Us

Last night I went to see Us, the brilliant new horror movie from Jordan Peele that I am still thinking about.  In 1986 a little girl named Adelaide (Madison Curry) is visiting the boardwalk on Santa Cruz beach.  She wanders away from her parents and goes into a Hall of Mirrors attraction where she sees her physical double.  This encounter traumatizes her but her parents are never able to get her to talk about what happened.  In the present day Adelaide (Lupita Nyong'o) returns to Santa Cruz on vacation with her husband Gabe (Winston Duke), her daughter Zora (Shahadi Wright Joseph), and son Jason (Evan Alex).  She is uneasy and seems to fear being at the beach.  When she wants to leave, she finally confides what happened to her husband saying she senses that her double is still out there.  Moments later the doubles of all four family members break into their house and terrorize them.  This movie is incredibly suspenseful and the tension is almost unbearable but there are also some really funny comedic elements which lighten the mood periodically.  It is pretty gruesome (you will never look at scissors in the same way again) as the family tries to elude and then kill their doubles but it is also quite metaphorical and thought-provoking as the mystery of who the doubles are finally unravels.  Everything, literally everything, in this movie is portentous and full of symbolism so you really need to pay attention (and perhaps see it again) and there is a plot twist that is absolutely mind-blowing!  If you can handle the gore, I highly recommend this movie for its brilliant mixture of horror, comedy, and social commentary.

To Kill A Mockingbird

Unbelievably, the only time I have ever seen the movie To Kill A Mockingbird is when we watched it in my ninth grade English class after reading the novel!  I was so happy for the opportunity yesterday to see it again, this time on the big screen, as part of the TCM Big Screen Classics series.  It is a brilliant adaptation of one of my very favorite novels and it had a very powerful impact on me.  Jem (Phillip Alford) and Scout (Mary Badham) Finch learn that their father Atticus (Gregory Peck) is a hero when he defends an innocent black man named Tom Robinson (Brock Peters) against a charge of rape, even though he knows he will lose, simply because it is the right thing to do.  They also learn not to judge people until they have seen things from their perspective through their interactions with the reclusive Boo Radley (Robert Duvall). Peck gives an incredible performance as one of the most beloved characters in literature and there is a moment when he is giving his summation to the jury that took my breath away!  I love how this scene was filmed because as he leans towards the jury he is looking directly into the camera so it seems as if he is talking to the audience.  It is so powerful and I hoped against hope that the jury would be convinced and return a different verdict.  Another moment that I found especially poignant was when all of the black people sitting in the gallery rise as a sign of respect as Atticus walks out of the courtroom.  It brought a tear to my eye!  The young actors, Alford, Badham, and John Megna as their friend Dill, also give wonderful performances as precocious, yet innocent, children who must learn difficult life lessons.  I loved the scene where Jem refuses to leave his father alone when facing a lynch mob and the scene where Scout walks Boo Radley home.  Finally, I loved Elmer Bernstein's haunting score and the realistic sets representing the sleepy town of Maycomb, Alabama during the Depression.  It was an incredible experience seeing this beautiful movie on the big screen and I highly encourage everyone to take advantage of one last opportunity to see it on Wednesday (go here for information and tickets).

Chitty Chitty Bang Bang at CPT

I have a distinct memory of watching the movie Chitty Chitty Bang Bang with my sisters at one of the PTA summer movies when I was in elementary school (do they still have this program at elementary schools?) so I thought it would be fun to see it performed by CenterPoint Theatre last night. It was just delightful! The Potts children, Jeremy (Preston Spencer) and Jemima (Kaylee Call), love playing with their favorite car, which happened to win the Grand Prix back in the day, at a junk yard. When it is sold for scrap metal they beg their father, an eccentric inventor named Caractacus Potts (Ryan Zaugg), to buy it instead. Caractacus raises the money through a series of inventions such as a candy making machine and a hair cutting machine. He restores the car and, renaming it Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, takes the children and Truly Scrumptious (Alisa Woodbrey) to the seaside for a picnic where they discover that the car can float and fly. Two Vulgarian spies (Clark Bullen and Kannon Servoss) see this and want to steal it for the Baron and Baroness Bomburst (Mark Gurney and Jessica Love, respectively) who love toys. They kidnap Grandpa Potts (David Nielsen) so the family take Chitty to Vulgaria to rescue him and banish the Baron and Baroness. This production is not quite as polished as some of the others I have seen at CPT but the reason why I like community theatre is because it is so quirky. Everyone involved gave it their all and there were several highlights. Spencer and Call are adorable as the Potts children, especially in "Truly Scrumptious." I also really enjoyed the children's ensemble and "Teamwork" is definitely the best of the big song and dance numbers. Bullen and Servoss are hilarious as the Vulgarian spies and I loved watching their facial expressions and their physical comedy. The set pieces are a lot of fun, particularly the breakfast making machine, and it is really clever how they are able to make Chitty fly! However, the very best part of this show is Zaugg's performance as Caractacus because he has a lovely voice. The songs "You Too" and "Hushabye Mountain" are absolutely beautiful. I enjoyed this show and I recommend it, especially for children (go here for information and tickets).

Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto No. 2

I am now officially on spring break (such as it is) and I can think of no better way to begin the long weekend than by hearing Rachmaninoff performed by the Utah Symphony at Abravanel Hall.  The concert last night was an incredible experience and it took away all of the stresses of the preceding week (the end of the term is always difficult).  The orchestra began with a piece called Play by Andrew Norman.  The composer was there to introduce it and he called it a journey from chaos, where the instruments compete with each other rather jarringly, to peace in which the instruments cooperate with each other in harmony.  The percussion instruments control all of the other instruments and seem to turn them on and off at various times.  Norman also ascribed different moods and emotions to each instrument (my favorite was the "angry" clarinet) and has them make sounds in unusual and unexpected ways, such as having the horn players hit their mouthpieces and having the pianist strum the strings directly.  It was very unusual but I enjoyed it.  This piece required a high level of concentration and engagement to listen for all of the different emotions and moods so the next piece, Vocalise by Sergei Rachmaninoff, was a nice break.  It was lovely, with a beautiful theme performed by the strings, and I closed my eyes and let it envelope me.  After the intermission, the orchestra played Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto No. 2, one of my favorite pieces, and they performed it brilliantly!  I love Rachmaninoff because he is so emotional and tempestuous and this piece is, at times, incredibly dramatic with themes that are repeated until they build to a swelling crescendo, and, at other times, it is poignant and filled with so much longing, especially the second movement with a theme played by the piano and then echoed throughout the orchestra.  Soloist Alexander Gavrylyuk, with fingers flying up and down the keyboard, interpreted this piece beautifully and was rewarded with a thundering ovation.  The Utah Symphony can always be counted on for a lovely evening!

Note:  A shortened version of this program will be performed tonight as part of a new series called Unwound.  You can dress casually, applaud whenever you want, participate in a variety of activities in the lobby, and purchase food and drinks before the concert.  Go here for more information and tickets.

Howard Jones at the Eccles Theater

I love Howard Jones and I have seen him in concert more times than I can count.  When I heard that he was coming back to SLC I decided that I probably didn't need to see him yet again.  Then my friend Cyndi mentioned that she had an extra ticket to the concert and asked me if I wanted to go.  Of course I said yes!  The show was last night and it was so much fun!  This time he performed at the Eccles Theater, which is a great venue for a concert, and he was joined by Nick Beggs and Robin Boult for an acoustic set.  He started things off with "Pearl in the Shell" and then proceeded to play all of the hits, including "No One is to Blame," "Like to Get to Know You Well," "You Know I Love You, Don't You," "Don't Always Look at the Rain," "Everlasting Love," "Things Can Only Get Better," "Life in One Day," "Hide and Seek," and "What Is Love?"  It was amazing to hear stripped down versions of these instantly recognizable songs and my favorite was a really bluesy rendition of "Don't Always Look at the Rain."  He also played a few Beatles covers, including "Oh, Darling," "Come Together," and "Twist and Shout" which were fabulous.  For the encore, he played a new song from his forthcoming album called "Hero in Your Eyes," which I really liked, and he ended the evening with "New Song," which is the song that turned me into a Howard Jones fan all those years ago!  In between songs he told lots of stories (he mentioned that we probably knew all of his stories because he's been to SLC so many times!).  He said that watching Bohemian Rhapsody made him really nostalgic for Live Aid before he sang "Hide and Seek" (which is the song he sang at Live Aid) for us and that made me love him even more.  I loved every minute of this concert because it brought back so many memories of my youth and I am so glad Cyndi asked me along!

Note:  I went with Cyndi the last time I saw Howard Jones at Red Butte Garden.  I decree that we must always see Howard Jones in concert together from now on!