The silver screen

And now for something completely different.

This weekend two great movies were to be seen on television. I got to see Rabbit-proof fence on BBC2 Saturday, and then Mulholland Drive on Holland 3 Sunday.

I had never seen Rabbit-proof fence before, but I must say I was greatly impressed with this movie. It showed a very simple story about three Aboriginal girls being pulled out of their families in a very simple way. No overly complicated methods but just emphasising the right things.

In the thirties of last century the Australian Government apparently took all half-castes out of their families, to re-educate them (something they didn't stop doing until 1970 by the way!). They forced them to integrate into the white society, and tried to breed the Aborigine genes out of them. Their offsprings should become white citizens. Of course the Aborigines did not agree with it and tried to break out, much to the white government’s horror.

If only they’d know what we’re trying to do for them, the civil servant in charge of the re-education says in the movie. A scandalous and disgusting petting of people, a people perfectly capable of surviving in their own natural environment.

Then there was Mulholland Drive. One of my all-time favourite movies. While it starts of as a plain movie, it comes up with structures that get more absurd and alienating in each and every scene. I see Lynch as one of the biggest geniuses in modern-days movie-making mainly because of this movie.

What’s next is my take on the movie, following Lynch’s 10 clues to figure it out.

Therefore a little warning:

DON’T READ WHAT'S NEXT IF YOU’D RATHER FIGURE IT OUT YOURSELF

• Pay particular attention in the beginning of the film: at least two clues are revealed before the credits.
  - The two elderly people that were on Betty’s flight can be seen cheering and embracing her when she goes up for what looks like an award.
  - One of the dancing girls gets beaten up and pulled around by her partner.
  - Red bed-linen is the last image before the credits come up.


• Notice appearances of the red lampshade.
  - It appears in club Silencio, when the camera takes us behind Winkie’s after she hired the murderer, the final phone in the chain Mr. Roque (the small guy from Carnivale) started is next to a red lamp, this lamp is in Diane’s home.


• Can you hear the title of the film that Adam Kesher is auditioning actresses for? Is it mentioned again?
  - The Silvia North Story, the title is only heard on the dinner table when Adam is giving a party AFAIK.


• An accident is a terrible event... Notice the location of the accident.
  - Mulholland Drive, right in front of the secret path that leads up to Adam’s house.


• Who gives a key, and why?
  - The hit man will give Diane a key after Camilla has been killed, Coco gives Betty the key of the apartment and Tina gives Betty key because she finds it in her handbag.
  - A more figurative key is being given by Wally’s director, Bob. He said a couple of words that particularly intrigued me: ‘Don’t play it for real until it gets real’. I think everything he says has a key role in the movie for some reason. Very interesting character.


• Notice the robe, the ashtray, the coffee cup.
  - They’re all in Diane’s house. The coffee cup Diane has is the same as the one being used at Winkie’s, the ashtray is to be seen next to the last phone in Mr. Roque’s chain.


• What is felt, realized and gathered at the club Silencio?
  - Fear is felt, illusions are realised, lovers are gathered


• Did talent alone help Camilla?
  - No, she was pushed into her role thanks to the mafia brothers and seduced Adam.


• Notice the occurrences surrounding the man behind Winkie’s.
  - Red light shades, he has the blue box, …


• Where is Aunt Ruth?
  - Black River (?), Ontario, the place Diane originates from.

It still remains a bit vague obviously, but I think it’s rather clear Diane tries to get Camilla killed, but when she realises what she has done, Diane is in a complete shock. So much for the simple part.

But then, which part of the movie is the dream and which one is reality. I personally think the first part actually is the dream, and the last one is real. I can’t really explain why though. I think after the accident Rita moves into the other character and sees what she has done. Either that or she killed Diane and took along the money Diane would pay to get her killed. For some reason the elderly couple are in the plot as well, that's something I'm certain of. I also should really see again what the keys aunt Ruth takes along from the kitchen table look…

In the end it’s all about Lynch’s club Silencio hint according to me: The fear and illusion of lovers.

Please feel free to correct me, or tell what your take on the movie is...

Sisters do Europe!

Oh, what a day!

2006 April 01 Greece Athens Sporting Arena
2006 April 02 Greece Thessaloniki Principal Theater
2006 April 05 Portugal Lisbon Coliseo
2006 April 07 Spain Madrid Riviera
2006 April 08 Spain Barcelona Razzmatazz 1
2006 April 10 Italy Florence Saschall
2006 April 11 Italy Rome Teatro Tendastrisce
2006 April 12 Italy Milan Alcatraz
2006 April 14 France Paris Zénith (first time ever in France, guess I'll be going there)

Yeah baby!

Apparently constant updates at their site

Yet another mea culpa?

The pope'’s first encyclical has been published today. It is titled "‘Deus Caritas est"’, or God is Love and it mainly deals with the fact the word '‘love' is getting abused too much these days.

For, the pontiff says, love is not so much the eros we take it for today, it is much more, or even better. Love is the eternal love of Jesus Christ and charity. Apart from the Jesus Christ bit I would agree with him on that, but I am not so sure if I would agree so much with his message when it is put into the right context. We can hardly forget what the institute church did in the past and is doing right now.

He says God'’s name is used in vain far too often, to justify hatred - again, I would agree on that if it was in a different context -– but does he not forget popes before about a century were little better than the warlords he is talking about? Does he forget all the people he excludes from his community, like e.g. homosexuals?

Also before he starts to talk about charity, he would better have a look around him first. He lives in one of the most exuberantly luxurious places in the entire world, on which he has to spend enormous amounts of money constantly to keep it in shape. And it is not only him, but also most of his Cardinals and Bishops around the world, and where they live the contrast with the neighbours is even bigger too often.

I think when he writes a document as pretentious as this one, he would better make another mea culpa first instead of starting to point at others.

James Ray's Gangwar

No silver bullets! No mystery!

Just got a notice from James Ray he's going to do a gig the 10th of March in St Niklaas.

Be there!

http://www.thejamesray.co.uk (download songs by him free, like Mountain Voices, Texas, Cobalt Blu, Edie, ... )
http://www.4080peru.co.uk

EDIT: The date has been changed from the 4th into the 10th of March!!!

Dark Clouds Packing

When it is dripping in Paris it rains in Brussels, they often say. But does that also go when clouds are packing above The Hague?

It seems the Dutch society is growing harsher and harsher. We, Belgians, were first with our countless Black Sundays, but in the end we managed to keep the Big Danger out of the seat of our power, something they did not manage to do right across the border (albeit for a very short while). While we are still moving towards the right wing, they seem to be governed by a regime leaning towards totalitarianism. The Dutch do not only take down their public broadcasting corporation – e.g. they are stopping satirical shows, thus these get banned to commercial stations who tend to flat this kind of things down – but they are also cutting down public health care. Don’t you just love Christian’s compassion? After that the media inform us the Dutch government is considering to put away unemployed youngsters in re-educational camps (even though they have never done anything wrong in their entire lives) and the same day they bring the news they feel like scraping all 10,000 homeless Dutchmen from the streets. I think many among you will feel familiar with this image. Perhaps our dear Philip Dewinter feels like learning a lesson from this.

Meanwhile also French president Jacques Chirac is thinking to point some nuclear missiles towards terrorists as a fin-de-carriere, just in case. He thinks to wipe out an invisible threat by using the big means. But how about the people living right in the middle of this invisible threat, you can’t zone them out together with the handful of really dangerous people, can you? What would your reaction be if the president of Somewhere-istan would be saying this?

In Belgium too they’re planning to make new arrangements for the public broadcasting corporation, and because some Liberals – with quite an interest in the commercial networks – are chasing Geert Bourgeois, it is nearly certain he will take down some of the public network’s. Alright, there has to be more culture on the television, more focussing on the target groups, but when you do not have a single program to draw the public’s attention; it will be very hard to succeed.

But the question what culture actually is still rises, Bourgeois left aside there won’t be many people that consider Laura Lynn real culture. Humour? Alright, but let everyone pick his own kind.

Then there’s Flemish minister Anciaux. Bucket loads of critic pile up on his desk constantly. Only the other day some cultural big shot called the way he was moving totalitarian, because he is cutting subsidies here and giving them away there without even considering why. Cultural popularity should not destroy our pole position in avant-garde circles. Sure, there has to be popular culture, but one thing cannot be without the other. Firm analyses have to be made before you cut down something. Certain genres can take care of themselves, others cannot do this and need to be looked after.

Of course, in Belgium there’s a whole lot of nagging too, but not every Fleming thinks as black as Philip Dewinter does, nor are they as depressed as Pieter De Crem. And the voice of people like this does still not seem as important as they do across the border. The dark mind of specialists crowding the news broadcasts, politicians and people with opinions really is frightening over there. Could this be tracked down to the short reign of the far right? If so, we should consider ourselves rather lucky with our ‘cordon sanitaire’, disregarding the fact people say it leaks from all sides – it has saved us from demagogy.

We never should forget what Benjamin Franklin once said: People who are willing to sacrifice essential freedoms for security deserve neither freedom nor security. And I think essentially this is why people that do not realise what we’re becoming should firmly be reminded of our past. We cannot let the hope flee, this would be giving in to all the threats, and that’s just what both terrorists and totalitarians want us to do. They’re both the same, and we should never forget that. We should not become a fake televoting-democracy, because this is neither a democracy, nor a just thing to do.