Angel Has Fallen

Saturday nights are perfect for an action blockbuster and a big tub of popcorn so I went to see Angel Has Fallen last night.  After saving the world in Olympus Has Fallen and London Has Fallen Agent Mike Banning (Gerard Butler) must now save himself.  He is tapped to be the next director of the Secret Service but the years have definitely taken both a mental and physical toll on him.  While on a fishing trip in a rural area, there is an assassination attempt on President Trumbull (Morgan Freeman) which incapacitates him and kills the entire protection detail except for Banning who is framed for the incident.  After Banning escapes from police custody, he enlists the help of his estranged father Clay Banning (a hilarious Nick Nolte) to elude FBI Agent Helen Thompson (Jada Pinckett Smith) and the real perpetrators in order to prove his innocence, protect the president from another attack, and confront an old friend.  The narrative is incredibly predictable (I figured out who was responsible for the attack before it even happened) but that doesn't really matter.  Although the story about a man dealing with the consequences of his past has more depth than its predecessors, I went to this movie for the action sequences and they are a lot of fun, particularly a spectacular attack by drones, Banning's escape from a moving van with four guards while handcuffed, a high-speed police chase with a semi, an epic firefight in the woods against a group of mercenaries, a shootout in a hospital, and a knife fight on a rooftop.  As previously mentioned, Nolte is fabulous in the role of a man tormented by war and he steals every scene he is in (stay for a hilarious mid-credits scene).  It is Clay's relationship with Mike that gives the story its heart.  This movie is definitely not going to win any awards but it is a lot of fun on a Saturday night and I recommend it to fans of the franchise.

Luce

The first week back at school has concluded and, other than feeling exhausted (getting back into a routine after a summer of playing is very difficult), it went extremely well!  Last night I decided to celebrate by going to the movie Luce which I have been anticipating for weeks.  It is one of the most thought-provoking movies I've seen and it is sure to feature on my end of year list!  Amy (Naomi Watts) and Peter (Tim Roth) adopted their son Luce (Kelvin Harrison, Jr.) from war-torn Eritrea when he was seven years old.  After a violent childhood as a gun wielding soldier, Luce has become an outstanding student, a champion debater, and an all-star athlete.  His parents are understandably proud and his teachers hold him up as an example of excellence to the other black students.  He is almost too perfect.  When Harriet Wilson (Octavia Spencer), Luce's history teacher, becomes alarmed at some extreme views expressed in one of his assignments, she searches his locker and makes a shocking discovery.  This calls into question everything his parents believe about him and brings a crisis to their marriage.  It is an incredibly powerful and somewhat uneasy exploration of identity that challenges preconceptions and I am still thinking about it.  I was especially struck by the juxtaposition between Luce and another black student who is vilified for a minor mistake because he has been labeled a delinquent.  The tension, augmented by a truly menacing score, becomes almost unbearable as the mystery of who Luce really is unfolds with no easy answers.  Harrison, Jr. gives a brilliant performance as a young man feeling the weight of living up to expectations.  A scene where he tearfully practices a speech about how lucky he feels to live in America, a place where he can be anything he wants to be, is almost overwhelming in its intensity because of the irony.  I was also impressed with Roth's chilling performance as a man who just wanted a normal family not a political statement.  This is definitely a provocative movie that will spark a lot of conversations and I highly recommend it!

The Art of Racing in the Rain

The book club that I once belonged to also read The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein and I loved it so much that I recommended it to everyone.  I have been eagerly anticipating the movie adaptation and I finally had the chance to see it yesterday.  A golden retriever named Enzo (voiced by Kevin Costner) has been with Denny (Milo Ventimiglia), an aspiring Formula One race car driver with an affinity for driving in the rain, since he was a puppy.  He likes watching television while Denny is away from home and learns from a documentary about Mongolia that some dogs are reincarnated into humans after they die.  Enzo hopes that he will be able to become a man so that he can be a race car driver himself.  The story is told from Enzo's point of view as he learns everything he can about driving from Denny and, as time goes by, applies these lessons to life as Denny gets married to Eve (Amanda Seyfried), becomes a father to Zoe (Ryan Kiera Armstrong), suffers an unspeakable tragedy, and overcomes adversity.  As a huge fan of the book I was happy that the movie followed the source material pretty faithfully (other than changing a minor subplot which, frankly, worked much better in my opinion).  I loved the way the relationship between Denny and Enzo is portrayed, especially Enzo's jealousy when Eve vies with him for Denny's affections and his protectiveness when Zoe is born.  I loved Costner as the narrator and I think he makes Enzo into a really believable character.  I also liked Ventimiglia as Denny because he is very appealing and Seyfried does very well in a role that is not as developed.  The story is, admittedly, quite emotional but I think everyone who has ever had a dog will relate to it and, after all of the tears, the ending will put a smile on your face.  I recommend this movie to everyone who loved the book and to everyone who loves dogs!

Note:  I've been thinking about all the books my former book club read and I've decided that I need to join another one!

Blinded by the Light

Have you ever had a favorite band whose music speaks to your soul and so perfectly reflects how you feel about life, love, and the world and your place in it that you listen to it over and over again?  I have felt that way about both the Beatles and U2 so when I saw the preview for Blinded by the Light, a true story about a young man who is inspired by the music of Bruce Springsteen, I knew that I had to see it and I did last night.  I couldn't love this movie more!  Javed Khan (Viveik Kalra) is the son of very traditional Pakistani immigrants living in an economically depressed town in England in 1987.  He yearns for the courage to stand up to the racist bullies who attack him, to finally kiss a girl, and to escape his town and become a writer.  When a friend (Aaron Phagura) gives him a Bruce Springsteen tape, he listens to the song "Dancing in the Dark" when feeling particularly down and something inside him is awakened.  He loves Bruce Springsteen so much that he collects all of his records, listens to his music all of the time, covers his bedroom walls with his posters, finds out everything he can about him, starts dressing like him, and takes extreme measures to get tickets to his concert.  I couldn't relate to him at all!  He is inspired by "Badlands," "The Promised Land," "Thunder Road," and "Prove It At Night" to pursue his dreams but it is the song "Blinded by the Light" that eventually helps him understand who he is.  This movie is definitely one of my favorites this year!  I loved the message about the power of music, I loved the earnest and heartfelt performance of Kalra (in his feature film debut), and I loved all of the great Bruce Springsteen music used throughout!  Definitely go see this feel-good movie!

Note:  In the end credits we learn that the real Javed Khan has seen Bruce Spingsteen over 150 times!  Nope!  I couldn't relate to him at all!

The Book of Mormon at the Eccles

I saw the Broadway touring production of the musical The Book of Mormon when it first came through Salt Lake City in 2015 and the excitement and energy in the crowd was palpable!  The audience laughed out loud, cheered, and even gave a standing ovation after the song "Sal Tlay Ka Siti" (which is in the middle of the show!).  It was one of the most memorable theatre experiences that I have ever had so, of course, I wanted to see it again during its return visit to SLC.  After a busy week back at school, seeing The Book of Mormon last night was so much fun!  After spending some time at the Missionary Training Center learning how to preach the gospel around the world ("Hello"), Elder Price (Liam Tobin) and Elder Cunningham (Jacob Ben-Shmuel) are called to serve in a remote village in Uganda.  Elder Price is very disappointed in the location because he wanted to go Orlando, the most wonderful and magical place on Earth, and in his companion because Elder Cunningham has a tendency to lie to compensate for his low self-esteem but he realizes that he will be a great missionary no matter the circumstances ("You and Me But Mostly Me").  When they meet their fellow missionaries in Africa, they get some advice about dealing with any unusual feelings they might be having ("Turn It Off").  The elders begin teaching ("An American Prophet") but the villagers are more concerned with poverty, famine, AIDs, and a violent overlord than in hearing their message.  However, Nabulungi (Alyah Chenelle Scott), the chief's daughter, is interested because she is hoping to leave Africa and go to paradise ("Sal Tlay Ka Siti").  Elder Price becomes discouraged because Uganda is nothing like The Lion King and decides to go home leaving Elder Cunningham, who has never actually read the Book of Mormon because it is so boring, to teach Nabulungi ("Man Up").  He begins embellishing the message with references to Star Wars, Star Trek, and The Lord of the Rings ("Making Things Up Again") and, after he baptizes Nabulungi ("Baptize Me"), he converts the rest of the village.  Meanwhile, Elder Cunningham decides to return after having a dream about being in Hell with Jeffrey Dahmer, Genghis Khan, Hitler, and people who drink Starbucks coffee ("Spooky Mormon Hell Dream").  They eventually get in trouble for their false teachings but they realize that they have made the lives of the villagers better and decide to stay in Africa ("Tomorrow is a Latter Day").  It is absolutely hilarious and I laughed so hard I had tears in my eyes, as did everyone sitting around me.  My favorite number is "Turn It Off" because I love the choreography and Andy Huntington Jones is fabulous as Elder McKinley, a missionary trying to pretend that he is not gay!  There is quite a bit of profanity and some might be offended by the content but if you understand going in that it is a satire, this show is a lot of fun.  It runs at the Eccles Theatre until August 25 (go here for tickets).

Note:  The cast has mentioned how much fun this show is to perform in Salt Lake City.  They get reactions here that they don't get in other cities, especially during "Sal Tlay Ka Siti," and it sometimes throws them off!