Irrational Man

I am not a huge fan of Woody Allen (other than Midnight in Paris, which is one of my all-time favorites) but the previews for Irrational Man intrigued me so I decided to see it last night (I fear my late night Sunday excursions to the Broadway Theatre are numbered).  Abe Lucas (Joaquin Phoenix) arrives as a new philosophy professor at a small New England college suffering from existential ennui.  He eventually begins an empty affair with a married chemistry professor (Parker Posey) and a romance with Jill (Emma Stone), a student infatuated with his dark side.  He quotes Dostoevsky in the classroom and keeps a copy of Crime and Punishment, with passages highlighted, on his desk.  Like Raskolnikov, the protagonist of Crime and Punishment, Abe decides to murder a complete stranger because he feels that it would be to the greater good and the petty rules of middle class society do not apply to him.  Unlike Raskolnikov, who is tormented by what he has done, Abe finds renewed meaning in life and comes alive.  Jill eventually figures out what Abe has done and, like Sonya in Crime and Punishment, she becomes Abe's conscience when she urges him to confess.  Will Abe find redemption as Raskolnikov does?  The story is definitely interesting and the themes are thought-provoking (I was reminded of an intense discussion with a group of friends at a bar in downtown Denver about situational ethics where I said something very similar to what Jill says to Abe as she confronts him) but I don't think Allen quite pulls it off.  The dialogue (and there is a lot of dialogue, particularly when characters are walking from one place to another) is extremely stilted and contrived.  Even philosophy majors (and I know a few!) don't quote Heidegger, Kierkegaard, and Kant constantly in everyday life.  Phoenix and Stone do the best they can with the material but it still feels like they are reading pages of script with grim faces and I found it hard to care about them.  I found the students to be incredibly naive, especially in the Russian roulette scene, and the acting from the minor characters is, at times, completely laughable (they are trying so hard to be earnest).  The murder mystery also seems a bit implausible.  Jill figures out the entire complicated scenario during a conversation at dinner and then just happens to run into people who can give her proof.  Even the twist at the end of the movie felt a bit hokey rather than dramatic.  I found the relationship between a college professor and a student to be somewhat troubling.  Abe and Jill conduct their affair quite openly and I can tell you unequivocally, having taught on the college level, that it certainly wouldn't be condoned on campus and I can't imagine any parents who would be as accepting as Jill's (they invite him over for dinner!).  Clearly, Allen has no concept of appropriate boundaries in light of his own personal life.  The premise of Irrational Man is note-worthy but the execution of it is not.  Read Crime and Punishment instead and, if you want to watch an excellent Woody Allen film, find a copy of Midnight in Paris.

Brunch at Eva's Bakery

I always begin summer vacation with a list of new things I want to do, new places I want to see, and new restaurants I want to try and this year was no exception.  Now that school is about to start, I realize that I haven't accomplished anything on my list.  What have I been doing with all of my free time?  Yesterday I had to wake up early (on a Saturday!) and vacate my house for several hours for an inspection.  Eva's Bakery in downtown SLC has been on my list for quite a while so I decided to have brunch there so I can check at least one thing off!  I was in absolute heaven!  Eva's Bakery is a little slice of Paris right on Main Street.  Paris is my favorite city in the world and when I spent a semester abroad there, I loved to wander the streets and find an out-of-the-way cafe in which while away an afternoon.  When I walked into Eva's Bakery, the aroma and ambiance immediately transported me back to that time and place!  Why have I never been there before?

Eva's Bakery has a breakfast and lunch menu with many traditional French dishes.  I had the Stuffed French Toast with lemon cream cheese filling and blueberry compote ($8.00).  The lemon and blueberry flavors really complemented one another and it was cooked to a crispy perfection.  I loved every bite!  Next time, I want to try the lunch menu.  I love French onion soup and I haven't had a good Croque Madame since I was in Paris!  Eva's Bakery is located on 155 S. Main Street in SLC and is open for breakfast and lunch Monday - Saturday from 7:00 am to 6:00 pm and for brunch on Sunday from  9:00 am to 3:00 pm.  All of the items on the menu are reasonably priced from $8.00 - $11.00.

The Stanford Prison Experiment

I feel like all I've done this summer is watch movies (and pack) but, since I love movies, it's kind of a good thing!  Last night I went to The Stanford Prison Experiment which is a film that I tried, unsuccessfully, to see at Sundance this year.  It is absolutely riveting in an intense and disturbing sort of way but I still can't stop thinking about it!  Based on an actual experiment conducted at Stanford University in 1971 by psychology professor Philip Zimbardo, it tells the story of a simulation in which college students act as prisoners and guards to determine the cause of abusive behavior.   At first the students randomly selected to be guards are self-conscious and read from a provided script while stifling their laughter but they quickly become very abusive to the prisoners and take delight in humiliating them, especially a guard (Michael Angarano) who adopts the persona of a character from the movie Cool Hand Luke.  The prisoners, after a few attempts at rebellion by 8612 (Ezra Miller), eventually become docile and perform any degrading task required of them without question.  It is difficult to watch, particularly when Zimbardo (Billy Crudup) takes pleasure in what he is seeing on his monitors and refuses to intervene for the sake of his research.  His girlfriend Christina (Olivia Thirlby) accuses him of losing perspective and he eventually calls an end to the experiment after only six days.  The set of the make-shift prison in the hallway of the psychology building is extremely claustrophobic as are the tight steadicam shots which make you feel as if you are a part of the action.  The young and relatively unknown cast of guards and prisoners is excellent but, while the dehumanization of the students is the point of the experiment, I found it difficult to keep track of the characters because the prisoners are only referred to by number and the guards are all dressed the same.  The score is incredibly ominous and heightens the tension so much that it almost becomes unbearable to watch.  It is exhausting and uncomfortable but it is one of the most provocative films I've seen in a long time.  It certainly led to some interesting discussions in the lobby after my screening!  I definitely wouldn't recommend it for everyone but I found it to be fascinating.

Infinitely Polar Bear

This summer I've gotten into the habit of going to a late night movie on Sunday.  I love sitting in a darkened theatre with a group of total strangers watching images on a giant screen and after the movie I love driving in an almost abandoned city in the wee hours of the morning knowing that, unlike most everyone else, I don't have to wake up in a few hours.  Sadly, this practice must come to an end in a few weeks when I go back to school.  (Not surprisingly, very few people  are willing to commiserate with me on this sad turn of events!)   I've seen some wonderful movies on my late night excursions (go here, here, here, here, and here to check them out) and last Sunday I decided to see Infinitely Polar Bear which is also wonderful.  Cameron Stuart (Mark Ruffalo) is a manic-depressive member of a wealthy and aristocratic Boston family.  The matriarch of the family gives him just enough money to survive but refuses to support his family.  His wife Maggie (Zoe Saldana) is accepted to the MBA program at Columbia and makes the difficult decision to move to New York because it is the only way to improve her family's financial circumstances.  She leaves her young daughters in Cameron's care which results in some comedic and well as heartbreaking situations.  Ultimately, Maggie realizes that the girls are better off with Cameron because he is always there for them in a way that she cannot be.  It is writer/director Maya Forbes' own touching autobiographical story of her experiences with her father.  Her daughter, Imogene Wolodarsky, plays a fictionalized version of her and gives an incredible performance.  I have always been a fan of Mark Ruffalo and he is brilliant in this role.  He is both charming and belligerent and there were times when I was moved to tears over how he was treating his daughters and times when I laughed out loud at his antics, especially when he makes a flamenco skirt for a talent show.  I absolutely loved this movie and I highly recommend it!

The Wizard of Oz at Sundance

One of my favorite summer traditions is going to the Sundance Mountain Resort to see a musical performed in conjunction with Utah Valley University.  Marilyn and I have seen The Sound of Music, Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, Annie Get Your Gun, Fiddler on the Roof, and Saturday night we added The Wizard of Oz to that list.  It was an absolutely beautiful night up in the mountains, with just a hint of fall in the air.  I really can't explain why I love watching performances outside under the stars but it makes me so happy!  This production of The Wizard of Oz is so charming.  I was actually singing along until Marilyn gave me "the look" but then, just a few minutes later, I caught her singing so I took that as free reign to continue!   Just like in the movie, all of the scenery and costumes in the first act are in very muted tones and then there is a color explosion once Dorothy (Hannah Pyper) gets to Oz.  I think this is the most ambitious set I've ever seen at Sundance, with a yellow brick road on a turntable that is most effective.  The costumes are phenomenal!  I especially loved the Munchkins because the actors are on their knees and their costumes featured legs which could be manipulated.  So funny!  The Scarecrow (Cleveland McKay Nicoll), Tin Man (Maxwell Higbee) and the Cowardly Lion (Wade Robert Johnson) are all fabulous dancers and the choreography is very innovative, particularly in the scene with the poppies.  Pyper has an excellent voice and does a great job with the role of Dorothy.  I thoroughly enjoyed myself and would definitely recommend getting tickets (go here for tickets and more information).  The show runs until August 15 at the Sundance Resort.