Not much local news to report. Lots of rain, plenty of storms. The grass was finally cut today. It was thick as a jungle. Own of the rainiest July's I can ever remember. Thus, not a lot of heat. It's always been cloudy with approaching storms.
I continue to work on my newest piano program. Memorizing the first movement of Beethoven's Op. 10 #3 is turning into quite a project. The other three movements are coming along, and everything is playable though not very memorable. Lots of polishing to do. Not sure how much more I will memorize beyond the first movement. We shall see once that task is complete. The Bach Prelude and Fugue almost sounds like music now. Again, much work remains. And the Chopin Nocturne has entered Phase Two; I am now working on the entire piece. I have added in a short work by Mendelssohn for the next piano group session, and I am working on a duet with Paula for the same event. The new piano arrives this coming Friday. There will be great excitement.
In film news, I have three to report, my main two choices for the week, and Deb's first pick of five. She gets her two regular choices this weekend, plus the monthly film festival's three choices. First my two picks.
I chose another British Noir film, Green For Danger, from 1946. It's a bit of a stretch to call this one a Noir film; it is more like a traditional murder-mystery, set in an isolated hospital. Starring Trevor Howard as one of the doctors, there are three deaths to be investigated by Alastair Sim. He plays a bumbling Scotland Yard detective, not really a character in tune with the sombre mood of the film. He gets the job done, but quite inefficiently, mocking the clever detective often seen in such films from this time. It is very hard to pick who the murderer is. Lots of red herrings.
But leaving this month choice came from Mubi, a film from the Republic of Georgia called Wet Sand, from 2021. The story takes place in a small Black Sea village, mostly in a cafe run by an older man and a younger waitress. One of the villagers has just committed suicide, and his granddaughter is summoned from Tbilisi. She arrives and uncovers a simmering local hate of homosexuals, of which her grandfather was one. Extremely well acted drama with some beautiful location photography and sounds, this is a don't miss film from a very exotic location. The story could take place in a small village in any country, including Canada, the UK, or the US. Intolerance seems to thrive in backward places. The granddaughter decides to stay at the end, facing up to the bullies and having a relationship with the waitress. Recommended.
Deb's first of five film choices in a row began with a leaving choice. Friendship's Death pairs Bill Paterson and Tilda Swinton in a theatrical SF film that purportedly takes place in Amman in 1971, during a violent civil war. Paterson is a journalist who has finally had enough and wants to go home. Swinton is an alien AI named Friendship who mistakenly appears in Jordan instead of M.I.T. From 1987, this seems to be a play that might have appeared at the Fringe Festival in Edinburgh back in the day. Ironically, it's theme of artificial intelligence is likely more relevant today than it was 36 years ago. Tilda, as usual, is perfect in her role, and the ending of the film, in which she does not appear, seems to suffer. Recommended for SF fans, and Swinton fans (double points for us!).
That's all for now. coming soon: July reading summary.
Mapman Mike
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