The 355

I am a huge fan of espionage movies so I have been looking forward to The 355 for weeks.  I had the chance to see it last night at a Thursday preview and I was really disappointed because it is an absolute mess.  After a computer drive capable of hacking into every secure system around the world is stolen, Mason "Mace" Browne (Jessica Chastain), a CIA agent, Khadijah Adiyeme (Lupita Nyong'o), a former MI6 agent, Marie Schmidt (Diane Kruger), a German BMD agent, and Graciela Rivera (Penelope Cruz), a psychologist with the Colombian DNI agency, decide to join forces to try to recover it.  After they are betrayed by members of their own agencies, they find an unexpected ally in Lin Mi Sheng (Fan Bingbing), a Chinese MSS agent, and go rogue to recover the drive and exact revenge.  The premise is really intriguing but the execution is terrible.  The characters are very thinly drawn and there are some major pacing issues because every time I thought there was a resolution something else would happen (I lost track of how many times the agents capture, lose, and recapture the world-ending device).  By the third act I didn't care about the fate of the device or any of the characters because I just wanted it to end.  I also predicted a major plot twist early on and I was almost disappointed when I was proven right.  All of this might be forgiven if the action sequences were exciting and engaging but the cinematography and editing are some of the worst I have ever seen.  The shaky hand-held camera work (I also lost track of how many times the camera makes a 360-degree sweep around the characters) and the disorienting split-second changes in focus gave me an actual headache.  The all-star cast is completely wasted here but at least they look good in fabulous costumes (the only good thing I can say about this movie).  I definitely recommend giving it a miss!

American Underdog

I am a sucker for inspirational sports movies and I have very vivid memories of watching Kurt Warner win Super Bowl XXXIV so I spontaneously decided to see American Underdog last night.  It is a very average biopic but that doesn't mean I didn't enjoy it.  Warner (Zachary Levi) dreams from a very young age of becoming the MVP in the Super Bowl after watching his idol Joe Montana in Super Bowl XIX.  However, he faces many seemingly insurmountable obstacles such as being benched until his fifth year as a college athlete, not being selected during the college draft, being cut by the Green Bay Packers on the first day of training camp, being forced to stock shelves at a grocery store to make ends meet, giving up on the NFL to play in the Arena Football League, and having to prove himself over and over again to the antagonistic offensive coordinator of the St. Louis Rams.  Through it all, it is his relationship with his wife Brenda (Anna Paquin) and her disabled son Zack (Hayden Zaller) that inspires him to never give up.  He is finally given an opportunity when the Rams' starting quarterback is injured in a preseason game and, despite throwing an interception during his first play, he goes on to achieve his dream.  This movie focuses more on Warner's personal life than it does on football and, while I did appreciate seeing his struggles off the field, I wish it had included more of him on the field.  The few football sequences we get are a lot of fun, especially the requisite training montage featuring "Boom" by P.O.D. and the trash talking from Ray Lewis (Nic Harris) during his first game, but the depiction of his success with the Rams feels very rushed.  I also think the use of actual footage from several key games is sloppy.  Levi and Paquin give very affecting performances but nobody else makes much of an impression (Dennis Quaid has little more than a cameo).  There are flaws but there are also quite a few stand up and cheer moments (my favorite is when a stock boy who worked with Warner puts the Sports Illustrated with him on the cover out for display) and I did enjoy it.  This might be one that you can wait to see on a streaming platform but it is worth seeing.

Note:  The one and only time I waited at the stage door was for Zachary Levi after She Loves Me on Broadway.  He signed autographs and posed for pictures with everyone in line (Jane Krakowski flounced after only a few) and I found him to be incredibly charming.

The Tragedy of Macbeth

Last night I saw my first film of 2022, The Tragedy of Macbeth, at the Broadway and I could not have picked a better one to start the year because it is a brilliant adaptation of Shakespeare's Scottish play.  After Macbeth (Denzel Washington), the Thane of Glamis, is victorious in battle, he is met by Three Witches (all played by Kathryn Hunter) who prophesy that he will become the Thane of Cawdor and the King of Scotland.  When King Duncan (Brendan Gleeson) bestows the title of Cawdor on him, he starts to believe the prophecy will eventually come true.  However, the ambitious Lady Macbeth (Frances McDormand) is not content to wait and spurs him on to take matters into his own hands.  After the brutal murder of Duncan, his son Malcolm (Harry Melling) flees and Macbeth takes the throne but he is forced to kill again and again to keep it.  Both he and Lady Macbeth come undone because of their guilt over their bloody deeds until another prophecy comes true and Macbeth is defeated by Macduff (Corey Hawkins).  This adaptation is quite faithful to the original text but the action is stripped down to just the essentials and the characters of Macbeth and Lady Macbeth are much older and the motivation for their actions is informed by their age and the notion that time is running out for them to achieve their ambitions.  Both Washington and McDormand give riveting performances and the rest of the cast is also outstanding, particularly Stephen Root in a small role as the Porter.  This film is very moody and atmospheric with black and white photography, menacing sound design, and sets that feel more theatrical than cinematic.  I loved the use of light and shadow against stark geometric shapes, especially as Macbeth walks down a long corridor to reach the king's chamber.  I also enjoyed the staging of Birnam Wood coming to Dunsinane and the fight between Macbeth and Macduff on the ramparts of the castle.  Finally, the use of birds as a portent of danger in the opening scene, as a representation of the Three Witches, and as a representation of the ghost of Banquo (Bertie Carvell) is incredibly unsettling and, therefore, highly effective.  I love the play Macbeth and this adaptation is one of the best I've seen (the people in my audience applauded at the end) so I highly recommend it.

2021: Year In Review

This has been an extremely difficult year for me (in some ways it was even harder than 2020) but there have been a few noteworthy moments with lots of outdoor performances, a few road trips, and some outstanding theatre productions.  Here are some of the highlights!

Utah Shakespeare Festival

Zion National Park

Bryce Canyon National Park

Weekend Camping Trip

Capitol Reef National Park

Alanis Morissette Concert

Cats in Las Vegas

Frozen at the Eccles

Mean Girls at the Eccles

My Dad's visitation

Hamilton at the Eccles

I don't have any big plans for 2022 but my goal is try to get back to being me!  I hope everyone has a safe and happy new year!

Hamilton at the Eccles

It has been 783 days since I last saw Hamilton (in San Francisco) and I really missed it, especially since all of the plans I had to see it in 2020 had to be canceled.  The Broadway touring production is currently making a stop at the Eccles Theater and I was so happy to be back in the room where it happens again last night!  I love this musical so much and I eagerly anticipated every single song as much as I did the first time I saw it!  I was practically hyperventilating by the time I heard the opening notes of "Alexander Hamilton."  I really enjoyed Julius Thomas III as Hamilton.  When I saw a production in Las Vegas a few years ago, I was really looking forward to seeing Joseph Morales in the lead role and was a bit disappointed to learn that the understudy was performing.  However, I immediately changed my mind because the understudy was Thomas and he has a beautiful voice!  Last night I was especially impressed with his versions of "Dear Theodosia" and "Hurricane."  I was also quite moved when he put is head on Eliza's shoulder during "It's Quiet Uptown" and I saw several people sitting near me wipe tears from their eyes at this moment, as well.  Donald Webber, Jr., who played Aaron Burr when I saw it in San Francisco, gave an incredible rendition of "Wait For It" and the transition from the verses to the chorus was so powerful that it received spontaneous applause!  He also sang "The World Was Wide Enough" with a great deal of remorse and that made it even more poignant than other versions I have seen.  When Darnell Abraham, as George Washington, stormed the stage during "Right Hand Man" he gave me goosebumps and this also received spontaneous applause ("We are outgunned, outmanned, outnumbered, outplanned.  We've got to make an all out stand").  I had to check to see if the roof was still attached to the Eccles Theater after "One Last Time" because his version just about blew it off.  I saw Paris Nix, as Marquis de Lafayette/Thomas Jefferson, in the Chicago production and I laughed out loud once again when he did the running man in "Cabinet Battle #1" last night.  With all of the discourse about understudies, standbys, and swings performing on Broadway lately, I am happy to report that DeAundre Woods, a standby, and Milika Cheree, a swing, were fabulous as Hercules Mulligan/Philip Hamilton and Peggy Schuyler/Maria Reynolds, respectively.  I thought that Victoria Ann Scovens was a little bit weak as Eliza and Rick Negron portrayed King George as regal rather than pompous and angry rather than petulant and, as a result, much of the comic relief that the character usually provides was missing.  When I saw the filmed version on Disney+ I saw lots of little things that I had never noticed on stage before so I paid very strict attention last night.  I actually saw it when The Bullet (performed by a member of the ensemble) misses Hamilton at the beginning of "Stay Alive" and when Philip stands in the background at the beginning of the duel in "The World Was Wide Enough" and this, for some reason, thrilled me!  I really loved seeing this last night and I am happy that I had the chance to end a difficult year on a good note (literally).  Hamilton runs at the Eccles Theater through January 23 but there are very few tickets available (go here).