Movies in 2026 214

 

Halloween II (Rick Rosenthal, 1981)

Janet's wonderful friend Erin paid us a visit, and, after the exchange of cryptozoological t-shirts (apparently she and I grew up together watching horror movies), and after a discussion of John Carpenter's original Halloween, we ended up watching Rick Rosenthal's dreadful Halloween II. This is the film that was taken away from John Carpenter (even though he had directed Halloween, arguably the most successful independent movie of all time) because they wanted more gore; the world had changed in between Halloween and Halloween II, but Carpenter remained true to his never compromise approach, and so the studio yanked the film from him. The result is just dreck, although, it you're going to be a Halloween completist (you have to do something to fill up the lonely hours living in your mom's basement, I guess you could watch it). 

Movies in 2026 213

 

The Lonely Passion of Judith Hearn (Jack Clayton, 1987)

The other night we decided to watch The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie, which Janet had just finished reading the novel but had never seen the film. And then we discovered that it wasn't available for streaming, which says something very bad about our idiot nation. Seriously, what's wrong with us.  I know we're now living in the post-literate age, and we're being led to ruin by the never-literate president, but can't we at least pretend to be an intelligent nation? So, instead, we tracked down another Maggie Smith film, The Lonely Passion of Judith Hearn, which was also quite good. Very dark, and I especially liked the ending. Recommended.

Paris of the Prairie

 One of the great moments on our recent Manitoba/Saskatchewan CFL Trip of Excellence, was stopping by Montmartre, Saskatchewan. I'm famous/infamous for, in the days leading up to a trip, doing research on "odd things to do in _______", which led us to the Eifel Tower replica in the small, dusty town of Montmartre.  When we turned of the Trans-Canada Highway and Kevin's GPS told him that we would go straight for ten miles on a dirt road before turning onto another dirt road, he said, somewhat seriously, "are you sure you want to do this?" I replied, "Are you asking me?" As all of my travelling companions know, my answer is always a definitive yes. Years and years ago, when I was travelling with my friend Michelle for Champlain, we'd always joke that I should wear a WWMD (What Would Michelle Do?) bracelet and she should wear a WWGD (What Would Gary Do?) bracelet for guidance on ours trips. The joke being that they were both useless, since Michelle would naturally do nothing and would definitely sign off on anything. Anyway, we travelled on and found the Eifel Tower, which was a wonderful side trip. I wish that more had been open in town, because I would have loved to explore a bit and show Montmartre some love, both emotional and financial. I'll stop by again on my next trip to Saskatchewan.

Here's a view of the Eifel Tower, with Kevin and the sleepy town of Montmartre in the background.

And here's the backstory. The short version of the story is that over a century ago a group of folks from the suburbs of Paris decided to try and their lot in the new world (one wonders what was happening in the suburbs of Paris in the 1890s that made the unknown plains of Saskatchewan seem like a much better option). A century later, the town still had a clear sense of their French roots, and decided to raise the money to put up a replica of the Eifel Tower. They are/were very coureagous and plucky folks.

Movies in 2026 212

 

Take Me In Your Arms (Julio Bracho, 1954)

The Manitoba/Saskatchewan Doubleheader of Excellence provided, well, much excellence, but it also threw off my movie-watching schedule. I was able to watch another Ninon Sevilla classic, Julio Bracho's 1954 Take Me In Your Arms. Like other Rumberas films, it's a fascinating mixture of film noir, social criticism, eroticism, and big dance numbers (all orchestrated by Ninon Sevilla). You'll never watch a Bumberas movie and regret the decision, and this is no exception. Recommended.

Taco In A Bag

 Yesterday we made it back from the Manitoba/Saskatchewan CFL Doubleheader of Excellence. So, expect to see several posts detailing this DOE. I'll start with a quick post: the long-awaited Taco in a Bag. We came across this delicacy last year at the Calgary Stampeders game, but that was the day when, although it was June, the game was so cold - pouring rain, forty mph wind, temperature of 40F - that all the exterior food shops were closed almost immediately because of the cold. So, between seeing the Taco in a Bag on the way in - and halftime, when we stumbled up to the concourse to regain feeling in our hands - the TIAB shop closed down (and I don't blame them, because it was bitter and the folks didn't need to sit there freezing to death). In the meantime, however, the Taco in a Bag had reached mythic proportions in our popular imagination, so much so that when we researched new stadiums the first thing we would do is try to locate stands that sold the TIAB. Thankfully, the Winnipeg Blue Bombers delivered on this delicacy.

It's sort of like a Frito Pie, if you're fortunate enough to get that reference. 

 

Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame

 Tomorrow we're taking off for another Canadian adventure (Blue Bombers/Roughriders doubleheader with my friends Kevin and Cyndi), and I still haven't finished posting stories from the last Canadian adventure (Hamilton trip with my cousin Nick). In between writing (fitfully), trying to organize the house, planning the move (we do now have an apartment), and working through retirement stuff (as I opined to a friend, I think retirement will be relaxing, but retiring is stressful). Anyway, let me get down some thoughts and upload a few pictures from out lovely stop at the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame. On a drive across Canada years ago, my friend Kevin and I spotted a sign for the Hall, and I promised myself that I'd get back there. Well, it took too many years, but I decided to take advantage of the Hamilton trip to keep that promise to myself (it was facilitated by the fact that I was driving west from Hamilton to drop down into Michigan. Getting to St. Marys, Ontario was a bit of a challenge, although part of that was caused by some traffic work. The traffic wench took me all over the place as I drove through some lovely Canadian farmland (it felt like I had dumped off the interstate in Ohio and was trying to find the original Bob Evans farm), but I really liked the drive. I highly recommend visiting the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame, and might try to overcome the logistical nightmare of making it back for Joey Votto's celebration when he makes it.

It's a non-descript little building tucked away in St. Marys, but it holds a treasure trove of goodies.

I knew they would celebrate Jackie Robinson, as he played for Montreal before being called up to the major leagues. It was a moving tribute, and his comments about being treated like a man (and not as a "colored man") echoed Miles Davis's reflection on spending time in Paris, far away from an intensely racist America.

There was, happily, a real recognition of First Nation players.

I didn't expect to find Sparky Anderson, the manager of the Big Red Machine of the 1970s enshrined, but he played and managed in Canada.

I knew there would be a celebration of Joey Votto, and it's just a matter of time before he's enshrined in the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame (and almost certainly at Cooperstown as well).

The cap from Votto's three homer game (which tied the record for most homers in a game by a Canadian player).

And, finally, St., Marys is a lovely little town. Nick and I stopped by a nice little place for a great lunch. I'd definitely like to return in the future.

Movies in 2026 211

 

The Searchers (John Ford, 1956)

I don't know what I could possibly say about John Ford's 1956 classic The Searchers which hasn't already been said. To me it's one of the greatest films ever made, and undeniably one of the top five American films (as in, made in the US, but also relating to the American experience) - and clearly the greatest Western ever made. Today it routinely makes film critics' lists for greatest film. That said, when it came out it didn't receive even one Academy Award nomination, not one, in any category. Even today, the average film fan hasn't seen it. Inexplicable. It's not simply the beautiful scenery, exquisite photography, and the best John Wayne performance, but it's also a brilliant condemnation of American racism. I suppose there will be a time when I am tired of watching The Searchers, but, as John Wayne's Ethan would opine, "That'll be the day." Essential, required viewing.

Mothmen

 Just posting another picture from yesterday's get-together. It was wonderful to see Garrett while he's in town, and, as always, spending time with my son is everything to me.

My family has produced some handsome men, except for that guy in the middle, who is pretty hideous.

Movies in 2026 210

 

One Man Up (Paolo Sorrentino, 2001)

When I think of the directors alive today who are still working away, and who I absolutely love, there are several folks who immediately jump to mind: Jia Zhangke, Joachim Trier, Dag Johan Haugerud, Hlynur Palmason, Hal Hartley, etc. Having said that, my choice for my own personal favorite might be Paolo Sorrentino. I've written about his exquisite The Great Beauty, which would be on my very short list for greatest films of this millennium, but I also really liked The Consequences of Love and The Hand of God. Last night I re-watched his first film, One Man Up, and it's a film that I absolutely love. It stars his frequent collaborator, Toni Servillo (as Antonio "Tony" Pisapis) and Andrea Renzi (as Antonio Pisapis). Yes, they share the same name, and essentially the same destiny: two once famous figures - Servillo as a singer and Renzi as a soccer player - who suffer a face from grace, and something like a redemption, although a redemption through a Sorrentino lens. It's funny and sad and profound, and chock full of those oddities you'd expect to find in a Sorrentino filo (Servillo's fascination with cooking fish, including the wonderful final scene). Toni Servillo is, as always, extraordinary, and he probably is the greatest actor working today. Essential.

Mothies

 Just as Taylor Swift has her Swifties, Mothman has his Mothies. My nephew Garrett swung by the state on a visit, and he and my son popped out to the cabin (and lunch at the Maple Corners Store), As it turns out, they all wore wearing Mothman shirts.

I wonder who these three individuals might know in common?

Movies in 2026 209

 

Victims of Sin (Emilio Fernandez, 1951)

And now I've gone down the Rumberas films rabbit hole, having just finished Emilio Fernandez's 1951 Victims of Sin. This one once again starred Ninon Sevilla as Violeta, who is once again treated roughly by men and society. although she's a much kinder character than she was in Aventurera. Tito Junco also stars, although he's a much more noble character (Santriago) than he played in the previous film. The true villain is Rodolfo (played by Rodolfo Acosta), who is utterly wicked, including pimping a lot of women, telling one woman to dump their baby in a trash can (Violete finds it and adopts him), beating Violeta up, and killing Santiago. In the end, Violeta gets her revenge by jumping in through a window a blowing Rodolfo away. This one features crime, prostitution, prison, domestic abuse, slapping children around, murder, etc. - thank God for the dance numbers to save the day. It's also beautifully filmed, it sort of looks like one of those Marcel Carne poetic realism films. It's amazing to think of how real/lurid these films are, as compared to how vanilla American films would have been in 1950 (even the hardest edge 1950 American film noir would seem vanilla by comparison). I think this was a much better film than Aventurera, and it's definitely recommended.

Movies in 2026 208

 

The Silence of the Lambs (Jonathan Demme, 1991)

Last night we watched Jonathan Demme's The Silence of the Lambs, which I always somehow forget is truly a great film. It's easy to focus on the horror, and overlook the fact that it's beautifully structured and acted. I don't know why this always surprises me, considering that it is one of our only three films to sweep the top five awards at the Oscars (along with It Happened One Night and One Flew Over the Cuckoos's Nest). I also think that Demme never even remotely came close to making another film that was this good, although this may fall into the same category as critiquing Jason Isbell for not producing an album as good as the peerless Southeastern; essentially, it leaves a lot of room for a movie/album to be really good, but not come anywhere close to their best work. Highly recommended.

Movies in 2026 207

 

Aventurera (Alberto Gout, 1950)

Yesterday I was introduced to a new little corner of the cinema universe that I didn't know existed: the Rumberas film genre. Once again, thank you to the Criterion Channel. The Rumberas have joined Japanese film noir, Czech New Wave, etc. - it's just too bad that it happened too late for me to create class based on it. I watched Alberto Gout's Aventurera, which was a joyous mess of a film. The Rumberas films are a crazy mashup of film noir, extreme melodrama, and a Busby Berkley musical, all while somehow casting a light on the disenfranchised of society. The lead character is usually a woman who has been done wrong by society or evil men, and how she gains revenge or redemption, while including fix or six high energy Afro-Caribbean dance numbers. Amazing. Aventurera starred Ninon Sevilla, the star of the Rumberas films (she usually also choreographed her own dance numbers), as Elena Tejero, a good girl who survives her mother's infidelity, her father's suicide. life on the streets, an extremely evil step-mother (Andrew Palma) and thug (the great Tito Junco, playing El Guapo) who is blackmailing her, etc., to marry a respectable lawyer, who she tries to destroy as part of her revenge plan - and yet it somehow has a happy ending (except for the devoted Rengo, played by Miguel Inclan). The power of dance (it's all sort of a much better Bollywood film). It also legendary singers Pedro Vargas and Ana Maria Gonzalez as themselves.  Definitely recommended.

Movies in 2026 206

 

Ghost World (Terry Zwigoff, 2001)

As much as I didn't like Terry Zwigoff's Art School Confidential, it was more than made up for by being able to re-watch his 2001 black comedy Ghost World. Thora Birch (as Enid), Steve Buscemi (as Seymour), Scarlett Johansson (as Rebecca), and Illeana Douglas (as Roberta) are all wonderful in this tale of alienated youths (and not so young people) existing on the fringes of an overly consumerist society. I was once again taken by the ending, when Enid gets on an out of service bus and heads out of town, which has always sparked controversy: Zwigoff proposed that it was a hopeful ending, as it symbolized transition, but many others, maybe most notably Birch, viewed it as very dark, with it symbolizing Enid's death of suicide. Throughout the film, Enid had talked to Norman, an old man who sat on the same bench, waiting for a bus - and he would never listen to Enid when she tells him that the line doesn't run anymore. Later, she sees him get on the bus, and it's difficult to not view it as symbolizing death, although maybe it's better to think of it as symbolizing release. For some reason, although I understand the suicide interpretation (and I may actually share it on some level), I still can't view the ending as depressing. Anyway, I love films which don't mind leaving you hanging and not simply tying things together in a clean, audience-friendly ending. Highly recommended.

Movies in 2026 205

 

Magnet of Doom (Jean-Pierre Melville, 1963)

I'm continuing my Jean-Pierre Melville exploration, and last night I watched his 1963 film Magnet of Doom. While I didn't like it as much as some of his other films, I still liked it a fair bit. Jean-Paul Belmondo stars as Michel Maudet, an ex-boxer and paratrooper, who wanders into the criminal world, and becomes a personal secretary of Dieudonne Fercahaus (who I mainly remember from Clouzot's The Wages of Fear), a corrupt banker on the run. They end up in the US, driving across country, and eventually hiding out in the deep South near New Orleans. It ends up as a commentary, from a French sensibility, of the mystery that is America. It was odd to see Stefania Sandrelli (who I always associate with Antonio Pietrangeli's great I Knew Her Well) in a very small, but key, role as a hitchhiker. Michele Mercier (who I think I first saw in Mario Bava's Black Sabbath) plays a dancer in New Orleans. Recommended.

The Cross is Bending

 I was at the gym yesterday, working out and looking at the lineup of monitors, all celebrating the country's 250th anniversary with the traditional orgy of militarism, consumerism, and mindless surface-level patriotism, and I was reminded of Eugene V. Debs's statement in court in response to being convicted of violating the Sedition Act for giving speeches against America's participation in World War I. It made me think of my long-standing belief that Debs is the greatest Hoosier (by far), and that in saying that I have never gone far enough: in fact, Debs may have been the last great American.

"Your Honor, years ago I recognized my kinship with all living beings, and I made up my mind that I was not one bit better than the meanest on earth. I said then, and I say now, that while there is a lower class, I am in it, and while there is a criminal element I am of it, and while there is a soul in prison, I am not free.

I listened to all that was said in this court in support and justification of this prosecution, but my mind remains unchanged. I look up the Espionage Law as a despotic enactment in flagrant conflict with democratic principles and with the spirit of free institutions . . .

You Honor, I have stated in this court that I am opposed to the social system in which we live; that I believe in a fundamental change - but if possible by peaceable and orderly means . . .

Standing here this morning, I recall my boyhood. At fourteen I went to work in a railroad shop; at sixteen I was firing a freight engine on a railroad.. I remember all the hardships and privations of that earlier day, and from that time until now my heart has been with the working class. I could have been in Congress long ago. I have preferred to go to prison . . .

I am thinking this morning of the men in the mills and the factories; of the men in the mines and on the railroads. I am thinking of the women who for a paltry wage are compelled to work out their barren lives; of the little children who in this system are robbed of their childhood and in their tender years are seized in the remorseless grasp of Mammon and forced into the industrial dungeons, there to feed the monster machines while they themselves are being starved and stunted, body and soul. I see them dwarfed and diseased and their little lives broken and blasted because in this high noon of Christian civilization money is still so much more important than the flesh and blood of childhood. In very truth gold is god today and rules with pitiless sway in the affairs of men.

In this country - the most favored beneath the bending skies - we have vast areas of the richest and most fertile soil, material resources in inexhaustible abundance, the most marvelous productive machinery on earth, and millions of eager workers ready to apply their labor to that machinery to produce in abundance for every man, woman, and  child - and if there are still vast numbers of our people who are the victims of poverty and whose lives are an unceasing struggle all the way from youth to old age, until at last death comes to their rescue and lulls these hapless victims to dreamless sleep, it is not the vault of the Almighty; it cannot be charged to nature, but it is due entirely to the outgrown social system in which we live that  ought to be abolish not only in the interest of the toiling masses but in the higher interest of all humanity . . . 

I believe, Your Honor, in common with all Socialists, that this nation ought to own and control its own industries. I believe, as all Socialists do, that all things that are jointly needed and used ought to be jointly owned - that industry, the basis of our social life, instead of being the private property of a few and operated for their enrichment, ought to be the common property of all, democratically administered in the interest of all . . .

I am opposing a social order in which it is possible for on e man who does absolutely nothing that is useful to mass a fortune of hundreds of millions of dollars, while millions of men and women who work all the days of their lives barely secure enough for a wretched existence.

This order of things cannot always endure. I have registered my protest against it. I recognize the feebleness of my effort, but, fortunately, I am not alone. There are multiplied thousands of others who, like myself, have come to realize that before we may truly enjoy the blessings of civilized life, we must reorganize society upon a mutual and cooperative basis; and to this end we have organized a great economic and political movement that spreads over the face of all the earth. 

There are today upwards of sixty millions of Socialists, loyal, devoted adherents in this cause, regardless of nationality, race, creed, color, or sex. They are all making common cause. They are spreading with tireless energy the propaganda of the new social order. They are waiting, watching, and working hopefully through all the hours of the day and the night. They are still in a minority. But they have learned how to be patient and to bide their time. They feel - they know, indeed - that the time is coming, in spite of all opposition, all persecution, when this emancipating gospel will spread among all the peoples, and when this minority will become the triumphant majority and, sweeping into power, inaugurate the greatest social and economic change in history. 

In that day we shall have the universal commonwealth - the harmonious cooperation of every nation with every other nation on earth . . .

Your Honor, I ask no mercy and I plead for no immunity. I realize that finally the right must prevail. I never so clearly comprehended as now the great struggle between the powers of greed and exploitation on the one hand and upon the other the rising hosts of industrial freedom and social justice. 

I can see the dawn of the better day for humanity. The people are awakening. In due time they will and must come to their own.

When the mariner, sailing over tropic seas, looks for relief from his weary watch, he turns his eyes toward the southern cross, burning luridly above the tempest-vexed ocean. As the midnight approaches, the southern cross begins to bend, the whirling worlds change their places, and with starry finger-points the Almighty marks the passage of time up-on the dial of the universe, and through no bell may beat the glad tidings, the lookout knows that the midnight is passing and that relief and rest are close at hand. Let the people everywhere take heart of hope, for the cross is bending, the midnight is passing, and joy cometh with the morning."

Eugene V. Debs (18 September, 1918)

Movies in 2026 204

 

Art School Confidential (Terry Zwigoff, 2006)

I finished a film this morning which I categorically didn't like, although the component parts seemed to be there to add up to something meaningful, or at least watchable: Terry Zwigoff's 2006 Art School Confidential. I remember liking his Ghost World, although it's also in my Criterion Channel queue for a rewatch. However, Art School Confidential is a complete misfire. John Malkovich, Angelica Huston, and Jim Broadbent are completely wasted in poorly constructed small roles - to match Max Minghella and Sophia Myles being completely wasted in poorly constructed leading roles. The only interesting part of the film for me was going down a rabbit role and discovering that Matt Keeslar, who I remembered from Whit Stillman's Last Days of Disco, and who played an oddly parallel role in this film, eventually gave up acting because of the financial insecurity caused by a paucity of roles and became a certified physician assistant. That's an inspiring story, as compared to the depressing dreck of this movie.

Movies in 2026 203

 

Widow's Bay (Hiro Murai, 2025)

Every year there's one or two more "must see" cable series, and this year one of them seems to be Widow's Bay. Beyond WIFI, which allows me to stream the invaluable Criterion Channel, we don't really have any channels, other than Prime, which is both impossible to avoid and also completely pathetic (in that it's now merely a clearing house for other streaming channels). However, Janet was trapped into getting Apple TV so that she could watch F1. Because we already had it we decided to give Widow's Bay a try. It's pretty mindless, although in an inoffensive way, with the most interesting thing being trying to determine who they are ripping off most dramatically: Kolchak: the Night Stalker or The Fog or Storm of the Century or maybe even Green Acres. 

The Crew

 On Monday Janet and I were able to meet Gary and Ali downtown for dinner and a treat, which is always a blessing. Once the kids moved to Montpelier it became possible to see them quite a bit, and, which every parent of adult kids tells you, it's such a gift. It was a lovely moment. Sadly, Montpelier has not truly recovered from the flood, so what was once a very vibrant downtown buzz is pretty quiet, especially since one of our foundation haunts, the Langdon Street Tavern, shut down.

After grabbing dinner at Three Penny we were thinking of dessert, and Gary told us about a gelato place around the corner. It allowed us to have a little proto-European moment, pre-move. They were supposed to be whimsically thinking about the future, but Janet broke characters.