Tuesday, June 30, 2015

The Yonahlossee Riding Camp For Girls

The June selection for my book club was The Yonahlossee Riding Camp for Girls by Anton DiSclafani. The story revolves around Thea Atwell, her twin brother Sam, and her cousin Georgie who are raised in the lap of luxury on a secluded plantation in Florida during the Great Depression. Their lives are incredibly insular and they have no other interactions besides their own close-knit family. As the three of them grow up and mature, their relationship changes and the incident occurs. Because of the incident, Thea is shipped off to the Yonahlossee Riding Camp for Girls in North Carolina where she is completely overwhelmed by her interactions with the other girls, the instructors, and, particularly, the headmaster. Thea does not know how to have appropriate relationships with any one and, inevitably, another incident occurs. The narrative alternates between the events in Florida and the events at Yonahlossee, giving tiny little hints about what the mysterious incident might be.  (By the way, I figured it out long before it was finally revealed but I kept reading to make sure that I was right and it was strangely unsatisfying when I was.) In the end, Thea is chastised yet again and sent home in disgrace where we learn that her mother also has a scandalous past. This coming-of-age novel about family secrets set during an interesting historical period sounds like it would be right up my alley but I didn't entirely like it.  The action moves very slowly and it eventually got annoying every time Thea would reference the incident without explaining what happened. I suppose DiSclafani uses this device to heighten the tension but it is not altogether effective. Thea is an incredibly unsympathetic character. Part of me was angry because all three of the main characters in Florida are culpable in what happened (have you figured it out yet?) but only Thea is punished because she is a girl. The events at Yonahlossee are highly disturbing (surely you have figured it out) and in my opinion Thea is a victim, but she is the only one held responsible. However, by the time I made it through the novel, I didn't really care what happened to her. Certain scenes are quite salacious and I was a bit put off by them. What I did enjoy about this book is the writing.  DiSclafani uses beautiful and evocative prose, especially in the scenes involving horses (I think I liked the horses more than the main characters), and in the descriptions of the Blue Ridge Mountains. I really wanted to like this book but, ultimately, I wouldn't recommend it.

Monday, June 29, 2015

Me and Earl and the Dying Girl

My favorite film from Sundance this year was definitely Me and Earl and the Dying Girl so I was really excited to see it again last night!  It is a quirky and touching story about the power that friendship has to change your life and I loved it just as much as I did the first time.  Greg (Thomas Mann) is an awkward high school senior who is completely alienated from everyone in his life, including his wacky parents (I loved his father, a tenured Sociology professor who has so much time on his hands that he spends his days watching classics in foreign cinema and making exotic recipes such as cuttlefish).  Greg is isolated, ambivalent about his future, and suffers from a severe case of low self-esteem.  His goal is to survive high school without making a mortal enemy.  His only significant relationships are with Mr. McCarthy, his eccentric history teacher ("Respect the research"), and Earl (RJ Cyler), a childhood friend with whom he makes movies that parody classic films (my favorite is still 2:48 P.M. Cowboy, an homage to Midnight Cowboy).  He is so afraid of being close to anyone that he refers to Earl as his "co-worker" rather than his friend.  When Rachel (Olivia Cooke), the daughter of his mother's friend, is diagnosed with leukemia, his mother forces Greg (in an absolutely hilarious scene) to befriend her.  Even though neither of them want this friendship, they eventually become inseparable and Rachel ends up teaching Greg some invaluable life lessons.  To be sure, this movie is a tear-jerker but there are so many funny elements that I was laughing out loud, even the second time around.  All three of the lead actors give wonderful performances and I found Mann to be incredibly endearing.  The parodies are a hoot (A Sockwork Orange, Senior Citizen Kane) and classic film aficionados will love trying to figure out all of the references.  The depiction of high school culture is absolutely spot-on (I should know because I spend my days there) and I especially loved the theatre nerds.  Many of my students had the opportunity to see this film when it was screened at Sundance and they could not stop talking about it.  I feel like it has the potential to become a touchstone for this generation the way The Breakfast Club is for mine.  Do not miss it!

Note:  It was awarded both the Grand Jury Prize and the Audience Award at Sundance.  Good stuff, I tell you!

Saturday, June 27, 2015

Utah Symphony at Sundance

What could be better than listening to the Utah Symphony?  Listening to the Utah Symphony in the mountains, that's what!  It's no secret that I am a huge fan of the Utah Symphony and it's no secret that I love seeing outdoor performances during the summer so you can imagine what a lovely time I had last night listening to the orchestra play some patriotic favorites at the Sundance resort.  It was wonderful to be up in the mountains away from the heat in the valley and the fresh smell of the pine trees was almost intoxicating to me!  The concert featured classics from Leonard Bernstein, George Gershwin (I especially loved "An American in Paris"), and John Philip Sousa.  The concert culminated, as these summer concerts often do, with Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture.  I absolutely love this piece and, no matter how many times I hear it, it never gets old.  I think it is incredibly stirring (although maybe not as stirring as when the Wasatch Cannoneers participate) and I get goosebumps every time that well-known theme is played at the end of the piece.  I also really love the chimes!  I enjoyed every minute of this wonderful experience and I am so glad that I can be in any number of mountain resorts in about 30 minutes and I'm also glad that I can see a world-class orchestra play all year long.  Go here for more summer events at Sundance (I'm particularly excited about The Wizard of Oz in August) and go here for tickets to see the Utah Symphony perform in various venues around the valley.

Friday, June 26, 2015

The Illusionists

My house is now officially on the market.  It's scary, stressful, overwhelming, and exciting all at the same time.  Within an hour of being listed yesterday, I had multiple requests for showings, most of which took place last night.  Luckily, I had plans and just added dinner to the evening's festivities so I could be out of my house for several hours.  My plans involved seeing The Illusionists at the Capitol Theatre and it was definitely a lot of fun.  There are seven performers: The Trickster (Jeff Hobson), The Futurist (Adam Trent), The Anti-Conjurer (Dan Sperry), The Warrior (Aaron Crow), The Escapologist (Andrew Basso), The Inventor (Kevin James), and The Manipulator (Yu Ho-Jin).  They perform in a magic show that is a cross between an old-fashioned vaudeville program and a Las Vegas spectacle with special effects and choreography.  There are big production numbers (literally using smoke and mirrors), classic card tricks, sleights of hand, daring escapes, and plenty of audience participation all with The Trickster as a flamboyant master of ceremonies.  I loved it!  My favorites were The Warrior's trick with an arrow through an apple (with a twist), The Manipulator's sleight of hand tricks (there was a giant screen above the stage with cameras directed closely on his hands and I still couldn't figure out how he did some of his tricks), and The Anti-Conjurer's Russian Roulette trick (he was really charismatic in a dark, edgy, and scary sort of way).  However, the most dramatic trick of the night was when The Escapologist replicated Harry Houdini's Water Torture Cell trick.  He was handcuffed and lowered upside down into a glass case filled with water and then padlocked closed.  It took him almost three minutes to pick the locks using only a paper clip.  The crowd gasped in audible relief as he emerged from the case.  I tried to hold my breath with him and I made it about 45 seconds.  It is a great show and I highly recommend getting at ticket (you can purchase them here).  It runs through Sunday at the Capitol Theatre.

Tuesday, June 23, 2015

Inside Out

Have you ever wondered what was going on inside someone's head?  Last night I went to the movie Inside Out and I got to see inside Riley's head as she, a normally happy eleven-year-old girl, deals with a move from Minnesota to San Francisco and the loss of her friends.  It is absolutely brilliant!  The story is told from the perspectives of Riley's emotions: Joy (Amy Poehler), Sadness (Phyllis Smith), Fear (Bill Hader), Anger (Lewis Black), and Disgust (Mindy Kaling).  The cast is perfect (I usually find Mindy Kaling to be incredibly annoying but I honestly didn't even know it was her until the end credits) and I especially loved Poehler as Joy and Smith as Sadness and, in particular, their interactions with each other as they battle for control over Riley.  The nerd in me absolutely loved the journey Joy and Sadness take through Riley's abstract thoughts, imagination, and subconscious (I blame all of the educational psychology classes I had to take) and their encounters with some really fun characters along the way, such as Riley's imaginary friend (Richard Kind) and her deepest fear which is a clown.  Isn't everybody afraid of clowns?  Also, it is so clever that there is a cast of actors on a sound stage with scripts who perform in Riley's dreams. As with many Disney animated movies, I think Inside Out is even better for adults than it is for children!  I laughed and laughed through most of it (when I wasn't actually crying).  The message that sometimes you just need to feel sad was very poignant for me because I've certainly learned over the years that it is better to feel sad than feel nothing at all.  The animation is visually appealing (very luminous) but it was definitely the story that drew me in.  I highly recommend that you go see this wonderful movie!

Note:  I think my very favorite part of this movie is that Riley plays hockey!  I'm sure I have a hockey island inside my head, too!
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