Mr. Smith Goes to Washington

I can think of nothing better for a Sunday afternoon than a film directed by Frank Capra starring Jimmy Stewart.  It was absolutely delightful to see Mr. Smith Goes to Washington on the big screen as part of the TCM Big Screen Classics series yesterday.  Jefferson Smith (Jimmy Stewart) is a young and idealistic man appointed to the U.S. Senate when the sitting Senator dies unexpectedly.  The senior Senator, Joseph Paine (Claude Rains), and a corrupt political boss, Jim Taylor (Edward Arnold), think that because he is naive and inexperienced he will be easily manipulated.  However, Smith sponsors a bill for a boys camp in an area earmarked for a dam in an appropriations bill that is supported by Paine because it will greatly benefit Taylor.  Paine tries to discredit him but Smith stages a dramatic filibuster on the Senate floor until the truth comes out.  I just loved this film because, like most of Frank Capra's films, it emphasizes standing up for what you believe even if it costs you fame, money, and power.  I have always really liked Stewart as an actor but he is incredibly appealing in this role which is thought to be his best performance.  I loved the chemistry he has with Jean Arthur, who plays Saunders his cynical assistant.  I also really liked Raines in this role because he has such a character arc, going from a corrupt Senator to wanting to be the man Smith thinks he is.  Even though this film was made almost 80 years ago it still so relevant in our troubled times and it gave me a little bit of hope that there might be young and idealistic men and women still willing to fight for what is right.  I highly recommend seeing this film when it is screened again on Wednesday (go here for information and tickets).

Utah Opera's Romeo and Juliet

I was really excited when Utah Opera announced their 2018-2019 season because it includes two operas that I haven't seen before as well as two classics, including Romeo and Juliet which I had the opportunity to see last night.  This opera tells the well-known Shakespearean tale of how Romeo and Juliet fall in love despite the centuries old feud that has divided their families and how they are ultimately destroyed by that hate but with the addition of Charles-Francois Gounod's glorious music.  I really loved the music!  It is wild and exuberant during the masked ball where Romeo and Juliet meet, it is incredibly romantic during the scenes outside Juliet's balcony (especially the harp), it is thrilling during the fight scene between Tybalt and Mercutio, and it is plaintive and heartbreaking during the scene in the tomb.  Anya Matanovic, as Juliet, and Joshua Dennis, as Romeo, sing their roles brilliantly, especially during their arias and duets at the balcony and in the tomb.  I was also very impressed with Adam Lau as Friar Lawrence and Christopher Oglesby as Tybalt and the chorus sings beautifully during the Prologue and the fight scene.  I loved the costumes which feature sumptuous fabrics in rich jewel tones and the sets are very effective at portraying fair Verona.  I enjoyed this production so much more than I expected to because Romeo and Juliet is one of my least favorite Shakespeare plays.  I highly recommend it for the amazing music and performances.  It runs at Capitol Theatre through October 21 (tickets may be purchased here).

Note:  Yesterday I also bought tickets to see the Colorado Avalanche.  When you think about it hockey and opera are not that different because they both appeal to a small group of crazed aficionados who mostly go in for the violence.  Ha ha!

First Man

Last night I had the chance to see a Thursday preview of First Man, one of my most anticipated films this fall.  This is the very human story of Neil Armstrong (Ryan Gosling) and his journey from a test pilot at Edwards Air Force Base to be the first man to walk on the moon with the Apollo 11 mission.  This journey includes the death of his daughter from a brain tumor, applying to the NASA Gemini program as a way to distract himself from the pain of that loss, dealing with a malfunction during the Gemini 8 mission, the death of colleagues and friends, the waning public support for space exploration, becoming emotionally distant from his children and wife Janet (Claire Foy), and, finally, the incredibly dangerous mission to the moon.  I don't know that I have ever fully appreciated what these astronauts went through to go to space and I think director Damien Chazelle does an excellent job of putting us right in the middle of the action with Armstrong.  We get to experience the claustrophobia of being in a tiny space capsule, the jarring vibrations of lifting off, and the disorientation of being in space.  It is intense and there were moments when I felt like I was on an amusement park ride.  Some of the scenes are incredibly suspenseful, especially when Armstrong has to manually land the lunar module before running out of fuel.  I also really liked the juxtaposition of life at NASA with Armstrong's home life and I think the helplessness and isolation faced by Janet is portrayed very well  There is a particularly poignant scene where she is trying to discipline her sons while Armstrong is trying to regain control of a spacecraft.  Both Gosling and Foy give understated yet powerful performances and the closeup shots of their faces show more of what they are feeling than the dialogue does.  I think this is a brilliant film and I am now in awe of what Armstrong and the other astronauts accomplished!  Go see it in IMAX!

Wait Until Dark at HCT

The movie Wait Until Dark, starring Audrey Hepburn as a blind woman trapped in her apartment with a killer, is incredibly suspenseful so I've been very intrigued about HCT's production (the movie is originally based on a stage play) and I had the opportunity to see it last night. Sam Hendrix (Jacob Theo Squire) is unknowingly given a doll containing heroin and there are three criminals who are trying to get it back: Mike Talman (Lonzo Liggins), Sgt. Carlino (Zac Zumbrunnen), and Harry Roat (Benjamin J. Henderson). They arrange for Sam to go out of town and stage an elaborate plot in order to get his blind wife, Susy (Riley Branning), to trust them and allow them to search the apartment for the doll.  She, with the help of a neighbor girl named Gloria (Bridget Maxwell), eventually figures out that she is being conned and uses the dark to confront Roat in an epic showdown! The first act is full of a lot of complicated exposition and, I have to admit, that it did get a bit tedious trying to keep everything straight.  But the second act really gets going with a lot of edge-of-your-seat action, greatly enhanced by the lighting and sound design. I actually jumped about a foot during one particularly intense scene and I was not alone (the woman behind me screamed). The set design is quite innovative. I liked the use of the stairwell beyond the door to the apartment and the large windows in the kitchen area to convey the action taking place outside and I liked the fact that I could see everything in the apartment (which is not always the case in the Jewel Box Theatre). Branning is very convincing as a blind woman and the rest of the cast is solid but Maxwell absolutely steals the show as Gloria! She is a hoot and I loved watching all of her funny facial expressions! This is the perfect show to see during the month of Halloween (it runs through November 17).

The Children Act

Yesterday I went to see The Children Act which is based on a novel of the same name by Ian McEwan.  I have not read the novel but as McEwan is one of my favorite writers I knew that this fim would be thought-provoking.  It opens with Fiona Maye (Emma Thompson), a judge in the High Court of Justice in England and Wales, ruling on a case involving conjoined twins.  The hospital is petitioning the court to separate the twins without the consent of the parents.  If they are not separated, both of them will most likely die but, if they are, one of the twins will definitely die.  Even though the case is an emotional one, she states that she must follow the letter of the law without prejudice or passion and rules in favor of the hospital.  Her husband Jack (Stanley Tucci) accuses her of becoming just as dispassionate in their marriage and contemplates having an affair.  She is clearly distraught at this news and, when she hears her next case involving a seventeen-year-old boy (Fionn Whitehead) with leukemia who is refusing treatment on religious grounds, she becomes emotionally involved.  Her decision impacts her life just as much as it impacts the boy's and Thompson gives an incredibly powerful performance.  There is an amazing scene where Fiona is playing a piano recital and all of the emotion that she has been trying to suppress is suddenly revealed on her face.  Whitehead also gives a sensitive portrayal of a young man caught between his parents' beliefs and the law.  It is a compelling character study but I felt that the resolution was a bit rushed and it fell a little flat.  I found it to be rather unfulfilling after all of the emotional investment.  However, I would recommend this film for Thompson's performance and for the provacative discussion of morality and law.

 Note:  This film reminds me a bit of The Wife in that a strong central performance overcomes any shortcomings it may have!