Unhinged

There are quite a few Hollywood blockbusters headed to the big screen in the next few weeks (I, for one, cannot wait for Tenet to come to theaters).  The first of these is Unhinged and I had the chance to see it last night.  In any other year this would be just another late summer action thriller for fans of the genre to enjoy on a Saturday night with a big tub of popcorn.  But, let's face it, this year is anything but ordinary and many more discerning fans, who have been eagerly anticipating a return to the theater, are going to flock to this movie (my screening was packed) because it's the only game in town.  They might be disappointed.  Having said that, I actually enjoyed it because I occasionally like seeing action thrillers on a Saturday night with a big tub of popcorn.  Rachel (Caren Pistorius) is having a really rough morning.  She has overslept and is, therefore, late getting her son Kyle (Gabriel Bateman) to school.  She is going through an acrimonious divorce and is struggling to care for her elderly mother and her ne'er-do-well younger brother Fred (Austin P. McKenzie).  Her best client has just fired her for being late when she gets stuck in rush hour traffic.  When a man (Russell Crowe) in a pickup truck in front of her doesn't move when the light turns green, she leans on her horn to express her displeasure.  He takes great exception to this and demands an apology.  When one is not forthcoming, he begins to systematically terrorize her as well as her friends and family.  There is not a lot of exposition but it is implied that the man has also gone through a difficult divorce and that he was injured while on the job at an auto plant only to be fired just before he was eligible for a pension.  I get the impression that the filmmakers want us to feel sympathy for him because the despair in the world today is just too much for us to bear and raging against it is the only acceptable response (this is especially apparent in the montage of chaos during the opening credits) but the character works much better when viewed as a psychopath.  Crowe gives an incredibly menacing performance and there are moments that are truly terrifying, especially a grisly scene in a coffee shop.  The action sequences are relentless (you wouldn't think that a car chase between a station wagon and a mini-van could be so thrilling but it is) and the final resolution is absolutely wild!  As previously mentioned, fans of the genre will have a lot of fun with this but more discriminating fans might want to wait for Tenet in a few weeks!

How to Build a Girl

Last night I was so happy to be able to see another new release on the big screen!  This time it was How to Build a Girl and I loved it (apparently I really enjoy coming of age comedies featuring Beanie Feldstein because I also loved Lady Bird and Booksmart).  Sixteen-year-old Johanna Morrigan (Feldstein) is frustrated with her life in the suburbs with a father who has unrealistic dreams of being a rock star (Paddy Considine) and a mother (Sarah Solemani) suffering from postpartum depression after giving birth to twins late in life.  She dreams of being a writer and finds inspiration from the posters of literary and intellectual figures on her wall who speak to her.  She is desperate to escape so, even though she knows nothing about music, she enters a contest to become a rock critic for D&ME, a London newspaper, by submitting a review for the Annie soundtrack.  When she is given the chance to cover the Manic Street Preachers in Birmingham, she reinvents herself in the persona of Dolly Wilde (red hair, top hat, tailcoat, short shorts, fishnet stockings, and Doc Martens) and begins writing a few articles for the paper.  She is eventually given the opportunity to interview John Kite (Alfie Allen) in Dublin.  He finds her charming so he spends the day with her, brings her on stage at his concert, and then opens up to her about the pain that inspired his songs.  She is infatuated with him and writes a gushing review which is rejected by D&ME as the work of a schoolgirl with a crush.  Realizing her mistake, she begins writing overly critical reviews and achieves some notoriety, becomes sexually promiscuous, and alienates her friends and family.  She ultimately realizes that she must be true to herself in order to succeed (with a great cameo by Emma Thompson as an another editor who hires her).  What I loved most about this movie is that, as with most characters played by Feldstein, I completely identified with the character of Johanna.  I mean, what chubby, socially awkward, well-read teenager with aspirations of being a writer doesn't fantasize about reinventing herself to interview a rock star? Feldstein gives a fantastic performance (even if her accent leaves a lot to be desired) that is amusing, poignant, and empowering.  I loved the scene where Johanna tells off a group of puerile male writers who have been making fun of her.  Allen is also great as a jaded rock star and I was impressed that he actually sings the song "Day Making Girl" (written especially for the movie by Guy Garvey from Elbow).  Speaking of the soundtrack, it is fantastic!  I had a great time watching this movie and I highly recommend it with the proviso that it is a bit explicit.

Note:  I loved the actors playing Johanna's heroes on the wall:  Michael Sheen as Sigmund Freud, Lucy Punch as Sylvia Plath, Sharon Horgan as Jo March, Gemma Arterton as Maria Von Trapp, Lily Allen as Elizabeth Taylor, Alexei Sayle as Karl Marx, Jameela Jamil as Cleopatra, Andi Oliver as Donna Summer, Mel Giedroyc as Charlotte Bronte, Sue Perkins as Emily Bronte, and Patsy Ferran as Bjork.  So much fun!

Hill Aerospace Museum

Yesterday Sean and I took a trip to the Hill Aerospace Museum which is located at Hill Air Force Base.  I have always wanted to visit this museum and I wasn't disappointed because it is fascinating!  There are 70 planes on display in two different galleries inside the museum and in a park outside.  In addition to the planes there are also thousands of artifacts which depict the history of aviation, the USAF, and Hill Air Force Base.  I was impressed with all of the displays and the signs describing the planes, their crews, and their exploits.  I loved it but Sean was in heaven!  Here are some of the planes displayed outside.

Sean wanted to pose in front of the missiles!

This plane is huge!  You can see how big it is in relation to Sean standing underneath it.

I loved the name of this plane!

After wandering around outside we went in to the galleries to see more planes on exhibit.  I really liked how the exhibits were set up.  Some of them even had mannequins on display in the cockpits and around the outside to show the operations involved in flying the planes.

This was probably my favorite plane.  It is a P-51D "Mustang" and it is painted like the one flown by Colonel Chelsey Peterson during World War II.  It was named "Audrey" after Col. Peterson's wife.

I also really liked this one!  It is the B-17 "Flying Fortress."  The picture of Hitler in a coffin is very amusing.

I liked the paint job on this P-40 "Warhawk."

I loved the signposts!  The displays are so interesting.

Sean was fascinated by the engine on this plane.

Due to Covid-19 you must wear a mask inside the galleries and the museum itself is open on a limited basis Wednesday-Saturday from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm.  There are no guided tours at this time but it is quite easy to navigate all of the displays and there were lots of volunteers on hand to answer questions.

This is one of the most well-organized museums I've ever visited and I thought the displays were interesting and informative.  Both Sean and I enjoyed our visit very much and I would definitely recommend this museum, especially for children.   I saw a lot of families with children wandering around and they were highly engaged with the exhibits.  It is located just before you get to the south gate at Hill Air Force Base just off I-15 and there is a lot of parking.  The best part is that it is FREE (donations are accepted).

The Burnt Orange Heresy

Another day another new release to see at my local Megaplex!  Last night I went to see The Burnt Orange Heresy because I saw a trailer for it at the Broadway before everything shut down and I thought it looked intriguing.  It was definitely intriguing!  James Figueras (Claes Bang) is a disgraced art critic who has been reduced to giving art history lectures to Americans on holiday in Europe.  He has a one night stand with a mysterious American woman named Berenice Hollis (Elizabeth Debicki) and then impulsively asks her to go with him to a villa on Lake Como owned by Joseph Cassidy (Mick Jagger), an eccentric art dealer who has invited him, he assumes, to catalog his collection.  However, Cassidy soon informs Figueras that he has persuaded the reclusive artist Jerome Debney (Donald Sutherland) to stay in a cottage on his property and offers him the opportunity to be the first to interview Debney in decades.  Cassidy then reveals that in return for the interview, which will restore his reputation within the art world, he wants Figueras to steal one of Debney's new and unseen paintings for him.  Figueras eventually makes a startling discovery about Debney that sets in motion an elaborate deception with deadly consequences.  This is a very stylish noir thriller with tension that builds and builds, especially as each of the characters slowly reveal their secrets and the audience is left wondering whose secrets are more dangerous.  Bang and Debicki have great chemistry as they spar with each other about art and truth while Jagger exudes a menacing charisma that is fun to watch.  I really enjoyed the philosophical discussion about art and perception, particularly the argument that a painting's worth doesn't necessarily determine its value.  This is the kind of movie that I rather like but I'm not sure who else it might appeal to (I was the only person in my screening) other than fans of slow-moving thought-provoking indie films.

The Grizzlies

I had planned on seeing a few more new releases over the weekend but I basically crashed (which really means that I spent the entire weekend reading Midnight Sun).  Yesterday I finally got my act together and saw The Grizzlies (which is technically not a new release because it was screened in Canada in 2019 but it has just been released in the U.S.).  I love a good inspirational sports movie and this true story is both heartbreaking and heartwarming!  Russ Sheppard (Ben Schnetzer) takes a job as a history teacher at Kugluktuk High School in Nunavut, a sparsely populated territory in northern Canada.  He plans to stay just long enough to pay his college debt to the government before moving on to a prestigious prep school.  It is a difficult job because the mostly Inuit students don't have any hope for the future (the suicide rate is extremely high) and they don't trust a white man who doesn't understand their culture.  Sheppard decides to start a lacrosse team to give the students an outlet for their frustrations but many of them must overcome difficulties in order to play:  Zach (Paul Nutarariaq) struggles to find enough food for himself and his younger brother, Adam (Ricky Marty-Pahtaykan) is the grandson of an Elder who is afraid he will lose his culture if he goes to a white school, and Kyle (Booboo Stewart) is physically abused by his angry father.  They ultimately overcome almost insurmountable odds to compete at the U19 Canadian Championships in Toronto with an outcome that was unexpected but incredibly powerful (I was pretty much crying through the final act).  This features many sports movie tropes, including the ubiquitous training montage (although this one features drills in the snow with native drums and chants underneath it), but what sets it apart from other sports movies is a poignant look at the harsh realities faced by First Nations people.  All of the performances are really affecting but I was especially impressed with Stewart for his vulnerability.  Despite serious themes of suicide, domestic abuse, and alcoholism there are some funny fish-out-of-water moments with Sheppard (I particularly related to him trying to call the roll with all of the difficult to pronounce names) and an endearing scene where the boys first see the big city of Toronto (it was fun to see the familiar landmarks).  I loved this movie and I would highly recommend seeing it if you have the opportunity.

Note:  One of the best parts of the movie is seeing what all of the real characters are doing now.