Don't Look Now

A mother (Julie Christie) and father (Donald Sutherland), devastated by the loss of their daughter, travel to Venice for restorative distraction, only to find themselves immersed in the inexplicable, struggling to comprehend what simply cannot be.

Thus, as a blind woman's (Hilary Mason) murky clairvoyance confuses yet spiritually syndicates, John Baxter's rationality holds strong, even if he can't deny he's seen something odd, or that her predictions coldly generate truth.

Monopolistic reason can lead one to disregard his or her non-linear senses, the pursuit of pure logic having yet to clarify visions and premonitions, the sustained consistency of which always cause the sure and steady to question enthusiastically, or deny nevertheless, with vehement sincerity.

It's much better than a culture which values psychic claims above all else, for such an unqualifiable elevation begs a preponderance of chicanery.

Mumbo-jumbo as it were.

I believe there are rare people who possess such gifts notwithstanding who shouldn't be shamed and sidelined consequently.

How much of it is basic logic psychologically or historically applied remains to be determined, not by me malheureusement, but by those who make a living marketing such things.

Take prophecy.

If I remember correctly, France was in a state of disarray years after the revolution and Napoleon judged that for order to return, the disorganized people needed something to do.

So he went about conquering Europe.

I applied aspects of this scenario 10 years ago to the United States, thinking that if masses accustomed to wealth and comfort one day found themselves struggling to get by, a madman could unite them with gilded promises, which is what Trump is trying to do.

It's not prophecy.

It's speculation based on historical precedent.

Don't Look Now isn't the greatest film. It's shot in Venice but the cinematography focuses more on dark alleyways and run down buildings than what I imagine are architectural wonders. It keeps you anticipating the next action throughout without offering much compensation for your trouble, apart from some timeless interactions between Christie and Sutherland, and a vague sense of conspiracy which would have benefitted from value added information.

It's character driven but the material doesn't exactly situate them on the 417.

Did Venice have a highly xenophobic reputation at the time?

Walkabout

Courage sustains two formerly privileged youngsters lost in the Australian outback as they conserve what little strength remains to keep moving in search of sanctuary.

The boy (Luc Roeg) is too young to comprehend the crisis but the girl (Jenny Agutter) is resilient enough to diagnose, plan, proceed, and persevere.

Just as things seem hopelessly bleak, as their oasis dries up and alternatives fail to present themselves, an Indigenous youth on walkabout (David Gulpilil) appears on the horizon.

Possessing the knowledge and skills necessary to comfortably excel and thrive, he nourishes then guides them towards heavily populated lands, referred to often, as postmodern civilization.

Director Nicolas Roeg does a brilliant job juxtaposing the urban and the naturalistic throughout, showcasing at least a dozen native Australian animals, with childlike bliss and wondrous unconcern.

Can't believe I haven't seen this until recently.

Many of the animals are hunted for food however so beware.

When nature is your primary textbook, and survival your most demanding 9 to 5, you develop a relationship with your environment potentially as valuable as any University degree.

Possibly more valuable in current economies.

Walkabout provocatively elevates ingeniously living off the land, developing abilities akin to instincts, and characteristics cathartic and strong.

Possibly created to combat dismissive attitudes regarding Indigenous peoples adopted by Anglo-Australians, it certainly makes aspects of city living seem dull while lauding hearty bush living.

The unfortunate incompatibility of the two worlds as depicted in the film haunting the empathetic long afterwards, as different maturities conflict and cultures tragically come of age, Walkabout offers challenges and insights into ideal romance, coldly shattered, by prohibitive fears of the unknown.

Puffball

Oldschool director Nicolas Roeg's new film Puffball presents a supernatural encounter with down home country living. Liffey (Kelly Reilly) has purchased a cottage in the British countryside. She is a professional architect and hopes to transform her new dwelling into a stunning home. But along the way, partner Richard (Oscar Pearce) impregnates her, which becomes confusing after she sleeps with neighbour Tucker (William Houston). Tucker's wife Mabs (Miranda Richardson) has been trying to have a baby with no luck. Mabs's mother has been trying to encourage her fertility by using a number of superstitious potions, with no success, leaving them to believe that the potion worked on Liffey by accident. As time passes, tension builds and only a guardian angel can ward off the demons.

Puffball's certainly not on par with Roeg's earlier work (Performance, The Man Who Fell to Earth), but its creepy alienated sensibility is well crafted. Throughout, Roeg explores themes of individuality, aging, birth, regeneration, revenge, and fidelity contextualized within a supernatural frame. And there's puffballs. I really don't know what's going on with the puffballs.

Puffball certainly doesn't leave you feeling warm and fuzzy, or even mildly upbeat, but the characters are strong, the text multilayered, the red herrings salty, and the vision uniform. Great for the third day of rain or after an early 1980's Roger Waters marathon.