Lost In Translation

Forty Guns

Forty Guns (1957) is an unconventional western directed by maverick Samuel Fuller, that was much beloved by Martin Scorsese. It seems this film was criticized by American critics, but was lauded by European critics. They saw it as a paean to the western movie myth and the violence was seen as archetypal American action cinema. Essentially it is a showdown in Arizona between the Bonnell brothers, U.S.Marshals, and Jessica Drummond (Barbara Stanwyck), the iron-fist rancher who controls the territory. The psychologically vivid film is complicated by unconventional sexual and emotional ties between various characters. Fuller has also included some very conventional western tropes to the film as well, such as musical numbers. However, it stands out for its stylized cinematic shots, mesmerizing close ups as well as long crane-and-track shots throughout.

Cahuita Day Trips

My first day trip was a snorkeling and hiking combination tour in Cahuita National Park, which includes a reef. It was organized by Willie's Tours. The other two tours I booked are for a Zip Line Tour and White Water Rafting Tour that will also take me to my next destination-La Fortuna near the Aernal volcano area.

Seems raccoons are ubiquitous.

A heron-I forgot the name.

Hermit crab.

Standard Oil thought there might be something worth drilling for here.

A large purple cricket.

A howler monkey in the tree-we also saw several sloths-but they are hard to recognize in the trees.

An iguana-in a tree?!

The following day was a zip line tour, however, the weather was not cooperating-it rained steadily the whole time.

We had an all west coast group-California, Oregon and me (Washington). There was a friendly family from Albany, Oregon who also was on the snorkeling-hike yesterday. Also, there was an African-American McCoy on vacation with her boyfriend from Los Angeles.

Drenched to the bone.

Sharp Objects

HBO's big summer series this year was the Jean-Marc Vallee directed adaptation of the Gilian Flynn mystery novel, Sharp Objects. It is the story of a series of murders in a small town that are reported on by Camile Preker (Amy Adams), who grew up in the town. She is an alcoholic with a history of self harming that has been recently discharged from a psychiatric hospital. While in town she is staying with her mother, Adora (Patrica Clarkson), an emotionally abusive but genteel woman, and her husband and half-sister, Amma (Eliza Scanlen). Vallee was the director of the popular HBO series Big Little Liars previously. However, I don't think this series was as artistically successful-perhaps eight episodes was too long to draw out the mystery-it felt repetitive at times to me. The reveal takes place in the very final seconds of the series, unconventional and probably more memorable than dong it earlier.

Cahuita, Costa Rica

Originally, I had planned to go to Nicaragua after visiting Canada, but it didn't seem right with the political unrest going on there right now. So I rescheduled for Costa Rica. It was also on my short list of countries I wanted to visit in Central America.

Having a quick bite before my bus to Cahuita, usually I would have spent more time in the capital city, San Jose, but I figured that Costa Rica is more about nature. So I decided to chill on the Caribbean coast first, then head to the volcano area Arenal near the town of La Fortuna. I plan to do a snorkel and hiking day trip, a zip line trip, and then do white water rafting via my transit to La Fortuna.

I decided to stay at the Kelly Creek Hotel from a quick browse at pictures and from the high ratings. However, I didn't realize it didn't have AC or hot water. But to be honest it's not a big deal as it is the Caribbean (so cold showers are refreshing) and the hotel is right next to a National Park and near the beach.

Technically it is the rainy season-so got some torrential rainfall this morning.

The beach out front of Kelly Creek Hotel.

Lunch: chicken, rice and beans, plantains, and salad.

A walk in Cahuita National Park.

Wildlife seen near the hotel.

Racoon.

Sunday In Toronto

Huevos rancheros at The Ace.

The Art of Banksy Curated by Steve Lazarides

Henderson Brewing Co.

Bandit Brewery

Kensington Market

Dinner at Grey Gardens, stuffed peppers for appetizer.

Ravioli

Saturday In Toronto

Bredan's house in the Junction.

Saint Lawrence Market

Spicy Veal Parmigiana sandwich.

Brendan and the Spider in the Distillery Disrtrict.

New craft alcohol distillery, Spirit Of York.

Mill Street Brewery

Old Tokyo friend Drew came out for a pint.

The CN Tower.

The Drake Hotel

Mamakas Taverna

 

Prince Edward County, Ontario

After Montreal I decided to stop and see my old friend Brendan (I was on the JET Program with him in Koshigaya 21 years ago and he came on his honeymoon with his wife Melanie 10 years ago) and his wife Mel at their country house in the new trendy area of Prince Edward County, Ontario . The plan is to then go to Toronto for a couple of days before I fly off to Costa Rica for a week. Above, the bar in his cabana near the pool.

First stop Parsons Brewing Company.

Apparently the brewer lived in Japan and named a beer "Rinda Rinda"-this beer encapsulates 1980s Japan in a bottle named after the Blue Hearts' hit single "Linda Linda", with Sorachi hops, yuzu and lime zest it is the perfect match for summer. ABV: 4.8 IBUs: 27. It is the first sample above and I really wanted to like it, but it didn't do it for me.

Brendan and Mel had a gift certificate for Blumen, one of the better finer dining options in the area. Crab cake appetizer to start.

The main-Signature pulled braised rabbit over house-made gnocchi with leeks, oyster mushrooms & lardons, topped with reggiano .

Friday night's entertainment was Canadian alt-country band, The Sadies, whom I know as backing band to Neko Case and John Doe in the past at The Hayloft.

The band was much more dynamic live, showing rock, surf guitar roots along with those of country and western-good show.

White Beast

White Beast is one of four films made by Mikio Naruse in 1950 (the others were Professor Ishinaka, The Angry Street, and Battle of the Roses). It prefigures the female exploitation prison films of the 60s and 70s, and was not well-received by Japanese critics. However, it is a serious problem film that addresses many topics that are still avoided today. Most of the women at eh White Lilly Institution are former prostitutes who are being rehabilitated (an approved genre by the occupying censors). The "White Beast" that is tamed by the institution in this film is Mitsuko Miura (Yukawa) a proud and defiant woman who is not happy to be incarcerated-but she is told White Lilly or serious prison. Although there are plenty of melodramatic elements such as catfights, hysterical tantrums, film noir lighting, and dramatic music there is a clear indebtedness to American film. However, Naruse highlights social hypocrisy when a prison official comes to lecture the women about their greed. Yukawa challenges him by asking who the customers were-you and your sons... There is also the issue of syphilis which is addressed-another subject polite society would rather not discuss. Some characters are cured, but one woman has an advanced state and dies in a grotesque fashion-penniless and alone after having served as a comfort woman. Such treatment calls to mind Kurosawa's The Quiet Duel, made the year before that also deals with syphilis. This is not a major Naruse production, but it shows flashes of his greatness in editing sequences such as the one in which a tapping foot transitions to a woman using her foot to power a sewing machine. There is some impressive cinematography from Masao Tamai, who would be behind the camera in some of Naruse's most popular films of the 50s.

Montreal, Quebec

Lots of murals in Montreal, apparently the local government has been financing it. It's a very laid back city that has lots of beauty and historic old buildings. You can really feel the difference in history between the west and east in North America (I could say the same of Burlington, VT). Montreal is something of a college town, but also a major city-so hipsters mingling with responsible folk with lots of al fresco dining and drinking. Thus, it has a very sophisticated European feel to it. I suspect the winters are much different. However, it is very livable indeed.

Early morning outside my hotel, Hotel10, which doesn't allow check-in until 4 pm, it's 7 am-no worries?!

Parc du Mount-Royal.

Leonard Cohen, patron saint of Montreal?

A Reuben sandwich at Reuben's Deli & Steakhouse for lunch.

Olympic Park.

Entrance to Montreal Botanical Garden.

I would have explored more of the botanical garden if I wasn't so tired, cranky and short-tempered. I had been up since 3:00 to catch a 4:14 am bus and coudln't get into my room until 4 pm.

Progressive toilet in the hotel lobby/restaurant.

I'm thinking maybe I should have gone for something more modest for my one night stay. The next day I will be taking a train to Belleville, Ontario to meet my friend Brendan, who has a summer cottage there.

I had my first poutine, sausage poutine, at Dirty Dogs.

Breakfast at the funky Cafe Osmo.

Breakfast sandwich and cortado.

Tim Hortons takeout, a Canadian tradition.

BlacKkKlansman

Spike Lee's latest film BlacKkKlansman (2018) has been gaining a large amount notoriety starting with winning two awards at the Cannes Film Festival (Grand Jury Prize and the Ecumenical Jury Prize). This film is based on a true story about Ron Stallworth (John David Washington), who posed as a white supremacist over the phone using a white colleague as a proxy infiltrated the Ku Klux Klan while working for the Colorado Springs police department in the 70s. That may be all that is true from the original story-Lee has added elements of 70s blaxsploitation films to the proceedings-which is certainly entertaining, but not true to life. Furthermore, he beats the audience over the head with is message. There are several sly asides to the current situation in America and politics in particular. In case that was lost on the viewer Lee ends the film with some explicit newsreel coverage of racist going on since the beginning of the Trump administration. The French love that kind of stuff-see Michael Moore's award for Fahrenheit 9/11. This is the best Lee film I've seen in some time, but it is artistically much inferior to his masterpiece, Do the Right Thing.