Looking Back Part 2: Film and TV

Winter in Sudbury, likely 1968 or 69.  My brother Steve stands at the end of our driveway, which lies buried in snow. I grew up here, leaving age 22.  I've been living in southwest Ontario ever since.  Can you guess why?  It's probably -20 or -25 C at the time.

The year's TV watching was dominated by a lot of Star Trek, including the final season of Next Generation, the 3-season series Picard, and season 2 of Discovery.  However, our very favourite series was Lower Decks, an animated series that is probably the best Star Trek thing ever done.  There are five seasons of this must-see show.

Life in the (very) slow lane was provided by Canal Boat Diaries, and we enjoyed Monsieur Spade, a crime drama that takes place in a small town in France.  We also watched the first 10 episodes of Foundation, with 20 more to go (and more on the way).  We got to see all the episodes of Dr. Who with Ncuti  Gatwa, finding him to be one of the better doctors of the series.

We watched a Netflix drama called House of Guinness with my mom in Sudbury.  We didn't realize at the time that there was a series 2 in the planning stage, and the otherwise pretty good show ended rather stupidly.  We also saw an excellent documentary series called The Victorians, a fabulous BBC series that looks at that age through its paintings.

Deb watched many series on her own, including one she would recommend called Ludwig. 

In movie watching for the year, regular readers of this blog will know that we watch a lot of movies in a year.   Well over a hundred.  So I will list some of the best ones we saw for the first time, leaving out many old favourites that we enjoy watching again.

 

Ripley's Game starring John Malkovich was a highlight for me, as was Sicario by Denis Villeneuve.  Both are crime thrillers at the top of their class.  The Truman Show starring Jim Carrey and directed by Peter Weir was also quite amazing.  An Asian film by Hou Hsiao-Hsien called The Assassin was also quite extraordinary All are highly recommended.

 

The top prize goes to a very strange but extremely fun to watch film called Grand Theft Hamlet.  This film is a must see, not only for gamers and lovers of Shakespeare, but by just about anyone who has obsessed over something in their life.  This is an eminently brilliant film, one of a kind, and one of the best things to come out of the Covid restrictions.

 

All films mentioned here can be searched within the blog (use the tiny search form at the top left of the blog).  Other films worth mentioning and seeing were Viy, a film based on a Gogol horror story; The Tube With The Hat and Plastic Semiotica, two film shorts by Radu Jude; The Sargasso Manuscript; Demon Pond; Crazy Ray (Rene Clair); An Accidental Studio (a doc about Handmade Films); Fantastic Mr. Fox (Wes Anderson); a mid-length indie short feature called Call of Cthulhu;

All The President's Men (about Watergate); Throw Down (Johnnie To); Oh Moon, a very special Turkish film; Only The River Flows by Wei Shu Jun; and two films by Bi Gan: Kailie Blues, his first feature; and Long Day's Journey Into Night (his 2nd feature).  His third feature is now out in selected theatres.

 

In local news, we have now had 25 days where the temperature has not risen above 0, or even to 0.  However, relief is on the way, and the ten day forecast calls for more normal temps, and even a bit above on some days, so we should get above 0 C a lot in the next while.  Just as we approach the time of year when it should begin to get cold, lo and behold it turns mild.  We have the tiniest amount of snow, which will likely be gone on the first mild and sunny day.

 

Our quiet holidays have come to a quiet end.  We celebrated the New Year with London UK, watching the fireworks and uncorking our champagne at 7 pm EST.  Saturday night was a full moon night, so we partied some more.  We finished up our PC game called Slice of Sea.  While it is a fun game, there are so many areas that require remembering how to get back to them, as inventory items are scattered helter-skelter across the game, that it is best to have a walk-thru handy.  Otherwise, you end up wandering through landscape after landscape trying to find your way back to where your new inventory piece fits.  The art is terrific in this one, and the game is well worth playing.  We are now playing Sherlock Holmes and The Hound of the Baskervilles, an old game but still quite fun.  We have played about an hour so far.

 

We did have one social occasion during the holidays, a very welcome visit from Amanda L.  She arrived with gifts of dark beer and coffee beans, so we had to admit her to the hallowed halls of the Homestead.  Amanda lives in Toronto (she is from A'burg and her family still lives in the area) in a house share, and she is desperate to get her own place there.  We always enjoy visits with her, and we did get to have dinner with her in Toronto on our visit there last year.  I got to run through my piano program for her, which helped me a lot.  I will perform it for a few friends on Saturday, before deciding whether to record the pieces or just start new ones.

 

Next time I'll mention some of the best books read last year.  Check back soon. 

 

Mapman Mike 

2025: Looking Back Part 1

It's been a very cold holiday here near the Homestead.  As of today (Jan. 1st) we have had 22 days with the mercury remaining below freezing.  This morning when I went out to feed the birds it was 12 F.  And of course it came with a stiff breeze.  With the holidays winding down (we still have a full moon party to go on Saturday!) it's almost time to return to our normal programming: practicing piano, reading, writing, gaming, studying maps, watching movies and (for Deb) making short films.  Which is pretty much what we did over the holidays, but with more food.  Here is a photo of my 8th or perhaps 9th Christmas morning.  Dig those curtains and that TV!!

 I got some missiles and rockets for Christmas.  It was that era (c. 1961).

2025 was a fairly cruel year for us, with little to no traveling accomplished.  Deb had two surgeries for kidney stones and I injured my foot in June.  The foot is still quite bad, with my walking limited to slow speeds and short duration.  I will see a podiatrist this month, so hoping for some relief.  Regular medical science has been no help, other than telling me that I have an injured foot.  So health problems kept us close to home.

 

Travel was restricted to two journeys to Sudbury by car.  We now break the drive north up into two days and have been exploring a part of Ontario new to us on the way.  We still come home in one go, about 8 hours of solid driving, plus any stops.  As long as Mom is still there to visit these twice yearly trips will likely continue.  Afterwards, who can say.  We also had a short but fun excursion to Toronto, as Deb was invited to a film festival there that was showing one of her films (Once Upon A Time That Never Was).  We went by train, traveling first class, and stayed at a fancy hotel near the station.  We got to have dinner with Amanda and meet her boyfriend, and also got to see Dino (my best man) and Bill, another good friend.  And that sums up 2025 travel news.

 

Turning to major acquisitions for the year, we purchased a 27 CD set of the Rameau operas; I bought new ice skates and used them a lot; we bought a new very fast gaming computer (Acer Nitro 60) and we got a 55" TV.  Of course a lot of Kindle books were purchased, too, but those I talk about in my monthly reading summaries.

 

In other major news two upgrades to our property were completed: a new back deck and a resurfacing of our very long and very old paved driveway.  In music news I played a Spring recital series (Simple Ingredients) and Deb's poster for "Just a Peek" won an award.  She had three films in competition over the year: Once Upon A Time..., Just a Peek and She Makes A Moving Picture.

 

Being home so much made it a great year for PC gaming.  I played a very old game called "Road To India."  Together we played a beautiful Japanese fold out picture book game called "Tengami."  We played a very challenging SF game called "J.U.L.I.A of the Stars."  A big event was the playing of MYST 2024, the latest version of the game.  Though it had some lows, overall it was the best version of the game I have played, with some big improvements to several ages, including the new Arctic one.  Last year the revised version of Riven blew us away, too.

Of course Train Simworld (6) has been a big hit with me.  I am driving trains in real time and real weather, with seasonal changes in England, Scotland, Germany, Switzerland, Austria and the US.  It is such an amazing experience I can't even begin to describe how much this game has been.

Now we come to a true masterpiece of a game, "Everybody's Gone To The Rapture," with music by Jessica Curry.  It's a SF game set in a small English village in 1984, and has to be the most poignant game we have ever played, as well as one of the most beautiful.  The game takes place over one long day, from dawn till dark.  The player explores a vast area indoors and out, trying to figure out what has happened to all of the people, who have mysteriously vanished but left traces of their existence and conversations behind.  The music is as good as the game.  This is a must play game for all gamers.  Brought to you by the people (Chinese Room) that brought us another favourite game, "Dear Esther."

 

I will continue with my look back next time, discussing either best films of the year or best books.  Check back soon.

 

In the meantime there are two recent films to share.  The Color Wheel is from 2011, an American Indie film directed by Alex Ross Perry.  Filmed in b & w and 16 mm, it is billed on Mubi as a very fun road movie comedy.  While there is some driving and even a few funny moments, most of the film is a waste of time and film.  A brother and sister head out on the road to collect her things in a place where she was living with her college professor.  They have broken up.  Along the way they stay in an ultra Christian-run motel, get involved in a scene at the professor's apartment, attend a party held by old high school friends, and head back home, stopping off along the way to talk sister to brother, and to have sex with each other.  A real laugh riot.  I would avoid this one if I were you reading this.

 

Showing on Mubi.
 

 We have a number of films by Wong Kar Wai in the Criterion queue, and so far have watched a very early one (As Tears Go By).  Next came another early one a much later one.  The Grandmaster is ostensible a kung fu film from 2013.  However, this is the true story of Ip Man, one of the greatest exponents of kung fu (and Bruce Lee's first teacher).  Played perfectly by Tony Leung, the film is artistic in look, quiet in tone and beautifully photographed.  The kung fu fights are still way over the top and too long, but quite toned down from the usual wuxia martial arts films that often come out of Hong Kong.  A bit of Chinese history is given out, too, beginning just before the Japanese invasion previous to WW II.  A great looking film, sensibly paced and with costumes and sets to gawk at, as well as great looking male and female leads.  Highly recommended.

 

Now showing on Criterion. 

 

I'll be back soon.

 

Mapman Mike 

 

December Reading Summary

There were 8 novels completed this past month, one of them a graphic novel.  

From 1985, Bulmer's 121 page novel Omens of Kregen continues the main line of two plots that have been on-going for several volumes now.  Firstly, the battle for freeing Vallia from its enemies from within gets settled, with several key battles being won and the rogue "king" of the northlands vanquished at last.  More importantly is Dray Prescott's return to the lair of the witch Csitra and her evil spawn Phunik.  Dray and Seg join yet another doomed treasure seeking expedition into the hellish cave system of Coup Blag, a trap-laden maze that would challenge the greatest player of the Lara Croft games.  Hardly anyone ever comes out alive, and this expedition is no exception.  At long last, however, the witch is finally dealt with, and Dray now needs to reunite with his own expedition, which was separated when they were attacked on route to the caves.  However, at the very end of the story Dray is recalled to face the anger of the Star Lords.  We will have to wait till next month to see how that encounter turned out.  A good entry in the series, finally closing some of plot lines that have been around for a long while. 

Haven of Darkness is from 1977 and is 173 pages long.  Two story threads eventually intertwine in Tubb's 16th entry in the Earl Dumarest series to form a highly entertaining novel.  The thread with Dumarest is pretty much like so many of his other adventures.  For one thing he starts out on a run down planet with virtual slave labour.  He is being hunted by the Cyclans, and there happens to be one on that planet.  To earn money to hire computer time to find the location of Earth he has a knife fight with a viscous killer.  But we are soon off that planet and en route to another one, again familiarly traveling in a beat up old spacecraft trading goods.  His arrival on planet 2 allows his story to unite with strand number two.  That story features a beautiful woman on the high council of a peaceful planet, but a planet where it is only safe to travel during daylight.  With two suns, a unique event termed Delusia causes hallucinations when they align, and after dark sudden death comes by the mysterious creatures that rule the planet then.  A pact has been arranged between the human daytime inhabitants and the aliens that take over at night.  One man is threatening that pact by attempting a coup.  Dumarest is just in time to put a stop to it.  This story has a different ending; it appears that Dumarest is going to stop off for a time, something that hasn't happened yet in this series.  Perhaps we will learn more about the mysterious deadly night inhabitants in the next story. 

 

Josh Kirby did the cover art for one of the editions. 

 

And now it's on to Delphi Classics!  I keep buying single Kindle novels but I get so engrossed in reading the classics that I seldom have time to consider reading something more contemporary.  So I am limiting myself to four classic authors per month, with any time left over for more recent literature.  We'll see how that works out.

 

First up were the tales of the Brothers Grimm.  The first English translation of the fairy tales was published in 1826, 55 stories in all told by Edgar Taylor.  By no means complete, this first foray into the collection covers most of the basic tales many of us grew up with.  The Cinderella story is the real deal, with the step sisters cutting off a big toe and shaving their heel to fit into the slipper.   Of course at the time the Brothers assumed they were collecting only German stories.  Not till later was it even suspected that most of these tales had origins far beyond Germany and even of Europe, many of them coming to us from the Near East and India.  Many of the tales share similarities, for instance three sons setting out to seek their fortune, with only the youngest succeeding.  We meet many kinds of folk critters, from elves, witches, talking animals, evil step mothers, imps and kindly old people who give magical gifts to the right person.  Having read the complete Joseph Jacobs collections (see the books read blog entry for May 2025), many of these are very familiar in some form or other.  I may not read more into this collection for a while because of this.  Still great fun, mostly for all ages.

 

Next came one of my favourite books from high school reading days.  H Rider Haggard is still a favourite of mine, and his first Ayesha novel, She (1886) is the one that helped start possibly the biggest fictional tradition in literature--the fantasy adventure novel.  Taken up by Edgar Rice Burroughs (whom I read as a youth before I discovered Haggard), and even influential with Tolkien's writing, this remains one of the great adventure novels of all time.  Lasting 28 chapters, the first three are taken up with preparations for a great journey into unexplored East Africa.  Chapter 4 is the great storm that washes the heroes upon the beach, from which they must make their way into the interior, first by small boat, and finally as prisoners.  Chapters 5-10 tells of the adventures they underwent (4 men) in the great swamp that must be crossed, and the terrible fever that ensued for some of them.  We finally meet She herself in chapter 13.  The setting is in an abandoned Kor, a vast group of cities built thousands of years before the Egyptians built their great monuments.  Canals that once reached to the sea and vast hollowed out mountains are only a few of the achievements of this once great society.  It ended in a plague, so that the ruins have not been destroyed by war or natural disaster, but were left to age more naturally.  We are given some information about this ancient society, whose survivors fled and likely founded Egypt.  She herself is 2000 years old when we meet her, and Kor ruled long before her time.  We spend several chapters among these caves and ruins.  One of the more interesting things to come from the novel are the discussions about philosophy and religion that She and Holly, one of the male adventurers, have.  She wins most arguments, as she has had a lot of time to develop her theories of religion and philosophy.  Her reason for wanting to live for so long is so that she can be reunited with the reincarnation of her one true love.  Leo fits the bill nicely, the other main member of the adventurous party.  In chapter 24 the journey to the great life-giving cave is made, and the final chapters tell how Holly and Leo managed to escape their doom, something that Ayesha was unable to do.  She tried to double dip in the flame of life, and things did not go well at all.  Great fun to read, with excellent pictorial descriptions, some lively and interesting dialogue, and main characters not too hard to swallow (compared to many modern fantasy novels).

 

This is the edition I read as a teen. 

 

The Maltese Falcon was first published in 1929.  This was my first reading of the Dashiell Hammett novel.  I had one major problem while reading the book: I could not help hearing Bogart's voice in the part of Sam Spade.  Spade looks nothing like Mr. Bogart, as he is blonde and has features that make him look almost satanic.  But as Bogart speaks many of the same lines, it is his voice I hear.  Same with the fat man, played by Sidney Greenstreet, and the kid, played by Elisha Cook, Jr.  I have seen the film so many times that the actors' voices speak the lines while I read.  The film does a credible job of making the story and characters come alive, too.  A bit more time is spent in the book explaining what exactly the Falcon is, but otherwise things pretty much follow the course of the movie plot.  Of course there are many more subtleties in the book, and it is a must read for lovers of the film.  Hard-boiled detective fiction and Noir film itself owe so much to this very story.  An easy read and great fun!

 

Kwaidan is a series of collected Japanese ghost tales translated and retold by Lafcadio Herne and published in 1904.  Once again we have a top knotch film of the book, or at least some of its stories, this time from 1964.  I will mention a few of the best tales.  The first story, "Mimi-Nashi-Hoichi", is the first story told in the movie version as well.  It is a great story about a blind ballad singer who is requested by a powerful lord to visit his palace and sing of times before his clan was wiped out by enemies.  The film version calls it "Hoichi the Earless," perhaps giving too much of a hint of what is to follow.  An all-time great ghost story.

"O-Tei" tells about a young couple engaged to be married, but the girl dies before it can happen.  She makes him a promise on her death bed, and in a creepy scene manages to fulfill her promise.

"Of A Mirror and a Bell" is somewhat humourous, but "Mujina" returns to the pure horror format, as a man wandering late at night encounters not one but two spirits, either one of which would be enough to destroy a man. 

"Jikininki" tells of  a priest's visit to a village just when their head man had died.  The villagers, by tradition, leave the village for a night, but the priest agrees to remain with the body.  An evil spirit comes and eats the corpse and the food left as offering.  The priest is able to solve the mystery of the hungry ghost, freeing the village from its curse and rescuing the man who had been cursed.

"Rokuro-Kubi" tells of a priest's encounter with five evil spirits who wish him harm.  When their heads separate from their bodies at night he listens in to their conversation and thus learns how to thwart them. The story continues in a bizarre fashion with the head of the lead rogue fastened to the priest's cloak, until a robber takes it from him.

"Yuki-Onna" is another of the filmed stories, this one a winter scene.  A woman in white saves a man from freezing to death during a bad snowstorm, but makes him promise not to ever tell what has happened.  Years later he opens his big mouth and tells his beautiful never-aging wife.  As usual in such fairy tales, there is no penance for the mistake, only sorrow and hardship.

"Aoyagi" tells the sad tale of three willow trees, two old and one quite young.

"The Dream of Akinosuka" takes us deep not only into the dream world, but the story leads to a further discussion of ants.  Yes, ants.  Don't ask yet.  Just read.  This is a pretty good story.

"Horai" is a brief story that reminded me of some Dunsany tales.

The book is rather short, and perhaps to lengthen it enough for publication he includes three essays: Butterflies, Mosquitoes and Ants.  The butterfly chapter discusses butterflies in Chinese and Japanese lore, and is quite fascinating.  A few more tales are included as well.  The mosquito chapter is fairly amusing, as Hearn discusses ways of eliminating the pests, which particularly bother him where he lives.  Then comes the chapter on ants, one of the more unique essays I have ever read.  The author compares ant society to human, wondering if humans will ever learn to work together the way ants do.  A good followup to reading this chapter would be to read T. H. White's 2nd volume in his Arthurian tales, The Queen of Air and Darkness, the darkness referring to life as an ant.  All in all, a most remarkable book, and highly recommended.  Make certain that the three extra chapters are included in the edition read.

 

One of many cover editions of this still popular book. 

 

In 1986 writer Frank Miller collaborated with artists Klaus Janson (inker), Lynn Varley (colorist) and John Constanza (letterer) to create the new and much darker Batman.  Batman: The Dark Knight Returns was a 4 series comic that changed forever the direction that comics would go.  My edition was the 30th anniversary one, with all 4 comics contained within one graphic novel volume.  The comics spawned the new Batman series and spinoffs.  This story features a Bruce Wayne who is now 55 years old and has been out of the loop for some 30 years.  Most civilians have forgotten him or think he was just a myth.  His comeback is at a time when Gotham city is at its lowest, most crime-ridden era.  He is soon joined by a new Robin, a 13 year girl gymnast.  Superman plays a major role in the story, and even Green Arrow makes appearances.  The story is darker than almost anything I have ever read.  Batman is hunted as a cruel vigilante by the police, and public opinion is turned against him.  Gangs of young people calling themselves Sons of Batman roam the streets acting against crime in his name.  The city is a complete mess, and then things get worse.  The Joker escapes prison and goes on a major killing spree.  Superman fights against Russia in a war, but after defeating them they unleash a nuclear bomb, a neutron bomb, that devastates the planet.

Many people still think that Batman is a superhero; he is not, and he has no superpowers.  His inventions are all science based, his luck in escaping dangerous situations is supreme, and he has good help.  But he is human.  I was never much into superheroes in my day.  My comic reading trended towards Tarzan, Conan, Magnus Robot Fighter, and their ilk.  The only other comic I have read on this return of Batman level of literary value and artistic quality has been The Watchmen.  Both graphic novels are well wroth seeking and reading.

 

Finally comes a novel from 2004 (trans. English 2007) by acclaimed Japanese writer Haruki, Murakami called After Dark.  It's a strange novel and hopefully far from the best by this prolific author, whom I am just discovering.  To me it seems like one of those novels that could fool readers into thinking they are reading something profound, when actually it's all rather prosaic with a few puffs of mist and smoke to dazzle us.  A 19 year old girl spends a long Tokyo night in family restaurants.  A young man who barely knows her and her sister invites himself to her table and they talk.  He is a jazz trombone player on his way to an all night practice session.  This meeting leads to most of the other events that occur in the novel, which is fairly short and easy to read.  I find very little to recommend this novel, though it won't stop me from trying a few of his more famous ones, such as Norwegian Wood and The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle.  While it's common for great authors to write works of lesser quality, it's a bit disheartening when one of them is the first one read.  The novel might work for younger readers who are ready to try something different than young adult novels or Harry Potter.  A 19 year old reader could possibly find this novel mysterious and fascinating in so many ways.  But not this old buzzard.

 

I read the Kindle edition. 

 

Sometimes at the end of a month I have a day or two extra, not enough time to begin a new novel.  In the past I have used the Oz stories and other quick reads, or the massive volume of fairy tales by Joseph Jacobs, taking many months to complete.  This month I began reading Stephen J Gould's 8th book of science essays, called Leonardo's Mountain of Clams and The Diet of Worms, compiled in 1998 from monthly articles he writes for Natural History magazine.  In the past I have read some of his earlier collections and found them fascinating and highly readable.  I don't know why I got away from them, but I am happy to be back.  The book is divided into six sections, and I read section 1 which contains three essays.  There is also a long intro by the author.  "The Upwardly Mobile Fossils of Leonardo's Living Earth" discusses how the great thinker discovered the fact that fossils, often found on high mountains, were once beneath the sea.  Leonardo's greatest efforts were towards proving the connection between man and planet, something he worked on till his dying day but never solved.  His fossil discovery, however, proved half of his theory.  Quite a fascinating read.  "The Great Western and the Fighting Temeraire" discusses how technology often progresses at the cost of earlier ways of achieving goals.  But of even greater interest is his discussion of Turner and artists in general, and how they are remembered as compared to great engineers or scientists.  Though a fun argument to read about, Gould forgets the fact that many artists, musicians and writers are totally forgotten today, though were once the talk of the town.  Finally comes "Seeing Eye To Eye, Through a Glass Clearly."  Here he points out how the invention of the aquarium not only popularized the study of sea and lake creatures, but how our point of view affected the study of natural history.  Seeing fish eye to eye was a new perspective and it revolutionized how we study such creatures today.  Before that, scientific illustrations usually showed the sea creatures looking like they do, but washed up on shore or leaping up out of the water.  All three essays make for a fascinating beginning and I look forward to continue with part 2 next month.

 

This painting in the Detroit Institute of Arts by Jan Van Kessel illustrates how water creatures were usually depicted before the invention of the aquarium 

 

Mapman Mike 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Holidays

'Twas the night before Christmas, and all through the house not a creature was stirring, except maybe a mouse.  And the house looked like there had been one hell of a party at Solstice.  Yes, it was another memorable fireside holiday here at the Homestead.  Most unusual was that it was clear skies all day and overnight.  So we were up to see dawn break, then sunrise, and 9 hours later a very fine sunset.  The wood lasted till dusk, and the house was very warm all day.  There was food, fine beverages (with a dark ale theme), gummies, music and more.  The music was Act I to Gotterdammerung, which we will conclude as the holiday goes on.  The Prelude and Act I last for 5 1/2 LP sides!  When completed, we will have played all of the finished operas of Wagner.  This might be our fourth time through The Ring.

 

Deb had her last medical appointment of 2025, a record year for such events.  She had an ultrasound on her kidneys to see how many more stones might be taking up residence there.  We will know more next Monday. 

 

In TV news we just finished a highly interesting and well presented 4-part documentary series called The Victorians: Their Story in Pictures.  Presented by Jeremy Paxman, he takes the works of Victorian era painters to give a concise history of the period.  It is from 2009, but we just discovered it recently on one of our streaming channels.  Highly recommended, Paxman pulls no punches in telling it like it was imagined to be and how it really was.

 

Showing on BBC Select in Canada. 

 

In film news, here is the latest.  We have discovered a new Christmas movie favourite.  Christmas, Again is a 2014 film by American Charles Poekel.  Here is Mubi's blurb:

 

Need an antidote to the too-often terrible sub-genre of Christmas movies? Look no further than Charles Poekel’s debut: A gem that ignores the schlocky, capitalist veneer of holiday culture, but rather attends to the emotional and economic nuances brought about by the wintry, consumerist season.

 

A young man who lost recently lost his girlfriend (we are given no details) is back for the 5th year selling live trees for Christmas on a New York City corner.  Most of the film takes place on the corner or within the trailer used for sleep and warming.  We meet his business partners, a male/female pair that take the 12 hour day shift, while he manages the 12 hour night shift.  The film is mostly quiet, sometimes funny but mostly not.  Well acted and surprisingly engaging, I can easily recommend it.

 

Showing on Mubi. 

 

As Tears Go By is an early film (1988) by Wong Kar-Wai.  It tells the story of three gangster brothers who try to survive in a low life part of Kowloon.  Violence, revenge, and macho stupidity dominate the lives of most characters, though the older brother does have redeeming qualities.  His main problem is middle brother, a reckless tear-away.  When a female cousin from the island stays overnight with him to easier access hospital medical tests, his life begins to change.  Despite her good influence, however, he can't seem to break from his past life (middle brother again and again).  The ending seems to echo the message of many noir and crime films: crime doesn't really pay.  The tragic ending is expected.  Not a great film, but impressive enough for a debut feature.  Lots of forgettable pop music included.

 

Now showing on Mubi. 

 

The Last Mile (1932) begins as a hard and heart-rending look at 8 men on death row.  They are housed in separate cells in one room, and can't even see each other, though they do develop relationships between them.  The main character is a rather meek mother's boy who was wrongly convicted of murder and is due to be electrocuted soon.  The second half changes gears completely, as the prisoners, led by a brutish man called "Killer", manage to get hold of a guard's gun and keys.  Though trapped in the cell room, they engage in gunfights with guards.  They get killed off one by one until only the innocent man remains alive.  A stark drama indeed.  From a play by John Wexley.

 

From our vast DVD collection. 

 

Happy Holidays to everyone who reads this!

 

Mapman Mike 

 

 

Isaac Asimov's Foundation Trilogy: An Apple TV Event

Winter is taking a brief respite today and tomorrow.  It's been cold.  How cold?  So far this season we have already had 16 days where the temp did not go above 0 C.  Some years we don't get that many cold days in an entire winter!  And it's still Autumn for another few days.  Often we don't get any until early to mid-January.  So it has been cold, though mostly snowless.  We've had an inch here and a half inch there, but not enough to ski or toboggan.  It's mostly gone now, and it will rain tomorrow.

Solstice preparations are made as we await the big event.  Hopefully we will see a sunrise and a sunset, though it's a very cloudy time of year over here.  Special food was brought in last night, and I only have one more small log to chop into firewood for the all day fire.  Aside from food and drink there will be music, this year the opera "Gotterdammerung", Act 1.  We'll hear Act 2 New Years Eve, and Act 3 at the full moon just after that date.  There might be some gaming, too.  Deb bought a new board game recently, adding to our already vast collection.  "Classic Art" is for 2-5 people.  More about it after we've played it.  We also have a Carcassonne tournament in progress, with Deb ahead 3 games to 2 in our best of 7 series.

 

With a lack of medical appointments of late we've been able to stay home a lot.  As a result the piano pieces are nearly ready for prime time, and Deb has been progressing with her latest film.  Tomorrow is actual filming day.  Yours truly will be the camera man for some of it.  My foot still bothers me, but slowly improves.  I am walking about 4 miles per week on the treadie just now, increasing the distance ever so slowly.  On soft ground I can walk for much longer, but on pavement I am still quite limited.

 

In film news there are three to report, before getting on to Foundation.  We watched Bi Gan's 2nd feature film, called Long Days Journey Into Night.  From 2018, here is the blurb from Criterion:

 

Bi Gan’s dazzling sophomore feature is a hallucinatory, noir-tinged stunner about a lost soul (Huang Jue) on a quest to find a missing woman from his past (Tang Wei). Following leads across Guizhou province, he crosses paths with a series of colorful characters, among them a prickly hairdresser played by Taiwanese superstar Sylvia Chang. When the search leads him to a dingy movie theater, the film launches him—and us—into an epic, gravity-defying sequence, an immersive, hour-long odyssey through a labyrinthine dreamscape that ranks as one of the true marvels of modern cinema. China’s biggest art-house hit of all time, LONG DAY’S JOURNEY INTO NIGHT confirms Bi as one the most daring and exciting auteurs working today. 

 

Deb really took to the film, while I remain a bit cool towards it.  The photography is amazing, as are the locations used.  I liked his first film more than this one, though I would certainly watch this again.  We are anxious to see his 3rd and latest film, now out in a few theatres, called Ressurection.

 

Now showing on Criterion, along with his first film Kaili Blues. 

 

Only The River Flows is a Chinese film from 2023, directed by Wei Shujun.  The Criterion caption:

 

When a woman’s body washes up on the shore in small-town China in the 1990s, the local chief of police, Ma Zhe (Zhu Yilong), is tasked with leading the investigation. An obvious suspect leads to a hasty arrest, though the mystery lingers in Ma Zhe’s mind. What kind of darkness is truly at play here? As torrents of rain envelop the town, Ma Zhe will be drawn to the edge of madness in pursuit of truth. Both a tantalizing cinematic puzzle and a sharp-edged portrait of provincial paranoia, Wei Shujun’s ultra-atmospheric, retro-stylized noir captures the pulpy proceedings in gritty, textured film grain that goes beyond period recreation to fully evoke the look and feel of a bygone era.

 

I liked the film for its portrayal of a cop who is psychologically damaged by the case he is on.  With more bodies piling up then in an episode of Morse, each twist of the plot causes the detective to go a bit further off the deep end.  By the finish he is hallucinating and having lucid dreams, in one of which he shoots the murderer four times.  When he tells his superior that he has shot the criminal, he is asked to empty his gun.  It is still full of bullets. He is also having some domestic issues, with he pregnant wife having a good chance of delivering a seriously damaged child.  The scene with the cold and time-pressed female doctor is only one unforgettable scene among many.  Again situated far from the capital or well known Chinese city, the climate can only be described as horrendous, as heavy rains occur almost daily.  Well worth catching for crime film fans.

 

Now showing on Criterion. 

 

Mariner of the Mountains is a Brazil/France film from 2021 by Karim Anouiz.  His father came from a mountain village in Algeria and his mother from Brazil.  He was born in Algeria, but left when very young with his mother to Brazil.  Dad was supposed to follow but never did.  He now lives in France.  Karim travels from Marseilles to Algiers by boat, exploring the city for his first time.  Then he moves on to his father's village where he meets some relatives.  This is a very personal documentary about one man's search for his roots, and really doesn't involve us very much.  Having said that, the photography of Algiers and the few villages we visit, including many of the people, is nothing less than transcending.  Far from being a travelogue, many of the images are memorable and the people photogenic.  We do for a time feel as if we are a silent partner on this journey, though we eventually get left behind.  At its root it is a home movie of a man's search for part of himself, though of course it is much more than that.  Well worth catching if you have wished to visit Algiers (my hand gets raised).

 

Now showing on Mubi. 

 

Lastly, we have watched 5 episodes of Apple TV's Foundation series, based on the 3 volumes of stories and novellas by Isaac Asimov.  I read the series in late high school years, when I was devouring everything "trilogy".  I remember practically nothing about the books except that I quite liked it.  So a reread is obviously in order.  There are three seasons worth of TV viewing (a 4th is in the works), ten episodes per season, and about an hour per episode.  We have traveled through 5 hours of 30 so far, being halfway through Season One.  It is big budget stuff, having to match effects with Rings of Power and Game of Thrones.  Of course it is all dead serious stuff, with some recreational sex thrown in, I suppose, to lighten the mood.  It doesn't help much.  Even the sex is too serious.  The current Foundation (all humans--no aliens in the books) is ruled by clones of the original Emperor: one is older and has passed power over to the middle clone, with a young one on hand to watch things for when it is his turn.  These clones have offered nothing new in hundreds of years and the society, especially in the outer regions of the planetary collective, is growing restless and resistive.  So we have terrorists attacking the Empire, which rules mostly by fear and punishment.  Watching the terrorists take down the Empire so easily makes one wonder how they have been able to have control for so long.  Two bombs and the miles high sky bridge that leads into orbit is destroyed, and later one shot from a space canon takes down a massive Empire warship.  Though the upcoming fall of the Empire has been mathematically proved, it is mostly disbelieved.  However, a 2nd Foundation is being set up to try and help survivors when the first Foundation does crumble.  So far its pretty good, especially in the looks department.  As I don't recall the Asimov version I can't say right now how close the books are being followed.  We will, at the very least, finish off Season One.

 

We are halfway through Season One. 

 

Mapman Mike

 

 

 

 

A Very Early Winter

Snow, cold, wind.  It arrived more than a month early this year.  We appear to be having our January instead of December.  Currently hovering just above freezing, that will once again change overnight to some pretty severe cold for this part of the south.  There have been a few pretty nice sunsets, however, and before all the leaves came tumbling down there were some lovely scenes from the garden.  But now it's just harsh winter, though in a week it looks as if we may return to more seasonal weather, just in time for Solstice.

 

One of those sunsets we see from our southwest window. 

 

We have had snow on the ground since late November.  The leaves are now long gone. 

 

Last week I had a chance to play my newest piano program on Dr. Seski's Fazioli piano.  There were a few memory spots that needed brushing up.  Tomorrow I take the program to Chatham to play them on Jim P.'s 9' Steinway!  Though it's much less stressful to play on one's own instrument, by playing pieces on a different piano one quickly learns how to adapt to different situations.  For example, the treble range of the Fazioli is not as powerful as my Yamaha, but the bass notes are stronger.  So balance is a problem that has to be adjusted for each and every piece.  Similar problems will arise tomorrow on the Steinway, not to mention that each piano has a totally different touch to it, and subtleties of expression must be adjusted second by second as one plays.  In short, if the pieces come off pretty well on a different piano, then they should be easier to play afterwards on the home instrument.  I will try and get a few photos tomorrow; I completely forgot to take some of the Fazioli.

 

Deb took her first injection today of her new RA drug.  It is a very expensive drug, costing just over $1000.00 each month, and is self administered bi-weekly.  First time went well.  Two months will tell her how well it is working.  The previous drug, taken as a daily pill, worked well for her RA symptoms, but seemed to cause her shortness of breath to worsen and her dry cough to increase.

 

In movie news there are three to report.  Kaili Blues is a Chinese film from 2015 and directed by Bi Gan.  Fascinating in its own way, it takes us to a region of China few westerners have seen or heard about.  With good reason.  It is a damp sub topical climate, and the outlying villages appear to be very poor and badly built.  Grey crumbling concrete dominates the architectural landscape, and people live inside very run down housing, doing business from very run down storefronts.  The plot, such as it is, serves mostly to take us deep into the river valley and forest where people form a nearly continuous population up and down the river.  We are not in Kaili City for long, as one of two brothers leaves to find his young nephew, whom his younger brother was going to sell.  Instead, a friend took the boy away and put him in school, but the uncle wants to raise him and goes in search.  The film is noted for a continuous tracking shot of just over 40', and it is a remarkable deep dive into the lives of poorer people living along the river, seemingly far away from modern civilization.  We have one more film of Bi Gan to watch, as this one has piqued our interest.  A very offbeat film, and easy to watch for the most part.  Very little happens except people living their lives.  The young generation of males appears to be completely lost to the world.

 

Now showing on Criterion. 

 

Before that came Silvia Prieto, a 1999 film from Argentina.  Billed as a deadpan comedy, it does have its moments.  Silvia decides to abruptly change her life, and quits using cannabis and leaves her barista job.  She buys a canary but doesn't want one that sings.  She discovers that there is another Silvia Prieto in Buenos Aires and feels compelled to contact and meet with her.  At times the film is brutally cold, with characters not showing much emotion.  At other times we simply watch in wonder as Silvia gets a temporary job handing out free powdered soap samples with another woman her age.  They end up dating each other's ex-husbands.  The final shot of the movie is a bizarre documentary section that gathers several women together in a living room, all of them named Silvia Prieto, and we hear a bit about each of their lives.   Not a great film, and seemingly as pointless as the lives of the characters within it, though it does have a few sparkling moments.

 

Now showing on Mubi. 

 

Before that came an even more rambling and pointless film, though this one was a bit more fun to watch.  92 in the Shade is a 1975 film directed by (and written by) Thomas McShane.  What makes this one fun to watch is the cast.  The film stars Peter Fonda, Warren Oates, Margot Kidder, Harry Dean Stanton, Elisabeth Ashley and Burgess Meredith.  Fonda wants to run a fishing guide business in Florida, but he runs into problems with Oates, just released from jail, who doesn't want the competition.  After they play a mean trick on Fonda, he blows up Oates' fishing boat to even the score.  Fonda is good in the role of a young man trying to wiggle his way into the world, while Burgess Meredith is hilarious as his off-his-rocker grandfather.  Of the two endings filmed at the time we saw the one where Oates gets his ultimate revenge on Fonda.  In the unseen ending they both end up becoming friends.  Not recommended, but if you do see it it's good enough to sit through once.

 

Leaving Criterion Dec. 31st. 

 

Mapman Mike

 

 

 

More Doctors and More Movies

In weather news, it's way too cold, December or not.  Today's high was a sunny 24 F.  Of course we had to drive all over the place, too.  And there is still a lot of road construction, which should have ended a month ago.  Tonight's full moon is called The Cold Moon.  No kidding.

 

First stop today was Deb's rheumatologist.  Deb has been having some significant side effects to her new RA meds.  So she is now off that one and we are on to a biologic drug, which will have to be self-injected every two weeks.  After that we went to see her heart specialist, following up on some tests from a few weeks ago.  All clear on the heart front.  Deb is now free of medical appointments for almost three weeks, when she gets an ultra-sound to see if any more kidney stones are in the works.

 

After the two medical appointments we went to Best Buy.  Our brand new computer has been in for repair almost since the day we bought it back in early October.  Today they gave us a brand new one, since the previous one could not be repaired (?).  We will get it going over the weekend.

 

In an update to my foot problem, which has kept me from walking since last June, things are on the upswing.  I had another radioactive test to determine if I had any kind of bone infection.  As I have heard nothing from my GP, I will assume there is no infection.  On Wednesday I went to a foot care nurse in A'burg who managed to free me from a painful ingrowing toenail.  She seemed to think that the impact from last June jammed my toenail back into my foot.  She took care of that in about 20 minutes and I am already feeling much better.  We'll see how the treadmill walking goes tomorrow, but I am feeling confident that things are finally on the mend.  On Monday I will see my new GP.  Dr. Shen is Deb's physician and he has agreed to take me on as a patient since my doctor moved much farther away from me.  Medical news now complete.

 

In movie news there are four to report.  First come two films from one of my DVD classic films pack.  Giants of Rome is from 1964, a sword and sandal film set in the Punic wars.  Four hand picked soldiers (and a young kid stowaway) are tasked with taking out an enemy secret weapon (a giant fire throwing catapult), leading up to the famous Battle of Alesia.  Julius Caesar is under great pressure to win this one for Rome, and that pressure is transferred to the four warriors.  This is a pretty good adventure film, as the four are captured and imprisoned, break out and are then pursued by the enemy.  The climatic scene sees the weapon destroyed and Caesar marches on to victory.  Mixing actual history with fiction works pretty well in this case.

 

From my classic 50 DVD collection "Warriors." 

 

From the same collection, and also a pretty decent film for its day, comes Herod The Great, from 1959.  Herod was a cruel leader unloved by his people, and when he joins forces against Rome with Anthony and Cleopatra, his doom appears to be sealed.  But he sets out to meet his conqueror, Augustus, to convince him that he, Herod, is a valuable man to keep Rome's interests at heart back in his kingdom.  He is allowed to live and serve Rome.  Here on in it becomes a film more related to Othello, as his best friend is tortured for being unfaithful,and his wife is stoned to death.  All this happens as a famous "star" appears in the heavens, and news of the birth of a new king of Judea is announced.  Realizing that he has erred, Herod dies.  Not a great film ,but it does have its moments, and Edmund Purdom as Herod is quite good in the role.

 

From my classic 50 DVD collection "Warriors." 

 

We got to see one more Johnnie To film before they left Criterion.  Throw Down is from 2004 and is the director's hommage to Kurosawa, a director whom he reveres.  Watching a Chinese film about Judo (a Japanese martial art) can be a bit disconcerting, but this is a really fun film to watch.  Filled with humour, some incredible Judo matches (I studied Judo for a year before giving it up for Karate), it is a film without gun play, though there is plenty of action.  The three main characters consist of a young Judo expert who wishes to fight against one of the greats, though that person has fallen into gambling and alcohol addiction.  The third character is a young female singer trying hard to make it in Hong Kong.  The three characters are totally different, but they somehow bond.  There are several scenes which can be called classic ones, including the opening scene when the young girl is getting thrown out of her apartment for not paying rent; the all out Judo fight in the bar; and the scene near the end involving a red balloon.  Pretty much a terrific film, and recommended.

 

 

Throw Down, a Johnnie To film that left Criterion Nov. 30th. 

 

Lastly comes a restored version of a 1988 film from Turkey.  From the Mubi website:

 

Eleven-year-old Yekta lives in a crumbling island mansion with her strict aunts and ailing grandfather, yearning for her absent mother. As dreams and surreal visions shape her solitude, she sets out in search of a mythical seagull with a child’s head.

A cult hit in Turkey, Reha Erdem’s poetic and surreal first feature was impressively shot on an ultra-low budget yet is entirely virtuosic. Loosely based on an Istanbul myth, and shot on black and white film, with Oh, Moon! Erdem proved both his resourcefulness and his lucid cinematic vision.

 

This is a spellbinding b & w film that relates images of angels with only heads and wings, often seen in Baroque paintings, to a young girl's search for her long dead mother.  Offbeat does not begin to tell the tale here.  There are four main characters, which include the girl, her two aunts, and an older young man who for a time befriends the girl.  He is also a photographer searching for "the bird with wings and a baby's head."  A fifth character is an old man, the caretaker at an abandoned monastery, who witnesses the final ascension of the girl on the hilltop where the monastery sits.  Largely set in a crumbling and lonely mansion, the film borders on surreal at times, and at others gives unsettling views of loneliness and disconnectedness.  With its startling ending, almost echoing Picnic at Hanging Rock, this is a must film for those that love unusual but highly watchable classic films.

 

Oh Moon is currently showing on Mubi. 

Mapman Mike