Big HI to everyone.
We had a little extra time yesterday afternoon and decided it was a perfect time to explore the city center. We enjoyed the uncrowded streets, alleyways and squares along the way. We thought you might like to join us for just a few moments.
Enjoy! J&J
Hi all!
It has been an interesting 36 hours. We spent our last day in Florence with a day trip to Fiesole, a hilltop suburb overlooking Florence reachable by the #7 bus and a 20 minute ride.
We left Florence late morning on our second fast train of the trip. They are amazing! 140/150 mph, quiet and smooth.
We arrived in Padua by early afternoon. We are here only one night leaving mid morning tomorrow for Venice to begin our 10 day cruise along the Adriatic, Sicily, Malta and up Italy’s West coast back to Rome.
It has been years since our last visit to Padua, famous for it Basilica of Saint Anthony.
Good day to all!
Yesterday was a rare travel event for us because we signed up for a day trip…along with 54 other day trippers!! Yes, all in the same bus!
The good news is overall it was a good group, with a good guide and driver. The bad news is we were near exhaustion after 10-1/2 hours.
Hence…no Post yesterday!
Here is our recap on the days events!
First stop Monteriggioni, a traditional hill top town in the Chianti Region.
Today the town has shops, restaurants and tourist facilities.
Our second stop was Siena. Our first visit to this city was over 30 years ago! It hasn’t changed much except the tourist hoards and congestion nowadays are inescapable. Most visitors arrive by bus and must walk over a mile before entering the historic center. This stop included a three course lunch!
Our third stop was Lornano Winery in the town by the same name. Our visit included three tastings, a rose and two excellent Chiantis. They were delicious.
Our last stop was San Gimignano famed for its remaining 14 soaring towers dating from the 1300s. Today it draws tourists for its past and present unique features.
It was a great day of exploring in Florence again today. The weather has cooled a bit and crowds seemed lighter. It was a 4 mile walk.
This morning we wandered to the Oltrarno neighborhood, the South of the Arno neighborhood. It’s less touristic, with lots of local uncrowded restaurants and feels more authentic than the tourist areas.
A visit to the south side of the river is not complete without a stroll along the Arno River.
Tomorrow we scheduled a full day tour to Siena, San Gimignano, Monteriggioni and Chianti. We rarely book such events. It seems a good way for us to see a lot given our limited time in this area.
Our big surprise today was how far the Italian train system has advanced in the last 20 years. Our train ride from Rome to Florence took 1-1/2hours thanks to the fast trains. We calculated an average speed of 143 MPH!
Good news is our hotel for the next 4 days, Pensione Pendini, is located in the center of the town with period furnishings. It’s quite nice!
Our top floor room has a great roof view including:
We were not surprised to see how crowded Florence was after our visit to Rome. We had read that Europe in general is overwhelmed by tourists. Guess we will consider shoulder or off seasons going forward.
We went for a walk to the nearby Piazza della Signoria. Here are some of our favorite sights.
We arrived mid afternoon yesterday after a 10 hour overnight flight from San Francisco with a connection in Frankfurt onward to Rome.
With only a few hours to get reacquainted with the neighborhood around our hotel, located between the Pantheon and the Spanish Steps, we went for a walk. Within an hour we were greeted by a thunder shower. Oh well, time for cocktails at a local hotel pub.
Today we decided to explore something new. This morning we strolled down to the always beautiful Spanish Steps, then onward via the Metro to the sparsely visited St. Peter-in-Chains Churchjjn (San Pietro in Vincoli). Built in the 5th century as the home of the chains for St. Peter as he was led to his crucifixion and the amazing statue of Moses by Michelangelo.We spent the morning and early afternoon strolling slowly back to our hotel.
Greetings to all!
These two movies bring our year to date total to 175 films! That’s a new year to date record for us!
Today is also the beginning of our big Fall trip to Europe. In a few hours we will be on our way to the airport for our flight to Rome and six weeks in and around Italy.
As always, we’ll keep in touch with posts on our travels and discoveries. Our theater time will be reduced to near none but we often manage to squeeze in a screening or two. We will try to catch up when we get home at the end of October. We send best wishes to all!!
J&J
Inventing Tomorrow
This is an interesting and inspiring documentary about high school teenage innovators who identify environmental threats in their own regions of the world and develop potential solutions. They then present these ideas to scientists from around the world at the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair in Los Angeles.
While the topics are reminders of the environmental devastation our world faces, it is also an inspiration to see thousands of students working together, sharing their knowledge and passion for a healthier planet.
Director Laura Nix chose to focus closely on the teenagers, their commitment, enthusiasm, perspectives and energy on their projects.
This film is not rated. This is a story children of all ages should see! The run time is 87 minutes. English, Spanish, Hindi, Indonesian with English subtitles.
Rating 
The Predator
This edition of the Predator is the 4th in a series. The first was in 1987, then 1990, and then again in 2010. This one features “genetically upgraded” creatures from across the universe accidentally summoned by the son, played by Jacob Tremblay (from The Room).
The acting was just so so. The script bounced around quite a bit. A little slap stick, a little creature feature, a lot of military combat. Lots of ‘shoot em up’, blow it up, and such. Visually this is a very dark film.
The rating is R for strong bloody violence, language throughout and crude sexual references. It is listed as an Action & Adventure, Horror, Science Fiction & Fantasy. Clearly, it is not appropriate for children. The run time was 1 hour, 58 minutes.
Rating 
A Simple Favor
Oh my! This is a romp through suburbia we did not see coming. It quickly becomes a dark mystery thriller set in a small Connecticut town where everyone knows each other. It’s based on the 2017 novel by the same title authored by Darcy Bell.
It’s not perfect. Some of the antics are a bit corny, borderline slapstick. Other scenes reveal way more than we were expecting but overall its clever, intriguing and unique.
The acting makes it work. Blake Lively is the sexy wife who befriends Anna Kendrick as the single Mom. Henry Golding is Blake’s husband. Youngsters Ian Ho and Joshua Satine play the children. Another 60 plus actors play bit parts to round out the cast.
It’s rated R for sexual content, language and some graphic nude images, drug use and violence. We do not think it is appropriate for children. It’s listed as a Mystery & Suspense running 116 minutes.
Rating 
White Boy Rick
Once again, some true stories are better than fiction. Fresh from the Toronto Film Festival, it’s set in Detroit in the 1980s when crack and drug wars were everyday events. Rick Wershe Jr. was a street hustler, FBI Informant, and Drug Kingpin as a teenager. We won’t say anymore because there is a stunning ending.
The cast is impressive. Matthew McConaughey plays the dad. Richie Merritt plays the son. There are scores of other actors, most notably are bit parts by Jennifer Jason Leigh, Eddie Marsan, Bel Powley, Piper Laurie and Bruce Dern.
It’s not easy to watch. There is conflict, violence, criminal activity, undercover operations, family conflict, and drug use. It is rated R. It is absolutely not appropriate for children.
It is listed as a drama/mystery. The run time is 1 hour, 56 minutes (it felt longer!).
Rating
Kusama: Infinity
This is a fascinating Documentary film about the Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama, now the top selling female artist in the world. It covers her entire creative life from childhood to today.
She left Japan and settled in New York City in the 1960’s. Her art challenged all conventional standards for decades and she ultimately became a world renowned artist. She has spent the last 30 years living in a mental institution in Japan.
The film is not rated and parents should be cautioned there are clips of nudity, drug use and news clips from the 60’s and 70’s that may not be suitable for children. The run time is 85 minutes. English and Japanese with English subtitles.
Rating
The Apparition
This is a fascinating peek at what might happen or has happened when an apparition occurs somewhere in the world, in this case a remote French village. The Vatican recruits a respected French journalist to conduct a committee to determine the legitimacy of an apparition of the Virgin Mary.
It doesn’t take long before the many and varied interests present themselves. There are believers and skeptics abound with both awe and angst.
The core cast is small. Vincent Lindon is perfect as the journalist. Galatea Bellugi delivers a powerful role as the novitiate nun. Anatole Tauman did a good job as the opportunist. Romanian actress Elina Lowensohn is excellent as the Doctor.
All that said, while interesting, the film falls short. It simply does not deliver a conclusion one way or another. That is frustrating when you have invested 2 hours, 24 minutes. This film is listed as a Drama and is not rated. French and Italian with English subtitles.
Rating
Pick of the Litter
Here is a charming Sundance documentary film about five puppies who are selected and groomed from birth and trained on several levels to be guide dogs to the blind. The story spans an intense two years of training and the many stages of evaluation for these pups. Not all of them make the grade.
It is a delight to watch as these little critters grow, learn, fail, and overcome the challenges before being matched with blind persons. Equally interesting is the process. At eight weeks the pups are farmed out to “puppy raisers” for their initial training and onward to 16 months of training and development.
This documentary is not rated with a run time of 81 minutes.
Surprise note: Our screening was followed by a Q & A with the Writer/Director Dana Nachman, and two of the people in the movie and two of the dogs. We learned all the puppies were born in San Rafael, CA. Raised and trained in the Bay Area. It is clearly our “pick of the week”! J&J
Rating
The Nun
The film is set in 1952 Romania. Humm…Romania…home of Transylvania, Dracula and a host of dark stuff dating back centuries! The film itself is super creepy, disturbing, often frightening and consistently intense. This story is a spin off of the 2016 Conjuring 2 and the fifth installment in the The Conjuring Universe.
The acting is pretty good. The cast includes Taissa Farmiga as Sister Irene and Bonnie Aarons as Sister Victoria. Demian Bichir plays the male lead as Father Burke. Belgian actor Jonas Bloquet is excellent as the character Frenchie. The next dozen actors fill in the rest of the cast.
The film has been rated R for terror, violence, and disturbing/bloody images. It is absolutely NOT appropriate for children! We do not recommend viewing it alone or late at night. It’s listed genre is Horror running 96 minutes.
Rating:
Kin
This film is about a disconnected family coming together…with more than a few twists. Overall, it toggles between good and not so good, believable and not so believable. Much of the story is unique, different and imaginative. Some of it is implausible and far fetched.
That said, the acting is pretty good. Dennis Quaid plays the tough father. Jack Reynor plays the ex-con son. James Franco plays the bad guy really well. Myles Truitt plays the young son. Zoe Kravitz (Lenny Kravitz’s daughter) plays the exotic dancer. Michael B. Jordan has a bit part from another world.
It is listed as Action & Adventure, Science Fiction & Fantasy. It is surprisingly rated PG-13 given the gun violence and intense action, suggestive material, language, thematic elements and drinking. It runs 102 minutes.
Footnote: We think this movie is designed for a sequel.
Rating
Note for this next movie: You will get a chuckle when telling you we thought we were going to see an Indian Bollywood film by the same name. Imagine our surprise to see a Chinese Action/Drama instead! Oye!
Big Brother
What an interesting yet perplexing story start about a Chinese High School set in Hong Kong, one of its teachers and the drama that unfolds soon after. On one hand its cheesy if not corny. On the other hand there are other messages that are encouraging and quite entertaining. Ultimately, it turns into an action story with martial arts, lots of action, drama, and surprises.
The main characters number only a few. The rest of the cast includes over two dozen actors ranging from children to the elderly. The prolific martial arts expert Donnie Yen is the new teacher. Taiwanese actress Jo Chen is one of the other teachers. Kang Yu is one of the bad guys and does battle with Mr. Yen.
The film is not rated but there is significant prolonged violence, some extreme action and exaggerated scenes that make this film inappropriate for children. It is listed as an Action & Adventure, Art House & International, Drama. It has a run time of 101 minutes. Mandarin with English subtitles.
Rating
Peppermint
Every once in a while a film is released that turns out to be an unexpected surprise. This one is from French Director Pierre Morel of the Taken franchise. It is a dark story (literally). It’s a story about justice, not revenge. It’s about a wife and mother who loses her family to drug violence and ends up in jail because of the corrupt system. It’s a pretty heavy plot to be sure. It’s incredibly realistic and speaks to a wide range of social, political and emotional elements of society.
Jennifer Garner is perfect in her role. Tyson Ritter plays her husband Sam with the adorable Cailey Fleming as their daughter. Chris Johnson is the husband’s friend. Juan Pablo Raba is the cartel ringleader. John Gallagher is the really bad cop while Annie Ilonzeh is great as the FBI agent. Another dozen actors round out the core cast.
We were a bit shocked to hear many disappointing reviews from the critics. It is hard to tell what those critics are looking for these days. The lead character experiences a horrific set of circumstances and loss where just about any horrific response would seem justified.
The film is rated R for strong violence and language. This film is not appropriate for children. It is listed as an Action & Adventure, Mystery & Suspense running 102 minutes. We think this will become a classic and might even muster some Oscar chatter for Acting.
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