“Styopa Likodeyev no longer has to talk on the phone at the Variety. After being discharged from the clinic where he spent eight days, Styopa was transferred to Rostov, where he was appointed manager of a large speciality foods store. Rumor has it that he has sworn off port completely and drinks only vodka steeped in black currants, which has greatly improved his health. They say he has become taciturn and avoids women.”
Mikhail Bulgakov, “The Master and Margarita”, 1966.
We encounter Cooper (Daniel Dorr) prior to the opening credits rolling. Is he a murderer of his fiancé Emily (Hope Lauren)? We are in high suspense throughout the movie waiting for confirmation Cooper sliced up Emily and for what reason.
Cooper has been diagnosed with obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) some labeling his OCD as Pure O. Pure O, according to OCD UK is a variety of OCD subject to standard OCD treatment. Pure O includes seeking constant assurances from loved ones, avoidance of particular objects, places and people that trigger obsessive thoughts. Cooper is referred to a self-help group of sufferers of OCD. OCD is not simply repetition of behaviour like washing hands or picking the face but can include compulsive thoughts such as pedophilia, starting fires, terminal illness, suicide, rituals and hit and run OCD. Through participants in Cooper’s self help group we are educated as to some of the various forms of OCD and how it effects sufferers, their families and the community.
Nice to know but at times the first half of the film strikes one as an educational video for psychiatry students almost like a documentary with actors.
Matters become more dramatic in the second half of the film with some heart wrenching and emotional moments including terminal illness, death, abortion and substance abuse.
Cooper works as a rehab counsellor in Malibu and one is tempted to draw similarities between substance abuse and OCD. Not to simplify matters but is addiction a physical damaging OCD?
That knife to the throat scene is almost unbearable to watch! Shiver me timbers!
If you want to learn more about OCD particularly if you think you or family or friend has it you’ll want to watch this film otherwise it is an interesting but not compelling watch.
I suppose writer and director Dillon Tucker somewhat accurately sums up the film by saying, “’Pure O is a semi-autobiographical account of my life around the time I was diagnosed with OCD while working as a counselor at a drug and alcohol rehab. It is a true ensemble piece that shows how mental health affects not only the sufferer, but also the loved ones who surround them. This film is a story about the power of human connection and how vulnerability is the greatest form of courage.”
There will be a digital release of the film on 12April2024 in Canada, United States and the United Kingdom.
You can watch the trailer here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oOAT_IT8K6M&t=2s
RKS 2024 Film Rating 69/100.
I rated the 2020 Herdade do Sobroso from Portugal an 89. What fate will I assign to the 2021?
The 2021 is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon (20%), Aragonez (30%), Alicante Bouschet (30%) and Syrah (20%). The grapes were handpicked and aged in 500 litre French oak barrels for 6 months.
Aroma: Creamy blackberry.
Palate: Blackberry, cassis, fig and smoked meat. A short spicy finish. Minimal tannins with beautifully integrated oak. Some very timid acidity…thank goodness.
Personality: I am fairly representative of the wines of Alentejo. Unlike my Douro brethren, insistent upon indigenous grapes, we here in Alentejo are very fond of Alicante Bouschet and Syrah in our red blends. I am simple and straightforward.
Food Match: In Portugal with a wickedly rich Franchesina or failing that in North America a platter of medium fatty smoked meat, kosher pickle and fries.
Cellarbility: Ready for consumption now but will happily hang around like a puppy at your heels until 2025-year end.
Price: $20 CDN (Ontario).
RKS 2024 Wine Rating: 89/100. Roger Voss 88.
(Herdade do Sobroso 2021, D.O.C. Alentejo, Herdade do Sobroso, Vidigueira, Portugal, 750 mL, 14.5%).
Clocking in around two and a half hours this French film is long but fascinating and not readily understood with one viewing.
I am tempted to state it could be a great love story of a couple spanning three lifetimes but that is shattered Nagasaki style in the dying seconds of the movie. Alternatively, and perhaps too easily, it could be labelled as an “Alice in Wonderland”/”The Matrix” fantasy fuelled by that blue pill. Or it could be a warning on the dangers posed to humanity by artificial intelligence. I am leaning towards it being a combination of all three with healthy doses of mysticism and symbolism thrown in for good measure. My thoughts may be irrefutable as I watched the film twice! With the clarity of the double watch I may have understood the film much better but some of the mysticism and possible symbolism are not as mysterious as they initially were.
The film commences with Gabrielle Monnier (Léa Seydoux) a thirtyish pianist in 1901 Paris meeting Louis Lewanski (George Mackay). They meet again in 2014 and 2044 not consciously knowing they have met before. In 1901 they perished together by drowning. In 2014 Gabrielle may have died at the hands of Louis. In 2044 no one dies other than Gabrielle’s love for Louis. In the 1901 segment the wardrobe and cinematography is outstanding. Equally impressive are Seydoux and Mackay.
Gabrielle is haunted by premonitions of catastrophe and in all three time periods her premonition is correct. Through DNA purification in 2044 catastrophes and anxieties can be eliminated 99.3 % of the time. Gabrielle resists DNA purification initially frightened she will lose all feelings but is told by AI this is not the case as she will just feel them more “serenely”. You will have emotions but they will not bother you.
Gabrielle agrees to undergo DNA purification but it fails for reasons that will became apparent. Will it be equally apparent what The Beast is? Guess freely as there are so many here you can’t go wrong.
Very trippy. This is a type of film you best watch at least twice. The first watch is a WTF watch! A “La Grande Bouffe” feast for the eyes and mind.
Directed by Betrand Bonello.
Canadian theatrical release on 19April2024 in Toronto and Vancouver.
RKS 2024 Film Rating 92/100.
I had finished watching and reviewing an upcoming film “Pure O”. In this American film the protagonist battles with OCD including obsessing on hacking up his fiancé and being terminally ill with cancer somewhat heavier than Glenn Gould’s obsessive handwashing. “Pure O” will be released digitally on 12April2024 in North America and the United Kingdom.
After watching this emotionally charged film my mind was depleted and don’t say that is always the case! So I watched some fluff that was a cross between Jaws and Scott Pilgrim. The movie was “Sharknado” (2013). Yes, a tornado heads up from Mexico and hits Los Angeles bringing Noah’s rain and in the whirl of the tornado sharks were caught up and fell into Los Angeles gobbling up humans, tearing limbs apart and you get the picture. And it was a dreadful film replete with BAD…acting, writing, editing and credibility.
So how can I review this wine with a clear head other than saying it is a wine that dumps blackberries all over my hometown of Toronto. Thery are mutant blackberries mind you and very dangerous causing traffic “jams” and squirting blackberry juice over the populace and murdering all who have professed a love of raspberry jam!
Sorry this is what “Sharknado” has done to me.
Aroma: Open the wine and rich blackberry permeates the room. Plenty of blueberry and black cherry acting as the rearguard.
Palate: Blackberry attack from the glass and not the sky! The blueberries conquer the long finish. The acidity though is just a bit too “vibrant” for me.
Personality: I am yet another Malbec from Argentina so hopefully you aren’t bored with me. It has been raining Argentinian Malbec at a tornadic rate for years but skirt your impatience and give me a try.
Food Match: Given this wine’s “vibrant acidity” I think swim away from the remora of beef that attaches to Malbec and pair with a Swiss Chard Lasagna chock full of mushrooms and no meat.
Cellarbility: Given the “vibrant acidity” I would steer clear of ageing. Drink now.
Price: $20 CDN (Ontario).
RKS 2024 Wine Rating: 86/100. Jamessuckling.com 93.
(Trivento Golden Reserve 2021 Malbec, Luján de Cuyo, Mendoza, Bodegas Trivento, Mendoza, Argentina, 750 mL, 14.5%).
“No scenes, no scenes.” retorted Azazello with a grimace. “You should put yourself in my position. Smacking some bureaucrat in the puss, booting out some old geezer, shooting someone, or anything along those lines, that’s my real speciality, but talking with a woman in love-no thanks.”
Mikhail Bulgakov, “The Master and Margarita”, 1966.
“And in general, may I be so bold as to offer you some advice, Margarita Nikolayevna, never ever be afraid of anything. That’s unwise. The ball will be lavish, that I won’t try to hide from you. We’ll see some people that wielded power in their day. But, truly, when one thinks how microscopically small their resources are compared with the resources of the one in whose retinue I have the honor, then it becomes ridiculous and, I would even say pathetic….And besides you yourself are of royal blood.”
“The Master and Margarita”, Mikhail Bulgakov, 1966.
When it is lobster, crab and shrimp on the plate simply prepared with lots of garlic and butter in the mix it could be The Hermit Crab, a Viognier and Marsanne blend from Australia, is your man in Havana. Over the years it has proven its worth for me and it has been consistently good.
You know on Pico Island in the Azorean Islands there is an expression saying you should plant vines where you can hear the crabs singing! Meaning plant close to the moderating influences of the Atlantic Ocean.
Aroma: Stone fruit, mango, pineapple, melon and Flemish pear.
Palate: A very “soft wine”. No harsh edges. Laid back and well integrated acidity. Apricot, peach and melon with a middling finish. The acidity gains steam as the wine warms so I prefer a good chill on it although if you prefer some noticeable acidity let it warm up a tad and it would suit mussels and oysters.
Personality: The Australians can do Viognier very well particularly Yalumba (O Series). Not being a Rhône Ranger blend a bit of this with a South Australian Shiraz and do we have a Cote Rôtie Aussie? I am an Aussie blessing the French grapes here.
Food Match: Thai seafood curries. Pasta Vongole. Steamed lobster and crab in a garlic butter sauce. Grilled chicken breast in a tarragon cream sauce.
Cellarbility: Best consume in 2024 and not to depress North American readers where summer has not yet arrived this would match a Thanksgiving turkey with gravy and not cranberries. Add cranberries (God forbid) then think Pinot Noir or Gamay.
Price: $18 CDN (Ontario).
RKS 2024 Wine Rating: 89/100. 2022 New Zealand Wine Show 90.
(d’Arenberg The Hermit Crab 2022 Viognier Marsanne, McLaren Vale, d’Arenberg McLaren Vale, Australia, 750 mL, 14%).
Of late I have encountered dismal Pinot Noirs, primarily and surprisingly from New Zealand suffering from excess oak.
Canadian Pinot Noirs perform top rate in British Columbia’s Okanagan Valley. Niagara Pinot Noirs are hit and miss. How about Pinot Noirs from the land of the lawyers, judges and well-heeled Torontonians cozying up at swank hotels and restaurants they thought they wistfully left behind in Toronto!? Yes that is Prince Edward County, picturesque farm land on the northeastern shore of Lake Ontario about a two hour drive east of Toronto. Somewhat the midpoint between Toronto and Montreal.
There is much limestone in “The County” as it is called and Chardonnay can do particularly well here. Climatic conditions can be harsh in the winter challenging the vines. A good part of the wine you purchase in Prince Edward County is not VQA Prince Edward County but made from Niagara grapes. If you are looking for true VQA Prince Edward County ensure it has that VQA designation on the label.
1,800 cases made.
I had this Closson Chase Vineyard Pinot Noir, proudly bearing its VQA destination on the label, with a pre–Blue Jays MLB dinner last summer and I recall it being good. In quieter surroundings it deserves a “double check”.
All the grapes were sourced entirely from their estate vineyards. Destemmed with no crushing and cold soaked for 3-5 days. 75% fermented in oak tonneau and 25% in stainless steel. Aged for 18 months French oak barrels 5% of which were new.
Aroma: Light if not delicate. Raspberry, strawberry and but a bit of milk chocolate. Impressive.
Palate: Light tannins being no surprise due to destemming of the grapes. The fruit, raspberry and strawberry is light perhaps too much so. Short undistinguished finish. Not impressive.
Personality: I smell mighty nice but body wise I am anemic.
Food Match: Mushroom soup and for goodness’s sake not from a can!
Cellarbility: Drink by 2024-year end.
Price: $38 CDN (Ontario).
RKS 2024 Wine Rating: 90/100. David Lawrason 90.
(Closson Chase 2021 Vineyard Pinot Noir, VQA Prince Edward County, Closson Chase Vineyards Inc., Hillier, Ontario, 750 mL, 12.2%).
Crazy8’s has been organizing 8-day filmmaking challenges since 1999. Those filmmakers selected after a successful pitch are given 8 days to produce a short. On 20April2024 all 6 selected finalists present their short in Vancouver followed by a gala evening.
“Astronaut” is a 12-minute film directed by Kevin Cheng. Tom (Tobi Wong) is a young Chinese lad recently having moved to British Columbia. His teachers at school note he has difficulty connecting with his peers perhaps worsened by the fact he is still learning English. Gordon (Victor Young) his father arrives from abroad for a two week stay. Gordon at first blush presents as a cold disciplinarian. The long-distance spousal relationship between Gordon and his spouse (Xiaoquing Ye) is unharmonious. Poor Tom appears to be falling by the wayside.
Be prepared for a wild emotional ride watching Tom take off in his spaceship and connecting with what have appeared to be so impossibly far away they are aliens. And who is the engineer on home base? And if you have ever heard David Bowie’s “Space Oddity” I guarantee it has never sounded or felt so splendid. “Astronaut” is a highwater mark for a “feel-good” short!
If you can’t make it to Vancouver for Crazy8’s I suspect this short will be blasting off to screens throughout the world.
RKS 2024 Film Rating 94/100.
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