Uniform Justice

Uniform Justice is the 12th book in the Commissario Guido Brunetti mystery series by Donna Leon. I'm enjoying this series, filling in as I get books in the series for birthday and Christmas presents. Though I guess it would be helpful to read these in order, it's not strictly speaking necessary with this series. I enjoy the characters, that their relationships are fully formed but not distracting from the plot, the food descriptions, the intriguing plots, and the atmosphere. It feels like you're in Venice.

from the back of the book:

In Uniform Justice, a Publishers Weekly Book of the Year, a young cadet in Venice's elite military academy has been found hanged, a presumed suicide. Commissario Guido Brunetti's sorrow for the boy, so close in age to his own son, is rivaled only by his contempt for a community that is more concerned with protecting the reputation of the school, and its privileged students, than with finding the truth. The young man's father is a doctor and former politician. He is a man of impeccable integrity, all too rare in Italian politics. Yet, although clearly devastated and convinced that the death of his son could not have been a suicide, he inexplicably avoids talking to the police. As Brunetti pursues his inquiry, he is faced with a wall of silence. Is the military protecting its own? And what is preventing the other witnesses from talking? Or has Brunetti uncovered a conspiracy far more sinister than that of a single death?

Grove Atlantic says,

Uniform Justice is a riveting, pitch-perfect murder mystery—the work of a truly masterful storyteller. Conjuring contemporary Venice in exquisite and alluring detail, Donna Leon offers what has been widely hailed as the finest installment yet of the Commissario Guido Brunetti series.

Kirkus Reviews closes with this:

A powerful indictment of an Italian society in which “scandal had the same shelf life as fresh fish: by the third day, both were worthless; one because it had begun to stink, the other because it no longer did.”

Reviewing the Evidence says, "The author has produced her usual impeccable work." Publishers Weekly concludes, "This is an outstanding book, deserving of the widest audience possible, a chance for American readers to again experience a master practitioner's art."

King Arthur: Legend of the Sword

King Arthur: Legend of the Sword is a 2017 epic fantasy directed by Guy Ritchie. Jude Law plays the bad guy. I watched it on HBO Max. We'd like to cancel that service, and yet we continue to yield to the temptation to watch yet another movie. And then another. I'll watch any King Arthur story, and this is one. There are better ones, but this'll do 'til another comes along.

trailer:

It was not well-reviewed, though there are some positive reviews out there.

*******

Have a cup of coffee with me (or choose your favorite beverage)

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

*******

Warning, political comment ahead:

"Lies can have terrible consequences." If you're getting your news and commentary from FOX, please stop. Actually if you're getting your news from any one source, please stop. Look for sources of actual factual reporting. If you like their commentary, all the better. Fact-check even your favorite and trusted sources. Everybody makes mistakes, after all. Do your best not to be part of the problem. As the saying goes, "A lie can travel around the world while the truth is still lacing up its boots," so it behooves us all to let the lie stop with us and not repeat it and spread it further.

The following video from Jim Acosta (CNN) calls out FOX for its lies:

I found that video on The Mary Sue blog, where they say, "Jim Acosta took on Fox News in a searing indictment of their relentless lies and bad faith messaging." The Mary Sue is a fun source of commentary, describing themselves as "the geek girl’s guide to the universe."

Tale of Tales (1979)

Tale of Tales is a 1979 award-winning Soviet/Russian animated short (30-minute) film.

The Guardian says,

is a mysterious animated film, tough and delicate, that has won prizes at international festivals since it first appeared in 1980, culminating in prizes in both Los Angeles and Zagreb (in 2002) as the best animated film of all time. It was made in Soviet Russia by Yuri Norstein, who was not allowed to travel to receive any of his awards, and who was almost prevented from making, and then from showing, the film at all. It is a film that immediately changes the memory - mine at least - of all other films.

Stay in My Car

Stay in My Car:

by Memphis musician Sid Selvidge, who died on this date in 2013 of cancer.

Listen to Britain

Listen to Britain is a 1942 British propaganda short (10-minute) film. from Wikipedia:

In Listen to Britain, Jennings is selling a myth of national unity; that in spite of pre-war differences all classes were united in war socialism but it's a bottom up view that highlights individuality, the "unity within difference". Having learnt through Mass Observation that the British people were uncomfortable with detecting propaganda, Jennings used a poetic style to mask it. The use of sound was vital in this, allowing the montage of shots to imply hidden meaning, such as the sound of an unseen aircraft on a seemingly peaceful day. Edgar Anstey feared the "beauty" would detract from the message and when the film was released in America, an introduction was added because the art had made the message ambiguous. Only at the end was the film's ambiguity dropped as Rule, Britannia! plays out over a sequence that at last implies 'totalised' unity. "Propaganda finally wins out over poetry".

We have our own propaganda, of course, as all countries do.

Ready Player One (2018)

Ready Player One is a 2018 science fiction adventure film based on the book by Ernest Cline. Steven Spielberg directs. I watched it on HBO Max I loved the book, and I thoroughly enjoyed the movie even though it differs from the book. I mean, I knew it would. They always do.

trailer:

Forbes closes with this:

Ready Player One is Steven Spielberg at the top of his game, a heaping helping of exhilarating summer popcorn spectacle delivered ahead of schedule for springtime. The director reminds us once more why he is recognized as one of the all-time greatest filmmakers, and an original founder of blockbuster cinema.

The Verge says it's better than the book. BBC Culture calls it "dazzling stuff" and says, "Spielberg isn’t just making this territory his own, but demonstrating that it was his all along". Empire Online concludes, "Spielberg has seemingly done the impossible: balancing sugar-rush nostalgia with an involving story to create a pure, uncynical, cinematic ride that recaptures the magic of his early films." Hollywood Reporter calls it a "rollicking adventure".

Outer Space

Outer Space is a 1999 short film by Austrian avant-garde filmmaker Peter Tscherkassky.

The Kon-Tiki Expedition

I don't remember when I first discovered Thor Heyerdahl and his Kon-Tiki expedition, but it made quite the impression on me. I read books -in particular Heyerdahl's own- and made them available to my kids when they were young. So exciting! It turns out Heyerdahol was wrong... but still, what an adventure!

There's a documentary from 2012 here:

The voyage began on this date in 1947. There's a museum.

Man of the West

Man of the West is a 1958 western directed by Anthony Mann and starring Gary Cooper, Julie London, Lee J. Cobb, and Arthur O'Connell. Also in this are Jack Lord, Royal Dano, and Robert J. Wilke. I watched it free on Tubi at this link. It is critically well-regarded and shows up on many "best of" lists of Western films.

trailer:

Senses of Cinema has a thought-provoking consideration. Deep Focus Review calls it a masterpiece and says, "Mann’s work, though not extensively recognized as that of an auteur in the United States, has been praised overseas by French cineastes François Truffaut and Jean-Luc Godard as that of a genius-artist." The Guardian calls it Mann's Western masterpiece. TCM has an overview. 93% of Rotten Tomatoes critics gave it positive reviews.

The bad guy holding the cup in the foreground of the screenshot below:

is played by Jack Lord. I think I'll get a cup of my own and visit with the T Stands for Tuesday bloggers. Please choose your beverage of choice and join us.

Ubangi Stomp

Ubangi Stomp:

by Warren Smith

Mourning Grave

Mourning Grave is a 2014 South Korean ghost story. I generally like ghost stories and South Korean horror, and I enjoyed this one. I watched it on Tubi TV Here's a trailer:

The End of the Trojan War

Today is the date traditionally considered the anniversary of the end of the Trojan War, the date that the Greeks' Trojan Horse fooled the citizens of Troy into thinking they'd won and that the Greeks had headed for home.

You can read the story in Virgil's Aeneid. Another translation is here. There are several translations online. Here's an excerpt from the Dryden translation in that 2nd link:

All were attentive to the godlike man,
When from his lofty couch he thus began:
"Great queen, what you command me to relate
Renews the sad remembrance of our fate:
An empire from its old foundations rent,
And ev'ry woe the Trojans underwent;
A peopled city made a desart place;
All that I saw, and part of which I was:
Not ev'n the hardest of our foes could hear,
Nor stern Ulysses tell without a tear.
And now the latter watch of wasting night,
And setting stars, to kindly rest invite;
But, since you take such int'rest in our woe,
And Troy's disastrous end desire to know,
I will restrain my tears, and briefly tell
What in our last and fatal night befell.
"By destiny compell'd, and in despair,
The Greeks grew weary of the tedious war,
And by Minerva's aid a fabric rear'd,
Which like a steed of monstrous height appear'd:
The sides were plank'd with pine; they feign'd it made
For their return, and this the vow they paid.
Thus they pretend, but in the hollow side
Selected numbers of their soldiers hide:
With inward arms the dire machine they load,
And iron bowels stuff the dark abode.
In sight of Troy lies Tenedos, an isle
(While Fortune did on Priam's empire smile)
Renown'd for wealth; but, since, a faithless bay,
Where ships expos'd to wind and weather lay.
There was their fleet conceal'd. We thought, for Greece
Their sails were hoisted, and our fears release.
The Trojans, coop'd within their walls so long,
Unbar their gates, and issue in a throng,
Like swarming bees, and with delight survey
The camp deserted, where the Grecians lay:
The quarters of the sev'ral chiefs they show'd;
Here Phoenix, here Achilles, made abode;
Here join'd the battles; there the navy rode.
Part on the pile their wond'ring eyes employ:
The pile by Pallas rais'd to ruin Troy.
Thymoetes first ('t is doubtful whether hir'd,
Or so the Trojan destiny requir'd)
Mov'd that the ramparts might be broken down,
To lodge the monster fabric in the town.
But Capys, and the rest of sounder mind,
The fatal present to the flames designed,
Or to the wat'ry deep; at least to bore
The hollow sides, and hidden frauds explore.
The giddy vulgar, as their fancies guide,
With noise say nothing, and in parts divide.
Laocoon, follow'd by a num'rous crowd,
Ran from the fort, and cried, from far, aloud:
'O wretched countrymen! what fury reigns?
What more than madness has possess'd your brains?
Think you the Grecians from your coasts are gone?
And are Ulysses' arts no better known?
This hollow fabric either must inclose,
Within its blind recess, our secret foes;
Or 't is an engine rais'd above the town,
T' o'erlook the walls, and then to batter down.
Somewhat is sure design'd, by fraud or force:
Trust not their presents, nor admit the horse.'

But did they listen to this warning? Of course not.

St. George of Merry England

Today is the feast day of Saint George of Merry England of Dragon fame. Book 1 of Edmund Spenser's Faerie Queen (which you can listen to being read to you at Librivox) includes Saint George. If you'd rather not wade through Spenser's archaic language, there's a retelling online here. It begins,

Once upon a time, in a country not far from Fairyland, there lived a king and queen and their daughter, whose name was Una. Una was one of the most beautiful princesses that ever were seen, and she was as good as she was beautiful. She and her father and mother loved each other very dearly, and they were very happy together, until a dreadful thing happened in their kingdom and took all their happiness away. A hideous dragon came from another country, and killed men and women and little children. With its fiery breath it turned the trees and grass and flowers into black ashes, and it slew everybody that it came across. It would have killed Una’s father and mother too, but they and some of their servants shut themselves up in a tower made of brass. The dragon tried very hard to get in and eat them up, but it could not break into a tower so strong. For seven years the king and queen hid in their tower, while the dragon lay outside.

Many brave knights came and fought with the horrible monster and tried to save the king and queen. But the dragon was stronger than all the knights, and killed every one of them.

At last Una made up her mind to ride to Fairyland and ask the Queen of the Fairies to send one of her knights to kill the dragon. Una took no soldiers nor servants with her, but a dwarf carried for her the food and clothes she needed, and she rode on a little white ass. Her dress was of white, but she covered it and her beautiful, shining, golden hair up with a black cloak to show that she felt sad. Her lovely face was very sorrowful, for she was so unhappy at the cruel things the dragon had done, and the danger her dear father and mother were in.

Una safely got to the court of the Faerie Queen, and a young knight, fearless and faithful and true, offered to come back with her to kill the dragon.

His name was George, but on the breast of his silver armour, and on his silver shield, a red cross was painted. So people called him the Red Cross Knight.

Don Quixote (2000)

Don Quixote is a 2000 made-for-tv film starring John Lithgow, Bob Hoskins, and Isabella Rossellini. Peter Yates directs.

It is based on the book by Cervantes, who died on this date in 1616. You can read the book here or here if you haven't already, or have it read to you compliments of Librivox.

Daisies (1966)

Daisies is a 1966 comedy-drama surrealist Czech film. It has been both controversial and acclaimed. It can be watched free on Reference.TV, with an HBO MAX subscription, or on Youtube:

AnOtherMag opens with this: "Věra Chytilová’s 60s masterpiece Daisies is a brilliantly surreal trip into an aesthetic paradise, and a utopia where women are liberated from the conservative conventions of etiquette" and says "it was filmed during a brief period of artistic liberalism following the homogeneity of Czech’s Communist rule and before the Soviet invasion of 1968 which saw it banned for “depicting the wanton”. Simultaneously a brilliant dissent against political conservativsm and an endless source of fashion inspiration".

Art Forum says, "Although not immediately regarded as a masterpiece, Daisies is now understood as a classic text from the golden age of Eastern European allegory—albeit with a difference." Slant Magazine has a positive review. BirthMoviesDeath concludes, "Turns out one of 1966's most psychedelic, provocative films is one of its most progressive, too."

Your Rightful Name

Your Rightful Name:

by Aisha Raison

Give yourself a little present

I don't know if any of you are Twin Peaks fans, but I offer this link to this quote:

"I’m going to let you in on a little secret. Everyday, once a day, give yourself a present. Don’t plan it, don’t wait for it. Just let it happen. It could be a new shirt at the Men’s store. A catnap in your office chair. Or two cups of good, hot black coffee." -F.B.I Special Agent Dale Cooper

You can watch the TV series on several subscription services, including Netflix and Paramount+.

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

The Holy Mountain

The Holy Mountain is a 1973 surrealist film directed by Alejandro Jodorowsky. This is an astounding film. I found it online here and here.

trailer:

Philosophy in Film says,

film is most effective as a reflection of its anarchistic counter-cultural roots, both in its production and style. It has been noted that LSD played a large part in the conception and development of the project (both for Jodorowsky and his cast), and the film consistently seeks to reject modernist ideologies and narrative forms. Though there is an overt progression to the plot, insofar as it is a rather clear-cut journey towards a particular goal, the film frequently branches off into surreal visions, most notable for their pagan imagery.

Slant Magazine says,

The Holy Mountain is nothing if not exuberant while cartwheeling its way through the cosmos and back through the non sequitur-strewn plains and deserts, towns and cities, ridges and ranges of Mexico. Jodorowsky nearly died twice during the production, one time at the hands of his own lead, stirring one to bestow The Holy Mountain with that oft-overused label of a “passion project.” For even if you don’t totally buy what Jodorowsky is selling, you have to stand in awe of his belief in his intangible product.

Time Out says, "We will not see its like again." Rotten Tomatoes has an audience consensus rating of 89%.

ATC 42

This was the 301st ATC I made. I made it in response to the inspiration prompt "Numbers" back in April. 2019.

Hold Back the Dawn

Hold Back the Dawn is a 1941 film starring Charles Boyer, Olivia de Havilland, and Paulette Goddard. You can watch it online here. I can't find a trailer online. This is a screenshot from early in Boyer's courting of the American schoolteacher:

The NYT calls it a "Poignant Romance". Emmanuel Levy has an article about the film and its Oscar nominations. Leonard Maltin says, "Boyer’s character is a manipulator and a heel, yet still compelling because of the actor’s charisma."

DVD Beaver says,

A moving and thoughtful film with a wonderful script (co-written by Billy Wilder), Hold back the Dawn benefits from evocative performances by Boyer and de Havilland, and an over-arching sense of romantic melancholy. An enduring classic of its era, Leisen's film was nominated for no-less than six Academy Awards

Rotten Tomatoes has a critics consensus rating of 100%.

Godzilla vs. Kong

Godzilla vs Kong is a 2021 monster movie we watched on HBO Max. We subscribed to HBO Max to check it out for a month, but as the months pass we keep it. There's a lot there. This movie is a wonderful addition to the Monsterverse film series. This is the 4th, with the 1st 3 being Godzilla; Kong: Skull Island; and Godzilla: King of the Monsters. I've enjoyed them all. I'd watch them in order.

trailer:

Deaf Sam-yong (1964)

Deaf Sam-yong is an award-winning 1964 South Korean film. In this film a deaf farmhand is in love with the landlord's daughter-in-law. Sweet. 

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.