dual personalities

A few days ago, after a lot of fruitless  flipping through Netflix, my son and I settled on a Norwegian disaster movie called Bølgen (The Wave). I mean, really, who could resist this?

Geiranger Fjord, Norway (via Wikipedia)

The film is set in Geiranger Fjord, a UNESCO world heritage site and one of the biggest tourist attractions in Norway. According to Wikipedia, one of the mountains  is threatening to collapse into the fjord and cause a tsumani that would flood several local towns within ten minutes. Now that’s a scenario that screams disaster movie. The first hour was pretty good at setting the scene with fabulous scenery, happy but oblivious locals, and one nervous scientist set to leave the area the very day the rock hits the water. Unfortunately, after the tsunami strikes, the movie heads into preposterous plot territory and just becomes stupid.

In many ways, the Norwegian flick was a rip-off of 2012’s far superior, The Impossible, a film that chronicled the true story of a family caught in the terrible Indian Ocean tsunami of Boxing Day 2004.

It is not for the squeamish.

The actors deserve awards for enduring the filming, although there is something disquieting about attempting to recapture such an event so soon after it happened. Perhaps that’s why it didn’t do better at the box office. Somehow, one feels that we owe the dead and the survivors their peace.

If you’d prefer what one reviewer called a “thinking man’s Hollywood disaster flick”, why not try Peter Weir’s mystical and strange, The Last Wave (1977)?

Part mystery, part apocalyptic prophecy, part social commentary, The Last Wave will certainly bend your mind. Richard Chamberlain plays a lawyer assigned to defend 5 Aborigines accused of drowning one of their own. Over the course of the movie, Chamberlain’s understanding of reality is pushed to the brink. The final scenes, in which he frantically attempts to escape an endless sewer system, are truly creepy and, of course,

include suitable homage to the Third Man.

In case you are wondering, (spoiler alert) Weir saves the actual wave for the very end of the film.

Doubtless I have omitted other movies, whose plots involve big waves wiping out civilization (or part of it), but this will do for starters. What would you add?

Or Happy 27th Anniversary to us. Yep, yesterday was the big day. We celebrated modestly because it was hot (in the low 90s) and we aren’t used to it. For dinner, I made this Bon Appetit recipe with fruit and refreshing white wine to accompany. My son’s wonderful girlfriend gave us these beautiful flowers.

Don’t they look nice on my recently acquired vintage tablecloth? In the background you can just see our tiny foyer, freshly painted by yours truly in a nice neutral shade called, of all things, “Beluga Song.” In the morning light it looks like this,

but really it’s not so dark, purple or gray (the flower picture is more accurate). Son #2 and I had a hilarious time choosing the color. Imagine what it must be like to spend your days naming colors. Our favorite was “Release the Hounds”, which we agreed would be perfect for an entryway, especially if the idea was to put people off.

Was the  namer drunk, crazed, or just having an existential crisis? The mind reels! Then again, what does it say about us that we find paint color names so entertaining?

In other household news, the fern that I bought as a two-inch seedling a couple of years ago is now threatening to take over the living room.

Sometimes I think I hear it whispering, “feed me”. But not to worry, soon it will have a new home upstairs in the former Lego room. Yes, that’s right. With his brothers’ consent, this guy has begun the herculean task of dismantling, sorting and packing the Lego.

The picture doesn’t really do it justice but you get the idea. There’s a lot of the stuff. Someday the room will make a nice study/sunroom. Picture a comfortable reading chair in the corner. And the light is just right for plants. Stay tuned for updates.

In the meantime, have a great week, pay no attention to politics, and stay cool!

*The wonderfully evocative title of a Tragically Hip song.