UPCOMING SHOWS:

UPCOMING SHOWS:

Sat. April 30
KONONO N°1 FEAT. BATUDA
(Le Grand Mix, Tourcoing)

Sun. May 1
HELL
(The Pit's, Kortrijk)

Thu. May 5
Awesome Tapes From Africa dj set
(Treehou5e Open Air, Ghent)

Fri. May 6
Invisible Hands / Neil Michael Hagerty & The Howling Hex / DSR Lines
(Vooruit, Ghent)

Sat. May 7
CRITES
(De Ruimte, Ghent)

Tue. May 10
SEX CRIME + THE ARROGANTS
(De Pit's, Kortrijk)

Thu. May 12
QUANTIC
(DOK, Ghent)

Fri. May 13
ARCHIE & THE BUNKERS
(Het Bos, Antwerp)

Sun. May 15
THRONEFEST (Taake, Inquisition, Mgla, Batushka, Inferno, Dysangellium, Wiegedood & The Commitee)
(Kubox, Kuurne)

Thu. May 26
PAUL COLLINS BEAT
(Den Trap, Kortrijk)

Fri. May 27
BEAK>
(Trix, Antwerp)

Wed. June 1
TY SEGALL & THE MUGGERS
(Botanique, Brussels)

Wed. June 8
UNCANNY VALLEY: THE LOS ANGELES FREE MUSIC SOCIETY AND THEIR LEGACY (WOLF EYES, etc.)
(Vooruit, Ghent)

Wed. June 22
FÖLLAKZOID
(Het Bos, Antwerp)






Thursday, December 31, 2009

MY YEAR IN FILM

It is a deplorable sign of the times that 2 of the 3 films in my top 3 have not been screened in Belgium. I was lucky enough to catch both gems at the always outstanding International Film Festival Rotterdam in January. Both films premiered at the Cannes film festival in May 2008 and especially Phillipe Garrel’s FRONTIER OF DAWN got mixed reviews. Many people found the movie pretentious, confusing or downright boring. I for myself left the theatre under a spell, amazed by this sublime meditation on love, faith and eternity. As with all art forms, the perception of a film lies in the basis of our own lives and often depends on the way we relate the film to our life. La Frontière de l’Aube touched me right in the heart.

1. La Frontière de l’Aube

a brilliant ghost story shot in sumptuous black-and-white



2. Das Weiße Band

a masterfully directed and hyper-intense drama



3. Four Nights With Anna

a grim and compelling Eastern European tale



4. The Chaser

thriller of the year comes from South Korea



5. Stella

… or why I loathed De Helaasheid Der Dingen (and adored Stella)



6. Three Monkeys

splendid film noir by this Turkish arthouse master



7. Strawberry Shortcakes

already from 2006 but this superbly directed Japanese film is too good to be forgotten



8. 24 City

a brilliant mix between fiction and documentary – I didn’t expect great things but was blown away by this masterly directed film



9. Precious

raw, pure & honest



10. The Story of Anvil

wonderful & heartfelt music documentary



11. The Sound Of Insects

final countdown to death – an amazing piece of film in every aspect



12. Bright Star

marvelous costume drama about the poet John Keats



13. Süt/Milk

spellbinding second part in Semih Kaplanoglu trilogy – a must-see!



14. Cargo 200

brilliant Russian comedy/horror/thriller



15. Let The Right One In

a subtle horror movie from Sweden



16. Un Prophète

grand cru prison drama



17. Antichrist

an upsetting but genuine piece of cinema



18. 35 Rhums

another powerful little gem by Claire Denis



19. The Wrestler

comeback of the year for Mickey Rourke!



20. Leonera

raw Argentinian prison drama



I also enjoyed: Milk, Teza, Afterschool, Fish Tank, Los Abrazos Rotos, Seraphine, Inglourious Bastards, The Loner aka Hikikomori, Departures, Paper Soldier, Morphia, Survival Song, La Mujer Sin Cabeza, Altiplano, Inland, Ocean Flame, La Maison Jaune, Songs From The Southern Seas, Still Walking, El Regalo de la Pachamama, Firaaq, Voy a Explotar, Vacation, Katanga Business, Treeless Mountain, A Festa de Menina Morta, Salamandra, Native Dancer, All Around Us, Funuke Show Some Love, Parque Via, Puisque nous sommes nés, La Vida Loca, Serbis, Izulu Lami, Soi Cowboy, Liverpool, Tokyo Sonata, Before The Burial, La Pivellina, Sahman, Gigante, Katalin Varga, Politist, Adjectiv, No Puedo Vivir Sin Ti, Yuki & Nina, Le Roi de L’Evasion, Wild Field, Petropolis, Applaus, Naked of Defences, The Weaving Girl, Fish Eyes, Il Divo, The Hurt Locker, Red Cliff

Films I haven't seen yet: Goodbye Solo, Revolutionary Road, La Belle Personne, Frozen River, Elève Libre, Lost Persons Area, Gran Torino

1 comment:

David L. Bayard said...

Awesome stuff,
" The mind interpets the object."

Seen "Precious". Intense.

Will try to see "Das Wiebe Band" and " Sut/Milk"..
Thanks,
Happy New Year.