More Winter

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.

 

The Detroit River is frozen up this year.  The open shipping lane can be seen in the background, near the buoy.  That buoy has a name; Ballard! 

 

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 having 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.

 

The film is leaving Criterion Feb. 28th. 

 

Ten Cents A Dance is from 1931, directed 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.

 

Leaving Criterion Feb 28th. 

 

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.

 

Now showing on Prime. 

 

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!

 

Leaving Criterion February 28th. 

 

Mapman Mike

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Swamped

It's been busy around the old Homestead lately, but things are getting back on track.  On top of everything else, we lost internet for two days due to a faulty modem.  A new one was sent out and we are back to normal.  Astronomy has died for this lunar cycle, as a week of clouds and rain settled in last Sunday.  New moons around here always seem to be cloudy and hopeless.  I've come to expect things to go that way.  However, I managed to get out 5 times in April, and each one was a fun and exciting outing.  One of those outings was quite breezy, and I got to use my vast repertoire of profanity that night.  But the others were perfect, and even warm!

And the road trip blog is now complete.  Just click on the Road Trip link in the left margin to read a 5-part blog about our recent travel adventures.  Two new pictures were added to part 4 last night.  Many parts of the trip still resonate nicely, as any good trip should. 

In Homestead news, routine medical appointments are on going.  Deb's new glasses are ready for pick up tomorrow.  Our furnace got repaired to the tune of nearly $500.  Deb purchased a new computer for her film work, and donated the old one for our desk top use.  Everything has been transferred over thanks to her.  And I have a new cell phone, again thanks to Deb's patience with technological affairs.  The old land line in the house is now gone, with that number transferred to my phone.  We are actually saving money by doing this.  And speaking of phones, the new American phone worked perfectly on our trip.  American monthly plans allow users to save data not used each month, so we had plenty of data to use on our trip.  This meant keeping an eye on traffic buildup and construction, as well as weather.  So for now, our technological existence is going well.

In film news, here is the latest.... Deb still had a couple of choices left from her festival.  First up was a very delightful tale called Hunt For The Wilderpeople, from 2016.  A man and a large boy head for the bush when the boy is threatened with being taken back into social care.  They are chased by authorities, but find lots of sympathetic helpers along the way. The movie is funny, well acted, and well written.  Being a film from new Zealand, some of the dialogue is a little tricky to understand, but the movie is highly recommended, even though it goes a bit over the top at times.

Leaving Criterion April 30th. 

Next came another film by Douglas Sirk. All I Desire is from 1953, and is held together by more fine acting by Barbara Stanwyck.  It's a soapy tale of a woman who left her marriage and small town to try and make it big on the stage.  Invited back by her daughter to see her high school play, she has to come to grips with the different feelings her visit entails.  It's pretty good overall, but without Stanwyck it likely would not be.  She seems to melt into the role like some people fit perfectly into jeans.

 

Leaving Criterion April 30th. 

 

I stepped up to the plate with In a Lonely Place starring Humphrey Bogart and Gloria Grahame in a 1950 film directed by Nicholas Ray.  It was as good as it sounds, too.  Bogart is a writer for Hollywood films.  He seems to be bi-polar, and has fits of extreme violence that he cannot control.  Grahame falls in love with him, even after he has been accused of murder.  It sounds like it might be the old story of woman clings to man no matter what.  But not here.  The ending is very dark and downbeat, perfect for the movie but so very rare in Hollywood.  Definitely off the beaten track, and worth tracking down.  Bogart can be one scary guy.

 

Now showing on Criterion. 

 

Finally, another of Deb's picks, this time from Prime.  Three Thousand Years of Longing is an adult fantasy film starring Idris Elba as a Djinn, and Tilda Swinton as the woman who releases him from his bottle.  From 2022, this surprisingly good film was directed by George Miller.  This is about as far from Mad Max as a film can get, which is probably why it garners a lot of lukewarm reviews.  The special effects are truly wonderful, and the whole thing has the feel of the Arabian Nights tales.  Very highly recommended for adult fantasy fans.  Elba is just too perfect as a Djinn with a sorrowful past.

Now showing on Prime. 

 

Until next time.

 

Mapman Mike

 

 

 

 

 

 

Last and First Men: The Movie

Springlike weather continues, though near the Detroit River it has been perpetually foggy.  I haven't seen a ship pass by in days now, but they can certainly be heard.  Foghorns are sounding nearly every minute at certain times.

In music news, I have succeeded in gathering a small group of performing pianists to meet occasionally to try out pieces on one another.  So far there are 3 of us, but this could easily grow larger quickly.  First meeting is tentatively scheduled for the morning of January 23rd.  Looking forward to it!!

In further music news, we were able to locate a recent film based on Olaf Stapledon's 1930 novel First and Last Men.  Conceived originally as a multimedia presentation with images, a narrator, and music, the film worked its magic for us from the opening shot to the closing one.  The film and music is by Johann Johannson, from Iceland in 2020.  He shot the incredible black and white (!) photography mostly in Yugoslavia, at a sculpture park in the mountains, and composed ambient music that is nothing short of alien and futuristic.  Tilda Swinton narrates, speaking words of Stapledon's that give a sense of the final part of the book.  There is no way that the entire book could have been filmed in one go.  Johannson died shortly after the film was made, thus destroying any hope for more chapters from the most incredible SF book ever written.  Now it has a suitable film companion.

Now showing on Mubi. 

We made some fun discoveries this week as a result of chasing down a copy of this film.  One of them is a streaming service called Mubi.  It is a good partner for Criterion, though this one does not have as large a library.  Still, there are enough films now in our queue to keep us going for months, even if we stopped watching Criterion (which we hopefully never will).  Another discovery we made was Spotify (I know, but we're old; these things take time for us).  Here we found the album of music from the film, and have now hooked the computer via Bluetooth into our stereo.

We originally got into Spotify by reading a recent article in the Guardian.  One of the writers has selected a different short piece of music to listen to every day in January, and in the article there is a direct link to the piece on Spotify.  Except that yesterday's (the 3rd) was on Youtube, and it came with an accompanying animation.  Fun stuff!!  So we now have a long listening list awaiting in favourites on Spotify.

Getting back to films, I finished up my December Film Festival with two more by Jasujiro Ozu.  Tokyo Chorus is a silent film from 1931 that follows the life of a young man.  Seen first as a student in a military type school, he is later encountered as an insurance salesman who loses his job when he stands up to the boss over the firing of an older employee.  There is comedy mixing with drama, and the picture is easy to watch.

Now showing on Criterion. 

Lastly came a 1936 film called The Only Son.  Leaving his small village for Tokyo, a young man goes to seek his fortune.  His mother has sacrificed everything to pay for his education.  When she pays a surprise visit to him, she finds him married, with one child, and teaching night school.  She is not impressed, until she sees him act kindly towards a poorer neighbour.  She goes back home with good memories of her visit.  Back at home, the young man has decided to continue his education so that he can get a better paying job.  Ozu's films are always intelligent, and never stretch things beyond what might likely happen in a certain situation.  He is excellent at establishing character, and at getting across emotions in people who are usually reluctant to show what their true feelings really are.

Now showing on Criterion.  

Deb's going away choice for this week was a Sam Fuller western called Forty Guns.  It stars Barbara Stanwyck as a rancher with forty hired guns as helpers, and she mostly gets her way in the world.  The opening scene, with Stanwyck riding hard and followed by her tribe, is very much like watching the opening to Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves.  The characters of both are very similar, too.  A Federal marshal comes to town to arrest one of her helpers for robbing the mail.  Things get tense, people get shot, and the bad guys stir things up.  An unusual western, with Stanwyck doing her usual fine job in the leadership role.  Unusual scenes include the outdoor  town baths, complete with singer and guitar player, and dinner time at Stanwyck's ranch, among others.  Filmed in b & w Cinemascope!

Leaving Criterion January 31st. 

Mapman Mike

 

  

Dreary Days

I suppose the dreary weather is helping people to remain indoors.  It's been mostly gloomy for two weeks now, though the flowers and trees seem to like the colder weather.  Our last pleasure outing was March 10th, so we are 7 weeks into staying home.  It's been good news for the piano repertoire.  Memory work is actually a bit ahead of schedule, and most pieces should be inside my head by the end of May.  It's also good news for Deb's film making, as well as my reading and listening program.  Three astronomy nights have helped me keep my sanity, too.  With the moon waxing now, my session possibilities are nearly at an end.

We've also been getting some yard work done.  That includes getting the lawn tractor started and all three lawns cut at last.  The remains of last year's leaves got chopped up, and things are beginning to look halfway civilized.  Last Thursday we picked up our first on-line grocery order.  Though they were out of some things and substituted others, we did well enough to try it again next week.  You simply drive up to a special parking area at the store, phone them, open your trunk, and someone comes out with your groceries and puts in the vehicle.  I might get used to shopping this way in the future, too.

Deb's movie choice last week was Ball of Fire, starring Gary Cooper and Barbara Stanwyck.  From 1941 and directed by Howard Hawks, it concerns a group of professors writing an encyclopedia, and a young singer with dubious connections who assists them with the section on slang.  She brings a breath of fresh air to the study, and the 8 professors take a fancy to her.  It's a light comedy, with Gary Cooper getting to show a different side to his acting ability.  The 7 older professors are played by some of cinema's finest character actors, giving some depth to this adventure.  Miss Stanwyck gets to sing a song at the start, backed by Gene Krupa and his band.

From 1941, and showing on Criterion Channel. 

Today's artwork is a photograph from the collection of the Detroit Institute of Arts.  Here is a quote about this important photograph from their website:

“Brig upon the Water” created a sensation when it was first exhibited at the Photographic Society of London in December 1856, because it was reported to have been printed from one negative. Such an achievement was considered extraordinary, because the light sensitivity of the materials used was very uneven and typically yielded either well-defined scenes with completely washed-out skies or very dark, unreadable scenes with well-developed skies. To fuse the sky with the scene the photographer usually either in-painted clouds by hand or printed twice, using one negative for the sky and another for the scene. Perhaps Le Gray succeeded with this seascape because he kept the composition simple. Here the exposure time for the sky and water was equal, and the brig, while dark indeed, appears as an appealing silhouette."

 Brig Upon The Water, Gustave Le Gray, French (1820-1882).  Albumen print, ca. 1856.  13" x 16".

This is a stunning photo, a difficult enough subject to pull off today!  I do not remember seeing this, though I will watch for it during any upcoming photography exhibits from the collection.  There is a gallery devoted to photography at the DIA.

Detail of above.  

It's film festival weekend, my choice.  I have selected three films by Claude Autant-Lara.  More later.

Mapman Mike

Summer's Last Hurrah

The final week of official summer is turning out to be a masterpiece of weather conditions.  Sunny, quite warm, breezy--in fact, since about mid-July we have had a very fine summer this year, missing much of the heat and humidity usually characteristic of this period.  Although it has been very very wet.  How wet?  Our grass is still growing like it's June, and I'm still chopping it back with the tractor.  The Monarch butterflies seem to be making a comeback, too.  We have seen more of them this year than in many previous years.  Not a small victory at all, but a major one.

Looking at last year's astronomy autumn work, there was none.  I observed on September 3rd, 2018, and then it got cloudy.  Exceedingly cloudy.  I next observed in January of 2019.  It was a nightmare season, and I fervently hope that it never (ever!) happens again.  

This time last year we were on our way to New Mexico for my 65th birthday celebration, which consisted of four very fine hikes, and a very long return drive.

 This a photo from last September 17th, showing me driving west towards NM. 

I timed the trip so that we would be there during a full moon (harvest), and back for some late September astronomy.  No astronomy.  Not even in October, or November.  In December we were off to Vienna, so I may have missed a night or two that week.  Anyway, I have been preparing my observing list for the next session, hoping that it will actually happen.  Autumn skies are often the best ones, as it gets dark earlier and some of the most interesting constellations are up.  There are no bugs, either.  So it will be clear this week, but the moon rises too early.  Next week, we shall have to wait and see.

Today is my mom and dad's wedding anniversary.  I talked to them both this afternoon, and they are getting on fine, though not looking forward to another cruel winter spent indoors.  Enjoy these last days of summer, and with luck it will be a mild autumn, too.  Have a happy day!  

Deb's movie pick last weekend was another Barbara Stanwyck flic, this one called Forbidden, from 1932.  It also stars Adolphe Menjou.  Not one of her best films, nor Frank Capra's.  It was based on a story by the director.  At least it was short.

 Definitely not "her greatest dramatic role."

Speaking of films, Deb went to Shetown in Detroit on Sunday to see her film screened.  That same day the same film was also screening in northern Michigan, and a different film of hers was showing in Europe somewhere.  Hard to keep track of her successes these days.  She won the audience award last week for a short film of hers that showed in Cadiz, Spain!  One would think we would be rich beyond our wildest dreams by now.  I wonder what Deb is doing with all that award money.  She certainly has a lot of certificates and laurels.

I'll try to find time to fit in a DIA painting next time--Canaletto, anyone?

Mapman Mike

Retirement

It's a bit strange not to welcome back piano students to a new year of lessons.  At the same time, I had a pretty relaxing week that included a 5-hour astronomy session.  Wednesday night was beautiful, but the moon was getting bright.  I went out to the site later, closer to moon set, and as a result didn't leave the site until 3:15 am.  That put me into bed at 4:30 am, which really messed up my Thursday.  But all is well, and the astronomy session was fantastic!  But that's all until the 20s of September.  Last year I observed on September 11th, and that was it for the entire autumn--it was perpetually cloudy for the first time in memory!  I hope that never happens again.

I seem to have been able to get back into my Syberia 3 game for PC.  I have replayed some of it to get back to where I was when my saved game got erased.  You cannot save games in this game--it saves automatically where you left off.  Pretty stupid planning for a relatively new game.  It's not even that much fun to play--I'm just stubborn, I guess.  We hope to get in a game of Middle Earth The Wizards this weekend, as well as another beginner's version of Teotihuacan, the massive and fun newest board game that we purchased.  A really big discovery for me this past week was a website filled with perfect scans of old comics that can be read for free.  It is so fantastic, and I have been reading on-line a lot.  Here is the website, if you are interested.  They have just about everything. 

The first thing I read was The Airtight Garage, a takeoff on Jerry Cornelius (Michael Moorcock's creation), by Moebius.  Comics do not get any better than this!!  There is so much on this website--between this, the Criterion Channel, and my Avon/Equinox reading project, I may never go outside the house again.

Speaking of Criterion, I have two more movies to report on.  Deb's most recent choice was called The Purchase Price, a 1932 William Wellman picture starring--yup, you guessed it-- Barbara Stanwyck.  I never used to like Ms. Stanwyck until I began watching her 1930s pre-code films.  She is a great actress, and was usually given amazing roles to play, which she then played amazingly.  In this one she plays a city night club entertainer who leaves New York and goes to Montreal to escape her bootlegger boyfriend, whom she does not love.  Then she ends up taking the place of a mail order bride, heading out to North Dakota (but filmed in Alberta, I believe) to marry a wheat farmer.  A really weird story is actually quite watchable, and though the film is only 67 minutes long, it packs a lot into the short time.

A film from 1932, now showing on the Criterion Channel.

 My choice of film for this week was also very short.  Only 45 minutes or so, in fact.  We had seen Luis Bunuel's Simon of the Desert, from 1965, many many years ago.  We had loved it at that time, though remembered virtually nothing about it.  So it was like seeing it for the first time again on the Criterion Channel.  It came with a 6 minute interview with the actress who played the devil, perpetually tempting the ascetic and trying to trick him into rejecting God.  One of the more memorable scenes has the devil arriving in a coffin, self-propelled across the desert and coming to rest before Simon's plinth.  Neither of us liked the ending, in a 1960s discotheque.  For one thing, it was too long.  The music and dancing just went on and on.  At least I know what Hell looks like.  For another thing, Simon did not look miserable enough.  Nor did he get up and dance.  Anyway, it's a one of a kind film, and was meant to be part of a trilogy of short films with other directors.  That never materialized, so we are left with this.

Showing on the Criterion Channel, along with other films by Bunuel.

   Mapman Mike

Clear Nights Ahead

Two of them predicted, in a row.  That is big news.  And it is cool, so the mosquitoes may not be a problem.  However, the late summer and autumn moon rise timings are the pits.  I will only have about 2.5 hours of darkness tonight before the big white beast rises in the east, and about 3 hours tomorrow night.  Still, I am getting excited!

My movie choice this week was called Our Man In Havanna, a Carol Reed film starring Alec Guinness.  A vacuum cleaner salesman in Cuba is recruited as a British spy, in a very funny film that features great performances from Ernie Kovacs and Maureen O'Hara, along with Burl Ives, Noel Coward, and Ralph Richardson.  From a novel by Graham Greene, the movie was filmed in Cuba.  We have seen the picture a very long time ago, but it still seems fresh and mostly funny.  A nice take on spy movies, from 1959.  This weekend is film festival weekend.  Three films have been chosen, but we'll see how many will get watched on an astronomy weekend.

 My movie pick for this week, from Criterion.

Deb's movie choice was Barbara Stanwyck's breakout film, directed by Frank Capra.  Ladies of Leisure is from 1930, with Ms Stanwyck playing the part of a party girl.  She is rescued very late one night by an artist, and he immediately wants to paint her.  She soon falls in love with him, but he is rich and out of her league.  Perhaps.  Ms Stanwyck gives a tour de force performance, bringing out the complexity of her character.  Of course the film is melodrama, but her performance never stoops to anything less than great stage acting.  This was Capra's 5th sound film, and the restored print was a marvel to behold.  The film is nearly 90 years old, but is now in better condition than when it first ran in theatres. 

 Deb's movie pick this week.  Love that fine print build up!!

In other news, Mogi the cat,who has been with us since September of 2007, has been limping rather badly, having problems with his back right foot.  He seems to have sprained it, as it gets better for a time, then he goes and does something and injures it again.  We are watching him, but he seems comfortable, still eats like a full grown horse, and is very social.

Deb had her infusion on Tuesday, and I had my teeth cleaned.  Thursday I had a follow up with my M.D. regarding my iritis flareup a few weeks ago.  Today, ADT is sending a techie over to reinstall the alarm on our front door, which had to be removed when we had it replaced.  The new door is amazing, and we notice how much quieter it is in the house now, too.  In the summer less cold air will escape, and in the winter less heat will escape.  Though the door will never pay for itself in our lifetime, it will make us more comfortable.

Mapman Mike

Two Criterion Films

Babylon (British, 1980) did not get a release in Britain until the late 80s.  In the USA it was just released in 2019!  It was showing at DFT, and we were hoping to attend there to see it.  Then it popped up on Criterion, so we watched it at home.

 A British film from 1980, only now being released abroad. 

A London reggae band tries to win a music contest against a rival band.  All along the way, including the night of the actual performance, they are met with nearly insurmountable obstacles, not the least of which is racist cops and neighbours.  We watched the subtitled version (I don't know how you could watch it otherwise).  I'm certain that the problems dealt with 40 years ago by blacks are exactly the same as today--virtually nothing has changed.  Highly recommended, and worth a second viewing.  "Go back to your own country!"  "This is my fucking country!!" is still a mantra chanted daily in Britain and the USA.

Deb's pick was an early pre-code quickie called Night Nurse, starring Barbara Stanwyck.  She tries to defend two little girls who are slowly being starved to death for their inheritance.  In between saving them, there is a lot of drunken revelry, nurses in skimpy nightgowns, and some hard boiled violence, even against women.  Barbara is socked on the chin by an evil chauffeur played by Clark Gable.  She is befriended by a bootlegger.  There is a very bad doctor in on the plot with the chauffeur.  There are some good stare downs, and some crazy ambulance driving through the city.  A good film to remind one of what cinema was like before codes of decency were slapped on them.  Of course naughty nurses have continued on into our own time, a favourite theme of porno films.  But these nurses from 1931 are not naughty.  They are wholesome and likable, and they help sick people.

  From the novel by Dora Macy.  Starring Joan Blondell and Barbara Stanwyck, 1931. 

I seem to be caught up on my sleep, and practicing and reading have resumed.  Tomorrow we return to Detroit for our weekly visit.  I have completed my blog (see the one on the Midwest) on all of Detroit's breweries, and tomorrow I start blogging about the best taprooms for craft beer.  However, at least 5 new breweries should be open before Christmas, so the blog will continue to expand.  I do not count the suburbs; just the city.  I still haven't published the photos from Steve, Lynne, and Emma-Lee's visit.  Next time.  And I have not forgotten about landscape art in the DIA, either.  These take time.  We visited last Tuesday, to see an Impressionist show of art from Detroit and Buffalo combined.  Buffalo has some very important and iconic art, especially by Paul Gauguin.  Nice to have these works visit Detroit for the summer.

Mapman Mike

Two Films and Lots of Rain

It won't stop raining, and the next 10 day forecast shows six days of rain.  So much for the next astronomy session.  We had 0.7" Saturday morning, and another 0.9" Sunday afternoon.  Add that to all the previous rain, and our lawn still resembles a rice paddy.  Mind you, everything is rather green at the moment, and the lilacs are in full bloom.

Our purple lilacs are having a good year.

In other news, Deb's only medical appointment this week is with her anaesthetist at Leamington Hospital, on Wednesday morning.  Her surgery is fast approaching, and we are trying to get as much done in the basement as possible before she finds herself short one arm for at least six weeks.

I have made some progress playing Syberia 3, though the game has yet to engage me.  It is tedious, and not that user friendly.  So far all of the play areas have been confining ones; hospital rooms, a crowded indoor market, a small outdoor area in winter.  The best part of the first game was the train, getting it to run and then being transported to new destinations.  So far there isn't much to look forward to.

With the Criterion Channel working fine for us using Roku, we are officially becoming movie buffs once again.  By coincidence we each chose a movie from 1933 recently (see my last blog entry).  Deb chose "Baby Face," starring Barbara Stanwyck.  She was 26 when she made this film, but looks around 19 or 20 years of age.  She plays a young woman who uses her good looks and her body to quickly get to the top of the ladder in a large insurance and banking company.  Being a pre-code film, it pulls no punches on how she achieves success, leaving several train wrecks behind her as she climbs.  She looks totally ravishing and seductive, and it is hard to believe she is an actress acting out a role; she seems to town the character she is portraying, and though we might not agree with her methods, considering her background (Dad used her as a prostitute since age 14 in his beer hall right across from a factory in Erie, Pennsylvania) we are mostly rooting for her along the way.  Only when she finally abandons someone she should have stayed and supported does she realize what has been wrong with her methods.  Alas, it is too late.  Great stuff!

My film choice for this week is called "The Adventures of a Dentist," very strange black comedy from Russia, in 1965.  The film sometimes plays as if it from the 1940s (it is in b & w, too), sometimes as a Fellini film, and other times like a buster Keaton film, as a dentist with a magic touch becomes the most popular man in the entire city where he works.  He takes painless dentistry to a whole new level.  Soon other dentists in town have no patients, and some are forced to leave.  Alas, one day his magic deserts him.  He stops practicing and becomes a teacher, until a crisis forces him to take up the forceps once more.  There are some very funny moments, and some very bizarre ones.  All in all it is a very intriguing attempt at film making, and seems to be in a category all its own.  Rare and quite fine.

 

The Town of Amherstburg is changing.  We now have a small plant-based restaurant in town, and a cafe with exceptional coffee with views to the river and park system.  It doubles as a camper trailer sales room.  The trailers must be seen to be believed.  We ended up there today and I had no camera with me.  We will be back!  And just across the street, opening July 1st, is downtown Amherstburg's first brewery and taproom.  We now have three reasons to ride our bikes into town this summer!
Mapman Mike