The Wild Robot

Last night I went to see The Wild Robot and, even though I had heard great things about it, I was unprepared for just how powerful and emotional it is and for how much I loved it!  A robot named Roz (Lupita Nyong'o) is stranded on an uninhabited island after the cargo ship transporting her from the factory runs aground during a typhoon.  She searches the island for a task to complete, which is her purpose, but most of the animals run from her in fear.  When she accidentally destroys a goose nest, the only surviving gosling imprints on her and, with a little help from a mischievous red fox named Fink (Pedro Pascal), a harried mother opposum named Pinktail (Catherine O'Hara), an understanding falcon named Thunderbolt (Ving Rhames), a wise goose named Longneck (Bill Nighy), a misunderstood Beaver named Paddler (Matt Berry), and a ferocious grizzly bear named Thorn (Mark Hamill), she reluctantly takes on the tasks of feeding Brightbill (Kit Connor) and teaching him to swim and fly.  The story may be simple but it is compelling and very moving (I had tears in my eyes multiple times).  One of the themes that I really loved is that it is sometimes better to abandon everything you think you know and trust what you feel because Roz must overcome her programming in order to succeed with Brightbill.  I also loved the theme of acceptance because both Roz and Brightbill are shunned for being different but they both eventually save their community because of those differences.  In addition, Roz's experiences as a mother are incredibly powerful, especially when she realizes that she must ultimately let Brighbill go after teaching him to fly.  The animation is visually stunning with an evocative score to match and all of the vocal performances are highly nuanced (I was particularly impressed with Nyong'o because Roz's voice noticeably changes as she moves beyond her programming).  The hype is definitely real with this beautiful movie and I highly recommend it to everyone!

Jersey Boys at PTC

I grew up listening to the music of The Four Seasons because my dad was a huge fan. The first time I saw the Broadway touring production of Jersey Boys I knew my dad would love it so I bought tickets for him to see it the next night during intermission. He enjoyed it so much that I took him to see it again for Father's Day when the touring production came back to SLC. It was, therefore, really bittersweet to see it at PTC last night without him but I loved what they did with it and had to stop myself from singing along to every song! This jukebox musical (one of the best jukebox musicals I've seen) tells the story of how The Four Seasons went from four blue-collar guys singing under a streetlamp in New Jersey to global superstars and then how the pressure of fame caused it all to fall apart. Each member of the group, including Frankie Valli (Trevor James), Bob Gaudio (Daxton Bloomquist), Nick Massi (Brent Thiessen), and Tommy DeVito (Adam Enrique Hollick), narrates the story from his perspective because everyone remembers it the way they need to. The best thing about this show is all of the amazing music and I love how the lyrics of the songs mirror what is happening personally and professionally with the group. The four leads are incredible performers who sing and dance just like The Four Seasons and I was especially impressed with James because he captures Valli's falsetto perfectly. The ensemble is also outstanding because they all play multiple roles seamlessly with some quick costume and wig changes! What I love most about the Broadway production is the elaborate staging and, even though PTC's version is a bit more stripped down, it is still just as clever because the four of them often begin singing a song very simply and then set pieces move on stage around them and they put on jackets to depict the same song being performed on TV or a stage. I especially loved the staging of "Sherry" on American Bandstand, "Dawn (Go Away)" on The Ed Sullivan Show, "Can't Take My Eyes Off of You" in concert complete with a horn section, and "Rag Doll" (my favorite song by the group) at their Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony. The reprise of "December, 1963 (Oh, What a Night)" after the bows is also a lot of fun because the audience was dancing in the aisles! This is such an entertaining show and fans of The Four Seasons are sure to love it (just be aware that there is a lot of profanity). It runs at PTC through September 28 and I highly recommend it (go here for tickets).

The Substance

After hearing all of the buzz about The Substance, my nephew and I were really excited (and a little nervous) to see it at the Broadway last night.  I think it is a bold repudiation of the beauty standards imposed on women, especially as they age, and it is absolutely bonkers.  Elisabeth Sparkle (Demi Moore) is an Academy Award-winning actress now relegated to hosting a morning exercise show on TV.  She is unceremoniously fired by her misogynistic boss (Dennis Quaid) on her 50th birthday and then gets into a car accident when she sees the show's billboard being taken down.  She receives information about a black market drug called "The Substance," which can create a younger and more beautiful version of anyone who uses it, while being treated at the hospital and eventually decides to order it.  She injects a one-time "Activator" and a new version of herself, who takes the name Sue (Margaret Qualley), is born from a slit in her back.  Elizabeth is rendered unconscious when Sue injects a daily "Stabilizer" extracted from her back but, because the two are connected, they must switch places every seven days.  Sue embraces life and achieves fame as Elisabeth's replacement on the exercise show when she is conscious while Elisabeth is forgotten and becomes more and more despondent when she is.  Sue ultimately abuses the established boundaries in order to have more time which results in a physical deterioration in Elisabeth and, ultimately, a bloody confrontation between the two.  This features some really gruesome body horror elements (the visual effects and prosthetics are incredible) and the last 20 minutes are wild once the feminine rage is unleashed (eliciting lots of nervous laughter from the audience).  The themes could not be more obvious but I enjoyed the extreme camera angles and close-ups on Sue's body to mimic the male gaze, the campy performances from the men in the cast (particularly Quaid) to highlight the double standards for women in the entertainment industry, the contrast between the vibrant neon colors and bright lights for Sue and the muted colors and low lights for Elisabeth to telegraph their worth in society, and the symbolism of having a bathroom as the setting to portray Elisabeth's insecurities and dissatisfaction with herself (it is so relatable). I also enjoyed the commentary on the price of fame because both Elisabeth and Sue are willing to do anything to stay in the spotlight and the sequences at Elisabeth's star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame are brilliant.  Finally, Moore gives the best performance of her career with a vulnerability that is often heartbreaking, especially when she views herself in a mirror.  I was blown away by this and highly encourage fans of the genre to see it in the theater.

Never Let Go

The reviews for Never Let Go have not been great but I was really intrigued by the trailer so I decided to see it last night.  Unfortunately, like several horror thrillers released this year, it begins well with an interesting premise and an escalating sense of dread but falls apart in the final act.  An unnamed mother (Halle Berry) lives in an isolated cabin in the woods, in what appears to be a post-apocalyptic timeline, with her twin sons Nolan (Percy Daggs IV) and Samuel (Anthony B. Jenkins).  She regularly reminds the boys of an omnipresent evil in the world, that only she can see which often takes the form of her abusive mother (Kathryn Kirkpatrick) or her deadbeat husband (William Catlett), and the only thing that can keep them safe from this evil is their home and the love they share.  When they venture into the woods to forage for food they must stay tethered to the house, literally with ropes, and recite an incantation before leaving and after they return (I wish this lore was explored more fully).  When supplies run low and the family faces starvation, Nolan starts to question everything his mother has told him.  Is the evil outside in the world or is it within the house?  I was really invested in the setup of a mother, who may or may not be suffering from delusions brought on by trauma, doing whatever it takes to keep her children safe and Berry does a great job at walking a tightrope between her character's protectiveness and unhinged paranoia.  Daggs and Jenkins are also very convincing and highly sympathetic, especially when the brothers disagree about the evil, because I didn't want anything bad to happen to either of them.  The atmospheric cinematography in the woods, the creepy production design inside the candle-lit house, and the menacing sound design create a palpable unease.  However, as with The Watchers, Longlegs, and Cuckoo, all of the tension is undone in the third act.  There is an M. Night Shyamalan type plot twist (that mirrors the one in The Village beat for beat) but the script doesn't commit to it and we are left with some incredibly confusing action sequences and a decidedly unsatisfactory resolution that leaves more questions than answers.  I found the ambiguity to be more disappointing than thought-provoking so I don't recommend this.

The Eagles at the Sphere

Seeing U2 at the Sphere was an incredible experience so when I heard that the Eagles would be doing a residency there I knew I had to get a ticket.  I took a road trip to Las Vegas for the first show Friday night and it was absolutely amazing!  I ended up sitting by some people from Virginia who were big fans but had never seen the Eagles before and they were so excited.  While we waited for the show to start we tried to guess what the first song would be and they suggested "Take It Easy" because it was their first big hit and I thought it would be "Seven Bridges Road" because they often start with it but it was actually "Hotel California" which they usually perform during the encore!  I tried to prepare them for how immersive the three-dimensional images would look on the state-of-the-art screens but they just about lost their minds when a car on a dark desert highway appeared to drive right into the audience!  The images also take the audience through a dark corridor with burning sconces to check in and then to a courtyard for a feast.  It was seriously so cool!  I also really loved the visuals for "Witchy Woman" (the band performs in a haunted forest), "Tequila Sunrise" (the sun slowly appears through the clouds), "In the City" (apartment buildings get bigger and bigger until they surround Joe Walsh during an epic guitar solo), "New Kid in Town" (filmstrips featuring archival photos and videos of the band are configured and reconfigured into 3-D cubes), "Life's Been Good" (archival photos and videos spin around the band as they play), "The Boys of Summer" (a couple runs on a beach then they swim underwater), and "Life in the Fast Lane" (a car races along the Las Vegas strip).  They also performed "Lyin' Eyes," "Take It to the Limit," "Peaceful Easy Feeling," "I Can't Tell You Why," "Seven Bridges Road," "Those Shoes," "Already Gone," "Take It Easy," and "Rocky Mountain Way" with a live feed of the band performing on the screens (there is not a bad seat in the venue because all of the images appear at eye level).  The encore included an incredibly emotional version of "Desperado," with silhouettes of an orchestra performing behind a curtain, and "Heartache Tonight" (dedicated to JD Souther), with animated images of gambling.  Vince Gill is such a great addition to the band because, even though he doesn't necessarily sound exactly like Glenn Frey or Randy Meisner, it just somehow sounds right when he sings their songs.  I was also glad to see Deacon Frey back with the band (he looks so much like his dad and sounds a lot like him in the songs "Peaceful Easy Feeling" and "Already Gone").  Neither of them spoke to the crowd but they were heavily featured on the screens.  Don Henley provided most of the commentary (although Joe Walsh was predictably hilarious) and he joked that they were just the house band for all of the high-tech wizardry!  Just like with U2, this was another mind-blowing concert and I recommend getting a ticket (go here) during the residency (they keep adding more shows due to the overwhelming demand).

Note:  Hearing the audience singing along with "Hotel California" gave me goosebumps because it was so loud!