WATCH FILMS (WITH ME) IN NEW YORK

I just want to talk about films right now.

first of all, I went to see a really great one last night; Katsuhito Ishii's Funky Forest: The First Contact. A year ago I saw an earlier film of his; The Taste of Tea and fell in love instantly. It was kind of like an awesome Japanese version of the royal tenenbaums. Funky Forest was a bit more surreal and less traditional, but it was no less awesome. It had lots of great choreographed dance scenes and dream scenes, fun music and all around un-serious david-lynch-ish fun weird shit.

The cast does a great job (it's partially the same in both movies), plus Funky Forest notably stars Rinko Kikuchi (Babel) and Ryo Kase (Letters from Iwo Jima, Scrap Heaven). So if you have ANY interest in asian cinema (or like the royal tenenbaums or eraserhead (but don't take yourself too seriously)) SEE THIS! both films are showing right now at the Imaginasian theater in NYC. here are trailers:

The Taste of Tea (2004)


Funky Forest: The First Contact (2005)



Next up is stuff I want to see:


City of Men (Citade dos Homens, Paulo Morelli, 2007) now playing at the angelica. I really really liked City of God when that came out (and I've talked to some people who were peeing their pants over the City of Men miniseries) so seeing this makes sense.



Paranoid Park (2007). Watching Gus Van Sant fetishize little skater boys (like so many before him) and little Jenny from gossip girl be, well, someone other than little Jenny from gossip girl: sounds like a fun time. Now Playing at the angelica.



Funny Games U.S. remake coming soon. I really really like Michael Haneke. He is so wonderfully morbid and depressing. He makes the perfect films for me to watch when I don't want to watch happy shit. If you're into that and not familiar with him I recommend La Pianiste, Le Temps du Loup and the original Funny Games. Or hey, if your english is better than your french and you're too lazy to read subtitles you're in for a treat because Michael Haneke just remade his own movie in english! because he can do that! Because he's awesome! and Michael Pitt and Brady Corbet are in it! And Naomi Watts and some other people! But who really cares about them! Morbid + scary + Haneke = I'll see it.



Harmony Korine's Mr. Lonely. Yes! So exciting. coming soon to IFC center.



Frownland by some dude named Ronald Bronstein. This is some crazy shit. yes. now playing at IFC center.



...If you want to watch any of these with me, let me know soon. or if you want to tell me about good new films that I am not expressing excitement about. Or if you have questions. Or if you want to tell me I suck and that I'm wasting my life watching pretentious films while I could be doing my homework or eating more vegetables.

HIS FONT GOT SERIFS GODDAM

(click to enlarge)



maybe I would vote for him if this was his actual campaign. or if I were actually allowed to vote.

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this is all I do: sit on my couch and think about how much i have to pee, or how hungry I am, or how much work I have to do, and then I just sit on the couch for eternity thinking about it instead of doing something about it.

maybe obama can make a change in my life.

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I went to see Mýrin, or Jar City, the other day at the IFC center.



I took andrew and rachael with me. they liked it. this was very exciting for me. this was the third time I saw an icelandic film in NYC and every time it has been exciting. I don't know what is wrong with me, I shouldn't get so excited. but there is something so strange about watching a place that's so familiar but not being there at all. I guess I just like to think about these things more than other people. By these things I mean location and the difference between the two parts of the world where I spend my time. especially when I'm watching a movie like this that intentionally makes fun of one of the characters for being some sort of a "coward" or not tough because he lived in america for some time. that is funny and at the same time makes me feel uncomfortable, especially when i watch it with my friends who are american. a few things in the movie actually made them think that iceland is anti-america, but not in a super serious way. it's completely understandable because the movie did that on purpose, and we probably are in some ways. sometimes that makes a little part of me embarrassed of living here or liking it here. mostly i just want my friends who have never been to iceland to think good things about it because it's such a huge part of me and i want them to think good things about me. yes, this is something I think about a lot.

Anyway, I want to quote loosely a conversation that 2 american girls had in the bathroom after the movie:

So funny that we went to see this just because you hooked up with that icelandic dude. yeah. this was so weird. yeah. iceland is like, so depressing. because the sun NEVER shines ever, so it's just like totally depressing. and people are just angry all the time. totally.

I'm not going to comment.

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Anyway. Rita Pavone is really amazing! Here, watch her:

this one's about an american potato that sort of relates to what i just sort of talked about.


this one is just her purely being awesome:



and if you right click here you can download my favorite song by her. it is a very fun song to dance to.

you're welcome.

CAR FACE

Last night Andrew and I had a good party. Before that Jói and I went to the opening of this Michel Gondry show at Deitch Projects. On display were the sets from his upcoming movie which I am now even more excited to see because now I've been in it. It's about people who have a video store but all their TAPES go blank so they have to act out and record all the movies themselves. here's michel gondry pretending that the trailer went blank and acting it out himself.



later lots of other people came over and we played games. game night works like this: jews give points to jews, icelandic people give points to icelandic people, gays give points to their boyfriends, and despite giving each other points icelandic people loose anyway because they're foreign. everyone has fun anyway because they're drunk.

we also watched this,



Possibly my all time favorite kids' film; All dogs go to heaven (1989) is the reason why I grew up to like a) good films b) really fucked up films. All dogs go to heaven is a really fucked up kids' film about gangsters, violence, murder, intoxication, gambling, heaven, hell, poor people, and other fucked up things. But everyone is a dog. There is a Burt Reynolds dog and a jewish dog and a dog named car face. but there is also a giant homosexual singing alligator who eats people and there is a little orphan girl. Jói kept saying that the little girl had sexy legs. the little girl is supposed to be like 6 years old.

the actress who voiced the part of the little girl was 10 years old when the movie was made. she was also 10 years old when she was shot and killed by her fucked up father. this was her final film and that makes the film even more sad and fucked up.

I don't know why I'm awake at 9 the morning after I get drunk and stay up late. I think I was too thirsty to sleep. Now I'm going to wait for the other people in the world to wake up.