Okay… so I am a HUGE twilight fan!! I mean the books especially! The Twilight movie was alright, but was kind’ve slow. New Moon, that one was very good, I loved it!!! It was way better than the first one. The plot line was very good, there was humor, sadness, love, drama lol just about everything. I can’t talk about it without giving things away, so out of 5 braids … i’m going to have to say 5!!!

New Moon, the meandering new entry in the Twilight series directed by Chris Weitz, continues the same theme of melodramatic teen passion/symbolism for abstinence. This time, however, we get more than two hours of it, and the basic “plot” of lonely Bella meets a hot guy who it turns out is secretly a monster while other dangerous vampires put her in danger just seems like a re-hash this time around. The budget is bigger and the effects far more lavish, but the dialogue is also more laughable and the logic behind events harder to understand. While trying to place emphasis on a Twilight sequel is ignoring the fact that the overwhelming majority of the audience is only going to fantasize about rubbing Taylor Lautner’s abs, I couldn’t help but notice the lion’s share of folks sitting with me laughing at every attempt at earnest passionate dialogue. Could this be the first hit film that people know going in is going to be bad?

We pick up where we left off… in Forks, Washington, with Bella (Kristen Stewart) and Edward (Robert Pattinson) deeply in love and talking about it often. Bella wants Edward to bite her and make her a vampire, so she can be close to him forever. However, Edward thinks to do that would be to take away her precious soul. (Soul is the symbolic word for virginity in these films.) When an accident causes one of the Cullen clan to attack Bella, Edward decides in order to protect her, he must leave her forever. Enter Jacob (Taylor Lautner), who is the prototype of the “best male friend,” except that he’s a total hunk– and he’s a werewolf. It takes Bella way longer to figure this out than it takes us in the audience. She’s let in on the secret surprisingly easily, and then the natural conflict is clear. Will Edward come back for Bella? Will Bella ever give Jacob a chance? Who will win in the epic werewolf-vampire fight? And will Jacob ever wear a shirt again?

Please don’t leave me hateful comments for my snide remarks regarding the quality of this sequel– as I stated in my Twilight essay, I thought that the first film was decent enough, and that it gets a rawl deal in terms of the thrashing it receives at the hands of those who hate the series, or Pattinson, or Stewart, or all of the above. This film does have some noteworthy improvements over the first. The effects are vastly superior… not even in the same ballpark, really. When Jacob jumps into the air and phases into a werewolf in mid-jump, it immediately destroys even the best effects in the last film. The film is also shot with more confidence; while it loses the right-in-the-thick-of-it indie feel that Catherine Hardwicke gave the first film, Chris Weitz shoots this film like an epic action romance, the way it wants to be shot. The score is dramatic, the music indie and emo, and the color palette far more fleshed out.

Also, this film gives opportunities for a few actors to shine. Taylor Lautner is a charming young actor who gives a usually gloomy series some much-needed warmth. He is also in possession of ten to twelve abdominal muscles that would merit a Best Supporting Actor nomination if anyone from this film would. Michael Welch provides humor as Mike, the goofball average joe friend at school who crushes on Bella and clearly stands zero chance (forget Team Edward and Team Jacob– I’m firmly on Team Mike). Billy Burke gets several warm moments as Charlie, Bella’s father, who doesn’t understand Bella but at least tries hard. Ashley Greene is peppy as Edward’s psychic sister Alice, and she provides necessary eye candy for any guy dragged by his girlfriend to see these films. Dakota Fanning appears in a “what is she doing here?” cameo as a powerful vampire who has the ability to torture people… or something– her intensity seems far less forced than many of the other vampiric actors. Finally, there’s Michael Sheen, who chews scenery (and necks) with great gusto as Aro, the leader of the Volturi, a group of ancient vampires in Italy who… well, who they are isn’t really important, just know that they put Edward and Bella in danger. His hammy performance showed me what kind of film this might have been with more capable actors, one where the intensity is fun to watch and the actors seem to be enjoying themselves and the great powerful passion they throw themselves headfirst into.

Unfortunately, many of the problems from the first film linger into the second. Pattinson’s intensity as Edward seems put on and bordering on self-indulgent. He takes his part so seriously that it forces teen girls to stifle giggles at the wooden dialogue he is forced to deliver. Stewart shows a little more life this time around, but she is now stuck with a great dilemma– the audience will clearly find Jacob the more reasonable choice of mate, yet she doesn’t give him the time of the day. In fact, she refuses to even give him one shot. Why? I know, I know, Team Edward followers will tell me how deep their love is, and that’s the reason why she can never be with anyone else. The problem is that the clunky script doesn’t give them any real connection of love, other than moany angsty one-liners. Jacob makes her smile, makes her laugh, and gets her out of the house. Edward never does those things and threatens to take her eternal soul. If Edward was portrayed by a more charming, less moody actor, perhaps this duel would seem more even-handed. Also, the plot mopes along like a raincloud. Aside from Bella experiencing adrenalin rushes to see Edward (in a misty cloud effect that also provokes chuckles nearly every time), there’s very little true action to speak of for a very long stretch of film. When the format is essentially the same as the first, repetition of the first film’s structure is not a good thing at all.

Of course, the set up for the sequel is a doozy. *SLIGHT SPOILER AHEAD* Edward says he’ll only bite her if she agrees to marry him. (Still think the pro-abstinence, bloodlust-as-real-lust metaphor is hokum?) And Edward and Jacob have the beginnings of what I pray will be an epic showdown. Yet cruel tease that the film is (and the one before it), it saves the most fascinating moments for the last five minutes. Naturally, with this movie making serious bank, it comes as no surprise that this film should be seen if only to keep your fingers on the pulse of popular culture. However, and forgive me since I haven’t read the books, if the plot doesn’t pick up for the third film, it will be increasingly difficult for me to motivate myself to donate another two plus hours of my life solely for the purpose of keeping up with the times. On the plus side, it won’t take very much for it to eclipse this entry.

There is something inextricably fascinating about the Catholic church. It’s quite a public denomination, and one that lends itself to political involvement quite easily. Especially in Mexico during the 1930s, when recognizing oneself as Catholic or, even moreso, a Catholic priest, was an automatic verbal signature to your death wish.

The whiskey priest, the only identification we’re given of our protagonist, plagues himself with the struggle between giving himself up as a martyr, and validating his mission on the physical earth. The government has given him two options: marry and live life as an ordinary citizen, or die. Our priest can’t justify either as less of a cop-out, so he chooses option three: run.

The irony of this all is that as he is running he is trying to make a martyr of himself. While he is “home” to hide out for the night, the military comes through town demanding information regarding the rogue priest. The entire town knows that the priest is in and among them–his tattered clothing blends him into the rest of the citizens–but no one, including him, speaks up. They run through the line of men, asking names and relations. The priest gives a pseudonym, and for further incentive to confess the officers take a young man hostage. The priest cries out, “take me!” but he does not confess to being the priest. Had he said, “take me! I’m the priest!” they would have killed him in the morning. Instead he just looks like a heartbroken mentor.

Greene originally titled this book and had it published under the title”The Labyrinthine Ways.” A labyrinth is a maze that consists of one non-branching path the entire way through. Interestingly enough, nothing about this book represents a labyrinth. A labyrinth suggests that no choice is required, but whichever way this book lies the subjects are faced with two or more opportunities, and they are forced to make a decision.

What’s interesting about this novel is that Greene does not paint a clear picture of who should be sympathized with and who should be loathed. The priest is most sympathized because he is the hero of the novel, but he is constantly endangering those around him by not voluntarily martyring himself. He is a very human image of leadership within the Catholic church, but his obsession with brandy highlights the weaknesses in his morality. His counterpart, the lieutenant, is loathed because he is pursuing the whiskey priest throughout the novel, but one scene particularly reveals his intense compassion for children. The mestizo is probably the most hated  character in the novel. But why shouldn’t he turn the priest in? He needs the money, after all.

A reader need not know the inner workings of Catholicism in order to appreciate this novel. It is strikingly grounded; every character, whether meant to be hero or villain, is united in their humanness. There is no perfection in this book. And more than anything, that element draws the reader into the pages and beyond the story.

Graham Greene. The Power and the Glory. Penguin (1940). ISBN: 0140184996

servizio di LUCA SVIZZERETTO

(tratto da Nuovo Oggi di giovedì 19 novembre 2009) – Presentata a Roma il 16 novembre l’anteprima assoluta del capitolo due, firmato dalla scrittrice Carolyne Meyer.
Twilight non ci era piaciuto ed è inutile nasconderlo, ma se possibile New Moon ci è piaciuto ancora meno.
In compenso abbiamo trovato il modo di sintetizzare questa saga, giunta al suo secondo episodio. Prendete un film horror del tipo più classico, vampiri, licantropi, stregoni e inseritelo nel mondo creato già da anni da Moccia ed ecco a voi la pellicola in questione.
Non lo sapevano fino a qualche tempo fa ma vampiri e uomini lupo altro non sono che giovani adolescenti, affamati di tutto fuorchè di sangue (parliamo di sesso e muffin, eh si proprio muffin), che passano le loro giornate a struggersi per amore, parlando tra loro come i protagonisti di Dawson’s Creek.
Triste? No peggio. Se si pensa che questo film promette di essere uno dei più amati e seguiti dai giovani di oggi tra cui sono in migliaia ad esserne fans sfegatati.
Addirittura nella storia si inneggia in qualche modo al suicidio d’amore, come fosse una cosa che accade sempre in certi casi e che può essere contemplata nel calcolo delle probabilità quando una relazione finisce.
Vorremmo trovare qualche spunto positivo almeno negli effetti speciali o nella sceneggiatura. Ma considerando che la traformazione da uomo in lupo appare fatta al computer anche a chi non ne ha mai visto uno e che quella di ‘Un lupo americano a Londra’ era diversi gradini sopra allora c’è da riflettere.
Qual’è l’utilità di un lavoro come questo se non attirare orde di liceali urlanti nella sale cinematografiche, attirati solo dalla fama che ormai i creatori di Twilight hanno ottenuto.
Tanti ingredienti scadenti, come protagonisti che di giorno girano sempre a torso nudo (senza che se ne comprenda l’utilità) mente si ritrovano con il dormire vestiti, improbabili cadute in motocicletta, assurdi salti da scogliere di altezza non ben identificata e chi più ne ha più ne metta. Perfino un viaggio a Volterra, in Italia, trasformata dalla scrittrice Mayer in capitale dei succhisangue e dove appunto sono state girate alcune scene di questo secondo episodio. Il quartier generale dei tra Volturi (vampiri antichissimi e potentissimi) si trova nel vicolo mediaevale più antico al mondo, peccato solo che nel romanzo e nel film non sia specificato che il vero nome della location è ‘Vicolo del Pisciatoio’.
Attori che recitano da cani è il giudizio più attinente al tema che ci viene in mente parlando dei protagonisti.
Per il resto preferiamo fermarci qua, del resto c’è ben poco da poter aggiungere vista la mancanza quasi assoluta di spunti artistici anche lievemente interessanti.
Soporifero e sopravvalutato.

I was looking up Edward Cullen on Wikipedia and I saw that it said that Edward was a Byronic hero. Because of that, I clicked on the link that explained what a Byronic hero was. Anyway, as I was reading the characteristics, it did sounds like Edward As I continued down the website, it mentioned that Lestat from the Vampire Chronicles and the Phantom from the Phantom of the Opera were Byronic heros as well, but I digress with the Phantom. That made me think about how much Lestat and Edward were alike in the sense that they are both Byronic heros. I think that’s the reason why I don’t like either character. I mean, it’s not that I hate them, but it’s just that they’re not my favorites characters from their respective series. Anyway, I think that’s the reason why I don’t like Lestat and Edward is the fact that they’re Byronic heros.

In my search for any Lestat vs. Edward stuff, I found quite a few pictures that made fun of Edward and the Twilight series or making fun of the fact the Twilight series “outshines” the Vampire Chronicles. The one that I found to be the most funny was the one where it showed Edward and Bella together in the first box, and the following three boxes showing Louis, Lestat, and Armand telling their opinions on the series. I found that Lestat’s and Armand’s reactions to be the most funny. Their reactions were classic Lestat and Armand. Anyway, the next one that I thought was funny was the one where Lestat as picking on Edward. I just found those funny. By the way, you can find the originals at this site.

In the second installment of Stephenie Meyer’s TWILIGHT series, the romance between mortal and vampire soars to a new level as BELLA SWAN (Kristen Stewart) delves deeper into the mysteries of the… In the second installment of Stephenie Meyer’s TWILIGHT series, the romance between mortal and vampire soars to a new level as BELLA SWAN (Kristen Stewart) delves deeper into the mysteries of the supernatural world she yearns to become part of—only to find herself in greater peril than ever before. Following Bella’s ill-fated 18th birthday party, EDWARD CULLEN (Robert Pattinson) and his family abandon the town of Forks, Washington, in an effort to protect her from the dangers inherent in their world. As the heartbroken Bella sleepwalks through her senior year of high school, numb and alone, she discovers Edward’s image comes to her whenever she puts herself in jeopardy. Her desire to be with him at any cost leads her to take greater and greater risks. With the help of her childhood friend JACOB BLACK (Taylor Lautner), Bella refurbishes an old motorbike to carry her on her adventures. Bella’s frozen heart is gradually thawed by her budding relationship with Jacob, a member of the mysterious Quileute tribe, who has a supernatural secret of his own. When a chance encounter brings Bella face to face with a former nemesis, only the intervention of a pack of supernaturally large wolves saves her from a grisly fate, and the encounter makes it frighteningly clear that Bella is still in grave danger. In a race against the clock, Bella learns the secret of the Quileutes and Edward’s true motivation for leaving her. She also faces the prospect of a potentially deadly reunion with her beloved that is a far cry from the one she’d hoped for.

Starring: Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, Taylor Lautner, Dakota Fanning, Chaske Spencer, Bronson Pelletier, Alex Meraz, Kiowa Gordon, Tyson Houseman, Ashley Greene, Peter Facinelli, Elizabeth Reaser, Kellan Lutz, Nikki Reed, Jackson Rathbone, Edi Gathegi, Rachelle Lefevre, Billy Burke, Charlie Bewley, Jamie Campbell Bower, Daniel Cudmore, Christopher Heyerdahl, Cameron Bright, Noot Seer, Michael Sheen, Graham Greene, Tinsel Korey
Director: Chris Weitz
Screenwriter: Melissa Rosenberg
Producer: Mark Morgan, Greg Mooradian, Wyck Godfrey
Studio: Summit Entertainment

MOVIE TRAILER :

Sziasztok!
Gondolom ti is odavagytok a híres Twilightért!
Ma volt “szerencsém” megnézni és annyira,de annyiraSZAR VOLT,hogy az elmesélhetetlen! Ennyire gagyi filmet még soha nem láttam,nem értem a mozik,hogy mernek ilyeneket játszani…
Azért,mert van benne egy kontaktlencsés kifehérített srác? Ezért nézi meg mindenki? Vagy miért? Hisz semmi értelme szerintem és bárkit is megkérdeztem mozi után mindenki azt mondta,hogy nem jó!
A nagyra tartott Twilight (a legnagyobb divat film)

Már nagyon várom a 3. részét is,amiben remélem Penge is benne lesz és megszünteti ezt az “izgalmas” filmsorozatot…

U.i.:Ajánlom a sok kis cukcsi 12 éves Hello Kittys bugyijú kislányoknak.

ennyi.pás pussz
<3<3<3

A Saga Crepúsculo: Lua Nova
Romance / Fantasia – 12 ANOS

É aniversário de Bella e após um pequeno acidente, ela quase é atacada por um dos Cullen. Com medo do que pode acontecer com sua amada se eles ficarem juntos, Edward decide ir embora. Entra em cena Jacob, que ajuda Bella a recuperar a vontade de viver. Mas será que ela vai esquecer o vampiro?
A semana não tá muito boa. Confesso que eu tenho o DVD duplo do primeiro filme (o_O) e não me orgulho disso… (Ataque de Spoilers) Quando ela fica grávida e vem para o Brasil? E o bebê se alimenta dela mas ela entende isso como um ato de amor? Desde quando um vampiro (Um ser morto) engravida uma moça? Eis o mistério da fé….

(Twilight Saga: New Moon) EUA, 2009. Direção: Chris Weitz. Elenco: Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattison, Nikki Reed. Duração: 130 min.

Polícia, Adjetivo 
Drama – 14 ANOS

Cristi é um policial que se recusa a prender um jovem por “oferecer” haxixe a dois colegas de escola. O ato de oferecer é punível pela lei, mas Cristi não deseja ficar com peso na consciência por condenar a vida de um jovem. Deixa eles usarem haxixe, assim o filme seria menos complexo…

(Politist, Adjectiv) Romênia, 2009. Direção: Corneliu Porumboiu. Elenco: Dragos Bucur, Vlad Ivanov, Ion Stoica. Duração: 115 min.

Deixa Ela Entrar (RJ)
Suspense – 16 ANOS

Um garoto sozinho, perseguido na escola, se aproxima de uma estranha menina, sua nova vizinha – e não se afasta quando descobre que ela é uma vampira.
Um filme bom, mas com estréias picadas no país inteiro… Quando chega em DVD?

(Låt den räte komma in) Suécia, 2008. Direção: Tomas Alfredson. Elenco: Kåre Hedebrant, Lina Leandersson, Per Ragnar. Duração: 110 min.

Sem Fio (SP)
Drama – 16 ANOS

Diversas histórias e núcleos narrativos se cruzam em fábula urbana sobre a decadência das relações humanas.
Marcos “NASI” já tirou meu interesse por esse filme…

Brasil, 2009. Direção: Tiaraju Aronovich. Elenco: Marcos “Nasi” Valadão, Tiaraju Aronovich, Amanda Maya. Duração: 82 min.

As a man in my 20s, there are plenty of folks in my age range who approach me regarding Twilight and ask, “…who in the world likes this crap?” It’s a definitively generational craze, and it’s astonishing to think that some experts believe New Moon could sell as many tickets as Iron Man, when 85% of the population above the age of 25 just simply doesn’t get it. However, after watching it last night, it now clicks. Please note that I have not read the books nor do I know what happens later in the series; I am judging solely the first movie on its own merit. I surmise that the Twilight series is an extended metaphor where a vampire’s lust for human blood, which is always affiliated symbolically with sex throughout the history of fiction, represents a teenager’s rush of hormones and physical desires, yet the outcome of giving in to this lust is an eternal life of damnation and become a violent machine prone to frenzy at a moment’s notice. It’s a film in which sex, metaphorically speaking, is the villain.

Let’s examine the basic plot of the love story, shall we? We follow an angsty teen girl (Kristen Stewart, reigning queen of angst) who moves to a new town and has no friends. Certainly feelings of isolation resonate with any teenager, so the new town setting merely adds to the weight of this feeling. She has a very intense lab partner named Edward (Robert Pattinson, whose stare is so intense it borders on self-parody) who is alluring to her. She begins to have feelings for him, and she believes she is starting to dream about him. In one moment, he literally saves her life, which merely intensifies her feelings that he is special and her life is more rich with him in it. There’s one problem– he’s flighty, continually backing off if she gets too close to him or if her fragrance blows in his general direction. He admits that he has a great desire to touch her, but he knows that by doing so, it will send him into an uncontrollable frenzy, which would result in either her death or a drastic life change for the worse. They talk about their passionate love for the ages, they remain in close proximity, and he even tries kissing her a couple of times… but for the most part, while physical desire exists between the two of them, they know that restraining themselves is for the best.

Before I continue, let me say that I didn’t hate the movie, not by a longshot. While the characters are rather one-note and the special effects are of the quality of a made-for-SciFi Channel film, Catherine Hardwicke establishes a familiar high school setting, and keeps all of the non-vampiric elements of the film quite naturalistic. I was at times more entertained by the regular teens Mike (Michael Welch) and Jessica (Anna Kendricks) than I was the Cullens. There’s a scene in which Mike very sweetly asks Bella to prom, and I was so put off by the awkwardness of Edward up to that point, I wondered why there was only a Team Edward and Team Jacob, no Team Mike. Taylor Lautner is a very easygoing Jacob, and he shares a natural chemistry with Stewart. When it comes to Stewart and Pattinson, their performances fluctuate to put it nicely: at the beginning, Stewart’s performance fits the bill, but as Bella begins to express more passion, her monotone delivery doesn’t properly convey the idea. Pattinson, on the other hand, is laughable when he first steps on the screen, but as the film progresses, I became more used to his stylistic portrayal, and certainly he expresses that deep longing more convincingly than Stewart does.

The deep longing is the core of the film– the fight against the lust they have in order to maintain the purity of the love they feel. Examine the scene in which Edward is in Bella’s room, and he tries to kiss her. They share a couple of slow kisses, then start getting more passionate, and he lies on top of her in the bed. It’s a highly sex-charged moment, the culmination of all of their feelings and desires leading to this snowball effect in the bedroom. However, unlike in most films, where the consummation of their love would be cheered, here Edward jumps off of Bella quickly. He acknowledges that it was difficult for him to do that. She agrees, making the parallel between the lust for blood and the lust for sex crystal clear. How many bedroom scenes between teenagers who both have expressed a desire for the other result in a montage of them talking? I imagine this is a large reason why parents don’t object to purchasing the series or its paraphernalia for their children, yet children don’t find it outright square– it refuses to hide the fact that teenagers do lust for one another, while still expressing that the “safe” decision is restraint.

The author, Stephenie Meyer, doesn’t seem to be saying that there is any problem with feeling lust– it’d be a lie to attempt to say teenagers don’t. The dialogue in the film is chock full of statements of intense longing. “I hate you for making me want you so much,” Edward tells Bella at one point in the film. He’s a hero who not only has intense lust, but deep pangs of guilt, since he knows his urges conflict with his morals. He also could have had any girl, as Jessica says at the beginning, but he’s been keeping away, waiting for the right girl. He tells her, “You don’t know how long I’ve waited for you.” The reality is that most teens do put a value on lust, and aren’t interested in passing their special experience off to the first interested party. Usually the boys are seen as the sole instigators of lust in movies such as this (and sure enough, there is a stereotypical gang of drunk, rape-happy townies at one point), but the smart thing that Meyer does is acknowledge the desires of a teenage girl– typically a taboo in Hollywood. She provides temptation without being a floozy, since she feels she’s been waiting for a guy like him as well. “I don’t have the strength to stay away from you anymore,” he tells her. “Then don’t,” she replies, in a line that normally would lead to a bedroom montage of embraces and undressing. In fact, in most films, a movie where a guy and girl know that they love each other would approve of consummation to some degree, cheering for it. Here, even teens happily in love find that it’s better to wait.

They go through the film, continuing to moon over one another and fall deeper in love, even full well knowing physical intimacy will never come into the equation. “And so the lion fell in love with the lamb,” Edward says heavyhandedly. “What a stupid lamb,” Bella responds. “What a sick, masochistic lion,” Edward counters. Some would argue against the effectiveness of a pro-chastity message in a film where the characters understand that not giving in is a sick, dangerous, and at times unsatisfying game. The teenage girls which make up the fanbase of the series certainly share Bella’s lustful feelings for Robert Pattinson, and would undoubtedly cheer if they consummated their love. The fact of the matter remains that teenage girls do have newfound physical desires, and there would be no way to effectively promote waiting to satisfy them while denying that girls have these feelings without repelling the core audience. To deny that young people feel this way at all is simply ignorant, and any type of promoted agenda in politics or art that try to use this point come across as out of touch. Strangely enough, it’s because teenagers find truth in these ridiculous melodramatic characters and the feelings and urges they’re having that makes them such big fans… and consequently, Meyer’s subtle agenda acknowledging that it’s okay to have desire as long as you don’t give in slips into the subconscious of impressionable readers and viewers everywhere.

Once again, this is based solely on one movie– I have no idea which direction the series is headed. One of my favorite moments in the film is when Edward and Jacob exchange words for the first time, hinting at the massive conflict that is bound to occur. Hardwicke sets this up effectively as being an epic rivalry for the ages, so when they inevitably butt heads, there’s going to be a real weight to the battle. However, the real battle is still the desire between Edward and Bella, and how that desire will affect their relationship. Bella still wants Edward to give in, so that she can live forever damned but at least be able to satisfy her desire. Edward refuses to do so, proper gentleman that he is. The final words of the film aren’t about Edward vs. Jacob, they’re about this conflict, as Bella narrates, “No one will surrender tonight, but I won’t give in. I know what I want.” The series could have Bella succumb in the very next chapter for all I know, but it doesn’t change that Meyer began her series by rooting her characters in firm moral dilemma. The villains give into every urge, and the hero and his family shows restraint. The effectiveness of the propaganda is certainly up for debate, but I would postulate that it’s more effective to not patronize teenagers and acknowledge that their pubescent raging hormones will feel strong desires, strong emotions… strong everything, because when you’re a teenager, life is a melodrama. No teen will turn down a request for intimate action by stating, “No thanks, Edward waited, so can we.” But if you look, the pro-chastity message is plain as day. Meyer (herself a devout Mormon) has tapped into something that teenagers relate to and appreciate, and the moral conflict of finding love while fighting lust is the heart of the matter. I mean, Doctor Cullen only uses his vampirism on another human when necessary, and when he does, he emerges with another “child.” Is this really a coincidence?

* credit goes to the good people of Pass The Popcorn for contributing to many talking points in this article *

To recap, about 2 weeks ago, a popular high school English teacher named Greg Van Voorhis was suspended for handing out copies of Chuck Palahniuk’s ground-breaking short story Guts out to his 11th grade students.   According to the Gothamist:

That didn’t go over so well with school administrators at the Bronx School of Law and Finance in Marble Hill, where the seven-year veteran was quickly reassigned from his classroom duties while the Department of Education investigates.

Now, isn’t this just stupid? The man is trying to educate them and what does the school board do? They fire him.  What would they have 11graders read?  Sleeping Beauty? It’s literature, it’s art. Chuck Palahniuk is a great writer and the story isn’t the way they portrayed it.  It’s not awful but it gives a view on what’s wrong with some people these days. I’ve read it and i’ve read things that are more disgusting than this so i don’t really get what the whole fuss is about. The fact that they would fire him is an attack on people’s rights and an obvious attempt at censorship. If you ever saw the movie Donnie Darko (which is great by the way) you would see the same situation happening there, the teacher in the movie is being investigated (and later fired) because she presented her students a short story called The Destructors by Graham Greene. Though in the movie it seemed to have had an influence on the one who tried to destroy the school, in this case, the teacher did nothing else than, somewhat, give those students a life lesson. Not to mention that the “kids” are supporting their teacher and have even started a group on facebook. So if you want to rally for this cause and join the group here is the link:

Save Mr V group http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=159270906478

also if you want to read the story here it is:

http://chuckpalahniuk.net/features/shorts/guts

I was bored recently and was on my computer I don’t know why but I typed Lestat vs. Edward into Google to see what I would get. Anyway, a lot of stuff that popped up were drawings of people making fun of Edward through Lestat’s point of view, and videos and articles asking who would win in a no-holds bar fight. I immediately thought that Lestat would definitely win. I say that because, after looking up their powers as a refresher, while Edward has super strength, super speed, and can read minds, Lestat can do or has all of that, plus so much more. Lestat also has pyrokinesis, the ability to fly, and he’s telekinetic. Plus, he killed an entire wolf pack by himself, albeit with the help of his two mastiff dogs. Anyway, I really think that Lestat would definitely win the fight against Edward, and that’s assuming Lestat doesn’t fall in love with Edward first, which I doubt would actually happen, and that Lestat doesn’t hurt Bella.

I finished reading Eclipse about a month, maybe a month and a half ago. The thing that I found most funny was in chapter 18 when Jacob, when he was in wolf form, came up to Bella and licked her. In that same general area, I also liked when Jacob, again in wolf form, looked like he was smiling. I think the reason why I liked those two parts was because it’s typical of Jacob to be happy-go-lucky. Anyway, I just found those two parts to be funny.

Chris Weitz ha sido el director encargado de dirigir la segunda parte de la exitosa franquicia juvenil “Twilight”, titulada “Luna nueva”. Su currículo no es que sea una joya, y todo indica que con este largometraje se ha quitado la espina clavada que suponía tanto “La brújula dorada” como “Un niño grande”. La premiere ha tenido lugar el pasado 12 de noviembre en Madrid,  concretamente en el Palacio Vistalegre del castizo barrio de Carabanchel. Hasta allí llegó el elenco de este film, y aquí podréis que dio de sí el evento, en una nueva crónica de JuliaCGS cargada de ironía y humor.

Cuatro días después, concretamente el 16 de noviembre, ha tenido lugar la premiere americana en Los Ángeles, pero lo más alucinante de todo es que ya tienen en postproducción la siguiente entrega “Eclipse”. Esto ha sido así porque hay tantos seguidores de la vampírica saga en nuestro país que los productores decidieron hace unos meses, tal y como os adelantamos aquí en Videodromo, que España fuera el país que diera el pistoletazo de salida.  Fijaos si es un fenómeno de masas que aquí en los cines hay programada una sesión especial de madrugada al precio astronómico de 11 dólares, y para el cual ya no hay entradas. Wyck Godfrey tras los intentos de encontrar una franquicia rentable con “Eragon” parece que lo ha conseguido con “Crepúsculo”.

Una vez más, la guionista encargada de trasladar el segundo libro de la autora norteamericana Stephenie Meyer a la gran pantalla es Melissa Rosenberg. Eso sí calidad no le va a faltar porque se suben al proyecto dos grandes talentos, por un lado el español Javier Aguirresarobe, que se encarga de la fotografía y el francés Alexandre Desplat que ha puesto los acordes a esta nueva entrega y creo que ha tenido bastante porque no aparece en los créditos de “Eclipse”. Todos recordaréis su maravilloso trabajo para “Coco, de la rebeldía a la leyenda de Chanel”.

Entre todo el elenco de actores continúan tanto  Robert Pattinson  y Taylor Lautner, que poco a poco están eclipsando a otras jóvenes estrellas como Zac Efron, por lo menos a este lado del Atlantico. También aparece la cada vez más crecidita Dakota Fanning, Jackson Rathbone al que vamos a ver en la secuela de Donnie Darko llamada “S.Darko” y Jamie Campbell Bower que está de enhorabuena porque acaba de estrenar “The prisoner” aquí en los Estados Unidos. Se suman nuevos rostros como Curtis Caravaggio que interpreta al vampiro Rogue y le habéis visto recientemente en la serie “Battlestar Galactica”  o el desconocido Charlie Bewley que da vida a Dimitri. Y rescatan a actores como Graham Greene al que todos recordaréis por su gran papel en la escarizada “Bailando con lobos”.

Rodada en entre Canadá, Oregón y Europa. Para más señas en la ciudad de Vancouver y en localidades de Whytecliff Park, el Instituto David Thompson, Pitt Meadows  y en Portland. Mientras que en Europa han elegido Italia, concretamente dos bellas localidades y muy distintas entre sí. Por un lado la gran Toscana, concretamente en  Montepulciano, Siena, y por otro en la Umbria, en Todi y Perugia.

Un día después de su estreno comercial en salas en España de esta nueva entrega de la Saga Crepúsculo supera todas las expectativas con una recaudación en taquilla que supera la increíble cifra de 1.450.000€ (más de 260.000 espectadores), lo que la sitúa como la tercera mejor apertura de la historia de una película no estrenada en viernes, sólo por detrás de “Harry Potter y el principe mestizo” y “Harry Potter y la orden del Fénix” y por delante de películas tan emblemáticas como “El Retorno del Rey”, tercera entrega de la trilogía de El Señor de los Anillos. Esto demuestra que los espectadores estaban ansiosos por poder verla. Han acudido en masa a las salas para disfrutar de la continuación del intenso y apasionado romance entre la mortal Bella y el vampiro Edward. Una vez más, los seguidores españoles de la Saga se han vuelto a volcar en su apoyo a la película, demostrando que son una de la mejores aficiones del mundo, motivo por el cual han podido disfrutar de ella dos días antes que en Estados Unidos.

Y habéis acertado bien, Videodromo se suma a la fiebre juvenil y esta semana el estreno destacado es “LUNA NUEVA” y “La firma invitada” ha sido Victor Guybrush, quien ha tenido la suerte o desgracia, según la opinión de cada uno, de acudir al pase de prensa para darnos su opinión sobre esta nueva entrega. El resto sacad la lima y poneos a afilar los colmillos para verla este viernes.

“LUNA NUEVA” comienza cuando Bella, la protagonista, cumple 18 años. La noche anterior al señalado día la chica tiene una pesadilla en la que se ve a sí misma, ya anciana, acompañada de su inmortal pareja vampírica, Edward Cullen, quien conserva su aspecto juvenil. Esto pone muy nerviosa a Bella, que se da cuenta de que, si ya son difíciles las relaciones normales, una entre un mortal y un vampiro se antoja imposible. Para rematar durante su fiesta de cumpleaños un pequeño incidente con un corte en el dedo de la chica, con la consiguiente tensión que provoca en algunos vampiros invitados hace que Edward Cullen decidan alejarse de Bella y así protegerla de los de su especie. La depresión alcanza a nuestra protagonista, que solo encuentra consuelo momentáneo en la compañía de Jacob, un indio que esconde un curioso secreto.

Debo confesar que no he leído los libros, así que este comentario solo atiende a elementos vistos en la película Luna nueva. Y solo atendiendo a ellos me reafirmo en mis prejuicios, ahora ya contrastados: la película no tienen ningún interés si no eres seguidor de la saga Crepúsculo, y siendo seguidor más de uno debería plantearse qué es lo que está viendo, porque hay elementos vergonzosos (y no me refiero al trato que se da al mito del vampiro).

Me pregunto cómo es posible que alguien se identifique con los personajes. Entiendo que la película sea “para chicas” (más bien para algunas chicas, no para todas, por suerte) y que los torsos desnudos de los protagonistas, que buscan cualquier excusa para lucir musculatura de gimnasio (uno) y pálida escualidez (el otro) sean una constante, pero no me puedo creer lo poco cuidados que están los personajes femeninos, apenas unos cuantos estereotipos bastante tristes, con los que espero que ninguna mujer se sienta identificada.

Bella es la chica más dependiente sobre la faz de la tierra. Su vida gira alrededor de su amor por Cullen y está decidida a dejar atrás a amigos y familia, que no significan nada para ella en comparación con el vampiro, si fuese necesario. Cuando Edward la abandona (con el viejo truco de enfadarla tanto que no quiera volver a verte, alejándola así del peligro que supone estar a tu lado, por su bien, truco aquí empleado de forma bastante lamentable y poco creíble) la chavala entra en una depresión profunda que dura meses.

Termina buscando el cariño que le falta en Jacob, un indio melenudo que termina cortándose el pelo (para las fotos de promoción de la película, claro), pero en realidad ella sigue queriendo a Edward Cullen. Pronto empieza a tener visiones de Edward, quien empieza a actuar como un ángel de la guarda cuando un peligro acecha a la muchacha, lo que hace que Bella se involucre en acciones cada vez más arriesgadas a fin de volver a ver a su querido vampiro. Aunque por un momento parece que la película se va a volver un poco Crash (Cronenberg, 1996) al final la cosa se queda en un coscorrón en moto y poco más. 

El resto de chicas que tienen más de dos minutos en pantalla son Alice, interpretada por Ashley Greene, personaje totalmente prescindible que está ahí para llevar a Bella al enfrentamiento con los malos y poco más, y Dakota Fanning con dos kilos de maquillaje con los que aparenta cinco años más de los que tiene y que se limita a acatar las órdenes de los vampiros superiores de forma sumisa. Y ya.

A pesar de todo esto ¿funciona la película? No, tampoco. Esta es una película de personajes, y si estos resultan ser más planos que las hojas de los libros en los que aparecen es imposible sacar nada bueno de ella. Entiendo que las (y los) fans de la saga sepan a lo que van y acepten Crepúsculo con sus limitaciones, pero el resto del mundo puede pasar por alto estas dos horas y media de culebrón en lo que lo más ardiente son dos besos (dos, en serio) que se dan Edward y Bella al principio.

La forma de expresar el amor que sienten el uno por el otro consiste en utilizar frases a cual más azucarada, sentida, pretendidamente profunda y en general bastante cabreantes, dando la impresión de ser una especie de Romeo y Julieta bastante cutre, desesperante y risible a partes iguales que haría morirse de la vergüenza a la persona más cursi del mundo.

No encuentro nada que pueda motivarme a recomendar este producto. Como mucho, las risas que se produjeron con la última línea de la película y que no me resisto a comentar (si tienes muchas ganas de ver la película sin saber cómo acaba aquí se termina la crítica para ti). Para todos los demás: Edward le pregunta a Bella si quiere casarse con él después de aceptar que ella quiere convertirse en vampiro por estar con él y que será él mismo quien le de el mordisco.

O sea, el tipo le va a dar el beso que la transformará en vampiro, va a condenarla a una eternidad de sufrimiento, seguirán el uno al lado del otro para siempre pero, de todas formas, quiere casarse con ella. ¿No es convertirla en un monstruo inmortal bastante prueba de su unión más allá de las barreras del tiempo?  “Las cosas hay que hacerlas bien”, habrá pensado el bueno de Edward, y eso significa que la unión no debe ser únicamente de facto, sino también a los ojos de Dios, no sea que acaben viviendo en pecado. Apaga y vámonos.

LUNA NUEVA-TRAILER

Hola qeridos escaleriantes!!!
Sii por fin se ha estrenado en España la segunda parte de la super mega famossisima saga Crepúsculo (de la cual yo soy una frikki y mis queridas princesas disney tamién son super fans,culpar a crepúsculo de que estas locas se conocieran), y como no las Queens no podiamos dejar de ver tan maravillosa pelicula con desconcertante final.
Bien aqui va mi critica (intentaredar los minimos spoilers posibles pero no prometo nada)
En mi oinion es una gran adaptación del libro a la pelicula! cosa realemnte dificil. Reitero que en todo caso es mi opinion.
Bueno si pudeo entrar en detalles tiene bastantes toques humoristicos que siempre le dan un poco mas de vida al libro. Y bueno debo decir que me ha enamorado Taylor Lautner en su papel de Jacob Black, incluso he estado a punto de hacerme Team Jacob (Queen B es testigo), pero Edward siempre puede conmigo, así qeu me mantengo en mi mentalidad de Team Edward!.
No se como decir las cosas sin spoilers, así que solo puedo decir que es genia que me encanta y que no os quedeis a los creditos que no dan nada, bueno si al final de toooodo pone “The Twilight Saga : Eclipse”. Bueno así qeu ya sabeis que en verano se estrenara Eclipse.  El principio tambien meencata sobretodo por que cita las frases de principio del libro de Luna Nueva de Romeo y Julieta, “Los placeres violetos terminan en la violencia, y tenen en su triunfo su propia muerte, del mismo modo que se consume el fuego y la polvora en un beso voraz” , cuando lei e libro me enamore de esta frase de Romeo y Julieta y me ha encantado que el principio haya sido así, espero no desvear nada muy revelador!

Recrdar que vuestra opinion nos importa así que no dejeis de escribirnos a “lasescaleras_@hotmail.com” y esta cuenta si funciona (cuando veais la pelicula lo entendereis)
Por cierto aviso a fututos espectadores de la pelicula, el final es triste y muy alegre a la vez e sun remolino de emociones increible, y llevaros un avanico, sobretodo enamoradas de Robert Pattinson y Taylor Lautner, en serio los hombres de esta pelicula no tiene despedicio, y sus cuerpos menos, asi que ir preparadas,y dejo ya la citica que si no soltare algun spoiler!

Besitos crepusculeros!

Queen S

Opening MIDNIGHT FRIDAY 20th (Thursday night) of November at S.G.C. DUNGARVAN.

Hey guys,

just a small reminder to you all not to forget to book your tickets for our special midnight screening of the latest installment of the amazingly popular Twilight Saga: New Moon which is on this Thursday night/ Friday morning.

- John David

In the second installment of Stephenie Meyer’s phenomenally successful ‘Twilight’ series, the romance between mortal and vampire soars to a new level as Bella Swan (Kristen Stewart) delves deeper into the mysteries of the supernatural world she yearns to become part of — only to find herself in greater peril than ever before. Following Bella’s ill-fated 18th birthday party, Edward Cullen(Robert Pattinson) and his family abandon the town of Forks, Washington, in an effort to protect her from the dangers inherent in their world. As the heartbroken Bella sleepwalks through her senior year of high school, numb and alone, she discovers Edward’s image comes to her whenever she puts herself in jeopardy. Her desire to be with him at any cost leads her to take greater and greater risks. With the help of her childhood friend Jacob Black (Taylor Lautner), Bella refurbishes an old motorbike to carry her on her adventures. Bella’s frozen heart is gradually thawed by her budding relationship with Jacob, a member of the mysterious Quileute tribe, who has a supernatural secret of his own. When a chance encounter brings Bella face to face with a former nemesis, only the intervention of a pack of supernaturally large wolves saves her from a grisly fate, and the encounter makes it frighteningly clear that Bella is still in grave danger. In a race against the clock, Bella learns the secret of the Quileutes and Edward’s true motivation for leaving her. She also faces the prospect of a potentially deadly reunion with her beloved that is a far cry from the one she’d hoped for. With more of the passion, action and suspense that made ‘Twilight’ a worldwide phenomenon, ‘The Twilight Saga: New Moon’ is a spellbinding follow-up to the box office hit.

This novel by Graham Greene, adapted for the stage by Clive Francis and directed by Richard Baron, is about a British secret agent in pre-Castro Cuba, whose reports and informers are all inventions. As a vacuum cleaner salesman in need of money, he allows himself to be recruited by the secret services, and feeds them ingenious plots and conspiracies, which he tries to back up with real events, leading to near-disaster. Putting this on stage is not easy, but Clive Francis has the experience of playing in Travels with my Aunt, another Graham Greene adaptation, and like that play this uses only four actors, playing multiple parts. The main character, Wormold (our man in Havana) was very well performed by Simon Shepherd, while Philip Franks, Norman Pace and Beth Cordingly played the other roles. They did brilliantly well, and how they managed the multiple costume changes, lord alone knows. It was like a conjuring trick, and the audience loved it. This play is a comedy, and a reminder of how gross incompetence can be rewarded by Whitehall when it suits them to avoid admitting errors and rank stupidity.

…he gave an impression of unstable hilarity, as perhaps he had been celebrating a birthday, alone.

Capolavoro del genere noir e del cinema inglese, cult movie il cui fascino è cresciuto nel tempo, Il terzo uomo nasce da un felice melange di eventi:la sceneggiatura avvincente dello scrittore Graham Greene, un regista, Carol Reed, abile nell’unire mistero ed introspezione psicologica, lo scenario della città di Vienna fotografata da Robert Krasker in un bianco e nero dal taglio espressionistico( Premio Oscar), la bravura degli interpreti ed infine una particolare colonna sonora, basata sulle sole note della cetra di Anton Karas.
1946: in una Vienna postbellica, divisa in quattro zone d’occupazione, giunge l’americano Holly Martins( Joseph Cotten), squattrinato scrittore di romanzi western, per incontrare il suo vecchio amico Harry Lime(Orson Welles), che vorrebbe offrirgli un lavoro, ma questi è morto il giorno prima, investito da un camion, e se ne sta celebrando il funerale.
Non convinto della versione dell’incidente datagli dai testimoni, Holly inizierà una personale indagine, scontrandosi con il maggiore Calloway(Trevor Howard) della polizia inglese, che gli spiega come il suo amico fosse uno spietato trafficante di penicillina adulterata, e conoscendo l’amante di Harry, l’affascinante ed ambigua Anna( Alida Valli), dalla quale si sente attratto.
Tra luci ed ombre, intrighi, doppi giochi, la verità verrà dolorosamente fuori, a partire dalla scoperta che il corpo sepolto non è quello di Harry…
La macchina da presa scruta ogni angolo della città ed ogni particolare, anche il più insignificante, rende partecipe la plumbea atmosfera all’ambiguità morale dei personaggi, in un sottile gioco di metafore, dove nessuno è realmente come appare; l’uso del grandangolo distorce le immagini, creando prospettive sghembe, accentuando i toni onirici e surreali e sottolineando quella linea di confine tra bene e male che tutti i protagonisti del film attraversano, senza che vi sia una netta vittoria del primo sul secondo.
Infatti a risultare vincente, pur nella sua sconfitta, è proprio il personaggio di Harry, che, espediente narrativo dalle ascendenze letterarie, entra in scena dopo circa un’ora, all’improvviso, illuminato da una luce uscente da una finestra aperta, polarizzando l’attenzione sul suo carisma sinistramente diabolico, enfatizzato dalla frase rivolta all’amico Holly a conclusione di un discorso (pronunciato su di una ruota panoramica, sospesi nel vuoto, simboleggiando l’astrazione da ogni possibile condizionamento)su quanto poco possa valere la vita umana di fronte a facili guadagni, auto-assolvendosi dai suoi crimini: “Sai che diceva quel tale? In Italia, sotto i Borgia, per trent’anni hanno avuto assassinii, guerre, terrore e massacri, ma hanno dato vita a fenomeni come Michelangelo, Leonardo Da Vinci e il Rinascimento. In Svizzera hanno regnato amore fraterno e cinquecento anni di pace e democrazia, e cosa hanno prodotto? Gli orologi a cucù.”

Gostei muito do filme Dúvida, do dramaturgo John Patrick Shanley, que adaptou sua própria peça. O trabalho junto ao elenco é formidável. Desde a sutileza em que o garoto é apresentado, numa cena breve que já anuncia uma suspeita homossexualidade, até alguns detalhes incômodos, como a coriza da personagem de Viola Davis, a reticência de Philip Seymour Hoffman ou a imagem sempre espantosa de Amy Adams. Por sua vez, Meryl Steep e o diretor constroem uma rígida freira, onde o que seriam impostações caricaturais se tornam possibilidades positivas para a personagem, como se o julgamento fácil do público não pudesse nunca se justificar. 

Enquanto assistia ao filme, me lembrava de O coração da matéria, romance de Graham Greene. Em ambos os casos, é fascinante como profundas implicações morais do catolicismo encontram ressonância mesmo nas adversidades aparentemente insuportáveis. São obras que esclarecem aquilo que seria uma das maiores dificuldade da fé, o livre arbítrio que Deus concede aos homens. O fato do filme terminar numa dúvida que redime elucida um pouco esse mistério.

Jokke-uka, dag 2: Mitt eneste intervju med Joachim Nielsen, på toppen av Grand Hotel tidlig en ettermiddag i 1997.

FOTO: MAY-IRENE AASEN

Jokke har gjenoppstått fra de døde. Han er nyforelska og har lagt grøftefylla bak seg. Men han tar seg fortsatt en neve pils og en Irish Coffee tidlig på ettermiddagen.

(Opprinnelig publisert i Osloposten.)

Jokkes gamle valentinere er utbrent. Karrieren som Joachim Nielsen er lagt på hylla. På Trygge Oslo er Jokke tilbake, sammen med Tourettes og gladere enn på lenge. “Jeg sitter her og stirrer på deg som en fjortenåring” og “kanskje vil du gifte deg med meg en gang” synger han. Er den gamle grinebiteren og nervebylten forelska?

– Jeg har vært sammen med samme jenta i seks år, men er veldig nyforelska nå for tida. Dessuten var jeg lei av mine mange låter om hvor fælt det er å slå opp.

To fulle menn
Men Trygge Oslo har også sine dystre sider. Låta “Bestevenner” er noe av det tristeste Jokke har skrevet, en dyster beskrivelse av to venner som havner skikkelig på kjøret. Jokkes gamle slager “2 fulle menn” – men ti år etter og full av angst.

– Låtene handler ikke bare om meg, den handler også om gode venner. Jeg har ikke mistet så mange, men flere har dødd de siste åra og det begynner å bli ekkelt.

Joachim ser eldre ut enn sine 33 år. Han har levd hardt og drukket tett, og ble rikskjendis da han var dritings på Spellemannprisen. Da fikk han ukas kaktus i bladet NÅ, i sterk konkurranse med Muammar Gadaffi og Saddam Hussein.

– Vi fikk dårlig rykte og ble bandet som ga faen i alt. Fyllebandet. Media gikk helt i spinn og jeg fikk meg en knekk.

Åra etter Spellemannprisen var røffe for Jokke, men han holdt seg oppe på penger han tjente på samleplata Spenn. Med soloplata Nykter i fjor tok han seg kraftig sammen.

– Jeg slutta med sørpefylla og begynte å leve. Hadde jeg fortsatt i samme sporet ville jeg neppe vært her i dag. Jeg drakk på meg magesår og epilepsi, og måtte bare kule’n. Nykter var mitt oppgjør med meg sjæl, en deprimert plate uten na-na-na-refreng. “Trygge Oslo er mer variert.

Hjemmefra som 16-åring
Jokke forteller at han er blitt langt mer kreativ etter at han kutta ned på drikkinga. Mens han tidligere kun hadde tre-fire låter klare før han gikk i studio, skriver han nå nesten hver dag.

– Det er mange gode historier i sangene dine, og bror Christopher (serieskaper) er en habil forteller. Du skriver ikke andre ting enn låter?

– Jeg har lekt med tanken, og prøvd meg på noen noveller. Men det er rocketekster jeg takler. Men jeg leser mye; forfattere som Graham Greene, Nelson Ahlgren, Charles Bukowski og James Caine.

Jokke har bodd på Grünerløkka siden 1981, med unntak av fem år på St. Olavs plass. Etter at han forlot barndomshjemmet på Ulsrud for å jobbe på en farm i California fant 16 år gamle Joachim ingen grunn til å flytte hjem.

– Ulsrud var bare en t-banestasjon, et sted å komme seg vekk fra. Grünerløkka er en oase, jeg elsker å tusle rundt i bydelene i Oslo øst. Men folk sprader mye mer enn før, etter at SV-generasjonens barn har flytta inn på Løkka.

Jokke & Valentinerne er uekte barn av pønken. Opprinnelig var det Jokke og en kompis som spilte gitar under navnet Rudolf og valentinerne. Joachim ble til Jokke da pønken kom til Norge i 1979. I løpet av et år så niendeklassingen Joachim konserter med Sham 69, The Clash, Boomtown Rats, Elvis Costello og andre storheter.

– Jeg har alltid prøvd å få platene mine til å høres ut som en blanding av glam, new wave og pønk. Etter 1980 er jeg helt “lost” når det gjelder musikk.

Publikum berserk
I 1982 var Jokke & Valentinerne et femmannsband med piano og “en neger på bass”. Med tiden ble det en trio, Jokke arva 20.000 kroner og spilte inn Alt kan repareres i 1986. Plata solgte 2000 eksemplarer det første året og Et hundeliv fulgte i 1987. Jokke begynte å få et publikum.

– Vi hadde det gærneste publikummet i Oslo, som stadig gikk fullstendig berserk. Publikum skal ta en del av æren for fyllemyten, selv om jeg helt klart bidro selv. Men jeg var som regel stille og rolig i forhold til publikum. Det er ikke lett å spille når det kommer 20-30 stykker opp på scenen.

– Hva gjør du om ti år?

– Jeg har bare ungdomsskolen, så jeg tror ikke jeg klarer noe annet enn å spille. Men i dag holder jo rockere på til de er 60, se bare på Rolling Stones. Men jeg er glad jeg ikke er debutant i dag. Dagens band er så flinke til å øve at jeg trolig ikke hadde kommet meg ut av øvingslokalet en gang. Jeg tilhører den gamle “øve-en-gang-i-uka-hvis-jeg-må”-skolen.