American Sniper

Tuesday night I went to see American Sniper which is the final Best Picture nominee currently in theaters (see my reviews of The Grand Budapest Hotel, The Imitation Game, The Theory of Everything, Whiplash, Birdman, and Selma).  This movie follows Chris Kyle from his enlistment after the bombing of American embassies in 1998, his training to be a Navy SEAL, his marriage to Taya (Sienna Miller), and his four tours of duty in Iraq.  Kyle is the most lethal sniper in American history with 160 kills confirmed by the Department of Defense (some put the number much higher) saving countless lives in battle.  The battle scenes in Iraq are unbelievably intense and are very disturbing to watch, especially his last firefight with armed insurgents (I felt like I was in the middle of the sandstorm with bullets firing all around me).  In my opinion, the depiction of battle in this movie is one of the most realistic I've ever seen (including the liberal use of profanity which might bother some) and I am absolutely in awe of what members of the military willingly sacrifice for our freedom.  I also liked the fact that this movie discusses the difficulties that servicemen face in transitioning back to life at home and the sacrifices made by their families.  I have never been a big fan of Bradley Cooper but he is phenomenal as Kyle.  The scene where Kyle is visibly overcome after a young boy puts down an RPG so that he doesn't have to shoot him is absolutely gut-wrenching as is the scene where Kyle calls his wife and tells her he is ready to come home.  His performance is gripping and his Best Actor nomination is well-deserved!  This movie is not easy to watch.  In fact, I was quite upset when I walked out of the theater but it is incredibly powerful and I guarantee that you will be thinking about it for days.

Note:  I found the absolute silence during the final credits to be chilling.

Utah Opera's The Pearl Fishers

Last year on MLK Day, I attended Utah Opera's wonderful production of La Traviata.  I loved the opera and it ended up being such a lovely evening.  This year on MLK Day I did the same thing with the same person, but this time the opera was The Pearl Fishers.  It was also amazing and, once again, I had a lovely time.  Ironically, I didn't know much about this opera and I was really on the fence about seeing it.  However, I was convinced otherwise and I am certainly glad that I was because I would have hated to miss this!  Zurga is the leader of a village in Ceylon (modern day Sri Lanka) and his childhood friend, Nadir, has come to visit.  They were both once in love with the same woman, Leila, but they gave her up for the sake of their friendship.  A veiled priestess comes to the village to pray for the superstitious fisherman who are diving for pearls.  When she sings to banish the evil spirits, Nadir recognizes her voice and knows it is Leila.  They declare their love for each other but the villagers are afraid because this means that Leila has broken her vows.  When Zurga realizes that the priestess is Leila, he sentences them both to death.  Will Zurga be ruled by vengeance or friendship?  Georges Bizet (you may be more familiar with his other opera, Carmen) is the composer and the music is incredibly beautiful!  The duet "a fond du temple saint" sung by Zurga (Craig Irvin) and Nadir (Brian Stucki) where they renounce their love of Leila for the sake of their friendship is nothing short of exquisite and I had goosebumps through the whole thing.  Their voices (Irvin's baritone and Stucki's tenor) complimented each other so well.  (I realized during the opening notes that this duet is actually featured in the movie Gallipoli which is one of my very favorites).  The passionate duet between Leila (Andrea Carroll) and Nadir is also absolutely incredible.  There was quite a bit of choreography in this opera and I thought it was quite dramatic, especially when they danced with fire.  The costumes were beautiful and exotic.  I loved everything about this production and I am so glad I didn't miss it!  The Pearl Fishers will run until Jan. 25.  Go here for more information and tickets.

Note:  I frequently attend the opera with one or more of my cousins and we always have such a good time.  Over the years we have seen Fidelio, Rigoletto, The Magic Flute, The Barber of Seville, La Traviata, Madame Butterfly, and now, The Pearl Fishers.  A while back I was talking about our experiences at a family gathering and I referred to our group as a sort of "Opera Club."  My aunt thought that I said "Awkward Club" and agreed with me! What?

Snowshoeing at Soldier Hollow

Last winter I discovered a passion for snowshoeing and I went just about every weekend in January and February.  I have been sick for the past few weeks, so I haven't had a chance to go this year. Since yesterday was a day off from school, I decided to go and it felt so great to be outside and moving!

Snowshoeing is all about finding a rhythm and I picked it up again just like that!  I loved every minute!

I decided to go to Soldier Hollow, which is about an hour's drive up in the mountains, because it has lots of groomed trails to follow.  I wanted to test myself a little bit before going in the back country (Also, my favorite hole-in-the-wall diner, Chick's, is nearby in Heber City).  Soldier Hollow was the cross-country skiing venue for the Salt Lake 2002 Winter Olympics and it is a wonderful facility.  You can cross-country ski and snowshoe on lots of different trails and there are some great tubing hills with tow-ropes.

Last year I did the Olympic 5k trail all the time without difficulty.  This year I barely made it on the Little Buckaroo trail.  Apparently having a serious respiratory illness can affect your lung capacity!  Who knew?  Hopefully I will be back to normal soon!

It was a really fun day and it wasn't too cold or too crowded (especially since it was a holiday).  I'm looking forward to more snowshoeing excursions in the coming weeks.  If you would like to snowshoe at Soldier Hollow, go here for more information.

Selma

My Best Picture marathon (see my reviews of The Grand Budapest Hotel, The Imitation Game, The Theory of Everything, Whiplash, and Birdman) continued last night with a screening of Selma.  This movie is an incredibly powerful and moving account of the Civil Rights marches from Selma to the Alabama state capitol of Montgomery to protest against voter registration discrimination.  It is 1964 and Martin Luther King, Jr. (David Oyelowo) has just received the Nobel Peace Prize and LBJ (Tom Wilkinson) has just pushed the Civil Rights Act ending segregation through Congress.  MLK wants more because millions of African Americans are being prevented from voting in the South because of prohibitive poll taxes, unrealistic sponsorship requirements, and elaborate civics tests.  (The scene where Oprah Winfrey's character, Annie Mae Cooper, quietly tries to register to vote is one of the most poignant in the film).  LBJ feels that he has done enough for the time being and wants to push through his War on Poverty agenda but MLK can't wait (There is another great scene between the two leaders in the Oval Office).  The city of Selma is selected for the protest because its Sheriff, Jim Clark, is a bit of a hothead and his reaction to their peaceful protest will get the SCLC the national coverage it needs to convince LBJ.  After the violent confrontation between peaceful marchers and the police on the Edmund Pettus Bridge (Bloody Sunday), the epic march is allowed to proceed, culminating in an incredible speech on the Montgomery capitol steps (and, ultimately, the passage of the Voting Rights Act in 1965).  This is an emotionally charged film and I had tears in my eyes during the montage of actual footage from the march.  David Oyelowo gives an amazing, and humanizing, portrayal of MLK and the supporting cast is equally good.  Some notable stand-outs are Carmen Ejogo as Coretta Scott King (the scene where Coretta confronts MLK about his infidelity gave me goosebumps), Giovanni Ribisi as Lee White (an adviser to LBJ), and Tim Roth as Governor George Wallace.   I loved the middle-of-the-action camera angles in the sequences on the bridge.  I felt like I was on the bridge with the marchers, breathing in the tear gas and feeling the sting of the whips and the blows from the clubs. It was highly effective.  You read accounts of these historical events in textbooks but seeing the images on the big screen makes the struggle so much more powerful and I felt so many things while watching.  The theme of this movie is particularly salient during these troubling times and I highly recommend it!

Birdman

Last night I continued my quest to see all of the Best Picture nominees (see my reviews of The Grand Budapest Hotel, The Imitation Game, The Theory of Everything, and Whiplash) by going to Birdman. This movie pretty much blew me away and left me reeling long after I left the theater.  However, I still can't make up my mind about whether I liked it or not.  Riggan Thomson (Michael Keaton), a Hollywood actor best known for playing the Birdman in a series of superhero movies several years ago, is attempting to revive his career by mounting an ambitious Broadway play.  The production is fraught with difficulties for Thomson including the last-minute addition of an attention stealing Method actor (Edward Norton), an insecure leading lady (Naomi Watts), a love interest (Andrea Riseborough) who may or may not be pregnant with his baby, a daughter (Emma Stone) who has just returned from rehab, the threat of a bad review from a jaded theater critic (Lindsay Duncan) who hates Hollywood actors, and the insistent voice of his alter-ego, the Birdman, criticizing and tormenting him throughout.  There are many themes explored in this movie (Broadway vs. Hollywood, talent vs. celebrity, creating art vs. critiquing it, etc.) but, ultimately, all of the characters are searching for acceptance and relevance.  Michael Keaton is absolutely brilliant in this art-imitating-life role of a lifetime (he may have thrown a wrench in my philosophical musings about the Best Actor category).  The same could be said of Edward Norton (nominated for Best Supporting Actor), who is notoriously difficult to work with, as the arrogant actor who feels more real on stage than he does inhabiting his own skin.  Emma Stone delivers a powerful speech about the fact that nobody is special (hence her nomination for Best Supporting Actress).  Really, every actor shines in this movie, including, rather surprisingly, Zach Galifianakis.  However, I feel like several characters became irrelevant as the movie progressed.  The action is depicted as one continuous take, which is brilliant in my opinion, and I especially loved all of the tracking shots as the actors walked the long corridors and tight staircases in the theater.  I found the constant staccato drumming in the background to be very jarring but I suppose it added to the overall effect of chaos.  Hmmm.  I still don't know how I feel about this movie, although it did prompt quite the discussion until the wee hours of the morning (in fact, everyone was talking about it in the theater lobby).  I suggest you see it and decide for yourself!