Our Last Texts

It's almost two years since my cousin, confidante, former roomie, and dear friend/pain in the arse passed away. The last time we saw eachother was the night before Donna's last birthday (her 43rd) when I stopped over to help my niece, Nicole, Donna's daughter, clean up her shithole of a bedroom. The very next day I sent Donna a text, not knowing it would be our last communication. I'm just glad I was able to say I love you that one last time.

In the last year of Donna's life she went through a pretty heavy emotional change in finally coming to the realisation that she was gay. We had some deep conversations and I'm grateful that I was the one she felt that she could turn to and confide in. A couple months after coming out we were talking about an episode of Lost and she said that I was her constant. That person that's been there through it all and is always dependable. So in my phone she was listed as Penny and I was her Desmond. Here are the screenshots that I took from Donna's cell phone and sent to myself since I had already deleted them from my phone. I was sitting out back of the house in Fishtown, only hours after Donna's body was discovered and only a handful of minutes since she had been taken out of the house. I was smoking a cigarette with Nicole and trying to make sense of a totally and completely senseless loss that I still find hard to grasp.

 

 

(The photo in "Desmond's" contact info is the one I sent to Donna after Nicole and I arrived in Rome. Oh, and clearly I removed my phone number. I'm trying to deter stalkers...)

Brave Miss World

Beautiful, beautiful film filled with courageous people speaking up on a subject that is so much easier to dismiss or hide.

(photo kidnapped from bravemissworld)

Casting By

I first took note of the name Marion Dougherty when I was thirteen and watching Batman for the fourth time in my hometown's movie theatre. This was about the time in my life that I started to pay attention to directors and producers, screenwriters, costumers, and composers. If I saw that a film was directed by John Hughes, I knew I'd be in for a laugh and a life lesson. If a movie featured the music of John Barry, I knew it would be a film that would sweep me away from my everyday life and transport me somewhere I'd never been. After Batman, I kept noticing Marion's name and it got to where I would read in the opening credits "Casting by Marion Dougherty" and I'd settle back. I could relax because this was gonna be a film with some stellar acting. Marion Dougherty was the Edith Head of casting; she could do no wrong.

When I saw that someone had done a documentary on her I immediately hit Play (although, as per usual, I was late by three years). Tom Donahue's Casting By was spectacular (aside from Taylor Hackford's hurtful comments which made me angry and sad.). It was truly heart warming to see all those wonderful actors saying tender and loving things about Marion. Dontcha love when you like someone based solely on their work and then come to find out that they are the salt of the Earth and just an all-around fantastic person? Me too.

(photo kidnapped from jennreese)

Brussels Street Artists

(Video shot by Miss Ashlee, April 2nd, 2014.)

Neil Peart Junior

My nephew, Jackson, has been heavily into drumming since the beginning of the year and is really getting good. He sets up his little stool in front of the TV and overturns his Tupperware containers and buckets to create his own drum kit. He loves Rush, thanks in part to his father's affinity for the band, and he will sit for hours watching concerts on DVD and try to follow along with Neil Peart. Xavier told me that Jax would use this one bucket as the cymbal but they had to hide it because it was unbelievably loud. Jackson asked for it and my brother told him, "No, buddy, it's too loud." "But Dad," Jackson protested, "I wanna rock 'n' roll!" "Damn it, now I can't say no. Okay, ya want me to put on Rush?" "No. I wanna watch the guy with the feather." The guy with the feather? Um, yeah, Jackson wanted to watch Stevie Ray Vaughan live at Montreux 1985. This three year old has some damn fine taste in music!

So here is the video I shot of Jax in his undies playing along to Rush. (It's dark as hell in the room, but I'm not a freakin' cinematographer and this video is basically being posted so that I can look back on it.) My favourite moment is when he holds up the one drumstick in between playing. "What's he doin'?" I asked my brother. "Showmanship." Well, alright, alright, alright!

Matthew Broderick

Oh man, did I have such a crush on Matthew Broderick back in the day...

Seagulls Die in the Harbour

Meeuwen Sterven in de Haven was filmed in Antwerp in 1955, so clearly, I had to see it. I will sit through just about anything if there's even the slightest chance that I'll be able to catch a glimpse of my favourite city. Seagulls did not disappoint. Antwerp has clearly always been magnificent, but like a fine wine, it only gets better with each passing year. 

There were absolutely breathtaking shots of 't stad (the city), Linkeroever, the docks, and the streets, those beautiful, bumpy Antwerpen streets.

The cinematography reminded me of M and Pickup on South Street. You can tell that the filmmakers were inspired by film noir and definitely American music. The flashback moments, particularly those in the prison camp and in the dance hall were filmed (I thought) kind of like a stage play, with actors standing on their mark and remaining motionless. Only those that moved were the focus. It was so interesting and nearly hypnotic, laden with jazzy wartime music, heavy in bass, that played over the silent memories of the nameless man. Aside from a few blunt, sharp cuts from one scene to the next that were kind of jarring, it was stunning to watch from the first frame to the last.

The supporting cast was really good. I especially liked the gal from the boat, Erna, the Captain's lady played by Tine Balder. There was one scene where she is trying to seduce said nameless man and reaches the point where she can't take it anymore, and standing behind him, she grabs his hair and forces his head back then hits him with one of those hard smooches that one sees in old timey black and white flicks. She reminded me of Humphrey Bogart - it was that kind of a take charge, rough kiss. Steamy as hell. This is a gal that knows what she wants and threw all that 1950s ladylike behaviour out the proverbial window and went for it. Who could blame her? I mean, what gal can resist a tall, handsome, brooding, detached man who has clearly committed some sort of heinous crime?

Oh and the nameless man, Julien Schoenaerts, was excellent. I had previously only seen him in a few films, thanks primarily in part to his son, Matthias, who starred with him in Daens, and eLLektra, in which Julien appeared in an endearing cameo in the very last scene. But he really stood out in a short film Beauville, which I loved. (Sidebar, there is a scene in Beauville that takes place in a doctor's office where Julien's character is awaiting some test results. The door opens and the doctor steps in, seen from across the room. I instantly LOL'd and said, "Hey, look! It's the Belgian Richard Kind!" (I adore Richard Kind.) and then he spoke. In English. And it was Richard Kind!)  

Anyway, I thought Julien was so good, so real and true to life in this part and I wish more of his work was available for a strange girl in the States.

To sum up, Meeuwen Sterven in de Haven / Seagulls Die in the Harbour wasn't the most enthralling or riveting film ever created, mind you, but it's a slow build. Besides, I'm not one that needs to see shit blown up every five seconds or remain perched on the edge of my seat in suspense to enjoy a good film. And that's what this was, a solid, decent film that has exceptional acting, is gorgeously filmed, and set in Antwerp. If youse ask me, all signs point to perfection, kids.