Off to the bank to change some money. Breakfast was hardboiled eggs, honey, bread, wafer cookies and pineapple Sumol. A one hour wait at the post office to buy a few stamps for some postcards. Huge lineups and only two wickets were open. Memories of Eastern Europe! Went to tourist office to find out when the bus to Faro left as heading there tomorrow. Bread and cheese for lunch then a long nap then out to dinner for a rotten meal. It certainly was not grilled chicken. I think it was grilled dog. A beer after at local café. Nodded off to a vicious dog fight below the window. There are so many feral dogs here.
RKS Film: “The Quest: Nepal”: Doc Builds on the Me Me Genre
“The Quest: Nepal” has a comedic twist to it although I am sure not intended. Alex Harz a filmmaker from the United States has a childhood dream of climbing Mount Everest and so he sets out to do just that.
So we hop onto a cruise ship of the mind and jet off to Katmandu, Nepal with Alex.We see Alex a big tall gringo strut about the streets of Katmandu and I only wish he wouldn’t continually have a knapsack on his back! Yes there are some interesting sights to see in Katmandu all glossed over as if one was travelling with “Nepal on $10 a Day” crossing off the tourist attractions to see. Then we are moved to tears as Alex seeks advice from a holy man about his quest to Mount Everest. I suppose all gringos feel injected with a bit courage after being blessed! Somewhat comedic and we wonder how much this gringo was surcharged for wise and totally generic words from the holy man.
Then we are off to Lukla on the gringo shuttle service airplane full of hearty and brave gringos looking forward to having a “harrowing climb” of Mount Everest and of course a speciality coffee while gazing at Everest. But there is yet another blessing from a Lama to aid climbers on their “harrowing climb” up the garbage strewn, body littered and excrement covered slope but get in line and patiently wait your turn as there is a line up of people waiting to get on the summit. Do you have to take a number?
But after 48 days of being pampered by guides and teams of servants ascending the summit must be worth it. Yes it is like being on a cruise ship and only the midnight chocolate buffet is missing…..I think. And as cruise ships have destroyed Venice, Barcelona, Dubrovnik, Porto and Lisbon so do these “Package glory tours” destroy Everest to satisfy the me me of these brave adventurers!. While the 1953 ascent of Everest by Tenzing and Hillary was truly harrowing and dangerous Alex’s climb of Everest is a simulation of the real thing. Everest a playground of extreme sport for the financially well endowed. A modern day climb of Everest satisfies the me me crowd as they leave their garbage behind. Do the locals benefit from this mass tourism? You might think so but watch the Canadian film “The Last Tourist” and you’ll see the wealth from mass tourism rarely hits local pockets. Most employment of locals is low level and focused on the Machu Pichu type of sights ignoring anything in between. I would rather have seen less me me in “The Quest: Nepal” and more how so many “brave teams” are changing the face of Everest and if the local population really derives any tangible benefits and if not show me the trail of money. Excuse me I must go to the midnight chocolate buffet.
Alex’s climb is neither “harrowing or enthralling”. It is sad. Lord Jim.
That may be irrelevant as boarding the Musk and Bezos space flight will shunt Everest to the side for the big adventurers.
You can see the trailer here https://drive.google.com/file/d/14FcM0p5d-iTaxd_-eH4OwkV07cwIbKWw/view
Available on TVOD and VOD on May 24th.
RKS Film Rating 46/100.
RKS Wine: Louis Bernard Louis 2020 Côtes du Rhône-Villages
In Ontario you can find plenty of under $20 wines. How long that will last given the high cost of energy and supply chain issues is unknown.
Wines from France’s Côtes du Rhône are most often reasonably priced and of good quality. We try the Louis Bernard Louis 2020 Côtes du Rhône-Villages. That almost overly ripe strawberry on the nose is a telltale sign of Grenache in the blend. There is also blueberry, cassis and blackberry jam with a touch of raw oak. On the palate some middling tannins with black cherry, cactus pear and heat on the palate. It is a bit flat on the finish and lacks complexity. The 14.5% alcohol has thrown the wine off stride. Best wait another a year to open hoping it will calm down and meld. Higher alcohol wines make food a better plan than simple quaffing. I would say rare beef or duck and on the vegetarian side some spicy Black Bean and Sweet Potato Chili. This is a NYT recipe. I would use organic sweet potatoes from California for the recipe. I find non-organic sweet potatoes tasteless.
(Louis Bernard Louis 2020 Côtes du Rhône-Villages, Louis Bernard, Vaucluse, France, $16.95, Liquor Control Board of Ontario # 561290, 750 mL, 14.5%, RKS Wine Rating 88/100).
RKS Film: “Acid Test”: Me Me vs. Me Me
Jenny (Juliana De Stefano) is in her last year of high school in Texas living with her father Jack (Brian Thornton), mother (Mia Ruiz) and younger brother. Jenny is squeaky clean, perhaps a bit too squeaky clean to be a follower of a feminist rock band Riot Grrrl and drop her first tab of acid. She starts to define her identity and future and locks her horns with her bull in the China shop father. Was it the acid or simply maturing in a confused environment?
When I think of three teen rebellion movies “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off” (1986) “Breakfast Club” (1985) and “Rebel Without a Cause” (1955) teens in rebellion were all about “me”. In “Acid Test” there is a strong element of all about me exhibited by Jenny but we receive a closer dive in on the parent’s me perspective. Both Mom and Dad love Jenny but they have their own plans and ambitions for Jenny that clash with her views and desires. Both the parents and Jenny are selfish for all the good reasons but in life (and politics) compromise must override “me”. And compromise they do with Jenny summing it up by saying she feels like she has experienced both defeat and triumph wrapped up into one. What a precise way of summing up the film. DeStefano shines as well as mom Mia Ruiz and although given a small part as Jenny’s English teacher Sara Gaston brims with sincerity and support.
Be patient with the film as it appears to be a “been there seen that” teen rebellion movie for 58 minutes and then it roars with relevance and pointed if not unique observations about me vs. me. A notch above most teen rebellion movies for authenticity and relevance.
Written and directed by Jenny Waldo.
“Acid Test” screens on 18June at 21:15 at the TCL Chinese Theatre in Los Angeles.
You can see the trailer here https://vimeo.com/708340166
P.S. Was it the acid?
RKS Film Rating 88/100.
RKS Wine: Argentinian Malbec is King! Bonarda not Trailing by Much
In terms of red wine grape acreage in Argentina Malbec leads the way at 39%, Bonarda at 16% and Cabernet Sauvignon at 12%. 80% of Argentinian Bonarda is produced in Mendoza.
Why not try some Bonarda La Posta Estela Armando?
On the nose full of black fruit particularly blackberry. There are additional notes of milk chocolate, dried fig and blueberry. On the palate it rolls like a bolt of velvet. In the depths of the wine imagine a statute to the mighty blueberry ringed by a mighty chocolate raspberry torte. The finish is medium length with some smoulder. A friendly quaffer and good with food. Match with Rigatoni Al Forno with Cauliflower and Broccoli Rabe (New York Times).
Consume by end of 2022.
(La Posta Estela Armando 2020 Bonarda, La Posta del Viñatera, Visa Flores Tunyán, Mendoza, Argentina, $15.95, Liquor Control Board of Ontario # 261586, 750 mL, 13.5%, RKS Wine Rating 91/100).
“Travels to a Different Time” : 8July1978: Lagos, Portugal: Japanese Aliens on the Beach Draws a Crowd of Gawkers
Up and on the street at 07:30 in search of breakfast grub. The streets were quiet and I bought some bread, cheese and ham for breakfast. The market was a hub of activity with peasants and merchants lining the main street with stalls selling clothes, shoes, rabbits, chickens, vegetables and fruits. After breakfasting off to the beach which was a 15 minute walk. Found our private mini beach in alcoves surrounded by towering rock. The water was rough and the water freezing. Sat in the sun and had some figs, bread and cheese. A family of Japanese tourists arrived on the beach and the locals formed a crowd gawking at them. First time they had seen Asians! Like aliens from outer space! Burnt to a crisp in two hours. Don’t be fooled by the cold water. For dinner yet another good meal of octopus, potatoes and marisco soup with a glass of wine for $5. An ice cream at the square before returning home.
“Travels to a Different Time” : 7July1978: Lisbon and Lagos, Portugal: Smash up Dinner but Caterpillar in Salad
Woken up at 06:00 by call from front desk so sprung into action to board 07:00 bus to Lagos in front of Hotel Rex. It was an hour late or perhaps we were given the wrong time. Not the type of bus I was expecting as we had headphones and they served us coffee. It was a 5-hour trip and it kept getting drier as we approached the Algarve. We passed by many poor looking villages. The main activity is agriculture. We ended up in Lagos a small fishing village. The room in a pension was $7.50. Lunch was beef, beans and potatoes in a tomato sauce. Took a long walk after along the coast and there were many small beaches in coves surrounded by high rocky formations. A bit touristy but nothing like Greece or Yugoslavia. Stopped for an orange drink called Sumol. Out at 21:00 to a small restaurant for grilled sardines and a salad. The sardines are so delicious here. The salad was good aside from the green caterpillar in it. Some people watching at the main square. Had a coffee and pastry and home to bed.
“Travels to a Different Time” : 6July1978: Lisbon, Portugal: Dog Peeing and the Stoners
A rough night for sleeping. Probably too many naps and jet lag. The first few days are rough and at times surreal. Went downstairs for breakfast and my friendly waiter engaged in more political discourse. Had a long walk along the grand Avenida de Liberdade. Booked a bus to Lagos on the Algarve. Lunch was agua con gas and some cod cakes in a beautiful park. A dog had a long pee on the bench beside me. Back to Flamingo for a glass of orange juice and a nap. For dinner found a secluded area near the Flamingo. Calde Verde and grilled sardines with roast potatoes and a glass of white wine for $3.00. The food in Portugal is very good. There were two stoners beside me completely spaced out. One dropped his dinner plate on the ground while his friend clumsily tried to clean him up. One strange restaurant!
RKS Film: “Madeleine Collins”: Back to My Roots Mon! Demain Le Fin De Monde!
I owe a debt to Demain Le Fin De Monde! Growing up in Montreal as an anglophone I watched French television which meant nifty French cinema on late Friday and Saturday nights. Hollywood was banal while French cinema was compelling because unlike Hollywood trash it was more complicated and almost always tinged with a bit of absurdity and a compulsory sex scene! I loved “Demain Le Fin de Monde” a 70’s French film about a worker in a French cookie factory who slipped handwritten messages in cookie boxes saying “Demain Le Fin de Monde”. There was a series of reactions of those opening the cookie boxes that were priceless. Thanks to these French films I see a Hollywood film once every five years. Last one was “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood”.
With “Madeleine Collins” I am going back to my roots mon! Nothing is easy in this film and I must be careful in describing it lest I ruin your film experience.
Judith or Margot (Virginie Efira) is a 40’ish woman leading a double life of a mother in Switzerland with a young daughter Ninon and partner Abdel (Quim Gutiérrez) and a husband Melvil (Bruno Salomone) with two older boys in France in an upper class bourgeoise bubble.
She is perhaps a classic bigamist which is the easy answer. Sorry I can’t answer that. But let’s say she has to juggle two identities. Melvil and Abdel have some idea about what is occurring so they are not blind but how much they really know about Judith/Margo is unclear for them and you the viewer.
Why not say there is a question of assumed and mistaken identities tolerated to some degree by Abdel and Melvil. Judith/Margo can’t balance the two as demands of her children (are they really her children) and she starts unravelling and unable to deal with reality.
Judith/Margot is a complicated character and by the end of the film you may conclude she is a woman incapable of an identity by circumstances out of her control.
If you are looking for a simplistic Hollywood film don’t bother with the film. If you like to be challenged and like to think Madeline Collins is the answer then the film may be for you.
Virginie Efira carries off the role with aplomb.
Directed by Antoine Barraud. A French/Swedish production.
RKS Film Rating 91/100.
This is opening in Canada on May 27 but I am sure in Europe it is in full bloom.
You can see the trailer here https://vimeo.com/657926553
Oh and what does Madeleine Collins have to do with this film. Everything. You will understand the opening scene near the conclusion of the film .Oh, check your cookie package before watching the film.
“Travels to a Different Time” :4July1978: Lisbon, Portugal: The Overwhelming Decadence of Lisbon
The flight from Montreal to Lisbon on TAP was uneventful. We stopped in the Azores for cleaning and refuelling. Fresh local pineapple was delicious. Arrived in Lisbon around 10:00. First impressions that Lisbon was once a grand city as after all Portugal was a colonial power at one point. But it seems falling apart in a wave of decay. Took a taxi to the Flamingo Hotel and after a shower crashed until 19:00. Had a walk and had some supper. An odd language and not Latin. It is very harsh sounding.
5July1978: Lisbon, Portugal: Political Slogans Everywhere!
Missed breakfast due to jet lag deep sleep. Had breakfast delivered to the door. Great café au lait, rolls, butter and jam. Slept again until 17:00 and began to feel human. Took subway which was cheap at 18 cents. Not modern but quiet. People in the area seem prosperous and well dressed but there was a beggar woman hanging out outside a subway station. Shrimp and salad for dinner. Picked up a bottle of mineral water at the front desk. Agua con gas means sparkling while Agua sin gas means still. Another sleep and will be fit as a fiddle. Man there are political slogans everywhere and many hammer and sickles.
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