It's the second full day of the film fest. Yesterday was hell getting to the first movie. The rain. The parking. The world conspiring against me.
Today I left earlier -- took the Seabus downtown. And then Skytrain to near the first theatre (about 8 blocks).
Film #1: New World -- absolutely blew. It sucked. Complete let down. It was supposed to be this visually stunning piece on Eastern Europe, including many of the places I visited this spring. But it was boring, trying to spin old news clips on history with modern day people. Most of the subjects were boring, and poorly shot. Editing was clunky. And this film was from the Austrian Film Commission. Sheesh. The only part I liked was one scene where we meet a Ukranian trolley driver and her family. Shot in the winter, it reminded me of Winnipeg. Other than that -- it sucked!
Off to see film #2. Review will come tonight.
Cheers!
Friday, September 30, 2005
Thursday, September 29, 2005
from the "the new phonebook is here" dept.
Roadtrip Across Albania is in the Straight. Hit your local newsstand for the real copy... or if you're thousands of miles away, here's the electronic version (no pictures in online version)
http://www.straight.com/content.cfm?id=13079
It's film fest day! Full report to come!
Cheers!
Wednesday, September 28, 2005
from the "film fun fest" dept.
The VIFF has kicked off.
Randy and I took in a trade show seminar about feature documentary production and distribution. Met the CEO of ThinkFilm. And some other very interesting people. It was also very motivational.
Tonight I watched Dekalogue 2 and 3... love Zip.ca ! Also cancelled Expressvu, though the account had been on hold for 7 months. I have little use for cable or satellite tv. I am addicted to my XM radio. And where I am house sitting, there is no cable. And it's great!
Thursday is but 8 minutes away. The first trifecta of films at the VIFF. And the Albania article appears, of course. The link to come in the morning for those of you who are beyond the paper version.
The rain has started.
I guess summer is officially over now. Not that that's a bad thing. I like the rain. And the coolness. But it is a nother sign that time marches on. Hard to believe it is almost October.
Work is really drying up. Just a few days here and there booked in October. It will make going to Poland hard, but it needs to be done, I reckon. That final decision will be made very very soon.
And with that, I best get to bed... want to have lots of brain power for the films tomorrow... including "A Day in the Life of North Korea." WOO HOO!
Cheers!
Randy and I took in a trade show seminar about feature documentary production and distribution. Met the CEO of ThinkFilm. And some other very interesting people. It was also very motivational.
Tonight I watched Dekalogue 2 and 3... love Zip.ca ! Also cancelled Expressvu, though the account had been on hold for 7 months. I have little use for cable or satellite tv. I am addicted to my XM radio. And where I am house sitting, there is no cable. And it's great!
Thursday is but 8 minutes away. The first trifecta of films at the VIFF. And the Albania article appears, of course. The link to come in the morning for those of you who are beyond the paper version.
The rain has started.
I guess summer is officially over now. Not that that's a bad thing. I like the rain. And the coolness. But it is a nother sign that time marches on. Hard to believe it is almost October.
Work is really drying up. Just a few days here and there booked in October. It will make going to Poland hard, but it needs to be done, I reckon. That final decision will be made very very soon.
And with that, I best get to bed... want to have lots of brain power for the films tomorrow... including "A Day in the Life of North Korea." WOO HOO!
Cheers!
from the "this is not easy" dept.
Today's frustrations (and continuing ones):
This has more to do with housesitting, and the problems are of my making.
1. Coffee: I like fresh ground good stuff. But I cannot find a grinder here, so I use the blender. Finally figured out how to make a grind that is not too fine.
Next: brewing -- have to do it manually. The bowdum (sp?) leaves too much ground coffee in the brew for my liking. So I have finally figured out a new process. Bought some filters, stuck 'em in a small funnel, and drip water through that into the bowdum. Works, but is slow. And there is no way to keep the coffee warm. And there is no nuker. Wah!
2. Ironing: For the life of me I cannot find the iron. Found the ironing board, but not the iron. So I have been trying to dewrinkle with various methods that all suck. So I borrowed an iron which threatened to burst into flame and left a residue on my good pants. ARGH! I think I will go buy an iron that works!!
That's it for the bitching. Off to a Film Festival seminar on documentaries. Should be fun!
Also, have a new version of the story agreement -- hopefully get it to the family this week. And then we'll be done!
No word on Poland. Still waiting to win/find/borrow $2000 to pay for the trip.
And the Albania piece appears in the paper tomorrow... link to follow.
Cheers!
Doug
This has more to do with housesitting, and the problems are of my making.
1. Coffee: I like fresh ground good stuff. But I cannot find a grinder here, so I use the blender. Finally figured out how to make a grind that is not too fine.
Next: brewing -- have to do it manually. The bowdum (sp?) leaves too much ground coffee in the brew for my liking. So I have finally figured out a new process. Bought some filters, stuck 'em in a small funnel, and drip water through that into the bowdum. Works, but is slow. And there is no way to keep the coffee warm. And there is no nuker. Wah!
2. Ironing: For the life of me I cannot find the iron. Found the ironing board, but not the iron. So I have been trying to dewrinkle with various methods that all suck. So I borrowed an iron which threatened to burst into flame and left a residue on my good pants. ARGH! I think I will go buy an iron that works!!
That's it for the bitching. Off to a Film Festival seminar on documentaries. Should be fun!
Also, have a new version of the story agreement -- hopefully get it to the family this week. And then we'll be done!
No word on Poland. Still waiting to win/find/borrow $2000 to pay for the trip.
And the Albania piece appears in the paper tomorrow... link to follow.
Cheers!
Doug
Tuesday, September 27, 2005
from the "wheezer" dept.
Today was a jim-dandy of a day off.
First, I snoozed in until the construction woke me around 9. However, I worked nights last night and didn't bag until 2, so that's hardly a slacker's sleep-in!
I spent the morning catching up on this and that. And then, tired of being inside, I hopped into the chariot and headed up to Porteau Cove, on the Sea-to-Sky highway. I was armed with camera, and pictures will be posted. But not for a while as I have reached my limit at Flickr. I could upload to my personal space, but that is a big pain in the ass.
Perhaps a second Flickr site might be the answer.
I zipped back to the city late in the afternoon to meet up with Ted Shredd... we headed to Deep Cove to hike to the lookoff. Haven't been there in a while. My lungs were certainly aware of that fact.
Then back home for a big feed of chicken stir fry... and next: some Polish film (The Dekalog)...
Tomorrow Randy and I are off to the Vancouver Film Festival -- not to see a movie (that's Thursday)... but rather to take in a film trade forum on documentary producing.
I've got 3 movies scheduled for Thur and Fri each. And then back to the working grind on the weekend. So, really, today was the only free day to just let the wind carry me.
And it was nice.
Cheers!
First, I snoozed in until the construction woke me around 9. However, I worked nights last night and didn't bag until 2, so that's hardly a slacker's sleep-in!
I spent the morning catching up on this and that. And then, tired of being inside, I hopped into the chariot and headed up to Porteau Cove, on the Sea-to-Sky highway. I was armed with camera, and pictures will be posted. But not for a while as I have reached my limit at Flickr. I could upload to my personal space, but that is a big pain in the ass.
Perhaps a second Flickr site might be the answer.
I zipped back to the city late in the afternoon to meet up with Ted Shredd... we headed to Deep Cove to hike to the lookoff. Haven't been there in a while. My lungs were certainly aware of that fact.
Then back home for a big feed of chicken stir fry... and next: some Polish film (The Dekalog)...
Tomorrow Randy and I are off to the Vancouver Film Festival -- not to see a movie (that's Thursday)... but rather to take in a film trade forum on documentary producing.
I've got 3 movies scheduled for Thur and Fri each. And then back to the working grind on the weekend. So, really, today was the only free day to just let the wind carry me.
And it was nice.
Cheers!
Monday, September 26, 2005
from the "I can't talk now, I've just van Goghed my ear" dept.
What a swell idea!
Cheers!
http://www.hiptop.com/images3/2005-sep/painting-palooza/target1.html
Sunday, September 25, 2005
from the "left toast" dept.
This morning it dawned on me how West Coast I have become.
Breakfast:
- Free-trade organically grown Guatemalan coffee (made with a coffee press) with organic goat milk
- Free-range organic scramble with salsa, hot sauce and veggie-ground "beef"
- V8 and fresh pineapple cut from an actual pineapple (that was fun!)
Lunch:
- More pineapple
- Green smoothie with nettle!
And this was made at home, not in some esoteric cafe. What happened?!
Cheers!
Doug
Breakfast:
- Free-trade organically grown Guatemalan coffee (made with a coffee press) with organic goat milk
- Free-range organic scramble with salsa, hot sauce and veggie-ground "beef"
- V8 and fresh pineapple cut from an actual pineapple (that was fun!)
Lunch:
- More pineapple
- Green smoothie with nettle!
And this was made at home, not in some esoteric cafe. What happened?!
Cheers!
Doug
Saturday, September 24, 2005
from the "attack of the 40 foot Doug" dept.
It is very weird to see yourself on the silver screen. And boo at yourself. Ha!
This was the experience on Saturday as Tomato Lake was screened for all those who were in it -- pretty much the entire staff of CTV Vancouver.
It was fun, and kudos to Steve McConnell for having the balls/commitment to follow through.
The film was good too!
Cheers!
This was the experience on Saturday as Tomato Lake was screened for all those who were in it -- pretty much the entire staff of CTV Vancouver.
It was fun, and kudos to Steve McConnell for having the balls/commitment to follow through.
The film was good too!
Cheers!
Friday, September 23, 2005
from the "keen on kino" dept.
Ah, Film Festival Time... just booked more tickets. Here's the agenda so far:
Thursday Sept 29:
12:30 Scenes of Musical Life in Stalinist Russia AND A Day in the Life of North Korea (Cinematheque) [Communism! Yeah!]
3:00 Working Man's Death (Cinematheque) [ Ukranian mines!]
7:15 - Protocols of Zion (Granville) [ The 100 year old lie ]
Friday Sept 30:
10:00am New World (Cinematheque) [ Choo-choo across Eastern Europe -- drool! ]
2:00 The Death of Mr. Lazarescu (Granville) [ Dante's Hell is the Romanian medical system ]
7:00 Omagh (Granville) [ Who knew what, when? ]
And on Sunday October 9:
12:30 a/k/a Tommy Chong
4:oo Measures to Better the World
9:30 Fateless
Grab a guide or hit the VIFF.ORG website to see what these are all about!
Cheers!
Thursday Sept 29:
12:30 Scenes of Musical Life in Stalinist Russia AND A Day in the Life of North Korea (Cinematheque) [Communism! Yeah!]
3:00 Working Man's Death (Cinematheque) [ Ukranian mines!]
7:15 - Protocols of Zion (Granville) [ The 100 year old lie ]
Friday Sept 30:
10:00am New World (Cinematheque) [ Choo-choo across Eastern Europe -- drool! ]
2:00 The Death of Mr. Lazarescu (Granville) [ Dante's Hell is the Romanian medical system ]
7:00 Omagh (Granville) [ Who knew what, when? ]
And on Sunday October 9:
12:30 a/k/a Tommy Chong
4:oo Measures to Better the World
9:30 Fateless
Grab a guide or hit the VIFF.ORG website to see what these are all about!
Cheers!
from the "in this corner" dept.
The gloves are finally off. Moveon.org is running an ad (just saw it on CNN) that takes direct aim at the failures of the current administration to get it.
And as more of the Gulf Coast is about to be destroyed -- the timing couldn't be better. It's too bad that this isn't election year.
SEE THE SPOT HERE.
Cheers!
And as more of the Gulf Coast is about to be destroyed -- the timing couldn't be better. It's too bad that this isn't election year.
SEE THE SPOT HERE.
Cheers!
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