Author: James Hathaway

Travel: Paris 4, Montmartre, and Belleville walk

It was yet another cold but sunny day in Paris. Today we literally hiked up to one of the most popular and scenic parts of Paris, Montmartre and its glorious Basilique du Sacre-Coeur.

The church dome overlooking the village artist’s square.
The exceptional beauty of the iconic church.
The view overlooking Paris from Montmartre.

Next was a visit to the neighborhood of Belleville.  Another hilly area settled by working class people for centuries northeast of the City Center.  It was made popular by the beloved Edith Piaf, who sang on the streets of Paris as a girl and was widely popular during her life.  Today, it’s still a diverse working class part of the city.

This church was often where the young Edith would sing on the streets for passing locals.
If you listen carefully you can still her Edith singing.
This plaque is mounted in front of the house where legend says Edith was born. Historical records show it was the hospital nearby.

Soon it’s time for lunch.  Our favorite in the area was closed but we stumbled upon a new discovery and managed to get a table.  It was a delightful surprise.  Add this to your list when you next visit.  Moncoeur Belleville 1, Rue Des Envierges 75020 Paris, http: moncoeurbelleville.com

Classic traditional cafe with innovative food, attentive service and affordable. It’s popular with families.
John selected a bottle of Sauvignon Blanc for us.
John’s main course was a creamy mushroom risotto with watercress.
Enjoying a new wine!
A delightful pasta primavera.

It was a fun day with a long walk through a part of Paris many visiting folks overlook.  Walking distance was 5.6 miles and 20 flights of stairs!

Tomorrow is our last full day in Paris.  We will be spontaneous since we have no plans at this time.  Monday we fly to Lisbon for our next adventure.

J&J

Travel: Paris 3, Musee Marmottan and the Latin Quarter to the Bastille

Today was another great day.  We visited an incredible museum, Musee Marmottan.  The collection is housed in a 19th century mansion.  It’s the largest collection of Monet’s paintings anywhere in the world.  It was the gift of Michel Monet, Claude Monet’s son.  The collection included Monet’s personal collection of Camille Pissarro, Pierre Auguste Renoir and Alfred Sisley.

It is a “not to be missed” site by any art appreciation visitor to Paris.  Photography was permitted without flash much to our surprise.  Here’s some of our favorites.

Apologies:  The collection included too many to record details.

Gustave Caillebotte, Rue de Paris, 1877.
Portrait of Napoleon as a a child.
Still life by Gauguin.

The Monet’s:

The Water Lilies: (and at least a dozen more)

The House:

And of course, we rewarded ourselves with lunch at one of our favorite restaurants, Brasserie Balzar!

Following lunch we walked back to our apartment.  Total distance, 5 miles.

Travel: Paris walk 2, the Marais.

It was another chilly day in Paris but the sun was out again making all things brighter and beautiful.  Today we decided to visit another old neighborhood, the Marais.  Due West of our rented apartment in the Bastille.

We love the variety of history and architecture, the jumbled narrow streets, the unique shops and restaurants, and its quirky character.

Small by Parisian standards but elegantly serene neighborhood church.
A small period Palace repurposed for today’s needs.
One of our favorite spots in Paris, Place Des Vosges shines in the winter sun.
Four classic fountains await Spring and water!
The Marais is one of the oldest and still vibrant Jewish quarters in Paris.
Leaving our favorite Middle Eastern lunch spot. Note the John Wayne swagger!
One of dozens of peek a boo views in the Marais.
The iconic Pompidou Center is starting to show signs of age but still houses a world class modern art museum.
The ever changing examples of public art, this installment near the newly rebuilt and massively expanded Les Halles complex featuring shopping, entertainment and sports venues.

Tonight, dinner at one of our all time favorite restaurants (below).  Bon appetite!

La Fontaine De Mars, rue Saint Dominque

Today’s walk 3.8 miles.

Travel: Paris Walk

We woke up to chilly morning sunshine and decided to explore the city of light with a walk.  We hopped on the #68 bus from the Bastille Opera House to the Eiffel Tower where we would start our walk.

Angel atop the massive bronze column in front of the Bastille Opera House.
Eiffel Tower through the trees.

We wandered through the shopping neighborhoods, Rue Saint Dominique near the Effiel Tower and the Esplanade des Invalides.

As the noon hour neared, lunch was on our mind.  And near by was an old favorite, L’Ami Jean, 27 Rue Malar, 75007 Paris (Reservations 0147058689). It has been several years since our last visit.  We were pleased to see its become quite popular with travel writers and food critics and we were able to be seated without a reservation.  Lunch was excellent.

Time for more walking.  We made our way over to where Paris all began, Ile de la Cite.  It was like visiting an old friend.  Notre Dame never looked better.

Notre Dame from the sunny side of the afternoon.
Saints climbing a staircase to heaven.
Small neighborhoods near Notre Dame.

Just north is the Hotel de Ville (City Hall)

Heavy winter rains caused flooding in Paris recently.  The waters have receded somewhat but many roads and walking paths are still under water.

Look closely at the bottom of the photo and you can see the road under water.
Ile St. Louis with stairways to the Seine River.

Note:  our total walk was just over 5 miles.  Time for wine!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Movies: Black Panther, Early Man

Black Panther

This is another hit from the Marvel Studios folks.  This one explains generations of kings of the African nation of Wakanda, the secrets of the royal family and its court.  And there are more than a few who want to over throw the king and his family and so on…

The acting is quite good.  Chadwick Boseman makes a perfect King.  Michael B. Jordan is even better as the rival.  Lupita Nyong’o is great as the guardian warrior.  Forest Whitaker and Angela Bassett both deliver their characters.  There are at least another dozen actors that round out the cast.  The visual effects are quite remarkable.  The script is unique with several nice surprises.

Both critics and audiences like this film.  So did we.  It was refreshing, new, different and inventive.  We saw it on a giant screen at the Empire Theater on Leicester Square.  The film is rated PG-13 for prolonged scenes of action, violence and a brief rude gesture.  We noticed a sizable number of youngsters in the audience.  It is listed as an Action & Adventure, Drama, Science Fiction & Fantasy.  It runs 2 hour, 15 minutes.

Rating  

Early Man

From the Aardman Animation Studios, this stop-motion animation is about the clash between the Stone Age and the Bronze Age.  The animators used 273 puppets in the production.  Its ultimate focus pits the two tribes in a “football”/”soccer” game and the stakes for the cave men is their home valley.  It’s no mistake the valley is Manchester!

It has the right mix of silly, naivete, charming and intelligence.  The commentaries on the then/now social culture are a hoot.

The leading voices include Eddie Redmayne as the voice of caveman Dug.  Tom Hiddleston is the voice of Lord Nooth.  Maisie Williams is the voice of Goona.  Timothy Spall is Chief Bobnar and Nick Park is the voice of Hobnob.  At least another dozen English actors round out the cast.

It’s rated PG for rude humor and some action but there is nothing there to keep the kids away.  In fact, in our audience, the kids got the puns and humor without missing a step.

The grenre is listed as Fantasy/Action.  It runs 1 hour, 40 minutes.

Rating 

 

 

Travel: London, A walk by the BAFTA’s and More

 

We learned this morning the 71st BAFTAs are tonight! BAFTA stands for British Academy Film Awards.     It is sometimes an extra clue to the upcoming Oscar awards. This is the second time we have been in London for their awards.  Both times by accident. The first time was several years ago at Leicester Square.  This year is it being held at the Royal Albert Hall.

Here are a couple shots from today.

The Royal Albert Hall where public audiences are already gathered hours early.
The Albert Memorial is across the street.
Scores of reporters await access to the Red Carpet.
Bubbly awaiting the winners!
Morning coffee and a movie at the massive Westfield Shopping Center in Sheperd’s Bush.
John enjoying ramen at a favorite spot, Wagamama.
Jim at the Queen’s Gate in Kensington Gardens.

Travel: London February 2018

Good Morning!!

We started our late winter sojourn in London.  Cool comfortable days with chilly nights.  Spent Friday getting acquainted with Central London.  We went to see the movie Black Panther at the massive Empire Theaters on Leicester Square.

Today it is expected to rain so we will head to the massive Westfield Shopping Center where there are 450 stores, two giant movie complexes and dozens of restaurants.

It is our last day in London.  Tomorrow we take our first “Chunnel” to Paris where we have rented an Apartment in the Bastille neighborhood.

Here are some photos from our walk yesterday to the famed Borough Market South of the Thames.

Monument to the Great Fire of London opened 1677.
The Shard is now a 95 story landmark of Modern London.  Tallest building in Europe.
Morning view of the Tower Bridge taken from the London Bridge, the ever changing skyline beyond.
The interior of the Southwark Cathedral dates back to 1207 AD where Shakespeare prayed while his brother Edmund rang the bells.
The famed and massive Borough Market with its food stalls, thirsty customers and fancy food shops has been operating for over 800 years.
A giant red balloon hovers over Covent Gardens, another iconic market, for an extended Valentines Day.
Belgo for lunch is one of our favorite restaurants in London. Belgian steamed mussels and frites and a pint of Belgian beer!

Movies: A Fantastic Woman, Faces Places, Peter Rabbit

Hi all!  We start traveling tomorrow so this might be the last movie reviews for a few weeks.  If all goes well, we may see a few movies in the UK but that will be toward the end of our trip in March.

We will plan travel posts as time and connectivity permit.

Cheers!  J&J

A Fantastic Woman

This film from Chile is Oscar nominated for Best Foreign Language Film.  Unfortunately, its late release means there will only be a small number of movie goers that will see it before the Oscar ceremony next month.

This film ‘peels the onion’ on the transgender topic in so many ways it is hard to decide where to begin.  Written and Directed by Sebastian Lelio, there is grief, prejudice, defiance, hostility, mourning and ultimately, redemption.

Chilean actor Daniela Vega is featured as the transgender Marina Videl.  Francisco Reyes plays the love interest.  Luis Gnecco plays the brother.  Spanish actress Aline Kuppenheim plays the ex-wife.  Another 30, mostly Chilean, actors round out the cast.

This film is rated R for language, sexual content, nudity and a disturbing assault.  It is not appropriate for young children.  Its genre is listed as Art House & International, Drama.  The run time is 1 hour, 44 minutes.  Spanish with English subtitles.

Rating  

Faces Places

This film is nominated for Best Documentary.  It is exceptional and will be our pick in this category.  It has been nominated and won in dozens of festivals and industry organizations around the world.

Written and Directed by photographer/muralist JR and Director Agnes Varda.  There is a cast of over 20 contributors as themselves and a small army of production staff.

It is the journey through rural France and the creation of dozens of giant murals on dozens of venues.  It is extraordinary, visually amazing and spiritually uplifting.

This film is rated PG.  The genre is listed as Art House & International, Documentary with a run time of 90 minutes.  French with English subtitles.  DO NOT miss this one.  It is an instant classic.

Rating  

Peter Rabbit

This film is loosely based on the Beatrix Potter’s classic children’s book with a couple of big exceptions.  There was quite a public stir from parents with children’s food allergies.  Others disapproved of Peter Rabbit’s lack of clothes.

That said, in general, the story is marginally funny, occasionally clever, and somewhat charming.  Rose Byrne plays the neighbor, Domhnall Gleeson is hilarious as the boyfriend.  James Corden plays the voice of Peter.  Margot Robbie is Flopsy, Elizabeth Debicki is Mopsy and Daisy Ridley is Cottontail.

This movie is rated PG for some rude humor and action.  The genre is listed as Action & Adventure, Animation and Comedy.  The running time is 1 hour, 40 minutes.  The animation is the highlight.

Rating  

Movies: 2018 90th Academy Awards Predictions

Hello to all!

We are pleased to present you with JIM & JOHN’s 2018 Oscar picks for the 90th Academy Awards on March 4.  It has been a wild year for movies.  Again this year we will be out of the country traveling on Oscar Sunday.  This time Evora, Portugal.

Please see our predictions noted in bold type below.  Enjoy and do let us know about any parties, prizes or other fun events you may be attending this year.

J&J

NOMINATIONS BY CATEGORY – 90TH AWARDS

Performance by an actor in a leading role

Timothée Chalamet in CALL ME BY YOUR NAME

Daniel Day-Lewis in PHANTOM THREAD

Daniel Kaluuya in GET OUT

  • Gary Oldman in DARKEST HOUR

Denzel Washington in ROMAN J. ISRAEL, ESQ.

Performance by an actor in a supporting role

Willem Dafoe in THE FLORIDA PROJECT

Woody Harrelson in THREE BILLBOARDS OUTSIDE EBBING, MISSOURI

Richard Jenkins in THE SHAPE OF WATER

Christopher Plummer in ALL THE MONEY IN THE WORLD

  • Sam Rockwell in THREE BILLBOARDS OUTSIDE EBBING, MISSOURI

Performance by an actress in a leading role

Sally Hawkins in THE SHAPE OF WATER

  • Frances McDormand in THREE BILLBOARDS OUTSIDE EBBING, MISSOURI

Margot Robbie in I, TONYA

Saoirse Ronan in LADY BIRD

Meryl Streep in THE POST

Performance by an actress in a supporting role

Mary J. Blige in MUDBOUND

  • Allison Janney in I, TONYA 

Lesley Manville in PHANTOM THREAD

Laurie Metcalf in LADY BIRD

Octavia Spencer in THE SHAPE OF WATER

Best animated feature film of the year

THE BOSS BABY  Tom McGrath and Ramsey Naito

THE BREADWINNER  Nora Twomey and Anthony Leo

  • COCO  Lee Unkrich and Darla K. Anderson

FERDINAND  Carlos Saldanha and Lori Forte

LOVING VINCENT  Dorota Kobiela, Hugh Welchman and Ivan Mactaggart

Achievement in cinematography

  • BLADE RUNNER 2049  Roger A. Deakins

DARKEST HOUR  Bruno Delbonnel

DUNKIRK  Hoyte van Hoytema

MUDBOUND  Rachel Morrison

THE SHAPE OF WATER  Dan Laustsen

Achievement in costume design

BEAUTY AND THE BEAST  Jacqueline Durran

DARKEST HOUR  Jacqueline Durran

PHANTOM THREAD  Mark Bridges

  • THE SHAPE OF WATER  Luis Sequeira

VICTORIA & ABDUL  Consolata Boyle

Achievement in directing

DUNKIRK  Christopher Nolan

GET OUT  Jordan Peele

LADY BIRD  Greta Gerwig

PHANTOM THREAD  Paul Thomas Anderson

  • THE SHAPE OF WATER  Guillermo del Toro

Best documentary feature

ABACUS: SMALL ENOUGH TO JAIL  Steve James, Mark Mitten and Julie Goldman

  • FACES PLACES  Agnès Varda, JR and Rosalie Varda

ICARUS Bryan Fogel and Dan Cogan

LAST MEN IN ALEPPO  Feras Fayyad, Kareem Abeed and Søren Steen Jespersen

STRONG ISLAND  Yance Ford and Joslyn Barnes

Best documentary short subject

EDITH+EDDIE Laura Checkoway and Thomas Lee Wright

HEAVEN IS A TRAFFIC JAM ON THE 405  Frank Stiefel

  • HEROIN(E)  Elaine McMillion Sheldon and Kerrin Sheldon

KNIFE SKILLS  Thomas Lennon

TRAFFIC STOP Kate Davis and David Heilbroner

Achievement in film editing

BABY DRIVER  Paul Machliss and Jonathan Amos

DUNKIRK  Lee Smith

I, TONYA  Tatiana S. Riegel

  • THE SHAPE OF WATER  Sidney Wolinsky

THREE BILLBOARDS OUTSIDE EBBING, MISSOURI  Jon Gregory

Best foreign language film of the year

A FANTASTIC WOMAN  Chile

  • THE INSULT  Lebanon

LOVELESS  Russia

ON BODY AND SOUL  Hungary

THE SQUARE  Sweden

Achievement in makeup and hairstyling

  • DARKEST  HOUR Kazuhiro Tsuji, David Malinowski and Lucy Sibbick

VICTORIA & ABDUL  Daniel Phillips and Lou Sheppard

WONDER  Arjen Tuiten

Achievement in music written for motion pictures (Original score)

  • DUNKIRK  Hans Zimmer

PHANTOM THREAD  Jonny Greenwood

THE SHAPE OF WATER  Alexandre Desplat

STAR WARS: THE LAST JEDI  John Williams

THREE BILLBOARDS OUTSIDE EBBING, MISSOURI  Carter Burwell

Achievement in music written for motion pictures (Original song)

“Mighty River” from MUDBOUND  Music and Lyric by Mary J. Blige, Raphael Saadiq and Taura Stinson

“Mystery Of Love” from CALL ME BY YOUR NAME  Music and Lyric by Sufjan Stevens

“Remember Me” from COCO  Music and Lyric by Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez

“Stand Up For Something” from MARSHALL  Music by Diane Warren.  Lyric by Lonnie R. Lynn and Diane Warren

  • “This Is Me” from THE GREATEST SHOWMAN  Music and Lyric by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul

Best motion picture of the year

CALL ME BY YOUR NAME   Peter Spears, Luca Guadagnino, Emilie Georges and Marco Morabito, Producers

DARKEST HOUR  Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner, Lisa Bruce, Anthony McCarten and Douglas Urbanski, Producers

DUNKIRK  Emma Thomas and Christopher Nolan, Producers

GET OUT  Sean McKittrick, Jason Blum, Edward H. Hamm Jr. and Jordan Peele, Producers

LADY BIRD  Scott Rudin, Eli Bush and Evelyn O’Neill, Producers

PHANTOM THREAD  JoAnne Sellar, Paul Thomas Anderson, Megan Ellison and Daniel Lupi, Producers

THE POST  Amy Pascal, Steven Spielberg and Kristie Macosko Krieger, Producers

THE SHAPE OF WATER  Guillermo del Toro and J. Miles Dale, Producers

  • THREE BILLBOARDS OUTSIDE EBBING, MISSOURI  Graham Broadbent, Pete Czernin and Martin McDonagh, Producers

Achievement in production design

BEAUTY AND THE BEAST  Production Design: Sarah Greenwood, Set Decoration: Katie Spencer

BLADE RUNNER 2049  Production Design: Dennis Gassner, Set Decoration: Alessandra Querzola

DARKEST HOUR  Production Design: Sarah Greenwood, Set Decoration: Katie Spencer

  • DUNKIRK  Production Design: Nathan Crowley, Set Decoration: Gary Fettis

THE SHAPE OF WATER  Production Design: Paul Denham Austerberry, Set Decoration: Shane Vieau and Jeffrey A. Melvin

Best animated short film

DEAR BASKETBALL  Glen Keane and Kobe Bryant

GARDEN PARTY  Victor Caire and Gabriel Grapperon

  • LOU  Dave Mullins and Dana Murray

NEGATIVE SPACE  Max Porter and Ru Kuwahata

REVOLTING RHYMES  Jakob Schuh and Jan Lachauer

Best live action short film

DEKALB ELEMENTARY  Reed Van Dyk

THE ELEVEN O’CLOCK  Derin Seale and Josh Lawson

  • MY NEPHEW EMMETT  Kevin Wilson, Jr.

THE SILENT CHILD  Chris Overton and Rachel Shenton

WATU WOTE/ALL OF US  Katja Benrath and Tobias Rosen

Achievement in sound editing

BABY DRIVER  Julian Slater

BLADE RUNNER 2049  Mark Mangini and Theo Green

  • DUNKIRK  Richard King and Alex Gibson

THE SHAPE OF WATER  Nathan Robitaille and Nelson Ferreira

STAR WARS: THE LAST JEDI  Matthew Wood and Ren Klyce

Achievement in sound mixing

BABY DRIVER  Julian Slater, Tim Cavagin and Mary H. Ellis

BLADE RUNNER 2049  Ron Bartlett, Doug Hemphill and Mac Ruth

  • DUNKIRK  Gregg Landaker, Gary A. Rizzo and Mark Weingarten

THE SHAPE OF WATER  Christian Cooke, Brad Zoern and Glen Gauthier

STAR WARS: THE LAST JEDI  David Parker, Michael Semanick, Ren Klyce and Stuart Wilson

Achievement in visual effects

BLADE RUNNER 2049  John Nelson, Gerd Nefzer, Paul Lambert and Richard R. Hoover

GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY VOL. 2  Christopher Townsend, Guy Williams, Jonathan Fawkner and Dan Sudick

KONG: SKULL ISLAND  Stephen Rosenbaum, Jeff White, Scott Benza and Mike Meinardus

  • STAR WARS: THE LAST JEDI  Ben Morris, Mike Mulholland, Neal Scanlan and Chris Corbould

WAR FOR THE PLANET OF THE APES  Joe Letteri, Daniel Barrett, Dan Lemmon and Joel Whist

Adapted screenplay

  • CALL ME BY YOUR NAME  Screenplay by James Ivory

THE DISASTER ARTIST  Screenplay by Scott Neustadter & Michael H. Weber

LOGAN  Screenplay by Scott Frank & James Mangold and Michael Green, Story by James Mangold

MOLLY’S GAME  Written for the screen by Aaron Sorkin

MUDBOUND  Screenplay by Virgil Williams and Dee Rees

Original screenplay

THE BIG SICK  Written by Emily V. Gordon & Kumail Nanjiani

GET OUT  Written by Jordan Peele

LADY BIRD  Written by Greta Gerwig

THE SHAPE OF WATER  Screenplay by Guillermo del Toro & Vanessa Taylor, Story by Guillermo del Toro

  • THREE BILLBOARDS OUTSIDE EBBING, MISSOURI  Written by Martin McDonagh

Movies: 2018 Oscar Nominated Animated Shorts

 

2018 Oscar Nominated Animated Shorts

This years entries are decidedly different from the entries in recent years.  Adult sensibilities and a little sophistication are featured in the 2018 selection.

Dear Basketball (USA)

Here is a love letter from Kobe Bryant to the world as the basketball legend plans his retirement.  The outstanding images were penned by Mr Bryant himself.

Rating 

Garden Party (France)

This most unusual and borderline disturbing imagery is the setting for an amphibian infested villa and the apparent aftermath of some event.  It is NOT for children, but it is inventive and creative.

Rating 

Lou (USA)

Here a school yard bully gets a lesson from a lost and found box that comes to life.  It is clever, charming and features Pixar quality imagery.

Rating 

Negative Space (France)

This is one of the most unique shorts in the pack.  A little boy learns how to pack a suitcase from his traveling father.  The stop motion puppet animation is exceptional, as is the final scene.

Rating 

Revolting Rhymes (UK)

The darkest of the shorts is a snarky perspective on Little Red Riding Hood, Snow White, the Big Bad Wolf and others.  It is a brash and dark depiction that is only mildly amusing but the production value is impressive.

Rating