The weather had kept us from going out on my birthday, but
we managed to compensate for this over the past few days.
First, we went to see “The Death of Stalin.” This film had
received rave reviews on Rotten Tomatoes and by Manola Dargis of the New York
Times. But to be brutally honest, I really did not enjoy this film. The
violence and meanness were, I suppose, to be expected in a story based on
Joseph Stalin, who served as General
Secretary of the Central Committee of
the Communist Party of the Soviet Union from
1922 to 1952 and as Premier of the Soviet Union from 1941
to 1953, during which time he was responsible for the deaths of upwards of
twenty million people. The movie was also supposed to be somewhat comedic, but
I just had a hard time finding anything at all funny in it. While I suppose the
acting was impressive, I really cannot recommend this one.
But things looked up after that. On Saturday night we had gotten tickets to see Andy Borowitz on stage in a performance entitled “Make America Not Embarrassing Again,” an evening of conversation followed by an audience question and answer period hosted by Peter D. Kramer of the Journal News. We have become avid followers of Mr. Borowitz’s satirical column, “The Borowitz Report,” published in The New Yorker magazine. He was clearly preaching to the choir here: at one point he asked the audience how many had voted for Donald Trump in 2016 and I think maybe one person raised a hand, probably just trying to be funny.
What is particularly impressive about Mr. Borowitz is that, although we primarily think of him as a writer, he is able to deliver his material with exquisite timing and inflection. If you have never read his writings, here is a link to his post today:
On Sunday, we managed to obtain among the last available tickets to the afternoon screening of the new documentary “Itzhak,” about famed violinist Itzhak Perlman. The documentary was beautifully done, but the main highlight yesterday at the relatively new and quite lovely Landmark at 57 West theater was the presence of Mr. Perlman, his wife, Toby, and the film’s director, Alison Chernick, who participated in a question and answer session after the screening. The documentary was thoroughly enjoyable and we highly recommend seeing it. It was interesting to learn about the early challenges he faced in his career, with concerns that audiences might find his disabilities too off-putting. Fortunately for all of us, he never let this get in the way of his determination to hone his craft and become the incredible musician, teacher, and inspiration that he is. It was an honor to simply share the space of this incredible talent.
Barry managed to snap a photograph, although the lighting was less than ideal.
The weather forecasters are using that four-letter “s” word again. Stay safe and warm!
Love,
Rebecca
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