WFC San Marino: The Last Alchemist

(June 30, 2017)

There aren’t many films from San Marino, and this is an Italian co-production. As is the cocktail. This is the 151st film in this blog series, which means that there’s only 49 films to go! *gasp* This will end sometime! This summer! This is a 30 minute thriller, and it’s heavy on the irony. It … Continue reading WFC San Marino: The Last Alchemist

WFC Latvia: Par desmit minutem vecaks

(June 30, 2017)

Uhm… I’m not sure how I ended up with this short: Surely there must be some Latvian feature films available on DVD? It’s a mystery lost to the winds of time. So… this Soviet era silent short basically is a long shot of a group of kids watching a very exciting film in a movie … Continue reading WFC Latvia: Par desmit minutem vecaks

WFC Bolivia: American Visa

(June 24, 2017)

Whew! South American to the rescue again. After a string of old-fashioned grandiose films, it’s such a relief to watch a smart, fresh film again. It’s a bit like… Breaking Bad. An asshole (as the cab driver says at the start) is dealt a bad blow and turns to crime. And we’re supposed to care … Continue reading WFC Bolivia: American Visa

WFC Libya: عمر المختار

(June 24, 2017)

Hey, it’s Mad Max! It’s another one of those Birth of a Nation stories, er, I mean, one of those nation building films. It’s not my favourite genre, but you have to respect the grandeur of some of the scenes. Yuge scenes in yuge rooms. Amusingly enough, this film was banned in 1982 in Italy. … Continue reading WFC Libya: عمر المختار

WFC Azerbaijan: Ali and Nino

(June 23, 2017)

This is a high-budget Kazakh (is that the right word?) film. It’s in English, and some parts are more like a British costume drama than anything else. It’s a UK co-production, so that makes sense. It’s a very romantic film, and it’s a very nationalistic film. So it’s a national-romantic film? It’s hard not to … Continue reading WFC Azerbaijan: Ali and Nino

Shimmery OLED Pixels

(June 23, 2017)

I upgraded to a not-so-bright and very shiny Sony A1E OLED 4K TV this week (from my ten-year-old Samsung). It’s basically very nice, but there’s one very, very weird effect that I’ve seen nobody mention: This is an episode of Doctor Who paused, but it’ll do those shimmery teal pixels even when the video is … Continue reading Shimmery OLED Pixels

WFC Malawi: William and the Windmill

(June 23, 2017)

This Amazon find isn’t really a Malawi film, but it’s an American documentary about a great Malawi kid who’s into windmills and an American guy that helps him make bigger windmills. It’s… a bit uncomfortable to watch, because his helper is so… verbal, and the kid isn’t. I was also wondering whether the filmmakers had … Continue reading WFC Malawi: William and the Windmill

Not the Best Comics of 2017

(June 22, 2017)

After spending so much time last year on that Fantagraphics project, I amassed a huge backlog of comics that I just didn’t have time to read. I guess if I were to put that backlog into a stack, it’d be over two meters high. As usual, some were more interesting than others, and those books … Continue reading Not the Best Comics of 2017

Giant Cranes

(June 18, 2017)

I’m just wondering: Are the giant cranes multiplying? Every time I look there seems to be more of them

Further Trends in Packaging

(June 17, 2017)

Many, many years ago I noted that people selling vinyl were starting to use vinyl as the packing material. At that point, they were using stuff that, well, was junk. But today I got a package from the US that made me go “hmmmm”. Or “yay”? I was exploring discogs.com looking for new stuff from … Continue reading Further Trends in Packaging

WFC Vatican State: Pio XI e Marconi

(June 17, 2017)

Whee. There’s only . It’s hellishly basic. Pio XI e Marconi. A. Nonymous. 1933. Vatican State. Bellini 2 parts Prosecco 1 part fresh peach purée Chill a Champagne flute and add the purée. Pour the Processo over the purée. This post is part of the World of Films and Cocktails series. Explore the map.

WFC Guyana: Exploration Guyana

(June 17, 2017)

Another Youtube documentary. Perhaps I should say something about my methodology for finding films from these smaller countries. First I check Istanbulfilms, because they have an impressive list of interesting films. But the only film they listed from Guyana wasn’t available anywhere, not even Amazon Video. So then I google for “best films from Guyana”, … Continue reading WFC Guyana: Exploration Guyana

My New Fashion Designer Blog x Useful Consumer Review

(June 16, 2017)

I’ve been trying to use an Android device as my “lug around the apt. while doing stuff” device, but it’s just not good enough. None of the apps for sshfs file browsing or video watching are beyond the “well, it kinda works” level. The ssh times out and doesn’t come back again until you do … Continue reading My New Fashion Designer Blog x Useful Consumer Review

WFC Grenada: Blinded

(June 16, 2017)

This one can be found here and then and then and then the last part is missing! It’s a no-budget shortish film, but I didn’t realise that the last 20 minutes wasn’t available yet. Oops! It’s told in flashback form after something disasterous has happened, and then we learn… what. But (I’m always sorry to … Continue reading WFC Grenada: Blinded

WFC Equatorial Guinea: El proyecto del mono dril

(June 16, 2017)

And we’re back to Youtube this weekend. This is a documentary about an island off the coast near the equator, and in particular about the drill monkey, which I hadn’t heard of before. (And they’re endagered, of course.) It’s a very pretty and quite traditional nature film, except at the end where it’s all about … Continue reading WFC Equatorial Guinea: El proyecto del mono dril

Face Your Problems

(June 13, 2017)

I maintain a web site (and a gaggle of apps) that scrape event lists of all the clubs and concert venues in Oslo.  The other day, I was told that it missed a bob hund concert and I was all whaaa? It turned out that the reason was that Facebook is now blocking all non-logged-in … Continue reading Face Your Problems

New Music

(June 11, 2017)

Music I’ve bought this month.

WFC Burundi: Journal d’un coopérant

(June 10, 2017)

Like the previous film in this series, it’s a fake documentary set in Africa. But other than that, it’s nothing like that one. This one is very French-ey, and totally riveting at first. It’s not clear what the plot of the film is going to be about, and everything seems strange (from the “home-brewed” editing … Continue reading WFC Burundi: Journal d’un coopérant

WFC Gabon: Sick Birds Die Easy

(June 10, 2017)

Oops. This film isn’t really Gabonese. It’s an American… er… documentary? about some druggies going to Gabon to do some ibogaine (a hallucinogen). Or is it? It starts off pretty convincingly as a documentary, and then it goes all Blair Witch. Those bits are really entertaining (and seem extremely scripted), but then it… kinda peters … Continue reading WFC Gabon: Sick Birds Die Easy

WFC Eritrea: ትዕግስቲ

(June 9, 2017)

Another Amazon exclusive. This film has a quite original plot, but unfortunately it’s just not very good. Tigisti. Daniel Tesfamariam. 2012. Eritrea. Tej Cocktail 2 parts homemade tej 2 parts dark rum 1 part lime juice club soda Shake vigorously with ice and strain into a glass. Top off with club soda and garnish with … Continue reading WFC Eritrea: ትዕግስቲ

BD Junk

(June 5, 2017)

Some months back I got a new record player, and this prodded me into finally re-sampling my old records (that I had originally converted to MP3 back in 1997-ish) so that I could have better-sounding old records. And in FLAC. IT MAKES SENSE!!!1! A lot of the old vinyl are 7″ singles and 12″ EPs, … Continue reading BD Junk

WFC Nepal: Himalaya – l’enfance d’un chef

(June 3, 2017)

This is a very pretty film, but it’s kitch. And I see now that the director is French, which makes sense, because it’s in the tradition of Jean Auel: So much melodrama. In every scene where the wide-eyed perfectly tousled-haired children appear I can’t help imagining a crack squad of French hairdressers standing just outside … Continue reading WFC Nepal: Himalaya – l’enfance d’un chef

WFC Monaco: Kleinhoff Hotell

(June 3, 2017)

This DVD was letterboxed, so the resolution is pretty pathetic. And the transfer from the film isn’t wobbly: The sound goes warbly all the time. So not the best viewing experience. This is a good old-fashioned erotic thriller. Like they used to make in the 70s. Lots of intrigue and voyeurism and great hair-dos. I … Continue reading WFC Monaco: Kleinhoff Hotell

WFC Nicaragua: La Yuma

(June 2, 2017)

What a charming film. I love the actors (especially La Yuma herself), but it’s all so … surprising. Everything just gels, and you get a very entertaining film. It’s a feelgood comedy from the barrios. La Yuma. Florence Jaugey. 2009. Nicaragua. The Macuá 1 part lemon juice 2 parts guava juice 3 parts Flor de … Continue reading WFC Nicaragua: La Yuma

WFC Saint Lucia: Soucouyant

(June 2, 2017)

Another Youtube short. It’s a horror movie shot in a single location with a single actor (who is rather good, I think). It’s interesting (especially in the editing) and it’s more than a bit scary. But just when you think the movie is going to, like, start, it ends. This should have been much longer. … Continue reading WFC Saint Lucia: Soucouyant