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.
“Travels to a Different Time ” : 10July1978: Lagos, Portugal: Vicious Dog Fight: Grilled Dog a Bit Tough
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.
A Bird's Eye View of Fashion, Food, Travel, Culture, Beverage and Curiosity 