It becomes more and more obvious every day that the world cannot afford wars. Why not? We have other priorities right now. Just how much is it costing Canada to fight these summer long fires, which are still burning? Guess who will pay? Yup. Taxpayers. Then there was the Morocco earthquake. How much will that cost to rescue and treat wounded people, to tear down and rebuild homes and businesses and mosques. Who will pay for that? Then there was the flooding in Greece and Libya. The recent hurricane to hit Florida is costing the US hundreds of millions of dollars. Another hurricane will likely hit Nova Scotia this coming weekend. The amount of death and suffering just from natural disasters becomes more and more staggering with each passing month. A quote today from an official in Libya said that they had no trained rescue teams available in the country, as it has been involved in civil war for years now. Then there are the unending stream of refugees from war torn places around the globe, and those that can't escape. Can we really afford war any longer? With an IQ of 80 or higher, ANYONE would realize that no, we cannot afford war any longer. My next question is related to the fires and floods and storms, and I will leave it unanswered, but how much longer can we continue to burn fossil fuels at such hellish rates? Is most everyone in the world asleep at the wheel (sorry, that was two questions)? I fear my rants are just beginning, so stay tuned if you like rants. If not, just skip the first paragraph of these blogs as needed.
In other news, Haydn symphonies never seem to get old. Even on the third go around for some of the most obscure ones, there are treasures to be rediscovered with every listening. I already miss not playing any of his piano sonatas. My last two choices from the Classical piano repertoire have been two large Beethoven pieces. No regrets there, but I must get back to Haydn again for the next piano program. The first movement of the Beethoven sonata (Op 10 #3) is at last memorized, thought hardly secure. It is a sprawling movement, played very fast (someday). Parts of it fit me like a glove, but other parts not so much. It is a jovial Haydnesque piece overall, only on steroids. It is very upbeat, with little jokes everywhere in it (except the 2nd movement, which is incredibly serious and devastating). His next piano sonata was the Pathetique, so it was quite a jump after the Op 10 one. I will spend a long winter getting right down inside of it, hopefully performing it in early spring. By then it should be a part of me. Right now we are still two distinct entities.
Today was our longer walk day. We walked the Detroit River pathway in Windsor, west to east, and managed to get part way back to our starting point before taking the bus back to our parked car. It was cool and grey, a perfect day for a long walk. We stopped for a filling vegan lunch at Taloola's Cafe, which was very busy, before walking home on surface streets, following the bus route. We managed to walk 5.6 miles, slowly upping our game. Next week we hope to walk in Ann Arbor, MI, in a forest with big hills.
Phone pic from the top of Malden Hill, where we do our hill training 2x per week. The new Gordie Howe international bridge continues to progress, possibly opening late next year. Currently there is one bridge and one tunnel for cars and trucks, and one tunnel for trains. The incomplete span in the middle is over the Detroit River. More photos to come when I bring my camera next week.
Our topic finally turns towards the title of this blog entry. Two more Corman/Price films were watched. Tales of Terror is from 1962, and contains three short films: "Morella," "The Black Cat," and "The Case of M. Valdemar." Price stars in all three. The main interest is in the central film, which also stars Peter Lorre. They make a truly hilarious pair in this film. Most notable is the wine tasting competition between the two of them. Price is priceless, and Lorre is perfect in his role as the alcoholic husband. The final tale is pretty creepy, with Basil Rathbone playing a nefarious hypnotist, and Price as the victim who is hypnotized just seconds before his death.
The Haunted Palace is from 1963. An old curse comes back to haunt the village when, after more than 100 years, a relative of the diabolical Joseph Curwen returns to claim his ancestral home. Not many people are happy to see him back. The innocent descendant is soon taken over by the spirit of the dead madman. This film has nothing to do with Poe, and is very loosely based on Lovecraft's "The Case of Charles Dexter Ward." Unfortunately for monster lovers, it remains in the pit. An okay film, it does have good atmosphere.
A few more of these old but fun films remain, all of them in widescreen and colour, so stay tuned to this channel.
Hal Hartley's first film is from 1989. Called The Unbelievable Truth, it concerns a man just out of prison looking to restart his life in the same town where he committed his crime. Convicted for manslaughter against his girlfriend's father, he learned how to be a mechanic while in prison. Pretty much a comedy, he falls in love with his new boss's daughter, and vice versa. Her old boyfriend keeps appearing, picking fights with anyone who looks at her. Everyone in town has a different version of what his crime was. We don't learn the truth until the end. Not great cinema, it is still worth watching if you liked No Such Thing. The main actor and actress in that film are also the main ones in this earlier one.
Next up is a film about Goya. Come back soon!
Mapman Mike
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