Vancity Crime Fest Blue Room Nordic Noir Blues: Friday, November 21st!

Every man is guilty of all the good he didn't do. -Voltaire, philosopher (1694-1778) 

IT'S ONLY MAKE BELIEVE

DIRECTOR: Arild Østin Ommundsen CAST: Silje Salomonsen, Tomas Alf Larsen, Egil Birkeland (Norway, 2013, 91 min.)

"Keenly poised between compassion and violence, this gripping slice of Nordic noir is a suspense drama that doubles as a character study. It's also a rare crime thriller with a sympathetic female protagonist at its heart. Released from prison nine years after a fateful shooting, Jenny tries to put her life back on the straight and narrow — but past associates have other ideas. A tour de force from writer-director-editor-cinematographer Ommundsen, and from his wife, Salomonsen."

Hi Kenneth! No need to be shirty, och mon! To show no offense taken, I'm off to see a number of films at Vancity, tonight, and over the course of this weekend, and into next week. If you are interested in joining me, tonight at 6:30 pm and 8:30 pm and probably Saturday at 12:30 pm and or 2:45 pm. Then not until Monday at 6:30 and 8:40 pm and then Wednesday at 6:30 and 8:20 pm. It is Vancity's Crime Fest. Quite an incredible lineup:

http://www.viff.org/theatre/now-playing-coming-soon

Anyway, let me know by humming a few bars of Roamin' in the gloamin' and we'll plan accordingly. Cheers. Talk soon but A'm gaun for the messages shortly, Patrizzio!  

Hi Anthology Man! Thanks very much for the copy of the Miller poems. Haven't had time to start perusing but will certainly do so over the next little while. Will be in touch once I have made a start. Also, appreciated the snaps of event at cemetery. Places things in a bit more of a context.

With respect to the Coffaro you muled back to Salem I suggest you drink them as soon as you've read this message! As I think you know, the cache was discovered, more by luck than good cellar management, and I don't think any more bottle age will help! Friends in Portland, Marilyn and Mike, will be having ones I passed along to them for Thanksgiving. Only hope they don't spoil dinner!
 

As I assume you also know, we were quite distraught to learn of the terrible car accident which could easily have been even more terrible! One funeral, of late, is more than enough for you, let alone anyone else. Bit of a digression but I hope the following will put some of what happened, earlier on our trip south, into present context. When we stayed overnight in Portland, our host, Michaelo played a vinyl copy of Kenneth McKellar, The Voice of Scotland, I believe, a record from the '50's. Glasgow and Marilyn, Mike's wife, proceeded to belt out bits of Scotland The Brave over the course of the wonderful dinner she had prepared. Marilyn was tickled pink to find someone else who knew the lyrics to this stirring ballad as she had sung it innumerable times, both as a young Girl Scout herself and then as a GS Leader when she was quite active in the movement, here in Portland. A well- lubricated Mathew provided more than suitable volume!
 

At any rate, we had a few more hearty renditions on the last night of the trip home when we stayed with Olivers once more. Yesterday, I had David's message informing us of accident on Hwy 80.  In an attempt to lighten the mood, when informing Whirlygig and Glasgow about crash, I suggested to Glasgow "that Vincenzo was probably listening to Kenneth McKellar singing Scotland the Brave! Or else the bagpipes. Probably the latter. He thought a quick death was a viable alternative!"

The reference to bagpipes had to do with a silly joke I'd sent to the Portlandians, prompted by the aforementioned singalong some of us had been subjected to over the course of our two overnight stays. Hyper Sensitive New Age Scotsman under a that kilt, it seems! Anyway, loads of great good fun, especially since we don't have to have him wail a funeral dirge! Fondestos to you in your wife in Salem. Trust our paths will cross again, in the not too, too distant future. Cheers, Patrizzio, Wearing Industrial Strength Earplugs! Pics: The Katzenjammer Twins and friends! Kenneth and friends!

Patrick: Thanks for the letter, joke, pictures, and advice about those bottles. Let's hope they can hold out until the Thanksgiving gathering of Maile's kin. Your photos reminded me that I took some pictures too (attached). When you get to it, let me know which, if any, of Miller's poems you'd like to see passed along to the future

Patrick: I've evidently got the wrong email address for Glasgow. Can you send me the right one? Thanks, Rod

• Patrick James Dunn Simply wonderful to meet Rod as well!
• 

  Charles Hartman I remember the great snow of '66. We all headed to the liquor store and brought back sleds of beer.
• 

  Patrick James Dunn Now there is a Survivalist one could well emulate!! For my part, I never eat with my meals anyway! However, here, north of the 49th, we would use toboggans! Stone sleds or, sledges, if you prefer, are used for removing stones from fields, often pulled behind tractors by stoned, back-to-the-land hippies in the '60's on Saturna Island, per esempio! In the Great Snow of '65, in Winnipeg, my Mom, Sharktooth Annie, crawled on her knees, for two or three blocks to reach our home, so strong was the blizzard's wind and so deep the drifts. Bowls of steaming borscht, with dollops of sour cream, thawed her out, at the end of her polar trek!

Hi Westpointers! When I came to collect my Trek earlier, I told Sara I'd send along some of the snaps from Tahoe. Had a great ride there, as well as one in Amador, out of Plymouth. Since I've had the "loaner" rear wheel I've been whirring along and enjoyed a fab 107 km ride this past Wednesday, (with Ray Banks, for the first 30 km, Andrea!), so can't complain. 

Now that rains seems to have started, with a vengeance, I'm using elliptical at FCCC as well as a couple of the spin bikes there. All the best to one and all. Cheers, Patrizzio! Pics: Pomegranates from tree just outside Noceto, winery near Plymouth; Wildlife in Tahoe! 

Hi Patrizzia! Thanks for your  droll account of some of the cruise activities. I was particularly  amused by the "long pants" imperative as I "suffered" the same sanction in 2008 when we went around The Horn, together with Clara/Dusty and Flamin'/Sarge. Unfortunately, I was coerced into following the dress code, unhappy though I was. Room service seems like the ideal solution, other than for nudists and the "butler", perhaps! Congratulations!

Coriandre and Chloë were pleased that you enjoyed the small gifts. Cora Lee took her to the airport this morning at 6:30 am to catch her flight to Toronto. I have to go over to her loft tomorrow to be there for a fire alarm inspection as Corinne has another volunteer shift at the Hycroft Christmas Fair. That evening we are off to have dinner with Ted and Elaine Keating, friends who have visited your winery as well. Ted was along with Mick and Andrew on one of our rugby tours. Christina, E's/T's eldest, was doing a PhD at Stanford about five or more years ago, and came up for Release Party to collect wine Ted had ordered on the trip mentioned. I was dlighted to supply most of the wine, yours, when we attended her thesis defense. She is now teaching at Rutgers.    
 

Yes, The Lost Burritos are indeed, Big Fellows, Ayn's sons, as you correctly surmise. All of our beds really aren't quite large enough for either of them but they are pretty much used to this, here, and elsewhere. They are very resilient and make do without complaining in the slightest. Ayn will likely stay with Chloë while Los Horridos will camp out with us. We have found, from much past experience, that it is usually better to take the mattresses off the beds so that their feet can simply dangle onto the floor. Not as easy to do if on a bed-frame.

No, I didn't actually buy the wine bottle holder but I did enjoy seeing it and sending pictures to various friends and family! I pretend I'm much too serious a biker for that! Yes, did breath a huge sigh of relief to learn that Nancy and David had escaped unscathed. 

Your Thanksgiving sounds a busy family affair, people coming in from all over. Trust it will be a wonderful visit for everyone. Must away as I'm off to the gym. It's raining cats and dogs and supposed to do so for next few days. Not completely unhappy with weather as there is a wonderful Crime Fest series playing at a local theatre, Vancity, headquarters of Vancouver International Film Festival, and I'm hoping to take in quite a few of the showings over the next week. Off to two tonight, by myself. Cora Lee said she would be too tired after volunteering at Hycroft from 10-1:30 pm and then at the Bookmark, the store run by Friends of VPL, in the Main Library, from 2-6:00 pm. She is the board member responsible for store this year.
 

Hope to go to a number tomorrow, and on Sunday, if I can squeeze them in between other social engagements. Two on Monday evening and same again on Wednesday. Glasgow might join me but have yet to hear back from him about ones he'd like to watch. Take care of yourselves. Fondestos and Cheers, Patrizzio!

Pics: Rick Fraga at Martinelli; David and brother Rod, in from Salem, for their mother's 90th; with Nancy and Glasgow; un-crating recently "discovered" Coffaro, two cases of 2008 "lost" in crawl space at Casa Vicente; leaving Berkeley, last both taken by Rod; Glasgow with Marilyn and Kenneth!

Bad Turn Worse

Patrick, Pat, no you are not my wife. We will have to get together every year if it is only at the the gate..................I can't wait for the next adventure.....Dave


Landed. It's cold but clear. Hotel is nice. xx Hi my flight arrives 8:45 thursday night Westjet 719 someone wanna grab me 9:15?? I can come outside. Let me know. Thanks xx Hi Chloe, I can come and get you on Thursday after my Cafe Council meeting. Hope you are enjoying TO. Love, Mom Thanks Mom, just in line to get my coat at the art gallery saw the Alex Colville exhibit. Really good. xx


Have been enjoying Crime Fest at Vancity since Friday. Have seen two films so far: Bad Turn Worse, USA; It's Only Make Believe, Norway. Plan to catch A Fuller Life, USA and Cold in July, USA, on Saturday.

Bad Turn Worse was more than gripping: "Cowboy noir was almost a movie thing in the 1980s and ’90s, thanks to movies like Blood Simple, One False Move and Red Rock West. The genre is informed by the great pulp novelist Jim Thompson (The Getaway, The Killer Inside Me), whose shadow looms large over Bad Turn Worse, a solid entry in a current indie revival of the form that includes Blue Ruin and Cold In July.
 
The motor of the story is the complicated relationship between three teenagers — with the daring, outgoing B. J. (Logan Huffman) sinking his smarter, more cautious, more ambitious friends into trouble partially through deeply buried malice and envy, to forestall his girlfriend Sue’s (Mackenzie Davis) ambition to leave town for college and the likelihood that she’ll also hook up with the more bookish, fatally meek Bobby (Jeremy Allen White). 

Directors Simon and Zeke Hawkins and screenwriter Dutch Southern make B. J. more than a simple sociopath, but he’s a troubled and dangerous character, perfectly played as appealing yet subtly offputting by Huffman.

This has a twisty plot involving a real robbery and a sham heist, with schemes within schemes and reversals that serve to get affable nice guy Bobby and whip-smart Sue — a devotee not only of Jim Thompson but Nancy Drew — deeper into trouble. Cowboy noir depends on a juxtaposition of old Western hats and a roundabout way of speaking with the rusting detritus of a post-industrial contemporary America — as the [original] title [We’ve Got to Get Out of This Place] suggests, this West is somewhere you escape from rather than light out for. Here, a huge cotton factory makes a suitably picturesque, grim backdrop for a climax where the threats finally spill over into violence, with friendly face William Devane showing up as a local kingpin at precisely the point when things need to get worse."

Mark Pelligrino plays the very nasty bad, bad guy, Giff, to chilling perfection so it is blood-chillingly exciting from the opening credits to the closing line. Not to be missed!

The Norwegian film is told, in part, with flashbacks and involves a young woman who has spent nine years in prison and then is released to try and gain custody of the daughter who was born shortly after she was incarcerated. A compelling drama with no easy answers for the very likeable female protagonist. Was reminded of the Danish film, Sorrow and Joy, I'd seen at this year's VIFF, in terms of the difficult social issues both address.