July Favorites

"Lemonade", Adam Friedman featuring Mike Posner: This breezy little ditty is a perfect summer groove that oozes sunshine. Mike Posner in a guest vocal spot adds an extra layer of chill to a tune built for lounging by the pool.

Our Kind of Traitor: Ewan McGregor's earnestness is always a concern for me going into his films because it can result in things like unintentionally humorous portrayals of Jesus (i.e. Last Days in the Desert). However, Ewan's earnestness serves him well in this Night Manager-eqsue spy thriller. Boy, am I glad that it reminded me of The Night Manager, not just in its civilians-turned-spies story line, but also in the way it places the viewer alongside those civilians, allowing the uncertainty and lack of trust become almost palpable. While Our Kind of Traitor isn't quite as sexy as its mini-series counterpart, it does offer a not-to-be-missed performance by Stellan Skarsgard, who anchors the film with his larger than life presence. The whole thing is wrapped up in a stylish, gorgeously shot package. There is a party scene set in Morocco early in the film that is especially ethereal and hypnotic, setting both a foundation and a contrast for all that follows.

Garth Brooks at Yankee Stadium: Seeing Garth Brooks at Yankee Stadium two nights in a row (from amazing on-field seats no less) is an experience that nearly defies description. It was exhilarating, electrifying, and oh so much fun. On the first night, I was sitting in the pit section, 18 rows from the stage. It had been threatening to rain all night, and the skies finally let loose just as Garth got into "Friends in Low Places", which meant the crowd went extra crazy and the atmosphere was unlike any other concert I've experienced. "Friends in Low Places" is always a crowd pleaser, no matter who's performing it, but to be at the center of a massive Garth Brooks show is to hear that song like you've never heard it before. Garth covered most of his mega-hits, but at just under two hours, the show felt way too short. At the end of the night, I was glad to know that I was going to do it all again in 24 hours.

On the second night, the threat of rain was even worse, and it really did pour down for over an hour. Because of this, they moved everybody off the field for a while, and Garth didn't go on until just before midnight. The stadium was still packed, and I have never been happier to stand in the rain waiting for something. Garth mixed up the setlist a bit, and even played songs that fans requested via homemade signs that they brought to the show with them. I was seated on the field right next to the catwalk, but because of the earlier rain and slipperiness, Garth didn't come out to that part of the stage as much as he had the night before. However, his energy was amazing – he is a tireless performer who truly wants his fans to have a great time, and he definitely delivers. These shows are definitely Top 10 of all time material, despite the unfortunate Yankees connection.

The Innocents: This film tells a highly compelling story about a group of Polish nuns struggling with faith and uncertainly in the aftermath of WW II, as well as that of a French nurse and French-Jewish doctor who help them. All of the characters have great depth, providing solid grounding for their moral and intellectual dilemmas. The Innocents is a highly atmospheric film that has the ability to transport the viewer to a different time and place. While the subject matter is very serious, the film is much more uplifting than I expected it to be – in the end it's about people coming together from disparate backgrounds and helping each other to triumph in the face of great adversity.

Captain Fantastic: Every actor in this film is indeed fantastic, with Viggo Mortensen leading the pack. Each and every performance by Mortensen and the six young actors playing his children has an impressive amount of nuance and depth. While the family at the center of this film is idiosyncratic and not easy to identify with, the performances create a feeling of connection and invite empathy. The film's critique on American society, culture, and capitalism from an 'outsider's' perspective is a fascinating thought exercise. And on top of all of that, Captain Fantastic is an extremely warm and humorous film with many delightful surprises along the way.

"Friends", Francis and the Lights featuring Bon Iver: I got into Francis and the Lights back in 2010 when he opened a couple of shows for Mark Ronson. His album from that same year, It'll Be Better, is magical and dreamy and wonderfully synthy (my review here). However, Francis kind of disappeared for the past several years, and it was definitely an absence I felt. I wanted more of his gorgeous grooves in my life. With "Friends", Francis is back in a big way with a lush, anthemic cocoon of a song. What Walk the Moon's "Aquaman" was to summer 2015, "Friends" is to summer 2016 – a complete dream of a song that I could easily get lost in forever. As a bonus, the music video is amazing; Francis and Bon Iver doing a choreographed dance routine is absolutely priceless.

Undrafted: I am a sucker for baseball movies, so I couldn't pass this one up even though it was in extremely limited release. While Undrafted certainly won't be sitting alongside Bull Durham and A League of Their Own in the genre's upper echelon, it's still a charming and funny film. Taking place over the course of one summer league playoff game, the film focuses on a team of guys who love the baseball but aren't necessarily very good at it. The result is a film that is surprisingly rich, if not all that deep. There is plenty of entertaining dugout chatter,  including my favorite moments of some of the guys singing "The All American Girls Professional Baseball League Song" from the afore mentioned A League of Their Own and some other guys having a debate about who the best Backsreet Boy was/is. These moments and others come off as authentic and relatable, reminding me so much of the bullshit I and my own friends talk. While Undrafted isn't the best baseball movie, it certainly isn't a bad one; it has just the right amount of heart, fun, and joy that are the hallmarks of the game.

The Getaway, Red Hot Chili Peppers: The last Red Hot Chili Peppers album I bought was By the Way in 2002. The two albums that followed that one didn't catch my attention in any way, but it seemed like I was reading about The Getaway in every magazine I picked up earlier this summer, and I liked what I read. Once I finally got the album, I played it every night for a week straight, sometimes on repeat. This album is quite reminiscent of By the Way, but it doesn't feel like a retread. Rather, it has the timeless quality of a solid rock album. The title track is the standout, featuring an infectious melody and gorgeous backing vocals. Other highlights include "Sick Love", "The Longest Wave", "Encore", and "The Hunter". Not only are the songs well written and catchy, the album is a satisfyingly cohesive work of art.

Before the Fall, Noah Hawley: I chose to read this book because it is about a plane crash off of Martha's Vineyard, and that topic conjures up so many memories from 17 years ago – though mostly I remember all of the helicopters – so many helicopters! – circling for days. While Before the Fall is not about that plane crash, and the Vineyard is treated more like a concept than an actual place, the book does offer plenty of commentary on the 24 hour news cycle and the effect it has on civilians sucked into its orbit. Hawley's writing style is casual, familiar, and straightforward; it fits well with Scott, his late-40s artist protagonist, and helps to ground the story's shifting perspectives and central whodunit-style mystery. Hawley sometimes strays into grandiosely philosophical territory, but he avoids being pretentious, thanks to Scott's believable humanity in the face of tragedy. While the book does have a few flaws (e.g. a couple of the characters are a bit too one-dimensional, they serve their purpose among the large cast Hawley has created), overall it is a well crafted, addictively compelling beach read.

Star Trek Beyond: While I didn't make an effort to see this installment of Star Trek on opening night, I did see it twice in the space of three days. Beyond has the same infectious senses of humor and joy that made the 2009 reboot a film that I felt compelled to see in the cinema four times that year. Chris Pine seems like he was born to play James T. Kirk (and not much else, based on his other movie roles); he has the perfect amount of swagger, balanced with just the right amount of heart. However, Beyond is fully an ensemble piece, a true team effort with Bones, Spock, Chekov, Scotty, Uhura, and Sulu all getting chances to shine. Bones, Spock, and Kirk have an especially satisfying dynamic in this film, and I was glad to see Karl Urban get a chance to deliver some delightful sarcastic zingers. While the bad guy wasn't especially well developed, he was sufficiently threatening to make the Enterprise crew do what they do best: work as a team and have a blast doing it. Their enthusiasm is irresistible.