it was requested that we list what films we were going to. following is what we have tickets for (so far...)
Wed Oct 1
1:00pm -- Save the Green Planet (GR7)
BJ only.
Thur Oct 2
9:30pm -- The Station Agent (VOG)
Winner of the Audience Prize at Sundance this year.
Fri Oct 3
9:30pm -- Jagoda in the Supermarket (RID)
Sun Oct 5
2:00pm -- Nothing (GR4)
By the guy who did CUBE.
10:00pm -- A Tale of Two Sisters (GR1)
May be preceded by a screening at The Den Of Sin (but not Gozu as initially anticipated, it's still on it's way from Kelowna)
Tue Oct 7
9:45pm -- Hitting Zero
Requisite Canadian Shorts program. Movie night will be an A program only. Details to follow.
Monday, September 29, 2003
Tech Help. Corinne Speaking.
My mother and I spent about 15 minutes manouevering over the phone how to FIND and COPY a file from one person's computer to another.
FIFTEEN MINUTES.
This may sound like a simple task, but mom doesn't understand the basics of "right click" and "drag". Plus there are no visuals to help her, it's just "Do you see this?" If yes, next step, if no, go back one step and do it again. Repeat ad nausium.
(make that half an hour... she's called back).
Now her A Drive doesn't seem to work.
FIFTEEN MINUTES.
This may sound like a simple task, but mom doesn't understand the basics of "right click" and "drag". Plus there are no visuals to help her, it's just "Do you see this?" If yes, next step, if no, go back one step and do it again. Repeat ad nausium.
(make that half an hour... she's called back).
Now her A Drive doesn't seem to work.
Sunday, September 28, 2003
GOZU (first VIFF review, Dir. Takashi Miike, Scr. Sakichi Sato)
GOZU (or Cow Head)
"A friend in need is a friend indeed."
Despite being ditched by the "group" of bloggers that planned to catch this matinee on Saturday, I bussed it down to Granville 7 and lined up behind 70 people to get in and find out what makes this Yakuza ghost story a nominee for the most popular foreign film in the festival (read: it was a BIG hit at Toronto). From the director and screenwriter of Ichi the Killer, comes a Japanese version of U-turn, only far more bizarre and twisted than the depths of Oliver Stone's imagination.
I was relieved that this one wasn't a gorefest, I'm far more interested in Takashi's sharp characters and senseless plots that paint a very surreal and depraived portrait of yakuza life. This one involves a yakuza henchman, Ozaki (Sho Aikawa), who becomes mentally unstable with paranoia, to the point of accusing everyone and everything of being part of an assassination attempt on him or his superiors. As a result, the boss selects Minami (Hideki Stone) to dispose of him at a junkyard in Nagoya. However, things go horribly wrong when Minami believes that Ozaki has been accidently killed in a mishap enroute to the city, but finds the body missing after visiting a rather bizarre coffee house. Hence begins the epic search...
"It was much hotter yesterday, you're crazy! It was T-shirt weather, ask anybody."
Takashi invites you to immerse your senses in a surreal journey through a side of Nagoya that Jon never mentioned to me on his trip there in 1998. He has a definite love for the juxtaposition of beauty and disgust, as he lulls you with the former and sneaks up on you with the latter. He also tantalizes the senses with all forms of liquid (a British interviewer commented on Takashi's films making him extremely thirsty), despite lacking the gallons of blood that Ichi bombarded audiences with. Needless to say I have no further interest in drinking milk and may never look at another ladle the same way again...but I do want to find a shirt like the woman's brother's at the hotel.
Anyhow I recommend it, it was fun to view it alone and completely immerse myself in the mindset of Takashi Miike, but don't get too comfortable. I don't think Coquitlam is too far off from Nagoya though, yet again I see two 12 year old kids in the pool playing a game where one of them pretends to be a seal while the other one clubs him with a tennis ball, after which the seal screams "PARAMEDIC!" then they switch roles and repeat...this lasts three hours.
-Duke
***1/2
"A friend in need is a friend indeed."
Despite being ditched by the "group" of bloggers that planned to catch this matinee on Saturday, I bussed it down to Granville 7 and lined up behind 70 people to get in and find out what makes this Yakuza ghost story a nominee for the most popular foreign film in the festival (read: it was a BIG hit at Toronto). From the director and screenwriter of Ichi the Killer, comes a Japanese version of U-turn, only far more bizarre and twisted than the depths of Oliver Stone's imagination.
I was relieved that this one wasn't a gorefest, I'm far more interested in Takashi's sharp characters and senseless plots that paint a very surreal and depraived portrait of yakuza life. This one involves a yakuza henchman, Ozaki (Sho Aikawa), who becomes mentally unstable with paranoia, to the point of accusing everyone and everything of being part of an assassination attempt on him or his superiors. As a result, the boss selects Minami (Hideki Stone) to dispose of him at a junkyard in Nagoya. However, things go horribly wrong when Minami believes that Ozaki has been accidently killed in a mishap enroute to the city, but finds the body missing after visiting a rather bizarre coffee house. Hence begins the epic search...
"It was much hotter yesterday, you're crazy! It was T-shirt weather, ask anybody."
Takashi invites you to immerse your senses in a surreal journey through a side of Nagoya that Jon never mentioned to me on his trip there in 1998. He has a definite love for the juxtaposition of beauty and disgust, as he lulls you with the former and sneaks up on you with the latter. He also tantalizes the senses with all forms of liquid (a British interviewer commented on Takashi's films making him extremely thirsty), despite lacking the gallons of blood that Ichi bombarded audiences with. Needless to say I have no further interest in drinking milk and may never look at another ladle the same way again...but I do want to find a shirt like the woman's brother's at the hotel.
Anyhow I recommend it, it was fun to view it alone and completely immerse myself in the mindset of Takashi Miike, but don't get too comfortable. I don't think Coquitlam is too far off from Nagoya though, yet again I see two 12 year old kids in the pool playing a game where one of them pretends to be a seal while the other one clubs him with a tennis ball, after which the seal screams "PARAMEDIC!" then they switch roles and repeat...this lasts three hours.
-Duke
***1/2
Friday, September 26, 2003
Manitoba
Manitoba w/ Guests
Richards on Richards. Sept 26th, 2003
Andrew bought me a ticket for this show nearly two months ago, and I was kind of regreting having got him to pick it up for me. I'm a broke student now, I can't afford to go see some nerdy, glitchy electronica act anymore. But I decided to go anyways. Corinne had a film festival show to go to (I'm sure you will read all about it soon) so I sold her ticket to my friend Dave from school. I wasn't really expecting too much, until I listened to their CD again earlier the day of, and it brought back how much I really like them. Excitement slowly built.
I got to the show earlier than everyone else I knew, and in fact earlier than when they opened the doors. So I temporarily vistited A&B Sound Seymour, where I ran into my old friend Ryan. It was good to see him again, and its refreshing to see that he hasn't changed at all. We listened to the new Outkast at the listeing post and I wasn't impressed. It was only 16 bux so he bought it anyway. With that, I headed back to the show.
I got there as the doors opened, and soon ran into Dave. Soon afterwards, other Dave, Mike (who was dressed in a swank purple velour jacket), Andrew, and Bianca all showed up.
The opening artist was a lot of fun. (Apparently he also performs as Prefuse 73). He played glitchy, but danceable tracks with a set of pedals, drum machines, and a laptop from 1982 (or earlier). There was a nice variation of beats, and very distinct start/stops in between songs. The last track he played had super gangsta rap played over top of it, which while funny, was a little silly. (It had lines like "My bitch talks back, and I smack her in the mouth.") He played a short set, sadly, but looked like he had lot of fun. NOt enough people hit the dance floor.
Manitoba took the stage in matching red hoodies and bear masks. There were two drum kits, multiple guitars, synths, a glockenshpeil, a few mouth-keyboards, a recorder and a bunch of other stuff or them to play. I had expected a few laptops, and a nerd, instead I got a full fledged three man rock outfit. And they sure rocked. The two drummers were both really quite good, and they played off of each other really well, creating a majestic wall of beats and noise. They played a few recognizable tracks from the album, but live come off as more intense and full. My only complaint musically was that the vocals were all recorded, and some of the music seemed to be as well, but I guess there's only so much you can perform at a time. One of the best shows I have seen in the last while (and it has some stiff competition in Radiohead, and Hella). Random comments from friends:
"I feel like I just had really great sex."
"Its been so long since a band got me to rock out that hard, I think I had an orgasm!"
"Dude, I can't stop grinning like an idiot! Ahhhhhh!"
""
My other complaint about the show was the lack of dancing, and the expensive drinks (Strip club prices, therby preventing drunkeness, bastards!). Everyone who didn' go missed out on a wicked show, but should definetely check out the CD "Up in Flames."
Richards on Richards. Sept 26th, 2003
Andrew bought me a ticket for this show nearly two months ago, and I was kind of regreting having got him to pick it up for me. I'm a broke student now, I can't afford to go see some nerdy, glitchy electronica act anymore. But I decided to go anyways. Corinne had a film festival show to go to (I'm sure you will read all about it soon) so I sold her ticket to my friend Dave from school. I wasn't really expecting too much, until I listened to their CD again earlier the day of, and it brought back how much I really like them. Excitement slowly built.
I got to the show earlier than everyone else I knew, and in fact earlier than when they opened the doors. So I temporarily vistited A&B Sound Seymour, where I ran into my old friend Ryan. It was good to see him again, and its refreshing to see that he hasn't changed at all. We listened to the new Outkast at the listeing post and I wasn't impressed. It was only 16 bux so he bought it anyway. With that, I headed back to the show.
I got there as the doors opened, and soon ran into Dave. Soon afterwards, other Dave, Mike (who was dressed in a swank purple velour jacket), Andrew, and Bianca all showed up.
The opening artist was a lot of fun. (Apparently he also performs as Prefuse 73). He played glitchy, but danceable tracks with a set of pedals, drum machines, and a laptop from 1982 (or earlier). There was a nice variation of beats, and very distinct start/stops in between songs. The last track he played had super gangsta rap played over top of it, which while funny, was a little silly. (It had lines like "My bitch talks back, and I smack her in the mouth.") He played a short set, sadly, but looked like he had lot of fun. NOt enough people hit the dance floor.
Manitoba took the stage in matching red hoodies and bear masks. There were two drum kits, multiple guitars, synths, a glockenshpeil, a few mouth-keyboards, a recorder and a bunch of other stuff or them to play. I had expected a few laptops, and a nerd, instead I got a full fledged three man rock outfit. And they sure rocked. The two drummers were both really quite good, and they played off of each other really well, creating a majestic wall of beats and noise. They played a few recognizable tracks from the album, but live come off as more intense and full. My only complaint musically was that the vocals were all recorded, and some of the music seemed to be as well, but I guess there's only so much you can perform at a time. One of the best shows I have seen in the last while (and it has some stiff competition in Radiohead, and Hella). Random comments from friends:
"I feel like I just had really great sex."
"Its been so long since a band got me to rock out that hard, I think I had an orgasm!"
"Dude, I can't stop grinning like an idiot! Ahhhhhh!"
"
My other complaint about the show was the lack of dancing, and the expensive drinks (Strip club prices, therby preventing drunkeness, bastards!). Everyone who didn' go missed out on a wicked show, but should definetely check out the CD "Up in Flames."
Thursday, September 25, 2003
Corinne User FAQs
1. What have you been up to?
Everything I shouldn't, nothing I'm supposed to. This will include activities such as trying to beat Zelda/Windwaker, playing Zelda/Windwaker, and zoning out to Zelda/Windwaker. Activites on the wayside include, homework, housekeeping, and even eating. I am still attending class, and will soon be spending time at the movie theatres far too much. In the meanwhile, I anticipate more homework action to be taken by me (I am behind in all classes save one). I've also spent some time with my parents (they feed me), and written papers.
2. Wait. So you're playing a video game to the demise of you school life?
Yes. Let's move on.
3. Isn't that an addiction?
Possibly. Next question.
4. What movies are you definitely going to?
The Day My God Died on Friday evening
Gozu on Saturday afternoon
That's my only two guarantees. I'll be in other movies, escpecially ones that interest any of you.
Everything I shouldn't, nothing I'm supposed to. This will include activities such as trying to beat Zelda/Windwaker, playing Zelda/Windwaker, and zoning out to Zelda/Windwaker. Activites on the wayside include, homework, housekeeping, and even eating. I am still attending class, and will soon be spending time at the movie theatres far too much. In the meanwhile, I anticipate more homework action to be taken by me (I am behind in all classes save one). I've also spent some time with my parents (they feed me), and written papers.
2. Wait. So you're playing a video game to the demise of you school life?
Yes. Let's move on.
3. Isn't that an addiction?
Possibly. Next question.
4. What movies are you definitely going to?
The Day My God Died on Friday evening
Gozu on Saturday afternoon
That's my only two guarantees. I'll be in other movies, escpecially ones that interest any of you.
Tuesday, September 23, 2003
Ralphing Up a Design
This email inspires me to draw an anorexic girl 'ralphing'. Think I'll win the $5,000?
Monday, September 22, 2003
TUESDAY NIGHT MOVIES UPDATE!
Greetings,
After a long and arduous battle BJ and I finally managed to show that g-damned floor who was boss with the instilation of shiny new white vinyl. So, now that most of the crap is gone, and the black mold seems to be in remission, we proudly announce the return of Tuesday Night Movies!
Now, because last week was canceled we had to make some schedule adjustments, so following is the revised schedule for the next two weeks. We understand that the Film Fest is on, so if you have something better to do, good for you.
Sept 23/03 (tomorrow)
7pm: Run Ronnie Run
9pm: Fubar
Sept 30/03
7pm: Pootie Tang
9pm: Supertroopers
Since no one really seemed to care anyway, the Vincent Price double bill has been postponed indefinitely.
As always, if you can make it, let me know. If you can't, also let me know. We are considering the implementation of a pop fund since the Cube of Pepsi last time seems to have been such a hit, so if you have preferences or suggestions, let me know.
Hope to see at least some of you tomorrow.
~meeko
p.s. stay tunned for the All Monster October Schedule, comming soon...
p.p.s. we just got our film fest vouchers today so i'll post our film fest picks later this week
After a long and arduous battle BJ and I finally managed to show that g-damned floor who was boss with the instilation of shiny new white vinyl. So, now that most of the crap is gone, and the black mold seems to be in remission, we proudly announce the return of Tuesday Night Movies!
Now, because last week was canceled we had to make some schedule adjustments, so following is the revised schedule for the next two weeks. We understand that the Film Fest is on, so if you have something better to do, good for you.
Sept 23/03 (tomorrow)
7pm: Run Ronnie Run
9pm: Fubar
Sept 30/03
7pm: Pootie Tang
9pm: Supertroopers
Since no one really seemed to care anyway, the Vincent Price double bill has been postponed indefinitely.
As always, if you can make it, let me know. If you can't, also let me know. We are considering the implementation of a pop fund since the Cube of Pepsi last time seems to have been such a hit, so if you have preferences or suggestions, let me know.
Hope to see at least some of you tomorrow.
~meeko
p.s. stay tunned for the All Monster October Schedule, comming soon...
p.p.s. we just got our film fest vouchers today so i'll post our film fest picks later this week
Film Festival B-List for the Weekend of September 25 to 28.
The A-List is available here.
Thursday September 25, 9:15pm 1/2 The Rent
Computer hacker Peter (Stephan Kampwirth, charming) sees his world unravel in a hurry: he's about to get busted and his longtime girlfriend has just overdosed in the bathtub. In a daze, he bolts Berlin for Cologne, where he starts to "hack" into the lives of strangers by living in their apartments while they are away at work. Gradually, he begins to form a kind of bond with his "victims"-- among them a would-be screenwriter who, in one of the film's funniest scenes, Peter anonymously helps with his story structure; and the reticent, semi-depressed Paula (Doris Schretzmayer), a woman ripe for a change in her life. As Peter's unwitting landlords begin to realize that someone is occupying their apartments, they, too, begin to evince a curiosity about just who the heck is breaking in. Given that nothing is ever stolen--and, in fact, that their lives are sometimes enhanced by Peter's intrusions--they too start to feel a bond...
Friday September 26, 2:00pm If You Were Me
Portmanteau features are always mixed bags, of course, but this anthology of shorts by six leading Korean directors is more coherent than most--largely because it was made for the National Human Rights Commission, and so all but one of its episodes deals with a human rights issue.
Friday September 26, 3:00pm Last Life in the Universe
Pen-ek has followed the sardonic-but-sincere Monrak Transistor with an uneventful-but-gripping tale of the strangeness of our emotional bonds. It boasts Chris Doyle's best camerawork since Happy Together and has a pearl beyond price in Takashi Miike's cameo as a vengeful hitman from Osaka in shades and snakeskin suit. (Watch carefully and you might also glimpse Miike's frequent star Takeuchi Riki in a cameo, not to mention his Ichi the Killer and Gozu screenwriter Sato Sakichi.) The Thai title, punning on the names of the two sisters, means "Tiny Enormous Love Story." That says it all, really.
Friday September 26, 3:00pm My Flesh and Blood
The Tom family may be the most remarkable family you will ever see on screen. A divorced single mother, Susan Tom of Fairfield, California, has made mothering her career, choosing to raise 11 special needs children in additon to her three biological offspring. Tom notes: "I have no income... I have no retirement plan. I have no Social Security. I have no savings. I am their mom, and that's plenty." Three time Emmy award-winning television journalist Jonathan Karsh chronicles a year in the life of this unique family and the result is a riveting directorial debut that won the Audience Award for Best Documentary Feature and the Jury Award for Best Director of a Documentary at the 2003 Sundance Film Festival.
Friday September 26, 3:00pm Last Life in the Universe
Pen-ek has followed the sardonic-but-sincere Monrak Transistor with an uneventful-but-gripping tale of the strangeness of our emotional bonds. It boasts Chris Doyle's best camerawork since Happy Together and has a pearl beyond price in Takashi Miike's cameo as a vengeful hitman from Osaka in shades and snakeskin suit. (Watch carefully and you might also glimpse Miike's frequent star Takeuchi Riki in a cameo, not to mention his Ichi the Killer and Gozu screenwriter Sato Sakichi.) The Thai title, punning on the names of the two sisters, means "Tiny Enormous Love Story." That says it all, really.
Friday September 26, 3:00pm Love is not a Sin
Moon lives next door to her classmate and best friend Man-Man, and without quite understanding it begins to develop a girly crush on her. Her furtive surveillance of Man-Man's room at night leads her to suspect first that Man-Man has a secret boyfriend--and then that Man-Man is secretly a boy herself. Later, when Moon emigrates to study in Australia, a feeling she can't shake makes her call Man-Man. But the person who answers is a boy who claims to be Man-Man's long-lost brother. A kind-of romance blossoms via satellite, and Moon flies home to find out the truth...
Saturday September 27, 3:20pm 8 1 5
There's enough disparate material here to keep half a dozen indie features in business. Chugoku cuts from, say, a ciné-vérité sequence to psychodrama, or from a stage performance of sodomy to a video documentary about the sex industry. If you want central characters, let's go for the call-girl Daisy (she gets the strangest jobs in town, starting with a taciturn, impotent muscle-queen who wraps himself in the Japanese flag) and her gay driver Takeru (who suffers the fate of all too many gay men in a straight world). Nobody could call this ordered or even controlled, but a lot of it is very funny--and almost all of it is highly transgressive by the standards of Japan Inc. By the way, the lengthy film contains its own built-in intermission, lasting--you guessed it--exactly 8' 15".
An INTERMISSION!
Saturday September 27, 6:00pm Al-Jazeera Exclusive
The so-called "Second Gulf War" did nobody any real credit, but the BBC emerged with an enhanced reputation for fairness and objectivity, at least when compared with the US news-gathering teams. Only after the major assault on Saddam's Iraq ended was it revealed that the BBC went further than licensing images from the Qatar-based satellite station al-Jazeera to provide some sense of the Arabic perspective on events. The Corporation also sent producer Ben Anthony to the station to record the processes that brought al-Jazeera's coverage of the conflict to the screen. His film (made for the often distinguished BBC series Correspondent) offers a unique and extremely valuable insight into the Arabic view of the Coalition's invasion of Iraq.
Saturday September 27, 6:00pm The Handcuff King
My Life as a Dog Finnish-style, might be one way to describe The Handcuff King, a rare co-production between Finns and Swedes that shows tension and farcical humour in a border town... [The film] is set in the mid-70s in the dead of winter. Twelve-year-old Esko (Miika Enbuske) stands on the railroad bridge over a small river separating Finland and Sweden in the far north. He has a hood over his head and his hands handcuffed behind his back and he's ready to jump--all this despite, according to flashbacks, the miserable failure of the same Harry Houdini trick earlier that night... Other factors have led to this dire stand: his scrappy, long-suffering mother (Maija Junno), has finally left his ineffectual, drink-prone dad (Heikki Hela); his big brother (Arttu Kapulainen) fancies himself a rock star; and his almost mute, frequently incontinent grandfather (Sulevi Peltola) keeps wandering off...
Saturday September 27, 6:00pm Cop Fesitval
In this special one-off presentation, Mr. Shinozaki will introduce a selection of Cop Festival shorts, none of them ever seen outside Japan before. The final selection wasn't confirmed at press time, but it will comprise some ten or eleven films, each ten minutes (or less) in length. Some will be by such well-known directors as Kurosawa Kiyoshi or Aoyama Shinji.
Saturday September 27, 6:00pm Mutt Boy
This comedy is the latest, a father-son story with shaggy dog characteristics which explores the gap between parental expectations and filial achievements. Dad (Kim Gap-Su, last seen in KT) is a small-town police chief in Gyeongsang Province; his wife died when their only son Cheol-Min was still a boy. Cheol-Min (ex-fashion plate Jeong Woo-Seong, here demolishing the image he cultivated in his early hits) is a seemingly slow-witted loner-slacker, nicknamed "Mutt Boy" for his early attachment to a mongrel from the police pound. Worried that he hasn't bonded with his incipiently criminal son, dad "adopts" woman offender Jeong-Ae, hoping that her presence will civilize Cheol-Min. But the son goes his own way, fighting crime (in the shape of a corrupt businessman) while coming to terms with his inner macho. Often riotously funny (the climactic fight in a prison cell has to be seen to be believed), this puts character above plot and local flavour above spectacle. Great performances animate a cherishably idiosyncratic movie.
Saturday September 27, 6:00pm Wilbur Wants to Kill Himself
Beautifully scripted, the Glasgow-set tale centres on two brothers and a mousy but endearing single mother whose fortunes gravitate around an old bookshop and local hospital. The screenplay--which feels almost effortlessly plotted, even though what happens is extreme--is noteworthy for its stoic wit, to which the actors do complete justice. Jamie Sives' Wilbur is hostile and self-loathing but kind of lovable all the same.
SUNDAY ALL DAY (I'm not kidding)
Sunday September 28, 10:00am-8:43pm Tiexi District: West of the Tracks, Part 1, 2, and 3
This is normally a $21 series, but is ONLY $14! I am thinking I am alone in this adventure, but I get to call you guys wusses come Lord of the Rings all-day marathon.
Wang's monumental documentary is the pinnacle of China's independent underground, a vast, poetic study of the death-throes of three heavy industries (copper smelting, sheet-metal production, cable manufacture) in Shenyang, Northeast China. The area is much like any other post-industrial zone, but the fact that these blighted enterprises were supposed pillars of the Maoist economy gives it a special poignancy.
Thursday September 25, 9:15pm 1/2 The Rent
Computer hacker Peter (Stephan Kampwirth, charming) sees his world unravel in a hurry: he's about to get busted and his longtime girlfriend has just overdosed in the bathtub. In a daze, he bolts Berlin for Cologne, where he starts to "hack" into the lives of strangers by living in their apartments while they are away at work. Gradually, he begins to form a kind of bond with his "victims"-- among them a would-be screenwriter who, in one of the film's funniest scenes, Peter anonymously helps with his story structure; and the reticent, semi-depressed Paula (Doris Schretzmayer), a woman ripe for a change in her life. As Peter's unwitting landlords begin to realize that someone is occupying their apartments, they, too, begin to evince a curiosity about just who the heck is breaking in. Given that nothing is ever stolen--and, in fact, that their lives are sometimes enhanced by Peter's intrusions--they too start to feel a bond...
Friday September 26, 2:00pm If You Were Me
Portmanteau features are always mixed bags, of course, but this anthology of shorts by six leading Korean directors is more coherent than most--largely because it was made for the National Human Rights Commission, and so all but one of its episodes deals with a human rights issue.
Friday September 26, 3:00pm Last Life in the Universe
Pen-ek has followed the sardonic-but-sincere Monrak Transistor with an uneventful-but-gripping tale of the strangeness of our emotional bonds. It boasts Chris Doyle's best camerawork since Happy Together and has a pearl beyond price in Takashi Miike's cameo as a vengeful hitman from Osaka in shades and snakeskin suit. (Watch carefully and you might also glimpse Miike's frequent star Takeuchi Riki in a cameo, not to mention his Ichi the Killer and Gozu screenwriter Sato Sakichi.) The Thai title, punning on the names of the two sisters, means "Tiny Enormous Love Story." That says it all, really.
Friday September 26, 3:00pm My Flesh and Blood
The Tom family may be the most remarkable family you will ever see on screen. A divorced single mother, Susan Tom of Fairfield, California, has made mothering her career, choosing to raise 11 special needs children in additon to her three biological offspring. Tom notes: "I have no income... I have no retirement plan. I have no Social Security. I have no savings. I am their mom, and that's plenty." Three time Emmy award-winning television journalist Jonathan Karsh chronicles a year in the life of this unique family and the result is a riveting directorial debut that won the Audience Award for Best Documentary Feature and the Jury Award for Best Director of a Documentary at the 2003 Sundance Film Festival.
Friday September 26, 3:00pm Last Life in the Universe
Pen-ek has followed the sardonic-but-sincere Monrak Transistor with an uneventful-but-gripping tale of the strangeness of our emotional bonds. It boasts Chris Doyle's best camerawork since Happy Together and has a pearl beyond price in Takashi Miike's cameo as a vengeful hitman from Osaka in shades and snakeskin suit. (Watch carefully and you might also glimpse Miike's frequent star Takeuchi Riki in a cameo, not to mention his Ichi the Killer and Gozu screenwriter Sato Sakichi.) The Thai title, punning on the names of the two sisters, means "Tiny Enormous Love Story." That says it all, really.
Friday September 26, 3:00pm Love is not a Sin
Moon lives next door to her classmate and best friend Man-Man, and without quite understanding it begins to develop a girly crush on her. Her furtive surveillance of Man-Man's room at night leads her to suspect first that Man-Man has a secret boyfriend--and then that Man-Man is secretly a boy herself. Later, when Moon emigrates to study in Australia, a feeling she can't shake makes her call Man-Man. But the person who answers is a boy who claims to be Man-Man's long-lost brother. A kind-of romance blossoms via satellite, and Moon flies home to find out the truth...
Saturday September 27, 3:20pm 8 1 5
There's enough disparate material here to keep half a dozen indie features in business. Chugoku cuts from, say, a ciné-vérité sequence to psychodrama, or from a stage performance of sodomy to a video documentary about the sex industry. If you want central characters, let's go for the call-girl Daisy (she gets the strangest jobs in town, starting with a taciturn, impotent muscle-queen who wraps himself in the Japanese flag) and her gay driver Takeru (who suffers the fate of all too many gay men in a straight world). Nobody could call this ordered or even controlled, but a lot of it is very funny--and almost all of it is highly transgressive by the standards of Japan Inc. By the way, the lengthy film contains its own built-in intermission, lasting--you guessed it--exactly 8' 15".
An INTERMISSION!
Saturday September 27, 6:00pm Al-Jazeera Exclusive
The so-called "Second Gulf War" did nobody any real credit, but the BBC emerged with an enhanced reputation for fairness and objectivity, at least when compared with the US news-gathering teams. Only after the major assault on Saddam's Iraq ended was it revealed that the BBC went further than licensing images from the Qatar-based satellite station al-Jazeera to provide some sense of the Arabic perspective on events. The Corporation also sent producer Ben Anthony to the station to record the processes that brought al-Jazeera's coverage of the conflict to the screen. His film (made for the often distinguished BBC series Correspondent) offers a unique and extremely valuable insight into the Arabic view of the Coalition's invasion of Iraq.
Saturday September 27, 6:00pm The Handcuff King
My Life as a Dog Finnish-style, might be one way to describe The Handcuff King, a rare co-production between Finns and Swedes that shows tension and farcical humour in a border town... [The film] is set in the mid-70s in the dead of winter. Twelve-year-old Esko (Miika Enbuske) stands on the railroad bridge over a small river separating Finland and Sweden in the far north. He has a hood over his head and his hands handcuffed behind his back and he's ready to jump--all this despite, according to flashbacks, the miserable failure of the same Harry Houdini trick earlier that night... Other factors have led to this dire stand: his scrappy, long-suffering mother (Maija Junno), has finally left his ineffectual, drink-prone dad (Heikki Hela); his big brother (Arttu Kapulainen) fancies himself a rock star; and his almost mute, frequently incontinent grandfather (Sulevi Peltola) keeps wandering off...
Saturday September 27, 6:00pm Cop Fesitval
In this special one-off presentation, Mr. Shinozaki will introduce a selection of Cop Festival shorts, none of them ever seen outside Japan before. The final selection wasn't confirmed at press time, but it will comprise some ten or eleven films, each ten minutes (or less) in length. Some will be by such well-known directors as Kurosawa Kiyoshi or Aoyama Shinji.
Saturday September 27, 6:00pm Mutt Boy
This comedy is the latest, a father-son story with shaggy dog characteristics which explores the gap between parental expectations and filial achievements. Dad (Kim Gap-Su, last seen in KT) is a small-town police chief in Gyeongsang Province; his wife died when their only son Cheol-Min was still a boy. Cheol-Min (ex-fashion plate Jeong Woo-Seong, here demolishing the image he cultivated in his early hits) is a seemingly slow-witted loner-slacker, nicknamed "Mutt Boy" for his early attachment to a mongrel from the police pound. Worried that he hasn't bonded with his incipiently criminal son, dad "adopts" woman offender Jeong-Ae, hoping that her presence will civilize Cheol-Min. But the son goes his own way, fighting crime (in the shape of a corrupt businessman) while coming to terms with his inner macho. Often riotously funny (the climactic fight in a prison cell has to be seen to be believed), this puts character above plot and local flavour above spectacle. Great performances animate a cherishably idiosyncratic movie.
Saturday September 27, 6:00pm Wilbur Wants to Kill Himself
Beautifully scripted, the Glasgow-set tale centres on two brothers and a mousy but endearing single mother whose fortunes gravitate around an old bookshop and local hospital. The screenplay--which feels almost effortlessly plotted, even though what happens is extreme--is noteworthy for its stoic wit, to which the actors do complete justice. Jamie Sives' Wilbur is hostile and self-loathing but kind of lovable all the same.
SUNDAY ALL DAY (I'm not kidding)
Sunday September 28, 10:00am-8:43pm Tiexi District: West of the Tracks, Part 1, 2, and 3
This is normally a $21 series, but is ONLY $14! I am thinking I am alone in this adventure, but I get to call you guys wusses come Lord of the Rings all-day marathon.
Wang's monumental documentary is the pinnacle of China's independent underground, a vast, poetic study of the death-throes of three heavy industries (copper smelting, sheet-metal production, cable manufacture) in Shenyang, Northeast China. The area is much like any other post-industrial zone, but the fact that these blighted enterprises were supposed pillars of the Maoist economy gives it a special poignancy.
Saturday, September 20, 2003
Another friend writes:
Bean,
Wondering if'n you could post on yer blog (in your own enticing words) about my upcoming Bachelor party, Sat. the 27th at the Blarney Stone. Just a night of everyone getting drunk, without the abject humiliation that accompanied Christian's stag, since this one ain't such a big deal. There will, however, but more drunkenness and more vomiting, and I won't even pretend to be getting married. All are welcome, and I'll try to set up spots on the guest list at the door.
Thanks in advance,
Pukin' Paul
A friend of mine...
OK people! If you are wondering " what ever happened to dave ?" then here is the answer !
I have been working with Lego North america on behalf of the Vancouver Lego club ( i'm a key member in it , yeah i'm a dork =P ) to put together a display for the "Lego make and create roadshow "its in vancouver this weekend of September 19 - 22 and I expect you all to come out and see it !
Its free, its right in front of science world . Check www.vlc.ca for details and times ! i'll be there both Sat/sun .
I hope to see you all there !
DAVE
I have been working with Lego North america on behalf of the Vancouver Lego club ( i'm a key member in it , yeah i'm a dork =P ) to put together a display for the "Lego make and create roadshow "its in vancouver this weekend of September 19 - 22 and I expect you all to come out and see it !
Its free, its right in front of science world . Check www.vlc.ca for details and times ! i'll be there both Sat/sun .
I hope to see you all there !
DAVE
Thursday, September 18, 2003
Talk Like A Pirate Day
Avast ye scurvy seadogs, September 19th is the International Talk Like A Pirate Day!
So grab yer beauty and yer grog and protect yer bunghole from some scurvy bilge rats! Arrrr!
So grab yer beauty and yer grog and protect yer bunghole from some scurvy bilge rats! Arrrr!
Wednesday, September 17, 2003
Cheetah Scare Extinguished. Cheetah-napping Feared.
Everyone can now relax, the Cheetah has not escaped into the urban jungle of Surrey but has, in fact, been kidnapped by a man in his 30's who has been reported to be dragging the 40lb serval through Surrey on a leash by four different witnesses around the corner of 80th and King George (Newton). Maya Kende, the owner, asks that "Loki" be safely returned home to his natural habitat, the backseat of her Chrysler.
Another Perspective
Atmosphere, Micranots, Brother Ali, and OddJobs
Commodore Ballroom
Sunday September 14, 2003
I had been wanting to go to this show for some time now, but figured I wouldn't be able to go, since being a poor student now, I wouldn't be able to afford it. So when the chance arose for me to get free tickets (through Dave at work) I jumped on it. I invited Corinne along, as i had not spent nearly enough time with her over the last week. I knew she wasn't a fan of hiphop, but I figured that if she were to enjoy any show it would be Atmosphere. She has already given her impression, coming from one who isn't a hiphop fan (an outsider if yo will) and I will now present mine.
Oddjobs:
Composed of three MCs, a DJ, and a dorky lookin' kid playing the sampler, these guys got the party started pretty well. They really brought an old school flavour with them (being a group helps that kind of vibe) and they really seemed like they were having a great time. Their vocal skills, while not amazing, they seemed moderately talented, but not really inspired. They seemed to have a genuine love for the audience, and for performing. The DJ's were alright, but not amazing, usually better with the slower, more melancholic material. The faster stuff came off a l little goofy. They touched on personal subjects, which is something I tend to like in hiphop, but did so in a silly sounding way. ("We don't need no motherfucking, broke-ass fathers!!!!) They had some stage presence, but very little electricity.
Brother Ali
Brother Ali came out on stage with little fanfare. He grabbed the mic, and proceeded to work the crowd into a frenzy. The guy has major stage presence, pretty good punchlines for a battle rapper, and some deeply personal stuff too. (There was a song about him being really ugly, but not really caring what others think, which is all the more fascinating as he is an albino.) He freestyled a little, played a bunch of good songs, and had a really good connection with his DJ. They really new eachother's styles. Awesome opening act, I will be ordering in his CD for the store as soon as I work again.
I Self Divine, of the Micronots
He came on, a little low energy, having just lost his DJ at the border. Mr Dibbs filled in admirably if not amazingly. His vocal skill were allright, not being terribly inspired. His energy level got better as the show progressed. He did a lot of bragging, which I think Corinne took a bit offense too, and his round of "Fuck the Police" was super-cheesy and not entirely appropriate to the crowd. I think Corinne is making too much out of the ""Ladies of the house" and "My brothers of the house"" bit, as that has been a hiphop trademark since the dawn of the style. Far from being exclusionary, I think it is actually inclusionary, making sure everyone gets acknowledged at the show, since men seem to dominate the stage front. I was unimpressed none-the-less, and got bored quickly as his vocal delivery was nigh-unintelligible.
Atmosphere.
Atmosphere came across as a veteren of the stage. The stage was his, and he moved along it, comunicating effortlessly with the audience. He mugged for the audience, used a lot onstage banter (some of which contrived segueways into songs) and got the crowd going nicely. Mr Dibbs broke did a nice DJ set based around "Killing in the Name" by RATM which degenerated into silliness in the end. (I noticed that he plays a very eclectic set of tracks, ranging from the White Stripes to Poison the Well.) He played most of the songs I wanted to hear (Bass and the Movement, and a bunch of new stuff) and even did a pretty clever freestyle session during the second encore. I had a lot of fun, but wasn't terribly moved. He had some good stuff to say, but nothing that blew my mind, or really made me think he was 100% genuine. But all in all, a pretty good show.
Commodore Ballroom
Sunday September 14, 2003
I had been wanting to go to this show for some time now, but figured I wouldn't be able to go, since being a poor student now, I wouldn't be able to afford it. So when the chance arose for me to get free tickets (through Dave at work) I jumped on it. I invited Corinne along, as i had not spent nearly enough time with her over the last week. I knew she wasn't a fan of hiphop, but I figured that if she were to enjoy any show it would be Atmosphere. She has already given her impression, coming from one who isn't a hiphop fan (an outsider if yo will) and I will now present mine.
Oddjobs:
Composed of three MCs, a DJ, and a dorky lookin' kid playing the sampler, these guys got the party started pretty well. They really brought an old school flavour with them (being a group helps that kind of vibe) and they really seemed like they were having a great time. Their vocal skills, while not amazing, they seemed moderately talented, but not really inspired. They seemed to have a genuine love for the audience, and for performing. The DJ's were alright, but not amazing, usually better with the slower, more melancholic material. The faster stuff came off a l little goofy. They touched on personal subjects, which is something I tend to like in hiphop, but did so in a silly sounding way. ("We don't need no motherfucking, broke-ass fathers!!!!) They had some stage presence, but very little electricity.
Brother Ali
Brother Ali came out on stage with little fanfare. He grabbed the mic, and proceeded to work the crowd into a frenzy. The guy has major stage presence, pretty good punchlines for a battle rapper, and some deeply personal stuff too. (There was a song about him being really ugly, but not really caring what others think, which is all the more fascinating as he is an albino.) He freestyled a little, played a bunch of good songs, and had a really good connection with his DJ. They really new eachother's styles. Awesome opening act, I will be ordering in his CD for the store as soon as I work again.
I Self Divine, of the Micronots
He came on, a little low energy, having just lost his DJ at the border. Mr Dibbs filled in admirably if not amazingly. His vocal skill were allright, not being terribly inspired. His energy level got better as the show progressed. He did a lot of bragging, which I think Corinne took a bit offense too, and his round of "Fuck the Police" was super-cheesy and not entirely appropriate to the crowd. I think Corinne is making too much out of the ""Ladies of the house" and "My brothers of the house"" bit, as that has been a hiphop trademark since the dawn of the style. Far from being exclusionary, I think it is actually inclusionary, making sure everyone gets acknowledged at the show, since men seem to dominate the stage front. I was unimpressed none-the-less, and got bored quickly as his vocal delivery was nigh-unintelligible.
Atmosphere.
Atmosphere came across as a veteren of the stage. The stage was his, and he moved along it, comunicating effortlessly with the audience. He mugged for the audience, used a lot onstage banter (some of which contrived segueways into songs) and got the crowd going nicely. Mr Dibbs broke did a nice DJ set based around "Killing in the Name" by RATM which degenerated into silliness in the end. (I noticed that he plays a very eclectic set of tracks, ranging from the White Stripes to Poison the Well.) He played most of the songs I wanted to hear (Bass and the Movement, and a bunch of new stuff) and even did a pretty clever freestyle session during the second encore. I had a lot of fun, but wasn't terribly moved. He had some good stuff to say, but nothing that blew my mind, or really made me think he was 100% genuine. But all in all, a pretty good show.
Cheetah loose in Surrey
Just thought I'd warn anybody planning on visiting the surrey area that there is, in fact, a cheetah loose in the city. Although this threat may pale in comparison to what else is out here, there are some facts you should be aware of in the event of a cheetah encounter:
I don't know what my point is here...oh yes, usual B.C. rules apply: only visit Surrey out of dire need.
Duke
- Cheetahs have a length of 4.3-4.9' head & body, 2-2.5' tail
- Cheetahs have a shoulder height of 2.3-2.8 ft
- Cheetahs weigh 75-150 lbs.
- Cheetah cubs are born with long, grey fur. Some naturalists think that this mimics the ratel, a fierce relative of the badger that few animals dare attack
- Female Cheetahs have been known to catch live prey for their cubs to use as hunting practice.
- The Cheetah makes facial expressions, using the bold black lines around its muzzle to signal its mood.
- The Cheetah is readily distinguished from its spotted relatives by its "tear lines" - heavy black lines extending from the inner corner of each eye to the outer corner of the mouth.
- From a standstill, the cheetah can reach its top speed in about 3 seconds, and can cover almost 33 inches in a single stride.
- Fastest land mammal on Earth; over short distances it can reach a speed of over 60 mph.
- Do not follow Wesley Willis' advice in the song "suck a cheetah's dick", this will only enrage the animal.
- Provided you do not adhere to the previous point, you should be safe unless you corner the animal, they instinctively run rather than attack.
I don't know what my point is here...oh yes, usual B.C. rules apply: only visit Surrey out of dire need.
Duke
Tuesday, September 16, 2003
I Still Don't Like Rap
Atmosphere, Micranots, Brother Ali, and OddJobs
Commodore Ballroom
Sunday September 14, 2003
I know, you're all looking at the dancing Gir and then flashing to make sure the name still says "Corinne" and then doing a triple take back up to Gir again, thinking to yourself "Isn't Atmosphere...? and the rap...? and the hip-hop...? and isn't Corinne...? with the rap...?" Fear not, people, I am not a convert.
So how did the little tiny weirdo white girl end up going to probably one of the more celebrated "underground" (not mainstream or not MTV) hip-hop act's show? It's called an abuse of the guest list.
Grae called me while I was visiting my parents' this weekend (happy birthdays all around for everyone but Steve and I) and asked me if I wanted to go to the show. I said "sure" because all free entertainment is entertainment I can afford, and hanging out with Grae this weekend appealed to me after spending lengthy amounts of time playing Mario Golf with my brothers and fending of my crazy grandmother (who repeated the following phrase no less that five times in succession during one conversation with nothing in between: "We sure had good times, didn't we?"--really crazy).
My parents dropped me off at home with a minute to spare, and Grae and I headed downtown to get into line. While I was concerned that after attending a family dinner with no time to change I may have looked like a wacky-cracker, it turned out there were a lot of indie-rockers in attendance (as well as others... but I wasn't the whitest fixture).
Now onto the review from the point of view of someone who doesn't like hip-hop or rap or emo-hop or anything in that genre, despite this latest attempt.
2(DJ)+3(MC) = OddJobs
With three MCs, they were a lively bunch, and definitely showed that they were there to enjoy themselves and not just there to make a few dollars and see the sites. They looked like they genuinely loved what they were doing. Perhaps as this was the third show (Calgary and Nelson being their lead ins), the audience was feeding them with a little (little by Commodore calculations) crowd in front of the stage of about 100-150 people (the procession to the stage was exact pacing on the part of the audience). They reminded me of when I used to collect trading cards (for my dad. Sure he would buy them "for us" and sort them out "for us" and keep them in a binder and box for doubles "for us" and trade them at card shows to finish off the collection "for us". But really... who has the cards now, Dad?) and one of the more popular sets were of the "Yo! MTV Raps" series (I and II). There was the same image of a "band" of sorts of your DJs and your MCs and there was somehow a sense of unity within the band that other "groups" were getting by with only one DJ and one MC. The Group versus The Duo. As you can see, I haven't touched on their lyrics or their music. Get used to it. All members of the band were overdressed (I admired the one guy for keeping his touque or knitted cap on the entire cookin' time) and were rapidly turning a hip-hop display into a strip show. To my dismay or delight (not sure) they remained fully clothed after removing some two or more layers. I guess Calgary and Nelson have colder venues? Nelson. Hahahaha.
Negative Hip Hop: Brother Ali
Picture this guy from his name. What does this image conjure up. Add in the fact that he's a hip-hop artist from Minnesota. Now what do you have? If you said anything other than a tubby white bald guy, you're probably looking at the inverse negative. Is this review superficial enough yet? Wait until I get pretentious with the next group. Admittedly, if I had to make a pick for the category "Opening Act That Most Held My Interest", it would have been this anomaly of a rounder white guy (who looked older than he is). Here I go into a comment about the music of the show: it was his song "Forest Whitiker" that kept me intently tuned into what he was saying. Apologies for whatever pop-ups you suffer from that link, but for the love of the interweb get a blocker. Anyway, the "you ain't gotta love me" message was incredibly powerful coming from this strange looking guy. Evidence that self acceptance and self-appreciation are their own forms of extreme beauty, I was impressed. And so I liked him. Much like a battle hip-hop guy (white kids like me see: "8 Mile"), he was aggressive and full of stage presence. Just him and a DJ.
Divisions: Micranots
Yeah, perhaps I'm just a wacky racist or just bigoted and will never understand where the African-American communities values and attitudes fit in, but this is my take on the only "real" black hip-hop artist (Grae will have his arguments against me, to be sure): My main and number one problem (and probably my only... can't think of others, nor should I have to find other faults if they aren't there) coming from my integrated white family that promoted that all people are people and the value of their lives and choices... blah blah blah blah... is this notion of segregation that the Micranots front man took to the audience. It began by a call out of the sexes. "Ladies of the house" and "My brothers of the house" were his division lines. Perhaps because of Atmosphere (explained later), I felt that the audience had a high number of females present for a hip-hop show (most of the girls in that scene tend to go for the dance aspect of the music, while their male counter parts are drawn towards the actual hip-hop of it all); the ration was about 4:1 in favour of the guys. Anyway, I also had problems with the wording (Grae assures me that this is all normal and I am being weird) of "ladies" versus "my brothers". A division of us and them. Not dehumanizing or emphasizing differences, but certainly drawing attention that the girls in the audience are almost guests into the brotherhood (Grae is probably saying that I am reading too much into this... which I may very well be, but it made me feel like I was something other than on his side). This probably would have slid off my back had this line-drawing of us and them ceased.
But, no, he rambles off some anti-police sentiments and asks the newly-thinking youth "how much they hate the police" and proceeds to break into a wonderfully predictable audience-MC dialogue of "Fuck the police" to which the reply is every time "Fuck the police" (as I type this I picture my buddy Sting shrugging in an act of non-defiance and almost curiousity to see what the raping from 1000 19-25 year olds would be like). Yeah, fine: tradition. Yeah, fine: it's his roots. Yeah, fine: where he's from the police are bastards. Yeah, fine: his DJ was stopped by Canada Customs and not let in based on a criminal charge that may very well have been over-emphasized from either the US police of Canada Customs. But here, we are, a bunch of cracker kids, that will never (or almost never) have any serious run-in with police officers. Moreover, the odds of minorities being fucked by the police is incredibly blown out of proportion in such rags as The Province in Vancouver (anything to vilify anyone to sell papers to the thought-free masses). And further, we have some damn lenient policing in Vancouver over half-laws like marijuana. While, I am sure that our buddy from the Micranots would spend 5 to 10 years behind bars for the possession of the same amount of marijuana one would roll openly in front of a police officer here, it just doesn't happen here. He took a position of authority (in the fan-performer relation) and vilified people who chose the profession of policing. These anti-police sentiments can be appropriate when used appropriately. For instance in cases where individual police officers who have abused their authority are named. I may have let this segregation slide if it had not been for the other comments OR if he specified a specific Vancouver incident (easy homework, really) where police were in abuse of their powers and let the youth understand and communicate the frustration rather than a blanket "anyone in a position of authority should be screwed over". Okay, okay, I'll ease up about that one now. And then the third dividing line he made involved a very specific "us and them". Grae says it was a division between commercial rap and underground hip hop; I had the feeling he was talking about hip hop versus pop/rock/etc.--a division, either way. He went into inter-song banter about paying for tickets to a show ("We don't put on shows. We throw parties!") and having to sit through them fail to reproduce their studio efforts. Because y'know only underground hip hop, the art of talking in rhythm into a microphone is the only truly reproducible music in a live setting. And further, it's the only thing worth seeing live because at other shows there is no audience energy. Aren't they so great compared to everything else? That was my beef with this guy. I lost interest really fast.
"Making music for manic-depressive girls": Atmosphere
What a rock star. I am not kidding. With self-depricating lyrics, a sort of bigger-than-life, do-as-I-ask stage presence and flailing theatrics, this guy was all rock star.
As far as a show (but don't they throw parties? or was that just the Micranots... so confused) goes, it was [insert positive term here]. The audience was not only into it, they were duped into it. It was priceless. Mid-session, Mr. Dibbs (that DJ of his there), starts spinning and letting loose Rage Against the Machine's "Fuck You I Won't Do What You Tell Me". The liveliest the audience got all night (in your face, Micranots! Kidding. Sort of.). Anyway, after the stage diving and excitement from Rage settled, Slugs gets on the microphone and goes heart-to-heart with the audience, setting it up with the intent to tell them something personal. And then proceeds to point out the irony of the audience being told to (and complying with) yell along "Fuck You, I Won't Do What You Tell Me". A fault in his logic was that no one was told to yell along. Never. They just did, in a kind of youthful-uniformity that comes from attending highschool. There is a twist to the logic that wasn't really explored. Some kids may have picked up on it when they got back to Mom and/or Dad's place. Some kids will be bitter for the next week about the irony that Slugs said was being fed to them from the media because they themselves were duped into the web-of-irony. To which they are, again, eating what they are being fed. Oh, lord, have mercy on the Y generation! They know not the powers of AOL!
Did I enjoy myself? Probably on some analytical level. Was it a good enough show that the anti-hopper would recommend? Yes, just be sure to go in with a critical mind to what "the media" tell you, whether underground or otherwise.
Commodore Ballroom
Sunday September 14, 2003
I know, you're all looking at the dancing Gir and then flashing to make sure the name still says "Corinne" and then doing a triple take back up to Gir again, thinking to yourself "Isn't Atmosphere...? and the rap...? and the hip-hop...? and isn't Corinne...? with the rap...?" Fear not, people, I am not a convert.
So how did the little tiny weirdo white girl end up going to probably one of the more celebrated "underground" (not mainstream or not MTV) hip-hop act's show? It's called an abuse of the guest list.
Grae called me while I was visiting my parents' this weekend (happy birthdays all around for everyone but Steve and I) and asked me if I wanted to go to the show. I said "sure" because all free entertainment is entertainment I can afford, and hanging out with Grae this weekend appealed to me after spending lengthy amounts of time playing Mario Golf with my brothers and fending of my crazy grandmother (who repeated the following phrase no less that five times in succession during one conversation with nothing in between: "We sure had good times, didn't we?"--really crazy).
My parents dropped me off at home with a minute to spare, and Grae and I headed downtown to get into line. While I was concerned that after attending a family dinner with no time to change I may have looked like a wacky-cracker, it turned out there were a lot of indie-rockers in attendance (as well as others... but I wasn't the whitest fixture).
Now onto the review from the point of view of someone who doesn't like hip-hop or rap or emo-hop or anything in that genre, despite this latest attempt.
2(DJ)+3(MC) = OddJobs
With three MCs, they were a lively bunch, and definitely showed that they were there to enjoy themselves and not just there to make a few dollars and see the sites. They looked like they genuinely loved what they were doing. Perhaps as this was the third show (Calgary and Nelson being their lead ins), the audience was feeding them with a little (little by Commodore calculations) crowd in front of the stage of about 100-150 people (the procession to the stage was exact pacing on the part of the audience). They reminded me of when I used to collect trading cards (for my dad. Sure he would buy them "for us" and sort them out "for us" and keep them in a binder and box for doubles "for us" and trade them at card shows to finish off the collection "for us". But really... who has the cards now, Dad?) and one of the more popular sets were of the "Yo! MTV Raps" series (I and II). There was the same image of a "band" of sorts of your DJs and your MCs and there was somehow a sense of unity within the band that other "groups" were getting by with only one DJ and one MC. The Group versus The Duo. As you can see, I haven't touched on their lyrics or their music. Get used to it. All members of the band were overdressed (I admired the one guy for keeping his touque or knitted cap on the entire cookin' time) and were rapidly turning a hip-hop display into a strip show. To my dismay or delight (not sure) they remained fully clothed after removing some two or more layers. I guess Calgary and Nelson have colder venues? Nelson. Hahahaha.
Negative Hip Hop: Brother Ali
Picture this guy from his name. What does this image conjure up. Add in the fact that he's a hip-hop artist from Minnesota. Now what do you have? If you said anything other than a tubby white bald guy, you're probably looking at the inverse negative. Is this review superficial enough yet? Wait until I get pretentious with the next group. Admittedly, if I had to make a pick for the category "Opening Act That Most Held My Interest", it would have been this anomaly of a rounder white guy (who looked older than he is). Here I go into a comment about the music of the show: it was his song "Forest Whitiker" that kept me intently tuned into what he was saying. Apologies for whatever pop-ups you suffer from that link, but for the love of the interweb get a blocker. Anyway, the "you ain't gotta love me" message was incredibly powerful coming from this strange looking guy. Evidence that self acceptance and self-appreciation are their own forms of extreme beauty, I was impressed. And so I liked him. Much like a battle hip-hop guy (white kids like me see: "8 Mile"), he was aggressive and full of stage presence. Just him and a DJ.
Divisions: Micranots
Yeah, perhaps I'm just a wacky racist or just bigoted and will never understand where the African-American communities values and attitudes fit in, but this is my take on the only "real" black hip-hop artist (Grae will have his arguments against me, to be sure): My main and number one problem (and probably my only... can't think of others, nor should I have to find other faults if they aren't there) coming from my integrated white family that promoted that all people are people and the value of their lives and choices... blah blah blah blah... is this notion of segregation that the Micranots front man took to the audience. It began by a call out of the sexes. "Ladies of the house" and "My brothers of the house" were his division lines. Perhaps because of Atmosphere (explained later), I felt that the audience had a high number of females present for a hip-hop show (most of the girls in that scene tend to go for the dance aspect of the music, while their male counter parts are drawn towards the actual hip-hop of it all); the ration was about 4:1 in favour of the guys. Anyway, I also had problems with the wording (Grae assures me that this is all normal and I am being weird) of "ladies" versus "my brothers". A division of us and them. Not dehumanizing or emphasizing differences, but certainly drawing attention that the girls in the audience are almost guests into the brotherhood (Grae is probably saying that I am reading too much into this... which I may very well be, but it made me feel like I was something other than on his side). This probably would have slid off my back had this line-drawing of us and them ceased.
But, no, he rambles off some anti-police sentiments and asks the newly-thinking youth "how much they hate the police" and proceeds to break into a wonderfully predictable audience-MC dialogue of "Fuck the police" to which the reply is every time "Fuck the police" (as I type this I picture my buddy Sting shrugging in an act of non-defiance and almost curiousity to see what the raping from 1000 19-25 year olds would be like). Yeah, fine: tradition. Yeah, fine: it's his roots. Yeah, fine: where he's from the police are bastards. Yeah, fine: his DJ was stopped by Canada Customs and not let in based on a criminal charge that may very well have been over-emphasized from either the US police of Canada Customs. But here, we are, a bunch of cracker kids, that will never (or almost never) have any serious run-in with police officers. Moreover, the odds of minorities being fucked by the police is incredibly blown out of proportion in such rags as The Province in Vancouver (anything to vilify anyone to sell papers to the thought-free masses). And further, we have some damn lenient policing in Vancouver over half-laws like marijuana. While, I am sure that our buddy from the Micranots would spend 5 to 10 years behind bars for the possession of the same amount of marijuana one would roll openly in front of a police officer here, it just doesn't happen here. He took a position of authority (in the fan-performer relation) and vilified people who chose the profession of policing. These anti-police sentiments can be appropriate when used appropriately. For instance in cases where individual police officers who have abused their authority are named. I may have let this segregation slide if it had not been for the other comments OR if he specified a specific Vancouver incident (easy homework, really) where police were in abuse of their powers and let the youth understand and communicate the frustration rather than a blanket "anyone in a position of authority should be screwed over". Okay, okay, I'll ease up about that one now. And then the third dividing line he made involved a very specific "us and them". Grae says it was a division between commercial rap and underground hip hop; I had the feeling he was talking about hip hop versus pop/rock/etc.--a division, either way. He went into inter-song banter about paying for tickets to a show ("We don't put on shows. We throw parties!") and having to sit through them fail to reproduce their studio efforts. Because y'know only underground hip hop, the art of talking in rhythm into a microphone is the only truly reproducible music in a live setting. And further, it's the only thing worth seeing live because at other shows there is no audience energy. Aren't they so great compared to everything else? That was my beef with this guy. I lost interest really fast.
"Making music for manic-depressive girls": Atmosphere
What a rock star. I am not kidding. With self-depricating lyrics, a sort of bigger-than-life, do-as-I-ask stage presence and flailing theatrics, this guy was all rock star.
As far as a show (but don't they throw parties? or was that just the Micranots... so confused) goes, it was [insert positive term here]. The audience was not only into it, they were duped into it. It was priceless. Mid-session, Mr. Dibbs (that DJ of his there), starts spinning and letting loose Rage Against the Machine's "Fuck You I Won't Do What You Tell Me". The liveliest the audience got all night (in your face, Micranots! Kidding. Sort of.). Anyway, after the stage diving and excitement from Rage settled, Slugs gets on the microphone and goes heart-to-heart with the audience, setting it up with the intent to tell them something personal. And then proceeds to point out the irony of the audience being told to (and complying with) yell along "Fuck You, I Won't Do What You Tell Me". A fault in his logic was that no one was told to yell along. Never. They just did, in a kind of youthful-uniformity that comes from attending highschool. There is a twist to the logic that wasn't really explored. Some kids may have picked up on it when they got back to Mom and/or Dad's place. Some kids will be bitter for the next week about the irony that Slugs said was being fed to them from the media because they themselves were duped into the web-of-irony. To which they are, again, eating what they are being fed. Oh, lord, have mercy on the Y generation! They know not the powers of AOL!
Did I enjoy myself? Probably on some analytical level. Was it a good enough show that the anti-hopper would recommend? Yes, just be sure to go in with a critical mind to what "the media" tell you, whether underground or otherwise.
Monday, September 15, 2003
Meat!
Hey guys, sorry for the short notice, but tommorow, My buddies Rees, Trevor, and Corinne are gonna give the Memphis Blues another go, and see how much meat we can possibly consume. We will be eating at around 7pm, meeting on location (Commercial and Charles roughly). Come one, come all, the more, the cheaper the meet will be.
no tuesday night movies this week!
attention:
due to the neverending bathroom renovation from hell, tomorrow night's program of POOTIE TANG & SUPERTROOPERS will unfortunately will be postponed until next week.
apologies on the late notice.
~meeko
due to the neverending bathroom renovation from hell, tomorrow night's program of POOTIE TANG & SUPERTROOPERS will unfortunately will be postponed until next week.
apologies on the late notice.
~meeko
Phew!
To all those paying attention to the tardiness that is the BC Student Loans Program that is: I've got me $4,500!
::dances::
Up first: Repairing the dying Francis.
::dances::
Up first: Repairing the dying Francis.
Friday, September 12, 2003
MP3 Friday
For once I'm gonna get this done in good time. Go me!
Lately, I have been going through pitchforkmedia.com's top 100 of the 80s list and checking out some of the CDs that I don't know so well, or that I haven't heard in awhile. Part nostalgia, part the belief that I have missed out on a lot of good music. I think that this list should almost be required listening for the modern indie rock fan. I highly recommend going through it and checking out some of it. They have a list for the 90s as well, but the 80s is so much more interesting, given the general propensity of people to write it all off as kitsch.
That having been said, I've rediscovered a band that I used to like as a kid (my Dad listened to them a lot :gasp:) called the Cowboy Junkies. I 'm pretty sure they were at least moderately popular, so maybe you've all heard of them, but thats not the point, is it? So this week's post is their cover of the Velvet Underground song "Sweet Jane." Apparently this was recorded on like one mic and in a church, which is amazing since it sounds so good. Her voice is crystal clear, and the subtle country-tinged minimalist instrumentation comes through nicely balanced. Great song, great album.
Lately, I have been going through pitchforkmedia.com's top 100 of the 80s list and checking out some of the CDs that I don't know so well, or that I haven't heard in awhile. Part nostalgia, part the belief that I have missed out on a lot of good music. I think that this list should almost be required listening for the modern indie rock fan. I highly recommend going through it and checking out some of it. They have a list for the 90s as well, but the 80s is so much more interesting, given the general propensity of people to write it all off as kitsch.
That having been said, I've rediscovered a band that I used to like as a kid (my Dad listened to them a lot :gasp:) called the Cowboy Junkies. I 'm pretty sure they were at least moderately popular, so maybe you've all heard of them, but thats not the point, is it? So this week's post is their cover of the Velvet Underground song "Sweet Jane." Apparently this was recorded on like one mic and in a church, which is amazing since it sounds so good. Her voice is crystal clear, and the subtle country-tinged minimalist instrumentation comes through nicely balanced. Great song, great album.
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