Lost In Translation

Crazed Fruit

Ko Nakahira's Crazed Fruit (1956) was championed early by Donald Richie and Joseph Anderson who put it on the cover of their book on Japanese film. It is a harbinger of the Japanese New Wave and introduced the seminal Sun Tribe (taiyozoku) as an adaptation of the controversial novel from Shintaro Ishihara (who would later become the conservative mayor of Tokyo). It also introduced Nikkatsu stars Yujiro Ishihara and femme fatale Mie Kitahara (later they would also marry) in the leads. These antics of the rich, bored youths drinking, water skiing, getting into fights , and chasing women was beyond the means of most youth at the time, which was certainly part of the appeal. The jazz infused soundtrack was the first by composer Toru Takemitsu, who go onto create several memorable soundtracks for the likes of Kurosawa, Shinoda, Kobayashi, and Teshigahara among others. The film was groundbreaking in its depiction of youthful sexuality, Kitahara plays a 20 year old married to American, but engaged in a love triangle with the pure and naive Masahiko Tsugawa and his worldly older brother Ishihara. This in turn created protest of the film. Sadly Nakahira would not get the opportunity to follow his own vision and was forced to do studio assigned projects and later tried to create Chinese version of the taiyozok in Hong Kong for the Shaw Brothers. The Criterion edition includes: audio commentary from Japanese-film scholar Donald Richie, the theatrical trailer, and a 16-page booklet featuring essays by critic Chuck Stephens and film scholar Michael Raine.

Takahatafudo Station

I won't miss the Wednesday commute from Chuo Daigaku which involves taking the Tama monorail from Chuodaigaku / Meiseidaigaku Mae to Takahatafudo, changing to the Keio line and then changing at Medaimae to the Inokashira line and changing to the Yamanote line at Shibuya for one stop to Ebisu.

2012 Top 10 Films

    1. Django Unchained

    2. Looper

    3. Lincoln

    4. Zero Dark Thirty

    5. Moonrise Kingdom

    6. Silver Linings Playbook

    7. Skyfall

    8. Argo

    9. Damsels In Distress

    10. The Perks of Being A Wallflower

Honorable Mention: The Bourne Legacy, Bernie, Haywire, Killer Joe, Miss Bala, The Dark Knight Rises, Jiro Dreams Of Sushi.

Not Seen: (I suspect that some of these might have made the list had I seen them and I hope to see them at some point in time) The Master, Magic Mike, Cosmopolis, Wuthering Heights, This Is Not A Film, Seven Psychopaths.

Imperial Bedrooms

Imperial Bedrooms (2010) by Bret Eason Ellis is a sequel to his 1985 literary debut, also named after an Elvis Costello song: Less Than Zero. But it reminds me more of his more recent meta-narrative, Lunar Park, in its sly references to the media image of the decadent author and the horror story of modern Los Angeles. This book is long on plot and dialogue and short on character development and has some frightening and horrific scenes. It is perhaps the outsider's image of Los Angeles and pathetic quest for fame and fortune at whatever cost.

Oola Waitsburg Bourbon

A few years ago I tried a local Spokane batch of gin that my father was given from a local distillery, Dry Fly.  i thought it was pretty good. So, while I was home I decided to try another local distillery. When I was getting a bottle for a friend in Japan at a liquor store, I asked a staff member what he thought the best Washington booze was. He quickly responded by saying Ooola Waitsburg Bourbon. Obviously, it's not top of the line, but very drinkable.

Winter Vacation Films: Part 2

Looper (2012) by Rian Johnson is a very entertaining film—part Blade Runner and part Terminator. T is the story of a futuristic society where time travel is invented and then banned, however, the crime syndicate uses it to dispose of people who get in their way and send them into the past to be killed by assassins known as loopers. I like how Johnston sidesteps the time travel inconsistencies in a scene where the present day looper meets himself from 30 years in the future. The ending is inventive and original. This was one of the more entertaining films I’ve seen this year.

I was intrigued by The Loneliest Planet, a 2012 film directed by Russian-American Julia Loktev. It is based on a short story, “Expensive Trips Nowhere” from Tom Bissell’s engaging collection God Lives in St. Petersburg, which I have read and enjoyed. This story also can find antecedents in Ernest Hemingway’s short story “The Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber”-where a man fails to rise to the occasion to protect his woman in front of a more masculine, confident guide. Loktev’s film was made on location in the Caucus Mountains in the former Russian state of Georgia. So there is some breathtaking scenery, but the pacing is quite slow with little dialogue. However, it raises some interesting questions about gender roles and what sort of behavior that women truly value.

When I first read about Richard Linklater’s film Bernie (2012), I felt somewhat dubious about the storyline. However, I should have known better since Linklater always makes films that are if nothing else interesting. This was more than interesting, but hilarious in some parts and Jack Black does the best work of his career and there are some great sequences from the supporting cast of the neighbors who provide commentary on the story throughout the film, including another great turn from Matthew McConaughey, and Shirley McClain nails her part as well. It was much better than I anticipated.

Take This Waltz (2012) is a Canadian romantic comedy directed by former actress Sarah Polley that has gotten a lot of critical accolades. It stars Michelle Williams, Seth Rogen, Luke Kirby, and Sarah Silverman. I think it was much inferior to the other highly acclaimed romantic comedy of the season, Silver Linings Playbook. I suspect Williams is supposed to be one of those quirky Audrey Hepburn types, but I found her and her relationship with Rogen and Kirby to be cloying and annoying.

Zero Dark Thirty (2012) by Katherine Bigelow was one of the most hyped films of the holiday season. And while I enjoyed it, I don’t think it quite lived up to the hype. It is something like a procedural to show how CIA analysts followed up intelligence to link Osama Bin Laden’s most trusted courier with the man himself. It depicted torture, which was said to have produced some leads that lead to the assassination. However, it also showed the callousness of collateral damage as some innocents were killed during the operation that took out Osama Bin Laden. That action is thrilling and tense, despite the fact that the audience knows the ending, but it took two hours to get to that sequence.

It seemed like the latest installment of the Bourne franchise, The Bourne Legacy (2012) directed by Tony Gilroy didn’t as good as reviews as earlier installments. I am at a loss as to why that was. I found this installment much easier to follow and thought Jeremy Renner put in a fine performance and there were plenty of great chase sequences in exotic locales. In fact I think it might even make my list of top 10 films for 2012.

I finally got to see the much-talked about documentary, Waiting For Superman (2010), that looks at the failing educational system in America. It was an extremely well-made documentary by director Davis Guggenheim that essentially echoes my opinion that all schools should be charter schools. But it also points out how teacher unions work against the best interest of children and education by making it all but impossible to fire poor or ineffective teachers.

I was surprised by how much I enjoyed Stephen Chbosky’s film adaptation of his novel, The Perks Of Being A Wallflower (2012). It is an enjoyable coming of age drama that deals with some dark material. And it seems to have been set in the mid 80s and brought back a lot of memories regarding my own high school experience: the new wave fashions and music, Rocky Horror Picture Show, etc. The soundtrack was particularly great, with songs like, “Asleep” by The Smiths, “Teenage Riot” by Sonic Youth, “Come on Elieen” by Dexy’s Midnight Runners, “Low” by Cracker, “Tugboat” by Galaxie 500, “No New Tale To Tell” by Love and Rockets, “Heroes” by David Bowie, “Dear God” by XTC, “Temptation” by New Order, “Don’t Dream It’s Over” by Crowded House, “Evensong” by Innocence Mission, “Pretend We’re Dead” by L7, “Counting Backward” by Throwing Muses, and “Araby” by The Reviers-some of which I haven’t heard in more than a decade.

More Seattle

Cafe Solstice, in the University district, is one of my favorite nieghborhood cafes in Seattle.

Renee Erickson, owner/chef of Boat Street Kitchen and Walrus & Carpenter, opened a vegetable-focused, wood-oven eatery in the Fremont Collective building (also home to the relocated Joule) called The Whale Wins. It was excellent we had Yakima trout with walnut sauce, filet mingnon with horseradish, and some cured ham and it is a nice space with high ceilings and lots of natural light.

Glad to see some things, like Al's Tavern never change.

The Confidential Agent

The Confidential Agent (1939) is the final work of fiction by Graham Greene that I have read. After this I plan to read his autobiographies, however, this is what Green considered one of his entertainments, written for money. Even when Green writes for money the result is a literary spy novel about D., a confidential agent from an unnamed country (I suspect it is Spain) to buy coal from neutral England in the midst of a civil war.  D. is a former lecturer in French literature who is known for having found an early transcript of the The Song of Roland, which Greene uses to allude to heroics and D.'s task. He also has suffered in the civil war by having spent time in jail and having lost his wife in the war. D. is undercut by enemy agents and falls in love with a younger woman who helps him with his mission. It is not among his best works, but it is an entertaining short novel nonetheless.

Old Ballard: Bastille

Today I went to Ballard with a couple of college friends to go to the Happy Hour at The Walrus and Carpenter oyster bar, but the Happy Hour, which starts at 4:00, was completely full by 4:20 with one group waiting ahead of us!



So we ended up at The Bastille Bar & Cafe to wait for our call to The Walrus and Carpenter, but after more than an hour we gave up and had ordered food here.



Here are the Moroccan style mussels, and oysters were consumed with a Falafel sandwich and some cured meats. There were about eight micro brews on tap. I tried Hopworks Urban Brewery (HUB) Abominable Winter Ale and Fremont Interurban IPA and enjoyed both.

Winter Break 2012: Seattle

The pictures never do justice to the amazing Cascade Mountain Range. There have been several clear, sunny days in Seattle during my visit, which is a bit of an anomaly.



Both of the pictures above were taken from the Sand Point Country Club near my brother's house in north Seattle.

I had a nice panini sandwich, The Firehouse (turkey, cheddar cheese, jalapeno, roasted red pepper, chipolte, cajun seasoning, mayo with a side of ranch dressing) at Van Gogh Coffeehouse, a local coffee place in the Wedgewood area of Seattle.

On New Year's Day I went with my brother's family to the new attraction downtown at the wharf, Seattle Great Wheel.

Grady, Addie, Quinn, and Kellen enjoyed the ferris wheel.

The Space Needle is visiable between two buildings.

A ferry on its way to Vashon Island.

Grady on the carousel at the wharf.

Quinn rides on.

Kellen in Uncle Pat's Christmas gift-Superman pajamas.