The 9 Days of Winter

 

Our winter season this year lasted just 9 days.  It was bitter cold, and the temperature did not rise anywhere near zero C.  It snowed, it blowed, and we expected it to go on and on.  But last Monday it finally rose to zero.  And it's been above zero since then, even at night.  We have been deluged with rain all week.  And dense fog.  The long term forecast does not show any more cold air arriving.  The river had frozen over, but is now all open water again.  Had it been cold enough, we would not be buried in snow.  At least we could have gone snowshoeing, something we haven't been able to do now for several years.

 

Of course in the dead of winter when it's cold out and indoor activities are preferred, our minds begin to drift into thoughts of Spring travel.  There might be something big in our future.  Stay tuned for further updates.  Autumn travel will be another attempt to complete last year's hiking trip to the New Mexico Rockies, via some smaller Oklahoma mountains and some big ones in Texas.  But right now Spring travel is wide open to us.  While it won't be anything too adventurous, we might actually return to air travel, not undertaken since 2019.

 

In Dad news, he is still at home, recovering slowly.  He needs blood work weekly for the next little while, and daily blood pressure checks.  He still tires very easily.  A full recovery will take some time.

 

In film news, Deb got five movie picks in a row.  Her usual weekly two, plus it was her turn for the end of the month festival, which gave her an additional three choices.  Here we go.

 

First up was The Roof, a 1956 film directed by Vittorio De Sica.  Post war Europe was not a real fun place to live and thrive.  Italy seemed particularly hard hit, with a housing shortage so critical that it is truly hard to believe or imagine.  A newly married couple try to find a place of their own, after an unsuccessful attempt to live in a crowded apartment with their family.  The best solution for them, and one that breaks the law, is to find a flat piece of land and build a one room house overnight.  Once they have a roof and a door in place, they cannot be evicted.  Early on we see another similar family caught halfway through building.  They see it destroyed, and all their investment is now gone.  In addition, they have to pay a fine.  Ironically, the man in our story works at a construction site outside Rome, where many high rise apartments are being built.  But the waiting list is so long for these new apartments that most people have no hope of ever living in one.  A very good film, and it does have a somewhat happy ending.

Leaving Mubi soon. 

 

Next came the first of two animated features, both showing on Mubi.  The Son of the White Mare is a Hungarian film from 1981, directed by Marcell Jankovics.  It is based on Hungarian folk tales, and features some mesmerizing animation.  The story concerns three brothers who set out to rescue three princesses from the underworld, to where they have been kidnapped by three evil powers.  If you love fairy tales that are beautifully illustrated, then this film is a must see.

Now showing on Mubi. 

 

Next up was the newest film by Aki Kaurismaki, a 2023 film called Fallen Leaves.  It is a small gem, the kind of film we would have called a Sleeper back in the day.  However, these kinds of films are so rare nowadays that people literally freak out when they see one.  It explores the relationship between a lonely alcoholic man and a quiet hard working woman.  They find each other, lose other, find each other, lose each other, and than finally find each other again, to live happily ever after.  It isn't much of a story, but the focus on loneliness no doubt hits a chord with a lot of people today. There is humour, drama, and a really nice dog.  With lots of alcohol drinking and, of course, cigarette smoking (since this is a European film after all).  Recommended.

Now showing on Mubi.  On their first date he takes her to a film.  

One of the humourous highlights. 

 

The other animated feature is called No Dogs Or Italians Allowed, from 2022.  This is a truly wonderful stop motion film detailing the director's Italian family's travails as they leave their homeland for France, Switzerland, and a failed attempt at America, for a better life.  The story is touching, funny, and told in a very original manner, with the director engaging with the small stop motion figures as his grandmother tells him the family saga.  This is stop motion the old fashioned way, and it is pulled off brilliantly.  Very highly recommended.

Now showing on Mubi. 

 

In Doctor Who news, The Unicorn and the Wasp features a meetup with Agatha Christie, and a 1920s murder mystery story confined to a large house.  The story explains the real life mysterious temporary disappearance of the famous writer during one point in her life.  A silly story, but great fun anyway.  We are currently amidst a two part story, Silence In The Library, where River Song makes her first appearance.  And we still have one more film of Deb's choice to go.  See you soon.

 

Mapman Mike

 

 

Winter's Non-Arrival

It's more like mid-November here at the Homestead this week (and next).  No snow anywhere to speak of.  Green grass, plants still growing in the garden.  Anyway, Happy Solstice!  Our all day fire was still on for Friday, beginning at sunrise and lasting till sunset (8-5).  It's going to get warm in here, though.  We have a ton of good food laid in for the holidays, both of the snack variety and the full meal kind.  More and more plant based items appear at the grocery stores nearly every time we go there.

 

Thursday we managed another walk on the trail.  It was a crisp autumn day.  Tomorrow will be similar, but it will be a crisp winter day.  Go figure.  We also stocked up on birdseed, and Deb managed to buy paint for the room redecoration (new windows, after all) on sale for 60% off the regular price at the same store.  She is currently stripping a 5" border from around the top near the ceiling before repainting the walls and ceiling.  Wednesday was Wal-Mart day.  We usually do our shopping there when a prescription refill is needed at the pharmacy.  We were expecting horrible crowds, but it was a actually quiet and a mostly tolerable experience.  Tuesday was Deb's infusion day.  All went well.  Before that we ate at Copper Branch, a plant based restaurant with a wide and delicious menu that is about two minutes walk from Deb's doctor.  We came home with a mint chocolate nanaimo bar and a wonderful cinnamon bun.  We'll be back in two months, when her next infusion is due.

 

I am off from Iaido for a few weeks now, and even longer if the weather does turn nasty.  I plan to practice in the garage a few times, though.  I have finally relearned all of the material from black belt level.  If I can polish that up a bit, I can move on to relearn all the material for 2nd degree black belt.  Then I'll be back to where I was five years or so ago.

 

In film news, Mubi sent us a neat little retrospective of all the movies we watched last year on the channel.  There were a lot of them.  They show a short clip from each movie watched, and categorize it as drama, comedy, fantasy, etc.  We just finished watching another one from that channel.  It has been many years since we've seen The Bicycle Thieves, from 1948.  The movie still packs the same punch, about the dehumanizing of the human spirit when someone wants to work but cannot find a job.  The man in the film does find a job, but it requires a bicycle.  No bike, no job.  His bike is in the pawn shop.  His wife gathers up their sheets and then cash them in to get the bike back.  The shot of their sheets being stored is one of the most unforgettable shots in cinema history.  The first day on the job someone steals his bike.  The largest part of the movie shows him, his friends, and his little son (probably the best son any man could ever hope to have|) searching fruitlessly for the bike.  A powerful film, and still relevant today in too many parts of the world.

 

 

Leaving Mubi Dec. 31st. 

 

 Before that came Perfect Blue, an animated film from 2000 by Satoshi Kon.  A young girl leaves her budding pop singing trio to become an actress.  Another very violent animated film, this one really manipulates the viewer.  We watch many entire scenes, only to find out that the girl has either dreamed them or imagined them.  She is being stalked, too.  And there is a mass murderer on the loose.  And she gets some pretty hideous parts for her start in acting.  A bit too convoluted for my taste, and much too manipulative.

Showing on Prime Video. 

 

Before that, Deb chose two from Criterion, both films leaving this month.  The most recent view was Grand Illusion, Jean Renoir's 1937 film about WW1 prisoners of the Germans, trying constantly to escape.  Starring Jean Gabin as one of two men who finally get an opportunity to make a dash for it, the real star of the film is Erich Von Stroheim.  He is the German commandant of the prison, and proves to be, like one of the captive officers, a soldier and a gentleman.  It's strange to see a German officer portrayed as being an actual human being, instead of (as per WW2) a sadistic torturer.  His performance is flawless.  Hailed as one of the truly great films of all time, it did not seem to make it on the Sight and Sound top 100 list.  The script is amazing, as are the settings and the handling of many characters within a scene.  Still gripping from end to end.  Highly recommended.

 

 

Leaving Criterion this month. 

Last comes another gem of a film, called Summer 1993, directed by Carla Simon in 2017.  Frida is six years old (I had guessed 7, based on the actress used, who might have even been 8).  Both her parents are dead, probably from AIDS.  She is adopted into her uncle's family, her mother's brother, and raised by him and his wife.  They have a little girl already, around 3 or 4.  Frida shows no emotion at all during the film, until the very end, which must have been a challenge for the director and the little actress.  In many ways she is just a typical kid, often doing stupid and thoughtless things; however, she does have her problems.  Obviously autobiographical (there is a dedication at the end to her 2nd mother), the film can be challenging at times to watch, as there are situations that could have ended differently and more tragically.  Overall it is a very good film, with the little three year old stealing many scenes.  It also makes me happy that I don't have to deal with kids any more.

Leaving Criterion Dec. 31st. 

 

Mapman Mike

A Sunless World

It's been mighty cloudy for the past 6 weeks.  My last astronomy outing was Nov. 25th; that should tell you something.  Every day we wake up it is dark, gloomy, damp, and chilly.  Someday the sun will shine here again; I can feel it.  

 

We've been enjoying our stereo/Spotify hookup, with lots of Philip Glass, Brian Eno, and Johann Johannson coming out of the speakers.  And the soundtrack to Tales From the Loop by Glass makes an awesome album.

 

There are four films to report; two from Mubi and two from Criterion.  We each picked one from each service.  And coming up early in the week is our blue ray purchase of Aniara.  Looking forward hopefully to that one.

 

My two choices were The Structure of Crystal, a Polish film from 1969 showing on Mubi, and Sunflower, a film by De Sica from 1970, and leaving Criterion January 31st.  Crystal was directed by Krysztov Zanusski, with the entire film taking place in a rural farmhouse far from the city.  A physicist and his school teacher wife have fled the rat race for a different lifestyle, and are enjoying it immensely.  He does personnel research projects, and is the official weatherman for the local airport.  They are visited by a former friend and colleague of the man, an active physicist who wants him to return to the city and his previous work.  The film is a gentle one, and is quite beautifully filmed in b & w.  The opening wide shot, as the couple await their visitor, is most memorable.  The print itself was perfect.  Filmed in winter, you will want to wear a sweater when viewing this film.  Recommended.

The Structure of Crystal, streaming on Mubi. 

 

De Sica's Sunflower, from the same period, is a vastly different beast.  This is a big budget affair starring Marcello and Sophia.  It was also the first Western film to be shot in Russia.  It takes place during the 2nd World War.  Marcello is shipping out to Africa in two days, but falls in love with Sophia just before leaving.  After having sex, she convinces him to marry her, as it will give him a 12 day leave.  When their 12 days are up, they hatch a scheme where he pretends to be crazy.  He is found out, and shipped to the Russian front.  Imagine a battalion of men from sunny Naples suddenly finding themselves in Russia during winter.

 

He doesn't return after the war, and Sophia, believing him to be still alive, goes to Russia to search for him.  What she finds, and how she deals with it, takes up the latter part of the film.  This is one of the best war (anti-war) films ever made, with only a very few scenes doing more to show what war is really like than most so called war movies.  Marcello's face is once again perfect for his role as a hapless foot soldier far out of his depth.  Highly recommended, with some very moving scenes.  The way the film moves from comedy to tragedy, with the war the cause of it all, is masterfully handled.

 

Sunflower, now showing on Criterion until Jan. 31st. 

 

Deb's choices included Harry Dean Stanton's last film, Lucky, and a Robert Wise B picture melodrama called The House on Telegraph Hill.  Harry Dean was 90 when he made his film, about a 90 year man living alone in a small Arizona town.  He has a daily routine which he follows religiously, including morning exercises, a glass of milk, a walk through town, an evening at the local bar, etc.  The film does not begin with a lot of potential, but it slowly comes together very nicely.  The film was done in 2016, with the premiere in 2017.  Harry Dean died one week before the premiere.  Filled with autobiographical material of the actor, the film is a fitting tribute to a great character actor who finally got his big role.  Also starring President Roosevelt the tortoise (it's not a turtle; it's a tortoise).  Also starring David Lynch as Harry's best friend, and directed by Lynch's son.  Recommended as one of the best films about aging gracefully and cantankerously, at the same time.

Now showing on Mubi. 

 

Telegraph Hill is a gaslighting film from 1951, starring Richard Basehart as the cad, and a lovely and capable Valentina Cortese as a woman who steals a dead woman's identify after surviving a woman's Polish concentration camp during the war.  Not a great film by any means, as it is full of tropes (the brake fluid is gone, so we have a great example of how not to drive in San Francisco; there is a gaping hole in an outbuilding, with a 30,000 foot drop to the street below,which she manages to fall into; her husband, who is trying to kill her, just happens to meet her downtown in the same building where she is seeking help from a friend; the ultra bitchy lover of the husband).  However, a few of the tropes are turned upside down, such as the orange juice scene, and the bitchy lover proving loyal to the little boy she looks after rather the cad).  In b & w, and maybe worth a look for fans of Robert Wise and gothic romance literature.

 

Hilarious poster from the film.  Showing on Criterion until Jan. 31st.

 

The House. 

 

Our big outing for this week is to meet Randy G. for coffee later this afternoon at 14th Coffee.  The excitement never stops at Lone Mtn. Homestead--come back soon and visit again.

 

Mapman Mike