Sarah's Key

Sarah's Key by Tatiana de Rosney is a novel based on historical events during the French occupation and the French complicity with the horrors inflicted on Jews in that country.

from the back of the book:

Paris, July 1942: Sarah, a ten-year old girl is taken with her parents by the French police as they go door-to-door arresting Jewish families in the middle of the night. Desperate to protect her younger brother, Sarah locks him in a bedroom cupboard -their secret hiding place- and promises to come back for him as soon as they are released.

Sixty years later Sarah's story intertwines with that of Julia Jarmond, an American journalist investigating the roundup. In her research, Julia stumbles onto a trail of secrets that links her to Sarah, and to questions about her own romantic future.

The story was touching, but I didn't care for the writing style. It seemed repetitive to me. There was an unusual dependence on multiple coincidences that stretched belief. I wish I had kept track of all the phrases and other elements that pulled me out of the story, but I'm unwilling to look back through for examples.

Affliction

Affliction is a 1989 novel by Russell Banks.

from the back of the book:

Wade Whitehouse is an improbable protagonist for a tragedy. A well-digger and policeman in a bleak New Hampshire town, he is a former high-school star gone to beer fat, a loner with a mean streak. It is a mark of Russell Banks' artistry and understanding that Wade comes to loom in one's mind as a blue-collar American Everyman afflicted by the dark secret of the macho tradition. Told by his articulate, equally scarred younger brother, Wade's story becomes as spellbinding and inexorable as a fuse burning its way to the dynamite.

The New York Times calls it "psychological portraiture of a high order". BrothersJudd says, "Wade's struggle to gain some control over his life is nearly heroic and we root for him top succeed. But Banks piles on such melodramatics that we anticipate that he is doomed."

I have also read his Continental Drift, but it was long ago and I don't still have that book.

Finger Labyrinth

Earlier in Lent I walked an indoor labyrinth, a devotional activity that has been meaningful for me. You can participate in an online labyrinth, tracing the pattern with your finger, here, though it feels upside down. (And the way it works reminds me of Tickle Bee, but that's not a very devotional thought, I don't guess.) The Chartres labyrinth pictured above is in the position I consider right side up, so that you would begin at the bottom center and follow the path back to the same point. Labyrinths, unlike mazes, do not branch.

Hot Cross Buns

Baking Hot Cross Buns is a Good Friday tradition at our house. This year I just made one double batch and didn't use fruit. They never turn out the same as the year before, but they're always good.

Harry Potter Goes to College

But will he stay if he sees signs like this?



The pictures were taken by The Daughter on campus.

Venice in the Age of Canaletto

The Daughter and I took some time this afternoon to go to the Venice in the Age of Canaletto exhibit at the Brooks Museum. We enjoyed the time there. The Brooks is another attraction I remember from my childhood and that the kids grew up going to. It's also another one that has changed a lot through the years and looks nothing like it did when I was little. It opened as the Brooks Memorial Art Gallery in 1916. It was enlarged in 1955 to house the Kress collection and enlarged again in 1973. The most recent addition was completed in 1989. Although I remember the old building fondly, I like the way it is now, too, and this is the only way the kids have ever known it.

The exhibit had a video of a tour down the Grand Canal, a large map of Venice, some decorative objects and some furniture in addition to the paintings. We didn't have any particular favorites from this exhibit, which is actually rather unusual for us. The evaluation forms and guest books were on a stand set up in front of (and blocking) a door labeled "Fire Extinguisher". The daughter and I got a big kick out of that.

The photo at the top of the post was made during another visit.

This picture was added by popular request:


4/29/2010: The Memphis Flyer has a review.

The Iron Horse (1924)

The Iron Horse is a 1924 silent Western film directed by John Ford.

You can watch it online tinted and with a new score:


Slant Magazine calls it "John Ford's first official epic, as well as his breakthrough hit." Variety says, "John Ford, who directs, puts his story over on the screen with a lot of punch." Images Journal lists it as one of the 30 Best Westerns and notes that

The Iron Horse contains many of the themes that Ford would explore in his sound-era Westerns. One of the main themes centers upon the men who sacrificed their lives in order to help bring civilization to the wilderness.

MSN has an overview. It gets an 83% rating at Rotten Tomatoes.

Lichterman Nature Center

The Daughter and I took a picnic lunch and spent the afternoon on this beautiful Spring day at the Lichterman Nature Center. It'd been years since The Daughter had been there, and she was sorely disappointed. We started going in the early years when there were few improvements, few structures and much more of a wild feel. Now the buildings are large and many, and you can see adjacent office buildings or retail establishments and clearly hear traffic from almost everywhere. One bridge on the forest trail was down completely, closing that section of the trail "for maintenance" that looks like it's been pending for some time. It wasn't the only part of a trail that was closed. I'd rather they had used the money they spent on scattering "teaching pavilions" all over the grounds for a fund to ensure upkeep of the grounds. I'm glad we can remember what it was like before.

There are also way too many geese.

We walked the trails and saw birds and wasps, one lone dragonfly (we used to see bunches of them when the lake was full of water lilies), lots of turtles (there are some in the photo above) and little fish, and a fox. The fox caught what may have been a rat and scurried off from the meadow to the woods with it.

We had an enjoyable afternoon, but as The Younger Son says, "There's really no need to go back." It does bring back fond memories, and I think the kids are building a nice collection of when-i-was-a-child talking points. They agree with me that "improvements" often don't actually improve anything.

From Hell It Came

I saw From Hell It Came (1957) for the first time as part of the Sivads of March film festival this past Sunday afternoon. As the final event of the 4-day festival, it was a priceless example of some of the hokey horror featured in Fantastic Features. Lots of fun was had by all, and there were plenty in attendance even for this last film. This is another in a long line of seriously sexist horror films -I'm still surprised when I hear people wax eloquent over how wonderful the 50's were. I couldn't believe the clothes the female scientist brought to wear on this primitive assignment! The monster reminded me a bit of the talking trees in the Wizard of Oz movie, except that somehow, though this monster could walk, it didn't have nearly the sense of movement that Dorothy's trees did. Director Dan Milner also directed The Phantom from 10,000 Leagues.

trailer, with commentary:


view the entire film:



Stomp Tokyo calls it "goddamned wretched" and says,

From Hell It Came is viciously slow going, with long chunks of uninteresting dialogue, uninteresting characters, a romantic subplot that borders uncomfortably on harassment, and worst of all, a strolling monster.

DVDTalk says it "is a competently directed but absolutely hilarious horror romp known as one of the silliest of 50s monster movies" and rates it "Awful and Very Entertaining". WTF Film criticizes the racism, the sexism, the propaganda, the acting and the production and warns, "this one is definitely better left as a fond memory of days long since passed," though they like one scene: "the image of it [the monster] rising from the depths of a fire pit is a welcome exception, and as iconic as anything in cult cinema history." The New York Times is reported to have offered this review: "To Hell it can go."

Hakuho Wins

Hakuho has won yet again.

Taiwan News reports:

Mongolian Hakuho has defeated compatriot Harumafuji to win his 13th Emperor's Cup at the Spring Grand Sumo Tournament.

The Japan Times reports:

Hakuho was widely expected to win the championship here in the absence of former yokozuna Asashoryu, who recently retired amid claims he assaulted a man during a alcohol-fueled rampage in Tokyo in January.

The Jakarta Globe also has a report.

hpeterswald has posted videos, including this one from the final day:


The photo at the top of the post is from Wikipedia.

Suggested Reading for Protestant Mysticism and Contemplative Spirituality

The Website of Unknowing has a short list they describe as "several books to read with an eye to how Christians from the Anglican and Reformed traditions have explored the call to go deeper into the Christian spiritual life.":

The Voyage of the Dawn Treader by C. S. Lewis
Practical Mysticism by Evelyn Underhill
Mystical Hope by Cynthia Bourgeault
Gift From the Sea by Anne Morrow Lindbergh
Hind’s Feet on High Places by Hannah Hurnard

Ones I've read are in bold print. The one I haven't read is the only one with an author still living.

Back in Black

Back in Black is a 1980 song by rock band AC/DC:


AC/DC - Back In Black
Uploaded by hushhush112. Music videos, artist interviews, concerts and more.

This song is on the list of 500 Songs that shaped Rock and Roll from the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum.

Timerider: The Adventure of Lyle Swann

Timerider: The Adventure of Lyle Swann, which I have never heard of before, is a 1982 science fiction film. It's a time travel film, which may be my least favorite sub-genre. It has Ed Lauter (Star Trek: TNG).

You can watch it via Hulu:


I haven't been able to make it through this one.

Moria says, "Timerider is a slight time travel affair. It’s not particularly great or even what one might call good, but it has a certain amiability." Other reviews are hard to come by.

Li'l Film Fest 13: Beware the Sivads of March

This edition of the Li'l Film Fest has been themed to be part of the Sivad festival at the Brooks Museum. Que Sera, Sivad, directed by GB Shannon, won both the Jury award and the Audience Choice Award. It was one of my two favorites and I did end up voting for it, but I had another favorite in Dead End, directed by Dennis Pullen.

The banner at the top of the post comes from LiveFromMemphis.com.

There's a recap of the entire festival here, where John Beifuss says:

People keep asking: Will we do it again? Can my nerves take it? As I said, semi-jokingly: "Thirty years as a newsman, perfect health; three months of Sivad planning, bleeding ulcers..."

I hope they do it again.

I Was a Teenage Werewolf

I saw I Was a Teenage Werewolf as part of the Sivads of March film festival at the Brooks Museum. I hadn't seen it before. It's a 1957 horror film starring Michael Landon (not a big draw for me) and Whit Bissell (who was a Time Tunnel regular; was in The Time Machine, Soylent Green, The Magnificent Seven, The Caine Mutiny, The Lost Continent; and has an original series Star Trek connection). Whit Bissell I like.

"Help me, doctor, please!"

trailer:

1,000 Misspent Hours says it "hasn’t aged particularly well," which is an understatement, and concludes,

Were it not for Dr. Brandon, a far more active agent of evil, the movie would have had nothing at all to threaten its characters with. The mistakes aren’t severe enough to be lethal, but they still take an awful lot out of the film.

Moria doesn't seem to want to recognize how bad this movie is, giving it 3 stars while saying,

I Was a Teenage Werewolf is not particularly great or even that good a film, but it does carry a good deal of anger. The title concept makes for an amazingly powerful metaphor and that alone carries the film.

The Men Who Stare at Goats

I watched The Men Who Stare at Goats with a group of young adults last night. I thought it was funny and laughed throughout, but I was one of the few who got caught up in it. It's a 2009 film starring George Clooney, Ewan McGregor, Jeff Bridges and Kevin Spacey. As I think back I'm having trouble recalling a single woman with a speaking part.

trailer:


Roger Ebert says it's funny and gives it 3 1/2 stars. Moria says, "It’s not an unenjoyable and unfunny film by any means; it’s just one feels that it could have been more." Rolling Stone gives it 3 out of 4 stars. The New York Times calls it a "likable, lightweight, absurdist comedy". Variety says, "this is upscale liberal movie-making with a populist touch, in Coen brothers style." It gets a 53% rating at Rotten Tomatoes.

Ludwig van Beethoven

Today is the anniversary of the death in 1827 of Ludwig van Beethoven, one of the first composers I learned about. The cause of his death remains in dispute. I had a doll named Ludwig van Beethoven. I was a strange child.

Moonlight Sonata:


Ninth Symphony in 2 parts:
part 1


part 2

The Conversion

I heard about indie Memphis film The Conversion recently, and I enjoyed yesterday's outing so much I decided to do a repeat to see it. The Conversion is a 2009 science fiction film. The team that made it has a web site. I noticed Helen Bowman in the film I saw yesterday, and seeing her again here -even though it's a much smaller role- was a treat. Donald Meyers also repeats from that film. The film has a Facebook page. There are clips on their youtube channel, including this teaser:

The Revolution will NOT be televised.

When the television switchover goes horribly awry, the nation plunges into digital darkness.

and this preview:


Spottsfield.com tells some history of the film:

Last night, a funny thing happened. Corduroy Wednesday won the 2009 Best Hometowner Feature at this years festival. This makes their feature film, "The Conversion", award winning. Why is that funny? Well, cause it wasn't supposed to happen. "The Conversion" was just to follow the growing trend in Memphis and just be a web series.

Go Memphis says, "The satirical Philip K. Dick-esque plot involves government dupes, "cyber-terrorists" and "digital anarchists."" The Memphis Flyer reports that

Phillips and collaborators Erik Morrison and Benjamin Rednour financed The Conversion via a lucrative win (roughly $1,500) for their short film CottonBallLand at a recent installment of Live From Memphis' L'il Film Fest, a quarterly contest and showcase that has returned from hiatus to inspire and help develop local filmmakers. "That's what keeps us in practice," Phillips says of the L'il Film Fest, especially when we aren't working on a huge project."

Tolkien Reading Day

Today is Tolkien Reading Day. The Tolkien Society explains that the date was chosen because 3/25 is the anniversary of the fall of Sauron. The theme for this year is Tolkien's Seafarers -not one of the major themes I think of when I think of Tolkien, but then I've only read The Hobbit,The Trilogy and Tom Bombadil and a couple of shorter works, having mired up in The Silmarillion and never struggled all the way through.

Here's the last stanza from The Last Ship, the last poem in Tolkien's The Adventures of Tom Bombadil:

Year still after year flows
+++down the Seven Rivers;
cloud passes, sunlight glows,
+++reed and willow quivers
at morn and eve, but never more
+++westward ships have waded
in mortal waters as before,
+++and their song has faded.

Cigarette Girl

I had heard a bit of local buzz about indie Memphis film Cigarette Girl and wanted to see it. I couldn't find anybody free to go when I was, so I went by myself this afternoon. It's playing for one week at Studio on the Square. Cigarette Girl is a 2009 science fiction film directed by Mike McCarthy. D'Army Baily is in this. There's a Facebook page.

The trailer does not do it justice:


A short interview with the director:


Variety says, "noir pastiche "Cigarette Girl" is a hot low-budget mess, but fun" and "Pic could smoke out slots at edgier fests." The Daily Docket is a fan. The Commercial Appeal says it's "the first feature film in almost a decade from Mike McCarthy, Memphis' most tireless, distinctive and committed filmmaker." Go Memphis says, ""Cigarette Girl" seems poised to be the director's most disciplined and accessible project to date." The Memphis Flyer opens with a Jean-Luc Godard quote and says, "Cigarette Girl is a different kind of film for Mississippi native McCarthy, a comic book artist turned filmmaker who built a worldwide underground reputation in the '90s as a purveyor of '50s- and '60s-style "exploitation cinema"...". The Brooks Museum review says,

McCarthy has been making underground films since the early 90’s, but says, “After years of being underground or independent or whatever you call it, I think it’s important that more people see this film than any of my other movies.”

6/27/2010: Quiet Earth has a review. They didn't like it.