Month: April 2017
WFC Jordan: كابتن أبو رائد
(April 30, 2017)Eek! The DVD version I bought is dubbed into German. I should start paying more attention when buying films… But! Amazon to the rescue. I downloaded a version in Arabic with English subtitles from Amazon (via my Ipod Touch). Phew! This is a very odd film structurally. It starts off slowly and the characters’ story … Continue reading WFC Jordan: كابتن أبو رائد
WFC Somalia: Fishing Without Nets
(April 30, 2017)It’s kinda interesting visually, but the constant shakycam is unpleasant to watch. The actors vary wildly: Some seem are pretty convincing but most are very stiff. (I’m assuming they’re non-professionals.) It’s not a bad film or anything, but it uses so many parts of The Hollywood How-To Book On Drama/Action Film-Making (scoring, editing, etc) that … Continue reading WFC Somalia: Fishing Without Nets
WFC Lebanon: سكر بنات
(April 30, 2017)Very sassy. A classic Mediterranean feel good comedy. I guess I could be very critical of some bits (like the occasional shakycam and generally not very interesting cinematography), but the actors are so good and it’s all so touching and charming. So on charm alone: Caramel. Nadine Labaki. 2007. Lebanon. Jad Ballout’s Garcia’s Fattoush Cup … Continue reading WFC Lebanon: سكر بنات
New Music
(April 30, 2017)Music I’ve bought this month.
WFC Singapore: Forever Fever
(April 29, 2017)I had gotten the French version of the DVD. Ooops! But Amazon Video to the rescue. The picture was kinda washed out, though. Compare: That’s from the Amazon Video version. That’s from the DVD. The darks are really dark on the DVD, and the colours pop, while the Amazon version is pale and bland. Why … Continue reading WFC Singapore: Forever Fever
WFC Jamaica: Shottas
(April 29, 2017)This is kinda fresh. It’s low budget but doesn’t really look it. It has a kind of charming swagger to it, both in the acting and the editing. It’s a child-like wish fulfilment fantasy. Only with guns and drugs. Very silly. Shottas. Cess Silvera. 2002. Jamaica. Body Heat 1 part lemon juice 3 parts orange … Continue reading WFC Jamaica: Shottas
WFC Kazakhstan: Tulpan
(April 29, 2017)Ah. Back on DVD again, so the video quality is, like, better. Than Amazon Video. This is a very wind-blown, distracted film. Things seem to proceed sideways. It’s funny, but it’s just so slow. Sooo slow. And I love slow films. It has an abundance of charm. Love the actors and the steppe. Those poor … Continue reading WFC Kazakhstan: Tulpan
WFC Slovenia: Slovenka
(April 29, 2017)Hey! It works! Very little artifacting and the audio/video sync is pretty solid. Oh! The film! It’s a very tense film. Very well done, extremely belivable and completely EEK. I can’t really recommend it. A Call Girl. Damjan Kozole. 2009. Slovenia. The Peter XOXO 2 parts vodka 1 part sweet vermouth 1 part dry vermouth … Continue reading WFC Slovenia: Slovenka
… when we first practice to watch some movies
(April 29, 2017)As I’m sure you remember from yesterday, I got an external HDMI screenshotting box to do screenshots while watching films from Amazon Video. That worked fine, but using an infra-red remote to trigger the screenshots is slightly awkward: The line of sight thing means that I either have to have the (not very pretty) box … Continue reading … when we first practice to watch some movies
WFC Nigeria: Half of a Yellow Sun
(April 28, 2017)Tech progress report: I’m watching this via Amazon Prime (+ HDMI dongle etc), but the novel thing this time is that I downloaded the film before viewing. And this time there were no glitches! So the problem experienced the last time is apparently not because of the HDMI dongle thing, but because of the streaming. … Continue reading WFC Nigeria: Half of a Yellow Sun
The Tangled Webs We Weave…
(April 28, 2017)My mission: To watch films from all around the world. My problem: Many films are only available on Amazon Prime (US Edition). My solution: Errr… In this part of this (seemingly never-ending series) I’ve reached the point where I’m able to watch Amazon Prime videos, but taking screenshots while doing so (AND I HAVE TO … Continue reading The Tangled Webs We Weave…
WFC Afghanistan: سنگ صبور
(April 28, 2017)So for this film I watched it via Amazon Prime on the Ipad via an HDMI dongle. It works kinda OK, but there’s general jerkiness that appears irregularly. It’s like it drops a couple of frames every so often. It’s not very pleasant to watch, so I’, not using this method again, I think… Perhaps … Continue reading WFC Afghanistan: سنگ صبور
My New Concert Blog
(April 26, 2017)I’m Pretty Sure I Didn’t Agree To This
(April 24, 2017)TSP1994: Visions of Heaven and Hell
(April 22, 2017)Hey! It’s time for that yearly Google session to try to find the missing films for my Tilda Swinton project. Unfortunately, nothing new seems to be available (although The Dilapidated Dwelling seems to have been available on Youtube for a bit of time before being deleted). Boo! But a kind reader had pointed me towards … Continue reading TSP1994: Visions of Heaven and Hell
TSP2016: Doctor Strange
(April 22, 2017)Doctor Strange. Scott Derrickson. 2016. This is an amusing film, but any scene where they attempt gravitas, it goes into snooze land. Well, almost. But still: Much amusement. One of the more successful super hero films for sure, but it’s not like there’s a lot of competition. This post is part of The Tilda Swinton … Continue reading TSP2016: Doctor Strange
WFC Mozambique: Terra Sonâmbula
(April 13, 2017)Wow. This is so lo-res. What’s up with Amazon Prime videos? They have no quality control? This is worse than watching a VCD episode of The Simpsons in 1997. Oh! The film! It’s good and very sad. Great actors. The cinematography is indifferent, but the film has a great moody mood. Very intriguing structurally, too. … Continue reading WFC Mozambique: Terra Sonâmbula
WFC Panama: Contadora is for Lovers
(April 13, 2017)It’s very educational. And subtle. Drama! And then… not. I watched this via Amazon Prime, but I just noticed that it’s also available on DVD. I should have gotten that instead, because the Prime version of the film is pitiful. Not only are there compression artifacts all over the stage (descending into abstraction when there’s … Continue reading WFC Panama: Contadora is for Lovers
My New Concert Blog
(April 12, 2017)Whoo.
WFC Suriname: Wan Pipel
(April 10, 2017)Another film found on Youtube. It’s a very earnest film. There are good bits, but nothing really convinces. Wan Pipel. Pim de la Parra. 1976. Suriname. The Paramaribo Park Club Gin Sling 1 part lemon juice 1 part Cherry Heering 3 parts gin a dash of Cognac a dash of Benedictine club soda Shake with … Continue reading WFC Suriname: Wan Pipel
WFC Uganda: Who Killed Captain Alex?
(April 10, 2017)I couldn’t find any Ugandan DVDs, so this is from the Youtubes. As this er edition of the film explains, the director didn’t have any expectations of people outside his city seeing this film: It’s more of a fun hobby project than something meant for the general public, I think. I thought it had an … Continue reading WFC Uganda: Who Killed Captain Alex?
WFC Ghana: Cobra Verde
(April 8, 2017)Oops! My research department has let me down. Again! This isn’t a Ghanese film: The director is Werner Herzog (not from Ghana), it’s based on a novel written by Bruce Chatwin (not from Ghana) and starring Klaus Kinski (not from Ghaha). But it’s filmed in Ghana, allegedly. Anyway, I didn’t realise that the Herzog/Kinski partnership … Continue reading WFC Ghana: Cobra Verde
WFC Switzerland: Vitus
(April 8, 2017)I mean, I don’t really know German, but the dialect they’re talking here is even less comprehensible than usual. Anyway, it’s a kinda old-fashioned film. An “issue” movie. The issue this week is: Is putting too much pressure on a child prodigy a good idea? (I’ll let you guess the answer.) It’s all a bit … Continue reading WFC Switzerland: Vitus
WFC Zambia: Imiti ikula
(April 8, 2017)I knew there was going to be a number of Youtube films as I got close to the end of this blog series, because there’s a number of countries where either no “commercial” films have been made or none have made it out of the country. So I was originally planning on doing as many … Continue reading WFC Zambia: Imiti ikula
WFC Rwanda: Munyurangabo
(April 8, 2017)Part XIV In The Quest To Watch Films Via Amazon Video: So, I couldn’t use my large Ipad to watch these films, because the Amazon app didn’t allow screenshotting. (So very DRM.) And besides, the Apple screenshotting thing is really, really annoying: Flashing the screen and all that. (It’s a very typical Apple thing: Create … Continue reading WFC Rwanda: Munyurangabo
WFC Trinidad and Tobago: God Loves the Fighter
(April 7, 2017)I think the filmmakers tried to make a “cool” movie like, say, Trainspotting. Only in Trinidad (and/or Tobago). I’m not big fan of that film, but it did have certain undeniable charms (it’s certainly the high point of Danny Boyle’s horrid carreer). This film does not. It’s tedious. The only thing that saves it from … Continue reading WFC Trinidad and Tobago: God Loves the Fighter
WFC Guatemala: Ixcanul
(April 7, 2017)After a few not very good films from Central America, I wasn’t expecting much from this film, but it’s really good! Wonderful cinematography; great actors (well, probably non-professionals, but they’re convincing) and a plot I had no idea where was going. Oh, it won a prize at the Berlin film festival, the only film festival … Continue reading WFC Guatemala: Ixcanul
I’m pretty sure I haven’t ordered powdered peanut butter
(April 7, 2017)New Music
(April 5, 2017)Music I’ve bought and/or resampled this week. And that concludes The Great Resampling.
WFC Guinea-Bissau: A batalha de Tabatô
(April 3, 2017)This is a visually arresting film. Some seemingly very strange choices have been made, but it works. I first thought that the actors (and their line readings) we uncomfortably stiff, but then I realised that that’s what the director was going for (a la Robert Bresson). Mesmerising. The Battle of Tabato. João Viana. 2013. Guinea-Bissau. … Continue reading WFC Guinea-Bissau: A batalha de Tabatô
WFC Iraq: Curse of Mesopotamia
(April 3, 2017)Man, modern life is complicated. I was going to watch this on my big Ipad, but it turns out that you can’t screenshot this film there, even though the previous film let itself be screenshot. So I had to scramble (since the cocktail was already made) and watched the film on my 10″ Android tablet. … Continue reading WFC Iraq: Curse of Mesopotamia
WFC Lesotho: The Forgotten Kingdom
(April 1, 2017)After a very pleasurable experience watching The Cave of the Yellow Dog, this was a bit of a downer. It’s all so… paint by numbers. Daddy issues and people talking and talking and talkin to each other about deep, deep stuff. It’s like, zzz. It’s not offensively bad or anything: It’s competent, which is the … Continue reading WFC Lesotho: The Forgotten Kingdom
WFC Mongolia: Шар нохойн там
(April 1, 2017)The children in this film are wonderful. The adult actors are more variable, but they’re fine. Lots of beautiful scenery and a very vague storyline makes this a very endearing film. It’s such an unassuming film: Nothing very dramatic happens, but it’s so enjoyable to watch. While it isn’t a masterpiece or anything, it’s kinda … Continue reading WFC Mongolia: Шар нохойн там