The Wrath of Khan

In honor of its 35th Anniversary (all of these anniversaries of films that I saw in the theater as a kid are making me feel old), I had the opportunity to see Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan on the big screen last night and I absolutely loved it.  In my opinion it is the best of the original Star Trek movies.  When the starship Reliant surveys a barren planet for its suitability in the Genesis Project, the crew finds Khan (Ricardo Montalban), an old enemy who had been marooned there many years ago.  Seeking revenge against Admiral Kirk (William Shatner), Khan commandeers the Reliant to attack the Enterprise and tries to take Genesis for use as a weapon.  This forces an epic confrontation in which Spock (Leonard Nimoy) sacrifices his life to save the Enterprise (William Shatner, in the interview that preceded the movie, wondered if there was anyone who didn't know how the movie ends and if he was giving spoilers when he talked about Spock's death).  What I loved most about this movie, aside from the great story which continues a plot from the original series and Montalban as a fabulous villain, is the relationship between Kirk, Spock, and McCoy.  There are several great scenes between the three of them which really develop their characters on a deeper level.  Spock's death scene is one of the greatest scenes, ever.  I did find the special effects to be a bit dated but that hardly mattered because the story is so great.  It was so much fun watching this on the big screen with a fun and rowdy crowd, many of whom were in very elaborate costumes.  When Kirk shouted, "Khaaaaaaaaaan," the whole audience cheered!  If you are a fan of Star Trek, this is a must see on the big screen.  There is one more opportunity to see it on Wednesday (go here for more information) and I highly recommend it!

It

I have read Stephen King's best-selling novel It multiple times but the last time I read it was quite a while ago.  As I watched the new movie adaptation, I knew enough about the story and the characters to be completely invested very quickly but I couldn't remember enough to make comparisons between the script and the novel.  That was just the right mix for me because I thought the movie was fantastic (unlike the other Stephen King adaptation this summer).  There is something evil lurking in the sewers of Derry and it reappears, most often in the guise of Pennywise the Dancing Clown (Bill Skarsgard), to haunt the town's inhabitants every 27 years.  After Georgie Denbrough (Jackson Robert Scott) goes missing, his brother Bill (Jaeden Martell) and his friends Ben (Jeremy Ray Taylor), Beverly (Sophia Lillis), Richie (Finn Wolfhard), Stan (Wyatt Oleff), Mike (Chosen Jacobs), and Eddie (Jack Dylan Grazer) try to figure out what is causing so many of Derry's children to disappear.  Bill and the rest of the "Loser's Club" are all misfits in one way or another and Pennywise appears to each of them as what they fear the most.  They must band together in an epic confrontation with Pennywise in order to save Beverly.  The narrative ends with all seven of the kids making a blood pact to come back and face Pennywise again if it comes back, setting the stage for the next movie.  What I liked most about this movie is that it is an emotionally satisfying coming-of-age story about a group of kids who have to face their greatest fears.  By the end of the movie I cared deeply about each one of them and that is due, in large part, to the nuanced performances of the young actors, especially Lillis whose story arc is the most disturbing.  All seven of them are wonderful and I loved their interactions with each other because they seemed so natural and real with quite a few really funny moments to balance out the terror.  I've heard some criticism that it isn't scary enough but don't listen to it.  In my opinion, it is plenty scary (so please don't take your young children to see it). I jumped about a mile in a particularly tense scene.  Skarsgard plays Pennywise in a way that is completely different from Tim Curry's portrayal in the 1990 miniseries but it is no less frightening.  I definitely recommend this movie!

Note:  Now I am very eager for the sequel and, I have to admit, I already started casting the adult roles in my head before the movie even ended!  Amy Adams as Beverly?  Yes! 

Raiders of the Lost Ark in Concert

Last night I had so much fun watching the movie Raiders of the Lost Ark on the big screen at Abravanel Hall as the Utah Symphony performed the score by John Williams live!  I love this movie concert series that the Utah Symphony has started (go here and here) so much because listening to the music played live makes the movie so much more entertaining.  I may or may not have cheered out loud when we heard the iconic fanfare for the first time as Indiana Jones runs through the jungle.  It has been a really long time since I've seen this movie about an adventurous archaeologist and his quest to locate the Ark of the Covenant before the Nazis do.  I was my nephew's age when this first came out and it is really the first big epic adventure that I remember watching in the theater.  It felt just as exciting to me last night as it did then.  I'm starting to respect Steven Spielberg more and more because, just like with Close Encounters of the Third Kind, I think the special effects in this movie hold up incredibly well.  There are so many scenes that I loved such as when Indiana shoots a man who dramatically brandishes a sword at him, when he fights one of the Nazis near the propeller of a plane, when he crawls underneath a moving truck, when he is trapped in a tomb full of snakes (this gave me nightmares when I was a kid), and when the Ark burns the faces off of the Nazis.  I also thought it was really clever to use a red line across a map to indicate a long journey and I liked the use of shadows (that fedora is instantly recognizable).  It is such a great movie and the orchestra played the music magnificently under the baton of guest conductor Constantine Kitsopoulos.  It was a really fun way to begin the weekend.  The next movie in this series is The Nightmare Before Christmas in October and tickets may be purchased here.

Forever Plaid at HCT

Hale Centre Theatre has two shows running simultaneously: The Heart of Robin Hood is currently playing at the West Valley Theatre and Forever Plaid is playing in the Sorenson Jewel Box Theatre at the new Mountain America Center for the Performing Arts in Sandy. I have been eagerly anticipating this first show in the new theatre and I wasn't disappointed.  First of all, the theatre is absolutely amazing! The Jewel Box Theatre is a more traditional proscenium theatre (the main theatre opens in November with a production of Aida) and I am happy to report that there is leg room! Hallelujah! Second, the show is simply delightful in every way! Forever Plaid is essentially a juke box musical featuring a doo-wop group from the early sixties. While traveling to their very first gig at the Airport Hilton they crash into a bus of parochial school girls on their way to the Ed Sullivan Show to see the Beatles and are killed. They are given the chance to come back and perform the show they never got to in life. It is full of wonderful songs from the 1950s (my Dad would love this show) such as "Three Coins in the Fountain," "Moments to Remember," "No, Not Much," "Heart and Soul," "Shangri-La," "Rags to Riches," and "Love is a Many Splendored Thing." My favorite numbers were "Sixteen Tons" which was hilarious and "Lady of Spain" because they recreated all of the famous acts from the Ed Sullivan Show (I laughed and laughed when they pretended to be seals balancing beach balls). Keith McKay Evans (Frankie), Ricky Parkinson (Smudge), Jonathan Rex Baker (Sparky) and Will Perkins (Jinx) harmonize beautifully together. The choreography is a lot of fun, especially when they use plungers as microphones. In between the musical numbers, there is a lot of funny banter which emphasizes each of the characters' quirks such as Sparky's speech impediment, Jinx's propensity for bloody noses, Frankie's nervousness in front of a crowd, and Smudge's ulcer. I loved the minimal set design which included a piano (played by Tanner DeHaan) and a bass (played by Kelly DeHaan). This show is so much fun and I highly recommend that you see it (instead of The Heart of Robin Hood).

The Heart of Robin Hood at HCT

Last night I saw the Hale Centre Theatre production of The Heart of Robin Hood and I hate to admit this but I did not like it at all. In fact, there were parts of it that actually upset me and, had I not been sitting in the middle of a row, I would have left during the second act. This musical takes the story of Robin Hood (Derek Smith) that we all know and love and turns our hero into a villain who terrorizes the inhabitants of Sherwood Forest for personal gain rather than to give to the poor. It is up to Maid Marion (Riley Branning), eager to escape an arranged marriage to the despicable Prince John (Benjamin J. Henderson), to show him the way as they attempt to rescue two children (Sam Murdock and Ava Hoekstra). One of the problems that I had with the show is that it doesn't seem to know what kind of story it is telling. Is it a swashbuckling adventure with lots of comedic elements? Is it a romance filled with swelling power ballads? Or is it a tragedy about a family who dares to defy an unjust overlord at great cost? There are so many jarring tonal shifts I almost couldn't believe it. One minute you see Prince John forcing two children to watch the execution of their father (thankfully offstage) and the next you have Maid Marion singing a peppy love song. At one point Prince John is swishing around the stage with dancing colored lights on him while his soldiers torture people. It was awful to watch. I was bewildered by some of the choices the production team made. The costumes have absolutely no rhyme or reason with some characters dressed in Renaissance clothing and others wearing neon wigs, go-go boots, dreadlocks, Doc Martens, and eyeliner (Prince John reminded me of Adam Ant). Frankly, I thought it was a mess.  This is really too bad because I did like some of the songs and the two lead actors have wonderful voices. I don't understand why Hale would choose such an edgy production considering the demographic of it patrons. The crowd last night seemed very lukewarm to me. This is the second production in a row that has disappointed me so I only hope that Forever Plaid later this week can redeem HCT for me.