MJ Live at Sandy Amphitheater

I love outdoor concerts at Sandy Amphitheater in the summer and my sister is a big fan of Michael Jackson so we were both really excited to see MJ Live last night.  This show, featuring Jalles Franca as the King of Pop, is one of the best Michael Jackson tribute concerts in the world (it is performed nightly at Harrah's in Las Vegas) and it was fantastic.  Franca looks and sounds like Jackson but, more importantly, he definitely has all of Jackson's iconic moves and they were a lot of fun to watch.  It was also fun to see all of the familiar costumes, especially the red leather jacket from the "Beat It" music video, the white pinstripe suit and fedora from the "Smooth Criminal" music video, and the black sequin jacket, black fedora, white sequin glove, and white sequin socks from the performance of "Billie Jean" at the Motown 25th Anniversary special.  In addition to the songs mentioned above, Franca performed "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'," "Bad," "Another Part of Me," "Dirty Diana," "She's Out of My Life," "I'll Be There" with lots of audience participation, "The Way You Make Me Feel," "Human Nature," and a medley of "I Want You Back," "ABC," and "The Love You Save" by the Jackson 5 with the backup dancers performing with Franca in some fabulous costumes and wigs.  After an epic performance of "Beat It" with backup dancers as rival gang members, Franca invited a group of kids on stage to show their best Michael Jackson choreography.  Some of them were really good!  Then Franca performed "Thriller" and this was a highlight because he replicated the choreography from the music video (I vividly remember when the video premiered on MTV because it was so groundbreaking) with the backup dancers as the undead!  He continued with "Jam," "Man in the Mirror," "Black or White," "Can You Feel It," and a rousing rendition of "Shake Your Body (Down to the Ground)" that got everybody up dancing!  This was such a fun concert and the weather was perfect!  I highly recommend checking out a show at Sandy Amphitheater (it is a great venue and my sister was very impressed with how fast the attendants got everyone out of the parking lot) this summer.  I have a ticket to another concert but I am thinking about two more!  Go here to see the lineup and to purchase tickets.

M3GAN 2.0

My nephew and I had a lot of fun with M3GAN so we were really excited to see the sequel, M3GAN 2.0, last night.  Unfortunately, I found the switch in genre from horror to action thriller to be disappointing.  Cady (Violet McGraw) is still traumatized by the events leading to the destruction of her AI robot M3GAN (Model 3 Generative Android) and her aunt Gemma (Allison Williams), inspired by her boyfriend Christian (Aristotle Athari), has become an advocate for the regulation of AI technology.  However, M3GAN's technology is surreptitiously used by a defense contractor to create a military-grade robot named AMELIA (Autonomous Military Engagement Logistics and Infiltration Android).  When AMELIA (Ivanna Sakhno) becomes self-aware and goes rogue, Gemma and her coworkers, Cole (Brian Jordan Alvarez) and Tess (Jen Van Epps), are persuaded to rebuild M3GAN to make her faster and stronger so she can stop AMELIA from attempting an AI takeover.  There are endless exposition dumps, convoluted plot twists (you may want to take notes to keep them all straight), derivative action sequences, and cringe-worthy dialogue before the long anticipated show-down between M3GAN and AMELIA culminates in a muddled message about working together with AI to solve the world's problems.  We get the requisite dance break and a song from M3GAN (this time she sings "This Woman's Work" by Kate Bush) but they are ridiculous and random rather than campy and my nephew and I gave each other several looks of incredulity.  M3GAN (portrayed by Amie Donald and voiced by Jenna Davis) is no longer scary and, as a result, she is no longer interesting but she is still better than the rest of the cast whose performances are surprisingly bland (except for a brief appearance by the always hilarious Jemaine Clement as a corrupt tech billionaire).  The premise is intriguing and I even enjoyed the initial setup with AMELIA going rogue but the execution is flat without the horror elements that made the first movie so iconic.  This is not the upgrade I was hoping for and I suggest waiting for it to stream.

F1

Last night my nephew and I went to an early access IMAX screening of F1 and it is an adrenaline rush from beginning to end!  Sonny Hayes (Brad Pitt) is a nomadic driver for hire after a promising career in Formula 1 racing was cut short by a near fatal crash.  Ruben Cervantes (Javier Bardem), a friend and former F1 driver who now owns APXGB, lures him out of retirement to mentor Joshua Pearce (Damson Idris), the hotshot prodigy who drives for him, in order to stave off calls from his board of directors to sell the team.  Without winning any points all season, APXGB has just nine races to improve their record but Sonny and Joshua immediately clash over training methods and racing strategy and get off to a disastrous start.  However, with help from Kate McKenna (Kerry Condon), an innovative technical director with something to prove, they eventually start to respect each other and work together to foil the plans of Peter Banning (Tobias Menzies), a duplicitous board member, during the final race of the year.  The story follows similar sports movie tropes (an experienced veteran looking for redemption and a cocky and arrogant rookie eager to make his mark join forces as underdogs who ultimately triumph) but it is also full of heart and the relationship that develops between Sonny and Joshua is very touching (I loved seeing Joshua slowly incorporate all of Sonny's training methods).  I do not know anything about F1 racing and, honestly, I have never really understood the appeal but I found the behind the scenes look at the sport to be fascinating, especially all of the strategy involved (although I suspect that some of the methods used by Sonny to disrupt the races in order to give himself an advantage are a bit far-fetched).  The racing sequences are exhilarating and incredibly immersive (seeing the track from the perspectives of the drivers is really intense).  It is also impressive that the actors actually drive the cars with footage from real races and that many current F1 drivers make cameos (the only driver I recognized was Lewis Hamilton but my nephew recognized a lot of them including the actual coach, or principal, of Scuderia Ferrari).  The propulsive score by Hans Zimmer adds tension to these thrilling scenes and the needle drops are fantastic (when a movie starts with "Whole Lotta Love" by Led Zeppelin you know it is going to be awesome).  Finally, Pitt brings his movie star charisma to the role and Idris is a movie star in the making.  This movie is the definition of a summer blockbuster and I had so much fun watching it with my nephew!  Go see it in IMAX!

Utah Shakespeare Festival 2025

This year I ended up taking a quick trip to the Utah Shakespeare Festival by myself on Monday and, even though I was only there for one day, I saw two shows had a great time!

My first show was a matinee of A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder in the Randall L. Jones Theatre.  I wasn't particularly interested in seeing this again because I've seen it so many times but I am glad that I ended up getting a ticket because this production is very different and I thoroughly enjoyed the innovative staging!  The set is configured as a music hall in the early 1900s complete with old fashioned footlights at the edge of the stage and a tattered curtain upstage.  There is even a piano player (Brad Carroll) on stage for the whole show!  The props include items that might be found backstage such as suitcases, large steamer trunks, canvas laundry carts on casters, moving staircases, scaffolding, screens, and racks of costumes.  These items are configured and reconfigured to become various locations by an ensemble dressed as vaudeville performers.  There are no projections so all of the members of the D'Ysquith Family (Graham Ward) who are ahead of Monty Navarro (Rob Riordan) in the succession to the earldom are killed using practical stagecraft that would have been available in the early 1900s (I especially loved the Reverend Lord Ezekiel D'Ysquith's fall from the cathedral tower and Asquith D'Ysquith Jr.'s skating accident because they are so clever).  The costumes are really fun and, as usual, I loved the gowns worn by Sibella Hallward (Katie Drinkard) and Phoebe D'Ysquith (Nicole Eve Goldstein) but I was more impressed by those worn by Lady Hyacinth D'Ysquith and Lady Salome D'Ysquith Pumphrey!  The D'Ysquith family crest worn by all of the members of the family is also very amusing, especially Lady Eugenia D'Ysquith's because it is so big.  I laughed out loud at Ward's distinct characterizations for each member of the family (especially his doddering Ezekiel) and I loved Riordan's over the top facial expressions.  Both Drinkard and Goldstein have beautiful voices and their renditions of "I Don't Know What I'd Do Without You" and "Inside Out," respectively, are highlights.  I'm not often surprised by a show I've seen so many times but this put a huge smile on my face and I would definitely recommend it.

The play I most wanted to see at the festival this year was Macbeth in the Engelstad Theatre because it is one of my favorites by William Shakespeare (second only to Hamlet).  This production is absolutely amazing and I loved how it really leans into the supernatural.  The set features a large stunted tree that dominates the stage and I think this is a perfect symbol for the theme of unnatural deeds leading to unnatural consequences (which is really emphasized in this production).  The Weird Sisters (Evelyn Carol Case, Kayland Jordan, and Kat Lee) appear as Druids, dressed in muted greens and browns with headdresses made of twigs, and they can manipulate nature with their powers (they are atmospheric and otherworldly as they haunt different areas of the stage).  Hecate (Caitlin Wise), the witch who rules the Weird Sisters, is often omitted from modern productions because the character is so intense and, in this one, she is terrifying because she appears to hover above the stage by using her large iridescent wings (each one is manipulated by two puppeteers and the effect is quite dramatic) and her voice is incredibly strident.  She appears in the usual scenes in which she chastises the Weird Sisters for acting without her permission (they cower before her as if they are in pain) and when she instructs them to create illusions for Macbeth (Walter Kmiec) but she also appears in several other scenes including the final confrontation between Macbeth and Macduff (Lavour Addison) which is incredibly unsettling.  The sound design, which features staccato drums and droning pulses, is ominous and the lighting design often mimics stormy weather (I wrote a paper about the weather in Macbeth in college).  Both Kmiec and Cassandra Bissell (as Lady Macbeth) give powerful performances because they visibly come undone from their guilt and paranoia.  The rest of the cast is outstanding with shoutouts going to Chauncy Thomas as Banquo (especially when his ghost haunts Macbeth) and Addison as Macduff because the scene where he reacts to the death of his children is heartbreaking.  Finally, the fight choreography is really cool because, other than the fight between Macbeth and Macduff, the soldiers seem to be battling invisible opponents.  I loved this production so much and I think it is one you do not want to miss!  These shows are performed in repertory along with Antony and Cleopatra, As You Like It, The Importance of Being Earnest, and Steel Magnolias through October 4 (go here for tickets).

Note:  Other highlights of this trip include eating *ahem* several tarts and running into my friend Joe (it was so fun to talk to him).

Elio

Last night I spontaneously decided to see Elio and I loved the dazzling animation and the touching message.  Elio Solis (Yonas Kibreab) is sent to live with his aunt Olga (Zoe Saldana), an Air Force Major, after the death of his parents but he feels like he has interrupted her dream of becoming an astronaut and that she would be better off without him.  He is also bullied by the other kids on the Air Force base because of his obsession with life in space and he feels very lonely.  Elio overhears an analyst named Gunther Melmac (Brendan Hunt) tell Olga that a message has been received in response to the Voyager 1 space probe and he contrives to answer it which results in his abduction by an alien ship.  He is thrilled when he is welcomed to the Communiverse, an intergalactic organization where aliens share information about their home planets, as a candidate to be the Earth's ambassador.  However, he must first prove himself so he volunteers to negotiate with Lord Grigon (Brad Garrett), a warlord who is threatening the Communiverse.  He tries various methods to appease Grigon but they fail so he decides to use his more peaceful son Glordon (Remy Edgerly) as a bargaining chip.  Eventually, Elio and Glordon bond with each other because they both feel alone and misunderstood but will they ever find where they really belong?  This is absolutely adorable and I loved the world-building for the Communiverse and the character design for all of the aliens because everything is so colorful and luminous.  I especially loved Glordon as a character because he is incredibly endearing.  My favorite moments are when clones are made of Elio and Glordon to take their places and both Olga and Grigon realize the switch and prefer the originals (I enjoyed Olga and Grigon's character arcs as parents who are overwhelmed and make mistakes but learn that the most important thing is to show acceptance and love for Elio and Glordon).  The message that you are never alone is a powerful one the comparison between searching for life in space and searching for connection on Earth really works.  I enjoyed this a lot more than I thought I would and highly recommend it.