WFC Seychelles: The Return of a King to Seychelles

This documentary starts with a very fast-paced infodump of the history of the Seychelles and being part of an African empire and… I’m not sure I got it all. It’s very dense and the voiceover guy talks fast.

And then we’re in present time and … a king … from… Ghana? (again, he talks fast) visits Seychelles. And… it’s… numerologically advantageous?

In short: This is a very confusing documentary. The bulk of the film we just follow the new king around while he’s visiting churches and being interviewed.

The Return of a King to Seychelles. Ivor Agyeman-Duah. 2015. Seychelles.

Seychelles

  • 2 parts Creme de menthe
  • 2 parts gin
  • 1 part lime juice
  • 1 part simple syrup

Put crushed ice in a champagne flute. Add all the ingredients. Garnish with a lemon wedge and cherries.

This post is part of the World of Films and Cocktails series. Explore the map.

Compact Video Data

I’m thinking about watching a buttload of older films… perhaps all from the 40s? I’m not sure. In any case, I’ve started poking around to see what’s available, and I stumbled onto a 50 musicals box set for $7 (used), which made me so curious I just had to get it.

And it arrived today:

It’s about as thick as two normal DVD covers…

Inside are 12 cardboard envelopes that have two DVDs each.

And these DVDs are of the seldom-seen double-sided type: You play one side, then flip them over and then play the other side. I don’t think the concept proved very popular, because I think this is like the second time in my life I’ve seen disks like this.

So what’s the content like? These are single layer DVDs, so there’s only 4.7GB available on each side. Since there are two to three films on each side, they’ve compressed each film down to under 2GB, which means that they’re sometimes a bit on the artifacty side.

And the transfers they’ve sourced these DVDs from? Oy vey. A couple look like they’ve been imported via VHS, but most of the ones I’ve sampled look better than that.  However, they are completely unrestored. Very scratchy and noisy and sometimes blurry.

Oh well. What can you expect from something this cheap? The films themselves are mostly very obscure, which makes me excited to watch them at some point…

WFC Sudan: Beats of the Antonov

I acquired this documentary via non-traditional means. You’d think this would be the kind of thing that Amazon Video or Netflix would carry, but no…

Anyway, this is about the current Sudanese civil war, which is mainly between the northerners (who totally suck) and the Blue Nile (and Nuba) people in the south (who are totally awesome and cool). I’m just summarising the insights I’ve had from this film.

I mean, this may well be true, but… it’s so one-sided that it’s not very effective propaganda.

So while it’s perhaps dubious factually (or not; I have absolutely no idea), it’s a well-made documentary otherwise. Lots of great music and dancing, interesting cinematography, snappy editing and engaging interview subjects.

Beats of the Antonov. Hajooj Kuka. 2014. Sudan.

Karkade Tequila

  • 1 part sugar
  • 1 part lime juice
  • 2 parts tequila
  • 5 parts hibiscus flower tea
  • a few dashes of habanero sauce

Make the hibiscus tea and chill. Pour all the ingredients into a glass with ice and stir.

This post is part of the World of Films and Cocktails series. Explore the map.

WFC Madagascar: Tabataba

I just can’t figure out what the correct aspect ratio of this film is supposed to be. By default, it plays as a 4:3 film, and everybody looks too skinny and kinda squashed. If I go to 16:9, everybody looks a bit on the wide side. So probably somewhere in between is the right answer…

Anyway! This is another one of those films that’s all about the birth of the nation in question. But unlike virtually all of these films, it keeps the scope small and concentrates on a few people in one specific small village, and shows us the story through their eyes.

It works! It’s interesting and it’s moving and it’s original.

Most of the actors are pretty wooden, though.

Tabataba. Raymond Rajaonarivelo. 1988. Madagascar.

Madagascar Margarita

  • 1 part vanilla liqueur
  • 3 parts tequila
  • jalapeño peppers
  • a dash of agave nectar

Muddle the peppers in a mixing glass. Add the other ingredients and shake with ice. Strain into a glass and garnish with a jalapeño and a lemon wheel.

I think I over-muddled the jalapeño, because that’s very… strong. I have a feeling that chili fans would really love this, because it’s very tasty. Once you get over the burning sensation. I might re-make this with one tenth of the chili I used here.

This post is part of the World of Films and Cocktails series. Explore the map.

WFC Namibia: Namibia: The Struggle for Liberation

What they were aiming for with this film is crystal clear: A heaving, empathetic nation building film. And it has one thing going for it, and that’s the beautiful shots from the Savannah.

But it’s intensely boring: Every scene a cliché of one kind or another. None of the actors are compelling, either. And while it aims for epicness, so many scenes are so small and dull.

And it just goes on forever and ever and ever.

Namibia: The Struggle for Liberation. Charles Burnett. 2007. Namibia.

Amarula Brown Elephant

  • 1 part Amarula cream
  • 1 part milk
  • 1 part Coca Cola

Shake milk and Amarula vigorously. Strain into an ice-filled glass, add the Coke, and stir lightly.

This post is part of the World of Films and Cocktails series. Explore the map.