Market Forces

Just sitting here waiting for the rain to stop...It's normal for it to be rainy with a wind chill of 31 in late April, isn't it? Actually, around here, it's not unheard of. But I don't need to go outside and deal with it, I suppose.

It has been interesting to watch the push and pull of restarting the economy vs. public safety. Some of the southern states have started reopening gradually with essential businesses like movie theaters, tattoo parlors and bowling alleys among those given the go-ahead. Here in Massachusetts, we're treading a little more cautiously, which is fine by me but has some folks up in arms. I want to see things get back to normal as quickly as we can, but if we jump the gun and there's a COVID relapse, that would be a huge mistake.

We're watching what's happening north of the border with interest as well because Hannah will be attending McGill University in Montreal in the fall. Well, we hope she will. Today, the premier of Quebec announced that classes would resume in Quebec in May, so hopefully if all goes well, in-person classes will take place at McGill in September. If not, it will be done online, which would be understandable, but would also be a damn shame for Hannah to start her first semester. Fingers crossed, I guess.

Had a few more movies that I forgot to include from my list yesterday of recently viewed films:

• Parasite (2019) - I missed the big winner at the Oscars earlier this year when it was in theaters, but one positive of the pandemic is Hulu added it a lot earlier than it probably would have. A captivating film that demanded your attention if only to read the subtitles, but it offered some pretty sharp class culture commentary with a fairly insane finish. 
• The Thomas Crown Affair (1999) - Missed this one the first time around (and for the subsequent 20+ years afterward), but I had heard good things. Pierce Brosnan as the dashing billionaire art thief and Rene Russo as a conflicted insurance investigator who falls for him. Lots more of the sexing than I expected.
• Groundhog Day (1993) - A classic that certainly resonates with our current day-to-day existence. Bill Murray at his Bill Murray-est (that's a good thing in my book) in a clever film from late comic genius Harold Ramis.
• Wayne's World (1992) - Introduced the girls to this indelible piece of my early 20s. Some of it definitely doesn't hold up, but it's still endearing and appeals to my suburban Toronto upbringing, which paralleled Mike Myers' in some ways (although here it's transplanted to Chicago).
• The Naked Gun (1988) - Another one I loved from my youth. Some of the gags fall flat, but like Airplane, there's so many jokes packed in it, you're bound to laugh at something.
• Misery (1990) - Somehow I had never seen this through the years, although I pretty much knew the plot. Kathy Bates won an Oscar for her performance as psycho fan/serial killer Annie Wilkes and James Caan is very understated as the author she holds captive. Some good shocks and plot twists along the way.
• Purple Rain (1984) - Can't argue with the musical performances in this one. The plot's a little thin and the acting a tad wooden, but you can overlook all that when you're presented with the incredible live footage of Prince and the Revolution and The Time in their glory.