Goals 2021 -- December Recap

If you're reading this, I don't think I need to tell you that I CRUSHED IT with my goal this month.  You're welcome for all the great blog reading and movie suggestions!

Art Along the Rivers

During a lovely, warm weekend in what S calls "the City" but was actually mostly still technically in the County, we stopped in at SLAM to take in the "Art Along the Rivers: A Bicentennial Celebration." Although really mostly it just ended up being me who saw it; S left to use the restroom and they wouldn't let him back in because I had his ticket.

It was really too bad, because it was a pretty great exhibit.  I especially loved some of the old maps and other memorabilia from the 1904 World's Fair, and of course there were the obligatory George Caleb Binghams, along with loads of other good stuff.

It's only open through January 9, so get there soon!

Happy Birthday to Me!

Sometimes a gal needs a celebration!

Return to SLSO -- Part One

I don't need to rehash all the reasons that the last 20 months have been rough for live performance. We, like many people, didn't go to a single live performance in 2020, and only started going sort of reluctantly in the latter half of 2021.

Throughout the pandemic, SLSO was very good about providing digital content and surveying subscribers to find out what they were looking for, both through the thick of lockdowns and upon preparing for the return to in-person performances. They are requiring both masks and proof of vaccination to attend shows for the time being, and also have much more if a build-your-own philosophy rather than a set concert series, which I love. This means my concern series can include some classical selections, but also movies and popular music.

So far, we've been to three shows. We took a Friday off work and went to a lovely but sparsely attended 10:30 a.m. performance comprised of the following pieces:

- Caroline Shaw, Entr'acte

- Charles Ives, The Unanswered Question

- Christopher Rouse, Rapture

- Sergei Rachmaninoff, Piano Concerto No. 3

This performance was conducted by Stephan Deneve, and I love going to his shows because he does a little intro where he explains why he selected the pieces he did, what they mean, etc. In the first half, my favorite piece was Entr'acte. Rachmaninoff, who took up the entire second half, obviously is a classic. 

For our second show, with Stephan again conducting, his pairing was inspired by a desire to highlight the "new" and remind the listeners that what we consider classics were, at one time, premieres. The pieces were:

- Carlos Simon, Fate Now Conquers

- Edvard Grieg, Piano Concerto in A Minor, op. 16

- Ludwig van Beethoven, Symphony No. 5 in C minor, op. 67

The Beethoven was, of course, phenomenal. The Grieg concerto was done in three movements, some of which I enjoyed more than others.  The Simon piece really was new - 2020 - and was tolerable because it was short.

We finished out this year's symphonies with a Bach spectacular:

- Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach, Sinfonia in C Major, H. 659, Wq. 182/3

- Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach, Cello Concerto in A Major, H. 439, Wq. 172

- Johann Sebastian Bach, Brandenburg Concerto No. 6 in B-flat Major, BWV 1051

- Johann Sebastian Bach, Brandenburg Concerto No. 1 in F Major, BWV1046

It was a god show overall, but my favorite of the pieces was the Brandenburg Concerto No. 6, which was chock full of viola duets that were so fun to witness.

Movies -- A Recap -- Part XVIII -- The "Oldies but Goodies" Edition

We actually watched the 2005 remake of Bad News Bears, not the original 1976 version (which is technically "The Bad News Bears"), but I'm including it here anyway.  The hopeless peewee team in one is coached by Billy Bob Thornton's version of Morris Buttermaker.  Drunk and uninterested, but short on funds, the former minor leaguer takes on the kids in the hope of making some cash.  He just may sort himself out along the way.  Plot-wise, this is a tried-and-true "save yourself while saving the kids" story line, but I always find Thornton's crotchety old "get off my lawn" persona endearing for some reason.

S grew out his hair, a process which took place mostly during the pandemic, though it began before that.  When it got to be somewhere slightly shorter than ear-length, he looked an awful lot like mid-1980s Tom Selleck.  Looking at pictures of him around that time led us to Quigley Down Under (1990).  His character is hired by a rancher to travel from the US down to Australia to kill Aborigines.  He decides instead to abandon his task, rescues a captive, warns the natives, and secures their help in return.  It probably wouldn't be made quite the same way today, but it's still a treat.  It was chock full of folksy sayings, my favorite of which was describing someone as "half a bubble off plumb."  I think S's favorite, true to his nature, was, "I don't know where we're goin', but there ain't no sense bein' late."

I had already seen the remake (2010) of True Grit, so we decided to watch the original (1969) when we were out in Colorado.  Prior to beginning it, I was concerned that the humor and wittiness was an addition which came from the folks in the new version.  Turns out, it was original to the story, and the original was every bit as quick and humorous as the new one.  It makes me want to read the book to get the full experience!

The African Queen (1951) certainly was a throwback to the movies of a different era.  There were -- predictably -- several scenes and characterizations that would never have been made today.  But nevertheless it was a fun ride down the river with the uptight Katherine and the drinks-like-a-sailor Humphrey.

We watched Jaws (1975) when we were visiting some of S's family. I had seen it before, but forgot what a classic it really is.  It's a good story, with a great soundtrack. And a big shark. And a too-small boat.  Cue the scary music.

O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000) is one of S's favorites, though this one we watched when we were visiting some of my family.  There are so very many quotable lines in this movie, and it does seem to have become a cultural touchstone of it's era. George Clooney at his finest, with a strong supporting cast behind him.  And an absolutely fabulous soundtrack to boot!

Dial M for Murder (1954) is another true oldie, and it was so fun!  Ray Milland plays a former athlete who tries to have his wife (played by Grace Kelly) killed when he finds out she's having an affair.  And what fun would the movie be if things went as planned?

Merry Christmas!

Here we are in our second Christmas of the pandemic, and though we are still masking and minding our germs, things are slightly more normal this year.

S and I had planned a trip to Morocco to celebrate the holidays and my birthday, but Morocco decided, just over a week before we were supposed to depart, that they were not interested in having foreigners flooding in, and they cancelled all international flights through the end of the year at least.  So, finding ourselves home for the holidays, we got and decorated a real live tree!  On the night we went shopping, it was exactly as cold as it should be when one is tree shopping, so S made me up a big travel mug of hot chocolate to keep me warm. And then, of course, there was the obligatory trip to Home Depot to get the necessary additional lights, since we had already decorated the house with the stash that we had.

Speaking of decorating the house, S got the biggest Frosty the Snowman yard ornament I have ever seen! He's about 10 feet tall, and comes with 3 little penguin friends hanging around too.

I got myself in the Christmas spirit by listening to my Christmas records.  I got a new record player last year for my birthday after my old one bit the dust, and I got a bunch of new Christmas carol collections this year when S's grandma cleaned out her stock of music.  Many thanks to S for his help turning/changing them every 4 or 5 songs!

One of S's complaints about Christmas carols is that they're just the same dozen or so of them recycled by new singers every year.  But Amanda Shires did put out a Christmas album, For Christmas, much of which is new stuff. They're not excellent, but the are new and often funny.  I appreciate that she's getting out there with new music, and there are a few old standbys, but even they often have new verses or changed lyrics.

And of course, the movies! There was Love Actually, which is an old standby.  Great every year.  S and I recently watched the new version of Little Women so I haven't returned to the 1994 classic, but might yet. 

There were a couple of dumb Hallmark-type movies too. Love at the Christmas Table has a surprising cast, including Dustin Milligan (whom you might recognize as Ted from Schitt's Creek), Danica McKellar (whom you might recognize as Winnie Cooper from The Wonder Years).  Then there was A Castle for Christmas, starring a Brooke Shields who's had some not-very-successful work done, and Cary Elwes, who does a passable job converting his native British accent into a Scottish one.  As expected, it's corny as can be, but has a couple of great scenes with lots of good Scottish music and dancing.

There was one decent new one: Happiest Season.  I frequently hate both Aubrey Plaza (a minor role in this one) and Kristen Stewart (a big role), but in Happiest Season they were both okay.  Stewart plays the girlfriend of a woman who takes her home for the holidays, even though her family doesn't know she's a lesbian.  As S said, "well, it's good to know the heteronormative community doesn't have a monopoly on the Christmas stereotypes." But it was sweet and funny, with one of the sisters providing some excellent comic relief, and Daniel Levy playing his fabulous self.

As for venturing out into the (mostly unseasonably warm) weather in the Lou, the only thing we did was go with our friends the Hs to Garden Glow at Missouri Botanical Garden. It was preceded by a tasty outdoor seating at Sasha's, and then we took in the festive lights!

I have, so far, only made one kind of Christmas cookie this year.  It's just us, but there may be more cookies to come as these disappear!

What I'm Reading Now -- The Boys in the Boat

Can you believe I haven't read The Boys in the Boat?  I can't.  I think part of the reason is that I ended up with I think three copies of it after it came out.  Since I saw it around so much, I felt like I had read it even though I hadn't.

In any case, I'm on to it now, and it ticks off one of the other boxes on my 2021 Reading Challenge!  (For those of you counting, this will be the ninth book on my list.  I don't think I'm gonna make it....)

Movies -- A Recap -- Part XVII -- The "Based on a True Story" Edition

Fisherman's Friends is darling.  A group of Cornish fisherman, completely unorthodox by the standards of the music industry, are signed by Universal Records and have a smashing debut album of old-timey sea shanties.  It should go without saying, but I won't let it -- the music is great!  What a fun story.

6 Days recreates the 1980 siege of the Iranian embassy in London.  It was a better-told story than I expected it to be, switching between perspectives of the hostage-takers, the negotiators, the press, and the SAS forces poised to break into the embassy.  The story moves well between all the positions, not getting too stuck on any of them. It's not a surprising story, but one I didn't know much about.  Plus, any movie giving me shots of London gets bonus points from me!

Have you ever known someone who is mean and awful and seems to always get away with it? Dunsmore is that story.  The town bully gets away with stealing, arson, domestic assault, child molestation, even murder.  Until, one day, he turns up dead.  The movie appears to be based on the real-life story of Ken McElroy of Skidmore, Missouri (link contains spoilers).

How much do you know about the development of functional radar in the run-up to WWII?  I knew nothing, until I saw Castles in the Sky.  The lead character, played by Eddie Izzard, is Robert Watson Watt.  He's a weird but brilliant meteorologist who assembles a team of equally weird, brilliant, and devoted people to help him on what seems like a doomed project.  Despite setback after setback, they build a functional radar system just in time for the Battle of Britain.

I find it hard to believe that I have made it this long without seeing Elizabeth: The Golden Age.  And even harder to believe that I have seen The Golden Age but not the original Elizabeth.  Regardless, though they are a two-parter, it's not necessary to see the first in order to understand the second.  As it is the second of the two movies, it covers the latter portion of her reign, from about 1585 to her death in 1603, with the primary conflict being between Elizabeth's Protestant England and the Catholic crown in Spain.  Cate Blanchett is spectacular in this movie (and in fact won a Best Actress Oscar for the role). The character of Elizabeth struck me as being very similar to another of her roles: as Galadriel in The Lord of the Rings trilogy -- alternating between demands of strict obedience and moments of tenderness.  This was a big, sweeping drama that you don't see much anymore in the world of Netflix and Amazon productions.

Other than Matt Damon's presence in the film, I wouldn't have had much interest in Ford v. Ferrari before I started watching F1.  I just wasn't that into auto racing.  After I learned what the 24 Hours of Le Mans was, I was more interested in watching the film.  (In case you don't know, it's a French endurance race wherein car manufacturers and drivers fight to balance vehicle speed with continued performance over the very long race.)  Back in the 1960s, Ford was rebuffed in their attempt to purchase Ferrari.  Upset about the slight, Ford executives decided to build a car that could win the endurance race which was dominated in prior years by Ferrari.  Matt Damon plays the conman-cum-car-designer Carroll Shelby.  The bromance is balanced by Christian Bale as the Ken Miles, the British driver hired to race the new Ford.  It was suspenseful, despite knowing the outcome, which is always a feat.

The Professor and the Madman is one of those that seems to crazy to be a true story, but it is.  The professor was James Murray, played in the film by Mel Gibson; the madman was Dr. William Chester Minor, played by Sean Penn.  Together, they undertake the greatest lexicographical project in history -- the creation of the first Oxford English Dictionary.  If you're into language, words, and the like, this is the movie for you!

Our Friend was moving and sad, and yet, a celebration.  The couple in the film (Matthew played by Casey Affleck and Nicole played Dakota Johnson) are shattered when she is diagnosed with terminal cancer.  Matthew struggles with the burdens of caring for both his ailing wife and his kids; the couple's friend Dane (Jason Segel) moves into their house to help with ... everything.  Whatever needed doing, he was there, his own life grinding to a halt in the meantime.  It is an appreciation for the yeoman's work that goes into caregiving and a fitting tribute to great friend.  This one is a tear-jerking must-see, with Jason Segel at his finest. Great music too.  (Here is the Esquire piece, written by the real-life Matthew, on which the movie is based.)

Movies -- A Recap -- Part XVI -- More Documentaries

I guess we watch a lot of documentaries.

If A Tree Falls: A Story of the Earth Liberation Front was a sort of a weird one.  It profiles an activist in the ELF, the destruction he and his compatriots attempt to prevent, the sometimes unorthodox (but often at least temporarily effective) methods they use, and the price they pay for their behavior.  The ELF is high up there on the FBI's list of top domestic terror organizations.  This is a very pro-ELF film, but even looking back on it, it's pretty crazy to think that this guy ended up with years in prison for trying to save some trees when such huge amounts of corporate crime that defraud the American public of cost them billions of dollars in tax money go unpunished.  It's pretty wild to think about our national priorities sometimes.  If you're curious, you can see some redacted FBI docs about the ELF here.

Several years ago, I noticed yoga studios around St. Louis changing their name from "Bikram Yoga" to "Hot Yoga."  Now I know why.  Bikram profiles Bikram Choudhury's rise to fame and fortune in the yoga world.  The Indian-born teacher promoted his hot yoga practice, engaged in intense teacher training, and was an all-around marketing machine.  As one might expect of a rich and power man in the news these days, allegations of sexual assault and harassment surfaced, and he fled the United States.  He is continuing to practice and teach elsewhere.  The movie itself wasn't great, but the

All Its Name Implies is a story of fire.  Specifically, it's the story of the 2018 Camp Fire that destroyed the town of Paradise, California (to which the title of the movie refers).  If you ever doubted the terrifying power of fire, the cell phone footage of residents trying to flee the flames will change your mind.  This is something I never want to experience.  The movie has a lot of intro, which seemed unnecessary at the time, and upon completion of the movie turns out to have been, in fact, mostly unnecessary.  I would have liked more info about the fire itself, and I was confused by why, when the rebuilding started, everyone was building back with plywood.  The brick and metal buildings survived the fire far better than the wooden ones did, so why not switch to those?  (I know cost is the obviously answer.  But still.)

A Most Beautiful Thing was catnip for me, as any movie about rowing is.  Plus, the shots of both Chicago and St. Louis had me glued to the screen.  Old friends, who survived their tough circumstances growing up on the gang-ridden west side of Chicago by joining a rowing team, reunite years later after the death of their coach.  They get back to rowing and they talk openly about their struggles and successes.  The all-black team challenges a group of white police officers to a race, which was unexpected during the racial violence of the pandemic.  (The movie was filmed prior to the pandemic.)  Inspiring - and did I mention that they're rowers?  This one was a winner.

If you're looking for a non-rowing sports doc, you could try The Heavies.  Competitors in "the world's oldest professional sport," the Highland Games, compete to be named the best in the world.  I very much enjoyed the subject matter of this film; this is just the sort of weird thing that S and I might jet off to see.  I had a hard time really caring about any of the athletes the film profiled, though.

If you're in the mood for a little more nuclear-radiation-based film-making (because you've already watched these two), check out Chernobyl's Cafe.  Much to my surprise, Chernobyl has generated quite a little tourism industry, with lots of folks flocking to the still-contaminated site to see the real-life setting for so many video games and movies.  Plus, workers are thick in the area as some additional containment measures require the construction of new buildings.  Someone has to feed all these people while they're there, and the Cafe 10 has stepped up to the plate, so to speak.  The movie really is about the whole place though, not just the cafe.  It was fascinating, but there was missing information that I wished they would provide.  For example, the narrator says "plants have tumors and strange growths," but they don't show pictures of any of them. Or the tidbit that the most-visited site is the old Pripyat swimming pool, "which was featured in the famous video game."  What game? Those moments were frustrating.

The Elephant Queen (not to be confused with The African Queen, which is a quite different film) follows Athena, the matriarch of a herd of African elephants, as they make their annual trek through the Savanna desert.  The film is not myopic vis a vis the elephants; you get peeks at the animals and plants that they interact with and impact along the way.  As with so many nature documentaries, it is beautiful and eye-opening and heartbreaking.  Great footage and some interesting musical choices, too.

Moves -- A Recap -- Part XV -- The Psychological Edition

I had seen part of One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest years ago, when I was living in London.  One of my flatmates had an assignment to read the book (which she did), but also picked up the movie.  I saw the beginning of it, but never knew how it ended.  S and I watched it again recently...and I still didn't see the whole thing; I fell asleep!  But I tried it again the next day and made it through.  This movie is dark, and sad.  And frankly I was a bit confused by the ending.  But certainly it is a treat of good acting, perhaps Jack Nicholson's finest moment.

Curious: did anybody watch Ratched on Netflix? Thoughts on this?

The Vanished (also apparently called Hour of Lead) was disappointing.  It had promise as a thriller, but it didn't really come together for me at the end.  The basic story line is that a couple's daughter goes missing while they are out on a camping trip.  The local detectives can find absolutely no leads, so the couple takes the search into their own hands.

Sticking with the theme of taking matters into your own hands, there's A Vigilante.  Olivia Wilde plays a vigilante killer, helping the victims of domestic abuse out of their situations as a way to exorcise the demons from her own past.  I should have loved this movie.  I like the idea of a super strong, super fearless woman running around out there protecting other victims.  Olivia Wilde is a total boss.  But on the whole I just found it a little too predictable.

I Care A Lot was a foil to A Vigilante.  The lead is a super strong, super fearless woman, but she uses her wiles to take advantage of people and steal their money.  She is an attorney, and gets appointed by the court as guardians of various folks, then using her authority to keep them institutionalized, medicated, and take their money.  Despite the horribleness of the lead and the weird feminism the movie espouses, I liked this one.  I like the subject matter, I like Rosamund Pike, and I love Peter Dinklage.  As one of my favorite pop culture podcasters said, "I would watch Rosamund Pike and Peter Dinklage eat sandwiches." So all it all, it gets a thumbs up from me.  S felt differently.

A Beautiful Mind was a re-watch for me, but S hadn't seen it yet.  He figured out right away what was going on, which is typical of him.  He's too smart for movie makers. I, on the other hand, never figure that stuff out.  Partially, I don't try too hard; I like the experience of being transported by a movie.  But partially I think I'm just not as smart as he is.  Nevertheless, even having seen this before, it was nice to see it a second time.  Russell Crowe and Jennifer Connelly were fantastic.

S and I watched A Simple Favor on a flight home from somewhere.  I would watch Anna Kendrick and Blake Lively in pretty much anything.  Anna is an intriguing combination of brilliant and adorable, and Blake is stunningly beautiful.  She's the Charlize Theron of the next generation. Anna plays lonely super-mom Stephanie who steps in to help out the enigmatic Emily in a pinch.  They become friendly, but not exactly friends.  Then Emily disappears and Stephanie sets out to find her.  It's a twisty turny ride, all set in bright, sunlit rooms, which makes it even weirder, funnier, and more fun.

Immediately after A Simple Favor, on the same flight, we watched Run.  Run is neither funny nor fun.  It's sort of a within-the-family take on I Care A Lot.  The two leads in this one are a mother and daughter.  The teenager is paralyzed from the waist down and totally dependent on her mother for everything which occurs outside of their remote house.  She starts to piece together the fact that she actually may not be as paralyzed as she thinks, but her mother will stop at nothing to keep her from uncovering the truth.  This one was predictable until it wasn't.