The Mustang

Last night I had the chance to see The Mustang, a film that generated a lot of buzz at Sundance this year and rightly so!  It is a beautiful story about the redemption of a violent convict through his bond with a horse that is just as wild as he is.  Roman Coleman (Matthias Schoenaerts) has recently been transferred to a prison in Nevada after spending several years in isolation because of anger management issues.  A prison psychologist (Connie Britton) refers him to a rehabilitation program, run by the curmudgeonly Myles (Bruce Dern), in which convicts are used to train wild mustangs rounded up by the government to keep the population sustainable.  Successfully trained horses are sold at auction and unsuccessful ones are euthanized.  Myles pairs Roman with the wildest of the horses hoping that they will be able to tame each other (the resolution is beautiful but it might surprise you).  The more success he finds in the ring, the more Roman is able to make peace with himself and with his daughter (Gideon Adlon).  Schoenaerts gives an exceptional performance, one in which there is not a lot of dialogue but one in which body language and facial expressions show the full extent of Roman's pain.  He exudes a fury that is palpable which makes his transformation in the scene where he finally breaks down with his daughter all the more powerful.  The action is quite slow because the trust between Roman and the horse is developed very gradually, culminating in one of the most beautiful scenes in the film.  It is visually striking with the wide open spaces of the desert juxtaposed with the claustrophobic interiors of the prison.  I also really liked the score, especially a plaintive theme played by a guitar when Roman is in solitary confinement.  I was very moved by this film and I highly recommend seeking it out.

The Aftermath

I love books and movies about World War II.  I especially love romances set during World War II so as soon as I saw the trailer for The Aftermath I was almost giddy with anticipation for it to hit SLC theaters.  It finally reached my favorite art house theater this weekend and I had a chance to see it yesterday afternoon.  I really enjoyed it.  Colonel Lewis Morgan (Jason Clarke) is stationed in Hamburg with the British Forces tasked with rebuilding Germany at the end of the war.  He sends for his wife Rachael (Keira Knightley) to join him in a house requisitioned by the British government for their use.  Their reunion is chilly and it is slowly revealed that their son was killed during the Blitz and that they have never really resolved their feelings about his death.  Rachael is horrified when she learns that her husband has allowed the previous owners, Stefan Lubert (Alexander Skarsgard) and his teenage daughter Freda (Flora Thiemann), to remain in the house with them.  Both Rachael and Stefan resent each other's presence in the house and the atmosphere is incredibly charged. Lewis wants everything to go back to how it was before the war and is largely oblivious to the tension in the house as he deals with the tensions between the British Forces and the German citizens.  Eventually Rachael and Stefan bond over their love of music and they begin an affair.  This domestic betrayal mirrors a larger one leading to a dramatic confrontation.  It is a very standard story about a love triangle but what elevates it is the exploration of what happens when you have to live and work with someone who was once your enemy and about finding forgiveness for actions, large and small, committed during war.  I found it to be very compelling.  All three main actors give outstanding performances, especially Knightley during one particularly emotional scene.  Of course, the costumes and sets are exactly what you would expect in a historical drama and I was especially impressed with the overhead shots of the bombed out city.  If you have enjoyed other period pieces starring Keira Knightley (there are so many to choose from), I would recommend seeking this out.

Dumbo

Last night I went to see Disney's remake of its animated classic Dumbo and, while I absolutely loved the flying baby elephant, I didn't love the movie.  Holt Farrier (Colin Farrell) returns to the Medici Brothers Circus after being wounded in World War I only to discover that the circus is in financial difficulty.  Max Medici (Danny DeVito), the ringmaster of the circus, has gambled on the purchase of Jumbo, a pregnant elephant, hoping that the novelty of a baby elephant will bring business.  He puts Farrier and his children Milly (Nico Parker) and Joe (Finley Hobbins) in charge of the elephants.  The baby, named Dumbo, is born with extremely large ears and is ridiculed during his first appearance in the ring causing Jumbo to go on a rampage.  Max is forced to sell Jumbo but Farrier's children discover that Dumbo can fly which brings business back to the circus.  This attracts the attention of the impresario V.A. Vandemere (Michael Keaton) who brings the circus to Dreamland, his elaborate amusement park, and has Dumbo perform with the aerialist Colette Marchant (Eva Green).  However, Dreamland is not all that it appears to be and the circus performers decide that they must rescue Dumbo and reunite him with his mother.  I found most of the acting in this movie to be flat and lifeless, especially the children.  Honestly, the CGI elephant is much more expressive than any of the actors and I absolutely loved Dumbo's character design, especially those big blue eyes.  I also found the story to be very convoluted with the addition of themes of corporate greed and animal cruelty to the simple story told in the original.  But, ironically, it is the simple story of a baby longing to be reunited with his mother that is the best part of this movie and I found the early scenes between Dumbo and Jumbo to be incredibly affecting.  I wish that they had stayed at the circus longer to develop that relationship more.  Once the action moves to Dreamland it becomes very bloated with thinly drawn characters and loses focus until the heartwarming ending between Dumbo and his mother.  Dumbo is just so adorable and endearing and his yearning for his mother is so poignant that I was willing to overlook its faults and I would recommend it.

Fun at the Jazz Game

Tashena and I have been trying to get together for a Jazz game since January but with one thing or another we couldn't find a time that worked for both of us (she is so busy).  Since the regular season is ending soon (the Jazz have clinched a spot in the playoffs) I decided that I better get my act together and make it happen.  We went to the game last night and watched the Jazz play the Washington Wizards.  We always get to the arena early so that I can buy Tashena a shirt (this is tradition) and so we can get something to eat.  Because of the remodel of the Vivint arena there are so many great choices for dinner but I am partial to Hires (even though it is so expensive).  When the game started I mentioned to Tashena that I hoped the Jazz would win.  She answered, "Umm.  They're playing the Wizards!"  Apparently the Wizards don't have a very good record but they definitely gave the Jazz a run for their money and took the game to the final seconds which was a bit tense.  Tashena really likes Donovan Mitchell (whom she refers to as her husband) and he got an amazing breakaway to dramatically dunk the ball.  About halfway down the court he looked to see if anyone was close to him and got the biggest grin on his face when he saw that there wasn't!  Mitchell ended the night with 35 points to lead the Jazz to a 128-124 victory.  It was a great game but, honestly, I had such a good time just being with Tashena.  I haven't spent much time with her lately and I think we spent more time talking and laughing than we did watching the game.  She told me that I was embarrassing her about twenty times (mission accomplished), made fun of me for cheering every time Kyle Korver had the ball, and had me set up a Snapchat account so she could send me funny pictures!  It was such a fun night!  After the game she told me how glad she was that we were able to go!  I feel the same way!

Hotel Mumbai

Last night I went to a Thursday preview of Hotel Mumbai, the second movie starring Dev Patel this week (this is a good thing).  It is based on the 2008 attack of Mumbai where Muslim terrorists staged a coordinated attack on various locations throughout the city.  This movie focuses on the attack on the Taj, a luxury hotel where the guest is considered to be a god, and the heroism of the staff, who could have escaped through service exits, in trying to save as many guests as possible. Patel plays Arjun, a hotel waiter who is constantly berated by the head chef Hemnat Oberoi (Anupam Kher).  When the terrorists enter the hotel and shoot everyone in the lobby, both Arjun and Oberoi sequester a group of guests in the hotel restaurant, including Zahra (Nazanin Boniadi) and David (Armie Hammer) a socialite and her American husband, as well as Vasili (Jason Isaacs), a wealthy Russian businessman.  With Special Forces hours away in Delhi, they eventually realize that they will have to take matters into their own hands to save themselves and this involves many harrowing sequences as they try to elude the terrorists, especially when David attempts to go back to his room to rescue his infant son who is being cared for by a nanny (Tilda Cobham-Hervey).  This movie is intense and unrelenting.  The action sequences put the audience right in the middle of the attack but it is very graphic and there were times when I needed to look away.  There are also moments when the tension is almost unbearable, particularly when the nanny is hiding from a group of terrorists and trying to keep the baby quiet.  I sometimes wondered if the brutality was necessary but it highlights the incredible lengths to which the staff members go in order to keep their guests safe.  I was quite moved by their courage and heroism!  There is an incredibly poignant scene where a wealthy British guest asks that Arjun remove his turban because she thinks that he is also a terrorist and she is afraid of him.  Arjun, who is a Sikh, shows her pictures of his family and explains the religious significance of his turban which brings her to tears.  This moment of understanding during a terrorist attack motivated by hatred for those who are different makes this movie one of my favorites this year (Patel is brilliant in this scene).  I recommend it but it is difficult to watch.