Month: May 2017
WFC Saint Vincent and the Grenadines: Voodoo Man
(May 27, 2017)Another movie found on Youtube. This one is pretty funny, but the amusing script and charming actors are let down by flaccid editing: The film feels like it wants to move faster than it does. And fortunately they only ran the blurring filter on the first flashback scene. Voodoo Man. Fabian Guerra. 2014. Saint Vincent … Continue reading WFC Saint Vincent and the Grenadines: Voodoo Man
WFC Brunei: Teluki
(May 27, 2017)Is this the first short I’ve done in this blog series? That might happen more for the remaining films as the pickings grow ever slimmer. This one’s on Youtube, and it’s kinda interesting, but slight. And it does feel ever more churlish to throw a die on films like these. Who asked for my opinion … Continue reading WFC Brunei: Teluki
WFC Belize: 2012: Kurse a di Xtabai
(May 26, 2017)Another Youtube offering. It’s shakycam, but it kinda looks like Youtube has applied its automatic stabilisation to it? So it’s doubly sickening to watch. The video is at sea. Anyway, this is a horror/action film, and it’s OK, apart from the bit that I couldn’t really look at the screen for more than a few … Continue reading WFC Belize: 2012: Kurse a di Xtabai
WFC Barbados: The Kite Flyer
(May 26, 2017)I did DVDs and stuff last weekend, so it’s time to delve into Youtube videos again. (Because I couldn’t find any films from Barbados on DVD.) This one can be watched here. It’s a no-budget kind of film, but there’s definitely some talent here. The editing (for about the first half hour) is on point, … Continue reading WFC Barbados: The Kite Flyer
WFC El Salvador: Sobreviviendo Guazapa
(May 24, 2017)Man, I’m having having almost no luck with these Central American films. South America: Wonderful. Central America: Not so much. But I guess these countries are a lot smaller (and poorer), so perhaps that’s not that odd… Anyway, this is pretty bad. And I even ended up buying the DVD twice, since it turned out … Continue reading WFC El Salvador: Sobreviviendo Guazapa
WFC Tonga: When the Man Went South
(May 24, 2017)This is a really charming film. Thoroughly amusing. I thought the dialogue was strangely like a sitcom set in New York, and it turns out that the director worked on the crew of The Nanny. Yes. Most of these lines could have been delivered by Fran Fine. So… not completely, er, Tonga… nese? But very … Continue reading WFC Tonga: When the Man Went South
WFC Tunisia: عصفور السطح
(May 20, 2017)I think they’re aiming for a broad, classic Mediterranean coming of age/sex comedy kind of thing, but it’s remarkably creepy (at least it is now, three decades after it was made). It tries to hard to be charming, but the performances are super-hammy, the cinematography is meh, and it’s all kinda boring. It’s a well-liked … Continue reading WFC Tunisia: عصفور السطح
WFC Syria: הכלה הסורית
(May 20, 2017)Hey! It’s a comedy! Of sorts. Well, not really. A … “dramedy”? I love the actors, and it’s amusing and quite moving. The sheer number of characters in this film is a bit on the confusing side, though. The Syrian Bride. Eran Riklis. 2004. Syrian Arab Republic. POLO water lemon juice sugar mint orange blossom … Continue reading WFC Syria: הכלה הסורית
WFC Malta: Adormidera
(May 19, 2017)The version of this film I saw was in English. According to imdb, it’s in English/Italian/Spanish, so I wonder whether they made it in several different versions? Or perhaps they just made it in English and dubbed it into the other languages? Anyway! It’s pretty bad. Not amateurish enough to be charming, and not professional … Continue reading WFC Malta: Adormidera
WFC Sri Lanka: සුළඟ එනු පිණිස
(May 19, 2017)This is a beautifully shot, well acted, very slow-moving film. We’re about ten minutes in when the first piece of dialogue appears. It’s great! It slowly (slowly) reveals what it’s about. Sort of. It’s a bit vague. Hypnotic. But in an every-day way. It won the Camera d’Or at Cannes. I’ve always thought that wasn’t … Continue reading WFC Sri Lanka: සුළඟ එනු පිණිස
Android Is Still Fucking Useless
(May 18, 2017)I’ve been trying to use Android (instead of a Linux laptop) for various things lately, because some Android devices have a pretty nice form factor, and I don’t really need a keyboard for all things. But time and time again, I find that the apps that are available on Android just aren’t good enough. They … Continue reading Android Is Still Fucking Useless
WFC Yemen: A New Day In Old Sana’a
(May 17, 2017)This movie is fun. Some of the performances are kinda stylised, but when you’re delivering your lines from behind a veil, you have to go big or you don’t deliver the lines at all. This is a romantic comedy with mistaken identities and all kind of complications and it’s really funny. I love the actors, … Continue reading WFC Yemen: A New Day In Old Sana’a
WFC Moldova: Mama Illegal
(May 17, 2017)Another documentary! And this is perhaps more Austrian than Moldovan? But it’s from Moldova, so… Anyway, this documentary is about Moldovan women who go to work in Europe (illegally, since Moldova isn’t part of the EU). Parts of it are kinda strange (as if the director had a murky agenda (like the extended scenes of … Continue reading WFC Moldova: Mama Illegal
WFC Marshall Islands: Ña noniep
(May 16, 2017)This is a very, very low budget film, but even so, there’s no reason for it being this bad. The people involved probably had fun making it (I hope), and I’m sorry for harshing this much here, but: I am the Good Fairy. Jack Niedenthal. 2009. Marshall Islands. Marshall Island Swizzle 4 parts dark rum … Continue reading WFC Marshall Islands: Ña noniep
WFC Sierra Leone: Brownstones to Red Dirt
(May 16, 2017)Oops. It a documentary (for children?), and it’s really more American than Sierra Leonish. (Is that a word?) Sorry! It’s packed with cheesy music and it’s chock full of snips of Things Kids Say. I mean, the kids are great and stuff, but the film is kind of pedestrian. Brownstones to Red Dirt. Dave LaMattina. … Continue reading WFC Sierra Leone: Brownstones to Red Dirt
My New Concert Blog
(May 10, 2017)WFC Paraguay: 7 Cajas
(May 6, 2017)Fantastic actors, especially the one playing Liz. And Tamara. Well, OK, all the female actors. The male actors are more variable. Very fresh cinematography and an intriguing plot. So: Yet another great South American film. It’s like a trend. This film is funny and exciting. 7 Boxes. Juan Carlos Maneglia. 2012. Paraguay. Paraguay Passion 2 … Continue reading WFC Paraguay: 7 Cajas
WFC Myanmar: Born Warriors Redux: Bound Fists
(May 6, 2017)A documentary about boxing. Or something. It’s an interesting subject, but the film itself is very unambitious. Many of the fights are filmed with a single stationary camera, and there isn’t much of a narrative. It’s the usual TV documentary talking head/on location/talking head/on location thing. The way the narrator tries to say something but … Continue reading WFC Myanmar: Born Warriors Redux: Bound Fists
WFC Vanuatu: Tanna
(May 5, 2017)Wow. So super-grainy. Haven’t seen grain like that since Aliens. Was it shot on digital with natural lighting or something? Anyway! There’s a lot of powerful scenes here. I laughed, I cried. The line readings are pretty stiff, though. Tanna. Martin Butler. 2015. Vanuatu. Japanese Slipper at Sunset Bungalows 1 part Midori 1 part Cointreau … Continue reading WFC Vanuatu: Tanna
WFC Kenya: Nairobi Half Life
(May 5, 2017)Oh, this is so not my genre. It’s the old “naïve kid with dreams going to the big city” plot. I just sympathise too much with the hapless protagonist. “Nooo… doooon’t… Dooooon’t…” But that’s just me. This film has obvious qualities: Things degenerate (and how!) a lot faster than they usually do in these films, … Continue reading WFC Kenya: Nairobi Half Life
Dear Interwebs
(May 4, 2017)Does a product that adds some level of organisasation to shelves like the one above exist? I need to know because reasons.
The Future is Here
(May 2, 2017)The electric utility people came by to install those new-fangled wifi-enabled power meters today. After power-cycling my flat (only one device died!) all my computers are up again and I had a peek at the installation. So… there’s that thing. I assume that’s a wifi antenna? Mounted on the door? Wat… Oh, how elegant and … Continue reading The Future is Here