May 2008 – RectorSite

Remembering Margie

Margie Hale

Wife of Carol’s brother Alan

Ohio Farm by Margie Hale

Marjorie Case Hale, 67, of Lancaster, Ohio passed away
Saturday, May 24, 2008, at her home, Hale Hollow.

big al
Here’s ten reasons why Al Gore should be Obama’s choice for VP in ’08:
1. He doesn’t crave being prez and doesn’t have a prez-or-bust ego — in other words, if he’s called, he will answer;
2. As veep, he could pick a couple pet projects and focus on them, a position that he would surely enjoy;
3. He would provide solid White House experience;
4. He would mootify the “what if Barack gets shot” “argument” that Hillary so tactfully raised this past week;
5. He is about the only major politician who can match Obama’s anti-Iraq-invasion-from-Day-1 credibility;
6. Seriously, who’s a better choice?
7. If Bush Jr.-Cheney has taught us anything, it’s that VP doesn’t only have to mean “the guy who goes to state funerals” anymore (Cheney proved it by blowing off Gerald Ford’s funeral) — it’s two presidents for the price of one, but this time in a good way;
8. People around the world have been talking about how an Obama presidency would immediately improve America’s global image (indeed, I have heard this personally from people of many different nationalities) — add Big Al to the mix and we’re talking international America-love-in;
9. Dig, if you will, a picture of a future presidential challenge that Jr. & Cheney don’t have the wherewithal to handle — e.g. getting us out of Iraq gracefully, actually trying to capture bin Laden, or dealing with a resurgent China or Russia. Now imagine two guys as intelligent and thoughtful as Obama and Gore huddling in the Oval Office to come up with a solution. Not only is it the best possible solution but Obama gives the speech laying it out. Does it get any better than that? They could sell tickets to this kind of thing;
10. Obama-Gore would be a slam dunk in November — big states like CA, PA, FL, would go from on-the-table to in-the-bag.

So, Barack, if you’re reading this (and we know you’re a regular), pick up the fone. It says here that if we aren’t treated to an Obama-Gore ticket, it will be because Barack didn’t ask — not because Al turned him down.

Either way, you heard it here first.

Zavet

Click on thumbnail for full-size photo

It’s safe to say I’ve never seen a film that had so much bestiality — in a funny way, of course, as Zavet (which means “The Promise” in Serbo-Croatian) is more screwball comedy than anything else. It’s also a statement by the former Yugoslavia’s most prominent film maker (Emir Kusturica, who is quite popular in France) about globalization, the westernization of Eastern Europe, and a country boy’s coming-of-age journey to the big city. But as I said, it’s a screwball comedy first and foremost and features, among other things, an endless array of trap doors and pulleys, a local government official persistently wooing a buxom villager in a succession of funky old cars, and a man shot out of a cannon who never lands.

Of course, of all these things, you can prolly guess that the story revolves around the country boy’s coming-of-age. Briefly, the story sets up thusly: Young Tsane lives in the Balkan countryside with his eccentric grandfather and a handful of other village characters. Their buxom neighbor is the schoolmarm in the one-room schoolhouse, in which Tsane is the only student. One day Grandpa decides that it’s time for Tsane to come of age, so he gives him the family cow and instructs him to cross the hills to the nearest city and sell it. Tsane is also instructed use the proceeds to collect a souvenir, an icon, and a wife to bring back to the village. Once he gets to the city, the object of his affection quickly becomes the babe-a-licious Jasna (Marija Petronijevic) but luckily for us the two of them must first endure a surreal odyssey — including small-time gangsters, an old-timey whorehouse, non-stop gunplay, a bumpy ride in the trunk of an old Lada, a pair of bald, boisterous twins (one 6’6″, the other 4’5″) who dress alike and share a passion for imploding buildings, and yes, plenty of bestiality — before they can get back to the village and up to the altar. One emerges from the theatre baffled, light-headed, and laughing out loud.

SFIFF51, My take… Part 3

Part 3

The 51st San Francisco International Film Festival (SFIFF51) has just concluded. Unlike the previous two years, this year I didn”t work at the Festival, so I had no insider information to use in selecting films (nor did I have free tickets). You can see my chronicles of the 49th and 50th in the archives of this site.

For SFIFF51, I relied on the Program Guide for my selections, as well as chatting up members of the SFFS staff at the Members Night previews. The Program Guide has descriptions of each film, along with one picture. They are not reviews, but promotional descriptions meant to entice ticket buyers to buy tickets.

Here, I include the Program Guide entries for the films I saw, and append a paragraph called My Take — for my reaction to the film. I”ve rated the films, as well, from * to **** with ~ being a half star. I”ve noted the films that have distribution. Some will gain distribution due to their exposure here, some may never be seen again.

The films are presented in the order I saw them, April 25 through May 8, 2008.

UP THE YANGTZE
Canada

On a cruise ship gliding up the Yangtze River, European and North American tourists get a relaxing firsthand view of changing China. The perspective is markedly different, however, for two Chinese teenagers working on the boat. Chen Bo (assigned the gringo-friendly name Jerry) is a good-looking, supremely self-confident urban dude with a quick appreciation for the newly introduced practice of tipping. Downstairs in the galley, meanwhile, the shy country girl Yu Shui (aka Cindy) grapples with the demeaning drudgery of dirty dishes. Yu Shui would much rather be in school, but it’s not in the cards. Continue reading “SFIFF51, My take… Part 3” →

SFIFF51, My take… Part 2

Part 2

The films are presented in the order I saw them, April 25 through May 8, 2008.

I SERVED THE KING OF ENGLAND
Czech Republic, Sony Pictures

I Served the King of England marks the return of director JirÃ Menzel, master filmmaker of the Czech New Wave. The story, told in flashbacks, concerns the rise and fall of an amorous and opportunistic apprentice waiter. Jan DÃte is a little man with a big appetite for discreet sexual encounters and worldly success. His coming of age at various grand hotels exposes him to the lifestyles of the upper crust, the crÃ¨me de la crÃ¨me of 1930s Czech society, and a taste of their self-indulgent and carefree extravagance fuels his ambition. Soon he lands a job at a prestigious luxury hotel, where a chance encounter with a Sudeten German activist leads to a newly varnished Aryan identity. As the hotel changes hands from private ownership to the grip of the German SS, he finds himself in one of the Lebensborn breeding resorts designed to spawn the Aryan master race. It appears he finally has it made, but with the Germans occupying Czechoslovakia he is unfortunately on the wrong side of history. Luscious to look at, this finely crafted film is based on the picaresque novel of Bohumil Hrabal (1914—1997), a frequent Menzel collaborator who inspired a generation with his lyrical yet unsentimental view of 20th century life.
â€”Janis Plotkin Continue reading “SFIFF51, My take… Part 2” →

SFIFF51, My take… Part 1

Here, I include the Program Guide entries for the films I saw, and append a paragraph called My Take — for my reaction to the film. I’ve rated the films, as well, from * to **** with ~ being a half star. I”ve noted the films that have distribution. Some will gain distribution due to their exposure here, some may never be seen again.

The films are presented in the order I saw them, April 25 through May 9, 2008. My first film, The Golem, was a one time, live performance.

THE GOLEM WITH BLACK FRANCIS

A silent classic and an exemplary specimen of German expressionist cinema, The Golem is set in 16th century Prague. A rabbi fashions a proto—Frankenstein’s monster, sculpted from rough clay and brought to life through sorcery, to protect the Jewish ghetto from a Christian emperor’s decree that it be dissolved. Through means both surprising and charming, the creature manages to stave off the wrath of the emperor and his court. But it eventually goes haywire, as the rabbi’s jealous assistant turns the golem toward evil. A true juggernaut, the golem destroys everything in its path. The last in a trilogy of films on the golem myth, all cowritten and codirected by Paul Wegener, The Golem depicts the labyrinthine ghetto as a baroque and anxious world of secrets and magic capable of producing amazing discoveries as well as horrific power. Wegener, who had a long career as an actor, plays the title character with odd grace. Photographed by master cinematographer Karl Freund (Metropolis, The Last Laugh), the film, in a beautiful archival print, remains visually stunning. But there are aural enchantments in store as well at this special screening. Black Francis (aka Frank Black), best known as the front man for the towering 1990s alt-rock band, the Pixies, will perform the world premiere of his original score for the film live and onstage at the Castro Theatre. One of the most influential songwriters and performers of his generation, Black Francis’s collaborative appearance with The Golem marks a unique outing in musical and cinematic history.
â€”Sean Uyehara Continue reading “SFIFF51, My take… Part 1” →

Month: May 2008