January 1999
-
Film d'amore e d'anarchia (Love and Anarchy) (Italia 1973; Dir: Lina Wertmuller) ***
Giancarlo Giannini plays Tunin (a nickname for Antonio), a simple Italian peasant with perpetual "Kramer hair"
who comes to 1930s Rome as part of a plot to assassinate dictator Benito Mussolini.
His city contact is "Salome" (Mariangela Melato), a worker in a high-class bordello
whose involvement in the anarchist movement and the sex trade began when her fiance
was killed by the fascists. Love gets in the way of anarchy when Tunin falls for
"Tripolina" (Lina Polita), a young woman from the bordello. The supporting cast is
full of interesting characters, like the bordello madames and the fascist commandant.
The question is asked: "What would happen if women did not allow their loved ones to
fight wars?"
(30 January 99)
- Obon no koto (About Obon) joins the
Japan Ring today!
Last week it became the most popular section of this website, surpassing the
Canada Sumo Basho photo essay!
(24 January 99)
-
Konna yume o mita (Dreams)(Japan/USA 1990; Dir:
Akira Kurosawa) ***
[
STILLS]
Eight short stories dealing with man's relationship to nature, based on the dreams
of the late master director of Japanese cinema:
- Sunshine Through the Rain: When rain falls on a sunny day, it is a signal that
the kitsune (foxes) are having a wedding and want humans to stay away. "I" as a young boy
disobeys his mother (Mitsuko Baisho)
and eavesdrops on the foxes' wedding procession.
- The Peach Orchard: On
Hina Matsuri (Doll Festival) day
a ghostly girl lures the young "I" to the site of a peach orchard that was chopped down
by "I"'s family. There the spirits of the dolls express their displeasure, but relent
to give "I" one last look at the peach blossoms that will be no more.
- The Blizzard: The adult "I" (Akira Terao) is part of a mountain climbing team that
gets caught in a blizzard. The Snow Fairy (Mieko Harada) tries to lull them to sleep and death.
- The Tunnel: "I" is an officer of the Imperial Army returning from World War II.
He encounters a tunnel that is a portal to the afterworld, from which emerge the many
who died under his command.
- Crows: While viewing a Vincent Van Gogh exhibit, "I" gets transported into the paintings,
where he follows the artist (Martin Scorsese) as he literally transforms nature into his own vision.
- Mt. Fuji in Red: Meltdowns at nuclear plants around Mt. Fuji cause mass hysteria.
To escape clouds of radioactive gas, color-coded for their different isotopes, people jump
into the ocean.
- The Weeping Demon: In a post-nuclear hell, "I" meets an oni (demon) who
once was a farmer who ploughed his crops under to keep prices high. As punishment, he must
continue living, with a painful horn coming out of his head.
- Village of the Watermills: A 103-year-old man (Chishu Ryu)
tells "I" that the people of his utopian village live in balance with nature
and are content because they don't ask for much. Funerals are happy occasions because
the villagers have led long and productive lives.
Kurosawa succeeds in capturing a dream-like feeling. The film's cautionary message
is one also voiced by Canadian environmentalist
David Suzuki.
(22 January 99)
-
Hurlyburly (USA 1998; Dir: Anthony Drazen) **1/2
After the warm, fuzzy, mutually supportive women's world of One Sings, The Other Doesn't,
this visit to the male shark tank was quite a contrast.
Eddie (Sean Penn) is a Hollywood casting director given to
television channel surfing and loose-themed, cocaine-addled rants.
Mickey is his cool and manipulative business partner and housemate
(another great performance by Kevin Spacey).
Phil (Chazz Palminteri) is a short-tempered, wannabe actor, whose solution to most
problems involves his fists.
Gary Shandling has the smallest role, but his Artie is the one
with the most insight in this unlikeable lot.
These four spend a lot of free time together, but can they really be called friends?
The core of the story is Eddie's growing realization that he exists in a moral cesspool.
Hurlyburly was originally a 1984 play by David Rabe, so the emphasis is on
biting, rapidfire dialogue.
The adaptation to film allows director Drazen to use some interesting sequences, such as
Eddie's cellular phone/in-person harangues and his through-the-glass-table conversation with
the others.
(18 January 99)
- It's
Martin Luther King Jr. Day! This is a bonus holiday I would not have had in Canada.
There's a new Thang in Dr. Dave's Museum.
(18 January 99)
-
One Sings, The Other Doesn't (France 1977; Dir:
Agnes Varda) 0 ("Blkfspthtttt!")
Ah, the Seventies -- hiphugging bellbottom jeans and platform shoes!
The story of two young women and the early days of the Women's Choice movement in France.
One roves about with a minstrel collective and, as the title suggests, sings.
The songs about Women's Lib are so hokey and childish, one wonders how they can make
a living (government grants?). The other, a single mother with two children from a youthful
liaison with a married photographer, runs a planned parenthood clinic in the south of France.
The plot takes a brief travelogue turn when the singer leaves France to marry her Iranian boyfriend.
A lot happens as we follow these sisters doin' it for themselves, but the treatment is
so superficial (possibly because it covers 15 years of their lives) that we aren't really
made to care.
(16 January 99)
-
Unmade Beds (GB/USA 1997; Dir: Nicholas Barker) *****
A chronicle of nine months in the lives of four New York-area singles braving the world
of the personal ads: Brenda is a brassy middle-aged divorced single mother seeking
"an arrangement" with a rich man to help balance her bank book, so that (among other things)
her dog Toto can get a tumour removed from his ear. Michael is the intense and increasingly
frustrated only son of Italian immigrants.
Nearing age 40, he sees his 5'4" height as his main barrier to starting a relationship.
Aimee is a pleasant 28-year-old who tends to attract fetishists because of her significant
plumpness ("I got dumped by a submissive!"). Mikey is a creepy lifelong bachelor,
who uses Internet personals but is otherwise stuck in the Swinging Seventies,
along with the decor of his apartment ("My cave"). He lies about his job and takes his beeper
to every date ... just in case he has to bail.
Time goes by and the tumour on poor Toto's ear gets bigger. Michael gamely tries
all the usual things: new ads in different newspapers, clubs, volunteer work, dating consultants.
Aimee learns that her potential sperm donor has agreed to provide the service to someone else.
Mikey gets a rude awakening when he receives a senior citizen's discount at a bar.
New York City looks beautiful through the changing seasons.
The desperation is all so sad, yet so funny that one thinks the plot is scripted and played
by actors. In fact, these are real people portraying themselves going through events that actually happened
to them! People in healthy relationships should be very grateful.
(14 January 99)
- The Anatomic Pathology Page
gets a new look today: Frames and less scrolling -- the old single page was getting unwieldy.
Let me know if you like it!
(12 January 99)
- Bigger is (Sometimes) Better
Online bookseller Amazon.com's
Japanese Canadian and
Japanese American sections are lists of fiction, non-fiction and children's books that
is comprehensive, but more importantly interactive -- browsers can leave their reviews
and ratings of books they have read. There is even an option for authors and publishers
to provide background information on their works/wares.
This is just the sort of thing
I was trying to achieve a couple of years ago with the
"Books" section
of the Toronto NAJC website, but couldn't because of my deficient technical know-how,
a lack of conceptual buy-in by the vendors, and a less-than-critical mass of online users.
I hate to admit it, but sometimes corporate clout helps to get things done.
(Their prices are the best as well.)
(10 January 99)
- There's an update at the
Nikkei Nexus
(09 January 99)
- Winter Term classes started today in the
Master's Program in Medical Informatics at
Oregon Health Sciences University.
The courses I am taking are:
(05 January 99)
-
La Vita e Bella (Life is Beautiful) (Italia 1998; Dir: Roberto Benigni) *****
A poignant, bittersweet story of Guido, an Italian Jew (Roberto Benigni)
who tries to shelter his young son Giosue from the brutal realities of a World War II
concentration camp by pretending it is all a game.
It was a full (and, by the end of the film, sniffling) house, as this was a Monday.
At Regal Cinemas, Monday Madness
means a $3.75 adult admission for first run movies.
(04 January 99)
- Not much was happening at the
Oregon Japanese Gardens
this crisp, clear afternoon. The koi (carp) were near-motionless in the pond,
and the occasional tsubaki (camelia) bud was blooming. The Garden has Portland's
best view of Mount Hood (the Mt. Fuji of Oregon), year round.
After waiting outside at the Garden to see the setting sun paint snowcovered Mt. Hood orange and pink,
we went for supper to India House (1038 SW Morrison St., Portland OR, 503-274-1017)
to warm up with some curry. The service was friendly and attentive at this always-busy restaurant
(go early or make reservations). The food was so-so. In past years, I might have been more
generous with my praise, for the flavours were good. But this meal made me realize the large amount
of oil that is used in Indian cooking. By the end, all I could think about and taste was the grease!
(03 January 99)
- I had hoped to catch some good downhill skiing at
Mt. Hood Meadows.
A late start meant a $31 half-day pass (full-day $39), but this proved to be ideal,
as the windblown, icy remains of the pre-Xmas snowfall needed a morning of sun to soften up and become skiable.
There was a large crowd on the hill on this sunny day, but with 2,150 acres of terrain and
2,777 feet of vertical (top at 7,300 feet), one rarely encountered major lineups.
The masses weren't noticeable until the end of the day, when the visitors to Mt. Hood's three
ski resorts (Mt. Hood Meadows, Timberline and Mt. Hood Skibowl) headed home on
the only road down the mountain. Tired of crawling along bumper-to-bumper, we pulled off the road
about halfway and visited the Mt. Hood Inn,
home of the Mt. Hood Brewing Company and Brew Pub
(87450 E. Gov't Camp Loop, Gov't Camp OR, 503-272-3205). This proved to be a great
decision, as the Pub had fine brews (Ice Axe India Pale Ale in particular), delicious food
(black bean dip, beef tenderloin, pork chops), good looking logo-ed merch and friendly service.
By the time we got back on the road, the traffic had dissipated.
(02 January 99)
-
Moose Jaw Warriors 4 - Portland Winter Hawks 0
I sang O Canada for the first time in a while at this New Year's Day
Western Hockey League contest. Winter Hawk coach (and former Vancouver Canucklehead)
Harold Snepsts' charges were seriously outmatched in every department,
as the boys from Saskatchewan put on a clinic on skating, playmaking, hustle and toughness.
To be fair, the Hawks were missing their top two defencemen, who were in Winnipeg MB
playing in the World Junior Championship Tournament. The 6,800 fans seemed to appreciate
the fights and bodychecks the most, even the dangerous and still too frequent "hitting from behind".
With the NBA player strike keeping the Portland Blazers out of action so far this winter, junior hockey
is about all that is going on at the Rose Garden arena, a nice, modern (though smallish)
facility with amenities such as televisions tuned to sports channels in the mezzanine area.
(01 January 99)
- Akemashite Omedetou Gozaimasu! Happy Year of the Rabbit!
I celebrated a Nikkei Oshogatsu in Portland with some visiting Japanese Canadians from
Vancouver and Toronto:
- On New Year's Eve my apartment got a thorough cleaning for the first time since I moved in!
Luckily, I have only been here for four months, so there wasn't that much to do.
- It took telephone calls to three Japanese restaurants to find someone who even knew
what toshi-koshi soba ("year crossing" buckwheat noodle soup) was.
Luckily Koji Osakaya (606 SW Broadway, Portland OR 503-294-1169) had delicious
soba on their menu and was also open late on New Year's Eve (til 9 p.m., close enough
to the traditional midnight serving time). The long noodles symbolize long life and bridge the
crossing to the new year.
- We gave a nod to Western tradition by stopping in at a hotel New Year's Eve party
for dancing and a midnight champagne toast with silly hats and noisemakers. The DJ didn't
have a copy of Auld Lang Syne to play, though. (Anyway, in Japan that song is played at
school graduation ceremonies.) For Joya-no-kane (the Buddhist New Year's bell-ringing
ceremony) we could have gone to the local Buddhist temple in Southeast Portland, or
the giant kane (temple bell) outside the Portland Convention Center in Northeast Portland,
but I didn't feel like driving after the champers. In Japan, some people try to see
the first sunrise of the year, but in cloudbound Portland, what would be the point?
- On New Year's Day we had osechi ryori, a special Oshogatsu meal.
This was a huge partitioned box/tray with many symbolic foods, like kuromame (sweet black beans).
In Japan, someone who is hard-working and industrious is called "mame", which sounds
the same as the word for "bean". Our osechi ryori was prepared by
the deli counter at Uwajimaya for only $25
(one tray fed two people, even when I was one of them).
- The first meal of the year also includes ozoni, a soup with omochi
and other ingredients that vary from region to region in Japan.
For Tokyo people it is soy sauce broth, spinach and omochi.
Portland's free weekly newspaper Willamette Week on
the subject of omochi:
The Asian financial crisis isn't the only thing that Japanese folks have to worry about
as the new year rolls around. They're also in danger of choking to death on mochi,
a culinary treat (or threat) included in the first meal of the year. Mochi is
made by boiling glutinous rice and then pounding it into a paste that is surely the
stickiest organic substance on earth. ... It would undoubtedly make a good patching
compound or non-toxic glue ...
Apparently it's true -- in Japan, every Oshogatsu a few people (usually senior citizens)
die from trying swallow the sticky, chewy white stuff!
New Year in Japan: Return to Tradition
(01 January 99)
[Back to TOP]
|