Congratulations to England, which is finally getting some rain! Maybe someday we'll get some here at the Homestead, too. The heat has been turned down a notch, but the humidity continues unabated. As does the poor air quality as a result. The air is often dead still. A ten minute walk outside is like taking a bath. Temps are in the mid to low 80s most days, and we have had some clouds. But we need rain quite badly here. The ground is cracked and very dry and nothing is growing unless it gets watered a lot. There are both floods and fires not far from us, but we seem to be taking the middle ground. So far our 30 year old air conditioner has been up to the challenge. However, we keep the house at 77 F so as not to overtax it. We needed a new dehumidifier for the basement, it's been running constantly and I've been dumping bucket after bucket of water. Looking forward to autumn. Summer is not a nice season in this area.
Piano pieces are coming along. I nearly have all three Scriabin pieces memorized (along with one Bach, a Haydn sonata, March Wind, and one of two Glass pieces. I will soon begin memorizing the 2nd Glass piece. Not being memorized this time is the Bach Prelude and Fugue and the Chopin Nocturne, the latter still giving me pains as I try to master this incredible piece of very difficult music (Op 28 #2).
Deb has been switching most of her films to her Youtube channel, as well as fixing up an older film which she was never happy with. We continue to view commercial films, so here's what we've been up to lately.
First, two from Kino Films Collection. Regular readers of this blog will already know that we watch some pretty strange and weirdly wonderful films, so when I announce that we have watched a really strange one, I usually mean just that. Legend of the Mountain is a fantasy/horror film from 1979 and directed by King Hu. With a running time of over 3 hours and the film often moving quite slowly, this one takes a commitment to get through. A traveling scholar is given an assignment, namely to copy an old manuscript with magical powers within its words. The scholar is a bit of a goofy character. Filmed in Taiwan, the landscape scenery is absolutely wonderful, and the fact that it is a wide screen movie helps a lot. The scholar gets mixed up with a group of ghosts, most of them wanting to get their paws on the documents, which might help them gain more power. There is no kung fu in the film, though there is some flying and a lot of disappearing. Replacing kung fu are magic drums, and the good versus evil ones dual via drums. The smoke and fog machine gets a good workout, and the settings inside and outside of old abandoned monasteries are quite eye-catching. If you are looking for a weird Chinese movie that is actually quite watchable, this just might be it. Mildly recommended, especially if you are tired of kung fu films. Make sure you are watching the full version, all 3 hrs and 12' worth.
Also from Kino is another decently strange offering. Paul Auster wrote, produced and directed The Inner Life of Martin Frost and it was released in 2007. Auster's novels are not likely to appeal to a wide audience. I have read his New York Trilogy and have mixed feelings, though I did really enjoy the first in the series. It is unlikely that this film will have wide appeal, though I did, for the most part, like it. A writer stays at a friend's secluded house while away, and hopes to recover from just having finished his most recent novel. He awakens after his first night to find a young woman in bed beside him. They gradually get to know one another, but she is not who whom she said she was. Even so, Martin falls for her and they are soon in love. He is suddenly alert and writing again. The mysterious plot doesn't really thicken, but it remains quite mysterious throughout. The film is only 90 minutes, though parts of it drag a bit. The couple are separated when she is called back from whence she came, but there seems to be a way around their dilemma. The film has a good beginning and a good ending, so it's more than halfway successful already. Some of the middle bits seemed a bit padded, as if trying to stretch out a short story. The film is very theatrical and should appeal to folks who like stage performances. Recommended, though not highly.
The remaining film was watched on the Criterion Channel. Rams is a documentary from 2018 and directed by Gary Hustwit. It chronicles the works of lead designer at Braun Dieter Rams. Neither of us had heard of this man, but we were both fascinated by this film and the super super cool stuff that he designed. Many of his designs out-Bauhaus the Bauhaus, though that school was certainly a major influence. Record players, radios, shelving units, chairs... just about any kind of utensil one could think of was beautifully designed and expertly crafted during his time at Braun. His lean design look matches his philosophy. Nothing should be made that isn't simple and direct in appearance, and nothing extra should be added. Not only that, but the item should be built to last and be easy to repair. Not too many things manufactured today have that kind of outlook. A truly wonderful film about a very brilliant (and useful!) man. His ten principles of design are still studied by design students today. Highly recommended.
Mapman Mike
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