The Man Who Invented Christmas

Yesterday afternoon (I broke my rule about not seeing movies on a Saturday afternoon and I bitterly regret it) I saw the delightful and charming movie The Man Who Invented Christmas.  It tells the story of how Charles Dickens (Dan Stevens) came to write the beloved classic A Christmas Carol.  As someone who has seen this play performed more times than I can count, I absolutely loved seeing how Dickens found inspiration for the story and I loved how the characters came to life as he was writing, especially Christopher Plummer as Ebeneezer Scrooge.  As Dickens struggles to finish the book, certain autobiographical details are revealed which suggest that the book is about the reclamation of his soul as much as it is Scrooge's and the scenes where he makes amends are just as affecting as those where Scrooge does it in the book.  Dan Stevens is so charming in the role and Christopher Plummer is fantastic, as ever.  The production design is very successful in bringing Dickensian London to life and I especially loved the lighting throughout.  This movie is just the thing to give you a boost of Christmas spirit!  I would have enjoyed it immensely were it not for the theater full of kids under five who had absolutely no interest in this movie.  This is not really a movie for young children because a little familiarity with the source material is required to understand what is going on.  I highly recommend it with that proviso.

Note:  Unruly and disruptive children are the bane of my existence (hence my rule about Saturday matinees).  The teacher in me wanted to quiet them!

Saint-Saens' Organ Symphony

It was an evening featuring the music of Camille Saint-Saens last night at Abravanel Hall and it was absolutely lovely.  Several years ago one of my colleagues, knowing how much I enjoy classical music, recommended a concert featuring Saint-Saens' Organ Symphony and I enjoyed it immensely.  Now I try to see it whenever I can and when I learned that the Utah Symphony would be performing it this season I immediately got a ticket.  While I picked this concert for the Organ Symphony, I really loved the other Saint-Saens pieces that were performed as well.  The orchestra began with the "Bacchanale" from the opera Samson and Delilah.  I had never heard this before and it is incredibly exotic and stirring.  The finale is absolutely spectacular featuring a crescendo of timpani!  This was followed by Trois Tableaux symphoniques d'apres La Foi, which is incidental music for a play of the same name by Eugene Brieux, and I have to say that this is now one of my favorite pieces because it is beautiful.  I loved the themes played by the harp which are also incredibly exotic.  Harpist Louise Vickerman gave me goosebumps!  I also really loved the themes played by the woodwinds and the trombone solo.  After the intermission the orchestra was joined by Paul Jacobs, the chair of the organ department at The Julliard School, for Symphony No. 3, better known as the Organ Symphony.  It was magnificent!  I especially loved the second movement because there is a theme played by both the organ and the strings in unison with an accompaniment of timpani and cymbals.  So dramatic!  I enjoyed this entire concert so much and I recommend getting a ticket to tonight's performance of the same program (go here for tickets).

Note:  This concert was recorded for commercial release as part of the Utah Symphony's project to become the first American symphony to record all five of Saint-Saens' symphonies.  I will definitely be purchasing these CDs because Saint-Saens is becoming one of my favorite composers.

Festival of Trees 2017

Last night I volunteered at the Festival of Trees for the ninth year in a row!  This is such a worthwhile cause and I am happy to be able to help each year as a hostess.  Hundreds of trees are decorated by individuals and donated for auction.  They are then put on display for the public to view and all proceeds go directly to Primary Children's Hospital.  After my shift I like to wander around and look at all of the trees displayed (and get a sweet roll).  Here are some of my favorite trees.

This was probably my favorite tree!

The sports junkie in me loved this one!

This is another favorite.  I love the birdbath!

This is for my Mom who is an Aggie!

This was a popular tree in my area because every little kid wanted to sit in the chair (I don't blame them).

This was the most popular tree in my area.  It is in honor of a little boy named Carson who loved going camping.  One lady started crying when I told her the story.

This year I was able to see the gingerbread houses and the Death Star was my favorite.  Obviously!  The Festival of Trees will run until Saturday at the South Towne Expo Center.  Go here for more information.

Last Flag Flying

One of the things I really enjoy about Richard Linklater's films is that they are all very character-driven and his latest, Last Flag Flying, is no exception.  This time Linklater gives us a trio Vietnam veterans, each with an interesting and compelling backstory, who reunite after 30 years to escort the son of one of their own home after he is killed in Iraq.  Steve Carell plays Larry Shepherd, a man almost debilitated by grief who enlists the help of his old buddies to get him through his son's burial.  Carell gives a quiet and understated performance which is one of his best to date.  Bryan Cranston is Sal Nealon, a hard drinking and skirt chasing man who is as garrulous and boisterous as Shepherd is subdued.   Cranston gives an over the top performance which provides much of the levity in an otherwise somber narrative.  Rounding out the cast is Laurence Fishburne who plays Richard Mueller, a Baptist minister exasperated by Nealon's antics.  Fishburne gives an incredibly reserved performance as a man who regrets much of his past.  As is the case with most Linklater films, this one is at its best when the three men are sitting around reminiscing and ruminating on grief, friendship, and patriotism.  The action does plod along in the final act (I admit that I was nodding off) but the flag-folding ceremony at the funeral is absolutely beautiful and the ending is incredibly poignant and brought a tear to my eye.  I highly recommend this film for the strong central performances.

Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri

Last night I had the chance to see Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, a film that is generating a lot of buzz and for good reason.  It is a dark comedy that is literally seething with unresolved anger, resentment, and bad behavior and I loved it.  Mildred Hayes (Frances McDormand) is angry that her daughter's rape and murder hasn't been solved yet and, hoping to keep the case in the spotlight, she hires three billboards which highlight the incompetence of the police force, specifically targeting the revered chief of police Bill Willoughby (Woody Harrelson).  The entire police force takes exception to this, especially Officer Dixon (Sam Rockwell), and this ignites an all-out war in the small community which proves very difficult for Mildred's teenage son Robbie (Lucas Hedges).  All of the characters are deeply flawed and their antics are often completely over the top but I found them to be very compelling.  It was actually quite refreshing to see a character give vent to her emotions because I sometimes find it unrealistic when characters behave nobly in untenable situations.  However, the ambiguous ending is somewhat hopeful because two wounded people are able to find forgiveness and redemption with each other.  The script is outstanding!  I found myself laughing often (especially in the scene between Mildred and her priest) and then holding back tears just a few moments later.  Frances McDormand gives an incredible performance that is sure to be remembered come awards season but I was pretty much blown away by Sam Rockwell in an against type role and I found his character's arc to be incredibly affecting.  Lucas Hedges is accumulating quite the resume (Manchester by the Sea and Lady Bird) of solid performances and Woody Harrelson is great, as always.  I enjoyed this film very much and I would highly recommend it with the proviso that there is a lot of profanity.

Note:  I love this time of year!  I want to see everything currently playing at the Broadway!

Avalanche Adventure

I thought that my trip to Los Angeles to see Hamilton would be my last road trip of the year (it was a long drive) but my Dad suggested an Avalanche trip over the Thanksgiving break and I was in!  We drove to Denver on Saturday for the game that night and drove home on Sunday.  I always drive from Little America to Cheyenne (I think I drew the short stick because Wyoming is very boring).  For this trip we took my Dad's truck which is very powerful.  I have a tendency to speed any way (especially in Wyoming) but I found it especially hard not to let the beast off the chain.  I had only been driving for about ten minutes when I got pulled over by the Wyoming Highway Patrol for doing 85 in a 75 mph zone.  My Dad thought it was hilarious!  I like to get to the Pepsi Center really early so I can watch the practice skate and I was really blown away by all of the images that they project on the ice when the Avalanche first come out on the ice.  I loved the player introductions with their names and pictures projected on the ice.  It was so cool!  I had never seen that before because this was my first game of the season.  The Avalanche played the Calgary Flames and it was a pretty good game.  The Flames scored first at the end of the first period.  During the second period the Flames had three penalties and Mikka Rantanen scored a pretty shorthanded goal in the third one.  Then the Flames got two quick goals at the end of the period.  The Avalanche are known for coming back during the third period and the Pepsi Center was incredibly loud cheering them on.  Late in the third Nikita Zadorov got a goal and it looked like the Avalanche could pull it off.  They pulled the goalie and it got pretty exciting during the last few minutes but they couldn't quite put the puck in the net.  They ended up losing 3-2.  Even though they lost it was still a really fun game to watch and, as always, I had so much fun with my Dad.  I have been watching hockey with him my whole life!

Note:  The Avalanche had a six game winning streak at home until this game so...

Christmas Traditions

Even though I live alone I have a lot of holiday traditions.  I always like to put my Christmas tree up the day after Thanksgiving because I like to celebrate the season for as long as I can.  I have a tradition of watching It's a Wonderful Life while I put it up (I've done this ever since I moved out on my own).  Putting up my tree is a lot of fun because all of my ornaments have special memories.  My Mom gave me all of the Hallmark limited edition hockey player ornaments (Wayne Gretzky is always the first ornament on the tree and Eric Lindros always goes on the back of the tree).  I also have lots of ornaments from around the world purchased on my trips (my favorites are some hand carved ones from Germany).  All through December I love spending the evening with only the light of the Christmas tree while watching my favorite Christmas movies.  I always add a movie to my collection every year.  This time of year I especially love listening to Christmas music performed live.  On Temple Square just about every high school choir from Utah, Idaho, and Wyoming performs at the Assembly Hall every night and these concerts are free.  I sometimes find myself listening for hours (go here for a schedule).  I also started the tradition of seeing the Lower Lights perform a couple of years ago and I am excited to see them again (go here for tickets).  There are also two performances that I always try to see.  It just wouldn't be Christmas without HCT's production of A Christmas Carol (go here for tickets) or Ballet West's production of The Nutcracker (go here for tickets).  Finally, I have a few traditions with my niece and nephew such as making gingerbread houses and opening Christmas pajamas on Christmas Eve.

I am so happy that the Christmas season is upon us and I am really looking forward to all of my traditions.  Do you have any fun Christmas traditions?