Year: 2013

“Prisoners”: Kidnapping Your Mind

Written by diana on October 27, 2013. Posted in movie reviews.

This provocative film opens with a father and son hunting in the woods, the Lord’s Prayer recited in voiceover. The viewer sees the father, Keller Dover (Hugh Jackman) as a deeply religious man, a carpenter who believes in family values and the safety of his community. When his little girl and her friend go missing on Thanksgiving...

Mezcla–Mixing It Up South American Style

Written by diana on October 21, 2013. Posted in Restaurants.

We had the pleasure of discovering this Nuevo Latino fusion restaurant on a recent trip to Montreal. A mixture of Latino cultures, mainly Peruvian but even a dash of Chinese, made for an unforgettable experience: a delight both visual and palatable. Located off St. Catherine Street in what is called Gay Village or simply Le Village, this...

Inuit Art: Fusion of the Arctic and the Pacific

Written by diana on October 14, 2013. Posted in Art, Unhealed Wound. 3 Comments on Inuit Art: Fusion of the Arctic and the Pacific

Inuit art has always had a profound impact on my aesthetics, almost as much as Japanese art. The humor, minimalism, and abstraction in form combine in an original way. On a recent visit to the Musée des Beaux Arts in Montreal, I had the memorable experience of viewing perhaps the best collection of Inuit art in the world. What is not well...

Michael’s on the Hill–A Green Restaurant in the Green Mountain State

Written by diana on October 3, 2013. Posted in Restaurants. 2 Comments on Michael’s on the Hill–A Green Restaurant in the Green Mountain State

We were delighted to dine at Michael’s on the Hill last week while we were on the East Coast. Located in Waterbury (on the Stowe, Vermont border), this small restaurant in a charming turn-of-the-19th century farmhouse captivated us from the moment we sat down. Their vegetable garden provides some of the produce for the menu, emphasizing...

“Mud”– Channeling “Beasts of the Southern Wild”

Written by diana on September 18, 2013. Posted in movie reviews, Unhealed Wound.

With its meandering pace, Mud embodies a Southern culture known for doing things slowly, drifting along the bayou languorously like “Beasts of the Southern Wild.” John Nichols, the director and an Arkansas native, grounds his film in authenticity through superb casting (including local teenagers), location, and a script centered on...

“In the Moment”–Japanese Art from the Larry Ellison Collection

Written by diana on September 4, 2013. Posted in Art. 4 Comments on “In the Moment”–Japanese Art from the Larry Ellison Collection

The current exhibit (June 28-September 22) at the Asian Art Museum in San Francisco introduces sixty-four exceptional art treasures, mostly screens and paintings by acclaimed artists from the Momoyama through the Taisho periods (roughly sixteenth through early twentieth centuries). All of the artwork is from Ellison’s Japanese...