Lost In Translation

The Night Of

HBO continues to lead the way with high quality TV programming, this time with the miniseries, The Night Of (2016), based on a BBC crime series Criminal Justice. Apparently, James Galdolfini (listed as an executive producer) was slated to play a major character, but died before production was finished. The creative force behind the series was Richard Price (novelist and co-writer of The Wire) and Steve Zaillian. The story takes place in New York in the present where a Pakistanian college student Naz (Riz Ahmend) finds himself a circumstantial suspect for a brutal murder of a troubled young woman, Andrea (Sofia Black D'Elia). The thorough detective Box (Bill Camp) has a glimmer of a doubt, but over rides his gut in favor of charging him with murder-his last case before retiring. A ambulance chasing lawyer, John Stone (the always reliable John Tuturro), who is afflicted with eczema, ingratiates himself onto the defense team as an act of redemption. The prosecutor (Jeannie Berlin) is a long-time professional looking for a conviction. There are a score of otehr minor character actors that add to color and depth to the the intricate story of being in the wrong place at the wrong time, including: Michael K. Williams as Freddy Knight, Riz's protector in Riker's prison, Chandra Kapoor (Amara Karan) a young lawyer who is thrust into the main chair of the defense, as well as the family of Naz, suspects, witnesses and other periphery characters add to the overall story of crime and punishment in modern day America. It's a whodunnit that keeps you guessing until the final episode-it is another homerun for HBO.

Spokane 2016: McCoy's 50th Anniversary Celebration

First night dinner at Epic at Northern Quest Casino.

Donahoe family reunion and Aunt Rosie's 80th birthday.

Family photos from my Great grandfather's archive. Me and my older sister Kathy in the upper left.

Kathy and Dad.

Deven (Kraig's wife), Dad, Mom, Kraig, my younger brother.

Saturday night dinner at Kathy's.

Tears from Mom.

The kids table.

Thumbs up from Kellen, Kraig's son.

Kraig's family.

Hell Or High Water

Hell Or Highwater (2016), directed by David Mackenzie) has been getting great reviews and I saw the enticing trailer when I saw Cafe Society, so decided to see it in the theater while on vacation. There are many elements in this film that have become common tropes in crime films, but the screen writer (Taylor Sheridan, Sicario) and director (Mackenzie) have manage dot breathe new life into them. It helps that they had several standout performances from the main cast-the bank robbing brothers Toby (Chris Pine) and Tanner (Ben Foster) who were being pursued by a retiring cop (Jeff Bridges) and his partner (Gil Birmingham). The cinematographer, Giles Nuttington, makes great use of the West Texas and southern Oklahoma scenery. All in all, it was an entertaining and unpredictable crime thriller.

Temptress Moon

Kaige Chen is known for his big budget historical production Farewell My Concubine which starred Gong Li, Temptress Moon (1997) is another such production. Li stars as the daughter, Ruyi. of a wealthy family (Pang) living outside of Shanghai, their family is infamous for their addiction to opium smoking, in fact her brother is incapacitated by it and is  a shell of himself so that when her father dies she becomes the de facto head of household. Meanwhile, the brother of her brother's wife Zhongliang (Leslie Cheung), who grew up on the estate, has fled to Shanghai from his duties as a servant to his sister and brother-in-law. In Shanghai he has joined a criminal gang and has become a seducer of rich women whom he black mails with his gang. He is sent by his gang boss to his former residence to seduce Ruyi and obtain some of the family's wealth. The plan fails when Zhongliang falls in love with Ruyi. The film is somewhat difficult to follow in the beginning which introduces the main characters as children, but he sumptuous periods sets and details are loving captured by the talented Christopher Doyle who cut his teeth on the romantic films of Wong Kar-wai, whose films of unrequited love this film resembles in tone and content. 

Coming Through Slaughter

I decided to read Michael Ondaajte's jazz age novel, Coming Through Slaughter (1976), as background reading to color in my recent trip to New Orleans. And color it did provide: sex, love triangles, gambling, drinking, whoring, music and a tour of the now lost Storyville red light district. This novel is a fictional depiction of the life of an obscure jazz musician, coronet player Buddy Bolden. It is experimental in form and has a lyrical quality that sets it apart from other novels in that much of the impact of the novel comes from the impressions and atmosphere of the story rather than the plot which is less than linear. It does seem that this early jazz pioneer had a breakdown that landed him in an insane asylum, which tells us that we would really never know what it was that landed him in that institution but ripe for the imagination of a writer like Ondaajte.

Our Little Sister

Hirokazu Kore-eda's films are perennial Official Cannes selections and for good reason, Kore-eda films are consistently evocative and thought provoking dramas, and his latest, Our Little Sister (2015) is no exception. This story of three sisters living in an old house in Kamakura is informed by the past masters of cinema and Ozu in particular who used Kamakura as a location of one of his best films, Late Spring. This story is about a father who strays from his family and starts a new family and when his wife dies he starts yet another marriage bringing the daughter of his second marriage with him. We later learn that their mother also decides to start a new life leaving her three daughters behind to be brought up by her mother and the oldest daughter Sachi (Haruka Ayase), a serious minded nurse. The other two daughters are somewhat caricatures-the fun-loving Yoshino (Masami Nagasawa) and the youngest, the free spirited Chika (Kaho). However, I think both actress added something to to their roles to escape the caricature and present their characters as more fully rounded people. The drama of the film surfaces first when the father dies and they learn they have a mature half sister, Suzu (Suzu Hirose), whose mother died before their father's third marriage. Sachi spontaneously asks her to live with them in their old family house in Kamakura. I suppose it would have been more Ozu-esque had those funeral scenes been cut, but the old house allows for Ozu-esque framing. Another plot device is whether or not Sachi will leave the house and join her doctor lover in America while he attends a research institute. So instead of the possible marriage of a daughter (in the Ozu story style)-we have the possible marriage of a sister, but it results in a feminist statement when she decides to join the terminal care unit of the hospital and live on with her sisters in the old house. It is a deliberately paced, but moving, family drama that shows that Kore-eda is still the main torch bearer of classic Japanese cinema today.

New Orleans Part Two

BBQ for dinner at Cochon with Sergio.

We started with smoked pork ribs with watermelon pickle and fried alligator with chili garlic mayonnaise.

Louisiana cochon with cabbage, cracklins & pickled peaches.

Sergio made it to the second round of the 610 Stompers a dance-charity group that performs in the Mardi Gras parade among other events, here's a YouTube Video, I went to cheer him on at Harrah's Casino.

Dance Captains performing the routine for comparison.

Pre-dance interview.

Caribbean food at The Rum House.

I got the weekly grilled fish special (I forget the type-a white fish) with avocado and jumbo lump crab butter sauce. Served with coconut mango rice, asparagus and pico de gallo.

Jake & Snake Christmas Lounge

The Ruby Slipper for brunch.

Mingus-a Tex-Mex egg scramble with onion, tomato, cilantro, pepperjack cheese and spicy chorizo, served with avocado, chipotle sour cream & crispy tortilla chips.

Serigio's mixed Eggs Benedict.

The National World War II Museum.

Contemporary Arts Center New Orleans.

A museum I didn't visit.

Odgen Museum Of Southern Arts.

Back to the French Quarter.

The Garden District Redux.

 

Alona and Rowan in front of Anne Rice's House.

A haunted house, The Morris-Israel House.

The last meal-Po'boys, shrimp and The Bomb (shrimp and catfish) dressed with mayo, lettuce, and tomato.

Journey To The Shore

Kiyoshi Kurosawa cut his teeth on horror films like Cure, so when he does a conventional drama like Tokyo Sonata or Journey To The Shore (2015), it seems like an anomaly. But perhaps,Kurosawa is trying to expand his repertoire of films. This film is about a woman, Mizuki (Eri Fukusatsu), who is visited by her dead husband, Yusuke (Tadanobu Asano), who takes her on a journey to the people and ghosts that helped him on his journey back to her. He helps these people come to terms with their issues and ultimately helps Mizuki move on with her life. It is a strange story in the sense that it leaves many issues unresolved-we learn that Yusuke has committed suicide but not why. He has had an affair and she confronts the other woman who is is now pregnant by her own husband. I don't see where the closure comes...perhaps it is the acceptance of the idea that life can be messy without fulfilling conclusions. It is a bit overlong, but there is some great cinematography in the rural locations they visit through out the film.

New Orleans Part One

Sergio and Erin, friends from my JET days in front of their rental in the Garden District of New Orleans.

First night out, dinner at Jacques-Imo.

I got Shrimp Creole over rice and Sergio had the Blackened Red Snapper.

Vegetarian Delight, Acorn squash stuffed with vegetables in coconut curry, for Erin.

The Carousel Bar & Lounge in The Hotel Montelone.

Saturday brunch at Elizabeth's Restaurant.

Eggs Cochon-pulled pork with poached eggs with Hallondaise sauce. and potatoes.

Saint Louis Cathedral.

Jackson Square.

Alona and Rowan enjoying Beignets at Cafe Du Monde.

Inventing New Orleans

Lafcadio Hearn is famous in Japan for his collection of ghost stories, Kwaidan. But I was unaware of his American writings before I came across references to them in the HBO series Treme. Earlier this year I decided to read Japan An Attempt At Interpretation since it was a free ebook and I was planning on visiting one of his former homes, Kumamoto. Subsequently, I found this volume very academic and dry in tone and style. However, that is definitely not the case with Inventing New Orleans (2001-with collected pieces from 1877-1888). The book is organized into four sections: 1. "The Outsider as Insider: Impressions," 2. "From the Land of Dreams: Sketches," 3. "Of Vices and Virtues: Editorials," 4. "Reports from the Field: Longer Studies." In the first section, several pieces are drawn from his journalism in which he strove to understand his new home-he had moved from Ohio where he had lived for a decade. The editor of this volume, S. Frederick Starr, calls this approach "affectionate impressionism" and suggest it colored his Japan writings as well. Some of the more interesting pieces for me were: "The Last of the New Orleans Fencing Masters," "Executions," ""St.John's Five-Voudousim," and "The Last of the Voudoos." The second section is mainly a collection of sketches from his time at The Daily City Item that was struggling and gave him free reign to share his entertaining perspective of the city. The sketches that stood out for me included: "--! ---!! Mosquitoes!" "A Creole Type," "A Kentucky Colonel Renting Rooms," "The Creole Character," "Does Climate Affect the Character of People?" it becomes apparent that Hearn is not all accepting of everything in his new home, part Three is a collection of his editorials. These include: "The Opium Dens," "Blackmailing," "Improved Police Ideas," "The Unspeakable Velocipede," "The Organ Grinder." The last section allows him to compile the following: "La Cuisine Creole" and "Gombo Zhebes: Little Dictionary of Creole Proverbs Selected from Six Creole Dialects." These sketches were written more than 100 years ago, but in several respects many of his observations are still valid today. Here are some of Hearn's more astute musings:

-It is not an easy thing to describe one's first impression of New Orleans; for while it actually resembles no other city upon the face of the earth, yet it recalls vague memories of a hundred cities.

Whencesoever the traveler may have come, he may find in the Crescent City some memory of his home-some recollection of his Fatherland-some remembrance of something he loves...

As we bear the tropics decay becomes more rapid-not only material decay of substance, but decay of social conditions and institutions as well.

I look forward to seeing first hand, how well his impressions of New Orleans have stood the test of time.