Saturday, January 31, 2015

Leaving Time

My book club chose Leaving Time by Jodi Picoult for its January selection.  Picoult can usually be relied upon for an entertaining read (my book club has also read My Sister's Keeper and House Rules) and this novel is more of the same.  Jenna Metcalf is a 13-year old girl searching for her mother Alice, a renowned elephant researcher who disappeared ten years ago in the wake of a tragic accident on the elephant sanctuary where she worked.  Jenna enlists the help of Serenity Jones, a psychic who has lost her gift, and Virgil Stanhope, the police officer who first responded to the accident and is tormented by his inability to solve the case.  The story is told from multiple perspectives, including Alice's journals detailing her research on elephants, as the three main characters search for clues about that fateful night.  There is an epic plot twist at the end, of the I-can't-believe-I-didn't-see-that-coming variety, which, if you can suspend your disbelief,  brings about a satisfying resolution.  My favorite element of the story is the juxtaposition of Jenna's experiences with that of elephants (my very favorite animal).  Much is made of Jenna's inability to remember the accident while elephants never forget.  Jenna is distraught over the fact that her mother may have willingly left her behind while elephants are devoted mothers who often refuse to leave a calf who has died.  I think the elephants are my favorite characters in the novel, although Jenna is endearing and the duo of misfits who help her are wonderfully quirky.  I did feel that the multiple perspectives were sometimes confusing (Serenity was my favorite narrator) and there were definitely some holes in the plot, but I enjoyed the compelling mother-daughter story and I loved the elephants!  If you are a fan of Jodi Picoult (and elephants), I recommend this book.

Monday, January 26, 2015

Boyhood

I am now actually able to say that I have seen all of the nominees for Best Picture (see my reviews of The Grand Budapest Hotel, The Imitation Game, The Theory of Everything, Whiplash, Birdman, Selma, and American Sniper) because Boyhood was re-released in theaters and I saw a screening Saturday night.  I had many preconceived notions about this film because I knew so much about it.  The story centers around Mason (Ellar Coltrane) and his experiences growing up from the age of six until he graduates from high school and leaves for college.  Director Richard Linklater, essentially, filmed the same group of actors for a few days each year over a span of twelve years.  While he did have the outline of the story he wanted to tell, he let the script evolve and it was informed by what Ellar Coltrane was actually going through in his own life.  I thought this movie would come across as a documentary and I thought that it had become the darling of the critics because filming for such a long period of time was an interesting gimmick.  In spite of my determination to hate it, I was completely drawn into Mason's story.  He has a very difficult life living with a single mother (played brilliantly by Patricia Arquette), who continually makes poor choices in her personal life which have devastating consequences for her children, and a ne'er-do-well father (the equally brilliant Ethan Hawke), who swoops in periodically (in a sweet GTO) with presents and demands for a meaningful relationship.  It definitely has a narrative arc and it doesn't seem like a documentary at all.  Nor does it seem like a gimmick;  rather, it feels like a masterpiece.  I am still not entirely sure why, but this movie grabbed hold of me and it hasn't let me go yet!  Maybe it is because Mason reminds me so much of my students.  Coltrane is absolutely magnetic and he portrays Mason so sympathetically, especially as he gets older and begins to question his place in the world.  There is such a great scene between Mason and his girlfriend in a coffee shop at 3:00 in the morning (I have had many epic philosophical conversations at 3:00 in the morning) where they discuss the meaning of life.  Ultimately, Mason is able to survive the mistakes of his parents and, as he is about to start college, he realizes that life is all about the moments.  I have always believed that and I highly recommend this movie

Sunday, January 25, 2015

Snowshoeing in Mill Creek Canyon

Saturday morning I drove up to Mill Creek Canyon for another snowshoeing adventure.  The conditions were not as great as I would have hoped (I need some new powder) but I really enjoyed being out in the fresh mountain air.
Even though there were lots of people skiing and sledding all around me, it was so peaceful.  I love that I can get away from everything in less than 30 minutes.  I live in a really beautiful place!

Saturday, January 24, 2015

Wild

I moved on to the Best Actress nominees last night with a screening of Wild to see Reese Witherspoon (see my commentaries on Rosamund Pike and Felicity Jones).   My book club read the popular memoir by Cheryl Strayed several years ago and I really enjoyed it so I was looking forward to the movie.  I think it is a great adaptation of the book and it vividly captures Strayed's humor and insight.  After the death of her mother, the break-up of her marriage, a heroin addiction, and years of promiscuous behavior, Cheryl Strayed (Witherspoon) decides to hike a portion of the Pacific Crest Trail by herself as a way to get back to being the woman her mother raised.  She has very little outdoor experience and an overweight backpack (nicknamed "The Monster") but she makes it on sheer force of will.  It is a non-linear narrative showing the progression of her hike in chronological order with flashbacks to specific points in her life as she deals with and makes peace with her demons.  Reese Witherspoon is excellent in this physically demanding role and the scene where she finally acknowledges the pain of her mother's death is most affecting.  I also found the scene where she thinks about giving up just a few yards from the trailhead to be quite amusing.  This may be Witherspoon's best performance since Walk The Line and, at this point (I haven't seen Julianne Moore's performance in Still Alice), she has my vote for the Academy Award.  I was not so impressed with Laura Dern (nominated for Best Supporting Actress) as Cheryl's mother.  I think that Dern plays the same character over and over again and I've grown a bit weary of her hysterical-optimism-in-the-face-of-adversity characterization (I thought she was more believable as the mother in The Fault In Our Stars).  The scenery is absolutely spectacular, especially along the Oregon-Washington border, and I thought the use of Simon and Garfunkel's song "El Condor Pasa" throughout the movie was brilliant.  I've always loved that song!  Wild is very entertaining and I would definitely recommend it.

Note:  Several of my friends who have seen the movie have asked to borrow my copy of the book.  Anything that encourages people to read is worthy of my praise!

Friday, January 23, 2015

Foxcatcher

I have been having a lot of fun viewing the Best Picture nominees so I decided to expand into the Best Actor category.  The only nominee I hadn't yet seen was Steve Carell (read my commentaries on Benedict Cumberbatch, Eddie Redmayne, Michael Keaton, and Bradley Cooper) so I went to Foxcatcher last night.  Wrestler Mark Schultz (Channing Tatum) is an Olympic gold medalist trying to train for the next Olympics and step out from under the shadow of his older brother Dave (Mark Ruffalo), also a gold medalist and a popular coach.  Mark is so destitute that he speaks at elementary schools for a pittance and eats Ramen noodles.  When eccentric millionaire John du Pont (Steve Carell) invites Mark to train with other wrestlers at the world class facility he built on his property, Foxcatcher Farm, he jumps at the chance.  Mark soon discovers that du Pont wants the reflected glory of "training" a world class athlete in order to win the approval his mother (Vanessa Redgrave) who is an accomplished equestrienne and, moreover, that most of the wrestlers are mere sycophants who will do anything to keep the checks coming.  Mark is further dismayed when du Pont invites Dave to coach Team Foxcatcher.  Relationships deteriorate, ultimately ending in tragedy.  All three main actors give stellar performances, particularly Carell, who is literally and figuratively unrecognizable in this against-type role.  However, I didn't especially like this film.  There is not a lot of dialogue, even when the characters are talking to each other, so it is difficult to discern the motivation for any of the events taking place.  I also found the final confrontation to be incredibly abrupt with almost no resolution.  The movie is based on a true story so I knew the ultimate outcome before watching it and, therefore, spent the whole time waiting for a big emotional reckoning which never came.  Again, all three actors are, admittedly, very good but I don't think I would recommend this movie just for the performances.
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