Photo info: FUJIFILM X-E4, 27mm, f/4, 1/15 sec, ISO320 “La Dolce Vita” Cedar Park, 2022
This afternoon, I watched Federico Fellini’s “La Dolce Vita”. What an odd movie! Watching the 1960 film in 2022 added another disorienting dimension for me and I couldn’t tell which parts were truly indicative of the times, and which were more fantastical versions. I suppose that added to the charm and mystery.
My favorite part of the film was when Marcello’s father came to visit. He seemed like the character who was most grounded in real life, which is probably why I enjoyed his scenes.
Overall, I am happy I watched to have finally watched this cinematic masterpiece, but I felt like I was watching from a great distance, both culturally and artistically.
I’ve been enjoying the classic series Legends of the Condor Heroes by Jin Yong so much. I just started book four, A Heart Divided, which is the final book of the translated series. The story is so much fun!
The story is Wuxia, or ancient martial-arts heroes genre. Do you know the film Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon? That is a good example of Wuxia.
When I started the first book, A Hero Born, I was a bit overwhelmed by the list of characters at the beginning. What was I getting myself into? But soon, I was caught up in the story, and the character list came in handy to refresh my memory.
I was very curious as to how they could describe the fast-paced action of the wuxia movies, but Jin Yong (and the book translators) do an amazing job of imaginatively describing and naming the different moves and it’s incredibly fun to follow along. I love the heroes, and love to hate the villains. My favorite character is Cyclone Mei, who is featured in the illustration above. She’s one of the villains, but… it’s complicated! 😀
I read the popular She Who Became the Sun by Shelly Parker-Chan, but didn’t enjoy the story or characters at all. The Legends of the Condor Heroes is way more my type of book.
There’s a Chinese television series from 2017 that I will watch after I finish the books. Besides spoilers, I don’t want my imagined versions of the characters to be influenced by the actors in the drama. I prefer to look to the illustrations (which are sparse) from the book.
Photo info: FUJIFILM X-E4, 27mm, f/2.8, 1/100 sec, ISO800 “White Snake” Cedar Park, 2022
This evening I watched the Chinese animated films White Snake 白蛇：缘起 and Green Snake 青蛇 back-to-back. I thought the animation in both was great, but enjoyed White Snake much more than the sequel.
The setting of White Snake’s ancient China was more appealing to me than that of Green Snake’s dystopian mish-mash city. White Snake was filled with stunningly beautiful scenes, whereas Green Snake was filled with non-stop action, which was hard to take for two hours.
I believe there will be a third movie in the series, but it looks like it’s going to jump a thousand years into the future… oh well.
As far as the plot of both movies, they were nothing special. I think the main draw for me is the beauty of the animation (where the first film really shined). But I am still hoping for a more interesting plot to tie up the series.
Photo info: FUJIFILM X-E4, 27mm, f/5, 1/60 sec, ISO3200 “At the End of the Matinee” Cedar Park, 2021
I finished Keiichiro Hirano’s novel At the End of the Matinee today. I thought it was excellent… in fact it had me awake until 1 am the other night, totally engrossed in what would happen between the two main characters, Makino and Yoko. But for this blog post, I wanted to compare it with the movie adaptation.
******** SPOILER ALERT *********
Simply put, this is a case of “the book is so much better than the movie”. But it’s because there is so much more in the book that could possibly but shown on-screen. First off, I’d say the book was one of the best I have read in a long time, whereas the movie was kind of “meh”. There’s so much internal dialogue in the book that would be impossible to bring to the big screen, including elements of PTSD, survivor’s guilt, as well as large episodes of how the long-distance romantic relationship between Makino and Yoko. In the movie, these are only quickly touched upon and make it seem like the two are jumping into their romance (and even breaking off engagements!) without much thought. There is a scene in the movie where Makino says he would kill himself if Yoko ever committed suicide. It happens so out of the blue (and makes Makino seem like the kind of person you should not be alone with), in just their second in-person meeting that it seems implausible for him to have those feelings. However, the book details in length their internal struggles and feelings, the conversations in their Skype calls, and the development of their the long-distance relationship that happens before that in-person episode even takes place. With that back-story, his declaration doesn’t seem so out-of-the blue. I would say that character/relationship development is the most interesting part of the book. I think it’s impossible to translate or convey that on the big screen.
One of the problems with reading the book and then watching the movie is that I can’t objectively watch the movie without thinking of the book. I know so much more about the characters and what is going on inside their heads and hearts, and that knowledge gives life to the on-screen performances. So I am only guessing that the movie version doesn’t work well on its own… but maybe it does? My viewing experience must be very different from those who only watch the movie, but is the same as those who have read the book.
Perhaps a better way to look at it is that the movie is a companion to the book, adding visual illustrations to “the real” story (ignoring some of the substitutions like Paris/Baghdad). In that sense, I am pretty satisfied with the casting of Masaharu Fukuyama and Yuriko Ishida in the main roles. They pretty much fit in with what my mind’s eye saw when reading the book, but the actors had an impossible task to show the characters’ depth and feeling in just a few scenes. The movie did attempt to convey the serious internal struggles of each by using some “intense” cutscenes but these were just unsatisfying and cliché. The scene in which Makino agonizes over Sanae’s betrayal was so terrible, it actually reminded me of the infamous Darth Vader “Nooooo!” scene.
But speaking of the book, I mentioned it was one of the best I have read in a long time. In fact, I gave it a 10 on my 2021 movie/book list! I was very interested in the story of two people in their 40s developing a romantic relationship and all the feelings that come along with it. The huge plot twist where Sanae puts a stop to the Makino and Yoko’s reunion in Tokyo was amazing. That was the part that kept me reading late into the night. I was expecting for the deception to be revealed quickly and the consequences to Sanae’s deplorable actions to be dealt out with conviction. But it didn’t happen that way at all. The plot took a much more satisfying and plausible turn. The two main characters continue with their separate lives, wondering why the other suddenly cut off the relationship. I guess this is where the 40-something-year-old’s life is different from a 20-something-year-old’s. Even Sanae’s deception was understandable. (Book version FTW!)
But throughout the years where Makin and Yoko continue with their separate lives (an the ups and downs), they often think back to each other and realize they still love each other, even though they have new families. So do they ever meet again? Well, you’ll just have to read the book or watch the movie to find out. And I would steer you towards the book version. 😀
We stayed one night glamping at Under Canvas Moab and enjoyed it a lot. It was our first time glamping (glamourous camping) which I would not normally consider, but we thought that we’d give it a try and see what it was all about. It really is a combination of a nice resort hotel and camping. Pretty cool concept!
“Reception Tent” Moab, 2021
The check-in process was really smooth and one of the hosts explained pretty much everything you need to know about the facilities. The reception tent has a check-in/out desk, snacks, board games, water, coffee and tea, fresh fruit, refrigerated items, souvenirs, tables and chairs to relax in, and also the S’mores station, with ready-to-use packets of ingredients to take outside to the firepits. They also have a sno-cone machine, and bags of ice for you to replenish your cooler.
There are a few different tents to choose from, and we chose the most inexpensive one (Safari), which is perfect for a couple. The tent is pretty sturdy, the bed is large and comfy, and most importantly for the cooler months, there’s a wood-burning stove/heater. It’s all ready to fire up, which we did immediately. In a few minutes, the tent was cozy and warm. There are also power banks to recharge your devices, battery-powered lanterns and fans, and earplugs.
“Wood-Burning Stove” Moab, 2021
After opening up a bottle of wine and relaxing a bit, I decided to take a shower and freshen up. The more expensive tents come with a bathroom, but ours didn’t. The communal bathrooms and showers were in their own little building not far from our tent, and were perfectly fine. No problems there! There were plenty of clean towels in their own little closet, and you can just put your used towels in the bins just outside each bathroom. There aren’t normal faucet handles for the showers, but rather a handle on a chain which you pull down to release the water. It’s a good system to ensure you don’t use too much water, but a little inconvenient since you have to keep the chain down while rinsing. It also is perfect for the camping experience. FYI, you have to wait a little bit for the hot water to flow. At first I thought I was going to have to take a cold shower, but thankfully the water became warm. Whew!
The people in the adjacent tent (the tents are spaces a good distance away from each other) were cooking dinner on the tables just outside their tent. I noticed they were using their their own camp stove, headlamp, and camp lantern. So yes, it really is a hybrid camp/hotel.
On that note, I would recommend bringing your own food to cook since there isn’t a restaurant on-site. However, there are several gas grills in covered pavilions, with picnic tables and lighting. I believe the staff even said they’d be happy to prepare the food for you! Next time, we’ll stop at the market and buy some steaks, kebabs, or burger fixings and use the cooking stations. I could see it being an excellent place for a group to hang out all night, grilling, drinking, having S’mores, and partaking in the cornhole bean-bag toss, board games, or horseshoes (all provided).
What’s really neat is that they offer some other activities, such as morning yoga, workouts, live music, and trivia in the evening. There’s also a cool little area in the middle of the site with several hammocks set up so you and your neighbors can stargaze together.
While not truly remote, the site was far enough away from the highway to provide some isolation from light and noise. It’s also only about 20 minutes from Moab, so it wouldn’t take long to make a beer/food run and be back at camp to continue the party. Speaking of location, it’s only 10 minutes away from Arches National Park, so it’s a fantastic location if you are visiting the park.
All-in-all, we were satisfied with Under Canvas Moab. It’s a little on the spendy side, but I think that you definitely get your money’s worth. The staff were all very friendly and ready to help if you need anything. It was so nice to relax here after a long day hiking at Arches National Park!
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