Triangle of Sadness

Another film that has received a lot of buzz from the fall film festivals (it won the Palme d'Or at Cannes) is Triangle of Sadness and I finally had a chance to see it at the Broadway last night.  I laughed out loud during the entirety of this dark comedy and I was not alone!  A fashion model named Carl (Harris Dickinson) and his influencer girlfriend Yaya (Charlbi Dean) are given a free luxury cruise in the Mediterranean Sea aboard a $50 million superyacht.  The head steward Paula (Vicki Berlin) insists that the crew indulge the whims of the wealthy passengers, even when one of them insists that every member of staff go down the slide into the water which delays dinner, while the intoxicated captain, Tom (Woody Harrelson), hides in his cabin and the mostly Filipino cleaning crew slave away behind the scenes.  After an attack by pirates, a small group of passengers including Carl and Yaya, a Russian oligarch named Dimitry (Zlatko Buric), a debilitated stroke survivor named Therese (Iris Berben) who can only speak one sentence in German, and a lonely tech millionaire named Jarmo (Henrik Dorsin) land on what they believe to be a deserted island with a member of the cleaning crew named Abigail (Dolly de Leon) and a mechanic named Winston (Oliver Ford Davies).  The power dynamic of the group shifts with comedic results when Abigail is the only one who has any survival skills.  This is an absolutely hilarious social satire taking aim at the vacuous and shallow idle rich.  My favorite scene is when the passengers are invited to an incredibly pretentious dinner with the captain during a violent storm causing many of them to become seasick which, despite the fact that it involves just about every type of bodily fluid, is a lot of fun and serves to dismantle class divisions in an absurdly amusing way.  I really appreciated the message that people should not be judged solely on their wealth or looks but rather their knowledge, abilities, and experience and that it pays to treat the people who serve you with kindness and respect.  The cast is fantastic but de Leon gives a standout performance in the third act and I am still thinking about her character's actions in the final scene.  I recommend seeing this wildly entertaining film with the biggest crowd possible!

Happy Birthday Tashena

Last night we celebrated Tashena's birthday early (it is actually at the end of the week) by going to dinner (Chuck-A-Rama), having cake (the traditional ice cream cake from Baskin Robbins), opening presents, and playing Shanghai Rummy!

I can't believe that she will be 22!

Pumpkin Carving 2022

Yesterday my family got together for our annual pumpkin carving party and we had so much fun.  We have been doing this with Sean and Tashena since they were really little and every year I wonder if it will be the last time because they will have outgrown it but Sean called me specifically to remind me to buy pumpkins!

I really love this tradition and I think our pumpkins turned out really cool this year!

New Car

I got a new car over the weekend!  I actually bought it, sight unseen, two weeks ago but I had to wait for it to be delivered and inspected because inventory is so low right now.  I knew that I wanted another Kia Sportage because it has been the best car that I have ever owned.

My 2011 Kia Sportage (above on the day that I bought it) went on multiple road trips to Denver, Las Vegas, Phoenix, and Los Angleles as well as several trips to Mount Rushmore, Zion, Bryce Canyon, the Grand Canyon, and Yellowstone.  I drove it almost 200,000 miles without any major problems (I only had to replace the tires every few years and perform routine maintenance) but this summer the air conditioning stopped working and my mechanic started noticing other smaller issues.  He warned me that if I started having problems with the transmission or the engine I should get a new car rather than repair it because it wouldn't be worth it with so many miles on the odometer.  Even though I really loved this car, I decided that it would be better to trade it now rather than later.

My 2023 Sportage has a lot more bells and whistles than my old one so it has been really fun to drive.  I especially love the rear camera, the lane assist, Apple CarPlay, and the heated seats.  I named my 2011 Sportage Edward because of its color (Twilight Blue) so, since my new Sportage is Steel Grey, I decided to name it Remington (after the old TV show Remington Steele).  I'm so happy to have this car and I already have a road trip planned!

Ballet West's Onegin

I love Russian literature and music so the ballet Onegin, based on the novel by Alexander Pushkin and featuring music by Piotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, is one of my favorites!  I have been looking forward to Ballet West's production since the 2022-2023 season was announced and I had the opportunity to see it last night.  I loved everything about it including the story, the music, the choreography, the performances, the sets, and the costumes!  A young girl named Tatiana (Jenna Rae Herrera) is preparing for a ball in honor of her birthday with her mother (Olivia Gusti), her sister Olga (Chelsea Keefer), and friends from the countryside.  Lensky (Jordan Veit), a poet engaged to Olga, soon arrives with Onegin (Brian Waldrep), his worldly and sophisticated friend from St. Petersburg.  Tatiana falls desperately in love with him and writes an impetuous letter declaring her feelings which her nurse delivers to him.  Prince Gremin (Jake Preece) is also invited to the ball and falls in love with Tatiana but she ignores him in favor of Onegin who, thinking her a silly girl who has read too many romantic novels, rejects her and tears up her letter.  Onegin eventually grows bored with the company and flirts outrageously with Olga.  Lensky challenges him to a duel and Onegin ends up killing him.  Years later a disillusioned Onegin visits Prince Gremin in St. Petersburg and is shocked to discover that his friend has married Tatiana.  He realizes that he is in love with the beautiful princess and writes her a letter.  In a dramatic reversal of fortune, she rejects him and tears up his letter.  I love Tchaikovsky's music because it is so passionate which makes it the perfect backdrop for this tragic love story.  I especially loved the music during the duel because it is unbelievably heartbreaking.  The choreography is some of most innovative I've seen performed by Ballet West.  I loved the wild abandon of the folk dances in the countryside, particularly the leaps across the stage by the women in the ensemble, juxtaposed with the elegant and stately waltzes at the ball in St. Petersburg.  I also loved the tumultuous and acrobatic final Pas de Deux between Onegin and Tatiana.  Herrera and Waldrep danced their roles brilliantly, executing challenging throws and maneuvers with an incredible amount of emotion (the audience spontaneously applauded when Tatiana gestured for Onegin to leave).  The elegant sets and beautiful costumes in muted jewel tones transport the audience to imperial Russia for a few hours and I definitely recommend taking this journey.  There are three more performances at Capitol Theatre (go here for tickets) including a matinee on October 29.