2023: Year In Review

This year has been one of the best I've had in quite a long time!  I still really miss my parents but I no longer feel a crushing grief and I have enjoyed being retired with time to do all the things that I love: movies, theatre, concerts, sporting events, camping trips, and road trips.  Here are some of the highlights.

Sundance Film Festival

Jazz vs. Raptors

Jazz vs. Thunder

Dear Evan Hansen at the Eccles

Avalanche vs. Oilers

Hairspray at the Eccles

Shania Twain at USANA

Sean's Graduation

Duran Duran at Vivint Arena

Camping Trip

Fourth of July at the Property

Taylor Swift at Empower Field in Denver

The Smashing Pumpkins at USANA

Beetlejuice at the Eccles

Moon Lake Camping Trip

Utah Shakespeare Festival

Yellowstone National Park

U2 at the Sphere in Las Vegas

Jazz vs. Kings

Antelope Island Camping Trip

Happy New Year!  I hope that 2024 will be a good year for all of us!

Favorite Movies of 2023

This year I was able to see 133 new releases in the theater (which is a record for me) and, as in year's past, I have compiled a list of my top ten favorites.  My ranking is not based on the critical response or on the box office performance but, rather, on how much I enjoyed both the movie and the experience of watching it.  As always it is a very eclectic list!  (Click on the title to read my original review).

10.  Are You There God?  It's Me, Margaret

I was completely charmed by this heartwarming adaptation of the classic book by Judy Bloom.  This movie portrays the awkwardness of early adolescence in an incredibly empathetic way as Margaret navigates the travails of making new friends, dealing with peer pressure, experiencing her first crush, and trying to understand her changing body.  There are lots of poignant moments as Margaret turns to God for answers after being raised without religion but there are also some laugh out loud moments, such as when she and her friends attend a socially awkward party with the boys in their class.  Abby Ryder Fortson gives an incredibly compelling and honest portrayal of a teen girl and all of her complexities and I also loved Rachel McAdams as her mother.  This is the most delightful movie I saw all year!

9.  Asteroid City

Seeing Asteroid City at the Broadway on opening night was probably the most fun I have had watching a movie because there wasn't an empty seat and the audience, full of Wes Anderson aficionados, laughed out loud through the whole movie (as did I).  It is a hilarious take on the ultimately futile search for the meaning of life but it is also about the power of art to explain the unexpected.  It doubles down on everything Wes Anderson is known for and I especially loved the stylized and elaborate production design, the pastel color palette, the symmetrical shot composition, the deadpan delivery which belies deeper emotions (Jason Schwartzman and Scarlett Johansson are brilliant but the entire cast is also outstanding), the subtle humor (especially the astronomical ellipses), and the title cards.  I think this is one of Anderson's best and I loved it.

8.  Barbie

Seeing Barbie with my nephew was another one of my favorite viewing experiences (I think we were the only ones in the capacity crowd not wearing pink).  Greta Gerwig effectively straddles the line between social commentary about female empowerment and nostalgia for a beloved toy in this movie through brilliant production design, costumes that recreate some of Barbie's most famous looks, and witty self-referential dialogue that had everyone in the audience laughing out loud.  Margot Robbie perfectly embodies the iconic doll but Ryan Gosling is an absolute hoot who steals the show as Ken (especially his performance of the power ballad "I'm Just Ken") and America Ferrera is outstanding in her delivery of a powerful monologue about the difficulties of being a woman in today's society.  In addition to the laughter and the applause during key moments, a montage to Billie Eilish's song "What Was I Made For?" brought tears to my eyes.  It exceeded my expectations in every way!

7.  John Wick: Chapter 4

I saw the final installment of the John Wick franchise opening night with a loud and boisterous crowd and I was on the edge of my seat, holding my breath, and cheering out loud!  The stakes are higher than they have ever been for our protagonist and the action sequences are absolutely amazing with spectacular set pieces that are intense and unrelenting with dynamic fight choreography and visually stunning shot composition.  Keanu Reeves gives an incredibly poignant performance, Bill Skarsgard is perfect as a petulant villain, Donnie Yen almost steals the show with his amusing line deliveries, and Rina Sawayama is outstanding in one of the best fight sequences in the movie.  Wick's character arc is very compelling because he must finally face the consequences of his actions in a very visceral way and I found it to be surprisingly satisfying.

6.  Ferrari

After reading Enzo Ferrari: The Man and the Machine by Brock Yates, Michael Mann's adaptation of this fascinating biography was one of my most anticipated movies of the year and it did not disappoint.  Enzo Ferrari reaches a crossroads in his life during the summer of 1957, both personally and professionally, but he is fiercely determined to win the grueling Mille Miglia road race at any cost.  Adam Driver is brilliant in an understated but powerful performance and Penelope Cruz is the perfect foil to him because she is as explosive as he is restrained.  While this is a meditative character study, there are some thrilling racing sequences and one of the most brutal car crashes I have ever seen.  It is both epic and intimate and I found it extremely compelling.

5.  Killers of the Flower Moon

I was able to see an early screening of Killers of the Flower Moon in a packed theater and I was blown away by it.  It features a riveting story that is equal parts epic Western, lurid crime drama, tragic love story, and scathing commentary on greed and corruption as white men lie, cheat, manipulate, steal, and eventually murder the Osage to gain control of their wealth from oil.  Frequent Scorsese collaborators Robert De Niro and Leonardo DiCaprio are outstanding but Lily Gladstone is absolutely captivating in a highly nuanced performance in which she portrays every emotion imaginable.  All of the technical elements, from cinematography to production design to editing, are brilliant and the score by Robbie Robertson really adds to the tension.  I loved this dark and melancholy masterpiece.

4.  Oppenheimer

I was able to see Oppenheimer with my nephew at an early screening and we both found it to be incredibly powerful and thought-provoking.  Cillian Murphy gives a brilliant performance that perfectly embodies a man who is conflicted after he succeeds in creating an atomic bomb because he knows that it is needed as a deterrent but is horrified by the prospect of using it.  The scenes where Oppenheimer envisions the consequences of his actions while everyone at Los Alamos celebrates are some of the most haunting I have ever seen.  Robert Downey, Jr. gives one of the best performances of his career and the supporting cast is also excellent.  The sound design and the score by Ludwig Goransson (especially when it mimics a ticking clock) are incredibly effective in creating an anxious atmosphere and the visuals are striking because they give the audience access to the cataclysmic visions in Oppenheimer's head.  I was incredibly impressed with this masterful exploration of power and accountability.

3.  The Holdovers

I did not expect to love The Holdovers as much as I did but it is the most heartwarming movie I saw all year.  A curmudgeonly professor, a depressed and acerbic student, and a cook who is mourning the loss of her son in Vietnam are left at a New England prep school over the Christmas holidays.  They initially clash with each other but, after a series of misadventures, they form an unlikely bond.  I loved all three characters so much because Angus helps Paul make peace with his past, Paul helps Angus see a future for himself, and they both help Mary get through the present without her son and Paul Giamatti, Da'Vine Joy Randolph, and Dominic Sessa (in his first role) give incredibly affecting performances.  I also loved the 1970s aesthetic in the production design and the grainy film effects.  This is a movie that I can definitely see myself watching every holiday season.

2.  Poor Things

As a huge fan of Yorgos Lanthimos I knew that I would love Poor Things but this dark and twisted masterpiece exceeded my expectations!  This is a fascinating take on Mary Shelly's Frankenstein and I loved the themes of rebirth, self-discovery, transformation, liberation, and empowerment.  Emma Stone, as Bella Baxter, gives a brilliant and fearless performance and I found her disjointed movements, mannerisms, and facial expressions as Bella develops to be so much fun to watch.  Willem Dafoe, Mark Ruffalo (who is hilarious), Ramy Youssef, and Christopher Abbott are also outstanding as the men who try, unsuccessfully, to control Bella.  The production design is gorgeous and I especially loved all of the steampunk elements.  The costumes are also fabulous and the merging of Victorian silhouettes with the theme of freedom from societal norms is ingenious.  It is quite explicit but I absolutely loved it!

1.  Past Lives

I had an incredibly emotional response to Past Lives when I first saw it at the Sundance Film Festival in January and no other movie that I saw this year impacted me as much!  It is a beautiful story about two people, Nora Young and Hae Sung, who yearn for the past and the life they might have lived together but understand that the lives that they now lead are the ones that they are meant to have.  Greta Lee and Teo Yoo give highly nuanced performances where just a glance expresses more emotion that pages of dialogue ever could.  Two incredibly poignant moments brought me to tears, including when Nora tells her husband that she is where she was meant to be because it is where she ended up and when she tells Hae Sung that the twelve year old girl he remembers was left behind in Korea.  I felt a deep connection to Nora because I often wish that I had stayed in Canada but I know that I am who I am because I left and seeing Nora come to the same realization was extremely cathartic for me!

Honorable Mentions (I loved too many movies for just ten this year):  Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, The Boy and the Heron, Anatomy of a Fall, Godzilla Minus One, and The Iron Claw.

Antelope Island Camping Trip

Kristine, Trent, Marilyn, and I went on a winter camping trip to Antelope Island State Park for the past few days and we stayed in one of their new cabins.  They were really nice with a living room area, kitchen area, two bedrooms, a bathroom, and a large loft area.  There was a large porch, a covered picnic table with a fire pit, and views of the Great Salt Lake.

The sunsets were spectacular!

We explored the island during the day and, because it has been so mild, the bison were roaming instead of being corralled like they usually are in the winter.  I got really close to a group of them (which made my sister mad).

More views of the lake.

My family spent lots of time by the fire pit, which is usually my favorite part of camping, but I didn't last very long because I didn't bring a warm enough coat and it got really cold.  I went inside and read my book during the afternoon.

Every night we stayed up late playing Shanghai Rummy!

It was a fun and relaxing trip!

Ferrari

When I heard that Adam Driver was starring in a biopic about Enzo Ferrari I decided to read the book upon which the movie is based, Enzo Ferrari: The Man and the Machine by Brock Yates, and I was fascinated by this enigmatic and larger than life auto maker.  Needless to say, Ferrari was one of my most anticipated movies this year and I finally had the chance to see it last night at the Broadway.  It is an incredibly powerful character study and I was absolutely blown away by Driver's performance.  During the summer of 1957, Enzo Ferrari (Driver) is at a crossroads in his life.  His business is on the brink of bankruptcy because he is more interested in racing his cars than in selling them.  He needs his wife Laura (Penelope Cruz) to give him power of attorney over her shares in the company so he can deal with investors but his relationship with her has been damaged by the recent death of their son Dino and with her discovery that he has another son with his mistress Lina Lardi (Shailene Woodley).  His relationship with Lina is also deteriorating because she pressuring him to legitimize their son Piero (Giuseppe Festinese).  Juxtaposed with these distractions in his professional and personal life is his fierce determination to win the Mille Miglia, a grueling road race across Italy, at any cost, including the lives of his drivers Alfonso de Portago (Gabriel Leone), Peter Collins (Jack O'Connell), and Piero Taruffi (Patrick Dempsey).  This will definitely not be for everyone because, even though there are some thrilling racing sequences (that are enhanced by brilliant sound design and cinematography that puts the audience in the driver's seat) and one of the most brutal car crashes I've ever seen, this is a slow and meditative exploration of how Ferrari responds to these professional and personal challenges as well as to the people in his life.  Driver, in one of his best performances, is understated but incredibly compelling because, despite an outwardly calm demeanor, you can see see Enzo's inner turmoil behind his eyes and in his microexpressions.  Cruz, in an equally powerful performance, is a perfect foil to Driver because she is as explosive as he is restrained in expressing Laura's grief and rage.  Their scenes together are amazing because they are so dramatic.  I also really enjoyed the editing of certain scenes because they show Enzo's compartmentalization of his life, particularly scenes while he is at mass and at the opera.  I really loved this because it is so character driven and the character portrayed is so complex (but I think that is the reason why the critical response has been so divisive).

Christmas 2023

Christmas was really lovely this year!  I was so happy that both Sean and Tashena were home and that we could spend the day together!  We woke up early to open presents with the traditional breakfast of cinnamon rolls and orange juice.  I got some new Doc Martens boots, some of my favorite perfume (which made me very happy because I was almost out of it), and physical copies of Barbie and Oppenheimer.  We all took naps in the afternoon and then had a wonderful dinner consisting of honey baked ham, cheesy potatoes, yams, stuffing, asparagus, pomegranate salad, vegetables and dip, and rolls.  After dinner we took a poinsettia to my parents' grave and then played Shanghai Rummy while eating dessert and treats.  We worried that Tashena's fiance Tucker would get overwhelmed with how crazy we get when we play cards but he ended up winning!

I hope that you had a wonderful holiday with the people you love! 

Gingerbread Houses 2023

Last night we had our traditional gingerbread house party!  Tucker joined us for the first time and he fit in really well with the craziness!

This year we got kits for a gingerbread village and the little houses were so cute.  We were all able to make several of them and Trent even joined it!

We had so much fun!

Our gingerbread village!

Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom

Yesterday afternoon I took Tashena and her fiance Tucker to see Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom (I took both Sean and Tashena to see the first movie on Christmas Eve but Sean, the actual DCEU fan, didn't want to see this one).  It isn't great but it definitely isn't as bad as I was expecting.  Arthur Curry/ Aquaman (Jason Momoa) has become a husband and a father and is finding the bureaucracy of being the King of Atlantis tedious.  Meanwhile, David Kane/ Black Manta (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II), with the help of marine biologist Stephen Shin (Randall Park), finds a powerful black trident created by Kordax (Pilou Asbaek), the ruler of the now lost kingdom of Necrus who was imprisoned by his brother King Atlan for trying to usurp the throne.  Black Manta wants to use the power of the trident to release Kordax in order to destroy Aquaman, his family, his kingdom, and the entire planet in revenge for the death of his father so Aquaman frees his half-brother Orm (Patrick Wilson) from prison in order to enlist his help.  The story is incredibly convoluted with way too much silly exposition and, even though there some really fun action sequences involving a bunch of cool new gadgets in some cool new settings (I loved the pirate's lair made out of sunken ships), the CGI is really messy and the world-building is a bit derivative (I noticed lots of allusions to Star Wars and other movies).  However, I really enjoyed Momoa's performance because he is very charismatic and funny (with some one-liners that made me laugh out loud) and he fully commits to the spectacle.  I also loved his chemistry with Wilson and their hilarious interactions with each other as they work together to save the world, and work towards a poignant reconciliation, are the best part of the movie.  Amber Heard (Mera), Temuera Morrison (Tom Curry), Nicole Kidman (Atlanna), and Dolph Lundgren (Nereus) don't really have a lot to do but Abdul-Mateen is a compelling villain because he is such a sinister presence.  The three of us had fun watching this but it is not nearly as entertaining as the first one and the stakes are a lot lower knowing that this is the end of the DCEU (which is why Sean did not want to see it).

Frozen in Concert

I have been hyping the Utah Symphony's films in concert series to anyone who would listen to me for the past few years.  I was finally able to take Kristine and Trent to see Love Actually last Tuesday and I have definitely converted them.  Last night I hoped to do the same with Marilyn at Frozen and I think I was successful because we both had a lot of fun.  The animated classic, based on "The Snow Queen" by Hans Christian Andersen, was shown on the big screen while the orchestra played the songs by Robert Lopez and Kristen Anderson-Lopez and the score by Christophe Beck.  Princess Elsa (Eva Bella) accidentally freezes her sister Princess Anna (Livvy Stubenrauch) with her mysterious powers when they build a snowman together.  The King (Maurice LaMarche) and Queen (Jennifer Lee) tell her that she must hide herself away from Anna and the rest of Arendelle but, when they are lost at sea, she must open the doors of the castle once again for her coronation.  Elsa (Idina Menzel) loses control of herself, with devastating consequences, when Anna (Kristen Bell) requests permission to marry Hans of the Southern Isles (Santino Fontana) and she flees Arendelle.  Anna follows her, hoping to save Arendelle from the endless winter, and is aided by an ice harvester named Kristoff (Jonathan Groff), his reindeer Sven, and Olaf (Josh Gad), the snowman built by Elsa and Anna as girls.  Elsa fears that she is a monster but it is her ability to love that saves Anna and Arendelle.  I loved hearing the orchestra play the music for all of the iconic songs, especially "For the First Time in Forever," "Love Is an Open Door," and "Let It Go" but I was really impressed by the score.  I particularly enjoyed the percussion mimicking the sounds of the ice cracking during the opening, the tuba as the visiting dignitaries are introduced to Elsa, the dramatic strings as the snow monster attacks Kristoff and Anna, and the harp as Elsa's hug thaws Anna.  The audience participation was a lot of fun because there were cheers and applause when each character appeared on screen for the first time and lots of very energetic boos every time Hans appeared (the crowd was very committed to booing Hans).  I loved both of the films in concert this week and I hope my sisters will want to go with me again!  The next films are Casablanca and How to Train Your Dragon (go here for tickets).

Poor Things

The second movie in my double feature at the Broadway last night was Poor Things. I am a huge fan of Yorgos Lanthimos and I had heard a lot of intriguing discourse about this movie (both good and bad) so I was beyond excited to see it.  I absolutely loved this dark and twisted masterpiece!  Victoria Blessington (Emma Stone), a pregnant woman in Victorian England, commits suicide by jumping off a bridge.  A brilliant but disfigured surgeon named Dr. Godwin Baxter (Willem Dafoe), who was experimented upon by his father, discovers her body and reanimates her by transplanting the brain of her unborn baby into her body.  He names her Bella Baxter and hires Max McCandles (Ramy Youssef), one of his medical students, to record the data as her intellect develops rapidly.  Max falls in love with her and she agrees to marry him but she wants a grand adventure first.  She learns about physical pleasure and other forms of hedonism (my favorite is when she dances with wild abandon) from a feckless lawyer named Duncan Wedderburn (Mark Ruffalo) while in Portugal.  She learns about philosophy and compassion for the the suffering in the world from fellow passengers Martha Von Kurtzroc (Hanna Schygulla) and Harry Astley (Jerrod Carmichael) while on a cruise ship.  She learns about resourcefulness and socialism from Madame Swiney (Kathryn Hunter) and a prostitute named Toinette (Suzy Bemba) while working in a brothel in Paris.  She learns the truth about her origins from Victoria's husband Alfie Blessington (Christopher Abbott) when she returns to London and finally discovers her purpose when she reunites with Dr. Baxter and McCandles.  I loved the themes of rebirth, self-discovery, transformation, liberation, and empowerment and I know that I will be thinking about this movie for quite some time.  Stone gives a brilliant and fearless performance and I found her disjointed movements, mannerisms, and facial expressions as Bella develops to be so much fun to watch.  Dafoe, Ruffalo, Youssef, and Abbott are also outstanding and it was fascinating to see the different ways in which they portray their need to control Bella (Ruffalo is hilarious).  The production design is gorgeous and I loved all of the steampunk elements, especially the modes of transportation.  The costumes are also fantastic and I particularly enjoyed how they change as Bella develops and how they represent both the Victorian aesthetic but also freedom from the societal norms of that time.  I enjoyed this so much and so did my audience because they applauded at the end!  I highly recommend this to fans of Lanthimos and black comedies but it is extremely explicit so keep that in mind when deciding to see it.

Note:  I thought that Barbie had a lock on all of the production design and costume awards this season but I think Poor Things will give it some serious competition!

The Iron Claw

Last night I saw The Iron Claw as part of a double feature at the Broadway and I loved this incredibly moving true story about the Von Erich family.  Fritz Von Erich (Holt McCallany) was once a major star as a professional wrestler but he was never able to win the NWA (National Wrestling Alliance) World Heavyweight Championship so, now that he is a father to Kevin (Zac Efron), David (Harris Dickinson), Kerry (Jeremy Allen White), and Mike (Stanley Simons), he exerts tremendous pressure on them to win the title for him as a wrestling promoter.  He compels them all to wrestle despite the fact that Kerry and Mike have other interests, he pits the brothers (who are fiercely loyal to each other) against one another for opportunities, promotion, and approval, he pushes them to the limit in their training, and he berates them mercilessly when they fail to live up to his expectations.  After a series of unimaginable tragedies befall the family, Kevin goes to extreme lengths, even jeopardizing his relationship with his wife Pam (Lily James) and his children, to win the championship for his father.  The story is incredibly compelling with powerful themes about toxic masculinity and the perils of unrealistic parental expectations.  It is unbelievably tragic but I really appreciated the message of hope portrayed in a beautiful scene between Kevin and his two young sons at the end that brought me to tears.  All of the performances are amazing but Efron is almost unrecognizable with his physical transformation for a role that is also emotionally demanding and he has never been better in my opinion (I wish he was getting more awards buzz).  I am not very familiar with professional wrestling but I found the sequences in the ring to be exhilarating, especially a montage to "Tom Sawyer" by Rush which is played in its entirety (apparently it was their signature song).  Finally, I really liked the production design, costumes, and hair because they evoke the time period so well.  This movie will make you cry but it is a must-see this holiday weekend.

Note:  After watching this movie I wanted to know more about the Von Erich family.  I was shocked to discover that their story is even more tragic than what was portrayed on the screen.

Mamma Mia at the Eccles

The first time I saw the musical Mamma Mia was in London on a theatre trip.  The older gentleman sitting next to me sang every word of every song at the top of his lungs and, at first, I thought it was really annoying but by the end of the show I was singing along, too!  The second time I saw it was on a trip to London with my mom.  She was incredibly reserved but she was dancing in the aisle during the finale!  This show is just so much fun you can't help singing and dancing!  I loved seeing the Broadway touring production again last night and I don't think I will ever get tired of it.  Sophie Sheriden (Alisa Melendez) is getting married and she wants her father to walk her down the aisle but she doesn't know who he is!  She discovers that there are three possibilities and decides to invite all three of them, Sam Carmichael (Victor Wallace), Bill Austin (Jim Newman), and Harry Bright (Rob Marnell), to her wedding without telling her mother, Donna (Christine Sherrill).  Chaos (and nearly two dozen Abba songs) ensues!  Sherrill is great as Donna and I especially enjoyed her poignant performance of "Slipping Through My Fingers" and her powerful rendition of "The Winner Takes It All" (which both occur in the same scene).  I also really enjoyed Wallace's version of "Knowing Me, Knowing You" (which is my favorite Abba song).  Jalynn Steele, as Tanya, adds a bit of soul to "Does Your Mother Know" and I loved Carly Sakolove, as Rose, because her physicality as she tries to hit her poses in "Dancing Queen" and as she chases Bill in "Take a Chance on Me" is hilarious. I have really enjoyed some local productions of this show but I absolutely love the original choreography in the Broadway version, especially when Tanya uses a hair dryer as a microphone in "Chiquitita," when the boys dance in flippers during "Lay All Your Love on Me," when the dancers freeze whenever Sophie talks to Sam, Bill, and Harry during "Gimme! Gimme! Gimme!" and "Voulez-Vous," when the flippers make another appearance in "Under Attack" (my favorite number in the show), and when Pepper (Patrick Park) tries to impress Tanya in "Does Your Mother Know." I also love the original set (a white stucco taverna that is reconfigured several times) and the original costumes (the colorful spandex jumpsuits during the performance of "Dancing Queen" and "Waterloo" during the finale are awesome) in the Broadway version.  I had a blast and I was definitely dancing at the end (I defy anyone to remain seated during "Dancing Queen").  There are a few more performances at the Eccles and I highly recommend getting a ticket (go here).

Note:  This was my final live theatre performance of 2023.  I ended up seeing 81 shows this year and my favorites were Into the Woods at SCERA, Beauty and the Beast at the Terrace Plaza Playhouse, Oliver and Pride and Prejudice at HCTO (I loved everything at HCTO this year), The Prom at PTC, and Titanic The Musical at HCT.

Wonka

My sister and I finally had the chance to see Wonka last night and we both loved this whimsical and delightful prequel to the classic movie.  Willy Wonka (Timothee Chalamet) hopes to make his dream of sharing his chocolates with the world come true by opening a shop in the Galeries Gourmet.  He immediately runs afoul of a Chocolate Cartel comprised of Arthur Slugworth (Paterson Joseph), Gerald Prodnose (Matt Lucas), and Felix Fickelgruber (Mathew Baynton) who bribe the chief of police (Keegan-Michael Key) and a priest (Rowan Atkinson) with chocolate to foil Wonka's plans.  He is also tricked into indentured servitude at a lauderette run by Mrs. Scrubitt (Olivia Colman) and her henchman Bleacher (Tom Davis) because he fails to read the fine print.  However, he enlists the help of an orphan named Noodle (Calah Lane), the other captives at the launderette, including Abacus Crunch (Jim Carter), Piper Benz (Natasha Rothwell), Larry Chucklesworth (Rich Fulcher), and Lottie Bell (Rakhee Thakrar), as well as an Oompa-Loompa (Hugh Grant), and uses his delectable chocolates to defeat the Cartel and build his famous Chocolate Factory.  Chalamet is absolutely adorable as Wonka and I was quite impressed with his singing and dancing because I usually think of him more as a dramatic actor.  I especially loved his earnest performance in the songs "You've Never Had Chocolate Like This" and "A World of Your Own."  Lane is very affecting as Noodle (her duet with Chalamet in "For a Moment" is incredibly heartfelt and they have great chemistry together), Joseph is so much fun as the unctuous villain Slugworth, Colman looks like she is having a blast as a landlord straight out of Dickens, and it should come as no surprise that Grant is a hoot as an Oompa-Loompa.  The staging of the musical numbers is effervescent (I particularly enjoyed the use of a large balloon bouquet) and I loved the juxtaposition between the drab and dreary real world and Wonka's colorful imagination in the costumes and production design.  Both Marilyn and I were enchanted by this movie and I think it is perfect for families this holiday season.

Love Actually in Concert

I was back at Abravanel Hall again last night with my sister Kristine and my brother-in-law Trent to see the movie Love Actually on the big screen while the Utah Symphony performed the score by Craig Armstrong live.  I love the films in concert series but I think this one is my favorite because I love this movie (it is one of my favorite Christmas movies) and it was so much fun to for me to see Kristine and Trent (this was their first film in concert) enjoying it!  This movie involves a series of love stories involving many different characters (played by an all-star cast) at Christmas time.  My favorite involves Sam (Thomas Sangster), an eleven-year-old boy mourning the recent loss of his mother, who turns to his step-father Daniel (Liam Neeson) to help him get the attention of his crush Joanna (Olivia Olson).  When Sam's plan, which involves playing drums during Joanna's song at the school Christmas concert, doesn't work, he runs through the airport on Christmas Eve to catch her before she returns home to America (after saying my favorite line in the movie, "Let's go get the shit kicked out of us by love.").  There are so many hilarious moments in this movie that made the audience laugh out loud, especially when the Prime Minister (Hugh Grant) dances, when aging rock star Billy Mack (Bill Nighy) records a Christmas version of "Love is All Around," when the shy actors John (Martin Freeman) and Judy (Joanna Page) act as stand-ins for a sex scene (these scenes got the loudest response), when the socially awkward Colin (Kris Marshall) thinks he can can get more attention from American girls, and when a salesman (Rowan Atkinson) elaborately wraps a Christmas present surreptitiously purchased by Harry (Alan Rickman) for another woman (another highlight for the audience).  The score has a pop sound and prominently features the piano and keyboard, drums, and guitars but there is also a lovely and plaintive theme played by the strings with variations that appear throughout the movie.  I loved the trumpets and trombones in "All You Need is Love" at the wedding of Peter (Chiwetel Ejiofor) and Juliet (Keira Knightley) and the clarinet solo when Sarah (Laura Linney) confirms that she is in love with Karl (Rodrigo Santoro).  The three of us had such a great time last night and I think I may have turned Kristine and Trent into fans of the films in concert series.  I definitely recommend getting a ticket to one of the remaining concerts (go here) this season.

The Disappearance of Shere Hite

One of the things I especially love about the Sundance Film Festival is the opportunity to talk to people about all of the films being screened.  Last year many of those I spoke to mentioned The Disappearance of Shere Hite as one of their favorites so I was excited to see it yesterday afternoon at the Broadway.  I thought it was an interesting and compelling portrait of a fascinating woman who was denied her rightful legacy.  While Shere Hite was a graduate student at Columbia University in New York City during the early 1970s, she was inspired by participating in the burgeoning feminist movement to create and distribute a questionnaire about women and sexuality.  She used the results of her study to write a groundbreaking book that became a best-seller despite facing backlash from those who feared the implications of some of her conclusions.  This documentary features lots of archival footage of Hite's many appearances on news programs and talk shows defending her results and methodology and it becomes more and more uncomfortable to watch as she is viciously attacked (an ambush by Maury Povich is especially egregious).  She eventually flees to Europe and dies in relative obscurity after being rejected by the publishers who initially profited from her books.  This documentary suggests that her treatment was scurrilous and that she deserves more recognition for her work.  It also suggests that the erasure of her work has led to the regression of attitudes towards women's sexuality.  I found Shere Hite to be an incredibly vibrant woman ahead of her time and I particularly enjoyed the voice-over narration by Dakota Johnson, which is taken from her writings, because it really brings her to life very vividly.  I enjoyed this thought-provoking documentary and would highly recommend it.

Nathan Pacheco Christmas Concert

I first heard Nathan Pacheco sing when he was a guest vocalist for one of Kurt Bestor's Christmas concerts.  His rendition of "O Holy Night" at that concert is one of the best I've heard so, when I found out that he would be performing a Christmas concert at Abravanel Hall, I bought a ticket hoping that I would get to hear it again. The show was last night and I was not disappointed! He was backed by the Lyceum Philharmonic, which is led by Kayson Brown and features talented high school students from the American Heritage School, as well as his music director and pianist Leo Z and cellist Nicole Pinnell. They began with "O Come, All Ye Faithful" and "Carol of the Bells" and then Pacheco came to the stage singing one of his original songs, "Don't Cry." The concert was an eclectic mix of Christmas songs, original songs, covers, and songs from the classical repertoire and one of my favorite moments came next when he sang "Nessun Dorma" from the opera Turandot (it gave me goosebumps when he hit all of the high notes). He continued with "Silver Bells" and "Winter Wonderland" and then said that he had never performed the next song in front of a crowd before and brought Clara Hurtado Lee and a children's choir to the stage to sing "Adiemus" which was incredibly beautiful! He performed a really cool cover of "Take on Me" by a-ha and then "From Now On" from the movie The Greatest Showman. He told the audience that he had just written an original musical called Beloved and then gave us a sneak peak by singing "What You Become" from it. Emma Nissen joined him on stage for a lovely version of "The Prayer" and then he continued with the Christmas songs "Gaudete" (I loved this), "O Come, O Come Emmanuel," "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing," and "Silent Night." He performed an acoustic cover of Simon and Garfunkel's "Star Carol" (accompanying himself on guitar) and then a powerful version of his song "Forever." He concluded his main set by singing "O Holy Night."  I had been waiting all night for him to sing this and it was definitely worth the wait because he just about blew the roof off Abravanel Hall! For the encore, he brought his sister to the stage to sing the duet "Time to Say Goodbye" which was another favorite moment for me! I don't know if this was spontaneous or not because all of the musicians were prepared to play it but she seemed really hesitant to come up to the stage! He concluded with "God Bless Us Everyone" from the movie A Christmas Carol. This was an amazing show and Pacheco was incredibly charming and continually expressed his genuine gratitude to the crowd for supporting him. He said that he hoped to be back for another Christmas concert at Abravanel Hall next year and, if he is, I will be there, too!

Note:  My sister also had tickets to this show with her friend so we ended up going together!

Christmas with the Tabernacle Choir 2023

Whenever I am unable to get a ticket to the Christmas with the Tabernacle Choir concert, I go to the Music and the Spoken Word broadcast the following Sunday because it usually features the guest artists and a portion of the program.  It is actually quite nice because the parking situation is a bit easier on an early Sunday morning than it is in the evening with so many other events going on.  The guest artists this year were Michael Maliakel, who is currently starring as the title role in Aladdin on Broadway, and Lesley Nicol, who is best known for playing Mrs. Patmore on Downton Abbey.  The concert began with choir members in a procession down the aisles to "Sing We Now of Christmas" with the Orchestra at Temple Square and the Gabriel Trumpet Ensemble.  It was beautiful and incredibly dramatic!  Michael Maliakel joined the choir for "Joy to the World" and I really loved his voice and his rendition of this song.  I wasn't very familiar with him but now I will pay attention because he is extremely talented and charismatic!  Next, the choir sang "To The Cradle Run," which I was unfamiliar with but definitely enjoyed, and then Richard Elliott performed "Bring a Torch, Jeanette, Isabella" on the organ with fanfares played by the Gabriel Trumpet Ensemble (this gave me goosebumps because I love this song).  The choir performed another song I was unfamiliar with called "O Little One Sweet" and then Lesley Nicol read the Christmas story from the Bible.  The program concluded with a stirring version of "Angels from the Realms of Glory" by Michael Maliakel and this also gave me goosebumps.  After the broadcast concluded, the audience got to hear another portion of the concert when a story about Victor Hugo's Christmas fetes for the children on the island of Guernsey was told by Lesley Nicol.  A replica of Hautville House, Hugo's home on Guernsey, was featured with performers acting out the story while Nicol narrated (she was delightful).  It was so inspiring and I especially loved the use of Hugo's quote, "To love is to act."  It was a lovely concert and I'm glad I made the effort to get up early (and put on a skirt) to attend!