Lost In Translation

Queenstown and Around

 

A flat white at Patagonia chocolates on my first non-hiking day.

 Queenstown harbor with surrounding mountains.

In line at the ultra-popular Fergburger, it seems to expand as the day is long.

The giant-sized Ferberger, filling, but not the best I've ever had.

Cafe 1842 in downtown Queenstown.

A stream running through downtown Queenstown.

Mountains at sunset.

War memorial in Queenstown.

Queenstown park.

The back yard of a New Zealand friend's (from Tokyo) parent's back yard in Alexandra. I didn't get many photos, but we were treated to a nice BBQ with lamb, hamburgers, sasusages, and grilled mushrooms.

Clyde, a small picturesque town near Alexandra.

A kiwi statue in Queenstown.

Madame Woo, Malaysian street food in Queestown.

Ben Lomond

Ben Lomond (1784 meters) was one of the more challenging hikes I've ever done, but also quite beautiful.

Arrowtown and Sawpit Gully Track

We visited Arrowtown today-above the Chinese Village.

Downtown.

With Jeleesan, Edward, David, and Maisie at the Fork and Tap Alehouse.

We've seen these plants all over the place.

Sawpit Gully Track 10Km.

The Routeburn Track And Sylvan Lake Track

On Boxing Day we went on another impressively beautiful hike on the Routeburn Track.

A stote (weasel) trap-non indigenous mammals introduced to New Zealand are destroying the indigenous populaiton of birds and other animals.

On the way back we also stopped to walk the Lake Sylvan Track.

My Christmas and Boxing Day tramping companions: Jeleesan, Edward, Kent, and Phobe.

Downtown Queenstown.

A statue commemorating New Zealand's now extinct Moa.

Rob Roy Glacier Track

Our first hiking adventure come on Christmas Day on the Rob Roy Glacier Track near Wanaka Lake.

Lake Wanaka.

On the ride back to Queenstown.

Queenstown Arrival

Mountains even surround the airport.

This bird decorating the Christmas tree seems to be a Kea parrot, a symbol of the region.

Emerson Bookbinder Bitter at the airport.

The lodge we're staying at in Queenstown.

The view from the car park.

And the view from the deck.

Green mussels-Christmas eve night's dinner.

The Remarkables from the parking lot of the shopping mall.

Amigo

I have long been a fan of writer-director John Sayles and even his failures are more interesting than most films produced.  I personally do not see Amigo (2010) as a failure, but it has garnered mixed reviews. It doesn't reach the heights of his masterpiece, Lone Star, but I think the statement that he is making about American imperialism. It was at its infancy in this film which chronicles the American occupation of the Philippines during the Philippine-American War of 1899-1902 that was a result of the Spanish-American War of 1898 that also led to interference in Cuba. I have had an interest in the country after visiting and reading Stanley Kurnow's Pulitzer Prize winning history of the region, In Our Own Image: America's Empire in the Philippines. Sayles focuses on a small village and revolutionaries that are camped out nearby as an American soldiers make a garrison of the small town and try to win the "hearts and minds" of the villagers. Then they resort to torture to get them to help fight he guerrillas in the jungle-thus drawing parallels to recent American interventions in Afghanistan and Iraq. It stars Chris Cooper, a frequent star of Syales' films, as Col. Hararce as the Rumsfield-Cheney like leader of the brigade. Philippine actor Jose Torres plays the village head man Rafael. Throughout the film Sayles has juxtapositions between the villagers, soldiers, and rebel that are effective and insightful about what they must have been feeling during the conflict. Amigo ends with the 1901 surrender of General Aguinaldo, which didn't end the conflict but started a program of amnesty set by President Teddy Roosevelt (who succeeded the assassinated President McKinley). It's a timely and historical-based look at American foreign policy and its consequences to those who have been invaded.

Best TV Shows of 2014

My annual summing up of my favorite TV shows of the year. I will admit to a bit of a cop-out by including all of the shows I watched, that being said I enjoyed all of them:

    1. True Detective

    2. Fargo

    3. The Knick

    4. Mad Men

    5. Olive Kitteridge

    6. Boardwalk Empire

    7. Game of Thrones

    8. Louie

    9. Girls

    10. The Walking Dead / Justified / House of Cards

The Knick

Not sure why I hesitated to watch Cinemax's brilliant new TV series, The Knick. It is directed and edited by Stephen Soderbergh-who is one of my favorite contemporary American directors. Furthermore, it stars Clive Owen, one of my favorite actors as the flawed hero, Dr. John Thackery (partially based on historical figure, William Stewart Halstead). I suspect it had something to do with a backlog of other shows I was watching earlier this year-I usually can't budget time for more than two a week-combined with a mixed review from Slate's Culturefest podcast. However, the show boasts first-rate film-like cinematography, great ensemble acting, top rate production values, and historical-based writing that builds over the course of the 10 episode first season (luckily it has been renewed). Soderbergh has brought on several of his collaborators from his films, such as composer Cliff Martinez, who uses a modern score for the period drama. The writing is also top notch as is the ensemble acting. This was one of my favorite TV shows of the year, and has created great expectations for next year's season two.

Ida

I found Ida (2014) directed by Pawel Palikowski to be one of the more enjoyable films I have seen all year. The black and white cinematography by Lukasz Zal and Ryszard Lenczewski is astounding. In addition, it is shot with an aspect ratio of 1.37:1, which frames the image in a square reminiscent of vintage films. It creates a certain nostalgic mood and allows time travel back to the 1960s of the Polish People's Republic.  A young orphaned woman, Ida (Agata Tresbuchowscha), goes on a journey to reckon with her past before taking vows as a nun. The prioress of her convent puts her in contact with worldly her Aunt, Wanda (Agata Kulezsa in a scene stealing performance), a hard drinking man eating fallen Stalinist judge who reveals Ida's family history as a Jew. They learn the story of her parent's death and retrieve their bones and bury them in the family grave. Each woman finds a sense of solace and closure in this act. Ida also is introduced to the secular world through her aunt, mainly through their crossing paths with a yong jazz musician staying in the same town as they are. This allows her to make an informed choice about her future in the church. I suppose this film can be called a small, slice of life film, but it is also powerful film about memory, loss, and the individual.