Monthly Movies: July'09

It's August 1st already?! How did that happen?!?!?! Summer's half gone and I still have loads to do! Yikes!
'twas a pretty good month for movies imo, could have maybe caught another in London (I was deeply tempted to see Public Ennemies but my time was a bit tight and besides I didn't want my Dad to have to go see it here all alone in 2 weeks!), but summer isn't really movie season around here, we prefer spending time outdoors (in my case in the water!!!)

So here's a peek at the movies I saw this past month. Have you seen any of them? What did you think? What's unique about this month's seleciton I believe, is that there are two lovely French films in there! Bon ap�tit! ;o)


Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince
Got to see it in ENGLISH!!! in London! YAY!!! Well I think I waxed on long enough about this one the other day... :p If you didn't catch my thoughts the first time around you can read them here (and my revisiting of the previous films here). As an after thought, I think the elements that upset me wouldn't be as annoying to someone who hasn't read the book, since in and of itself the story is very complete. It's just that some of the details left out are crucial for the next volume! That and the final chapters of the book were so intense they didn't quite do them justice. But I still had a bloody good time with some great laughs and some bittersweet tears.


Coco avant Chanel (Coco before Chanel)
Audrey Tatou (of Am�lie fame, as well as some other wonderful movies) does a splendid turn as the young Gabrielle Chanel in love and in search of independance from the conventions a man's world. I felt the pacing to be a tad slow, but otherwise thought it was a lovely movie if a bit hard to describe. More than just a portrait of a woman, it's a portrait of a certain portion of turn of the century French society (a very dissolute portion). Those looking for a peek into the glamorous world of fashion won't find it (except perhaps to understand how her tastes develop over her early life), which was perfect by me! My only regret in this movie was that it was in Spanish instead of French! Particularly since she does some nice singing and we can contrast original voices to dubbed voices... and when I see the trailer (below) I realise that the British character might be speaking French with a British accent (I love hearing accents!), sigh! Will have to check out the dvd some day...




Faubourg 36 (Paris, Paris)
A few months in the life of a Paris neighbourhood during a rather tumoultuous period right after the Front Populair (so very leftist if my memory from high-school history serves me right) won the elections (country paralyzed by "la gr�ve g�n�rale" in order to get rights to paid leave, shorter work week etc.). That's the backdrop. The details are in a musical theatre which is the heart and soul of the Faubourg, and the people who've given their all to it for years, only to find themselves kicked out one New Year's Day... It's the story of a father and son. Of two lovers. Of a man with a heart of gold. Lovely music and fun numbers on the stage. If you enjoyed "Les Choristes" a few years back you'll enjoy this! Be prepared for laughs and tears as it can be bittersweet at times. I was overjoyed to see it in French!!! :o)




The Proposal
Summertime, not just blockbuster season but a few romcoms are out as well! Sandra Bullock is in the "iffy" column with me, sometimes I enjoy her work, others I can't stand her! This one wasn't bad, not wonderful, but a good way to pass a couple of hours. The idea behind it was funny and it was well done (plus I really enjoyed getting to visit Alaska!), but the coupling doesn't convince me at all! I can't believe the idea of the result of that weekend (trying not to spoil anything here). I did get some very good laughs at the idea of her being an "illegal immigrant"! Think "Green Card" but backwards! Great line: "It's not like I'm an immigrant or something, I'm from Canada!" (my mom used to get a lot of Northern Europeans in her office -she works for Spanish immigration- with the same attitude!). So maybe don't fork out the cash to see it in the movies, but it would make a good movie night at home.

Guess what day today is...

This should help:

(2005)

Anyone want to join our bbq and fiesta tonight? I make a great mojito! ;o)

Surprise on returning from London!

Well, I had been planning on getting a bit more writing done in here... but a "little" surprise my family had in store for me means I haven't actually been spending much time on the computer!

"what's that?" you ask... "what could be more important than sharing with us your wonderful London adventures and photos?!"

Well... this:

Confusing? I might have to explain a bit then... When my parents came to pick me up at the airport the other day, my dad had me take my suitcase to put it in the trunk of the car... which I couldn't do because the thing was already full! With a crazy Kiwi redhead!

In case you didn't know, Kiwis aren't just a fruit or a funky flightless bird with a pointy beak, they're also New Zealanders! And my sister (the one just after me) has been living there for 3 years now doing her PhD. She said she couldn't afford to come this summer, my parents hadn't been able to get the money together in time for an "inexpensive" ticket and yet there she was, in the trunk of the car!

You know those Mastercard "Priceless" ads? Well apparently my face when I opened the trunk would have made an excellent scene for one of them!

(this is the key moment, but wrong angle of camera to get a good view of my shocked face)

I'll get back to you with London stories... but I'll probably be a bit scarce over the next week while my favourite Kiwi is home! That and I learnt we'll all be together next weekend as the youngest is hopping on a flight home from London! All 5 crrrrazies in the same city?! Hasn't happened in 2 1/2 years!!! YAY!!! :o)

Potter Wednesdays: Half-Blood Prince

It's time for the final Potter Wednesday! Until next year that is when I can start a countdown to Deathly Hallows! But that one will be with the books... :p

So I got to see Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince this weekend with my sister in London, which is a double YAY!!! for me! One because of the excellent company, and two because it wasn't dubbed and I got to hear Alan Rickman's voice!!! :o)

On to the movie...

Wow!

Tears of laughter, tears of sadness.

A few quick thoughts:

• Hormones in a rage.

• Luna wearing Spectrespecs!

• Ron on a broom (priceless!).

• Lavender Brown... *shudder*

• Harry and Ginny.

• Poor Hermione!

• Attack on the Burrow... new, unexpected and excellent!

• Voldemort was creepy even as a child!

• Draco Malfoy finally gets something to do!

• Not impressed by Slughorn...

Wondering....
...how on earth are people who haven't read the books going to understand what happens next?! I mean, how is Harry supposed to know what objects to look for as horcruxes? They left out too many of the visits to Tom Riddle's past in the pensieve... visits that were what informed Dumbledore and Harry on the special nature of the objects Riddle chose as hosts for his horcruxes!


Ooops moment (will watch my words with this so as not to give away a major spoiler for next film, those who have read book 7 will understand):

• That scene Astronomy tower (the encounter that never happened in the book) gives away waaaaay too much!!!

Negative points:

• Not enough Ginny.

• I really wanted to see the meeting between the Minister of Magic and the new British PM! :p

• I understand the reasons for the lack of funeral and fight (I'm guessing budget) , but I really missed them!!! Particularly the fight between the members of the D.A. and the Death Eaters! grrr... A Weasly was supposed to get bitten by Fenrir!

All in all I really enjoyed the movie (my sister complained that I laughed too loud and quite often!) even if I think the ending kind of resulted in an overall drop in quality (would have been sooo much better with the battle!). Now I have to ponder on wether or not to re-read the book... might be frustrating but it will be nice to re-visit all those moments that were left out! :p

La banda sonora de nuestras vidas: Infancia

Comoquiera que las cosas no acaban de salir bien, este verano est� resultando ser de lo m�s melanc�lico. Fuera luce el Sol, hace calor y la luz lo impregna todo de una manera casi l�quida pero, aun as�, hay momentos en que no puedo evitar sentirme como en pleno oto�o. Peor que en pleno oto�o, porque al menos as� podr�a aovillarme por las noches en la cama con los primeros fr�os en compa��a de una fina manta y sentir algo de calor reconfortante, en vez del natural bochorno estival que nos deja a todos sin fuerzas para nada. Es en momentos as� que en ocasiones recurro a la m�sica y a la memoria, a aquellas canciones que, muchas veces, se comportan casi como ciertos aromas, capaces de hacernos viajar en el tiempo hasta un lugar seguro que hace mucho que dej� de existir. Una de esas canciones, para m�, es el No me acostumbro de El �ltimo de la Fila. Estos d�as no para de sonar en mi cabeza, intentando de alguna manera llevarme consigo hasta un lugar m�s grato... Sin duda mi mayor deseo es que, de alguna manera, lo consiga.

La banda sonora de nuestras vidas: Infancia

Comoquiera que las cosas no acaban de salir bien, este verano est� resultando ser de lo m�s melanc�lico. Fuera luce el Sol, hace calor y la luz lo impregna todo de una manera casi l�quida pero, aun as�, hay momentos en que no puedo evitar sentirme como en pleno oto�o. Peor que en pleno oto�o, porque al menos as� podr�a aovillarme por las noches en la cama con los primeros fr�os en compa��a de una fina manta y sentir algo de calor reconfortante, en vez del natural bochorno estival que nos deja a todos sin fuerzas para nada. Es en momentos as� que en ocasiones recurro a la m�sica y a la memoria, a aquellas canciones que, muchas veces, se comportan casi como ciertos aromas, capaces de hacernos viajar en el tiempo hasta un lugar seguro que hace mucho que dej� de existir. Una de esas canciones, para m�, es el No me acostumbro de El �ltimo de la Fila. Estos d�as no para de sonar en mi cabeza, intentando de alguna manera llevarme consigo hasta un lugar m�s grato... Sin duda mi mayor deseo es que, de alguna manera, lo consiga.

Alicante Summers...

Here's one that I'm sure is a summer-time favourite across the globe!

I scream, you scream, we all scream for...

ICE CREAM!

Alicante is one of the ice-cream making capitals of Spain. Alicante and the nearby town of Xixona. Both make ice-cream to sell in the summer and turr�n (Spanish nougat) to sell in the winter.


I tend to prefer sherbet to ice cream, but among the latter my favourites are two local specialities: helado de turr�n and helado de leche merengada. Yum! What are your favourites?

On the road, in the air... guess where?

Perhaps a few photographic clues from my last visit (3 years ago) will help...


It's going to be a crazy 4 days thanks to a loving "little" sister who wants to me to visit her new place and celebrate my birthday (in advance). What a great idea she had! ;o)

Obama "roasted" in Alicante, Spain

A bit late, I know, but other posts and "Real Life" (pesky thing isn't it?) kept getting in the way!

Way back during the Hogueras (so a month ago) I dropped a line at the White House webpage asking if they would be interested in seeing some pictures of the POTUS in Alicante, no answer! I also wrote up a (rather lengthy) note about President Obama's presence in the Hogueras de San Juan in Alicante and sent it to the Washington Post in case they might be interested (hard to find an e-mail address to send stuff to!)... but never got an answer so I'll just adapt it and post it here! But perhaps with a few more photos! Be sure to click on them if you want to get a closer look! ;o)

Every year for the past century the inhabitants of the city of Alicante, on the Mediterranean coast of Spain, have greeted the arrival of the summer solstice with the construction of large wood and paper sculptures called Hogueras or Fogueres. Composed of larger than life figures and smaller �ninots�, these images are often the equivalent of an editorial cartoon brought to life. Amongst figures representing the �average Juan� trying to get through daily life (or survive the current economic crisis), more �saucy� representations of famous persons abound: politicians, athletes, actors and other celebrities from the tabloids, of both national and international origin. Anyone is fair game. They populate the streets of the city for 5 days and then on the night of �San Juan�, June 24th, they get burnt to the ground amidst the noise of firecrackers and fireworks and the cheers of the crowds.

With the effects of the 2008 US elections having such an international impact, there was no way President Obama wasn�t going to find himself a part of this summer madness. Indeed, he appeared in 3 of the biggest Hogueras.

In the Hoguera Hern�n Cort�s he was present as a chess piece, placed on a white square, representing �el Rei Negre en una casella blanca� which is to say �the black king in the White House� (casella is a square on a chess board, but it�s also the diminutive for house).


Each figure is accompanied by a note, usually adding a bit more depth to the representation. One of the notes accompanying President Obama says:

"When Obama moves a piece
the world is engrossed
since the play is called
short castling of the King."

In the Hoguera del Puerto, floating in Alicante�s harbour, President Obama is represented as a cowboy atop a raging bull, placed next to Buzz �George W. Bush� Lightyear.


And finally, in the Hoguera Pol�gono de San Blas, the U.S. president has been placed with the Spanish and French Presidents Zapatero and Sarkozy.


The three form a marching band (Obama plays the drum, the others a trumpet and saxophone) trying to awaken the world from the global economic crisis.


As the sign says (click on photo to read the Spanish):

"A percussion awakens the whole world
It's Obama with a musical air
(charanga would be a festive marching band of wind instruments)
A trumpeteer joins the rhythm
They awaken the economy against the money problems."

They dig a bit into Zapatero:

"In the Americas and in Paris they're improving the jobs
We have our dear Zapatero
And even though the news talks about swine flu
With this president my salary isn't even enough for swine."

President Obama has been honoured in a distinctive manner, unique to the Valencian Community in Spain.

And in the "just to prove I was there" category, I made sure to get my photo taken with the 44th President of the U.S. of A! :o)



I wish we could have gotten a glimpse of Obama engulfed in flames (for more about the crem� read this post), but as you can see below we had a bad angle (he's just to the left of zebra, right behind that bush!).


So which one's your favourite Obama? The chess piece? The cowboy? Or the musician? I think by the number of photos you can probably guess mine... ;o)

El m�n per un forat

Rescatan un gato del t�nel del Metro

El felino, presumiblemente abandonado, llevaba d�as en las v�as sin comida ni bebida y espera ahora que alguien lo adopte
Barcelona | 16/07/2009

La l�nea 1 del metro, concretamente la estaci�n de Can Serra, en Hospitalet de Llobregat, vivi� hace una semana un episodio digno de pel�cula, sobre todo de dibujos animados: el rescate de un gato de las v�as. La operaci�n se realiz� el 9 de julio a partir de las 00.30, una vez finalizado el servici� del metro y corri� a cargo de la Fundaci�n Altarriba con la colaboraci�n de TMB.

La aventura de Forat, como se ha bautizado posteriormente al gato, empez� unos d�as antes, cuando se perdi� en las v�as del metro de Can Serra. Seg�n la Fundaci�n Altarriba, el felino puede ser uno de los muchos animales que se abandonan cuando llega el verano. En este caso, Forat estuvo d�as en el t�nel, sin comida ni bebida, asustado y maullando hasta que una voluntaria de la asociaci�n animalista lo descubri� viajando en el metro.

Un peque�o equipo integrado por otra voluntaria, Sara, dos miembros de seguridad de TMB y el jefe de estaci�n, se encarg� de capturar al animal. "El gato estaba asustado pero a�n as� se acercaba mucho y se dejaba acariciar, a pesar de que en momentos le entraba miedo y se iba para al rato volver de nuevo", relata Sara. Al final, "los de seguridad accedieron a la v�a y colocaron nuestra jaula trampa, donde entr� el gato r�pidamente", concluye.

Tras su rescate, Forat fue testado y esterilizado. Su estado de salud es bueno, dio negativo en FIV y FELV. Y ahora est� a la espera que alguien lo adopte para que su pel�cula acabe teniendo un final feliz.

Curiosa noticia. M�s curiosa todav�a si se tiene en cuenta que Forat podr�a ser un viejo conocido de la mayor�a de los usuarios de Can Serra...Har� cosa de un par de a�os, cuando pasaba por all� m�s a menudo, recuerdo haber visto un gato en el interior de la estaci�n, concretamente a la altura de v�as. Para ser exactos, en un agujero o quiz�s una abertura que da a vaya usted a saber qu�. El caso es que, teniendo en cuenta que se le vio varias veces, que la estaci�n estuvo (�o est� todav�a?) en obras durante laaaargo tiempo y que hay un parque nada m�s salir de ella, siempre pens� en �l como en un callejero que se hab�a hecho con un territorio de caza inmejorable. Cosas de gatos. Nunca supe si era un s�lo gato el que bajaba hasta all�, si se mov�a por m�s zonas o no pero, este mes, me he encontrado con esta noticia. �Ser� Forat el mismo gato que vimos hace ya un par de a�os? �O hay m�s de uno? Curioso, curioso...

Potter Wednesdays: Order of the Phoenix

Ahhh, the final Potter movie on dvd! This must mean I'm about to see the new one on the big screen! And my sources tell me it will be in a spiffy London cinema on Friday night, YAY!!!

But for right now, back to Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix... i.e. Dumbledore's Army vs. an excess of pink! :p


New characters!

• Loony Luna :o) great casting choice there, that girl really pulls it off!

• Dolores Umbridge... scary! That voice, that character... and all that pink! *shudder* I think she may be the scariest of the villains we've faced so far in part because her evilness is hidden under layers of "what's proper" and doing things for "the greater good"... in other words a fanatic! Very dangerous...

• Bellatrix Lestrange - Sirius' absolutely insane and evil cousin, marvellous Helena Bonham Carter!

Fun moments:

• Oh look, the Dursleys are back! I missed them in the last movie! Did they change actors for Dudley? But wait a minute! Isn't Petunia supposed to receive a letter from Dumbledore right about now? Weren't we supposed to finally understand why Harry's been staying with them instead of a friendlier wizard family (like the Weasleys)?

• I love flying! And that ride up the Thames although short was excellent! (almost makes up for the lack of quidditch)

• Sirius' house.... spooky! And Kreacher is the worst! Pity we didn't get to spend much time there... but at least the reunion with Sirius was heartwarming (and heartbreaking when you think about the outcome).

• Welcome to the ministry of magic! Nice to see it after all this time!

• Ahhh... the famous "first kiss"! but even more than that I loved Hermione's translation of the female point of view for the guys (and Cho's "feelings") and their incredulous reaction! :p

• Anything and everything to do with the DA! (Dumbledore's Army) particularly Neville's progress and being able to see how powerful Ginny is! About time that girl got something to do! :o)

• We finally get more Snape thx to the Occlumency lessons!

• I loved Fred and George's farewell to Hogwarts (but I still don't think they got enough screen time and wish I could have seen the swamp), take that Umbridge!

Scenes I didn't like so much (or missing from the book that I wished were there):

• Harry's outrage (when he walks in on Ron and Hermione in Sirius' house) at having no news all summer long doesn't come across that well. In fact I found the acting by the main trio to be little bit less convincing this time, a bit forced, particularly those first reunion scenes (it got better later). And wasn't this the episode were Ron and Hermione got made prefects and Harry didn't (adding to the rage)?

• I wanted to visit the magical hospital (whose name I can't remember now, St Mungo's?) to see Mr Weasley after the snake attack, visit Neville's parents (and finally meet his scary grandma) and catch a glimpse of poor Gilderoy Lockhart who still can't remember anything (from movie 2!) sigh!

• Also seriously missing was Angelina's turn as Quidditch captain and the funny Keeper tryouts! grrrr....

• I don't like the way Umbridge found out about the DA (loved the classes), and Cho wasn't supposed to be the traitor!!! Changing the story there people! tsk! tsk!

Great lines:

• Umbridge in DADA class:

"Theory is enough to get you through your examinations, which after all is what school is all about"

HA! It's sad that some educational systems are actually about that! Passing tests doesn't mean being educated! Just 'cause you can memorize a bunch of factoids doesn't mean you know how to use them properly when the time comes!

• Ron when Hermione talks about forming the DA and breaking the rules:

"Who are you and what have you done with Hermione Granger?!"

• And Hermione in the Forest:

"Grawp! PUT ME DOWN! NOW!"

Anyhow, as much fun as freaky Umbridge is, I think the end of the movie is the best part An excellent final half hour with all the Ministry of Magic battle... and that death is just as sudden and shocking as when I read it the first time! Tears and shock. It takes a while to sink in what with everything else that's still happening. And we finally get to see the (one and only) confrontation between Dumbledore and Voldemort! :o)

(hmmm... they don't seem so confrontational in this shot do they?)

I checked out the extra scenes on the dvd hoping for some juicy stuff, but there's nothing big, they just add a few tidbits to Neville and add some creepiness to Umbridge (extra scene in the forest, talking about "the ends justify the means"), and a definitely better scene between Umbridge and Trelawney. But no swamp from the twins, no quidditch tryouts with Ron flailing try to stop the quaffle from entering the goals...

And now I'm looking forward to the Half-Blood Prince where we get more Snape! Farewell to Hogwarts! (but didn't book 7 end there, onsight at Hogwarts? must re-read to double-check)


Check back in next week for the final chapter of Potter Wednesdays!