Ezra

Last night my nephew and I went to the Broadway to see Ezra and we both enjoyed it.  Max (Bobby Cannavale) is a stand-up comedian with anger issues living with his father Stan (Robert De Niro), with whom he has a contentious relationship, and struggling to co-parent his autistic son Ezra (William Fitzgerald) with his ex-wife Jenna (Rose Byrne).  When he and Jenna have a difference of opinion about the correct school placement for Ezra, Max impulsively decides to take him on a road trip to learn how best to advocate for him and, in so doing, he improves his relationship with both his son and his father.  What I really liked about this movie, despite some very convenient plot contrivances, is that Max has preconceived notions about who his son is and what is best for him but he finally sees him and accepts him for who he really is.  Cannavale gives an incredibly nuanced performance, one of his very best, as a dad who doesn't know how to help his son but knows that he needs to do a better job than his dad did with him.  There is an especially poignant scene between him and Fitzgerald where Ezra lashes out at Max that gave me goosebumps.  De Niro is also fantastic, especially in a monologue where Stan admits that he wasn't a good father, and Byrne shines as an overwhelmed mother who is trying her best (I really love that Jenna is also a sympathetic character).  My favorite performance is by Fitzgerald, an actor on the autism spectrum making his debut, because he is so authentic and endearing.  I have never been diagnosed but I have many characteristics and behaviors that make me think that I am on the spectrum and I really appreciate the sensitivity and respect with which the character is portrayed (I was particularly moved by scenes in which Ezra reacts to being touched).  The ending is a bit rushed and I wish that there had been another scene explaining how Max and Jenna came to consensus about Ezra's schooling (since that was the catalyst for the whole movie).  However, this is a heartwarming look at the realities of raising a child with autism and the performances overcame any of my issues with the story.  I would recommend it.

In a Violent Nature

Everything I heard about In a Violent Nature, both good and bad, made me very excited to see it.  I finally had the chance last night and, while I can understand why people might not like it, I really dug it.  A group of friends, including Kris (Andrea Pavlovic), Colt (Cameron Love), Troy (Liam Leone), Aurora (Charlotte Creaghan), Brodie (Lea Rose Sebastianis), Ehren (Sam Roulston), and Evan (Alexander Oliver), are staying at a cabin in an old logging camp with a history of tragedy in northern Ontario.  When they discover a fallen fire tower in the forest, Troy notices a locket which, he eventually learns, once belonged to the son of a firefighter named Johnny (Ry Barrett) who was lured to the tower by loggers and then fell to his death.  He takes it to give to his girlfriend Kris but this theft reanimates Johnny's corpse, which had been buried under the fire tower, and he begins killing the group of friends one by one for retribution.  What distinguishes this from other slasher movies is that it is from the POV of the killer, rather than the victims, as he slowly and methodically (in some long continuous shots that follow Johnny from behind) stalks them through the forest.  Since we know where the killer is at all times there is not a lot of tension but there is a very palpable sense of dread as each victim inevitably succumbs to his increasingly inventive violence.  Johnny wears a vintage firefighter's mask and uses the tools that would be available in a logging camp, such as drag hooks, chains, axes, and log splitters, in some of the most brutal and gory scenes imaginable (there is one scene in particular that is so shocking I had a visceral reaction to it).  The fact that all of this violence takes place in such a beautiful location filled with sun-dappled trees and crystal lakes is also quite disconcerting, especially in scenes where Johnny seems to blend in with nature before he attacks.  Barrett gives a silent but riveting physical performance but some of the other actors are a bit cringe-worthy (I actually think that this would have worked better with no dialogue at all).  I'm also not sure the shift in POV from Johnny to one of the victims in the third act really works (aside from a brilliant cameo) but I have to admit that I'm still thinking about it.  This is a slow burn that many will find tedious and it is definitely more disturbing than scary but I liked it!

James Taylor at Utah First Credit Union Amphitheatre

I really love James Taylor so I usually try to see him whenever he comes to town.  However, I decided that I would try to spend less money on concerts this year (that is going about as well as you might expect) but I just couldn't resist getting a ticket to his show at Utah First Credit Union Amphitheatre last night and I'm so glad that I did!  Taylor's voice is not quite what it once was but it was good enough and he had an amazing band with him including Steve Gadd on drums, Luis Conte on percussion, Jimmy Johnson on bass, Michael Landau on guitar, Walt Fowler on keyboards and horns, Lou Marini on horns, Larry Goldings on piano, Andrea Zorn on fiddle, Dorian Holley on backing vocals, and Kate Markowitz on backing vocals.  He played, without an opening act, for over two hours and divided his sets into "Deep Listening," which featured lesser known songs, and "Greatest Hits" with an intermission in between.  During the first set he played "Something in the Way She Moves," "Everyday," "Never Die Young," "October Road," "Secret O' Life," "Anywhere Like Heaven," "Country Road," "Sweet Baby James" (with a cool fiddle intro), "Don't Let Me Be Lonely Tonight" (a highlight of the first set), and "Sun on the Moon."  I really enjoyed the first set but I have to admit that I absolutely loved the second set and sang every word to every song!  This set included "Carolina in My Mind," "Mexico," an epic rendition of "Steamroller" with extended solos," "Fire and Rain," "Up on the Roof," "You've Got a Friend," and "Shower the People" (my favorite James Taylor song).  He ended this set with a rousing rendition of "How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You) which got the crowd up and dancing!  For the encore he performed "Shed a Little Light," Your Smiling Face" (another highlight of the show for me), and "That Lonesome Road."  Taylor is incredibly droll and interacted with the audience by telling jokes (which he says he is recycling from tour to tour) in between each song and signing lots of items before the second set.  My favorite moment happened when someone yelled that they loved him and he answered that he loved them back but they should both see other people!  I had so much fun last night and I think this was a great way to start the summer concert season (even though I was a little bit cold by the end of the night).

Note:  The first time I saw James Taylor live was at this venue (when it was USANA Amphitheatre) years ago and I've been a fan ever since!

Young Woman and the Sea

I was able to see a Thursday preview of Young Woman and the Sea last night and, as a big fan of inspirational sports movies, I absolutely loved it!  After surviving a bout with the measles, Gertrude "Trudy" Ederle (Olive Abercrombie) wants to learn to swim just like her older sister Meg (Lilly Aspell) but her parents, German immigrants Henry (Kim Bodnia) and Gertrude (Jeanette Hain), fear that it will worsen her hearing loss.  Undaunted, Trudy (Daisy Ridley) eventually trains with Charlotte Epstein (Sian Clifford) in a basement pool and defies expectations by winning races.  After a disappointing showing at the 1924 Olympics, where she was expected to earn four gold medals, interest in women's swimming wanes and her father expects her to submit to an arranged marriage.  Trudy has other ideas and decides to swim the English Channel, something only five men (and no women) have ever done before.  She is reluctantly sponsored by the Women's Swimming Association (WSA) who insist that she train with Jabez Wolffe (Christopher Eccleston), who had previously attempted to swim the channel 22 times without success.  When Wolffe sabotages her first attempt, she finds a way to stay in France and try again with the help of her sister Meg (Tilda Cobham-Hervey) and another eccentric swimmer named Bill Burgess (Stephen Graham).  What I found so compelling about this true story is that Trudy is not a natural athlete with perfect technique.  She has to fight to be allowed to swim and, even then, there are others who are much better than her but it is her determination and hard work that allows her to succeed!  I also loved the portrayal of Trudy's family, especially the support of her mother despite the opposition of her more traditional father and the heartwarming relationship with her sister even though they are on different paths.  Ridley gives a quietly powerful performance (one of her best) in a physically demanding role and I found it to be very moving without being manipulative.  The rest of the cast is uniformly excellent but the standouts for me were Hain and Clifford.  Finally, the cinematography, particularly the shots in the water, is stunning and the vibrant score really enhances the uplifting message.  I thoroughly enjoyed this crowd-pleaser and I highly recommend it!

Babes

The trailer for Babes made me laugh so I decided to see it at the Broadway last night.  It wasn't as funny as I thought it would be but I did enjoy the poignant look at female friendship.  Dawn (Michelle Buteau) is a married dentist with a young son and a baby on the way and Eden (Ilana Glazer) is a single and free-spirited yoga instructor.  They have been best friends since they were eleven years old and support each other in everything, including when Dawn goes into labor early while the two of them are watching a movie together.  When Eden unexpectedly becomes pregnant after a one night stand, she expects Dawn to help her through every aspect of pregnancy.  Dawn is struggling to adjust to the addition of a second child to her family and is feeling guilty about returning to work so soon after the birth so she feels like Eden is demanding more than she can give.  Their friendship is tested but they eventually realize how much they mean to each other.  I am not a big fan of crude humor so all of the jokes about bodily fluids (so many bodily fluids!) started to get really old for me but there are lots of genuinely funny moments that made me and the rest of the audience laugh out loud.  Much of the humor involves the secondary characters, my favorites of which are Eden's OB-GYN (John Carroll Lynch) and his ever evolving hair styles and her back-up doula Dragana (Elena Ouspenskaia).  However, both Buteau and Glazer have tremendous chemistry together and they really sell the idea that they have been inseparable since childhood in their performances.  I loved the realistic portrayal of what happens to friends who find themselves at different stages in life but still try to prioritize the friendship (I was single with a very close friend who was married with a baby when I was in my early twenties and this had me feeling the feels).  Your enjoyment of this movie will definitely depend on your tolerance for crude humor but there is enough heart for me to recommend it!