Jazz vs. Thunder

Last night I went to another Jazz game with my friend Angela and it was one of the most exciting games I've been to in a really long time!  I specifically picked the game against the Oklahoma City Thunder because, when I had season tickets many years ago, the Thunder and the Jazz had a great rivalry because of Deron Williams and Chris Paul.  The current Jazz and Thunder teams are very evenly matched so I was expecting a close game but the final minutes were absolutely crazy!  The Jazz took an early lead but the score went back and forth until the Thunder went on a 9-0 run to end the half ahead 55-46.  The Jazz had a lot of turnovers, struggled defensively under the net, and missed a lot of three point shots but they never gave up.  They battled back at the beginning of the second half with the help of Jordan Clarkson, who scored or assisted on the first six baskets, to come within two but the Thunder went on another run to end the third quarter 78-86.  The fourth quarter was the Lauri Markkanen show because he contributed 18 points, including a sweet slam dunk and a really pretty three point jump shot!  Walker Kessler got a nice block and putback layup to tie the Thunder 106-106 which sent the game into overtime (and sent the crowd into hysterics).  The score went back and forth in overtime with three point shots from Kelly Olynyk (whenever he does anything noteworthy Angela reminds me that he is Canadian), Lauri Markkanen, and Jordan Clarkson!  The score was 119-117 in favor of the Thunder with 4.6 seconds left when Markkanen was fouled on a three point shot.  He then made all three foul shots to pull ahead 120-119 and the crowd erupted!  It was so thrilling to be a part of it!  With only a few seconds remaining Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who ended the game with 39 points, missed a jump shot to give the Jazz the win!  Even though I had a hard time breathing during the final minutes I had to much fun at this game and I'm so glad that Angela keeps inviting me!

Of An Age

I originally had a ticket to see Of An Age on Wednesday night but the Broadway, like much of SLC, was closed because of the massive snowstorms we have been having.  Luckily, I was able to exchange my ticket and went to see it yesterday afternoon.  I can't even begin to express how much I loved this movie!  Kol (Elias Anton) is a young Serbian immigrant to Australia who aspires to be an amateur ballroom dance champion.  The only problem is that his partner Ebony (Hattie Hook) wakes up hungover on an unknown beach the morning of their competition with no memory of how she got there.  He has no way to come and get her so she suggests that he contact her older brother Adam (Thom Green) because he has a car.  Kol and Adam slowly get to know each other on the long drive to the beach and, by the time they reach Ebony, they are both clearly smitten.  Later that night, Adam attends a party with Ebony and insists that she invite Kol so he can see him again.  They end up spending a passionate night together but Adam is leaving to study abroad the next morning so they reluctantly part.  Eleven years later, they reunite at Ebony's wedding and, while they both realize that they cannot be together, it is clear that their encounter has had a profound effect on each of them.  I really loved how the dynamic between the two characters changes in the two timelines.  In 1999 Kol is awkward, insecure, uncomfortable in his own skin, and just beginning to question his sexuality.  Adam is confident, self-assured, and incredibly appealing and Kol is completely under his spell (so was I).  In 2010 Kol is handsome, stylish, successful, and social (the scene where he dances with Ebony at her wedding is in complete contrast to the one at the earlier party where he is bullied by his peers).  Adam is captivated by him (I have to admit that I was as well) and spends much of the wedding seeking him out without success.  Their scenes together are romantic and filled with so much longing that it is palpable (Anton and Green have tremendous chemistry) and I loved how the close-up camera shots on their faces reveal the feelings they are trying to repress.  Finally, I loved the messages about the importance of being truly seen by someone else and that it is better to experience love, even if it is fleeting or ephemeral, than not (it reminded me a lot of Call Me By Your Name but with a very different vibe).  It is melancholy but so beautiful (I really couldn't help but love it) and I highly recommend it!

Titanic The Musical at HCT

Other than Strictly Ballroom, I don't think I have ever been as excited for a show at HCT as I was for Titanic The Musical last night (I even drove through a major snowstorm to get to the theatre). It certainly didn't disappoint because it is amazing and rivals anything I have seen on Broadway! Just before the RMS Titanic sets sail on her maiden voyage, the designer Thomas Andrews (Kelton Davis), the owner J. Bruce Ismay (Justin Bills), and the captain E.J. Smith (Josh Richardson) marvel at the ship in the song "The Largest Moving Object" while a stoker named Fred Barrett (Brock Dalgleish), the lookout Frederick Fleet (R. George Banner), and the telegraph operator Harold Bride (Dallin Bradford) are in awe of it in the song "Ship of Dreams."  The third class passengers, represented by Kate McGowan (Adrien Swenson), Kate Murphy (Kenzie Davis Kremin), Kate Mullins (Erica Schoebinger), and Jim Farrell (Landon Horton), are excited to be going to America for a better life in the song "Lady's Maid," the second class passengers, especially Alice Beane (Ali Bennett), are excited to mingle with the wealthy passengers aboard the ship in the song "The Latest Rag," and the first class passengers, including John Jacob Astor (Paul Hamilton Murphy) and his wife Madeline (Kennedy Bradford), Benjamin Guggenheim (Davis Underwood) and his mistress Mme. Aubert (Casey Wawro), Isidor Straus (David Weekes) and his wife Ida (Sharon Lynn Kenison), John B. Thayer (Ricky Parkinson) and his wife Marian (Melody L. Baugh), George Widener (Tony Akin) and his wife Eleanor (Larissa Villers), Charlotte Drake Cardoza (Shawnda Moss), and a Major (Carson Davies), congratulate themselves on their success in the song "What a Remarkable Age This Is!" Ismay wants the ship to go faster to reach New York Harbor a day sooner for the publicity but that is dangerous and Titanic eventually strikes an iceberg in "No Moon." When it becomes clear that the ship will sink without enough lifeboats for all of the passengers, Andrews, Ismay, and Smith accuse each other in "Blame." Only women and children are allowed on the lifeboats and the men must say goodbye to their loved ones in "We'll Meet Tomorrow." Andrews laments the errors in his design as the ship goes down in "Mr. Andrews' Vision" while the survivors on the Carpathia express hope that they will be reunited with their loved ones in the song "Godspeed Titanic/ Finale." The large ensemble cast, which includes quite a few of my favorite regulars at HCT, is truly outstanding and everyone gets a moment to shine but I was particularly impressed by Richardson's commanding presence (pun intended) as the captain, especially when he takes responsibility in "The Blame." The music is beautiful and I loved it all but I was incredibly moved by the pathos in "The Proposal/ The Night Was Alive" when Barrett sends a telegram to his sweetheart, "The Staircase" when the third class passengers realize that they are trapped, "We'll Meet Tomorrow," as the men try to reassure their loved ones in the lifeboats that all will be well, and "Still" as Ida decides that she will stay on the ship with Isidor (I pretty much had tears in my eyes in all of these songs). The set is absolutely spectacular (one of the best I've seen at HCT and that is saying something!). A large multi-level structure rises from the pit to reveal the boat decks, the first class deck and smoking room, the second class deck, the third class deck and dining room, the boiler room, corridors, and the staircases to each level. The first class dining room, the bridge, the crow's nest (my favorite), and the radio room come down from the rafters. The costumes are fantastic, especially the elaborate turn-of-the-century gowns worn by the female first class passengers and the uniforms worn by the crew.  Finally, the opening montage when the crew and passengers first see the ship is very clever with blueprints and images projected on scrims and the sinking of the ship is incredibly dramatic (it even mimics when the ship breaks apart). I cannot say enough about this beautiful and moving production and, if you think you might want to see it (you should!), I recommend getting tickets as soon as possible because almost every show is sold out (go here).

Note:  Everyone is given the ticket of a real-life passenger with a QR code to scan to learn their fate. My passenger went down with the ship.

Close

I became really interested in Close when it was nominated for the Academy Award for Best International Feature (it also won the Grand Prix at Cannes this year).  Luckily it is now screening at the Broadway and I was able to see this poignant coming of age story last night.  Remi (Gustav De Waele) and Leo (Eden Dambrine) are thirteen year old boys who have an incredibly close friendship.  They spend all of their time together playing imaginative games and telling fanciful stories to each other.  However, when they begin secondary school, they are bullied by a group of their peers who notice their physical affection for each other.  This begins to bother Leo, especially when homophobic slurs are used, so he seeks out other friendships and goes to great lengths to avoid spending time with Remi.  Remi is devastated by this and confronts Leo about his behavior but it leads to a physical altercation which leaves him in tears.  When a tragedy occurs Leo must learn to live with the guilt he feels.  What I loved most about the narrative is that it is not necessarily about the sexuality of the two boys (although that interpretation works) but rather about them being viewed as different for having an unconventional friendship that people can't understand.  It does begin to meander a bit in the second half, although the portrayal of how a school reacts to a tragedy is spot-on (unfortunately, I have experienced this several times), but it is worth it for the emotional conclusion between Leo and Remi's mother (Emilie Dequenne) which brought me, and many in my audience, to tears.  The two young, and relatively unknown, actors give lovely performances and I was particularly struck by how well they portrayed their feelings for each other, especially during a scene where Leo watches Remi perform a solo during an orchestra concert.  I also really loved the luminous cinematography and the recurring visual motif of running and bicycling through a field of flowers (which makes the final shot so devastating).  It is beautiful and heartbreaking and I highly recommend it.

Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania

I was really excited for Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania because I enjoyed Ant-Man and Ant-Man and the Wasp so much.  I went to see it last night but, unfortunately, I thought it was a mixed bag.  After the events of Avengers: Endgame, Cassie Lang (Kathryn Newton) builds a device that can make contact with the Quantum Realm but it accidentally opens a portal which transports her, Scott Lang/ Ant-Man (Paul Rudd), Hope van Dyne/ Wasp (Evangeline Lilly), Hank Pym (Michael Douglas), and Janet van Dyne (Michelle Pfeiffer) there.  They discover a world filled with fantastical beings and creatures but they also discover a time-traveling multiversal being known as Kang the Conqueror (Jonathan Majors) who was exiled there and then betrayed by Janet.  Kang is now the ruthless dictator of the Quantum Realm and demands that Scott help him rebuild the multiversal power core that Janet destroyed.  This leads to an epic battle where the fate of both the Quantum Realm and the Multiverse hangs in the balance.  What I loved most about the first two movies in this trilogy is the lighthearted and goofy banter between Ant-Man and his crew so I was really disappointed to find that missing in this installment (where is Luis?).  Much of the humor in the interactions between Scott and the natives doesn't really land and, in my opinion, the characters Lord Krylar (Bill Murray) and M.O.D.O.K. (Corey Stoll) are pointless and ridiculous, respectively.  The emotional core of this movie is meant to come from the father-daughter relationship between Scott and Cassie (Hope is completely sidelined) but I just wasn't very invested in it because I didn't like Cassie as a character (I'm not sure if it is because of Newton's portrayal or my growing annoyance with the plucky-teenager-who-knows-better-than-everyone-else trope).  The CGI is both messy (it is obvious that everyone is acting in front of a green screen) and exhausting (I found my mind wandering during the never-ending climactic battle).  Having said all of that, I absolutely loved the character Kang and Majors' portrayal of him is brilliant because he is so menacing but also a bit vulnerable.  I found Kang's interactions with Janet (Pfeiffer is also outstanding) to be the most compelling aspect of this movie and I am actually looking forward to seeing more from him moving forward (definitely stay for the mid- and end-credits scenes).  I didn't hate this because it sets up one of the most interesting villains in the MCU but yikes!