Eddie the Eagle

The second movie in our Saturday night double feature was Eddie the Eagle, yet another feel-good true story about the Olympics.  To be sure, this is a formulaic underdog sports movie full of cliches (there is a training montage to "You Make My Dreams" by Hall & Oats) but I think I liked it for the same reason I cheered for Eddie at the 1988 Calgary Olympics despite the fact that he came in last:  Eddie is so irrepressibly endearing you just can't help liking him!  The movie tells the story (with much poetic license) of how a young boy who wore leg braces dreamed of being an Olympian.  Eddie (Taron Egerton) actually becomes a good downhill skier but narrowly misses making the Olympic team in 1984.  He decides to switch to ski jumping because Great Britain doesn't have a team and, if he competes in one event, he will automatically qualify.  Despite the fact that he has never jumped before, he moves to Germany to train and meets Bronson Peary (Hugh Jackman), an alcoholic snow plow driver who happens to be a former ski jumper with his own inner demons.  Eddie convinces Peary to train him because of his sheer determination to succeed.  After overcoming many obstacles, Eddie finally has the chance to be an Olympian and Peary proves to his former mentor (a comatose Christopher Walken) that he takes ski jumping seriously.  Egerton perfectly captures Eddie's goofiness and Jackman just looks great (my favorite scene is when Peary jumps the 90m hill with a cigarette hanging out of his mouth).  As I mentioned, the screenplay takes many liberties with Eddie's story (Bronson Peary is a fictional character based on several of his coaches and he trained in Lake Placid rather than Germany) but, no matter!  I literally cheered out loud, like I did in 1988, when Eddie landed his 90m jump and I definitely enjoyed watching his story.  I suspect that anyone who remembers watching the 1988 Olympics will enjoy it, as well!  It is a bit of fun and I recommend it as such.

Race

A weekend spent watching movies is always a good idea so Marilyn and I decided on a double feature last night.  Our first movie was Race, the true story of Jesse Owens and his four gold medals at the 1936 Olympics in Berlin.  It begins when Owens (Stephan James) arrives at Ohio State to train with Coach Snyder (an excellent Jason Sudeikis), a former Olympic athlete trying to make a name for himself as a coach.  Despite many obstacles, such as being treated unfairly by other athletes at Ohio State, most notably the football team, needing to work constantly to support his out-of-work father and his girlfriend and their daughter, and clashing with his coach, he begins winning race after race.  When he qualifies for the Olympics, he is approached by the NAACP to boycott the Olympics in protest of Hitler's racial policies.  Ultimately, he decides to participate to show Hitler that his policies are unsound, particularly when he competes head to head in the long jump against Hitler's poster boy for Aryan superiority, Carl "Luz" Long (David Kross).  The movie ends, not with his stunning victories in Berlin, but with Owens and his wife being made to use the servant's entry to the hotel where a dinner is being given in his honor.  It is a powerful portrait of bigotry that is particularly salient in these troubling times.  I love inspirational sports movies and this is a pretty good one.  The scenes during the Olympics are epic (they reminded me of the Olympic scenes in Unbroken) and, even though I knew the outcome of every race, I was holding my breath and willing him to win!  James gives a very earnest portrayal of Owens and I felt totally invested in his story.  Where the movie bogs down is in its telling of other stories such as Snyder's failed opportunities at the Olympics, the long protracted debate between American Olympic Committee members about whether to boycott the Olympics (lots of speeches), and the efforts by filmmaker Leni Riefenstahl (Carice van Hounten) to make a propaganda film about the athletic superiority of Germany.   These subplots somewhat detract from the power of Owens' story (it is compelling enough) and make the movie much longer than it needs to be.  However, I really did love it and highly recommend it!

The Witch

The Witch premiered at Sundance last year to much acclaim, even winning the Directing Award in the U.S. Dramatic category.  Several of my friends, whose opinions I hold in high regard, saw it at Sundance and absolutely raved about it so I have been looking forward to its wide release.  I saw it last night and it is the real deal!  I like to be genuinely scared by a horror movie rather than shocked and, let me tell you, I was scared by The Witch.  In 17th century New England, a farmer (Ralph Ineson), his wife (Kate Dickie), and his family are expelled from a plantation for heresy.  They settle in a remote area on the edge of a dark and foreboding forest.  When a tragedy befalls the family, who are isolated and in the grip of religious hysteria, they begin to suspect that their oldest daughter Thomasin (Anya Taylor-Joy) is involved in witchcraft.  It is brilliant!  The cast is absolutely perfect and the production design is so full of period verisimilitude that it sometimes feels like watching a documentary about Puritan life.  The historical setting makes the events seem so plausible (in fact, the script is based on the folklore of the period) that I doubt I will be able to sleep in the foreseeable future.  It is atmospheric, shot in muted gray and sepia tones; intense, to say the least; suspenseful, almost to the point of being unbearable; and scary, more for what you don't see than for what you do.  I highly recommend it.

An Inspector Calls at PTC

Last night I saw PTC's production of An Inspector Calls and I really enjoyed it!  The play takes place in an industrial city in England in 1912 (which I find to be a particularly interesting time in history).  The Birling family is enjoying a celebratory dinner announcing of the engagement of their daughter, Sheila (Katie Wieland), to Gerald Croft (John Skelley) who, as the son of Sir George and Lady Croft, is their superior socially.  Arthur Birling (Joseph Dellger), a wealthy factory owner, is particularly pleased about his daughter's engagement as it will certainly elevate his own status.  After dinner, Inspector Goole (Christopher Kelley) calls to question the family about the suicide of a former worker in one of Birling's factories.  Each family member, including the aforementioned Sheila and Gerald as well as Arthur's wife Sybil (Mia Dillon) and his dissolute son Eric (John Evans Reese), professes having no knowledge of the girl.  However, as the investigation continues, it is revealed that each of them is somehow complicit in her death.  The tension mounts and mounts as each person is questioned until there is a surprise twist at the end (the fact that there is no intermission only serves to heighten the suspense).  Sheila and Eric are completely shattered by this tragedy, while Sybil feels that she has done nothing wrong, Gerald wants to find someone else to blame, and Arthur only cares about the potential for scandal (in my opinion, this foreshadows the crumbling of the Edwardian facade during the war).  It is an interesting murder mystery but it is also a powerful indictment of the rigid social classes in the Edwardian era.  The ensemble cast is excellent but I particularly enjoyed Wieland's portrayal of Sheila (think Michelle Dockery as Lady Mary).  The stage is particularly effective as there is a factory, populated by "factory girls," located above an elegant dining room serving to emphasize that the wealth of the aristocracy was dependent upon the drudgery of the working classes.   Once again, PTC has given me a thought-provoking evening of theatre and I highly recommend this compelling show (particularly if you are a fan of Downton Abbey).  It runs through March 5 at Pioneer Theatre and tickets can be purchased here.

Dinner at Bistro 222

Since I spend so much time downtown, I wanted another option for dinner before attending a performance at Capitol Theatre.  I recently found Bistro 222 and it has quickly become one of my favorite restaurants.  Located in the heart of downtown, Bistro 222 has a very sophisticated vibe with black and white decor that is modern and contemporary.  I love the floor-to-ceiling windows looking out on Main Street because you can people watch to your heart's content!  I feel like I'm in the middle of a big city whenever I eat there!  The seasonal menu features contemporary American cuisine which is simple yet elegant.

I am very partial to their artisan pizzas and my server informed me that they have an authentic wood fired pizza oven!  I recently had the Ratatouille pizza ($14.00) with zucchini, yellow squash, red onions, eggplant, red peppers, marinara, whole milk mozzarella, and torn basil.  It was delicious and I really appreciate the fact that Bistro 222 has so many vegetarian options.

The desserts change nightly and this bit of deliciousness is called the "Chocolate Tower."  It is chocolate cake stuffed with a decadent mousse topped with cream ($8.00) and I loved it!  The service is always great and there is often live music on the weekends.  Bistro 222 is located at 222 S. Main Street in downtown SLC making it a perfect place for dinner before a performance at Capitol Theatre!  It is open Monday-Thursday: 11:00 am - 9:00 pm, Friday: 11:00 am - 10:00 pm, and Saturday: 5:00 pm - 10:00 pm.  Entrees range from $18.00 - $45.00.