Metropolis is One of the Greatest Pictures

Late last night I was reminded that the German (post-expressionist) science fiction feature film Metropolis was first screened for the public on January 10, 1927, in Berlin. To me, it is a prime example of the possibilities of the motion picture form. All production departments are front and centre, including Gottfried Huppertz's magnificent original score.

This fan of UFA, the classic flick's producing studio, and of director Fritz Lang, should not have missed that special birthday: 99 years ago... vor neunundneunzig Jahren.

A plaqued mini-poster of Metropolis hangs proudly on my wall....

... it replaced a plaqued mini-poster of Klimt's "The Kiss". With that move did I unwittingly pull some symbolism? I must find a certain kiss and give it its well-deserved place on my wall: re-place it.

Postscript: I labelled Metropolis as being "post-expressionist", which is what it was. Too often it's slotted into "German Expressionist Cinema". The picture certainly has many touches fitting comfortably within that film form, but overall it was "post".

Something I Read Minutes Ago... Something Brilliant

"One key difference between 1930s Germany and 2020s USA is that 1930s Germany didn't have 90 years of books, movies and documentaries warning it about 1930s Germany."

It really resonated with this student of history... especially that history.

Picturing: Bloor Street at Dalton Road, Toronto

While running a few errands early this afternoon, I snapped a few pictures. While walking east along the north side of Bloor Street, I stopped at Dalton Road, raised my Canon 'mirrorless', and fired away. It was relatively mild today, about 6 Celsius (43 Fahrenheit).

The above pic has a pleasant subtext, I think.

Environment Canada is calling for Toronto temps of 10 Celsius (50 Fahrenheit) tomorrow.

Before I go: In my best Mark Daley voice....

"From the corner of Bloor and Dalton, this is CityTV. Everywhere!"

Picturing: Many of Us Would Just Love to See This

With what's going on in the world right now, the above machine, the fictional Starship Enterprise, would be most welcome: not so much for her phaser banks, but for her "transporter room"....

"Locked onto Mister Trump and Mister Putin, sir. Ready to beam them up."

Quote: Paramahansa Yogananda on Positivity

"Never give up on the things that make you smile. Learn to be calm and you will always be happy."

Indeed! 

A Discussion on BBC Radio 2 Re: Trump's Invasion

I'm listening to BBC Radio 2 right now, "Jeremy Vine" (with Tina Daheley sitting in). The discussion is about Donald Trump's invasion of Venezuela, the kidnapping of ruthless dictator Nicolás Maduro, and the obvious driving motivation for this intrusion... access to rich oil deposits.

A big concern expressed is that it may well set a dangerous precedent: China has been threatening for years to reclaim Taiwan; Trump and his corrupt cronies have their sights on resource-rich Greenland; Russian president Vladimir Putin won't stop with Ukraine....

For about a decade now I've been saying something that some people find troubling, concerned about my sanity, and my twisted "sense of humour", while others just laugh it off:

"The human race will be done by twenty sixty [2060]... plus or minus a few years."

Picturing: My Canon DSLR From My Canon Mirrorless

... Or, it might be: My Canon Mirrorless From My Canon DSLR

Picturing: Photo Shoot With Model Lisa

NHL Gum Card: Rene Robert (and the Buffalo Sabres)

During my preteen years, like many young men, the National Hockey League (NHL) was the most important thing. Ice hockey ruled our world, its players, our sports heroes. O-Pee-Chee marketed player trading cards, and these would appear in our corner stores. For ten cents, one got a few cards and a stick of 'gum'. The convenience store on the "South Side" of CFB Borden was my go-to place for these little packets of goodness — yes, I actually liked that gum.

The above card is from the 1972 - 1973 season.

René Robert was upper deck.

While the speedily-talented winger wore four different team uniforms, including that of the lowly Toronto Maple Leafs, during his NHL career, René Robert (1948 - 2021) hit his peak when he played for the Buffalo Sabres. With "French Connection" teammates Gilbert Perreault and Richard Martin, he was a playmaking and scoring force, especially during the NHL's 1974/75 season when the Sabres eliminated my beloved Habs (Montreal Canadiens) from further playoff participation.

Quote: Aristotle on Man

"At his best, man is the noblest of all animals; separated from law and justice he is the worst."

Given the latest news, does that remind you of anyone?

Quote: Alfred Lord Tennyson on The New Year

"Hope smiles from the threshold of the year to come, whispering, 'It will be happier'."

I had intended to upload that quote at the very end of last year. However, before I pressed the upload button, sobriety mush have taken a hold on me... Or was it the wine?

Will and Mist Say: Happy New Year 2026!

Yep, Willie had that right.

The Sweeney is on BritBox in Remastered Form

Today I was reminded that the brilliant old British television "copper" series The Sweeney is on the BritBox streaming service. Not only that, it's in "remastered" form. Actually, I think it's been on there for a while in that form.

The remixed audio is very good, as is the picture.

The email headline: "Find new favorites on BritBox with Prime Video." (Since I live in Canada, the headline might work better as: "Find new favourites on BritBox with Prime Video.")

The Sweeney is a favourite telly-series of mine. John Thaw and Dennis Waterman have great chemistry together. Those London locations, from the mid-seventies, are absolutely fab.

Get your trousers on, you're nicked!

Picturing: Friend Donald Visiting in the '90s

For years I lived on Brunswick Avenue, here in Toronto's beautiful "Annex" neighbourhood. To lessen the possibility of any pilgrimages, the street number will not be published here. (The house was just south of Dupont Street.) One lovely day an old friend of mine, since high school, visited and volunteered to be a photo subject. Donald photographed nicely, certainly in subdued light.

Jokes aside, I think this picture captures one of his patented moments of studiousness. Hopefully that's not the Toronto Sun he's studying, absorbing. "That 'paper' is not allowed in here!"

Thirty years ago. Wow.

Postscript: I need to find the negatives for these pictures I upload. Scanning the original neg allows for a much better image, and its manipulation.

Quote: Ralph Waldo Emerson on the Everyday

"Write it on your heart that every day is the best day in the year."

Yeah, stop being so negative all the time... every day.

A Christmas Story: One from Space

Christmas is great when you're a kid. This morning I thought about my favourite memories. Quickly I nailed one: 1970.

(After reading that, pretend you have a faulty memory. This is more correct: "He posted about the Christmas of nineteen-ninety.")

While that Parker Brothers "Battleship" game was pretty cool too, believe me, my favourite present that year was the AMT "Star Trek U.S.S. Enterprise Space Ship Model Kit". 

(Star Trek was sparking hot. The series had finished its NBC network run only eighteen months earlier. Toronto television station CFTO was running/stripping the episodes at 5pm on weekdays.)

It was not a simple plastic model kit as it was "lighted". Small light bulbs, included in the box, could be inserted into the top and bottom of the primary hull (the saucer-shaped portion) and at the front-ends of the engine nacelles (those long tubes). The former were capped by green-tinted discs, and the latter were topped-off by amber-tinted domes. My mother helped me with the wiring and the insertion of the lamps' power source: a D-cell, not included with the kit, sat in the secondary hull (the bottom tube-like section).

Building a model kit is fun, but seeing the completed AMT U.S.S. Enterprise suspended from my bedroom ceiling was a trip, and it looked great with the bedroom light off.

I remember something else from Christmas Day 1970. My dad was in the process of carving the turkey when he looked over at the Zenith colour television set and said: "I'm surprised this is on today." (The episode was "The Return of the Archons".)

Fond Christmas memories.

A Christmas Story: A Christmas Eve in West Germany

Having a father in the Canadian Armed Forces plopped me down into a slightly different culture: West Germany ― the Bundesrepublik Deutschland (Federal Republic of Germany). While listening to the radio a few years ago I heard a piece about whether or not it's cool to let the little ones open their gifts the night before Christmas. This brought back memories: some bright, some dark.

As is the tradition in that part of Europe, opening the boxes and wrappings is done the night before. A then little one, me, not only did not complain but decided then that Germany is one great nation. I remember well one Christmas where our landlord and his wife came up to say hi and to present us with presents. I remember mine: a Matchbox toy of an early 20th century automobile.

Roll back a few years to my first Christmas in Germany. Santa Claus back in 1960s Deutschland was not a big thing ― if you'll pardon the expression. Saint Nick, however, was. Well, let me tell you what that man did to this then five year old. One evening my parents summoned me to our apartment's entrance. Standing inside the door was a tall figure, a woman (probably a teenager), dressed up in full Saint Nick attire. My mother said "look dear" as she pointed at my shoes which were parked neatly on the mat. I saw it, an inanimate thing in one of my shoes... a lump of coal. ("Noooo!")

I, dressed fashionably in what some crude folk might refer to as a "wife-beater shirt", held both hands up to my face and started crying. My parents laughed. It was not funny.

LP: The Great White North — Bob & Doug McKenzie

The Great White North

— Bob & Doug McKenzie —

Rick Moranis & Dave Thomas

Anthem Records

1981

* * *

For those readers here who weren't around in the early 1980s, this LP (Long Playing) disc of vinyl sold many copies here in Canada, and a few beyond our borders. 

The Great White North — Bob & Doug McKenzie was released in November of 1981, which is exactly when I snapped it up from a bin at Sam the Record Man, and it was a "Christmas album", especially so given its takeoff on the song "The Twelve Days of Christmas". Like many fans of Bob and Doug and their SCTV segments, I played The Great White North many times. Right from the first spin we fans knew just how good it was as a piece of comedy gold all its own.

So, take off, eh?! Pass me a stubby!

Postscript: At the time I was working at Molson Breweries, specifically the (now gone) bottling plant just off of Highway 400, in Barrie, Ontario. I was "Maintenance", and part of my job was to keep the fridges in the staff restaurant and executive lounge stocked with beer. So the record album really resonated with me, eh?

Bob: My brother Doug doesn't even know what 'resonated' means, eh?

Doug: I do too, eh?! Take off! Hoser!

Bob: Yeah, it's what happens to you when you inhale too much beer... in one gulp.

Doug: Geez. I know that feelin', eh?

Quote: Filmmaker Rick Hancox on One's Knowledge

"Write what you know. The research... it's already done!"

One cannot write about that which....

CBC Radio Interview: Filmmaker James Cameron

While Canadian filmmaker James Cameron was here in Toronto for the Canadian premiere of his new epic feature film, Avatar: Fire and Ash, the CBC Radio interview program Q with Tom Power had him in their studio this past Friday to talk about a few interesting subjects: the natural world, imaging technology, AI, and film production, which includes his latest flick.

Posted on YouTube by the radio show's account, the episode title is drawn from a bold proclamation by the super-successful creative man:

"James Cameron says AI will never replace actors and artists in his films"

The director is his usual articulate self, and the interview is of a high standard, expected of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation's radio division.

* * *

Show notes, dated December 19, 2025, from the above Q with Tom Power video:

"For three decades, James Cameron has dedicated so much of his creative life to the 'Avatar' franchise. The iconic director, producer, screenwriter and editor spoke with Q guest host Talia Schlanger about talk about his fascination with both nature and technology, writing characters he wants to understand, and how he may explore using generative AI in future projects."