More Tilda Swinton

But first, this message from Lone Mtn. Homestead.  It's shaping up to be a relatively quiet week around here, though there has been excitement.  First of all, Phil, our neighbour behind us and across the creek, earlier expressed interest in purchasing our land on his side of the creek.  He also promised to split a ton (at least) of wood back there from a tree we had taken down last year.  Then I never heard again from Phil.  One day I saw him burning leaves back there (apparently it's still a thing with some people), and went back to talk with him.  He farms 1600 acres just outside of Amherstburg, and the harvest had just been completed (good for corn, poor for soy beans).  He was just recovering from long Co-vid, a bout of illness that lasted three months.  Yes, he was still interested in the property.  Yes, he was still going to split the wood and deliver it to me.  Well, on Sunday the wood began arriving.  Lots and lots of wood.  I gave nearly half to my next door neighbour, who also has a fire place.  It just needs to be stacked now, which might happen soon.  We have ordered an outdoor firewood shelf and it should arrive Thursday.  So we have firewood again.

Also last Sunday was our piano group meet up, though only three of us were able to meet.  We met at Jim's house in Chatham, over a one hour drive from here.  It was foggy and raining, too.  But it turned into a decent afternoon.  I played a prelude and Fugue by Bach (Eb+, Bk 2), and the 2nd movement of the Beethoven Sonata, Op 10 #3.  We are off till January sometime.  

I had to skip Iaido that Sunday night, so I went Monday night instead.  Sunday is just open training, but Monday is a formal class.  It was well attended and I enjoyed a good session.  Deb is leaning towards returning, too, which would make it even more fun.  Not so much for the classes, but for the open training.  That morning we also had a meeting with our newest financial planner at the bank.  All of of our investments are now in one institution, something I have wanted for some time now. 

Today was our longer outdoor walk, and we finished up the final segment of the Greenway trail from A'burg to MacGregor.  It takes about 7 weeks to complete it a segment per week, weather permitting.  We didn't walk last week because it was the day after a minor snowstorm.  On the topic of storms, we and a lot of other people are in for a doozy this weekend.  We will get heavy rain and howling winds, followed by a drastic temperature drop.  Can't wait.  Last week we had 1.4" of rain spread over several days.  It is pretty damp here just now, and a few farm fields were underwater today on our walk.

Not much else should happen this coming week.  Lots of piano practice, reading, cooking, eating, and watching films.  Beginning with the most recently watched film, I just finished We Need To Talk About Kevin, starring Tilda Swinton.  Deb quit before the end of this modern day horror story from 2011, and from the UK.  It tells, in fragments that jump around in time, the story of a psychopathic teenage male who commits a mass killing at his high school.  I never would have watched this if Tilda hadn't been in it, and I doubt if many people make it to end regardless.  Of course she shares blame for the killings, but her husband never believed anything was wrong with the boy, as "Kevin" acted totally normal with his dad, saving his darker leanings for mom.  The very end is quite good, as some kind of empathy and reconciliation at last seems possible.  Mom is the only survivor, as Kevin killed his father and little sister, too, before heading over to the high school.  A tough movie to watch, especially if you are the parent of a secretive teenage boy.  It's a hard one to recommend, unless you are a Tilda fan.  She is, as usual, totally amazing as the mother who puts up with a bit more than a normal mother would from her first born.  Perhaps if she had secretly recorded some of her interactions with Kevin when he was small some intervention could have happened at an early age.  But hey, it's only a movie, right?  These things don't really happen, do they?

Leaving Mubi soon. 

 Backing up one film, Deb picked Frances Ha, from 2012.  A young woman ("undatable") is trying to get a job in the core company of a dance troupe.  She is living in an apartment with her best girlfriend.  When her girlfriend moves out to a more upscale neighbourhood, Frances' fortunes turn sharply around.  Her address keeps changing to a lower and lower area.  She does not get the job with the dance company.  Her girlfriend gets engaged to a rich businessman and they move to Tokyo.  While the plot may not make it sound like the film is a comedy, it is.  This is the kind of independent film that relies almost entirely on the female lead, and she is wonderful.  Greta Gerwig (writer and director of the recent Barbie film) brings the perfect comedy touches to the film.  Highly recommended.

The film has just left Mubi. 

 

Before that Deb chose Paprika, an anime feature from 2006.  Someone steals several unfinished experimental devices that supposedly allow two sleepers (friends) to share a dream.  But in the wrong hands the device can be used to control people and drive them to do things they do not want to do.  And so the battle versus good and evil is on.  This is a rich film, filled with movement, colour, a good story, some fun characters, a fast pace, and several unexpected turns.  Directed by Satoshi Kon.  Recommended.

 

Leaving Criterion Dec. 31st. 

 

 Farther back, and the final film for now, is called Mafioso.  From 1962 Italy, it stars Alberto Sordi as a Sicilian who has left the island to seek his fortune.  He has done well, with a high level management job at a factory.  He has a beautiful wife and two sweet little girls.  He brings his family back to meet his family, and the laughs never stop.  A very funny moment when he greets his mother, only it turns out to be an aunt instead.  However, not so funny is when he agrees to do a small errand for the local Godfather.  However, the film becomes even funnier.  It was selected for Criterion by Alan Arkin, and I can easily see him in the role played by Sordi.  With a title like it has one does not expect a very rich comedy.  Of course the murder is unsettling, and it changes our hero somewhat.  But only somewhat.  The movie might have been called Sicilian Vacation.   Directed by Alberto Lattuada.  Recommended.

Now showing on Criterion.

Mapman Mike