Parasite

Yesterday I decided to see an independent foreign film from South Korea called Parasite because I had heard so many good things about it (the film won the prestigious Palme d'Or at the 2019 Cannes Film Festival).  It is an absolutely brilliant social satire that, in my opinion, is one of the best films of the year because it kept me guessing until the haunting final frame.  Kim Ki-taek (Song Kang-ho) lives a hand-to-mouth existence with his wife Chung-sook (Jang Hye-jin), his son Ki-woo (Choi Woo-shik), and his daughter Ki-jeong (Park So-dam).  They live in a basement apartment and work temporary jobs when they can get them.  One day Ki-woo's friend Min-hyuk (Park Seo-joon) comes to see him and offers to recommend him for his job as an English tutor for the daughter of the wealthy Park family while he studies abroad.  Ki-woo forges some credentials and soon has the job.  He is dazzled by the family's luxurious home and lavish lifestyle and recommends his sister Ki-jeong as the son's art tutor.  The two of them conspire to have the chauffeur and the housekeeper fired so Ki-taek and Chung-sook can take their places.  Eventually the four of them infiltrate every aspect of the Park's lives but, when the family leaves for a camping trip, they learn that they are not the only ones who have done so and a tense and suspenseful confrontation ensues.  At first the movie is an amusing story about a group of con artists who take advantage of a gullible family but in the final act it takes a 180 degree turn and becomes a scathing indictment of how the wealthy survive on the labor of the poor (who exactly are the parasites referred to in the title?)  It is absolutely brilliant!  The final resolution left me stunned and I was not alone because the audience in my packed screening sat in silence even after the credits finished rolling and the lights came on.  I loved the shot composition in this movie because the division between the rich and poor is found in almost every scene, especially the juxtaposition between the cramped and claustrophobic basement hovel where the Kims live and the open and spacious modern house (which is almost a character) where the Parks live.  All of the performances are fantastic, especially Cho Yeo-jeong who plays Mrs. Park.  I loved this movie and I suspect that I will be thinking about it for days.  Don't let the subtitles stop you from seeing this masterpiece!  I highly recommend it!

Volleyball Road Trip

Whenever I would go to one of Tashena's volleyball games, basketball games, or track meets, I always envisioned going on a road trip to see her play one of these sports on the college level some day.  Yesterday that actually happened!  Tashena is on the volleyball team at Big Bend Community College in Moses Lake, Washington and the Vikings had a road game against Treasure Valley Community College in Ontario, Oregon (which is a five hour drive from SLC).  We decided to surprise her and go to the game so Kristine and Trent rented a van and my Mom, Marilyn, and I joined them.  It was such a fun road trip.

Tashena had no idea that we were coming and I will never forget the look on her face when she saw my Mom walk in the gym!  She ran over to her and hugged her with tears in her eyes!  Every minute of the five hour drive was worth it for that moment!  She was so happy to see all of us and I have to admit that I also had a tear in my eye because I have really missed her.  Big Bend ended up losing in three sets but they were close and it was a lot of fun to watch them play.

We sure do love this girl and we are so proud of her!

It was really hard to say goodbye but we will get to see her again soon at Thanksgiving!  We are already planning some epic games of Shanghai rummy!

Coco in Concert

Last night I celebrated the Day of the Dead by watching the movie Coco while the Utah Symphony played the score by Michael Giacchino live.  It was so much fun because I think Coco is such a magical movie!  It is about the importance of family as a twelve year old boy named Miguel travels to the Land of the Dead on Dia de los Meurtos to uncover a mystery about his ancestors.  I loved seeing this on the big screen again because the images are so vibrant and colorful, especially the marigold petals that are used to guide family members to their loved ones and the spirit animals.  The music in this movie is absolutely wonderful and features some incredibly beautiful themes that incorporate Spanish guitars, a festive mariachi band, and the full orchestra.  The Utah Symphony, under the baton of Associate Conductor Conor Covington, performed it beautifully and I often found myself watching the two guitar players rather than the screen.  My favorite parts of the score are "Crossing the Marigold Bridge," "Cave Dwelling on the Past," and "Reunion Familiar de Rivera" because I find the story to be so moving in these scenes and the music really adds to the pathos.  I also really enjoyed the many version of the song "Remember Me," particularly the version by Miguel and Mama Coco (I may or may not have been crying at that point).  The crowd, many of whom were in costumes with sugar skull makeup, was so much fun because they cheered out loud multiple times.  I really love the Utah Symphony's Films in Concert series and this was such a fun movie to include.  I enjoyed it so much and I recommend getting a ticket for tonight's performance (go here).

Note:  There was a fantastic mariachi band performing before the show and there was an ofrenda in the lobby featuring pictures of famous composers (so clever).

Terminator: Dark Fate

I am a huge fan of The Terminator (it is one of my very favorite movies from the 1980s).  I used to watch it over and over late at night on HBO and it was one of the first VHS tapes that I owned.  I also really enjoyed Terminator 2: Judgement Day but I found the subsequent sequels to either be forgettable or awful.  When I heard about Terminator: Dark Fate, I was initially very skeptical but I really liked the trailer and, when I heard that James Cameron was involved and that it was a direct sequel to the first two movies, I started to get excited!  Last night, after having our traditional Halloween chili (my family has had chili every year on Halloween since I was a little girl), I went with my sister, brother-in-law, and nephew to see it and, while there is absolutely no reason for this movie to exist, it is completely awesome!   Twenty-two years after Sarah Connor (Linda Hamilton) defeats the T-1000 and stops the rise of Skynet, another AI called Legion has risen and sends a new Terminator, the Rev-9 (Gabriel Luna), from the year 2042 to kill Danielle "Dani" Ramos (Natalia Reyes).  The Human Resistance sends a cybernetically-enhanced soldier named Grace (Mackenzie Davis) to protect Dani.  In order to stop the Rev-9 (not only can it shape-shift but it can also separate from its metallic skeleton to create two relentless killing machines), Grace reluctantly teams up with Sarah and a rehabilitated T-800 (Arnold Schwarzenegger).  This movie is very derivative of the first two in the franchise but I really didn't care because it was so much fun to see Hamilton and Schwarzenegger reprising these iconic roles and they both give great performances with some fun callbacks that had the audience cheering.  Both my sister and I were literally giggling out loud when Sarah makes her first entrance in an action sequence (she is just so badass).  I also really like both of their character arcs in the story because they are authentic.  Sarah is exactly who you would expect her to be given what she has gone through.  There are a few unexpected twists, including the reason why Dani needs to be protected, that I really liked, as well.  The action sequences are absolutely thrilling, particularly a high-speed chase on a highway in Mexico City and a fight on a military cargo plane.  I think this move has a very satisfying conclusion for Sarah and, while there is the possibility of a sequel, I really hope that there isn't one.  I had so much fun watching this movie and I recommend it to fans of the franchise.

Pumpkin Carving 2019

With Tashena away at college (we miss her) I wondered whether Sean would want to carve pumpkins this year.  I told him that we didn't have to do it if he didn't want to because I sometimes worry that these seasonal activities are more for my benefit than for his.  He responded that we had to do it because it was tradition!  I got some of the biggest pumpkins I've ever seen and we carved them Tuesday night!  It was a lot of fun and my sister roasted the seeds which is my favorite part!

Happy Halloween!