I rented a pontiac Grand Prix in Canada. It’s a slightly sporty car that otherwise doesn’t stand out in any way. The stereo doesn’t have line/ipod inputs but works. The knob based control system has lots of identical knobs making it easy to change tuning instead of adjusting volume or vice versa. Otherwise fairly comfortable and basically a competent rental car.
A mustang convertible is about the perfect LA car. I was very amused to find it waiting in my spot at Hertz. Alas I only had it for the day and the drive from LAX to Santa Monica doesn’t provide for much sporty driving entertainment. Still, it’s fun.
I’m staying at the
Sheraton Delfina Hotel in Santa Monica. It’s a very nice hotel - not quite as dramatic through the lobby as some, the rooms are comfortable and the views are good. The shower was a bit weak though and the AV system is nowhere near as cool as the Holiday Inn on King in Toronto.
Odd thing, the local high school football field was right next door so I woke to the sound of the marching band trying to figure out Eleanor Rigby.
Rental car review
This Pontiac G6 came with a retractable hard top, one of those solid roof things that folds itself away in the trunk… more or less filling it. One has to choose between having the top down and having something in the trunk - there’s a small amount of room, a thin slice of trunk space under a retractable cover that can be filled and the roof still retracted, but it isn’t accessible with the roof down.
The car itself is fine - fast enough, fairly quiet, decent stereo. Nothing super sporty though. The handling is a bit slushy. A lot of these inexpensive american convertibles have floppy frames after the roof connections are cut. The GT seems a little more responsive than that other convertible rental mainstay, the Sebring, which torques around enough front to back that you definitely feel it. The GT is just a little floppy.
Fun enough driving around LA and the trip was short enough that keeping my luggage in the back seat wasn’t too much of an imposition.
Tulpan is about a young naval officer who joins his sister’s family on the steppe’s of Kazakhstan to start his life as a shepherd and fulfill his dreams of living under the stars in a yurt with 900 channels of satellite TV.
He seeks the hand of the mysterious and unseen eponymous “Tulip” the only marriageable woman on the steppe for 500 miles, and either she finds his ears too large (though they are less prominent than Prince Charles’) or her mom is blocking the proceedings. Either way, he is thwarted in his dream and is driven to consider leaving the steppe for the city with his regge loving tractor driving friend who delivers water and essentials to shepherds.
Along the way we witness the birth of a sheep, a protective camel, and a pretty amusing collection of pretty amazing animal moments. It’s funny and cute but perhaps not as engaging as the Cannes prize would suggest.
Glago’s Guest (short) Tulpan was preceded by Glago’s Guest, a Disney short about the minder of Station 7 who’s uneventful days fill piles of logs until one day a something very unusual visits in an act of charity.
Friday, Aug 29 2008 Telluride Film Festival
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