The Forever Man

The Forever Man is a science fiction novel by Gordon R. Dickson, who won numerous awards and who was inducted into the Science Fiction Hall of Fame the year before his death. Here's more proof that books don't have to be new to be fun to read. Older books (and by that, I mean that this book was published in the 1980s) are usually readily available pretty cheap online used or in local used book stores if you're lucky enough to live in a place that has a used book store.

from the back of the book:

MIND AND MACHINE

An ancient starship is found adrift in space, damaged by alien Laagi warships. The voice of the pilot still survives -a mind merged with the ship itself.

Now, Earth's scientists attempt to duplicate the feat. Pilot John Wander has been chosen for the dangerous mission. His spirit transferred from his body to his own ship. Wander must make peace with the Laagi...

Or lose his ship and his mind.

La Haine (Hate)

La Haine (Hate) is a 1995 French film (this one I found online here with English subtitles, which is a huge help for me) in black and white. The most famous quote from the film, "Hatred breeds hatred" shows how little has changed.

trailer:

Here's a screenshot with a drink in it for the T Stands for Tuesday blogger gathering:

Roger Ebert says,

“Hate” tells the story of three young men--an Arab, an African and a Jew--who spend an aimless day in a sterile Paris suburb, as social turmoil swirls around them and they eventually get into a confrontation with the police.

If France is the man falling off the building, they are the sidewalk.

Rotten Tomatoes has a critics consensus score of 100%.

*******

Language joke, explaining why I need subtitles:

What do you call someone who speaks 3 languages? Trilingual.
What do you call someone who speaks 2 languages? Bilingual.
What do you call someone who speaks one language? American.

That's me.

*******

This is a 6-minute reflection on what the film says about violence in our society:

Slow Down

Slow Down:

by Myla Smith, who is based in Memphis. Or she used to be...

Band of Outsiders

Bande à part is a 1964 French New Wave film directed by Jean-Luc Godard. You can watch it online here in French with English subtitles. 

trailer:

Eye for Film says

Bande À Part has been described as ‘Godard-lite’ – it contains all of his quirky, Brechtian inventiveness, cinematic cleverness, obsession with ‘things that matter’ (such as sexual tension, intertextuality, youth and Paris) over mere details like narrative continuity. There are none of his political rants or philosophical digressions - just a rollicking good movie. In modern terms, it falls halfway between Woody Allen capers and Tarantino satire. And Tarantino famously named his Pulp Fiction production company after the film, as well using the dance sequence to inspire Travolta and Thurman.

Empire Online says it's "one of Godard's most accessible pictures. A good place to learn how much of a debt modern cinema owes him." Rotten Tomatoes has a critics consensus score of 94%.

Four of the Apocalypse (1975)

Four of the Apocalypse is a 1975 spaghetti western directed by Lucio Fulci. This may be my least favorite of the spaghetti westerns I've seen. I don't like the rape of the drugged and tied pregnant woman to start with. I didn't finish it.

It's been called "without a doubt one of Fulci's finest films". Spaghetti-Western.net calls it a "mood film".

Ménilmontant (1926)

Ménilmontant is a 1926 French short (38 minutes) silent film directed by Dimitri Kirsanoff. It's the story of two sisters making their way in Paris.

Film Reference calls it "one of the most interesting psychological narratives of its period." French Films has a detailed review.

Overlord (2018)

Overlord is a 2018 action horror film featuring Nazi zombies. You can never go wrong with Nazi zombies. I watched it on Amazon Prime.

trailer:

Roger Ebert's site calls it a "high-concept historical chiller". Rotten Tomatoes has a critics consensus score of 81%.

Advantageous (2015)

Advantageous is a 2015 science fiction film. I watched it on Netflix.

trailer:

Wired calls it a "A Dystopian Film That's Packed With Hope". Hollywood Reporter says, "it casts a peculiarly bewitching spell and has ambition to burn". Gizmodo calls it "An Insanely Good Movie That Everyone Should Watch".

Spirituality and Practice says it's "A thought-provoking sci-fi drama about parenting, education, the commodification of women's bodies, and female unemployment."

The Rotten Tomatoes critics consensus is 85%.

Sennentuntschi: Curse of the Alps

Sennentuntschi: Curse of the Alps is a 2010 Swiss horror film based on an Alpine legend. I watched it on Tubi with commercials.

trailer:

Bloody Disgusting Reviews calls it "a beautiful, intricate, and at times downright disturbing thriller". Horror News calls it "a clever solid piece and thriller of a film." Love Horror concludes, "Overall Sennentuntschi: Curse of the Alps is an interesting genre picture with lots of depth and an excellent storyline. If this is Switzerland’s first attempt then we can’t wait to see what’s next."

Please join me at Bleubeard and Elizabeth's T Stands for Tuesday blogger gathering.

I'm having coffee, as usual in the mornings. It's such a pretty day I got out a cup for you so you could join me on the patio. I can offer tea if coffee's not your thing.

The Trial of Derek Chauvin, charged with killing George Floyd

I find myself unable to watch all of the trial, though I'm trying to keep up. We have a TV channel we can watch over the air with our regular antenna, but you can watch it via several different online sources. These are today's links to live coverage: PBS News Hour; Now This News; ABC; CBS News; NBC News; Law and Crime Network

I hadn't seen the full video of the killing before the first day of the trial and offer this link to it here with the warning that it's hard to watch.

You can see video and voice-over description of the events in this video:

Address Unknown

Address Unknown is a 1944 Academy Award-nominated noir-style film directed by William Cameron Menzies starring Paul Lukas, Carl Esmond, and Peter van Eyck. It is the story of two families caught up in the rise of Nazism in Germany before the start of World War II.

The NYT review at the time of the film's release says,

"Address Unknown" is not just another anti-Nazi picture. It is an absorbing study of a man being driven crazy through fear, and the central character is played with dynamic forcefulness by Paul Lukas. The tragic atmosphere of the picture has been heightened through the brilliant use of lowkey lighting effects by William Cameron Menzies, ... Mr. Menzies, cloaking the greater part of the story in deep, brooding, shadowy photography, methodically builds the tension into one of the most spine-chilling climaxes you'll encounter in many weeks of moviegoing.

The Tenant (1976)

The Tenant is a 1976 French psychological horror film directed by Roman Polanski. It stars Roman Polanski, Melvyn Douglas, and Shelley Winters. You can watch it online here. Here's a trailer:

The NYT review from the time of the film's release says,

Trelkovsky, the hero of Mr. Polanski's striking new horror film, "The Tenant," is a character who might have been invented by an Edgar Allan Poe who'd had the opportunity to read about Raskolnikov and Josef K. He's a particularly Eastern European kind of late 19th-century outsider set down in contemporary Paris. He is also—by the end of the movie—something of a joke, but an entirely intentional one."The Tenant," which opened yesterday at Loews Tower East, is the most successful and most consistently authentic Polanski film in years

The Film Connoisseur says,

After watching Polanski's Repulsion (1965), Rosemary’s Baby (1968), and now The Tenant, I can see why they call these three films Polanski’s "Apartment Trilogy". ... these three films are three very solid Polanski’s films, anyone out there who hasnt seen either of these should make it a top priority!

Moria says,

There is an inexorable feel to the film as Polanski, in the same way that he placed us inside Catherine Deneuve’s mind in Repulsion, takes us along with Trelkovsky as his entire identity is seemingly subsumed

Slant Magazine calls it "One of Polanski’s greater efforts". DVD Talk says, "The reason The Tenant is so difficult a film, is probably that Trelkovsky is such an unpleasant person." Time Out has a negative review. Empire Online says, "The final reel ... is among the most despairing in the cinema, and acutely painful to watch."

HorrorNews.net has a review that includes this: "Rather than just simple paranoia, it is the overwhelming sense of persecution because he doesn’t belong". Rotten Tomatoes critics have a consensus rating of 90%. Roger Ebert despised it.

Willful Behavior

Willful Behavior is the 11th novel in the Commissario Guido Brunetti mystery series by Donna Leon. I continue to enjoy this series and am currently reading them in order as I receive them as gifts. The characters are real people, I swear, and they evolve and grow over time. Brunetti's personal life takes up just the right amount of space, and the secondary characters are as well-drawn as the main ones. The images of Venice are described well enough to place you in the scenes, even if paintings are as close as you've ever gotten to actually being there. The descriptions of the food and drink add depth.

from the back of the book:

Mystery lovers everywhere are drawn to Donna Leon's ever-honorable Commissario Guido Brunetti and her portrayal of Venice's beautiful but ominous byways and canals. In Willful Behavior, Brunetti is approached for a favor by one of his wife's students. Intelligent and serious, Claudia Leonardo asks for his help in obtaining a pardon for a crime once committed by her now-dead grandfather. Brunetti thinks little of it -until Claudia is found dead. Soon, another corpse and an extraordinary art collection lead Brunetti to long-buried secrets of Nazi collaboration and the exploitation of Italian Jews -secrets few in Italy want revealed.

The Hare and the Tortoise (1924)

The Hare and the Tortoise is a 1924 Japanese animated short film (6 minutes) telling of the Aesop's fable.

Yellow Brick Road

Yellow Brick Road is a 2010 award-winning found footage horror film about an expedition to discover the fate of an entire town that disappeared into the wilderness 70 years earlier. All the residents had abandoned their town with only the clothes on their backs after a viewing of The Wizard of Oz, a film with which they were all obsessed. You can watch it on Amazon Prime.

trailer:

The Tempest

This adaptation of The Tempest is one in the Shakespeare: The Animated Tales series of twelve half-hour shows originally broadcast on the BBC in the early 1990s.. The series won awards and has been used in school settings as beginner introductions to Shakespeare's plays. They are much abridged but still delightful shows, including the language we all know and love.

Join me for a cup of something?

I'll be taking mine over to the T Stands for Tuesday blogger gathering hosted by Bleubeard and Elizabeth.

Vampires vs. the Bronx

Vampires vs. the Bronx is a 2020 kid-friendly comedy horror film. Charming. I watched it on Netflix.

trailer:

Roger Ebert's site calls it "peppy" and "charismatic" and concludes "When a horror-comedy is as agile, charming, and funny as this, everybody wins." Rotten Tomatoes has a critics rating consensus of 95%.

The Distraction

The Distraction is a short film about living with anxiety and depression.

"and sometimes the monster under the bed crawls out."

The Other End of Time

The Other End of Time is a science fiction novel by Frederick Pohl. This is another of the books I was given by a friend whose science fiction-loving husband recently died. I was touched that she thought of me and have been thoroughly enjoying these books. I hadn't realized this one was the first book in a trilogy until I got to the last page, and the experience was less satisfying than if I had known that going in. The book is interesting with fascinating philosophical elements, but it doesn't work well for me as a stand-alone novel

from the back of the book:

INTERSTELLAR WAR

Signals are received: a crude depiction of creatures pantomiming the cataclysmic destruction of the universe.

Soon after, scientists note unusual radiation emanating from the abandoned Earth-orbital observatory. When a group of scientists and astronauts board the observatory to investigate, they are taken prisoner. An unsuspecting Earth has just become part of a vast interstellar war.

For the human prisoners, this minor skirmish in a vast war becomes a fantastic adventure. The hunters become the hunted the prey the predators, and nothing is as it seems. The only sure thing is that the winners will rule eternity at... The Other End of Time.

*******

Kirkus Reviews concludes a positive review with this: "An impeccably crafted, absorbing, and enjoyable reworking of mostly familiar material that, while satisfyingly self-contained, seems perfectly poised for sequels." Publishers Weekly closes, "The ending is oddly unresolved, unless this is the first volume of a series--which would not be bad news."

Munafik

Munafik is a 2016 award-winning Malaysian supernatural horror film. Malevolent spirits cause trauma in the community.

The Sicilian Method

The Sicilian Method is the 26th book in the Inspector Montalbano mystery series by Andrea Camilleri. I read these as I get them for presents after they've been released in paperback, and they are better read in order as the characters develop through the series. 

from the back of the book:

IN THE NEW NOVEL IN THE TRANSPORTING

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLING

INSPECTOR MONTALBANO MYSTERY SERIES,

MONTALBANO FINDS HIS ANSWERS TO

A MURDER IN A THEATRICAL PLAY.

Mimi Augello is visiting his lover when the woman's husband unexpectedly returns to the apartment; he climbs out the window and into the downstairs apartment, but one danger leads to another. In the dark he sees a body lying on the bed. Shortly after, another body is found, and the victim is Carmelo Catalanotti, a director with a cruel reputation.

Are the two deaths connected? Catalanotti scrupulously kept notes on all the actors he worked with, as well as strange notebooks filled with dates and names. Inspector Montalbano finds all of Catalanotti's dossiers and plays, and the notes on his last drama, Dangerous Corner. It is in the theater that the answer lies.

Kirkus Reviews says the author "again combines divinely deadpan drollery with a clever puzzle." Publishers Weekly says, "The blend of farce, sexual shenanigans, and strangely intense community theater intrigues as it amuses."

Shutter (2004)

Shutter is a 2004 Thai horror film. It was a hit and was remade both in English and Hindi. This one has a vengeful ghost. I watched it on Netflix.

trailer:

Bloody Good Horror says, "The film does a great job of creating some very memorable set-pieces that are sure to stick with you and maybe even have you looking over your shoulder or checking dark corners when you walk into a room." HorrorNews.net says, "“Shutter” remains a favorite ghost story and has been entered into my top scary films of all time." Classic Horror says, "a chilling and spooky ghost story that is presented very well. It has an intriguing idea, a very good cast, and two directors who pull no punches. This film is, as has been noted, one of the best films in the recent flowering of Asian horror cinema, and it is a harrowing and disturbing experience. "

The Virginian (1929)

The Virginian is a 1929 pre-code Western starring Gary Cooper and Walter Huston. I enjoyed seeing Eugene Pallette. Randolph Scott has an uncredited role.

Rotten Tomatoes has a critics consensus score of 100%.

Here's a screenshot from early in the film:

for the weekly T Stands for Tuesday blogger gathering hosted by Bleubeard and Elizabeth.

Abbott and Costello Meet Captain Kidd

Abbott and Costello Meet Captain Kidd is a 1952 comedy film also starring Charles Laughton and Leif Erickson. You can watch it online here. Sheer silliness, but it's Abbott and Costello so we knew that going in.

trailer:

The Outposter

The Outposter is a science fiction novel by award-winning author Gordon R. Dickson. It's part swashbuckler and part space opera and is certainly one I'd've read long ago if I'd come across it. Great fun, with a satisfying conclusion.

from the back of the book:

FORMULA FOR REVENGE

Take one high-spirited little boy.

Kill his family before his eyes.

Allow him to escape.

Give him time to grow up.

You're in trouble.

from the publisher Baen:

The Earth is overcrowded. Chosen by lottery, people are shunted off to the far-flung planetary colonies. But winning this lottery is no prize, for the colonist are largely ignored by the people of Earth, considered disposable. Left to defend for themselves, the colonist are plagued by low supplies and are forced to eke out a hardscrabble existence. Worse, they face an ever-looming threat from without: the alien Meda V'Dans, who routinely attack without provocation.

Fortunately, the colonists have the Outposters to protect them. One such Outposter is Mark Ten Roos, a young man with a score to settle against the Meda V'Dans . . . and the will to bring a corrupt system to its knees.

The Endless

The Endless is a 2017 science fiction horror film that tells the story of two brothers who return to visit a cult they belonged to when they were teens.

I watched it on Netflix. Here's a trailer:

The Guardian gives it 4 out of 5 stars and opens, "A mind-bending Möbius strip of a movie, this indie sci-fi makes up for what it lacks in budget with a wealth of playful ideas." Wired calls it "masterful"

Roger Ebert's site opens a positive review with this: "If you have a good idea, a strong cast, a smart script, and directorial chops, you don't need a lot of money to make a compelling movie. "The Endless" is proof." Rotten Tomatoes has a critics consensus rating of 93%.

Delicious 42

I saw this on the corner across from our favorite Mexican restaurant Las Delicias.

Eyes in the Night

Eyes in the Night is a 1942 crime/mystery film starring Edward Arnold, Ann Harding and Donna Reed.

Don't you love that hat?

Late Phases

Late Phases is a 2014 werewolf horror film. Nick Damici does a great job as the protagonist. Tina Louise is also in this one, and it saddened me to see that she's not aged well. I watched it on Amazon Prime but didn't finish it.

trailer:

Roger Ebert's site has a mostly negative review. Rotten Tomatoes has a critics consensus rating of 63% so well over half the critics gave it a good review. 

7 Women

7 Women is a 1966 film, the last film directed by John Ford. It stars Anne Bancroft, Sue Lyon, Margaret Leighton, Flora Robson, Mildred Dunnock, Betty Field, Anna Lee, with Eddie Albert, Mike Mazurki and Woody Strode. I watched it here.

trailer:

For T Stands for Tuesday I share this screenshot of the doctor's first meal at this mission post:

She's being instructed by the head of the community not to smoke as they consider it inappropriate for ladies dedicated to Christian endeavor. You can tell by her expression how unimpressed she is by this reprimand.

Please join us at Bleubeard and Elizabeth's blog party.

Sweet Thang

Sweet Thang:

by Memphis musician Jack Oblivian, born on this day in 1967.

Bear Story

Bear Story is a 2014 Chilean award-winning animated short film.

Listen! The Stars!

Listen! The Stars! is a 1963 science fiction novella by John Brunner. This was a quick easy read and brought back nostalgic feelings.

DANCE TO THE TUNES FROM ETERNITY 

What was this thing called a stradropper whose use was the rage all around the world?

Ostensibly a simple device made from an amplifier, a magnet, a vacuum, a power source and an earpiece. Add it up and you got nonsense -in the form of strange sounds, unintelligible to the human race.

But was it "nonsense" that drove people mad, creating an addition similar to dope? Was it "nonsense" that caused people to disappear off the face of the earth without a trace?

Stardropper -a menace to an insane world, or a warning from the stars?

In the Tall Grass

In the Tall Grass is 2019 horror film about a pregnant woman and her brother who head off into the tall grass to find a child calling for help only to discover they can't find their way back to the road. It's based on a novella by Stephen King and Joe Hill and probably wasn't enough to warrant a feature-length film. It's perfect if you want horror without gore, slowly building tension, and a satisfying resolution; but it isn't fast-paced. I found it interesting.I watched it on Netflix.

trailer:

Roger Ebert's site closes with this:

Horror has a long history of using the natural world as its enemy. “In the Tall Grass” is at its best when it follows this tradition. We all know what it’s like to be lost, far from home and safety, but what if even the traditional rules of direction were completely haphazard? As it gets less relatable, it gets less interesting, but there’s still Wilson’s all-in performance and Natali’s craftsmanship to keep us engaged, stuck in the grass, praying for a way out.

The Merry Misogynist

The Merry Misogynist is the 6th book in the Dr. Siri Paiboun mystery series by Colin Cotterill. I'm reading these in order, but I'll admit this one is my least favorite by far. There was also one mis-used word -"fair" instead of "fare". Annoying. I have the next one, and I trust it'll be back up to the quality I had come to expect.

from the back of the book:

When the corpse of a rural beauty turns up in Dr. Siri's morgue, his curiosity is piqued. The victim was tied to a tree and strangled, but she had not, as the doctor had expected, been raped. On a trip to the hinterlands, Siri leaarns that many women have been killed this way, and he soon discovers that not only pretty maidens are at risk. Seventy-three-year-old coroners can be victims, too.

Kirkus Reviews has a positive review.

Wavelength

Wavelength is a 1967 short film. Wikipedia describes it:

Wavelength is a 45 minute film by Canadian experimental filmmaker and artist Michael Snow, known for building his reputation upon publicity of the film. Considered a landmark of avant-garde cinema, it was filmed over one week in December 1966 and edited in 1967, and is an example of what film theorist P. Adams Sitney describes as "structural film", calling Snow "the dean of structural filmmakers."

Wavelength is often listed as one of the greatest underground, art house and Canadian films ever made. It was named #85 in the 2001 Village Voice critics' list of the 100 Best Films of the 20th Century. The film has been designated and preserved as a masterwork by the Audio-Visual Preservation Trust of Canada.

You can watch it online at Vimeo:

Wavelength (1967) from Baboon Nation on Vimeo.

Brink of Life

Yesterday was the first anniversary of the death of Max Von Sydow, and I'm sharing Brink of Life in his memory. This 1958 Swedish film -directed by Ingmar Bergman and starring Eva Dahlbeck, Ingrid Thulin, Bibi Andersson, and Max Von Sydow- won several awards.

This screenshot:

shows the nurse leaving a glass of water and a buzzer for the woman. The woman is in her 3rd month of pregnancy and was told to come to the hospital right away if she experienced bleeding. Her husband is in the waiting room.

When the film was released in the U.S. the NYT said,

a tribute to director Ingmar Bergman's versatility. Heretofore largely identified with elliptical and allegorical themes, Mr. Bergman, certainly one of the most vigorously creative film talents of our day, has confined himself here to an austerely straight story set in one ward of a modern hospital and involving several women and the psychological and physical traumas attendant on childbirth. Although it evolves as a basically somber, constricted, almost wholly distaff picture, "Brink of Life" is, nevertheless, a strikingly realistic, saccharine-free, clinical slice of life.

*******

Please share a post with a drink in it and join us at the T Stands for Tuesday blogger gathering hosted by Bleubeard and Elizabeth.

The Fourth Man

The Fourth Man is a 1983 Dutch suspense film directed by Paul Verhoeven. Violent and with full nudity, keep those things in mind as you decide whether or not to watch it, but in the U.S. this was the highest-grossing Dutch film of all-time. You can watch it online here.


trailer:

Empire Online concludes with this: "The darkly comic sexual obsession is complemented by Verhoeven's stylish eroticism, wild religious iconography and plentiful nudity." Time Out calls it "a deliciously overripe male melodrama based on a novel by Gerard Reve and packed with ostentatious, tongue-in-cheek symbolism". Moria gives it a positive review and calls it "an amusing homo-erotic take on Don’t Look Now (1973)". DVD Talk recommends it for anyone who likes suspense films.

Empire Magazine includes it on their list of "The 100 Best Films of World Cinema". Rotten Tomatoes has a consensus critics rating of 100%.

Memphis (song)

Memphis:

by The Milk Carton Kids

Touki Bouki

Touki Bouki is a 1973 award-winning Senegalese drama film. I watched it on Youtube, but it's not there right now. You can watch it on HBO Max and on Hulu.

trailer:

Criterion says, "With a stunning mix of the surreal and the naturalistic, Djibril Diop Mambéty paints a vivid, fractured portrait of Senegal in the early 1970s." BBC says it may be the greatest African movie ever.

Primary Inversion

Primary Inversion is the debut novel of Catherine Asaro. She went on to fulfill the promise shown in this work, winning numerous awards since then.

from the back of the book:

The Skolian Empire rules a third of the civilized galaxy through its mastery of faster-than-light communication. But war with the rival empire of the Traders seems imminent, a war that can only lead to slavery for the Skolians or the destruction of both sides. Destructive skirmishes have already occurred. A desperate attempt must be made to avert total disaster.

Publishers Weekly concludes with this:

Though Asaro, a physicist, provides more than enough esoteric detail on faster-than-light inversion drives, cybernetic enhancements and computer networks, she manages to anchor her story with thoughtful, engaging characters and an intriguing vision of the future

Kirkus Reviews calls it "An imaginative debut".

El Topo

El Topo is a 1970 acid western directed by Alejandro Jodorowsky. An acid western is a western film sub-genre "that combines the metaphorical ambitions of critically acclaimed Westerns, such as Shane and The Searchers, with the excesses of the Spaghetti Westerns and the outlook of the counterculture of the 1960s". People who say they don't like "westerns" confuse me. I'm not sure what it is they're saying they don't like. There are so many different kinds of western films.

This film, according to Wikipedia, "is about the eponymous character – a violent, black-clad gunfighter – and his quest for enlightenment."

trailer:

watch it here:

Roger Ebert put it on his list of Great Movies. He says,

John Lennon and Yoko Ono saw it, loved it, and convinced Beatles manager Allen Klein to buy and release it. The film went on to play all over the world and engender countless interpretations. Jodorowsky encourages such speculation by titling sections of the film after books of the Bible ("Psalms"), and making El Topo perhaps a Christ figure.

I kept trying, but it felt so slow. I eventually gave up on it, great film or no.

Billy the Kid vs. Dracula

Billy the Kid vs. Dracula is a 1966 horror western starring John Carradine as the Dracula figure.

TCM has information.

The Far Country

The Far Country is a 1954 Western starring James Stewart and Walter Brennan. Anthony Mann directs. I watched it on Daily Motion, but it has been removed. Strike while the iron is hot, that's my motto. You can't count on these staying available.

trailer:

Senses of Cinema

By situating the drama of The Far Country upon the boundaries of the United States and the nineteenth century – ‘Seattle, 1896’ – Mann obviously has no interest in perpetuating the kind of golden pioneering myths so prevalent in early examples of the western genre. For the late 1890s was an interesting yet sad time in American history; a time when the glorious West and the notions of ‘wilderness’ and ‘heroes’ became severely tarnished.

Variety says, "Pic marks the fifth successful combination of James Stewart, as star, Aaron Rosenberg as producer, and Anthony Mann as director.". Rotten Tomatoes has a critics consensus score of 100%.

Here's Brennan's character complaining that the coffee is cold:

Please share your own drink reference at the T Stands for Tuesday blogger gathering hosted by Bleubeard and Elizabeth.

Friends in High Places

Friends in High Places is a Commissario Guido Brunetti mystery by Donna Leon. This is 9th in the series. I am still enjoying this series.

from the back of the book:

In Donna Leon's ninth novel featuring her celebrated protagonist, Commissario Guido Brunneti finds himself caught up in a typically Venetian problem: red tape over renovations. Visited by a young bureaucrat, Brunetti learns that, officially, his apartment does not exist. The extra floor that was added years before was never approved. But what begins as a troublesome headache ends with the bureaucrat found dead after a mysterious fall from a scaffold. Brunetti starts an investigation that takes him into unfamiliar and dangerous areas of Venetian life, and shows him, once again, what a difference it makes to have friends in high places.

Moonlight

Moonlight is a 2016 award-winning coming-of-age film. I watched it on Netflix.

Reviews are glowing. Roger Ebert's site gives it a full 4 stars and calls it "masterful". Rotten Tomatoes has a consensus critics score of 98%.

Trick 'r Treat (2007)

Trick 'r Treat is a 2007 award-winning anthology horror film where the stories are connected in an interesting way. I could've sworn I'd written a blog post on this but can't find it now. It's definitely re-watchable. I have the DVD.

trailer:

Paste Magazine calls it "the Ultimate "Halloween Night" Movie". Rotten Tomatoes has a consensu critics rating of 84%.

Wag the Dog

Wag the Dog is a 1997 political satire film directed by Barry Levinson and starring Robert de Niro, Dustin Hoffman, Anne Heche, Denis Leary, Willie Nelson, Andrea Martin, Woody Harrelson, and Kirsten Dunst. You can watch it at the Internet Archive.

trailer:

Roger Ebert has a positive review. Rotten Tomatoes has a critics consensus score of 85%.

Cadillac Man

Cadillac Man:

by The Jesters, a 1960s-era Memphis garage rock band

Iron Sky: The Coming Race

Iron Sky: The Coming Race is a 2019 science fiction film with the perfect amount of humor. It's a sequel to the 2012 Iron Sky, but you don't have to have seen that one to enjoy this one. What a hoot! It's great fun, with Nazis on the Moon and a hollow Earth with dinosaurs. I watched it on Netflix.

trailer:

Three on a Match

Three on a Match is a 1932 pre-code crime drama with Joan Blondell, Warren William, Ann Dvorak, Bette Davis, and Humphrey Bogart. You can watch it online here. Blondell's publicity photo was later banned:

Here's a trailer:

I'd enjoy the outing:

but not the cigarettes.

Pre-Code.com says, "Denounced by critics and ignored at the box office, it’s become a cornerstone for serious cinema students when exploring the movies of the early 1930s. It embodies the Warner Bros. style while showcasing strong women characters all with irrepressible momentum." TCM has an overview.

Please join me at the T Stands for Tuesday blogger gathering hosted by Bleubeard and Elizabeth.

Coriolanus (2011)

Coriolanus is a 2011 film based on the Shakespeare play. Directed by Ralph Fiennes, it stars Fiennes, Gerard Butler, Vanessa Redgrave, and Brian Cox. You can read the play from a link in one of my previous posts. You can watch this one at Tubi at this link and at Amazon Prime with ads through Imdb.

trailer:

The Guardian calls it "a vivid, intelligent Coriolanus with powerful political relevance" and "magnificently filmed" and says, "At once visceral and intelligent, this beautifully acted, vividly staged film brings a powerful, challenging honesty to bear on class, political life and the demands we make on our leaders." IndieWire says, "it also has the hallmarks of an assured film from an actor who nonetheless clearly demonstrates he knows that it takes more than just the art of acting to create a work of cinematic art."

Empire Online concludes a positive review with this: "Exciting, ironic, with assured direction, accomplished performances and the tension of topical themes, this is Shakespeare as relevant as you like it." Roger Ebert admires it and says, "One of the pleasures of Fiennes' film is that the screenplay by John Logan ... makes room for as much of Shakespeare's language as possible." Rotten Tomatoes has a critics consensus score of 92%.

Hands of the Ripper

Hands of the Ripper is a 1971 Hammer horror film. It has atmosphere. It also has all the 1970s-era blood you would expect from Hammer.

TCM has an overview. Rotten Tomatoes has a critics consensus rating of 86%.

The Point!

The Point! is a 1970 animated film, an adaptation that accompanied the release of Harry Nilsson's album by the same name. You can watch it at tubi tv or embedded below from DailyMotion:

Angel and the Badman

Angel and the Badman is a 1947 Western starring John Wayne, Gail Russell, and Harry Carey. I'm not a John Wayne fan, but this is a well-respected traditional western with a great cast. I watched it on Tubi at this link. It's also available on Pluto and the Internet Archive. Youtube has it:

TCM has an overview.

The Ghost of Slumber Mountain

The Ghost of Slumber Mountain is a 1919 silent short. Giant monsters of the past brought to life on the big screen. Thoroughly enjoyable.

from Wikipedia: Author and explorer Jack Holmes tells his two young nephews about an adventure he had in the woodlands around Slumber Mountain, near the Valley of Dreams.

Ferengi 42

According to this website, which claims to list The Complete Ferengi Rules Of Acquisition, the 42nd rule is this:

Only negotiate when you are certain to profit

On the other hand, several sites list this one as Rule 42:

What's mine is mine, and what's yours is mine too.

Other websites disagree, not listing a Rule 42, as they aren't fully disclosed within the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine canon. The Rules of Acquisition have their own dedicated Wikipedia entry.

Here's video of the rules which are stated during the TV series episodes:

Alas, Rule 42 isn't among them.

End of the Line

End of the Line is a short live action film by Jessica Sanders.

Brilliant. Shall we ponder the issue of abuse of power?

Here's a screenshot:

See the cup on the floor? Please join me for the T Stands for Tuesday blogger gathering.

The Birds (1963)

The Birds is a 1963 Alfred Hitchcock horror film. It stars Rod Taylor, Tippi Hedren, Jessica Tandy, Suzanne Pleshette, and Veronica Cartwright. A classic, I have this on DVD and re-watch it every year or so.

trailer:

Rotten Tomatoes has a critics consensus score of 95%.

The Best Is Yet to Come

The Best Is Yet to Come:

by Frank Sinatra. lyrics excerpt:

Out of the tree of life I just picked me a plum
You came along and everything's startin' to hum
Still, it's a real good bet, the best is yet to come

Best is yet to come and babe, won't that be fine?
You think you've seen the sun, but you ain't seen it shine

a-Wait till the warm-up's underway
Wait till our lips have met
And wait till you see that sunshine day
You ain't seen nothin' yet

The best is yet to come and babe, won't it be fine?
Best is yet to come, come the day you're mine

Happy Valentines Day

Tesseract

Tesseract is a science fiction novel by Joseph Addison, another one of the books a friend gave me when her husband died last year. She knew we shared a love of science fiction in common. Information on this book and its author is hard to come by, as this was his only novel. It's cheaply available through Amazon if you'd like to try it out.

from the back of the book:

OCCUPATION: WORLD SAVER 

Tyson's Folly, Manhattan's newest building, was a windowless cube, an impenetrable fortress dwarfed by the taller structures of midtown. Even preoccupied by thr frightening news of escalating world tensions, people took the time to speculate about the purpose behind Tyson's Folly. But wealthy recluse Jonathan Tyson wasn't talking.

Until Mark Johnson, a young executive in Tyson's financial empire, was summoned to Tyson's Folly, the first outsider ever to glimpse the interior.

Deep inside the bizarre fortress, Mark learned of his new -and unusual promotion and the impossible assignment he was expected to carry out. Somehow he had to bring peace to one planet, and discord to another, to save two civilizations from destruction. His journey would span time and space and future and light-years of space. But he had Time itself on his side...

Draug

Draug is a 2018 Swedish horror film about a missionary who goes missing in the forest. It takes place in the 11th century. You can watch it online here. I liked this one. It was simple and straightforward without irrelevant subplots, and there was tension without gratuitous gore. It's based on the old Norse creature. from Wikipedia: "Draugar live in their graves, often guarding treasure buried with them in their burial mound. They are animated corpses with a corporeal body, unlike ghosts, with similar physical abilities as in life." They sound similar to the Tolkien barrow-wight.

trailer:

Touch Me, Lord

Touch Me, Lord:

Gospel music by the Mighty Kings of Harmony.

Paperman

Paperman is a 2012 black and white animated romantic comedy short film.

The Addams Family (2019)

The Addams Family is a 2019 animated adaptation of this remarkable family story. Delightful. If you enjoyed the Addams Family films or the 60s tv series, I'd highly recommend this. I watched it on Amazon Prime.

trailer:

Here's my pourover coffee:

for the T Stands for Tuesday blogger gathering. Join me?

Dead for a Dollar

Dead for a Dollar is a 1968 spaghetti western starring George Hilton, John Ireland, and Gordon Mitchell. It has a light tone, a fine cast, and a fun plot but is much too long. The minor subplots should have been cut entirely, and many of the individual scenes should have been a third as long as they were. A good edit would bring this one in at just over an hour and make it an enjoyable movie. As it is I can't recommend it. The Younger Son picked this one up for a quarter at a used media shop that has since closed.

The Vampire Doll

The Vampire Doll is a 1970 Japanese horror film. This is the first film in the Bloodthirsty trilogy. I watched it on Amazon Prime. I can't find a trailer with subtitles, but you can get an idea of what to expect as far as atmosphere goes in the original trailer:

Testament (1983)

Testament is a 1983 film about the collapse of civilization after a nuclear apocalypse. It focuses specifically on one family in California.

Roger Ebert opens with this: ""Testament" may be the first movie in a long time that will make you cry. It made me cry. And seeing it again for the second time, knowing everything that would happen, anticipating each scene before it came, I was affected just as deeply."

To the Land of Long Lost Friends

image from the author's site

To the Land of Long Lost Friends is the 20th book in the #1 Ladies' Detective Agency series by Alexander McCall Smith. I read these as I'm able after they're released in paperback. They are easy reads with delightful characters.

from the back of the book:

When Mma Ramotswe reconnects with an old friend who's having problems with her daughter, she can't help but lend a hand. The young woman appears to be involved with a charismatic preacher -but are his ministrations entirely of a godly nature?

Elsewhere, Charlie is also dealing with a tricky matter of the heart. He wishes to propose to his girlfriend, Queenie-Quennie, but he needs to impress her father. When Queenie-Queenie's brother offers to help by giving him a job, it may not be quite what Charlie expected. As always, Mr. J.L.B. Matekoni will share wise counsel, Mma Makutsi will weigh in with her opinions, and Mma Potokwane will be there with her welcome fruitcake. But in the end it will be up to Mma Ramotswe to reflect on love, family, and the nature of men and women in order to resolve familial dramas and remind everyone about all the good things they have in life -so many, in fact, that it would take far too long to count them.

Kirkus Reviews has a review. Publishers Weekly concludes, "As usual, the warm, humorous interactions among the characters count more than the detecting. Smith’s humanity shines throughout."

Voodoo Man

Voodoo Man is a 1944 horror movie starring Bela Lugosi, John Carradine, and George Zucco. It's not breaking any new ground, but it's only an hour long, so...

DVD Talk concludes with this:

Voodoo Man isn't good in the sense of...well, anything, really, but part of me kind of loves it anyway. If nothing else, maybe you'll get a few solid riffs out of it. (RiffTrax and the earliest incarnation of Mystery Science Theater 3000 have both skewered it over the years.) If you've somehow managed to make it this far into the review, chances are that you'll find Voodoo Man well-worth seeking out on Blu-ray. Recommended as long as you know what you're getting into here.

Bloody Disgusting calls it "40’s Schlock With a Bit of Charm". DVD Drive-In calls it "Dreamy silliness" and says "As for Lugosi, he isn't asked to do anything out of the ordinary from his usual B efforts at that time, but he has one or two nice moments, such as his breakdown when his wife "dies" again, that remind you how his valid dramatic talents were often underutilized." The Spinning Image says it "paradoxically moves briskly under the prolific William Beaudine's functional direction, yet feels oddly leisurely." 1000 Misspent Hours has a review. Time Out calls it "pleasantly tacky".

Blood on the Moon

Blood on the Moon is a 1948 Western film directed by Robert Wise and starring Robert Mitchum, Barbara Bel Geddes, and Robert Preston. Walter Brennan is also in this one. I watched it at this link.

trailer:

50 Westerns from the 50s opens with this:

In a strict chronological sense, Blood On The Moon (1948) isn’t a 50s Western. But in other ways — look, themes, etc., it fits right in with the best the 50s came up with. It also stands as maybe the finest example of film noir creeping into a cowboy movie.

Rotten Tomatoes has a critics consensus score of 100%.

Spider the Artist

Spider the Artist is a science fiction short story by Nnedi Okorafor. You can read it online here. It begins,

My husband used to beat me. That was how I ended up out there that evening behind our house, just past the bushes, through the tall grass, in front of the pipelines. Our small house was the last in the village, practically in the forest itself. So nobody ever saw or heard him beating me.

Going out there was the best way to put space between me and him without sending him into further rage. When I went behind the house, he knew where I was and he knew I was alone. But he was too full of himself to realize I was thinking about killing myself.

The main character plays this song on her late father's guitar:

It's cold here in Memphis, but nothing like the Big Storm they're having in the northeast! I'm drinking a hot cup of coffee while I visit with the Tea Stands for Tuesday folks:

Then I'll keep an eye out on my notifications so I don't miss the press briefings. It's been so delightful to not have any insults, demeaning name-calling, or wild lies. As I watch what's going on in Myanmar, I'm so grateful the January 6 insurrection here was unsuccessful.

A Hard Act to Follow

Today is the anniversary of the death in 1966 of Buster Keaton. He was a comic genius with a career beginning in 1898 and lasting until the year of his death.

Here's an 8-minute short appreciation of his style, The Art of the Gag:

Here he is in his final film role, the priceless A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum:

Buster Keaton: A Hard Act to Follow (below) is a 3-part documentary TV miniseries.

part 1:

part 2:

part 3: