My New Concert Blog

(April 27, 2016)

Eek.  The SD card mysteriously ran out of space, even though du said it was empty.  And it happened in the pretty part at the end…

WFC Mexico: Japón

(April 23, 2016)

I like the grainy film. 8mm? 16mm? Lots of ISOs? But even though I really like it visually, I’m afraid the film kinda lost me. Perhaps I’m just not in the mood for the languidity? (That’s a word!) And I guess you could see the film as a series of deliberate provocations? There’s somebody killing … Continue reading WFC Mexico: Japón

WFC Mali: Bamako

(April 23, 2016)

This is a very unusual film. It starts off with a trial of sorts that turns out to be more of a hearing into African debt, globalism and migration. And it takes place in the backyard of a private house, so there are children and animals running around amongst the judges and witnesses. Very interesting. … Continue reading WFC Mali: Bamako

WFC Taiwan: 最好的時光

(April 22, 2016)

This is yet another very languid film. I mean, very little happens. But the actors here are very good, so it’s enjoyable to watch. And it’s cute and playful. The second part (which is a “silent film” from 1910-ish) is a bit of a drag, though. Three Times. Hsiao-Hsien Hou. 2005. Taiwan. Zegroni 10 parts … Continue reading WFC Taiwan: 最好的時光

WFC Greece: Τριλογία: Το λιβάδι που δακρύζει

(April 22, 2016)

Stella!  STELLA!!! Geez. An interlaced DVD. That reduces the vertical resolution to a half. But I guess I can see why they did it — it’s 6GB as it (it’s quite long), and they’d have to go to double sided to get it over 9GB… Which I would have preferred. Anyway! It’s a very languid … Continue reading WFC Greece: Τριλογία: Το λιβάδι που δακρύζει

Google GeoChart

(April 21, 2016)

I wanted to have some maps in my World of Films and Cocktails series.  Like this: I tried various mapping services, but nothing was flexible enought to do what I wanted.  I wanted more recently “visited” countries to be brighter, I wanted it to be scriptable, I wanted it to be easy to take unassisted … Continue reading Google GeoChart

WFC Australia: Prisoner Queen: Mindless Music & Mirrorballs

(April 20, 2016)

This is a very low budget film. It does have charm and an insane plot going for it, but it’s so, so awkward. A million kudos for casting Noeline Bourke (Jude Kuring) from Prisoner: Cell Block H, my favourite soap ever. (And all the other actors from that series.) Well. The only soap worth watching. … Continue reading WFC Australia: Prisoner Queen: Mindless Music & Mirrorballs

WFC Algeria: معركة الجزائر

(April 20, 2016)

I had planned on watching a diffent, more Algerian film, but it turned out to only have French subtitles. (Two different French subtitles and dubbed into French two different ways.) So I went with this one instead, which is perhaps more Italian than Algerian, but The Battle of Algiers. Gillo Pontecorvo. 1966. Algeria. Algeria Cocktail … Continue reading WFC Algeria: معركة الجزائر

Everything Is Horrible: Headphone Edition

(April 17, 2016)

There are many minor problems in the world. Global warming. The refugee crises. ISIS. But there’s one problem so serious, so controversial, so all-encompassing that nobody has dared discuss it before: The bad user interfaces on wireless headphones. This may seem like a minor problem in comparison to other problems, like the fact that most … Continue reading Everything Is Horrible: Headphone Edition

WFC Ireland: The Irish Pub

(April 16, 2016)

Oops! It’s a documentary about an Irish bar. I thought it was gonna be a feel good comedy or something. Fudging Irish. “This bar serves the best Guinnes in Dublin!” Whaa… As it went on and on I started hating it more and more. And I started out hating it quite a lot! Sentimental twaddle. … Continue reading WFC Ireland: The Irish Pub

WFC China: 三峡好人

(April 16, 2016)

Oo. I quite like this film. It’s very languid. And it seems straightforward, but things sort of keep happening on the margins that … probably aren’t. It’s a serious, but whimsical film. So it’s very nice. But it’s not without its problems. Tao Zhao is great, but many of the minor characters are played by … Continue reading WFC China: 三峡好人

WFC Ukraine: Плем’я

(April 15, 2016)

Gimmicky as fuck, this film is entirely in Ukrainian sign language (without subtitles) and has the requisite amount of sex and violence to make it “serious”. It’s the standard “spiral into despair” plot so beloved of a certain class of directors. It’s not badly made, though. And some of the actors are really great. I … Continue reading WFC Ukraine: Плем’я

“I had to airbrush a hot chick on the back of my truck”

(April 15, 2016)

Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt is back for a second season. This post in not part of my Tilda Swinton project.

WFC Angola: Na cidade vazia

(April 15, 2016)

I bought the DVD used, but it didn’t work, so I, er, downloaded a backup copy off of the interwebs. Yeah, that’s the ticket. It looks kinda like the interwebby copy is from a VHS, but it’s quite nice, anyway. I enjoyed this film. The acting is kinda all over the place, but there are … Continue reading WFC Angola: Na cidade vazia

WFC Finland: Kovasikajuttu

(April 13, 2016)

Hey! It’s a documentary of a variously abled band. Kinda fun. The Punk Syndrome. Jukka Kärkkäinen. 2012. Finland. Cloudberry/Apple Cocktail 1 part sugar syrup 2 parts cold pressed apple juice 1 part cloudberry liqueur 1 part white rum Some splashes of Angostura bitters Shake with ice and pour into a cocktail glass. I had to … Continue reading WFC Finland: Kovasikajuttu

WFC Estonia: Mandariinid

(April 13, 2016)

And is this really more of a Georgian film than an Estonian film? I did not know that there was an Estonian village in Georgia, though. The Soviet Union was funny. But perhaps not in a “ha ha” way. This film is very on the nose. War is awful. I appreciate the sentiment. It’s heart … Continue reading WFC Estonia: Mandariinid

WFC Malaysia: The Red Kebaya

(April 13, 2016)

Oh, man. This is so amateurish. But it’s kinda atmospheric, and the central conceit of the film is kinda cute. And the actor playing Azizah is pretty good. And it won the prize for Best Poster (WON). So I’m being oh so generous and rolling: The Red Kebaya. Oliver Knott. 2006. Malaysia. Sing Sing 2 … Continue reading WFC Malaysia: The Red Kebaya

WFC Spain: Carne Trémula

(April 8, 2016)

This started off kinda wonky, but then it got better. Almodovar is Almodovar, of course, but sometimes he goes off the rails. This is quite different from his usual themes, though. I quite enjoyed parts of it, but it does drag a bit… Live Flesh. Pedro Almodovar. 1997. Spain. Aquavit 43 3 parts Licor 43 … Continue reading WFC Spain: Carne Trémula

WFC Saudi Arabia: وجدة‎

(April 8, 2016)

Hey! It’s a comedy about a spunky girl in Saudi Arabia. Not what I expected at all. It plays with the constant trivial, petty and extreme repression of Saudi society vs trying to have a normal childhood very effectively. Funny and enraging at the same time. And the girl playing the lead is just amazing. … Continue reading WFC Saudi Arabia: وجدة‎

WFC India: द लंच बॉक्स

(April 6, 2016)

Hm… this might not be totally genuinly Indian. Lots of European financing going on… // From the cover of the DVD I thought it was going to be a Bollywood film with lots of dancing and singing, and… it isn’t. Boo! But this film has a very silly premise, anyway. Me like! Marrying that great … Continue reading WFC India: द लंच बॉक्स

WFC Iran: کلوزآپ ، نمای نزدیک‎

(April 6, 2016)

This is a totally fascinating film. It’s mostly a documentary, but the film-maker didn’t arrive until a bit into the proceedings, so he had the people involved re-enact what happened before he arrived. And the story being told isn’t a super-duper mega-important one, but a really weird one. It’s so bizarre structurally. I had to … Continue reading WFC Iran: کلوزآپ ، نمای نزدیک‎

WFC Denmark: Idealisten

(April 5, 2016)

This film veered between being almost a parody of a serious documentary about a brave journalist and… er… Hm. Perhaps it didn’t veer that much. It wasn’t a good film, but it was occasionally exciting. The Idealist. Christina Rosendahl. 2015. Denmark. Complement Cocktail 2 parts gin 1 part aquavit a few dashes of maraschino liqueur … Continue reading WFC Denmark: Idealisten

WFC Brazil: Orfeu Negro

(April 5, 2016)

So much drama. I’m not feeling it. Looks and sounds great, though. Black Orpheus. Marcel Camus. 1959. Brazil. 2 parts mango 1 part cachaça some suger ice cubes Run in a blender until smooth. This should have been really good, but the mangoes weren’t really… that good… so… This post is part of the World … Continue reading WFC Brazil: Orfeu Negro

WFC Argentina: La mujer sin cabeza

(April 1, 2016)

The Headless Woman. Lucrecia Martel. 2008. Argentina. Hey. This was rather excellent. I bought the film at random in a used DVD shop. I should do that more, but do used DVD shops even exist any more? Bison TT I couldn’t find ginger syrup anywhere, so I had to make it myself. 1 part water … Continue reading WFC Argentina: La mujer sin cabeza

WFC Russia: Зеркало

(April 1, 2016)

This is officially Tarkovskij’s best film. It’s like he extended the mood of the final scenes in Solaris and Stalker into an entire film. Or the other way around. It is, indeed, pretty fab. Mirror. Andrej Tarkovsky. 1957. Russia. Yorsh 10 parts beer 1 part vodka Blend gently. This post is part of the World … Continue reading WFC Russia: Зеркало