Winter's Grand (Belated) Arrival

 IT is here.  IT has finally arrived.  IT is not much fun today, nor for the foreseeable future.  After this snowstorm we are to be hit with winds gusting to 100 km tonight and tomorrow, with temps dropping well below zero, and staying well below zero (Celsius) for many days ahead.  Ah, the howling sounds of January in Canada.  Detroit airport currently has an average departure delay of 81 minutes.   However, we at the Homestead are prepared for nearly anything.  The only thing that would affect us negatively this weekend is if the power went off for longer than 4 hours.  With heavy snow on the tree branches and the electric wires, this is a very real possibility once those overnight winds kick in.  We have a fireplace and plenty of wood to heat the central area of the house.  All of the fridge and freezer food could live in the garage indefinitely.  But we wouldn't have any hot water for tea, etc.  Anyway, we are now only observers, having to accept what comes our way.  We have the fire departments of our county on live broadcasts.  A few wires down and a house currently burning, but most of the calls are for vehicle accidents.  The first real snow of the season and people have forgotten how to drive in the stuff.

 

We dodged a big one earlier in the week, getting rain instead of the expected snow.  But that storm gave us the lowest barometer reading I have ever knowingly experienced: 28.86.  The lowest I have ever felt before that was around 29.30.  Normal is around 30.00.  And with this most recent storm hitting us this weekend we are back down to 29.03!  Amazing stuff!!

There are two films to report, but lately we have been rewatching the Dr. Who episodes that feature David Tenant  and Catherine Tate on Prime Video.  The original appearance of Donna Noble is in the episode called The Runaway Bride.  It is one of Tenant's better episodes, despite the ridiculous spider monster at the end.  The two actors seem to have an instant chemistry, and their repartee is hilarious.  A running joke about pockets, for example, really sets this one apart.  Partners In Crime, the first regular episode to feature Catherine, also introduces her wonderful and amazing granddad, played by Bernard Cribbins.  Both he and Catherine (and Tenant) ended up creating characters that are completely unforgettable.  Which is why we are rewatching those episodes.  We will see if they stand up over time as being truly memorable.  So far, yes.  I love Donna Noble, and I think that she might be in my top three companions of the Doctor of all time.

In movie news, most recently we watched The Man With A Shotgun, a Japanese pseudo western from 1961, and directed by Seijun Suzuki.  In widescreen colour, it is truly one of the weirder movies to come out of Japan.  With the usual fistfights, gunfights, saloon girls, good guys and bad guys, the movie will still have viewers' jaws dropping frequently during this story about a man out for revenge on those who raped and killed his young wife.  Lots of violence and more than a few surprises, Suzuki's early films are just as weird as his later ones, but in a different way.  Don't miss a chance to catch this one.  For us it is showing on Criterion.

The Man With A Shotgun is leaving Criterion January 31st. 

 

My main choice last week was called All Things Bright and Beautiful, a BBC production from 1993.  It is one of the Screen Two productions.  Here is the description from Prime:

County Tyrone, Northern Ireland. 1954 is the year of special devotion to Our Lady. When Barry's prayers to her are mistaken for a two-way conversation, the result is a wave of religious hysteria. Barry's father must rescue him from the worship of the village folk and the ambitions of Father McAteer.  

This is mostly a fun look at a pious young boy, whose actions are misinterpreted, and then allowed by the boy to go on, until a kind of hysteria has hit their small town parish.  It all begins with an innocent mistake, as the boy mistakes a hiding IRA refugee for Barabbas (hey, it can happen).  The old time radio gets a supporting role, too, to help set the time the story takes place.  The local priest is a complete shambles by the end of the story.

 

Showing on Prime.

That's it from the Homestead for now.  We are safe and cozy, and hope to remain that way.  Autumn has vanished at last; here comes Winter.

Mapman Mike

 

 

Winter Takes A Holiday

Well, perhaps not everywhere.  But in this part of Canada (southwestern Ontario), winter in all its wonderful glory has yet to appear.  Usually we get a good blast in December, and even sometimes in November.  Not this season.  We awoke today to snow on the ground, however.  About 5 mms.  It was gone by mid day.  More is supposed to come Tuesday, but it, too, will quickly vanish with the above freezing temperatures we achieve later in the day.  One doesn't hear a lot of complaining, though, especially here at the Homestead.  A year without shovelling is, well, a year without shovelling.  It has been several years now since we have been able to go outside and use our snowshoes.  However, it is still very early in the coldest season.  We still have several weeks to go.  With parts of China experiencing their coldest December, and much of Scandinavia buried under fresh snow, there is hope for our winter yet.  Stay tuned.

 

Deb finished her tedious job of painting the TV room.  It looks quite professional, and is a definite improvement on the old walls.  And with the two new windows that were recently installed, it is a cozy place to watch our films.  Speaking of which....

 

Most recently we finished watching a 1963 SF film.  It is a Czech film, recently restored to its original b & w perfection.  Ikarie XB 1 is based on a novel by Stanislaw Lem.  A large crew of humans attempts a voyage to Alpha Centauri well into the 22nd Century, undergoing several hazardous adventures along the way.  If you like Star Trek, then readers should love this film, one of which I had never heard.  Though the crew is all white (Star Trek improved considerably on this) and commanded by men, there are plenty of women here, too, including one chosen to give birth to the first baby in space flight.  While the effects are nearly as cheesy as Gerry Anderson's, the story and writing are quite good.  It's like watching two or three good Star Trek episodes in one feature.  Recommended to SF fans.  Watch only the original sub-titled Czech version.

The restored Czech version is streaming on Criterion.

 

The bridge of the star ship. 

 

Before that came Yumeji, a Seijun Suzuki film from 1991.  It tries hard to be an avant garde art house film, but ends up reminding us too much of something someone might have done in the 1970s.  While the photography is stunning, and the use of traditional Japanese interiors works remarkably well, the over-acted boisterousness and deliberate attempts to confuse and disengage the audience in many scenes spoils the unique and underlying harmony the picture tries to create.  In addition, the film is way too long.  It tells the story of a man who recently murdered his wife.  He is on the run from the police (who seem to disappear for the last part of the picture), and has threatened to kill another man who tried to kill him.  It is also about an artist, an historical figure who painted young women.  The husband of a woman he has painted is going to kill the artist.  However, this husband is also the one that the escaped murderer wants to kill.  The best part of the film might be the stunning kimonos worn by the four women in the tale.  Not a recommended film, as it leaves little behind that stirs the senses.  Part of a trilogy of films made by the independent director.

Leaving Criterion January 31st. 

 

Those two picks were Deb's.  Before that came the 5th and final pick of my festival week.  Mubi has just acquired a large selection of early Hong Kong action films.  Five Deadly Venoms is from 1978, and ranks high in the tastes of certain directors (Tarantino being one).  The unusual amount of sadistic torture and killings would appeal to some, I suppose.  As much as one admires the athletic ability of the actors, and the skills of the fight arranger, my heart goes out to the foley artists in this genre.  Hundreds of well timed sound effects accompany each fight, and there are many of them.  This film begins quite slowly, allowing the story of several wayward martial arts masters and their corruption to become settled before the real action begins.  Yay for the good guys.  Boo for the bad guys.

 

Now showing on Mubi. 

 

Mapman Mike

 

 

 

 

News Update

So much news it's difficult to know where to begin.  Deb's latest animated SF short continues to rack up the prizes.  Still a few festivals to hear from, too.  Her latest win comes from Italy's "8 1/2 Film Festival."  That group also has set up a booth at Cannes, and will be featuring Deb's film. 

In ship watching news, I watch 5 ships on a regular basis through a live shipping website.  Four of them are on the Great Lakes, and the other one travels the world, occasionally passing our house on the Detroit River.  One of the Great Lakes ships recently had some electronic problems and ended up grounded off Belle Isle in Detroit.  Though they are unstuck now, they are currently dead in the water while repairs are made.  Their cargo is salt.

 

The Mark W Barker pays an unexpected visit to Detroit's Belle Isle.  Photo is from the Detroit Free Fress.  Ironically, the ship grounded right in front of the island's Great Lakes Shipping Museum, which has a live cam that watches ships pass.  The whole thing was caught on the live cam.

 

In other news, I am committed to a hiking journey to New Mexico this fall.  My main goal (subject to change without notice) is to make a 2nd attempt at climbing Jicarita Peak.  Our first attempt was thwarted by a mismatched water purification bottle.  The mountain is southeast of Taos, atop one of the finest and most scenic ranges in the whole state.  A few other major hikes are planned alongside this one.

Jicarita Peak, NM.  Aim high and see how far one gets.  Training in earnest will begin mid-August. Author's photo from October 2016.  Though the mountain is probably still there, some of this beautiful forest has burned in more recent wildfires.

 

In music news, the next piano get together is in two weeks.  It sounds as if six members will be in attendance.  Practicing here at the Homestead goes on (and on).  I'm still hoping to trade in the piano I now have for a Yamaha keyboard, deluxe model.  Watch here for details.

 

So far this session I have had four clear nights (make that five), but smoke from Alberta wildfires has been milking up our sky.  One of those nights I stayed home; the other time I went out but should have stayed home.  It's supposed to be clear tonight, but smoke is forecast.  Tomorrow looks better.  If I get a fifth outing I will be very happy, though it really cuts into my evening reading time.

 

Now on to movie news.  We wrapped up the final 2 episodes of the French TV series The Middleman.  I can report that the fish had a happy ending.  The series mostly takes place in a run down Parisian apartment building, and the hero (with the possible aid of the fish) travels between the present and a time in the past when he was a child.  It is an amusing series, and well worth catching.

 

We also watched another incredible Seijun Suzuki yakuza film, Branded To Kill from 1967.  This is one of the best 60s films I have ever seen, though it makes little sense and has very little plot to it.  The director was reportedly fired after this film came out, and went on to do TV work before returning to films more than a decade later.  In this very watchable but screwy film about a hired killer, things get really weird when he becomes the hunted.  More gunfights then the average western.  Starring our favourite chipmunk-cheeked hero, Joe Shishido.

 

Now showing on Criterion. 

 

Deb chose a documentary called Spettacolo, from 2017.  It follows the population of a small town in Tuscany as they try to mount their latest annual theatrical presentation.  With the young people no longer present in great numbers, more and more work falls upon the aging population.  Viewers wonder why they are continuing to torment themselves in this way.  Give it a rest, or perhaps consider doing things every two years.  Preparations for the spectacle begin in the winter, with discussion about what the topic will be for the performance this year.  Spring and summer show the readings, rehearsals, staging, etc., until opening night finally arrives.  The festival has a huge following in Italy.  However, the amount of volunteer labour involved is quite ridiculous.  Not always riveting cinema, it does show the dedication of several people taken to extreme lengths.  The project began as a way to socialize in the summer evenings, and to tackle subjects important to the people of the village.  I strongly suspect that it won't carry on for much longer, however.

Now showing on Criterion.  From 2017.  

 

Mapman Mike