Sundance Student Screening 2020

Yesterday I got to take a group of my students to see Dream Horse as part of the Student Screening Program with the Sundance Film Festival.  Even though arranging field trips is equal parts planning the D-Day invasion and herding cats, this particular field trip always ends up being an amazing experience and yesterday was no exception!  I absolutely loved the film we saw and, more importantly, so did my students!  It is a true story (which is also told in the documentary Dark Horse which premiered at Sundance in 2016) about Jan Vokes (Toni Collette) who lived in an economically depressed village in Wales with her unemployed husband Brian (Owen Teale).  She worked two dead-end jobs, as a checker in a big-box retail store during the day and as a barmaid in the evening, and cared for her elderly parents.  She longed for something to inspire her to get out of bed every day.  One night a man in the bar named Howard Davies (Damian Lewis) brags to the crowd that he was once part of a syndicate that owned a racehorse.  Jan decides that she wants to own a racehorse and recruits Howard to help her.  She uses all of her savings to buy a mare that came in last in every race she ran and then creates her own syndicate of friends from the bar (including the town drunk and a lonely widow) to help her pay the stud fee of a champion.  They name their foal Dream Alliance and keep him on their small allotment of land.  They eventually convince a well-known trainer (Nicholas Farrell) to work with Dream Alliance and, when he begins winning races against all odds, he becomes a symbol of hope for the whole village.  I loved the scenes where the eccentric syndicate members watch the races in the owners' boxes with the aristocracy and I really enjoyed the racing sequences because they are so exhilarating (the students cheered out loud multiple times).  This is such a feel good movie about doing whatever it takes to achieve your dreams and it was perfect for my students!  There was a Q&A after the film with Euros Lyn, the director, and he told the students that despite what people tell them they should always follow their dreams no matter how out of reach they might appear to be!  I loved that!  One student asked him how the people of Wales have responded to the film and he answered that Sundance audiences are the very first to see it but he hopes that all of the audiences respond the way that we did!  This will be my final student screening and I'm glad that I picked a good one to end on!

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2016

Fiddler on the Roof at the Eccles

I have always been a really big fan of the musical Fiddler on the Roof.  I have seen it dozens of times and I even got to play Fruma-Sarah in a production so I was thrilled when the show had a revival on Broadway because I knew that the touring production would eventually come to SLC.  I had the chance to see it last night and it was just delightful!  Tevye (Yehezkel Lazarov) is a poor Jewish dairyman living in the small Russian village of Anatevka.  He clings to his traditional way of life as a protection from the harsh realities of life but his three oldest daughters push against tradition when it comes time to find a match.  As I sat in my seat at the Eccles Theatre I anticipated every single musical number with a huge smile on my face:  "Tradition," "Matchmaker, Matchmaker," "If I Were A Rich Man," "Sabbath Prayer," "To Life," "Sunrise, Sunset," "Do You Love Me," "Far From the Home I Love," "Chavaleh," and "Anatevka,"  It was really hard for me not to sing along because I know every word.  I really liked this production because the sets are very simple and stark and use a lot of weathered wood.  It seemed very appropriate considering the harsh conditions of Russia and it really helped to set the mood.  I also really liked the monochromatic costumes which also served the same purpose.  What made this production seem very fresh and new was the choreography.  I especially enjoyed the staging of "To Life" because the slow-motion dancing as the Jews begin to interact with the Russian villagers is very dramatic.  I also really enjoyed the bottle dance during the wedding (I even liked the fact that one of the dancers dropped his bottle because it made it seem so much more authentic) because it is incredibly athletic (the main dancer could kick his legs so high)!  The entire cast is outstanding but I especially enjoyed Lazarov's interpretation of Tevye because he is almost sarcastic in his delivery.  I laughed out loud when he tried to kiss Golde (Maite Uzal) during "Do You Love Me" and it was heartbreaking to see his anguish during "Chavaleh."  I also really enjoyed Nick Siccone as Motel the tailor, especially when he hides under the wagon when talking to Tevye.  This was such a fun evening for me!  I always love seeing the old classics from my youth because they are the shows that turned me into a fan of musical theatre.  I recommend this production (go here for tickets) because it is sure to put a smile on your face.

Utah Opera's Silent Night

Last night I had the opportunity to see Utah Opera's wonderful production of Silent Night which depicts an actual ceasefire that happened on Christmas Eve in 1914.  World War I is very meaningful to me because of my great-grandfather so I knew that I would enjoy this opera but I absolutely loved it because every aspect of this production is outstanding.  I was moved to tears multiple times.  In Berlin, an opera performance featuring Nikolaus Sprink (Andrew Stenson) and Anna Sorensen (Abigail Rethwisch) is interrupted by the news that Germany is at war.  In a small town in Scotland, William Dale (Stephen Pace) dreams of glory and urges his younger brother Jonathan (Jonathan Johnson) to enlist with him.  In Paris, Madeleine Audebert (Quinn Middleman) is angry that her husband (Efrain Solis) is leaving to go to war while she is pregnant with their first child.  The war commences with some dramatic sequences, including an ill-fated battle between the German, Scottish, and French troops where William is shot.  Jonathan is forced to leave him behind and is comforted by Father Palmer (Troy Cook).  Lieutenant Audebert writes his report of the battle and laments that he has lost his wife's photo (in an incredibly beautiful aria that moved me to tears and not for the last time).  Nikolaus sings of his despair to his memory of Anna.  As all of the soldiers go to sleep, snow begins softly falling (it is a beautiful image).   Anna has arranged for Nikolaus to perform with her for the Kronprinz on Christmas Eve but, after the performance, he insists that he must return to his men so she joins him on the battlefield.  He hears the Scottish regiment singing (with bagpipes) a song filled with longing for home so he begins singing a German Christmas carol.  Soon all of the soldiers are singing, prompting the leaders of the three regiments to meet in no-man's land to arrange a ceasefire for Christmas Eve.  Father Palmer leads them in a mass and then Anna sings an a capella song of peace by candlelight (another beautiful moment that moved me to tears).  My audience literally held their breath through this song and then there was an audible sigh when all of the candles were blown out.  In the morning the ceasefire is over and Jonathan is almost shot in no-man's land.  When it is discovered that he was burying William's body, the leaders once again agree to a ceasefire so that each regiment can bury their dead.  All of the soldiers salute the dead and then there is a plaintive sound of a bagpipe (this just about did me in).  The soldiers come to see the futility of war but each regiment is berated by their commanding officer and ordered to resume the hostilities.  The story is incredibly poignant, the music is simply gorgeous (particularly the music depicting a sunrise on the battlefield), and every singer gives a lovely performance (I was especially impressed with Rethwisch and Solis).  The costumes and all of the props are authentic to the period (I was impressed with the number of guns) and I really enjoyed the use of projections (especially during the battle sequences.)  The Scottish, French, and German bunkers are made of granite and are placed in three tiers on top of each other.  (Spoiler alert!)  These tiers are then transformed into a monument to the fallen at the end of the opera and when the last soldiers leave the stage they reveal poppies at the edge of it (moving me once more to tears).  This opera is beautiful, moving, and very powerful!  I highly recommend getting a ticket to one of the two performances remaining (go here).

The Irishman

Because I watched The Irishman last night, I have now seen all of the Academy Award nominees for Best Picture (click on the titles for my commentaries on Once Upon a Time...In Hollywood,  Parasite,  Little Women,  Jojo Rabbit,  Joker,  Ford v Ferrari,  1917,  and Marriage Story).  I really wish that I had been able to see The Irishman when it screened at the Broadway because I was very distracted watching it at home on Netflix.  It is three and half hours long and, while it is filled with brilliant performances, it is definitely a slow burn.  Frank Sheeran (Robert De Niro), a veteran of the Anzio Campaign in World War II, is an elderly man living out his final days in a nursing home.  He begins recounting his experiences as a hitman for the Bufalino crime family to an unseen listener.  The action then moves back and forth between a long and meandering cross-country road trip, that is incredibly portentous, and the chronological accumulation of detail telling of how Sheeran comes to be on this road trip.  He is a driver for a meat company and begins stealing from the company's shipments to sell to a local gangster (Bobby Canavale).  When he is caught, he is successfully defended by union lawyer Bill Bufalino (Ray Romano) who introduces him to his cousin Russell Bufalino (Joe Pesci), the head of a well-known Pennsylvania crime family.  He makes himself useful to Russell and other members of the crime family and eventually becomes their top hitman.  Russell then introduces him to his associate Jimmy Hoffa (Al Pacino), the head of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, and he becomes his friend and bodyguard while Hoffa deals with a threat from a rising teamster (Stephen Graham) and a witch hunt by Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy (Jack Huston).  Eventually, Hoffa becomes a loose cannon and the Bufalino family sends Sheeran to deal with him.  He is a dispassionate killer but when he comes to the end of his life Sheeran is melancholy, alone, and alienated from his daughters.  He tries to find a measure of solace by confessing to a priest but he ultimately feels no remorse.  Because Sheeran is such a cold-blooded killer, most of the action sequences seem oddly flat (which is why I found it to be a bit boring) and visually uninspiring.  Also, given the circumstances surrounding Jimmy Hoffa's "disappearance" and the lack of corroboration in the real Sheeran's account I thought it was odd that Scorsese chose to portray a certain scene at face value.  A little ambiguity would have been more interesting, in my opinion.  Much has been made of the digital de-aging techniques used on the main cast and I did find it a bit distracting at first but, eventually, I didn't even notice it any more.  It goes without saying that both De Niro and Pacino are amazing; however, I was most impressed with the quiet restraint (which is terrifying) in Pesci's performance because he is normally so bombastic.  I also really enjoyed Anna Pacquin as Sheeran's estranged daughter because, even though she has almost no dialogue, she is essentially his missing conscience and her scenes are very powerful.  This movie is an almost heartbreaking meditation on confronting mortality but it takes a long time to get there so I recommend seeing it in a theater (it will probably be re-released in conjunction with the Oscars) where there will be fewer distractions.

Note:  Now that I have seen all of the nominees, my pick for Best Picture is 1917.  It is remarkable!  Go see it!

Marriage Story

The Academy Award nominations were announced yesterday and I have seen all of the nominees for Best Picture (click on the titles for my commentaries on Once Upon a Time...In Hollywood, Parasite, Little Women, Jojo Rabbit, Joker, Ford v Ferrari, and 1917) except two of them and, luckily, both of are currently streaming on Netflix.  Since I always like to see all of the nominees, I decided to watch Marriage Story last night and I thought it was a thoughtful exploration of a relationship that has disintegrated with incredible performances from Adam Driver and Scarlett Johansson.  Charlie (Driver) is a brilliant theatre director in New York City and his wife Nicole (Johansson) is a former Hollywood star who relocated to New York to be with him and star in his productions.  At first she was the main draw for the fledgling theatre company but now he has become the toast of the town and she is feeling more and more insignificant.  When Nicole is offered a pilot for a TV show in Los Angeles she decides to take it and wants them to move there with their eight-year-old son Henry (Azhy Robertson).  Charlie wants the family to stay in New York and this exacerbates all of the underlying problems within the marriage.  They initially agree to handle the divorce themselves in an amicable manner but Nicole is advised by a producer on her show to hire Nora Fanshaw (Laura Dern) which causes Charlie to hire Jay Marotta (Ray Liotta) in retaliation and it quickly becomes acrimonious.  When things spiral out of control the two of them try to work it out themselves leading to an incredibly visceral confrontation.  What is extraordinary about this movie is that both characters are highly sympathetic.  Nicole just wants to have a voice again after years of being taken for granted and Charlie feels blindsided by Nicole's decision and doesn't want to lose his son.  They are both inherently decent people (as evidenced in the opening voice-over where they talk about what they love about each other) who end up doing terrible things in the name of winning and their journey to redemption is very compelling.  Johansson is as vulnerable as I have ever seen her, particularly when she talks about meeting Charlie for the first time, and Dern gives another fantastic performance, especially in a speech about the double standard for mothers.  However, I was blown away by Driver (I hope he wins Best Actor).  He is brilliant when he sings "Being Alive" in a piano bar after signing the divorce papers but he is also so heartbreaking in the quieter moments, such as when he sees that his pictures have been removed from his mother-in-law's house and when he reads Nicole's letter.  This is a movie that will make you laugh and cry and I highly recommend it.

Note:  My review of The Irishman (also streaming on Netflix) is coming tomorrow.