32. Chamber Music Concert at Disney Concert Hall

Need inspiration, moments to meditate, or a place to sleep? Go to Disney Concert Hall. On December 11th, I went to a Chamber Music Society concert at Disney Concert Hall. The artists were the members of the Los Angeles Philharmonic. The program included music by Bach, Haydn, Mozart, and Zelenka. The concert itself lasted about an hour and 1/2 with a small intermission. 

I am not a huge classical music fan, though I did listen to it quite often while studying for the SATs back in the 2000's, and it proved very efficient. Occasionally I listen to classical while writing or working, and I can find it quite relaxing or a means to creative thinking. However, generally, it's not the genre of music I am drawn to. 

This concert was probably a very different experience for classical music lovers, but I can only blog about my evening. During the four classical pieces, I went from scribbling harried notes for a script I was writing at the time on a small piece of paper while squinting in the dim light, to staring in awe at the musicians (I had a good view, though we were seated in the balcony), and finally to closing my eyes and resting my mind. 

I recommend going to a concert here mostly if you enjoy classical music and would like a sophisticated, different experience. Most of the crowd at this particular concert was older and casual. I was probably one of the youngest people in attendance. I would also recommend going if you want to sit amongst people, while having a very internal, personal, and thoughtful experience- it's renewing and productive at the same time. 

Learn more about the concerts here: 

LAPhil.com or call 323-850-2000

MOVIE REVIEW: For a good time call...

For A Good Time Call is a bromantic comedy for and about women...not a bromance but a WOmance. It follows Lauren Powell, a reserved overachiever, and her friend and apartment-mate, Katie Steele, a seemingly free spirit. When Lauren loses her job and breaks up with her current boyfriend who finds her "boring," the two girls start a phone-sex service, which breaks Lauren from her hard shell and shows Katie the importance of true friendship and connection. 

Overall, I found the movie comical and entertaining. It's always nice to see female protagonists and films by women writers. However, the director was a man, and I think that might have influenced some of the tone of the film. What I didn't like was the sexual nature of the friendship between Lauren and Katie. As a comic gag, their friendship seems like a romantic relationship at times, and there is a hint of their mutual sexual curiosity. This bothered me. I have many close friendships with women. I am heterosexual and so are they. We cuddle, we laugh, we poke each other playfully, we hug, we kiss each other on the cheek - but there is nothing sexual about it. It's love and affection and sisterly or familial. I didn't like the choice to sexualize a beautiful friendship, because to me, that turns a movie that is for women into a movie that is aimed at men. 

Men want to see women together in a sexual way. It's the old cliche of men wondering what happens at a slumber party - they pray for scantily clad women in lingerie having pillow fights. In real life, it is far from glamorous - at least the slumber parties I've been too. The night consists of pajamas and oversized sweatshirts, gabbing over fatty foods (pigging out is almost a requirement), talking about our woes with men, watching Lifetime or reality TV, reading trashy magazines, and occasionally polishing each other's nails. I think For A Good Time Call had a good opportunity to shed light on a true female relationship that grows and evolves through a comical situation, but I think the filmmakers copped out a little bit by having sexual undertones.  

On the other hand, the movie did shed light on my own female friendships and hit something personal. There is something so wonderful about having a "best" friend - someone you tell everything to and talk to every day. I have a lot of very special, close friends, but not one be-all-end-all friend, and it made me want to get even closer to my gal pals - because at the end of the day they are truly the ones that understand you and can be there for you. 

I recommend For A Good Time Call because it was a funny, sweet story and the acting was really well done. I just wish they would have honed the friendship a bit and made it more realistic. 

Learn more about For A Good Time Call here: 

http://www.foragoodtimecallmovie.com/