Wild

I moved on to the Best Actress nominees last night with a screening of Wild to see Reese Witherspoon (see my commentaries on Rosamund Pike and Felicity Jones).   My book club read the popular memoir by Cheryl Strayed several years ago and I really enjoyed it so I was looking forward to the movie.  I think it is a great adaptation of the book and it vividly captures Strayed's humor and insight.  After the death of her mother, the break-up of her marriage, a heroin addiction, and years of promiscuous behavior, Cheryl Strayed (Witherspoon) decides to hike a portion of the Pacific Crest Trail by herself as a way to get back to being the woman her mother raised.  She has very little outdoor experience and an overweight backpack (nicknamed "The Monster") but she makes it on sheer force of will.  It is a non-linear narrative showing the progression of her hike in chronological order with flashbacks to specific points in her life as she deals with and makes peace with her demons.  Reese Witherspoon is excellent in this physically demanding role and the scene where she finally acknowledges the pain of her mother's death is most affecting.  I also found the scene where she thinks about giving up just a few yards from the trailhead to be quite amusing.  This may be Witherspoon's best performance since Walk The Line and, at this point (I haven't seen Julianne Moore's performance in Still Alice), she has my vote for the Academy Award.  I was not so impressed with Laura Dern (nominated for Best Supporting Actress) as Cheryl's mother.  I think that Dern plays the same character over and over again and I've grown a bit weary of her hysterical-optimism-in-the-face-of-adversity characterization (I thought she was more believable as the mother in The Fault In Our Stars).  The scenery is absolutely spectacular, especially along the Oregon-Washington border, and I thought the use of Simon and Garfunkel's song "El Condor Pasa" throughout the movie was brilliant.  I've always loved that song!  Wild is very entertaining and I would definitely recommend it.

Note:  Several of my friends who have seen the movie have asked to borrow my copy of the book.  Anything that encourages people to read is worthy of my praise!

Foxcatcher

I have been having a lot of fun viewing the Best Picture nominees so I decided to expand into the Best Actor category.  The only nominee I hadn't yet seen was Steve Carell (read my commentaries on Benedict Cumberbatch, Eddie Redmayne, Michael Keaton, and Bradley Cooper) so I went to Foxcatcher last night.  Wrestler Mark Schultz (Channing Tatum) is an Olympic gold medalist trying to train for the next Olympics and step out from under the shadow of his older brother Dave (Mark Ruffalo), also a gold medalist and a popular coach.  Mark is so destitute that he speaks at elementary schools for a pittance and eats Ramen noodles.  When eccentric millionaire John du Pont (Steve Carell) invites Mark to train with other wrestlers at the world class facility he built on his property, Foxcatcher Farm, he jumps at the chance.  Mark soon discovers that du Pont wants the reflected glory of "training" a world class athlete in order to win the approval his mother (Vanessa Redgrave) who is an accomplished equestrienne and, moreover, that most of the wrestlers are mere sycophants who will do anything to keep the checks coming.  Mark is further dismayed when du Pont invites Dave to coach Team Foxcatcher.  Relationships deteriorate, ultimately ending in tragedy.  All three main actors give stellar performances, particularly Carell, who is literally and figuratively unrecognizable in this against-type role.  However, I didn't especially like this film.  There is not a lot of dialogue, even when the characters are talking to each other, so it is difficult to discern the motivation for any of the events taking place.  I also found the final confrontation to be incredibly abrupt with almost no resolution.  The movie is based on a true story so I knew the ultimate outcome before watching it and, therefore, spent the whole time waiting for a big emotional reckoning which never came.  Again, all three actors are, admittedly, very good but I don't think I would recommend this movie just for the performances.

American Sniper

Tuesday night I went to see American Sniper which is the final Best Picture nominee currently in theaters (see my reviews of The Grand Budapest Hotel, The Imitation Game, The Theory of Everything, Whiplash, Birdman, and Selma).  This movie follows Chris Kyle from his enlistment after the bombing of American embassies in 1998, his training to be a Navy SEAL, his marriage to Taya (Sienna Miller), and his four tours of duty in Iraq.  Kyle is the most lethal sniper in American history with 160 kills confirmed by the Department of Defense (some put the number much higher) saving countless lives in battle.  The battle scenes in Iraq are unbelievably intense and are very disturbing to watch, especially his last firefight with armed insurgents (I felt like I was in the middle of the sandstorm with bullets firing all around me).  In my opinion, the depiction of battle in this movie is one of the most realistic I've ever seen (including the liberal use of profanity which might bother some) and I am absolutely in awe of what members of the military willingly sacrifice for our freedom.  I also liked the fact that this movie discusses the difficulties that servicemen face in transitioning back to life at home and the sacrifices made by their families.  I have never been a big fan of Bradley Cooper but he is phenomenal as Kyle.  The scene where Kyle is visibly overcome after a young boy puts down an RPG so that he doesn't have to shoot him is absolutely gut-wrenching as is the scene where Kyle calls his wife and tells her he is ready to come home.  His performance is gripping and his Best Actor nomination is well-deserved!  This movie is not easy to watch.  In fact, I was quite upset when I walked out of the theater but it is incredibly powerful and I guarantee that you will be thinking about it for days.

Note:  I found the absolute silence during the final credits to be chilling.

Utah Opera's The Pearl Fishers

Last year on MLK Day, I attended Utah Opera's wonderful production of La Traviata.  I loved the opera and it ended up being such a lovely evening.  This year on MLK Day I did the same thing with the same person, but this time the opera was The Pearl Fishers.  It was also amazing and, once again, I had a lovely time.  Ironically, I didn't know much about this opera and I was really on the fence about seeing it.  However, I was convinced otherwise and I am certainly glad that I was because I would have hated to miss this!  Zurga is the leader of a village in Ceylon (modern day Sri Lanka) and his childhood friend, Nadir, has come to visit.  They were both once in love with the same woman, Leila, but they gave her up for the sake of their friendship.  A veiled priestess comes to the village to pray for the superstitious fisherman who are diving for pearls.  When she sings to banish the evil spirits, Nadir recognizes her voice and knows it is Leila.  They declare their love for each other but the villagers are afraid because this means that Leila has broken her vows.  When Zurga realizes that the priestess is Leila, he sentences them both to death.  Will Zurga be ruled by vengeance or friendship?  Georges Bizet (you may be more familiar with his other opera, Carmen) is the composer and the music is incredibly beautiful!  The duet "a fond du temple saint" sung by Zurga (Craig Irvin) and Nadir (Brian Stucki) where they renounce their love of Leila for the sake of their friendship is nothing short of exquisite and I had goosebumps through the whole thing.  Their voices (Irvin's baritone and Stucki's tenor) complimented each other so well.  (I realized during the opening notes that this duet is actually featured in the movie Gallipoli which is one of my very favorites).  The passionate duet between Leila (Andrea Carroll) and Nadir is also absolutely incredible.  There was quite a bit of choreography in this opera and I thought it was quite dramatic, especially when they danced with fire.  The costumes were beautiful and exotic.  I loved everything about this production and I am so glad I didn't miss it!  The Pearl Fishers will run until Jan. 25.  Go here for more information and tickets.

Note:  I frequently attend the opera with one or more of my cousins and we always have such a good time.  Over the years we have seen Fidelio, Rigoletto, The Magic Flute, The Barber of Seville, La Traviata, Madame Butterfly, and now, The Pearl Fishers.  A while back I was talking about our experiences at a family gathering and I referred to our group as a sort of "Opera Club."  My aunt thought that I said "Awkward Club" and agreed with me! What?

Snowshoeing at Soldier Hollow

Last winter I discovered a passion for snowshoeing and I went just about every weekend in January and February.  I have been sick for the past few weeks, so I haven't had a chance to go this year. Since yesterday was a day off from school, I decided to go and it felt so great to be outside and moving!

Snowshoeing is all about finding a rhythm and I picked it up again just like that!  I loved every minute!

I decided to go to Soldier Hollow, which is about an hour's drive up in the mountains, because it has lots of groomed trails to follow.  I wanted to test myself a little bit before going in the back country (Also, my favorite hole-in-the-wall diner, Chick's, is nearby in Heber City).  Soldier Hollow was the cross-country skiing venue for the Salt Lake 2002 Winter Olympics and it is a wonderful facility.  You can cross-country ski and snowshoe on lots of different trails and there are some great tubing hills with tow-ropes.

Last year I did the Olympic 5k trail all the time without difficulty.  This year I barely made it on the Little Buckaroo trail.  Apparently having a serious respiratory illness can affect your lung capacity!  Who knew?  Hopefully I will be back to normal soon!

It was a really fun day and it wasn't too cold or too crowded (especially since it was a holiday).  I'm looking forward to more snowshoeing excursions in the coming weeks.  If you would like to snowshoe at Soldier Hollow, go here for more information.