Flow

I have been anticipating the release of Flow ever since I saw a trailer and I finally had a chance to see a matinee yesterday afternoon.  It is visually stunning with an incredibly poignant story and I loved it!  When a cataclysmic tsunami completely submerges a forest in a post-apocalyptic timeline without humans, a curious and expressive black cat finds refuge on a sailboat occupied by a somnolent capybara.  They are eventually joined by an acquisitive ring-tail lemur, an irrepressible yellow Labrador, and a protective secretarybird.  They have a series of misadventures during which they must learn not only to coexist but also to work together in order to survive.  I love the way the animals are portrayed because, while they are not anthropomorphized (they definitely move and behave as animals and there is no dialogue), they do have distinct characteristics which are maintained throughout.  The cat likes to explore and is often in peril as a result (I couldn't breathe whenever the cat is thrown overboard and struggles to swim to the surface), the capybara falls asleep at inopportune times and in inconvenient places, the lemur is enamored with a collection of items (particularly a hand mirror) that must be protected, the Labrador loves to play which sometimes causes conflict (especially after the lemur's glass ball is thrown overboard during a boisterous round of catch), and the secretarybird takes a position of leadership (both literally and figuratively) and defends the group against a flock of other angry secretarybirds.  These defining characteristics made me feel a deep emotional connection with the characters and I was very invested in their fate (which is more hopeful than I was anticipating).  I loved both the naturalistic soundscape (the labored breathing of a beached whale reduced me to tears) as well as the evocative score (the dramatic theme as the water continues to rise over the cat's home gave me goosebumps).  The animation is beautiful, dynamic, and immersive and I love that it is both grounded in reality and otherworldly (there is a scene involving the secretarybird that is absolutely transcendent).  I loved this movie so much and, in a year that also included Inside Out 2 and The Wild Robot, it is my favorite animated release of 2024.

Note:  This is Latvia's official entry for the Best International Feature Academy Award and it has my nonexistent vote to win!

Nightbitch

The second movie in my double feature with my nephew at the Broadway last night was Nightbitch.  I didn't know what to think about this movie when I first heard about it because it sounded so bizarre but I found the trailer to be really intriguing so I decided to see it.  Unfortunately, it is not bizarre enough and is all bark and no bite.  Mother (Amy Adams) was an artist of some renown who worked in a gallery before giving up her career to stay home with her Son (Arleigh and Emmett Snowdon).  Her Husband (Scoot McNairy) is away on business for most of the week and, frankly, isn't much help when he is home.  She fears that she no longer has an identity beyond that of mother, feels simultaneously overwhelmed by the demands of motherhood and bored by the monotony of it (there are lots of scenes in which she cooks the same breakfast and lunch over and over again), and doubts all of the decisions she has made about raising her Son.  Eventually she suspects that she is becoming a dog and it is not long before she physically transforms into one (in some amusing scenes involving magical realism).  It is when she fully embraces her animalistic instinct that she finds liberation and becomes a better mother and better artist.  I have not read the book by Rachel Yoder upon which this is based but it seems like there is an interiority that does not translate well to the screen because there is a lot of voice-over narration that becomes very tedious (lots of telling rather than showing).  The central metaphor is an interesting one so it is a shame that it is only ever explored on a superficial level.  Many of the scenes where Mother acts like a dog are comedic rather than scary and I wanted more rage and I definitely wanted more body horror (there is only one relatively benign scene where Mother discovers a tail).  I also wanted a more meaningful resolution (it veers from an honest examination of motherhood to a less compelling dissection of a marriage in which the Husband has an unearned redemption arc).  Adams is absolutely fearless but I can't help but feel that her performance would have been better if she had been allowed by the script to be more ferocious (the best performance comes from the Snowden twins who are adorable).  This is not quite as daring as it thinks it is and I was a bit disappointed.

The Order

Last night my nephew and I had a double feature at the Broadway starting with The Order.  It is a tense thriller based on true events that I found disturbing but very compelling.  Terry Husk (Jude Law) is a world-weary FBI agent who arrives in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho to investigate a disappearance that he believes is connected to a string of bank robberies.  The local police chief (Philip Granger) is not very helpful but an eager young officer named Jamie Bowen (Tye Sheridan) believes that the nearby Aryan Nation, under the direction of Richard Butler (Victor Slezak), is involved.  They eventually discover a splinter group called The Order which was formed by Robert Mathews (Nicholas Hoult), a former disciple of Butler who has become radicalized and is following the blueprint set out in The Turner Diaries which calls for fundraising, recruitment, assassination, and domestic terrorism.  As The Order becomes increasingly more brazen, including the murder of provocative Jewish disc jockey Alan Berg (Marc Maron), Husk, his former FBI partner Joanne Carney (Jurnee Smollett), and Bowen close in on Mathews resulting in a fiery standoff.  This is a gritty old-school procedural with a tormented cop playing a cat and mouse game with a charismatic sociopath and it is extremely well-done.  The action sequences, particularly the bank and armored truck robberies, are incredibly intense but some of the scenes involving the recruitment of potential white supremacists are hard to watch (particularly since this is still going on around the country) and the sense of dread escalates until it becomes almost unbearable.  I was especially fascinated by the juxtaposition between the beautiful natural surroundings (the cinematography is stunning) and the evil lurking just under the surface.  Law is outstanding as a man who is living with regrets and both Sheridan and Smollett deliver strong supporting performances but Hoult is brilliant because he completely disappears into a role unlike anything he has done before.  I couldn't take my eyes off the screen.  This is not getting much attention but it is definitely worth seeking out.

A Kurt Bestor Christmas at the Eccles 2024

 A Kurt Bestor Christmas has become one of my favorite holiday traditions (I absolutely love his arrangements of Christmas music) and I thoroughly enjoyed this year's concert at the Eccles Theatre last night.  He began with his versions of "Deck the Halls," "Joy to the World," and "I Wonder as I Wander" (a favorite of mine).  Then he brought his first guest, thirteen-year-old soprano Lillian Breeze Manning, to the stage and she sang an incredible arrangement of "Pie Jesu" which brought the audience to their feet!  She continued with "Mary Did You Know?" which was also very beautiful.  Next came a fun arrangement of "Christmas Time Is Here" with snippets of other Christmas songs (and a Charlie Brown Christmas tree).  Bestor continued with "Prayer for the Children" which is probably his most well-known song and then "O Holy Night" which is what I was most hoping to hear (it is my favorite Christmas song and I really love his arrangement of it).  He finished his first set with "Suite de Noel" which highlighted every section in his band and orchestra.  After the intermission, he performed "Ode to Joy" from his forthcoming album Etches which features classical pieces reimagined for the solo piano.  Next came "I Saw Three Ships" and then he performed a medley of three pieces, "Bring a Torch, Jeanette, Isabella," "We Three Kings," and "Feliz Navidad," which featured a Caribbean-inspired beat and extended solos from Michael Dowdle on guitar, Carlitos del Puerto on bass, and Eric Valentine on drums (it was very cool).  He brought his next guest, violinist Caroline Campbell, to the stage for a mashup of "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen" and "Carol of the Bells" which was amazing!  She continued with "In the Bleak Midwinter" and then a rousing rendition of a Celtic-inspired arrangement of "Ding Dong Merrily on High" which I really loved!  He continued the tradition of having someone from the audience narrate "Twas the Night Before Christmas" while performing amusing songs to go with it.  This year he picked a man named Steve who looked like Santa Claus and, when he accidentally skipped a page in the story, he said it was because Bestor didn't give him a chance to rehearse!  The concert concluded, as it often does, with a beautiful performance of "Silent Night" with Manning and Campbell.  As always, this was a beautiful concert and I loved every minute of it.  There are three more performances and I definitely recommend getting a ticket (go here).

Festival of Trees 2024

Yesterday I volunteered as a hostess at the Festival of Trees for the fourteenth year.  Various individuals and organizations decorate trees, usually to commemorate someone who has been a patient at Primary Children's Hospital, and then donate them.  These trees are put up for auction and then displayed at the Mountain Expo Center for the public to view for the duration of the festival.  All of the proceeds go directly to Primary Children's Hospital so it is a really worthwhile cause.  In addition to the trees, there are centerpieces, wreaths, quilts, and and gingerbread houses with lots of crafts and treats for sale (I highly recommend the cinnamon rolls).  After I am finished I like to wander around and look at all of the trees.  Here are some of my favorites.

This American Red Cross tree was my favorite in my assigned area.

The festival continues at the Mountain America Expo Center through Saturday.  Go here for more information and tickets.