Is it me or are there suddenly more babies around? I seem to notice them more than before…

I think probably since about half a year the thought of children have began to cross my mind more frequently. I’ve always known I am supposed to be a mother and I am looking forward to the day when the time is ready. It is by no means in the nearest future, but still my head is getting used to the idea. I guess it’s only natural.

I guess it’s biological. Tic, tac…

I guess it is because more of my friends are becoming parents these days than travelling around the world. Even the least likely ones, like my girl friend from back home who used to be the typical single party chick. We were crawled up in Bibbi’s couch when she dropped the bomb and announced that she was pregnant. She has changed a lot in the last year and gotten very serious with her boyfriend so it wasn’t that unexpected.

I found myself looking at her in awe while she spoke of mood swings and physical changes and then I saw it; the glow of a pregnant woman.

She had never been more beautiful.

Speaking of children, I’ve been hanging out with Frida and her son, Mio, 18 months. He is a cool kid. Easy going and a lot of fun!

We went to Junibacken, Astrid Lindgren’s museum. She was the author of Pippi Longstocking and basically every Swedish traditional children story that I grew up with. The sound of her voice is as familiar to me as my own grandma’s. Mio is too young to appreciate the awesomeness of the museum but he liked the story train almost as much as me, Frida and Beatrice did.

At work there are kids around all the time. I hear them talk with their parents and I smile at their cleverness and wonder if I will truly realize the greatness of those moments, when those children are my own.

I will be travelling the world first. But I will be a mother one day. And I hope I will glow.

Let me introduce you to Sara. She is a singer, (and a songwriter…yes you are!) a street dancer, a writer (lately, in English too, I’m impressed), a photographer, an artist and a fighter with a loving soul.

And she is the best little sister in the world!

We have the same father, but have never lived under the same roof. We have spent summers and winters at my dad’s and taken every opportunity, in every possible city, to meet up. Sometimes just a few hours to watch her in a school performance. Sometimes a quick coffee at a train station. Most often long walks and precious talks.

When I studied in Båstad she was not further away than an hour’s train ride so she could come stay at my place for the weekend or I could head down to Malmö for a day of shopping or picnicking.

Ever since she was little she has been creative. I’ve saved all of the paintings she made.  I’ve kept the photographs in a special album. She drew a heart once that I have inframed and one Christmas she gave me a box of ginger bread cookies with words describing me written in sugar icing…I had to eat them eventually, but I took pictures of every single one.

I am so proud of her.

I don’t know much but I know this; she could go anywhere she wants and be whoever she wants to be. The world is at her feet.

This is her blog

Brent, un lycéen beau et glabre de 17 ans, est kidnappé par une camarade secrètement amoureuse qui, accompagné de son père, va lui faire vivre un bal de fin d’année redoutable entre deux coups de perceuse.

Deçu par Jennifer’s Body, mitigé sur All The Boys Love Mandy Lane, Ben voila un film qui risque de rehausser un peu le niveau. Présenté comme un croisement entre une comédie et un film d’horreur pour ado (enfin on se comprend) le premier film de Sean Byrne risque bien d’être la nouvelle sensation Australienne après le fameux Wolf Creek. Je n’ai vu aucune date de sortie en Europe pour le moment (le site officiel prévoit une sortie pour 2010), mais le film a déjà été présenté à divers festival ,comme celui de Toronto, et a remporté un franc succès (TIFF 09 Midnight Madness Audience Choice Award)

Malheureusement aucun Trailer n’est disponible pour le moment, et je ne sais pas vraiment pourquoi. Donc à la place une petite photo de la jolie actrice Jessica McNamee

I met my ex boyfriend at a party last night. Although I hadn’t seen him for two years he looked exactly the same. Perhaps even slightly broader over the shoulders, but it could have been the jacket. I think he was a little shocked to see me as a brunette. I think he was shocked to see me at all.

We were together for four years and a half, but it ended four years ago. I’ve heard that there is a general four years cycle, a pattern that makes us seek change around that time, which often brings us to turning points in our relationships.

We grew apart as cliché as that sounds. There was no drama, no below-the-belt remarks, no discussion. We cared too much for each other.

It was great to see him again.

To see him as the man he has become. To remember us as 20 year-olds playing house. To know what it would feel like to touch him. To decide that I wouldn’t do us that disfavour.

To stand in the middle of the subway, holding each other, hearing him say with forced strength that I was never his to keep and that he wishes I’d go out and meet the man I am supposed to make happy and what the hell was I doing in Sweden anyway?

In the background a street musician was playing “I’m tired of using technology, I need you right in front of me”.

I felt like Gwyneth Paltrow in Sliding Doors. What could have been different, had I caught another train? What was in front of me because I didn’t? Does it matter anyway when all versions blend into one, undeniable reality.

And I cried in his arms for reasons he will never understand.

We put one foot in front of the other, never knowing where we are going, never knowing what we leave behind and what’s worth keeping. At the end of the day, we only have what we acknowledge.

The doors may be relentlessly sliding but the trains are continuously coming.

I took the one to where my friends were and we danced and drank until early morning.

by Matthew Groves

Warning.  This review will be kind of unorthodox.  In every one of my film reviews I like to give a little bit of a plot summary, not too much, but just enough to allow the readers to know what the film is see if it is the kind of the film for them.  To be honest, though I can’t really do that in the conventional way this time, because I will give up major parts of the story.  Some may see that as a weakness, but for what this film does with it’s simple story overall is pretty masterful and puts most horror films made by big studios to shame.

We’ll just say this about The Loved Ones.  The story involves a prom night, an abduction, and a search as well as a survival of such abduction and it is Australian.  I think the best way to describe it is the film’s influences, which seem to be The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (the original, none of that other crap), The Evil Dead, Carrie, Dazed and Confused and a little bit of Deliverance mixed in.

I know what you’re thinking well, if those are its influences and you can’t talk about the plot, then is there really anything to it?  My answer is yes.  I think as a visceral horror viewing experience it really works.  Have we seen it before?  Yes, but I think even the much publicized remakes of all those above films doesn’t touch the feeling of seeing this one.  It is so damn effective at being a teen film/mixed with a quasi-slasher/quasi-torture film that honestly I have to tip my hat too it and give it credit.  And I think really was a effective at building tension and pushing the gore just before the point where it would be disgusting and unwatchable like films like Hostel.  Sure on the scale of harrowing films like Lars von Trier’s Antichrist, this film can’t even touch that film, but this one made me squirm and audibly speak to the screen and characters, which isn’t an everyday occurrence in horror films for me.  The film also has a great sense of being darkly comedic.

The visuals on shot on the RED HD camera are amazing.  The tension and mood work, the acting is stellar, and the writing and direction is pretty good for a debut and writer-director Sean Byrne doesn’t overshoot too badly.  Sure some of the teen prom night comedic stuff didn’t work as well next to the horror elements, but it was still a fun ride.  I also think while the film is over the top; I do think the villains are really menacing, even if a bit unrealistic.  I think though the entire film is a heightened reality and things work together a little too well, but as a debut horror film it is good, I think above average.  Even with it being a little derivative and having some problems, while not one of the best recent horror films I’ve seen, it is much better than the vast majority of horror films coming out of the American studio system, so I say when it comes out, check it out and I think you’ll really enjoy it for what it is.  I saw the film at a midnight showing it was kind a perfect film for that.  So know going on it that it will be intense, bloody, darkly comedic, but for my money a solid horror flick that is more for hanging out with friends for a late night movie, than a deep discussion and deconstruction.  I know this may sound contradictory in light of my review of Guy and Madeline on a Park Bench, but I think that if you aim high like that film did you deserve more scrutiny than a film that aims low like this and mostly hits the bar.

Picture Source:

http://www.dreadcentral.com/img/news/aug09/lovedones1.jpg

Fat Wreck Chords estará editando un boxset de 3 cds, esto por motivo de celebrar sus 20 años de creación. La label empezo en 1990 pero edito su primer material dos años despues. El pimer disco incluria exitos del pasado, el segundo canciones raras o “lados B”, el tercero será el 7″ Club del 2001 en un solo cd.

El release incluira 88 canciones de Against Me!, American Steel, Anti-Flag, Avail, Bracket, Chixdiggit!, Consumed, Dead To Me, Descendents, The Dickies, Dillinger Four, Enemy You, Epoxies, Face to Face, The Flatliners, Frenzal Rhomb, Goober Patrol, Good Riddance, Hi-Standard, Lagwagon, The Lawrence Arms, Less Than Jake, The Loved Ones, MxPx, Mad Caddies, Me First and The Gimme Gimmes, NOFX, Nerf Herder, No Use For A Name, None More Black, One Man Army, Only Crime, Propagandhi, Randy, The Real McKenzies, Rise Against, The Sainte Catherines, Screeching Weasel, Sick Of It All, Smoke Or Fire, Snuff, The Soviettes, Star Fucking Hipsters, Strike Anywhere, Strung Out, Swingin’ Utters, Tilt, The Vandals, Western Addiction, Wizo y Zero Down.

Food has always been a central matter in my family. Not only is my dad a cook, but my mom stayed a year at an old fashion house keeping school where they learnt to sew and weave, pluck, debone and prepare chickens, bake crisp bread and cook traditional food.

It wasn’t new to her as she grew up in a family that was more or less self sustainable. My grandpa was a hunter and every year by this time there would be deers hanging on the white painted corners of the red wooden house, that he, himself had built. The freezer would be packed with boxes of parboiled and prepared wild mushrooms and the fridge would have jars of home made blue berry and lingon berry jam and glass bottles left since summer of strawberry juice. Till this day I have never had better juice.

Throw my mom a piece of meat and she will do miracles with it. Come to a buffet party at my dad’s and there will be food enough to feed an American football team.

Why I started thinking of all this, is because yesterday I met with Ursula, my “third” grandma (long story short, everyone in my family is divorced, so I have extras of everything)

It was a chilly Stockholm day. I was wearing my ruby red coat and brown leather boots (why am I telling you this? Well, just so you get an idea of how “autumny” it was). We went into a restaurant called Zink Grill on Biblioteksgatan. It was a cozy, candle lit place with mustard coloured cloths, the exact same tone as my sweater. We ordered veal stake, mashed potato and gravy and a good, red wine (She always insists on ordering the same dish as me, to match the wine. She is cute like that)

Our conversations are so precious to me. Probably because I don’t have them with anyone else. We talk about art exhibitions, politics (to some degree), culture, Pakistan (she used to live there, working for the ministry of foreign affairs) and of course, food.

After dinner it was therefore only natural to continue on the subject and go see “Julie and Julia”, weaving together two stories of two women of different times, sharing a passion for cooking. Needless to say, the whole movie is one long food orgy.

When I got home I felt inspired, so I made oven grilled root veggies with goat cheese and fresh thyme to bring to lunch the next day.

While singing along to Carmen Consoli’s “Parole di Burro” I remembered the first dinner at Paolo’s family’s balcony, a still, hot summer in Rome, ten years ago.

The spaghetti and home made pesto was heavenly, just like his mother was an angel.

We blessed the food and the evening. I didn’t understand so much of what they said at that time but smiled nevertheless. In fact, that was all I could do.

I have had amazing food at various restaurants around the world, but there is nothing, nothing, that tops a simple supper made with love, enjoyed in good company.

I had designs on heading out of the house to hike up a local cliff to get some great shots of the changing leaves, but the low temperatures, and the overcast clouds were probably going to not give me the camera light that I was looking for. Instead I headed out on a walk along the river trail in my hometown.

Pittston Bench

There are some nice places to shoot along there, and the geology there is amazing.

Not a camera trick. The rock is really like that.

Under that collapsed rock, is an air shaft where 13 guys escaped their sure death on Jan 22, 1959. 33 of their buddies were not quite so lucky that day.

How fitting is this graffitti? I have been coming here for years, and never realized that was a stencil. Man that is some dedication.

There is just something about a walk on the tracks that really brings me back.

I went down to the river and got some shots of where I Intended to climb to and one of our local bridges.

One early morning.

My Favorite shot of the day.

I got home just in time for the rest of my family to wake up and start their day. Some of the folks who were in town for the wedding wanted to go up to the circle drive in flea market. This place is usually pretty amazing, but with the cold and the rain…you can just take a look and see…

Not much going on

We went out for lunch, did some more visiting, and then headed back to Philly. On the ride we listened to my favorite team, the Raiders beat up on the Eagles. Stella was very happy to watch the game with me, while snuggled up on the best blanket in the house.

Best Blanket in the house

We got there just in time to drop our stuff off, watch some more of the game and head off to the Gaslight Anthem show at the troc. We hung out with some good friends and got to see the Loved ones who killed it, then we watched the ball game during Murder by Death and checked out the Gaslight Anthem. They were great, and sounded amazing,

To be a catty girl…their bass player looked like the biggest poser ever, and really needs to work on stage presence, but the rest of them were great. We capped the night off with some late night Chinese food, because we realized that we did not eat anything else the rest of the day.

I went to see The Gaslight Anthem, Murder By Death, and The Loved Ones in Philly last night at the Trocadero. It was an all around great show.

The Loved Ones played what was probably the best set I’ve ever seen them play. I can’t really describe why it was so great, but they just felt really on and didn’t talk too much compared to other times that I’ve seen them. Their set list was well chosen and leaning way more to the Keep Your Heart side of things than Build & Burn, which works out great for me since I think Keep Your Heart is a much better record.

Murder By Death was slightly worse than the last time I saw them, but that was also about five years ago. They played well and sounded good, but I think I miss them being a five piece. Having a dedicated keyboardist made them able to keep more of their recorded sound when playing live. Sarah did a great job switching between cello and keyboards, but it wasn’t quite the same. The last time I saw them was before their last two albums came out so they had fewer songs to play. This gave them time to rock out and jam a little more. I’m not into jam bands, but I love when bands that I like just jam out for a little bit during some of the instrumental parts of songs. It adds something extra to the live set that you don’t get from a record. This is something that they seemed to do a lot in the past and it was one of my favorite things about seeing them, but now with all the extra songs that they have, there is a lot less time to do it. Still, they sounded great and picked a good selection of songs to play. I think they covered everything that I wanted to hear.

And then there was Gaslight Anthem. They sounded amazing and were tight as hell with a great stage presence. It may have been the tightest that I’ve ever seen them play out of the six or seven times that I’ve seen them. But the selection of songs that they played was a bit disappointing. The ‘59 Sound is a really great record, one of the best to come out in 2008. However, it lost a lot over the last year for me. Most of my interest in it waned. Sink Or Swim has stuck with me though. That’s what I wanted to hear. I didn’t expect a lot, but the entire first half of their set was from The ‘59 Sound. By the end, we only got a couple Sink Or Swim songs in total. I guess normally it would be expected to hear only a few songs from a band’s first album…if they have more than two, but with only two of them, it’d be nice it at least a third of the set was from the first album. Oh well. At least everything they played sounded great.

Even accepting the fact that I’ll never get to hear them play much from Sink Or Swim again, I don’t know that I’ll ever want to see them live again. I’m not sure how to describe it, but they felt very rock starry last night. It was a little too much. They stopped feeling like this band from New Brunswick that used to play basement shows and the Court Tavern to small crowds and more like a band that has their eyes set on stages set in front of thousands and thousands of people. It wasn’t to the point where it was terribly upsetting and bothersome and a lot of it was subtle, but it was enough that I feel as though my love for them will start to decline if I keep on seeing them.

Last night was also the first time that I’ve been to the Troc in about seven years. I’ve generally avoided it as I was never a fan of the place and I was reminded 100% of this last night. The sound is terrible. It might be the worst sounding venue I’ve ever been to. Ugh.

The Loved Ones (dir: Sean Byrne, 2009)

Los fines de semana durante el Festival de Sitges son muy intensos, sobre todo, por las noches, debido principalmente, a las maratones que se organizan. Para nuestra primera maratón conjunta teníamos un dilema, y es que la maratón Mondo Macabro nos tentaba. Por qué ¿? Muy fácil, proyectaban Mahakaal (The Monster) la versión Bollywood de Pesadilla en Elm Street… Uuuhmmmm! Nos tentaba mucho la idea de ver al Freddy Kruger hindú, pero finalmente, nos decidimos por un valor seguro, Midnight X-Treme, y no nos arrepentimos!

La maratón empezaba con The Loved Ones de la que no sabíamos nada, puesto que no hay ni siquiera tráiler, y por sorpresa nuestra, se convirtió en la mejor película de la noche, sin lugar a dudas. The Loved Ones (director y guión: Sean Byrne, 2009) es un film australiano que nos enseña que en un amor obsesivo no hay límites!

La peli empieza con un joven conductor y su padre yendo en coche, cuando de repente, en medio de la carretera aparece un ser ensangrentado y desorientado. Este inesperado elemento, les provocará un accidente, con la consecuente muerte del padre.
Pasado un tiempo, vemos el mismo joven, Brent (Xavier Samuel) todo demacrado y marginado, a lo Curt Kobain; hablando con un colega, Jaimie (Richard Wilson) sobre el baile de final de curso y chicas. Momento que descubrimos, la espectacular y buenorra de la película, Mia (Jess McNamee) cumpliendo con los estereotipos de gótica asocial y liberada. Mientras, Jaimie le pide a Mia paa ir al baile, aparece Lola (Robin McLeavy), una dulce y tierna fresita que le pide a Brent ir al baile con ella. Brent, un tanto sorprendido o asustado, no sé qué adjetivo describe mejor la situación, le dice a Lola que asistirá al baile con su novia, Holly. Evidentemente, Lola se lleva un chasco y una gran decepción…
Inmediatamente después vemos a Brent y a Holly (Victoria Thaine) echando un clavo en el coche, momento que Brent aprovecha para sobornar a Holly, con contarle el encontronazo con Lola. En el momento de éxtasis final, y estando todos los cristales empañados del coche, nuestra fogosa parejita, es sorprendida por nuestra despechada Lola, que les sorprenderá en pleno acto sexual.

Tras el polvo cochil, Holly se va a su casa, dejando a Brent en la suya. Allí, somos testimonios de lo mal que también lo está pasando la madre, tras la muerte de su marido, causando una discusión entre madre e hijo. Brent hecho una furia, se pira de casa, yéndose a escalar unas rocas, y así descargar toda su rabia e ira.
En la cima, aprovecha ese momento de calma y tranquilidad para encenderse un piti y escuchar un poco de música, y justo cuando su madre, le estaba llamando al móvil; quizás para avisarlo que regresara para prepararse para el baile, pam! Alguien golpea a Brent en la cabeza por detrás!

Después, la trama nos traslada en casa de Lola y vemos a su padre (John Brumpton) dándole un regalo, un vestido para asistir al baile. Lola no tiene ningún reparo en cambiarse delante del padre, pasándolo un poco mal, puesto que el hombre se ve que hace tiempo que no… La habitación y Lola en sí, son acojonantes, siendo la típica princesita, todo color de rosa!
Pero en vez de dirigir para el baile, vemos que la fiesta la tienen montada en casa! Es decir, su baile se localiza en su comedor. Descubrimos a Brent, vestido con smoking y atado a una silla; y a la Sra. Stone, bueno mejor dicho, lo que queda de ella, porque un agujero frontal, nos vislumbra, que le han practicado una trepanación craneal!
Todo el comedor está decorado de fiesta: globos, carteles, guirnaldas, etc! Padre e hija se aseguran que Brent no chille metiéndole una inyección de lejía en el cuello, y a partir de entonces, empieza el calvario del pobre Brent. La escena de la cena familiar, por así decirlo es patética, mostrando el vínculo obsesivo entre papi e hija (su princesa), y la pobre madre, que es un triste vegetal, una “viva” viviente!

La dulce y tierna Princesa - Lola Stone

Durante la cena, Brent está, está intentando liberarse de sus ataduras con una cuchilla-colgante, mientras que Lola le está metiendo el dedo en la boca (momento que el padre se levanta, todo preocupado porque su hija se está excitando demasiado). El pobre Brent arremete contra Lola y logra salir de la casa, pero padre e hija salen en su búsqueda. Lo acaban cogiendo de nuevo, ya que el desorientado Brent sólo es capaz de subirse a un árbol, mientras Lola le va metiendo pedradas (atención, al hostión que Brent se mete con el coche al caer del árbol!).

De vuelta a casa, el Sr. Stone se asegura que Brent no se marchará a ningún lado y lo clava en el suelo con dos cuchillos y un martillo (momento sádico a más no poder). Acto seguido veremos como Lola tiene unos orígenes, y le enseña a Brent, un álbum con unos dibujos, y fotografías de niños desaparecidos, todos ellos, con marcas en el pecho (escarificación), en forma de corazón y con las inciales, L S (Lola Stone). Por sorpresa de Brent descubre que el penúltimo chaval es el chico que les provocó el accidente de coche, y por doble sorpresa suya, él es el último que aparece en el álbum.
Evidentemente, él también será marcado por Lola, que cada vez lo hace mejor, y la parejita es declarada, rey y reina del baile. Por este motivo, Lola y Brent se ponen a bailar, pero como Brent no se puede mover mucho escogerá a su papi, viendo una vez más la relación ente ambos, una relación incestuosa y pecaminosa!
Como Lola admite finalmente, que el único príncipe azul que ella quiere es su papi, decide bajo la tutela y supervisión de su padre, acabar su curso de tortura y sadismo con Brent. Para ello, se prepara para realizarle una trepanación en el lóbulo frontal. Y qué mejor herramienta que una black&decker ¿? El primer intento les sale mal, pero el segundo el padre a petición de su princesita, le hace un agujero más grande, para meterle agua hirviendo por el cerebro al pobre Brent. Y de nuevo, el espíritu de supervivencia de nuestro joven arranca en furia berserker, auto-hiriendo al padre con la black&decker, mientras le ensancha el agujero, logrando quitarse las cuerdas y los cuchillos clavados de los pies. La tensión se desata cuando Brent y el padre se enzarzan en una lucha que acabará con la caída del padre en el sótano de la casa, ubicado justamente debajo del comedor, y del que aparecen una serie de criaturas o salvajes que viven en él (obviamente, son los niños que Lola ha ido secuestrando y torturando a lo largo de su niñez).
En una segunda pelea con Lola, Brent también acabará dentro del agujero, y aunque le meta un curripé a Lola, este juega con desventaja, por los maltratos recibidos. Lola se enfada y enfurece, causando que lo pague con su madre, que la pobrecilla muere ahogada con la almohada!

Paralelamente, el film nos muestra la asistencia de Jaimie y Mia al baile de final de curso, y al descubrimiento de la desaparición de Brent. Holly y la madre de Brent se encargan de avisar al padre de Mia que resulta ser policía, iniciando una búsqueda y que acabará encontrando el móvil de Brent, pero todo roto. Entretanto, Jaimie y Mia se lo pasan en grande bebiendo, fumando y finalmente, con sexo, el tan esperado momento por Jaimie.
Holly recordará que Lola Stone fue la chica que le dijo a Brent para ir juntos al baile, avisando al padre de Mia, mostrando algo que no sabíamos, el chico ensangrentado y vagabundo de la carretera era su hijo.
Cuando el poli llega a casa de los Stone, descubre que algo no va bien, y cuando entra en la casa, descubre a Brent en el agujero. Desafortunadamente, Lola golpea y mata al padre de Mia que también acabará cayendo. Lola llena de odio y rabia, le comunica a Brent que como él a matado a su padre, ella matará a su madre y como regalo, también se ocupará de Holly. A partir de ahí, asistiremos al desenlace de la película, que será capaz de mantener el nivel de violencia y sadismo hasta el último momento! Un Excelente! Sobre todo, las escenas finales.

La verdad es que The Loved Ones es genial, violenta, cruda, real, explícita, sádica, y que en todo momento, desató el júbilo de toda la sala. Constantemente fue aplaudida y alabada por todos nosotros, teniendo muy pocos fallos (quizás me sobre la historia de Jaimie y Mia, que no nos aporta nada), pero el resto, está excelentemente realizada.

Y ya sabéis chicos, a partir de ahora no os fiéis de las dulces y angelicales, princesas vestidas de tul y rosita, porque a veces, ocultan secretos… sádicos y crueles!

I have been slacking a bit lately, but my entries would have been small and unenthusiastic anyway. I have a moderately adventurous day today, at least compared to my average day here.

I took a short trip up to St Paul and South St Paul. I always thought it was farther of a drive to get there, but it didn’t take more than 15 minutes. It’s cool knowing that I live so close to skyscrapers and real people. I could go up there and run around naked, then come back the next day and nobody would recognize me. I don’t have any plans of doing that, but it’s the idea that’s cool. Someday I’ll live in a place like that and not have to drive to get there.

The point of me driving up there was to find somewhere to “donate”  plasma. It’s not really donating if they pay you for it, but I guess technically they are paying for your time and not the plasma itself. Every person that I asked looked at me like I was crazy. South St. Paul is like the ghetto, these people she live at the Plasma bank, because God knows they need the money just as much as I do.

The reason for my “donation” is that I need money to buy tickets for a show tomorrow. The Gaslight Anthem, The Loved Ones, Frank Turner, and 2 other bands that I don’t care about are playing at The Cabooze. I would be willing to give a finger to see these guys if I have to. I’m a little worried that I won’t be able to get tickets or that they’ll be sold out. If I don’t get to go to this show, I will be more upset than I can even explain. I’m going to get there as early as I can to make sure that they still have tickets.

Tomorrow morning I’m going to get up bright and early and head over to IBR Plasma Center and hope for the best. I’m sure tomorrow night I’ll be too tired to write an entry, but the next day it’ll be all about the show(assuming everything works out). If I don’t even up going to the show, it will be a massive rant about how I hate everything except The Gaslight Anthem.

Bed Time

My roommates are gone again, but that’s alright. It means that I don’t have to be quiet at night, or worry about waking them up. I can blare Prison Break all night. I only have 5 episodes left, but I’m losing interest, so it’s for the better. I need a new TV series to watch, if you have any recommendations be sure to let me know. I have Heroes and The Office, but that’s only 2 shows a week, I need something I can watch a whole season of. Preferably a comedy similar to The Office or a drama similar to Heroes and Prison Break.

I feel like I’m too young to be desperate enough to sell plasma. I think I should be at least in my twenties before I start selling bodily fluids to survive. I better get hired somewhere soon. The only problem with that is my homework assignments are starting to become projects and take a lot of time out of school. A job is just going to make that harder.

I think I’m going to get some sleep, but by the time you read this it will already be the afternoon or possibly evening. Hopefully I’ll already have donated plasma and be on my way to the show.

AFI FEST 2009 PRESENTED BY AUDI

ANNOUNCES HALLOWEEN PROGRAMMING

FEATURING

“THE HOLE” IN 3-D, “THE LOVED ONES,”

“WAKE IN FRIGHT,” “BEST WORST MOVIE”

Los Angeles, CA, September 29, 2009—AFI FEST 2009 presented by Audi today announced films scheduled for Halloween, all of which celebrate the horror genre. Joe Dante’s THE HOLE, Sean Byrne’s THE LOVED ONES, Ted Kotcheff’s WAKE IN FRIGHT and Michael Stephenson’s BEST WORST MOVIE will screen on Saturday, October 31 at the Mann Chinese 6 Theatres in Hollywood.

Presented in 3-D, Joe Dante’s family friendly thriller THE HOLE marks an auspicious return to the big screen by the celebrated genre director after 11 years. In the film, two young brothers stumble upon a mysterious hole in their basement that houses an evil force that can create a physical manifestation of their deep-seated fears. After unwittingly unleashing the force, the brothers must team with the teenage girl next door to find a way to defend themselves against the darkness. The film stars Chris Massoglia, Haley Bennett, Nathan Gamble, Bruce Dern and Teri Polo.

THE HOLE will mark the first time a feature film has been presented in 3-D at AFI FEST or it’s precursor, Filmex since Paul Morrissey’s FLESH FOR FRANKENSTEIN screened in 1977. Michael Medaglia’s short film THE RATSNITCH ANGEL was presented in 3-D in 2006.

The Midnight Madness Audience Award winner of this year’s Toronto Film Festival, Sean Byrne’s THE LOVED ONES is an Australian thriller about a troubled high school senior who finds himself trapped in a bizarre “prom” and fighting for his life after he is abducted by a psychotic father-and-daughter pair. The film stars Xavier Samuel (who will star in ECLIPSE, the third installment of the TWILIGHT film saga), Robin McLeavy, John Brumpton and Victoria Thaine. THE LOVED ONES screening will be sponsored by Fangoria Entertainment.

Also hailing from Australia is Ted Kotcheff’s underground classic WAKE IN FRIGHT. Originally released in 1971, the film was nominated for the Golden Palm at the Cannes Film Festival and has developed a reputation as one of Australia’s great, lost films. Recently recovered and restored, the film is a brutal and uncompromising thriller about a young teacher who arrives in a rough outback mining town planning to stay overnight before catching a plane to Sydney. However, his dealings with the hard-drinking, violent locals and a harrowing kangaroo hunt plunge the man headlong toward his own destruction. The film stars Donald Pleasence and Gary Bond.

Michael Stephenson’s documentary BEST WORST MOVIE looks at both the behind-the-scenes origins of TROLL 2 and the film’s journey to become a cult classic years after its initial release. Two decades later, Stephenson, the legendarily inept film’s child star, unravels the improbable, heartfelt story of an Alabama dentist turned cult movie icon and an Italian filmmaker as they try to come to terms with this genuine, internationally revered cinematic failure.

Also screening on Halloween will be the previously announced South Korean Academy Award pick, Bong Joon-ho’s MOTHER and the acclaimed RED RIDING TRILOGY of films.

“These are films that are targeted specifically to AFI FEST audiences looking for excitement on Halloween,” said AFI FEST Director of Programming Robert Koehler. “They run the gamut from the family friendly scares of THE HOLE, to the incredible Australian duo of THE LOVED ONES and WAKE IN FRIGHT, to the intense crime dramas of the RED RIDING TRILOGY.”

“Rollicking cult movie worship and Ozploitation lead the way in our celebration of Halloween at AFI FEST this year,” added AFI FEST Senior Programmer Lane Kneedler.  “We are thrilled to be embracing fringe filmmaking and alternative cinema once again as core components of our festival. When audiences come to Hollywood and Highland on Saturday night, we will deliver an unforgettable Halloween experience.”

Complimentary tickets are available beginning on October 16 to all Festival screenings at AFI.com/AFI FEST, at the Mann Chinese 6 Theatres (6925 Hollywood Blvd.) beginning October 26, or on the day of scheduled screenings via Rush Lines. Priority seating to all screenings can be secured by becoming a patron of the Festival and purchasing an AFI FEST Patron Pass. For more details, visit AFI.com.

I had never heard of The Gaslight Anthem until Christmas morning last year. My brother bought me their CDs for Christmas, telling me “they’re a mix of punk and Bruce Springsteen, so I figured you’d like them”. Sometimes, I am a very easy person to figure out.

The Gaslight Anthem have released two albums – their debut album ‘Sink or Swim’ is edgier, with more of a punk feel. Their follow up, ‘The ‘59 Sound’, moves into a more melodic sound, incorporating a greater diversity of sounds. Both are awesome. (Their EP ‘Senor and the Queen’ is pretty good too).

I saw them perform at the Starlite Room in Edmonton earlier this year, and this Saturday caught them at the Edmonton Event Centre on their second time through this year.

Anticipating an early set (doors were at 6, show at 7), we showed up shortly after 8. The second of three opening acts, The Loved Ones, were on stage.

The Loved Ones, a punk band from Philadelphia, aren’t high on originality – they sound similar to any number of punk acts that might have been on a Tony Hawk video game soundtrack ten years ago – but are definitely worth checking out if you like that sound. I enjoyed them a lot; it took me back to my teen years when I listened to more punk music and would go to Warped Tour. They put on a fun set, playing with a lot of energy and interacting well with the crowd. At one point, the lead singer took away someone’s phone in the front row, telling him/her “you’re in rock and roll class right now!” Though they don’t look like a punk band, the Loved Ones acquitted themselves well, both as musicians and performers, and I think they won over a lot of fans besides myself.

The final opening act was Murder By Death, a rock band from Indiana. With a name like theirs, I was expecting a hardcore/thrash act, so I was pleasantly surprised to find out they were nothing like that. Unlike The Loved Ones, their sound is hard to classify. A 4-piece band with a guitarist/singer, bass player, drummer, and keyboard player/cellist, Murder By Death is part Johnny Cash, part punk, part rockabilly, part Doors. Or something like that, they’re tough to categorize. They acquitted themselves well, playing a songs in a number of different styles and putting on an entertaining set. I’m keen to check out their albums in the next few days.

The Gaslight Anthem came out and broke right into “High & Lonesome”. They played most of the songs off of ‘The ‘59 Sound’, a number off of ‘Sink or Swim’ and a couple off of ‘Senor and the Queen’, including a great version of “Blue Jeans & White T-Shirts” during the encore. Other highlights included a version of “I’da Called You Woody, Joe”, which was preceded by part of “The Wanderer” by Dion (they used to play “Stand By Me” as the intro).

Gaslight are a great live show. The thing that stands out is just how much they seem to be enjoying themselves, Brian Fallon especially. This interview gives you a good feel for Fallon’s appreciation for music. You can hear it in the lyrics, which reference (and in some cases directly quote) artists such as Counting Crows and Bruce Springsteen.

After the show, Andy and I were talking about this – it’s refreshing to see someone who seems to enjoy being a rock star. It’s become trendy (probably starting with Kurt Cobain) to either pretend you resent or are indifferent to being a rock star, or in the case someone like Adam Duritz, to actually resent the accompaniments of fame and success. Seeing Brian Fallon’s enthusiasm is refreshing and totally invigorating. He has fun, and has a great time interacting with the crowd. Makes for an even better live show.

Also, besides being a great live show, their music kicks ass. It makes me want to quit my job and start a band.

Check them out; they’re my second Music Monday pick.

Here’s a video clip of them playing “Great Expectations” at the Edmonton show.

Oooh this is a hot one! First up in this weeks auditory mind assault is a full album download of down and dirty, psytrance from Xamanist…

Xamanist is 31 year old Sérgio Ribeiro from Portugal and he’s been messin’ about on guitar and bass and tweakin’ synths since diaper days. Then came what the man himself describes as a “life changing moment” - Boom Festival 2000 – and the next thing ya’ know Sergio is creating his own psytrance compositions. Together with Syul, the twosome formed Swan X-1, who performed live across Portugal until disbanding in 2007. Sérgio wasn’t quite done yet though, and hence, his solo project, Xamanist, was born. But, and I love this part, Xamanist still performs live on guitar and synths, at every show. This is not your average bot-a-track electronica. Rather, Xamanist is  like all good scotch, wine, coffee and smoothies an exercise in the perfection of the blend. Xaminist is old and new, darkness and light, melody and rhythm. This fusion philosophy is breathtakingly executed on Sérgio’s debut album, Initiation, mastered by Akhentek @ Ilum Studios. Sure, it’s laced with that good ‘ol Goa, but its also an amalgamation forged in the fires of a full-on, progressive style that provides an epic backdrop for creative storytelling. Personal favorite has gotta be the banging “White Magick”, but hey, I loved this whole album and it gets better with every listen. Oh and I almost forgot yo, that psychedelic cover art is from the delightfully curious mind of Adam Scott Miller – another interesting cat to say the least.

Download and enjoy all 9 tracks from Initiation by Xamanist here. FREE!

And now, in the immortal words of Monty Python, for something completely different.

modern day classic

You know Fat Wreck Chords and yes, by that I do mean precisely the independent punk label started by NOFX lead singer and bassist Fat Mike. The very same label we have to thank for the Punkvoter movement, which helped the U.S. rid itself of Bush Jr. by encouraging the youth to vote. The label that released material for Against Me, American Steel, Anti-Flag, Avail, Bad Astronaut, Banner Pilot, Chixdiggit!, Citizen Fish, Consumed, Dead To Me, Descendants, The Dickies, Dillinger Four, The Epoxies, The Flatliners, Frenzal Rhomb, Goober Patrol, Good Riddance, Hi-Standard, Lagwagon, The Lawrence Arms, Leftover Crack, Less Than Jake, The Loved Ones, Love Equals Death, The Mad Caddies, Me First and the Gimme Gimmes, NOFX, None More Black, No Use For A Name, Only Crime, Pour Habit, Propaghandi, Randy, The Real McKenzies, Rise Against, The Sainte Catherines, Screeching Weasel, Sick of it All, Smoke Or Fire, Snuff, The Soviettes, Star Fucking Hipsters, Strike Anywhere, Strung Out, Subhumans, Swingin’ Utters, Teenage Bottlerocket, Tilt, Western Addiction and Wizo.  Oh you did! Splendid! But yeah did ya know you can download a whole pile of tracks from all those acts for FREE right now? No you didn’t. HA! Now, now.. Hush. Its o.k. Thats why I’m here.

Click to get Fat Wreck-ed!

Have a wicked weekend y’all. Peace!

Murder by Death

Fun and debauchery at The Fillmore Sunday night. The crew and I headed over to watch Murder by Death and hang out with rock staaaarz. hung out stage side with the local heavy’s. The Loved Ones, a kind of pop punk band, were really fun to watch, lots of energy. Lead singer Dave Hause gave a shout out to Davey (AFI) during their set.

Murder By Death were soooo goood! After standing for two hours their set seemed to be over way to quickly. Lead singer, Adam Turla, was incredible. His voice is a mixture of Johnny Cash and Danzig. He did an amazing solo cover of Nancy Sinatra’s “Bang Bang.” Their cello player, Sarah Balliett, is hot shit. I couldn’t stop watching her. She was sooo into it. The cello is already a pretty sexual instrument, and she was working it. haha. This band is my new obsession.

The Gaslight Anthem closed the show. egh… was pretty much bored by their performance and the music was nothing special. Everyone pretty much agreed that Murder By Death should have closed the show and played longer.

GOOD MORNING, TORONTO: Welcome to another razzle-dazzle week of entertainment in Our Town.  Among the notable treats in store: The Boys In The Photograph, the new Andrew Lloyd Weber–Ben Elton musical about

SLEAN: on Abbey Road

young men and women involved with a neighbourhood soccer team in Belfast in 1969, opens tomorrow night at the Royal Alex … DanceWorks opens its new show, Namesake: three, on Wednesday at Harbourfront’s Enwave Theatre … also opening Wednesday: The new Allen Cole-Melody Johnson-Rick Roberts collaboration, Mimi (or A Poisoner’s Comedy) at the Tarragon  … Darren Anthony’s new concert show, Secrets Of A Black Boy, produced by his sister Trey (Da Kink In My Hair) Anthony, opens at the Music Hall on Friday, the same night conductor Jean-Philippe Tremblay, Anton Kuerti, Richard Margison and more launch a reportedly spectacular new

RIVERS: Saturday night

Royal Conservatory music venue, Koerner Hall, in the Telus Centre for Performance and Learning on Bloor Street West … Chick Corea and Sophie Milman christen the hall with jazz the following night … Celebrity Apprentice champ and TSC favourite Joan Rivers plays Casino Rama that same Saturday night … and Kevin Hearn, Raine Maida, Steven Page and Sarah Slean are among the celebrated warblers who will lend their voices when Andrew Burashko’s Art Of Time Ensemble salutes the 40^th anniversary of The Beatles’ Abbey Road with a re-imagined, re-invented concert version running two nights only, this Saturday and Sunday, also at the Enwave.

And that’s just for starters, folks.

MY BAD: It’s easy to get cross-eyed when so many stars come to town at the same time. At least, that’s my lame excuse for telling you that Colin Farrell and

BETTANY: double-header

Julianne Moore ruled the TIFF roost this year with three, count them, three films each, while celebrated runners-up George Clooney, Colin Firth and Amands Seyfried each appeared in two TIFF entries. All of which is true, except for two guys I forgot to mention. Don’t know how I missed him, but Willem Dafoe also deserved to be in that top spot with Colin and Julianne, as he appeared in no less than three TIFF titles this year: Antichrist, Daybreakers and Farewell. Sorry about that, Willem. And yes, Paul Bettany, who played Charles Darwin in the opening night film Creation and Lord Melbourne in the closing night film Young Victoria, should have been listed with Clooney, Firth and the young Ms Seyfried in second place. And yes, I’m just hoping I didn’t miss anyone else.

PLAYBOY OF THE EASTERN FILM FESTIVAL: After three capacity crowds jammed the TIFF cinemas where her much-discussed documentary on Hugh Hefner premiered last week, director Brigitte Berman admitted that

BENNETT: talking about Hef

by the time she finished shooting she had an embarrassment of riches, and had to delete scenes she loved from the original version to bring the film to a more manageable size. Deletions included interviews with the magazine magnate’s two sons, and the stories they tell about how they were treated in high school as Hugh Hefner’s offspring are apparently so fascinating that Berman intends to include that footage as a separate feature when the film is released on DVD. At a Q&A after the film she informed us that Playboy is the second best-known brand in the world — “Coca-Cola is number one,” she added — and that the toughest interview subject to secure, surprisingly, was Tony Bennett. “His agent is very protective of him, as he should be. But as soon as Tony was told of the request, he was all for it, and just a pleasure to work with.”

Did any key players from Hef’s past actually turn her down? ”Yes,” replied the ever-candid Oscar-winning director — “Gloria Steinem, Jules Pfeiffer and Bill Cosby.”

WHO WON WHAT: As T.O. filmfest chief Piers Handling noted on Saturday night, TIFF delivered not only 335 films but also 10 days of consecutive sunshine – “the summer we did not have.” But thanks to superb programming, meticulous planning and the more than 2,000 volunteers (!!) who help make it happen, it was truly a festival to remember.

CLARKSON: winning film

Finally, just in case you missed it, here’s who took home the hardware from the 34^th annual Toronto International Film Festival.

- Best Canadian Short Film: Pedro Pires, Danse Macabre. Honourable mention: Jamie Travis,The Armoire.

- Best Canadian First Feature Film: Alexandre Franchi, The Wild Hunt.

- Best Canadian Feature Film: Ruba Nadda, Cairo Time, with Patricia Clarkson, Tom McCamus and Alexander Siddig. Special Jury Citation: Bernard Émond, La Donation (The Legacy).

- FIPRESCI Prize (Prize of the International Federation of Film Critics for Discovery:) Laxmikant Shetgaonkar, The Man Beyond the Bridge (India).

SIDDIG: Cairo Time

- FIPRESCI Prize for Special Presentations: Bruno Dumont, Hadewijch (France).

- People’s Choice Award: Lee Daniels, Precious: Based on the Novel “Push” by Sapphire. First runner-up:  Bruce Beresford, Mao’s Last Dancer. Second runner-up: Jean-Pierre Jeunet, Micmacs (Micmacs à tirelarigot).

- People’s Choice Award – Documentary: Leanne Pooley, The Topp Twins. Runner-up: Michael Moore, Capitalism: A Love Story.

- People’s Choice Award – Midnight Madness: Sean Byrne, The Loved Ones. Runner-up: Michael Spierig & Peter Spierig, Daybreakers.

TOMORROW:

Margaret Atwood, Twyla Tharp, Rick Mercer, and more.

——————————————————————————————————————

Logistics is the management of the flow of goods, information and other resources, including energy and people, between the point of origin and the point of consumption.

——————————————————————————————————————

After living in the same suitcase for four months it was time for me to go home, drop off my summer clothes and pick up the autumn wardrobe.

I caught the train Friday straight after work. Ran to the subway of course, anything else would be unlike me. But I had time to run into a bakery for three loafs of Danish sour bread that my mom loves. I made it just in time for my train to Hudiksvall and fell asleep, nodding my head from side to side. Got home around seven at night where my mom greeted me on the train station; anything else would be unlike her.

We had oven made chanterelle (Kantarell) enchiladas and red wine and she gave me great birthday gifts like these cute mittens from Estonia and Valrhona cocoa powder. She knows me

My brother came home and we sat and chat for a while before I crashed in my bed. The morning after we had breakfast together and I went for a walk to the empty beach with my friend. Later on, my granma, uncle and cousin came for dinner. They talked about so and so and small town stuff I am frankly not that interested in. Once in a while I could see my mom would look at me and understand.

It’s hard to explain sometimes, when you have one foot in your home town, your mind in another city and your heart somewhere else.

Talk about logistics…

Today, my best friend Fredric’s son got baptised, in the garden of their new house in the country. Little William got water on his forehead and we sang a psalm. Everyone was very careful not to sing too loud. Anything else would be un-Swedish.

After the traditional coffee, cake and gifts I caught a ride to another family house. I changed clothes and got comfy on the couch with Frida, Andreas, their son Mio and the dog Kira.

It’s good to be home, when home is where my friends are.

I’ve arranged for yet another friend that travels with a car to take some of my moving boxes and keep it at his place until I get my own apartment.

Myself, I take the train back to Stockholm tomorrow, early morning and will go straight to work.

Stressful, some might say, but I think I’m managing pretty well.

My dad made a comment on the post below. He said:

I know what we should give Helen for her birthday…a clear blue sky and an open sea!

Well, the sky wasn’t clear blue and the sea wasn’t wide open for me to sail away, but I had my feet in the refreshing water, and its surface blended into the sky, while me and my best friend Madelene stood there talking, for what seemed like a timeless moment.

Should they go back to her boyfriend’s country of Thailand or should they stay in Sweden? Should she follow her dreams and pursuit a career in photography or should she settle with something that would pay better? Where should their children grow up?

All these questions, we agreed, all these wonders that make no sense at all, but oh, how we wouldn’t change a thing. We smiled and a glimpse of the girl I’ve known for 20 years glittered on the horizon.

There was a lot to talk about during the two hours walk, mostly from my side. I filled her in on the travelling, the jobs I’d started and quit, the summer that happened, the suitcase I’d dragged around staying on different couches. And of course, all the feelings, the lessons, the love.

It helps to talk. Not because you have a wonderful, supporting friend that listens, but because you realize so much, when you speak the truth out loud.

Like me and Maria a few weeks earlier, when we shared a bottle of wine and I told her; he is right, and I hate that he is right.

What we tell others is what we tell ourselves.

What we do for others, we do for ourselves.

What someone else needs,

is often, what we ourselves need.

We reflect in each other,

like mirrors,

like the ocean and the sky.

6.Operation Ivy
If you liked Rancid then are already are(well, should be) a fan of these guys. Their music was groundbreaking for Punk and you can’t ignore that. It’s all very fast, sloppy, and fun. Sound familiar?The recordings are all pretty rough and since they broke up 20 years ago you won’t be seeing them live anytime soon. You can pick up every song they’ve recorded on one CD for like $10 at almost any store including iTunes.

7. Four Year Strong
So you like the idea of heavy music, but screams are a little too much for you. The answer is Four Year Strong. They are fast paced, energetic, heavy, and poppy all at the same time. Sing-a-long choruses with aggressive verses all pulled together with some of the best breakdowns around. Jump, dance, or flail around like an idiot (*cough*ChicagoCrowd*cough*). They have a new CD that’s all covers of 90’s songs, since most of you grew up in the 90’s you’ll know most of these songs..

8. Fireworks
I hadn’t even heard of these guys until the first time I saw them. They were a last minute opener for New Found Glory and I really had low expectations. Surprisingly these guys came out and threw down and at the end of the night me and Alex bought their CD. They have meaningful lyrics, catchy melodies, and very well done gang vocals. They make excellent driving music, not too heavy, but still upbeat. Check em out on tour with Hit The Lights!

9. The Loves Ones
If you already checked out The Gasight Anthem and liked what you heard the The Loved Ones are your next step. They have a slightly more Punk feel the TGA, but the idea is the same. Angst filled anthems with hints of Blues and raspy vocals.  I haven’t heard anything other than their newest CD yet, but I like them enough to give them a top 10 spot. They will be in Minneapolis with The Gaslight Anthem on Oct 3.

10. Breathe Carolina
I know the other bands have been pretty Punk/pop-punk oriented, but I had to mix it up a little bit. In short BC is dance beats backed by screams and autotuned vocals. With their new CD Hello Fascination they prove that they can branch out and be more than that. It includes guitars, gang vocals, and live drums, but still has the danceability(word?) of their older stuff. Listen, sing, dance, or sit on the sidelines and hate them for looking like total scene kids, your choice.

So, I decide to start my second day at TIFF with the Spanish film, REC 2. Now, for me this is a highly anticipated sequel (as they say in PR land). But there’s no one in the theatre. I mean it is seriously sparse with reviewers in here. I don’t get it, because I really liked the first film. Hunted a PAL DVD of it down at a Fangoria convention and felt like I was buying contraband the way the transaction went down, but it was worth it. Just a solid shot of virus-laden zombie-fied paranoia-filled, claustrophobic, no holds barred horror adrenaline delivered straight to your region-free machine (in my case).

So, I was genuinely curious as to what Jaume Balagueró and Paco Plaza were going to come up with for their second visit to the quarantined apartment building filled with rabid zombie tenants.

The film picks up immediately where the last film left off, where the television hostess that suffered and struggled through the last film was the “last man dragged off”. Literally.

And then we cut to the SWAT team getting locked and loaded as they race to the scene of the whatever-the-hell-it-is they’ve got sealed up in there.

So it’s the ALIENS treatment, right? The cops are all cocky with their firepower and body armor and ignorance of the horror that lies in store. That always spells a good time. And, of course, the idea is that we are watching recorded footage so they have to tell each other over and over “Record everything!” So we’ll be fine with the fact that they are focusing on the auto focus while trying their best to keep from getting bitten or something – rather than throwing the camera at one of the crazies before running away from it while peeing down their leg.

“Record everything!”

You almost expect someone to reply, “What about when I getting killed?” Stern answer: “Record everything – ESPECIALLY while you’re getting killed!” But our directing tandem knows you’ve seen this bit before so they’re gonna give you a little extra. And that is…

Picture-in-picture horror.

That’s what I’m talking about! I get to watch one isolated group fight for their life while keeping tabs on the other unfortunates surrounded by gory monsters with the munchies in another part of the building. Fun!

Anyway, the SWAT guys are escorting some Health Official into the building to find out what the source of the plague is so they can stop it, blah, blah, blah. Okay, fine, we’ve got our excuse, let’s go play with the bad things.

And no sooner do the SWAT guys get into the penthouse apartment where the doctor lived that launched this little plague when our health official reveals he is actually a priest and that we don’t have the zombie virus version of the common code – no, this is actually a biological extension of demonic possession.

That’s right, the devil’s virus. What will The Vatican think of next?

But before we can dwell on that silliness, a zombie kid attacks from the ceiling (check your ALIENS’ playbook) for a thrill ride scene to throw you right out of your seat. And that’s the beauty of this film. Is it ridiculous as all get out? Yes, of course, it is. But it’s full of ideas, madly derivative, or not. And it keeps them AND the adrenaline-fueled gore-ified action coming. And coming. And more coming around the corner. Think you’ve seen every way there is to kill a crazed zombie person? How about by bottle rocket?! How about a demon zombie that can do impressions? What’s that you say? Okay, but other that Rich Little? Anyway, REC 2 successfully does that even up to the very last shot. Which, I won’t spoil for you. Just get the popcorn, strap yourself in and enjoy.

Next up is John Hillcoat’s film of Cormac McCarthy’s THE ROAD. Your first image of Viggo Mortensen’s ashen, skeletal face of survival basically asks “Would like some cream with your bleak?”

I’m sorry, I meant to say “Would you like some cannibalism with your bleak?” And I hope your answer is yes, because apparently when the neo-cons get done playing nuclear Frisbee with the rest of the world then scorched earth means nothing left to eat.

But each other.

“Are we still the good guys?”

This is a question that Viggo’s character’s son frequently asks throughout the film. In other words, have they still managed to hold on to their humanity despite the fact they are starving. And not just for food. Frequent flashbacks to the time when their nuclear (pun very much I intended) family included Charlize Theron’s mother character – both pre-disaster and post-disaster add to the gut-wrenching heartbreak the father and son endure. But they continue on, painstakingly making their way to the coast, trying to find food and steering clear of other people that might want to eat them along the way. Occasionally, they’ll happen upon a bountiful harvest of canned goods or maybe a can of Coke (which apparently, just like cockroaches, will be one of the few things to survive the apocalypse) or a kindly old coot (an unrecognizable Robert Duvall), but this imagining of what that kind of future holds contains no kindness. At one point Mortensen asks Duvall’s old man character, “Ever wish you would die?” And his reply sums it up: “No. It’s foolish to ask for luxuries in times like these.”

So, we’re left to ponder what would keep us going and clinging desperately to life. And wonder if a father’s love for his son and his stalwart sense of hope for something, anything – would be enough. THE ROAD takes the bleakest, most arduous path to pose that question and it is an endurance test to be sure. But ultimately, I think it’s worth asking.

After the screening, I ran into Joe Leyton, longtime (and I mean, loooong time…) film critic for Daily Variety and as more than a few film legends would attest: THE film critic for the state of Texas. He is a true professor of film, has talked to or interviewed everyone at some time during the last thirty or so years, and can speak at length about the entire package – and do so lovingly and entertainingly. So it was very cool to have a nice long conversation with him with anecdotes abounding. Those meet-ups and subsequent conversations are one of the things that make going to film festivals a constant thrill for me.

The final film of the day was the Australian thriller, THE LOVED ONES. Directed by Sean Byrne it’s your basic awkward girl with a crush on the unattainable cute boy has daddy abduct him for her own private DIY prom…uhmm, story.

Now, the object of her obsessions has his own issues, having caused his father’s death by wrecking the family car while trying to avoid hitting what turns out to be one of our girl’s previous “boyfriends”.

So, now he can work out those feelings while he tries to escape teenage MISERY. And as he tries to mollify her to stay alive and buy time to attempt an escape, daddy is making moony eyes at his lethal little girl while princess makes loony eyes back at papa.

Let’s just say it out loud: Australians know crazy.

And Byrne is not shy about letting his crazies play. A little fried chicken meal with the happy couple, daddy and a lobotomized mommy, a little alternate hardware use with a hammer and a power drill, etc. And, of course – what do-it-yourself prom would be complete without carving your initials surrounded by a heart in your date’s chest and then salting the wound – literally?

Trust me, there’s more. All kinds of dance with a teenage psycho girl more. And under a sparkly disco ball.

Which is exactly as it should be.

Fiona, Gabby, Amy, Elliott, Ben and Myself will all meet in Chicago, the 22nd of October after making our way there from our respective parts of the world.

Thursday 22nd October.
General chilling.
Seeing The Get Up Kids @ The Metro in Chicago.

Friday 23rd October.
General chilling.
Hunt down bulk supplies of vegan snickers bars.
Suss a show or something else cool to do during the night. What is happening?

Saturday 24th October.
Seeing The Lawrence Arms @ The Metro in Chicago.

Sunday 25th October.
Seeing Chuck Ragan / The Revival Tour @ Reggies Rock Club in Chicago.

Monday 26th October.
Driving to Columbus, Ohio sometime in the morning to see The Gaslight Anthem & The Loved Ones that night @ Newport Music Hall. 

Tuesday 27th October.
Driving back to Chicago city.
Seeing The Gaslight Anthem @ The House of Blues.

Wednesday 28th October.
Flying to Orlando, Florida in the morning, some kids making their way to Disney World, others – general chilling?
Suss out a show in Orlando if there is anything on.

Thursday 29th October.
Catching a bus up to Gainesville, Florida for The Fest. Staying @ The Holiday Inn, Gainesville.

Friday 30th October.
FEST 8 FEST 8 FEST 8

Saturday 31st October.
Huge hangover. More Fest.

Sunday 1st October.
Even worse hangover.
Fest ending.

Monday 2nd October.
Fiona, Amy & Ben (?) leave to go their separate ways.
Elliott, Tom & Gabby follow the horizon and might end up in the following cities – Columbia, D.C., Philadelphia, Boston, Rochester.

1.  The Killers.- Somebody Told Me That You Had a Boyfriend that looked like a Girlfriend that I had of Februuary of Last Year.  This is probably the greatest song ever written by the greatest band in the world.
2. The Loved Ones- A great Punk-Rock band from the great city of Philadelphia. Currently the are my new obsession in music. I’m surprised that they are not huge right now cause their stuff sounds good. They are currently on tour with one of my favorite bands The Gaslight Anthem and I recommend you listen to the songs The Odds,The Bridge,Player Hater Anthem and Pretty Good Year.
3.  Notorious B.I.G- Hands down,the greatest rapper that ever lived. What you get from him is the real deal and not the fake act you get from many rappers today. Hell Biggie is probably rolling over in his grave right now because the crippled guy from degrassi is ruling the rap world.
4. Hanson-Screw the Jonas Brothers,The Hanson Brothers did it first and did it so much better. I’m pissed that they don’t have tour dates in the Philly area.
5. MGMT.-Indie Rokkers is great song. Can’t wait to hear their new album in 2010.

Did I tell you that I love wind? Did I tell you that September is my favourite month of the year? Do you know why? Because it reminds me that I belong close to mountains and ocean. Today there was almost a hint of ocean in the city air. I closed my eyes and thought of the winter walks along Sea Point. The feeling when the ocean crashes against the shore line casting a spray of water up the boardwalk. Oh, and the salty smell. I wish I could hold the air in my lungs forever.

It reminds me of when I was little. My dad lived on the west coast in a small house he rented on a man’s farm. One Christmas my dad had caught a lobster. I pat its jagged back and sealed claws before we boiled it alive. Today its shell is pinned on a board hanging on my dad’s living room wall. Speaking of my dad he is here in Stockholm visiting this weekend and yesterday me, him and twelve friends from the Cape Town crew met up for dinner.

The Lebanese restaurant had the best meze buffet ever: halloumi, hoummos, pita bread, tabbouli, falafel, olives, spinach pastry thingy, garlic marinated tiger prawns, couscous and God knows what…it was so good I made sounds with every bite. What was more fantastic was that my friend Paul from South Africa also is visiting for the weekend. The evening before we were at an outdoor terrace with rain pouring down the roof top and an African band playing inside. Then there was reggae. So much for showing him Sweden.

This weekend is all about friends and family. It just so happens that my brother, one year older than me, and my sister, nine years younger, also are in town. Think I’ll take them to Vinterviken tomorrow and the garden café where I’ve become somewhat of a regular.

My status of living is that I sleep on Ida’s couch in Solna. I wasn’t that familiar with the northern parts of the city and had no idea that the subway, the commuter trains and the buses all run from different places. I’ve been late for work every day. What’s even funnier is that I went down the wrong subway last week when I was still living with Sophie. I stood there for a minute before I realized: I’m not on the red line anymore! With a slightly embarrassed smile I shook my head to this whole situation, and changed to the green line.

It is definitely fall. My last swim for the season was at a friend’s summer house in the archipelago. At 5.45 in the morning when everyone else was still snoozing the beer off I saw the sun rise from the cliffs and said goodbye to the summer and a thanks, no matter how strange it all turned out.

I still don’t understand a God damn thing. Maybe I never will.

Maybe the answer

is blowing

in the wind…