More of the Same (but different)

We finished watching World On A Wire, Fassbinder's 3 1/2 hour SF production for German television back in 1973.  The film has been restored, and came with 90 minutes of extras, including interviews (from 2010) with actors, the cinematographer, and the script writer.  It turned into a pretty neat film, part Philip K Dick, part film noir, and part James Bond thriller.  It was certainly the most entertaining Fassbinder film we have seen so far in his retrospective now showing on the Criterion Channel.

 

After that we watched a very silly Jackie Chan movie from 1978, called Spiritual Kung Fu (my fault).  Played strictly for lowlife laughs, Jackie is still likeable, and watching him in action in his youth is a study in how hard the man trained, and how good at it he really was.  His stick fighting technic against 18 monks has to be seen to be believed.  And we have been watching all of the Brothers Quay animation now showing on Criterion, including Street of Crocodiles, one of the most fascinating films ever made.  Only 18 minutes long, it has the feel of an epic one.  Very twisted and very enjoyable, with some of the best stop motion animation ever put on film, and sets that are incomparably creepy and nightmarish, this is a must see film.  It had been many, many years since we had last seen it.  As to the dozen of so others also showing, I don't remember any of them, even though we have also seen The Cabinet of Jan Svankmajer, also a classic one.

Jackie Chan stars in a silly movie.

Scene from Street of Crocodiles. 

 

Scene from the Cabinet of Jan Svankmajer.

In other news, I have had two clear nights in a row, right at the start of the new session.  This means that the moon rises early and puts a stop to things, but this time after moonrise I had a chance to observe Mars, which is at its closest approach to Earth for the next 20 years or so.  And it is very close!  I had outstanding views of the surface, with more intricate detail than I have ever observed before, in a lifetime of observing.  On two previous optimum oppositions, including two years ago, dust storms have swirled, obscuring nearly the whole planet.  But this time conditions are perfect on Mars, and the views are simply breath-taking!  I also sought out Neptune, which is remarkably bright in a 12" telescope.  It is cloudy tonight, but very mild, so I am home blogging instead of observing.

 

And now, for a few works of art from the collection of the DIA (will I ever get there again?).  Christian Rolhfs (German, 1849-1938) is well represented in the DIA, though the graphics are rarely shown.  Sun and moon, here we have two opposite works by the master.  I love them both, creating moods that reflect their subjects, and making us think a bit about night and day, sun and moon, and light and dark.  As an astronomer I live comfortably in both worlds, but I love the bright sunny days as much as I love the dark, starry nights.  We truly live on a wonderful planet, possibly one of the finest in the galaxy.  Wish the same could be said for more of the human inhabitants...

 

Sunflowers, 1935, Christian Rolhfs.  Water-based pigments on heavy wove paper.  19" x 26".

 Violet Moonlight II, 1935.  Watercolour, 30" x 21.5".

Collection Detroit Institute of Arts. 

Mapman Mike

 

 

 

Heatwave

We are in our 6th day in a row of temps above 90 F, or 32C, not factoring in the humidity.  There are at least three more to go.  It is also bone dry in these parts, as well as much of Ontario.  The only rain we get, about once every three weeks, is from a violent storm.  I have two sources of water for the birds and squirrels outside.  One is a tub of water on the ground, with a rock inside so mice don't drown.  The other is a raised traditional bird bath, whose water needs changing about every hour.  It is usually filled with several birds bathing or waiting their turn.  The Detroit River is across the street, but small birds do not drink from rivers.  Did I mention that it is hot and dry?  Currently 93 F.  And very sunny.  And humid.

Last Saturday was full moon celebration night.  We actually baked a cake after sunset, and saw the moon rise.  It's been clear virtually every night and every morning, with some scattered clouds during the day.  The newest astronomy session begins next weekend, likely when the clouds will finally return.

I have completed 4 weeks of indoor fitness training.  Our treadmill is capable of raising itself at an angle to allow for hill climbing, and I am now starting in on that aspect.  It would be great to do some hiking again, though our heat is expected to continue most of July. 

Our evening listening program, when the entire family gathers round the stereo (me, Deb, two cats--the tortoise is usually asleep by then), now consists of alternating the remaining Brahms CDs, the Haydn String Quartets (currently Op. 1), Corelli's Op 5 concerto grosso set, and Wagner's first opera, "The Fairies."   My own piano pieces are now memorized, and soon will need to be played for someone.

Work on Valeria proceeds regularly.  Two or three chapters remain to be written.  Deb continues to win accolades and awards for her films, and is just finishing up work on the last episode of her latest Yorick series.  One of the recent winners was Mysterious Barricades.  Next on her to-do list comes a Shakespeare-themed movie, with yours truly likely to be called upon once again for narration duty.

In movie news, Deb chose another early film starring (and directed by--his first time) Jackie Chan.  From 1979, it is called The Fearless Hyena, and features some weirdly funny martial arts humour, jokes that you wouldn't necessarily get unless you had studied a bit.  And it also consists of non-stop, high energy, very fast moves.  He must have had to learn about 30-40 katas for the movie, sometimes interacting with three opponents, who were using long blades.  A whirlwind of action, with Jackie's Bruce Lee-like upper body on full display.  At one point, a-la Bugs Bunny, he dresses like a girl to get at his enemy.  I'd be interested in seeing out takes from this film, to see how many injuries were sustained during the making of it.

 The Fearless Hyena, now showing on Criterion.  

And now it's time for the art moment.  The Detroit Institute of Arts also owns a noteworthy collection of British art, with an entire wing dedicated to it.  This includes two landscape paintings by George Wilson.  I'll try to cover them both, along with one of his prints.

Caernarvon Castle, 1744-45.  Richard Wilson, Welsh (ca. 1713-1782).  Oil on canvas, unframed 32.5" x 45".  Collection Detroit Institute of Arts. 

Ignoring the odd perspective of the nearest water, we see a castle in ruins, much like the one painted by Cuyp in my previous post.  But the light is vastly different here, and we even see the artist at work on his painting.  Oddly enough, the castle was in perfect condition when the painting was done, so we seem to be seeing a theme of future possibilities, related to the transience of works by humans.  Ruins are still very popular with artists, tourists, and photographers, some of whom likely believe that their own world will remain intact forever, despite the evidence before their own eyes.

 Detail of the central canvas.

 Detail of the right side.

 

Detail showing the artist and the castle reflection. 

Tomorrow, Deb is off to A'burg to get her first haircut since mid-February.  She is just winding up the last episode of the most recent Yorick and the rats series.  Tonight is movie night, my choice.  Another early Fassbinder film is up next.

Mapman Mike

The Future

It's beginning to sink in that we may never travel by air again.  Possibly by train, in our own sleeper compartment.  But it's hard to imagine wanting to be squeezed into economy on a plane.  If there ever is such a thing again.  The big news this week is that Warren Buffet is fleeing airlines stocks, saying that the industry will never recover.  The days of jumbo jets seem numbered, and if only smaller jets prove profitable, it will be only the rich who fly (like it was in the beginning).  Our Prime Minister says that it will likely be December before casual international airline travel can resume into and out of Canada.  And how many airlines are going to last that long?  Detroit air traffic is down 3/4 from the same period last year, and it continues to shrink.  And the domestic planes that are flying have from 1 to 10 people on board.  The major airlines are asking to drop many smaller airports from their schedules, and this will likely be a permanent drop.  So what that mean?  Even more vehicle traffic between Detroit and Chicago, for one thing.  The only way to travel for us this year, once restrictions are lifted, will be by car.  And the only safe way to sleep will be in our tent at a campground.  Once the roads clog up, that will be it for our excursions.

Stores that are reopening and are limiting the number of customers who can enter at any one time are finding that it is not profitable to even bother opening at all.  Despite the bright and cheerful weather, there are some grim times ahead.  And while things may eventually recover in a number of years, for us older folk who still hoped to get some travelling done before it became too exhausting, our days are limited indeed.

Good thing there is still a lot of music to listen to, and movies to watch, and books to read.  These pastimes have saved our souls since March, and will have to continue doing the job for the foreseeable future.  Speaking of movies, Deb's choice this week was an early Jackie Chan flic called Half a Loaf of Kung Fu.  From 1978, it starts out as one of the silliest movies I have ever watched, with humour at a kindergarten level (those kids would die laughing, for sure).  It was so juvenile that Deb gave up and walked out on it halfway through.  I suffered on, but it got better and better.  The humour found the right level, and the acrobatics, once the star learned his kung fu (from a book of images!), became unbelievably good.  In the funniest scene, Jackie is fighting the big bad guy at the very end.  He has dropped his instruction sheets during the fight, and as he fights he crawls around on his hands and knees studying the images.  This is actually side-splitting; first because he learned from pictures in the first place, and second because he has to keep referring to them scattered in the dirt in the middle of his biggest fight of all.  When he finally gets to the final sheet, it shows a man with about ten pair of legs moving in a blur.  "I can't do that!" exclaims Jackie.  But he can.

 Now showing on Criterion. 

My film choice for the week is Around the World In 80 Days.  We are currently watching a doc about Brian Eno's early years first.

Today's art work is a good one for the season, as everything begins to bud and flower around here.  This is the only Monet painting in the DIA.  They used to have a large Waterlilies, but they sold it many years ago.  Can you imagine?  I have a b & w photo of it from a very old guidebook, and it looks as if it would be a showpiece of the museum today.  Monet is one of my least favourite famous painters, but I do love this garden scene.

 Rounded Flower Bed, ca 1876.  Claude Monet.  Oil on canvas, 22" x 32.5".  Collection Detroit Institute of Arts.  

Mapman Mike