Movies #22 & #23 - Watchment & Intouchables

I haven't written in the blog for a while, but in the last week I found two great reasons to write again. One is called Watchmen, the other one is called Intouchables. They couldn't be more different. Watchmen is from the US, it's a kind of a superhero movie, it's a drama mixed with sci-fi and it involves an incredible number of resources. Intouchables is a french movie, it's a comedy with sprinkles of drama and it must have been incredibly cheaper. About Watchmen, I must say I'm not a big fan of Super Heroes movies, but this one is obviously not of the typical kind. It completely grabs us by the strangeness of the story and keeps injecting interesting information and plot nods along the entire movie. The acting is great, and the dialogues are phenomenal. I always adore when fiction includes as much reality as possible, and this movie does that even though it appropriates it and changes it to serve the needs of the screenplay. The fighting sequences are irreprehensible and sometimes enriched with the most unexpected songs (see for example the opening scene with a matrix kind of fight sequence accompanied by Nat King Cole's Unforgetable. It is indeed... Definitely a must see, even if it requires a bit of concentration from the start to follow the story. At first, the story demanded so much of me that I felt I wasn't taking from the movie as much as I could. For that reason, and because the film was so good, the next morning the first thing I did was watch the movie again. I can't remember the last time I did that. Intouchables is obviously completely different but in that contrast lies its richness. It goes to show that all you need to make a wonderful and fun movie is put a couple of actors together, a good tbs of chemistry between the two non-gay male companions and funny dialogues. They make the movie and nothing else would be necessary. But on top of that they tell us a story about finding happiness in the most unexpected places. I've written much less about this movie than Watchmen, but that's just it: the best of Intouchables it's its simplicity. Enjoy!

Artist #6 - Feist

I knew Feist already for many years ago, but only a couple of songs. A few nights ago I went to her concert in Lisbon. Even though I didn’t know it very well, I hadn’t gone to a concert in a long time and this seemed like a good opportunity. I’ve listened to a couple more songs before the concert, but it was during and after the concert that I came to know more of this wonderful artist. She’s a Canadian singer that has acted both solo and within other projects, namely the indie band Broken Social Scene. The concert was amazing. Feist is a very nice, very warm and very passionate performer. She’s not one of those artists who gets on a stage performs the songs one after another without connecting to the audience and goes home. No, she really interacts with the public, tells you stories, teaches you dance moves, invites you to help in on the songs, brings people on to the stage. Besides, she has an amazing voice and is accompanied by a great band and especially great back-up vocals. I enjoyed all the songs and left the concert with a will to listen to more and more of this unique artist. It’s what I’ve been doing lately and will continue so in the future. Definitely, an artist to follow. I leave you with a song that provided one of the most energetic moments of the concert.

Three years later

It's been more than three years since I've started this blog, which was the planned duration for this blog. The original goal of this blog was to document my experiences with four things I really enjoy. Specifically, I was hoping that at the end of the three years I had created a list of 30 amazing movies, 20 great new artists (new to me!), 10 captivating books and 10 unforgettable wines. Incredibly, the list of wines was the only to get to the goal. This has two explanations. On the one hand, I’ve been very interested in wine in the last couple of years. On the other hand, regarding the movies, I can estimate that I have seen at least 10 times the number of movies I’ve listed here. There was however a period when I saw a lots of good movies but I was too lazy to report it at the blog. What’s really shameful is how little I’ve read. I know I’ve read more than two books in three years (!!!) but none stuck in my mind and I did have a very low level of reading in the last year or two.
Now that I’ve finished these first three years, and that luckily I was able to get a renewal of my contract for another three years of post doc, I want to make it up for the lacunae in these lists:

Movies:
1) Slumdog Millionaire
2) 2001 Space Odissey
3) Dr Strangelove
4) It's a wonderful life
5) JFK
6) In the Valley of Elah
7) In Bruges
8) The graduate
9) The Godfather
10) Inglorious Basterds
11) Garden State
12) The Hurt Locker
13) An education
14) Chinatown
15) El secreto de sus ojos
16) The social network
17) Black swan
18) Another year
19) On the waterfront
20) The tree of life
21) Super 8


Books:

1) The lady with the dragon tattoo
2) The Road

Artists:

1) Tim Christensen
2) Elbow
3) Orquestra Imperial
4) Tom Caruana
5) Self

Wines:

1) 3 Bagos Lavradores de Feitoria (Douro - White)
2) Cortes de Cima 2006 (Alentejo - Red)
3) Dolium (Alentejo - Red)
4) Callabriga 2007 (Douro - Red)
5) Passadouro Reserva 2004 (Douro - Red)
6) S de Soberanas (Terras do Sado – Red)
7) Malhadinha 2007 (Alentejo – Red)
8) Douro Conceito 2009 (Douro – White)
9) Paulo Laureano Premium 2008 (Alentejo – Red)
10) Casa Santa Vitória 2008 (Alentejo – Red)

Oscar bets results

It just finished!
It was a very traditional cerimony, with great writing and respect for pace.
There were no big surprises neither at the cerimony neither at the awards.
I was right in 9 of my 14 picks (64% accuracy rate).
And I was right on the big five. Differently from social psychology, the big five here mean: best screenplay, best actor, best actress, best director, best picture.

OSCARS 2012: My picks

Every year, I watch (or at least try to watch) the Oscars live.
For the second time, I’m in the Netherlands when they take place so I can’t watch it on TV. I’ll try online to see if I’m right about my bets.
See my bets below:

Best actress in a supporting role

Nominees:

Bérénice Bejo, The Artist
Jessica Chastain, The Help
Melissa McCarthy, Bridesmaids
Janet McTeer, Albert Nobbs
Octavia Spencer, The Help

I only saw two of three of the actresses mentioned. Bérénice Bejo is in a leading role. So it’s a bit unfair to have nominated in this category. I absolutely loved her performance. In a silent movie expression is everything, and she has it all. And she dances wonderfully. It was also wonderful to see Jessica Chastain in the opposite pole from her performance in The tree of life. But it’s a bit of a goofy character and I would say that the academy is reluctant in awarding that.
Octavia Spencer only has a chance if the oscar for the actress in a leading role would go for Viola Davis. Not sure what will happen there.

My pick: Bérénice Bejo

Best actor in a supporting role

Nominees:

Kenneth Branagh, My Week with Marilyn
Jonah Hill, Moneyball
Nick Nolte, Warrior
Christopher Plummer, Beginners
Max von Sydow, Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close

Not a lot of information here. I’ve seen two and a half performances. From what I saw, Christopher Plummer is the best. But I have only seen a bit of “Extremely loud...” where Max von Sydow appears.
I haven’t seen Kenneth Branagah nor Nick Nolte. Kenneth Branagah is always a safe choice. But Holywood loves a comeback so Nick Nolte might have a shot. On the other hand, he’s a bit anti-establishment and the academy is revengeful
Jonah Hill is great but there is a trail for the Oscar. This year he’ll only get the nod.

My pick: Kenneth Branagah

Best actress in a leading role

Nominees:

Glenn Close, Albert Nobbs
Viola Davis, The Help
Rooney Mara, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
Meryl Streep, The Iron Lady
Michelle Williams, My Week with Marilyn

I haven’t seen Glenn Close’s performance so I might be really off here. Form the ones I’ve seen, I would say it’s a good tie between Meryl and Viola. But it’s unfair for Meryl. First, she’s portraying someone so it’s always more difficult because we have a term for comparison. Viola Davis just has to be intense in whatever style she wants. Besides, the academy always puts the bar higher for Meryl. She has like 13 or 14 nominations and “only” two wins. To give the third oscar is something huge. It’s totally deserved but the academy is always expecting more from her.
But in any case...
My pick: Meryl Streep

Best actor in a leading role

Nominees:

Demián Bichir, A Better Life
George Clooney, The Descendants
Jean Dujardin, The Artist
Gary Oldman, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
Brad Pitt, Moneyball

Only saw three of them. Too bad i haven’t seen Gary Oldman. I want to. He’s one of my favorite actors (some other favorites by the way: Sean Penn, Daniel Day Lewis, Tim Roth...)
From what I saw, Jean Dujardin would be the fair choice. Clooney is really well in this one but two oscars given to such a good looking guy is too much. Brad Pitt is wonderful in general but not spectacularly here. And he also suffers from Clooney’s disease.

My pick: Jean Dujardin

Best director

Nominees:

Michel Hazavanicius, The Artist
Alexander Payne, The Descendants
Martin Scorsese, Hugo
Woody Allen, Midnight in Paris
Terrence Malick, The Tree of Life

It would be really strange to give Martin Scorcese an Oscar for something so far from his style especially given that i can count at least three times when he should have been given an Oscar and didn’t get it.
I love Terrence Malick’s direction. But a lot of the good vibes coming from the tree of life comes from the cinematography and editing.
Michel Hazavanicius also has a shot. But it’s very hard to imagine how the academy is going to react to The artist.

My pick: Michel Hazavanicius

Best original Screenplay

Nominees:

The Artist
Bridesmaids
Margin Call
Midnight in Paris
A Separation

Don’t know enough here. The Artist doesn’t deserve it. And I haven’t seen the rest.
A Separation will win for best foreign movie so I wouldn’t bet on that one here.

My pick: Midnight in Paris

Best adapted screenplay

Nominees:

The Descendants
Hugo
Ides of March
Moneyball
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy

My pick: Hugo

Best foreign language film

Nominees:

Bullhead
Footnote
In Darkness
Monsieur Lazhar
A Separation

My pick: A separation

Best picture

Nominees:

War Horse
The Artist
Moneyball
The Descendants
The Tree of Life
Midnight in Paris
The Help
Hugo
Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close

I haven’t seen War Horse, Midnight in Paris and Hugo. Midnight in Paris doesn’t have a good shot.
From the 5,5 that I’ve saw, The artist is the best one. But, as I said, it’s really hard to know how the academy is going to react to The Artist. From the others, I would say The Help has the best chance. And it is indeed a great movie. A good mixture of comedy and drama as is common to see in Best Picture Oscar winners. But I’m putting all my eggs in the Artist basket.

My pick: The Artist

Art direction

Nominees:

The Artist
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2
Hugo
Midnight in Paris
War Horse

My pick: Hugo

Cinematography

Nominees:

The Artist
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
Hugo
The Tree of Life
War Horse

The tree of life was received with both great and awful reviews. But in one thing people agree. It’s a great cinematography.

My pick: The tree of life

Film editing

Nominees:

The Artist
The Descendants
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
Hugo
Moneyball

My pick: Hugo

Visual effects

Nominees:

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2
Hugo
Real Steel
Rise of the Planet of the Apes
Transformers: Dark of the Moon

I haven’t seen none. But I think the Rise of the Planet Apes has good chances here. But if Hugo doesn’t win any of the most important oscars it will win this one.

Make up

Nominees:

Albert Nobbs
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2
The Iron Lady

My pick: the Iron Lady

Artist #5: Self

Apparently this is not new. But it was thanks to a Weeds episode last night that finishes with this song that I got to know this band. Self is a band producing alternative pop rock music. Matt Mahaffey is basically the creator behind the whole thing. He's the writer, singer, producer, etc. He was already producing for hip hop artists while still in high school. He has a vast knowledge of music that allows him to produce songs combining many differnet styles, within the same song. Below it's just one wonderful illustration. Listen to it and notice how it varies so nicely. Lyrics however are repetitive!

and that's it...

I knew she had a great voice but I was really surprised by this performance.

Movie #22 - Super 8

It was great fun to be in the movies the other day. For two hours, I felt the same way as I did during a summer in the early 90’s a cultural centre near my place did a retrospective of the “oeuvre” of Steven Spielberg. During that summer I saw at least 12 movies of Steven Spielberg and only a few days ago I realized how that summer was so determining in making me love the movies the way I do nowadays.
And why did I feel like that? Because I was watching Super 8, and the entire time I felt like I was watching a Steven Spielberg’s movie. In fact, it’s the new JJ Abrams movie (the guy from Lost, Star Trek, Alias, etc) but Spielberg produced it and apparently he was on set often and for long periods.
Below I can describe how much this movie resembles other Spielberg movies, but specially ET, but for now just a couple of lines to say why it is worth watching. Well, first, if you like typical Spielberg movies you’ll like this one. Second, and as in all the movies I enjoy particularly, the acting is amazing. It’s even more incredible because the performances here are provided by kids. Ellen Fanning demonstrates us that the talent was equally distributed in the family and it’s not just Dakota (the girl from I am Sam) who got the talent. The kid is also brilliant but I don’t recall seeing him in other movies. He does remind me of someone but I still can’t say who it is. And the rest of the kids are all great. It’s all rich characters and that doesn’t happen often with kids. And finally, the story is exciting. You don’t know anything at the beginning and you gather bits and pieces of information along the way.
There were a few things I did not like in the movie (some clichés, some sentimental crap, some gaffes) but all minor details drowned in the sea of excitement that I felt when watching the And now SPOILERS down below.
The major critic I could have for this movie is how much it resembles ET. At some points, it seems like a remake.
Here is a list of similarities between the two movies:
1) An alien arrives to the Earth
2) A group of kids contacts with this alien
3) Within this group of kids, the one that is most shy is the one who will relate more to the alien and is the one who in the end will be the bravest.
4) The group of kids tries to save the alien by helping him return home
5) There are bicycles flying because of the alien, even though this time the kids are not on top of those bicycles.
And then, there are other aspects that are very “Spielbergian” even if it’s from other movies. On the one hand, the whole adventurous spirit of the kids reminds me of The Goonies and the complicated father-son relationship is a typical feature in almost all Spielberg movies.
Despite of all these similarities, or maybe because of these, it is definitely a film worth watching that feeds the thirst for Blockbusters that always emerges in the summer but also feeds on my constant will to watch good movies. And this is a good movie!

Sushi by Tupperware

If this is a blog about things I enjoy during the course of my postdoc, then it would be a matter of time until sushi got his mention. And this is the perfect opportunity as yesterday I bought the perfect instrument for those who sometimes struggle to make the makis and the nigiris. Apparently Tupperware is not stuck in time and has given proofs of adapting to the future. Check out in the video what I just bought yesterday. I bought the orange instruments. The tupperware for making the rice wasn't necessary as I already do it in the magic kitchen machine called Bimby.

Wine #10 - Casa Santa Vitória 2008 @Tasca da Esquina

The other day we went to Tasca da Esquina, a kind of recent place that was taken by one the most famous Portuguese Chefs (Vitor Sobral). His idea was to make a comfortable, nice and affordable place to eat informal food. We had the 4-course dinner and it was amazing at a very reasonable price. It's in Campo de Ourique and I strongly recommend to anyone living in or visiting Lisbon, But I'm mentioning this restaurant mostly because during this dinner, I had the chance to taste a wonderful wine, again at a very reasonable price. The wine is Casa Santa Vitória 2008. At the wine shops, this wine is sold at less than 5 Eur. It's from Alentejo, with an incredible smell and a very dark colour. You can consult some tasting notes (in portuguese) here.

Movie #21 - The tree of life

It is a bit hard to talk about this movie. First, I need to mention that in the session I was in, there was some kind of problem with the copy that was being projected in terms of editing. It seemed to be a mix of two different films: one was a documentary for National Geographic and the other one was Terence Malick's movie and these two got mixed during editing and that editing was made in a Mac, that's why I kept seeing Mac's screensaver at some points in a movie.
Obviously this is just a (bad) joke that I am using to talk about a film that carries some of the most beatiful images I've ever seen on film. When you read about The tree of life there will always be someone mentioning the dinoussaurs and the big sun and the screensavers (sic). But that's not the movie. It's part of it, not pivotal but complementary to the movie. How about the rest of the movie? How was it? It was wonderful. It's not simply the photography that is wonderful and the beatiful photography wasn't just present in those "documentary-kind" portions of the movie. It was always present along with some of the most beatiful pieces of music ever created. It is easy to compare this movie to Kubrick's 2001 A Space Odissey but some of the most fantastic parts in the movie are nothing close to Kubric's style and story types.
Let me illustrate this by explaining how one of my favourite aspects of the movie is simply about the way he films and presents the family. So, the movie follows the life of a young couple as they are about to become parents and follows from birth, the childhood of Jack and his two little brothers. At this point, everyone mentions how these kids are raised by a mother that follows the way of grace and by a father that represents a tougher view of life, closer to Nature's competitive system. But that's one very restrict metaphysical opposition that I felt like a limitation of the movie. What I found incredible in this part of the movie is how it felt like. What it really felt like was that Terence Malick spent a decade with this family and taped most of their moments in everyday life. At the end of this decade, he started editing a film of about an hour about this decade. It's a brilliant work of editing that was only possible by having thousands of hours of filming made before hand.
I could say more about this movie as I think this movie will be part of movie history and as most movies that reach this status, it will be greeted with love and hate to the same extent. But for now, the only thing I feel like being left to say is: You can say whatever you want about the movie but I consider that it is impossible to say that this is not a fantastic piece of work and that's why this movie made the list.

Is there anything funnier than bunnies killing themselves?

Andy Riley came up with the idea that the white rabbits of this world are tired of being fluffy and sweet and just want to end their own lives... in a funny way.

Artist # 4 -Tom Caruana

Thanks to a friend, the most refreshing piece of work in years came to my attention by a music producer called Tom Caruana. Hi skill is mostly known through his mash-ups of Rap music with other genres and artists. He has done one with Wu Tang and The Beatles. Check out an example of that mash-up below



And check out what's next with Jimmi Hendrix. Delightful!!

Wine # 9 - Paulo Laureano Premium 08

In April, I went back to the Netherlands. But before going back to Nijmegen, I spent a couple of days in Utrecht with a Portuguese friend. While there, we had a Portuguese Lunch to get together with other Portuguese working or studying in the Netherlands. For the occasion, I took this wine from Alentejo. This is a wine made by Paulo Laureano (hence the name), the same guy responsible for another wine on the list of wines in this blog: Dolium. What I loved most was the smell. But maybe it was the occasion. Here are some tasting notes in Portuguese.

Wine # 8 - Douro Conceito 09

A couple of weeks before going back to Nijmegen, I went to a place in Lisbon that procrastination had kept me from trying for a long time. The place is called Goliardos near Avenida da Liberdade, closer to Praça da Alegria. It's a wine bar with some great wines, good ambiance but no so good service (at least not very attemptive). I tried Douro Conceito 09 which is a very soft, very pleasant wine from the Douro region as the name insists on announcing. Luckily this is a wine with tasting notes in English:

Taut and intense nose with fresh citrus and grapefruit pith notes, as well as some white peach and intense toastiness. The palate is broad but well defined with nuts, toast, citrus, spice and good acidity. Really fine and burgundian with potential for development.

As I'm no expert it's hard for me to complement on these tasting notes but I can certainly vouch for the fresh citurs notes and the good acidity. It was a good first wine to a not so great first time in this place but that left me with the will to come back and give the place, and especially the service, another chance.

Movie #20 - On the waterfront

In March, we went with a couple friend of ours to spend a weekend in the country. We went to a region near Arganil. One of the nights we watched On the waterfront. It's a movie that I wanted to see for a long time and that is considered to be a masterpiece by Elia Kazan. The movie portrays an ex-prize fighter turned lonshoreman who struggles to stand up to his corrupt union bosses and some say that it was an act of atonement on the part of Elia Kazan for naming names to HUAC during the McCarthy witch-hunts of the 1950's. Regardless of what the purpose might have been, the movie is mandatory for all movie lovers and I can name one reason alone: Marlon Brando. It is an incredible performance but so different from a character like Don Corleone in the Godfather. In this movie, Brando is a potent but innocent and kind young man. I love the conversation with his brother in the taxi when he says to his brother that he is the one to blame for him not being a champion. I love the way he says: "I could have been a contender!".

Movie #19 - Another year

In February, I saw the movie Another Year. It's a movie by Mike Leigh and it portrays the life of a happily married couple (Jim Broadbent and Ruth Sheen) and their relationships with their family and friends during four seasons. I've enjoyed two things about the movie. First, the performances were brilliant even though they are mostly constrained performances. An exception is Lesley Manville who plays a person who seems to be always happy but who is very depressed and a alcoholic. What a great performance. The other reason that I enjoyed the movie so much was the tranquility I got from it. Simply a good feeling that makes me smile just by remembering this movie.

Let's give it another try

A long time has passed since the last time I wrote here. The lack of motivation to write here was mostly due to the lack of visits to the blog. Finally, and after a long period of procrastination (always a factor in this lack of writing), I decided that this is first and foremost to myself and for me to remember what I’ve enjoyed during these 3 years of postdoc.
A lot to catch up and probably some things that I wanted to write here are now forgotten but regarding what I remember, I will write about it in the next few posts.

Movie #17 - Black Swan

I saw this last saturday. It's a powerful movie that does not elicit soft responses. I think the movie reveals two major artists: Natalie Portman is definitely a great actress that deserves the oscar for this performance and Darren Aronofsky is a great director with a very clear idea of what he wants in each shot. Every scene is powerfully delivered and it will leave you breathless.
I haven't seen any other nominated actresses this year but I'm still certain that Natalie Portman will get the oscar. The reason is simple: you don't get two performances like that in one year!

Movie #16 - The Social Network

It's been a while since I've written something in this blog and that I posted something about a movie. Well, yesterday I felt the urge to comeback to the blog to write about the new David Fincher's movie: the social network, the movie about the beginning of facebook. If you're one of the two or three people who usually check this blog, you know that one thing I really value and really determines whether I like a movie or not. The social network presents great acting. Jesse Eisenberg has a great part impersonating Mark Zuckerberg even though I suspect that the real Mark is not quite as fluent as Jesse's character. But two other things made me feel pretty good about this movie: one was the editing and the other was the music. Editing here is very dynamic and it really determines the way the story is told and what we can take out from each scene. The music is very good both the original created for the movie (where Trent Reznor from the NIN is involved) and the songs chosen. About this particular aspect, I love it when I'm reaching the end of the movie feeling that I've just watched a great movie and all the sudden a great song starts to carry us to the final credits. That also happened with this movie. It was great to end this experience listening to "Baby, you're a rich man" of the Beatles.