The Girl in the Spider's Web

I am a huge fan of the Millennium Trilogy by Stieg Larsson (I've read all three books multiple times) so I was very intrigued by a new novel involving the antisocial hacker Lisbeth Salander called The Girl in the Spider's Web by David Lagercrantz.  I didn't initially like it because I was constantly comparing it to the first three books which probably wasn't very fair of me.  I decided that if I saw the movie adaptation I would try to judge it on its own merits rather than compare it to David Fincher's moody and atmospheric adaptation of The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo.  My Dad and I decided to see it yesterday and we both thought it was a pretty good thriller.  Lisbeth Salander (Claire Foy) has become a sort of avenging angel for battered women when she is asked by a former NSA agent named Frans Balder (Stephen Merchant) to steal a computer program that he designed, which can access nuclear codes around the world, because he's having second thoughts about its use.  Stealing the program is a simple job for Salander but it attracts the attention of the NSA, who send Edwin Needham (Lakeith Stanfield) to Stockholm to retrieve it, and it also attracts the attention of a Russian gang known as the Spiders, who bomb Salander's apartment to steal it from her.  She enlists the help of Mikael Blomkvist (Sverrir Gudnason) to discover who is behind this gang and ultimately must confront her own past to get the program back.  This is not the dark and psychologically complex murder mystery that the original is but, in my opinion, it is not meant to be.  It is meant to be an action thriller and on that level it succeeds.  The car chases, explosions, and fight scenes are fantastic and Foy delivers a kick-ass performance.  The screenplay deviates quite a bit from the source material, especially in regards to Lisbeth’s backstory, but I think it improves upon an meandering and overly technical story.  It is quite entertaining and I really enjoyed it.  This movie might not be what you are expecting if you are a fan of the original trilogy, but if you can appreciate it for what it is, I highly recommend it

Hunter Killer

My Dad and I are huge fans of espionage novels and movies so we have been anticipating Hunter Killer for quite a while.  We finally got to see it yesterday and we both loved it!  When the submarine USS Tampa Bay goes missing in the Arctic Ocean, Rear Admiral John Fisk (Common) sends the USS Arkansas, commanded by the unorthodox Captain Joe Glass (Gerard Butler), to investigate.  The NSA also sends a Navy SEAL team to the Polyarny naval base in Russia for a covert mission to investigate the build up of their northern fleet.  The USS Arkansas finds the USS Tampa Bay and discovers that it was sunk by a Russian torpedo under highly suspicious circumstances.  Meanwhile, the Navy SEALs discover that the Russian Defense Minister (Mikhail Gorevoy) has taken the Russian President (Alexander Diachenko) hostage in a coup d'etat and is trying to provoke a war with the US.  The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Charles Donnegan (Gary Oldman), wants to ready the fleet for war but Fisk suggests that the SEALs go in and rescue the Russian President and that the USS Arkansas go through the Murmansk Fjord, and area that is heavily mined, to rendezvous with them in the hope of stopping a war.  What follows is tense, suspenseful, and action-packed!  This movie feels like a throw-back to the Cold War thrillers that I watched in my teens and, apparently, I've really missed having Russia as an enemy!  The story is compelling, with some great plot twists and edge-of-your-seat action sequences, especially when the USS Arkansas evades a torpedo.  Hunter Killer is exciting and wildly entertaining and I recommend it to fans of the genre (or people like me who miss Cold War intrigue).

Bernstein's Candide

I ended a really fun week of culture and the arts last night with a semi-staged version of Leonard Bernstein's opera Candide performed in collaboration with the Utah Symphony and Utah Opera.  I sometimes teach the satirical novella by Voltaire, upon which this opera is based, to my seniors so I have been looking forward to this since the 2018-2019 season was announced.  It was absolutely delightful and I laughed out loud more times than I can count!  Candide (Jonathan Johnson) is an illegitimate young man living in Westphalia with his uncle, the Baron Thunder-ten-Tronck and his son, Maximilian (Mark Diamond), daughter, Cunegonde (Amy Owens), and an accommodating serving girl named Paquette (Alecks Romano).  The four young people are taught by an eminent philosopher, Dr. Pangloss (Hugh Russell), that life equals happiness.  When Candide falls in love with Cunegonde, the Baron disapproves and banishes him.  Candide then wanders around the world, including Bulgaria where he is pressed into service in the army, Lisbon where he faces the Spanish Inquisition, Paris where he inadvertently kills two men, Spain where he flees arrest, Uruguay where he inadvertently kills Maximilian, El Dorado where he discovers golden sheep, Suriname where he buys a leaky boat, and Venice where is is reunited with everyone.  While he is having his adventures, he wonders why all of these bad things keep happening to him when life is happiness.  He finally realizes that life is just life and settles down with Cunegonde to grow his garden.  The music in this opera is beautiful and I especially enjoyed "The Best of All Possible Worlds," "It Must Be So," "Glitter and Be Gay," "My Love," "Universal Good," and "Make Our Garden Grow."  Both Johnson and Owens are spectacular and I also really enjoyed the Utah Opera Chorus who provide much of the comedy.  This performance is absolutely hilarious and my favorite bit of business is when Candide borrows Maestro Thierry Fischer's baton to use in a sword fight!  The costumes are fabulous and the staging is incredibly innovative for such a small space.  I thoroughly enjoyed myself and I highly recommend getting a ticket to tonight's performance (go here).

Note:  I really enjoy watching the principal timpanist (translation: I have a small crush on him).  At this performance an adorable older lady sitting in front of me turned and asked me if she was obstructing my view by leaning forward slightly.  When I said no, she went on to say that her favorite member of the orchestra plays the timpani and since he was in the corner of the stage she couldn't see him without leaning forward.  I laughed and said that I liked him, too!  She mentioned, while blushing, that she had met him and that he was just so charming.  I told her that we could swoon together!

Come From Away at the Eccles

When the Broadway at the Eccles 2018-2019 season was announced, Come From Away was the show I was most excited to see and I have been eagerly anticipating it ever since.  I got to see it last night and I basically cried through the whole thing, except when I was laughing hysterically.  After the attacks of 9/11, U.S. airspace is restricted and 38 international flights have to be diverted to the airport in the tiny town of Gander, Newfoundland, Canada.  The nearly 7,000 stranded passengers almost double the population of Gander but the townspeople willingly do everything they can to provide them with food, clothing, shelter, and comfort.  The story is told through the perspectives of the townspeople and several stranded passengers with an outstanding ensemble cast of twelve who seamlessly play multiple roles.  The narrative is incredibly moving and explores how the people of Gander learn of the attacks, the confusion of the passengers on the planes who have no idea what is going on, the determination of of the townspeople to do whatever is necessary to help, the desperation of the passengers to learn the fate of loved ones (especially the mother who cannot locate her son who is a firefighter in NYC), the growing paranoia over a Muslim passenger, and the acknowledgement that things will never be the same.  There are quite a few moments of levity, such as when a woman sneaks on board a plane to take care of the animals left behind (including a pregnant monkey) and when several passengers take part in a ceremony to become honorary Newfoundlanders (it involves a fair amount of alcohol and a codfish).  One romance begins and another one falls apart under the strain but everyone is forever changed by the experience.  I loved all of the songs but my very favorites are "Prayer" because it beautifully incorporates elements from multiple religions and "Something's Missing" because it brilliantly captures that hollow feeling I remember in the days after the attack.  This musical evokes so many emotions, about 9/11, about the power of community, about the indomitable human spirit, but the strongest for me was a nostalgia for Canada, the land of my birth.  Every cultural reference brought tears to my eyes, especially the Tim Hortons sign ("Everything starts and ends at Tim Hortons!").  This is a show that will restore your faith in humanity and entertain you at the same time.  Don't miss it!

Ballet West's Jewels

I usually prefer more traditional full-length ballets but I was very intrigued by the premise of Ballet West's current production, Jewels, which includes three pieces choreographed by George Balanchine each featuring a gemstone that embodies a particular theme.  I decided to get a ticket and I thoroughly enjoyed myself last night.  The first piece is Emeralds and features the music of Gabriel Faure.  It is meant to evoke the elegance, romance, and intrigue of 18th century France.  The main choreography features a central couple, Christopher Ruud and Arolyn Williams, gliding through intricate patterns performed by a female ensemble and it is stunning.  Ruud is one of my favorite dancers in the company and I was thrilled that he was in a featured role last night.  He is an amazing dancer and the pas de deux with Williams is so graceful.  The second piece is Rubies and features the music of Igor Stravinsky.  It is meant to evoke the Jazz Age in America in the 1920s and the choreography is whimsical and playful.  There is a featured couple, Christopher Sellars and Katherine Lawrence, a female soloist, Olivia Gusti, along with a male and female ensemble who all use their bodies to create unique and innovate shapes.  The speed and intensity keeps increasing until the dramatic conclusion.  The final piece, Diamonds, is probably my favorite because it features the music of Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky and evokes the grandeur of imperial Russia.  The choreography is very traditional and classical and features an incredibly romantic pas de deux between Rex Tilton and Emily Adams (he kisses her hand at the end of it!).  There is also a section which features a male ensemble performing athletic leaps and spins and it is spectacular! The ballet continues with a staggering number of couples dancing on stage and it brought to mind what I imagine a stately ball at the Winter Palace in St. Petersburg would be like.  I loved it!  The green, red, and white costumes sparkle with emeralds, rubies, and diamonds and the minimal set features a chandelier which is reconfigured for each ballet with the appropriate colored lights.  It is a beautiful production and I highly recommend getting a ticket (go here) for one of the four remaining performances.