November Reading Summary

A pretty normal month for reading, as astronomy nights were few and far between.  I read nine books, and parts of others.  Since I seem to have run out of works by Silverberg (at long last), my reading now begins each month with a pulp novel by Kenneth Bulmer, followed by one by E. C. Tubb.  Then comes Barry Malzberg, and, every other month, a novel by Michael Moorcock.  Following those four authors I am in free reading mode for the remainder of the month, choosing whatever I feel like reading.  I have a large pile of real books to get through, as well as literally hundreds of Kindle novels.  So here we go....

 

Rebel of Antares is from 1980, this continuing saga of Dray Prescott by Bulmer is 151 pages.  One of the things that can get tedious in a long series such as this (this is #24) is the types of predicament into which the hero can be placed.  A favourite with Bulmer (and Tubb) is the arena, where the Roman tradition of gladiatorial combat is intensified in sadism and cruelty.  Once again Dray finds himself in the arena, starting out yet once more at the bottom of the barrel.  This is the same arena where he escaped from in an earlier volume, and rescued Delia.  Though it does advance the plot somewhat, Dray still ends up in the dungeon, and he could have got there without all the trouble of fighting in the arena.  But what do I know?  I haven't published 24 books (not even one).

The action is high pitched, and often humourous, as when Dray must rescue a princess from a high tower.  This is a fantasy story trope, but it is quite updated and well done nonetheless.  It is a dark and stormy night, and Dray sneaks, climbs, and fights his way to the princess.  She has been a captive a long time, and has often fantasized about who her rescuer would be, and how it would be accomplished.  "I see they've give you books to read," comments Dray.  It goes without saying that the rescue does not exactly fulfill the dreams of the young lady, especially when Dray grabs her and they jump from the castle wall into a muddy moat.

This book actually comes to an ending, not a cliffhanger, though we know that Dray has more work to do.  He reconciles with one of his lost daughters, and his son gets married (to the rescued princess).  A happy ending!

 

The Kindle reissue usually features 4 novels.  The updated covers are a reprint of one of those volumes.  This was the cover of the original Rebel of Antares, by Ken Kelly.  Though the cover art may make it appear that females are helpless critters who need rescuing by manly men, more often than not the women in this series can take care of themselves quite nicely.
 

 From 1994 comes Zenya, a 157 page story, #11 of the on-going adventures of Earl Dumarest, a man searching for his birth planet, which happens to be Earth.  Earth was essentially a disaster area when Earl left it as a child stowaway, and since then has been searching for clues as to its location.  We are never told why he wishes to revisit a worn out, stripped down, ecologically dead world, but on he goes, adventure after adventure.  He's had many opportunities to settle down and enjoy a bit of life, but Earl would rather risk that life hopping from planet to planet, asking questions about Earth's location.  In this story, on the very last page, he gets some clues.  Big deal.  This has become a very thin thread trying to hold together a series of individual stories of adventure.  We visit two new worlds this time, with most of the action occurring on the 2nd planet.  Farming settlers appear to be having some problems with the primitive natives, and Earl gets himself hired to end the war that is ready to explode.

It's a good enough story, but not one of Tubb's best Dumarest ones.  Two female characters form a backdrop to the manly action scenes, but they are shallow and only interested in themselves.  In addition, they both have mental health issues.  So no great women characters here, I'm afraid.

 

From 1975 comes the 168 page sequel we've all been waiting for in Malzberg's vigilante crime series.  In Harlem Showdown (#10) Burt  Wulf returns to New York to figure out his next move.  He has taken out drug kingpin after kingpin, and lived to tell the tale.  Lying low in a Harlem rooming house, he begins to take on small time dealers, before realizing that his game is up.  He has done all that one man could ever hope to do.  Malzberg, in an afterword, says the same thing.  Events could not continue, as they just began to repeat themselves.  What to do next?  Williams, the ex-friend of Wulf, is back on the NYPD force, this time part of a special unit to find and capture Wulf.  They were once patrol car partners, until Wulf left the force.  Wulf finally figures out who killed his girlfriend, even though we've strongly suspected it from the start (no, it's not Williams).  He goes after the bad lieutenant cop, and the end comes soon afterwards.  I won't spoil the ending, but it's got to be either Williams or Wulf, right?  Wrong.  Mostly.  Let's just say that with four books remaining in the series, Wulf likely isn't going to die yet. I have a feeling I know what will happen to him, and it involves some kind of arrangement with the police.  There is a lot of introspection in this story, something that has been happening more and more in the series.  Malzberg is very good at writing about inner thinking, especially within crazy minds.  The series will continue for a bit longer, but likely with a different spin on things.

 

I also read 2/3rds of the last Colonel Pyat novel by Moorcock.   This has been a very rewarding and fun series to read.  I will report on it in the December reading summary.

Doctor In The Swim by Richard Gordon is from 1962, and makes for very light reading.  This book has been on my shelf for years, and is finally on its way to the charity shop.  In this episode the doctor gets engaged not once, but three times, twice to the same girl.  He also gets Sir Lancelot Spratt out of a a New York prison cell, helps his cousin to not get a divorce, and manages a troupe of delinquent girls at a holiday camp.  More or less in the tradition of Wodehouse, the novel can be read at one or two sittings.  Some very funny moments, and some not so much.  Not the finest of the series, by any means.

 

The Shaman's Game is a crime mystery novel by James D. Doss from 1998.  Influenced heavily by the Navajo mysteries of Tony Hillerman, Doss writes about a Ute reservation in southwestern Colorado.  I found the book at an antique store on our recent road trip, and picked it up along with a Hillerman novel.  The plot concerns strange deaths that occur during tribal Sun Dances at various reservations.  Rumour has it that a Native witch is responsible, making everyone nervous.  Officer Charlie Moon, a Ute who has some difficulty in believing old timers' tales about the power of witches, is about to learn some lessons.  The character of Moon himself is not a very interesting one, at least compared to the officers in Hillerman's novels.  He is quite bland, in fact, though efficient in his own way.

The most interesting characters seem to be two old women, Moon's Aunt Daisy, a shaman, and Popeye Woman.  Aunt Daisy provides a lot of the interest in this novel.  There are also two young women who are after Charlie Moon for a husband.  One of the things I enjoyed about Doss's writing style is his following up spoken dialogue with the inner thoughts of the speaker immediately afterwards.  A speaker might smile and say hello, but their inner thoughts carry a very different message.  I also like how he builds towards his climax, though perhaps it takes just a bit too long, especially after a very slow opening exposition.  The book is part of a series, the third volume.  I may look out for at least one more before passing final judgement.  I did like the book, and most of the characters, especially the women, were very well drawn.  The ending keeps on surprising, even after the alleged bad guy is caught.  The book, like Hillerman's novels, also offers a chance to learn a bit about Native American culture.  By the end of the novel, my thoughts were also turning towards the writing of M R James, a writer of ghost stories.

Next came a collection of ghost stories by M R James from 1919.  A Thin Ghost and Others contains five tales: The Residence at Westminster; The Diary of Mr Poynter; An Episode of Cathedral History; The Story of An Appearance and A Disappearance; and The Two Doctors.  All are quite good, though not equally spine tingling.  The Appearance/Disappearance one is probably the strangest tale of the set, involving a Punch and Judy show; the first tale is probably the scariest of the bunch, though I suppose it depends on what frightens a particular reader.  Always worth reading, James' style is sometimes mundane and matter of fact, though he can build up nicely to a suitably grim finale.

Original 1919 publication. 

 

Tony Hillerman novels are now quite expensive, considering that they are all reprints and require no further editing etc.  Even Kindle costs are quite high.  So I was pleased to find a bunch of his novels at an antique store in Moriarty NM on our recent road trip.  I took The First Eagle, a later work from 1998.  Having just read a copy cat novel by Doss, and not having read a Hillerman in many years (he has passed on and his daughter now writes the new ones), it was good to revisit the old days.  I think by chance I picked up a novel I hadn't read before, as I remembered nothing about this Navajo mystery.  As usual, two stories intertwine.  Joe Leaphorn, retired from the Navajo police force, takes on his first private investigation.  A woman is missing and he is asked to find her.  The second story sees a police officer killed in the line of duty, and acting lieutenant Jim Chee, who was Leaphorn's protege, is convinced he has arrested the write man.  But of course he hasn't.  Hillerman weaves his magic, taking us deep into Navajo landscape, this time in Arizona.  I can't say if this is one of his best novels, but it was really good.  I have one more sitting on my shelf, one I know I have read.  So I will read that one, and perhaps keep looking for more Hillerman on second hand shelves.  Hillerman teaches as well as entertains.  We learn much about traditional Navajo ways in most of his novels, and this one is no exception.  He also tackles the thorny problem of reservation cops having to respond alone to most calls, with backup often up to an hour away.  In First Eagle we also learn a bit about Hopi traditions.  And there is science, in the form of flea catching.  Bubonic plague is still a threat in the southwest, due to infected fleas that bite rodents, which then get into people's homes.  So there is a sprinkling of microbiology, too.  Highly recommended, even if you've never read one of his books before.

 

A recent used book purchase. 

 

Thanks to a 36 part lecture series on mystery writing and its long legacy, we have been jotting down several authors of interest.  The first of these I have explored is about the Swedish police detective Martin Beck.  The first book of a series is called Roseanna, from 1967.  The books were co-authored by Maj Sjowall and Per Whaloo, and are among the favourite mystery books of the lecturer.  Beck is a detective on the national police force, like the FBI in the US or Scotland Yard in the UK.  He is called in when local police don't have the resources to deal with a serious and unsolvable crime.  And this one really seems unsolvable.  A woman is murdered on board a tourist cruise boat and her body dumped overboard in the canal.  The body is found soon afterward during a dredging operation.  The book is a police procedural,f and we soon realize how difficult and how boring the job can be.  The body is found in July, soon after the murder, but it is not until after Christmas that the case finally gets resolved.  Sometimes the authors write with a grim and very dry humour.  Beck himself is a physical wreck; he smokes too much, he never eats properly or sleeps much, and is often sick.  He has no meaningful relationship with his wife and two young children.  He is away from home nearly all of the time, either in his Stockholm office or travelling to other towns to investigate leads.  I have a few problems with this first book, though overall it is a very engrossing story and generally very well crafted.  First all, Beck only seems to have one crime on his caseload, with all the time in the world to solve it.  He must be the envy of a lot of detectives.  Secondly, the climax of the story, while gut-wrenching, is hardly plausible.  On their way to catch the criminal in the act of murdering a decoy policewoman, on a quiet Sunday morning, they are suddenly involved in a massive car pileup, and all their doors won't open.  When they finally get out, they have to run the 650 yards to the scene.  This past is quite amusing, anyway, though so improbable as to be laughable in itself.  And it's quite inexplicable as to how the killer just manages to walk into the apartment, considering it has always been locked and chained up till now.  I will read the second book eventually.  We'll see if any of these quibbles get ironed out, or if they will repeat.  

I read the Kindle edition. 

 

Lastly comes another first book of a large detective series.  Ed McBain's 50+ book series about the 87th precinct takes place in a fictional city remarkably like NYC.  Whereas the Martin Beck novel was gritty and showed a realistic look at European crime solving, the 87th precinct novels are far grittier, and show a realistic look at American crime solving.  Cop Hater is from 1956, and McBain (real name Evan Hunter; before that he was Salvatore Albert Lombino) attempts to show the workings of a busy police precinct (district) when one of its detective is murdered, shot from behind when he was going to work.   A police procedural, there are virtually no clues at the beginning of the serial cop killer's rampage.  When all is said and done, three detectives are murdered.  However, the third, aware of the danger, manages to wound the perpetrator, and leave a few other clues behind before he dies.  Being 1956, the women are all wives of cops, so McBain, at least in the first novel, shows us a man's world, ruled by violence, bad jokes, and lots of cigarettes.  McBain/Hunter wrote the novel Blackboard Jungle, as well as the screenplay for Hitchcock's The Birds.  I purchased the first ten books in this series from Kindle for a bargain (less than 2$ per book).  So I will likely read the first ten, at least.  This recommendation comes from our television lecture series on great mystery writers.

 

I'm also chipping away at two large books, the fairy tale one by Joseph Jacobs, and a compilation of short stories edited by M. Jakubowski and M. Christian, called Tales From the Road.  It's a Mammoth Book, one of their series.  It includes chapters or stories by Moorcock, Ballard, and Kerouac, among others.  Some of the stories have been very disturbing.  More on this book when it is finished. 

 

Mapman Mike 

 

 

 

 

 

  

New Wheels

We recently traded in our 7 year old Golf Sportwagon for a 2424 VW Taos.  It's their smallest SUV, and is about 2" higher, much better for NM back roads.  We only did one back road on our recent trip, so hopefully more to come next year.  Our previous car got 43 mpg.  I doubt this beast will even come close.  We shall see.

Our new vehicle, a VW Taos 2024.

New wheels, since Saturday morning. 

 

We are due for some winter temperatures later this week, and on into next.  So far the November astronomy session has been a bust.  If we do happen to get a clear night (not predicted), it will likely be too windy and cold to be of much use anyway.  Most of our leaves are now down, and the fields are harvested and ploughed.  It looks pretty grim around here, and will do so until mid April.

Late autumn at the Homestead. 

 

In film news, Deb keeps getting awards and showings.  She has one in New York and Berlin most recently, with London coming soon.  She is now filming (stop motion) her latest work, based on a Polish horror story.

 

In film watching news, there are three to report.  Most recent was another viewing of the very hokey and trop-heavy b&w classic The House on Haunted Hill.  It's from 1959, stars Vincent Price, and was directed by William Castle.  The climactic ending is probably the hokiest horror film ending ever put to film, and must be seen to be depreciated.  Price will pay a group of five invited guests $10,000.00 to stay overnight in his haunted mansion (exterior shots show a house in LA designed by Frank Lloyd Wright).  I think I would need that much incentive just to watch this film again.  Totally silly but somehow its ridiculous effects and plot are charming enough. Beware the hired help.  And the "walking" plastic skeleton.

 

Leaving Criterion Nov. 30th. 

 

Before that came Lost and Beautiful, an Italian film from 2015, directed by Pietro Marcello.  It began as a documentary about the volunteer caretaker of a vast and abandoned Italian country palace.  However, the man actually died partway through filming.  What to do?  Actually, I'm still not quite sure.  In comes Pulcinella, who seems to be an animal rights advocate as well as a messenger before here and the afterlife.  His presence allows a story to be told, mostly from the viewpoint of a water buffalo calf (it's complicated).  Strange and unusual does not begin to describe this tale, which is kind of like a fairy tale.  Lots of puzzling things happen as Pulcinella attempts to lead the calf to safety.  A cry in the wilderness for leaving animals alone, rather than torturing, killing, and eating them.  Good luck with that.  If quirky is your thing, then I can recommend this film.

Leaving Mubi in 4 days.  

 

Those were my two weekly picks.  Earlier we watched Deb's 2nd pick on Criterion (streaming, of course).  Wild Wheels is a documentary from 1992 and directed by Harold Blank.  We get to see an array of bizarrely decorated and driveable autos, from the director's own VW bug to just about anything one could imagine sticking on a car.  For instance, one car is decorated with buttons.  Another with mirrors.  Another with a scale model city on its roof.  The coolest one, though, is from a guy who actually grows grass on the car, waters it until green, and then takes it out for a drive.  A fun film, even if you don't like cars.

Leaving Criterion Nov. 30th. 

 

Mapman Mike

 

 

Late Fall Weather

We are having our first real cold spell, though it isn't too bad.  It's a clear night and it's astronomy season, but I am at home.  November is usually a very cloudy month here, along with December.  As we are buying a new vehicle tomorrow, we had to clear out the old car and get it ready for trade-in.  So no loading of the telescope.  Figures it would be clear tonight, though.  Getting back to the weather, tomorrow promises a bit of snow, a very late event this year.  And wind.  So of course we are heading to Windsor in the morning.  Another medical appointment for Deb, then lunch, then off to VW.  It's been seven years since we bought a vehicle.  The last two have been Golf sport wagons, but this time we went for a Taos.  There are several reasons why, but no need to talk about that now.  It's a regular gas user.  The electric cars do not fit our lifestyle yet.  Hopefully next time. 

 

I've been invited back twice now to the piano group I left last year.  Still not ready, so I'll give it another miss.  The pieces are currently being memorized, and I really have nothing ready to play anyway.  Each time I memorize new pieces it gets harder and harder.  As does walking up steep hills.  I wonder why that is?  I can't even drink that much beer anymore.

 

We had such amazing weather for our road trip, which is still resonating strongly with me (the trip and the weather).  We seem to have found an ideal path for the westward journey, as well as the return one.  The in between bits will differ as we explore and hike new places, but it's fun to get to know a string of towns and cities across the country where sanctuary, refuge and good times can be had.  It makes the long drive so much more fun.

 

Since I only put up some of the photos from the trip on my travel blog, I will occasionally post one or two here.  Here is one from my big hike to the top of Texas, looking down a steep drop off along the trail.  No place for a Meniere's attack up here, my friends.

 

Heights can be quite dizzying in the mountains, even on a good trail.  This is a look down along the Guadalupe Mountain Trail in Guadalupe National Park.  Not only would one have a fairly bad roll, but there would be cactus all the way, too. 

 

In film news, I'll begin with most recently watched.  Soul Kitchen is a fun and funny film from Germany and 2009.  A man runs a greasy spoon restaurant in a run down building, gradually and hilariously turning it into a very successful venue with creative and highly digestible food.  His brother loses the place in a poker game.  An unfaithful girlfriend and a bad back doesn't stop him, nor an old boat captain who never pays his rent.  Enjoyable stuff from Mubi.

Leaving Mubi Nov. 30th. 

 

Before that we watched a Claude Chabrol film called The Flower of Evil, from 2003.  The story is strange but engrossing.  A woman is running for mayor in the French provences somewhere.  Her second husband is a cheating scumbag, and hates the thought of her in politics.  Her daughter and the son of the husband are getting very chummy.  And old Aunt Line has a few aces up her sleeve to help them along.  The French Resistance against the Nazis is brought up, someone gets killed, and Aunt Line gets an old skeleton to finally come out of the closet.  There is some very fine acting, some strange twists, and an usual ending, though it is happy for most.

 

Leaving Mubi Nov. 30th. 

 

Before that it was time for another viewing of Tarkovsky's Stalker.  Having read Roadside Picnic recently, I watched to rewatch the film.  I have many quibbles with the film, but I loved much of it.  The look, feel (and dark hues) of the opening and closing scenes are unmatched for dank and dreary atmosphere.  We see no colour until the three travellers are in the Zone, on their way to a building with a room that offers one's greatest desire.  It's probably best to not even think about the novel when watching (same with the director's version of Solaris).  No one can photograph water and use it metaphorically like Tarkovsky.  His dialogue gets somewhat melodramatic at times, and he really doesn't effectively show how dangerous it really is to be where they are.  However, the locations are perfect, the mood is consistent and very claustrophobic, and the photography nothing less than a marvel.  I wish he had played up the SF angle more, though the final scene is a good one.  Definitely worth rewatching.

Showing on the Criterion Channel. 

 

Mapman Mike

 

 

J S Bach's Two Part Inventions

My love affair with Bach's music goes back a very long way.  Of course as one marches up the student piano grades, one encounters a lot of music by Bach.  Why play more Bach after all the exams are done?  There is so much Chopin to learn, after all.  I guess it has to do with brain waves, and how the music of Bach resonates in there.  After graduating with a B. Mus way back in '79, one of the first things I did was to sit down at the piano and relearn (or learn for the first time) all of the Bach two-part inventions.  There are fifteen of them, and as the name implies, only two notes are ever played at the same time.  The left and right hands work independently of one another, something that takes years to master.  In advanced theory, one has to compose a two-part invention, a daunting task.  Bach wrote them for two main reasons: finger independence training for students, including his own kids, and as a way of learning how to compose.

One cannot simply put two notes together and assume they will work within the rules of harmony.  Instead, one must think in four part harmony when composing, but only write the two voices that will best express this.  Okay, we know a bit about the two parts, now let's move on to the "invention."  What is an invention for Bach?  It is a musical idea, a single theme.  It may only be a few notes, or it may run on for several measures.  This idea is what the piece is based on, and though the hands work independently, they each get to play the theme at various times and in various guises.  Each of the 15 two part inventions are written with a single idea in mind.  Only one of them has the hands copy each other exactly (called a canon), but at slightly different times.  Youtube can provide a source for hearing the inventions.  #1 is a great place to being, to get the idea of what Bach is doing.  It can be daunting for non keyboard players to get into the music of Bach's keyboard writing, but the first invention will get you started.  #2 is the canon, but all the rest are somewhat similar to #1.  Bach explores all of the "beginner" keys in the inventions, and alternates a major tonality with a minor one.  If you enjoy hearing pieces in a minor key, then listen to the even numbered ones (and #15).

 

My newest piano program is entitled "Exploring Minimalist Compositions."  It opens with two pieces by Bach.  One of them is a two part invention, #8 in f minor.  Virtually any keyboard work by Bach can fit into a definition of minimalism.  He always uses a basic idea, like in the inventions, and uses the rest of the piece to expand upon this idea.  The invention in #8 is a long and flowing one, taking a full four measures to run its course before the left hand gets its turn to state the idea.  But what does the left hand do while the right hand is introducing the theme?  That's a great question!  Essentially it is underscoring and supporting the main idea, by using passages that either strongly resemble what the right hand is doing, or that highlight the idea, giving it depth and  meaning from the get-go.  In the very first invention Bach allows one hand to be silent while the other hand first presents the theme.  But #8 is quite different.  Give it a listen.  All of the inventions are very short.  More about Bach next time.

 

In doctor news, Deb got to see a new specialist yesterday.  We are now faced with the "flowering doctor tree," where one appointment now leads to three others.  Two more next week, one of which is her regular RA infusion.  But next Friday she sees her third kind of specialist related to her breathing issues, readily apparent when she goes uphill.  Previously, her heart got the green light, as did her lungs.  So what is going on?  Stay tuned.

 

It has been dark and gloomy here at the Homestead of late.  No sun in many days now.  We still haven't had a proper frost, though it can't be too long now.  Our main printer/scanner became infected with a disease that seems to preclude any hope of proper alignment.  So a new one was ordered, coming free thanks to all those Visa points we earned on our journey last month.  We still have to set it up.  I put a new colour ink cartridge in the old one, but it will no longer align.  It prints a very strange and somewhat freaky sort of writing and imaging.  I managed to get it aligned once, but once it was turned off and back on again, it was back to its freaky mode.

 

And one of our phones would no longer update.  So we had to buy a new phone, and they are getting rather expensive.  But our systems are now updated, and the new phone works much better than the older one.  It also has a better screen and a better camera.  So there.

 

In film news, we have now completed the 9-part series called Self Portrait as a Coffee Pot.  This had many moments of total brilliance, including episode 8, which took a very different look at Russia in the 1930s, especially Stalin, Lenin, and Trotsky, but also including several other members of the bully brigade.  The point was that historical times cannot simply be understood by focusing on one or two major characters.  Rather, the entire scene must be filled in in order to gather a more faithful understanding.  So no more coffee pot episodes.  Among the best TV we have ever watched.

 

Deb also chose an animated feature called My Life As A Zucchini.  Directed by Claude Barras and from 2016, it is a family friendly stop motion animated film about what happens to a creative little boy after his mother dies accidentally.  It tugs at heartstrings at times, and at others is very funny.  Highly recommended.  From Deb, "the animation is amazing."

 

Leaving Criterion soon. 

 

Earlier I chose a very silly French farce called The Rendez-Vous of Deja-Vu.  From 2013, it is directed by Antonin Peretjatko.  It reminded me of American teenage bikini beach movies from the 60s, the kind with Annette and Frankie.  A group of misfits heads to to the beach, but along the way they become separated, each group undergoing some harrowing and often funny adventures.  Satirizing French politics, society, and relationships, true love (or true determination) win out in the end.  No real reason to watch this, but it was mildly entertaining most of the time, and very funny some of the time.

The film has left Mubi. 

 

Mapman Mike

 

A Warm Autumn

Up until now it has been a very warm autumn.  Our annual indoor fire on Samhain, nearly two weeks ago, had to be limited because it was so warm outside.  We've been unable to have an autumn equinox fire for several years now.  It's finally turning a bit more seasonal, though we have yet to have a frost.  In one sense it's been a beautiful autumn.  But we've often had snow by now.  2024 is supposed to end up being the warmest on record.  For us it's been a pleasant event, so I know that we have been lucky.  No floods, no droughts, no tornadoes here. A calm year.  But it's getting difficult to read the news without hearing about devastating floods.  They are becoming nearly as common as mass shootings.  And then there are the fires, lately in California.  In New Mexico there is virtually nowhere left to hike that hasn't been badly burned either nearby or on-site.  Here is a photo of one of our favourite mountain ranges, the Manzano Mtns in NM, lying south of Albuquerque.  The entire east side, once a dense evergreen forest, is now completely gone.  It is obviously the #1 threat to human life on Earth.  Yet wars go on, oil companies go on, and people who vote rarely consider it a top priority.  It is ignored by half of the world's political parties, many of whom are currently in power.  Of course there is a solution, but who really wants one?  Anyway, we've had a lovely autumn, and I hope you have, too.

 

Once heavily forested, the Manzano Mtns east side is a lesson in devastation. 

 

Piano practice is starting to get me somewhere again, and my regular exercise regime is back full time.  I've been reading a lot, too.  It's back to a mostly indoor life.  Except for astronomy nights, and I had a few classic ones so far this month.  I now have to wait till the moon reaches full and begins to wane before I can head out again.  It's frustrating during harvest time, as the combines have a ridiculous amount of lights on them, and they often work all night.

 

In movie watching news, I begin with the most recent feature.  Reussir Sa Vie (Succeed In Life) is by the same director of last week's Gaz de France.  Benoit Forgeard's 2012 feature was his first, and he used three of his short films, united by some extra footage, to construct it.  Like his other film, this one is quite funny, puzzling, and eminently watchable.  The director stars as a filmmaker trying to complete a film.  He has no budget, no film, and no crew, except a foley artist.  The three short films often feature the same actors, but the last one stars the director.  He purports to be a computer tech helping a young student recover her lost master's thesis.  I will be on the lookout for any other films of his.  These two are showing on Mubi, but leaving this week.

 

Leaving Mubi soon. 

 

I have one more movie pick we will be watching tonight.  Here are Deb's two previous choices.  Firstly, we watched three other episodes of the very fascinating series called Self Portrait as a Coffee Pot.  Episode 4 was all about Fate; 5 was about Point of View, while the 6th dealt with WWII from a South African black perspective.  This is a series like no other, and William Kentridge achieves a near genius level of television viewing, bringing us not only inside an artist's studio for 9 half hour episodes, but also inside an artist's head.  He is a master at chalk drawings, often on a vast scale.  Anyone vaguely interested in modern art should waste no time trying to see this series.  For now, I believe it is a Mubi exclusive, which is a shame.  But they did fund it, so there.

The Practice is an Argentinian film from 2023, directed by Martin Rejtman.  It takes place in Chile, where a man teaches yoga classes.  He is going through a divorce, and is accident prone.  A young female student latches onto him, but when she is injured in an earthquake, she loses her memory.  It's a deadpan film, though often quite funny.  A slice of weird life from down south, I can recommend this as a film you will likely have never seen the like of.  Certainly worth a look.

Now showing on Mubi. 

 

Mapman Mike

 

 

Strange Times

Once again the world has proved that it loves a white male misogynist racist convicted criminal, more than a black female. I mean who wouldn't, right?  Sadly, we live right next door to this insanity.  In fact, I can see it from my picture window.  In all likelihood Canada will go exactly the same way in our upcoming election.  Sometimes the good guys just can't win, especially if you can fool all of the people all of the time.  I don't think the new president elect will have any adverse affect on the climate, even if he scuppers all of the environmental laws he says he will, and drills for even more oil.  The balance has turned long ago.  Besides, why would a 77 year man care what happens to the climate--he won't be around long enough to see the worst of the results.

In happier news, Deb and I are now both up to date with our flu and Covid shots.  Now we are hoping to find out why she can't breathe well when she even slightly exerts herself.  Another specialist appointment this month.  Heart and lungs have been ruled out.  What is left?

We've watching and enjoying the first season of Star Trek: Lower Decks, along with the final season of Next Generation.  Lower Decks is often laugh out loud funny, and I think we all need that sort of thing a lot more than it actually happens.

    In film watching news, there are three to report.  From most recent to earlier, then, comes a really strange little picture out of France from 2015.  Called Gaz de France, it is directed by Benoit Forgeard.  It's a deadpan comedy about a puppet president of France who is eventually forced to go off script.  The film would work just as well as a theatre piece, as it is mostly ensemble acting in confined settings.  When his ratings plummet, a think tank is organized to help the president recover his popularity.  Recommended, but it certainly won't be for all tastes.

 

The film is leaving Mubi very soon. 

 

Before that came The Linguine Incident, a film by Richard Shepard from 1991.  It stars a totally amazing Rosanna Arquette as a waitress at a fancy restaurant, who really wants to become the next Houdini escape artist.  David Bowie plays a bartender with whom she becomes involved.  .He has a large gambling debt, and has made a bet that he can marry Rosanna.  When that falls through, he provides a big opportunity for the female escape artist to prove her worth.  This is a comedy that often falls flat, but Arquette is so vivacious in her role that as long as she is in the frame, the film is worth watching.  Bowie plays his role flat.  I guess the director figured just his presence would be enough.  Good thing Arquette is so right on, or the film would have totally bombed.  Worth a look, but hardly essential viewing.  No idea where the title came from.

Now showing on Criterion. 

 

Lastly comes Delta Space Mission, a restored SF animated feature from Romania in 1984.  It is a children's film, something along the lines of Fireball XL 5.  However, the animation is colourful and eye catching.  While the story is pretty flat (choose just about any Star Trek episode), there is some humour that kids might appreciate.  Impressive background art much of the time.

 

Now showing on the Criterion streaming channel. 

 

All five parts of the recent rip are now live on Blogger.  See the Travels West blog for the full impact of our adventure. 

Mapman Mike

 

 

 

 

 

Reestablishing Routines

It's taken a week, but things are finally beginning to settle down again.  Piano practice has resumed, as has a scaled down exercise regime.  I've been working on the notebook log of the recent journey, as well as the web version.  The first blogger page is now up and running.  It can be seen by clicking on the link in the left margin, the one titled Travels West.  In addition, I had two nights of astronomy, with another one coming up tonight and possibly tomorrow night.  Sometimes there aren't enough days in the week, or hours in the day.  And last night was our annual Samhain party, with free Tarot cards chosen to help guide us through the upcoming year.  We choose one card that will be our yearly guide, and 8 others for the quarters and have quarters of the Celtic year.

 

In TV watching news, I will begin with the most recent and work backwards, with three to report.  Deb chose a nine part series called Self Portrait as a Coffee Pot:  A Natural History of the Studio.  So far, after three episodes, it seems a totally brilliant concept of exploring what goes on in an artist's studio.  The artist and director is William Kentridge, and it seems to have been a Covid project.  Working in South Africa, the series discusses Johannesburg, art, memory, feeling, awareness, and many other artistic and philosophical topics.  The first episode was pretty good, the second even better.  But the third episode, especially the last half, was totally brilliant.  Each part lasts about 35 minutes, so three episodes at a time is how will take this curious but fascinating medicine.

The series is showing on Mubi.  It uses stop motion in a very original and effective way. 

Before that we watched The Lady From Shanghai, a 1947 noir directed by Orson Welles, staring him and Rita Hayworth.  We had not seen this one in years, and we were quite disappointed.  It really isn't a very good film, though Hayworth is quite good in her femme fatale role as a bleached blonde.  The basic story, where an innocent man is tricked into taking the blame for a murder, is not very believable, and this tends to make Welle's character look quite stupid.  Of course the final mirror scene is fun, but it's brief and not really sitting through the entire picture to see.  I doubt I'll be tempted to see this film again.

 

The film has now left the Criterion Channel.
 

Earlier we watched a b & w medieval film epic from 1967 Czechoslovakia.  Marketa Lasarova is in several chapters, and takes place mostly over a winter and an early spring.  If you are one of those people who think that it would have been truly wonderful to live in back then, then this movie is not for you.  It's brutality isn't only caused by human action.  Living through a northern hemisphere winter is hard enough for some of us today; never mind the 1400s.  Then there is that muddy and wet spring.  Filmed in widescreen, it is a visual spectacle all the way.  The story mostly takes place in two small outlying walled hamlets.  They are rivals, with one of them being slightly more loyal to the distant king, and the other wanting nothing to do with a central command.  Marketa is the daughter of one of the leaders, and wishes to join a religious order.  Her father has pledged her to a nunnery, but does not have enough yet for her dowry.  Returning home she is kidnapped by the rival clan and her fortunes suddenly take a different turn.  A wandering holy man fights against a strongly pagan environment; experimental photography and images keep the pace interesting, if sometimes perplexing.  Since its restoration the film has been gaining adherents, after being mostly unseen until recent times.  Highly recommended, if you can find it showing anywhere else except Criterion.

Now showing on Criterion.

Mapman Mike