My Life

 The news is so routinely horrible - and my students are so overpoweringly disinterested - that even writing seems like fun by comparison. Actually, one of the things that is making the transition to retirement easier is how much I'm enjoying writing.

As my project is coming to an end, no matter what form, if any, that it takes, sometimes I sit back and think about all the work that I've done - and, more importantly, all that I've learned - and it's kind of staggering. And, really, that ziggurat of books is only a small part of the process, simply the primary texts that drove everything else. 

Movies in 2026 107

 

My Winnipeg, (Guy Maddin, 2007)

By way of preparation for July's CFL Trip of Excellence to Winnipeg/Saskatchewan, it's not surprising that I felt moved to watch Guy Maddin's beautiful/disturbing/funny/sad film, My Winnipeg. I'd heard about Guy Maddin for years, but for some reason I had never managed to watch any of his work. I'm definitely going to make up for that cultural/cinematic shortcoming. I saw My Winnipeg described as a "docu-fantasia," which, even though I've never seen the term before, seems to fit beautifully. It's a very personal reflection on growing up/getting away from/going back to Winnipeg. It's almost indescribable, but in a wonderful way. It also features Ann Savage (who we all remember from the definitive film noir Detour) as Maddin's mother. Essential viewing, and not simply for those attending a Blue Bombers game in July.

Movies in 2026 106

 

Hotel du Nord, (Marcel Carne, 1938)

Last year the Criterion Channel introduced a Poetic Realism collection, which introduced me to the work of Marcel Carne. Somehow I was completely unfamiliar with the work of Carne, which is pretty inexcusable since he's one of France's most famous and beloved directors. I ended up admitting to my friend Erik that Carne had become my favorite French director, which is a bit of an odd statement considering how many great directors were/are French (although I don't think it's just me being a contrarian). This morning I re-watched his 1938 film Hotel du Nord, which I think I liked even more than the first time. The film itself if often overlooked because it's falls in between two of his much more famous films, which I'll hold off discussing until the inevitable re-viewing of them. It focuses around a cast of characters who work at or frequent the fairly rundown Hotel du Nord. We're supposed to care about the star-crossed young lovers Renee (Annabella) and Pierre (Jean-Pierre Aumont) - they make a suicide pact which is based on Pierre shooting Renee in the heart and then killing himself - somehow he shoots her, it doesn't kill her, he runs away, and somehow they end up together at the end (it makes more sense in the movie). However, the film is completely stolen by Arletty, who plays the prostitute Raymonde, and her tortured relationship with her lover and procurer Edmond (Louis Jouvet). If you don't know the story of Arletty you should check it out. Beyond being a big star, she's also famous/infamous for having an affair with a German general during World War II in occupied Paris. After the war she was accused of treason, had her head shaved to be publicly humiliated, but then continued her acting career (it's the French, you know). As she brilliantly explained: "My heart may be French, but my ass is global." Recommended.

5

 Monday, day number six of the Great Countdown, started out fine but then ended in a discouraging fashion. Both of my COR 303 classes did a nice job on the morning's assignment. I gave them three anonymous accounts of the birth of Jesus, #1 (from Mathew), #2 (from Luke), and #3 (from Surah Mary in the Qur'an). It's one of my favorite mad Scudder assignments. It makes them address the notion of what constitutes a religious/sacred text, and what would be the challenges in treating it like a historical text. Later, my COR 204 section of Images of Fascism was depressing. We had a great section from Snyder's book, and then followed it up by watching Jafar Panahi's wonderful film The Circle. Half of the students were on their phones or laptops during the movies, not taking notes, but playing games. If a class dealing with Fascism tied to a class on Iran - at this specific moment in time - doesn't grab your attention, you really shouldn't be in college. It's hard to imagine that this generation is going to put up much of a fight as the US finally slides into a full blown authoritarian regime.

Thanks to Justin Rankin for loaning me his number 5 as part of the Great Countdown. He's quickly become one of my favorite CFL players, and not simply because I saw him play last year in Edmonton and that he became my go-to running back in my CFL fantasy team. Rankin was born in Oberlin, Ohio, and played college ball at Kent State and Northwest Missouri State. After going undrafted by an NFL team (the classic first stop on a CFL career), he played three years in the Indoor Football League (IFL), for the Bismarck Bucks, Frisco Fighters, and Bay Area Panthers (winning an IFL championship with the Panthers). After that he moved north and signed with the Edmonton Elks. After a slow start he hit his stride, rushing last year for 1013 yards and catching 56 passed for another 713 yards. I really need to get one of his jerseys.

Movies in 2026 105

 

The Circle, (Jafar Panahi, 2000)

As we enter the last three weeks of my Images of Fascism class we've passed out of the Czechoslovakian film unit (all late 1960's movies) and are entering the Iranian unit. I'm starting off with Jafar Panahi's brilliant 2000 film The Circle, which, happily, my officemate Erik loaned to me. I'm a huge Panahi fan, and I was positive that I had already seen The Circle. I did a preparatory watch last night, and obviously I hadn't seen it before - it's not a film that you would forget. I knew about it, which is why I decided to start our last section with it, but apparently I hadn't seen it. I cannot recommend it too highly. It's devastating, and even my students should be profoundly moved by it. The film focuses on a number of women trying, and failing, to survive the crushing patriarchal nature of the Iranian theocratic state. 

Movies in 2026 104

 

High Noon, (Fred Zinnemann, 1952)

I had not watched High Noon in several years, so the other day I was happy to see that it had popped up as a Criterion Channel option for April. I ended up streaming the first half of it on my phone Thursday night, and finished it on Friday morning. Obviously, I'd rather watch a movie on the big screen, but I sometimes end up watching movies that way on Thursday/Friday. I usually crash at Kevin's place after my night class, to avoid the long drive back, and also to set up Friday morning's BOE. After a long day, featuring the drive-in and three classes, I tend to crash pretty early (my legs are very demanding), and often start a film that night and finish it in the morning. Every time I watch High Noon I'm struck by what a cynical/realistic film it is. Apparently John Wayne thought that High Noon was one of the most un-American films he had ever seen, which probably actually makes me like it more. Actually, mainly I think that Wayne (and apparently Howard Hawkes) read the film the wrong way. It's our insistence on films that promote surface-level, almost innate patriotism, is one of the reasons why we're in the mess we're in now. It's like the talk I gave last year on the essential lie of American Exceptionalism. Similarly, I don't think that Michael Cimino's absolutely brilliant The Deer Hunter is an anti-American film. Rather, I think it's a film that deals with some bad things about America, but which in the process also say something good about America. In the end, everybody in the town, with the exception of his wife (Grace Kelley), abandoned Gary Cooper, but he did what he felt was the right thing, even though in the process he risked almost certain death. High Noon is definitely recommended.

6

 Another week has passed, and Thursday turned out to be a good day, mainly because all three of my classes were good that day. Teachers are simple people: if our classes are good, we're mainly happy. Even my 8:30 class was energetic and engaged, which hopefully had nothing to do with my having thrown them out halfway through Monday's class because they were neither energetic or engaged. The only problem with the week is that I learned that my goal of avoiding a retirement plan is failing - twice. There's a brief gettogether in Wick on my last class day - and apparently some off-campus soiree a couple weeks later (which my wife has been secretly involved in, which I guess shows that you can't trust anyone). I have separately thanked Janet - and Kevin - and Erik - (among the chief conspirators) for helping me to understand that it won't be the worst thing in the world that we have these parties. I will miss all my friends, which I understand, but apparently they're also going to miss me, which I guess I can't understand.

Thanks to Tyson Philpot for loaning me his #6 for the Countdown. Tyson is a National (meaning, Canadian) player for our hometown Montreal Alouettes (our closest CFL team, and thus we've seen more games there - it must be around twenty - and I've taken the most friends there, the official Alouettes friend total is nineteen). Tyson was born in Delta, British Columbia, before playing at the university of Calgary. His played for the Alouettes for four seasons, along the way winning a Grey Cup in 2023, and being named the Most Valuable Canadian in the game. I often chose him for my Canadian fantasy football team last year. Tyson has a twin brother, Jalen, who is seven minutes older, and who currently plays for the Calgary Stampeders.