Nebo Loop

Yesterday was the first day of my favorite month so, of course, I had to take another one of my favorite fall drives.  This time I drove the Nebo Loop which is a 32 mile scenic byway between the cities of Payson and Nephi.  The weather was absolutely perfect and the scenery was spectacular!  The leaves are so pretty right now!

Once again it was so nice because it wasn't crowded (most recreation areas in my neck of the woods are packed on the weekend) so I could stop on the side of the road for pictures.  I only saw a few cars on the entire drive.  I'm planning a few more drives for next week!

Alpine Loop

Fall is my very favorite time of year and I love taking a drive through the mountains to see all of the leaves changing color!  This is peak leaf viewing time in Utah so I took a drive through the Alpine Loop yesterday and it was beautiful!  The Alpine Loop is a 24 mile drive between American Fork Canyon and Provo Canyon and, because it was the middle of the week, there were hardly any cars.  I really enjoyed driving all of the switchbacks with my windows open!

In the next few days I am going to try to go on all of my favorite fall drives!

Close Encounters of the Third Kind

For the second night in a row I got to watch one of my very favorite movies on the big screen again!  I have been fascinated with Close Encounters of the Third Kind since I saw it when it was first released in 1977 as a nine year old.  I have seen it many times since (even on the big screen) but last night was the first time that I got to see the Director's Cut and I loved it!  Claude Lacombe (Francois Truffaut), a French scientist, investigates an increase in UFO activity around the world and discovers a way to communicate with these UFOs by broadcasting a distinctive five-tone musical phrase into outer space.  In response, he receives a set of geographic coordinates that lead to Devil's Tower in Wyoming.  Lacombe and the U.S. military evacuate the area by using a false story about a toxic spill.  Roy Neary (Richard Dreyfuss) and several other people, including Jillian Guiler (Melinda Dillon) and her son Barry (Cary Guffey), also have an encounter with these UFOs and both he and Jillian become increasingly obsessed with the shape of Devil's Tower without knowing what or where it is (you will never look at mashed potatoes in the same way again).  They both make the connection when they see the reports of the toxic spill on television and travel to Devil's Tower for another awe-inspiring encounter with the UFO.  What I love most about this movie is that everyone reacts to the UFOs with wonder and amazement rather that fear and I feel that same sense of wonder every time I watch the mother ship descend into the arena!  It is absolutely magical!  I think the special effects hold up really well, especially in the design of the aliens.  I remember when this was first released the design of the aliens was a really big secret and I was so excited to see what they would look like!  My favorite character in this movie is Lacombe because he also has a feeling of wonder about the UFOs and I love Truffaut's portrayal of him (when I first saw this my Dad had to tell me that he was a famous French New Wave director and I became a little bit obsessed with him).  The more I see this movie the more struck I am by the lengths to which the government goes in order to suppress information about what is happening and, especially right now, I find that scenario entirely plausible.  This movie is both thought-provoking and spellbinding and I highly recommend seeing it on the big screen.  You have one more opportunity to see it as part of the TCM Big Screen Classics series on Oct. 1 (go here for more details).

Note:  I also own Close Encounters of the Third Kind on Blu-ray so I can watch it whenever I want but I just can't resist seeing it on the big screen!

The Empire Strikes Back

I really love The Empire Strikes Back (it is tied with The Last Jedi as my favorite movie in the Star Wars franchise) so, even though I recently saw it on the big screen, I couldn't miss seeing it again now that it is back in theaters for its 40th Anniversary.  I had so much fun last night with a small but appreciative crowd!  After destroying the Death Star, the rebel alliance is on the run from the Galactic Empire.  Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) flees the rebel base to train with the Jedi Master Yoda (Frank Oz) on Dagobah while the Millennium Falcon, with Han Solo (Harrison Ford), Princess Leia (Carrie Fisher), Chewbacca (Peter Mayhew) and C-3PO (Anthony Daniels) on board, is damaged while evading the Imperial fleet.  Han turns to an old friend named Lando Calrissian (Billy Dee WIlliams) on the planet Bespin for help but Lando betrays the rebels to Darth Vader (James Earl Jones) who uses them as bait to lure Luke to him.  Han is frozen in carbonite and turned over to the bounty hunter Boba Fett (Jeremy Bulloch) but Lando helps Leia and Chewbacca escape while Luke faces Darth Vader in an epic duel.  I love so many things about this movie!  My favorite theme from all of the soundtracks in the Star Wars franchise is "The Imperial March (Darth Vader's Theme)" and I get goosebumps every time I hear it because I was absolutely terrified of Darth Vader when I saw this movie for the first time.  The action sequences are a lot of fun, especially when Luke takes down an AT-AT walker on the planet Hoth, when Han takes the Millennium Falcon into an asteroid field, and when Yoda raises Luke's X-wing out of a swamp using the Force.  In my opinion, this movie is the most thought-provoking of the original trilogy (I think The Last Jedi is the most thought-provoking of the sequel trilogy) because the stakes are higher for the main characters.  Luke must confront his destiny while Han and Leia must confront their growing feelings for each other and both of these arcs are very powerful and emotionally resonant.  Finally, I sit through the whole movie waiting for my favorite quotes!  I love it when Darth Vader says, "What is thy bidding, my master?" when the Emperor summons him, I laugh when Yoda tells Luke, "Do or do not, there is no try," when Luke attempts to lift his X-wing, and I sigh when Han tells Leia, "I know," after she says she loves him.  This movie is absolutely brilliant and I am still awe-struck every time I watch it.  I highly recommend seeing it while it is theaters again, especially if you are a Star Wars fan!

Note:  I own a Blu-ray copy of every Star Wars movie and I also subscribe to Disney+ so I can watch them any time I want!  However, there is just something about seeing them on the big screen!

Bach's Brandenburg Concerto No. 3

I didn't think that I would be able to attend a Utah Symphony concert this weekend but, when I realized that I would be back in town sooner than I expected, I immediately bought a ticket for last night.  The USUO organization has taken extraordinary measures so audiences can return to Abravanel Hall safely for live music and those measures were in place again last night.  Even though the audience was much smaller than usual, we tried to show our appreciation for a wonderful performance!  The orchestra, which once again consisted of just the strings (along with a harpsichord), began with with Brandenburg Concerto No. 3 by Johann Sebastian Bach.  It is one of Bach's most popular concertos and it was lovely, as usual.  Then the strings performed Transfigured Night by Arnold Schoenberg.  This is a moody and atmospheric piece about two lovers who walk through a moonlit forest.  The beginning is quite dark and mournful as the woman confesses that she is pregnant with another man's child but it becomes joyful as the man forgives her and they are transformed by love.  I had never heard this before and I really enjoyed it.  Just like last week, there were a few more surprises after the program concluded.  The stage emptied and a group of musicians from the woodwind section entered to perform Afro-Cuban Concerto for Woodwind Quintet by Valerie Coleman.  I really liked the rhythm of this piece and I liked that each instrument (bassoon, clarinet, flute, horn, and oboe) was given a moment to shine.  Next, the percussion section took the stage to perform Omnes Trio by Andrea Venet.  This piece was seriously cool and I absolutely loved it!  It was as much fun watching the three musicians playing the various drums, cymbals, and gongs (it was almost as if it was choreographed) as it was listening to them!  The percussion section was joined by the brass to conclude the evening with the world premiere of a piece commissioned by the Utah Symphony called Changes/Transitions by Quinn Mason.  It is a celebration of the progress made for racial equality, the acknowledgement that more work is needed, and the hope that people will continue to bring about necessary change.  This was accompanied by images from peaceful BLM protests around the world and it was very powerful (I was very heartened by the fact that this piece received the loudest applause of the evening).   I loved being back at Abravanel Hall for live music again!