Lost In Translation

Scanners

Scanners (1981) is director David Cronenberg's break through film. I was surprised to see in the extras that it was a number one box office film during its initial release. It holds up pretty well-a special breed of people who can read a person's thoughts and overwhelm them mentally-it is notable for the special effects that show a head being blown up. The Criterion extras include:a new, restored 2K digital film transfer, supervised by director David Cronenberg, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack on the Blu-ray, The “Scanners” Way, a new documentary on the film’s special effects, a new interview with actor Michael Ironside, The Ephemerol Diaries, a 2012 interview with actor and artist Stephen Lack, an excerpt from a 1981 interview with Cronenberg on the CBC’s The Bob McLean Show, Stereo (1969), Cronenberg’s first feature film, trailer, one Blu-ray and two DVDs, with all content available in both formats, and a booklet featuring an essay by critic Kim Newman.

Ghost Of The Tsunami

The tsunami from the March 2011 earthquake affected me as I was living in Japan, but I was living in Tokyo and knew few people from Tohoku where the earthquake caused the most damage-so it was somewhat of an abstraction for me. Richard Lloyd Parry's book Ghosts Of The Tsunami (2017) did an excellent job of putting that abstraction into perspective by focusing on one specific tragedy-one school in Okawa where 74 children were killed-almost every other school in Tohoku was properly evacuated save this one. So in one sense this is a sort of mystery story-why didn't the school evacuate to higher ground and then it became the source of closure for many parents who lost their children-the need to know why and assign blame to someone or something. But is it also an indictment of educational institutions, the failure of institution was a theme that Parry also explored in his previous book about the Lucie Blackman murder investigation, People Who Eat Darkness, in which he finds fault with the police institution which mishandled the case. Parry is quick to point out that the individuals involved are often exemplary, but things get sticky when the institutions themselves get involved-they seem to be self protective in nature and forget they have been established for the populace. There are several heartbreaking stories of personal loss that put a faces to the tragedy where 18,000 people perished, it is a heart breaking event that will not be easily forgotten by anyone who lived through it-myself included. Parry struggles to remain objective, but the reporting exposes petty grudges between survivors who recovered their children, only lost one child, and other pointless distinctions-are there levels of grief? Maybe, but there should be empathy for everyone. One of the reasons the book came out six years after the fact is that the case agiasnt the school board of Okawa for negligence was nto settled until 2016, which was quick according to Parry's investigation, which highlights another poorly working institution, the courts and legal system (but that's another book). Parry has written another powerful and expertly researched and reported book that reveals much about the Japanese people in this story of closure from the great Tohoku earthquake of 2011.

Ikaho Onsen, Gunma

I choose to visit Ikaho Onsen because 1) I haven't spent any time in Gunma before-I have only passed through it and I am planing to visit all 47 prefectures in Japan at some point (this is #38) and 2) it is a location that was used in one of my favorite Japanese films, Floating Clouds (which I wrote a paper on a couple of years back). This is a small shrine near our hotel.

The Fukuzen onsen hotel has seen better years, but serves good food and has a hot spring bath to use.

There is a matsuri (festival) happening on Monday (a national holiday), so a portable shrine was on display in the lobby.

My name is written in roman letters on the welcome board on the middle bottom.

Some local attractions on our exploration of the town.

A distinctive sewer man hole cover for the town.

Amusement shops like these seem dated to me-from the 60s.

The 365 stone steps in Ikaho town.

The Hawaii government house.

The impressive dinner spread with pork sukiyaki, sashimi, and several other courses.

And the breakfast spread with heated miso soup, salmon, salad, and a variety of other dishes.

The Hara Museum ARC.

An Andy Wahrhol soup can.

China Grill Xenlon Grand

This fearsome metallic dragon greets you at China Grill Xenlon Grill on the 19th floor of the Odakyu Tower Hotel near the South exit of Shinjuku station.

I ordered the Tan tan men which came with salad, shumai (dumplings), dessert, and Coffee for ¥1620. I got the three stars for spice but was underwhelmed-it was quite heavy and filling though.

Angel Face

Angel Face (1952) is another great crime film from Otto Preminger (Anatomy of a Murder and Laura). Here we have an ingenue femme fatal in Jean Simmons in one of her greatest roles. Robert Mitchum is the guy who regrets meeting the seemingly naive girl. Both leads are impressive in the film that has some plot twists that I don't want to give away. There is impressive cinematography as well in this gem from Preminger.

The Little Sister

Raymond Chandler novels are always more about style than plot, but The Little Sister (1949), certainly has a complex one at that. A woman comes to Marlowe looking to find her brother. Turns out that he is involved in a blackmail caper and plenty of bodies accumulate before Marlowe finally closes the case. In between he fights off the advances of at least two women and gets the Bay City Police interrogation treatment. There's the usual hard boiled dialogue that seems a bit more mean-spirited and lewd this time out, but maybe I am mis-remembering dialogue from books earlier in the series. Here's some of the snappy dialogue:

“She smelled the way the Taj Mahal looks by moonlight.”

“I hung up. It was a good start, but it didn’t go far enough. I ought to have locked the door and hidden under the desk.”

“It's like this with us baby. We're coppers and everybody hates our guts....nothing we do is right, not ever. If we get a confession we beat it out of a guy, they say, and some shyster lawyer calls us Gestapo.”

“You go in through double swing doors. Inside the double doors there is a combination PBX and information desk at which sits one of those ageless women you see around municipal offices everywhere in the world. They were never young and will never be old. They have no beauty, no charm, no style. They don't have to please anybody. They are safe. They are civil without ever quite being polite and intelligent and knowledgeable without any real interest in anything. They are what human beings turn into when they trade life for existence and ambition for security.”

Another entertaining Marlowe tale set in the underbelly of Los Angeles.

Tokushima

First stop in Tokushima is the local craft beer tap room, Awa Shinmachigawa Brewery. I wasn't so impressed with the beer, but the location is on the river, and it had good service, and a great logo.

Shinmachi river view.

Another local brew, Kami Katz at Sakaneko.

Local nihonshu at Izakaya (all three of these places were recommendations were from "Kyotolefty" on RateBeer).

This is mozuku (seaweed in vinegar), it tastes good with alcohol.

Deep fried shrimp on skewers with tonkatsu sauce.

Deep fried aji (Japanese horse mackerel).

Awadori (a traditional dance that is also popular in Tokyo, but originated in Toshima) statue on a bridge.

Boats on the Okinoso river.

JR Tokushima station to take  abus to the Naruto whirl pools between Shikoku and Awashima.

The tour boat.

Inside, a cramped light show.

The Onaruto bridge.

The whirlpools (uzonomichi).

Back in Tokushima.

Central park, Tokushima castle grounds.

Tokushima castle museum.

Central park garden (connected to the museum).

More photos of central park.

Awa Dori Kaikan Hall.

Views from Mt. Bizen.

Back to Sakaneko.

52 Pick Up (Film)

John Frankenheimer's adaptation of the Elmore Leonard novel 52 Pick Up (1986) is an underrated classic film noir. The film makers have changed the location from Detroit to LA to positive effect. I can't remember if I saw the film when it came out originally, but after have read the source material I see that they have left many of the original elements and dialogue from the novel in the film. A trio of untrustworthy crooks,(well chosen actors John Glover, Robert Trebor, and Clarence Williams III) hatch a plan to black mail Harry Mitchell (Roy Schneider). They have chosen the wrong guy. Mitchell has been cheating on his wife with the nubile Cini (Kelly Preston), who gets caught up in the plan through her association with fellow a stripper, the naive Doreen (Vanity). It is one of the better Leonard adaptations.

Falo

Falo is a new Italian style izakaya in Daikanyama with seats a around an open kitchen. Beer with the otsohi, cream cheese and vegetables.

Sanma (pacific saury, an autumn seasonal fish) carpaccio with myoga (Japanese ginger) and eggplant.

Meat sauce spaghetti.

Porchetta (rolled pork with spices).

Daikon (Japanese radish) baked in a bolognese sauce-all this and three drinks for under ¥9000 for tow people-very reasonable.

In Flight Films 09/2017

I remember reading that Anthony Bourdain was involved in making the documentary, Jeremiah Tower: Last of the Magnificent (2016), he appears as one of the talking heads praising Tower. It is an interesting film in the sense that it identifies when Californian cuisine became fashionable, but it is a myth-making sort of enterprise. Other than that it is concerned with myth making.

Ken Loach's I, Daniel Blake (2016) also has an agenda about bureaucracy and red tape in government systems that are supposed to be support nets. I'm not sure this is any more relevant today than at any other time. Not his best work.

Perhaps, the best film I saw on the flight was Kenneth Longerman's Manchester By The Sea (2016). It is another ensemble piece with several great performances especially Casey Affleck as a damaged man trying to find his way in the world after a upsetting tragic life event. Michelle Williams is great as his equally suffering wife.