What a fascinating film. It is focused mainly on three women and a baby. All but the baby are tormented in one way or another. The poor baby is just there for the ride, sometimes bumpy and tumultuous.
The production is beautifully told and well acted. Tallulah is played by Ellen Page, arguable in her best roll since Juno. Allison Janney is the boyfriend’s mother with emotional baggage. Her performance is brilliant. Tammy Blanchard plays the baby’s Mom whose marriage with the father is deeply strained.
There are lots of sub plots and just enough angst and tension to hold your attention. There were some scenes that left the viewer wondering what happened or how did they get to that moment. Overall though, an excellent film but not perfect.
Rating
Jason Bourne
I was a bit disappointed to hear the first reviews of the new Bourne movie were less than favorable. I’m not sure what they were watching but the first Jason Bourne film in 10 years that we saw was awesome.
The older Matt Damon character looked a bit heavier, weary and weathered, by design I’m guessing. Who wouldn’t after 10 years living off the grid? But the character is also older and wiser.
The technology has gotten better making it more challenging to escape scrutiny. Humm, is there a message there?! In any event, the action, the energy, the twists and turns are all upgraded and classic Bourne. It was the box office leader this weekend pulling in over $50 million. If you are a fan of the franchise, don’t miss this one.
Special Note: We were in Las Vegas earlier this year with some dear friends and stayed at the Aria Hotel while they were filming this movie. Certain parts of the hotel were closed to the public but it was a blast to see the shots in the movie where we saw some of the film sets. What fun that was!
Rating
Nerve
It was interesting to go see this movie, especially given all the brew ha ha with Pokemon Go of late. Add to that, we were clearly the oldest ones in the theater that day. Once again we are reminded we are no longer among most market demographics.
The film is intended to attract teens and 20 somethings for a romp through a real time “game” where the on screen audience is divided into “players” who win money if they succeed and “watchers” who pay to watch. The lead characters, Vee, played by Emma Roberts and team mate, Dave Franco accept challenge after challenge if only always just barely. It’s a clever concept that turns dark quickly.
There are lots of twists and turns and the ending is quite powerful but no leaks here. It’s worth a look on pay per view or a long plane ride. If your family includes the target audience, it is worth a debriefing just for some insightful learning.
Rating
The Kind Words
This Israeli film is an intriguing peek into a seemingly average Israeli family and the many modern challenges they face together. (There are also yummy peeks at Jerusalem, Paris and Marseille.)
There is lots of drama and trauma, anguish and conflict but through it all, this family truly loves each other and remain committed to each other.
The story is somewhat complicated, perhaps a bit challenging for some audiences because the thought processes and cultural values are unique. But these characters are very likable and you feel what they are feeling. The ending is ambiguous but ultimately satisfying.
Hebrew and French with English subtitles. Running time: 1 hour 58 minutes.
This Woody Allen film is all about the ins and outs of the 1930s Hollywood movie industry. It is mostly focused on the happenings of the successful agent (Steve Carell) and uncle to want-to-be-successful (Jesse Eisenberg) nephew from the Bronx.
First, it is beautifully filmed and generally well acted. It was intriguing to watch as it hops from character to over indulgence, one after another. It’s not perfect. Jesse Eisenberg’s initial dialog is a rapid fire scrabble of words. The script, no doubt, a cathartic effort by Woody Allen. That said, there is a great cast of characters in interesting roles.
That said, it is not boring. It is a wild romp from Hollywood to New York City with a little bit of glam, romance, and a glimpse or two of the underbelly of the time. We are not generally Woody Allen fans, but this film is worthy of a look.
Rating:
Star Trek
It is hard to believe this is the 13th movie in the franchise! It is intelligent, highly entertaining, respectful to its legacy, and fresh in its storytelling.
It is set far enough in the future to play with new film making technology and dazzle audiences visually. The new plot and characters are consistent with the franchise creator Gene Roddenberry originally created depicting a unified “federation of planets” challenged by some really evil life forms.
It was a fun movie to watch. See it on a big screen. Skip the 3D, it is not worth the extra cost. (For some of us wearing glasses, the 3D glasses are actually more annoying than enhancing.)
Rating:
Absolutely Fabulous
Based on the hugely popular BBC America TV sitcom of 1992 to 2012, the movie picks up where the series left off. Not having watched the series, we were put off by the slap stick humor at first.
Eddy Monsoon, played be the show’s writer, Jennifer Saunders, and sidekick Pasty Stone, played by Jane Horrocks, are inseperable pals. In the movie, the trademark jokes and constant flow of booze and drugs felt a bit tired. However, the huge cast of characters giving cameo appearances breathed life into the production and make this movie “absolutely” worth the time.
Be advised, this film will not appeal to everyone. Yes, it’s absurd. Yes, it’s a slap at fashion and excessive wealth. But it became funnier the more outrageous it became. Think Lucy and Ethel on steroids, add a modern Laugh In with a heavy dose of Vodka and Champagne.
This Special Edition post highlights 10 great cities and some of the most famous film locations past and present. These are all great cities made even more enjoyable when connecting film making and discovery travel together.
New York, New York
NYC from the Harbor 2015
Take a Harbor Cruise or the Staten Island Ferry past the Statue of Liberty like Funny Girl, Barbara Streisand.
Walk the streets of Little Italy and imagine the 1973 Mean Streets of Robert De Nero, Directed by Martin Scorsese.
Imagine King Kong hanging from the top of the Empire State Building, then window shop at Tiffany & Co. (5th Avenue and 58th Street).
On your way uptown, check out the tenements of West Side Story (West 109th Street).
Hollywood, California
Photo: history.com
Step into the footsteps of the stars at Grauman’s Chinese Theater.Better yet, catch a movie and check out the lavish interior.
Check out the Shrine Auditorium, home of the Oscars.
Stroll the Hollywood Forever Cemetery where Rudolph Valentino and many other early movie stars are buried. The cemetery doubles as a movie theater in the summer months.
Check out one of the many tours of the stars and the studios. And then rent the classic Sunset Boulevard.
Monument Valley, Arizona/Utah
Photo: pbase.com
This valley, now part of the Navajo tribal park was the set for numerous cowboy movies of the 20’s and 30’s. Stagecoach was filmed here.
Visit during sunrise and/or sunset for the shades of pink and orange off the cliffs and canyons.
Visit Goulding Trading Post, just west of the park. Its founder convinced John Ford to shoot movies here.
Mumbai, India
Above the Market Square 1989
The Center of Bollywood is in the Juhu district of Mumbai. Over 200 films are made here every year. Each includes the formula of song, dance and melodrama.
Tours/trips to one of the big studios, KR or Filmistan, will let you see the process first hand.
Tokyo, Japan
Tokyo Harbor with Mt. Fuji 2015
Take a taxi to the Park Hyatt Hotel for incredible views of Tokyo and was the set for Lost in Translation with Bill Murray and Scarlett Johannson.
Make a reservation at Gonpachi (at Nishi-Azabu) for dinner like Uma Thurman in Terantino’s Kill Bill.
The New Otani Inn was SPECTRE Headquarters in Sean Connery’s You Only Live Twice.
Queenstown, New Zealand
Golden Bay, New Zealand 2004
Frodo (Elijah Wood), Gandolf (Ian McKellen) and Saruman (Christopher Lee) hailed from Middle Earth in The Lord of the Rings series.
See the beauty of Lake Wakatipu, home of Galadriel, played by Cate Blanchett.
The Southern Alps where many of the scenes were shot for the much of the Lord of the Rings films.
Rome, Italy
Vatican, Rome 2016
The Spanish Steps, Trevi Fountain, Pantheon, Castel Sant’Angelo and St. Peter’s were featured in Dan Brown’s The Da Vinci Code movies.
And who can forget Audrey Hepburn, Gregory Peck in Fellini’s Roma and Roman Holiday?
Paris, France
On the Bank of the River Seine, Paris 2007
The birth of the 1960s New Wave started when Jean-Paul Belmonde roamed the bars of St. Germain and the Champs Elysees in the film Breathless.
Nicole Kidman and Ewen McGregor fell in love at the Moulin Rouge, a favorite movie of ours.
You still can have coffee and a meal at the cafe made famous by Audrey Tautou in the now classic Amelie.
Prague, Czech Republic
Photo: tripadvisor.com
Wesley Snipes chased Vampires through the streets of old town in Blade II.
Tom Cruise watches a car explode from the Charles Bridge in Mission Impossible.
The same Charles Bridge was filmed during a rain storm with Barbra Streisand in Yentl.
Tom Hulce played Mozart, was wed and buried at the Church of Saint Giles in Amadeus.
London, U.K.
St. Paul’s from the Tate Modern 2016
Walk the street of Nothing Hill where Julia Roberts and Hugh Grant fell in love.
Grab a bite at the cafe or the excellent Restaurant at the Tate Modern like Renee Zellweger in Bridget Jones Diary.
Cross the Thames to St. Barthomew-the-Great, Smithfield where Joseph Finnes prayed in Shakespeare in Love.
Harry Potter fans will want to visit the reptile house at the zoo and platform 9-3/4, filmed on real life platform 4 at the massive Kings Cross Station.
Note: We have visited all of these cites and most of these locations over the years. We rekindled many great memories while conducting research for this post. J&J
Here is another movie based on true events during the 1980’s. US Customs agent, Robert Mazur, brilliantly portrayed by Bryan Cranston, goes undercover and inside the Medellin Drug cartel.
It is a fast paced, high rolling story about money laundering, drug smuggling, violence, suspicion, coercion and deception.
There are more twists and turns than the best roller coasters. Stellar performances by Cranston, John Leguizamo, Diane Kruger, Juliet Aubrey and a spine tingling role by Yul Vazquez as a creepy money man and killer.
It is not always easy to watch. There are plenty of scenes that will make you cringe from tension or violence. It is quick paced and often very suspenseful. There may be some Oscar material here, just saying…
Rating:
Captain Fantastic
The father of six children sets up home in a remote “off the grid” wilderness where the children are home schooled, taught to think and reason at a sophistacted level well above the norm. They are each well rounded individuals, extremely physically fit, cultured and worldly even though their exposure to the outside world is quite sheltered.
The news their mother’s death sends shock waves through the family which ultimately leads to a road trip to the funeral, several states away in the self contained family bus.
The wife’s parents defy the wishes of their daughter and then threaten to take the children away from their father because they object to how the children are being raised.
It is ultimately a story of adventure, family love, fulfillment, forgiveness and perserverence. It is a unique film, well acted and beautifully produced. It was our favorite of the week and one of the best films of 2016 so far.
Cast includes Vigo Mortensen, Annalise Basso, George MacKay, Frank Langella and Steve Zahn among others.
Rating:
Our Little Sister
This film is about three twenty-something sisters and the arrival of their half sister following the death of their father.
It is meticulously filmed, capturing the rhythm of life just outside of Tokyo and the life the sisters enjoy. It is a peek at a different society that most rarely have the opportunity to observe.
Sometimes funny, then sad, then surprising, even silly. Overall, it is charming and a slowly revealing look at these characters lives.
Note: We were in Japan last October and it brought back nice memories of small town Japanese life.
Japanese with English subtitles (sometimes very fast).
Rating:
Microbe and Gasoline
Two very different 14 year old misfit boys become friends through challenges at school and embark on an adventure after building a mini RV that looks like a playhouse, but powered by a tiny 2 stroke engine they salvaged from a junk yard.
With conflict at home, they decide to escape on a road trip dodging the cops, facing bullies and escape to the countryside. It is clever, charming, touching and inventive.
Microbes Mom is played by the talented Audrey Tautou (of Amelie and DaVinci Code fame). The boys are played by Ange Dargent as Daniel and Theophile Baquet as Theo.
This is not a unique plot nor a ground breaking production. But it is an authentic French production and perspective on a coming of age tale told through excellent performances of talented young actors.
In a perfect world, home made marinara should be made with vine ripened tomatoes picked at the peak of the season. But then there is the blanching and peeling all necessary before the cooking begins.
This recipe trims a few corners but I double the recipe (it takes the same amount of time) and freeze it in 1 cup freezer containers and draw on it for a simple pasta for two, or multiple cups for dishes like lasagna or stuffed shells.
Note: recipe below is a single batch. Double the recipe and use a good quality 8 quart pot.
Double batch ready for the Freezer.
2 Tbs.
Olive oil
2 Medium
Onions, chopped
3 Cloves
Garlic, finely chopped (I use more)
1 28 oz. can
Diced Tomatoes, preferably Italian brand
1 28 oz. can
Strained Tomatoes, preferably Italian brand
3 Tbs.
Tomato paste
1/2 bottle
Dry red wine (375 ml.) Good quality or better
2 Tsp. each
Dried: Oregano, Basil, Thyme
2 each
Bay Leaf
To Taste
Sea salt, black pepper, sugar
In a large saucepan, heat the olive oil. Add onion and saute until translucent, about 5-7 minutes. Add garlic and saute about 1 minute more. Add tomatoes, tomato paste, wine, oregano, basil, thyme and bay leaf and simmer on a low heat until thick, stirring occasionally, about 1 to 1-1/2 hours. Season to taste with salt, pepper and sugar before serving.
Notes:
You can serve immediately. Or store in the refrigerator for up to 1 week or freeze for up to 1 month.
Serving suggestions: Use this sauce for pizza or serve over polenta with grated cheese of choice.
Mom’s Meat Balls
Mom and Jim, Sardinia 2009
John’s Mom is one of the best cooks ever. She has taught me so much about cooking, especially Italian cooking. Many of the family recipes have no portions, just a little of this or a pinch of that.
We love the recipe below because it can be used so many different ways. Added to any kind of pasta sauce, served as a side dish or with a crusty Italian roll or French baguette with a little spicy jardinere.
1 lb. Ground chuck (beef)
1 lb. Ground pork
1/4 cup (or less) Bread crumbs (to bind)
Garlic cloves to taste, finely chopped
1/4 cup (or less) Grated Romano or Parmasean cheese
1 egg, (2 eggs if you are adding 1/2 lb. or more meat to the base recipe.)
Fresh Parsley to taste, finely chopped. Salt and pepper to taste.
Mix all ingredients well in a large bowl until evenly mixed. Hand roll into balls of your choice, about 1-1/2 inch give or take to your personal preference. Place a sheet of parchment paper on a lipped tray and space the meatballs evenly apart.
Ready for the oven!
Roast in a 400 degree oven until brown, about 20 minutes (+/-). Cool, use immediately or freeze in plastic zip lock bags for up to 30 days.
A true story of survival and renewal is set in Warsaw 1945 in the aftermath of post WW2. A Polish nun seeks help from a French Red Cross doctor who refers the nun to the non-existent Polish Red Cross. Against orders the French doctor follows the nun back to her convent.
The doctor discovers many of the nuns had be raped and pregnant. The Mother Superior insists the nuns continue their monastic life of prayer and obedience.
This is a powerful film telling the relatively unheard of story. It is beautifully filmed and directed by Anne Fontaine. There are heartbreaking scenes of despair and emotional struggle.
There is also an uplifting moment at the end. Overall, it is an amazing movie that should be seen. You’ll need to seek this out as distribution is limited. Polish and French with English subtitles. 115 Minutes run time.
Rating:
Mike & Dave Need Wedding Dates
Mike (Mike Strangle), and Dave (Zac Efron) are young party animals with a history of causing havoc at family gatherings. With their sister’s wedding on the horizon, the family demands they bring acceptable girlfriends to the planned Hawaii event.
What you get is a juvenile script, with over acted scenes, predicable slapstick, crude humor, characters you don’t really ever care about and just about every other corny cliche you’ve ever heard.
We didn’t care for the trailers when they first came out but one of the best Bay Area critics “raved” saying EVERY SINGLE SCENE was perfect and hilarious. Total opposite was true. It was horrific! Your time is worthy of so much more.
Rating:
The Secret Life of Pets
The much anticipated Secret Life of Pets was finally released last Friday. The movie was well made with interesting characteristics incorporated into most of the critters. And there were a lot of critters. Good ones and, well, not so good.
It was good solid animated entertainment, often funny, sometimes madcap, sometimes a bit belabored.
It is already a box office sweetheart generating more than a $100 million in revenues during its opening weekend.
We thought it dragged a bit too long too many times to deserve a score any higher. The preceding Minion short film was a pleasant surprise though. Overall, good, but not great.
Rating:
Hunt for the Wilderpeople
This movie from New Zealand is fresh, unique, family friendly, visually satisfying, and just quirky enough for high marks all around.
The talented director, Taika Waititi, tilts this story line to a child’s point of view. That is not easy to do considering the depth of adult topics and situations encountered by the welfare child in the lead role and his would be adopted Dad hiding in the wilds for months from Child Services authorities.
Sam Neill plays the Dad character, arguably his best role in years. His performance alone is worth the time and ticket. But this story is so well developed, with so many surprises and subtle messages, it is not to be missed.
There are many ways to roast a chicken. My favorite after 35 years produces a moist meat and crisp skin without basting.
Serve with mashed, baked or roast potatoes and a salad or veggie of your choice.
Ready for carving
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.
1 whole chicken, the higher quality the better, giblets and excess fat removed.
1 medium onion, quartered
1 lemon, quartered (optional but recommended)
Garlic to taste, halved or smashed with the flat side of a knife.
Salt and pepper to taste for the cavity and skin.
Olive oil and or butter for the skin (I like both but either or works)
4 to 6 cups (or more) low sodium good quality chicken stock.
Kitchen string
Wash and dry the chicken inside and out. Salt and pepper the cavity. Add onion, lemon and garlic, add fresh herbs if you have them (thyme, rosemary, etc. but not required). Truss the chicken into a compact “package”.
Slather the skin with olive oil and or butter. Place on its side on a v-rack. Sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper. Add two cups (or more)of stock to the bottom of the pan. Reduce oven to 400 degrees. Roast for 30 minutes.
Remove from the oven and flip the chicken to the other side. Return to the oven and roast for another 30 minutes. Replenish the stock to the pan.
Remove from the oven and flip the chicken to the breast side up. Return to the oven and roast for another 30 minutes. Replenish the stock to the pan if needed.
Remove from the oven and place on a carving plate. Cover loosely with foil to keep warm and allow to rest for another 30 minutes before carving/serving.
Notes:
Juices and stock will make a great GRAVY. Limit salt in the cooking process to keep gravy from becoming salty.
Deglaze the pan with white wine over low temperature heat.
Add and melt 3 tablespoons butter and 3 tablespoons flour. Mix with flat wisk.
Slowly add stock in portions to incorporate. Season to taste.
Monday: Lhasa to Chengdu to Chongqing and aboard Victoria Cruise Lines
It was a painfully early 4:15 AM wake up call. I was feeling poorly. Many in our group had fallen victim to a stomach bug. (Yak burger perhaps?!)
We boarded our frozen bus for the long dark ride to the airport. We are convinced there is no heating in Tibet, anywhere! We knew it would be chilly but we completely under estimated the lack of interior heat. Hot food would turn cold almost immediately from the cold air and cold plates. Most interior spaces would turn cold as soon as the sun set.
No heat in the hotel (although very heavy yak wool blankets helped), no heat in the restaurants, and no heat on the bus! I discovered a hole in the floorboard beneath my seat. I was certain I would be frostbitten.
We stumbled onto the plane with hopes of thicker air at a lower elevation and warmth to thaw our shivering bodies. Luckily I found an empty row of seats and I laid down strategically between two bathrooms just in case I got sick. By now I was feeling terrible and was dreading the long day of travel ahead of us.
We arrive at Chengdu. They served fish on the plane! I thought I was going to lose it. The polluted air hit me like a brick. I needed rest. I skipped lunch and slept as much as I could on the bus. It was a five hour ride to Chongqing.
Upon our arrival, John gave me some medication and I went directly to bed. Eleven hours later, I awoke hungry and feeling human again.
Tuesday: Victoria Cruise Line, Fengdu
NOTE: Please see Archives:Favorite Water Journeys, Part 1, posted December 17, 2015. Category: Travel for more information on Victoria Cruise Lines.
After breakfast, we boarded Victoria 1, a US/China joint venture (at the time), our home for the next three nights. We would be cruising down the river the next three days. Finally our daily pace would slow a bit and we could recover from the breakneck pace our tour seemed to demand.
Our stateroom.
We wondered if the Chinese government preferred travelers to be busy every minute of every day save they get into mischief or something more sinister.
This afternoon we stop at Fengdu, the ghost city. What a surprise to find 700,000 people living there. We take the rickety skyway to the top of the Temple of Hell.
We discovered the ghosts are underworld characters, 18 different types, followed by judges and gods who determine if you are worthy to continue to heaven. A Chinese limbo or purgatory if you will.
The punishments for offenses like cheating or stealing would be grotesque and horrific. Who do you suppose thought up not paying your taxes as a humanitarian crime? The visit was okay but with too much silly superstitions and kitch.
Dinner again, more food. We are growing tired of Chinese food. The lack of variety and fresh fruit and veggies is frustrating. There was evening entertainment of some sort. We pass. Time to recharge our energy for the next few days.
Wednesday, The Lesser Gorges and 2 larger gorges.
We are up early to catch a glimpse of the first gorge. The morning is thick with fog. We can barely make out the shoreline. Soon there is a dim outline of the steep walls of the gorge and vague peaks at the top. It is chilly with a biting wind. Before long, however, we are rewarded with stunning views through the mist and early dawn light.
Limestone cliffs tower above us, vegetation and peculiar formations cling to the near vertical walls. Suddenly we are through the first gorge and everyone on deck scurries below for coffee and breakfast.
Soon we disembark to explore the Lesser Gorges. We wonder why we can’t go by ship until we arrive at some docks and realize the Lesser Gorges are clustered around a rocky narrow river far too small for our ship.
We board smaller flat bottom boats with the roofs retracted and off we go. It looks like an army of little boats jockeying to get away from the rest of the boats. It is a comical caravan of tourists. Some tourists but mostly Chinese locals. Away we go up the shallow river for our four hour journey.
As we enter the first of the three Lesser Gorges, the fog lifts and the sun breaks through. What a welcomed sight, a break from the foggy blanket we have experienced in most of our Chinese journey. The green foliage is rich green and bright in the morning sun. Rice terraces and vegetable fields glisten. The late autumn air has turned some trees red, others yellow and still others have lost their leaves altogether. Some not at all.
The narrow gorges reveal their treasures more intimately than the larger gorges. Everything is close, the limestone formations, the odd shaped caves, the towering overhangs and the peaks more than 2000 feet straight up.
The gaps between the gorges are filled with farmland and small villages. The water runs clear and clean. Seemingly rare in China. There are fish and birds everywhere. Monkeys warm themselves in the morning sun.
Box Lunch on the beach, Lesser Gorges
The second gorge is more beautiful than the first. Once we reach the third gorge, we stop for lunch on a large pebble beach. We munch on a box lunch prepared on our ship while local peddlers try to distract us with their trinkets for sale.
After lunch, we continue up the river to the third gorge. It is nice but merely impressive. After a short look, time demands we reverse course and retrace our trail and return to the ship.
Going downstream goes fast and is comparatively quiet. The boatmen busy polling and measuring the waters depth going upstream are now manning the bow oar to steer the boat through the rapids. It turned out to be a wonderful excursion. We enjoyed ourselves completely.
After docking, it’s back on the bus and zigzagging our way through the narrow streets of Wushan, most of which will be submerged with the completion of the massive Three Gorges Dam. New cities are already being built above the new water line.
Back on the ship, we immediately find ourselves approaching the second of the larger gorges. What it lacks in intimacy it more than make up for in sheer beauty. It conjures up images of the Swiss lake region or the Norwegian fjords if it were not for the brown murky water.
Tonight’s dinner included a rare pasta dish. We ignore the other offerings and indulge in something other than Chinese fare. The food overall has been quite good. After dinner, we were lured to another folk music and dance. We left after three performances having enough of such cultural displays.
Thursday, Thanksgiving. The construction site of the Three Gorges Dam
We skipped the early morning viewing of another small gorge and relished the extra time in bed. Today we visited the massive construction site of the Three Gorges Dam. The purpose and controversy aside, the scope and scale is beyond expansive. It will, no doubt, alter the face of China. The achievement is the source of much national pride.
Construction at Three Gorges Dam
The afternoon is free to relax and enjoy the last hours of our river cruise. The gorge slowly yields to farmland, cities grow larger, industry hugging the banks. Water commerce increases, so does the pollution again.
Our farewell dinner was excellent tonight. Each dish unique and unlike any other meals on the trip. An excellent fish was followed by an equally excellent duck. Each dish matched with a sauce, one slightly sweet and sour, the other rich and savory.
The crew provided a round of light entertainment to finish the evening.
Friday, disembark in Wuhan and connecting flights back to the US.
It got cold and foggy overnight. The morning was at leisure and we enjoyed the extra free time to relax and leisurely pack. The final breakfast was especially good. This was the final sailing of the season and the crew was eager to “wrap up” their tour of duty. We arrive early in Wuhan, catch our transfer to the airport for our long journey, via Hong Kong, back to the US.
It was an amazing trip. It was life altering is many ways. Travels like this make the world smaller, more connected if only one person at a time.
Part 5: Potala Palace, Serra Monastery and Mandala Temple
Sunday
We finally felt half human after a good nights sleep. After a late breakfast it was off to the capital of Tibetan Buddhism, the Potala Palace.
Luckily we drove almost to the top and entered the Palace from the rear. It was dark, dank and mysterious. It was both beautiful and overwhelming. Every inch seemed covered in fabrics, paintings, carvings or storage for the seemingly endless relics, statues, stupas, thrones or books.
An occasional ray of sunlight would brighten a small nook, vignette or hallway. Otherwise much of the place felt ominous and forbidding. You could almost hear the chanting of mantras and the praying of monks. But that was in the imagination because the sense of silence was almost overwhelming.
There was a pervasive smell of yak butter candles burning relentlessly. The odor was inescapable. The smell of putrid yak butter candles was everywhere. Most of the poor, faithful residents of Lhasa are subsistence farmers. The only offering they have is leftover yak butter just before it turns and can no longer be used for food or drink.
The candles were everywhere in the palace. New yak butter would be mounded over old, the old would turn rotten and rancid with age and the burning. There were many empty rooms we entered only to startle the rats and mice, sending them scurrying away from their meal of the vile liquid goo.
There was also a profound sense of sadness. This had been the traditional seat of government and the center of Buddhist religion. It now sat powerless, almost lifeless, like an old attic mothballed and waiting for discovery and rejuvenation.
We made our way through countless rooms and a series of courtyards to a vast set of stairs leading down and out of the complex. It was a magnificent visit, well beyond our wildest expectations.
Thank goodness the cultural revolution had not destroyed this place as it had so many many other treasures of the Tibetan society.
After lunch and a brief rest, we embarked to the Sera Monastery on the edge of Lhasa. A whitewashed village with narrow streets and passageways with raised platforms on which the buildings stood. The monastery was home to 900 monks, all draped in heavy maroon and brick colored robes. We spotted a small group smashing yak bones for that evenings soup. It was a fascinating peek at local Buddhist monks daily life. It was a powerful juxtaposition to anything Western.
Our last stop of the day was the Mandala Temple. The second most important temple in Tibet. Pilgrims from all over Tibet and the world make great sacrifices to make a pilgrimage to this temple.
Ironically, this afternoon there are only tourists inside the temple grounds. The exit from the temple led directly to a large bazaar that surrounded the temple. This is where the pilgrims came to conduct their rituals. And where ever there are customers, there are local marketplaces.
This market followed the parade of pilgrims around the temple in a counter clockwise direction. They were dressed in their local dress that varied from region to region. The ladies wore their wealth of turquoise and coral woven into their hair or latched to their belts.
Men wore various forms of head gear. Some looked daunting, others quite fierce with bones in their hair and daggers on their belts.
Surprisingly, what was most peculiar was that WE were the oddity and the pilgrims the norm. It seems few tourists wandered into the marketplace. We were the oddity, a novelty to be ogled and studied, often with amusement to the pilgrims.
Surprisingly, of special interest, was an act of negotiating a transaction. A purchase would attract quite a crowd while the process of haggling for the ‘right price’ took place.
Even more attention was give to the payment itself. A crush of eyes were upon us. Where did we keep our money? How much did we have? Where were our secret pouches, where were our hidden valuables… Unnerving to say the least but consistent with their way of life.
John was a pro at bargaining. So when we found a solid turquoise bowl, he was fully engaged to get the best price. After much a do, John and the merchant were deadlocked. I asked John what was the price gap, he told me and I quickly calculated the difference. I leaned into John’s ear and whispered, you are arguing over a quarter. Give her her price and let’s go.
Dinner that evening was a bizarre experience. It was a new modern restaurant with granite and marble everywhere. The weather was considered warm by local standards. By our standards, it was freezing. So there we were with jackets and ski caps waiting for our yak burgers and french fries…
Next: Part 6, The final post in this series. The Yangtze River and the Three Gorges (before the dam).
This is a most unusual film starring Paul Dano and Daniel Radcliffe. It is causing quite the stir by the critics and audiences. We will admit it is different! Hank (Dano) is at his wits end after being stranded on a small deserted island when he spots a body washed ashore (Radcliffe).
Hank quickly realizes the body is dead but also discovers the body has been adrift for some time and is quite flatulent. He manages to use the body as a watercraft to get back to the mainland. (This is the first clue, this is no ordinary story!)
There is a extensive series of adventures and challenges that take place. At some point the corpse talks so it is easy to assume everything is imagined. The end is quite powerful, albeit confusing.
See this if you want to view great creative performances or a peek behind the creative mental and supernatural scenes that become rational under the circumstances. Rated R with good cause.
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The Legend of Tarzan
First, check out this cast! Alexander Skarsgard, Samuel L. Jackson, Margot Robbie, Christoph Waltz, and Djimon Hounsou!
Next, this film cost $180 million in production! It shows. Layers of special effects, beautiful cinematography, a classic story line and nonstop adventure. It checks all the boxes.
That said, it is not perfect. There are too many flashbacks and digressions leaving the audience to wonder ‘what just happened?’ or ‘what is this?’.
The film does toggle back and forth in time a bit too much; from Tarzan’s childhood, life long encounters with the animal kingdom and his adult life with wife and his role as Lord back in England.
All that said, it is so well done, any Tarzan fan must give this rendition a look.
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The BFG
Disney and Steven Spielberg’s debut of The BFG (The Big Friendly Giant) apparently did not meet the industry’s financial expectation over the 4th of July weekend holiday.
No worries, this is still a creative and visual success. It is a story about Sophie, a 10 year old orphan girl in London who meets a 24 foot giant one night and befriends him. She travels with him back to his world where she discovers more oddities; bigger giants that love to munch on ‘beans’ (human beings actually).
The production is filled with monumental special effects. As a whole, it is a visual cornicopia resulting in a stunning movie going experience. It is not perfect, some of the scenes may be disturbing to young viewers (although our 8 year old nephew seemed undisturbed by it all).
Mark Rylance plays the giant. Ruby Barnhill is Sophie. Penelope Wilton plays a hilarious Queen of England. On the critical side, the script was sometimes difficult to follow due to Giant’s speech impediment and the odd invented words like “fleshlumpeater”, and “bloodbottler”.
Nonethless, this is sure to become a classic in time. See it on the biggest and best theater available.
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The Shallows
It was interesting to read some reviews of this movie AFTER viewing it. Generally favorable, but those that didn’t like it, really didn’t like it. On further exploration, it was a surprise to discover many prominent news sources trashed the film.
Oh well, we thought it was well done. Quiet surfing vacation getaway to a secluded beach to enjoy nature and decompress from some life complexity.
Disaster strikes when a really big, mean ol’ shark spots humans encroaching on his/her whale kill. The rest you already know… Surfers get eaten, our star, injured and trapped off shore with no one to help…
That said, it was done well, the right mix of angst and tension, surprise and suspense. Award material? Probably not. But if you like this type of movie, don’t let the smack talk keep you from seeing it.
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Our Kind of Traitor
This is a really good film. It has all the elements of a great espionage novel. Jaded Russian oligarch Dima is a financial genius at risk when extensive money laundering lands on the doorstep of the British Banking system.
Seeking a way out for himself and his family, Dima befriends an unlikely British man and his wife. Together they navigate through a very dangerous mine field of corruption and deceit.
There are more twists and turns than a roller coaster. The pace is tense, riddled with danger and lots of tension. Somewhere along the ride we grow to care about these core characters. And that is where it gets even more intense.
It is well acted with Ewan McGregor, Naomie Harris, Stellan Skarsgard and Damian Lewis in the leading roles. Rated R for violence, some sexuality, nudity and drug use. A very intense 107 minutes. Beautifully filmed.
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Eat That Question: Frank Zappa in His Own Words
This documentary about the musical life of Frank Zappa, the famed musician and composer uses old footage to recreate the person, his music and impact on the music industry of the day.
Frank Zappa was fiercely intelligent and brutally honest when interviewed. He was a skilled classical composer but preferred creating abstract operatic interpretations that challenged his audiences to stray from conformity.
He was irreverent and challenging but also charismatic and inventive. This film is a rare peek behind the curtain of a truly unique and talented personality.
Personal note: When younger, I did not care for his music or his persona; however, it was clear he was a master of his craft then. This documentary sheds light on his life’s work and legacy. It is well worth a look if you are a music fan.
