Lost In Translation

Lorena

Lorena (2019) is the latest docu-series about the infamous severed penis incident between Lorena Bobbitt and her abusive husband John Bobbitt. It was directed by Joshua Rofe and Jordan Peele served as executive producer for the four part series. The four parts were: (1) "The Night Of"-which recounts the events of that fateful evening, (2) "A Woman in Trouble" in which John is acquitted of rape and becomes a media sensation, (3) "An Irresistible Impulse" where Lorena stands trial for her to prove she was under the influence of an “irresistible impulse,” a defense that rarely worked, and (4) "The Cycle of Abuse" where John chased fame in a self-destructive downward spiral, while Lorena had to come to grips with the scars of her ordeal. It is a very revealing documentary that says a lot about how domestic abuse was treated in the 90s and the burgeoning 24 hour media news cycle that craves lurid tabloid stories. It is a very necessary documentary in the wake of the "Me, too" era, where men have gotten away with murder for too long.

2019 Spokane Winter Visit

I arrived in Spokane on a Wednesday after a heavy snowfall when local schools cancelled classes. However, the main roads were clear by the time I arrived. There is more snow in the forecast, hopefully not excessive amounts. Apparently it had been a mild winter until February.

Stocking up on some local provision during my stay: Dry Fly Barrel Reserve Gin, Big Juicy IPA from NoLi, and The Impaler Imperial IPA from Iron Goat. I have to say I like the regular Dry Fly Gin, but the strong oak barrel finish of the Barrel Reserve is not to my liking-oh well sometimes you lose.

A very filling Reuben sandwich from the legendary Domini Sandwiches.

I went with a friend on a Friday night to The Bartlett to see a solo show by The Whigs front man Parker Gispert. It was an entertaining show and now I'll be searching out albums by the man and his band.

Another Spokane favorite: “The Original” with pepperoni, fresh mushrooms & black olives at Pete's Pizza.

Another Spokane institution, Ferguson's Cafe, it was featured in the films Vision Quest and Benny & Joon.

Denver omelet with hash browns and sourdough toast.

I took my niece to lunch at Outlaw BBQ which is on the North side of Spokane not far from my parent's house. Here's a mural from one of my favorite westerns-The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly.

I got the one meat plate with brisket with potato salad and Texas chili that comes with slaw and a roll. My niece got the nachos with BBQ chicken that was listed as a starter and was served on a massive platter.

Imagining that we're on a tropical island instead of in the middle of winter: Mai Tai at Tiny Tiki.

Cubano sandwich and tomato sop at Ruins.

North Monroe has been slowly gentrifying over the years, there is now a craft-beer brewery, Bellwether Brewery , and now a cool coffee shop/roaster-Vessel Roasters

If Beale Street Could Talk

I specifically read James Baldwin's novel If Beale Street Could Talk in anticipation for Barry Jenkins's adaptation of it (2018). Jenkins stays very close to the story of love story and separation of young African American lovers Fonny (Stephen James) and Tish (Kiki Layne). The story reverberates with Baldwin's righteous anger about racism and inequality in America while also being at heart a love story. That being said I think Jenkins adds a signature touch with his mise en scene, music, and cinematography. Jenkins has a fondness for primary colors and incorporates still photography of the injustices from the era from which the story was set. another well-made and heart-felt film from Jenkins that captures the spirit of source material.

It's Tough Being A Man (1)

The "Tora-san" film series is something of a Japanese cinema institution, it was preceded by a TV series also starring Kiyoshi Atsumi as the lovable loser Torajiro and Akio Nagayama as his more levelheaded sister Sakura. I suppose much of the success of the series is due to Atsumi's charismatic performance. The film series went on to become a huge success with films released every summer and New Years-spanning 48 installments released between 1969 and 1995. all of the Otoko wa tsurai yo films except episodes 3 and 4 were directed by Yoji Yamada, who also wrote or co-wrote all the screenplays. I knew Yamada from his second life after the end of the "Tora-san" series as a director of revisionist samurai films such as his highly lauded Twilight Samurai (2002). The first film, It's Tough Being A Man (1969) establishes many aspects of the series that will be explored in other films such as his return to his home neighborhood in Shibamata, Katsushika-ku in Tokyo where his sister Sakura is living with his aunt and uncle. There is a sub plot in which Tora-san has a crush on the local temple priest's (Ozu's leading man Chishu Ryo) daughter, Fuyuko (Sachiko Mitsumoto). There's another involving the marriage of of Sakura with Hiroshi, whose estranged father (Kurosawa regular lead Takashi Shimura) arrives and buries the hatchet. In the end Tora-san hits the road to fulfill his role as traveling salesman. I'm looking forward to following Tora-san on his journey and see what it says about the times in which the films were made.

Stevie

Steven James (Hoop Dreams) has made a very personal documentary in Stevie (2002) about his little brother he mentored while in college for the Big Brother program. Steve Fielding was trouble as a youth and his problems and demons have followed him into adulthood, while making the documentary Stevie was arrested and convicted of molesting an 8 year old. Stevie Fielding was not wanted. He was born out of wedlock, does not know who his father is, was raised by a mother who didn't want him, was beaten by her. When she did marry, she turned him over to her new husband's mother to raise. He also made a circuit of foster homes and juvenile centers, where he was raped and beaten regularly. It's a difficult story to watch unfold, especially since he has self-sabotaged himself-rejecting a plea bargain that would have resulted in no prison time and counseling, but he is proud and does not believe in therapy. It is a powerful story about one of the many tragic lives in America.

The Demon

The Demon (1977) is one of seven adaptations of a Seicho Matsumoto novel by director Yoahitaro Yomura. This one was an unconventional thriller and somewhat difficult to watch. At the beginning of the story we see Kikuyo (Mayumi Ogawa) with three children in tow confront the father, Sokichi Takeshita (Ken Ogata) at his printing shop in Kawagoe, Saitama where he works side by side with his wife Oume (Shima Iwashita) for more financial support. She reveals that she is the mistress of Sokichi and that she and her children are starving. Oume is furious and questions the legitimacy of the chldren and refuses them any support. Kikuyo and the children bunker down for the night and at dawn's break she leaves without the children. Sokichi is unable to find her and is stuck with the three children and has to manage without Oume's help-she is contemptuous of the situation and treats the children badly. The poor treatment of the children is what makes the film difficult to watch. I don't want to spoil the film, but the suspense revolves around the fate of the children. Again this film features many locations in Tokyo that are recognizable today such as Tokyo station, Shinjuku, Tokyo Tower, and Ueno as well as other on location sites in Japan such as Fukui and the Noto peninsula on the Japan sea side of Honshu. All of the leads are exceptional and the child actors are equally convincing. It is another successful adaption for Yomura.

The Dain Curse

Dashiell Hammett's second novel featuring The Continental Op (Red Harvest), The Dain Curse (1929) is another great hard-boiled yarn. This story concerns a well drawn femme fatale-Miss Gabrielle Dain Leggett-a young, wealthy, morphine addict who is part of a religious cult. People have a habit of dying around her, hence the "Dain Curse." The events are packed so tight and happen so fast it's hard to follow the plot-there seems to be three major mysteries to be solved during the course of the novel as well. Hammett captures the seediness of late 20s California rife with fake religious cults out to swindle the gullible rich and morphine addicts and violent grifters around every corner. There's plenty of memorable character descriptions and snappy dialogue. As with Raymond Chandler, it seems as neither can do any wrong.

Minding The Gap

I had been hearing a lot of good things about Bing Liu's documentary Minding The Gap (2018) and when I realized that he was a cameraman for Steve James's (who was an executive producer for the film) excellent documentary series America to Me I decided it was time to see the film. It is an impressive debut-a deeply personal portrayal of the lives of Liu and his skateboarding buddies trying to navigate adolescence to adulthood. Zack is white, Keire is African-American, and Liu is Chinese-American, and the filmmaker is conscious of these cultural differences while parsing the heartbreaking similarities of these backgrounds. There is some great skateboarding archival footage, but the intimate look at his friend's (and his own) lives is what is at the heart of this film that analyzes the lack of economic opportunities and the cycle of violence in abusive relationships among the film maker and one of his best friends. it is a powerful and moving look at contemporary life in America.

Zero Focus

Yoshitaro Nomura has teamed up with noted screenwriter Shinobu Hashimoto (who has collaborated with Nomura on two other excellent noir films  The Stakeout and Castle of Sand) to adapt a novel by Seichi Mastumoto for the thriller Zero Focus (1961). The mystery originates when a young ad executive Kenichi (Koji Nanbara) marries Teiko (Yoshiko Kuga) and goes on a business trip to Kanazawa, Ishikawa on the rugged north Japan sea coast one week after the marriage. Kenichi doesn't return and Teiko travels to Kanazawa to search for him. While she is there she begins to uncover certain details about her husband that she was unaware of-his colleagues at the office do not know where he has been living, he used to be a police officer in Tachikawa near the American Airbase, and that he lied about where he was traveling to for business. Kenichi's brother Sotaro arrives and sends Teiko (the always reliable character actor Ko Nishimura) home to investigate on his own-soon he shows up dead as well. Teiko is unable to put the incidents behind her and eventually returns to Kanazawa a year later to solve the mystery. There's some great framing, cinematography and excellent location use of the rugged Ishikawa shoreline that was used to great effect in later films by the likes of Shohei Imamaura (Water Under a Red Bridge) and Hirokazu Kore-eda (Marbosi). It's another compelling thriller from Nomura.

Near Dark

Kathryn Biegelow's sophomore film Near Dark (1987) is something of an innovative vampire film. The film is set in the south and features an array of red necks, hicks, and cowboys getting killed by a ragtag band of vampires who roam the south raising hell. A random cowboy, Caleb (Adrian Pasadar) meets and is bitten by an attractive young vampire Mae (Jenny Wright) and gets caught up in the vampire gang.  The two scene stealers in the gang are the Confederate era leader Jesse (lLance Hendriksen) and vicious vampire Severen (Bil Paxton). It's a fun romp that had a impact on subsequent vampire films.