John Wick

I wanted to blog about another topic, but I’ll have to re-read the source material on that.  In the meantime, I suppose a blog about this trilogy of films, of which the most recent came out on 5/17, would be appropriate.

John Wick (Keanu Reeves) is a hitman for a mafia guy.   When the boss’ son (Theon Greyjoy) decides he wants Wick’s classic Mustang Mach 1, and Wick politely informs him that it’s not for sale, the boy gets his goons to steal the car and kill Wick’s dog, which had been a present to Wick by his wife amidst her terminal illness, a friend to keep him company after she was gone.  The remainder of the  film is Wick retrieving his stolen vehicle and extracting vengeance from the appropriate parties and their subordinates, both the boy and his father.   What’s intriguing is that Wick himself is not the only fascinating or sympathetic character:  even Viggo, the boy’s father, is not altogether evil, more like coerced by his son into adversity against Wick, who he would rather remain on good terms with.

 

John Wick 2.  Now Wick is coerced by underworld rules into assassinating the sister of one of his prior bosses, Cassini, who then puts out a contract on Wick when the job is done – talk about acting in bad faith.  The prior locale of NYC remains here but supplemented by much action in Rome, Italy.  Yet again, the other characters are made intriguing and fascinating in their own right, though the stylized violence is just as present and enjoyable this time around. 

John Wick 3.  As a result of the events of the prior film, Wick is persona non grata and the mysterious underworld forces which seem to control everything dictate that ANOTHER contract be put out on him, meaning whoever manages to kill him will earn a considerable sum of money, presumably tax-free.  Naturally Wick attempts not merely to avoid being killed – wouldn’t we all? – but also rectify the situation, though that involves an assignment to do something he’d rather not do.  This time the exotic location – in addition to NYC, of course – is Morocco, including its deserts.  Halle Berry (aka Storm) and Jerome Flynn (aka Ser Bronn) are the major additions to this chapter.   And…we’re back to the Continental Hotel in NYC.  Ian McShane, backed up by his #2 guy Lance Reddick (from The Wire) remains the articulate and charismatic proprietor of the hotel.

I’m reminded of the Matrix films, especially the overly choreographed violence.  Here they pull back on the mystical mumbo-jumbo and also place the events in the real world, no androids, robots, or virtual reality.  Wouldn’t you know it, though, Morpheus is back (Larry Fishburne), in a marginally less obtuse role – the Bowery King.  So what you have is the same implausible violence but in the so-called real world, which arguably makes it much easier to digest and enjoy.  Mind you, much of the dialogue is still somewhat stilted and pretentious – by all means, delve back into “The Big Lebowski” as a remedy – but I don’t find that enough to compromise my enjoyment. 

Of course, you’d think that the end result of putting all these contracts out on the #1 Mafia hitman, resulting – predictably enough – in the demise of those attempting to collect on them and his survival (minus a finger) – would be to make John Wick the sole surviving Mafia hitman and having a better lock on remaining jobs…. ["We need someone killed, who should we call?"  "Wick, of course.  He’s the only one left."]

Mount Vernon

Recently I posted an Onion bit about ancient Egyptians only visiting the Pyramids when friends came in from out of town.   Sadly, that applied to Mount Vernon as far I was concerned.  I was aware of its existence but never bothered to visit.  My impression is that it was mainly his house and not much else.  I was wrong.

First off, my hiking – an attempt to lose weight without hammering my knees and ankles on the treadmill – took me down the Mount Vernon Trail, which begins at the estate itself and ends 17 miles north in Rosslyn, where I used to live.  I could not hike 17 miles at once, so I had to do it in stages, alternating with similar efforts on the W&OD Trail.   Also, I started from Rosslyn and worked my way south, doing the trail in reverse.  It follows both the George Washington Parkway AND the Potomac River, which are roughly parallel to each other.  As of yet, I had never ventured down that way beyond King Street in Old Town Alexandria, so taking the trail itself was illuminating and fun in its own right.  Not only that, the Potomac River gets much wider, and the view across it to Maryland highly aesthetically pleasing.  Ultimately I became determined to visit the estate itself after the hike was done.   Last weekend I finally managed to do so.

George Washington himself was born in 1732, a younger scion of his father, who was apparently successful at producing multiple offspring.  Sadly, his overworked (!) father died when he was just 11.  In the 1750s he fought in the French & Indian War, then returned to Mount Vernon to manage it after his older brothers conveniently died off.  Twenty years later he led the Revolutionary Armies to victory against the British (1775-1781), served as our first President for two terms (1788-1796) (I prefer to round terms down to their even-numbered election years, though the first election actually took place in 1789) and just a few years after retiring to Mount Vernon to chill indefinitely, sadly did so literally in December 1799, dying of an illness related to the cold weather. 

Washington’s impressive plantation had a fishery, lots of farmland – he switched from tobacco to wheat at some point – and had a whiskey distillery down the road.  It also had a nice wharf which juts out into the river, which as previously noted is fairly wide at this point.  Fort Washington (a future destination) and a nature park face the estate from the Maryland side.

His tomb is here, up on a hill, up away from the marshy slope near the river.  He was originally buried in the Old Tomb until that area degenerated, and someone felt  it was advisable to move his remains to more solid ground, as was done in 1831.   The Masonic Memorial in Alexandria has a curious goblet constructed of his first coffin, an item which is wisely kept behind glass and not used to drink anything.  

The house itself is pretty small, but looks like it has 5 bedrooms and an office.  One intriguing artifact hangs from the wall in a glass case:  the French presented him with no less than the KEY to Bastille Prison in Paris.   (Approving voice from Long Island: “NICE….”)

Those of my readers whose ancestors most highly appreciate the Thirteenth Amendment are probably aware that Washington was indeed a slave owner, and the grounds contain multiple references to his involuntary staff and a large building which housed these unfortunates.   The dialogue insists that Washington was a compassionate manager and even instructed Martha to free the slaves after her death, and she did so after his own.  So at least one group didn’t have to wait for Lincoln….

On the way out, there’s an impressive museum.  This has the usual high tech stuff but does a good job of chronicling his life from 1732 to 1799 with the various things he did along the way – leading our armies to victory against the British and being our first President for two terms.  Back then we only had 13 states, and from 1788-1796 he seemed determined to make sure we didn’t do anything truly stupid.  He kept us out of Syria, Iraq, and Vietnam, personally put down the western Pennsylvania Whiskey Rebellion, resurrected the Navy, and overall remained neutral.  Keep in mind that in 1789 the French had issues, which erupted even more in 1793 when they gave Louis XVI a fatal haircut at the Place de la Concorde, and thereafter Europe was quite busy trying to squash this inconvenient rebellion.  For the ladies, there’s a presentation on George’s relationship with Martha, though I didn’t stay long enough to ascertain if their conjugal relations were explicitly depicted.  I’m guessing decorum and discretion mandate otherwise, though the estate might see more traffic if they were;  others might object given the school groups which frequent the museum.   Anyhow.

National Treasure 2 (Book of Secrets).  The original film featured Nicolas Cage and Jon Voight as a father and son team trying to find a lost Mason treasure.  The sequel gets the same pair trying to find Eldorado, which turns out to be located under Mount Rushmore in South Dakota.  In part of the film, Ben Gates (Cage) has to “kidnap” the President himself (Bruce Greenwood) to ask him confidential information in the President’s legendary secret book.  He does so at a nighttime event at Mount Vernon, and their interaction occurs in a secret – and fictitious – underground tunnel at the estate.  The writers preferred to use that than to defer to the actual underground meth lab with which Washington supplanted his income.

Bogus Article.  I picked up the 5/23/19 issue of Washington Post Express which had a particularly onerous article on Mount Vernon by a fatally clue-deficient liberal, Sadie Dingfelder, called “Estate Facts: Hard truths get a bit lost at Mount Vernon”.  My readers know I’m no fan of Trump, but idiocy like this is where I’m  sympathetic when his supporters bitch about “libtards”:  applying contemporary politically correct values to Founding Fathers over 200 years ago.  Her specific argument is that Washington’s slave-owning was “hidden” or “denied” at Mount Vernon.  First off, the slave quarters on the grounds are clearly marked as such, AND there is an exhibit in the museum itself about his slave ownership.  No one is denying he owned slaves or trying to hide that.  Second, Ms. Dingbatter herself cites a $10 “Enslaved People of Mount Vernon” tour at Mount Vernon (!!!).  The Mount Vernon website itself has a section addressing this issue: https://www.mountvernon.org/george-washington/slavery/ten-facts-about-washington-slavery/

Third, it took a Civil War and 600,000 casualties for the US to finally rid itself of slavery, as South Carolina and the other CSA states didn’t simply say, “sure, OK” when the North demanded they free their slaves.  Washington directed that his slaves be freed upon his wife’s death, and Martha Washington did so during her own lifetime (see website link).   Fourth, George Washington managed to lead a ragtag army from 1775-81 and defeat the strongest country in the world, then successfully steered the country through its first two presidential terms.  None of that features in her article.  According to this woman, because Mount Vernon does not make Washington’s slave-owning the primary focus of the entire estate, somehow they are “hiding” or “losing” this issue.  Forget everything else, the only truly important thing about Washington (and Jefferson and the other Founding Fathers) was that he owned slaves.  Massive facepalm.    

George Washington Masonic National Memorial.  I first visited this in January 2010, then again more recently in better weather.  I mentioned it briefly in my 2015 blog on Old Town Alexandria.  This is not far away from Mount Vernon.  Washington himself was a Mason.  It sits on a hilltop and dominates the fairly modest local skyline for miles around.  The view from the top, especially in nice weather, is especially impressive.  It was started in 1922, building finished in 1932 (200 years after Washington’s birth), and the interior was finally done in 1970.  There’s a huge statue of him as a Mason, lots of Masonic memorabilia, and plenty of the other items to satisfy the curious.  [Oddly, “National Treasure”, a movie which otherwise loves to Mason this, Mason that, ignored it.  SMH…]

Mary Poppins Returns

Previously (7/3/14) I had occasion to review the original 1964 “Mary Poppins” with Julie Andrews in the title role, which I combined with a review of “Saving Mr. Banks”, the 2013 film which portrayed how Walt Disney (Tom Hanks) managed to pry the rights to Mary Poppins away from the original author, Pamela Travers (aka Helen Goff), played by Emma Thompson.   Incidentally, that’s two “Saving” movies Hanks has done, with the Private Ryan version being a bit more exciting than his portrayal of Walt Disney. 

Now there’s a new movie, “Mary Poppins Returns”, with Emily Blunt in the title role.  It takes place years after the original, the original children now adults, the boy being a widower with three young children of his own.   Sadly, the family is facing the repossession of that same house to the same bank the father – now a deceased grandfather – worked for in the original film.   Remarkably, but not surprisingly, Mary Poppins descends from the London sky by talking umbrella and takes care of the children on yet more magical adventures while Michael Banks (Ben Whishaw) and his sister Jane (Emily Mortimer) attempt to un-f**k their financial dilemma. 

The cast itself impressed me.  David Warner – who I most affectionately remember as Sark in “Tron” and Jack the Ripper in “Time After Time” – is here as the neighboring admiral blasting away on the hour.  Colin Firth – the rabid Arsenal fan in the original “Fever Pitch” and George VI in “The King’s Speech” – is here in a rare unsympathetic role as a bank manager, Wilkins.  Even Dick Van Dyke – hold on, he’s still alive?? – is back, albeit NOT as a chimney sweep or gaslighter.  “Cockney rhyming slang” is invoked here:  in my case, I’m a septic tank (Yank).  Oh, and we shouldn’t forget Meryl Streep as Cousin Topsy – including a musical segment – or Angela Lansbury in a more modest role as a balloon lady towards the end of the film. 

Yes, there is a major animated sequence in the middle, putting some live action characters into proper animal format (Firth turns into a wolf).   Not “supercalifragilisticexpialidocious” but along the same lines.   “You can’t judge a book by its cover” is the highly pertinent lesson imparted thereby.   In addition to the animated/live action sequence being suitably evocative of the original is the highly amusing business wherein Poppins discusses the matter with the children once they return to their bedroom.  One child accurately describes the events in question, only to have Poppins dismiss said events as “just a dream”.  Hold on, assert the other two:  we had exactly the same dream!  Never mind implausible, how is that even possible? [Expect the impossible…]

Predictably, the financial issues are resolved, Wilkins disposed of properly, and “there was much rejoicing”.  Oddly, the original took place in 1910, at least 10-15 years must have passed for Michael and Jane to be their current ages, but London still looks like it’s before WWI and not the 1920s or 30s (and no references to the “Great War”, which is what WWI was called before WWII came around – moreover, Michael’s age suggests he would be old enough to be a veteran of the trenches), with the exception of Cousin Topsy, who appears to be a flapper (1920s single woman).   Overall, an excellent sequel which faithfully understands its source material and what a sequel should be.  Bravo!

Finally, the picture above is taken from what I found to be a highly informative Vanity Fair article discussing the new movie, and invoking a familiar Disney film with Angela Lansbury, “Bedknobs and Broomsticks”, https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2018/12/is-mary-poppins-returns-based-on-the-books

Decriminalization < > Legalization

I’m trying to avoid incessantly blogging about drugs, but confusion about Denver’s recent action has induced me to revisit the issue again to clarify the issue, mainly because it pisses me off when people say that Denver legalized psychedelic mushrooms, because it didn’t.

Denver (the city) not the entire state of Colorado, decriminalized psychedelic mushrooms.   They remain illegal.  However, if you are caught with them, instead of going to jail, you are simply hit with a fine.   Since they’re still on Federal Schedule I, all bets are off for getting caught by the FBI, though I’m not aware that federal authorities are prosecuting anyone hit with civil fines on decriminalized drugs.   Decriminalization doesn’t mean legalization, it just means that possession of modest amounts considered plausible for personal consumption, incurs a civil penalty and not criminal sanctions.  Larger amounts still incur misdemeanor or felony charges and jail time. 

Legalization (except as noted below) means you can buy and sell it – and so far, that means in dispensaries which are heavily regulated and collect the state taxes on the transactions.  Many states have decriminalized marijuana but not legalized it, so people still have to either buy it from illegal dealers or grow it themselves.  As a practical matter, the police rarely bother to enforce the law once it reaches this threshold.  This is probably the #1 benefit of decriminalization:  while ordinary people with no source for these drugs can’t purchase them from a dispensary, those who do have a source can buy and sell with little or no concern about unwanted intervention by the authorities – at least the local authorities.   

DC and Maine legalized possession, but not sale, of marijuana.  This means you have to grow it yourself.  The police might be inclined to ignore sales IF the parties get clever by selling other items of nominal value and including the market value of MJ in the transaction as a “free gift”, e.g. buy this otherwise worthless sticker for $60 and we’ll throw in a quarter ounce of marijuana for free.  This seems to be the case in DC.  While it violates the spirit of the law, it does adhere to the letter of the law.  The lawyer in me considers this a form of corruption, while the libertarian in me, who believes all drugs – even heroin – should be legal, views this as a rare occasion when the authorities reach an accommodation with private citizens which moves in the proper direction and counteracts laws which are improper and immoral. 

Maryland has recently legalized medical marijuana, and the statute allows a physician to prescribe marijuana, full blown with THC as opposed to non-psychoactive CBD, if he/she believes that the benefits in treating the patient’s condition, whatever it might be, outweigh the risks.  Given there are no risks associated with MJ, that means literally any condition would qualify, not just cancer or glaucoma.  Medical marijuana dispensaries are now open, including two in Rockville alone.  Sadly, Maryland also ruled that having a medical MJ bans you from owning guns, but that restriction may end up overcome by court rulings – we do have the Second Amendment, remember?   Stay tuned.  Like the selling a sticker and a quarter ounce, these loosely drafted medical marijuana laws act as a de facto loophole to counteract an otherwise bogus law.  Yet again, the libertarian in me applauds this. 

Oddly, many recreational marijuana dispensaries, such as in Colorado and Massachusetts, will sell to non-residents.  In MA, the stipulation is that all such MJ sold must be consumed in Massachusetts.  There’s a dispensary in Springfield, just up the road from Connecticut, where MJ remains illegal.  MA also borders New York, Rhode island, Vermont, and New Hampshire.  Guess what – those states are now seriously considering legalizing now.  Because there’s really no effective way to make sure that no one takes all that MA-purchased MJ into a bordering state.  D’oh!  Do we want that tax money going to Boston - or Hartford, Providence, Concord, Montpelier, or Albany?

What’s funny is that I know people who live in Colorado – and none of them smoke MJ.   Same with my friends in Massachusetts, Nevada and Canada.  Simply because you legalize it doesn’t mean everyone will do it.  We’ll see what happens in Denver, which now has a marginally larger array of mind-altering substances to sample.  Shrooms won’t be sold in dispensaries – yet- but the penalties for possessing smaller amounts will be substantially reduced, at least in Denver.   :D 

As noted earlier, even marijuana is still illegal at the Federal level.  Under Obama, the Feds took the position that they would hold off on enforcing federal marijuana laws in states such as Colorado and Washington which had legalized recreational MJ.  Jeff Sessions, until recently Donald Trump’s Attorney General, made noises that he would change that, but to my knowledge the Feds have yet to do so.  For his part, Trump himself varies from one day to the next, so I’m ill-inclined to pay attention to his position (as it changes by the hour, it seems).  Moreover, Chuck Schumer and others in Congress are proposing to end the Federal ban on MJ, which will not only make this a moot issue, but also allow MJ sellers to enter the banking system.  I won’t hold my breath, but overall the trends seem to be positive.  

DesertFest NYC 2019

As noted earlier, it’s not my policy to blog about literally every concert I attend, unless I feel it’s somehow noteworthy.  A three day stoner rock festival in Brooklyn, New York may well qualify.  So here goes.

I’d been meaning to see a band called Elder, from Boston, Massachusetts, which has 4 albums out.   They come off as an intriguing mix of prog and stoner, with 9-12 minute songs which jam out a little.   Finally, the opportunity came:  DesertFest NYC, to occur on April 26 (Friday) through April 28 (Sunday).  The Friday show was at the Saint Vitus Bar in northwest Brooklyn, the Saturday and Sunday shows at The Well, also in Brooklyn, close to the Montrose St. station on the L line.  It’s a large enough venue with a large outdoor area, the immediate area in front of the stage protected by a canopy.  This neighborhood is industrial, due east of Williamsburg.

Before I go further: thank you to Dave and Loni for making this adventure possible, each in their own way.  Thank you.

Anyhow.  For reasons most plausibly related to the desert jams out in California with which KYUSS is most closely related, many of these stoner rock festivals invoke “DESERT” in their name even if the locale, downtown Brooklyn, is thousands of miles away from any desert.  Like DC, the NYC area is more like a swamp than a desert.   It was never a desert and if mankind vanishes from the city letting nature retake it, things will probably be flooded and swampy until the Sun expands into a red giant billions of years from now and we’re all long gone (except for Keith Richards).     

For logistical reasons I did not catch Friday night’s lineup, in reverse order from headliner to “who the hell are these guys?”:  Black Cobra, Here Lies Man, High Tone, Son of a Bitch, Heavy Temple.  I think I have some Black Cobra CDs, vaguely recalling them as stoner rock.  The rest I don’t recognize.  In any case I wasn’t there.

Saturday & Sunday had alternate stages full of bands which I ignored. 

Saturday (again, reverse order): Windhand, Weedeater, The Skull, Danava, Electric Citizen (main stage), Steak, Mirror Queen, Worshipper, Tower (second stage).    My prime concerns were The Skull, Eric Wagner’s post-Trouble band, and Danava, who I had never seen before. 

Electric Citizen have a female singer and a worried looking lead guitarist who reminds me of William H. Macy.  They’re not bad, but not particularly memorable, and may well be doomed to perpetual opening band status.  We’ll see. 

Danava are from Portland, Oregon, and have three albums:  self-titled, UnonoU, and Hemisphere of Shadows.  They’re another band that seems to take Black Sabbath as a starting point and change it up with a modest dose of weirdness. 

The Skull gave us the same awesome riffage we might expect from Trouble, for obvious reasons.  Mr. Wagner was in high spirits and shared that energy and enthusiasm with the crowd.  I got to shake his hand twice.  I’ve seen Trouble once with him on vocals (years ago) and saw The Skull more recently at Café 611 in Frederick, Maryland.  While the big four of Metallica, Megadeth, Slayer and Anthrax got most of the attention from thrash fans back in the 80s and 90s, a few lesser known but quality thrash bands were putting out albums if you had the good fortune to know about them.  Trouble added some 60’s psychedelic vibe to distinguish themselves from the others, Manic Frustration (1992) being my favorite album.  Dave Grohl is also a big fan, and said that for him, buying Psalm 9 (the first album) was like buying Sgt. Pepper.    If you’re into Trouble, by all means check out this band, who have two albums of their own: For Those Which Are Asleep, and The Endless Road Turns Dark. 

Weedeater gave me too much of a NASCAR-METH vibe and their cover of Skynyrd’s “Gimme Back My Bullets” was unrecognizable.   Another band with decent tuneage marred by abysmal vocals, thanks to bassist/vocalist Dave “Dixie” Collins.  I have their most recent album, Goliathan, and listened to the prior four albums, all of which sound pretty much the same.  Maybe they should just follow Karma To Burn, whose songs are 80% instrumentals, though confusingly named by number.    

Having seen Windhand in DC in January, I left after Weedeater.  Like The Sword, Windhand are a band with decent enough studio material but live, seem to believe that simply getting up on stage and playing the material is sufficient.  Sadly, neither band has appreciable stage presence.   

Back again for more the next day!

Sunday’s lineup:  Elder, Monolord, ASG, Ruby the Hatchet, Fatso Jetson (main stage); Mick’s Jaguar, Duel, Green Milk From the Planet Orange, Sun Voyager (second stage).   Sun Voyager had a cool dugout/onehitter for sale, but as I had ignored all the second stage bands, and had a King Buffalo one already, I had to pass.

I missed Fatso Jetson and ignored Ruby the Hatchet, another band with a chick singer, in their case a woman who looks like a metal version of Britney Spears.  Like Electric Citizen they’re ok, just not particularly different or memorable, and may well share the same fate of perpetual opening band.  Intriguing that the promoters saw fit to put them on different days. 

ASG.  I had Survive Sunrise and Blood Drive (newest and second newest albums) both of which I liked.  When I saw them on the bill, it was another incentive to catch this show.  Lead guitarist Jonah Citty plays something I’ve never seen, a left-handed Gibson Flying V.   I can’t describe their difference from the baseline of Black Sabbath, but it was enough to discern if not to articulate.  Not bad.

Monolord.  I had seen them a few months back.  They’re from Gothenburg, Sweden, and the guitarist/singer Thomas Jager plays a Greco Flying V.   He has a BOC cross tattooed on his arm.  Slow and drudgy, a bit repetitive, you have to be in the mood for “Into the Void” or “Under the Sun” type songs.  Hell, he was tuned to C, down from E, so he had to retune between each song.   I have all their albums!  In reverse order, Rust, Vaenir, Empress Rising, and Lord of Suffering/Die in Haze. 

Elder.  Finally.  This band is led by Nick DiSalvo, who plays a weird guitar I don’t recognize – usually he’s shown playing an SG.   I had actually purchased their first album, Elder, soon after it came out, followed by Dead Roots Stirring, Lore, and now Reflections of a Floating World, but hadn’t been able to see them live until now.  They start off with a riff, then plunge into an intense jam, and come back again.  Now repeat that for the next four songs in the set….and you have Elder, who blend stoner rock with some prog and jam band elements for an alluring mix. 

Overall an excellent show, which I’m glad I made the effort to visit the NYC area again to attend.   My next out-of-the-area shows are TOOL at Hampton Coliseum in southeast Virginia, May 10, followed by the third Earth Rocker festival in northeastern West Virginia, on July 13, the main attraction being Maryland band Clutch. 

The Vest.  I’m noticing more rock fans showing up with vests adorned with patches.  Usually there’s a large back patch, the rule seeming to be that the patch size is inversely proportional to the fame and fortune of the band.  A band I like, REZN, whose recent stop at the Sidebar in downtown Baltimore was sparsely attended (fortunately myself included) is selling large back patches on its website.   I snagged two smaller patches.  In fact, I’ve accumulated enough patches to start a vest, but at this point I can’t help considering it an affectation.  I still have a denim jacket from Paris around, which dates from my high school days.  The large, central back patch on that is Black Sabbath. 

Oddly, the merchandise options at the Desertfest were fairly modest.  Bands seem to vary in how diligent they are in offering such things, ranging from the basic t-shirts all the way to things like patches – Sleep are the best at that – and grinders or onehitters, again Sleep being the best as well.  Sadly, many of us fans would gladly open our wallets and buy these things.  At the very least you would imagine a band would release tour t-shirts with the current tour’s dates on the back, but I’m seeing that to be the exception and not the rule.  Not my problem, of course, but word to the wise…..