.  The music brilliantly portrays the feeling of amazement that the characters have over what they are seeing and I had goosebumps as the orchestra played it because I could see the UFOs landing in my mind!  Next came "The Devil's Dance" from The Witches of Eastwick and I especially liked the chimes!  The first half ended with "Raiders March" from Raiders of the Lost Ark and the rousing fanfare got the audience cheering!  After the intermission the orchestra played Liberty Fanfare which was commissioned to celebrate the Centennial of the Statue of Liberty in 1986.  It was also very stirring.  Next came the Suite from Far and Away which was very atmospheric.  Another highlight was the Theme from Schindler's List.  This piece is incredibly moving and Concertmaster Madeleine Adkins played the violin solo so beautifully that it brought a tear to my eye.  "Hedwig's Theme" and "Harry's Wondrous World" from Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (another movie that I will see on the big screen in a few weeks) were a lot of fun.  I particularly liked the celesta used in these pieces.  Those two instantly recognizable notes played by the cellos in the Theme from Jaws are brilliant because they evoke a feeling of menace without actually showing the shark!  Another favorite from the evening was the Theme from Jurassic Park.  I love when scientists see the dinosaurs for the first time and I think the score really adds to that sense of wonder.  For the finale the orchestra played "Adventures on Earth" from E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial which guest conductor Jack Everly, who told amusing anecdotes about each of the scores, revealed was John Williams' favorite of all his compositions.  I was so excited when the orchestra played "Darth Vader's Theme" from Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back as an encore because it is always simultaneously thrilling and terrifying to me (I was so scared of Darth Vader when I was a child).  Hearing these scores brought back so many memories of watching these movies for the first time and I highly recommend getting a ticket to this concert when the program is repeated tonight (go here).

Downton Abbey

My Mom, my sisters, and I are huge fans of the PBS series Downton Abbey and we have been giddy with anticipation ever since we found out about the movie!  I actually binge-watched all six seasons again to prepare myself for it (yes, I am a nerd).  Last night the four of us had a girls night out to watch a Thursday preview and we all loved it!  Lord and Lady Grantham (Hugh Bonneville and Elizabeth McGovern, respectively) are visited by King George V (Simon Jones) and Queen Mary (Geraldine James) when they stop at Downton Abbey as part of their royal tour of Yorkshire.  Chaos ensues!  Lady Mary Talbot (Michelle Dockery) is overwhelmed by the details of the visit and wonders if keeping Downton open is worth the effort in a changing world.  Lady Edith (Laura Carmichael) is finding it difficult to adapt to her role as Marchioness of Hexham (I love it that Edith outranks everyone).  Tom (Allen Leech) puts his loyalty to the Crawley family to the test when he is inadvertently involved in an intrigue against the King.  Violet, the Dowager Countess (Maggie Smith), is up to her old tricks and plotting against the Queen's Lady-in-Waiting, Lady Bagshaw (Imelda Staunton).  Of course, Violet has some of the best dialogue in the movie ("Machiavelli is frequently underrated.").  My favorite part of the story is when the downstairs staff take great exception to the fact that the royal entourage has taken over Downton Abbey.  The Royal Page of the Backstairs (David Haig) has usurped Carson's (Jim Carter) authority, Monsieur Courbet (Philippe Spall) has taken over the kitchen from Mrs. Patmore (Lesley Nichol), and Mrs. Webb (Richenda Carey) has relegated Mrs. Hughes (Phyllis Logan) to a mere bystander in the house.  Anna (Joanne Froggatt) comes up with a brilliant plan to help the staff resume their duties and to allow Mr. Molesley (Kevin Doyle) to serve the King and Queen at dinner (in the funniest scene in the movie).  I also enjoyed the opening credits because the bringing of the letter from Buckingham Palace to Downton mimics the bringing of the telegram about the Titanic in the very first episode.  I thought that was very clever.  I loved this movie so much because it was like watching an extended episode showing us what has happened to these beloved characters since they last appeared in our living rooms but with even more sumptuous production values (especially the costumes and jewelry) and beautiful cinematography.  Fans of the series are sure to love this movie (the rowdy crowd in our screening, many of whom were in 1920s period costumes, was very appreciative) but people who are not familiar with the show and characters may not enjoy it as much.

Note:  Our girls night out was so much fun!  We even got ice cream after the movie!

Brittany Runs a Marathon

Another movie that I absolutely loved at Sundance this year was Brittany Runs a Marathon (it won the U.S. Dramatic Audience Award) so I was very excited to see it again yesterday.  I loved it just as much, if not more, upon a second viewing.  Brittany Forgler (Jillian Bell) drinks too much, smokes too much, arrives late to her dead-end job every day, and has one night stands in bathroom stalls at clubs every night.  She is the life of the party but she doesn't have any real friends.  She pretends to have ADHD so a doctor will prescribe her Adderall but, instead, he gives her a wake-up call about her health and admonishes her to exercise and lose 50 pounds.  Because a gym is too expensive she challenges herself to run just one block (in an absolutely hilarious scene).  Soon she joins a Saturday running group, runs her first 5K, and trains for the New York Marathon.  What I loved about this movie is its authenticity because we see Brittany's setbacks as well as her triumphs.  Even though she loses weight and achieves many of her fitness goals, she must learn to love herself in order to be successful and that is what makes her story so meaningful to me.  Bell gives a fantastic performance as an unsympathetic character that you end up rooting for (I love movies that feature flawed characters finding redemption).  It is a feel-good movie that will have you laughing out loud but it is also quite heart-warming and I had tears in my eyes during an especially poignant scene.  This movie includes a bit of profanity and the realistic depiction of questionable behavior but it is so inspiring and I highly recommend it!

Eric Clapton in Las Vegas

Eric Clapton is arguably one of the greatest guitar players of all time so it is an absolute thrill to be able to see and hear him play live!  I've seen him a couple of times before but it has been a while.  When I found out that he would be in Las Vegas (for one of only three concerts leading up to the Crossroads Guitar Festival in Dallas) I got a ticket immediately!  I took the day off from school yesterday to drive to Vegas for the show last night and it was amazing.  He had a very minimal set and just played the blues all night.  I loved it!  He started the show with "Pretending" and the crowd went crazy!  I was unfamiliar with some of the other early songs (mostly covers) he played but it didn't matter because it was amazing to watch a legend jam.  One of the biggest highlights during this set was his version of "I Shot the Sheriff."  Then he played an acoustic set that included "Circus" from Pilgrim, an album that I absolutely love, "Nobody Knows You When You're Down and Out," and a beautiful version of "Tears in Heaven."  When he plugged back in he played the Cream song "Badge," which was absolutely epic, and "Holy Mother," which was incredibly emotional.  Next, he played covers of Robert Johnson's "Crossroads" and "Little Queen of Spades" which featured extended solos by his unbelievably talented band!  He ended this set with "Layla" which got everybody on their feet!  I basically waited all night for this song and it definitely did not disappoint.  For the encore, he brought Jimmie Vaughan, who opened for him, back to the stage to perform a cover of "Before You Accuse Me."  It was an incredible evening of music and I can't even describe how much I loved watching Slowhand play the guitar!  I will be on a high for days!

Note:  I was hoping that he would play "Cocaine" but I didn't mind too terribly that he didn't because he actually played it twice the first time I saw him in concert!  The crowd went crazy when he played it the first time so he said, "You like that one, huh?"  Then he played it again!

Official Secrets

I had the chance to see Official Secrets at Sundance this year and it was one of my favorites of the festival.  I decided to see it again last night now that it is in wide release and, once again, I thought it was a taut and suspenseful political thriller.  It tells the true story of Katharine Gun (Keira Knightley), a translator at GCHQ (a British intelligence gathering agency) who leaks a top-secret memo from Frank Koza of the NSA asking for intelligence which could be used to blackmail smaller countries into voting for a U.N. resolution supporting the invasion of Iraq to the press in 2003.  Once the story is published in The Observer, she confesses and is charged with violating the Official Secrets Act.  She pleads not guilty and her lawyers argue that she acted to prevent the imminent loss of life from an illegal war, a defense which could potentially be embarrassing for the British government.  I found the story to be both fascinating and compelling because it profiles an ordinary woman willing to face extraordinary consequences in order to follow her conscience.  Knightley gives an absolutely riveting performance, especially in a powerful interrogation scene where she tells investigators that she doesn't work for the British government but for the British people who are being lied to by the government.  The movie also features an impressive all-star cast including Matt Smith, Matthew Goode, and Rhys Ifans as the reporters who break the story, Ralph Fiennes as a defense lawyer, and Jeremy Northam as a Crown prosecutor.  The movie is fraught with tension (even on a second viewing), particularly during a sequence surrounding the deportation of Gun's husband in retaliation for her actions.  I enjoyed this movie (again) and I recommend it highly.

The Addams Family at HCT

Last night I got to see the musical The Addams Family on the Jewel Box Stage at Hale Centre Theatre.  I've seen this show several times before and it is a lot of fun so I have been anticipating it for quite a while. A nearly perfect cast and some amusing little additions make this one of the best productions of this particular show that I have seen.  The Addams family is not like other families because they are all obsessed with the macabre and rely on their dead ancestors to help them through life.  Things start to go wrong when Wednesday (MaKenna Tinney) falls in love with Lucas Beineke (Nathaneal Abbott), a normal Midwestern boy. She wants to introduce his uptight parents, Mal (Shawn Lynn) and Alice (Carolyn Hartvigsen), to her family which includes her father Gomez (Josh Richardson), her mother Morticia (Erin Royall Carlson), her brother Pugsley (Blake Walker), her uncle Fester (Jeff Thompson), her Grandma (Jayne Luke), and their manservant Lurch (Michael Von Forrell). She arranges a dinner and begs her family for just one normal night.  Of course, chaos ensues when a mishap involving a poisonous potion occurs and it is up to Uncle Fester, with the help of the ancestors, to convince everyone that love is the answer. The plot is quite silly but the message about the importance of families is very appealing. The songs in this show are not especially memorable but the cast is so outstanding that they made them very enjoyable, particularly "Just Around the Corner," "The Moon and Me" (a highlight), and "Tango de Amor."  The choreography is outstanding and I especially enjoyed all of the big song and dance numbers involving the ancestors (a Conquistador, Caesar, Cleopatra, Marie Antoinette, a Pirate, General Custer, Joan of Arc, and a Titanic passenger). The set is fantastic and features an ornate spiral staircase, a Medieval torture chamber, bedrooms with velvet draped canopy beds (Pugsley's bed is made out of a guillotine), and an imposing iron gate. The costumes are also quite spectacular, especially Morticia's slinky gowns and Gomez's elaborate smoking jackets. The entire cast is strong but Richardson and Carlson are absolutely perfect as Gomez and Morticia.  I laughed and laughed at just about everything they said and did!  Speaking of laughter, if you see this show pay very close attention to the antics of Lurch and Thing (Eden Tinney) because they provide many laugh out loud moments of physical comedy that are often hidden in the background.  The Addams Family is a lot of fun and I highly recommend it but act quickly (go here for tickets) because shows are selling out at a record pace.

Inland

For the past couple of months I have been thinking about joining another book club.  I missed being challenged to read books that I wouldn't necessarily choose for myself and I have recently made a goal to be a little bit more social (I really struggle in this area). I eventually decided to join a book club that is held monthly at a Barnes & Noble bookstore near me. I went for the first time last night and, even though I stressed about it all day yesterday, I had a lot of fun.  The selection for this month was Inland by Tea Obreht and, while I didn't love it, I found the writing to be incredibly beautiful. Set in the Arizona Territory in 1893, the narrative alternates between two complicated characters fighting for survival. Lurie is an outlaw who joins the Camel Corps of the U.S. Army in charge of surveying the Southwest. He is doggedly pursued by Marshall John Berger because he committed a murder as a young man so he eventually takes a camel named Burke and wanders aimlessly on his own. Nora lives on a homestead plagued by a severe drought. She is left to fend for herself after her husband leaves to find water and her two older sons leave after an argument. She also gets into a squabble with a few locals about moving the county seat to another town which will almost certainly mean the end of her homestead. There is an interesting juxtaposition between the two characters because Lurie is unable to stay in one place for long and Nora cannot seem to leave a place no matter how inhospitable. The connection that ties them together is their ability to speak to the dead.  Lurie is followed by the ghosts of people he knew as a child and acquires their negative characteristics (which gets him into trouble).  Nora speaks to the daughter who died as an infant as a way to assuage her guilt over her death. The two are also connected by the common theme of water and how the lack thereof affects them. However, I had a very difficult time getting through the story because it meanders so much and so many characters appear and disappear without resolution.  I kept picking it up and putting it down, impatient for the two narratives to converge which doesn't happen until the final pages.  If you can make it to the end, both characters do find some redemption and are left with hope for the future but I'm not entirely sure I understand the point Obreht is making.  As previously mentioned, the prose is quite stunning, especially in the vivid descriptions of the Southwest, and there were many times when I went back to read a particular passage again because it was so poignant.  While I can appreciate Obreht’s brilliant writing style, I wouldn't recommend this book.  I would, however, recommend the Barnes & Noble book club because the facilitator asked some interesting questions which stimulated a great discussion (I was not the only one to struggle with this selection) and who can resist the delicious cookies from the cafe!  Go here for information and to find a book club near you!

Note:  Next month's selection is The Testaments by Margaret Atwood (the long-awaited sequel to The Handmaid's Tale).  I can't wait to read and discuss this book!

The Empire Strikes Back in Concert

I am such a fan of the Utah Symphony Films in Concert so I try to attend every concert in the series each season.  Last night Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back was shown on the big screen while the orchestra played the amazing score by John Williams live.  This movie begins after the Rebels destroy the Death Star.  Darth Vader searches the galaxy for Luke Skywalker, who begins his Jedi training with Yoda, leading to an epic confrontation between the two of them.  I love this movie so much and the experience of watching it with a really rowdy crowd, many dressed in costume, was so much fun!  The score is iconic and the orchestra played it brilliantly.  I was positively giddy when the instantly recognizable "Star Wars (Main Theme)" played during the opening crawl and so was the crowd because the cheering was very enthusiastic!  I particularly loved all of the brass during "The Imperial March (Darth Vader's Theme)."  This gave me chills every time it was repeated because I was so terrified of Darth Vader when I saw this movie for the first time.  I also really enjoyed "Han Solo and the Princess," especially when Han and Leia kissed each other!  The crowd was amazing and there were massive cheers when Luke, Leia, Han Solo, Chewbacca, Darth Vader, C-3PO, R2-D2, and Lando Calrissian appeared on the screen for the first time but the character that got the loudest applause was Yoda!  My favorite scenes were during the Battle of Hoth when Luke brings down the AT-AT walkers, when Yoda lifts Luke's X-wing fighter out of the swamp using the Force, when Leia tells Han that she loves him before he is frozen in carbonite, and when Darth Vader tells Luke that he is his father after their lightsaber duel.  It has been a long time since I've seen this movie on the big screen and I certainly enjoyed it last night.  This concert will be repeated again tonight and I highly recommend getting a ticket (go here).

Note:  Abravanel Hall was visited by Emperor Palpatine (Ian McDiarmid) and Anakin Skywalker (Hayden Christensen) who were attending Fan-X next door!  It was quite exciting!

It: Chapter Two

I am a huge fan of Stephen King's best-selling novel It!  I thought it was a brilliant idea to divide the story into two movies, with the first one focusing on the events in 1989 and the second one focusing on the present, but I have to admit that as soon as I walked out of It I started looking forward to the conclusion (and immediately started casting all of the adult roles in my head).  After anticipating It: Chapter Two for so long I finally got to see it last night at a Thursday preview.  In 1989, Bill Denbrough (Jaeden Martell), Beverly Marsh (Sophia Lillis), Ben Hanscom (Jeremy Ray Taylor), Richie Tozier (Finn Wolfhard), Mike Hanlon (Chosen Jacobs), Eddie Kaspbrak (Jack Dylan Grazer), and Stanley Uris (Wyatt Oleff) are able to defeat the evil presence that appears in Derry every 27 years but they do not kill it.  They make a blood pact to return to Derry if it reappears again.  In the present, Mike (Isaiah Mustafa), the only member of the Loser's Club who remained in Derry, calls Bill (James McAvoy), Beverly (Jessica Chastain), Ben (Jay Ryan), Richie (Bill Hader), Eddie (James Ransone), and Stan (Andy Bean) when there are some unexplained deaths.  All but Stan return even though they have forgotten much of what happened.  They all must eventually confront their pasts in order to retrieve artifacts to use in an ancient ritual which they conduct in the sewers of Derry.  Will this ritual be enough to kill the evil presence that appears in the guise of Pennywise the Dancing Clown (Bill Skarsgard)?  I loved the performances of the young actors in the first movie and I thought the filmmakers did a brilliant job of casting the adult roles (I thought Teach Grant, the adult version of Henry Bowers, was also spot-on).  The actors do a great job of recreating all of the idiosyncrasies of the younger characters, particularly Ransone as Eddie.  The adults have just as much camaraderie as the kids and infuse a lot of comedic elements to balance out the horror (it was fun seeing this with a rowdy crowd who laughed out loud multiple times).  There are some really scary moments but I think the first movie is a bit more unsettling because Pennywise is fighting younger and more vulnerable characters.  I didn't feel as much dread in the final confrontation.  I also think this movie is a lot longer than it needs to be because it kept returning unnecessarily to the events of the past and my mind sometimes wandered.  Still, I think the outstanding performances by the ensemble cast make this a satisfying conclusion to the saga and I recommend it to fans of the first movie.

Note:  Many of my students are reading the novel and they made me promise not to reveal any spoiler alerts in class today!