July strongly recommends

I always enjoy getting tips on where to go, what to see and what to do or listen to. The ability to take advice and broaden our own horizons is so important. Some activities, sounds and sights fit better at certain times than other. So seeing it is in the middle of summer and we all long for the woozy afternoon hours, when the sunlight is visible as golden insects spurring in and out of sight. The sound of whispering leaves in the wind, and the relaxed heartbeat as stress and hopelessness drizzles off our souls. The flavour of licking the burnt sugar off a stick, the sensation of saltwater caressing your ankles. There could be no better time to, in the mood of this lazy, careless warmth - let July share some advice, some sights and sounds - because July really want to recommend

Miike Snow's album "Animal" - for upbeat and lively, contageous tangible happiness. With emphasis on "Cult Logic" and "Silvia".

Phoenix' album "Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix" - for the electronic, tender, energetic French ballads to accompany any vorspiel or any exciting summer reading. Mainly "Fences" and "1901".

The character "Buck" from Ice Age 3 for your monthly injection of madness and randomness. Really. This film is worth seeing if only just for the cute baby noises and the extremely weird characters and their freaky body language. Hilarious.

Rum, Lime and White Chocolate Mousse. Whip up some extra cream into the recipe, because it is a bit sour if your lime is tangy, and serve it with berries, like those of rasp or straw. You may also freeze a portion, taking it out and stirring the crystals out occasionally to make the most delicious ice cream.

The book "Nanny Oggs Cookbook" by Terry Pratchett - always a good reread, gets better each time. Silly, funny and calming like summer rain hot cocoa with marshmallows.

This here will be the experiences that will paint my summer 2009. The summer I've spent in essence, like the underside of a pier boiled down to fish broth, clouds woven into sheets - a synthetic recreation of summery-summerness. Whenever I feel like revisiting, I can just listen to the right songs.

I like that.

Star Wreck

Acoording to my sources this film is the first ever Finnish sci-fi parody. Supposedly a fine humoristic blend of Star Wars and Babylon 5. Worth a peek?

"Star Wreck: In the Pirkinning is a feature-length sci-fi parody, seven years in the making. It is the product of a core group of five Finns, and over 300 extras, assistants and supporters. The film combines world-class visual effects, a rough-and-ready sense of humour, and a passion that provide the basis for the first-ever Finnish science fiction adventure. "

http://www.starwreck.com/

Time time time!

Gosh! It appears it is the eighth of December already. Where did the time go? It vanished! POP! Gone! Incredible that is, time, it always appears to be rushing by when we need it, and then when we're aware of it being there it's slow and gooey. What a spot of bother we twirled ourselves into when inventing time - or discovering time, I suppose (that would be more accurate). I could write something witty here, or something that could put a smile on your face for the rest of the day. Afraid I can't really think of anything to write - except that I saw Hairspray today, and it almost gave me a facelift because I almost threw up and so my face was upside down most of the time.

I still think Cristopher Walken is cool though, it is compulsive, I suppose.

What makes you sad just by thinking about it?

I took this picture in Lisbon last week.

Forgive me for not updating. It's not that I have so many things to do, it is just that I'm spending my time elaborately avoiding to do them. I wanted to make a post about sadness because Scandinavia can be a very depressing place at this time of year. Sure it is Christmas, but it is also extremely dark and cold. It's dark when you get up and dark when you come home. People are saddened by many things, loneliness, darkness, films, books, music - could be whatever. I just wanted to know what makes you sad.

These things I have listed below make me above averagely sad just by thinking about them, you'll probably have me in tears by the end of this post.

Bits in films that make me cry excessively: 

That part in Fur, when Diane tries to breathe in the air that late Lionel blew into the inflatable mattress.

The ending of Bin Jip when Sun-Wha and Tae-Suk are weightless when standing together on the scale.

When all the Who's in Horton Hears a Who try to make enough noise to save themselves.

In Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, when Master Li Mu Bai and Yu Shu Lien, dying admit they have always loved each other.

The flashbacks in Dead Mans Shoes. (Definitely one of the best films I've ever seen, I'm not going to link to it, because it's best to not know anything about it and just see it!)

When All Cats Are Grey by The Cure starts to play in Marie Antoinette. 

When Kunlun starts to run wearing the cape of Snow Wolf in The Promise.

When Donnie and Gretchen are separated in Donnie Darko. 

When Jin sings to Xiao Mei while holding her in his arms in the snow in House of Flying Daggers.

When the messenger is waving the flag of failure in Hero.

Songs that makes me cry:

(Even just by hearing a snippet!)

Your Eyes Open by Keane.

Silent Sigh by Badly Drawn Boy.

O Mio Bambino Caro (Puccini) sung by Renee Fleming.

Green Eyes by Coldplay.

Any song Thomas Dybdahl has ever made, especially Henry.

Freedom of the Wa by Klaus Badelt.

The Man Who Flew Away by Husky Rescue.

Curves by Röyksopp.

Pulling Our Weight by The Radio Department.

The Drugs Don't Work by The Verve.

Books that make me cry:

Because of Winn-Dixie by Kate DiKamillo and Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes, every flippin single time I read them. There are tons of other books that makes me cry, but these two books can make my bottom lip quiver just by thinking about them. 

Not to forget these three films that leaves me a little smudgy pulp with swollen eyes for several weeks at a time: ,

Juno, Bambi and Dumbo. 

I am extremely easily affected by these kind of things, and I believe that to be the reason why I'm almost always happy! All the above genuinely makes me sad and I can end up crying myself to sleep, but by the time I get over it (either by heavy Sean The Sheep or Knudsen & Ludvigsen therapy) I feel so light it's as if I could fly away any moment. Crying about one thing is a great way to get rid of other emotional luggage that is already in the system I suppose!

Tomorrow!

Tomorrow, all I want to do is to drink tea, write, draw and listen to the Marie Antoinette Soundtrack.

Maybe listen to the rain as well.

The Dark Knight

WOW. To keep it short and simple. Go see it again! Got to love Batman, it was better than the newest Hulk film, which was brilliant as well! GO! FILM! Also I watched Kronks New Groove (that is The Emperors New Groove 2) yesterday - and it was brilliant! It was a birthday present from Audun. Thank you so much Audun! W00t!

I found a draft for an e-mail in my Gmail draft box, it was saved some time in April - and the title is Bompitequila.

Explain please?

Stardust

We finally got Stardust on DVD, which was about bloody time. Not having it has been bothering me for a long while, and I enjoyed devouring it for the fourth time yesterday!

Hopefully I can see it once every night, and then maybe I can see it twice sometimes so I get some nights to watch BBC Food, and I mean like seriously. Gordon Ramsay and Tamsins Great British Classics, Mike Robinson, and obviously - the legend - Keith Floyd.

I'll have to fit Stardust in whenever "Coxon Cooks" is on, because the name of the show is pronounced too similar to "Cocks and Cooks" - which is different. Maybe it is like chicken and livestock cooking puddings. I don't know, the woody sound of the theme jingle makes my heart shrink.

Whooooooooh! I don't understand how it's possible to survive without James Martin's - "Sweet", he's on tonight actually, doing a show about celebration cakes. Wicked.

Edit: Oh, yes, if you'd like to see James Martin it's on at 19:20!

Somersault

Yesterday I saw an Australian film called Somersault.
To my surprise I actually liked it, because even though it was increasingly strange - it was also quite realistic, in its own, unlikely way. I daresay this is a very uncommon ability for a film to have, which is why I liked it.

Not exactly action-packed, it did require some patience and some afterthought, as it was very symbolic (directed by a girl you know, we always want to make it hard for you).

A very poetic, curious, gentle film. Detailed, and mellow.

Quiet, low-key, and splendidly warm.


Like honey on toast.

Films!

Thought I would sum up a little bit about some films that have been seen lately!

• Go see "Stardust" right now. I love it from my beard to my nails, it's fantastic!
• Swallow a box of anti-depressives and put your rainbow-sunglasses on before seeing "Pan's Labyrinth". Gruesome, dark, fantastic, horrible, grotesque and sad film. With not a single ounze of Hollywood in it. I cried like a baby.
• You have to see "Gegen Die Wand" (Against The Wall) - which is a German/Turkish film about forgetting, about loving unconditionally, about accepting and about drugs, and sex and punk rock (is not dead). Brilliant film. I loved it lots.
• "Wag the Dog" was quite good too.
• "Transformers"... You haven't seen transformers? ... Get out, right now!!

"Against the Wall"
"Transformers"
"Pan's Labyrinth"
"Stardust"
"Wag the Dog"

Curse of the Golden Flower

Man Cheng Jin Dai Huang Jin Jia

Yes! Finally another magical Chinese fairytale* by one of my favourite directors. The genius behind my all-time favourites House of Flying Daggers and Hero, Yimou Zhang. Absolutely fabulous. For your own sake I suggest you tune in your expectations for this film differently than for the other similar films, this has very little action, and is mainly a drama. Also it is a whole lot more slow-paced and heavy than many of the famous Asian films, like Ang Lee's Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.

Curse of the Golden Flower is without an ounce of comedy a very problematic movie, but with so much splendour, and with a cast of hundreds of people - a pure 111 minutes of visual pleasure.

Obviously it overwhelmed me with all the intense impressions, the dense colours, the emotion and the beautiful scenery. Completely as expected there were immense complications and a tangled web of a story, intricately untangling itself across a most spectacular cast and some very detailed costumes.

I'm not going to go in to the story, because much like the end scene in Bin Jip (by Ki-duk Kim) it makes me cry just to think about it. Seriously.

By all means it was almost impossible to understand, most likely because there is so much beauty all at once that you have to be superwoman to get it all in at once. But with a bit of afterthought and a bit of reasoning it is not half as confusing as Hero, so I see this as an improvement plot wise. Clearly, Yimou Zhang has an issue with creating tragedies, and he really needs to make things a bit more upbeat, in my personal opinion. Though still this is not reason enough to dislike it, I suppose even though he over-fills his 'forbidden-love quota', and completely blows the 'sad-music-scale' off its hinges - it's still enjoyable, it is still so professionally done that I can see it again. And that's well-tuned for you, a very fine balance there.
I obviously have to see it again. And so do you!

* You must not (under any circumstances) see this film if you think everything has to have a logical explanation to it, like "How is it possible to run up a wall like that?", "Where did the doctor's wife learn to fight?", "Where did that giant army come from?", or "How can he move so fast in an armour made of gold?" and of course you must not see this film together with anyone like that. Once you begin questioning imagination like that you should slap yourself, it is healthy with a bit of madness, a bit of detachment from your square format.

Transformers!

Well I saw the film, which was about bloody time really, I have always considered the Transformers to be a fine addition to our world, and I therefore happily welcome them for tea on Sunday!

If you have not seen the film, I suggest you see it right away.
If you wish to make further aquaintances within the Autobots (Decepticons not invited) feel free to pop by on Sunday.

I will have biscuits.

Learn your ABC's!

A B C D E F G,
H I J K,
L-M-N-O-P,
Q R S,
T U V,
W X,
Y and Z

Now you know your ABC,
next time wont you sing with me?

Very useful scientific Facts,
Bunnies can't phone:

300 candy sushi & Jessica Rabbit

Today I found a very lovely guide on how to make candy sushi on WikiHow.

And I also got these pictographs from a WTFsrsly article I found through the Dragonmaw forums earlier today -



and this is Jessica Rabbit.


Please say hi.