Movie Catch-Up

I have not observed with my telescope since early November.  Yes, it's been cloudy a lot.  Any clear nights were always either too cold, or too windy, or too cold and windy.  Usually I get a break in February, but not so this year.  With mild temperatures finally arriving and staying, it has rained and rained and rained.  Even if a clear night appeared, my viewing location would be underwater, and the evening humidity would make observing impossible.  High humidity, which our area is noted for, fogs up the secondary mirror, which transmits light to the eyepiece.  Even eyepieces can fog over.  With the moon on the ascent, there is no chance of deep sky work anyway until at least March 17th.  It's been frustrating to say the least, but I seldom miss a reading session, and my sleep pattern has been solid.  That will all get tossed once Daylight Savings Time hits, along with clear skies.

 

When one lives beside a nasty neighbour, one's  choice is to put up with it or to retaliate in some meaningful way.  Canada and Canadians have chosen the latter method, for better or for worse.  Grocery stores are now labelling items that are Canadian, and people are now ignoring American products on the shelves.  American booze is off the shelves.  And people are cancelling vacations.  I'm still not certain about any of this.  Not visiting Detroit, for example, negates any reason I might have for living where I do.  And Detroit always votes Democrat.  Should we punish Democrats?  Removing California wines from shelves means removing products from a Democratic, anti-Trump state.  Why do that?   Anyway, the battle is on, and it will be interesting to see how far this goes.  Though Canada will indeed suffer as a result of Trump's tariffs, America will be giving itself a very black eye in the process.  Stay tuned to this topic.

 

In film news there are three to report. Most recently we watched a Gene Hackman film.  The Conversation is from 1974 and was directed by Francis Ford Coppola.  Gene plays a private investigator who gets sound and photos for his clients.  His character is a loner who does not work well with others, and his job obsesses him.  His acting is very good, since the character played really has so little to work with--he's bland, boring, and one-dimensional, but somehow the actor makes him come to life.  It's quite a good film, though obviously the technology is somewhat outdated.  The pacing is also good, as very little happens in the film other than one event being replayed and replayed.  The more it's replayed the more we learn about the heart of the case itself, as does Gene's character.  In the end the character is beaten by his rival with a device that he had called "garbage" earlier in the film.  Not far from films like Blow Out and Blow Up.  Recommended.

 

Now showing on Criterion. 

 

Before that came Shockproof, a film by Douglas Sirk from 1949 and scripted by Sam Fuller.  A parole board employee (Cornel Wilde) gets involved with one of his female clients, just released from prison from her murder charge punishment.  She is still mixed up with the guy who got her to prison, and she thinks she loves him.  Cornel tries to discourage her and things heat up quickly.  She ends up shooting her boyfriend and wounding him when he tries to blackmail Cornel.  The plot is thick and the pressure heats up when Cornel and the woman run for it.  They are cornered at nearly every attempt to escape, managing to live by taking short term jobs.  The ending is a bit sugar coated for this type of film, but it's actually good to see such endings once in a while in a Noir film.

 

Leaving Criterion March 31st. 

 

Before that came another Argentinian Noir film, one of a series recently acquired by Criterion.  We will likely get through all of them.  The Black Vampire is a 1953 Argentinian remake of M, Fritz Lang's take on homicidal pedophilia.  The main bad guy even looks like Peter Lorre, and whistles the same tune while stalking.  Though a bit too much time is spent in the storm sewers of Buenos Aires, the film has its moments as the police try to find the murderer.  Despite several highly publicized killings of little girls, there are still quite a number of them running around with no supervision.  Despite the guy being completely insane, the ending is a bit of a surprise as the jury elects to hang him.  No doubt the same verdict would be reached today, at least in countries with the death penalty.  Some pretty intense scenes.  I can't think of too many reasons for recommending a film about someone who kills children, but it's definitely worth a look, even if only to compare it to the original.  In b & w.

 

Now showing on Criterion. 

 

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

 

 

 

 

 

 

Observing Galaxies

We had two fine, very clear nights in a row on Wed. and Thursday.  It was the first time this year I felt motivated to undertake the massive setup and journey west to my secret observing site, beneath windmills in the next county over.  It was very cold both nights, being 28 F when I left for home.  The first night a serious wind chill sent me home earlier, but Thursday I managed to last the full three hours.  This time of year there are very few stars in the sky, as our planet is turned to face out of our galaxy.  But this opens up clearer views to other galaxies, and Spring observing is usually all about other galaxies.  In the two nights I managed to observe 10 new ones for my observing program.  I wonder how many other civilizations that encompasses?  It can be a very humbling hobby.  Some of the objects were tiny bare smudges, and an inexperienced observer would have seen nothing in the eyepiece.  A few others were very prominent, and even a newbie would be able to seen them easily.  But that looks like it for the April session; a week of clouds are forecast, and the moon will be too bright by the end of that time.

Tomorrow night is our Beltane celebration.  It should be cool enough to have a wood fire.  We will get our new Tarot cards then as well.  We will try to get a walk in the woods scheduled for next week, to view any wildflowers brave enough to come forth in our cooler, not very sunny weather.  The dandelions are in full bloom, at least.

In movie news, there are a few of interest to report.  I will limit my comments on The Vanishing, from 1988.  This is a very troubling horror film about the sudden disappearance of a young woman from a highway service center and rest stop.  Such disappearances have been increasing in frequency for some time, and continue to happen with fearsome regularity.  Britain seems to have many, and Mexico seems to make new records in disappearances every month.  Canada has had its share, too, as has every country.  The movie is one such disappearance explained fully, and it it not a comfortable movie to watch.  Although it likely helped some young women who saw it stay alive (by staying out of strangers' cars), it also likely promoted copycat abductions among other sociopath males.  Although I could quibble at length about some of the plot points and turns, the fact remains that this stuff happens all the time, and it leaves one feeling angry, saddened, and very upset.  You will be punished for watching the entire film.

Showing on Criterion. 

Next up was a classic Douglas Sirk melodrama with a big cast and Technicolor that will pop your eyes out.  With a star cast and a breezy plot, the film is called Written on the Wind, and is from 1956.  Robert Stack and Dorothy Malone star as bad brother and sister, heir to their father's oil millions.  They have made nothing of their lives; the business depends on Rock Hudson, who manages to keep everything afloat despite the family black sheep.  Lauren Bacall falls for Stack and his millions, and ends up marrying him.  This is highball soap opera, and actually quite fun to watch.  Malone emotes grandly during every scene she is in (hilariously, she won an Oscar), and though she is bad through and through, she does the right thing at the very end.  Her brother, not so much.  Recommended high kitsch.

Showing until April 30th on Criterion.

The film is in dazzling Technicolor, and of course is shown in a pristine print. 

I will return soon with more Homestead news, as well as the April reading summary.

Mapman Mike

 

Late August

Late August and well through September is peak hurricane season.  With a doozy of a storm currently winding its way through Louisiana and Arkansas, and heat and humidity at its peak here in Essex County, you know summer is on its way out, but not like a lamb.  We are due for storms, too, courtesy of Laura.  It is pushing up Gulf moisture and very high temps and tropical humidity.  We had a bit of rain yesterday, and are due for a lot more over the next two days.  With our gardens turning into jungles, cooler weather over the weekend might actually see us out there getting some clearing up done.

Yesterday we were gone for just over an hour.  Deb had her 2nd haircut since lockdown, and afterwards we got groceries.  When we arrived home, our main intersection was clogged with emergency vehicles due to a motorcycle accident.  And our neighbour came by to tell us one of our trees had fallen across our creek.  We stay home for six months and nothing happens, but just leave for an hour.... 

In movie news, Deb's choice last weekend was a new film, screened directly to Criterion.  Called Zombi Child (a take on Jimi Hendrix's Voodoo Child?), the film is from 2019.  It sounded promising, but it was actually pretty boring.  Too many stories and time jumps were happening, as we went continually from Haiti in the 1960s to Paris of today to Haiti of today.  Not really worth viewing, it did put me in the mood for the best zombie picture every made, I Walked With a Zombie.  Though I have seen it recently, I feel the need to see it again.

Now showing on Criterion.

I chose a b & w film by Douglas Sirk from 1946, called A Scandal In Paris, starring George Sanders.  "If you talk of art," said Sirk, "I consider this my best picture."  Based on the memoirs of Francois Eugene Vidocq, a thief who becomes the chief of the Paris police, it is mostly a comedy, though the ending is quite dramatic.  The sets and costumes are fun, and Sanders is infallible in the lead role.  Tres amusant.

One of only 2 Sirk films now showing on Criterion.

The DIA has one of the world's best collections of German Expressionist art, thanks to its German director in the 1930s, and the Nazi obsession with labelling much of the art produced in Germany at the time as "decadent."  In an earlier post I highlighted one of Kirchner's calm landscape masterpieces, called Winter Landscape In Moonlight.  This time we'll take a quick peek at a more agitated landscape work, a print made by gouging the design directly from a piece of wood.

Road In The Taurus Mountains, from 1916, contains an abstract energy that is hard to define, but easy to relate to. There is a road.  There are trees, mountains, and clouds, too. though not the kind accepted by Nazi censors.  There is a wonderful edginess to the work, and an unsettling quality that seems to suit the term "expressionist" to a tee.  Not often on display, it is worth catching when it is.

Road In The Taurus Mountains, 1916, Ernst Ludwig Kirchner (German, 1880-1938).

Woodcut printed in black on wove paper, 18" x 13".

I am enamoured with the works of this artist, and will highlight more of his works in the future.

This has been quite a day of writing.  it began with a review of the most recent SF book I finished reading, a time travel one by Silverberg.  Then it was time to work on my article for Aurora, our astronomy club newsletter.  Lastly, a new blog entry.  I hope someone is reading these from time to time, or at least scrolling through some lovely images.  Until we meet again...

Mapman Mike