Review: The Poppy Jasper Film Festival and The Last Woman on Earth

I only was able to attend one day (Saturday) of the Poppy Jasper Film Festival. I used to know Poppy when she was still rough-hewn, and hanging on by a shoe string. Now she is highly polished and the main attraction and center of attention in Morgan Hill.

My first stop was at the Chamber of Commerce, where my weekend pass was ready to be picked up. A charming volunteer set me up with the pass, a holder for it on a Fry's lanyard, and a program.

I had mostly come to see The Last Woman on Earth which johnnyeponymous had hyped at BASFA, and in which he had a small role. So I looked that up, and the next showing was at 1 pm in the Cinelux Theaters.  I looked at the map and decided to walk there, and have lunch, and then see the block of films (LWOE was the last in the block).

Here's the map:



#1 is the Chamber of Commerce
#3 is Cinelux

#2 is the playhouse

After walking several blocks past Dunne and not reaching Tennant, it was clear that while the map was to scale up to Dunne, the rest was not. So I walked back to 3rd Street, had lunch at a bagel place, and then got in my car and drove the 3-4 miles it really was to #3.

( Here's what movies I saw at Cinelux )

The next thing I went to was the Women's Panel in the community theater. I arrived about half an hour into the panel, and what made it interesting also made me wish I'd gone to the movies at the Grange instead for that time slot. It was a panel of women film makers. But they talked just like a panel of men film makers. Which means we have reached something resembling equality.
( I won't review all the films I saw in the next 2 sets, just my faves: )

The festival was good on many levels. Lots of entries, lots of venues, well organized for a local event in only its 3rd year. I only have two complaints. One is they tended to put the same genre in a block. I went to one block which was all "drama" and it was downright oppressive. The other is the program was organized by venue, rather than by time. It was hard to tell what was happening now.

Worth the drive, worth the price ($10 per film block, $50 for weekend film pass $75 all films/events pass)

Best credit line I saw:
"No animals' feelings were hurt in the making of this film"
 

Sunday

Mostly boring day. Got up in time to have a truncated breakfast and catch the 11:19 to SF. 30 Stockton bus to Stockton, walked to Grant Ave and the China Gate 2 blocks away, and searched for The Wok Shop where I figured I would find a good solid anodized aluminum non-stick wok for <$100. Nope. The had several items which were labeled "wok" but were just large saucepans. They didn't flare out like a wok. They had lots of woks, but none of them the quality and shape I wanted.

I was supposed to meet a friend for late lunch at 2, but she had to bail, family stuff which I agreed was a higher priority. So around 2:30 I went upstairs to Kan's for dim sum. The place was almost empty, very fast service, and great food.

Then  I started looking in every store which might have woks. Had some close-but-not-quite Teflon ones, but again more saucepan than wok. Judy Chen makes a wok which was just what I was looking for except the biggest size is 12" and I was looking for 14". Well, she does make a 14" one but it has two small handles instead of the one long and one short that I'm used to.

Nothing on Grant so I hiked up hill to Stockton, which has more hardware/food stores and is not as touristy as Grant. Found something very close to what I wanted. Right size, look, weight, handles but not non-stick. Only $27, a very good price for that high quality. So I bought it, knowing I would have to season it when I got home.

Walked back to China Gate and had a mocha at the Starbucks there. It seemed fitting, as I had been in the Starbucks in Chengdu China about a year ago.

Caught the bus back to the train station, the driver was rude, an idiot, and apparently in a hurry. Got there 9 minutes after the train left, which was about 10 minutes sooner than I expected. I didn't think I'd have a 50-minute wait.

Spent the time outside on a park bench programming my cell phone. Adding voice commands to some of the phone numbers. Had to stop when some homeless a-hole tied his dog up nearby and started playing ball with a friend. Dog barked up a storm, a-hole ignored him.

Boring ride home, watched the Bears clobber the Giants in HDTV. Seasoned the wok during commercials. The apartment smells like burned oil. I have the upstairs windows open to pull some of that out. I forgot the apartment is having its pre move-out inspection tomorrow morning.

Went downstairs, it smells okay. Turned up the air freshener gadget just in case.

Plans for tomorrow:
Work
BASFA

Phantom Buzz

You know how they say people who have a limb amputated continue to feel that limb? Well, I'm having something like that happening today. This weekend I bought a Motorola Razr phone, to replace a bulkier V551. I have been wearing the V551 on my left side in a holster clipped to my belt. The Razr is so thin it fits in the coin pocket of my jeans, which is where it now resides.

I keep feeling a phantom cell phone vibrate on my left hip. Very weird.