Broken english

This is the first movie by Zoe Cassavetes, John's daughter, who has inherited much of her father's talent for sketching characters very convincinly, to create real conversations and more generally to engage the spectator in some else's everyday life situations. So unsurprisingly, meaning is distilled among white wine and anti-anxiety pills, in brief meetings with strangers in bars, in a walk in the streets of Paris and in what remains unsaid.
I found Parker Posey's acting was good overall and I think she is key in the success of the movie although I frequently felt she was trying to resemble a character that wasn't hers, namely Gena Rowlands in "A woman under the influence".
Situations are beautifully connected with each other and together form a way of telling an uninteresting story that is just an excuse to create those many brief instants, where a phrase, the light, the place or the music is enough.So maybe it's a european movie by an american. Who knows if this means something.
Anyway, one of the best movies I have seen since Once and a more than promising debut.

El chaman

Nada mas volver a espana fui a ver al chaman. Me pregunto que habia pasado. Callado, asentia mientras le contaba como todo habia sido arrasado y como dos murieron. Estas peleando contra el caos, dejale que opere, deja que se lo lleve todo. Yo asentia mecanicamente sin entender demasiado. Ahora tumbate. Puso sus manos en mi cabeza eructando de vez en cuando; movio mis brazos como si el mismo hiciera ejercicios de calentamiento; resoplo mientras colocaba diversas piedras, papeles y telas sobre mi pecho. Finalmente me dijo que me levantara y nos sentamos de nuevo para poder charlar.
Esto es mas grave de lo que pensaba, tienes el subconsciente para freir un huevo. Pense en mis suenos, en los reales y los evaporados. Te voy a dar un tratamiento de choque. Aquello sonaba prometedor, por fin esperanza de ver mas alla de mi historia personal. Vas a tener que parar, cuanto antes, dejalo todo. Le dije que no podia dejar todo a medias. Tenia que terminar... de alguna manera. Aquello era yo. Date tiempo.
Saco varios tarros con liquidos y con ellos fue rellenando un pequeno botecito con cuentagotas. Escribio en un papel las dosis y me dijo que le llamara cuando pasaran dos semanas.

Morirse un poco

Cuando estaba en espana tuve la oportunidad de leer este articulo de Juan Manuel De Prada; un tipo al que no he leido mas alla de articulos pero que es muy respetado como escritor. Politicamente, es un facha redomado pero aqui tenemos la prueba de que hasta los perros sienten. Un articulo sobre la creacion ( artistica) que, segun mi opinion, acierta a comunicar los sinsabores y dolores que acaecen al que intenta hacer de si mismo un objeto de arte y culto. Que lo disfruteis.

http://www.xlsemanal.com/web/firma.php?id_edicion=1507&id_firma=4270

Richard Estes

It turns out that in Spain one can visit the best art during the night. Last wednesday my aunt and I went to see an exhibit by Richard Estes at the Tyssen Museum at 22:00. Yes Fermin, you can still try to catch it if you end up coming down to Madrid and take Yerard a new poster for the collection.
What I found remarkable about the paintings was the unique ability to both give perspectives you would have never thought of and at the same time depict details in an obsesive manner.
I found the motives not essential. Most of the time, it´s urban places known to the spectator and from that point of view it is even more striking; one wonders, was I in the same place? and in fact you were, it is just that you did not pay attention like he did.

I found Estes, a contemporary master of light maybe comparable to Vermeer in his time. People that know, was this statement too much?

reign over me

Incredible but true, I have just seen the movie called "en algun lugar de la memoria". A not so hollywoodesque movie with clear merits about a guy that is loses himself after his wife and daughters die in a plane accident.

The movie has subtle points and funny moments. It shows more than once the shady parts of the characters and reminds us how unclear it is the line that divides happy from unhappy. "I am more worried about you" says the crazy to the hero in the movie. And in fact the dutiful character seems to feel trapped in a cage of his choice. After all a movie that reminds us that nobody is perfect and there is no such thing as a perfect life.