I have one beautiful astronomy night in the bag, and possibly one more to come on Friday! I was alone with the soybeans, fireflies, and mosquitoes Wednesday night, as I ventured into the realms of Serpens Cauda, and a tiny sampling of Microsopium.
Saturday evening is the next group piano session. Paula is coming here tomorrow morning for one more Gershwin duet practice. Deb had physio on Tuesday, and we made our weekly grocery run on that same evening. Otherwise, it's been a quiet week. Lots of rain, but it's been that kind of summer. Good night skies have been few and far between. We had Detroit down for a visit on Wednesday, but due to the clear skies I elected to postpone till next week, when the moon will wipe out my astronomy for two weeks.
I've been using the new piano for two weeks now, and have easily adjusted to headphones while practicing. It's actually helping me more, since I can go over and over sore spots as many times as I like without driving Deb totally mad. She still must hear me on the harpsichord, but the Bach is beginning to sound like music now, so it shouldn't be too bad. How is the Beethoven sonata coming, you ask? Slowly. Three of the four movements are quite fast, and they are still quite slow in my fingers. But progress inches along, day by day. The slow movement isn't sounding too bad by now, at least. But it won't be ready for prime time till at least the winter. I have memorized about 3/4ths of the first movement, hoping to finish it by the end of August. Then I can begin to gradually increase the tempo. I hope. The Chopin Nocturne is coming up fast, and I am adding some easy pieces now to the concert set.
In film festival news, Deb continues to rake in awards at an alarming rate. Her two most recent Shakespeare animated shorts each came first in their category at a festival in Verona. And Fable For Four Voices was selected for the festival in Cincinnati. We have attended twice in earlier years, and are hoping to go again this year. We are awaiting word on getting free accommodations, which will cinch our presence. That trip will likely tie into our Southwest hiking adventure in early autumn, coming at the beginning of the epic journey. More on that project soon.
In film watching news, there are five to report on. The Girl Without Hands is an intriguing animated retelling of the Grimm story. The animation uses a lot of wash-like technique, giving everything a continuous and very colourful watercolour look. I have never seen its type before, and liked it a lot. The story is brutal but handled really well. Directed by Sebastien Laudenbach, it is a French film from 2018. Highly recommended.
Showing on Mubi.
Next came Love and Friendship, another Mubi pick, this time chosen by Deb. Based on a novella by Jane Austen, it is impeccably handled, being witty, cutting, devious, and underhanded--and that's just from the lead female character. Costumes and sets are perfect in every way, and the dialogue is brought off extremely well by the cast. An Ireland/France production from 2016, it is directed by Whit Stillman.
Another leaving choice from Deb was called Things To Come, a French drama from 2016. A middle aged woman teaches philosophy in high school in Paris (course not offered in Canada, to be sure). After raising two children with whom she remains close, she must also look after her mentally crumbling mother. When her mother dies and her husband leaves her for another woman, she must pick up the pieces and start her life anew. Which she does. She eventually finds the freedom exhilarating, and the film ends with her back in the saddle, so to speak. An honest and intelligent film with great acting on the part of the lead, Isabelle Huppert. Recommended.
Leaving Criterion August 31st.
Odd Man Out is a Carol Reed film from 1947, part of Criterion's British Noir series. It is a bleak and quite sadistic film, but riveting to watch, and with many oddities that make it unique in my experience. For one thing, a lot of it is filmed at night. And many children out playing at night is a prominent feature. Very young children, who should be home and in bed. And during a long and rainy night, the rain begins to turn to snow. I've never seen that before, and it is a wonderful, though depressing, addition to the drama. James Mason plays the leader of the Organization, an Irish group trying to disrupt British rule in an unnamed city (which is undoubtedly Belfast). His plan to rob the payroll office of a large factory goes awry, thanks to his own incompetence and that of his driver and assistants. He ends up shooting and killing a man, and is shot and wounded himself. He spends much of the film hiding and slowly dying of his gunshot. A stark film, but not to be missed. Not perfect, but it has a lot going for it.
Now showing on Criterion.
Lastly comes my leaving choice for this week: River of No Return, directed by Otto Preminger and from 1954. Starring Robert Mitchum, a singing Marilyn Monroe, and a bunch of Indians on the warpath who don't have much to do except try and kill people floating down the river on a raft. It's more or less a kind of Disney adventure movie, with a cougar that attacks Mitchum, bad guys and Indians that attack Mitchum, and Marilyn and his young son who (verbally) attack Mitchum. The least of the films in this bunch, it at least features great scenery (Alberta) and is in colour and Cinemascope. Marilyn gets quite wet a few times, and enunciates her words very clearly.
Leaving Criterion August 31st.
That's all for now. Check back later.
Mapman Mike
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