The wonderful world of Wes A.

I was lucky. When I was a university student, I had the great fortune of interviewing three then-unknown, rising stars: Owen C. Wilson, Luke Wilson and Wes Anderson. The occasion was the debut of their first feature film, Bottle Rocket. 
 

I remember it like it was yesterday. It was 1996. I was living on Queen Mary Road, in Montreal, and they were living in Los Angeles. Suddenly, in the middle of the afternoon my phone rang and I - obviously - picked up.

"Hello?" I said timidly. "Hi, it's Wes, and Owen, on speakerphone."

Holy %$@&!

As the interview went on, I realized I, or they, were onto something big. "None of the actors in this film are well-known," said Anderson, "but some will be eventually."

No %$@& Sherlock. 

Wes, Owen and Luke are now, over 20 years later, very well-known indeed. Since Bottle Rocket, Anderson has made Rushmore, The Royal Tenenbaums, The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou, The Darjeeling Limited, Hotel Chevalier, Fantastic Mr. Fox and The Grand Budapest Hotel, to be released in 2014. The Wilson brothers have joined him on many of these, in addition to starring in their very own feature films. And let's not forget dear Mr. Kumar Pallana.       

What made me think of this interview, conducted so many moons ago, was my recent viewing of Moonrise Kingdom. Another peek into Anderson's fascinating mind, the movie features many of the images and themes present in his other films: maps, hand-drawn pictures, old movie-making equipment and, of course, children/adults that never grow up.

"It's like Charlie Brown's world," said Anderson back in 1996. "They always wear the same clothes and you never see their parents." The more things change the more they stay the same because the same can be said about Moonrise Kingdom.

After watching Anderson's latest, I had an irrepressible urge to watch my all-time favourite: The Royal Tenenbaums. Though I've watched it countless times, it makes me laugh, and cry, every time.

By way of the Green Line bus remains my favourite scene in a movie - like ever - and for me, is a visual and audio representation of true love. Gwyneth Paltrow acts the %$@& out of it without saying a word while the breeze in her hair speaks volumes.

Pure poetry.

A fish called Wanda

A little while ago, in October 2012 (haha), I penned a transcript of my interview with Eric Ripert, head chef and co-owner of Le Bernardin, a 3-star Michelin restaurant in New York that specializes in seafood. This past weekend, I had the pleasure of watching Jiro Dreams of Sushi, a documentary about another 3-star Michelin restaurant that specializes in seafood - sushi specifically - this one in Tokyo.

Jiro Ono is a shokunin, a master in his field. He has been making sushi since the age of nine and is now 85. He is the head chef and owner of Sukiyabashi Jiro, arguably the world's best sushi restaurant. A meal there consists of about 20 pieces of exquisite sushi, takes about 20 minutes to eat and costs the equivalent of about $400. If you're at all mathematically-inclined, you've already calculated the break-down: it's $20 a minute. 

Some other interesting facts about Sushi Jiro include the fact that the "restaurant" seats a maximum of 10 people and that Jiro makes each and every piece of sushi with each and every customer in mind. Is the customer male or female? Right-handed or left?

Heaven.

Though I lived in Japan for one year and would have, had I known about it, eaten at Sushi Jiro in a Tokyo minute, I didn't. But watching the documentary almost makes me feel like I did. Beautifully filmed and filled with transporting classical music, the documentary is not only full of interesting facts, it is also full of flavours.

You heard me. 

I could literally taste the sushi while I was watching it.

Ripert himself has claimed to be a huge admirer of Jiro and I hope to one day have the pleasure of saying the same. Until then, I'll settle for my very own, homemade salmon tartare. Not quite 3-star... but not bad!

If you're wondering what the drizzle is, it's a balsamic reduction. Oh yeah. That's what I said.

11, 11, 11

Maybe it's Remembrance Day, or maybe it's just me, but I've been feeling pretty wistful these days.

Thinking about my family in Poland, and everything my grandparents went through so I could have the life I enjoy today, it's hard not to be grateful for all of the sacrifices made by soldiers, yes, but also everyday people who value humanity enough to risk their lives for others.

I remember my homeopath telling me that children, and even grandchildren, of WWII survivors carry a sadness in them, a memory, of a memory of a memory of a time gone by that was scary, bleak and very, very inhumane.

But even in that inhumanity, in that bleakness, in that living hell, incredible sacrifices were made. 

Just this week I watched an unforgettable movie that reminded me of that very notion. Called In Darkness, the movie tells the tale of Leopold Socha, a Polish sewer worker who risked his life, and his familys', to shelter and ultimately save a group of Jews in Lwow by using his knowledge of the city's sewer system. 

(Sidenote: Lwow used to be part of Poland but it's now considered part of the Ukraine.)

After watching the movie I decided to do a little research. I started by looking up Mr. Socha, which led to a very interesting topic, and website: The Polish Righteous among the Nations. The Polish Righteous, in short, refers to the thousands of Polish people who were honoured by the State of Israel for saving Jews during the Holocaust.

Growing up, there was a misconception (that was often expressed to me by others) that Poles did little to help their Jewish neighbours during the war when, in fact, Polish citizens have the world's highest count of individuals awarded medals for their bravery, and courage. Hundreds of thousands of Polish people actually concealed and helped save hundreds of thousands of Jews, risking their own lives in the process.  

So on this Remembrance Day, let us not forget the sacrifices made by soldiers, medical workers, and even everyday people from WWI to today. Let us also not forget that while there is a lot of anger, hatred and fear in the world there is also a lot of love, beauty and humanity.

(Second sidenote: In the movie there is a young couple called Mundek and Klara, based on their real-life counterparts that spent 14 months in the sewers of Lwow. After the war, they married and moved to England. Throughout their life, they were very affectionate, always holding and kissing each other. Mundek was Klara's hero, just as Mr. Socha was both of theirs, and he always took the greatest care of her; bringing her flowers, holding her hand and loving her unconditionally. They literally couldn't live without each other. When Mundek was diagnosed with Alzheimer's and put into a home, she died of a broken heart. Six months later, her hero passed away too.

Lest we forget. Were it not for the courage and bravery of Mr. Socha, they would never have had their lives together.

Where there is darkness, there is also light. 

Such is the mystery of life.

(Third sidenote: Leopold Socha died a hero for more than one reason. Shortly after the war was over, he and his daughter were out for a bike ride when a Soviet military truck came hurtling towards her. He knocked her out of the way, saving her life and losing his own.) 

So just breathe.

Yes, I understand that every life must end

As we sit alone, I know someday we must go

Oh I'm a lucky man to count on both hands the ones I love

Some folks just have one, others they've got none

Nothing you would take

Everything you gave

Hold me til I die

Meet you on the other side

Pearl Jam