Velvet Goldmine

We set out to change the world and just changed ourselves

Synopsis

“Velvet Goldmine” is a rock opera of sorts, as the famous movie to “Citizen Kane”,  the film tells the story of Brian Slade (Jonathan Rhys-Meyers), an enormously popular glam rock star and his relationship with his wife, Mandy Slade (Toni Collette) and his love affair with the glam rock star Curt Wild (Ewan McGregor), al this, by the eye of Arthur Stuart (Christian Bale) who was a fan of the glam movement when he was young and ten years later, he is a journalist who have to write about the fake murder or Slade. The film is a combination of documentary, concert, and music video, which combine to present the film in a non-linear fashion, an ‘experience’ movie. 

During Stuart’s search, however, we are provided with a glimpse into the world of glam rock. Slade is shown as being ultimately a construct, transformed by an ambitious record agent into a popular rock star. He is invented by his record company, and soon rises to fame as a part of the brief English phenomenon of glam rock. Although married, Slade and Mandy have an open relationship, and are both openly bisexual. The rocker Curt Wild enters Slade’s life, and he falls in love. Wild, based around fantasies of Iggy Pop, goes to England to record with Slade, and the two men are marketed “like a pair of 40s starlets, a Spencer and Tracy for the 70s”2. However, the two men’s love affair soon turns sour and Wild leaves Slade. Slade, despondent, plans his assassination in order to get himself out of his current tour, and afterwards, slips into drug abuse and depression. Soon after, glam rock itself dies out.

Director: Todd Haynes
Producer(s): Christine Vachon
Screenplay: James Lyons, Todd Haynes
Cast: Ewan McGregor, Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Christian Bale, Toni Collette and Eddie Izzard

Movie trailer
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4TYptm6MoMo

Movie soundtrack
http://www.mediafire.com/?mvtnym2mymb

I watch and listen some reports of this movie when it was in theaters. Then, some people talks my about, so, it becomes one of the movies to watch if you have the opportunity. Today, I watch in on cinematk (a cable channel) furthermore in orginial version, great! Great explained, visually, the songs… it’s an interesting movie that I recommend you! The soundtrack too, it’s good and it’t not necessary to be a glam rock fan, I’m not.

Life is beautiful (La vita è bella)

¡Buongiorno principessa!

Synopsis

In 1930s Italy, a carefree Jewish book keeper named Guido starts a fairy tale life by courting and marrying a lovely woman from a nearby city. Guido and his wife have a son and live happily together until the occupation of Italy by German forces. In an attempt to hold his family together and help his son survive the horrors of a Jewish Concentration Camp, Guido imagines that the Holocaust is a game and that the grand prize for winning is a tank.

Director: Roberto Benigni
Producer(s): Elda Ferri, Gianluigi Braschi
Screenplay: Roberto Benigni (inspired in a story by Vincenzo Cerami)
Cast: Roberto Benigni, Nicoletta Braschi, Giorgio Cantarini, Giustino Durano.

Movie trailer
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NBfjzzAVjWo

One of the greatest italian movies that I ever seen (well, maybe is the one). Can be described as a funny way to explain a sad situation, watch it if you don’t! Furthemore, the main theme song of the soundtrack it’s so beautiful.

Charles Chaplin

Chaplin in pictures, in CaixaFòrum Barcelona
Until the 27/04/2008
Free entrance

Yesterday afternoon I finally went to this exposition on the CaixaFòrum. The greatest exposition about Chaplin never seen on Spain, with pictures, movies, draws, activities for kids… I know about it when I read a biography on a news paper and discovered that Chaplin’s life is so interesting, so, I reccomend you to go, furthermore, it’s free.

To see some of the greatest moments that Chaplins brought to the cinema, here you have a clip from Modern Times, another clip of the famouse dance with the globe on The Great dictator and finally, the last scene of this movie, an speech that I never seen and it’s really moving.

Really… a genius!

Madonna

From few days ago I want to talk about Louise Veronica Ciccone, Madonna. Not because I’m abig fan of she of her music, I’m not. But it’s undenniable that she is an icon of music and culture and something good shw will do to stay till now on the scene.

Last summer I have the chance to see the amazing Confessions on a Dance Floor Tour and I surprised how amazing it is. Every song has a diferent custome art and idea and the edition was incredible, imposible o count how many cameras there where. The video you have up is from one of the songs Live to tell with the controversial and sometimes censured catolic curch. What I think about it? She do it purposely, show knows about the sentence taht say Speak about me, even though poorly and she use it. Really, if you have the change to watch this show on DVD, do it. Yes, I’ll see it on TV (canal +) but it’s avaiable too in DVD. And is remarkable how she adapts to the new trends incorporating break dance and reinventing fashions.

And the other day I had the chance too of watch another Madonna’s show, The Blond Ambition Tour (1990) inside the movie Truth or Dare (In bed with Madonna) directed by Alex Keshishian that shows the show and portrays the backstage trying to understand the woman behind the pop idol. So much recommendable. You can find some parts on YouTube as this, talking with the chorus and dancers on the bed or this doing something with a bottle.

Take care!

oRioL

Internet (freak) Superstars

Today I want to talk about the freaks, specially from Internet. Anonymous people who doing a freak action by the web are watched by people all arround the world and become famous, a lot of them thanks to YouTube. Another one of the options that the global Internet world offers. And why I want to talk about it today? Because of a VH1 TV programme that I see today onMTV, the Top 40 Greatest Internet Superstars. The most famous iniciatives that from Internet are offered to the world and become famous. You can see freaks like the world traveler and dancer Matt, OK Go or the Chinese Backstreet Boys. Here you have the complete top 40 that people votes by the web!

And now I want to promote candidates for future top’s. Why them? Yeah ok, because they are friends:

Superestupenda VS Cara-Cartón (produced by sourthi productions) My friend Marta (Cara-Cartón) and her sister (Superestupenda) creates this short videos where they act as a kind of superheroes who hate each other, they use some kind of mexican accent that is so fun. Here you Have the videos:

The characters presentation // Episode 1 // Episode 2 // Episode 3 // Episode 4

I’m waiting for the season two, but the atrezzo was destryed.

______________________________________

Arnau Quera This young guy is a videogames, ski and manga comics lover but it’s too something else that you can only see on YouTube. He have powers as levitate or cross walls. See him:

Levitate // Crossing walls // Crossing walls again

That’s my candidatures! Enjoy it!

oRioL

Merry Christmas!

Me and a Santa Claus (crashed on a wall) want to wish you merry Christmas even though it’s for wish what everybody ever wish this days. Try to enjoy this special days although artificial.

Sorry for not upload as much as I want (¿someone really wish it?) but I have things to do and things to think, that well, don’t end as well as I want, but it’s waht I have. One of the less important things that I think it’s about change the language to have more bloggers, but I finally decide to don’t do it. I think in this blog in order to practice english and this is waht I to and I don’t want to tell you what you have to do but you can practise too and If you need it, you can use Google Translate or another on-line translator as I do.

Finally, what do you thing about the new design?

You can read more info about Facto Delafe too. Comment!

oRioL

Just a Kiss

Today I watch this movie in class to do an essay about it.

This is a german, british, belgan, italian and spanish co-production called Just a Kiss. In essence, it’s a love history, an indian and a white who fall in love, the cultural problems and traditions. In a first, I expect something similar to Bend it like Beckam (another brillant movie), but it isn’t. The subject is similar, but differently treated.

A recomendable movie. Here you have the website.

Take care!

oRioL

Spice Girls

The Spice Girls 2007 tour started yesterday!

 

Yes, I was and Spice fan years ago.

Yes, I’m still listen their songs often.

Yes, the back of that girls makes me bit happy.

Yes, I enjoy it watching some clips in today’s news.

Yes, I would go to their concert if they come to Barcelona.

No, I will not go to their concert in Madrid.

You see the videos and that’s what is, you dont’ have to look for more. Lights, dancers, spectacular stage, fun and entertainment, it’s not necessary to look for more in that case, just enjoy it! One thing it’s clear, Melanice C it’s the best of them, best voice and best personality on a stage (Sources: AP Photo/Jonathan Hayward and Telegraph).

Have a nice week!

oRioL

Ithaka

 

As you set out for Ithaka
hope your road is a long one,
full of adventure, full of discovery.
Laistrygonians, Cyclops,
angry Poseidon - don’t be afraid of them:
you’ll never find things like that one on your way
as long as you keep your thoughts raised high,
as long as a rare excitement
stirs your spirit and your body.
Laistrygonians, Cyclops,
wild Poseidon - you won’t encounter them
unless you bring them along inside your soul,
unless your soul sets them up in front of you.

Hope your road is a long one.
May there be many summer mornings when,
with what pleasure, what joy,
you enter harbours you’re seeing for the first time;
may you stop at Phoenician trading stations
to buy fine things,
mother of pearl and coral, amber and ebony,
sensual perfumes of every kind -
as many sensual perfumes as you can;
and may you visit many Egyptian cities
to learn and go on learning from their scholars.

Keep Ithaka always in your mind.
Arriving there is what you’re destined for.
But don’t hurry the journey at all.
Better if it lasts for years,
so you’re old by the time you reach the island,
wealthy with all you’ve gained on the way,
not expecting Ithaka to make you rich.
Ithaka gave you the marvellous journey.
Without her you wouldn’t have set out.
She has nothing left to give you now.
And if you find her poor, Ithaka won’t have fooled you.
Wise as you will have become, so full of experience,
you’ll have understood by then what these Ithakas mean.

Konstantinos Kavafis (1863-1933), Greek poet.

Nivalia

NIVALIA SUCKS… That’s te better way to explain what was the event where I went today. Nivalia Ski Show represent that is an event, celebrated each year after winter in the city of Barcelona, where marks, spots and other bussiness about winter sports promote their products. But when you add a really bad season last year and non-urban compettition like in other years, the result it’s what we look today: less dimensions, less standars, less fun, less attractive thing, less of absolutely everything! Everything that you can imagine, but no the slogan wich is announced: the whiter event (¿?). And what about the promotion, the event no appears in any media channel…

The only great thing was the less promoted: SNOWART. What in other years was just an exposition with pictures and drawings about the snowboard, this year becomes a chill area with pictures, but also videos, live dj’s, projections and things like that. A great opportunite to see great videos about snowboard and freeski… but it could be if it’s great promoted. The area was apart of everything and nowhere anybody promote it, if you see the space you just see the exposition of pictures, the rest wasn’t visible if you not go there. I’m very interested in watch free.doc, the last one of freeski’s movies art (I talk better about this tomorrow because in a hours, I’ll see to of them that I have paid). I have no idea that it was scheduled for today afternoon, I discover it later and it really disgust me.

Furthermore, the entrance was expansive than ever, 7 € and 6′40 € discounted for some entities. Really expensive than ever. Ironic, the worst and the most expensive. The event still open tomorrow, if in spite of all that I say you wanna go, click here for more information.

Finally, a few reflection: there’s no ski or snowboard’s compettitions or exhibitions, but there’s one of mountain bike… ¿What’s happening? ¿It’s was not about winter? ¿MTB in winter? I found the explanation for climate change, it’s sad but this way, in few years, we’ll have no snow in Pyriness, and the spots have to found other ways… it’s sad, but it’s…

Nothing else, take care and be happy!

oRioL, the president ob Boarderland