Christmas Cheer

Last year I put up my tree on Halloween because I was really in need of some Christmas cheer.  This year I wasn't feeling very festive but I eventually decided to put my tree up the day after Thanksgiving and I put up the smaller tree in the loft last night.  Now that my house is all ready for Christmas, I am starting to feel a bit merrier.

I actually really enjoy decorating my tree because I have collected all of my ornaments over the years and they all hold special memories for me.  My Mom gave me all of the Hallmark Keepsake hockey ornaments, I collected quite a few from my travels (my favorites are some hand-carved wooden ornaments from a Christmas store in Germany), I have some from popular culture (such as my Kylo Ren and Harry Potter ornaments), and I've recently started collecting them from musical theatre performances (my newest ornament is from Frozen).

Last year, in a fit of madness, I decided to get another tree for the loft and I enjoyed it so much I decided to put it up again this year.  I spend a lot of time in the loft reading so this is a nice addition to my holiday decorations.

Note:  Do you have more than one tree?  I used to think it was crazy to have more than one!

The Power of the Dog

Last night I had the chance to see The Power of the Dog on the big screen before it begins streaming on Netflix next week.  It is definitely a slow burn but I haven't been able to stop thinking about it.  Phil (Benedict Cumberbatch) and George (Jesse Plemons) Burbank are wealthy Montana cattle ranchers in 1925.  Phil is rude and uncouth and constantly berates the quiet and gentle George.  During a cattle drive, the brothers, along with the ranch hands working for them, stop at a restaurant in the nearest town owned by a widow named Rose Gordon (Kirsten Dunst).  She is reduced to tears when Phil cruelly mocks her effeminate son Peter (Kodi Smit-McPhee) so George stays behind to apologize to her.  They soon become close and eventually marry.  George sends Peter to college to study medicine and Rose comes to live at the ranch, much to the displeasure of Phil who believes her to be a gold-digger.  He makes Rose's life unbearable and she begins drinking behind George's back in order to cope.  When Peter arrives to spend the summer at the ranch, Phil takes every opportunity to intimidate him and he encourages the ranch hands to call out homophobic slurs whenever he is around.  Phil, remembering his close relationship with his mentor Bronco Henry, suddenly takes an interest in Peter, much to the dismay of Rose, teaching him to ride a horse and making him a lasso from rawhide.  This relationship is incredibly menacing because Phil's intentions are unclear and I watched the scenes between them with a sense of dread waiting for something tragic to happen.  I thought I knew where it was going and I have to admit that my mind sometimes wandered during scenes which, on the surface, didn't seem important.  However, even the most mundane actions are fraught with tension and attention must be paid to fully appreciate the resolution.  Cumberbatch is absolutely brilliant in a role that seems like a huge departure for him.  He is unnerving yet captivating as someone who feels compelled to assert his masculinity at all times.  Dunst also gives one of the best performances of her career as a woman who unknowingly challenges the status quo at the ranch.  I was particularly struck by a scene where Rose withers under the pressure of having to play the piano for guests at a dinner party.  There is almost no dialogue but her despair is palpable.  The cinematography is beautiful and the score by Jonny Greenwood serves to emphasize the atmosphere of foreboding.  This is the kind of thought-provoking movie I love but it might not appeal to everyone.

Encanto

My nephew Sean and I have a tradition of seeing a movie together over the Thanksgiving holiday (we have seen The Good Dinosaur, Moana, Coco, The Grinch, and Frozen II) so, of course, we had to see the new Disney movie Encanto together.  We saw it last night and we both really enjoyed it.  When Alma Madrigal (Maria Cecilia Botero) loses her home and husband while fleeing from conquerors, the candle she is holding is enchanted and it creates a magical casita for her and her three children, Julieta (Angie Cepeta), Pepa (Carolina Gaitan), and Bruno (John Leguizamo).  Eventually, her children and grandchildren are given magical gifts, such as the ability to heal, the ability shape-shift, the ability to see the future, the ability to speak to animals, etc, and the family members are encouraged use their gifts to help their village prosper.  However, Mirabel (Stephanie Beatriz) is not given a gift and she often feels left out while Bruno is ostracized because his gift is misunderstood.  When cracks begin appearing in the casita, it takes Mirabel, with a little help from uncle Bruno, to save the magic.  The message that expectations can sometimes be a burden and that people should be appreciated for who they are rather than who they are supposed to be is extremely powerful and I loved that a Disney heroine is just an ordinary girl (who wears glasses!).  The animation is incredibly colorful and vibrant and I really loved the attention to detail, such as the embroidery on Mirabel's blouse and skirt and all of the textures of the hair.  The music by Lin-Manuel Miranda is as fabulous as you would expect!  My personal favorites are "Waiting On A Miracle," "Surface Pressure," and "We Don't Talk About Bruno" but I heard lots of people singing the chorus of "Colombia, Mi Encanto" as they left the theater.  My biggest complaint, and my nephew echoed this as we talked about the movie on the way home, is that the introduction of the characters and their gifts is really rushed so I didn't feel very connected to anyone other than Mirabel and I sometimes had a hard time figuring out the familial relationships.  Another complaint is that, while I loved the songs, they sometimes seemed randomly inserted and interrupted the momentum of the narrative.  On the whole, I found this to be charming and I think is the perfect movie for families to see over the Thanksgiving break.

Thanksgiving 2021

It has been a rough two weeks for my family because my Dad has been in the hospital for some unexplained symptoms.  He had to be put on a ventilator for several days and recovering from that has been rough on him.  None of us were really up for celebrating Thanksgiving (and all that it entails) this year but my sister had the idea of ordering everything from Cracker Barrel!  She picked everything up on Wednesday and then all we had to do yesterday was heat it up (they even gave very detailed instructions of when to put each item in the oven so everything would be ready at the same time).  The whole dinner tasted delicious but, more importantly, we all were able to get together (except for my Dad, who is still in the hospital, and Tashena, who is playing in a basketball tournament in Arizona) and have a much needed break from the stress.

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving with the people you love!

Note:  We are thinking of ordering Thanksgiving from a restaurant from now on!

House of Gucci

I am a huge fan of Adam Driver and, out of all of his movies scheduled for release this year, I was most excited for House of Gucci.  I knew before I even saw a trailer that I would love it (I read the book upon which it is based by Sara Gay Forden when production began) because there is no possible way that I wouldn't love a movie dealing with love, greed, betrayal, and revenge starring my favorite actor and Lady Gaga!  I saw it last night and, while there are quite a few issues, I found it to be wildly entertaining!  Maurizio Gucci (Driver) is a shy and unassuming law student but he is also the scion of the wealthy Gucci family known for their successful fashion label.  Patrizia Reggiani (Lady Gaga) is from much humbler beginnings and is dazzled by Maurizio's wealth after meeting him at a party.  She pursues him relentlessly and he eventually falls in love and marries her.  His father Rodolfo (Jeremy Irons), who runs Gucci with his brother Aldo (Al Pacino), disowns Maurizio for his unsuitable marriage which forces him to work for Patrizia's father.  Patrizia is ambitious and is not content with this lifestyle so she reaches out to Aldo, who thinks Maurizio has more potential than his own son Paolo (Jared Leto).  Even though he is initially not very interested in the business, Maurizio accepts a position with Aldo in New York at Patrizia's urging.  Eventually, Patrizia pushes Maurizio to betray Aldo and Paolo in order to oust them from Gucci but he soon grows tired of her interference and takes charge of the company himself.  He also makes changes in his personal life with a childhood friend (Camille Cottin) which brings tragic consequences.  The story is quite convoluted, especially the scenes dealing with the business side of Gucci, and it is much too long (I think 20 minutes could have easily been cut).  There are problems with the pacing and I sometimes found my mind wandering, particularly during scenes not featuring Patrizia or Maurizio.  There are some strange tonal shifts between camp and drama and many of the music choices seem very odd (although I actually really liked the version of "Baby Can I Hold You" by Tracy Chapman and Luciano Pavarotti used during the trial scene despite the fact that it is a bizarre song to use at this moment because Patrizia is completely unrepentant).  Having said all of that, I absolutely loved the performances even though they contribute to the problems with tone.  Leto, who is completely unrecognizable, chews up the scenery with abandon while Lady Gaga is so much fun to watch in an over-the-top portrayal of a woman scorned.  Driver, on the other hand, gives an incredibly nuanced performance filled with subtle gestures that brilliantly show Maurizio's character arc from someone easily manipulated by everyone in his life to someone who ruthlessly takes charge (I think it is one of his best).  It almost seems as if each of them are in a different movie but I blame Ridley Scott's direction for this rather than the actors.  This movie reminded me a lot of the prime time soap operas, such as Dallas, Dynasty, and Knots Landing, that I enjoyed watching for escapist fun as a teenager because it features a bombastic plot, glamorous settings, opulent production design, and gorgeous costumes.  I can not objectively say that this is a great movie but I loved it if for no other reason than I got to see Adam Driver smile while wearing one well-tailored suit after another for almost three hours!