Up until now it has been a very warm autumn. Our annual indoor fire on Samhain, nearly two weeks ago, had to be limited because it was so warm outside. We've been unable to have an autumn equinox fire for several years now. It's finally turning a bit more seasonal, though we have yet to have a frost. In one sense it's been a beautiful autumn. But we've often had snow by now. 2024 is supposed to end up being the warmest on record. For us it's been a pleasant event, so I know that we have been lucky. No floods, no droughts, no tornadoes here. A calm year. But it's getting difficult to read the news without hearing about devastating floods. They are becoming nearly as common as mass shootings. And then there are the fires, lately in California. In New Mexico there is virtually nowhere left to hike that hasn't been badly burned either nearby or on-site. Here is a photo of one of our favourite mountain ranges, the Manzano Mtns in NM, lying south of Albuquerque. The entire east side, once a dense evergreen forest, is now completely gone. It is obviously the #1 threat to human life on Earth. Yet wars go on, oil companies go on, and people who vote rarely consider it a top priority. It is ignored by half of the world's political parties, many of whom are currently in power. Of course there is a solution, but who really wants one? Anyway, we've had a lovely autumn, and I hope you have, too.
Piano practice is starting to get me somewhere again, and my regular exercise regime is back full time. I've been reading a lot, too. It's back to a mostly indoor life. Except for astronomy nights, and I had a few classic ones so far this month. I now have to wait till the moon reaches full and begins to wane before I can head out again. It's frustrating during harvest time, as the combines have a ridiculous amount of lights on them, and they often work all night.
In movie watching news, I begin with the most recent feature. Reussir Sa Vie (Succeed In Life) is by the same director of last week's Gaz de France. Benoit Forgeard's 2012 feature was his first, and he used three of his short films, united by some extra footage, to construct it. Like his other film, this one is quite funny, puzzling, and eminently watchable. The director stars as a filmmaker trying to complete a film. He has no budget, no film, and no crew, except a foley artist. The three short films often feature the same actors, but the last one stars the director. He purports to be a computer tech helping a young student recover her lost master's thesis. I will be on the lookout for any other films of his. These two are showing on Mubi, but leaving this week.
I have one more movie pick we will be watching tonight. Here are Deb's two previous choices. Firstly, we watched three other episodes of the very fascinating series called Self Portrait as a Coffee Pot. Episode 4 was all about Fate; 5 was about Point of View, while the 6th dealt with WWII from a South African black perspective. This is a series like no other, and William Kentridge achieves a near genius level of television viewing, bringing us not only inside an artist's studio for 9 half hour episodes, but also inside an artist's head. He is a master at chalk drawings, often on a vast scale. Anyone vaguely interested in modern art should waste no time trying to see this series. For now, I believe it is a Mubi exclusive, which is a shame. But they did fund it, so there.
The Practice is an Argentinian film from 2023, directed by Martin Rejtman. It takes place in Chile, where a man teaches yoga classes. He is going through a divorce, and is accident prone. A young female student latches onto him, but when she is injured in an earthquake, she loses her memory. It's a deadpan film, though often quite funny. A slice of weird life from down south, I can recommend this as a film you will likely have never seen the like of. Certainly worth a look.
Mapman Mike
