SWING VOTE (on DVD), by TICKLEBEAR

well,

it took me long enough to get to this one:
SWING VOTE,

with kevin costner.

politics are like religion(s),

kind of taboo

& often the cause for dispute.

but it's also like the weather:

everybody's got something to say about it!!

:D~

please meet bud jonhson,

pure trailer park white trash,

on a long losing streak,

becoming the focus of a nation,

due to his daughter's good intentions...

you get to see the full force of the political machine

& the medias circus,

(don't they make a fine pair???)

as the fate of a nation rests

on one man's vote.

said man who is totally self-absorbed & completely clueless

about every social & political issues that should matter.

given the circumstances,

he's only too happy to be a freeloader,

but thanks to his daugther molly,

played by madeline carroll

[who clearly steals the show here],

& some unlikely allies,

bud shapes up

& may make an enlightned choice as he casts his vote at the end.

but they don't show you whom he voted for,

which is perfect,

as this was not the point of the movie.

i've rated this 3.5,

however it is still an enjoyable movie,

which i regret not seeing.

kevin is as charismatic as ever;

madeline is simply great,

& you get to see a great cast.

it's got a comedic allure,

but it is about very serious issues here.

it may not prove

that every vote actually counts,

as this was overly dramatized,

but everyone is entitled to be heard.

i think

the last american election

proved just that.

:)~

HUGZ

if politics is your thing,

make sure to watch primary colors,

with john travolta & emma thompson.

a not-so-subtle parody of the clintons...

need i say more?

:D~

& not to forget:

man of the year,

with robin williams.

how a tv host

who always made fun of politicians

finds himself on his way

to the white house.

a riot!!!

politics will never stop fascinating us,

whether we agree or not

with the people involved.

:D~

Rokia Traoré : Tchamentché

Voilà, suite à l'audition de la vidéo Dounia, je suis tombée sous le charme de Rokia Traoré.
Mais comment se fait-il que ce nom m'ait été inconnu jusqu'à ce jour? Pourtant... trois autres albums à son actif. Il a fallu qu'elle gagne le prix Victoire de l'album World de l'année, et que j'aie la curiosité d'aller consulter le site des Victoires pour la connaître! Car bien sûr, au Québec, les Victoires de la musique, ce n'est pas télédiffusé. M'enfin... j'aurais pu l'entendre à la radio, ou encore entendre des critiques à la télé. Mais rien... pauvre ignare que je suis.

Assez avec mes doléances. (quatrième album... non mais... pfff, j'en reviens quand même pas!)

Tchoumantché s'écoute doucement. Lascivement. On se laisse glisser sur la guitare Gretsch de Rokia Traoré, on s'abandonne sur sa voix tantôt légèrement tremblotante dans les aigus, et tellement chaude dans les notes graves. J'aime quand sa voix descend dans le long de sa gorge et y vibre. J'aime le petit filet de voix murmurant quand la musique se fait discrète. J'aime tout ce cd, bref. Elle y signe toutes les chansons à l'exception de l'intéressante reprise de The Man I Love de Billie Holiday, et elle interprète en Bambara tous ses textes sauf deux en français.

Elle y cause de la vie, de l'inexorable temps qui passe, de l'amour de cette vie malgré tout, de son Afrique. On traverse cet album comme on rêve. Des paroles poétiques pour une réalité crue. Une musique moderne aux sons traditionnels.Une très belle personne, cette Rokia Traoré, et ce, dans tous les sens du terme!

Voici l'intégralité de Tchamantché

TRANSPORTER 3 (on DVD) by TICKLEBEAR

jason statham reprises his role as frank martin,

the transporter (3).

as usual,

he's in top shape;

as usual,

he's got the moves.

as usual,

there's a girl,

& that's alright...

as usual,

any reason is good for him [& us!!!]

to take his shirt off.

as usual,

it's a total adrenaline rush.

as usual,

i love this.

it kicks asses!!!

a whole lot of them.

& it never gets old!!

never mind the storyline,
(there is one...)

it's good,

period!!

:D~

HUGZ

AUSTRALIA (on DVD), by TICKLEBEAR

australia.

directed by baz luhrmann.

an aristocratic british lady

lands akwardly amidst the bigotted cattle society

of down under.

she learns just how harsh the land can be

& how ruthless the people can be as well.

the story is told from the perspective of nullah,

played by brandon walters,

who completely steals the show

from nicole kidman & hugh jackman,

not to say they weren't any good,

but that kid,

well,

that kid stole the show & my heart,

& i'm not even keen on children.

beautifully photographed,

this is a long epic

(2:38 from generic to generic...)

tainted by WW2

& laced with a dose of the wizard of oz.

a romantic story that can get sappy at times,

but that i oh so enjoyed watching.

somehow,

i would love to walk about

in modern australia,

a land where its people has learned to endure & thrive.

the movie has its funny moments

& some dramatic spins to it for effect,

but overall,

an enjoyable movie,

if a tad long....

(2:38 minutes...)

still,

i'm happy i saw this.

:)~
HUGZ

W. (on DVD), by TICKLEBEAR

so,

first off,

let me say

i think g.w. bush is to me

the worst american president ever!!

so,

when i heard oliver stone was making a movie about him,

i was excited.

well...

if i was expecting to see the guy depicted as the monster

i always felt he was,

stone portrayed him as simply human.

a flawed human,

a delusional human,

invested with a divine mission...

but not without a certain appeal,

for a certain crowd,

i guess...

it is an interesting interpretation of the political scene,

the bush eras,

father & son(s),

& the inner workings of a government.

it is amazing to see

destiny was willing to embrace such a guy,

to the point of letting him have 2 mandates as president.

i wonder

what destiny has in mind for us now?

in the meantime,

i've really appreciated

what oliver stone has done here,

even if myself,

i would have vilified him a bit more.

have a look at this,

until time & more perspective dictate

the way we shall remember

the 42nd & 43rd president of the USA

in the History book.

:)~

HUGZ

10 000 B.C. (ON DVD), BY TICKLEBEAR

10 000 b.c. !!!

if you seek an accurate historical movie,

this gets a flat zero.

but if you only wish to be entertained [somewhat]

with a love story,

it's not half bad.

in the beginning,

i felt a bit of a let down

but then

decided to go along with it,

& despite a few flaws,

(i guess i'm in a forgiving mood today...)

i liked it,

to some degrees...

so,

a love story set in prehistoric times,

tribes struggling to survive the oppression of others,

some mystic thrown in the lot,

& voila!!

it's a total flight of fancy

but it's not without its own merit.

loyalty & commitment play a great role here

& if you're not too put off

by the stereotypical characters,

it makes for an interesting moment.

the visuals are good

[for the most part].

i'm not saying this should be high on your shopping or renting list,

but once you've seen everything else

you were eager to see,

it may not be such a bad choice to fall back on,

as long as you take it for what it is:

a flight of fancy,

period!!

i guess

those who created this

must have smoked some good weed

to believe this could fly...

let's call this plan B,

ok!?!

:D~

HUGZ

L'ANECDOTE

the quest for the perfect burger, episode II

L'Anecdote located on the corner of Rachel & St-Hubert looks like a small neighborhood restaurant and it is. Cozy, un-complicated, a bit retro and anyone who walks in feels right at home.

The menu lists a good food selection but I had one thing in mind of course: a burger. They do offer different kinds, but I chose the classic, a beef pattie with bacon, shedded emmental, thin sliced fried mushrooms, lettuce & tomatoes. Also ordered their wonderful fries (cooked in peanut oil) with a side of aioli sauce.

The staff is friendly and the cooks are fast. No fancy plates or silverware here, but you get exactly what you order. My burger was very close to perfection. Not too juicy, not greasy and a perfect size (you can take a bite without worrying that your jaw bones will get stuck). After one bite of the burger with all the ingredients' textures & flavors pleasing my palate, I knew right then I would become an addict.

The price for the classic burger: $ 5.80
Fries and homemade sauce: $ 2.70
These prices are more than reasonable.

Yes my quest for the perfect burger shall continue but the burgers at L'Anecdote are at the top of my list for now.

L'Anecdote
801 Rachel E. Montréal

JUST FOR FUN !!!

a group picture

of your hosts...

:D~

HUGZ

MAX PAYNE (IT SHOULD READ: MAX[IMUM] PAYNE FOR THE VIEWER...) by TICKLEBEAR

MAX PAYNE,

with mark wahlberg.

a name i used to trust but,

given THE HAPPENING & now,

MAX PAYNE,

i'll be careful in the future

before spending my hard-earned money...

:(~

i understand this movie stemmed from a comic & videogame,

so,

i didn't expect much of a storyline,

but it is one thing for a shallow script,

& a totally absent one.

i was bored after half-an-hour;

i was beyond bored after an hour.

i was getting pissed off after an hour-&-a-half...

when the generics started rolling,

i was ready

to throw the dvd off the balcony.

no decent story,

no memorable dialogues,

CGI overkill,

defeating the purpose.

i've experienced MAX PAYNE alright!!

MAXIMUM PAIN,

that is.

what a terrible movie.

pity,

because it is interesting visually,

photography-wise,

but beyond that,

it is only a test

as to how much boredom

you can suffer through...

pity!!

i like mark,

but as i've said,

i'll be more cautious

as he doesn't seem to make the smartest choices

right now,

career-wise.

i don't enjoy

being negative about something,

but this time,

it just can't be helped...

( $20-some in the garbage!!)

:(~

HUGZ

a spoof poster of THE HAPPENING...

IT SPEAKS VOLUME!!

:(~

HUGZ

A SUGGESTION FOR A FUN MOVIE NIGHT AT HOME, from TICKLEBEAR

as the cold weather may keep us inside,

let's see what could make for the perfect movie marathon.

do you like historical figures?

do you enjoy the glam & intrigues of life at court?

then:

THE OTHER BOLEYN GIRL,

with eric bana, scarlett johansson & natalie portman.

henry the 8th & what was to be the dawn of the elizabethan era.

(eric bana is beyond sexy, as usual!!)

YUP!!

:)~

cate blanchett,

as elizabeth the first,

gave a stellar performance in these two movies,

ELIZABETH (1998)

&

ELIZABETH, THE GOLDEN AGE (2007).

if this does not satiate your appetite,

i don't know what!!

enjoy the splendor & drama!!

I DID!!!!

:)~

HUGZ

IN-I OU : JULIETTE ET... ROMÉO?

D'emblée, je me dois d'avouer que La Bloggia n'est pas une habituée des prestations de danse contemporaine. Ni classique. Ni folklorique. Disons-le franchement, je n'y connais que dalle! Tout ce que j'ai vu c'est le ballet Gisèle, et ce n'était même pas pour le ballet que j'avais acheté mon billet, mais parce que j'étais à Paris et que je voulais absolument voir l'intérieur de l'Opéra de Paris! Et quel moment magique, d'ailleurs... ne me demandez pas de critiquer ce ballet, mais je peux, par contre, vous détailler l'intérieur de cette salle sans problême! Mais là n'est pas le but de ce billet.

Donc, en toute franchise, ce n'est pas mon amour pour la danse qui m'a motivé à acheter un billet pour le nouveau spectacle "in" à Montréal, mais bien mon adoration pour Juliette Binoche. Actrice merveilleuse. Et personnalité rayonnante et attachante. Toutes les entrevues que j'ai vu d'elle, m'ont laissées une impression de légèreté, de spontanéité et de total investissement. Une grande. Une pro.

Et le spectacle? Me direz-vous...

Voilà, voilà, j'y viens! On se calme!

C'est donc, pour LA voir que j'étais assise dans la salle, en attente du début de cette prestation à la salle Pierre-Mercue du Centre Pierre-Péladeau. Et hop, changement d'éclairage, voix narrative pré-enregistrée de Juliette, et nous sommes tout de suite mis en contexte. Ce sera une histoire d'amour narrée, actée et dansée à laquelle nous allons assister. Pour tout décor un gigantesque panneau au centre de la scène sur lequel un judicieux jeu d'éclairages suggérera une ambiance pour chaque scène de cette histoire. Il y a aussi toute une trame musicale, sublime, qui vient soutenir le tout. Et, bien sûr, nos deux protagonistes, le chorégraphe Akram Khan lui-même, et ma Juliette.

Je ne vous critiquerai pas la technique artistique de ces deux danseurs, surtout après vous avoir exposé toute mon expertise en la matière au début de ce billet, mais plutôt mon sentiment de néophyte. C'est que j'y ai cru, à cette histoire d'amour. Une histoire somme toute assez banale, mais pas banalement rendue, partant du coup de foudre, de la fougue des premiers émois, de la banalité du quotidien, du désenchantement et des chicanes parfois brutales, puis de la connaissance de l'autre. Apprendre à connaître son partenaire, et l'accepter pour ce qu'il est. Voilà ce que je retiens de ce spectacle. L'amour n'est pas magie, mais travail. Un effort de volonté pour aller vers l'autre. Acceptation puis accord.

Hein? Si je m'attendais à ça, moi! Philosopher sur l'amour suite à un spectacle de danse!

Je n'ai pas vu passer le temps. Il faut dire que le spectacle est tout de même assez bref. Mais tout y était. Tout était dit, et tenter d'en rajouter aurait résulter en longueur.

Je me suis laissée allée à cette histoire, au point d'en oublier ma Juliette! C'est dire à quel point ils étaient convaincants, et à quel point la mise en scène pourtant épurée et la musique somptueuse mais jamais envahissante contribuaient à créer ce moment de délice.

Est-ce que Binoche est une danseuse? Je ne sais pas, mais elle est certe extraordinaire!
Akram Khan que je ne connaissais absolument pas, m'a littéralement impressionnée. Ouf!
La mise en scène et la musique, étaient tout simplement géniales.

Donc, parce que ce spectacle m'a transporté et m'a offert un excellent divertissement et en plus, m'a fait mijoter sur l'amour, voici ma note tout-à-fait non-objective :

JULIETTE BINOCHE, THE GIRL A-TOUT-FAIRE!!! by TICKLEBEAR

juliette binoche is currently in montreal,

to perform in IN-I,

with akram khan.

first of all,

for me,

juliette binoche is an actress,

for such movies as THE ENGLISH PATIENT,

BLEU, LE CHOCOLAT, JETLAG, etc...

she's also the face of LANCOME.

even a PLAYBOY model,

if you want.

but i never expected to ever see her

performing in something like this.

color me surprised!!

:D~

it was suggested to me by lucrecia,

& her first choice as to what night she wanted to see this

didn't suit me at all;

but then,

she relented & agreed on friday night.

so,

tonight was the night.

i hadn't read anything about it,

only researched some pics for this blog,

to keep my mind totally open

to this experience.

well...

i was really not disappointed.

quite the opposite!!

:)~

two souls sharing a journey,

with its passions & tensions,

you see juliette & akram evolve on stage

through dancing & acting,

acknowledging the audience as their witnesses.

as far as the moves go,

i didn't see anything truly innovative or even daring.

but since we have here in quebec

some of the best troups in the world,

such as LALALA HUMAN STEPS & O VERTIGO,

the standards here are very high.

but still,

the choregraphy was captivating.

the whole concept between dance & theater

was not for me a novelty either,

as i'd seen other british troups do just that in the past.

but IN-I was very well conceived,

taking us in

& holding us in its grip

with its mood that seeps into your soul,

through its monologues & dialogues,

& the dancing.

their exploration of love

can be charming at times,

troubling at others,

but never boring.

the technical aspect of the show

was simply flawless.

the scenography was simple & yet most effective.

& the music!!!

oh, the music!!

seductive, heartwrenching, simply moving.

i really loved it!!

:)~

all in all,

juliette & akram delivered a performance

that will remain engraved in my heart

as they managed to touch it

& move it.

bravo juliette!!

bravo akram!!

they got three well deserved curtain calls tonight.

& thanks to lucrecia

for changing her plans

to better accomodate me.

:)~

HUGZ

SÉRAPHINE

Séraphine, une autre artiste à la vie miséreuse. Je suis bouleversée suite au visionnement de ce film. Pas tant par le film lui-même, que par l'histoire de cette artiste dont je ne connaissais absolument rien avant de m'asseoir dans la salle Fellini du cinéma Ex-Centris.

Quelle vie. Marquée par la misère, la solitude, les travaux de ménage qui occupaient toutes ses journées en échange de quelques écus qui lui permettaient de s'approvisionner en matériel de base pour ses activités nocturnes. Car la Séraphine ne se contentait pas d'une bonne nuit de sommeil à la fin de journées éreintantes. Que non!
C'est que son ange gardien lui avait ordonné de peindre! Rien de moins. Cette pauvre femme qui n'a jamais eu aucune formation artistique, s'est mise à concocter elle-même ses couleurs qu'elle répandait sur des toiles à même le sol de sa mansarde, à la lueur de bougies. Mais quelles toiles!

C'est bien simple, j'ai juste envie d'aller les voir de mes yeux!

Pour en revenir au film, j'ai trouvé le déroulement plutôt long. J'ai eu l'impression que le manque de données sur la vie de Séraphine Louis a été comblé par des images mettant l'accent sur les menus détails d'un quotidien dont je n'arrivais pas à croire. Dommage. Mais quelle histoire, tout de même. Je n'ai pu m'empêcher de faire le parralèle avec l'histoire de la vie de Camille Claudel. La similitude de ces deux destins est frappante. Deux artistes de génie, deux femmes, une même époque, deux fins identiques... Étaient-elles vraiment folles? Ou juste débordante de créativité? Ce serait ce genre de questionnement que j'aimerais voir élaboré dans un scénario.

Je ne regrette pas une seule seconde d'avoir choisi ce film. Même si à mon avis, ce n'est pas un "grand" film, le fait de sortir cette femme de l'oubli et de reconstituer sa pauvre vie par les images soignées d'une France au temps de la Grande Guerre, vaut toute ma reconnaissance. Rien à redire sur le jeu de Yolande Moreau. Sauf que je me serais attendue à voir un personnage un peu plus caractériel et fougueux, pour une personne si inspirée et surtout, apparemment, névrosée. Certe, dans le film on a mis l'accent sur sa détermination, et "son monde", sa bulle de solitude, mais je l'ai trouvée un peu trop docile et uniforme. Mais bon... qu'en sais-je, après tout?

2009 !!!

FROM ALL OF US

TO ALL OF YOU

!!!!!!

DE NOUS TOUS

A VOUS TOUS

!!!!!!

:D~

HUGZ

-LINOUE

-LA BLOGGIA

-TICKLEBEAR

EAGLE EYE (DVD): 5 STARS ALL THE WAY !!! by TICKLEBEAR

adrenaline junkies!!

in your seats!!

get set!!

GO!!!!!!!

EAGLE EYE

is on from the get go.

a great cast,

a plot one step away from skynet,

& perhaps two from the matrix,

you see two strangers's life collapsing into chaos,

& what could be america's armageddon.

it's none-stop action.

about credibility,

who's to know really?

about exitement?

G-U-A-R-A-N-T-E-E-D

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

as the voice said:

"we are everywhere".

& as i would say:

"cherchez la femme!!"

it was really entertaining.

it looks like shia lebeouf is going somewhere after all,

with a succession of successful & fun movies.

good for him!
:D~

HUGZ

MONTREAL'S BOTANICAL GARDEN, ALWAYS A GREAT DESTINATION. by TICKLEBEAR

i'm SO clever,

i amaze even myself sometimes...

:D~

major snowstorm over the city,

people going nuts over xmas shopping & preparations,

so,

i thought it'd be a good time

to go see what the botanical garden had done for the holidays.

well,

hop in a cab & off we go!!!

i was right

as there were fewer people than usual,

which doesn't mean it was empty,

just not overcrowded.

( nice!!! for me...)

i took a quick walk around the place,

but still...

if you've already forgotten what greenery means or looks like,

just go there!!

& when i entered the orchids room,

the smell,

OH!!!

the smell!!!

not too pungent

but just exotic & enticing enough

to make a grown man cry...

(meaning me here...)

no,

really!!

it made me emotional & in a good mood....

WOW!!!!!

:D~

as i walked by the cacte room,

i saw someone had a sense of humor.

see if you can spot the xmas choral...

too funny!!!

(remember, i was in a good mood...)

then i found what i was looking for.

their xmas presentation.

xmas trees made with ferns or ivy.

it looked quite grand

& it was a feast for the eyes.

as i was photographying these,

there was a choral,

something like the montreal jazz choral workshop,

or something(???)...

4pm.

nice!

not my style,

but nice.

TOO MUCH jesus to my taste...

(it's NOT their fault...)

but nice!!!

i insist!!

truly,

a quick but lovely visit

to what remains one of montreal's best landmarks.

their creativity & the very essence of the place

is something to be proud & fond of

as a montrealer.

(i still find find their entrance fee ridiculous, but...)

(SO democratic!! gotta love it...)

GO!!

just go & enjoy!!

:D~

HUGZ