Whiplash

The Academy Award nominations for Best Picture were announced yesterday.  Since I usually try to see all  of the nominees (see my reviews for The Grand Budapest Hotel, The Imitation Game, and The Theory of Everything), I went to Whiplash last night.  I knew that this film had generated a lot of buzz at the Sundance Film Festival last year but I didn't expect to love it as much as I did.  It is amazing!  J.K. Simmons gives a tour de force performance and he currently has my non-existent vote for Best Supporting Actor!  Andrew Neiman (the equally amazing Miles Teller) is a first year student at the Shaffer Conservatory, the best music school in the country, as a jazz drummer.  As he is practicing one night, Terrence Fletcher (Simmons), who conducts the most prestigious jazz group on campus, hears him and invites him to join the group as the alternate drummer.  Fletcher is unbelievably harsh and repeatedly berates him, throws things at him, slaps him, forces him to play for hours on end, and brings in a less talented drummer to replace him in an attempt to push him to be great.  When Fletcher pushes him too far, Neiman attacks him and is expelled from Shaffer.  Eventually, Neiman is asked by the parents of a former student of Fletcher's who committed suicide to formally complain about his treatment and Fletcher is fired.  Later, Neiman happens to see Fletcher playing in a jazz club and they have a conversation wherein Fletcher tries to justify his behavior.  He then asks Neiman to play the drums for a performance he is conducting at Carnegie Hall, telling him that the group will be playing the same songs he played at Shaffer.  However, in retribution for getting him fired, Fletcher has the group perform a song Neiman doesn't know which causes him to play poorly.  Humiliated, Neiman plays an epic drum solo which finally gains the approval of Fletcher (and the spontaneous applause of everyone watching the film).   This movie is intense and Simmons is truly monstrous as Fletcher, begging the question: at what cost is greatness achieved?  The music in this film is incredible and I loved all of the close shots of the various drums and cymbals on the drum kit.  It is a great movie and I recommend it.

Alabama Story at PTC

Last night I went to the world premiere of Alabama Story by Kenneth Jones at Pioneer Theatre.  The script was very thought-provoking and the production was exceptionally well done.  It is 1959 in Montgomery, Alabama when the State Librarian, Emily Wheelock Reed (Greta Lambert), comes under fire by Senator E. W. Higgins (William Parry) for the children's book The Rabbits' Wedding because a black and white rabbit get married.  Juxtaposed with this is the unexpected reunion between Lily Whitfield (Kate Middleton), the privileged daughter of a cotton plantation owner, and Joshua Moore (Samuel Ray Gates), the African American son of a former servant on the plantation turned civil rights worker.  Lily remembers a sweet childhood romance while Joshua remembers being beaten and driven off the property by Lily's father.  The two stories converge with very powerful discussions about censorship and segregation.  I particularly liked the message that having access to the ideas contained in books is the only way to change the world for the better.  The ensemble cast is excellent, including the aforementioned actors as well as Stephen D'Ambrose as Garth Williams, the author of The Rabbits' Wedding and stage manager for all of the action, and Seth Andrew Bridges as Thomas Franklin, Emily's assistant who has one of the most powerful speeches in the play.  The set design is very striking, almost like a children's pop-up book, and the costumes are fabulous, especially the southern belle dresses worn by Lily.  I think this play is extremely relevant in today's troubled times and I thoroughly enjoyed it.  Alabama Story  runs until January 24 at PTC with evening performances and Saturday matinees.  Go here for more information and to purchase tickets.

The Theory of Everything

On Sunday night Eddie Redmayne won the Golden Globe for his performance in The Theory of Everything.  I absolutely had to see this movie because, while I actually really love Eddie Redmayne (I went to Les Miserables seven times in the theater just so I could see that tear fall down Redmayne's face as he sang "Empty Chairs at Empty Tables"), I did not believe it was possible for an actor to have a better performance than Benedict Cumberbatch as Alan Turing in The Imitation Game.  I saw The Theory of Everything last night and I thought it was an absolutely beautiful film.  It tells the true story of world-renowned theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking (Redmayne) and his relationship with his wife, Jane (Felicity Jones).  It begins when they are both Ph.D. candidates at Cambridge in 1963 and spans nearly 25 years from his diagnosis with a motor neuron disease to the publication of his book, A Brief History of Time.  The cinematography is absolutely luminous and the softly diffused light is used to great advantage against backdrops in and around St. John's College, Cambridge.  I particularly loved the lighting in the May Ball scenes, especially the spectacular fireworks.  Eddie Redmayne does give an amazing performance!  I was very impressed with his physicality in this role, especially when Hawking's muscles first begin to deteriorate.  The way he holds his head, writes on a chalkboard, and walks, almost pigeon-toed, are all incredibly effective at portraying his diminishing capacity.  My attention never wavered from him whenever he was on screen.  Felicity Jones also gives an incredible performance as do the other supporting actors.  I loved the movie and I would highly recommend it.  

Note:  Clearly the members of the Academy are not asking for my opinion about who should receive an Oscar, but if they did I would have to go with Benedict Cumberbatch.  Full marks to Redmayne for physically inhabiting Hawking but, in my opinion (and many will disagree), Cumberbatch gives a much more emotionally complex, almost visceral, portrayal of Turing.  His character is arrogant, antisocial, eccentric, and much less sympathetic than the endearing Hawking but Cumberbatch moved me to tears.  I haven't been able to stop thinking about The Imitation Game since I saw it.

The Imitation Game

When I was in junior high and high school, I had quite a penchant for reading the spy novels of Robert Ludlum, John LeCarre, Frederick Forsythe, Ken Follett, and Jack Higgins. I especially loved spy novels dealing with World War II and my Dad joked that I would read anything that had a swastika on the cover!  When I got to college I became even more interested in spycraft and started reading non-fiction accounts from World War II.  I loved the book Seizing the Enigma by David Kahn and I was fascinated by the enigma machine used by the Germans to encrypt secret messages (I am such a nerd).  Obviously, I have really been looking forward to the film The Imitation Game which depicts the life of Alan Turing (Benedict Cumberbatch) as he works against time to create a machine capable of deciphering the enigma code used by the Germans.  I saw the movie yesterday and I thought it was absolutely brilliant!  Not only does it portray the intensity of trying to crack the code against the backdrop of war where every minute results in death, but it also tells the story of Turing's tortured existence.  It flashes back to his unhappy days at boarding school when he realizes that he is gay and chronicles the charge of gross indecency leveled against him after the war.  It is an incredible character study with the overwhelming theme that being different should be celebrated rather than vilified.  I have been a fan of Cumberbatch ever since the PBS series Sherlock began airing several years ago.  In my opinion, he is so skillful at portraying complex and eccentric characters and this may be his most nuanced performance yet (there is a lot of Oscar buzz surrounding him).  Keira Knightley (who is hit or miss with me) also gives a solid performance as Joan Clarke, the only female codebreaker who must contend with prejudices against her own unconventional behavior (it is, of course, indecorous to live and work with a group of men as an unmarried female).  I highly recommend this movie for its interesting and suspenseful plot, compelling message, and outstanding performances.

Note:  On a trip to France, I saw an actual enigma machine at the War Museum in Caen.  I literally hyperventilated when I saw it.  Yep.  Total nerd!

Tchaikovsky's The Nutcracker

It has been a long and difficult week.  It is always hard to go back to school after having two weeks off for winter break but I have also been fighting one of the worst colds I've ever had!  I actually stayed home for two days and I really should have stayed home more but it is the end of the term and I've been trying to finish Hamlet with my seniors and Night with my sophomores.  The only thing that got me through the past couple of days was knowing that I had this lovely Utah Symphony concert featuring the music of Shostakovich and Tchaikovsky on Friday night to look forward to!  The first piece was Symphony No. 15 by Dmitri Shostakovich.  Before the orchestra began, guest conductor Mark Wigglesworth (who is adorable) gave the audience some background information saying that it is very autobiographical, chronicling Shostakovich's difficulties living in the Soviet Union under Stalin.  I loved this piece, particularly the second movement which begins with the brass playing a theme that sounded quintessentially Russian to me.  Interspersed with this theme is a solo cello representing Shostakovich's struggle for individuality within the Soviet machine.  It is hauntingly mournful and Rainer Eudeikis, Principal Cellist, played it beautifully.  After the intermission, the orchestra played Act II from The Nutcracker by Pyotr Illych Tchaikovsky.  I have seen this ballet many, many times and I've always enjoyed the music.  This was a really nice opportunity to concentrate on the music without the "distraction" of the dancing.  I quite enjoyed watching the orchestra, who are usually hidden in the pit, and I noticed so many things!  I loved watching the woodwinds in the Arabian Dance and the harp in the Waltz of the Flowers.  I also particularly enjoyed the Russian Dance.  I've always been so impressed with the sheer athleticism of the dancers but the orchestra gets quite a workout as well because it is so fast!  I've never really noticed that before because I've always been so enamored with the leaping Russians!   Even without the dancers, I still feel like the music for the Pas de Deux between the Sugar Plum Fairy and her Cavalier is one of the most romantic pieces I've ever heard.  Tchaikovsky had to be filled with so much emotion to write something so beautiful.  Mark Wigglesworth conducted this section with so much passion and he isn't even Russian!  Finally, I learned that the instantly recognizable notes in the Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy are played by a celesta!  Who knew?  It was such a wonderful concert and, luckily, it will be repeated again tonight!  Go here for more information and to purchase tickets.