The Favourite

I have a really long list of movies to see in the next little while (it might help if I didn't keep going to see Bohemian Rhapsody over and over) but I crossed one of them off yesterday by seeing The Favourite.  In 18th century England, Queen Anne (Olivia Colman) suffers from gout and is more concerned with playing with her rabbits (which represent all of the children she has lost) than in governing the country which is it war.  Anne's closest confidante, and secret lover, is Sarah Churchill, Duchess of Marlborough (Rachel Weisz).  Anne is completely under the control of Sarah, who essentially rules the country through her influence and advocates for more taxes to support the war.  Abigail Hill (Emma Stone), a cousin of Sarah's whose family has lost their place in society, applies to Sarah for a job at court and is employed as a scullery maid.  Abigail impresses Anne when she creates an herbal remedy for her gout and is promoted.  She cultivates an alliance with the opposition in government, Robert Harley (Nicholas Hoult), who encourages her promotion because he wants her to influence Anne to end the war.  She eventually begins to insinuate herself into Anne’s favor which causes open warfare between Abigail and Sarah.  Much like Yorgos Lanthimos' other films, The Lobster and The Killing of a Sacred Deer, this is a scathing and satirical commentary on social norms and, while it is much more accessible than the other two, it is filled with the absurd (racing ducks, throwing pomegranates at a naked man, and breakdancing at a ball).  His movies always make me laugh but feel vaguely uncomfortable!  However, it is just so much fun watching the machinations of both Sarah and Abigail as they compete for power and I never really knew which one I wanted to prevail.  Weisz and Stone give amazing performances but Colman is simply brilliant as the capricious and petulant, yet ultimately sympathetic, Queen who plays both women off of each other for her own gain.  The use of a fish-eye lens, long tracking shots, and the low-angle perspectives all serve to keep the action slightly off-kilter and the use of low lighting emphasizes the intrigue.  The overdecorated interiors and elaborate black and white costumes are a superb backdrop for this biting comedy of manners.  It isn't for everyone but I loved it!

Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse

I went to see Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse last night and, not only did I love it, but I had so much fun in a packed theater of rowdy and appreciative fans who laughed and cheered throughout!  It is absolutely fantastic and manages to create a story, about a character that we have seen so many times, that is fresh and original!  Miles Morales (Shemeik Moore) is bitten by a radioactive spider and, after waking up with superpowers which disrupt his life completely, he returns to the alley where he was bitten.  He finds a secret lab with a supercollider created by Kingpin (Liev Schreiber) to access parallel universes in order to bring back alternate versions of his wife and son who died during an altercation with Spider-Man (Chris Pine).  Spider-Man appears in order to disable the collider but, after he is wounded when he falls into it, he asks Miles to destroy it.  This also allows several incarnations of Spider-Man from parallel universes to appear including a down-and-out Peter B. Parker/ Spider-Man (Jake Johnson),  spunky Gwen Stacy/ Spider-Woman (Hailee Steinfeld), the cartoon Peter Porker/ Spider-Ham (John Mulaney), a monochromatic Spider-Noir (Nicolas Cage), and Peni Parker (Kimiko Glenn) a young Japanese girl who pilots a biomechanical spider.  After Spider-Man dies, they help Miles discover his powers and find the motivation to fight Kingpin as well as other familiar villains.  It is so clever and funny but it has quite a few surprisingly poignant moments, as well, and I love the message that anyone can be a hero.  The characters are a lot of fun and are very well-developed.  The animation is absolutely dazzling, unlike anything I have ever seen before, because it looks like you stepped inside of a comic book.  Each Spider-Man character has his (or her) own comic book style (I really liked Peni because she looked like an anime character).  The music is also fantastic, featuring the hip-hop music that Miles listens to, and I especially like "What's Up Danger" by Blackway and Black Caviar.  This movie is so much fun and I highly recommend seeing it on the biggest screen possible!

Note:  There is a cameo with Stan Lee and a post-credits scene.  Both are really great!

An Evening in Spain

Last night I decided to take a little trip to Spain.  Well, I did take a little trip downtown to Abravanel Hall to hear the Utah Symphony perform music inspired by Spain and it was pretty spectacular!  The orchestra began with Espana by Emmanuel Chabrier which was written after the composer was first introduced to flamenco dancing.  It is very lively and exuberant.  Next, the orchestra played Nights in the Gardens of Spain by Manuel de Falla with soloist Ingrid Fliter on piano.  The composer took inspiration for this piece from the Alhambra in Granada, Spain.  I found it to be very moody and atmospheric at the beginning and then it becomes more passionate and stirring as it progresses.  I really enjoyed it.  After the intermission, the orchestra played a selection from the opera Carmen by Georges Bizet.  Carmen is the first opera that I fell in love with as a teenager (Utah Opera performed a portion of it at my school and I was captivated) and I have since seen it countless times.  The music is incredibly dramatic and my favorite selections are "The Toreador Song" and the "Habanera."  I have to admit that when the orchestra was playing the "Habanera," I couldn't help but picture the scene in Bohemian Rhapsody when Queen is pitching their idea for a new album to an EMI executive while Freddie plays a recording of it.  I even did the same fist pump that Freddie does during a particularly dramatic point in the aria!  I think the lady sitting behind me thought I was crazy!  I absolutely loved hearing it!  Next, the orchestra played Capriccio espagnol by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov.  Even though Rimsky-Korsakov is one of my favorite composers, I had never heard this piece before.  I really liked it, especially the theme played by a solo clarinet during the first variation.  Finally, the orchestra played the piece that I had come specifically to hear: Bolero by Maurice Ravel.  When I was a child my Dad had a recording of various classical pieces played by a Moog synthesizer.  I loved the whole thing but Bolero was my favorite piece because the synthesizer mimicked all of the instruments, including the applause at the end!  There is a continual rhythm played by a snare drum throughout the whole piece.  Then the melody begins slowly and softly with a theme played by a solo flute and then that same theme, with variations, is repeated by all of the different instruments in the orchestra for fourteen minutes, gaining in speed and intensity until a final thundering crescendo at the end.  It is absolutely epic and I love it! I may or may not have been pumping my fist again by the end (the poor lady behind me!).  It was quite the evening and I recommend that you visit Spain, too, when this program is repeated again tonight (go here for tickets).

Note:  The guest conductor was Jun Markl who is a favorite with Utah Symphony audiences, including me!

Christmas with the Tabernacle Choir

Last summer Kristin Chenoweth was going to perform a concert with the Utah Symphony at the Deer Valley Music Festival.  I bought a ticket immediately but, sadly, she had to cancel because of an injury (Sutton Foster replaced her so it was still an amazing concert).  I was a little bit disappointed because I really wanted to see her so, when it was announced that she would be the special guest for this year's Christmas with the Tabernacle Choir concert, I was so excited!  This might be my favorite one yet because Kristin Chenoweth is absolutely adorable!  The Choir, Orchestra on Temple Square, Bells on Temple Square, and the Gabriel Trumpet Ensemble began with "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing" which was just lovely.  Chenoweth appeared from the audience (after interacting with some lucky audience members) and sang "We Need a Little Christmas" while flirting with Mack Wilberg!  She said her goal was to make him blush and he certainly did!  The highlight of the concert for me came next when she sang a beautiful arrangement of "O Holy Night" which is my very favorite Christmas song!  It gave me goosebumps (and a few tears).  Then the Choir sang "For Unto Us a Child Is Born" from Handel's Messiah which is always very stirring.  Next, Chenoweth sang an almost bluesy rendition of "Mary, Did You Know?" and a rousing rendition of "Come On, Ring Those Bells."  The Orchestra played selections from The Nutcracker by Tchaikovsky, which is a favorite!  Chenoweth then sang "The Christmas Waltz" and pulled a member of the Choir to dance with her (did I mention that she is adorable?).  The audience joined in on a fun arrangement of "The Twelve Days of Christmas" and Chenoweth appeared with the Choir wearing one of their costumes.  Then she appeared with the Bells on Temple Square in one of their costumes carrying a bell that was bigger than her for "Carol of the Bells," another favorite of mine.  She then narrated "The Gift of the Magi" by O. Henry, sang "Angels Among Us," "What Child Is This?," and concluded with "Angels from the Realms of Glory."  I loved this concert so much and I am so grateful and happy that I got to go again this year!

Note:  I have seen Renee Fleming, Sissel, Natalie Cole, Sutton Foster, and, now, Kristin Chenoweth perform with the Tabernacle Choir during their annual Christmas concert.  Chenoweth is my favorite guest...so far!

The Wizard of Oz at HCT

Last night I saw The Wizard of Oz, which is quite possibly the biggest and most ambitious show ever produced by Hale Theatre! It is an awesome spectacle, using all of the bells and whistles afforded by the new stage! This version of the L. Frank Baum book is very much informed by the 1939 film of the same name and tells the familiar story of how Dorothy Gale (Lexi Walker) lands, literally, in the fantastical world of Oz and how the Scarecrow (Jordan Dahl), the Tin Man (Preston Taylor), and the Cowardly Lion (Dustin Bolt) help her get to the Wizard (B.J. Whimpey), hoping that he can get her back to Kansas, while avoiding the Wicked Witch of the West (Carolyn Hartvigsen), who wants her sister's ruby slippers back. I have to be honest and say that I have seen a few productions of the stage musical and I vastly prefer the movie but I thought this was a lot of fun. Lexi Walker gives an incredible performance and her rendition of "Over the Rainbow" will definitely give you goosebumps. Dahl, Taylor, and Bolt are amazing dancers and they each have a moment to shine in "If I Only Had A Brain," "If I Only Had A Heart," and "If I Only Had A Nerve," respectively. I was especially impressed with Dahl's acrobatics. The costumes are spectacular and the sheer number of them created for this show is mind-boggling! I particularly loved Glinda's (Eden Benson) glittering gown and the Wicked Witch's cape of raven feathers. The special effects are dazzling, especially the tornado and the scenes with the Wizard! The Wicked Witch (and her monkeys) fly all around the stage, beautiful aerialists represent the snow in the poppy field, and Glinda's floating bubble is epic. My only complaint is that the pacing seems a bit off because some scenes went on for much too long, especially in Act II. However, it is very early in the run and I am sure things will tighten up. This would be a perfect holiday show for families (go here for tickets) and I recommend it.