This has been an unusual weekend for us. Last night we went to a concert, and tonight a movie. Can you tell that two of our kids are at summer camp? And the youngest one is thrilled to have "real babysitters," so we're making the most of it.
Friday night we went to see Umphrey's McGee at Meijer Gardens. This band is considered improg, or progressive improvisational rock. That means, as far as I can see, that within the structure of the song, the musician that is currently spotlighted is free to play whatever comes to them. We heard a lot of different influences in their music--Yes, Supertramp, the Who, a bit of world beat. I'm very lyrically-oriented when I listen to music (should that surprise anyone?), so the fact that they are not as strong vocally as instrumentally takes a few points from the grading scale. However, they really play well and it was a beautiful night, so all is good. Also, I think this may be the first time I saw a light show at Meijer Gardens.
We were, however, old fogies in the crowd. For once we got there in time to get seats closer to the stage, which turned out to be a problem for us. Umphrey's has a devoted following, and they were out in force. Mostly in their 20s or early 30s, well pierced and tattooed, wearing either homemade superhero costumes or flower-child meets Hollister outfits. All of the rows directly ahead of us stood up to become a mass of movement and skin. From our comfortable beach chairs, we were staring directly at a derriere covered by nothing but a very thin gauzy skirt. That might have worked for Brian, but quite a few were ignoring the no-smoking policy, which drives him bonkers.
Eventually we packed up our things and moved to a spot in the grass on the side, and from there we could people-watch to our hearts' content and see the stage at the same time. Obviously none of these kids had spent the day unpacking one kid from camp, getting her to a birthday party, then packing and shipping off the other two to camp. I think I might have had that much energy at some point in my life, but at this time, sitting in the beach chairs is much more appealing.
So that was Friday.
Tonight we met a portion of our movie group to see the movie "Please Give." This is the sort of odd, funny movie I like. It's not for everyone--too much talking, not enough plot, too much language for others. The movie starts in a jarring way, showing a series of breasts being placed on slides for mammograms in a decidedly unsexy way.
The story centers on a family going through midlife--a too-familiar marriage, a difficult 15 year old. They have a neighbor who is dying, and her granddaughter is caring for her. All of their lives become intertwined, including an extramarital affair.
There are a lot of themes twisted through the story, some of which are: how women see themselves, what makes someone attractive, our need to give and receive and what motivates charity. Always excellent, actress Catherine Keener plays the wife and mother of the family, who lives in a fog of guilt and sees only the sadness in the world. Her husband seems happily immune to guilt, until he makes his own mistakes. The daughter hates the way she looks and needs understanding and acceptance.
The caretaker granddaughter and her sister are a study in opposites--plain vs. beautiful, duty-bound vs. cold-hearted. The grandmother is as cold as her less caring granddaughter. There is a lovely scene where the kind, duty-bound granddaughter chooses to see the beauty in the world rather than to dwell on the sadness.
If you like your movie in blockbuster form, this one won't be for you. If you like smaller, quiet movies with interesting characters (and aren't offended by the bad language or other mature situations), you might give it a try.
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