Decision to Leave

Have I mentioned that I want to see just about everything that screened at the fall film festivals this year?  It seems that they are all getting a wide release within the next few weeks (I am going to be really busy) so I went to see one of them, Decision to Leave, last night at the Broadway.  This neo-noir thriller about mutual obsession is complex but ultimately very compelling.  Hae-jun (Park Hae-il) is a world-weary police detective suffering from insomnia in Busan with a so-called "weekend marriage" to a woman who lives in Ipo.  While working on another case, he and his partner Soo-wan (Go Kyung-pyo) are called to the scene of a mountain climbing accident that may or may not involve foul play.  The victim's wife, a Chinese immigrant named Seo-rae (Tang Wei), becomes a suspect but, after conducting extensive surveillance, Hae-jun becomes infatuated with her and eventually finds evidence that seems to exonerate her.  However, nothing is what it seems and the narrative takes an unexpected turn when Hae-jun becomes the object of Seo-rae's obsession during another case.  What I really enjoyed is how Park Chan-wook plays with perception.   Images come into and go out of focus in the same scene, particularly during an interrogation scene involving a mirror, which emphasizes that the characters do not see each other clearly and the use of technology, especially video and audio recordings, reveals a disconnect between them.  I also enjoyed the clever editing and innovative camera work used in the surveillance scenes because you never really know where each of the characters are in relation to one another.  While the story is essentially a straightforward police procedural, these stylistic choices, as well as multiple subplots, keep the audience guessing until the haunting conclusion.  Tang Wei gives an enigmatic performance worthy of Hitchcock's best femme fatales and the chemistry between her and Park Hae-il is absolutely smoldering.  Finally, the images on the screen, including overhead shots of mountain peaks and crashing waves, are gorgeous and the woodwind heavy score is incredibly evocative.  This is one of the best movies I've seen this year and I highly recommend it!

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 in Concert

The very first Film in Concert that I saw with the Utah Symphony was Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone and I absolutely loved it!  I have since seen the next five movies in the franchise on the big screen with the orchestra playing the score live and was thrilled to see the penultimate movie, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1, yesterday afternoon.  One of the things I love about these concerts is all of the audience participation!  There was the usual house roll call (three cheers for Ravenclaw) and lots of applause (or boos as the case may be) for all of the characters when they appeared on screen for the first time (the loudest was for, rather appropriately, Hagrid after the recent passing of Robbie Coltrane).  These movies have been getting progressively darker in tone with higher stakes and this one finds Harry (Daniel Radcliffe), Ron (Rupert Grint), and Hermione (Emma Watson) on the run in search of the Horcruxes that will enable them to defeat Lord Voldemort (Ralph Fiennes).  The score for this movie, composed by Alexandre Desplat (who is one of my favorite film composers), is incredibly moody and atmospheric.  All of the music for the action sequences, including "Sky Battle" when Harry and his friends are attacked by Voldemort as he is moved by members of the Order of the Phoenix, "The Ministry of Magic" when they are attacked by Death Eaters, "Bathilda Bagshot" when Harry and Hermione are attacked in Godric's Hollow, "Captured and Tortured" when Harry and his friends are chased by the Snatchers through the forest, and "Rescuing Hermione" when they escape from Malfoy Manor, are menacing and intense.  There are also some incredibly plaintive themes, including "Oblivion" when Hermione erases all trace of herself from her parents' memories, "Godric's Hollow Graveyard" when Harry finds his parents' graves, and "Farewell to Dobby" when they bury their friend after he saves them (this always brings a tear to my eyes).  My favorites are "Destroying the Locket" with beautiful themes played by the woodwinds when the Patronus appears in the woods and "The Elder Wand" with dramatic timpani and brass when Voldemort opens Dumbledore's tomb.  This was so much fun, especially during Halloween weekend, and I am now eagerly anticipating the final movie in the franchise.

Note:  If you have never attended a Film in Concert with the Utah Symphony, I highly recommend it because it is so immersive!  The remaining concerts include The Nightmare Before Christmas, An American in Paris, and The Force Awakens.  Go here for more information.

Hamilton in Las Vegas (Again)

I was not really planning on seeing Hamilton at the Smith Center in Las Vegas (I have seen it many times including at the Smith Center) but I decided that I would be really sad if I didn't go and ended up getting a ticket.  I went on my first road trip with my new car yesterday to see it and I loved it as much as the first time I saw it!  Alexander Hamilton was played by the understudy Manuel Stark Santos (he was Aaron Burr when I saw it in SLC) and I really enjoyed his interpretation of the role.  He has a beautiful voice so his renditions of "Dear Theodosia" and "Hurricane" were lovely and I had tears in my eyes when he kissed Eliza's hand during "It's Quiet Uptown."  He brought quite a bit of originality to his performance in "Non-Stop" and many of his facial expressions and gestures where hilarious ("I was chosen for the Constitutional Convention!").  I saw Donald Webber, Jr. as Aaron Burr in San Francisco and SLC and last night his rendition of "Wait For It" was incredibly powerful but the phrasing was a little bit different.  I have often wondered whether the actors change their performances from city to city and it seems that he does!  The same could be said for Paris Nix (who I saw as Marquis de Lafayette/ Thomas Jefferson in Chicago and SLC) because he changed the running man to wiping his feet (which Santos imitated) in "Cabinet Battle #1."  His interactions with Brandon Louis Armstrong (as Hercules Mulligan/ James Madison) were absolutely hilarious and I laughed out loud at his antics during "What'd I Miss," "The Reynolds Pamphlet," and "The Election of 1800" because he seemed even more over the top than usual!  Darnell Abraham was an incredibly commanding George Washington when I saw him in SLC and he gave me goosebumps, and earned thunderous applause from the crowd, once again when he stormed the stage during "Right Hand Man" (which is one of my favorite moments in the show).  Eliza was played by the understudy Milika Cheree (she also played the role as the understudy in SLC) and her performance of "Burn" brought a tear to my eye once again (she had a huge flame when she set the letter on fire!).  Finally, last night I noticed for the first time that when Eliza reads the letter about John Laurens' death, Lafayette and Hercules Mulligan are up on the balcony reading letters as well.  I've always been focused on Hamilton's reaction in that scene so I have never seen them before and it was very moving!  I loved every minute of this performance (I honestly don't think I will ever get tired of it) and I am so glad that I decided to get a ticket!

Note:  Since this is such a popular show, patrons were only able to select a section on the website and then seats were randomly assigned.  I selected the main floor and was thrilled to discover that my seat was a few rows from the stage in the exact center of the theater!

My Policeman

Yesterday afternoon I decided to cross another movie off my very long list by seeing My Policeman.  I was quite moved by this heartbreaking story about the consequences of being forced to live a lie.  In the present, Patrick Hazlewood (Rupert Everett) suffers a debilitating stroke and goes to convalesce with his estranged friends Marion and Tom Burgess (Gina McKee and Linus Roache, respectively).  They seem to have a lukewarm marriage and Tom bitterly resents Patrick's presence, refusing to see or speak to him.  The timeline then shifts to 1957 when Tom (Harry Styles), a policeman from a working class background, begins seeing a sophisticated schoolteacher named Marion (Emma Corrin) and starts trying to improve himself to impress her.  When Tom meets a museum curator named Patrick (David Dawson), the three of them are soon spending all of their time together because Patrick and Marion have a lot in common. However, it turns out that it is Tom who Patrick loves and they begin a secret affair.  Tom is conflicted about their relationship because he is a policeman and homosexuality is illegal in Britain so he decides to marry Marion for protection while continuing to see Patrick.  Marion eventually learns the truth and takes drastic steps to keep Patrick out of their lives.  Back in the present, Marion, Tom, and Patrick must finally reconcile their past actions in order to live more authentically.  The story is so tragic (and compelling) because all three characters are faced with an impossible situation due to the repressive era in which they live and there were several moments that brought tears to my eyes.  I loved the cast, including Styles who has been much maligned for his acting.  I thought he was fine in Don't Worry Darling but I think he is much better in this role because he is incredibly charismatic and has so much chemistry with both Dawson and Corrin.  They also give really solid performances and there is a particular scene where Corrin is absolutely devastating without even saying a word.  McKee, Roache, and Everett do a great job as the older versions of these characters but I wish that they had more to do because I wanted to know more about them.  I loved the aesthetic of this movie because everything, including the setting along the coast, the production design, and the costumes, looks gorgeous (I love period movies).  This is another story about a forbidden same-sex relationship like we have seen many times before but it is an important one and is definitely worth watching, especially when it streams on Prime Video starting Nov. 4.

Black Adam

Last night I saw Black Adam with a large and rowdy crowd and, even though there are some flaws, I really enjoyed it!  When archaeologist Adriana Tomaz (Sarah Shahi) goes looking for the Crown of Sabbac once owned by the tyrannical King Ahk-Ton, Teth-Adam (Dwayne Johnson) is awakened from the tomb he was imprisoned in for 5,000 years.  He discovers that his home of Khandaq is being oppressed by an organized crime syndicate known as Intergang and brutally slaughters many members.  Adriana believes that he is the Champion, endowed with the powers of Egyptian gods by an ancient wizard, who ended the reign of Ahk-Ton and hopes he can liberate Khandaq once again.  However, his violent actions alarm Amanda Waller (Viola Davis) and she contacts the Justice Society of America, including Carter Hall/ Hawkman (Aldis Hodge), Kent Nelson/ Doctor Fate (Pierce Brosnan), Al Rothstein/ Atom Smasher (Noah Centineo), and Maxine Hunkel/ Cyclone (Quintessa Swindell), to capture him.  When Ishmael Gregor (Marwan Kenzari), the leader of Intergang and the last descendant of Ahk-Ton, gains control of the Crown of Sabbac and its powers of Hell after kidnapping Adriana's son Amon (Bodhi Sabongui), the JSA forms an uneasy alliance with Teth-Adam to defeat him.  While there is a lot of exposition which sometimes becomes very convoluted, I really liked the exploration of what it means to be a hero with an interesting twist about the role of fate.  The introduction of the JSA characters, particularly Doctor Fate, is a lot of fun and I hope we see more of them in the future.  Johnson's performance is a bit more subdued than we usually see from him but I think it works for the character as he reconciles who he was with who he needs to be and I loved his deadpan humor, especially in his interactions with Hodge's Hawkman (I enjoyed their conflict more than the conflict with the main villain).  Brosnan is another standout for me because he steals every scene he is in and I enjoyed his relationship with Hawkman.  Finally, the non-stop action sequences had my late night crowd cheering out loud and, even though there is more spectacle than substance, this kept me actively invested in the outcome.  I get some of the criticism of this movie but I had a lot of fun with it and I recommend it to fans of the DCEU.

Note:  You have no doubt heard by now that there is a very exciting cameo in a mid-credits scene!  This elicited cheers from my audience (and from me)!