For the weekend, a guilty pleasure.
Good music for difficult days. . .
Saturday, January 28, 2012
Saturday, January 21, 2012
Saturday, January 14, 2012
Misia: Garras dos Sentidos
For the weekend, a guilty pleasure.
It's not a serenade for a lost Macao, but it is Portuguese fado
It's not a serenade for a lost Macao, but it is Portuguese fado
Friday, January 13, 2012
Histoire(s) du cinema
At the end of last year, YTSL over at Webs of Significance posted her My alternative 100 'must see' Hong Kong movies list.
And very interesting it was too, generating a fair amount of comment.
Soon after, YTSL followed that up with a data heavy A by-the-numbers look at my 2011 movie viewing year
Which encouraged me to consider which films I saw last year I really liked. So here we are:
24 City (China) (2009) (Jia Zhangke): poignant semi-documentary film charting the course of the old giving way to the new in Chengdu, China
Un homme qui crie (A Screaming Man) (Chad) (2009) (Mahamat-Saleh Haroun): what happens when a middle-aged swimming pool attendant at an upmarket hotel in N'Djamena is made redundant
A Torinoi Loi (The Turin Horse) (Hungary) (2011) (Béla Tarr): in 1889 German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche witnessed the whipping of a horse. Nietzsche ran forward to protect the horse and then collapsed to the ground. Director Bela Tarr asked himself, what happened to the horse? In glorious black and white
Attack the Block (UK) (2011) (Joe Cornish): lots of laughs when a gang of young South London hoodies defend their block against an alien invasion
Attenberg (Greece) (2010) (Athina Rachel Tsangari): very quirky coming-of-age film set in an industrial backwater of Greece and whose main protagonist worships the BBC's David Attenborough
Baby Face (1933) (USA) (Alfred E Green): how Barbara Stanwyck sleeps her way to the top
Bob Le Flambeur (1956) (France): Jean-Pierre Melville directs Roger Duchesne in this tale of an ageing gangster who decides to do one more job
Carlos (2010) (France) (Olivier Assasyas): Too long to watch in one go -- it's 300+ minutes -- this is a gripping account of the life and times of the 1970s and '80s 'terrorist' gun-for-hire Carlos 'the Jackal'.
Cave of Forgotten Dreams (2011) (France/Germany) (Werner Herzog): Given a special dispensation to view for a limited amount of time a series of cave wall paintings, Herzog's jaw is not the only one to drop in wonderment when faced with these paintings. The youngest were done 20,000 years ago and the oldest, experts date the latter as 32,000 years old even though they look fresh and new
El Cielo Gira (The Sky Turns) (2004) (Spain) (Mercedes Álvarez): a beautifully paced, poetic essay documenting one year in the life of a small village in a forgotten part of Spain
Gun Crazy (1950) (USA) (Joseph H Lewis): lives spiral out of control when a husband and wife go on a bank robbery shooting spree, film noir
O Homen do Ano (Man of the Year) (2003) (Brazil ) (José Henrique Fonseca): what happens after a young man accidentally gets his hair dyed blonde
Once Upon a Time in Anatolia (2011) (Turkey) (Nuri Bilge Ceylan): a convoy of three cars slowly progresses through the night to find a dead body in the hills of Anatolia
Poetry (Shi) (2010) (South Korea) (Chang-dong Lee): Alzheimer's, life, death, and the poetry of the moment
Singin' in the Rain (1952) (USA) (Stanley Donen/Gene Kelly): da-dada-daa... da-dada-daaa...
Tears of the Black Tiger (Fah talai jone) (2000) (Thailand) (Wisit Sasanatieng): Surreally over the top camp Thai western
The Entertainer (1960) (UK) (Tony Richardson): Laurence Olivier as a seedy song and dance man whose career is heading nowhere
The Tree of Life (2011) (USA) (Terrence Malick): a flawed masterpiece
The Troll Hunter (Trolljergen) (2011) (Norway) (André Øvredal): very entertaining 'mocumentary' about a group of students who stumble upon a troll hunter who works for a Norwegian secret government agency
And last, but not least: Jean Luc-Godard's monumental Histoire(s) du cinema
And very interesting it was too, generating a fair amount of comment.
Soon after, YTSL followed that up with a data heavy A by-the-numbers look at my 2011 movie viewing year
Which encouraged me to consider which films I saw last year I really liked. So here we are:
24 City (China) (2009) (Jia Zhangke): poignant semi-documentary film charting the course of the old giving way to the new in Chengdu, China
Un homme qui crie (A Screaming Man) (Chad) (2009) (Mahamat-Saleh Haroun): what happens when a middle-aged swimming pool attendant at an upmarket hotel in N'Djamena is made redundant
A Torinoi Loi (The Turin Horse) (Hungary) (2011) (Béla Tarr): in 1889 German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche witnessed the whipping of a horse. Nietzsche ran forward to protect the horse and then collapsed to the ground. Director Bela Tarr asked himself, what happened to the horse? In glorious black and white
Attack the Block (UK) (2011) (Joe Cornish): lots of laughs when a gang of young South London hoodies defend their block against an alien invasion
Attenberg (Greece) (2010) (Athina Rachel Tsangari): very quirky coming-of-age film set in an industrial backwater of Greece and whose main protagonist worships the BBC's David Attenborough
Baby Face (1933) (USA) (Alfred E Green): how Barbara Stanwyck sleeps her way to the top
Bob Le Flambeur (1956) (France): Jean-Pierre Melville directs Roger Duchesne in this tale of an ageing gangster who decides to do one more job
Carlos (2010) (France) (Olivier Assasyas): Too long to watch in one go -- it's 300+ minutes -- this is a gripping account of the life and times of the 1970s and '80s 'terrorist' gun-for-hire Carlos 'the Jackal'.
Cave of Forgotten Dreams (2011) (France/Germany) (Werner Herzog): Given a special dispensation to view for a limited amount of time a series of cave wall paintings, Herzog's jaw is not the only one to drop in wonderment when faced with these paintings. The youngest were done 20,000 years ago and the oldest, experts date the latter as 32,000 years old even though they look fresh and new
El Cielo Gira (The Sky Turns) (2004) (Spain) (Mercedes Álvarez): a beautifully paced, poetic essay documenting one year in the life of a small village in a forgotten part of Spain
Gun Crazy (1950) (USA) (Joseph H Lewis): lives spiral out of control when a husband and wife go on a bank robbery shooting spree, film noir
O Homen do Ano (Man of the Year) (2003) (Brazil ) (José Henrique Fonseca): what happens after a young man accidentally gets his hair dyed blonde
Once Upon a Time in Anatolia (2011) (Turkey) (Nuri Bilge Ceylan): a convoy of three cars slowly progresses through the night to find a dead body in the hills of Anatolia
Poetry (Shi) (2010) (South Korea) (Chang-dong Lee): Alzheimer's, life, death, and the poetry of the moment
Singin' in the Rain (1952) (USA) (Stanley Donen/Gene Kelly): da-dada-daa... da-dada-daaa...
Tears of the Black Tiger (Fah talai jone) (2000) (Thailand) (Wisit Sasanatieng): Surreally over the top camp Thai western
The Entertainer (1960) (UK) (Tony Richardson): Laurence Olivier as a seedy song and dance man whose career is heading nowhere
The Tree of Life (2011) (USA) (Terrence Malick): a flawed masterpiece
The Troll Hunter (Trolljergen) (2011) (Norway) (André Øvredal): very entertaining 'mocumentary' about a group of students who stumble upon a troll hunter who works for a Norwegian secret government agency
And last, but not least: Jean Luc-Godard's monumental Histoire(s) du cinema
Saturday, January 07, 2012
Harry "The Hipster" Gibson: Who Put the Benzadrine in Mrs Murphy's Ovaltine?
For the weekend, a guilty pleasure.
Animation is from the 1938 Max Fleischer Betty Boop cartoon "Sally Swing"
Animation is from the 1938 Max Fleischer Betty Boop cartoon "Sally Swing"
Friday, January 06, 2012
Canon G11 problem
There's been no photos for a week or more. The problem lies with the camera, not with me.
Although the camera is out of guarantee, I am currently in discussion with Canon as this will be the third replacement of the same part in 17 months.
That's not good enough.
Although the camera is out of guarantee, I am currently in discussion with Canon as this will be the third replacement of the same part in 17 months.
That's not good enough.
Saturday, December 31, 2011
Friday, December 30, 2011
Thursday, December 29, 2011
Saturday, December 24, 2011
Slade: Merry Christmas Everybody
For Christmas, a guilty pleasure.
No Christmas is complete without Noddy Holder's yell starting at 3'03. . .
Plus, Christmas hits: are Slade, Boney M and the Pogues made for life?
No Christmas is complete without Noddy Holder's yell starting at 3'03. . .
Plus, Christmas hits: are Slade, Boney M and the Pogues made for life?
Thursday, December 22, 2011
Wednesday, December 21, 2011
Monday, December 19, 2011
Sunday, December 18, 2011
Saturday, December 17, 2011
Joni Mitchell: River
For the weekend, a guilty pleasure.
From the album Blue, a song for Christmas. . .
From the album Blue, a song for Christmas. . .
Wednesday, December 14, 2011
Monday, December 12, 2011
Sunday, December 11, 2011
Saturday, December 10, 2011
Ronnie Corbett: My Blackberry Is Not Working
For the weekend, a guilty pleasure.
Ronnie Corbett and Harry Enfield. . .
Ronnie Corbett and Harry Enfield. . .
Friday, December 09, 2011
Cold Weather Warning
The Cold Weather Warning has been issued by the Hong Kong
Observatory at 4:20 p.m. Cold weather is expected in Hong
Kong during the overnight period.
The minimum temperature in the urban areas overnight will be around 11 degrees. It will be lower than 10 degrees over parts of the New Territories and on high ground.
As Hong Kong will be affected by a cold winter monsoon in
the next couple of days, people are advised to put on warm
clothes and to avoid adverse health effects due to the cold
weather. You must also ensure adequate indoor ventilation.
If you must go out, please avoid prolonged exposure to
wintry winds.
If you know of elderly persons or persons with chronic
medical conditions staying alone, please call or visit them
occasionally to check if they need any assistance.
Make sure heaters are safe before use, and place them away
from any combustibles. Do not light fires indoors as a means
to keep warm.
Whatever the temperature, please ensure that there is plenty
of fresh air in your room when you are using an old-type gas
water heater.
Dispatched by Hong Kong Observatory at 16:20 HKT on 09.12.2011
Observatory at 4:20 p.m. Cold weather is expected in Hong
Kong during the overnight period.
The minimum temperature in the urban areas overnight will be around 11 degrees. It will be lower than 10 degrees over parts of the New Territories and on high ground.
As Hong Kong will be affected by a cold winter monsoon in
the next couple of days, people are advised to put on warm
clothes and to avoid adverse health effects due to the cold
weather. You must also ensure adequate indoor ventilation.
If you must go out, please avoid prolonged exposure to
wintry winds.
If you know of elderly persons or persons with chronic
medical conditions staying alone, please call or visit them
occasionally to check if they need any assistance.
Make sure heaters are safe before use, and place them away
from any combustibles. Do not light fires indoors as a means
to keep warm.
Whatever the temperature, please ensure that there is plenty
of fresh air in your room when you are using an old-type gas
water heater.
Dispatched by Hong Kong Observatory at 16:20 HKT on 09.12.2011
Thursday, December 08, 2011
Wednesday, December 07, 2011
Tuesday, December 06, 2011
Monday, December 05, 2011
Sunday, December 04, 2011
Saturday, December 03, 2011
Orchestre National de Barbès: lawah lawah
For the weekend, a guilty pleasure.
Algerian, Moroccan and Tunisian musicians. . .
The name of the band is a wry joke. . . Barbès is in Paris's 18th arrondissement.
If memory serves me well, Emile Zola's novel Nana begins in the Goutte d'Or (gutter of gold) in Barbès. At that time the area was a refuge for the poor recently made homeless by the clearance by Haussmann of whole sections of the city centre to create the boulevards and prospects as they are today.
Soon after the area became first port of call for workers from France's rural provinces, followed by workers from Belgium, Italy, Poland, and Spain. Since the 1950s, Barbès has been a starting point for workers from ex-French Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia. It has some great couscous restaurants.
Algerian, Moroccan and Tunisian musicians. . .
The name of the band is a wry joke. . . Barbès is in Paris's 18th arrondissement.
If memory serves me well, Emile Zola's novel Nana begins in the Goutte d'Or (gutter of gold) in Barbès. At that time the area was a refuge for the poor recently made homeless by the clearance by Haussmann of whole sections of the city centre to create the boulevards and prospects as they are today.
Soon after the area became first port of call for workers from France's rural provinces, followed by workers from Belgium, Italy, Poland, and Spain. Since the 1950s, Barbès has been a starting point for workers from ex-French Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia. It has some great couscous restaurants.
Friday, December 02, 2011
Eye | Land | View
Afternoon
Overnight the temperature hovered around 12C. Today, however, the sky was blue, the sun shone, and the thermometer hovered around a pleasant 17.5C. Humidity is way, way down. Crisp, even. Well, crisp for these parts.
Hong Kong Observatory forecasts cold (12C) for ce soir, except under the duvet.
Thursday, December 01, 2011
Eye | Land | View
Afternoon
During the night an "intense winter monsoon" swept in from the north and the day-time temperature today dropped eight degrees compared with the day before.
Hong Kong Observatory forecasts an overnight temperature of 13C or slightly below. And not much warmer tomorrow. Ouch!
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