The Girl on the Train

Last year my book club read the best selling juggernaut The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins.  I thought it was an intense psychological thriller so I have been looking forward to the movie adaptation for quite a while.  I had the chance to see it last night and, rather unusually, I think it is better than the book!  Emily Blunt gives an incredible performance as Rachel Watson, an alcoholic whose husband has left her and has been fired from her job.  Every day she takes the same commuter train into the city and every day she sees the same couple out on their deck.  Because her life is in such a shambles, she idealizes them as the perfect couple.  One morning, she sees the woman with a man who is not her husband and feels betrayed by her infidelity.  After a night of drinking she gets off the train to confront the woman and wakes up the next morning bloody, bruised, and disheveled with no memory of what happened.  Rachel learns that the woman has gone missing and decides to inform her husband of what she has seen, but as she inserts herself into the investigation, she becomes a suspect herself.  As Rachel searches for the truth, she comes to realize that her perfect couple wasn't so perfect after all and that she is not as damaged as she was led to believe.  Blunt does the impossible by making Rachel seem sympathetic in a highly nuanced portrayal of a complex character with questionable judgement.  There is a particular scene where she confronts everyone who has betrayed her in a mirror that is absolutely brilliant.  Even though she does some despicable things, you understand what has driven her to this point:  Anna (Rebecca Ferguson), married to her ex-husband, has the life that she once had and Megan (Haley Bennett), the perfect woman seen from the train, has the life she wants but is throwing it away.  For me, this movie is less about the murder mystery and more about the journey Rachel takes (maybe because I've read the book and knew the outcome?) and I enjoyed the psychological tension.  There are differences from the book, most notably that it is set in New York City instead of London and there is an addition of a new character (Lisa Kudrow) to advance the plot, but I found the movie to be much more cohesive than the book.  I highly recommend it.

Neil Young at USANA

I have a thing for Neil Young!  I saw him in 2000 during the CSNY2K Tour with Crosby, Stills, and Nash and when they sang "Old Man" it just about blew my mind.  Last year I learned that Neil Young would be performing at Red Rocks Amphitheater during the summer and I got really excited and decided to go (It is not unusual for me to go to Denver to see a concert).  Then I realized that the concert would be at the same time as the Leadership Conference for my officers and, no matter how I tried, I just couldn't make it work.  I was devastated.  I was devastated for months because I really wanted to see him!  Imagine my supreme happiness when I found out that he would be performing the same concert at the USANA Amphitheatre!  I found out about it after I got home from Australia and bought a ticket that same day!  The concert was billed as containing both old and new material with most of it coming from the album Earth which is very much informed by Young's environmental activism.  He came out, alone with just a spotlight, wearing exactly what you would expect: faded jeans, a fringed leather coat, and a black fedora.  He sat at a battered piano and sang "After the Gold Rush," then moved to center stage with a guitar and harmonica and sang "Heart of Gold" and "Long May You Run," and then moved to a fabulous church organ and performed "Mother Earth (Natural Anthem)."  After that acoustic set, he was joined by Promise of the Real (who sounded a lot like Crazy Horse) and let's just say that they rocked the free world!  It was an amazing show and I especially loved "Harvest Moon," an epic 20 minute rendition of "Down By The River," "Cowgirl in the Sand," and, of course, "Rockin' in the Free World."  I heard a rumor that he sometimes plays "Cinnamon Girl" during the encore and I really hoped he would at USANA but, alas, he didn't.  I forgive him, though, because of his performance of "Heart of Gold."  That will keep me on a high for days!  It was extremely cold, and I will definitely think twice about seeing an outdoor concert in Utah in October again, but it was worth it to see such an icon perform!

Note:  He was so funny and personable with the crowd.  At one point, he apologized for how long it was taking for him to tune his guitar and told us we didn't have to pay for this portion of the concert!

The Dressmaker

The movie The Dressmaker had already been released in Australia when I was there.  In fact, the woman sitting next to me on the plane watched it during the flight from Auckland to San Francisco.  I kept sneaking peaks at her screen and was very intrigued.  When I saw that it was going to be released at my favorite art house theater I got really excited and I ended up seeing it Sunday afternoon.  I loved this movie so much!  Tilly Dunnage (Kate Winslet) returns to the Australian outback town of Dungatar 25 years after being sent away hoping to remember the events surrounding the death of a boy which prompted her exile and vowing revenge of those in the town who mistreated her.  Having worked in a salon in Paris, she is now an accomplished dressmaker and, while the townspeople initially shun her, they all request her services after a dress made for Gertrude (Sarah Snook), the town ugly duckling, is a great success.  There are some absolutely hilarious situations with the eccentric characters in the town, especially when Tilly's crazy mother (Judy Davis) refuses to take a bath, when the cross dressing police chief (Hugo Weaving) gives up a confidential police statement when tempted by a feather boa, and when Gertrude tries on her wedding dress (created by the rival seamstress in town) and literally escapes out the window and runs down the street to hire Tilly.  Eventually, Tilly learns the truth about what happened that fateful day and gets her revenge on the townspeople in a great scene.  Kate Winslet is brilliant in this role and the clothes she wears are to die for!  My favorite scene is when she literally brings a football game to a standstill by wearing a bright red couture gown.  Judy Davis had me laughing every time she opened her mouth in a hilarious performance.  I loved the Australian scenery and I found the flashback scenes, filmed in an almost sepia tone, to be incredibly effective at conveying a mood.  It has won just about every film award there is to win in Australia and I highly recommend it!

Note:  Did I mention that Liam Hemsworth plays Tilly's love interest?  He takes off his shirt several times!

Queen of Katwe

Saturday night I went to see Queen of Katwe, a heart-warming true story about a young girl's determination to succeed against all odds.  Phiona Mutesi (Medina Nalwanga) is a young girl living in Katwe, a slum of Kampala, Uganda.  Instead of going to school, she gets up early every morning to get water and spends the rest of the day selling vegetables on the street to support her family.  Robert Katende (David Oyelowo) has a degree in engineering (with the highest marks) but he can't get a job in that field because he also grew up in the slums and has no family connections.  He takes a job as a counselor in a sports outreach ministry and begins teaching a chess class.  Phiona watches from afar until Robert invites her in and she immediately impresses him with her ability despite the fact that she can barely read.  He decides to take some of the children to a prestigious chess tournament.  Phiona's mother (Lupita Nyong'o) wants a better life for her daughter but is wary because she needs Phiona to help support the family and doesn't want her to get "ideas."  Phiona is eventually allowed to go and begins winning at other tournaments but she is beset by one tragedy after another.  She decides to become a Grand Master so that she won't have to live like her mother any more.  I found Phiona's story to be incredibly moving (I cried just watching the previews).  It is a bit cliched, but Nalwanga, Oyelowo, and Nyong'o give a highly affecting performances, especially Nalwanga as the young prodigy.  The chess tournament scenes, believe it or not, are incredibly entataining, particularly when one of the children struts around the chess boards after winning.  It is a stand-up-and-cheer movie and I highly recommend it to anyone who needs something to cheer for.

Note:  My favorite part of the movie is during the closing credits when the actor and the real person portrayed interact with each other.  Ethan Nazario Lubega was so much fun to watch as Benjamin, one of the other chess players in the program, because he is so cheeky.  The real Benjamin is just as cheeky!

Fall and Football

Yesterday was the first day of October (which is definitely my favorite month) and it was a perfect fall day!  The temperature was brisk, the sky was blue, and there was a smell of decomposing leaves in the air.  What better way to celebrate fall than by watching a football game?  Sean's team played the Grantsville Cowboys (they played in Grantsville which is an hour away so I had to get up even earlier) and they have the best record in the league.  They were expecting a shutout against the Braves but the Braves had other plans!  Sean (and the team) played so well!  He played both offense and defense and I think he was on the sideline for about two minutes!  He is getting so good at football, more aggressive and more confident!  I just love watching him play; in fact, it is becoming the highlight of my week.  Yesterday was definitely the highlight of a difficult week!  Here are some pictures of the action.

Note:  Do you love fall as much as I do?  Here are two of my favorite fall posts:  Fall Fun for the Locals and Five Fall Drives Near SLC.  Check them out!