Went with a friend to see NABUCCO (Verdi) piped in from the MET in NY. The theater was sold out in Detroit and it's a big place I wonder if it's relevance to Israeli politics today was the reason. Usually the theater is a quarter full at most for these operas. It is fun to see the singers' faces close up and have subtitles too.
Went with another friend to see FALLEN LEAVES (Karuismaki) and at first I was not sure what to make of it but after reading about him (a Finnish director)and watching another of his movies (THE OTHER SIDE OF HOPE) I liked both a lot more. Most of his films are on Criterion.
Still working on my book club book (THE FIREKEEPER'S DAUGHTER) and the Siskel and Ebert bio. We watched their show (SNEAK PREVIEWS) religiously throughout the nineties.
NORTHERN EXPOSURE is back on Prime. Not sure if I will watch more than a few episodes but it's nice seeing the old gang in Cicely, AK. Also a fun show LOUDERMILK (with Ron Livinstone) is back on Netflix. Looking forward to TRUE DETECTIVE (Max) (also set in AK apparently).
My brother, Jeff, wrote a nice piece about Mathias Nase's trip to Philadelphia in the 1600s for a little book put out by his genealogy group. I had to keep reminding myself that the Nases are not related to me. A shame because they have an interesting history. Doesn't look like the new family is nearly as much fun.
What's new with you?
22 comments:
Sorry about the worry of the anti-cancer med. Will you need to take that indefinitely? Hope it's soon either less trying or gone soon.
Not genetically a Nase, but culturally (even with all the differences in literary passion)?
I have a half-aunt and -uncle on one side, whom I'm in touch with as much as anyone on that side (more), and a half-cousin I've corresponded with (in another version of That Same Side) that I've corresponded with more than any of my "fuller" cousins...
Alabama snapped up AL, so Alaska is AK...not necessarily coincidental that one of the more productive anarchist publishers is also AK, as in AK Press. I did tend to look upon NORTHERN EXPOSURE as the Alaskan GREEN ACRES or NEWHART, which lampooned my parents' birthplaces. I think, by the '90s, Siskel & Ebert had already forsaken SNEAK PREVIEWS (their WTTW/PBS series) and AT THE MOVIES (the Tribune Media series) which thereafter for some seasons had other reviewers, and were onto SISKEL & EBERT ON THE MOVIES, their finals series, before Siskel's bad fortune kicked in hard. End of nits picked! I liked what I saw of LOUDERMILK. I think I saw THE OTHER SIDE OF HOPE on IFC when it was about indie films, or Sundance likewise, or TCM. Looking forward to the new season of TRUE DETECTIVE...and will eventually take in one of the opera theatercasts...have seen such videos on good home equipment, but not theater-sized screen and speakers. As long as they don't have leakage from the Marvel film or BARBIE in the next theater...
Since I'll have to be up in two hours to be of whatever use I'll be in putting the new toilet and new bathroom title in the downstairs WC, I'm mostly just washing dishes and more dishes that we've been letting go. All the drying racks full, and some of them dry enough to be unloaded and newly-washed to go in...ah, progress. Trying to keep the two cats both separated and rather happy, in house segregation. Makes for some interesting door-opening and -closing still between the living room and the tv room. We'll be swapping the "girls'" halves of the house soon...
May better/drier/warmer weather come around soon...
Nope, I now see THE OTHER SIDE OF HOPE isn't old enough to have been available when IFC or Sundance were actually about art films...and if that recent (2017 release), I probably would've remembered it more clearly than whatever I'm thinking of instead. Maybe even something on Link TV. a pet station/network of mine when at TV GUIDE, and the first importer of BORGEN to the US and named as the reason for its eligibility for its Peabody Award (and a partner with the network version of MHz Worldview, before KCET merged with Link and the network version of MHz was shut down). Things do pop up and disappear rather quickly these years.
You're wise to stay safe in that weather, Patti. I hope it clears up soon. And I'm so glad Northern Exposure is on Prime. I liked that show very much.
You don't need to be blood-related to be true family. We celebrated Jack's Adoption Day this week: pizza (extra cheese, half pepperoni), cake, ice cream, and a WAlmar shopping spree for Jack. Nine years of having Jack officially, but his full eleven years as ours. And by "ours," I mean the full extended family -- we're a possessive lot.
That was just one way we survived the first week of 2024. New Year's Day, it was warm enough for us to bring in the new year at the beach, a great way to celebrate. Also my younger brother turned older than dirt. (One might think that would make me older than older than dirt, but 'taint so -- eternal youth is my curse. It was also the anniversary of the Insurrection and I consider celebrating by burning those red MAGA hats in effigy, but I decided that a better way to celebrate was to support democracy.
Also this weekend, amy posted this on Facebook: "If I see you screech at or yell at someone's service dog in public, I will not be held liable for the feelings I am about to hurt. Play stupid games, win stupid prizes." Do you wonder why I love my family?
Walt does all the cooking in the family and does a heck of a job, but Christina feels a little (just a tad) bit guilty about it, so her New Year's resolution was to learn how to bake. She made her first attempt over the weekend: chocolate chip muffins.They came out yummy, but further opinions were mixed -- just the right amount of chocolate, too much chocolate, or never too much chocolate. I remained neutral, taking the position that it was free food, and food is always good, and free is even better. I'm a purist that way.
Afer a month or so of idleness, I resumed my VERA binge, taking up with Season 8. I should finish the entire series through Season 12 by Wenesday. It's good to have a purpose in life.
[Whoops! Diarrhea of the typing fingers. To be continued...]
SISKEL AND EBERT was very similar in each version. I'd forgotten how often they turned up on various late night shows too with much squabbling over who would sit where and who would enter first.
I was midway through VERA when my subscription ran out. I need to see where I can find it without subscribing to yet another streaming channel (BRITBOX)
I guess I can never get across how strange it is to get a chart from three ancestry sites that wipes out this massive group of people. It's not about my closeness to them in life but my descendance from them genetically.
Criterion has a slew of cat movies on this month you might find fun, Todd. Did you mean bathroom tile? I paused over what bathroom title might be.
Bathroom title runs to PORTNOY'S COMPLAINT. The new tile is (or at least seems) more durable than the linoleum-soft previous tile, which needed to be removed to dry the wood floor beneath (happily, that hadn't warped...the wax seal on the toilet had basically fallen apart after forty+ years of existence, and thus leaking under the old tile. That we have a high-performance washing machine in the laundry/bathroom on the entry floor (not the basement) also means said washer tends to vibrate the floor too damned much. LG front-loader. We probably should, as I finally realize, relocate it to the basement, which will probably cost a fair amount but less, perhaps, in the longer run.
We have, in the kitchen, a rough sort of fake-stone tiling. Any glass item that hits it with any momentum is likely to shatter. (This is not my favorite house. I half-suspect the contractor son of the former owner was ?half?-hoping his mother might slip on any number of surfaces in the house...)
I should check the Criterion schedule...there are some impressive cat films through the decades.
Or, of course, THE WOMEN'S ROOM.
And they have a lot I am not familiar with
Glad to be a renter although it's an expensive way to live.
Western NY is snow-covered with High Wind Alerts for the next couple of days. Like you, we're not eager to leave the house when the roads are icy and the snow is falling.
The Buffalo Bills locked up the #2 Seed in the AFC Playoffs. The Pittsburgh Steelers will be coming to town next Sunday.
With the frigid temperatures in town this week, Diane decided to back some bread yesterday and plans on some Banana Nut Muffins today.
Covid-19, flu, and RSV cases continue to increase here. Another reason to stay home....and get some reading done. Stay safe!
I have seen several movies by Karuismaki. The Match Girl and Leningrad Cowboys Come to America which is about a rock band touring the U.S. Saw Saltburn which I found well acted but otherwise I didn;t like it very much. Kind of like a reworking of The Talented Mr. Ripley with more sex. I also didn't care much for Poor Things. On tv the best thing going is Fargo. Found Murder At the Edge of the World Disappointing. Need to finish Loudermilk. Looking forward to True Detective.
Read two Australian novels : Dead Man's Creek by Chris Hammer and Day's End by Garry Disher. Now reading a collection of short stories by Gene Wolfe and Box 88 by Charles cummings.
I know how meds cand screw you up. I was prescribed a med when I was in the hospital recently to slow down my heart rate but it made me too dizzy to feel comfortable drfiving and blurred my vision to make reading difficult. Two days after I stopped taking it I felt fine again.
A good season for the Detroit Lions who got a loss two weeks ago due to bad refereeing.
Patti, if you haven't seen them, I can rec the following:
FEATURES: **Cat People** (1942)--though this one only benefits by being seen in a theater, given how it uses sound...the first of the Val Lewton-produced horror and suspense films at RKO, and the best of them.,.and they're a good lot (except, I'd suggest, THE GHOST SHIP, which is a ridiculous misfire...and the mild early JD film, YOUTH RUN WILD).
The Incredible Shrinking Man (1957), based on a Richard Matheson novel, it's not first-rate, but interesting and with an ending that verges on the lyrical, if not quite believable.
Walk on the Wild Side (1962)...well, Beat "clsssic"...
House (1977)..flashily intentionally insane.
The Cat from Outer Space (1978)...Disney version of the Gordons' humorous spy novel UNDERCOVER CAT. So, a bit blanded out, but amusing enough as I recall it.
Inside Llewyn Davis (2013)...I seem to recall you saw this one. I liked it.
SHORTS: The Perils of Priscilla (1969)...rings the faintest bell.
CAT PEOPLE the original is the one not to miss. An excellent sound system is a big plus. Its sequel CURSE OF THE CAT PEOPLE is a gentle fantasy, despite the title, if a sad one. WW2 had that effect on people...
Argh, I'm distracted...I'm conflating THAT DARN CAT with CAT FROM OS. Time for a nap.
Didn't get a lot done this week, as we had to pack over a couple of days since we're going to be here in South Florida until the end of March. We finished most of it Wednesday and left on Thursday morning. We've had trouble in the past but this time it went pretty well. The first day was cold but cloudy and dry, good driving weather, and after that we didn't have to worry about snow. We did have one morning of heavy rain showers, but kept going through it. It's cooler down here than some past years - 70 today, with only two 80 degree days forecast in the next 10 days or so - but that's the way we like it. We're staying in the same apartment we rented last year (which Patti saw), so we're comfortable.
Before we left and on the road we watched REACHER and some other stuff, including (finally) series 3 of ASTRID. We're watching the third and final series of PICARD, and you can really hear in his voice how much Patrick Stewart has aged.
My sister called from California, where she was visiting my mother's oldest living cousin, Judy, who is 90 and sounds the same as ever. She and her husband have been married 70 years, though apparently he is pretty far gone with dementia. Sad, as he was a great guy.
Have a good week, and Go, Bills!
Hey, how about Go Lions! This is the best record the Lions have ever had.
I had mixed feeling about POOR THINGS. Liked the first half, less so after that. Great acting, sets, costumes. Also found SALTBURN problematic. I love LOUDERMILK. It's my second viewing.
Nice when you go back to the same place. We are doing that in CA. Although once in CA and once in NYC it was very different the second time.
Since I am very allergic to cats I have no affinity with them. But they seem movie-worthy and I did like INSIDE LLEWYN Davis. I have liked all the Cohn Brothers movie almost.
Tes, indeed. Go, Lions!
Of course, you are a New Yorker. Do you think of Buffalo as NY though? I think of it as Mid-western more than east coast,
I think I am losing my mind. I forgot it was Monday again. I will be back soonish with a longer comment.
Patti, no, you're right. Even though Buffalo is actually the ONLY NFL team that plays in New York State, I do think of it as closer to Detroit or Cleveland than New York City or Boston.
In the case of POOR THINGS, I wouldn't be surprised if Alisdair Gray's novel isn't superior, even given he can be an acquired taste, and I like at least some of the people involved with the film.
It is a stunning movie and worth seeing, even if the final chapters puts a pall on it.
Another late entry on a Thursday.
I wonder how much of the Siskel and Ebert bickering was schtick for the talk shows. I presume there was a base level of dislike, even acrimony, but that was built up for the talk show appearances.
I've read a couple Garry Disher crime novels and enjoyed them a lot. Not an easy author to track down in the U.S.
I've been watching the fourth season of TACOMA FD on Netflix. The show used to be on HBO Max and I kept checking on there for it to show up. A silly sitcom and I enjoy it.
Started reading some print books again with THE GOOD COP by Peter Steiner. Crime novel set in 1920s Germany. Also reading Lansdale's JACKRABBIT SMILE.
I brought home THIN RED LINE after reading up about James Jones. Not sure how much I will get through.
Also listening to audiobook of Eric Ambler's COFFIN FOR DIMITRIOS. Something I had in my TBR that recommended here or elsewhere online.
Family wise: all is well. Now that we have a new electric car the old car went to Boy #1.
Boy #2 sent off some college applications. One application was to Columbia. A local kid went there and then transferred to U of WI. She happened to be in the library last week and I asked her why. The reasons for transfer were a long story but information of note to me was that she said Columbia graded all classes on a curve which made all the students cut-throat. School workload demands meant she had no life balance and just studied.
Columbia recruiting material promote being in the "center of NYC and all the exciting cultural advantages and experiences". None of which the average student have time to attend - or afford. And, how friendly are your classmates if you're encouraged to stab one another in the back?
Northern Exposure is probably my favourite TV show and I have been recording all the episodes. Then I look a brief description and decide if it's an episode I want to see again. I do think the show "jumped the shark" once Joel went into the wild and they brought in the new doctor. As for reading in the new year, I read the latest Gail Bowen mystery set in Regina and an Alan Parks crime novel set in Glasgow. In non-fiction, the new book on the history of the New York Times from the mid-Seventies to the election of Donald Trump was excellent. Now I am wading through the lengthy biography of Larry McMurtry by Tracy Daugherty. I think the author has tried to include everything McMurtry had ever done in his life so reading it has been a struggle. I read most of his early novels and his non-fiction, but not Lonesome Dove or his other Western novels. Weatherwise Manitoba finally got hit with some snow this week and it has turned very cold. People hadn't needed wear their winter boots and warmer jackets and I saw a man in shorts last week. It wasn't that warm.
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