Highway To Heaven and Three Films

The busy four lane road in front of our house is a decommissioned provincial highway, now a county road.  Every once in a while, when the old pavement is cracked beyond repair, they repave it.  Step one is to reduce traffic to one lane in each direction.  Then they rebuild the storm sewers.  Then they wait for the paving company to have some time to do it.  That takes a couple of weeks.  Finally comes stage three, when the old pavement is literally melted where it stands and taken away in dump trucks.  Stage four is the actual repaving, followed by painting the lines, then removing the traffic cones.  The whole thing took about a month.  Today we have new pavement in front of our house, up to about a mile further towards Windsor.

 

This vast and noisy machine heats and strip off the old pavement, which is then hauled away for reuse.

 

In front is the old pavement; left behind is the base of the road.

 

Dump trucks pour hot asphalt into a "Roadtec" conveyor system, which loads up the paving machine.

Two paving machines worked in tandem to cover both northbound lanes today.  A few days ago they did the southbound lanes.

Dump trucks full of hot asphalt are lined up down the road, waiting their turn.

 

The conveyor loads one of the machines with fresh tar.

 

Rolling machines flatten out the new pavement.  The road should fully open later today.
 

As you can see, the excitement never stops around the old Homestead.  Passing ships, birds at the feeder, grass growing--it's all here!

 

We have loaded a new (for us) PC game called 80 Days.  Fogg and Passpartout set out from London and have 80 days to encircle the globe (or maybe 81).  This is a simple 2D adventure game with a steampunk twist, and it is proving to be entertaining and challenging.  The game as designed has virtually limitless replay possibilities, as they are nearly endless ways of traveling, each with their own twist.  The following postcard shows us at our most recent destination.

 

It is currently Day 37 of our 80-day voyage, and we are in Madras.  We have a good supply of funds, but we still have a very long way to go.  Beating the game isn't really the main idea of playing, however.  It's fun to visit the places, talk to different people, and enjoy the hilarious side adventures.  At one point we were clobbered by a nun and taken hostage to their nunnery.  We have promised to assist them in a particular scheme of theirs in exchange for our freedom. 

 

We are playing on Steam, which carries reviews of the game by all of the previous players.  Here is one review (complete) that cinched it for us and got us to play.  "Spent 37 days dying in the North Pole because two gay lovers were sabotaging our vehicle because we weren't communists. 10/10"  With a review like that how can one go wrong?  This is a very promising game so far.

 

Turning to films, we have the usual mix of weird things we watch and enjoy.  Including Deb's films (ha ha).  I got to see the first complete (non-sound) version of her latest film.  It is visually stunning and spellbinding and original and should make quite a splash at selected film festivals.  She is now working on details and will soon be adding sound.  Deb's website is at upper left in my margin.  Here you can keep up with all her latest creations.

 

We watched an oldie directed by Robert Altman.  A Wedding from 1978 is not the usual film title that interests us.  Altman tackles a wedding between a rich American family's daughter and a mafioso's son.  It is lavish and expensive, and the film opens in the church.  Lots of people on the groom's side, and virtually no one on the bride's side.  Altman's comedy is sometimes subtle and sometimes not.  The old bishop is a family friend and has been called out of retirement to perform the ceremony.  There are some very funny scenes here.  The reception is at the mafia homestead, and a host of Altman's favourite actors are given recurring scenes, some funny and some not.  Carol Burnett gets a lead role, getting hustled by a huge man who wants her to be his own.  It is Carol's daughter who is getting married.  There is an eccentric aunt who is anxiously awaiting the arrival of her very large gift.  When it finally arrives she gathers everyone together for the unveiling of a portrait of the bride--a nude!  Geraldine Chaplin is the organizer of events.  Also starring Mia Farrow as the bride's nympho younger sister, Desi Arnaz, Jr, Vittorio Gassman and Lillian Gish.  Actually well worth watching.

 

Streaming now on Criterion. 

 

The Pervert's Guide To Ideology is a terrific documentary from 2013, narrated by the funny and zesty Slavoj Zizek.  He uses scenes from films to illustrate the use and misuse of the term ideology, showing what it is and what it isn't.  As he talks about a particular film and shows clips, he will insert himself into the location and continue his lecture as if he is on the actual movie set.  His accent is pretty thick and it can be tricky to understand him at times, but what he says is always worth listening to.  Also mixed in are news clips from demonstrations, riots and political propaganda events.  Directed by Sophie Fiennes, this is a must see film for philosophy students and film students, or people like us who are both.  Highly recommended, and worth more than one viewing.

 

Now streaming on Kino. 

 

Most recently we watched Saturday Fiction, a Chinese film directed by Lou Ye from 2019 that started out quite promising but then degenerated into a massive shoot-em-up, where virtually all the lead characters die.  The story takes place in Shanghai a week before Pearl Harbour is attacked, and continues up to the very day.  What we get is a spy story mixed in with preparing a political play for live performance.  The two mesh well up to a point, until the film just breaks itself apart with mindless violence.  Good acting, and the b & w film is beautifully photographed.  In the end, though, it was disappointing.  There is also an awful lot of cigarette smoking.  How many films have started out great and ended badly?  Too many to count.  Are you listening Wim Wenders?

 

Streaming on Criterion until midnight July 31st. 

 

Mapman Mike 

 

 

 

 

TV Upgrade

While bigger isn't always better, sometimes it is just what the tech doctor ordered.  We left our 40" TV behind and went for a 55" one.  I wanted a 50" since we watch in a fairly small room, but the larger one was considerably cheaper.  In addition to a better picture and a considerably enlarged one, Deb has hooked two good speakers into it for movie quality sound.  I've moved my chair back a wee bit and so far I am loving the new TV.  What have we been watching?  Movies, some smaller series, and we have added a new channel.  Through Amazon's early Black Friday sale we have subscribed to Apple TV for 6 months, giving access to a number of shows we have an interest in.  We just started with that channel today, so give me some time to report on it.  One of the many series I am interested in is a version of Asimov's Foundation SF novel series.  More to come.

 

Our "new" computer is still at the factory getting repaired.  It's been away nearly twice as long as we have had it at home, with no end in sight.  They had to wipe all our data as the OS was corrupt, in addition to a number of other problems not of our doing.  This was a very expensive computer that was to be better to play PC games on.  So far we haven't got much for our money.   In movie news there are several to report.

 

Most recently was a horror film with John Carradine called Blood Legacy from 1971.  The actor starred in 47 films in the 1970s alone, many of them low budget horror movies.  This one is featured on one of my DVD collections, which I have been ignoring until recently.  Before things like Prime Video, Mubi and Criterion streaming channels arrived, people used to watch DVDs with movies on them.  For real.  I bought several collections of 50-movie packs back in the day, but we stopped watching them when we got Roku etc.  The print is terrible, as is the sound.  But it's a somewhat fun look at the usual murder plot--an insane family of four siblings have to remain in their house overnight before they get their just rewards from their just-deceased father.  The just rewards include death by axe, electrocution, bee stings and piranhas in an aquarium.  Out of about a dozen characters in the film only one survives.  To see the film once is plenty enough for us.

 

From our 50 pack DVD collection "Legends of Horror." 

 

Robert Altman's 1990 film Vincent and Theo has some very fine photography that recreates rooms and landscapes where the artist Van Gogh painted.  Tim Roth as Van Gogh is quite something else, reminding me as much of Shane McGowan than of Vincent.  Theo is played by Paul Rhys.  The actors seem to lack chemistry, and many of their scenes together just become too flat, despite all the shouting and histrionics that occur.  Both brothers seem quite mad, and they died not too far apart in time.  The film is overlong and seems to waste time confusing viewers with chronologies and overlapping dialogue.  Many people who watch the film would have no idea of dates when certain events were happening, or of how Vincent's paintings changed so dramatically in his final two or three years.  The final shot of the two grave markers side by side (Theo had syphilus) gives us end dates, but nothing else is dated.  Gaughin, who briefly befriended Vincent comes in and out of the picture at different times.  Despite an honest effort I was not terribly impressed with the movie.  It looked pretty nice on our new TV, though.

 

Leaving Criterion Nov. 30th. 

 

Two films from Mubi finish up this part of the blog.  First came a restored version of a b & w trashy film from 1967.  Shanty Tramp, directed by Joseph G. Prieto is the cautionary tale of something or other, so beware.  There are lessons to be learned, I'm almost certain.  A sleazy dark-haired bimbo has a bit of a rep around her small town, as does her drunkard Pa.  In fact, all the girls seem rather slimy in this town, and that's not even beginning to talk about the guys.  Watching the lead actress "dance" at a cafe is truly something to behold.  Nothing so undancey has ever before appeared on camera.  It's heartbreaking to see a girl try to dance for a camera who just can't move in any coordinated fashion whatsoever.  It's also painful to watch her seduce a young black man, then turn on him when Pa catches them lying naked together (a shocking scene for 1967, especially in the American south).  He ends up dead, like a lot of other characters in the film.  What is most shocking is that there were three remaining prints of the film that survived the ages and enabled it to be restored.  I can't imagine being the guy who proposed the restoration of this film in the first place.  A one of a kind film, with a very loud preacher and too much "Saints Go Marching In" music.

 

Restored version now showing on Mubi. 

 

Intimate Confession of a Chinese Courtesan (1971) makes an interesting pairing with the above film.  Not that the quality of the films can be compared, but both feature women of questionable character as leads, but understandably so.  This film is stylish and beautifully filmed, and might be one of the first female revenge films, a genre that still lives on happily today.  A young woman is kidnapped and forcibly brought to a brothel.  It takes some taming, but once she sees there is no escape she switches tactics and goes along with the game.  She is raped by four piggish and powerful men (no way!), and silently swears revenge.  She makes a (male) friend within the brothel and together they make a failed attempt at escape.  When he is killed she is determined to exact justice on the entire brothel.  Filled with lavish sets and beautiful costumes, there is also a lot of swordplay and kung fu action scenes.  Definitely worth checking out.  Nothing like this will ever come out of China again, and no doubt it is banned there as well.  Nudity, violence, lesbian kissing and rape scenes (tastefully edited, of course). It stars Lily Ho.  Go figure.

 

Leaving Mubi Nov. 30th.

 

Cover of the DVD. 

 

Mapman Mike

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Visit

Last week we were paid a visit by my mother, her sister (my aunt) Pauline and my cousin Cathy (Pauline's daughter) here in A'burg.  They arrived Tuesday the 11th and stayed until Thursday morning, when they headed back to Toronto.  My mother is heading home (Sudbury) today, after her week long voyage.  Not too shabby for 96.  Pauline is 2 years younger than Mom, and Cathy is 2 years younger than me.  They stayed at a funky hotel in A'burg called Stry (spelled correctly--for the missing 'O' visit the adjoining bar), and visited here at the Homestead on all three days.  We enjoyed a day out in the county on Wednesday, visiting a market/store, a winery and our favourite off the map cafe (14th Coffee).  We ate out in downtown A'burg, enjoying food at Salty Dog one night and then at Artisan Grill next night.  Lunch in Harrow on Wednesday was at a place called George's Eatery.  All restaurants had delicious vegan options for Deb and I.  One dark and chilly night we wandered into Navy Yard Park to see the holiday light display, still being put up at that time.  It was a really fun visit.  Mom hadn't been down here for 12 years!

 

The day before they arrived we had our first taste of snow.  It was gone by the time they arrived on Tuesday. 

 

Deb, Mom, Cathy and Pauline.

 

Same as above, with me replacing Cathy.      

 

We don't get much family company where we live, so it was great to have a chance to spend time with our closest relatives.  Pauline and Mom are the lone survivors of 7 kids that my grandparents had. 

 

In shipping news there are 5 ships that I follow regularly on-line, watching for their passing from our windows.  This weekend 3 of them passed by (2 are currently with tourists in the Antarctic).  The CSL Laurentien passed southbound on Friday, likely its last voyage of the season.  Likewise the mighty Mesabi Miner.  Both ships were heavily laden and moving slowly.  The globe-trotting Federal Bering passed northbound during the night.  I took photos of the first two, and will watch for the Bering on its southbound journey later in the month.  We currently have an extra gap allowing us to see more of the river, as an old house was torn down across the street and a new one is quickly rising.

 

The 700' Laurentien passes our house southbound.  View from our veranda.  A new house is being built across the street.

 

Riding low, the 1000' ore carrier Mesabi Miner heads towards Toledo after a busy non-stop shipping season. 

 

In movie news there are two to report.  Robert Altman's 1979 A Perfect Couple is a comedy romance.  A couple meet via a video dating service and undergo a very rocky relationship.  She is a singer in a large rock band and he is the manager of an antique shop.  The movie consists of many songs by the band, though fortunately they are mostly okay.  The band is run by a patriarchal and bossy singer, while the man's family is led by a dictatorial father.  The humour is often strained, and the young actress who plays the lead obviously suffers from anorexia off screen.  It is painful to watch her when she removes some of her clothing.  She died of cancer in 2013.  It's a strange movie, with the lead actor (Paul Dooley) being quite pushy and obnoxious in getting her to date him after they have broken off.  Definitely a movie of its time.

 

Leaving Criterion Nov. 30th. 

 

Hitchcock's silent 1928film A Farmer's Wife could have been directed by almost anyone at the time, and was likely one of his pictures he was contracted to make.  From a 1916 stage play by Eden Phillpotts, it is a romantic comedy that sees a widowed farmer seek a new wife.  With the help of his young and beautiful housekeeper (try and guess who he ends up marrying) he creates a list of eligible women and tries to propose to them.  One by one he is rejected.  At first he is furious when they refuse him, but he gradually learns to expect no for an answer.  A few outdoor scenes enliven the many indoor shots.  The comedy is a bit broad for modern tastes, but there are some nuances that show that some care was taken in the filming.  A shot of several hundred hunting dogs crossing a small bridge is unexpected, especially as we see the view from an angle where only their tails show.  Overlong (107 minutes), we did make it to the end, but not in one go.

 

From a DVD that we own. 

 

Mapman Mike

 

 

 
 

 

PC Woes

A few weeks ago we found a top flight gaming PC on sale, so we ordered it.  Deb spent the usual several hours setting it up, killing off the bloatware, and transferring our files from the older PC.  The new one has a much faster processor and a kick-ass video card.  Except that over two weeks the system crashed on us 6 or 7 times.  So Thursday it was back to the store with it.  It has been sent back to the manufacturer for repair.  We could have exchanged it for a new one, but decided to wait a week and get this one fixed, which would be far less work for Deb than starting all over with a new PC.  So the old one is back in service for a while.  It runs fine, but it is a bit on the slow side for some games, and the graphics card is quite outdated now.

 

Original plans had us leaving for Europe on Sunday and staying for two weeks.  However, it was not to be.  Deb took pretty long to recover from recent invasive medical tests, but that wouldn't have stopped us.  Her breathing difficulties seem to be exacerbated by her new RA drug.  And my foot is not yet ready for airports and London transport.  There is good news, however.  I am now walking daily again for up to half an hour, but still at slow speed (2.2 mph versus my normal 3.5 mph).  Foot pain has subsided but is still present.  The big toe feels like it is always sprained, most noticeable when walking on cement or asphalt.  Despite the improvements I will still attend my bone scan on Saturday in Windsor.  Anyway, we took a couple of walks near our local ponds this week, before the weather turned grouchy.  I also managed (so far) 4 astronomy outings in October.  I am very happy about that.

 

Hard to see, but a pair of swans were enjoying the warm autumn weather.

 

Since our walks early in the week the weather turned cold and windy, and we've been indoors a lot.  The wood stove is in action, but we spent time preparing the gas boiler for its seasonal labours. 

 

In movie news there are a few to report, including one that we saw a few weeks ago and I forgot to mention.  Though Hollywood often misses the mark with big budget pictures and actors, we quite enjoyed The Sandpiper (1965) starring Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton.  She is a single mom living off grid on the California coast at Big Sur, in probably the best location for a house in the entire world.  She is an artist raising a 9 year old boy.  When he gets into minor trouble one time too many, the local judge orders him sent a boarding school.  It is run by Richard Burton, playing a married religious man.  Of course they fall in love and all the rest of the Hollywood crap, but there are some memorable scenes.  In one of them Taylor could be talking about herself in real life as she describes how men have hounded her since she was 12, and that she doesn't want to be tied down to any kind of normal life.  We're with you, Lizzie!  Burton's character, despite being happily married, can't keep his lust at bay when near Taylor, and the ending is a strained one for all concerned.  This is a beautiful colour film to watch, and it does carry an emotional impact.  Altogether very well done.  And of course that famous song, "The Shadow of Your Smile" by Johnny Mandel...

 

A Hollywood film worth catching on a big screen. 

A Chinese Ghost Story 2 is from 1990, with the same characters (and a few new ones) keeping things lively and pretty funny.  If you liked the first one (we did) then the 2nd one will contain much of the same things.  Good effects and the sad and tragic love story keep the pace lively and interesting, up to a point.  Having seen two of these things, and knowing that a 3rd one awaits, I can't say I'm terribly excited.  Still, there are worse ways to pass the time, and obviously a lot of stunt work and fun effects went into this feature.

 

Now showing on Criterion. 

 

Lastly comes Robert Altman's Gosford Park, from 2001.  With an all star cast, it's kind of a mash up of Renoir's Rules of the Game, and the Upstairs Downstairs series for TV.  It inspired Downton Abbey to be created, and is well worth watching.  There are so many characters involved, each with their own mini-plot, that the pace is very quick and the time flies past (135' running time).  The events take place over a weekend of "shooting", as a ton of birds are massacred by the gentry for the sake of a pleasure outing.  There is so much story, given out in pieces separated by pieces of other stories, that one has to really pay attention to keep track of all the happy people (sarcasm, dear readers) and their doings.  There is also a murder, with Stephen Fry recreating Monsieur Hulot as an ineffective detective.  Great fun by a master director.

 

Leaving Criterion Oct. 31st.  

 

Mapman Mike  

 

 

 

 

 

 

Heatwave

 We are having a week of heat more suited to late June or anytime in July.  And though storms are nearby, it's been extremely dry for the past two weeks.  We are in need of rain, badly.  Lots of it.  In hot water news, our tank was installed last Tuesday.  After waiting five days to shower, it sure felt good.  And the seasonal war of weeds versus us is in full swing.  We are holding our own, but in this heat they will undoubtedly win again.  Our flowering trees and shrubs are having a banner year; it must have been a perfect Spring for them.  Our house is surrounded by flowering things of many varieties.

Some good news for Deb and I on the vaccine front.  Next week we are scheduled to receive our 2nd dose of Covid vaccines.  Woo hoo!  Because we are considered care givers for Deb's mom in LTC, we are eligible.  My interval between shots will be exactly 7 weeks; Deb's will only be two days longer.  Considering that only 50% of Canadians have received the first shot, we are fortunate indeed!  Not that we'll be booking any holidays in Brazil or India, but it will open up a few options for us, at least.

In movie news, Deb chose a German film as her going away choice last weekend.  Goodbye, Lenin is from 2003, and directed by Wolfgang Becker.  Though it strains credulity to the extreme, it is an engaging film thanks to some good acting.  Set in East Berlin just before reunification, a mother and solid party member is in a coma for 8 months during the startling events of 1989.  When she awakens, the doctor warns the family than any kind of emotional shock could kill her.  Her teenage son decides to hide the truth from her about reunification, going to extreme and farcical methods to hide the truth from her.  There are some hilarious scenes, and some which are very moving.  A pretty solid film.

Showing on Criterion until May 31st. 

My main film choice last week was another viewing of Kurosawa's Ran, his version of King Lear.  It is an astounding film of greed, stupidity, treachery, and human fallibility, with outstanding performances by all, wonderful location photography, intense battle scenes, and costumes to die for.  One of his best films, and certainly one of Shakespeare's best plays, too.  Oddly, this film is not contained in our 25 movie set of Kurosawa's films, nor is it showing of Criterion.  We watched it on Prime, of all places.

Now showing on Prime. 

This is a long weekend holiday in Canada, as we celebrate (seriously) Queen Victoria's birthday.  It is also the kickoff of our viewing of M*A*S*H, and the sipping of gin martinis, traditional held on Friday at 5 pm, and continuing on until Autumnal Equinox.  Believe it or not, this is the 20th year of this homespun tradition.  We watch half a season per year, and then reruns as necessary, and we are now halfway through Season 10.  However, this year we did things a bit differently.  Instead of watching the TV series, we watched the Robert Altman movie.  While it is quite difficult to get past the overt sexism of the time, and sometimes one shudders as one laughs, it still is a brilliant film, though probably seriously in need of a remake.  From 1970, it was filmed during the Vietnam War, and has more to say about 1970 then it does about the Korean conflict.  The film is showing for one month only on Criterion, so I chose it as my going away feature of the week.  Of course not only does the film demean women (but only really the true army ones), it also takes a comical poke at suicide.  Definitely a product of its time, it would be amusing to sit through this with an audience of today's younger adults, watching the effect it has.

Showing in May on Criterion. 

Mapman Mike