by Sam Juliano
I have gone thorough a difficult week as a result of yet another visit from my perennial nemesis, the kidney stones. Yes it is hard to believe I haven’t yet mastered a way to keep them at bay, but I can attribute this to my failure to drink enough water. All week I suffered discomfort, but I caught a break when I passed the culprit stone on Sunday unexpectedly after some intense pain and nausea, allowing me to avert the planned Wednesday shock wave procedure. Still, there is a stone within the kidney around the same size that I’d be smart to have blasted within the next month or so if I want to avoid a recurrence of what I just experienced.
As a result of all this discomfort, launched by my seven hour stay in a hospital emergency room, I have been unable to do much on the movie front, or on any front for that matter. I rallied after passing the stone to take in three Japanese masterpieces on a rare online site, used often by Allan for films that have yet to see the light of day on DVD.
The initial group e mails have been sent out to prospective participants for the science-fiction countdown. Five people have politely declined as far as the writing. Jon Warner’s suggestion to make sure to keep this one a Top 50 only is a wise one we will adopt.
I saw (at home):
Until We Meet Again (1950) *****
Happiness of Us Alone (1962) *****
She Was Like A Wild Chrysanthemum (1955) *****
I plan on saying more about these gems soon.
Sorry to hear about your kidney stone agony, Sam! I’ve heard it is indeed unspeakably painful.
They are indeed John. But luckily I passed this one myself unexpectedly! Finally caught a break. Have a great weekend my friend!
Hope you feel better soon, Sammy. Oy! Don’t even want to imagine having to go through anything like you’ve just done. Yes, more water. Heck, how about more delicious tea to help ward away any more stones? Best to you, my friend.
Thanks so much Robert. No, I don’t want you to have this experience, you can well do without it during your lifetime. I do drink my share of tea, usually iced. Have a great weekend my friend. Many thanks!
Poor guy! Everybody: drink more water! Hope you feel better.
Jamie my friend, you hit the nail on the head, I need to drink more water consistently. I’ve done it all week to be sure, but it must continue. Have a great weekend, and thank you.
So Sorry about the kidney stones. My oldest daughter got 1000s of them every year even with all the water she drank. Then she was sent for a series of tests in San Francisco ( we paid the transportation) she saw the world’s leading Kidney Stone specialists there. The tests were amazing and now he has prescribed a tiny pill for everyday and no spinach. She has been 6 years without a stone. The specialist in SF worked with her doctor here after the initial tests. I will try to find a name and phone number ( contact) for you. It is so worth it. I think her co-pay was $1,500. She now lives in SF and can see the specialist yearly. I will email you
Patricia, that is unbelievable that your daughter continued to get so many stones after drinking water constantly. That pill sounds like the panacea, and I appreciate the information you sent me to that end! Funny you mention spinach, as I have always eaten quite a bit of it. But I’ve been told that kale is a far better way to go, as it has much less of the element that makes spinach such a kidney stone risk. But six years is a long run, so your daughter looks to have beaten it. Thanks again, and have a terrific weekend!
Sam, I am sorry you have endured the kidney stone curse as long as you have and hope you can soon get this all sorted out.
Thanks so much Frank. Luckily I passed the troublesome stone, but I still have one left within the kidney, which I will probably have blasted within a month. Have a great weekend my friend!
I am glad to hear you have weathered this latest stone Sam and no surprise to me that not much happened on the movie watching front. Wishing you the best of luck with that other one that is lurking in the kidney. After almost a week in Tofino on the west coast of Vancouver Island, we have had some beautiful sunny summer like days this past week but I spent a good part of it painting in the studio instead of rambling by the sea and up the hills. Still, we did make it out for some nice walks just the same. Take good care!
Thanks so much Terrill. The problem with stones is that while they pose no serious threat they cause a few days of excruciating pain and intense nausea. Unfortunately I suffered with both of these once again before I passed the culprit. I have one more within the kidney, and I probably will opt to have the shock wave, the most routine procedure, as I do not wish to go through this again when it leaves the kidney. I have been drinking water like a madman, but I must stay the course. That’s wonderful that you had such great weather, especially during this unpredictable stretch. We are taking a two day trip to Gettysburg tomorrow and the forecast is calling for a bit of snow out there. Ha! Thanks so much my friend, and I wish you a creative weekend!
Hello Sam and everyone!
I hope that you are feeling much better after that incident and I hope you take better care of yourself! haha.
Here are the movies I saw last week:
– Berlin: Symphony of a Great City (1927, Walter Ruttmann) **** I can see how Fritz Lang watched this for inspiration in terms of how he decides to edit, shoot and show the streets of Berlin gearing up towards ‘M’. And while, sure, Lang had made one of the best films of all time the same year this was released, that doesn’t mean that Lang could’ve watched it and be inspired by its naturalistic and humane approach. Eerily foreshadowing and somewhat soviet in its approach, it manages to be rhythmic while also remaining fun and surprising.
– Dreamcatcher (2015, Kim Longinotto) ***1/2 It’s a film with an interest, obviously, as it portrays in almost a hagiographic way the member of the Dreamcatcher institution that we follow, but it tells many stories and it gives a perspective that it’s harsh but necessary for us to confront.
– He Hated Pigeons (2015, Ingrid Veninger) *** Slight slow film that was filmed in Chile, it has a very “tourist” point of view, and it shows and sadly drags the film. The idea of doing the score live is wonderful and it brings forward the idea of how much music can change one’s perspective on the images.
– The Umbrellas of Cherbourg (1964, Jacques Demy) ***** Well, this might actually be the best film ever made, since I was almost sure I was going to cry all the way through.
– Southbound (2015, Various Directors) ***1/2 The main problem with this one is that it tries hard to connect the segments, one with the next, to make the whole movie like a complete experience instead than a collection of shorts, that most of them end up overstaying and expanding things that they shouldn’t, so they can make the link to the next and the next, until it all goes back. I don’t fully understand what was going on in terms of mythology, and personally, the one that seemed the least connected to it, the one about the accident, was the best one, a nerve-wrecking experience and one of the best short segments in these kind of films in a while.
– Ta’ang (2016, Wang Bing) **** Migration and Refugees are hot topics right now, so to see it coming from an unexpected place, like the limit between the Chinese and the Burmese, is both refreshing and telling of the state of the world in which we live and just how little we actually know about what surround us and what the media is doing to our perspective. Wang Bing here acts like a war reporter, he with his camera, a DSLR with a microphone on top, moves between the people and the camps of the Ta’ang people as they try to run away, shying away from the bullets and explosions, traveling the land, carrying their children, with their games and how they try to explain what’s going on in their lives. It’ll sound weird, but it feels as if Wang Bing just stopped arbitrarily filming from one second to the next… maybe it got too dangerous, or he didn’t want anymore, but this could’ve used another hour, specially after seeing how he nailed the last half hour with the people just walking and listening to distant (but near) explosions of war. Like a war report of something that we are never able to see.
That’s all, have a great week Sam!
Thanks so much Jaimie! It all comes down to the quantity of water I drink, and to this point I just don’t feel I’ve done enough. DREAMCATCHER is indeed mediocre, and BERLIN is a classic silent. Have not seen TA’ANG yet, but will do so after your excellently written capsule on it. As far as THE UMBRELLAS OF CHERBOURG it is a staggering and heartbreaking musical masterpiece with a score of infinite beauty. No wonder you said what you did! Ha! Thanks again my friend. Terrific report! Have a great weekend!
Ugh on the kidney stones–my Father suffered with them–very painful
Thanks Betty. Yes, you know from the situation with your father than dealing with these nuisances is no walk through the park. Have a great weekend!
Sam, I am sorry about your suffering. Never anything close to life-threatening, still a nuisance and agonizing. It all comes down to how much water you drink. My father had this problem until he increased his water intake. He’s 86 now.
Peter, I used the word “nuisance” in responding above to Betty. Yes the water is the thing, and though I’ve tried hard, I just haven’t consumed enough on a daily basis. Have a fine weekend my friend!
Hydrate, Sam, hydrate.
And a belated farewell to Patty Duke/Neely O’Hara. “I want a doll! I want a doll!” (me too, child).
Aye Mark, I hear ya. I must stick with the problem.
Thanks for that spirited tribute to Patty Duke. Hard to believe she’s gone. So tragic and unexpected. Have a great weekend my friend.
Sam, hopefully this finds you feeling much better! I loved hearing about the three Japanese films you saw. All sound right up my alley and will be first time viewings for me. I certainly look forward to running them down.
Quiet on the movie watching front for me unfortunately but hoping to change that very soon!
Thanks so much Jeffrey! Yes I am much better indeed, and am positioned with Lucille for a marathon Tribeca run until Sunday, April 24. The three Japanese films can be seen here for free:
http://www.rarefilmm.com/search?q=happiness%20of%20us%20alone
Have a great week my friend! Many thanks as always!