Jackie

I love this time of year because this is the time when the Broadway screens all of the films generating Oscar buzz.  No one is getting more buzz than Natalie Portman for her performance in Jackie so this film was high on my list to see over winter break.  It follows Jackie Kennedy (Portman) in the days after her husband's assassination through flashbacks during an interview given to Theodore White (Billy Crudup) for Life magazine.  We see Jackie during the immediate aftermath of the shooting in Dallas, witnessing the oath of office administered to Lyndon Johnson (John Carroll Lynch) aboard Air Force One, telling the children about their father's death, making preparations for the funeral, and leaving the White House after her efforts to restore it.  Through it all, Jackie expresses her profound grief and demands that JFK's legacy be protected.  Portman gives the performance of her career and I literally could not take my eyes off her. She physically resembles Jackie Kennedy but it is the voice which sells the performance, particularly during the filming of the White House tour.  I was also struck by the scene between Jackie and a priest (John Hurt) where she discusses JFK's infidelities and the scene where she drunkenly relives her shining moments in the White House by going to each room in the clothing she wore for those occasions.  The score by Mica Levi is incredibly stirring but it is the use of the music from the Broadway musical Camelot that is especially dramatic.  I highly recommend this film for Portman's brilliant portrayal of the enigmatic former First Lady.

Passengers

I have had the best winter break ever, spending the majority of my time in darkened theaters.  In fact, in between Christmas and New Year's Day I saw ten movies (including La La Land for the third time and Rogue One for the third time).  I will write about them this week and I'll start with Passengers, which all of the girls in my family saw downtown at the Gateway the day after Christmas.  I found this movie to be incredibly entertaining and we all really enjoyed it.  Jim Preston (Chris Pratt) is in suspended animation aboard the starship Avalon on a journey to the colony Homestead II when a catastrophic event inadvertently awakens him 90 years too early.  The starship is equipped with every conceivable luxury (for the passengers to enjoy after they awaken three months prior to landing) and, at first, Jim enjoys himself.  He tries to figure out how to put himself back into suspended animation but soon realizes that there is no way.  He does, however, learn how to awaken others.   Distraught at the thought of living out his life alone, he becomes obsessed with passenger Aurora Lane (Jennifer Lawrence) and makes the agonizing decision to wake her up.  As they grow closer, the ship begins to slowly malfunction.  Will Aurora learn of Jim's duplicity in her awakening?  Will they be able to repair the malfunctioning ship?  This is a sleek and stylized sci-fi thriller with incredible special effects, especially the pool scene when the ship loses gravity, but the romance is also quite affecting due to the chemistry between Pratt and Lawrence. I also really enjoyed Michael Sheen's performance as Arthur, a droid bartender (the scenes where Jim talks to Arthur reminded me of similar scenes in The Shining).  My Mom, my sisters, Tashena and I had a great time watching this movie and I recommend it for what it is: escapist entertainment (If you want a more philosophical exploration of space travel, see Arrival).

2016: Year In Review

This year has definitely been one for the books!  I can't believe everything I was able to do and experience this year!  Here are some of the highlights.

Snowshoeing Trip

Sundance Film Festival

Camping Weekend

Avalanche Road Trip

Theatre Trip to NYC (Wicked, Hamilton, Finding Neverland, The Lion King, Les Miserables, The Phantom of the Opera, She Loves Me, and Waitress)

Weekend at Bear Lake

Road Trip with Sean (Four Corners Monument, Grand Canyon National Park, Zion National Park)

Adele Concert in Chicago

Adventures Down Under (Melbourne, Alice Springs, Kangaroo Sanctuary, Hot Air Balloon over the Outback, Uluru, Great Barrier Reef, Kuranda Rainforest, Sydney Harbour Cruise, Sydney, Whale Watching, Beautiful South Island of New Zealand, Milford Sound, Hobbiton, and Auckland)

Weekend of Hockey in Toronto

The highlight of the year was definitely getting to see the original cast of Hamilton on Broadway!  That is an experience I will never forget because I anticipated it for so long and it exceeded my expectations in every way!  What an amazing year!  I am thinking that 2017 might be a bit quieter but the beauty of a brand new year is that you never know what to expect!  Happy New Year!

All That Jazz

Last night I took Sean and Tashena to a Utah Jazz game.  We started the tradition of seeing a Jazz game over the winter break last year and, ironically, the Jazz played the same team, the Philadelphia 76ers, as last year!  The Jazz have been playing really well lately (we are currently fifth in the Western Conference) so I have been looking forward to this game, my first this season!  Sean and Tashena are always so much fun to be around and it ended up being a great game.  The Jazz started well, leading by as many as nine in the first quarter but then they let the Sixers slowly catch up to them and went into the half down by one point.  The lead went back and forth during the third quarter but the Jazz had their way with Philadelphia in the fourth, outscoring them 30-9.  Utah won the game 83-100 and it was pretty exciting, especially when the Jazz hit five three-pointers in the last quarter!  There was a large and rowdy crowd in attendance and the three of us had so much fun!

Note:  I finished my Harry Potter marathon right before the game.  I always cry when Harry asks his parents to stay with him as he faces Voldemort in the last film.

Christmas 2016

Christmas this year was absolutely wonderful.  We began on Christmas Eve with the traditional opening of Christmas pajamas.

On Christmas morning, Sean gave me strict orders to be at the house at 8:30 but I was a little bit late because of the snow (I actually got stuck in the driveway).

Sean got a lot of games for his Xbox One, a new TV, and a cool chair for playing his games.

Tashena got a new bed and lots of clothes.

Marilyn made quilts for Sean and Tashena in the Bountiful High School colors.  Tashena was really excited because she can take it on the bus to her away games.

I got a Fire Stick, bluetooth speakers, lots of movies, and some new boots.

After opening presents we had a fabulous dinner of chicken cordon bleu.  Most of us had naps after dinner (Sean played with his games) then we played a mean game of shanghai rummy (Tashena won).  In the evening, Kristine, Marilyn, Tashena, and I went to see the movie La La Land.  I was a little bit worried because I had really talked it up but Kristine and Marilyn loved it (Tashena kept asking me when it was over).  It was a great day!

Note:  For the record, I have now seen La La Land three times!