The Shape of Things --- Day 7/212

Walk: Yuri's Lighting (down and up with lamps x 4), Union Square (Theory sale)
Distance: 5 miles, wee yoga

So, Ciwt has always been a round shade gal

But today, for some unknown reason and prodding from a local lamp/lighting expert, she added a couple of curvy shades to her lampshades.  Cute? A little Matissey?  Hope she comes to like the switch.

Guilt-free Gripper --- Day 7/211

Walk: Cinema Club (The Guilty), PGCC
Distance: 3 miles, bucket of balls, small yoga

Attention Mystery/Thriller Buffs: Just a couple more weeks and it will be at your theater!

This morning Ciwt's Cinema Club screened The Guilty, a Danish movie guaranteed to wake up even the sleepiest attendee. From the moment it begins you realize you need to listen to every word, every sound, every expression of the superb actor who is on the screen in close up from beginning to end.  Gripping without being scary, intelligent, deep and totally comprehensible with nice, clear, easy to read subtitles.  When did you last see a truly masterful cinematic thriller?  It is coming!!

Another Star is Born --- Day 7/210

Walk: AMC Kabuki (A Star is Born)
Distance: 2 miles, Yoga

You'll all see it, Ciwt thinks, and you'll enjoy the new A Star is Born. Two hard-working. likable, watchable stars move their already immense talents into yet other fields. It's almost too much to ask that they have chemistry together, but they do.

You could say it is Lady Gaga's movie.  It is her acting debut; she is excellent at that new thing and of course outstanding at belting out song after song often dancing or accompanying herself on the piano.  Oh, and she wrote most of those songs.

But, Ciwt has to give A Star is Born to Bradley Cooper.  As always it is worth going to the theater just to see those blue eyes, his sexy/charming ways and hear that slightly gravelly speaking voice. And it was great to see them here in gently intimate cinematography. There has been well-deserved excited press about Cooper's directorial debut. But who knew he could sing and play the guitar?  Well, he can quite well.  And write songs?  Turns out he does that. He also co-wrote the script for this newest and more up to date version of A Star is Born, produced it and starred.

Many critics give the movie an A or 4/4 rating; personally, Ciwt would rate it B+. The songs seemed pitched to a young audience and the sound was mixed in a way that kept reminding her 'you're watching a movie.' Since this is the fourth version of A Star is Born, the story arc was necessarily predictable, but Ciwt wished it had been better balanced, deeper, more complex, less country western maudlin in the telling with many fewer 'f' words.  Finally, let's face it, any movie that is about the decline and demise of the handsome,charming, blue-eyed Cooper is just not going to win its way entirely into Ciwt's heart. No Lady GaGa song is going to take away that loss.

Blue Distractions (and Loud) --- Day 7/209

Walk: SFMOMA, Union Square, PGCC
Distance: 4 miles

 Blue Angles overhead

Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival in GG Park down below

Ciwt was in need of distractions today, and, boy did San Francisco come through. It was the first day of Hardly Strictly Bluegrass, a three day festival of name artists performing from dawn to dark on four stages in Golden Gate Park. And elsewhere on the ground, over the water and in the air is Fleet Week.  Both huge events are completely free, loud as hell, Jammed; usually Ciwt winces during this weekend but this year it is probably just what we all need.  

Back to Basics --- Day 7/208

Walk: Marin Driving Day
Distance: Blocks, Yoga

Any time, any place, any country, any mood, Yoga is always a good friend.

So Many Words, Not Even Close --- Day 7/206

Walk: To and from car
Distance: A few blocks, Large bucket of balls, Yoga

Ciwt finds herself trying to encapsulate her New York trip - which means in some way trying to describe New York City itself.  She gets on her case about not coming up with anything adequate, but then she remembers many authors for centuries - from O. Henry, to Henry James, to Edith Wharton to F. Scott Fitzgerald  right up Amor Towle, Jennifer Egan and all the New Yorker 'Talk of the Town' writers for a very few present ones.  They all write about New York - but in bits and pieces.

Realistically that is all that can be done; no matter what your talent, you can't capture it all.  Some online site asked people to come up with 10 words to describe New York. The responses are numerous, 10 adjectives each without a single duplication.  Here are a few of Ciwt's favorites from the lists:

- We think nothing of going for ice cream after midnight in the winter.
-Noisy, filthy*, expensive, exciting. Easily the best city on earth.  *(Ciwt - Not any more.  SF is worse now)
-It’s a city of dichotomies, exhausting and exhilarating, humbling and inspiring. It’s one of the hardest cities you’ll ever live in but if you survive you’ll never be able to live anywhere else.
-Rats, Cockroaches, Rude, Hectic, Artsy, Renovation, Walk, Picnic, Subway, And my favorite City.

-Diverse, Cultural, Sophisticated, Energetic, Magical, Gritty, Hard, Fast, Walkable, HOME.

-Rich, Poor, Cutting edge, Stuck in the past, The Best.

Actually there are duplicatons - in spirit.  Everyone cites contradictions galore but to a person say in in their different words New York is purely, simply and uniquely The Big Apple

Ashes to As.... --- Day 7/206

Walk: Union Square (Theory), AMC Kabuki (Blaze), Hood errands
Distance: 4+ miles, back to yoga tomorrow

 Ciwt has a movie chat friend who wrote to tell her Blaze is a 'near perfect' movie and she should see it.  It's an account of a songwriter, Blaze Foley, as told by his friend and fellow Texas blues musician, the lateTownes Van Zandt. Ciwt's friend wrote: I can't say enough good things about this movie.  The music is moving and gorgeous, the narrative is complex, the central character honest, broken, lovable and doomed.  It's indie filmmaking at its best.

Rotten Tomatoes top critics loved it too, so how could she not go?  Impossible, so go she did and as she watched she was impressed with the overall filmmaking.  In this 'year of Ethan Hawke' he has done a superlative job directing Blaze.  The movie is all Ciwt's friend says, but Ciwt found it downbeat, a downer and downright depressing.  

As she watched, she remembered her friend is a Creative Consultant to artists, many of whom are musicians so of course he would find all the scenes of the long movie engaging, true and necessary. 

He's also a poet who often recites his work accompanying himself with blues piano.  He knows the scene.

That isn't Ciwt.  Individual guitar players just kind of hanging out, picking at their guitars and drawling about life's sadnesses pretty much put Ciwt's feet to sleep.  So Blaze's - the man and the movie - great music was mostly lost on her.  That left watching 'doomed' talents go to the places - tragedy and death - of their songs.  Even perfectly acted, shot, directed and told, that was sad fare for Ciwt.

First Things --- Day 7/205

Walk: Hood for fooood
Distance: 2.3 miles and around and around home

Then there is putting Ciwt's home back together again.  

And reintroducing herself to her cats . 

All the while her terrific NYC trip sinks in...