Day #21,774

Walk km 8115-8122: Spanish Banks
Walk km 8122-8123: Chinatown
Walk km 8123-8125: Granville Island

Movie #1758: The Boy With Green Hair (1948, Joseph Losey)

The Netflix copy was in poor condition so the colour was very washed out and I missed a lot of dialogue. However, wasn't the message a little mixed up? The green hair was used to preach against prejudice. One boy even says "but would you want your sister to marry one". However, the war orphans turn him into a regular John "Give Peace A Chance" Lennon. He goes around spouting his anti-war message. So which was it? Did I miss something?

Day #21,773

Walk km 8103-8115 (13,658 to go): to 25th & Marine (West Vancouver)

meetup group walkers
approx km 8110 Ambleside Park

Movie #1757: La Fidelite (2000, Andrzej Zulawski)

It's an angst epic. The story is pure twaddle but that doesn't stop me from enjoying this one. Every minute is just packed with heart wrenching idiocy!

Day #21,772

Walk km 8098-8100: running errands
Walk km 8100-8103: running errands

Movie #1756: Molly And Me (1945, Lewis Seiler)

This movie can make you dizzy. It keeps switching back and forth between comedy and sentimentality. I didn't find that mix too inspiring. It was nice to see Gracie Fields in action though.

TV episode #1: Route 66: Black November (1960,Philip Leacock)

In which writer Sterling Silliphant proves that he's seen "Bad Day At Black Rock"! Were there no plagiarism laws in 1960?
What makes this one cool is that whenever there's a lull in the action everyone talks like they learnt English from reading really bad poetry.
On hand we have George Kennedy, Whit Bissell, Keir Dullea and Patty "Bad Seed" McCormack.
Town visited: Garth, Mississippi

TV episode #2: Route 66: A Lance Of Straw (1960,Roger Kay)
In which Buzz tries to explain to Janice Rule that a woman's place is in the home. Ooops!
Town visited: Grand Isle, Mississippi

TV episode #3: Route 66: The Swan Bed (1960,Elliot Silverstein)

Buzz and Todd help save New Orleans from an epidemic when they mess with a bunch of parrot smugglers. Much better than it sounds. Henry Hull and Betty Field get the best roles.

Day #21,771

Walk km 8079-8087: Broadway/Commercial Station to Pender @ Beatty

artists at work
approx km 8083 Raymur Street

Walk km 8087-8098 (13,673 to go): from Denman Street to 25th @ Marine (West Vancouver) with the Meetup group

Movie re-watch: Obsession (1976, Brian DePalma)

The greatest of the fake-Hitchcocks. I was amazed by this movie when I saw it in 1976. I can't say the same for the second viewing but that's probably because I knew how it ends. Now, it looks like an amazing music video for the music of Bernard Herrmann. This is one of my favourite movies but it is for sure my all-time favourite music score.

Day #21,770

Walk km 8070-8079 (13,691 to go): from Joyce to Commercial Station via 45th

Movie #1755: Drunken Angel (1948, Akira Kurosawa)

This one kind of reminds me of a silent movie. Those close ups of faces with exaggerated expressions. All very impressive but the plot does move rather slowly.

Book #386: Caesars Of The Wilderness (1987, Peter C Newman)

I bought this one to take to Vegas with me but brought it back unread. I started reading it on Canada Day so you can see it wasn't exactly a page turner. It turns out that this was volune 2 in a 3 volume history of the Hudson's Bay Company. Lots of interesting info in this one.

1000 Degrees Of Musical Separation: #28 - MacArthur Park
Composed by Jimmy Webb. First recorded by Richard Harris in 1968.
Version #1: Hugo Montenegro (New York, USA - on the lp "Moog Power" 1969)
Version #2: Sammy Davis Jr (New York, USA)

Day #21,769

Walk km 8055-8058: running errands
Walk km 8058-8070 (13,699 to go): from Science World to Kitsilano Beach (and return)

Movie #1754: The Thing (1982, John Carpenter)

Superior to the 1951 original. John Carpenter at the top of his game.
One of the weird things about this is that the music was supposed to be Ennio Morricone but it sounds just like Carpenter's score from "Assault On Precint 13". I looked on IMDB and it looks like it really was Morricone. Odd.
After googling: some sites are saying that Carpenter did write some of the music himself.

1000 Degrees Of Musical Separation: #25 - Sounds Of Silence
Composed by Paul Simon. First recorded by Simon & Garfunkel in 1964.
Version #1: Simon & Garfunkel (New York, USA - 1968)
Version #2: The Kransky Sisters (Esk, Australia - from the "Sideshow" TV show 2007)



1000 Degrees Of Musical Separation: #26 - Psycho Killer
Composed by The Talking Heads. First recorded by The Talking Heads on the "Talking Heads '77" LP 1977.
Version #1: The Kransky Sisters (Esk, Australia - from the "Sideshow" TV show 2007)
Version #2: Ukelele Orchestra of Great Britain (Great Britain - live at the Royal Albert Hall 2009)



1000 Degrees Of Musical Separation: #27 - The Good The Bad And The Ugly
Composed by Ennio Morricone. First recorded by Ennio Morricone for the movie of the same name in 1967.
Version #1: Ukelele Orchestra of Great Britain (Great Britain - live at the Royal Albert Hall 2009)
Version #2: Hugo Montenegro (New York, USA - 1968)

Day #21,768

Walk km 8043-8045: running errands
Walk km 8045-8055: 29th Ave Station to Marine @ Knight

yard full of stuff
approx km 8050 44th Ave

Movie #1753: The Anderson Tapes (1971, Sidney Lumet)

I don't get it. I'm sure I went to see every movie released in 1971 - but I don't remember this one. This would be one of Sidney Lumet's lesser efforts. He did the caper film much better a few years later with "Dog Day Afternoon". Still, it is quite entertaining and maintains interest all the way through.

1000 Degrees Of Musical Separation: #23 - Steppin' Out
Composed by Paul Revere & Mark Lindsay. First recorded by Paul Revere & The Raiders in 1965.
Version #1: Paul Revere & The Raiders (Boise, USA - from the 45RPM single on Columbia - 1965)
Version #2: The Bangles (Los Angeles, USA - live in 1983)



1000 Degrees Of Musical Separation: #24 - Hazy Shade Of Winter
Composed by Paul Simon. First recorded by Simon & Garfunkel in 1966.
Version #1: The Bangles (Los Angeles, USA - from the "Less Than Zero" movie 1987)
Version #2: Simon & Garfunkel (New York, USA - 1966)

Day #21,767

Walk km 8032-8043 (13,724 to go): Ladner Loop to Vancouver Landfill (and return)

Movie #1752: The Last Detail (1973, Hal Ashby)

Had a little trouble hearing the dialogue as it usually came with a lot of background noise. That could be one reason why I didn't like this one as much as most folks. It was OK.

1000 Degrees Of Musical Separation: #21 - Paint It Black
Composed by Mick Jagger & Keith Richards. First recorded by The Rolling Stones in 1966.
Version #1: Los Salvejes (Barcelona, Spain - 1966)
Version #2: Caterina Caselli (Modena, Italy - from the movie "Perdono" 1966)



1000 Degrees Of Musical Separation: #22 - Baby Please Don't Go
Composed by Big Joe Williams from Crawford, Mississippi. First recorded by Big Joe Williams in 1935.
Version #1: Caterina Caselli (Modena, Italy - from the movie "Nessuno mi può giudicare" 1966)
Version #2: Paul Revere & The Raiders (Boise, USA - from the "Just Like Us" LP 1965)

Day #21,766

Walk km 8022-8032 (13,734 to go): Cambie @ #6 Road to Westminster Hwy @ highway 91 (with Meetup group)

Meetup members and bee hives
approx km 8026 Cambie Road

Movie #1751: La Ragazza Del Lago (2007, Andrea Molaioli)

Straight forward police procedural. Toni Servillo, as the police commissioner, sets the tone for this movie: calm and thoughtful. Excellent movie.

1000 Degrees Of Musical Separation: #17 - A Well Respected Man
Composed by Ray Davies. First recorded by The Kinks in 1965.
Version #1: Gary Lewis & The Playboys (Los Angeles, USA 1966)
Version #2: Petula Clark (Epsom, England - 1966)



1000 Degrees Of Musical Separation: #18 - Needles And Pins
Composed by Jack Nitzsche & Sonny Bono. First recorded by Jackie DeShannon in 1963.
Version #1: Petula Clark (Epsom, England - 1963)
Version #2: The Ramones (New York, USA - on the "Road To Ruin" LP 1978)



1000 Degrees Of Musical Separation: #19 - California Sun
Composed by Henry Glover & Morris Levy. First recorded by Joe Jones in 1961.
Version #1: The Ramones (New York, USA - 1978)
Version #2: The Dictators (New York, USA - 1973)



1000 Degrees Of Musical Separation: #20 - I Got You Babe
Composed by Sonny Bono. First recorded by Sonny & Cher in 1965.
Version #1: The Dictators (New York, USA - from their LP "Go Girl Crazy" 1973)
Version #2: Los Salvejes (Barcelona, Spain - 1965)

Day #21,765

Walk km 8009-8022: Horseshoe Bay to Suicide Bend Park (West Vancouver)

a creek
approx km 8019 Cypress Park

Movie #1750: Godzilla vs King Ghidorah (1991, Kazuki Ohmori)

I was looking forward to some mindless entertainment here but it just didn't work out that way. For the most part, this movie does work. It's aimed at pre-teens so all the horrid dialogue and crappy special effects are kind of charming. However.....a Japanese imperialist message for pre-teens?!?! The scenes set during WWII show the Japanese army as a bunch of heroes. Then, the reason the 23rd century must destroy Japan is because in the 21st century Japan has gotten very powerful. It seems that Japan has taken over the entire continents of South America and Africa. So, Godzilla must be called upon to destroy those who would oppose Japanese imperialism. Yuk!

1000 Degrees Of Musical Separation: #13 - Rag Doll
Composed by Bob Crewe & Bob Gaudio from New Jersey. First recorded by The Four Seasons in 1964.
Version #1: Mike Cederberg (Toronto, Canada - on YouTube 2010)
Version #2: Brian Poole & The Tremeloes (Dagenham, England - 1965)



1000 Degrees Of Musical Separation: #14 - Oh Mom (Teach Me To Uncle Willie)
Composed by Charles Colbert from Chicago, USA. First recorded by The Daylighters in 1964.
Version #1: Brian Poole & The Tremeloes (Dagenham, England - on Blue Peter TV show 1965)
Version #2: The DelMonas (Chatham, England)



1000 Degrees Of Musical Separation: #15 - Lies
Composed by Buddy Randall & Beau Charles. First recorded by The Knickerbockers in 1965.
Version #1: The DelMonas (Chatham, England 1985)
Version #2: The Knickerbockers (Bergenfield, USA - 1965)



1000 Degrees Of Musical Separation: #16 - One Track Mind
Composed by Keith & Linda Colley. First recorded by The Knickerbockers in 1966.
Version #1: The Knickerbockers (Bergenfield, USA - 1966)
Version #2: Gary Lewis & The Playboys (Los Angeles, USA 1966)

Day #21,764

Walk km 8006-8009: running errands

Movie #1749: Jar City (2006, Baltasar Kormakur)

Film of one of the Arnaldur Indridison novels that I haven't read. Lucky for me I already knew four of the characters as this suffers from the usual problem when a novel becomes a film: how to fit everything into 90 minutes. It was a little puzzling in places but I think everything was explained by the end. Also, kudos to Mr Kormakur for being able to make Iceland look like the most inhospitable place on earth. That makes the exteriors fit nicely into the general mood (depressing) of the film.

Movie #1748: Mechanical Love (2007, Phie Ambo)

Documentary about robots. I would have thought that we'd have advanced farther than this. Creepy part was guy who built a robot like himself and then tested it on his daughter.

1000 Degrees Of Musical Separation: #9 - Gloria
Composed by Van Morrison from Belfast, Ireland. It was first recorded in 1964 by Them.
Version #1: Los Rockin Devils (Tijuana, Mexico)
Version #2: Thee Headcoatees (Chatham, England - 1991)



1000 Degrees Of Musical Separation: #10 - Baby It's You
Composed by Burt Bacharach, Luther Dixon & Mack David. First recorded by The Shirelles in 1961.
Version #1: Thee Headcoatees (Chatham, England)
Version #2: Cilla Black (Liverpool, England - 1965)



1000 Degrees Of Musical Separation: #11 - Step Inside Love
Composed by Paul McCartney. First recorded by Cilla Black in 1968.
Version #1: Cilla Black (Liverpool, England - from the Cilla Black TV show 1968)
Version #2: Michel Pagliaro (Montreal, Canada - from the LP "Pagliaro" 1970)



1000 Degrees Of Musical Separation: #12 - Lovin' You Ain't Easy
Composed by Michel Pagliaro. First recorded by Michel Pagliaro in 1971.
Version #1: Michel Pagliaro (Montreal, Canada - 1971)
Version #2: Mike Cederberg (Toronto, Canada - on YouTube 2010)

Day #21,763

Walk km 7996-8006 (13,757 to go): 29th Ave Station to Marine @ Knight

Movie #1747: Fat City (1972, John Huston)

hey, this scene wasn't in the movie.4 minutes were missing from the Netflix version - are they editing out any "naughty bits"?

A movie about a bunch of down-and-outers in Stockton California. Way to get a few bucks: picken vegetables. Ways to lose a few bucks: women and booze. A coupla guys try something different: boxing (shoulda stuck with the vegetables).
Oh yes, I better mention Susan Tyrrell - she has a nice juicy role and boy does she nail it!

1000 Degrees Of Musical Seperation: #5 - Venus
Composed by Robbie Van Leeuwen from Den Haag, Netherlands. It was first recorded in 1969 by The Shocking Blue.
Version #1: Nancy Sit (Hong Kong - 1972)
Version #2: The Shocking Blue (Den Haag, Netherlands - 1969)



1000 Degrees Of Musical Seperation: #6 - Love Buzz
Composed by Robbie Van Leeuwen from Den Haag, Netherlands. It was first recorded in 1969 by The Shocking Blue.
Version #1: The Shocking Blue (Den Haag, Netherlands - 1969)
Version #2: Nirvana (Aberdeen, USA - 1993)



1000 Degrees Of Musical Seperation: #7 - The Man Who Sold The World
Composed by David Bowie from London, England. It was first recorded in 1970 by David Bowie.
Version #1: Nirvana (Aberdeen, USA - live on MTV 1993)
Version #2: Lulu (Glasgow, Scotland - 1974)



1000 Degrees Of Musical Seperation: #8 - Shout
Composed by Rudolph, Ronald & O'Kelly Isley from Cincinnati, USA. It was first recorded in 1959 by The Isley Brothers.
Version #1: Lulu (Glasgow, Scotland - 1964)
Version #2: Los Rockin Devils (Tijuana, Mexico)

Day #21,762

Walk km 7991-7996: Joyce Station to 29th Ave Station

fandom gone too far
approx km 7993 Kings Street

1000 Degrees Of Musical Seperation: #1 - Don't Cha Know
"Don't Cha Know" was composed by David Box and Ernie Hall of Lubbock Texas. It was first recorded by The Crickets in 1960 with David Box on vocals. Like The Crickets original vocalist (Buddy Holly), David Box died in a plane crash.
Version #1: The Searchers (Liverpool - recorded at the Star Club in Hamburg Germany)
Version #2: The Pebbles (Tokyo - recorded live in Yokohama (2007))



1000 Degrees Of Musical Seperation: #2 - Ticket To Ride
Composed by John Lennon & Paul McCartney from Liverpool England. It was first recorded in 1965 by The Beatles.
Version #1: The Pebbles (Tokyo - recorded live in Yokohama (2007))
Version #2: Cathy Berberian (Attleboro USA - from Dutch TV show (1977))



1000 Degrees Of Musical Seperation: #3 - I Want To Hold Your Hand
Composed by John Lennon & Paul McCartney from Liverpool England. It was first recorded in 1964 by The Beatles.
Version #1: Cathy Berberian (Attleboro USA - from the Revolution LP (1969))
Version #2: The Supremes (Detroit - from the A Bit Of Liverpool LP (1964))



1000 Degrees Of Musical Seperation: #4 - You Can't Do That
Composed by John Lennon & Paul McCartney from Liverpool England. It was first recorded in 1964 by The Beatles.
Version #1: The Supremes (Detroit - on TV (1964))
Version #2: Nancy Sit (Hong Kong)

Day #21,761

Walk km 7980-7991 (13,770 to go): Stanley Park to 26th @ Marine (West Vancouver)

Lion's Gate Bridge
approx 7984 Lion's Gate Bridge

Movie #1746: The Cool Ones (1967, Gene Nelson)

A real train wreck of a movie here. Once again, Hollywood tries to tap into the hipster market and once again falls flat on its face. I could just see them in the board room: "what we need in a teen movie is lots of show tunes, the kid'll really go for that". The music is (for the most part) really horrible. "The Tantrum" was OK but all those show tunes were just awful. And they even gave the show tunes big dance routines to go with them to make them even worse. But as the saying goes: "it's so bad, it's good". Phil Harris was in the cast but they didn't let him do any numbers. "Darktown Poker Club" would have helped out here. Everyone in the cast was awful except Nita Talbot as "Dee Dee" (she actually was kinda cool). Gil Peterson in the male lead was especially godawful.

Day #21,760

Walk km 7978-7980: to the library

Movie rewatch: La Loi (1959, Jules Dassin)

"Grand Hotel" plot style movie with passions near the boiling point in a small Italian seaside town. The various plots revolve around local "bad girl" Gina Lollobrigida. I've seen this one before and I've also read the book.

Day #21.759

Walk km 7969-7978: from Lake City Station to Braid Station with the Meetup group

Meetup group
approx km 7977 Columbia Street

Day #21,758

Walk km 7963-7969 (13,789 to go): MacDonald/3rd/Arbutus/1st/Chestnut/Burrard bridge/Pacific/Beach/Denman

boats on False Creek
approx km 7967 from Burrard bridge

Day #21,756

Walk 7953-7958: Gowlland Tod Provincial Park

Movie #1745: Percy Jackson & The Olmpians: Lightning Thief (2010, Chris Columbus)

A kid's movie. Nothing of substance here. Maybe if I was 12 years old.....

Day #21,754

Walk km 7933-7945 (13,809 to go): Granville/54th/Churchill/52nd/Marguerite/51st/Angus/50th/E Blvd/47th/Maple/46th/Yew/44th/Cypress/41st/Laburnum/37th/Maple/36th/Arbutus/37th/MacDonald/31st/McKenzie/Quesnel/29th/Puget/Trafalgar/Alamein/MacDonald/24th/Trafalgar/23rd/MacDonald

an MG
approx km 7940 37th Ave

Day #21,753

Walk km 7920-7933 (13,820 to go): Westminster Hwy/#9 Rd/Nelson/Westminster Hwy/Graybar/Dyke/Boundary/Ewan

ugh!
approx km 7923 Westminster Highway

Movie #1743: Le Voyage Du Ballon Rouge (2007, Hsiao-Hsien Hou)

OK. This one has a plot but only a first act. They were trying for "poetic".
Juliette Binoche looks fabulous!

Day #21.752

Walk km 7911-7920: Patterson Station to Elliott @ Marine with the Meetup Walking group

Meetup group
approx km 7913 Boundary @ 49th

Day #21,751

Walk km 7902-7911 (13,840 to go): 49th/Oak/50th/Cartier/51st/Selkirk/52nd/Hudson/Dogwood/Granville/53rd/Hudson/55th/Granville/56th/Cartier/Park/Birch/64th/Haig/67th/Laurel/66th/65th/Lord/Marine

Movie #1742: Foxy Brown (1974, Jack Hill)

Terrible script. Inept acting. Great! This one goes way into the red on the goof-o-meter. I think pretty much every scene has some kind of bonus kicker that's a sure fire knee slapper.

Day #21,750

Walk km 7894-7902 (13,848 to go): Lake City Station to Braid Station

Movie #1740: Inside The Walls Of Folsom Prison (1951, Crane Wilbur)

It was the winter of 1974 and a storm was brewing. We were sent home from work early. When I got home I switched on the TV and watched "Canon City" (Crane Wilbur, 1948) as the snow was piling up outside. It's 37 years later and another Crane Wilbur is on TV: "Inside The Walls Of Folsom Prison". I see a theme shaping up here (Canon City is home to the Colorado State Pen).
This one has it all: sadistic warden, crusading do-gooder, guy on the verge of parole, stoolies, lifers with nothing to lose, riots and of course, the big break.
Just as much fun as it was 37 years ago.

Movie #1741: Al Capone (1959, Richard Wilson)

Allied Artists decide to go "A" picture with the story of Al Capone. They hire Rod Steiger to chew up the scenery. Then they "spruce up" the story to make it more entertaining. Actually, works quite well. A fun watch from start to finish. Well, all excpect for the performance of Fay Spain. Shouldn't they have given her some acting lessons before they let her play the love interest?

Day #21,749

Walk km 7883-7894: Cambie/River/Westminster/Howes

this used to be a...............?
approx km 7886 Cambie Road (Richmond)

Movie #1739: Queen Of Diamonds (Nina Menkes, 1991)

This is two in a row from MUBI without a plot. Last night's movie didn't even have action. In this movie, the cast do perform actions but they do not form a plot. It's basically people doing boring things. The mood here is depression. That's not nearly good enough.

Day #21,748

Walk km 7872-7883 (13,865 to go): Marine/Bridgeport/#6 Road/Cambie/#5 Road/Fraser River walkway/Canada Line walkway over the Fraser

Movie #1738: Koroishi (2010, Miura & Dairiki)

Three idiots play for awhile. Then the movie ends. In today's world where raw materials are getting scarcer all the time, there is no excuse for wasting film stock like this.

Day #21,747

Walk km 7861-7872: Lake City Station to Braid Station

totem pole
approx km 7871 Hume Park

another day, another train song: Freight Train (1963, Canadian Sweethearts)


Movie #1737: Used Cars (1980, Robert Zemeckis)

I remember when this one came out and it was getting good reviews. It was playing at the Odeon (now the Burton Cummings Theatre) but for some reason I didn't go to see it. Good choice!
There's a fine line between funny and silly and this one comes down about 99% on the silly side.

Day #21,746

Walk km 7859-7861: running errands

another day, another train song: Night Train (1966, Cherry Wainer & Don Storer)


Movie #1736: Fallen Angel (Otto Preminger, 1945)

Superior melodrama sparked by good-for-nothing Dana Andrews meeting up with sex-bomb Linda Darnell. Men will do anything for Linda: Dana will even marry the local church organist so he can give her money to Linda! My kinda movie.

Day #21,745

Walk km 7848-7859 (13.886 to go): out onto the Spanish Banks (at low tide)

Meetup group members wading in the water
approx km 7854 the Spanish Banks

another day, another train song: Lonesome Train (Johnny Burnette, 1956)


Movie #1735: I am Legend (Francis Lawrence, 2007)

Gotta admit that this one went along lickety-split. It was over almost before it started. However, are you sure Richard Matheson intended this to be a religious story? I don't remember that from the Vincent Price version.

Day #21,744

Walk km 7834-7848 (13,896 to go): Tsawwassen Ferry to Ladner Loop

a double swath
approx km 7841 52nd Street Delta BC

another day, another train song: Rock Island Line (Johnny Cash & Roy Clark)


Movie #1734: The Golden Stallion (1949, William Witney)

This is the Witney that Quentin Tarantino raves about. Well, I guess I'm just not a fan of westerns. Trigger is gonna be executed for murder when Roy takes the rap for him. Slightly goofy. It may be a notch above your standard western but it's nothing special.

Book #385: Heidegger & A Hippo Walk Through The Pearly Gates (2009, Cathcart & Klein)

Another one of those humorous books about death. The authors stear their friend "Daryl" through the mirky waters of immortality using jokes, cartoons and anything else humorous that will take the edge off the fact that the reader is reading a book about death. Some of the jokes and cartoons are a little wide of the mark but still this one is a fun read.