True Grit

I have recently become a fan of Western films and there are so many that I need to see!  Luckily the TCM Big Screen Classics series features a lot of Westerns, including the latest selection True Grit, so I might be able to catch up!  After trying to see this movie on Sunday (there were technical difficulties so the screening was canceled) I got to see it last night and I really enjoyed it!  This is probably my favorite John Wayne film (so far) and his riveting performance earned him the Academy Award for Best Actor.  Wayne plays Rooster Cogburn, an aging, overweight, alcoholic, and trigger-happy U.S. Marshall, who is hired by a young girl named Mattie Ross (Kim Darby) to bring her father's killer, Tom Cheney (Jeff Corey), to justice.  A Texas Ranger named La Boeuf (Glen Campbell) is also on the hunt and is looking to claim a large reward because Cheney killed a Texas state senator.  Cogburn and La Boeuf set out to track Cheney down and reluctantly allow Mattie to ride with them leading to an epic showdown with the gang protecting Cheney.  I absolutely loved the character of Mattie because she is so feisty, determined, and resourceful.  I especially love the scene where she negotiates with a wily horse trader (Strother Martin).  Darby more than holds her own with the veteran actors in this film and she has great chemistry with Wayne, particularly in a poignant scene where Cogburn tells Mattie about himself while they are waiting to ambush the gang.  In my opinion, Wayne can sometimes seem like a caricature with his laconic line delivery but in this film he brings a sensitivity to the grizzled character he plays and his performance is very compelling.  The action sequences are incredibly exciting, especially when Cogburn gets into a gunfight on horseback with four other men in the middle of a meadow!  While the film is set in Arkansas and Oklahoma, it was mostly filmed in Colorado and the cinematography is breathtaking.  I am so glad I was eventually able to see this film on the big screen and I highly recommend it!

The Intruder

My preferred method of choosing which movies to see based on the trailer has frequently backfired on me this year!  Friday night I went to see The Intruder because the trailer made it look like an interesting and atmospheric psychological thriller.  Unfortunately, it is a total mess.  Scott Russell (Michael Ealy), an up and coming San Francisco ad executive, and his wife Annie (Meagan Good) decide to leave the city in favor of finding their dream home in Napa Valley.  Charlie Peck (Dennis Quaid) tells the couple that he is selling his house to go live with his daughter in Florida but he can't seem to leave and starts dropping by at inconvenient times.  He spies on the new inhabitants and yells at them when they make alterations to the house.  Scott is unnerved by Charlie's continual presence but Annie feels sorry for him and frequently invites him in (this character is so mind-numbingly stupid that I wanted to scream).  Charlie eventually breaks into the house to attack Annie provoking a confrontation with Scott.  The script is very derivative and there is one scene in particular which mimics another well-known scene from a much better horror film that had the audience hooting with laughter (not the intended reaction).  There is absolutely no suspense, even with the jump scares, because Charlie is creepy from the moment we meet him and it is absolutely incredulous that Scott and Annie can't see this.  Not only are the characters incredibly stupid but they behave illogically, especially in the final sequence which contradicts everything we have learned about about Scott's character (and prompted more laughter).  Ealy and Good try hard with the material they are given but they don't have a lot of chemistry.  Quaid is so completely over the top as the villain that, again, I laughed at some of his facial expressions.  All of the other actors are abysmal, especially Joseph Sikora who plays Scott's best friend.  Finally, there are quite a few glaring continuity issues which point to lazy filmmaking (did anyone view this movie before it was released?).  This is not even as good as the late night movies found on Lifetime and I recommend giving it a miss.

Utah Opera's Norma

Last night Abravanel Hall was magically transformed into a forest for Utah Opera's production of Norma.  I had never seen this opera before and I didn't really know anything about it but I am glad that I decided to get a ticket.  It is spectacular!  The Druids of Gaul are occupied by the Romans and wish to overthrow them.  The Druid Patriarch Oroveso (Adam Lau) sends his daughter Norma (Marjorie Owens), the High Priestess, to speak with the Proconsul Pollione (Jonathan Burton) but he is her secret lover and the father of her two children.  She loves him and so she urges her people to seek peace.  However, Pollione has fallen in love with Adalgisa (Annie Rosen), Norma's acolyte and best friend.  He convinces Adalgisa to renounce her vows and follow him to Rome and she eventually confesses to Norma that she is in love.  Remembering how she felt when she fell in love with Pollione, Norma releases her until she discovers that it is Pollione who she loves.  The three of them have a passionate scene where Norma demands that Pollione return to Rome, Pollione begs Adalgisa to go with him, and Adalgisa refuses to leave Norma.  Adalgisa begs Pollione to reconcile with Norma but he refuses.  Norma wants vengeance for this betrayal so she rallies her people to war but this requires a human sacrifice.  She decides that she must sacrifice herself because she has broken her vow of chastity and throws herself on a pyre.  Pollione, moved by her sacrifice, realizes that he still loves her and joins her in death.  This opera is incredibly emotional and powerful with themes of love, friendship, jealousy, loyalty, and betrayal.  Bellini's music is beautiful, especially when the Druids are called to war, and it is performed brilliantly by the Utah Symphony.  The title role is one of the most difficult in the repertoire (which is why it is not performed very often) because it requires a great range and involves many different emotions.  Owens sings it so passionately, especially the aria "Casta Diva," and I was moved to tears several times.  Because the Capitol Theatre is undergoing some renovations, this opera is being performed at Abravanel Hall and is semi-staged with projections rather than scenery.  I think these innovative projections add to rather than detract from the story, especially the flames at the end.  The costumes are designed by Bradon McDonald, a Project Runway finalist, and they are gorgeous, particularly Norma's cloak which looks like a giant tree (his inspiration for the cloak was imagining what Lady Gaga would wear to the Met Gala if the theme was Norma).  Seeing this opera is a very unique experience and I highly recommend it!  There is one performance left on Monday (go here for tickets).

BYU Invitational

Yesterday my niece competed in discus at the BYU Invitational.  As the name implies, only the top athletes are invited to this meet.  Tashena has been invited every year because she is amazing in discus but she has really struggled at this meet (she doesn't like the cage at BYU) and has never reached the podium.  Not this year!  She took third place with a throw of 118 and I am so proud of her!  The State Championship is in two weeks (also at BYU) and I am so excited to see how she does after this confidence boosting performance!  Go Tashena!

Tulip Festival 2019

Yesterday when I woke up there was snow on the ground but the sun came out eventually and it turned into a really nice day.  I decided to spend the afternoon visiting the Tulip Festival at Thanksgiving Point.  It was absolutely perfect because the temperature was cool and it wasn't crowded.  There are fifteen different themed gardens featuring 280,000 tulips in hundreds of varieties imported from Holland.  I loved wandering through all of the blooms.

The Creek Garden

The Italian Garden

The Fragrance Garden

The Secret Garden (my favorite)

The Tulip Festival has been extended through May 11 at Thanksgiving Point.  It is open Monday through Saturday from 9:00 am to 8:00 pm.  Tickets are $20 in advance for adults and $15 in advance for children ($25 at the door for adults and $20 at the door for children).  The tickets this year are time specific.  When you buy an advance ticket you will be asked to pick a time to visit.  This is so they can control how many guests are in the garden at any one time and I really appreciated that as it does sometimes get very crowded.  Go here for more information and to purchase tickets.