Catherine the Great

Catherine the Great... was GREAT! An inspirational, strong woman who had the right idea: Behave so the kind will love you, the evil will fear you, and all will respect you. An astute collector of art, a woman who loved the finer things and had the flow to buy them, a master communicator and marketer who knew how to create and use her brand. Really the whole package. She counted Rousseau and Diderot as friends and loved Voltaire. No wonder there is a cult that follows Catherine the Great. The gilded Coronation Carriage was impressive, but so was the story of the transport of the Thunder Stone from the rural woods to the heart of St. Petersburg. It forms the massive base of the equestrian statue of Peter the Great, often called The Bronze Horseman. They slid the stone on rails filled with large ball bearings and when those sunk into the mud, they waited till things froze to continue. A really enlightening two hours - amid the construction chaos of transformation AGO. On now only until January 1, 2006 (be sure to get the audio guide).

After the tour, Mary, Pavlina and I walked over to Cafe la Gaffe on Baldwin street. Delicious food, not not great service, but a wonderful place to catch up into the wee hours.

Mary and Pavlina both remembered fims they saw of Catherine the Great. Mary's was in colour (and starred Catherine Zeta Jones) Pavlina's was in black and white - I don't think IMBD goes back that far ;-). Anyone out there with Catherine the Great movie experiences?

Catherine the Great
Girlpower au maximum
Master marketer

Glorious Monterey

Richard and I had an absolutely wonderful time with Uncle Wes and Marcella at their beautiful home in Monterey, CA. We flew into San Francisco late on Thurs. Nov 10 and they were there to meet us and whisk us away two hours south to Monterey. Their condo is in a forest on the hill. You can see the ocean through the trees from the balcony. Their newly renovated guest bathroom is amazing (it's inspiring us to finish our project in the basement). We spent our time enjoying delicious food, great wine and driving along the coast and through the forest. Lunch at Nepenthe in Big Sur was a highlight: the restaurant is perched atop a cliff overlooking the ocean. The clear blue skies, unseasonably warm weather and crisp Chardonnays made us feel like we had recaptured summertime. We also saw the Monterey Bay Aquarium and took a trip to the Carmel Valley where we had lunch outside at the Corkscrew Cafe. On the way home we stopped at Bernardus to pick up some wines. This was our second visit to Bernardus - on Nov 11 Uncle Wes and Marcella had treated us to an unforgettable WINO dinner at the Bernardus Lodge. My parents had been their guests last year and met all of the wonderful people in the Carmel WINO chapter (Wine Investigation for Neophytes and Oenophiles) The final WINO dinner of the season was absolutely amazing: delicious food, awesome wine pairings from Stephen Ross Dooley (a native of Minnesota) and the most outstanding service we had ever experienced. I'll be posting photos soon (please come back!)

Many, many thanks to Marcella and Wes for their bottomless hospitality - you are truly the greatest and most gracious hosts around and we thank you for every glorious minute we spent in the Golden State! Here are some haiku for you:

Bernardus WINOs
The friendliest bunch around
Pour us some more wine!

Marcella and Wes
You are such amazing hosts
Thanks for everything

Love, Marusia and Richard

Capote

The Film Club saw Capote at the Varsity on Friday November 4. Phillip Seymour Hoffman turns in an uncanny performance of writer Truman Capote - definitely Oscar-worthy - but if you're craving action or had a long day at work, don't see this film. I want my family to see it because it was filmed in Winnipeg. Hints include: the Old Dutch chips in the 50's style corner store, the prison shots of Stoney Mountain Penetentiary in the blistering winter sun, the St-Charles Hotel in the Exchange District downtown. Here's a piece of MM trivia: Dr and Mrs Hrushovetz had their wedding reception there in 1962 - I don't think the place looked as gritty then.

Ultimately, I found the film engrossing. It was probably a very accurate portrayal of this self-absorbed egotist who couldn't even be happy for his friend Nell Harper Lee when Capote attended the movie premiere of her book To Kill a Mockingbird. (Who knew that author Harper Lee was a woman? Catherine Keener turns in a note-perfect, low-key performance). Capote was also a master manipulator. The scenes in the prison when he keeps returning to talk to the accused murderer Perry are haunting. As the centre of attention at the cocktail parties in his circle, Capote repeatedly talks about honesty and truth, but he strings Perry along with lies that he's hardly written a word. All this so he can get him to reveal the events of the night of the murder. Strange that Capote never completed another book after In Cold Blood. Maybe I'll suggest it for book club. MMMm

Memories from TIFF 2004

I was rooting through the pile of photos on our external hard drive and found these treasures from TIFF 2004. Enjoy the panoplay of stars...



Sean Penn at the screening of The Assination of Richard Nixon, the 2004 group pick. Notice the crummy walls at the Ryerson Theatre. The reno in time for TIFF 2005 was a big improvement. As for the movie, like Sean said, "I can't say 'enjoy the film', but..." His performance was great but don't rent this unless you're an insomniac...















A good shot of Director John Waters and TIFF co-Director Noah Cowan. Johnny Knoxville striding by in his white suit. Not my favourite people or film but I like my pix of them ;-)

Red carpet shots of Chris Cooper and Daryl Hannah with Antonio - our own resident star. Plus, the entire cast of Silver City (can you find Billy Zane behind the chic at the mic?) Proof that the quality of the film is indirectly proportionate to the number of people onstage.