Partita finita 1-1 con reti di Maiellaro e Brolin.

Nella foto Massimo, Lorenzo,  Leonardo (in piedi) , Marco e Paolo (sotto)

Dagen började med teater, och nu har jag inte längre 12
sidor manus, utan 14! Tisdag närmar sig, och imorgon är
det genrep! WOHO! Jag artar mig :D

Det var en jätte trevlig eftermiddag i det kära bonnalandet, Mullsjö!
Det bjöds på många skratt och mycket god mat! Mums.
Fick träffa kusin kusinerna och mosters syster också. Det var evigheter sen.

Sammanfattningsvis var dagen superda! Det är inte ofta man
involverar sig med släkten som har rötter i ängar och hagar,
men när man väl gör det, är man fast
Underbara släkt, jag älskar er bara mer, ju krångligare ni blir <3

As a straight, white male I don’t think I can claim that I have ever been oppressed. In fact in the entire history of my people you might have to go all the way back to the Roman invasion of Britain to even attempt to make a claim of oppression and a fairly flimsy claim it would be too. What hardships our people faced when the Romans brought us roads, sanitation and mosaics. To be fair though, they did call us wild savages and laughed when we painted our faces blue. That had to sting. Bastards.

So it’s with some trepidation that I come to Milk, the story of 70s gay rights activist and politician. It’s the same problem with films about black civil rights. I can empathise with the people in these films, be disgusted by the actions of the oppressors and I certainly believe that every one is entitled to the same rights as everyone else, regardless of race or sexual orientation but as a member of the group who’s never really had to deal with fighting for our rights, I find it kind of hard to relate to these films sometimes. Not the fault of the films of course, just a circumstance of birth.

With Milk it was even more challenging because, in general, the history of the gay civil rights movement isn’t as extensively covered as that of the black civil rights movement. I could probably name you quite an extensive list of films covering that topic but for films about the gay fight for equality, I could name two and they are both about the same person, this film and the documentary that preceded it, The Times of Harvey Milk, and I’ve only seen one of them.

Anyway, on with the film. It opens with archive footage showing the police raiding several gay bars during the 50s and 60s before going onto the story of Harvey Milk, a gay man living in New York during the early 70s on the day before his 40th birthday. A chance encounter with Scott (James Franco), a younger gay man, leads them both to move to San Francisco for a change of scene. It’s here that Harvey first develops an interest in politics and a hope for the improvement of the lives of gay people in America.

After several unsuccessful attempts to be elected to the position of city supervisor for his district, Harvey finally achieves his goal and becomes the first openly gay man elected to public office. It’s at this point that he meets Dan White (Josh Brolin) a man who he seems to get on fairly well with at first and the men come to an agreement to back each other during votes, in particular White asks Milk to support him on preventing a mental health institute from being built in his district. Harvey changes his mind after finding out more details about the proposition and White becomes determined to oppose him at every turn, leading to his own political downfall. Meanwhile Harvey goes on to greater and greater things, successfully leading the opposition to Prop 6 which would have banned gay people and those who support them from becoming teachers which further deepens Dan White’s feelings of failure. I won’t spoil the ending but if you know the true story at all, and chances are you probably do, then you know what’s coming anyway.

So what is there to say about this film? Well, the performances for one were all brilliant. From Sean Penn to Josh Brolin (who I think I’ve liked in everything I’ve seen him in since The Goonies) to every supporting character. Each actor brings something great to their role, no matter how small it is. The big question is, of course, should Sean Penn have won the Oscar for best actor? Well, I’m still not to sure about that. I’m kinda torn between him and Frank Langella as Nixon at the minute. Penn definitely deserved to be recognised for his portrayal of Harvey Milk but there’s just something that Langella brings to the former President that I feel would have been equally justified had he won the award.

Perhaps the most important thing about the film is the impact it had on me. Well, it certainly made me appreciate the struggle of the American gay community during those tumultuous times and provided me with enough history to help me understand just why the world is the way it is today and the part Harvey Milk played in that. And the ending is incredibly touching, particularly when mixed in with the archive footage. Which brings me to another good point. Throughout the film the action is interspersed with archive footage from the time and it’s far, far less jarring than the faux documentary interviews in Frost/Nixon. That being said I still think Frost/Nixon just beats Milk by a tiny margin as a slightly more enjoyable film. All in all, I certainly recommend Milk and I’ll give it four pints out of five.

My name’s Conor and I’m here to recruit you… to watch good films of course. Milk depicts the life and times of gay rights activist Harvey Milk. Also in the running for most blasphemous film in 2008 along with Religulous, Milk shows the equality of

Sign the petition to make Harvey Milk Day an official holiday!

everyone and the people who fight for it. The film will undoubtedly make a few people cringe with the kissing and more between Sean Penn and James Franco. And I’d just like to disband rumors that this film will turn anyone homosexual; but just to be safe, have at least one woman with you when you watch it. But it is technically not the gayest film out there: I’m talking to you Whole Ten Yards!

SuperHeroHype! has posted some updates regarding a new casting call for the live action film adaptation of the DC Comic, Jonah Hex. The casting call is regarding shooting in Louisiana, which seems to me to be a perfect place for a movie such as Jonah Hex.

The ad was posted on a Louisiana Craigslist, and called for extras with unique features, and amputees. Sounds perfect for Jonah Hex if you ask me. Jonah Hex stars Josh Brolin, John Malkovich, Will Arnett, and Megan Fox. No release date has been set yet.

Hit the jump to view the casting call in its entirety.

JONAH HEX CASTING CALL //

Just wanted to let you know that Jonah Hex is filming in Southern Louisiana. They are having a casting call this week, saw the ad on craigslist. Here is what it said:

TALAZAC CASTING is NOW CASTING the FEATURE FILM “JONAH HEX” Starring – Josh Brolin, Megan Fox and John Malkovich
This is a Period (1800′S) Action, Drama, Thriller, Western in Need of Extras.

Seeking to CAST…
UNIQUE FEATURES,
AMPUTEES,
ROUGH, TOUGH LOOKING MEN and WOMEN.
CARNEY TYPES also being Cast.
All Shapes and Sizes, All looks considered.

PLEASE SUBMIT A CANDID, GOOD QUALITY, FACE FRONT PHOTO to JONAHHEX.EXTRAS@GMAIL.COM

Also Needing to CAST…
TRUE NATIVE AMERICAN MALES,
CREOLE MEN and WOMEN,
ASIAN MEN and WOMEN, and
MUSICIANS who play instruments indigenous to the 19th Century…
Fifes, Whistles, Rope Tension Drums, Bugles, Harmonicas, Jaw Harps, Bones
Period Keyboard Instruments: Clavichords, Harpsichords, Spinets, Virginal
Non-Reproduction Instruments: Banjos, Cello, Concertina, Guitars, Mandolin, Violin, Viola
All Shapes and Sizes, All looks considered.

PLEASE SUBMIT A CANDID, GOOD QUALITY, FACE FRONT PHOTO to JONAHHEX.EXTRAS@GMAIL.COM

This Is A Paid Job.

Here is the other AD:

TALAZAC CASTING is NOW CASTING the FEATURE FILM “JONAH HEX” Starring – Josh Brolin, Megan Fox and John Malkovich
This is an Action, Drama, Thriller, Western in Need of Extras.

CASTING CALL THURSDAY- APRIL 9, 2009 in ST. FRANCISVILLE, LOUISIANA

CASTING – Men, Women and Children to work as background extras for the Feature Film “Jonah Hex”
Filming in St. Francisville & Surrounding areas.

This is a paid job.

Casting Call -
When: Thursday, April 9th, 2009
Where: Quality Inn
7059 US Hwy 61 N
St. Francisville, LA 70775
Time: 3:00PM – 7:00PM

-ALL TYPES NEEDED TO REGISTER
-CASTING REPRESENTATIVES WILL TAKE YOUR PICTURE
-YOU MUST BE ABLE TO WORK DURING THE WORK WEEK
-ALL AGES ACCEPTED
-BRING A PEN TO FILL OUT CASTING FORM

Contact Info:
Jonahhex.extras@gmail.com
5044512514

The Hollywood Reporter has reported that Antonio Banderas is the latest addition to the cast of Woody Allen’s next film.

Already announced: Anthony Hopkins, Naomi Watts, Josh Brolin, and Frieda Pinto.

Naomi Watts and Slumdog Millionaire’s Freida Pinto have joined Josh Brolin and Anthony Hopkins in Woody Allen’s next film. The London-based film will be filming this summer, for (presumably) a 2010 release.

Hace unas horas que ha saltado la noticia. Woody Allen vuelve a rodar en Londres. Mediapro, con Jaume Roures, producirá la película. Ya se conocen dos actores: Anthony Hopkins y Josh Brolin.

Al igual que seguí el rodaje en Barcelona, intentaré seguir el nuevo rodaje, y si puede ser .. desde Londres. Ya iré informando …

Os dejo con esta bella foto de Vanity Fair:

—–

25 de febrero de 2009:

Acabo de leer que también participarán en la película Freida Pinto (de Slumdog Millionaire) y Naomi Watts.

—– 27 de febrero de 2009:

Y ahora Antonio Banderas. Pero bueno ¿qué es esto? No me lo puedo creer!

Estimat Senyor Jaume Roures,

He sabut que aquest estiu Mediapro produirà la nova pel.lícula de Woody Allen a Londres. Com sempre he volgut viure un temps a Londres, parlo anglès i estic fascinat per Woody Allen, doncs bé, m’agradaria oferir-me per si tenen qualsevol treball durant el rodatge a Londres …

Hola Visitants,

Somiar no costa res i he imaginat que trobava treball a la següent pel.lícula de Mediapro a Londres …

Bé, acabo d’assabentar-me que aquest estiu Woody Allen tornarà a rodar a Londres i serà amb els actors Anthony Hopkins i Josh Brolin. Desde www.london.cat seguirem el rodatge com podrem, fins i tot amb la possibilitat de fer-ho en directe des de Londres!

Anthony Hopkins and Josh Brolin have been cast in Woody Allen’s next film (after Whatever Works, which comes out this June). It’s set to be filmed in London and have a $23M budget (compared to Vicky Cristina Barcelona’s $15M), and allegedly it will have one of those dynamite, huge all-star casts that Woody used to have.

And since it’s in London, I think he probably should cast TImothy Spall. Make it happen Woody!

The Academy Awards nominations have been announced. I’m gonna read the nominations and type out my thoughts, category by category. This should be fun. Then I’ll nose around the internet and see what people are saying about snubs. The devastation and horror about snubbing is the most fun part of Oscar nominations. Unless you happen to be the one feeling it….

Actor in a Leading Role seems fair; no real surprises. Frank Langella for Frost/Nixon, Sean Penn for Milk, Brad Pitt for The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, and Mickey Rourke for The Wrestler were all givens. I’m pleasantly surprised to see the fifth name, Richard Jenkins for The Visitor. However, if you’re going to include wonderful, understated performances, then where’s Dev Patel for Slumdog Millionaire? He did a great job and deserves a nomination, so I’ll call that a snub.

Actor in a Supporting Role will go to Heath Ledger (The Dark Knight), but thanks for coming out Josh Brolin (Milk), Robert Downey Jr. (Tropic Thunder), Philip Seymour Hoffman (Doubt), and Michael Shannon (Revolutionary Road). And you know what? Ledger deserves it. This is not a posthumous honouring of someone simply because they’re dead. He legitimately gave what many believe is one of the greatest performances ever captured on film. The Dark Knight overall doesn’t deserve a best picture nod (I’m not there yet!), but his performance certainly deserves best actor. Revolutionary Road got a supporting actor nom, but not leading actor for Leonardo DiCaprio. Hmmm…Kate?

Actress in a Leading Role. Kate Winslet did get nominated (yay!), but for The Reader. It should have been Revolutionary Road. Did you see that performance? It may have been overwrought, but it was still gut-destroying. It’s what’s known as a tour de force. Maybe Ricky Gervais was right when his Extras script made Kate Winslet (playing herself) earnestly admit that the only way to get an Oscar is to do a Holocaust movie. Okay, who else? We’ve got Anne Hathaway (Rachel Getting Married), Angelina Jolie (The Changeling), Meryl Streep (Doubt), and Melissa Leo (Frozen River). I haven’t seen Frozen River yet, but I really want to. I think this is a very interesting category. No Sally Hawkins? Maybe she’s in “supporting”—I really don’t know how they decide these things. Given that Kate Winslet has been nominated for the wrong movie (and maybe the wrong category—should it be supporting?), I’d say this one will go to Meryl Streep. Can’t argue with the Streep.

Actress in a Supporting Role. And the nominees are: Amy Adams (Doubt), Penélope Cruz (Vicky Cristina Barcelona), Viola Davis (Doubt), Taraju P. Henson (Benjamin Button), and Marisa Tomei (The Wrestler). Where the freakin-ass-hell is Sally Hawkins for Happy Go-Lucky!?!?! Holy crap in a hat! That’s highway robbery. Snubbery McSnubby Snub. (See, isn’t the horrified outrage fun?) Seriously, come on! Happy Go-Lucky is one of the strangest, quirkiest films I’ve seen. It’s hard to describe, which is why it doesn’t sound appealing right now. While I was watching it I was completely irritated by the character, but it is one of the few movies I’ve seen this year that has actually stuck with me (Wall-E and Slumdog are the others). I find myself thinking about that character all the time, and I like her very much now. It was an amazing tightrope performance by Sally Hawkins. She added so many layers, and so much depth and complexity to a seemingly superficial role. She was robbed.

Sigh. Okay, now that I’ve got that over with, on to the actual nominees. I gotta be honest here—I haven’t seen Button or The Wrestler yet. I think Viola Davis was amazing in Doubt, but she really only had one scene. (Not that it’s unheard of to give this award to someone with a tiny bit of screen time.) Amy Adams was also good. Penélope Cruz was the very best thing about Vicky Cristina Barcelona. I loved her performance, but I hope the film doesn’t get a best picture nom. Without Kate Winslet (or Sally Hawkins!!!) in this category, it could really go to anyone.

Animated Feature is a lock for Wall-E, but thanks for playing Bolt and Kung Fu Panda. I liked Kung Fu Panda (“noodles, don’t noodles”), but Wall-E is one of the—if not the—best films of the year! Or many years! I have been heard to say that anyone who didn’t like Wall-E doesn’t have a heart, or has a cold, cold heart. And while I say that in jest, I really don’t understand how anyone could not like this movie. It’s a beautiful, sad, heart-warming, mournful, funny love story. It’s a character movie. People hear “love story” and “character film” and say, “It’s a cartoon!” But trust me. And every film critic on the planet. I so hope that by the time I get down to Best Picture, Wall-E will be listed there. But in my heart of hearts I know it won’t be because it’s here, in “animated.” Sigh again.

Skipping the boring categories…la la la….

Directing. David Fincher for Button (haven’t seen it), Ron Howard for Frost/Nixon (kind of requisite), Gus Van Sant for Milk (nice!), Stephen Daldry for The Reader (What!?! Wrong film again!), and Danny Boyle for Slumdog Millionaire (yaaaay!). I think Sam Mendes should have gotten a nomination for Revolutionary Road. I guess this means it won’t be in Best Picture either. Really, is this a case of who campaigns the best? I don’t think anyone would claim that The Reader is one of the best films of the year. It wasn’t even critically acclaimed—it got 60% on Rotten Tomatoes and 58 on Metacritic. And what about Andrew Stanton for Wall-E? That movie is all about the direction since there’s very little dialogue throughout a good portion of it. At any rate, I hope this one goes to Danny Boyle or Gus Van Sant.

I’m gonna skip Documentary for now because I’ve only seen one of the nominations (Encounters At the End of the World). I love documentaries, though, and will make it a goal to see as many as I can before the awards. Ditto for Foreign Language.

Score should go to Slumdog Millionaire—the only score from any film I saw this year that really made me take notice and excited me. No Bruce Springsteen for best song (“The Wrestler”)? I don’t know, but that seems like a snub. From what I’ve heard it’s a pretty modest and pat Springsteen film song, but surely it has to be better than the Peter Gabriel song from Wall-E?!?

Best Picture! Hmmm. Well, I can’t say I’m surprised, based on the other nominations. Benjamin Button, Frost/Nixon, Milk, Slumdog Millionaire, and The Reader. Again, I say it should have been Revolutionary Road and not The Reader, but that line’s getting worn. I can imagine some people saying that The Dark Knight is a snub (maybe for director, too), but I think it’s fine to be left out. It was simply a really good action movie (the Academy doesn’t tend to go for action movies), but the film wasn’t amazing. Maybe we’re just so used to action movies sucking that when one is actually good people start chanting Oscar, Oscar! Also, I think Heath Ledger’s definitely Oscar-worthy performance is getting all mixed up with the movie itself. Slumdog Millionaire better win this category. And I will never get over Wall-E not being nominated for best film. Just because it’s animated doesn’t mean it has to be in the “animated” category! Right?

And now the writing categories. For Adapted Screenplay there’s Benjamin Button, Doubt, Frost/Nixon, The Reader, and Slumdog Millionaire. That’s a tough category. I can’t predict a winner. I’d be happy if it went to Doubt or Slumdog. I’d be fine with it going to one of the other three.

Original Screenplay nominees are Frozen River, Happy Go-Lucky, In Bruges, Milk, and Wall-E. FINALLY A NOMINATION FOR HAPPY GO-LUCKY! I don’t know if it’ll win, but I want it to just because Sally Hawkins got so beyond snubbed. But I think Milk could (and also deserves) to win. Wall-E is an amazing, brilliant movie, but I don’t know about “screenplay.” So much of that movie is about the direction and the animation. I think it should have gotten a best director nod. And where is Revolutionary Road? Again, absent.

I’ve just cruised the “comments” section on a bunch of different articles about the nominations, and it seems the biggest outrage, in no particular order, is for Kate Winslet not being nominated for Revolutionary Road (and that film’s general snubbing), The Dark Knight and Wall-E not being nominated for best picture (can’t agree with the first one, but Yes! to the second), and Sally Hawkins not being nominated (Could not agree more. I share the outrage. I’m gonna give her my own award.).

There you go. Another year of snubbingly fun Oscar nominations. I think the awards will be kind of boring this year, unless Slumdog Millionaire pulls off a clean sweep. I think people could really get excited about that.

Please note: I am not a film critic; I am just a pop-culture junkie.

Intro for eventuelle nye lesere:

Som i fjor kommer jeg til å avholde min egen lille julekalender her på bloggen for enhver som gidder å lese. Som i fjor er konseptet at jeg teller ned de 24 beste filmene jeg har sett på kino i løpet av året. Som i fjor kan dere tippe hvilke filmer jeg setter på de 4 øverste plassene.

Foreløpig deltakere:

dabju: The Dark Knight, Cloverfield (4), Wanted (15), (tom plass)

Ottar Karsten Hostesaft: The Dark Knight, No Country for Old Men, There Will Be Blood (3), Burn After Reading (5)

Stein Galen: The Dark Knight, No Country for Old Men, There Will Be Blood (3), WALL-E

Lars Østhus: The Dark Knight, No Country for Old Men, Hot Rod (6), Quantum of Solace (17)

FRISTEN ER GÅTT UT.

Men nå er vi klare, så sett deg ned, sleng beina i været og les et innlegg om en film jeg synes er bra!

2. No Country for Old Men

Regi: Joel og Ethan Coen

Manus: Joel og Ethan Coen, basert på en roman av Cormac McCarthy.

Med: Tommy Lee Jones, Javier Bardem, Josh Brolin, Woody Harrelson, Kelly MacDonald og Garret Dillahunt.

Land: USA

Spilletid: 122 min

Nok en film fra Coen-brødrene, som altså klarer å sikre seg to plasseringer innenfor topp 5 på et år. Enten er jeg altfor mye fan, eller så er rett og slett Coen-brødrene noen av de aller flinkeste som lager film for tiden. Det er den siste. Jeg nevnte jo favorittene mine av fimene deres i innlegget 20. desember, men slår til med noen andre favoritter: Raising Arizona, Miller’s Crossing og The Man Who Wasn’t There.

Llewelyn Moss (Brolin) kommer over en dophandel som har gått galt i ørkenen. En mengde lik og to millioner dollar i en veske. Moss bestemmer seg for å ta pengene selv. Dermed får han den psykopatiske morderen Anton Chigurh (Bardem) på nakken, som dreper seg nærmere og nærmere. I tillegg er sheriffen Ed Tom Bell (Lee Jones) på sporet og prøver å finne ut av hvem som står bak alle mordene.

Dette er enda en film som tar seg god tid, viser oss lange bilder av landskap og hvor de fleste karakterene tenker seg om før de snakker. Det er den ene typen Coen-stil en kan få, nemlig den alvorlige Coen-stilen. I motsetning til komediene, der ting går ganske kjapt, jobbes det her med mer dvelende dialog. Det er fullstendig herlig gjennomført.

Skuespillet er jo også her nærmest feilfritt. Tommy Lee Jones og Josh Brolin er veldig bra castet, og sitter som et par velplasserte skudd gjennom hele filmen. Men selve juvelen i filmen er selvfølgelig Javier Bardem i rollen som psykopaten Chigurh. Helt fantastisk spilt, nok en gang en karakter som klarer å skremme meg med intensiteten. Det hjelper selvfølgelig på at karakteren er såpass rolig og kontrollert. Scenen der han ber mannen i butikken å velge kron eller mynt er en av de desidert beste jeg har sett i hele år.

Ellers så må en nevne at denne filmen har spenningsdeler som faktisk kan gi litt sannhet til å sitte på kanten av setet. Coen-brødrene gjør en mesterlig jobb i å bygge opp spenningen, og gir oss også den nødvendige utbetalingen. Og som jeg sa i forrige Coen-innlegg: Filmene deres er aldri dårlig fotografert.

Det er minimalt med musikk brukt i filmen, kun et par steder er det lagt på en svak tone. Det går helt uproblematisk for min del. Hvis stemningen er til stede uten musikk, så trenger en ikke klistre på musikk. Den store “kontroversen” rundt filmen går vel kanskje på slutten. Jeg er enigi at den kommer litt brått på når det gjelder Moss-delen, men den faktiske slutten syns jeg er veldig passende, med den måten den virker i forhold til tittelen.

Jeg så denne på kino to ganger i år, uten at den var noe som helst dårligere andre gang. Den vant hele fire Oscar ved årets utdeling: Beste film, Beste regi, Beste manus basert på tidligere publisert materiale og Beste mannlige birolle (Bardem). I tillegg ble den nominert i kategoriene Beste kinematografi, Beste klipp, Beste lyd og Beste lydredigering. Den er for meg en sterk konkurrent til beste Coen-film, noe som sier ganske så mye. Anbefales. Punktum.

Dom:

DHF: 9/10 (Uhyre sterk, vil sannsynligvis bli 10/10 etter jeg har sett den flere ganger.)

IMDb: 8.3/10 (142 138 stemmer, plassert på 89. plass på Top 250)

VG: Terningkast 5

Dagbladet: Terningkast 6

Gratulerer til Ottar, Stein og Lars med riktig tips! Jeg avslutter med det som kanskje er mitt favorittsitat fra filmen:

Nervous Accountant: “Are you going to shoot me?”

Anton Chigurh: “That depends. Do you see me?”

Legg gjerne igjen kommentar!

Nombre completo: Faustino Hernán Asprilla Hinestroza

Apodo: El Tino, The Octopus

Fecha Nac: 10-Noviembre-1968

Lugar Nac: Tuluá, Colombia

Posición: Delantero centro

Internacional: 57 – 20 goles

Trayectoria: Cúcuta Deportivo (1988-89), Atlético Nacional (1989-92), Parma FC (1992-96), Newcastle United (1996-98), Parma FC (1998-99), Palmeiras (1999), Fluminense (2000-01), Atlante (2001-02), Atlético Nacional (2002), Universidad de Chile (2003), Estudiantes de la Plata (2004)

Palmarés: Liga colombiana (Atlético Nacional: 1991), Copa Interamericana (Atlético Nacional: 1990), Recopa de Europa (Parma FC: 1993), Supercopa de Europa (Parma FC: 1993), Copa de la UEFA (Parma FC: 1995, 1999), Copa de Italia (Parma FC: 1999), Supercopa de Italia (Parma FC: 1999)

¿No les ha pasado alguna vez que desde que se levantan por la mañana una idea o un personaje viene a su cabeza repentinamente, sin saber por qué?

Eso mismo me ha ocurrido hoy. Desde que he abierto los ojos, el ‘Tino’ Asprilla da vueltas por mi mente sin parar. No tengo ni idea por qué, pero el colombiano revolotea por mi cabeza, se mueve de aquí para allá, salta, brinca, festeja y, de vez en cuando, se para y empina el codo un poquito. Es por eso por lo que he decidido que hoy era el día para hablar de él. Sentía la necesidad, el ansia de recordar buenos tiempos, aquellos en los que las preocupaciones de uno se limitaban a emular a su ídolo en un terreno de albero.

Asprilla era uno de esos grandes jugadores de nuestra época; nuestra generación futbolera creció viendo sus goles en aquel gran Parma de los 90, junto a algunos como Gianfranco Zola o Tomas Brolin, o en el Newcastle de Shearer y Ginola.

Octopus, como le llamaban en Inglaterra por su peculiar forma de moverse, fue uno de los más grandes futbolistas de la historia de Colombia -para mí el mejor ‘cafetero’ de todos los tiempos, incluso por delante del ‘Pibe’ Valderrama, y de quién sea- y era uno de esos jugadores que reclamaban la atención tanto dentro como fuera de los terrenos de juego. En la cancha, era un delantero singular. A pesar de que la altura no le acompañaba (1.78 m), en el juego aéreo era de los mejores; siempre se las ingeniaba para mandar a la red ese balón proveniente de alguna de las bandas del Ennio Tardini o de St. James Park. Cuando la bola estaba en el suelo, tampoco era cojo; era veloz, tenía regate y desborde y nunca sabías por dónde te iba a salir.

Famosos son sus dos goles en aquel partido de la selección colombiana en el Monumental de Buenos Aires en 1993, cuando los amarillos le endosaron un contundente 0-5 a la todopoderosa albiceleste, y en su propia casa. No menos conocido es aquel gran tanto que le marcó al Milan de Capello, que sirvió para derrumbar la histórica marca que el cuadro rossonero había establecido en Italia: 58 partidos sin perder hasta que el ‘Tino’ convirtió aquel tiro libre. Y aquellas finales contra la Juve, de Copa de la UEFA y de Copa de Italia, en las que el modesto Parma conseguía hacerse un nombre en Europa.

Todo lo malo que le ocurrió después es otra historia. Poco me importan las peleas con el seleccionador Hernán Gómez o el hecho de que, tras su retirada, una de sus preferidas aficiones sea la de corretear por las calles de Bogotá y de su ciudad natal, Tuluá, disparando a diestro y siniestro. Para mí Asprilla es recuerdo, es nostalgia y es felicidad. Es uno de aquellos jugadores, como los Bergkamp, Baggio, Weah o Suker, por citar a algunos, con los que crecí y que me enseñaron lo distinto y especial que es este deporte.

Su etapa en el Newcastle

El famoso gol al Milan

Asprilla en el Parma (en japonés LOL)

El Parma de los 90′ en Fiebre Maldini

W

Josh Pothen

4 stars out of 4

This short piece was originally written in the Mace & Crown as a 350 word piece.

Oliver Stone’s “W” is an engrossing film that never feels mean-spirited or satirical. It is an objective piecing together of information about George W. Bush’s life from multiple books and sources, and it seems true to what we already know. It has a certain slant, of course, but most people will be clever enough to realize that and want to learn the truth about the events portrayed in the film. I certainly did. As proof, dear reader, I took more notes for this movie than for any other I’ve reviewed.

The story is the White House buildup to the war in Iraq, intercut with events from Bush’s younger years. Each flashback shows the evolution of an aspect of his personality reflected in the following White House scenes. A lecture Bush Sr. (James Cromwell) gives to his son about keeping his commitments explains in part why Bush was gung-ho to head into Iraq.

At the center of Bush’s motivation is a desire to earn his father’s respect by outbesting him. George Sr. is continually disappointed in “Junior’s” reckless antics, and believes Jeb (often offscreen) will be the family’s success story. Even when Bush cleans up and becomes governor of Texas, his father complains that Jeb lost his political race.

Josh Brolin will certainly receive a Best Actor nomination for his work as Bush. He has the correct tone, mannerisms and body language, but never comes across condescendingly or as an imitation. His performance is so natural we forget that he’s acting. At times he is indistinguishable from the real thing.

A film like this will inevitably inspire controversy. Stone has already put up a guide on his film’s website listing sources used for information in the film. He wants to inspire a discussion. Anyone willing to put their biases aside will be surprised to discover it’s a very civil discussion.

Here are the first two video reviews for Cinepub, W. and Zack And Miri Make A Porno. They’re a little rough around the edges, the audio is a little out of sync, I think because my webcam is pretty shitty, but they’re the first ones and so they can only get better.
Also I’m kinda embaressed that neither of us could remember who played Laura Bush. It was Elizabeth Banks, a.k.a Miri from Zack and Miri Make A Porno. Plan.
Anyway, please enjoy. Laterz.

W.

Zack And Miri Make A Porno

Sconvolgente e dissacrante come al solito questo film dei fratelli Ethan e Joel Coen, pluripremiato agli oscar e ben accolto dalla critica. Non è l’originalità della trama, classica per un action thriller, a rendere imperdibile questo film, ma la rappresentazione di un tema caro ai due registi: quello del nichilismo. Un uomo a caccia nel deserto, Llewelyn Moss, trova due milioni di dollari in un furgoncino carico di eroina e circondato da cadaveri. Decide di prendere i soldi, condannando se stesso a fuggire da un assassino spietato e infallibile, nonostante per uccidere usi una semplicissima sparachiodi ad aria compressa. Una fuga quella di Lleewelyn avventurosa e simbolica. 

L’inseguitore misterioso dall’acconciatura improbabile e dal volto inespressivo è il premio oscar Javier Bardem, l’antieroe del film che fa da contraltare al coprotagonista, il vecchio sceriffo della contea Bell, un Tommy Lee Jones a un passo dalla pensione che si ritrova ad inseguire vittima e carnefice nel tentativo di salvare l’uno e arrestare l’altro. Bell segue il sangue dei morti che il killer cacciatore si lascia dietro, turbato dalla gratuità e semplicità di quelle efferatezze. I suoi pensieri narranti, paralleli alla trama visiva del film, comparano continuamente l’universo di valori nei quali il vecchio sceriffo si è formato a quelli nuovi, ormai simulacri del passato. 

Una constatazione amara, in cui appare chiaro che la sacralità della vita e i suoi valori sono definitivamente persi nel vuoto di senso che la modernità porta con sè. Un uomo vale ormai un semplice lancio di moneta (guarda il video qui sotto). L’assassino è il nuovo che avanza inesorabile con il suo carico di insensatezza, il deserto è lo scenario in cui la contemporaneità si muove. Mentre lo sceriffo rappresenta l’ultimo baluardo, ormai pronto al pensionamento, di una civiltà che aveva un’idea di dover andare e come arrivarci.

Alla fine Llewelyn non si salverà, ucciso dagli altri suoi inseguitori, i narcotrafficanti messicani. La sua morte, però, non è filmata. Lo spettatore si trova il corpo del protagonista riverso al suolo così, all’improvviso, inaspettatamente. Il film continua senza il suo eroe, producendo lo spaesamento tipico del nichilismo. Nelle scene finali il killer rimane coinvolto in un violentissimo incidente stradale, la polizia accorre. E proprio quando si pensa che la sua morte o il suo arresto possano decretare una speranza ancora possibile per la sensatezza, ecco che, malconcio, Bardem si rialza e continua per la sua strada. Protetto nella sua fuga da due ragazzini affascinati cui ha offerto dei soldi.

Pietro Bellantoni

Pensieri: Il deserto del tempo

Just in time for the election, Oliver Stone’s rendition of the Bush family and Bush Jr’s rise to the presidency.  Should be amusing enough.

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