Trap

I am a big fan of M. Night Shyamalan and the premise for his latest movie Trap looked intriguing so I was really excited to see it last night.  Unfortunately, it was one of my biggest disappointments of the year.  Cooper Adams (Josh Hartnett) takes his teenage daughter Riley (Ariel Donoghue) to see her favorite pop star Lady Raven (Saleka Shyamalan) in concert as a reward for a good report card.  He soon notices an elevated police presence at the venue and eventually learns (because he can roam at will despite all of the police and because a lowly vendor knows the entire plan) that an FBI manhunt, led by renowned profiler Dr. Josephine Grant (Hayley Mills), is being conducted to find the serial killer known as "The Butcher" because a torn receipt for the concert was discovered at one of his known lairs.  It turns out that Cooper is "The Butcher" (this is not a spoiler because it is inexplicably revealed in the trailer) and he must now find a way to escape from the arena.  I actually enjoyed the first two acts during the concert at the arena because, while it is incredibly far-fetched with obvious plot contrivances and cringe-worthy dialogue, it is very suspenseful with a campy performance from Hartnett that is fun to watch as well as a believable one from Saleka who wrote and performed all of the songs.  Once the action leaves the arena, however, it becomes even more far-fetched (to the point of incredulity) and Saleka is completely out of her depth once she stops singing (I think we all know how she got such a prominent role).  The requisite plot twist is underwhelming and my attention started to wane after I mistakenly thought it was over several times.  The real trap is having to sit through this movie!

Hamilton at the Eccles

I have now seen Hamilton thirteen times in seven cities (New York, Los Angeles, Denver, SLC, Las Vegas, Chicago, and San Francisco) and I can honestly say that I was just as excited last night at the Eccles Theatre as I was when I saw the Original Broadway Cast on Broadway!  I love this show so much and I don't think I will ever get tired of seeing it.  I anticipate every single number (I really have to make an effort to keep from singing along) and last night I particularly enjoyed what each actor in this production did to make the role his or her own.  Understudy Alex Nicholson has a different look than the other actors I've seen play Alexander Hamilton but I really liked the humor he was able to infuse into the character, particularly when he imitates other characters during "Farmer Refuted," "Cabinet Battle #1," and "Cabinet Battle #2."  I also liked his interpretation of "It's Quiet Uptown," especially when he bows deeply towards Eliza after she takes his hand (I have never made it through this song without crying).  Josh Marin, another understudy, is one of my favorite actors to play Aaron Burr because he gave me goosebumps during his powerful performance of "Wait For It" (his transition from the verse to the chorus blew me away), made me laugh during "The Room Where It Happens," and made me cry during his emotional performances of "Dear Theodosia" and "The World Was Wide Enough."  Kameron Richardson is a diminutive George Washington but that didn't stop him from blowing the roof off of the Eccles Theatre during "Right Hand Man" (I got chills when he first came on stage) and "One Last Time."  Simon Longnight is a more flamboyant Thomas Jefferson while Paul Louis Lessard is a more subdued (but hilarious) King George III than I've seen before.  Kendyl Sayuri Yokoyama is very soft as Eliza (I loved all of the bits of girly business she adds to "Helpless") and this worked for me because it is such a big contrast to the way that Lencia Kebede portrays Angelica and it creates a dynamic moment during "Burn" when she builds to a dramatic crescendo.  However, I wanted more of a reaction from her during "Stay Alive (Reprise)."  There were quite a few people around me who were seeing this for the first time and the energy from the crowd was so much fun!  I loved the spontaneous audience participation during "You'll Be Back" and the cheers during the dance break in "Yorktown."  Finally, I always notice something new every time I see this and last night it was the ensemble doffing their hats to George Washington as he leaves the stage after "One Last Time."  I can't begin to describe the thrill I felt, even after seeing it so many times, watching this last night!  It will definitely be a highlight of the year for me.  This runs at the Eccles Theatre through September 1 (go here for tickets) and, obviously, I highly recommend getting a ticket, especially if you have never seen it before!

Deadpool & Wolverine

Last night I went to see a Thursday preview of Deadpool & Wolverine in a packed theater and it was so much fun!  Wade Wilson (Ryan Reynolds) is living a mundane life as a used car salesman after Vanessa Carlysle (Morena Baccarin) breaks up with him and he is rejected by the Avengers.  However, when he is summoned by the Time Variance Authority and one of its agents, Mr. Paradox (Matthew Macfadyen), he suits up once again as Deadpool and recruits a reluctant Wolverine variant (Hugh Jackman) in order to save his timeline because it has been jeopardized by the death of Logan.  They soon realize that they must join with others to save the entire universe from an even bigger threat, Cassandra Nova (Emma Corrin).  The story is a bit messy but it is a funny and irreverent spoof of superhero movies in general, and multiverses specifically, that had me and the entire audience laughing out loud the whole time.  It includes the usual profanity-laden one-liners but, as always with this franchise, I especially enjoyed the meta humor (there is a throwaway line about Gossip Girl that made me laugh so hard I spit out my drink).  There are also quite a few unexpectedly emotional moments because Deadpool is desperate to prove that he matters and this variant of Wolverine is not the hero that Logan was (the reason for the return of Wolverine's original suit, while in service to the fans nostalgic, is incredibly poignant).  Reynolds and Jackman have so much chemistry as the goofy Deadpool and the intense Wolverine play off each other and all of the "gratuitous" cameos are a hoot (several of them had my crowd cheering) and feature some heartwarming and hilarious performances.  The big action set pieces are epic (my favorite of which is the opening credits sequence) but my enjoyment of them came more from the needle drops than from what was actually on the screen (I particularly loved the use of "Hells Bells" by AC/DC, 'You're the One That I Want" from Grease, and "Like A Prayer" by Madonna).  I had such a great time with this and I highly recommend seeing it with a big crowd!

Note:  Definitely stay for the end credits scene because it got some of the biggest laughs of the night!

National Anthem

Last night I went to see National Anthem at the Broadway on a whim and I absolutely loved this coming-of-age drama about self-acceptance.  Dylan (Charlie Plummer) is a 21-year-old construction worker who is supporting his younger brother Cassidy (Joey DeLeon) and his alcoholic mother Fiona (Robyn Lively) in rural New Mexico.  He is also trying to save money to buy an RV in order to pursue his dream of traveling around the country.  He takes a temporary job as a day laborer at a ranch called the House of Splendor, an LGBTQ+ community run by Pepe (Rene Rosado), and is immediately enchanted by Sky (Eve Lindley), a transgender woman who works with the horses.  He spends more and more time at the ranch with Sky and feels accepted for the first time in his life by people who feel more like family than his mother does.  He is also inspired by Carrie (Mason Alexander Park) and all of the others who are pursuing their dreams (as rodeo and drag performers) to fight for his.  What I loved most about this movie is the authentic and non-judgmental portrayal of the LGBTQ+ characters and the fact that they are shown to be thriving, and even inspiring others, rather than surviving trauma.  I also loved that the narrative challenges preconceived expectations and conventions.  One of my very favorite scenes is when Cassidy rather bluntly asks Carrie if they are a boy or girl and, when they respond that they are neither, he simply accepts it and it is so powerful!  Plummer gives an extraordinary performance as Dylan because his transformation from a world-weary acceptance of his lot in life to wide-eyed wonder at the possibility of a different one is visibly evident on his face without much dialogue.  Lindley is incredibly alluring and charismatic as Sky and you can't look away whenever she is on the screen while Park imbues Carrie with a warmth that I found very compelling.  Finally, the cinematography is incredibly beautiful with wide shots of the rugged landscape and immersive action shots at the rodeo (which subvert traditional ideas of both).  I was very moved by this and highly recommend it!

Widow Clicquot

I grew up on a farm in Southern Ontario near the vineyards located on the Niagara peninsula so I was really intrigued by the trailer for Widow Clicquot.  I decided to see it last night at the Broadway and, while I loved many aspects of this biopic, I was a bit disappointed.  Barbe-Nicole Ponsardin Clicquot (Haley Bennett) vows to continue running the vineyards bequeathed to her by her husband Francois (Tom Sturridge) after his death.  However, there are massive debts after the failure of the last harvest, her father-in-law Philippe Clicquot (Ben Miles) is pressuring her to sell to Jean-Remy Moét (Nicholas Farrell), her managers doubt her abilities and do not support her unconventional techniques, and the embargoes enforced during the Napoleonic Wars make distribution almost impossible.  Her only ally is wine merchant Louis Bohne (Sam Riley) but, when she begins a relationship with him, her status as a widow is called into question because marrying again would make it illegal for her to run her late husband's business under the Napoleonic Code.  She eventually overcomes all obstacles to become the Grande Dame of Champagne and creates innovations that are still used today.  Bennett is outstanding in the role because she convincingly embodies Barbe's all-consuming grief over her husband's death, for which she feels responsible, as well as her uncompromising determination to succeed equally well.  The cinematography, featuring shots of sun-dappled vineyards and low-lit rooms in a vast estate, is absolutely gorgeous, the production design is sumptuous, and the original score by Bryce Dessner is dreamy and atmospheric.  The story about a woman who defies all expectations to revolutionize an entire industry is an incredibly compelling one but the telling of it loses focus.  The narrative is very jumbled as it alternates between her volatile romance with Francois and her collaboration with Louis as they try to find a way to make the vineyard a success.  As much as I enjoyed Sturridge's performance, I wanted more of the latter and less of the former.  I didn't love this as much as I thought I would but I recommend it to fans of period dramas.