Dark Phoenix

The Children's Center, where my sister and her husband both work, has a huge benefit this time every year and it has been my responsibility to take Sean for the weekend (we have gone swimming, to drive-in movies, to the zoo, and to museums).  This year he didn't want to spend the weekend with me because we are going on a little trip next week and he thought we might annoy each other if we spent too much time together before we went!  I suggested that we could still go to a movie and he was pretty lukewarm about it until I mentioned Dark Phoenix.  He is a huge fan of the X-Men franchise (we went to X-Men: Apocalypse during one of these weekends) so he was immediately on board!  Despite the bad reviews we both, but especially Sean, loved it!  Set a decade after the events in X-Men: Apocalypse, Raven (Jennifer Lawrence), Beast (Nicholas Hoult), Cyclops (Tye Sheridan), Quicksilver (Evan Peters), Storm (Alexandra Shipp), Nightcrawler (Kodi Smit-McPhee), and Jean Grey (Sophie Turner) are sent by Professor X (James McAvoy) to save astronauts on the Space Shuttle from a solar flare.  During this mission Jean absorbs the energy from the solar flare to save one final astronaut and miraculously survives, earning the nickname Phoenix.  She now has even stronger powers that she struggles to control and, when she learns something about her past which was repressed by Charles, the rage she feels causes her to lash out and she kills one her friends.  She turns to Magneto (Michael Fassbender) but he wants to kill her when he learns what happened.  The mutants then become divided over what they should do about Jean but must unite when an alien being named Vuk (Jessica Chastain) wants Jean's powers.  While some of the CGI in this movie isn't very good I really liked most of the action sequences, especially those in space and on the train.  I also really loved the atmospheric score by Hans Zimmer.  Turner gives a great performance as Jean, particularly when she is confronted with the consequences of her actions.  I have always really enjoyed McAvoy as Charles and Fassbender as Erik in this franchise and this movie highlights their shortcomings and they, too, have to deal with the consequences of their actions in several very poignant scenes.  Each of the mutants has a moment to shine and I especially enjoyed the Beast's character arc.  This is reportedly the final movie in this particular franchise (we could have movies about new mutants) and I absolutely loved the final resolution between Charles and Erik because it hearkens back to one of my favorite scenes in X-Men: Days of Future Past.  I really enjoyed this movie (Sean loved it) so I would recommend it.

Summer Reading: The Woman in the Window

I have been reading a lot this summer! At least once a day I will sit in one of the three reading areas that I have in my house, grab one of the books on my summer reading list, and then not even notice that two hours have suddenly gone by! It makes me so happy to have time to read what I want! I actually read the second book on my list, The Woman in the Window by A.J. Finn, in less than two days because I could not put it down! Anna Fox was once a renowned child psychologist before a mysterious accident derailed her life. She is separated from her husband and daughter and now lives alone in her New York brownstone suffering from severe agoraphobia and a drinking problem. She spends her days counseling others in an agoraphobia chat room, playing chess online, learning French, watching classic black and white noir films, and spying on her neighbors through the window. She becomes obsessed with watching a new family, the Russells, across the park and eventually she sees something violent happen to one of them. She reports the incident to law enforcement but the Russells deny it and no one believes her. Police officers reveal a huge plot twist which, along with her abuse of prescription drugs and her excessive drinking, discredits everything she says. Even she begins to doubt what she saw, thinking she might be remembering the plot of one the films she was watching. But what if what she saw actually happened? The chapters are extremely short which makes the action move quickly and the tension builds and builds to a conclusion I honestly didn't see coming. Anna is a very compelling character (she reminds me of the unreliable narrator in The Girl on the Train) and Finn does a great job of showing her claustrophobia and frustration, especially when she begins to doubt her own reality. As a classic film aficionado myself, I really enjoyed the references to all of the noir thrillers, especially Hitchcock's Rear Window, Shadow of a Doubt, Vertigo, Spellbound, Suspicion, and George Cukor's Gaslight, because they mirror events in the narrative. In fact, this novel feels a lot like a Hitchcock film with characters who cannot be trusted, escalating tension, and a climactic plot twist! It is a brilliant psychological thriller and I highly recommend it!  Incidentally, I cannot wait for the movie version which is due to hit theaters in October!

Note:  Have you read The Woman in the Window?  What did you think?

Afternoon Tea at the Grand America Hotel

I have always wanted to have Afternoon Tea at the Grand America Hotel and I finally found a willing victim friend to go with me.  Angela and I went yesterday afternoon and it was so lovely.  I especially loved the live music playing in the background!

You have your choice of several black teas, green teas, herbal teas, or hot chocolate.  I chose a peppermint herbal tea and it was delicious!

English scones with clotted cream, lemon curd, and jam.  My Scottish grandmother made the best scones ever but these were pretty good!

We were also served Strawberries & Creme Chantilly (divine), Finger Sandwiches, and an Assortment of Pastries.

Afternoon Tea is served in the Lobby Lounge of the Grand America Hotel in downtown Salt Lake City every afternoon at 1:00 pm Monday-Thursday and at 12:30 and 3:30 pm Friday - Sunday.  Afternoon Tea is $32 for adults and $24 for children 12 and younger.  You can also order a Grand Traditions Tea which includes a Selection of Imported and Domestic Cheeses for $40 and you can add a glass of Champagne for $12.  Reservations must be made 24 hours in advance.  Go here for more information.

Birthday Dinner at The Garden Restaurant

My sister and I have birthdays one week apart and we have a tradition of celebrating at The Garden Restaurant at the top of the Joseph Smith Memorial building downtown.

The Garden Restaurant has a casual atmosphere, with stunning views of downtown, and and upscale bistro menu.

Spinach & Artichoke Dip ($11)

Classic Burger ($13)

Berry Cobbler & Ice Cream ($8)

The Garden Restaurant is a great place to celebrate an occasion (there is a special menu for Father's Day).  The food is really good and reasonably priced (entrees range from $13-$20) and the wait staff is very efficient and friendly.  It is open Monday - Thursday 11:00 am to 9:00 pm and Friday - Saturday 11:00 am to 10:00 pm.  Reservations are accepted (go here).

Rocketman

Last night I went to see Rocketman, the biopic about the flamboyant singer Elton John, and I loved it, especially the music and Taron Egerton's performance as the iconic star.  The movie tells the story of John's life as if it were a stage musical with big production numbers of songs that reflect the events in his life.  The movie uses the framing device of having John (Egerton) enter rehab for his addictions to alcohol, cocaine, sex, and, rather amusingly, shopping.  He recounts his childhood with a self-absorbed mother ("The Bitch Is Back") and distant father ("I Want Love"), performing in local pubs as a teenager ("Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting"), forming his legendary songwriting partnership with Bernie Taupin ("Your Song"), his triumphant performance at the Troubadour ("Crocodile Rock"), his loneliness ("Tiny Dancer"), beginning a personal ("Don't Go Breaking My Heart") and business ("Honky Cat") relationship with John Reid, his suicide attempt ("Rocket Man"), his descent into drug, alcohol, and sex addiction ("Bennie and the Jets"), his disastrous marriage to Renate Blauel ("Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me"), the deterioration of his relationships with Reid, his mother, and Taupin ("Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word"), and his decision to go to rehab ("Goodbye Yellow Brick Road").  While in rehab John is able to confront all of the people in his life and learn to love himself for who he is ("I'm Still Standing").  This movie portrays John as a consummate performer even when his life is falling apart and that makes it very compelling.  Egerton is absolutely fantastic in the role and I was very impressed by the fact that he did all of the singing himself (and that he actually hit a baseball during the concert in Dodger Stadium). I was also impressed by Jamie Bell as Taupin and Richard Madden as Reid (who is a very nasty character).  I loved the staging of the musical numbers because they are very energetic, fun, and filled with fabulous choreography and gorgeous costumes.  This movie earns its R rating because of some sex scenes between John and Reid and some scenes of debauchery at a club but I don’t think they are overly salacious.  There will be the inevitable comparisons to Bohemian Rhapsody (which I think are unfortunate because the two movies, while they have similar subjects, are very different) but I have to say that Rocketman didn't quite have the pathos for me that Bohemian Rhapsody did but I loved it, nonetheless, and I certainly recommend it.