Swan Lake

Thanks to my wonderful Shora, I got the chance to go watch a ballet for the first time in my life, and not any ballet... the Swan Lake from the national ballet of Canada!

I can't tell you how great it was... it felt like a dream... still can't believe such a delicate and divine art can be publicly banned in our country! The music was played by Vancouver Symphony orchestra and needless to say, was perfect!

I'm definitely gonna try and see more of this from now on, probably a bit more contemporary... I think there's gonna be a ballet of "a streetcar named desire" in November... hopefully I can make it to that one too!

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Good Bye Lenin!

yeap, you're right... another movie! You gotta watch this one though, a very well made movie and a strong screenplay ... although I thought it wasn't that original... somehow reminded me of underground, by Emir Kusturica.

It's the story of a young man who tries to hide the fact that Germany has reunited from his sick mother. He goes to extremes to create an imaginary East Germany and it is interesting that this newly created world sometimes makes more sense than the real world out there!

It was much better than I thought it would be... the movie is deep but not disturbing...There is good humor in it too, especially when Alex (the son) tries to make fake news clips to show his mom.

Oh, and the music also helps a lot in delivering the content... the composer is Yann Tiersen, who also composed the music for Amelie... and if you've watched that, you know what to expect... there is actually a scene in the movie where a track from Amelie is played and although it was perfect for that scene, I still think it was a bit weird!

If reading subtitles is not a pain for you, watch it... you won't regret it!

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توهمات ملت!

یک سال بالایی باحال مواردی از توهمات دخترانه و پسرانه را معرفی کرده که پیشنهاد می کنم بخونید

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Ed Wood - the worst director of all time

Oh my god... just finished watching Ed Wood and had to write about it!!! I know the movie is a decade old, but I had never had a chance to watch it back home. Can't believe how good it was... Tim Burton is a genius and the movie was hilarious...

It's a (mostly) true story of Edward Davis Wood Jr., the Hollywood director of the 50's and the 60's. He has been considered by some as the "worst director of all time"... from what I saw in the movie, the guy had absolutely no talent for film making... his screenplays made no sense whatsoever, the actors were simply horrible, not to mention the lack of budget... but I guess what made him stand out was his love for the movies... the guy never gave up in spite of all the failures...He also liked to wear women's clothing because they made him feel "comfortable"... Apparently his mom used to dress him as a girl when he was a kid... God! I really wanna know what was her logic for doing this!

Tim Burton's version of Ed wood's life though was brilliant... I loved the fact that it was black and white... Johnny Depp and Martin Landau were great... amazing cinematography...Ed Wood would be surprised for sure to see himself in such a well made movie!

Check Ed wood's appreciation page... not everyone hates him!

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And Cartoons of the week

In case you are not checking Irancartoon, here are some samples of the new stuff on there. There are some works by Jan Op De Beek which is really cool I think. You can see more of his sketches here.


Juliet Binoche - by Jan Op De Beek - I think it is awesome that someone finally thought of drawing a caricature of her! It was about time!


Mick Jagger again - by Jan Op De Beek (I told you he was a good subject for cartoons!)


De caprio - by Jan Op De Beek


Mordillo- Argentinian Cartoonist

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New Orleans

"There is no way to imagine America without New Orleans, and this great city will rise again." - G.W. Bush

So the president addressed the nation again... it was an exhausting practice for him trying to read the notes AND talk at the same time I guess!!!

I was listening to Tom Wait's song on new Orleans a little before that and thought it was an interesting coincidence. Here are the lyrics...

I Wish I Was in New Orleans

Well, I wish I was in New Orleans
I can see it in my dreams
arm-in-arm down Burgundy
a bottle and my friends and me
hoist up a few tall cool ones
play some pool and listen to that
tenor saxophone calling me home
and I can hear the band begin
"When the Saints Go Marching In"
by the whiskers on my chin
New Orleans, I'll be there

I'll drink you under the table
be red nose go for walks
the old haunts what I wants
is red beans and rice
and wear the dress I like so well
and meet me at the old saloon
make sure there's a Dixie moon
New Orleans, I'll be there

and deal the cards roll the dice
if it ain't that ole Chuck E. Weiss
and Clayborn Avenue me and you
Sam Jones and all
and I wish I was in New Orleans
I can see it in my dreams
arm-in-arm down Burgundy
a bottle and my friends and me
New Orleans, I'll be there

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Ok, I need to apologize again for not having anything to write about but the movies I watch... Thanks Ali (nouri) for the comment on the last post! I think so too... Watching movies makes up a big part of my life! The more movies I watch, the better I feel (usually!)... Therefore when you read my posts and they're all about movies, you can be sure that I'm feeling ok... And hopefully you care and it makes you feel good too! ;)

Anyway... I watched Woodstock: the director's cut , actually just some of the performances... I'm not sure if I like the editing and the "director's cut"... But I certainly do like the music! And watching Joan Baez perform is always a pleasure!

Last night though was even better when I watched Live Aid (some of the performances again!) after having a couple of drinks and it felt awesome (doesn't it always?)! Although seeing all those artists in their "funky" 80's outfits just cracked me up! Bono looked hilarious and don't even ask about Madonna! Anyway, it was a good watch, although the artists did not perform at their best... Or at least that's what I thought!

And finally... Madagascar which was ok but definitely not worth watching in a movie theater... But I sooooooo liked the penguins... They were real psychics... There's this scene in the movie that I just LOVE... The penguins finally get to go outside the zoo and get to Antarctica - their "dream land"... It's super cold and the wind is blowing hard... Penguins are quiet for a couple of seconds and then one of them says: "well... THIS sucks!" ... Just remembering the way he said it makes me laugh... I was wondering if I'm gonna say the same thing in a couple of years after getting settled down and finding my "dream job"... Which by the way is unknown so far!!!!

anyway, watch the movie if it's a cheap Tuesday rental or something... It gets funnier towards the ending...

Hmmm, and I guess I'm feeling fine which is really surprising cause it's Sunday afternoon...


Madagascar!

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It's funny,

but I can't decide on what movie I wanna watch tonight! whether I wanna watch a serious movie with a deep message embodied in it, or a chick-flick that entertains me for a couple of hours, or a concert from a favorite musician (BTW, I recently watched Diana Krall performances in Montreal and Paris...all of you vocal Jazz fans out there, don't miss out on it... she's truly amazing!)... anyway, it's funny and at the same time frustrating, cause I don't feel like wasting my time on a movie I'm not gonna enjoy!

Hopefully I'll make a decision before midnight!

Update: I watched Upside of anger at last! a slightly above average movie...

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Horrible reality...

I don't know if you have read the Blindness by Jose Saramago, but somehow this whole Katrina disaster in New Orleans reminds me of that story...

It's extremely horrifying how a natural disaster can destroy a town to an extent that people lose their humanity ... they kill over food, loot and live in unimaginable filth... unable to change things (at least temporarily), you suddenly realize how weak we are... we build a whole city over a couple of centuries and in a couple of hours it's gone... just like that...

Really hope the critical conditions start to get sorted out as soon as possible.

By the way, there would probably be nothing left of the house of the rising sun! The mystery never unfolds I guess!

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