Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom

Yesterday afternoon I took Tashena and her fiance Tucker to see Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom (I took both Sean and Tashena to see the first movie on Christmas Eve but Sean, the actual DCEU fan, didn't want to see this one).  It isn't great but it definitely isn't as bad as I was expecting.  Arthur Curry/ Aquaman (Jason Momoa) has become a husband and a father and is finding the bureaucracy of being the King of Atlantis tedious.  Meanwhile, David Kane/ Black Manta (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II), with the help of marine biologist Stephen Shin (Randall Park), finds a powerful black trident created by Kordax (Pilou Asbaek), the ruler of the now lost kingdom of Necrus who was imprisoned by his brother King Atlan for trying to usurp the throne.  Black Manta wants to use the power of the trident to release Kordax in order to destroy Aquaman, his family, his kingdom, and the entire planet in revenge for the death of his father so Aquaman frees his half-brother Orm (Patrick Wilson) from prison in order to enlist his help.  The story is incredibly convoluted with way too much silly exposition and, even though there some really fun action sequences involving a bunch of cool new gadgets in some cool new settings (I loved the pirate's lair made out of sunken ships), the CGI is really messy and the world-building is a bit derivative (I noticed lots of allusions to Star Wars and other movies).  However, I really enjoyed Momoa's performance because he is very charismatic and funny (with some one-liners that made me laugh out loud) and he fully commits to the spectacle.  I also loved his chemistry with Wilson and their hilarious interactions with each other as they work together to save the world, and work towards a poignant reconciliation, are the best part of the movie.  Amber Heard (Mera), Temuera Morrison (Tom Curry), Nicole Kidman (Atlanna), and Dolph Lundgren (Nereus) don't really have a lot to do but Abdul-Mateen is a compelling villain because he is such a sinister presence.  The three of us had fun watching this but it is not nearly as entertaining as the first one and the stakes are a lot lower knowing that this is the end of the DCEU (which is why Sean did not want to see it).

Frozen in Concert

I have been hyping the Utah Symphony's films in concert series to anyone who would listen to me for the past few years.  I was finally able to take Kristine and Trent to see Love Actually last Tuesday and I have definitely converted them.  Last night I hoped to do the same with Marilyn at Frozen and I think I was successful because we both had a lot of fun.  The animated classic, based on "The Snow Queen" by Hans Christian Andersen, was shown on the big screen while the orchestra played the songs by Robert Lopez and Kristen Anderson-Lopez and the score by Christophe Beck.  Princess Elsa (Eva Bella) accidentally freezes her sister Princess Anna (Livvy Stubenrauch) with her mysterious powers when they build a snowman together.  The King (Maurice LaMarche) and Queen (Jennifer Lee) tell her that she must hide herself away from Anna and the rest of Arendelle but, when they are lost at sea, she must open the doors of the castle once again for her coronation.  Elsa (Idina Menzel) loses control of herself, with devastating consequences, when Anna (Kristen Bell) requests permission to marry Hans of the Southern Isles (Santino Fontana) and she flees Arendelle.  Anna follows her, hoping to save Arendelle from the endless winter, and is aided by an ice harvester named Kristoff (Jonathan Groff), his reindeer Sven, and Olaf (Josh Gad), the snowman built by Elsa and Anna as girls.  Elsa fears that she is a monster but it is her ability to love that saves Anna and Arendelle.  I loved hearing the orchestra play the music for all of the iconic songs, especially "For the First Time in Forever," "Love Is an Open Door," and "Let It Go" but I was really impressed by the score.  I particularly enjoyed the percussion mimicking the sounds of the ice cracking during the opening, the tuba as the visiting dignitaries are introduced to Elsa, the dramatic strings as the snow monster attacks Kristoff and Anna, and the harp as Elsa's hug thaws Anna.  The audience participation was a lot of fun because there were cheers and applause when each character appeared on screen for the first time and lots of very energetic boos every time Hans appeared (the crowd was very committed to booing Hans).  I loved both of the films in concert this week and I hope my sisters will want to go with me again!  The next films are Casablanca and How to Train Your Dragon (go here for tickets).

Poor Things

The second movie in my double feature at the Broadway last night was Poor Things. I am a huge fan of Yorgos Lanthimos and I had heard a lot of intriguing discourse about this movie (both good and bad) so I was beyond excited to see it.  I absolutely loved this dark and twisted masterpiece!  Victoria Blessington (Emma Stone), a pregnant woman in Victorian England, commits suicide by jumping off a bridge.  A brilliant but disfigured surgeon named Dr. Godwin Baxter (Willem Dafoe), who was experimented upon by his father, discovers her body and reanimates her by transplanting the brain of her unborn baby into her body.  He names her Bella Baxter and hires Max McCandles (Ramy Youssef), one of his medical students, to record the data as her intellect develops rapidly.  Max falls in love with her and she agrees to marry him but she wants a grand adventure first.  She learns about physical pleasure and other forms of hedonism (my favorite is when she dances with wild abandon) from a feckless lawyer named Duncan Wedderburn (Mark Ruffalo) while in Portugal.  She learns about philosophy and compassion for the the suffering in the world from fellow passengers Martha Von Kurtzroc (Hanna Schygulla) and Harry Astley (Jerrod Carmichael) while on a cruise ship.  She learns about resourcefulness and socialism from Madame Swiney (Kathryn Hunter) and a prostitute named Toinette (Suzy Bemba) while working in a brothel in Paris.  She learns the truth about her origins from Victoria's husband Alfie Blessington (Christopher Abbott) when she returns to London and finally discovers her purpose when she reunites with Dr. Baxter and McCandles.  I loved the themes of rebirth, self-discovery, transformation, liberation, and empowerment and I know that I will be thinking about this movie for quite some time.  Stone gives a brilliant and fearless performance and I found her disjointed movements, mannerisms, and facial expressions as Bella develops to be so much fun to watch.  Dafoe, Ruffalo, Youssef, and Abbott are also outstanding and it was fascinating to see the different ways in which they portray their need to control Bella (Ruffalo is hilarious).  The production design is gorgeous and I loved all of the steampunk elements, especially the modes of transportation.  The costumes are also fantastic and I particularly enjoyed how they change as Bella develops and how they represent both the Victorian aesthetic but also freedom from the societal norms of that time.  I enjoyed this so much and so did my audience because they applauded at the end!  I highly recommend this to fans of Lanthimos and black comedies but it is extremely explicit so keep that in mind when deciding to see it.

Note:  I thought that Barbie had a lock on all of the production design and costume awards this season but I think Poor Things will give it some serious competition!

The Iron Claw

Last night I saw The Iron Claw as part of a double feature at the Broadway and I loved this incredibly moving true story about the Von Erich family.  Fritz Von Erich (Holt McCallany) was once a major star as a professional wrestler but he was never able to win the NWA (National Wrestling Alliance) World Heavyweight Championship so, now that he is a father to Kevin (Zac Efron), David (Harris Dickinson), Kerry (Jeremy Allen White), and Mike (Stanley Simons), he exerts tremendous pressure on them to win the title for him as a wrestling promoter.  He compels them all to wrestle despite the fact that Kerry and Mike have other interests, he pits the brothers (who are fiercely loyal to each other) against one another for opportunities, promotion, and approval, he pushes them to the limit in their training, and he berates them mercilessly when they fail to live up to his expectations.  After a series of unimaginable tragedies befall the family, Kevin goes to extreme lengths, even jeopardizing his relationship with his wife Pam (Lily James) and his children, to win the championship for his father.  The story is incredibly compelling with powerful themes about toxic masculinity and the perils of unrealistic parental expectations.  It is unbelievably tragic but I really appreciated the message of hope portrayed in a beautiful scene between Kevin and his two young sons at the end that brought me to tears.  All of the performances are amazing but Efron is almost unrecognizable with his physical transformation for a role that is also emotionally demanding and he has never been better in my opinion (I wish he was getting more awards buzz).  I am not very familiar with professional wrestling but I found the sequences in the ring to be exhilarating, especially a montage to "Tom Sawyer" by Rush which is played in its entirety (apparently it was their signature song).  Finally, I really liked the production design, costumes, and hair because they evoke the time period so well.  This movie will make you cry but it is a must-see this holiday weekend.

Note:  After watching this movie I wanted to know more about the Von Erich family.  I was shocked to discover that their story is even more tragic than what was portrayed on the screen.

Mamma Mia at the Eccles

The first time I saw the musical Mamma Mia was in London on a theatre trip.  The older gentleman sitting next to me sang every word of every song at the top of his lungs and, at first, I thought it was really annoying but by the end of the show I was singing along, too!  The second time I saw it was on a trip to London with my mom.  She was incredibly reserved but she was dancing in the aisle during the finale!  This show is just so much fun you can't help singing and dancing!  I loved seeing the Broadway touring production again last night and I don't think I will ever get tired of it.  Sophie Sheriden (Alisa Melendez) is getting married and she wants her father to walk her down the aisle but she doesn't know who he is!  She discovers that there are three possibilities and decides to invite all three of them, Sam Carmichael (Victor Wallace), Bill Austin (Jim Newman), and Harry Bright (Rob Marnell), to her wedding without telling her mother, Donna (Christine Sherrill).  Chaos (and nearly two dozen Abba songs) ensues!  Sherrill is great as Donna and I especially enjoyed her poignant performance of "Slipping Through My Fingers" and her powerful rendition of "The Winner Takes It All" (which both occur in the same scene).  I also really enjoyed Wallace's version of "Knowing Me, Knowing You" (which is my favorite Abba song).  Jalynn Steele, as Tanya, adds a bit of soul to "Does Your Mother Know" and I loved Carly Sakolove, as Rose, because her physicality as she tries to hit her poses in "Dancing Queen" and as she chases Bill in "Take a Chance on Me" is hilarious. I have really enjoyed some local productions of this show but I absolutely love the original choreography in the Broadway version, especially when Tanya uses a hair dryer as a microphone in "Chiquitita," when the boys dance in flippers during "Lay All Your Love on Me," when the dancers freeze whenever Sophie talks to Sam, Bill, and Harry during "Gimme! Gimme! Gimme!" and "Voulez-Vous," when the flippers make another appearance in "Under Attack" (my favorite number in the show), and when Pepper (Patrick Park) tries to impress Tanya in "Does Your Mother Know." I also love the original set (a white stucco taverna that is reconfigured several times) and the original costumes (the colorful spandex jumpsuits during the performance of "Dancing Queen" and "Waterloo" during the finale are awesome) in the Broadway version.  I had a blast and I was definitely dancing at the end (I defy anyone to remain seated during "Dancing Queen").  There are a few more performances at the Eccles and I highly recommend getting a ticket (go here).

Note:  This was my final live theatre performance of 2023.  I ended up seeing 81 shows this year and my favorites were Into the Woods at SCERA, Beauty and the Beast at the Terrace Plaza Playhouse, Oliver and Pride and Prejudice at HCTO (I loved everything at HCTO this year), The Prom at PTC, and Titanic The Musical at HCT.