There are quite a few movies currently at the Broadway that I want to see and one of them, Cezanne at Moi, has a very limited engagement so I thought I had better see it last night. This film is a luminous biopic about the turbulent friendship between Emile Zola (Guillaume Canet) and Paul Cezanne (Guillaume Gallienne) and I loved it. The narrative begins when the two men are in middle age. Zola is a successful author who has become one of the bourgeoisie he was so disdainful of as a young and penniless poet while Cezanne is still a fiery rebel estranged from his wealthy family who has yet to experience the success that would come to him at the end of his life. There are flashbacks to their childhood in Aix en Provence, their days as struggling artists in Paris, and the rift in their friendship as Zola achieves more and more success and Cezanne becomes increasingly erratic. The film reaches its climax in a scene fraught with tension as they hurl accusations at each other, each desiring what the other has. This film is beautiful, almost as if you are watching one of Cezanne's paintings coming to life on the screen, and both Canet and Gallienne give incredibly powerful performances. However, it is most definitely character, rather than plot, driven and the flashbacks are very nonlinear. Also, there are lots of obscure references to art and literature that not everyone will be able to appreciate and I should mention that this film is in French with English subtitles. It is definitely not for everyone but if you enjoy period pieces about interesting and complicated people, I highly recommend Cezanne et Moi.
Thursday, April 27, 2017
Wednesday, April 26, 2017
Javelin
Last Friday Tashena competed at another track meet and she did very well. It was an invitational meet which means you have to qualify in order to attend. She threw the javelin 99'9" which is a new PR! This is absolutely incredible to me because this is the first year that she has competed in the javelin.
She is amazing!
Note: She took fourth place overall in javelin, second place overall in discus, ninth place overall in shot put, and fourth place overall in long jump!
Tuesday, April 25, 2017
Prom 2017
Bountiful High School held its annual Jr. Prom on Saturday night. Tashena's date was named Duncan and they went with a group of friends to the dance.
Pinning on the boutonniere!
Tashena and Duncan.
The whole group. I love how they coordinated their outfits in a black and white color scheme. I thought they looked very striking. I also love that Tashena's dress is taking up half of the picture!
The boys.
A lighter moment.
The girls.
What a cute couple!
Tashena in her beautiful dress. I went with her to look for dresses last week and, despite the fact that I loathe shopping, I had so much fun with her. She really wanted a black dress and this ended up being the only one she tried on because she loved it so much.
Monday, April 24, 2017
The Graduate
I was quite young and very inexperienced, to say the least, when I began my teaching career. One of my colleagues in the English department basically took me under her wing and not only became a much-needed mentor but also became a good friend. Often, on the weekends, she would invite me to her house for dinner and a movie. She loved movies, especially classic movies, and she had an extensive collection. Most of the time she would let me pick and one night I selected The Graduate because I hadn't seen it before. I remember my 21-year-old self being completely blown away by this movie! Aren't all 21-year-olds particularly susceptible to themes of alienation? I loved this movie so much my friend let me borrow it and I think I kept it much longer than is considered polite. Yesterday I had the opportunity to see it on the big screen for the first time and I have to say that I was just as blown away by this screening as I was the first time I saw it if not more so. It is amazing to see these classic films on the big screen as the were meant to be seen! An angst-ridden young man (Dustin Hoffman) has recently graduated from college and is at loose ends when he begins an affair with a lonely and disillusioned older woman (Anne Bancroft) and then realizes that he really loves her daughter (Katharine Ross). Hoffman, Bancroft, and Ross give amazing performances (all three were nominated for Academy Awards) which definitely stand the test of time. Mike Nichols is a genius (he won an Academy Award) and so many of his choices still seem brilliant to me such as Benjamin's nervous tics and whimpers in his initial interactions with Mrs. Robinson. I love the music by Simon and Garfunkel. In fact, to this day I cannot use a moving sidewalk in an airport without hearing "The Sound of Silence" in my head. I highly recommend this brilliant film which is being screened in select theaters for its 50th Anniversary as part of the TMC's Big Screen Classics series.
Sunday, April 23, 2017
Born in China
Ever since I saw the documentary Earth in 2007, I have been a huge fan of Disneynature and I have been looking forward to the latest entry in the series, Born in China, for quite a while. I saw it yesterday which was quite appropriate for Earth Day. This documentary takes us to some of the remotest parts of China to follow three animal families: a snow leopard named Dawa and her two cubs, a golden snub-nosed monkey named Tao Tao, and a giant panda named Ya Ya and her baby Mei Mei. The cinematography is absolutely incredible and I was most impressed with how much the mountains and plateaus of China resemble those of North America. Whenever I think of China, I tend to think of crowded cities. The documentary is narrated by John Krasinski and his commentary provides a narrative arc for all of the footage of the animals. Dawa's story is all about survival. Her territory is threatened by another snow leopard who challenges her in some thrilling scenes and I found her story to be the most compelling and affecting. Tao Tao's story is about fitting in with his family after a new baby displaces him and it provides much of the comedy in the film, especially when the monkeys walk in the snow. Ya Ya's story involves teaching her cub how to be independent and learning how to let go. I really enjoyed this documentary and I was especially touched by how affectionate the animals are with their babies. I highly recommend Born in China as a reminder of how spectacular our world is.
Note: If you see this movie during its opening week (April 21-27), Disneynature will make a donation to the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) for every ticket.
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