Inferno

I loved Dan Brown's bestselling books The Da Vinci Code and Angels & Demons and I also enjoyed the movies adapted from them.  For some reason I haven't read Inferno but I've been looking forward to the movie for quite a while.  It was a long week at school with the end of the term and lots of tests, essays, and book reviews to grade so I decided to reward myself by seeing it last night.  Symbologist Robert Langdon (Tom Hanks, playing the role for the third time) wakes up in a Florence hospital with a gunshot wound and no memory of how he came to be there.  When someone tries to shoot him again, he escapes with the help of Sienna Brooks (Felicity Jones), the doctor treating him.  The mystery begins with a reference to Dante's poem The Divine Comedy and takes Langdon and Brooks to the Palazzo Vecchio in Florence, St. Mark's Basilica in Venice, and the Hagia Sophia in Istanbul to solve a puzzle left by a billionaire geneticist (Ben Foster) who wants to reduce the population with a plague which will be released if they fail.  Of course they are pursued by several nefarious individuals with questionable motives such as the aforementioned assassin (Ana Ularu), the head of a shadowy private security company (a hilarious Irrfan Khan), and the head of the WHO (Sidse Babett Knudsen).  As with the other movies, I really enjoyed the use of Renaissance literature, art, and architecture as clues to solve a puzzle and I loved all of the incredible locations but I found the story to be confusing (maybe because I haven't read the book) and I had a hard time keeping track of who was who.  I enjoyed watching this movie for the escapism (especially after such a hard week) but I definitely think it is the weakest of the three.

2016-2017 Student Body Officers

Over fall break the Student Body Officers had some photos taken at the Utah State Capitol Building and I really love how they turned out.  Here are a few of them.

This next one is my favorite because they wear their sweaters like this all of the time (they are really hot, especially at the end of summer when school starts).

2015-2016

2014-2015

2013-2014

Thriller 2016

For some reason I haven't done very many Halloween-themed activities this year.  However, one Halloween tradition that I always try to uphold is seeing Odyssey Dance Theatre's production of Thriller.  I successfully avoided the undead (don't make eye contact!) as I made my way to my seat at Kingsbury Hall last Monday night and I thoroughly enjoyed the show, as I always do.  Even though I have seen this Halloween dance extravaganza more times than I can count, I always look forward to it and anticipate every single dance as the show progresses!  I love the undead cavorting in a graveyard in "Thriller," (the dramatic opening number) the break dancing mummy and his maidens in "Curse of the Mummy," the three year old pandas in "Miss Alli's Nightmare," a pas de deux gone horribly wrong in "Frankenstein & Frankenstein," tap dancing skeletons in "Dem Bones," a trio of Jasons wielding assorted weaponry in "Jason Jam," scarecrows who are not what they seam in "Children of the Corn," a group of voodoo priestesses in "Servant of the Spirits," condemned witches who return for revenge in "Salem's Mass," (my favorite number) a group of malevolent dolls in "Chucky-Rama," acrobatic vampires in "Lost Boys," and high stepping Irish lasses in "River of Blood Dance." As each number began, the audience would cheer wildly which made the experience even more fun.  It simply would not be Halloween without Thriller!  You can purchase tickets to this show, which is performed in various venues around Utah, by going here.

Note:  I also really enjoyed the films by Scott Winn which were shown in between the numbers, featuring twerking Stormtroopers, the crew from the Starship Enterprise in a dance-off, and a group of Orcs getting down.

Denial

Sunday found me, for the second night in a row, at my favorite art house theater to see Denial.  This movie features a compelling story, based on actual events, about a libel case brought by an attention-seeking historian, who denies that the Holocaust happened, against a university professor claiming that her book, Denying the Holocaust: The Growing Assault on Truth and Memory, damaged his reputation.  This movie also features an incredible cast, including Rachel Weisz as Deborah Lipstadt, the professor forced to prove the Holocaust happened, Timothy Spall as David Irving, her accuser, Tom Wilkinson, as Richard Rampton, her barrister, and Andrew Scott (who will always and forever be Moriarty from the PBS series Sherlock in my mind), as Anthony Julius, her solicitor who is famous for representing Princess Diana in her divorce from Prince Charles.  Each give riveting performances, especially during a heated exchange while visiting Auschwitz.  Finally, this movie has a certain timely relevance in its portrayal of a man who clearly makes outrageous and provocative statements for attention and the argument about how much attention to give such a person. I do think that the action bogs down at times, rather like the sedate British legal system with all of its pomp and circumstance (Irving brought the suit in the UK because the burden of proof is on the accused).  There are no courtroom theatrics and the verdict is almost anticlimactic because everyone received the verdict before it was read in court.  However, the story, the performances, and the disturbing present-day resonance make this film worthy of a recommendation.

A Man Called Ove

I often decide to see a movie based on the previews (I hate reading reviews before I see a movie because I like to decide for myself whether or not I will like something) and this practice usually yields positive results.  There was the time when I reversed my ban on all Judd Apatow films to see Funny People because the previews looked hilarious but I try not to dwell on that unfortunate decision.  Luckily, my experience with A Man Called Ove was much better.  For the past few weeks I've been seeing previews of this film at my favorite art house theater and it looked incredibly charming so I decided to see it Saturday night. Ove (Rolf Lassgard) is a curmudgeonly old man who makes his rounds every morning enforcing his neighborhood association's strict rules.  Throughout the movie he tries various ways to commit suicide to be with his recently deceased wife, but his attempts fail, and we see flashbacks to his life for insight as to why he has become such a miserable and lonely man.  A new neighbor from Iran and her boisterous family, a stray cat, a young man who comes out as gay, and his former best friend who is about to be institutionalized give him a reason to come back to life in some hilarious and heartwarming situations.  I loved this movie so much!  Even though Ove is not a very nice person he is so endearing!  Don't let the fact that this movie is in Swedish with English subtitles stop you from seeing it because it is truly funny with many laugh out loud moments.  I especially loved it when the two best friends fall out over a disagreement over which car is better: Saab or Volvo!  It is a lovely feel-good movie and I highly recommend it!