Death In Family

Despite this being a family friendly blog, I seldom talk about my family.  However, I do think of them a lot.  One of my two surviving aunts passed away yesterday, sister to my mother.  The Whitehead clan (my mother's maiden name) consisted of my grandfather, William, born in Newcastle, England, and Maes, with roots in French Canada, and their seven children.  Evelyn died when only a few weeks old.  Jack was killed in WW2, on a Lancaster bombing mission that went wrong.  Jimmy was killed in a car accident south of Sudbury.  Jimmy was only six years older than me, and was much more like a brother than an uncle.  He lived with us in Sudbury for a time, attending the same school as me.  He introduced me to SF, fantasy (Lord of the Rings, among others), intelligent board games, music, films, Tarzan, and a host of topics that kept us having discussions late into many a night.  He died when I was in 4th year of university Music, and he was just starting out as a lawyer.  That was the same year my dad had his major heart attack.  It was a rough year for me, and the family.

That death was back in 1979.  Since then, the four remaining Whiteheads, 3 sisters and a brother, have survived.  The girls were Jacqueline, Pauline, and Geraldine (the latter being my mother).  Bill is the lone male survivor.  Though at different times of my life I was close to all of them, and they treated me often as their own child, I have been out of contact with Jacqueline for a while now.  I saw her briefly two years ago when I was in Sudbury, but not since then.  Jacqueline passed away peacefully yesterday, well into her 90s.  I have not seen the obit yet, but will try and publish it here soon.  Husband Mike passed away several years ago.  Richard and Sandra are my two cousins, surviving children of Jacqueline and Mike.  At one time, Jimmy, Ricky, and me were like the three musketeers, growing up together, though all different ages.  Ricky fell between me and Jimmy in ages.  I was the youngest, and always got the benefits of hanging out with the older guys.  Many were the sleepovers with either or both of them, and our adventures at Lake Penage are too numerous to mention.

I have a number of films to report on, though that can wait a bit.  I had the pleasure of two clear nights, last Sunday and Monday, though both were very, very damp affairs.  Still, the skies were clear and I got some decent work done in my 7 hours total of observing time.  The weather has changed suddenly, to cold and very wet.  Halloween night promises to be totally miserable, though we will be cozy by the fire.  A major Tarot reading is in store for us, along with all kinds of treats.  We baked two pumpkin pies tonight, part of the celebration of Samhain.  Speaking of fires, we tried something new tonight.  We usually roast coffee outside on the table on the back deck.  But now that the temperatures are too cold for outdoor roasting, we tried an indoor roast.  We put the little roaster on a foil roast pan, inside the fire place.  It vented perfectly, and the beans roasted even better than outside!  So for the first time, we can roast our own coffee beans year round.  Not only is it cheaper than buying good beans, but the flavour is much better, and we get to choose the type of coffee, which is nearly limitless.

It's time for another autumn landscape from the DIA.  I will dedicate this painting, an absolute favourite of mine, to my aunt Jacqueline.  Though she would have never seen it, I know exactly what her reaction would have been if she had.  Rest In Peace, Auntie! 

 Kaaterskill Falls, 1871.  Oil on canvas.  Sanford Robinson Gifford, American, 1823-1880.

Unframed it is 14" x 12".  Detroit Institute of Arts. 

I'll try to catch up with our film watching soon.  And my end of the month literature summary is coming up soon, too.  But I haven't even finished my astronomy notes, yet.

Mapman Mike

A Day In The County

Specifically, we went to Kingsville, billed as Canada's most southerly town.  Tuesday and Wednesday were both sunny days (but cloudy nights), but the wind was too strong to lure me outside much.  Some yard clean up continues, though nothing too strenuous.  Thursday was a lovely day, so we finally had an outing in Essex County.  It has been postponed since early September.  I have a beer passport (purchased for $25) that gets me a flight of samples from many breweries in the city and county.  Three of them are in Kingsville, so I managed to get one new stamp.

We ate lunch downtown there at a cafe with several vegan options.  We had soup, and split an order of gnocchi.  We had enough gnocchi to bring home for dinner.  Next we went down to the lake, where the town has a large, beautiful park right on the lake (Erie).  We walked around a bit, took some photos, enjoyed the beautiful weather and hazy sunshine, then headed back downtown for coffee (and beer).  The Banded Goose Brewery is also home to a coffee lounge, so we hit two geese with one stop.  Kingsville is the home to Jack Miner, which is now a bird sanctuary, so there is a lot of goose related stuff in town.

I had a four serving sampler.  It would normally have cost around $12, nearly half of my passport price.  But the flight was complimentary.  Their samples are 7 oz imperial, so there was a lot of ale to drink.  It took me awhile, but I managed.  I also left the premises with a very large can of one of their offerings I hadn't yet tried.  I'm saving it for Samhain.

 Two shots of Lake Erie, into the Sun, from Kingsville.

Different location.  Same lake, same Sun.

One of three craft taprooms in downtown Kingsville.  The Banded Goose is also a cafe, serving Chance coffee.

Looking out.  Another brewery taproom sits right across the street.  A new one is opening soon nearby.

Our table overlooks the brewing tanks.  French press coffee has arrived; the beer is on its way.

Two of my four samples:  the ginger beer, and the coffee one.

Tap list.  I had Kicka Ginger, Purple Haze, Brain Damage, and Cool Beanz.  I took home an enormous can of The Quaker Oatmeal Stout.  

We have a trip to Detroit planned next week, to visit a brand new brewery, as well as a viewing of the Day of the Dead exhibit at the DIA.  The excitement never stops around here.

Deb's movie pic this week was a 1968 cult movie called Girl On A Motorcycle.  Marianne Faithful isn't hard to look at when she was 22 years old.  Neither is Alain Delon at 33 years.  But there isn't much more to do than that when watching this film.  Marianne rides her motorcycle a lot, and we see her get up early, sneak off from her teacher/husband, and go to Heidelberg to meet her lover.  Since she has flashbacks on her journey from France to Germany, we often see her travelling there, over and over.  Some of the photography is quite lovely.  But then comes the inevitable psychedelic patterns over scenes of her riding, making love, and even skiing.  Though it is a drug-free movie (except for alcohol and tobacco), I'm guessing that the director expected lots of high audience members, so he tried to accommodate them.  Or something.  Well, anyway, Marianne sure is pretty, and Alain is really handsome.

One of many posters for the film.  Now showing on Criterion.  

And speaking of Criterion, this is film festival weekend!  My choice this time, and I have picked three Val Lewton b & w classics.  More later.

Mapman Mike

Election is Over: Huzzah!

It's been pretty quiet around the Homestead since our return from Kalamazoo.  Deb is deeply involved with her series 2 films, using brand new software.  I continue to practice piano, read, and pretend I'm an amateur astronomer.  It began clear on Sunday evening, but after 90 minutes I was forced to close down due to incoming clouds (not predicted).  It's been very cloudy since, and doesn't look promising for the rest of the session, either.  Perhaps one upcoming night, but I'll believe it when I experience it.  I literally spend more time preparing what to see than actually observing.

Our election is over and done with for now, even as Brexit and Trump doings drag on elsewhere.  We are fortunate that things, for now, continue to run somewhat smoothly and normally.  I am happy that the election phone calls will stop, and the signs will be gone from lawns.  We voted early Monday morning, getting right up to our poll with no delay.  Right afterwards we went to Tecumseh where Deb had her bi-monthly infusion.  All is well.  Next up are flu shots.

The listening program went through the 75s tonight.  Haydn's Symphony #75 was up first.  Gustav the Cat loves Haydn, as do I.  He is the perfect everyday composer, with just the right balance of art, beauty, emotion, craft, and good taste, something we should all experience every day of our lives.  Brahms' duets Op 75 were up next, four short songs based on very different poetry.  #1 was based on a very old Scottish ballad, and was a highlight, and the last, Walpurgis Night, is a classic poem and beautifully handled by Brahms as a song. Last came Britten's Op 75, written in 1965 for the 20th anniversary of the UN.  He took quotes about peace from many different sources and wrote a gentle piece for choirs and organ.

Getting back to my landscape painting project from the DIA, thoughts turn to Venice this time, and a great painting from Canaletto, who specialized in Venetian scenes.  His portrayal of the famous piazza takes some liberties with what one can see all at once, but it is an accurate description of the space before Napoleon did some renovations and alterations.

 The Piazza San Marco, Venice, ca 1736-67, Canaletto.

Oil on canvas, 29" x 47".  Detroit Institute of Arts.

 Detail of central area.  

We did conclude season one of Carnival Row.  Not much to say about it, except that the creators seemed to take their story ideas from Game of Thrones, or at least their overall outlook.  It is a dismal existence for most people, especially anyone with wings or horns.  Anyway, I survived, and am not really looking forward to Season Two, if there is one.  It's a Prime original, and if the look of the show is anything to go by, then the upcoming Tolkien production (now filming in nNew Zealand) should be at least as spectacular.

Tonight we watched Padre Padrone, a film from from 1977, by the Taviani brothers.  From an autobiography by Gavino Ledda, it was published only in 1974.  Medieval times carried on in parts of Italy well in the 20th C., and this bizarre film takes us to many places and situations we wish we had never seen nor heard of.  In that sense, it is unforgettable.  Somehow the author managed to not only survive such a brutal and empty upbringing (a lonely shepherd, terrorized and beaten by his father), but to transcend it and return to accept not what happened to him, but to acknowledge his roots in the landscape where he spent so many years.  The film won the Palme d'Or from Cannes that year.  Brutally honest and unflinching, there are moments when one wonders how Ledda managed to survive, and eventually to soar, above his upbringing.  With a father like his, who needs Satan.

 

Tonight's Criterion film. 

There are two more films available by the directors, as well as a 50 minute documentary about them.  Right now, I need some time off from the Tavianis.

Mapman Mike 

Kalamazoo via Amtrak

Let's just say that I like Kalamazoo a lot more than Amtrak.  The service between Detroit and Chicago (called the Michigan Wolverine) is the least on-time service that Amtrak runs.  Trains are never on time, and often very late.  This is mostly due to congestion in and out of Chicago.  Our Tuesday morning train departed 30 minutes late.  After Dearborn there are only 3 more stops before Kalamazoo, and there are times when the train is going 175 km/hr.  But there are many speed zones where the train still has to inch across the landscape, especially in urban areas.  So we arrived 30 minutes late.

Our first stop was Bell's Brewery, quite close to the station, where we spent some happy moments drinking their darker ales.  We have visited here once before, many years ago.  The restaurant has greatly expanded, and so has their tap list.  They are one of my favourite breweries, even though they have no Detroit footprint.

 Overview of the bar at Bell's, Kalamazoo, MI.

 That's a lot of taps.  We tried five in 5 oz. servings.

 My four sit on the board.  Deb tried the Porter, in behind.

 There are large and colourful stained glass windows in the pub.

 The moose antlers are real, and attached to the glass. 

In addition to several of the finest ales in the world, their food is pretty good, too.  I had grilled mushrooms over rice, which was really tasty and complimented the dark ales I was drinking.  Deb had a spicy tofu Thai peanut noodle thingy, which was crammed with tofu.

Afterwards we crossed the street to a cool little cafe, called Water St. Cafe.  Kalamazoo is one of those smaller cities that still has active rail lines passing every which way through the city, and things seem to peak near the cafe.  Their coffee is really good, and they also offer vegan food and treats.  We split a scone before heading to our hotel.

 A train rumbles through the center of an active pub and cafe area of Kalamazoo. 

 Water Street Cafe. 

Our hotel, the downtown Comfort Inn, was a one mile walk from the station/pub area.  It is a pleasant enough walk, passing right through the center of the small downtown.  Decorated for Day of the Dead and Halloween, there were dressed up skeletons everywhere, and giant spiders atop clocks and other fixtures.  We rested for a time at the hotel, before heading out on the town.  I had been looking forward to visiting a brewery right next to the hotel, but it was closed, permanently.  Not to worry, as there was another one only a block away!

We visited Saugatuck Brewing, and then went to Tibbs Brewery, before moving on to Central City Taphouse for even more ales (for me) and dinner.  Nearly half their taps were beers from Belgium, and I nearly died and nearly went to Heaven!  By this time I was becoming pleasantly pickled, so I only had three 5 oz glasses.  Details below.

 Bright and cheerful Saugatuk Brewing Co., lying close to our hotel, features floor to ceiling windows on two and half sides.  I found three ales I was interested in, all on the lighter side.

 I had the great pleasure to drink two masterpieces of nano-brewing at Tibbs.  Pumped Up Pumpkin was my first such ale of the season, and will likely remain the best of the bunch.  I also had Ben Jonesin', an outstanding Chocolate Toffee Porter.  I get goose bumps thinking of those two!

 The bar at Tibbs.

 The beer board at Tibbs.  I had the top two choices, 5 oz servings.

 Part of the tap list at Central City Taphouse.  I had a German Weissbock, which was totally incredible, and a Belgian Quad worth dying for.  After dinner I finished up with a local brew, Gose from Bell's named after a Walt Whitman poem called "The Prairie Grass Dividing."

More taps! 

We had Jackfruit Tacos for dinner at Central City Taphouse before the mile or so trek back to our hotel.  I felt very little pain on the way back.  Speaking of pain, I was in pain for some of this journey.  The night before we left I threw my back out, simply by bending down to pick up a cat dish from the floor.  I was in level 9 or 10 pain for about 10 minutes.  The trip was nearly cancelled, but I was considerably better by morning.  It still hurts tonight, but not too badly.

Next morning we checked out, and by 11:30 am were browsing a downtown antique mall.  Deb bought a Shakespeare action figure, a model 1950s convertible car, and a tiny gun and holster.  Look for them in a new animation feature soon.

Deb hangs out with a friend in downtown Kalamazoo. 

 It was a Tuesday night, and not very wild.  

Then, action figure in tow, we went to Shakespeare's Pub, very close to the train station, to spend an afternoon drinking ale (me), and gaming.  We had brought Carcassonne, and a Middle Earth: The Wizards card game.  We were at the pub for about five hours.  It was cold, windy, damp, and we didn't feel like walking around, so we stayed put.  Great beer, and some great food.  And Callie the waitress took great care of us!  I had two flights, one of all pumpkin ales, as well as a 10 oz glass of Atwater's VJP.

The train from Chicago arrived in Kalamazoo to take us home, but it was 90 minutes late.  As we finally approached our station in Dearborn, the train suddenly stopped (in its tracks).  Then all the power went out, except the emergency lights.  Five minutes later, an announcement came on.  The crew had finished their shift, and were not allowed to work any longer.  So we waited for a new crew to arrive, and the old one to depart.  We finally chugged into the station two hours late.  Good ol' Amtrak.  We were home by around 10:40 pm, instead of 8:40.

Kalamazoo Amtrak station, beautifully restored, is halfway between two great cities.  Kalamazoo isn't half bad itself.  

Our train travel was covered by Amtrak points we had saved up from previous travel, and the hotel was free on points, too.  It was fun, but I'm pretty certain we will drive next time.  Today Deb had to get her regular blood work done, then we went for groceries.  Home for lunch, then Deb went back into town for her haircut.  A busy gal.

As for me, I managed a full two hour practice.  Astronomy season begins tomorrow night, and it appears as if it might be clear (but cold).  Be still my beating heart!

Tonight we watched Carol Reed's unique and fascinating film, "The Third Man."  Joseph Cotton plays an American pulp writer offered a job by his best friend in post-war Vienna.  Incredible b & w photography, great story and acting, and a creepy Orson Welles as Harry Lime, a criminal that only an intelligent and beautiful woman could love.  Well, perhaps that is one weakness in the story.  How she could still love this guy after what he did is not really very believable.  Anyway, we had not seen it in many years, and Criterion Channel had a pristine print.  Excellent film, and we recognized several parts of Vienna, despite the aftermath of the bombing.

Signing off for now, this is 

Mapman Mike

Canadian Thanksgiving Weekend

This weekend used to be the first long weekend of the teaching year, and greatly looked forward to.  Though autumn temps have arrived, our trees are just beginning to turn.  Overall, though, it's still like an Irish spring here, with things remaining very green.  We just had the most perfect week of October weather one could ever wish for--sunny days, warm (near 70 F), with clear, cool nights (bright moon, of course), and a feeling that winter might not ever come.  We had a fun day today, which began with cappuccinos and home made french toast.  There was no gaming, but I practiced a bit, and we roasted two batches of coffee beans, as the temperature just managed to clear 60 F today.  For dinner we had a seitan roast, which was delicious, along with potatoes, carrots, and mushroom gravy.  For dessert there was pumpkin pie with coconut whipped cream.  Sinfully delicious!  I also managed to enjoy a very large bottle of pale ale from a Windsor brewery!  In the evening we had a wood fire, our 2nd of the season.  And we listened to Britten's Op. 74, Songs and Proverbs based on poems by William Blake.  Tyger, The Fly, and Sunflower are now among my favourite pieces of music.  Good times.

Speaking of breweries, while beer in North America is probably better than in England these days (quite a change from when we first used to travel there), there is still no substitute for a proper English pub.  It is something I miss dearly, often wishing there was a nice little local I could walk to every day.  There is nothing in our area.  When we walk from home, there is no destination to reach.  We walk around the houses in our area, then return home.  There is a field and a pond, but no pub.  This is an image of a pub I have never visited in England, but would love to next time.  It is not far from Leigh On Sea, a place we visited on a recent visit.

 Website photo of the Golden Lion Pub, near Rochford Station.  Someday.... 

We have now watched five depressing episodes of "Carnival Row," the dark but somewhat delicious series showing on Amazon Prime.  And last night we watched Terry Gilliam's  Time Bandits, co-written with and starring Michael Palin (and John Cleese as a very funny Robin Hood).  It had been many years since last seen.  Some parts of this movie are among the funniest things ever filmed.  The ending, though,  is quite poor, and the lack of any female lead character is a bit weird, but overall it is quite fun to sit and watch (again).

Recently watched on Criterion Channel.  Incidentally, Sean Connery makes a totally convincing and amazing Agamemnon. 

We have a short trip coming up this week, by train.  We had Amtrak points that needed using, so we are off to Kalamazoo MI for two days and a night.  It takes about 90 minutes to get there from Dearborn station, and the hotel (also acquired with points) is also right downtown.  As is one of my favourite breweries/pubs (Bells).

And now, time for an autumn painting from the DIA.  I have so many favourites, and more great autumn pictures to come...

Indian Summer, 1866.  Jasper Cropsey, American.  Oil on canvas, 53" x 95".  It's a big one!

 Detail, left side.

 Detail, right side.

 Detail, lower center. 

Before signing off, a quick word about my piano program memorization.  I wanted to have all pieces memorized that were going to be performed that way inside my head by Thanksgiving.  Well, they are in there!  Ideally, I would now start playing a few of them here and there, but alas, there is no such thing.  It's all kept in there until concert day, which is still a ways off, but perhaps not that far.  I need to get back to Philip Adamson for another lesson soon.

Mapman Mike

Doctors and Movies

It's likely the most perfect autumn weather week one could ever hope for.  After Deb's annual dental check-up and cleaning today, we walked across the university campus to a cafe with good vegan options.  We shared a bowl of pumpkin/beet soup, which was blood red, and a seitan sandwich.  Everything was excellent and inexpensive.  We also visited a new branch of the Windsor Public Library, occupying an old fire station in downtown Sandwich.  We lived in this area for four years when we attended university, from autumn of 1976 through summer of 1980.  We are often in our old stomping grounds, and today we enjoyed a great walk and a really good tour of the new library branch.

Besides her dentist, Deb has seen her shoulder doctor recently, two of her heart doctors, and a gynaecologist.  Her model year wasn't the greatest, as many parts are wearing out, and it's tough to get replacements.  Her shoulder doctor was very impressed with her progress since her surgery at the end of May.  Flexibility is good; now she must work on strength.  As far as her heart goes, we are in a holding pattern, awaiting word from London regarding a second catheter ablation.  And some laser surgery seems to be forthcoming for another matter.  So we have spent a lot of time lately driving back and forth to Windsor for appointments, and waiting in doctors' offices.  All done now for awhile, except for some physio appts.

Deb's movie choice last weekend was a 1926 silent animated film, called The Adventures of Prince Achmed.  It is pure visual poetry from start to finish, and the version we saw on the Criterion Channel was first rate.  It is a spellbinding adventure, using a process invented by the creator, Lotte Reiniger.  We had seen it many years ago, but I think in a very bad print.

 Deb's recent  film choice, from 1926.  Spellbinding!

 Three stills from Prince Achmed.  

Tonight we watched my choice of film.  I wasn't in the mood for anything, really, as I am behind on a few other projects.  So I picked Blow Up of Blow Up, from 2016, a documentary about the making of that great film, still a favourite of mine after all these years.  It runs less than an hour, which was perfect for me tonight, and is a great little film if you have seen the 1966 Antonioni film as many times as I have.  We get to visit all the locations, and talk to many of the people who were in the film and those who worked on it.  I really enjoyed it! 

I'm going with seasonal landscape art for now, from the DIA.  Here is the second in a short series of autumn works from the collection.  This one has always been a favourite, especially the hazy light of a late afternoon.

 Autumn, ca. 1865.  Homer Dodge Martin, American.  Oil on canvas.  17" x 31".

 Detail of right side.

 Detail of center.

 Detail of left side.  

Mapman Mike

Autumn's Arrival

As per the past several years, autumn is arriving about two weeks behind schedule.  It is windy tonight, with grey skies and falling temperatures, after finishing up with our 8th warmest September on record.  October began in a blaze of heat and humidity, but that seems to have passed until next year.  Despite summers that are often fiercely hot and humid, and winters that seem to growing more severe, I still enjoy living somewhere that has four very distinct seasons.  In the summer the house temperature is kept at 77-78 F, while in the winter it is kept at 67-68 F.  So we have a period of readjustment to undergo over the next few weeks.

 Early Autumn, late 13th-14th C.  Qiag Xuan, Chinese.  Ink, watercolour, and gold on paper.  Overall size 12 inches x 34 feet.  Image size 12" x 47".  Detroit Institute of Arts.  Click on image for larger version.

 Detail of above.

Detail of above.

Tomorrow we will have our first wood fire of the new season, and change around some of our art on the walls.  I always get a hankering to read Tolkien in the autumn,and the bug is biting once again.  I think it is time that I reread The Silmarillion.  It's been a very long time.  And then the Unfinished Tales, Books 1 and 2.  That will have to be done before rereading the main series of LOTR.  I've been working on my Avon/Equinox series now for 3 1/2 years, so it may be time for a short hiatus.  I will complete one more iteration of works by the remaining authors, and then decide. 

The listening program continues in fits and starts.  The four recent astronomy nights tend to put such things on hold.  We are just finishing up the "73s," by Haydn (his symphonies), Brahms (his complete opus), and Britten (complete as well).  Tonight we heard the 2nd Symphony of Brahms, Op. 73.  It is almost like a time travel experience, as we hear some Beethoven in their (music from the past), some Mahler (music from the future), and plenty of Brahms himself, representing the present.  It makes a wonderful analogy for showing that time does not always move in a linear fashion, but can jump around randomly.  A most memorable and lovable work!

We watched episode 2 of Carnival Row tonight, the darkly fascinating steam punk tale showing on Prime.  It has some of the best costumes, sets, and locations of any fantasy series I've ever seen, but it is unrelentingly dark, like most series showing today.  The final season of Mr. Robot begins showing this weekend, too.  My Criterion movie choice for the week was Judex (French, 1963), a lovingly crafted remake of the Judex serial from 1916.  Tons of books were also written about the caped and masked hero, usually called Phantomas.  The movie is pretty slow moving adventure, but we are riveted by the bold and ruthless actions of the femme fatale.  She will stop at nothing to get what she wants, which is the fortune of very rich banker.  One of many things I found interesting about the film is how many people died, but then didn't really die.  First the banker is killed, then a man who knows that the banker is a criminal, and then the banker's daughter.  But none of them really die, often saved by chance interventions by bystanders.  Scenes that stand out (and there are several) include the Poe-like costume ball, with people wearing bird masks, the villainess, in disguise as a nun, undressing into her black "evil-action" body suit; and the final battle/catfight atop the roof of an abandoned building, black suit versus white.  Pretty memorable flic.

  From 1963--now showing on Criterion.

 The bird-themed costume ball, from Judex.

 The femme fatale meets her nemesis, and her doom , in the climactic rooftop scene.

 Now showing on Prime.  We have watched two episodes.  

Mapman Mike

Richard Lester x 4, and September Reading Summary

I managed to make use of another incredible clear night last night.  It looked hopeless, as moist, very humid and warm air began to settle over the area.  As I drove out to my windmill site, it seemed to be getting hazy and foggy.  Upon arrival, it was completely overcast.  Not one star, despite predictions to the contrary.  I was not expecting a great night, but this?  But by 9 pm, after sitting in my vehicle glowering for nearly an hour, it miraculously cleared up!  I spent a heavenly (pun intended) five hours at the eyepiece!  It will take days to write up all the notes, but it is supposed to be cloudy now anyway.  That makes four very good nights of observing for this session, and I was able to take advantage of all four.

It was Deb's film festival choice for the weekend, and we ended up watching films by American director Richard Lester, mostly from the 1960s.  Lester worked mainly in the UK, making such iconic films as Hard Days Night and Help! with the Beatles, along with two Musketeer pictures.  

We began with a throwback to the Goon Show, an 11 minute film from 1959 by Lester and Peter Sellers.  It is all sketch comedy, with no talking.  If you wish to seek the roots of Monty Python's Flying Circus, then seek the Goon Show.  Even Leo McKern joins in.  It was filmed over two Sundays for only 70 pounds.  It won an Oscar nomination!

 Showing on Criterion Channel.

Next, from 1965, came The Knack, and How To Get It.  If you were too young to have lived through the Sixties, or are older and have forgotten how weird those times were, this film will refresh your memory.  A young teacher has problems identifying with women, and asks his worldly tenant for help.  A third male tenant arrives, and a young woman simultaneously arrives in London looking for adventure.  The films concerns itself mainly with these four characters.  The storytelling is jumbled but effective, and the movie mostly survives on its wonderful visuals and rapid cuts.  Many scenes are quite embarrassing to watch now, including the young woman (Rita Tushingham) crying Rape! for about ten minutes of the film (though she cannot manage it in front of a policeman), when, indeed, nothing of the sort has occurred, but the film won major European film festival awards when it came out, including the Palme D'Or at Cannes, and Grand Prix in Belgium.  I think nowadays the film plays more as a curiosity, though perhaps it might be better to watch it while high.  One viewing is enough for me.

 The 1960s of London is on full display,  in a way.  

Next for us came Petulia, from 1968, starring Julie Christie, Richard Chamberlain, and George C. Scott.  The film is mostly about Christie, who has been beaten by her mentally unstable husband (Richard Chamberlain), falling for a doctor whom she meets at a charity event (Scott).  Scott is just divorcing his wife, for no apparent reason.  He, like Christie, is unfulfilled, and has trouble having any kind of feelings any more.  Reluctant at first to have anything to do with her, Scott eventually comes to love her.

Filmed in San Francisco (photography by Nicholas Roeg), the visuals are stunning and sometimes steal the show from the wonderful acting.  This is a really complex film, and one screening does not do it justice.  It was set to feature at Cannes in 1968, but the festival was cancelled that year due to severe social unrest in France.

 Lastly, from 1969, comes the weirdest film of them all.  The Bed Sitting Room from 1969 has one of the most impressive casts I have ever seen in a British film, though they are mostly wasted.  It is a black comedy about the years after England has been decimated by an atomic war.  I loved the opening scenes that take place on the Circle Line, which is still running underground, and I loved most of the post-apocalyptic sets and locations, which would work amazingly well in a more serious movie about post-apocalypse days.  I found the visuals to be the best thing about the whole film, though some of the jokes are priceless.  Based on an absurdist play of the same name, it hints at what was going on in some places in the London theatre scene of the day.  This is a difficult film to sit through in one go--it is about 90 minutes long and we split it up into three equal segments.  Once is enough.

This conlcuded our film festival weekeend, featuring films by Richard Lester.

I managed to read 13 books in September, with a 14th finished today, October 1st.  I managed to complete another iteration of my Avon/Equinox authors, so I will be starting the list of them again.  Here are just the highlights.  I began the month with One Step From Earth, a book of loosely linked shorter stories by Harry Harrison on the theme of matter transmission.  Of the ten stories included, five are top notch.  A good start to the month!

Next came a very intelligent and promising story by Kenneth Bulmer, called Cycle of Nemesis.  The Nemesis has been chained up in Iraq for 7000 years, but it is now breaking its bonds and causing havoc in the world.  Although the story ultimately suffers from too many monsters, it is a great tale, based strongly on mythology, fast-paced and difficult to put down.  Next came a taut and action-packed story by E. C. Tubb, a man who could write so well when he chose.  S.T.A.R. Flight tells of an Earth conquered by arrogant aliens, and one man's attempt to stop them.  Tubb has created a very chilling scenario, and one that could end up happening to us.

I wouldn't have thought that a 1956 cold war thriller by S.B. Hough, called Extinction Bomber, would have been that thrilling to read.  But Hough has turned into a major discovery for me, and this story about a British bomber sent to drop one bomb on a Russian factory is one of the best cold war reads I have ever undertaken.  Wow!  An oldie but a goodie.  Hal Clement's The Nitrogen Fix is a very odd little novel about post-apocalypse life.  We follow a family of traders that live on a raft, existing on a planet where no other life forms have survived, except plants under cultivation.  Observed by curious and benevolent aliens, the family must survive their greatest challenge so far--teenage juvenile delinquent gangs that want to return oxygen to the atmosphere.  Quite violent, as Clement can sometimes be, but an engrossing tale and which you will never find the like elsewhere.

I read the 2nd chronicle of Jerry Cornelius, called A Cure For Cancer.  Cracks from reality break through in the chapter titles, as Jerry continues his imaginary existence as the hero of all time and space.  I love these stories!  I finished reading the Moebius comic variation, called The Airtight Garage, and am looking forward to reading the sequel to it soon, on-line.  Then came Ballard's High Rise, a book I found less than fascinating.  Like his Concrete Island, it would have worked better as a short story or novella.  But stretched out to novel length, it grows thinner and thinner as it goes on.  I was fascinated at the start, but lost interest as it dragged on.

I had much better luck with Barry Malzberg's The Falling Astronauts, about two Apollo astronauts that crack up while on their separate moon missions.  While the narrative is great and engrossing, it is the way that Malzberg gets inside the heads of mentally ill people that is most astounding.  I'm glad there is so much more of this author waiting to be read by me.  And I just finished James Blish's Jack of Eagles, probably the best book about psi doings that was ever written.  From 1952, it is not dated much, and except for the shortage of female psi characters, this is damn near a perfect novel.

In addition to the Moebius comic strips, I read two outside books, both of them fascinating.  On the flip side of an Ace Double featuring a very poor Jack Williamson story, I happily came across The Paradox Men, by Charles L. Harness.  This is a major SF achievement, on the scale of a good book by Blish!  Aside from the sadistic psychiatrist who gruesomely tortures both men and women, this is a highly enjoyable book, and one I would have never come across.  It more than made up for the disappointing novel this month by Williamson.

Finally came the comic to end all comics, The Watchmen by Alan Moore.  My hefty bright yellow omnibus contains all 12 issues of this fascinating and must-read series, along with pages and pages of text written to go in-between each issue for this editon.  Literally one of the best things I have ever read, and I will reread it soon now, knowing what I know.

That's all for now, folks.  My movie choice for this week is a strange one called Judex.  More on that after the screening on Wednesday night.

Mapman Mike