Gone Girl

Yesterday afternoon I went to see the movie Gone Girl.  My book club read the novel about the disintegration of a marriage a few years ago and I remember having shifting allegiances for the two main characters.  I ultimately came to the conclusion that both of them are completely unsympathetic and that they deserve each other.  In my opinion the movie is a great adaptation of the best-selling novel because I had the same conflicting loyalties.  Ben Affleck is really hit or miss with me but as Nick Dunne, a man suspected in his wife's disappearance, he is absolutely brilliant.  At first Nick is sympathetic because he is so clearly unhappy in his marriage but, as details emerge about his infidelity and his mistreatment of his wife, he later becomes "the most hated man in America."  This is a role tailor-made for Affleck because I think he is equal parts charming and irritating.  I am not very familiar with Rosamund Pike but she is simply amazing as Amy Elliott-Dunne, a wealthy young woman who mysteriously disappears on her fifth wedding anniversary.  Her character is also incredibly sympathetic as an abused wife but then it is revealed that she is a manipulative psychopath with a flair for vengeance.  Pike plays the role to icy perfection with an ethereal detachment.  The supporting actors are also excellent, especially (and surprisingly) Tyler Perry as Nick's slick defense lawyer.  I am a big fan of director David Fincher.  He is a genius at telling dark and disturbing stories (I loved The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo) and I love his use of an almost monochromatic palette to create a mood.  Fincher, once again, collaborates with Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross for the soundtrack and the pulsing electronic noises are highly effective at heightening the tension.  My only complaint with the movie is that it seems to lose steam during the last 20 minutes.  I would definitely recommend this film with the proviso that it is very disturbing (graphic sex and violence) to watch.

2014-2015 Student Body Officers

I love working with the Student Body Officers at Hunter High School.  It is a lot of work and it can sometimes be stressful (we are in the middle of Homecoming right now) but it is so much fun!  A couple of weeks ago I had my friend Lesa take some photos of the SBOs and I think they turned out great!

2013-2014 Student Body Officers

Big Little Lies

My book club chose to read Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty during the month of September. We read Moriarty's What Alice Forgot several years ago and I really enjoyed it so I was looking forward to her latest offering. Like Alice, this novel also focuses on a group of women who volunteer at their children's primary school in Australia, ostensibly to support and encourage their children, but in reality to compete with each other. Ironically, these machinations are often to the detriment of their children (and highly damaging to their marriages).  I find these so-called "Mommy Wars" to be highly amusing (it should be noted that I do not have children).  The novel begins with a murder at a school fundraising event.  The reader is given details in the form of flashbacks from multiple perspectives and this is highly effective at building suspense.  The reader doesn't even know who the victim is until the final chapters (although there is no shortage of possible victims and murderers as the events unfold).  It all begins at kindergarten registration when one child is accused of bullying another child.  Battle lines are immediately drawn between those who support the single mother of the child accused and those who support the powerful mother of the victim (these women are nicknamed the Blonde Bobs because they all have the same distinctive hairstyle).  The novel is narrated by Jane, the single mother desperately worried about her son, Madeline, whose ex-husband and his new wife live in the neighborhood, and Celeste, a beautiful and wealthy woman with what appears to be the perfect life.  Each of them have secrets which shock the school community, eventually leading to a murder.  This novel is incredibly suspenseful!  I read it during every spare moment because I just had to know who did what to whom!  I was very surprised when everything was revealed which, in my opinion, makes it a great murder mystery!  Even though there are very serious issues addressed, such as bullying, eating disorders, divorce, rape, and spousal abuse, I frequently laughed out loud at these parents behaving badly!  The characters are incredibly believable; just remember the cliques found in your high school and imagine the members all grown up with children.  I'm sure you all know someone exactly like these women!  I couldn't put Big Little Lies down and I highly recommend it!

Note:  I also highly recommend What Alice Forgot!

Mount Rushmore

I have really wanted to go to Mount Rushmore for the past little while!  I'm not entirely sure why.  I've been there several times before because it was a frequent stop on our annual road trip to Canada when I was young but I still wanted to go again.  I actually couldn't stop thinking about it and I even researched different routes and found a KOA (my favorite place to stay) nearby.  I had originally thought about going during fall break, which is in a few weeks, but the KOA closes for the winter at the end of September.  Last Friday was a day off for me as compensation for parent teacher conferences so I spontaneously booked a cabin!  All of my friends thought I was crazy!

This was my little cabin for the weekend.  I really enjoy staying in KOA cabins and this campground had a lot of fun amenities (all you can eat pancakes for breakfast, for example).  I spent a fair amount of time sitting on that swing reading.  It was so relaxing!

I spent all day Saturday at the monument.  I didn't do anything else in the area because I just wanted to see Mount Rushmore.  It is quite impressive!  I was able to go on the Presidential Trail (which I had never done before) to get different views.  All of the people on the trail kept laughing about taking a picture every 20 steps!

I did everything there is to do at Mount Rushmore!  I had lunch in the café, but I was a bit disappointed when someone didn't pretend to shoot me (North By Northwest is one of my favorite movies of all time), I toured the sculptor's studio, I watched the film, I had some of the famous ice cream (I don't know why it is famous but it was really good), and I even came back for the evening program to light the monument.  It was a great day!

I loved this view, which you can see as you leave the monument!  I'm so glad I went on this spontaneous trip!

Note:  The drive is ten hours each way which seems a little bit crazy.  However, I actually like driving long distances because it gives me a chance to think!  I have a great road trip playlist (the Beatles, the Eagles, Paul McCartney, and George Harrison) and I sing at the top of my lungs!  This is the farthest I've ever gone on a road trip alone!  I was pretty proud of myself until I pulled into Little America with my gas light on only to discover that the power was out.  Since I couldn't get gas, I was basically stuck there (gas stations are few and far between in Wyoming) for three hours until a waitress went all the way home (20 miles away) to get a gas can full of gas for me! I think she is quite possibly the nicest person on the planet!  When your Dad tells you not to let the gas get below a quarter of a tank, listen to him!

Nice Work If You Can Get It

What happens when a wealthy playboy stumbles out of a speakeasy and meets a sassy bootlegger on the run from the police?  Of course they fall in love and provide the basis for a light and effervescent comedy filled with Gershwin songs, eccentric characters, and dazzling choreography!  Last night I went to Nice Work If You Can Get It, the first Broadway in Utah show for the 2014-2015 season, and I thoroughly enjoyed it.  The plot is pretty formulaic but it doesn't really matter because the show is so charming!  I loved hearing all of the familiar songs by George and Ira Gershwin like "Someone To Watch Over Me," "Let's Call The Whole Thing Off," "S'Wonderful," "But Not For Me," "I've Got  A Crush On You," and the title song.  Many of the characters are absolutely hilarious including Duchess Estonia Dulworth (Stephanie Harter Gilmore), a temperance worker who, in the course of an evening, inadvertently drinks alcohol and ends up swinging from a chandelier, Eileen Evergreen (Rachael Scarr), a modern interpretive dancer, and Cookie McGee (Reed Campbell), a bootlegger duped into being a butler.  They provide many laugh-out-loud moments!  The choreography is amazing, especially when Jimmy (Alex Enterline) and Billie (Mariah MacFarlane) perform "S'Wonderful" and I loved the big production number when the chorus girls and the vice squad perform "Fascinating Rhythm."  The entire cast is extremely talented but Enterline is particularly endearing and MacFarlane can definitely belt out a tune!  I really liked the elaborate sets showing various views of Jimmy's Long Island mansion and the fabulous flapper costumes are like a bit of confectionery.  There are many jokes which poke gentle fun at both political parties and politicians themselves and they got the biggest laughs of the evening ("I'll be a high ranking member of the Senate and you'll do something important").  This show does not have a lot of substance but I recommend it to anyone looking for an evening of pure entertainment!  It runs through September 28.