Magnus

Movie from Estonia, that I'm not going to rate. A young man, who never
experienced any love from his horrible (devorced) parents. After his
so manyth attempt of suicide Magnus is going to live with his rich
drug addicted father. It's all filmed in depressing yellow, that makes
all even worse.
The film is mostly disturbing.

A queen's birthday

Last night after my last movie I tried to find my friends Elly and Jaap, who so generously let me stay in their house during the IFFR year after year. Thank you so much guys!!! While I was searching them, I ran into Bauke and Eric-Jan (two guys I know through Elly, though Bauke seemed to be a former colleage of me from Delta/Bouman). They told me that my friends were both sick at home (eaten something wrong). I had to sit with them for some beers. While we were sitting under a poster of the movie Men's Group we were having our own men's group session. Eric-Jan was talking very openly about his relationship with his wife, Bauke talked about his deceased partner John. They wanted to know about the end of my relationship with Erik. We discussed the differences between gay and straight men. We talked about sex, attraction, falling in (and out) of love, love itself, bringing sacrifices in your relationship, the meaning of friendship, fidelity and much more.
When I finally came home Elly was still waiting for me to congratulate me with my birthday and give me a present. How sweet I'd that? Too bad that we didn't have time for the champagne, but we'll do that tonight.
This morning started out stormy. I wonder how I will be able to bike to my first movie without being blown from the bridge. It was nice to find a lot of messages on my phone (e-mail, SMS and voice mails).
Thank you guys!!!

It's Hard to Be Nice

This film from Bosnia Herzegovina is set in Sarajevo. It's about Fudo,
a cab driver, who a small crook as well. When he decides to be a good
guy and when he wants to stop his small criminal activities he's
haunted by his past. The film has a lot of funny elements though it's
certainly not a comedy. Rating: 7-8

Avant que j'oublie

Before I Forget is the last part of the trilogy of Jacques Nolot about
the life of an older gay man in Paris. (La chatte à deux têtes, a
film that Hensen gave me is an other title from the trilogy).
I'm not sure if I can call this movie depressing or hopeful. The film
is disturbing in a way. It just gave me a lot to digest and I'm still
not through with it, even though I saw the movie two days ago already.
No rating.

Out of Coverage

Syrian movie about a man who works three jobs to support his own
family and the family of his best friend who happens to be in prison.
At one point he seems to be in love with both women, his own wife and
the wife of his friend. In the end he looses all.
Shocking in the movie is the women behave like princesses: always
demanding and always fitting on everything.
The movie was funny in a way, but not as funny as I had expected,
therefor my rating is only a 7.

IFFR info

A friend asked me about some background information on the International Film Festival Rotterdam. The festival is the biggest single event in The Netherlands. The films in the program are mainly new films that were made in 2007 or even in 2008. The program consists of several hundred films. It is impossible to see them all. My highest score once was 60 long films (I don't count the shorts).
Some of the films have a Dutch distributor when they are screened here. They usually come in roulation right after the festival. Others don't have a distributor yet and other won't find one either. Documentaries usually belong to the last category, that's why I like to choose them here at the IFFR.

Meine Mütter - Spurensuche in Riga

In his latest film Rosa von Praunheim is searching for tracks of his biological mother in Riga, Latvia. Just before Gertrud, the woman Rosa considers to be his mother, dies she tells him that he was adopted when he was a baby. The filmmaker starts a quest to find his own roots. In a documentary style the movie has to touch subjects as the german occupation of Latvia and the genocide of 97% of the latvian Jews. Above all he never looses his respect for Gertrud.
The film earns a rating of 10 out of 10, but that might not be very objective since I am a fan of the work of Von Praunheim.

Men's Group

Authentic and realistic film about an Australian counselling group of
only men. As a former counseller of different men's groups in The
Netherlands it was an interesting movie for me. Interesting was also
the making of tv movie, because the actors didn't know how their
characters would develop. They got global instructions before every
scene and they had to improvise the scene. Rating: 9.

Estômago - A Gastronomic Story

Rating: 9 for this wonderful film from Brazil. A movie about my favorite subject: food and it's preparing. Those ingredients mixed with a crime passionelle make the plot of this movie.

The Last Lear

Indian movie about a famous actor who used to play Shakespear and is
asked to play a leading role in a bollywood movie now. The film has a
deeper layer about trust and friendship.
My rating is a 6 out of 10 mostly because of the bad English and the
lek of subtitles.

Trumbo

The second documentary for today. This one is about the American screenwriter Dalton Trumbo who was imprisoned and blacklisted after being heard by the House Un-American Activities Committee. He was one of the "famous" Hollywood Ten that were suspected of having communist
sympathies. Any similarities with the US of today is not intended?
Rating: 9

Dagen Zonder Lief

Belgian movie about the meaning of friendship and relationship. The former friends are 30something. If they have a relationship they are in deep crisis: jealous, unsatisfied or with a history. They are all in search of something they won't find.
According to the director of the movie this is very typical for his generation. A generation that can't be children any more, but that doesn't want the responsibility of grown ups either.
Personally the film seems to be the story of my life. Especially when I think of my last relationship with Erik and how of ended.
My rating is a 8.

La France

Let me start with the rating: not more then a 3. A film about the WW1.
In 1917 Camille gets a letter from her husband telling her not to
write him any more and that she won't see him any more. Dressed as a
man she's determined to find him. On her journey to the front she gets
involved with a group of deserters.
What sounds like an interesting plot was worked out very surrealistic
and unbelievably (like singing the same song on improvised instruments
in orchestra quality on several times in the movie).

Paranoid Park

Was it an accident, was it murder? A dead body is found on the railroad tracks near a skate park. The film unrolls the story in flashbacks and forwards seen from the perspective of Alex, one of the
skaters. What seems chaotic in the beginning all makes sense in the end. Interesting and surprising movie: rating: 9 out of 10.

Biutiful Cauntri

Documentary about the eco-maffia in Campania, an Italian region. A
movie with a message, an inconvenient truth for authorities in Italy.
Interesting film and an even more interesting discussion with the
makers after the screening.

Mythia

Gangster movie from India, where one of the bad guys is replaced by an
actor (who is also forced to do it). The family of the gangster/actor
doesn't notice at first and when they finally do a big slaughter
starts. All comes with a love story.
The movie isn't very good, but not boring either.

IFFR

I made it to Rotterdam more then in time after a relaxed Sunday. Here I found Elly who gave me the key of there house. I got my tickets without having to wait. So it seems everything went right
until now.

Test

Een test om te kijken of ik vanaf het filmfestival straks weer kan
bloggen.

Verstuurd vanaf mijn iPod

37th IFFR

It's the time of the year again. Others go and celebrate Carnival, but for me it's time to go to Rotterdam to attend the International Film Festival (IFFR). This weekend I was very busy to make my own personal program for the festival. As usually I found it difficult to start with, but in the end I'm very happy and satisfied when I managed the problem again.
This year my program isn't as "dense" as it used to be in former years. I will start later (on Sunday the 27th January instead of the 23rd), and I skipped all the movies that seem "doubtful" after reading their synopsis. The result is that I have some "holes" in my program, but I will fill them with shopping and coffee, LOL.

Here's what I'm going to see:

Avant que j'oublie

Biùtiful cauntri

Dagen zonder lief

Estômago - A Gastronomic Story

Hidden Faces

Import Export

It's Hard to Be Nice

L' ora di punta

La France

Le tueur

Let the Right One in

Magnus

Margot at the Wedding

Meine Mütter - Spurensuche in Riga

Men's Group

Mithya

No Country for Old Men

Out of Coverage

Paranoid Park

Rail Road Crossing

Recycle

Redacted

Stellet licht

The King of Ping Pong

The Last Lear

Trumbo

Sick

Last week I couldn't go to work because I was too sick. I didn't even attend my Italian lesson and that means a lot. Wednesday I went to the doctor. He gave me codeine against the coughing. I took the pills, but didn't really read the leaflet or what was standing on the package. So I didn't notice the yellow sticker on it as well.
In the evening I cooked a risotto and thought I should have a glass of the wine that I had used for cooking. Man, I could not understand what was happening: after just one glass of wine I was DRUNK.
The next day I understood. You shouldn't drink alcohol while using codeine. Or maybe you should, if you look for an easy way to get drunk.

Het tuinpad van mijn vader

Toen ‘k langs het tuinpad van mijn vader
De hoge bomen nog zag staan
Was ik een kind. Hoe kon ik weten
Dat dat voorgoed voorbij zou gaan
[W. Sonneveld]

The father of Elly, a friend of mine from Rotterdam, died last Sunday. And though I was sick at home the whole week, I wanted to attend the cremation in Den Bosch to support my friend. When I came there I didn't seem to be the only only one who hag the same thought. A dozen of friends I also know by face and small talk had shown up to support her.
Elly was very brave, I thought. She was able to speak at the ceremony about her memories about her father. It was very touching (because it reminded me of so many things of my own live: my dead father, my youth, his funeral (and others), and death in general).
Apparently you can get 87 years old and even then it is much too early to cross the river Styx.

"Love is a taxi ...

... if you need it you won't find it, but if you're not looking for it, you will see it everywhere."

Those wise words came out of my friend Harry, this evening when he was calling me.

I'm not feeling very well today, but it's not about love, it's just about feeling sick. I caught a bad cold or a flu or something. I had a horrible night and I am broken now.

Being home gave me the chance to finally watch the last episode of Desperate Housewives, and yes, Pino is right. It is full of wonderful lines. What to think about this one of my most hated character - Susan Meyer:

"...well I thought about the huge age difference. ... But hell you are right, Walter. Life is short, and it's certainly shorter for you Walter. You should crab love wherever you find it. Who cares if your friends think that you are paying for it?"

Shawn Pyfrom (Andrew)

Other things...

There's more that happened in the last weeks:

• New Years Reception of the city of Zwolle with a real show in the new theater.
  
• My friend Willy from Germany was there for support when I needed him (thanks Willy!).
  
• I started dating again. I dated a very nice guy last Wednesday and we repeated the date yesterday. We'll see where this is leading to (I decided to take things slowly).
  
• Italian lessons started again after the vacation and I should do my homework, but I'm not in the mood for it.
• Desperate housewives started again as well and there's an episode waiting for me to be watched.
  
• I had massive problems with my internet connection and I replaced the modem.
  
• I bought a new mp3 player and I like it very much.
  
• Work was dull between Christmas and the first weekend of January, but it's getting quite (too) busy again.
  
• This weekend I enjoyed a quiet time at home (doing laundry from the last 3 weeks).
  

Paris 2

I see that I am way behind schedule on my blog. Well how did the Paris adventure end?
Saturday was a wonderful sunny day. I started with an extended hike over Montmartre. It wasn't very touristy until I reached the Place du Tertre (the square of the artists and Sacre Coeur). I couldn't resist the temptation to go into the church. That was a big mistake. Because it was so busy I got really shoved through the church. Once I was outside I took the stairs (Amelie-like) down to the city again.
I bought a Paris Visite card (for two days of unlimited use of the public transport system) and went to Galeries Lafayette to see the glass roof of the department store and I must say that it was really impressive. Next stop was the Île de la Cité. I thought I had to see the Notre Dame but when I came there people were cuing to go in to the cathedral. So instead of going in there I went over to the quiet Île St. Louis, where I bought some chocolates for my friend Pino at Cacao et Chocolat and some marrons glacés for me. (So Pino, now we have to make an appointment to exchange the chocolates :-) )
From the it was only a short walk to the Institut du Monde Arabe. In the yard of the museum I took pictures and visited an exhibition about Qatar. In the museum I saw the "La Méditerranée des Phéniciens" (an exhibition about the Phoenicians). The artifacts were interesting but the whole exhibition was in French, so I didn't understand much of it.
After the exhibition I went did some shopping, went back to the hotel and went out to the Bear's Den to grab a beer.
On Sunday I tried to go to the big FNAC at Forum les Halles, but it was closed. So I went over to the Centre Pompidou. By accident I was there at the first Sunday of the month and the admission was free. Their collection is really fantastic (Picasso, Kandinsky, Klee, Chagall, Matisse but also Alessi and Starck). I spent the better part of the day in the museum and was really pooped when I came out of it.
Next day I had my breakfast in the Thalys and enjoyed a movie on my small DVD-player I had taken with me. I saw "Crash" and I must say that it was an unexpectedly interesting movie.

Paris 1

Did you know you CAN actually use Word mobile on a Thalys train? The shock absorbers on this train really do allow me to hit my 5x5 mm buttons on my cellphone.

I'm on my way to Paris and must say that the 1st class service is formidable. The waiter (Abdel) is cute and gave me besides lots of drinks and snacks a big eye. Like in a plane they serve free food and (even alcoholic) beverages. Actually the food is even much better then on a plane.

After the hassle of the reservation I must admit that I like to travel with high speed.

Oh by the way, once the train reaches his normal cruising speed of 300 km/h (nearly 200 m/h) between Brussels and Paris, it's a bit more difficult to hit the right buttons on the keyboard.

I just walked from Gare du Nord to the hotel. The hotel is cheap and bad, but for sleeping it'll be all right.

Crappy New Year!

The new year started as bad as the old year ended. Yesterday my friend Aldo called me from Paris that his aunt had died that night. He will not be able to have me in Paris next weekend.
Unfortunately a Thalys ticket with a "smiley price" is non refundable and non changeable even if it is a first class ticket. I now have two choices:

• 1: not to use the ticket and take my loss (€ 120,-), or
• 2: invest some more money for a hotel and go anyway.
  

I think I will choose for the last option.