In French. 72 minute running time. It's sort of interesting, a nice idea, maybe too precious though. I didn't hate it, but I also don't recommend it.
Movies Watched -- Zone of Interest (2023)
In German. 105 minute running time so a good length. I really liked Glazer’s previous movies, Sexy Beast and Under the Skin, so I was excited to see this Holocaust movie centered on the commandant of Auschwitz and his family. Unfortunately it didn’t work, it was too abstracted, too art-house.
Yes, I know Glazer wanted to keep the violence off screen and just hint at it with constant background gunshots and yelling and trains chugging and furnaces roaring and chimneys billowing smoke. But that got repetitive and quickly lost its effect.
Anyone who has seen Son of Saul knows that that was a Holocaust movie done the right way … it is breathtaking and a must-see. Zone of Interest can’t hold a candle to it.
Mick LaSalle was right to say: “it’s less a movie than a misguided work of conceptual art.”
Dick Brody correctly called Zone of Interest “an extreme form of Holokitsch.”
I agree with Manohla Dargis who says the movie is “a hollow, self-aggrandizing art-film exercise.”
And I’ll give the final word to Nicolas Rapold: “It must be said that the banality of the Höss family and the bureaucracy of genocide are no revelation, and there’s something wrongheaded in Glazer’s cold replication of their murderous perspective and peekaboo roundabout glimpses of the Nazi atrocity.”
I could have my husband spread your ashes across the fields of Babice.
Zippo Armor Toker Chips Design, No. 46144
High-polish green, two-sided, Deep Carve … I like the dollar signs, but this simple pot leaf design makes it a pass. Spring 2024 release. $100. I did buy the Map Design in high-polish green, and also did buy No. 29834, “Piled High,” a marijuana motif design that I found more pleasing. I don’t buy every Zippo Armor that comes out; I only buy the ones that I really like.
65 Quintessential Things
I was watching an interview with Jerry Seinfeld and he mentioned a book called “Quintessence,” so I borrowed a copy through inter-library loan. It was written by Betty Cornfeld and Owen Edwards (whom I assume is gay) and published in 1983. Edwards writes: “this is a book about … things that offer more to us than we specifically ask of them and to which we respond more strongly than is easily explained.”
What follows is their list of 65 quintessential things from over forty years ago … it’s interesting to see which ones are still around:
Barnum’s Animal Crackers (recipe has changed since my youth, now awful)
Campbell’s Tomato Soup (1200 mg of salt, 20 g added sugar per can)
Coca-Cola (in glass bottle)
Crayola Crayons (big box no longer has built-in sharpener)
El Bubble Bubblegum Cigar (now made by Tootsie Roll, another “quintessential” candy one could argue)
The Faber Mongol #2 Pencil (made in Mexico now)
Fox's U-Bet Chocolate Syrup (never heard of it)
Frederick's of Hollywood Lingerie (multiple Chapter 11 bankruptcies)
The Ghurka Express Bag No. 2 ($2,695)
Green Giant Peas (no longer available in a can?)
The Hamilton Beach Model 936 Drink Mixer (pdf of old user manual)
Heinz Ketchup (in glass bottle) (squeeze bottle a great leap forward)
The Hershey's Chocolate Kiss (awful chocolate, but I agree the foil packaging with tail is genius)
Honey Bear (hard to find example with nipple on head)
Jockey Briefs (purely a boxer briefs man now)
Johnson's Baby Powder (discontinued, $9 billion lawsuit settlement (cancer))
Keds High-top Sneakers (not Converse?)
The L.L. Bean Maine Hunting Boot (only good if lined)
Lacoste Polo Shirt (early status symbol, later overtaken by Liftshitz polo pony)
LePage's Mucilage (looks like it’s no longer made)
The Louisville Slugger Bat (good thing for home defense)
M&M's Chocolate Candies (peanut-filled was a good brand extension, peanut butter was pushing it)
The Märklin Electric HO Gauge Model Trains (expensive hobby for adults only)
The Martini (60 ml gin and 10 ml dry vermouth)
Monopoly Board Game (awful game when you think about it)
The Mont Blanc Diplomat Pen (does anyone use a fountain pen now?)
Nathan's Famous Hot Dog (never had one)
Ohio Blue Tip Matches (now owned by Diamond?)
The Oreo Cookie (authors lament advent of “Double Stuf” which ruins the Oreo’s quintessence, they say)
The Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwich (rarely had one of these as a kid, considered a great luxury junk food)
The Polaroid SX-70 Camera (sold out of course)
Ray-Ban Sunglasses (Aviator Classic the pair they mean)
Silly Putty (played with as a kid, great stuff, esp. the smell)
The Slinky (played with as a kid)
The Spalding Rubber Ball (looks like Spalding no longer makes these)
Steiff Teddy Bears (the ancient Steiff teddy bears in my life were too valuable to play with and therefore useless to me)
The Swiss Army Knife (Victorinox sole manufacturer now?)
Timex Mercury 20521 Watch (the 20521 is no longer made, but I’ve linked to the Marlin, which is a re-issue that appeals to vintage lovers)
Tupperware Containers (not a fan of plastic food storage except for the lids)
The Volkswagen Beetle Car (we had one when I was a kid)
Wedgwood Plain White Bone China (plain white a little boring, but they have a point)
The Zippo Lighter (I collect Zippo Armor lighters, love them)
Unfortunate typo of the author’s name on the cover page … Cornfeld not “Cornfield”
Bluto Wears Hamilton Watch in Animal House
Movies Watched -- The Circle (2000)
In Persian. 87 minute running time so the perfect length. Very interestingly constructed movie with the story shifting seamlessly from one character to the next over the course of a day … clever … the conclusion is I’m darned glad that I’m not a woman in Iran … this is feminism at its best … Jafar Panahi worked with Abbas Kiarostami (my favorite Iranian filmmaker) and clearly learned a lot … this is a green-go, but it ain’t a feel-good picture. John Farr also recommends it.
27 Remaining Car Models You Can Get with Stick Shift
Aston Martin Valour $1,500,000
Porsche 911 $117,000
Cadillac CT5-V Blackwing $96,000
BMW M4 $80,275
Lotus Emira $77,100
BMW M3 $76,995
Porsche 718 $69,950
BMW M2 $64,195
Cadillac CT4-V Blackwing $62,890
Toyota GR Supra $47,535
Nissan Z $44,110
Toyota GR Corolla $37,595
Hyundai Elantra N $34,850
Volkswagen Golf $34,000
Subaru WRX $33,855
Ford Mustang $33,000
Acura Integra $32,995
Chevrolet Camaro $32,495
Subaru BRZ $31,315
Toyota GR86 $30,395
Mazda MX-5 Miata $30,170
Mini Hardtop and Convertible $29,945
Honda Civic $26,000
Mazda 3 $25,355
Volkswagen Jetta $22,660
Kia Forte $21,145
Nissan Versa $17,820
Movies Watched -- The Last King of Scotland (2006)
123 minute running time so 23 minutes too long … needed subtitles and it thankfully had them … Forest Whitaker had fun playing Amin, no doubt … I liked this movie though I had to ffwd a lot since it was too long and I really didn’t have any idea how much of it was true and accurate and how much was made up … Agent Scully is so beautiful and I love her weird British-American accent, always have. I sorta want to give this a green-go, but no, too long, and may be wildly inaccurate historically (though it did make for a fun movie). John Farr recommends it anyway.
But Mulder, this can only mean that….
Movies Watched -- A Soldier's Story (1984)
101 minute running time, so the perfect length. Movie set in 1944 Louisiana on a segregated army base … honest about racism and murder and self-hatred. I enjoyed it and recommend it. Green-go. Rare to see a movie with an almost all-black cast. This was a John Farr recommendation and I second it.
We need ·doctors, lawyers, generals -- senators! Stop thinkin' like a niggaI [In the script but less heavy-handed on the screen]
Zippo Armor Ocean Crystal Design No. 24095-110705
Balck Ice, Deep Carve, Crystal affixed, $95
