The Shrouds

David Cronenberg is definitely not for everyone but I really like him as a director so I was excited, and nervous, to introduce my nephew to him by seeing The Shrouds at the Broadway last night.  Businessman Karsh (Vincent Cassel) is so grief-stricken over the death of his wife Rebecca (Diane Kruger) from a virulent form of cancer that he creates a company called GraveTech which uses specially designed shrouds with 3D cameras to allow loved ones to watch the decomposition of the deceased's corpse through a live feed but this keeps him from moving on.  When several graves are vandalized, including Rebecca's, the live feed is hacked and Karsh is drawn into several conspiracy theories.  One involves Rebecca's oncologist, Dr. Jerry Eckler (Steve Switzman), who Karsh suspects was experimenting on his patients after discovering unusual protrusions on Rebecca's bones and on the bones of those in the other defaced graves.  Another involves a suspected plot by the Chinese government, who are investors in GraveTech, to use the live feed for surveillance.  Yet another involves his former brother-in-law Maury (Guy Pearce), who wrote the code for GraveTech's security, because of his growing paranoia over Karsh's relationship with Rebecca's sister, Terry (Diane Kruger).  I had prepared my nephew for Cronenberg's use of body horror in his movies but, while this does show the devastating effects of cancer when Karsh has a series of dreams about Rebecca's worsening condition before her death, I think it is pretty mild.  However, both of us found it incredibly thought-provoking with commentary on several topics.  My nephew was intrigued by the use of technology, particularly Karsh's reliance on the AI assistant modeled on Rebecca, but I was struck by the theme of obsession and its dangers.  Karsh is preoccupied by Rebecca's body which is why he eventually begins a relationship with Terry because her body is so similar to Rebecca's and why he is tormented by jealousy because Dr. Eckler was more intimately involved with her body at the end of her life than he was.  Both Karsh and Maury go to extreme lengths to maintain possession of Rebecca and Terry, respectively, because they cannot let them go.  I know that some will be frustrated by the ambiguity of the ending (there are no definitive answers about the conspiracy surrounding the vandalism of the graves) but, to me, the resolution comes from Karsh letting go of his obsession for Rebecca in order to move on (although I interpret the final scene to mean that, even though he has someone new in his life, he will still carry the memory of his wife wherever he goes).  I loved Cassel's detached and almost stilted delivery because, in my opinion, it shows that Karsh's desire to be with his wife has kept him from truly living.  I think this is brilliant (I haven't been able to stop thinking about it) but it is not something I would recommend to everyone.

Until Dawn

Despite the fact that I have never played the game, I really wanted to see Until Dawn because the premise sounded intriguing.  I convinced my nephew, who loves the game, to see it with me last night and we both hated it.  Clover (Ella Rubin) is still traumatized by the disappearance of her sister Melanie (Maia Mitchell) a year ago so she and her friends Max (Michael Cimino), Nina (Odessa A'zion), Megan (Ji-young Yoo), and Abel (Belmont Cameli) travel to her last known location hoping for some closure.  A severe thunderstorm forces them to stop at an abandoned house in Glore Valley and they notice some unsettling details.  There is a giant hourglass that suddenly flips over, there is a guestbook signed by each visitor (including Melanie) thirteen times, and there is a bulletin board filled with posters of missing people (including Melanie).  Nina signs the guestbook and then they are all brutally killed, one by one, by a mysterious figure in a mask.  Everything resets and the five of them are back to where they started the previous night but the hourglass flips again, Nina's name appears in the guestbook a second time, and all of them appear on the bulletin board as missing people.  Every night they are killed in a new and gruesome way (my favorite is when they explode after drinking the tap water) and then everything resets again.  They eventually realize that they will be stuck in this time loop until they can survive the night.  I thought this was really clever and I enjoyed the first act but then it becomes an incoherent mess.  They eventually learn that those who are killed more than thirteen times become wendigos, supernatural beings who then torment the next visitors to the house, and that Melanie is now a wendigo.  They also learn that Glore Valley was the site of a mining tragedy that killed over 11,000 people and that a psychologist named Dr. Hill (Peter Stormare, who is reprising his role from the game) was brought in to help the survivors overcome their trauma.  Dr. Hill is now running an elaborate experiment to help Clover, who is apparently his patient, overcome the trauma of her sister's disappearance (they never learn how Dr. Hill is able to create and manipulate all of the supernatural elements in the house).  There is absolutely no logic to the narrative and, in my opinion, the filmmakers should have chosen the supernatural story with the wendigos or the psychological story about trauma with Dr. Hill but not both.  I had so many questions for my nephew afterwards but he said that the movie is nothing like the game (the game actually sounds really interesting).  To add insult to injury, it looks terrible because it is so dark that you can't see what is happening and the dialogue is incredibly cringe-worthy (I lost track of how many times the characters say, "Holy shit").  This is definitely one to miss and my nephew recommends playing the game, instead.

A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder at the Terrace Plaza Playhouse

There was a time when A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder was the show that I most wanted to see so, even though I have now been to productions at just about every Utah theatre (with another one scheduled this summer), I was still really excited to see it again at the Terrace Plaza Playhouse last night because it is so hilarious. Some shows are better than others at this theatre and this is one of the best I've seen there! I absolutely loved it. After his mother dies, Monty Navarro (Joe Robinson) learns from one of her friends, Miss Shingle (Melissa Trenery), that she was part of the illustrious D'Ysquith Family (Scot D. Struble) and was disinherited for marrying his father. He is really Montague D'Ysquith Navarro and he is in line to inherit the earldom (there are only eight family members ahead of him). When his vain and heartless girlfriend Sibella (Karlie Ady) decides to marry the rich and handsome Lionel Holland, Monty decides to kill every family member ahead of him in the line of succession in order to become the earl and win her back. While in prison awaiting trial for the murder of the only D'Ysquith for which he is not actually guilty, he begins writing his memoirs detailing how the Reverend Lord Ezekial D'Ysquith fell from the tower of his cathedral, how Asquith D'Ysquith, Jr. fell through the ice in a skating accident, how Henry D'Ysquith was stung by a swarm of his own bees, how Lady Hyacinth D'Ysquith was presumed dead on a philanthropic mission to a tribe of cannibals, how Major Lord Bartholomew D'Ysquith was decapitated while lifting weights, how Lady Salome D'Ysquith Pomphrey was killed by real bullets in a prop gun during her debut in Hedda Gabler, how Lord Asquith D'Ysquith, Sr. was driven to a heart attack by all of the family tragedies, and how Lord Adalbert D'Ysquith, the Earl of Highurst, was poisoned. He also details the relationship he began with Phoebe D'Ysquith (Jordyn Tracy) to make Sibella jealous. The charges are dismissed when Phoebe and Sibella each give proof that the other committed the murder but Monty might not live happily every after because Chauncey D'Ysquith, the next in line to the earldom, is lurking! This show features lots of madcap physical comedy and some really fun songs (my favorites are "Better With a Man" by the flamboyant Henry, "Lady Hyacinth Abroad" by the socially conscious Hyacinth, and "I've Decided to Marry You" by the lovestruck Phoebe). Robinson, Ady, and Tracy have beautiful voices but I especially loved Struble's performance because he is brilliant with distinct characterizations for each member of the D'Ysquith Family and I laughed out loud at all of his antics (this theatre is very intimate so I could see all of his facial expressions). Unlike other productions I have seen, this one has a very minimal set with just a few pieces moved on and off stage by the ensemble but this works because the projections and moving panels used as backdrops are fantastic.  The staging is extremely clever, especially when Monty tries to keep Sibella and Phoebe apart in different rooms at his flat and when the portraits at Highurst Castle sing. Finally, the beautiful period costumes are some of the best I've seen at this theatre and I particularly loved the gowns worn by Sibella and Phoebe at Highurst Castle. This is one show that you don't want to miss (go here for tickets). It runs on Mondays, Fridays, and Saturdays through May 31.

On Swift Horses

I didn't really know much about On Swift Horses but I was really excited about the stellar cast so I decided to see a matinee at the Broadway yesterday.  It looks beautiful and has a powerful message but I found it strangely underwhelming.  After a troubled childhood, Lee Walker (Will Poulter) has a plan for his life which includes going out West to California, buying a house, and starting a family but his wife Muriel (Daisy Edgar-Jones) and his brother Julius (Jacob Elordi) feel constrained by the conventions of the 1950s.  Muriel begins betting on horse races but she hides her winnings from her husband.  Julius takes a job as security in a Las Vegas casino even though he still acts as a card sharp.  However, the biggest gamble that Muriel and Julius take is to begin clandestine relationships with Sandra (Sasha Calle) and Henry (Diego Calva), respectively.  Will they risk it all for love?  I am really torn on this because the visuals are absolutely gorgeous and I enjoyed the performances because they are filled with so much wistful longing shown with lots of closeups on the beautiful faces of Edgar-Jones and Elordi.  I also think the gambling metaphor works very well for the risk taking and secrecy involved in pursuing a forbidden love and the journey to break free from conformity is one I always appreciate.  There is just something that kept me from loving this.  The pacing is incredibly slow but I didn't feel a connection to any of the characters because they are not very well developed.  I also found the ending to be really ambiguous for all of the characters and I wanted something more after the endless build-up.  I suspect that the novel by Shannon Pufahl, upon which this is based, is much better and I recommend waiting for streaming to watch it.

Revenge of the Sith

Of the three Star Wars prequels, my favorite is Revenge of the Sith because, even though I already knew what would happen the first time I saw it (anyone familiar with A New Hope knew what would happen), I still found it incredibly compelling,  I was really curious about why Anakin Skywalker (Hayden Christensen) turned to the dark side of the Force and I wanted to see how he was physically transformed into Darth Vader.  I was eager for the confrontation that had been building between Darth Vader and Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor) and to learn why the latter was compelled to live as a hermit on Tatooine afterwards.  I wanted to know how Chancellor Palpatine (Ian McDiarmid) was able to take over the Senate and become the Emperor of the Galactic Empire.  Finally, I was most interested in how and why the twins Luke and Leia were taken from Padme Amidala (Natalie Portman) and raised separately.  I eagerly awaited all of these revelations and I remember being blown away by the emotional conclusion to the trilogy.  Episode III is now back in theaters to commemorate its 20th anniversary (what?) and I was so excited to see it on the big screen again with my nephew last night.  I loved all of the exciting action sequences, especially the light saber battles between Anikan, Obi-Wan, and Count Dooku (Christopher Lee) during the rescue of Palpatine, between Obi-Wan and General Grievous on Utapau (even though he resorts to an uncivilized blaster to destroy him), between Palpatine and Mace Windu (Samuel L. Jackson) in Palpatine's office on Coruscant, between Darth Vader and all of the Separatists on Mustafar, between Yoda (Frank Oz) and the newly created Emperor in the Senate chamber on Coruscant, and, of course, the epic battle between Obi-Wan and Darth Vader on Mustafar.  Christensen's performance has been much maligned but, in my opinion, his portrayal of the conflict within Anakin is very powerful and I loved the cross-cutting between Anakin in the council room and Padme in their apartment before he makes the fateful decision to go to Palpatine.  The music by John Williams is always a highlight and, while I found "The Battle of the Heroes" to be incredibly stirring, I absolutely loved the callbacks to "The Imperial March" when Anakin pledges himself to the Sith and to the Main Theme when Obi-Wan delivers Luke to Owen (Joel Edgerton) and Beru (Bonnie Piesse) on Tatooine.  I cheered every time I saw a reference to the original trilogy (Padme's buns!) and I was particularly struck by the armor worn by the clone troopers who execute Order 66 because they appear to be an early iteration of the armor eventually worn by the stormtroopers (I don't know why I have never noticed that before).  Seeing this again was so much fun and I highly recommend it (especially if you have never seen it on the big screen).

Note:  Apologies to my nephew for my unhinged behavior which started during the opening crawl (although he said I wasn't as crazy as some of the other people watching it with us).