Author: Thao

The world of cinema is echoing the same sentiment on missing Cannes right now. There’s #becannesrewind celebrating Cannes nostalgia, and there’s a great NY Times article featuring excerpts from 23 filmmakers on their memories of Cannes. My favorites among them are Alejandro González Iñárritu, Alice Rohrwacher, and Clint Eastwood. I am definitely with Claire Denis on May revolving around Cannes.

With the exception of 2018 when we had just arrived in California after a 33-day roadtrip across 14 states, my May triumvirate is Mother’s Day, my mother’s birthday, and Festival de Cannes. While making burger patties for dinner, I said to Martin that it’s a Cannes movie night. As we settled in to our own home cinema, I entertained the idea of simulating Cannes here by spending all day watching Cannes films and binging on rosé in-between. There are far worse ways to quarantine.

For tonight’s screening I chose Lazzaro Felice by Alice Rohrwacher, which was in competition in 2018 and awarded Best Screenplay. The film is a modern fairy tale and allegory about the past lost in the modern world. But it really is about friendship and, as Alice Rohrwacher writes, “It­ is­ the ­sanctity­ of ­living­ in this ­­world­­ without ­thinking­ ill­ of­ anyone­ and­ simply ­­believing­ in­­ human­ beings.” It is a beautiful film and moving story that is especially reaffirming at this moment in time.

The 73rd edition of the Cannes Film Festival was scheduled to open today and run until May 23. But, alas, this pandemic. Cannes Film Festival is the absolute highlight and zenith of cinema every year.

Nothing compares to its grandeur and glamour, and being there in the midst of it all – cinema, stars, the Côte d’Azur – is an enrapturing, magical experience.

The thought of it has me pining to be there and also for the South of France, one of my favorite places. But, alas, nothing to do about it except commiserate with Thierry Frémaux, whom I admire greatly and who gives this insightful and intimate interview on Cannes 2020.

Spike Lee would have been president of the jury, so maybe it’s a good time to rewatch Do the Right Thing. Part of the American film canon, I think it’s his best film. He also just made this love letter to New York:

We watched with great interest as Swiss TV reported on the first day of reopening in Switzerland today after eight weeks of national quarantine. With the exception of a few northern counties and Tesla, based locally within the same county of Alameda where we reside, the California shelter in place order is still in effect until May 31.

Yesterday was Mother’s Day. While I did see my mom, we kept distance best we could. As she got in the car to leave, I could only wave at her. The absurdity of social distancing really hit me. Other than Martin, I have not had any physical contact with anyone else in the past two months. No handshake, no hugs, no kisses, and now hardly even eye contact as people mostly try to avoid getting too close. Also, most people here wear face masks even when walking on the street. I find that I have stopped looking at faces and just see masked figures instead.

What will our lives look and be like if we can’t touch each other? Is this the end of high fives? What about grizzly bear (my personal favorite) and group hugs? What happens to the French greeting of two cheek kisses or the Swiss custom of a handshake and three cheek kisses? The thought of no hugs and kisses is a very sad one indeed.

Late one night earlier this week, Martin sat up from the couch to open the window and peer out with his flashlight. He gasped and promptly closed the window. Equal parts relieved and amused he said, “Skunk!” I asked if he was sure it was a skunk, and he confirmed seeing a white stripe on its back.

The animals around here have always been a source of curiosity, but since Martin has been working from home this whole time since shelter in place was ordered, his interest in the animals around here has become more keen.

We had been waking every morning to the loud and constant chirping of blue jay chicks in their nest. When sitting out back for lunch, there is always a chase scene playing out between squirrels and blue jays. Then there are the raccoons and possums, which we don’t see often, but know they are there and waiting for food scraps. Heidi from next door saw a fox once a while ago.

At some point during the day we inevitably talk about the animals. Either the squirrels and blue jays are at it again, chasing each other up and down trees and all around or there’s a concert of birds chirping.

We took inventory of the different animals around here. Heidi’s mention of the fox reminded me immediately of Fantastic Mr. Fox, which is one of my favorite films by Wes Anderson. It’s a stop-motion film based on Roald Dahl’s book of the same name, and like Mr. Fox himself it really is fantastic.

It’s a star studded cast of awesome puppets and voices. George Clooney is dapper Fantastic Mr. Fox and Meryl Streep his wife’s voice (of reason). If you haven’t already seen it, then make like Mr. Fox and friends and run. It’s fantastic and fun as it follows Mr. Fox’s adventure of being who he is. Fantastic Mr. Fox, what else?

But yeah, I’m sure we can all relate to Mr. Fox’s existential quandary:

Why a fox? Why not a horse, or a beetle, or a bald eagle? I’m saying this more as, like, existentialism, you know? Who am I? And how can a fox ever be happy without, you’ll forgive the expression, a chicken in its teeth?
– Fantastic Mr. Fox

Have a fantastic weekend, and I’ll catch up with you on Monday.

One of the remaining items from my last grocery spree weeks ago is a bag of colorful carrots. I had planned on roasting them with halibut fish. While I did roast the fish, somehow there’s still the bagful of carrots. I decided to make use of them by baking carrot cake.

One large carrot less and too much carrot cake later, I realize I was just putting off real work, like writing cover letters.

While wondering what to do with the carrots, I thought of The Runaway Bunny by Margaret Wise Brown. It’s a children’s book about a bunny who wants to run away. He tells his mother all the ways he will run away, and she tells him how she will run after him. In the end (spoiler alert) he says he might as well stay. She says “Have a carrot.”

You might remember Goodnight Moon, also by Margaret Wise Brown, which has a painting of a cow jumping over the moon on its cover. It’s a classic of children’s literature and fitting mention for tonight’s full moon: Goodnight moon, good night here, and good day elsewhere.

After a fitful day of trying to focus on one thing or another but mostly fussing about and not getting anything done, I went for a bike ride. It was the perfect remedy to relieve pent-up tension, which I tend to build up a lot of if I don’t get out for fresh air and exercise. But isn’t that us? After all “pent-up” means confined and that’s what we are still.

By the time we got back and cleaned up for dinner, it was dark out. But the moon was bright and beautiful through the living room so we sat at my piano desk and admired a full moon. Or so I thought until my sister informed me that full moon is tomorrow while Martin explained that the only truly full moon is a lunar eclipse.

Sitting at the piano desk looking at the moon brought Debussy’s Clair de lune, a poem by Paul Verlaine, to mind. I had thought about learing to play it, but there are other pieces I prefer concentrating on right now. But I enjoy listening to Clair de lune, especially from this scene in the star-studded Ocean’s Eleven, which also has a great score. It’s like all the A-list actors at that time, except Leonardo Dicaprio, was in Ocean’s Eleven.

Speaking of eclipse, Paul Verlaine, and Leonardo Dicaprio, Total Eclipse in which Leonardo Dicaprio portrays Arthur Rimbaud is worth seeing. Leonardo Dicaprio delivers one of his best performances before Titanic superstardom. And if nothing else, it’s a film by Agnieszka Holland, one of the few female filmmakers actively working then. She made Europa Europa, which deeply impressed me when I saw it way back when on VHS.

Posting an entry here is usually the last thing I do before going to bed on weekdays. When the order to shelter in place was issued on March 17, my initial reaction was to just take notes on daily life during these bizarre and unprecedented times.

It was also my intention to create a plan and set a ‪specific block of time aside every day to write each day’s entry. But I have been improvising the whole time, and it’s time for a change.

The changes I have in mind have to do with my own approach and discipline of adhering to structure and a daily routine, which ironically I have unwittingly strayed from since this all started. For starters I will make that plan for blog posts.

Feel free to chime in with comments and suggestions on what you are interested in seeing or reading here as I restart now.

Tonight we drove 182 miles (300 km) roundtrip, or 1.5 hours each way, to the West Wind drive-in in Sacramento, the capital of California, to see a movie. When was the last time you saw a movie at a drive-in?

Even I had forgotten all about drive-in movies. But it’s interesting to consider how drive-ins, movies and restaurants, could potentially make a big comeback as a viable option for life in times of social distancing, which looks like it is to stay a while.

With the exception of two bathroom breaks before the start and at the end, we spent exactly 6 hours in the car to watch Spaceship Earth, a documentary that had premiered at Sundance Film Festival in January.

The documentary film itself fell short, but obviously it was about getting out of the house and the movie-going experience, particularly the drive-in movie experience. Perhaps because it has been so long since I saw a movie at a drive-in, it felt novel. Also, I was just happy to be out of the house and doing something that, with the exception of people wearing face masks around the concession stand or restrooms, almost felt normal like the good old days before this pandemic.

As with so many aspects of our lives, there is a lot to say about movies and the movie-going experience in this world we have all suddenly been thrust into. But it’s really late here now, so maybe go Back to the Future again in the meantime. It’s definitely a classic oldie but goodie for sure. See you tomorrow.

A short entry before bed on this Friday night as we intend on waking early and walking up surrounding hills before sunrise.

Sunrise and the weekend bring to mind Richard Linklater‘s Before triology: Before Sunrise, Before Sunset, Before Midnight.

It’s hard to say which one is best, since each is about a different time in the life of a couple’s relationship. But if I had to pick one, then it would be Before Sunset. Besides it taking place in Paris, which has automatic extra credit points for me, something about the couple meeting up again 10 years later deeply resonated with me when I saw it the first time in 2004.

If you’re not up for a triology, then definitely watch Linklater’s Boyhood. It’s a technical feat of cinema in which he filmed the coming-of-age story with the same actors over a period of 12 years. Really, it’s impressive, and just a good film too.

I intend on taking it easy this weekend before, after and in between sunrises and sunsets. Whatever your plans while still mostly at home, have a good weekend!

Today is the last day and end of April 2020.

What to make of it, think or feel. Everything and nothing. And that’s ok.

Nothing to say only to share:

Silence

Sleep, an exquisite respite