January Books Read

January was a good month for reading.  Cold weather will do that for one.  In addition to the 5 books by Avon/Equinox authors, I managed to finish 8 others.

 

First published in 2001 as a three part story in Asimov SF Magazine, Robert Silverberg's The Longest Way Home is the story of a young teenage boy growing up the hard way.  Joseph is the 15 year old eldest son of a Master, on a planet where two waves of humans have usurped the planet from the native inhabitants.  The first wave was mostly simple farmers, and they were struggling when the ruling class came and took over, making things work.  But Joseph, visiting a distant House in the far north, gets caught up in a serious rebellion.  He makes his escape with the help of a servant, and then is basically on his own, marching south to his home at least ten thousand miles away.  On his journey, several times in which he nearly dies of starvation, he encounters allies where least expected.  His journey is a harrowing one, to say the least.  Brought up with a pampered existence, as the eldest son it will be his job to take over his father's great House someday, and manage it.

Essentially aimed at high school aged boys (sorry, girls, yet again), the story is very simple and never very deep.  Boy walks and walks, encounters obstacles, and somehow gets through them.  At least the story is relatively short, and seldom challenges the reader's credulity.  From what Joseph learns along the way, by the end of the story we expect him to be a far better Master than he would have without his journey.  Quite a good story, but far from exceptional.  It almost sounds as if Silverberg took a very old idea from his pulp days and did his best to update it for modern readers.

 

Next comes the 223 page (original 1977 edition) conclusion to Bulmer's Krozair trilogy, in which Dray Prescott loses, then finally regains, his status as a Krozair warrior.  Krozair of Kregen again shows that Dray doesn't take much interest in poetry, art, or music.  He is a savage killing machine, and not much else.  The first part of the book sees Dray yet again serving as an oar slave aboard a Grondin ship.  It takes time, but he finally escapes with the help of several slave companions.  They become pirates for a while, before splitting up and going their own way.  Dray has a score to settle with a certain king who murdered his daughter at the end of the last book.  He ends up defending a besieged city, but not before encountering a monster from the depths, something directly borrowed from H P Lovecraft (see original cover painting to the 1977 edition, below).  Though he rescues a maiden from her doom at the hands of the monster, she more or less disappears from the story immediately afterwards.

Once on land, the remainder of the story deals with the defence of the city where he has chosen to meet the bad king.  In his usual bold manner, Dray takes the bull by the horns, storming into the enemy camp in disguise, capturing the king, and flying away with him.  Since Dray has been hounded (mistakenly, of course) from the membership in the elite warrior class, his three sons have taken to being shamed by him, and they in turn speak words of hatred about him.  None of them recognize Dray as their father, and there is a very funny scene at the end when they finally come to realize that their "cowardly" father is the brave man they have been fighting with all along.  He is reunited with Delia, his wife, his status as a Krozair is reinstated, and they live happily ever after.  Until Book 15.  A good entry in the series, if readers can get past him being a slave for a time, yet again.

 

Cover art by Josh Kirby.  

Originally published in 1955 as "Men of the Long Rifle," The Pathfinders  is not a traditional western novel.  Lasting only 13 chapters and about 120 pages, there are no cowboys here.  The time is 1830.  The East has been settled and civilized, and things are just starting to move towards the northwest.  There are Indians, and some of them are hostile.  There are scattered frontier forts and trading posts, but not much else.  Ben is a mountain man who meets up with young Dan, running from the corrupt law of a small town where he and his mother are farmers.  They are hired to lead a small expedition from the plains over the mountains, as the search is on for good wagon routes west.

According to Tubb, mountain men are real men, not like those sissy farmers that eat vegetables and wheat and stuff like that.  Real men eat meat, often raw, and nothing else.  Hmm.  Wonder how they avoided scurvy.  Imagine going an entire winter and not eating anything but meat.  And real men will kill a man first if needed, and ask questions later.  Talking only makes things worse.  Hmm again.

Anyway, the basic story is a good one, and it's fun to read a novel about the time before cattle, pony soldiers, and any kind of well travelled trail.  Most travel was done by river in barges, rafts, and canoes.  Only the mountain men ventured much beyond the rivers, trapping and trading to make their way in the world

There is a lot to mull in this book.  With the urge to settle in the west growing, was there a different way of handling things then the way it was done?  A British/Canadian captain near the end does suggest a different way, the way it was done in the north.  In the end, though, Canadian Indians did not fare much better than their American cousins.  The whole thing turned into a disaster, not only for the Indians, but also for the wildlife and vegetation.  Cattle grazing (over grazing, to be precise) has decimated western lands to this day.  One could make a list a mile long to see what went wrong.  Today, we face newer problems, as people from less fortunate areas of the world try to press their way into safer and more prosperous areas.  While they cannot be blamed for wanting a safer and more prosperous life, the strain upon resources, both human and natural, goes on and on.  The planet must be getting tired by now.  And still we ask more from it.

 

From 1981 comes Michael Moorcock's 1981 epic novel Byzantium Endures, the first book of a most promising series.  My hardcover edition runs 373 pages, with large pages and small printing.  The very best books that deal with historical events are sometimes not the ones that deal with overall views and after-the-fact analysis; sometimes the best books about history are from the 'man on the ground,' so to speak.  Biographies are often useful in learning about certain places at certain times, as are autobiographies.  What Moorcock has achieved with his fictional "Colonel Pyat" character is to perhaps invent a new kind of historical fiction.  Born in Kyiv in 1900, this first book follows the young boy through one of Russia's darkest times, up to about 1920.  He lives through the Great War, the Revolution, and the Russian Civil War before finally fleeing from Odessa to Constantinople at the end of this first book.

By confining his hero to Russia and Ukraine in the first volume, readers are able to digest a lot of history as it happened.  Despite being a fictional autobiography, the events depicted were real, though of course not all the details.  Pyat is an engineer, interested in all things mechanical and modern.  He grows up in Kyiv, moves to Odessa on the Black Sea to live with an uncle for a time, who then sends him to a school in Petersburg to gain an engineering degree.  Of course the war interferes with plans, and he is never able to gain his piece of paper, though he does pass his exams with flying colours.  Back to Kyiv, and then, through a very long sequence of mostly bad events, makes his way again to Odessa.

The character of Mrs. Cornelius (to be Jerry's mother in a different series of book) becomes a veritable guardian angel to the young Pyat.  She is a truly inspired creation, and totally unique in the history of literature.  Readers will either love her or hate her; this reader loves her.  The present story is told by a very old Pyat, who operated an antique shop in Portobello Road in London until his death.  He and Mrs. Cornelius remained good friends all their lives, and we can look forward to more of their adventures and meetings in the next three volumes.

I learned more about early 20th C Russia and Ukraine from reading this book then anything else I have ever read throughout my life.  It is a time of great darkness, despair, cruelty, extreme hardship, and, to put it most simply, a time of complete chaos.  I finally understand what makes a Russian tick, as well as that of a Ukraine citizen.  This is a very fascinating book, one of the best historical fictions I have ever read.  Highly recommended.

 

Boston Avenger is a direct continuation from Burt Wullf's San Francisco adventure, the 3rd book in a long series about a lone wolf crime fighter trying to take on the drug lords of America.  This time the mayhem he causes happens to be in Boston.  A good story, this 155 page novel is from 1973, as Malzberg cranks them out but maintains a unique style and definite narrative flow.  Wulff is only able to accomplish what he does through his belief that he is a dead man anyway, so taking huge risks is never a problem if there is a chance they might come off.  One of the more riskier tricks he pulls off is to retrieve a briefcase filled with heroin from a convoy of four police cars on their way to the downtown station with a suspect in custody.  The entire action scene is a complete movie setup.  We have seen so many police chases in movies that it's not difficult to visualize this madcap adventure, which, however, ends quite differently than a movie chase.  This ends up being one of the better parts of the book, and does convince us at last that Wulff is a madman after all.  Lots of killing and shooting, it runs along similar lines to many Samurai and gangster films.  A good addition to the extended book series.  At the end of the book Wulff is on his way back to New York, possibly to look for his girlfriend's murderer.  Stay tuned for more adventure. 

 

The first book read this month not related to Avon/Equinox authors was called Castle Crespin, a medieval adventure story taking place around in France in 1225.  Francis of Assisi has began influencing religious monks, and two of them are featured in this tragic tale.  Written in 1982 by Allen Andrews, it also features talking animals.  Oddly enough the two monks cannot understand them, but the girl Adele can.  Aside from talking animals, this well written story tells of the evil perpetrated by a rogue knight, a traditional all round bad guy, when he stops to visit a local castle.  Though he gets it in the end, as all bad guys should in a good story, he takes a lot of good folk, human and animal, down with him.  

The story begins with a fox getting what he can from a farmer's poultry collection, driving the man nearly mad in his outrageous attempts at killing it.  We gradually meet other animals and people, quite a few, actually, in a well thought out exposition.  The story builds nicely to a major and devastating violent climax.  There may be talking animals, but this does not seem in any way to be a children's book.  There is a good deal of humour as some of the animals complain of the things Nature has them do to keep their species populations vibrant and growing.  Wolves, bears, rabbits, boars, birds of prey, a hunting beagle and the fox make a worthy team against the evil knight and his minions.  

This is the second such book by this author.  Deb found this book in a London charity shop, and paid 50p for the hardcover edition, complete with full colour dust jacket.  A good bargain indeed.

Jacket art by Martin White. 

 

Next came some poetry by Edgar Allen Poe.  I don't exactly have a love affair with 19th C poetry.  I read four collections of Poe's.  The first three (very early) left me glassy eyed.  His earliest collection was published when he was 19, which might explain a lot.  He was heavily inspired by Byron.  Tamerlane and Other Poems came out in 1827.  Tamerlane is an epic poem about the dying conqueror.  It would end up being republished and revised for the next two collections as well.  In 1829 came the publication of Al Aaraaf, Tamerlane, and Other Minor Poems.  Tamerlane is shorter now, and considerably more readable.  Al Aaraaf is Poe's longest poem, inspired by a 1572 supernova.  The star supposedly lies between heaven and hell.  In this purgatory there is no punishment, and also no fulfillment.  To this reader it seems unintelligible.  Both Tamerlane and Al Aaraaf are reprinted again in 1831, in Poems.  Even the revision does not help me with Al Aaraaf, but Tamerlane has once again been improved.

In 1845 came The Raven and Other Poems.  Now we are getting somewhere!  Poe was paid $9 for the original publication of what has literally become the world's most popular poem.  He worked hard at it, and it certainly is a great little piece of writing.  My Delphi Classics Kindle edition comes with three illustrations, two of them by Dore.  Also included in the collection is Lenore, The Conqueror Worm, and Eulalie.  The latter is mentioned in case a reader should come to the conclusion that all of Poe's works are about death.  Left for next time are many uncollected poems.  The above are the ones that were published in actual volumes during his lifetime.

Gustav Dore's illustration to Poe's The Raven. 

 

Arthur Ransome is a new addition to my collection of Delphi Classics complete works.  I will begin with his lone solo non-children's novel from 1915 called The Elixir of Life.  Written in St. Petersburg when the author was a war correspondent, the story concerns a young man who becomes involved with an evil man who kills people to continue living longer.  The events take place in 1716, and are retold 20 years later.  The book has a promising beginning, and the ending at least brings a fitting conclusion to the story.  But beware all those pages in between.  Ransome obviously read his Poe and especially Lovecraft.  By saying that his book is at least as good as some of Lovecraft's writing is not necessarily a compliment, as for the most part Lovecraft was a man with some fun ideas, but he was quite a terrible writer.  Ransome's novel suffers from lack of originality, as there are no ideas here new to 1915.  It also causes its readers to suffer from boredom, as nothing much happens in the story, and everything important takes place in one location, a large house with a rose garden.  In addition, the young hero is actually quite stupid.  Of the five main characters, three of them end up dead, as well as some horses and villagers.  The elixir itself is a preposterous concoction that seems to know when someone has been killed, thus strengthening it mysteriously and magically.  It is not very sophisticated thinking for a 1915 reading audience.  Needless to say the book met with virtual silence upon publication.  I am looking forward to his S & A books next time around.

P. G. Wodehouse's earliest novels are his so called School Stories Books.  This past month I read the second in that series, called A Prefect's Uncle, published in 1903.  It is a mere trifle of a book, barely amusing, and 90% of its content has to do with cricket.  It's another book for boys in boarding school, who it seems must love sports or die of nothing else to do.

Moving on.  The Dragon in Shallow Waters is Vita Sackville-West's 2nd novel, from 1920.  It's a bit of a gut wrenching story centred on two brothers in a dingy and poor factory town in Lincolnshire.  Silas Dene is blind, and very very angry about it.  Gregory is deaf and dumb.  Silas murders his own wife, then tricks Gregory into believing that his wife is cheating on him.  Nan is Gregory's wife, and she is caught between the two brothers, who live in attached but separate cottages.  Silas is the main focus of the novel, his outrageous outlook on life affecting nearly everyone in the village.  Most people stay clear of the Denes.  Nan is bullied mercilessly by both brothers, finally finding words that give her a weapon to use against Silas.  His long hoped for downfall is well written, and well deserved.  Like most evil characters, Silas is rather unforgettable.  However, he does finally do a good deed for Nan before his final fall.  He ends up saving her from a fate worse than death (staying married to his brother).  Coming from Silas, that is a rather good deed.  A very strange tale, but it has  its rewards.

The Philanderer is a play by Shaw from 1893.  However, due to censorship issues it was not produced until 1902.  It is the first of his early plays that reveals his wit, as we recognize the writer that he was to become.  There are several very funny scenes in the play, which is in four acts and is still occasionally mounted on the stage today.  Shaw deals well for his time with the women's movement, as he shows us characters (fathers and daughters) who are caught between the old world view of what a woman is and should be, and what the modern world now demands of the fairer sex.  The young philanderer himself, however, doesn't seem to be affected by any changes around him, and seems destined for bachelorhood.  A very readable play, and it would be fun to see a live production.

Carson Mccullers wrote her first novel at the age of 23.  Born in the southern US, her writing is imbued with hot, sultry days and nights, and characters so real that they seem to leap off the page into one's room while reading.  The Heart Is A Lonely Hunter is from 1940, with the title being suggested by her editor, from a poem, The Lonely Hunter, by Scottish poet William Sharp (as Fiona MacLeod).  The working title for the novel was The Mute.  This novel has probably had a lot of essays and reviews written about it, and for good reason.  It is a fantastic novel.  After so much reading and film watching, this writer can only conclude that the best fiction tells simple stories about average people.  Life and people can be very complicated, so it takes a very special talent to be able to simplify things enough for readers or film viewers to understand exactly what is happening to a character, why it is happening, and where things are likely headed for this individual.  Though there is a very good film version of the story, the book is far superior.

The main character in this novel is Mr. Singer, an intelligent deaf mute who works in a jewellery shop in a small southern US city, repairing watches and clocks, as well as doing beautiful engraving.  Mr. Singers best friend is also a deaf mute.  He and Antonapoulos share a room together, and though the latter character is a simpleton who loves food more than anything else, the two get along really well.  They both talk with their fingers, but Singer does most of the talking, pouring out his thoughts to his friend, who really doesn't listen and usually doesn't really care.  But at least Singer has someone with whom to talk.  It is this theme that is most prevalent in the novel--having a listening ear when you need to talk.  Singer ends up, after Antonapoulus is sent to a care home for causing his uncle a lot of trouble in town, being the person who has to listen to everyone in town who needs an ear for their thoughts.  He can lip read, though he does miss a lot of context.  But after many repetitions, he is able to get the drift.  But like his friend, he doesn't really have much interest in what people tell him.

 

Dr. Copeland, a Black medical doctor, often turns to Singer.  He is the only white person the doctor has ever met that seems to understand his people and the causes the doctor is trying to undertake on their behalf.  Likewise, an alcoholic drifter by the name of Jake Blount finds that Singer is a good friend who listens and understands what he is trying to achieve.  Blount is a Marxist and tries to bring about change in the attitudes of poorly paid and overworked cotton mill employees in town.

 

The most tragic character of all is Mick Kelly, a 13 year old girl who lives in the house where Singer boards.  She, by far, is the book's most interesting character.  She lives and dreams of becoming a musician and composer and conductor.  Her limited experiences with hearing classical music are among the greatest writing on the topic one could imagine.  After watching the filmed version of the book, it was her character more than anything else that eventually drew me to read the novel.  There are some obvious autobiographical elements to her character, as the author herself wanted to become a concert pianist.  Those plans ended when she lost her tuition money somewhere in the New York subway.  Likewise, it is financial matters that keep Mick from ever hoping to achieve her goals.  Her family is dirt poor, and she eventually, at age 14, has to take a job at Woolworths and drop out of school.  Poverty is another huge theme that runs throughout the novel, in addition to loneliness.  American poverty, especially in the deep south, is second to none anywhere else in the world.

There are other themes and many other characters, and the author treats them all in enough detail to make them live for readers.  The town and the people in it become very real, even after a few chapters.  By the end of the novel we feel that we have lived among these people, blacks and whites.  Many black critics have said that McCullers completely gets the Black experience and is able to write about Black characters better than any other white writer.  The short climax hits the reader like a sledgehammer, and with no warning.  Loneliness, frustrated ambition, poverty, and doing what one must do might sound like a rather bleak read.  It isn't.  This is one of the finest novels I have ever read, and I highly recommend it to one and all.

Lastly, I finally finished The Seventy Wonders of the Ancient World: The Great Monuments and How They Were Built.  A Thames and Hudson book from 1999, edited by Chris Scarre, I bought this on a journey to London many years ago. This is my second reading.  With 333 illustrations, 140 in colour, the book also has plenty of text.  The 70 chapters are grouped as follows: The Seven Wonders; Tombs and Cemeteries; Temples and Shrines; Palaces, Baths & Arenas; Fortifications; Harbours, Hydraulics & Roads; and Colossal Statues & Monoliths.  Though most of the amcient works are centred on Mediterranean countries, there are still plenty elsewhere spread across the globe.  We have visited the three sites discussed in the US, and 2 of the 4 in Mexico.  That's about it for us.  A trip to Rome would add a lot to our list, so it might just happen.

A multi-month reading project was finally completed. 

 

Mapman Mike

 

 

 

The 9 Days of Winter

 

Our winter season this year lasted just 9 days.  It was bitter cold, and the temperature did not rise anywhere near zero C.  It snowed, it blowed, and we expected it to go on and on.  But last Monday it finally rose to zero.  And it's been above zero since then, even at night.  We have been deluged with rain all week.  And dense fog.  The long term forecast does not show any more cold air arriving.  The river had frozen over, but is now all open water again.  Had it been cold enough, we would not be buried in snow.  At least we could have gone snowshoeing, something we haven't been able to do now for several years.

 

Of course in the dead of winter when it's cold out and indoor activities are preferred, our minds begin to drift into thoughts of Spring travel.  There might be something big in our future.  Stay tuned for further updates.  Autumn travel will be another attempt to complete last year's hiking trip to the New Mexico Rockies, via some smaller Oklahoma mountains and some big ones in Texas.  But right now Spring travel is wide open to us.  While it won't be anything too adventurous, we might actually return to air travel, not undertaken since 2019.

 

In Dad news, he is still at home, recovering slowly.  He needs blood work weekly for the next little while, and daily blood pressure checks.  He still tires very easily.  A full recovery will take some time.

 

In film news, Deb got five movie picks in a row.  Her usual weekly two, plus it was her turn for the end of the month festival, which gave her an additional three choices.  Here we go.

 

First up was The Roof, a 1956 film directed by Vittorio De Sica.  Post war Europe was not a real fun place to live and thrive.  Italy seemed particularly hard hit, with a housing shortage so critical that it is truly hard to believe or imagine.  A newly married couple try to find a place of their own, after an unsuccessful attempt to live in a crowded apartment with their family.  The best solution for them, and one that breaks the law, is to find a flat piece of land and build a one room house overnight.  Once they have a roof and a door in place, they cannot be evicted.  Early on we see another similar family caught halfway through building.  They see it destroyed, and all their investment is now gone.  In addition, they have to pay a fine.  Ironically, the man in our story works at a construction site outside Rome, where many high rise apartments are being built.  But the waiting list is so long for these new apartments that most people have no hope of ever living in one.  A very good film, and it does have a somewhat happy ending.

Leaving Mubi soon. 

 

Next came the first of two animated features, both showing on Mubi.  The Son of the White Mare is a Hungarian film from 1981, directed by Marcell Jankovics.  It is based on Hungarian folk tales, and features some mesmerizing animation.  The story concerns three brothers who set out to rescue three princesses from the underworld, to where they have been kidnapped by three evil powers.  If you love fairy tales that are beautifully illustrated, then this film is a must see.

Now showing on Mubi. 

 

Next up was the newest film by Aki Kaurismaki, a 2023 film called Fallen Leaves.  It is a small gem, the kind of film we would have called a Sleeper back in the day.  However, these kinds of films are so rare nowadays that people literally freak out when they see one.  It explores the relationship between a lonely alcoholic man and a quiet hard working woman.  They find each other, lose other, find each other, lose each other, and than finally find each other again, to live happily ever after.  It isn't much of a story, but the focus on loneliness no doubt hits a chord with a lot of people today. There is humour, drama, and a really nice dog.  With lots of alcohol drinking and, of course, cigarette smoking (since this is a European film after all).  Recommended.

Now showing on Mubi.  On their first date he takes her to a film.  

One of the humourous highlights. 

 

The other animated feature is called No Dogs Or Italians Allowed, from 2022.  This is a truly wonderful stop motion film detailing the director's Italian family's travails as they leave their homeland for France, Switzerland, and a failed attempt at America, for a better life.  The story is touching, funny, and told in a very original manner, with the director engaging with the small stop motion figures as his grandmother tells him the family saga.  This is stop motion the old fashioned way, and it is pulled off brilliantly.  Very highly recommended.

Now showing on Mubi. 

 

In Doctor Who news, The Unicorn and the Wasp features a meetup with Agatha Christie, and a 1920s murder mystery story confined to a large house.  The story explains the real life mysterious temporary disappearance of the famous writer during one point in her life.  A silly story, but great fun anyway.  We are currently amidst a two part story, Silence In The Library, where River Song makes her first appearance.  And we still have one more film of Deb's choice to go.  See you soon.

 

Mapman Mike

 

 

A Winter Thaw Approaches

After 8 days of pretty severe cold weather and windy conditions, we are due for a warm up this week.  Today (Sunday) is still very chilly, but the old boiler should get a break beginning tomorrow.  A bit of an ice storm is on the way, however.  One can't have everything, I suppose.  I only shovelled twice so far this month, and the snow was light and fluffy both times.  We've had flocks of birds around for the twice daily feedings provided here at the Homestead, and the bird water dish heater kept water available as well.  Today we saw a robin (at least 6 weeks early) taking a bath in the water.

Dad is now home from the hospital, after having received no less than 6 units of blood in less than a week.  He said his care was excellent, and seems appreciative of the fact.  A special thanks goes to my sister-in-law Lynne, who stayed with him most of the time he was in, and kept abreast of his medical condition and treatment.  Dad is still very tired, but seems to be recovering.  We shall see.

In Doctor Who watching news, we continue to view the Catherine Tate episodes with David Tenant as the Doctor.  The two part Sontaran story was a bit of a disappointment, with the world (mostly London) saved from certain doom at the last second, yet again.  I can't help thinking that Londoners have very short memories, as they never seem to recall previous alien invasions, and always act surprised when a new threat from the beyond whacks at them.  "The Doctor's Daughter" is a strange tale of a father/daughter relationship like no other.  Starring his real life wife as his daughter (there are 13 years between them; she is also the daughter of a previous Doctor, Peter Davidson), it opens up possibilities that were never close to being realized.  She flies off in the end, appearing as if she might try to spawn another spinoff series, but so far that is the last we see of her.  This again begs the question of the Doctor's granddaughter.  No one has yet come to terms or tried to explain the origins of Susan, the girl from the very first episodes.  We more or less know what happened to her afterwards, but where did she come from?  Why not a story about that?  How did she and the Doctor begin their travels?

In film news, Hyenas (1992) is a remarkable film, recently restored, from Senegal.  How has globalization affected human morality, you might ask?  You shall be answered if you watch this slow paced but extremely engaging film.  Most African films can seem extremely exotic to Western viewers, and this one is no exception.  A woman returns to her village.  She is old now but extremely rich.  A grand welcoming celebration is prepared, as everyone hopes that the rich woman is coming home to save her town and bring it prosperity.  She does do all that, and more.  But her real reason for returning is for revenge against the man who got her pregnant at 17, then denied it, blaming others for the deed.  An innocent man was castrated, while the offender continued on with his life.  She agrees to give the villagers a vast sum of money, but they must kill the offending man first.  There is much humour in this film, despite the grim premise, and the view of village life centred around the only store/cafe in town is lively and sometimes hilarious.  Highly recommended!

Leaving Mubi soon. 

 

My 2nd choice for the week was another BBC Screen Two film.  These are small films that often pack a big punch.  Henri is a 1994 film that takes place in Belfast.  A ten year old girl (played by 12 year old Kara Bowman, a lively and musical accordionist) who plays the accordion is given a place at the country's prestigious music festival.  She is sent off by her dad, and is boarded by a local Catholic Belfast family.  She is a very gifted and intelligent girl, who is always writing letters to various companies and politicians, letting them know when they have erred.  Her best songs are Orange Protestant ones, and though she is not forbidden to play them at the festival, she is encouraged to try something else.  A small film that would not appeal to many, it caught us in the right mood.  The bizarre ending is pure delight.

Showing on Prime. 

 

Mapman Mike

 

 

Deep Winter

Deep winter around here usually lasts 3-4 weeks, and it often doesn't all come at the same time.  Usually Jan. 10th-30th is our coldest time, and this year is no exception.  The "deep" often refers to both temperatures and snow amounts.  This year we continue to dodge the major snowfalls here in Essex County.  We currently have less than an inch on the ground, which a single warm day would erase.  However, there are no warm days.  Only really really cold ones.  Since Saturday we have not gone above +11 F.  Less here, since we are not anywhere near a warmer city centre.  We have been colder than Sudbury for the past two days, which is really saying something.  Next Monday we are scheduled to go above freezing.  We are looking forward to it!  We went out last Thursday to run some errands, including stocking up on birdseed.  We haven't been out since, except to feed the birds 2x daily.  We are not even certain that the car will start tomorrow when we venture out for some fresh groceries.

 

In Sudbury news, my Dad was taken to hospital Sunday evening by ambulance, after collapsing at home.  He apparently had no blood pressure, due to recently discovered internal bleeding.  He is in an ICU while they try to determine where and why he is bleeding.  They have pumped enough blood units into him to virtually replace his entire system.  More updates when I know them.  Dad is 92 and Mom is 94.  Mom is still quite healthy, but she said that Dad has been not doing well lately.  No wonder!  Hopefully it is a problem that can be dealt with at his age.

 

We have watched two more Dr. Who episodes and two films since last posting.  I have also resumed posting on my astronomy blog, which is fun but very time consuming.  We have had a few clear nights lately, but of course it is much too cold to even consider standing outside looking through a telescope eyepiece.  The episodes we watched were "Fires of Pompeii" and "Planet of the Ood."  The first one is unique because it stars two actors that were later to become the Doctor and a companion.  Peter Capaldi has a major role as the father of a household that is about to die in the Vesuvius catastrophe.  It turns out that the Doctor is the real cause of the explosion that kills 20,000 people.  Some nice writing there.  And Karen Gillan has a small role as a priestess.  The episode was filmed in a studio in Rome.  The Ood episode is also quite good, and seems to prove that Donna Noble is one of the best companions to ever assist the Doctor.  That fake snow, though, is all a bit much.

 

The Cheat is a 1931 pre-code film starring Tallulah Bankhead.  She gets in over her head with gambling debts, followed by a disastrous crash of stock that she was told couldn't lose.  Well, it did, and now she owes double the amount.  Her husband won't be impressed.  Enter one of the most creepy villains in movie history, who offers her the money if she will spend frequent nights with him at his house.  Why won't women ever learn--never trust a creepy villain!

Leaving Criterion Jan. 31st. 

 

Deb's regular pic was Mr. Holmes, a film starring Ian McKellen as a 92 year old Homes, looking after his bees and trying hard to remember his last case.  This case was the reason he retired, and he cannot remember why.  The film, a BBC production from 2015, cleverly advances the plot little by little as he remembers what happens.  Definitely worth catching for Holmes fans!  This film was first brought to our attention by my mother, who really liked it.

Now showing on Prime. 

 

Mapman Mike

 

Winter's Grand (Belated) Arrival

 IT is here.  IT has finally arrived.  IT is not much fun today, nor for the foreseeable future.  After this snowstorm we are to be hit with winds gusting to 100 km tonight and tomorrow, with temps dropping well below zero, and staying well below zero (Celsius) for many days ahead.  Ah, the howling sounds of January in Canada.  Detroit airport currently has an average departure delay of 81 minutes.   However, we at the Homestead are prepared for nearly anything.  The only thing that would affect us negatively this weekend is if the power went off for longer than 4 hours.  With heavy snow on the tree branches and the electric wires, this is a very real possibility once those overnight winds kick in.  We have a fireplace and plenty of wood to heat the central area of the house.  All of the fridge and freezer food could live in the garage indefinitely.  But we wouldn't have any hot water for tea, etc.  Anyway, we are now only observers, having to accept what comes our way.  We have the fire departments of our county on live broadcasts.  A few wires down and a house currently burning, but most of the calls are for vehicle accidents.  The first real snow of the season and people have forgotten how to drive in the stuff.

 

We dodged a big one earlier in the week, getting rain instead of the expected snow.  But that storm gave us the lowest barometer reading I have ever knowingly experienced: 28.86.  The lowest I have ever felt before that was around 29.3o.  Normal is around 30.00.  And with this most recent storm hitting us this weekend we are back down to 29.03!  Amazing stuff!!

There are two films to report, but lately we have been rewatching the Dr. Who episodes that feature David Tenant  and Catherine Tate on Prime Video.  The original appearance of Donna Noble is in the episode called The Runaway Bride.  It is one of Tenant's better episodes, despite the ridiculous spider monster at the end.  The two actors seem to have an instant chemistry, and their repartee is hilarious.  A running joke about pockets, for example, really sets this one apart.  Partners In Crime, the first regular episode to feature Catherine, also introduces her wonderful and amazing granddad, played by Bernard Cribbins.  Both he and Catherine (and Tenant) ended up creating characters that are completely unforgettable.  Which is why we are rewatching those episodes.  We will see if they stand up over time as being truly memorable.  So far, yes.  I love Donna Noble, and I think that she might be in my top three companions of the Doctor of all time.

In movie news, most recently we watched The Man With A Shotgun, a Japanese pseudo western from 1961, and directed by Seijun Suzuki.  In widescreen colour, it is truly one of the weirder movies to come out of Japan.  With the usual fistfights, gunfights, saloon girls, good guys and bad guys, the movie will still have viewers' jaws dropping frequently during this story about a man out for revenge on those who raped and killed his young wife.  Lots of violence and more than a few surprises, Suzuki's early films are just as weird as his later ones, but in a different way.  Don't miss a chance to catch this one.  For us it is showing on Criterion.

The Man With A Shotgun is leaving Criterion January 31st. 

 

My main choice last week was called All Things Bright and Beautiful, a BBC production from 1993.  It is one of the Screen Two productions.  Here is the description from Prime:

County Tyrone, Northern Ireland. 1954 is the year of special devotion to Our Lady. When Barry's prayers to her are mistaken for a two-way conversation, the result is a wave of religious hysteria. Barry's father must rescue him from the worship of the village folk and the ambitions of Father McAteer.  

This is mostly a fun look at a pious young boy, whose actions are misinterpreted, and then allowed by the boy to go on, until a kind of hysteria has hit their small town parish.  It all begins with an innocent mistake, as the boy mistakes a hiding IRA refugee for Barabbas (hey, it can happen).  The old time radio gets a supporting role, too, to help set the time the story takes place.  The local priest is a complete shambles by the end of the story.

 

Showing on Prime.

That's it from the Homestead for now.  We are safe and cozy, and hope to remain that way.  Autumn has vanished at last; here comes Winter.

Mapman Mike

 

 

Winter Takes A Holiday

Well, perhaps not everywhere.  But in this part of Canada (southwestern Ontario), winter in all its wonderful glory has yet to appear.  Usually we get a good blast in December, and even sometimes in November.  Not this season.  We awoke today to snow on the ground, however.  About 5 mms.  It was gone by mid day.  More is supposed to come Tuesday, but it, too, will quickly vanish with the above freezing temperatures we achieve later in the day.  One doesn't hear a lot of complaining, though, especially here at the Homestead.  A year without shovelling is, well, a year without shovelling.  It has been several years now since we have been able to go outside and use our snowshoes.  However, it is still very early in the coldest season.  We still have several weeks to go.  With parts of China experiencing their coldest December, and much of Scandinavia buried under fresh snow, there is hope for our winter yet.  Stay tuned.

 

Deb finished her tedious job of painting the TV room.  It looks quite professional, and is a definite improvement on the old walls.  And with the two new windows that were recently installed, it is a cozy place to watch our films.  Speaking of which....

 

Most recently we finished watching a 1963 SF film.  It is a Czech film, recently restored to its original b & w perfection.  Ikarie XB 1 is based on a novel by Stanislaw Lem.  A large crew of humans attempts a voyage to Alpha Centauri well into the 22nd Century, undergoing several hazardous adventures along the way.  If you like Star Trek, then readers should love this film, one of which I had never heard.  Though the crew is all white (Star Trek improved considerably on this) and commanded by men, there are plenty of women here, too, including one chosen to give birth to the first baby in space flight.  While the effects are nearly as cheesy as Gerry Anderson's, the story and writing are quite good.  It's like watching two or three good Star Trek episodes in one feature.  Recommended to SF fans.  Watch only the original sub-titled Czech version.

The restored Czech version is streaming on Criterion.

 

The bridge of the star ship. 

 

Before that came Yumeji, a Seijun Suzuki film from 1991.  It tries hard to be an avant garde art house film, but ends up reminding us too much of something someone might have done in the 1970s.  While the photography is stunning, and the use of traditional Japanese interiors works remarkably well, the over-acted boisterousness and deliberate attempts to confuse and disengage the audience in many scenes spoils the unique and underlying harmony the picture tries to create.  In addition, the film is way too long.  It tells the story of a man who recently murdered his wife.  He is on the run from the police (who seem to disappear for the last part of the picture), and has threatened to kill another man who tried to kill him.  It is also about an artist, an historical figure who painted young women.  The husband of a woman he has painted is going to kill the artist.  However, this husband is also the one that the escaped murderer wants to kill.  The best part of the film might be the stunning kimonos worn by the four women in the tale.  Not a recommended film, as it leaves little behind that stirs the senses.  Part of a trilogy of films made by the independent director.

Leaving Criterion January 31st. 

 

Those two picks were Deb's.  Before that came the 5th and final pick of my festival week.  Mubi has just acquired a large selection of early Hong Kong action films.  Five Deadly Venoms is from 1978, and ranks high in the tastes of certain directors (Tarantino being one).  The unusual amount of sadistic torture and killings would appeal to some, I suppose.  As much as one admires the athletic ability of the actors, and the skills of the fight arranger, my heart goes out to the foley artists in this genre.  Hundreds of well timed sound effects accompany each fight, and there are many of them.  This film begins quite slowly, allowing the story of several wayward martial arts masters and their corruption to become settled before the real action begins.  Yay for the good guys.  Boo for the bad guys.

 

Now showing on Mubi. 

 

Mapman Mike

 

 

 

 

The New Year

Hmm.  2024 somehow doesn't seem so new.  Major earthquake on the 1st day, with a weirdly connected plane crash.  Increased bombing of Ukraine.  Increased bombing of Gaza.  Major wind storm and flooding in the UK.  A devastating bombing in Iran.  And I still can't seem to memorize piano pieces very well.  So, not such a great beginning to a new year.  But it can only get better.  Right?

 

On Wednesday Deb and I had our first major outing of the year.  Not exactly a cultural experience, as we were both due for blood work.  We are able to book precise appointments in Kingsville, so that is where we go.  Afterwards we went to a newish cafe downtown Kingsville, enjoying the espresso and vegan cookies a lot.  Then it was back home.  But wait!  The day holds yet another outing.  Tonight is the regular late evening weekly trip to the grocery store.  Wednesday nights seem to be quiet nights for shopping, with hardly anyone else in the store.  And best of all, we usually get right up to a cashier.  Tonight, like most of the days in the past two weeks, was cloudy, dull, damp, and drizzly.  It's been getting a bit colder each day, though, and we are finally just about right on the seasonal norm. 

 

We celebrated New Year's Eve at 7 pm along with London, UK, greatly enjoying the very impressive fireworks display from the London Eye.  For us there was champagne, a wood fire, snackies, and Act 111 of Siegfried.  I actually managed to stay up till midnight, though I don't know why I bothered.  Deb cashed in a bit earlier.

 

In film news, I have one choice remaining of my five picks.  Mostly recently we watched a fairly dismal film based on a book by E. Nesbit I just read.  The Treasure Seekers is from 1996, while the book is from 1899.  The film boasts some choice adult actors, such as Ian Richardson, who is wasted as a Scrooge type money lender, Peter Capaldi as the editor of a major newspaper, and Nigel Davenport as a banker.  Keira Knightley has a small role as a princess.  The book and the film have little in common.  In fact, the book as written is quite unfilmable without using voice over narration, which it doesn't use.  The plot of both the film and the book is a cliched look at a family down severely in finances, which somehow miraculously regains their status at the end.  No, it isn't the plot that makes the novel successful, but the manner in which it is written by one of the five children.  And the two best chapters are completely left out, where they create a newspaper to sell, and when they try to sell mail order sherry.  Major characters are also left out, replaced by others.  While the film isn't a total mess, it does not do any justice whatsoever to Nesbit's novel.  So read the book and skip this movie.

 

We found this film on Youtube. 

 

Before that came Brotherhood of the Wolf, a strange flic from 2001 that mixes French period drama, horror, fantasy, and kung fu.  Very loosely based on true events from the 1700s, it's about a series of gruesome countryside murders that are blamed on some kind of rogue wolf.  The King sends an investigator, and he brings his companion with him, supposedly a Mohawk Indian (Mani).  Mani is the film's most interesting character, yet he is killed off with still an hour of running time to go.  So it's not so great a movie after that.  The fight scenes are pure Hong Kong theatre, as an unlimited amount of bad guys constantly appear, no matter how many are killed or maimed by the good guys.  The Jim Henson workshop animated the ridiculous monster creature, who is tamed by the main guy (who is easy to guess despite the mask), and only kills women and children. Some great costumes on the ladies, and some atmospheric scenes, make this one recommended, but with caution due to an awful lot of violence and blood.  The wolves turn out to be good guys in the end.  Yay!

Now showing on Shudder. 

 

Unfaithfully Yours is comedy written and directed by Preston Sturges from 1948.  A renowned conductor has undying faith in his wife, until he doesn't.  And when he doesn't, he quickly goes off the rails.  Once he is convinced that his wife has cheated on him with his handsome male secretary, his life unravels depicted in a series of fantasies he has while conducting a live symphony concert.  With music to fit the actions in his fantasies by Rossini and Wagner, and later Tchaikovsky, the movie becomes very much a Looney Tunes cartoon.  After the concert he tries to reenact the main fantasy, where he kills his wife with his straight razor, then manages to smoothly frame her lover, who is given the death penalty in his dream world.  But the real life version doesn't go nearly as smoothly as the fantasy, and he ends up wrecking his house in the process of trying to arrange it the way he envisioned it.  Rex Harrison is the mad conductor, and Linda Darnell is the innocent wife.  Definitely worth a look.  His performance is stellar.

 

It's run on Criterion has ended. 

 

We are currently viewing my final pick, a Chinese martial arts film.  Until next time. 

 

Mapman Mike