DEATH HAS COME OVER ME

NEUROTIC DEATHFEST - Europe’s biggest indoor extreme metal festival - celebrated its 10^th anniversary last weekend. The line-up was impressive; an exciting mix between well-known bands (CARCASS, EXHUMED, MAGRUDERGRIND, PIG DESTROYER) and rather obscure bands (MALIGNANT TUMOUR, VALLENFYRE, WORMED). By writing this, I am aware that I probably make a complete idiot of myself in front of metalheads. But then again, I am no metalbeast but have always been a sporadic metal listener. My wife used to be a (speed)metalchick so when we first met some 25 years ago, we both went to a lot of metal shows (OBITUARY, MORBID ANGEL, AGNOSTIC FRONT, BRUTAL TRUTH and NAPALM DEATH spring to mind). A little later, however, I found the whole punkrockscene much more fun and only occasionally went to metalshows.

When I heard about the NEUROTIC DEATHFEST in Tilburg, Holland a couple of years ago, I became curious and bought a ticket. The great thing about this kind of festivals is that you can rely on the expertice of a bunch of devotees who know the bands that matter and try to book the cream of the crop. I paid a visit to the 2010 and 2011 edition of the festival and was amazed at the diversity of the bands at the festival: deathmetal, blackmetal, grindcore, deathgrind, deathcore… all very LOUD & BRUTAL! Especially the shows at the second stage impressed by their sheer power and intensity. As a result, bands like ROTTEN SOUND and BEHEADED surpassed themselves through a flawless monster sound.

The 10^th anniversary had some real surprises: the legendary band POSSESSED who coined the term "Death Metal" in 1983 on the band's 1984 demo of the same name, put on one hell of a show. Singer Jeff Becerra has been in a wheelchair for over 18 years as a result from a street robbery where he was shot and subsequently paralyzed. The band sounded like a ruthless metalversion of Poison Idea and blasted through its repertoire with hardly any stops. POSSESSED were not the only legendary band on the festival. Also REPULSION – whose Horrified album from 1987 is a genre-pioneering masterpiece - made its appearance on the festival. Not as impressive as POSSESSED but still very good.
 

Also CRYPTOPSY from Montreal put on an amazing show: tight, mean & totaly in your face! Frontman Mike Disalvo turned out to be a supernice dude who ran across the stage and agitated the audience in style. Next to bands with an established reputation like UK legends CARCASS and IMMOLATION from New York, there were a few discoveries to be made. MALIGNANT TUMOUR from the Czech Republic played an amazing mix of metal, crust & rock & roll. Their fast-paced tunes reminiscent of Motörhead turned the small club into a total slamfest. Paradise Lost's chief songwriter and lead guitarist Gregor Mackintosh created the band VALLENFYRE which also includes the bass player from UK crust legends DOOM. Slow pounding metal with a raw, sepulchral voice: awesome! A MAGRUDERGRIND show has to be witnessed to be believed. Insane grindcore with only drums, a guitar and vocals but what an impact this New York trio makes: a primal scream that leaves you  gasping for adjectives! I could go on for a while but let me finish this post with CATTLE DECAPITATION who sounded like The Jesus Lizard playing extreme metal! No kidding. Their show was manic, brutal and totally wacko.

 

Quite some bands that I have enjoyed on this unique festival might not leave the same impression on record. Some bands like the ridiculously named German trio COCK AND BALL TORTURE get on my nerves after 40 minutes. But NEUROTIC DEATHFEST proofs that the most extreme metal genre offers a full range of exciting sub-genres that are best to be experienced in a live setting. Why don't you go knocking at death's door?

 

3 STUNNING ART DOCUMENTARIES

Almost a year has passed since my latest post so I guess it’s about time to breathe some life into this blog of mine. From now on, I promise to post more frequently. After all, these are interesting times and the amount of fantastic music, amazing books and wonderful movies keeps increasing constantly. On the left hand I hope to update my concert list so friends can see what’s going on as far as live shows go. Today, I would like to recommend three inspiring documentaries of late about contemporary artists.

PINA is a feature-length dance film with the ensemble of the Tanztheater Wuppertal, featuring the unique and inspiring art of the great German choreographer PINA BAUSCH, who died in the summer of 2009. The documentary exists of many bewildering dance scenes and is beautifully shot by Wim Wenders. Even if you haven’t seen many dance ensembles in real life (I only saw a couple – Meg Stuart, Wim Vandekeybus, Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker) the magic of Pina Bausch’s choreography even works on film. I saw this documentary in 3D but the annoying glasses spoiled some fun and I don’t think the result was worth the effort. Just watch it on DVD or online and be amazed! Here’s the trailer that should wet your appetite:

 

 

Another fabulous documentary is Marina Abramovic The Artist is Present. Abramovíc was born in 1946 in Belgrade, Yugoslavia and pioneered the use of performances as a visual art form. She lives and works in New York where she was the subject of a major retrospective at the MoMA – The Artist is Present – from March 14 through May 31, 2010. This documentary follows the artist as she prepares for this major retrospective of her work. The centerpiece of this film and the MoMA retrospective is a stupefying performance by Marina herself: all day, every day, from early March until the end of May, 2010, she sits at a table in the museum's atrium, in what she describes as a "square of light." Members of the audience are invited to join her, one at a time, at the opposite end of the table. There is no talking, no touching, no overt communication of any kind. Her objective is to achieve a luminous state of being and then transmit it ­ to engage in what she calls "an energy dialogue" with the audience. Sounds boring? Watch this film, it’s one the most gripping ones you are likely to see! Believe me, even just watching it is a riveting experience!

 

 

The third and final documentary of this post that I highly recommend is called Ai WeiWei: Never Sorry. Ai WeiWei is China’s leading contemporary artist who is known for his activism against China’s opressive laws as much as his art. Alison Klayman's film gives a fascinating insight into this man’s life and work. Ai Weiwei is an agent provocateur who twitters things like “There are no outdoor sports as graceful as throwing stones at a dictatorship.” At the same time however, his art can be very subtle and touching for example when he bypasses the silent government and formed a team to gather 5,212 names and birthdates of children who had died in shoddily constructed schools during the May 2008 Sichuan earthquake.

According to Ai Weiwei, life is much more interesting when you make a little bit of effort. I can only agree and bow deep to these 3 amazing artists!

 

Talk about coincidence! I recently grabbed some CDs off the stack before driving to a Chuck Prophet show and instantly fell in love again with FREAKWATER’s awesome ‘Feels Like The Third Time’ Thrill Jockey album from 1993. Then the next day - to my surprise - I see the album on display in the window of a record shop! Turns out that this album has been reissued on vinyl on the opportunity of Record Store Day! I used to be a huge ELEVENTH DREAM DAY fan (I even managed to book the band in my village in 1990) and was very curious at the time when I heard about a new band founded by ELEVENTH DREAM DAY’s drummer girl Janet Beveridge Bean. For one reason or another (stupid me), I didn’t really pay much attention to FREAKWATER although I once saw the band play a great show as opening band for CALEXICO in Brussels (2002). ‘Feels Like The Third Time’ was a way influential record in the early days of the No Depression movement and still deserves your utmost attention! More info about the band on Freakwater’s excellent website!

Later on that night, I was dumbstruck to find out what an amazing artist CHUCK PROPHET still is! His show at Café Den Trap in Kortrijk was a blast from start to finish and reminded me of the good old days when guitar bands could let their guitars go roam, groan & creak (think Giant Sand, Thin White Rope, Green On Red etc.). After this perfect show, I bought Prophet’s latest album which is really excellent. As with FREAKWATER, I feel the urge to bury myself deep in CHUCK PROPHET’s comprehensive discography!

World Circuit has recently reissued both of its essential CUMBIA collections from 1989 and 1993. Although there are no extra tracks and everybody I know who likes cumbia already owns both albums, this reissue is essential and definitely a must-have for the uninitiated! This irresistable dance music was recorded between 1954 and 1972 in Cartagena and Medellin and licensed from Discos Fuentos. Soundway Records has recently issued 2 other essential cumbia collections: CARTAGENA! CURRO FUENTES & THE BIG BAND CUMBIA AND DESCARGA SOUND OF COLOMBIA 1962-72 and THE ORIGINAL SOUND OF CUMBIA: THE HISTORY OF COLOMBIA CUMBIA & PORRO AS TOLD BY THE PHONOGRAPH 1948-79 COMPILED BY WILL “QUANTIC” HOLLAND. Very addictive stuff to say the least!

Every now and then, I buy myself a bunch of CDs from the unsurpassed ACE RECORDS. Not only because every cd is a quality release but also because I like funding labels that make my day and do hate dorks who think it’s normal to rob record labels and artists through illegal downloading. Labels like Ace Records really need my cash in order to survive! I placed my ACE order at Red Lick Records who do have a wonderful mailorder service (good communication, quick & correct) and whose prices are competitive. Here’s what I recently ordered, all are fantastic hoo-ray!

• Your On The Hour Man: The Modern, Dolphin & Downey Recordings 1952-1960 – LITTLE CAESAR (Ace)
• I Am The Lord – LORD LUTHER (Ace)
• THE GODFATHER’S R&B: JAMES BROWN’S PRODUCTIONS 1962-67 (BGP)
• SALSO MUNDO: COLOMBIA – MUSIC BORN OF CONFLICT (BGP)
• SHATTERED DREAMS: FUNKY BLUES 1967-1978 (BGP)
• Hot Like TNT: The Best of the Early Years – JOHNNY “GUITAR” WATSON (Ace)
• I’m Living Good 1964-1974: The Soul of ARTHUR CONLEY (Kent)
• MUSIC CITY SOUL: FROM NASHVILLE’S BLACK CATS (Kent)
• On With The Show Volume 2 1957-1974 – THE JOHNNY OTIS SHOW (Ace)
• IKE TURNER STUDIO PRODUCTIONS: NEW ORLEANS AND LOS ANGELES 1963-65 (Ace)

I end with one of the first CDs I bought at the time when the release of a new album was promoted by means of including the artist's former album. The CD I am talking about collects the first two albums by Houston's PAIN TEENS ('Case Histories' from 1989 and 'Born in Blood' from 1990). Both albums mix industrial noise, weirdo rock, Middle Eastern strings & tape loops to full effect. All Music says: "The Pain Teens' core was the husband-and-wife team of Bliss Blood and Scott Ayers; Blood played the role of goth chanteuse, while Ayers' murky, ultradistorted guitar work veered from creepy psychedelia to pure avant-garde noise, with occasional hints of Texas blues filtered through the Birthday Party." Right on! I think it's about time to rediscover both albums!

By the way, I am working on a Dutch-only books blog. I'll let you know when it's ready! In the meantime: Stay Cool!

10 great films seen at the International Film Festival Rotterdam

EIGHT DEADLY SHOTS

Each year, the IFFR shows a couple of very rare & almost forgotten masterpieces from the film archives worldwide. This year, Mikko Niskanen’s EIGHT DEADLY SHOTS from 1972 was screened in its ultra-rare 5h+ original version. Many Finns call this the greatest Finnish film ever and who am I to disagree? An unforgettable experience to say the least!


THE DAY HE ARRIVES

Hong Sang-soo is regarded as the Woody Allen of South Korean Cinema. THE DAY HE ARRIVES is another one of his engaging films about intellectuals and their struggling relationships. As Tony Rayns states: “Sometimes riotously funny, sometimes tremendously moving, sometimes both at the same time.”


ABRIR PUERTAS Y VENTANAS

A rather depressing but intriguing film about three sisters taking different approaches to moving forward following their grandmother's death.


L’APOLLONIDE - SOUVENIRS DE LA MAISON CLOSE

A charming but bitter French film that depicts life in a Paris brothel at the turn of the 20th century. The soundtrack features Lee Moses’ immortal “Bad Girl” and The Mighty Hannibal’s “The Right To Love You”. How’s that for sheer genius?


APUDA

This 145-minutes documentary film about a middle aged single man who cares for his dying father in the wilds of Yunnan feels like the Chinese equivalent to a Pedro Costa movie. One of the true revelations of this year’s IFFR! Read more about it here.


HELLO, MR TREE!

Since its screening, I can’t get this dark comedy that explores the politics of China's rapid urbanisation out of my head. A real festival gem produced by Jia Zhangke.


I WISH

A beautiful film about childhood desires and imaginative adventures. One of Kore-Eda’s best!


PATIENCE (AFTER SEBALD)

I hope to spend an entire post on this brilliant documentary about the German-born England-based writer W.G. SEBALD (1944-2001).


TWO YEARS AT SEA

An enchanting film shot on 16mm and blown up to 35mm about a man who lives alone in a ramshackle house, in the middle of nowhere. Awesome! Read more about it here.


LIVING

A fascinating grim Russian fairytale where all hope is abandoned. This movie left me dumbstruck.

LIST MANIA 2011

I saw about 125 films in theatres this year, most of them at the 4 film festivals I attend yearly (International Film Festival Rotterdam, Cinema Novo Film Festival in Bruges, L’Âge d’Or/Filmvondsten in Brussels and the Flanders International Film Festival Ghent). As usual, I make a TOP 20 of my favourite films of the year and list the other ones I really liked. You will found the latter films on the Batarang! website soon.

1. MISTÉRIOS DE LISBOA (TV series/6 episodes) (Raúl Ruiz)
2. THE TURIN HORSE (Béla Tarr)
3. ELENA (Andrei Zvyagintsev)
4. BLUE VALENTINE (Derek Cianfrance)
5. WINTER'S BONE (Debra Granik)
6. LE GAMIN AU VELO (Jean Piere & Luc Dardenne)
7. THE ARTIST (Michel Hazanavicius)
8. BLACK SWAN (Darren Aronovsky)
9. THE TREE OF LIFE (Terrence Malick)
10.MELANCHOLIA (Lars Von Trier)

11. TUESDAY AFTER CHRISTMAS (Radu Muntean)
12. 13 ASSASSINS (Takashi Miike)
13. AURORA (Cristi Puiu)
14. ONCE UPON A TIME IN ANATOLIA (Nuri Bilge Ceylan)
15. BAL/HONEY (Samih Kapanoglu)
16. WU XIA (Peter Chan)
17. NORWEGIAN WOOD (Anh Hung Tran)
18. ESSENTIAL KILLING (Jerzy Skolimowski)
19. HORS SATAN (Bruno Dumont)
20. IF I WANT TO WHISTLE, I WHISTLE (Florin Serban)

***
Here are my 10 favourite new albums of 2011. As opposed to movies, I feel that there are still a bunch of great albums that I haven’t heard yet or of whose existence I am ignorant. Thus, this list gives an overview of the albums I enjoyed the most in 2011.

1. COIN COIN Chapter One: Gens de couleur libres - MATANA ROBERTS
2. El Camino - THE BLACK KEYS
3. David Comes To Life - FUCKED UP
4. Let England Shake - P.J. HARVEY
5. Ease & Delight - BLACKUP
6. Castlemania - THEE OH SEES
7. Taledragger - T-MODEL FORD AND GRAVELROAD
8. Dirge - WORMROT
9. Arabia Mountain - BLACK LIPS
10.Scandalous - BLACK JOE LEWIS & THE HONEYBEARS

***
As far as I am concerned, the whole punk rock & roll scene fell apart after the sad demise of Jay Reatard in January 2010. The only live bands that matter today are still the ones that did so yesterday. I didn’t see any new & exciting punkrock bands this year, only reproductions. Fortunately, I got lucky because some friends of mine started a band that I totally dig and that I can see often around on stages over here…



1. THEE OH SEES (Charlatan, Ghent + AB, Brussels)
2. EILEN JEWELL (Manuscript, Ostend)
3. NEUROTIC DEATHFEST (O13, Tilburg)
4. STONE RIVER BOYS (Porgy & Bess, Terneuzen)
5. CHARLES BRADLEY & LEE FIELDS (Vooruit, Ghent)
6. FUCKED UP (Trix, Antwerp)
7. THE FRESH & ONLYS + TY SEGALL (Trix, Antwerp)
8. TAMIKREST (4AD, Diksmuide)
9. EDDY MITCHELL (Wex, Marche-en-Famenne)
10.RICHARD THOMPSON (AB, Brussels)

I also really liked PO'GIRL (N9), TYVEK (Pit's), JOHNNY THROTTLE (De Kreun), DWAYNE DOPSIE & THE ZYDECO HELLRAISERS (N9), ROTTEN SOUND (Trix), SLIM CESSNA'S AUTO CLUB (Trix), PERE UBU (4AD), CRYSTAL STILTS (Charlatan), THE SONICS (AB), SONNY VINCENT (DNA), CONJUNTO ANGOLA 70 (Zuiderpershuis), BLACKUP (Charlatan + Pit's) and last but not least FATOUMATA DIAWARE (N9).

***
Each year, I gotta feeling that I saw about 95% of the movies that matter to me and that I heard about 85% of the albums that I dig. Although I love to read, I am afraid I only read about 5% of the worthwile books released this year. Moreover, most of the books I did read this year were issued before 2011. If I have one wish for 2012, it’s enough time to read 30 books. That’s my goal for 2012!


1. De nazi en de kapper - EDGAR HILSENRATH
2. Waar de tijgers thuis zijn - JEAN-MARIE BLAS DE ROBLÈS
3. Big Bosoms and Square Jaws/ The Biography of Russ Meyer, King of the Sex Film - JIMMY McDONOUGH
4. Ingmar Bergman: De Lust en de Demonen - MIKAEL TIMM
5. A Rocket In My Pocket: The Hipster's Guide To Rockabilly Music - MAX DECHARNE
6. Het schijnbestaan - JOSE SARAMAGO
7. Reis naar het verleden - STEFAN ZWEIG
8. Nachttrein naar Lissabon - PASCAL MERCIER
9. Ademschommel - HERTA MÜLLER
10.Diego en Frida - J.M.G. LE CLEZIO

A next post will list my favourite reissues and compilations of 2011, as well as my favourite DVD's. Stay tuned and oh- by the way: HAPPY NEW YEAR !!!

Fantastic Voyage recently released a terrific compilation called JUMPING THE SHUFFLE BLUES: JAMAICAN SOUND SYSTEM CLASSICS 1946-1960. It is no secret that the Jamaican Sound Systems played American R&B at the end of the 1940s-50s which ultimately lead to the birth of ska music. Some R&B songs like Jack McVea’s “Two Timin’ Baby” almost do sound like genuine ska. Next to excellent pre-ska R&B songs by well-known artists like Louis Jordan, T-Bone Walker, Jimmy McCracklin, Wynonie Harris, Rosco Gordon and Little Willie Littlefield, there are many wonderful boppers by obscure artists like Felix Gross, Gene Coy, The Ray-O-Vacts and Earl Curry. The booklet features informative liner notes and detailed song-by-song info. An essential purchase at a very affordable price!


Fans of Hex Dispensers, Wipers and New Christs take note as friends of mine have just released their debut album on the German Screaming Mimi label and it’s a scorcher of a record! BLACKUP’s recent live shows were very promising so I am glad the record doesn’t disappoint to say the least. Next to some ace songwriting, great vocals and a powerful production, you get 180g heavyweight vinyl in a thick cardboard sleeve and a free cd! Talkin’ about a great deal for 13,00 EUR! I am pretty sure that “Ease & Delight” is gonna end up high in my TOP 10 of 2011!


If you dig old-time music, you know by now that Dust-to-Digital, Tompkins Square and Old Hat Records deliver the goods. I keep on buying every Old Hat Records compilation because so far I have never been disappointed. Their latest gem is called BARBECUE ANY OLD TIME - Blues From The Pit 1927-1942 and it might be their greatest collection yet! If you like those fabulous Roots&Blues compilations that Columbia/Legacy used to issue during the 1990s, don’t hesitate to add BBQ ANY OLD TIME to your collection. Of course there’s lotsa risqué blues and double entendres; lyrics like “Pepper Sauce Mama, you make my meat red hot” surely aren't advertisements for BBQ sauce! A five star release!


Tompkins Square has issued some wonderful compilations too during the last couple of months. This May Be My Last Time Singing : Raw African-American Gospel on 45RPM 1957-1982, To What Strange Place : The Music Of The Ottoman-American Diaspora, 1916-1929, Mama, I'll Be Long Gone: The Complete Recordings of Amede Ardoin 1929-1934 and Bloody War : Songs 1924-1939 all deserve highest recommendations for old-time music lovers!


Dust-to-Digital in turn, releases the most overwhelming compilations. Both Baby, How Can It Be? Songs of Love, Lust and Contempt from the 1920s and 1930s and Never a Pal Like Mother: Vintage Songs & Photographs of the One Who’s Always True are precious gems that deserve your attention.


Mississippi Records has recently issued an obscure MAHMOUD AHMED record called ‘Jeguol Naw Betwa’. The sleeve is a great reproduction of the original release but features no extra info. For the record: “Marie Gela” is mentioned as the third song on Side two but is in fact the last song of Side one. Thank you for your attention. I don’t think all of these songs have been reissued before as I can’t find some on my Mahmoud Ahmed Ethiopiques cds but this is prime Mahmoud Ahmed on vinyl so fans should pick this one up as soon as possible before the record is sold out like most of Mississippi Records’ back catalogue. Timeless Ethiopean soul music!


Nascente has just released a great budget 2cd by KANDO BONGO MAN with tracks recorded during the golden age of Parisian soukous. This is heavy party music that should set any dance floor on fire! Browsing through Nascente’s online catalogue and subsequently ordering cds at PLAY.COM is one of my favorite wastes of time! Lotsa quality for little money!


Two great Cramps releases have seen the light of day recently. ‘Live At Club 57!! 1979 plus 9 Demos! 1977-79’ is a great gatefold 2lp released by what I think is a bootleg label called Moonshine Records. The sound may be rather thin but the vocals are clear and the show is awesome. The liner notes consist of 2 interviews with The Cramps from early & obscure fanzines ('Thrills' and 'Damage'). Like when Lux Interior cites Screaming Jay Hawkins: “I don’t care if you want me, I’m yours right now!”. Let’s hope this great bootleg album will be yours soon as it might be the best Cramps live performance on record!


The second Cramps bootleg that I highly recommend is called MEMPHIS POSEURS: THE 1977 DEMOS. These are the infamous Alex Chilton produced sessions recorded at Ardent Studios in Memphis, TN that would end up in a less raw version on the band’s mighty 1980 debut album ‘Songs The Lord Taught Us’. Awesome!



Sometimes you pick an album out of your music collection that you forgot you once bought and then you start listening to it and can’t put it aside. Such recently happened to me with a cd from Italy’s THE RIPPERS that compiles their first album from 2005 on Screaming Apple Records with the band’s first 3 singles (2002/2003). It’s wonderful fucked up garage punk & roll, recorded live in their garage and the perfect antidote to a stressful day at the office!

I could tell you some more about other great music that I really enjoyed during the last couple of weeks but time turns out to be my enemy again so I leave you with a great music video by Nahawa Doumbia whose first album from 1982 has just been re-released on vinyl by the fine folks from the Awesome Tapes from Africa blog! Enjoy and don't forget: life is too short to listen to mediocre music!

FLANDERS INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL GHENT

DAY ELEVEN

THE FUTURE (Miranda July) ***

July’s second long-feature really exceeded my expectations: charming, touching and witty.


BOBBY FISCHER AGAINST THE WORLD (Liz Garbus) **

Docu about the world’s greatest chess player.


MAMA AFRICA (Mika Kaurismäki) ***

A great tribute to South African singer and anti-apartheid activist Miriam Makeba.


HALT AUF FREIER STRECKE (Andreas Dresen) ***

An emotionally intense, dramatically compelling account of a dying man’s last months.


DECONSTRUCTING DAD (Stan Warnow) ***

An excellent exploration of the life of musician/inventor Raymond Scott by his son Stan Warnow.

DAY TEN

POILET AUX PRUNES (Marjane Satrapi & Vincent Paronaud) **

A mix of live action and animation and a paper-thin plot.


ONE LIFE (Michael Gunton & Martha Holmes) **

A simple best of of the BBC Life series. What’s the deal?


THIS IS NOT A FILM (Jafar Panahi) **

This film follows a day in the life of Panahi while under house arrest for criticising the regime.


METROPOLIS (Fritz Lang) 0

1984 mutilation of Fritz Lang’s masterpiece from 1927 because of a horrible disco crap score by fuckin’ Giorgio Moroder. Ouch!

DAY NINE

MARTHA MARCY MAY MARLENE (Sean Durkin) **1/2

Haunted by painful memories and increasing paranoia, a damaged woman struggles to re-assimilate with her family after fleeing an abusive cult.


HARA-KIRI: DEATH OF A SAMURAI (Takashi Miike) ***

A great but rather redundant remake of Masaki Kobayashi’s 1962 masterpiece.


MEDIANERAS (Gustavo Taretto) *

Buenos Aires-set love story that builds to the moment its central characters meet. Rather boring.


PUTTY HILL (Matthew Porterfield) *

Pretty difficult to like a documentary when the mutterings of the characters are hardly audible and even drowned out by background noises.

DAY EIGHT

THREE AND A HALF (Naghi Nemati) **

Decent film about three women from Teheran who want to leave Iran.


ELENA (Andrei Zvyagintsev) *****

An impeccably controlled drama with a majestic score by Philip Glass. A stunning film.


JANE EYRE (Cary Joji Fukunaga) ***

An engaging BBC Films production based on the novel by Charlotte Bronte.


A LETTER TO ELIA (Kent Jones & Martin Scorcese) ***

A lyrical ode to Scorsese’s filmmaking idol Elia Kazan.

DAY SEVEN

SKOONHEID (Oliver Hermanus) **1/2

South African director Oliver Hermanus portrays a conservative Afrikaner who permanently suppresses his homosexual feelings. Tough shit!


MILDRED PIERCE (Michael Curtiz) ****

Mildred Pierce (1945) is based on the novel by James M. Cain and has become a film noir classic.


MON PIRE CAUCHEMAR (Anne Fontaine) ***1/2

A wonderful French comedy featuring Isabelle Huppert, Benoît Poelvoorde and André Dussollier.



JESS + MOSS (Clay Jeter) **

A decent American low-budget indie.

DAY SIX

LES NEIGES DU KILIMANDJARO (Robert Guédiguian) *

Maybe if I’m old and senile, I will like this kind of PC happy-go-lucky movies. I sincerely hope not.


E-LOVE (Anne Villacèque) 0

The worst French film I have seen in ages. “Inutile de se déranger” like the French say!


THE TURIN HORSE (Béla Tarr) ****

Still in a league of its own.



UFO IN HER EYES (Guo Xiaola) ***

This film manages to be both funny and touching. A Chinese director who uses an Aster Aweke track in her movie? Respect!

DAY FIVE

WEEKEND (Andrew Haigh) **

The problem with most gay movies is that they are of lesser interest for the non-gay. This one is pretty decent though.


BLEAK NIGHT (Sung-Hyun Yoon) ***

Interesting teen angst film by a 29-year old South Korean.


L’HIVER DERNIER (John Shank) **1/2

A promising debut by this Belgian director with North American roots although the film is too depressing and the end unconvincing.


BEYOND (Pernilla August) ***

A strong feature debut about domestic violence and alcoholism.

DAY FOUR

WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT KEVIN (Lynne Ramsay) ***

A gripping story but the cinematography is too obvious which makes the film artificial and even caricturesque at times. Half a star extra for the soundtrack!


SCENES FROM A MARRIAGE (Ingmar Bergman) ****

Cinema version of a 1973 Swedish TV series that explores the disintegration of a marriage. Classic stuff!


THE MOUNTAIN (Ole Giæver) *1/2

An oversimplified film about two lesbians who are hiking the mountains to deal with the sudden death of their child. Disappointingly weak!


CIGÁN (Martin Šulík) ***

A charming and engaging gypsyfilm.

DAY THREE

TOKYO KOEN (Shinji Aoyama) ***

Although chances are low that Aoyama will make another landmark film like EUREKA, his latest is an absorbing film based on a novel by Yukiya Shoji. Very Japanese both in style and content.


WU XIA (Peter Chan) ****

Fantastic action movie in the line of CROUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON. A must-see!


AUS DEM LEBEN DER MARIONETTEN (Ingmar Bergman) ****

Ingmar Bergman’s second German produktion from 1980. Down to the bone!


ECO-PIRATE: THE STORY OF PAUL WATSON (Trish Dolman) **1/2

An interesting docu about the radical ecologist Paul Watson who has been hunting whalers for over 30 years. Of little interest on the big screen though.

DAY TWO

THE MAGIC TRIP (Alex Gibney, Alison Ellwood) *

If you wanna see an annoying bunch of pre-hippies driving a bus through the States, then this compilation of 16mm-shooting footage might be your thing. As far as I am concerned, I couldn’t care less about this “invaluable document of this extraordinary piece of American history”.


TINKER, TAILOR, SOLDIER, SPY (Tomas Alfredson) **

I always found John le Carré books food for nerds. So is this adaption of one of his espionage novels by Tomas ‘Let The Right One In’ Alfredson. The movie is getting rave reviews everywhere. I however found it old-fashioned and rather boring. But then again, whodunits ain’t my cup-of-tea.


CORMAN'S WORLD: EXPLOITS OF A HOLLYWOOD REBEL (Alex Stapleton) ***

An interesting docu on Roger Corman with great film excerpts and funny anecdotes. Amazing to hear that schlockmeister Corman handled the American distribution of films by Antonioni, Bergman and Fellini just because he really wanted people to see their great arthouse movies. Corman rules!


ONCE UPON A TIME IN ANATOLIA (Nuri Bilge Ceylan) ****

Not a good idea to see Nuri Bilge Ceylan’s latest gem as a late-night screening because one has to be very alert of details during the movie's 157-minute running time. The thought of a second screening urges itself upon me because this is a unique film.

DAY ONE

MISTÉRIOS DE LISBOA (Raul Ruiz)

After the screening of all 6 episodes of Chilean filmmaker Raúl Ruiz latest and last film - the devastatingly beautiful Mystérios de Lisboa - I was eager tot see the 4,5 hours long-feature film version. Unfortunately, the TV-series suffers terribly from its “shortcut” as subplots become muddled and the whole film - especially the second part – feels very inconsistent. A real shame! Who needs a 4,5 hours feature film of this landmark TV-series anyway?