Last Ten Films I Saw Before Last Week: Indy Films, Foreign Films and Guilty Pleasures

Greetings to our blog readers in Japan, Slovenia, and Scotland (good luck with your impending divorce, which I am politically opposed to).

The above images of a) Jehovah's Witnesses (for the film "The Visitor," which has nothing to do with them), a Scottish terrier (for "Dog Day Afternoon") and a 1977 caprice (for "Blue Caprice," a disturbing, but solid film about the DC snipers) all relate to a film on the list. "Blue Ruin," which was filmed around Lexington, Va., and "Paradise: Love" were viewed via Netflix streaming. Films from "Boy" (#6) to "Bucket of Blood") were taped off TCM; "The Visitor" aired as part of TCM Underground.

Here is the list:


1. Fill the Void. Israel. 2012. Dir: Roma Burshtein.

2. Bucket of Blood. 1966. Dir: Roger Corman

3. The Visitor. 1979. Dir: Guilio Paradisi. (Released through Alamo Drafthouse Films)

4. La Pointe. Courte. France. 1955. Dir: Agnes Varda

5. Dog Day Afternoon. 1975. Dir: Sidney Lumet w/Al Pacino

6. Boy. 1969. Japan. Dir: Nagisa Oshima

7. Blue Ruin. 2013. Dir: Jeremy Saulnier

8. Blue Caprice. 2013. Dir: Alexandre Moors.

9. Paraside: Love. Austria. 2012. Dir: Ulrich Siedl (part of a triology)

10. Life After Beth. 2014. Dir: Jeff Baena w/Aubrey Plaza

www.tcm.com/underground/

www.netflix.com

http://drafthousefilms.com/

www.ifcfilms.com/

Mom is Having a Major Downsizing Sale

For those of you who watch "Antiques Roadshow" and live in or near Roanoke, Va., my mother, a veteran antiques dealer who also sells items at Duke's Antique Mall in Lexington, Va., is having a major downsizing estate sale in Salem, Va., which is next to Roanoke.

The correct times for the event are as follows: Fri., Nov. 2 from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Sat., Nov. 3 from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., and Sun., Nov. 4 from 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.

The estate sale will take place at 2265 Mt. Regis Drive Salem, Va. 24153 http://www.mapquest.com

Among the antiques collector items available at the downsizing sale are: Guns, gun cabinet, Christmas outdoor displays, two wicker chairs, sofa marble top table, Elizabeth Arden pottery (North Carolina), chicken on nest collection, Barbie dolls, baskets, glassware (crystal), clocks and lamps. Plenty of items are for sale at reasonable prices.

Entry numbers will be handed out at 6:30 a.m. on Friday. For further information, feel free to call me on my cell phone at (540) 293-9284.

http://www.visitsalemva.com

http://www.pbs.org/roadshow/

http://www.blueridgepbs.org

http://www.lexingtonvirginia.com

Casualties of Modern Technology (10 of 12)- The Station Wagon

Given sky-rocketing gas prices and concerns that oil barons in Dubai are getting wealthy at American motorist's expense, one of the few areas where the right and left agree here in the United States, the station wagon is clearly a highway dinosaur, though I did spot one in a rural part of North Carolina several weeks ago.

The station wagon, according to Wikipedia, is an automobile that has a sedan/saloon with its roof extended. The vehicle also consists of of a three-box design or 'an auto with one or more rows of folding or removable seats behind the driver.'

The car was first developed in 1922, and the full-size station wagon, including the Ford Country Squire, hit the highways in 1967. But, the decline of the station wagon started in the 1970s as its gas-guzzling reputation made motorists opt for more economical imports, such as cars from Toyota.

But, the Wagon Queen Family Truckster, made especially for the Chevy Chase 'vehicle' (pardon the pun) "National Lampoon's Vacation" (1983) helped keep some station wagons on the road until the end of the Reagan administration.

Station wagons were also quite popular at drive-ins, especially for features that were more family friendly such as "Old Heavenly Dog" (1979), which also starred Chase.

One drive-in theatre which has made a successful comeback is the Hull's Drive-In in Lexington, Va., the country's only non-profit drive-in. From Friday night until Sunday night, Hull's will screen a double-header consisting of "John Carter" and "Wrath of the Titans."

Other drive-ins which are active include the Highway 21 Drive-In in Beaufort, SC, one of the very last remaining drive-ins in South Carolina. It is screening "Battleship" and "Think Like a Man" on screen one; while "The Avengers" and "Dark Shadows" show on screen two.

Further down south, the Starlight Drive-In in Atlanta, one of the very few drive-ins with six screens, is showing several double-headers, including "Think Like a Man" and "21 Jump Street" on screen one.

While out west, 88 Drive-In in Commerce City, Colo., which is the Denver metro area's only drive-in venue will show "The Avengers" and "John Carter."

http://www.cinematreasures.org

http://www.hullsdrivein.com

http://www.hwy21drivein.com

http://www.88drivein.com

http://www.starlightdrivein.com

Always Look on the Bright Side of Life....

I must profess that it is a bit tricky to come up with an appropriate post for September 11th. I wanted to say something serious that wasn't too somber. And, I certainly wanted to avoid anything political (which I must profess is a bit ironic).

So, we chose to go with an image of a very patriotic pooch. If there is one thing that is uniquely American, it is that we may be one of the few countries where some folks actually drape their house pets in fanciful clothing attire.

But, in all seriousness, we do want to take a moment to remember those who needlessly lost their lives on this day nine years ago.

My fellow Turkish-American Gunay Evinch, who is an alumnus of Washington and Lee in Lexington, Va. (a rival school to one of my alma maters!), made the following statement about 9/11 on the web site for ATAA, the leading Turkish-American association in America:

"While we have yet to comprehend such horrific acts and though we can not erase the pain, we should be comforted by reflections on the remarkable acts of heroism the world witnessed that day."

For more info on a proposed Sept. 11th Memorial, one can log on to
national911memorial.org

Items for Sale at Duke's Antique Center in Lexington, Va.

Duke's Antique Center is Lexington, Va., offers a fine array of collectibles from very state in the union and all around the globe. It also features of booth full of great stuff which is sold by none other than my mom!

Here are some of the items, you will find at Duke's, which is located at 20 Pinnacle Lane, Lexington, Va. 24450. Phone: 540-463-9511 (please come in today, even if you live in Boise, Ida.!):

$4 "Deliverance" soundtrack lp featuring "The Dueling Banjos" (pictured here).

$3 "Casper the Friendly Ghost" comic book from 1980.

$10 Nixon-Agnew bumper sticker (we're not making this up!)

$40 Buster Keaton sketch print (it's very nice)

$30 Turkish mosque lock from the city of Bursa* (we've had it for a very long time now!)

Mention this ad, and well Duke may not know what you're talking about, but they are open 365 days a year, even on Christmas Day!