Papillon

I haven't seen the 1973 movie Papillon starring Steve McQueen and Dustin Hoffman but I went to see the remake last night.  This movie tells the incredible true story of Henri "Papillon" Charierre (Charlie Hunnam), a safecracker in Paris during the 1930s who is framed for murder and sentenced to a penal colony in French Guiana.  He immediately decides to try to escape, despite the threat of solitary confinement, and forms an alliance with Louis Dega (Rami Malek), a wealthy convicted forger.  Dega, who is mild-mannered and weak, offers to finance his escape in return for protection and Papillon must go to great lengths to keep him safe.  Conditions are brutal and, after several failed attempts to gain their freedom, they are finally transferred to Devil's Island from which escape seems impossible.  What elevates this movie from the standard tale of survival is the unlikely bond of friendship between the two men.  Papillon is often punished for fighting while defending Dega from attacks, suffers intense deprivation while in solitary confinement because of him, and is captured again because he will not leave him behind.  After all of that, Dega provides Papillon with the will to survive after he arrives on Devil's Island a broken man.  I found the relationship between the two men to be very compelling and both Hunnam and Malek give great performances.  The action is intense and harrowing and, while some of the scenes are difficult to watch, I don't think the violence is especially gratuitous and the cinematography is surprisingly beautiful in its brutality.  Since I've not seen the original, I can't speak to how this one compares but I think it is pretty good and I recommend it.

2001: A Space Odyssey

Since 2001: A Space Odyssey was released the year I was born, I have never had the opportunity to see this groundbreaking movie on the big screen...until now!  It is being re-released in theaters in glorious 70mm film in honor of its 50th anniversary and I had the chance to see it last night.  Millions of years ago in Africa, a group of apes discovers an otherworldly black monolith which seemingly directs them to use the bones of a dead animal as a weapon which gives them an advantage over a rival group of apes.  Millions of years later a group of astronauts discovers this same black monolith on the moon.  It produces a strange frequency which leads them to send an expedition to Jupiter.  During this expedition the ship's computer, HAL 9000, tries to sabotage the mission but eventually the final remaining crewmember, David Bowman (Keir Dullea), reaches Jupiter.  After traveling through strange cosmic phenomena, Bowman finds himself in a Neoclassical bedroom where he lives out the rest of his life.  As he lays dying, he sees the black monolith and is transformed into a fetus which then returns to the Earth.  What is the monolith?  I think that everyone who watches this film will have a different interpretation and I think screenwriters Stanley Kubrick and Arthur C. Clarke intended it thus.  In my opinion, the monolith represents man's evolutionary journey.  When the apes begin using the bone as a weapon, it gives them a distinct advantage, access to the waterhole, which sets in motion the evolution from ape to man.  Man eventually reaches for the stars and evolves into a spaceman.  A spaceman travels to a higher level of consciousness and evolves into the Star Child which then travels back to Earth to bring about a rebirth (the ending is ambiguous but that is my interpretation).  Seeing this on an IMAX screen with Dolby sound was absolutely incredible because, more than anything, this movie is a visual and auditory experience which has been lacking in my viewings on TV, especially the journey through the Star Gate to Jupiter which made me feel like I was on a weird acid trip.  Whether you love it or hate it no one can deny the influence it has had on later movies, especially in the depiction of space travel, suspended animation, zero gravity, and artificial intelligence.  It is even more amazing when you consider that this movie was released before man reached the moon!  This is definitely one that should be seen on the big screen!

Note:  I cannot hear Also sprach Zarathustra by Richard Strauss without thinking of the opening sequence in this movie!  For a really long time I didn't know it was a piece of classical music.  I thought it was just part of the score!

Sam Smith at the Vivint Arena

I briefly considered the advisability of seeing a concert during the first week of school but I love Sam Smith so much that I decided to get a ticket any way!  I knew that I would be really tired today but the concert was so fabulous that it was worth it.  The stage was a large triangle that jutted out onto the floor and there were multiple platforms for his amazing band (not only were they great musicians but they also had some epic choreography, too) and back-up singers.  He entered and exited the stage through some of the platforms several times during the show (often when there was some misdirection going on with the large pyramid at the back of the stage).  I really enjoyed his interactions with the audience because he seemed so sincere and genuine!  I love him for the same reason that I love Adele.  He is unabashedly himself and he doesn't conform to anyone's stereotypes about what a pop star should be.  It also doesn't hurt that he can belt out a song, which he did all night to the delight of the crowd!  He sang quite a few of his hits including "I'm Not the Only One," which got the crowd singing, "Lay Me Down," "Nirvana," "I've Told You Now," "Latch," "Money on My Mind," and "Like I Can."  He also performed a dramatic rendition of "Writing's on the Wall" from the Bond movie Spectre with an extended piano and cello intro and, even though I don't really love that song, I loved his performance of it.  He devoted a large portion of his setlist to his latest album The Thrill of It All which made me very happy because I love this album even though, as he acknowledged, it is filled with very depressing songs!  He began the concert with "Burning," and continued with "One Last Song," "Say It First," "One Day at a Time," "Baby, You Make Me Crazy," "Midnight Train," my favorite song from the album, "HIM," with a great message about love, and "Too Good at Goodbyes," another favorite which ended the set.  For the encore, he sang "Palace," "Stay With Me," which definitely got the audience singing, and "Pray."  I loved this concert and I’m so glad that I decided to go!

Note:  Rather unusually, I didn't go to any concerts over the summer but I have quite a few coming up this fall!

Pandas

I can think of no better way to spend a Saturday afternoon than to watch baby pandas frolicking on an IMAX screen so that is what I did yesterday.  The new documentary Pandas begins by telling us that these animals are being pushed further and further into the mountains by the overdevelopment of China's forests and that they are being isolated into small groupings which is limiting their biodiversity.  Because they are so endangered, Rong Hou, the head of research at the Chengdu Panda Base, is spearheading a program to introduce pandas born in captivity into the wild.  Then we meet Qian Qian and follow her journey as she is set free.  I loved learning about the process of teaching pandas how to be wild and the footage of Qian Qian is absolutely adorable.  I also loved the bond between Qian Qian and her handlers because it is so evident that she loves them.  You can't help but root for her to succeed!  She does have a major setback but this documentary is not quite as emotionally manipulative the Disneynature films (I am still not over Dawa's death in Born in China).  My only complaint is that this documentary is so short (the run-time is barely 45 minutes which is a bit disappointing given the price of an IMAX ticket) and the fate of Qian Qian is unresolved.  However, this documentary has an important message and the pandas are delightful so I highly recommend it!

Note:  The 3D footage felt so real that I keep swatting flies away from my face!

Alpha

The trailer for Alpha really intrigued me so I went to see it Friday night.  During the Paleolithic period in Europe, members of a tribe go on a bison hunting expedition and Keda (Kodi Smit-McPhee), the son of the chief, is hunting with them for the first time.  He wants to make his father proud of him and show the tribe that he is worthy of leading them but he displays weakness multiple times on the journey.  During the actual battle, he is seriously injured by a bison causing the tribe to leave him for dead but he eventually regains consciousness and begins making his way back home.  When a pack of wolves attacks him, he injures the leader and the rest of the wolves run away.  Unable to kill it, Keda begins nursing it back to health.  Since both of them are injured and isolated they eventually bond and help each other brave the elements to get back home.  I loved this movie!  It is absolutely beautiful with stunning cinematography and dazzling effects.  The action sequences, especially the bison hunt and a scene under a frozen lake, are very well staged.  The story, while simple, is incredibly heart-warming as Keda and the wolf begin to depend on each other.  Their relationship is lovely to watch and there were times when I started to tear up, especially when Keda tells the wolf that he can't lose him and begins carrying him.  There is not a lot of dialogue, and that is in an unidentifiable language with subtitles, but Smit-McPhee gives an incredible performance in a highly physical role.  His desire to please his father is communicated with just a look and his despair when he finds the cairn his father made for him is very affecting.  He has a genuine character arc that feels triumphant, if a bit sentimental.  If you have ever loved a dog go see this movie.

Note:  I saw this in IMAX 3D and I would recommend that format because the visuals are truly remarkable.