Had the crappy continental breakfast which even by continental breakfast standards was junk. The first Portuguese continental breakfast in Lisbon at the Hotel Flamingo was a delight in comparison to this one. Off to the bus stop for trip to Vila Real de San Antonio. There were too many people stuffed on the bus so took a taxi to Vila Real, found the tourist office and they had only three pensions in this town so went to one of them and like the continental breakfast in the morning it was crappy and reeked of garlic. This is the only town in the Algarve where streets are laid out in geometric fashion which it makes it easier to find your way but reduces the charm. Found a restaurant called Gomes which was packed with locals. The food was excellent. Walked about in the main square and had an ice cream before returning to the garlic factory.
RKS Film: “Desert Space”: Fascination vs. Credibility
Who amongst us is not fascinated by UFO’s? But who believes there is evidence that enables us to transcend fascination and convert us into a believer?
The Chilean documentary “Desert Space” reveals the fascination with UFO’s is a universal phenomenon or at least it extends to Chile.
Leonel is 58-year-old man who is a security guard at a mining company in the Atacama Desert. He is an airplane nut and has a large collection of military and commercial aircraft models. His interest in UFOs began when he was living in Sydney and took countless photographs and videos of planes landing and taking off. But in these there were sometimes shimmering silver objects that he believes were UFOs and identical objects are found in his Chilean photographs and videos. Are they birds or weather balloons? Apparently the first documented case of UFO sightings was in the Atacama Desert in 1868 by a group of miners who reported seeing a metallic bird flying in the skies.
There are like minded UFO believers in Leonel’s community and many of them have given up trying to persuade others of their UFO sightings. Leonel calls a UFO sighting vigil in the dessert and a dozen or people assemble and hold hands around a fire and point lasers in the sky to no avail. No alien contact.
We learn that Leonel has his ex-wife arriving from Australia to remarry. A strange somewhat incongruent wedding ceremony becomes part of the documentary. I am not sure why other that it establishes Leonel is no eccentric as he can focus on more that UFO’s and have a good time at a party?
Walk away with what you can after viewing this documentary. My take is that Leonel is nothing but a regular guy with a passion for UFOs. And like many of his ilk they remain a minority in a sea of skeptics always seeking cold hard evidence and even when they see it they refuse to believe it.
A documentary about a man with a passion. Call him a nutball if you wish but do revel in the stunning beauty of the Atacama Desert which is so spectacular it looks like a scene from a different planet. In the opening and closing scene Leonel is holding what appears to be a diving rod in the desert. It is as if Leonel is in another planet himself. Is it that his beliefs have in effect made him an alien on earth!
The documentary had its international premiere at Toronto Hot Docs a few weeks ago. It no doubt will be making the rounds on the documentary film festival circuit.
You can see the trailer here https://hotdocs.ca/whats-on/hot-docs-festival/films/2022/desert-space
Directed by Yerko Ravlic.
RKS Film Rating 81/100.
RKS Wine: Ontario Rosés: Run To/Run Away? Featherstone Estate Winery 2021 Rosé
I can’t say I have been running away from Featherstone Rosé over the years. It is from the Niagara Peninsula in Ontario. Ontario rosés can compete with the best in the world. It would have been nice if the label informed us which grapes are used in the wine. Given its dark colour I am guessing Pinot Noir is in the mix. I am right but according to their website there is also some Gamay and Cabernet Sauvignon.
It has a dark pink colour. A beguiling aroma of red cherries, raspberries and strawberries. On the palate loads of cherry, raspberry and hints of raspberry Jello. A solid no nonsense fruit forward rosé with a moderate finish. Ideal for sipping on a hot summer day and a great match for grilled goat or lamb. If you can stash a few away for colder months this would be a stellar match for a Christmas ham with scalloped potatoes. For vegheads as asparagus is in season pair with a Sichuan-Style Asparagus and Tofu Salad (see www.seriouseats.com).
Generally speaking the darker the rosé the more apparent the fruit is. Often the paler rosés are too acidic to be a quaffer.
This it will make it into mid 2023. Featherstone delivers a consistent and delicious rosé at an attractive price.
Run to the Featherstone Rosé!
I am writing Santa Claus with a wish for a case of this beautifully crafted wine!
(Featherstone Rosé 2021, $15.95, VQA Niagara Peninsula, Featherstone Estate Winery, Vineland, Ontario, Canada, Liquor Control Board of Ontario # 117861, 13%, 750 mL, RKS Wine Rating 94/100).
“Travels to a Different Time” : 14July1978: Monte Gordo, Portugal: Finally Warm Portuguese Water: Victimized by Tiny Clams: Zombie Faced Gamblers
What a pathetic breakfast so no wonder it is “free”. One roll, two thin chocolate cookies and watery coffee. Off to the beach and finally water you weren’t numbed out by. The beach is in a bay so the water has a chance to warm up. Lunch at the beach was a delicious bowl of clams but they were so tiny it took a long time to eat. A walk along the beach which is so relaxing listening to the waves and inhaling the salt air. Picked up some water at the supermarket and came home for a siesta. The salt air, ocean and sun is almost hypnotic. Living it up went to the casino for an excellent $12 meal. A cheesy night club act followed. Strolled through the casino seeing the zombie faces on the slot machines.
“Travels to a Different Time: : 13July1978: Faro and Monte Gordo, Portugal: Glorious View of the BP Station!
Up at 8:30 to a cold day and off to the market for breakfast eaten in the room with a glorious view of the BP gas station. Boarded the bus for Monte Gordo and the bus driver zipped along at a good clip along the treacherous roads. The room I found was $11.50 a night. Looking forward to a hot shower but the municipality had closed the water down until 22:00 so off to dinner in this small town without a main drag only a few stores and restaurants here and there. Sardines and Vinho Verde for dinner. Took a stroll around including a walk through of some obnoxious circus. Strangely there is a big casino here.
RKS Films: “Erzulie”: Gentleman Be Kind to the Ladies
“Erzulie” is a warning film to men who mistreat ladies. Erzulie is a river mermaid that is a protector of women and children.
We start the film with a “Jaws “scene of some obnoxious guy Brad bothering one of his lady companions and hurts her by tossing a beer can at her. Poor Brad disappears from his float on the river in a pool of blood. Got your interest?
It would appear throughout the film any man that harasses or abuses a lady draws the ire of the mermaid!
What you think may be a horror movie morphs into a mystery film as a group of gal pals converge on a camping ground for a happy reunion. Well it is not so happy as some are scarred by bad men in their life including one suffering physical abuse at the hands of James. James enjoys a “final swim” in the pool. Then there is the campground manager a gun toting, cocaine sniffing and illegal dumper of chemicals into the river inhabited by Erzulie.
You might want to conclude the film veers from horror where bad men meet their just desserts. Does the film fall into the horror-feminist-ecological genre? This genre lifts it above a campy B movie. A fun watch. Erzulie ladies may be what you deserve.
You can see the trailer here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-8xNNnSViXE
“Erzulie” will be released on digital platforms on June 14th.
RKS Film Rating 79/100.
“Travels to a Different Time” : 12July1978: Faro, Portugal: Follow the Crowd to Food: Gringo Tries to Pick up Local Girl
Up at 8:30 and followed the flow of people to the market. If you are up early enough this trick always lands you in the market and food! Had some breakfast which included yogurt which I am beginning to like. I found out that a bus was leaving for the main beach in 90 minutes so while waiting had a pineapple Sumol. Pestered by a gypsy beggar child who was tenacious. Took the #16 bus to the beach and the waves were big and the water freezing. While Portuguese beaches can be scenic the Atlantic is frigid. Give me the Mediterranean, Ionian or Adriatic for warm water. Beside me a gringo was trying to make it with a local girl but who knows the outcome. From what I can see Portugal is a very conservative society and I can’t picture the local girls easy marks for tourists. In 45 minutes burnt to a crisp so had a cool drink at a café while waiting for the bus. Had some grapes upon returning to room. Dressed up a bit and headed to the bourgeoisie hot spot for dinner. The meal at Casa Lumeria was excellent except there were some Yanks speaking loudly and getting dirty stares for their gregarious behaviour. Had a coffee and pastry and bakery and returned home to bed.
RKS Wine: The Douro’s Rede Reserva
A blend of Tinta Roriz, Touriga Nacional and Touriga Franca. The usual Douro red wine suspects as I like to say. But if any of them are arrested they’ll be acquitted of all charges based on good taste of course.
Virtually purple in colour. Aromatics of a Douro winery at harvest time. Intense nose of blackberry, black plum, coal and blueberry. On the palate the tannins are not intense but they slowly creep up. Maraschino cherry, black cherry, blueberry pie with a hint of black licorice. A moderately long finish with a twist of cloves and pepper.
An authentic Douro wine at a dream price. I picked up at a manager’s discount at just over $10. Pinch me please.
As usual Douro reds match ox and beef. Would also pair well with Shakshuka with Feta (New York Times).
Best consume by the end of 2023.
You’d be hard pressed to beat Douro reds for value and quality. How do they do it?
RKS Wine Rating 89/100.
(Rede Reserva Douro DOC 2016, Quinta da Rede Mesão Frio, Portugal, $14.95, Liquor Control Board of Ontario # 431262, 750 mL, 13.5% RKS Wine Rating 89/100).
RKS Film: “Who Killed Vincent Chin” : 40th Anniversary
After an altercation at a Detroit strip club Vincent Chin was beaten to death with a baseball bat by Ronald Ebens and his adopted son Michael Nitz (both white) on June 19, 1982. According to multiple witnesses Ebens insulted Chin by calling him a moutherfucker whose people were stealing American jobs. Chin knocked down Ebens and Nitz who raced after Chin with a baseball bat. Nitz held Chin and Ebens bashed his brains out with the baseball bat in front of a McDonalds.
The documentary was nominated for an Academy Award in 1987 and has been restored by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
There is no narration of this documentary. Instead friends, relatives, topless dancers, lawyers, journalists, politicians and activist groups give their take of events.
Early on the documentary we learn Ebens and Nitz were convicted of manslaughter by a Michigan state court so why are both sitting comfortably at home chatting in front of the camera and not in prison? Originally both were charged with second-degree murder and plea bargained for guilty pleas to manslaughter and received a sentence of a $3,000 fine and 3 years probation. The sentence sparked outrage and led to a national protest. As you can’t be tried twice for the same crime the protests led to a federal trial based on a violation of Chin’s civil rights. Ebens receives a 25-year sentence but the verdict is overturned on appeal. You as a white man beat a Chinese man to death with a baseball bat while he is being held down and you walk free. So we know who killed Vincent Chin but the documentary begs the question if American society killed Chin by permitting characters like Ebens to walk free. A damning indictment on the American justice system.
Ebens portrays himself as a hothead insisting he was not a racist. According to him the civil rights response simply served their own selfish agenda which was blown out of proportion by the media. Ebens’ claim the American Citizens for Justice’s concern for the “alleged plight of Asians” was a crock as after all he thought Asians were “nice people”. As Ebens’ wife remarks her poor husband went through a nightmare but in the end the justice system worked as it should have!
This is a beautifully crafted documentary that lets both sides have their say so you are free to make your own conclusions but eyewitnesses had me believing Ebens was a liar with a selective memory. What is particularly disturbing is Ebens’ lack of remorse and attempt to alter the storyline so that he was the victim. POV will be presenting the special encore of this documentary on June 20, 2022. Produced by American Documentary, POV is the longest-running independent documentary showcase on American television. Since 1988, POV has presented films on PBS that capture the full spectrum of the human experience, with a long commitment to centering women and people of color in front of, and behind, the camera. The series is known for introducing generations of viewers to groundbreaking works like Tongues Untied, American Promise and Minding The Gap and innovative filmmakers including Jonathan Demme, Laura Poitras and Nanfu Wang. In 2018, POV Shorts launched as one of the first PBS series dedicated to bold and timely short-form documentaries. All POV programs are available for streaming concurrent with broadcast on all station-branded PBS platforms, including PBS.org and the PBS Video app, available on iOS, Android, Roku streaming devices, Apple TV, Android TV, Amazon Fire TV, Samsung Smart TV, Chromecast and VIZIO. For more information about PBS Passport, visit the PBS Passport FAQ website.
As we have witnessed in Canada and the United States Asian racism lives with Trump’s rants on the “Chinese Virus” and attacks on Chinese populations in both countries blaming them for COVID-19. We know all too well Asian racism in North America has been present many years prior to the cold-blooded killing of Vincent Chin. As far as America goes it is broken and paralyzed by a divisive political system, mass shootings and murder of blacks by white police forces only seems to be a harbinger of a tide of increasing racism. If the United Sates has not learnt from the Chin fiasco, will it ever learn? What progress against racism can be made in a broken country?
You know how deep hatred is when a peaceful guy like me working at a golf course last year while researching a book is told by some black golfers to stick my white face up my fucking white ass that hatred knows no end. My first racist harangue and it was shocking.
RKS Film Rating 94/100.
“Travels to a Different Time”: 11July1978: Lagos and Faro, Portugal: Off in a Cloud of Peanut Shells
Planned departure on the bus from Lagos to Faro was 16:55. Left bags with landlady and did a bit of shopping. I bought a sweater at a shop and kept the clerks past lunchtime closing and they retaliated with dirty stares. Walked to the beach for the last look and for once the waves had subsided and it was beautiful and calm. There were mostly German tourists. Had a farewell beer at a café near the beach and walked to the bus station. The bus was littered with piles of peanut shells. Portuguese roads are in poor condition and was rattled around like a ping pong ball in a bingo machine. The driver honked to avoid hitting pedestrians. Had 5 stops on the way and arrived in Faro at 19:30. Found a room in a pension. Had a coffee and pastry at a local bakery and off to bed.
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