Monday, October 31, 2005

Big Ups ...

I went to Crash on Saturday, and although I have been to the venue more times than I can count (mainly for Megawoof and lately Marvellous), the actual Crash night at Crash isn't really one that I go to all the time. It was probably one of the best nights of clubbing I've had in a really long time, I think because Trade was on that night the place was busy, but not to the point where you could not move your arms on the dancefloor. The first two hours we spent in the small room as the fantastic Severino spun a really great set as usual (Seve is so good, that a great set is just expected of him now!). But I think the real treat was discovering just how much of a great mixer and dj Steve Pitron really is, I think because I didn't really stray far from the dancefloor on Saturday night (I am usually very fidgety) I got to really appreciate his set. I am now a Steve Pitron follower, through and through, and I will be at the next Crash just to hear him play. So, in the words of Elle Woods, all I have to say is 'Snaps for Steve'

Thursday, October 27, 2005

Oscars Again ...

Well its the autumn which can only mean one thing, Awards Season is just around the corner. First come the BAFTAs, then the Golden Globes, and then the mother ship of all awards shows, the Oscars. Last year, I had a failed attempt at maintaining an Oscar Blog (see the doomed Oscarfication at your own risk), so this year I am going to keep my Oscar thoughts firmly inside the Ramification realm. There were two main reasons for last years failure:

A. I didn't see many of the nominated films up for the big prize (come to think of it, Million Dollar Baby and The Aviator are still on my must see on DVD list).

B. I found that my site lacked in comparison to the great Oscarwatch site which I frequent fairly often and is a great resource.

Hopefully this year my Oscar interests will go back to normal fanatic levels.I have already seen potential nominees Crash, A History of Violence and Broken Flowers and have formed a passion or disdain for each one of them. So watch this space for more Oscar madness / film reviews.

Friday, October 21, 2005

Before Sunrise / Before Sunset

Last night I went to Riverside Studios in Hammersmith to catch a double bill of Richard Linklater's films Before Sunrise and Before Sunset. Both films star Ethan Hawke (Jesse) and Julie Delpy (Celine) and they rank as two of my favorite films of all time.

I haven't seen Before Sunrise in a really long time, the first time I saw it I was about 20 years old, just starting university with my whole life ahead of me. I think thats part of the reason why I loved Jesse and Celine back then, they were young, full of ideas and optimisim, I saw a bit of myself in both of them. They meet on a train, Jesse an American is on his way to Vienna where he is catching a cheap flight home the following day, Celine is on her way back to Paris after visiting her Grandmother in Budapest. After a great conversation on the train, Jesse asks Celine to spend the day with him in Vienna until he has to go home, and we as the audience spy on them as they walk and talk and fall in love in that one night. What interests Linklater the most is people's interaction with each other, and the idea that our existence is defined mainly by our memories more than anything else. At one point Celine says that she thinks heaven exists in the empty spaces between people. We see this in the film as well, the more comfortable the two become with each other, the smaller the space between them becomes. After the two lovers part, we are treated to a shot of each of them sitting alone on their jounrey home remembering that time. The director also takes us back to all the places in the city where they were, now empty and leaves us with our own impressions of that space. Of course, in the end the two decide that they will meet again in 6 months time, but they will not exchange numbers or details, as it would take away from the romantic nature of their encounter. We are left on an ambigious note, do they meet up again or don't they.

This brings us to Before Sunset, which answers that question fairly early on in the film (they did not meet up). It is 9 years later, and Jesse is now a best-selling author who as at a book signing in Paris. The book he has written is a fictionalized account of his night with Celine. She shows up at the book signing (she is now an environmental activist) and the two get reaquainted. Jesse has an about an hour until he has to leave for the airport and the film unravels in real time as the two of them walk through Paris together. This time around both are much more guarded about their emotions, and their conversations to begin with are about general topics (US /French cultural differences for example). Slowly but surely, their past hurts, their fears, their regret over their lost romance is revealed, and they become more and more honest about how they really feel. Again, the two leads here are wonderful, they play their parts in such a natural way that you never think of them as acting their role. Delpy in particular is a revelation, especially in the scene in the back of the taxi where she finally shows her anger and frustration at losing that optimism that we saw in her in the first film. I won't give much away about the ending, but it is both one of the most exhilirating and frustrating endings of any film that I have ever seen. I think I prefer the second film the most, but perhaps thats because now that I am grown up, I can relate more to the way Jesse and Celine are now, much like I did at the time I saw the first movie. It is one of those rare occasions where the sequel enhances and builds on the original. I read somewhere that Linklater, Hawke and Delpy would like to follow these characters in the fuutre at different points in their lives, hopefully that is true, I can't wait to see where Jesse and Celine go from here.

Wednesday, October 12, 2005

Cracked Up

This story about squirrels addicated to crack cocaine has led to the funniest mental image ever, I keep seeing these squirrel pimps looking frantically for hidden stashes in order to keep their 'bitches' hooked. A comic book series can't be that far off, can it ?

Friday, October 07, 2005

Friday Night In and MINDY !!!!!

Its been a very busy and tiring week after my birthday weekend, which turned out to be really great. I didn't know what to expect but the party was a success, people said they had a good time and there was a really good turnout. I have finally fully grasped and embraced the idea that in fact I am fairly well liked, and its a very nice feeling.

I think now is time for me to stop all the partying and slow down. I was by London Bridge this afternoon and walked past Borough Market and thought to myself, I've lived in London for four years and I've never had a saturday lunch in there. There are so many things that I don't do with my free time because I spent my Saturdays sleeping off the night before and my Sundays at the RVT and Horsemeat Disco. Not that I haven't had a great time, and I won't trade the past couple of years for anything, but something has got to give.

Now, there is something else I need to talk about, and thats my new friend Mindy! Now, Mindy is a pretty new friend, I've only known her for about 3 weeks, but I am afraid our friendship will be shortlived. She;s a firey red-head from West London with a tendency to overstay her welcome at times. See Mindy is this huge zit that I've had on my forehead that I haven't been able to get rid off, so I decided to name it. She is a total biatch, ruining all my birthday photos (honestly, your eyes are drawn away from peoples faces and directly to Mindy in each shot), and because I picked on her she's left what I fear is a lasting mark. Its been fairly annoying, but I am gonna miss the little lady once she's gone, after all I won't have her to complain about if she is no longer there.

Ok, thats it, off to bed now ! Friday night, 10 pm and I'm going to sleep, 30 isn't all its cracked up to be :-)