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.
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.
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.
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.
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
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