If you want to know what it is like to live next to Mordor and Sauron, just ask President Zelensky of the Ukraine. If you want to know what it's like to live next to an insane Saruman from Orthanc, ask any Canadian, especially one living near that crumbling empire (that is Michigan in the photo below, across the river from our Homestead). We continue to gaze at the downfall of a once great country, with jaws suitably dropping, heads shaking slowly, and eyes rolling.
This is turning into a long and cold winter here in the southernmost county in Canada, which is fairly unusual. Things often wrap up by mid-February, but the forecast looks much grimmer for next week and beyond. Still no snow to speak of here, with about 1/2" falling yesterday, out of an expected 2-4". However, our first major winter storm is predicted for Wednesday. Stay tuned to this station for updates. The river is iced over, though ice breakers are keeping the shipping lane open for the occasional tanker that passes by. Temps remain below average for this time of year,. and skies have been mostly grey. No snowshoeing again this year, due to lack of snow. And it's been too cold and/or windy for any astronomy outings. So indoor activities continue to rule our lives.
I've talked with my mother (she lives in Sudbury) several times this week. Last Monday she had all her top teeth removed, and several from the bottom, and now has dentures. At any age that would be a tough climb back, but at nearly 96, I find it hard to fathom. She has had a rough week, and her gums are still very tender. Thinking of you, mom. Hope you feel better soon. She sees her denturist again on Thursday for a check up. Needless to say it's been very cold and somewhat snowy in the north.
In film watching news, there were a couple I missed last time, so this blog will deal with four films, from the most recently viewed to oldest viewed.
Momma's Man is from 2008 and was directed by Azazel Jacobs. A married man now living in California with his wife and baby visits his parents back in New York, in the loft where he grew up. The mother and father are played by the director's real parents, and they are quite amazing. Their loft, where the man grew up, is a maze of corridors lined with high shelves filled with old junk. His old bedroom is in a cubby hole reached via ladder, while they sleep on the main floor amidst their collected goods. The poster shows a very funny scene where the three of them are in bed watching Monsieur Verdoux, a later Chaplin film. The man/boy realizes that he does not wish to return to California, and ends up staying with his parents trying to recapture the security, innocence and good times of his youth. He tries connecting with a few old friends. He tries falling down a large flight of stairs. He does not return his wife's increasingly frantic and desperate phone calls. In short, he cannot face being an adult and having responsibilities. As a person he is a zero on a rating scale of ten. Though a very slowly paced film, its message is a clear one. Realizing how many young men and women still live with their parents today is a shocking statistic, though this time it is only temporary. After eventually sitting on his mother's knee and have a good cry, he is finally ready to resume adulthood and returns to California. Not a bad film, if you have the patience to put up with this guy.
Ten Cents A Dance is from 1931, irected by Lionel Barrymore and stars Barbara Stanwyck as a dance hostess at a busy club. She ends up marrying a louse and sticks by him faithfully until he makes the ultimate mistake, by accusing her of sleeping with a rich guy to get money he so badly needed. That was the final straw, and he gets both barrels of her wrath and she finally leaves him. Ms. Stanwyck is terrific as the big hearted girl who only wants to break free from her life of aching feet, but pulls no punches when her character is attacked. With a happy ending (for her and the man who truly loves her), this is a likeable picture where the wormy guy gets his comeuppance, and the decent guy gets the more than decent girl.
The animated version of The Addams Family is from 2019 and, as expected, is flashy, very fast paced, and extremely violent. The violence is likely more intense than the early Bugs Bunny and Road Runner cartoons, but seldom as funny. In its attempt to be subversive, it pretty much follows the lead of most animated films today. Children are heroes, adults are either evil or not up to the task at hand, and anything to do with white suburbia is bad and must be eliminated or controlled. There are some prized moments in the film, and the character of Lurch is particularly well done. The voice of Uncle Fester is close to the original actor's, and the end credits feature the original TV series song. Not a classic by any means, but it goes by so fast that it isn't hard to watch.
Archie Mayo directed one of our favourite films, called Petrified Forest. We turn now to his 1942 Moontide, in its way nearly as odd and offbeat as that other film. Jean Gabin stars as an aimless sailor, mostly out for a good time, and a man who drinks far too much and too often. He saves a young Ida Lupino from drowning, and they become a couple. They work at selling bait out of an old shack, and are befriended by Claude Rains, a nightwatchman. Gabin, Lupino, and Rains make a great trio. The seaside locations and foggy nights make for a great setting, along with the bare bones bait shop shack where the couple live. Gabin's evil and jealous sailor friend does everything he can to separate the couple and get Gabin away to another port. When he steps way over the line, Gabin goes after him. Moody and often unpredictable, the film was a neat little find, a true sleeper and worth seeking. But see Petrified Forest first!
Mapman Mike
No comments:
Post a Comment