August 4, 2024
# 1671
“The Luncheon of the Boating Party” by Pierre-Auguste Renoir:
National Friendship Day, celebrated on the first Sunday of August, is a heartwarming occasion to honor the bonds of camaraderie and companionship. On this day, friends express appreciation for each other, reminisce about shared memories, and strengthen their connections. Whether through heartfelt messages, small gestures, or laughter-filled gatherings, Friendship Day reminds us of the vital role friends play in our lives. It’s a time to celebrate the joy of companionship, the comfort of understanding, and the beauty of lifelong friendships.
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Commentary
Joe Biden gave himself into public service. His experience in government benefitted our country greatly. Thank you, Joe.
Donald Trump’s charisma and incendiary statements worked to coalesce the far right into a potent political movement. But did he make an amazingly bad decision on his choice of a Vice-President? Is he fearful of meeting Kamela Harris in a debate and will that fear reduce him in the estimation of voters?
Kamela Harris, although already Vice-President, finds herself suddenly thrust onto center stage. Defending the rights of Palestinians to live, she met with Netanyahu and stood up for her views. Will Kamela’s popularity among women and people of color capture states for the Democrats that with Biden leading the ticket have been too close to call?
U.S. President Barack Obama's official photograph in the Oval Office on 6 December 2012.
Official White House Photo by Pete Souza - P120612PS-0463 (direct link) https://web.archive.org/web/20160227060205/https://www.whitehouse.gov/administration/president-obama (Official White House page - direct link)
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Kat’s Gen Z Corner
Pictures from rural Pennsylvania
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Tucker’s Corner
Since moving from Boston to Savannah my options for going to the theater have lessened quite a bit. Luckily I’ve already staked out an AMC about 20 minutes from my home that has a lovely and dedicated staff. I can’t help but believe that part of their constant positivity is due to how quiet the theater is. I’ve visited almost weekly since moving and I think I could count the number of other patrons I saw there on my fingers and toes. It worried me slightly since I feared the theater wasn’t doing the business it needed to stay open. Then I visited this weekend just following the release of Deadpool & Wolverine, the newest Marvel film to hit theaters and one that’s been hotly anticipated by its fans for some time. The lobby was packed with excited faces. It made me smile though I wasn’t there to see that film. My review this week does align slightly with the new Deadpool movie though not with its main star. Hugh Jackman’s been playing Wolverine for 24 years and though I’m sure most fans were excited to see him this weekend I wasn’t. That’s because Wolverine hung up his claws in 2017 in a film that I am here to argue is the best comic book movie we’ll ever see. I’m probably not telling you anything you don’t already know with this review but this film is important to me. This is Logan.
Logan
“A man has to be what he is, Joey. Can’t break the mold. I tried it and it didn’t work for me. Joey, there’s no living with a killing. There’s no going back from one. Right or wrong it’s a brand. A brand sticks. Now you run home to your mother and tell her everything’s alright. And there aren’t any more guns in the valley.” - Shane (1953)
Is Logan more powerful because of what the superhero genre has delivered over the last decade? Does it seem both groundbreaking and classic because it doesn’t feel like a modern superhero movie, especially those with the Marvel brand? Don’t worry. I’m not going to dissect the flaws of the Marvel and DC brands, but it’s undeniable that the modern superhero movie has relied on CGI, particularly in final acts comprised almost entirely of apocalyptic explosions. And so many of them have served as bridges between franchise entries that one feels like they’re constantly watching previews for the next movie instead of experiencing the one they’re watching. Logan has stakes that feel real, and fight choreography that’s fluid and gorgeous instead of just computer-generated. Most importantly, Logan has characters with which you identify and about whom you care. It's not just "great for a superhero movie," it's a great movie for any genre.
Logan calls back directly to the 1953 classic Shane, including a scene in which the characters actually watch the film, but it has more echoes of late-career films for icons such as John Wayne’s The Shootist and Clint Eastwood’s Unforgiven in the way it deconstructs the line between hero and legend. Logan (Hugh Jackman) is a Western archetype, the gunslinger forced to put away his six-shooters and try to live out his days as routinely as possible. In the world of Logan, X-Men comics exist, meaning that Logan/Wolverine is like a retired sports hero or celebrity, someone who’s recognized but no longer really essential. It is 2029 and mutants have been removed from the human bloodline, meaning that the creaky Logan and the 90 year old Professor X (Patrick Stewart) are the end of an era. Or are they?
When the film opens, Logan is laying low, working as a limo driver. He’s introduced sleeping in his car, as a group of tough guys try to steal his tires. When he attempts to stop them, he gets shot, but we all know bullets don’t do much to Wolverine, and it’s minutes before his Adamantium claws are slicing through skull and bone in ways we’ve never seen on film before. Not only is Logan the first R-rated iteration of this classic character but writer/director James Mangold’s approach to action is unique for the Marvel film brand. Gone is any sense of hyperactive editing or wide overhead shots to disguise the stunt and CGI work. We’re close to the action in this film, often shot from low to the ground, more like a Bourne film than a superhero movie, and the focus is more on fight choreography than editing. Jackman’s work in the fight scenes is smooth but also character-driven in that Wolverine’s style reflects the no-nonsense approach of the character. Logan also works in a few fantastic chase scenes later in the film, and again it doesn’t feel like the film stops and takes a break for set pieces as so many superhero movies do—the action is organic to the story and the characters, much like Mad Max: Fury Road in that regard.
Logan shares more than just an action style with George Miller’s film for it too becomes a road movie when Logan, Professor X, and a mysterious girl (Dafne Keen) head out to try and find 'Eden,' a place where escaped mutants are going to start over, which may or may not even exist. Reticently, Logan realizes he has one more heroic journey in him, and that he has to protect this girl from the team of mercenaries chasing them led by one particularly nasty SOB named Donald Pierce (Boyd Holbrook).
Holbrook is good here and Richard E. Grant chews some scenery well in later scenes, but the real villain of Logan is time. Professor X has gotten to a point late in his life where he has seizures, and if you’ve ever wondered what happens when a telepath so powerful that his brain has been classified as a weapon of mass destruction has seizures, wonder no more. He needs a sedative shot to stop a seizure and pills to keep them from coming on in the first place. He knows he doesn’t have much time left on this planet. And neither does Logan, who Jackman plays as a man more than a superhero in one of the best performances of his career. Jackman interprets Logan as a man who has lost most of his friends and most of his purpose, hesitant to fight again. Again, it's like the late-career roles of Wayne or Eastwood in that sense, an icon forced into action for a final time, but Jackman wisely plays the humanity of his iconic character instead of the mutant abilities. It's a fantastic performance.
One can look back on Logan and pull apart the themes and philosophies of the film, but it’s important to note that it’s a viscerally exciting film to experience. The comparisons to 2006’s Children of Men and classic Westerns may lead one to believe that this film is overwritten and overly intellectual. Nothing is further from the truth. This is a great action movie, first and foremost. The action scenes have purpose and connect so much more powerfully than most superhero films, in which they are often just ways to show off the budget. When Logan breaks out into action, it feels organic to the plot, moving the themes and characters forward, much like in James Cameron’s Terminator 2: Judgment Day, another film which this one reflects in its road structure and that of a protector for the next generation.
Logan certainly changed the way we could look at comic book movies due to it clearly being made from a place of love than simply seeing it as a profit center. This film shows how deep one can go in the genre if the goal is to create a good film rather than stepping stone to other films and series. In that sense, "Logan" deconstructs the modern superhero movie. It will be hard to put it back together again.
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Chuckles and Thoughts
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Six Word Novels
Six-word stories are a creative way to convey a complete narrative or evoke emotions with brevity. They leave room for the reader's imagination to fill in the gaps and often pack a powerful punch in a concise format.
“Whispers in wind. Secrets shared. Bond forged.”
A girl whispers to another girl.
Rod Waddington from Kergunyah, Australia - Two Girls, Tigray
A girl whispering to another girl in Adigrat, Ethiopia.
File:Two Girls, Tigray (14991776680).jpg
Created: 23 August 2014
Uploaded: 8 November 2014
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MONTHLY HEALTH REPORT CARD: of an 82-year-old male.
July, 2024, reported in August 4 issue
Natural Physiological Change
Nothing out of the ordinary: I’m getting older.
I believe the RCAF exercises that I’ve gotten into are working for me. My hamstrings are in better condition than they were before I started the routine.
I’m several months into the program now, still on Chart 1 but moved up to level B+ from the start of D-. I’ve not rushed my advancement so have not incurred the injuries I have so often in the past. Good for me.
Grade: A
Weight-Lifting
Am doing pretty well. Remain at B+.
Grade: B+ same as last month.
Exercising
The RCAF (Royal Canadian Air Force) exercise program has become part of my daily routine. It has had a noticeable improvement to me mobility, from walking to indoor movements.
Grade: A+
Walking
Walking in July was very good, at least 5 miles a day.
Grade: A, a full grade up
Illness
Grateful that I have nothing to report.
Grade:A
Injury
I’m grateful that I have nothing to report. I must acknowledge that I put myself in a precarious position on my trip to Ogunquit. I escaped without any injury but I was lucky. Dumb, perhaps, but lucky. For details, open the issue published after July 4th.
Grade A, a drop in grade because of my thoughtlessness.
Weight
(Using only weight as a measure of health is simplistic. I know. Health care specialists consider an entire range of metrics. Two commonly used indicators are the Body Mass Index that takes into account a person's weight and height. And Body composition, considering the distribution of body fat and muscle mass rather than solely focusing on weight. But this analysis of the state of our health is meant to be doable in our regular day’s living. We’ll use simple body weight and take other steps when we feel things going really poorly.)
My weight is pretty good. A slight improvement over June so I’ll go up a level.
Grade A-
Oral Health
I brush and floss regularly.
I get a cleaning twice a year.
But, what started as a bothersome tooth has worsened to uncomfortable situation with my gums. Nothing is prescribed so far.
Grade A-, a slight downgrade for the emergence of a problem with my gums.
Substance Abuse
I take four mind-bending drugs. I used to take three.
Caffeine: My morning coffee is now 10oz of a half-caffeine free and half regular.
The second mind-bending drug is the double-shot of espresso (a cortado) that I enjoy in the late morning or early afternoon.
The third is the 3oz shot of alcohol (or 12ounces of wine) that I enjoy at dinner time and no other.
The fourth, and newest? Gummies with CBD. The product also contains the hallucinogen, THC. (For more on this, see the entry under ‘Sleep’.)
Grade: B, the grade lowered for taking so many mind benders. But all of them do exactly what I intend them to do and no more, so still an honors grade.
Editor’s note: Hedys, the gummy I use, combines THC (Tetrahydrocannabinol) with CBN (Cannabinol) which induces relaxation and drowsiness. I seem to be immune to THC because I don’t experience feeling buoyant and relaxed, walking on the brink of dreams.
Stress Management
Things are going well.
There’s a new twist to my vacationing: I’m going to try 5/6 vacations around the holidays.
This is my attempt to counter the loneliness of being alone during the holidays.
Grade: A-, pending an actual event, first one: Labor Day to Quebec City.
Sleep
Thanks to my gummies, my sleep is now a rational six hours a night.
Grade: A+
Regularity
I maintain a decently balanced diet which is not only good for my weight-control, but also for my regularity. With the advent of sweet corn season, I eat three ears of it every day. My body loves it.
Grade: A+
Memory
I do a lot to stay mentally active.
One of my primary activities is writing. I recently published a book (with dear friend, Victor Passacantilli) that I also edited, I work on this magazine, I am developing a website for the North End: it’s in a testing phase. I recently completed my novel and am looking for an agent. And I am preparing a talk to deliver on August 2nd. Details to follow.
My other major memory activity is meal preparation, from the planning of the menu, the shopping, and the preparation which sometimes involves me in writing recipes.
Grade: A-
Social Life
I have established a routine of sharing two dinners a week with various of my friends.
It’s great.
BTW: here’s a link to the 12-minute Tedx presentation I made on March 23, 2024.
Watch Dom's TEDx talk here!
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In the Mailbag:
This from Chris Capossela”
Hey fishing friends!
I’m sharing this short video with just a few people I think might enjoy this one.
I just got back from a few days in Fernie, BC where I caught some nice west slope cutthroat trout on one big river and one small creek.
I also captured some cool footage using a drone that I flew above the river.
I was lucky enough to film a two-minute video of catching a nice trout that we spotted as we made our way up the creek.
It was a lot of fun editing this together with the footage from the drone and from the action camera on my head.
Enjoy a 2-minute excursion to British Columbia.
https://youtu.be/Y23oD-MgH9w?si=7IK0HMxMkVOlIAXG
Hope you are well!
Chris
P.S. Don’t forget to change the quality to 4K!
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Boston Restaurant
Amar is a beautiful, elegant, and modern Portuguese restaurant gracing the new Raffles hotel, at 40 Trinity Place. The staff is well-trained, educated, and knowledgeable. Sarah, our captain, was outstanding.
The customers are the best-dressed diners in the city, stepping up from the usual casual dress Americans prefer.
The tables are perfectly spaced.
The ambience sets the stage for a terrific dinner and the meal does not disappoint.
The food is terrific. We had their house-made sourdough bread and smoked, whipped butter and a plate of 18-month aged Ambon. They were delicious and we lingered over them.
Then we shared wonderful asparagus and the grilled quail roulade stuffed with linguica and peach.
We shared one main course, a loin of lamb with braised morel mushrooms. It was delightful.
As was the dessert: chocolate layers with caramelized puff pastry and oat milk ice cream.
The wines are excellent with generous pours.
Amar rates entry into the top circle of dining experiences in Boston.
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Last Comment
I’ve planned my last trip for 2024.
So, I have Quebec City for Labor Day, I have a trip to Georgia-South Carolina for Columbus day, a trip to Mexico City for Thanksgiving, and a trip to Guatemala for Christmas.
I dare myself to be lonely.
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