A-R-T
hey! I have mentioned here, in more than one occasion, the beauty there is in pain. And I very strongly believe in that. But this week, I was exposed to something different; In a 
very unusual saturday night, I went to see Cirque de Soleil. To be perfectly honest, I wasn't very excited about going at all. People always said it was great, and so beautiful, and so fantastic... and always watching the dvd... and I just thought "well, it's okay. But I mean, it's a circus, no?". But then... it started. And it was 2 and a half hours of pure, plain and simple art and beauty.
Jesus!!! They are just soooo good!!! You feel so involved by their presentation that it doesn't matter that it is that long, because every moment captivates you and draws your attention. The scenery, the music, the performers (poor performers, how much they must practice!). But, to sum it up, every single act was perfect. Even the clowns were good! Original and funny - although I was veeery glad I was seating in the middle of the row, so I couldn't really be chosen for an act with them). But anyway, every performance was great, nothing short of exceptional. For now, I'll just let the pictures explain better. So, kisses to u all!
(Better Than Fine)
I love music. I just love it. And although I have a pretty big collection of cds, I usually end up listening to the same thing for months. I have been listening to strokes, franz ferdinand (fraaaanz!!! I can't wait for 16/9!!), for about a year. The strokes are a chapter a part, they will deserve a full post someday (also a great great song, by the way), as will franz ferdinand. But there is another cd I have been listening to for over a year, a cd that the people that travelled with me in January probably dread (I stopped at every store to try and find it). So, without furth
er delay, Fiona Apple. Fionna Apple has a very sad life story, filled with abuse and sorrow, both things she experienced from a very young age. And maybe that's what makes her such a great artist - which is a bit strange, but not uncommon. It seems to me sometimes that to be a great writer or performer, you have to suffer. you have to feel the pain so deep in you before you can transmit anything else to others. And the pain in her voice when she sings is visible. Or, as she says, "the pain is evident in my existence". Her songs, apart from being absurdly sad, are also extremely poetic, and the music itself is, sometimes, magic. There are some sounds in the record that sound like tinkerbell stepped in. And that makes it so much more special, because it is so unique. It sounds like a fairy tale, until you pay attention to the lyrics. And then you see how pain can indee
d be beautiful. I recommend all her 3 cds, they are all great. The last one is the most different one, the one that feels more like a fairy tale gone wrong. Get him back (best song in a long time), Not about love, Oh well, Better version of me, Window, Tymps. Well, everything, basically. But she has also very good songs on her first cd (Shadowboxer, never is a Promise, Sleep to Dream), and in the fantastic When the Pawn... (aaaall the songs). Also, not in cds: use me and after you've gone, 2 of her best recordings I think. So much expression in her performance.. I've seen both of them on live performances (internet, I am sad to say), and they convinced me this is a concert I would love to see, no matter that her songs aren't very agitated. Just sit down and appreciate the beauty. 
Fiona had a breakdown in the middle of a concert in NY a few years a go, and then she disappeared from the music industry for a while. Now she came back with this masterpiece called "Extraordinary Machine", that almost didn't get released because it wasn't commercial enough. Her fans protested (there are some very cute videos of the fans in her website, saying why she is so important to them), and it was released after almost a year of delay, and a lot of changes in the songs. In the end, it was a hit. So, let's hope she doesn't leave like that again, and that she can still channel all her pain into making us all feel.
Express Yourself
Sometimes it's on a random saturday night that you realize that that girl you always kind of secretly wished you were can be not such a good idea. That that girl can be worse than you are in real life. Sometimes, it's when you see what you could be and what you are not, that you can realize that who you actually are is not so bad, and it beats the hell out of the un-original, plain and not interesting version you had created of yourself. And sometimes, even if it is only for a few minutes, you can enjoy who you are, and the people that love you just for that. And it's then you see being true instead of being a shade was worth it all along.
ps: and now being back to who i am - sorry for the "deep"post. I will go back to writing about random movies and all cultural (and at the same time, mostly not very useful) things on the next post, I promise.
beeeeeijos
Meanwhile, in a Parallel Universe
There is so much good stuff on the internet these last few days! I chose just one to mention today, and it's just one thing I found in a great great website by Marcelo Bernardes, called "Media Soup". Unofrtunately, the site is in portuguese, so i can't recommend it for everybody, but it is a great gathering of cultural material from the media, from movies to politics, always with great great cartoons - cartoons are posted daily, and always in English, so you can all go see that, and it will be worth it, I promise.
But anyway, he commented about the latest issue of the New York Magazine - also a great read - that discusses with experts of different areas, what if 9/11 had never happened? It's a great story, and the articles are very interesting. I haven't had a chance to read them all, but the ones I managed to so far have been very good. "Reports from a parallel world". From the ones I got to read, the parallel world may not have been perfect - no world would be, I guess - but it sure seemed better than this one. Cartoon from the Media Soup, originally by Mike Smith in the Las Vegas Sun. 
Beautiful Boy
Hey!
And so you guessed, another movie. Just one today, although I have more to talk about, but this one deserves a full post. I had been waiting a long time to watch this, and it was completely worth it. So, ladies and gentleman, "Breakfast on Pluto".
I almost never watch a movie that makes me happy. Sometimes they make me sad, sometimes they make me feel like I have learned something, and sometimes they make me feel nothing at all. But this one made me happy. Which is a bit absurd, since it is a very sad story, if you maybe just read it, or if somebody told you what happens to the people during the movie. But it isn't a sad movie, not at all. I haven't left a movie feeling that happy in a long time.
The s
tory talks about the life of Patrick "Kitten" Braden, a real life person, who I would love to meet. He/she just seems to be one of those people that are so interesting. His character is what makes the movie so cheerful: he is just happy. He is always complaining how serious everybody is, and how the situations always seem to be, and he almost doesn't care. It's not that he doesn't understand, it's just that he choses to deal with it differently. And that's one of the things that make the movie so unique. The other thing is Cillian Murphy. His acting is so exciting, so believable, so sensible. He is, in fact, a girl. He does something similar to felicity Huffman in Transamerica, but somewhat more subtle. And he has more help from hair, make up and clothing as well. But he is just brilliant. I think some credit should be given to the director as well, since he is the one
that imposes the tone of the movie, and the tone he chose and was able to impose here, the lightness and happyness it transmits, should be something to be praised. Also, soundtrack. Buy it, download it, I don't know. The soundtrack is fantastic. So, there you are. Movie of the week, maybe of the month. It is so rare to find a movie that adds something to you and can still make you feel happy, and this one manages to do both. In the middle of the fight between the Irish and the British, the poetry and cheerfulness of Patrick/Patricia Kitten is what comes alive.
beijos
"History Will Absolve Me"
And, contradicting everyone, Fidel is alive and kicking. Maybe not in kicking per say, since his 80 years old and has parkinson's disease (according to an ex-cia guy), but there he is. Still saying that the country is well, and it ill remain that way, and that they demonstrate that a better world is possible. Poor Fidel. Will history still absolve him?
Just so we are clear: I am not in favor of Fidel Castro or of his regime in Cuba - and I am veery against all of his followers, like Evo Morales and Hugo Chávez. I just thought this was important news, so I posted it.
Time and Tears
You know how sometimes you like watching a movie so much, you just watch it over and over again? Well, I have a lot of those movies (and series, and a lot of other things I love to watch 25 times), and I was just seeing one of them today: "The Notebook".
Now, if you have not seen that movie, please, please do so. It is absolutely impeccable, in every way. It is romantic without being too mellow, it is sad without it being tragic. I don't normally like love stories that much, but this one is an exception. From the minute I saw it, I couldn't forget it, and so it became special to me. I remember leaving the movie and seeing everyone around me crying, especially the girl next to me. Poor thing, she was really crying her eyes out, couldn't even get out of her seat. Apart from that, I also remember every frame of the movie, every scene, and it's always a good memory, always something that makes me a little bit happier. Appreciating beauty is something so rare... and this movie is someting beautiful, no questions asked.
Like the director said, it is a simple story beautifully told. A young couple meets, falls in love, breaks up, and they meet again 7 years later and then... Well, then you go watch the movie. And I am not doing it justice anyway, it's not so simple. The scenery is gorgeous, the actors
are really amazing - the lovely Rachel McAdams and Ryan Goslin, who are now together in real life, in a very cute twist (yes, I know, not important for the movie, just sharing). They even make lines that are usually so tacky - like "All I ever wanted was you. Just you." - seem ok, if not beautiful, because they say it with such passion and belief. It is so rare that I believe in stuff like these; but this movie really does it for me. So, who knows... maybe it does it for you too? Give the romantic-girlie-tear jerker movie a chance. It will be well spent time and tears.
beijos
What the hell is going on?
Hey,
I got two emails today, and both of them were quite disturbing. First, there is the email about this cute picture of a mother nursing a baby. Look at it, isn't it so cute? I don't even like babies all that much, but look at it! So so sweet. This picture provoked angry reactions in the US (where else?), people saying it was a disgusting picture, even calling it offensive. Now, please note that the complaints were coming from mothers of young babies mostly - as you can see, the magazine's name is "Baby Talk". So, I really don't get it. It is a mother, nursing a baby. Can anyone actually point out to me what's wrong here? Oh my God, there is a breast in it!!! Oh deeeaaar Lord!! Because no one has ever seen one of those. If you get pregnant, you have to assume that you will nurse your baby (or that you at least should), and if you find that act offensive or disgusting, why would you have a babyin the first place?? I don't get it, really. The picture is so sweet, the baby is so cute, and people complain about the breast in the cover of a magazine. Who caaaares? It's just a breast. People, please, grow up. The second email was an mtv ad that didn't air - or only a few times, I don't know for sure. It is great! The text under the first image goes: "2863 people died"/ "40 million infected with HIV worldwide"/ "The world united against terrorism. Why can't it unite against AIDS". The other images repeat the idea: "2863 people died"/ "824 million people dying of hunger worldwide"/ "The world united against terrorism, why can't it unite against hunger"; "2863 people died"/"630 million homeless worldwide"/ "The world united against terrorism, why can't it unite against poverty?". 
The ad is just brilliant, and the images are beautiful. In the email I got, it said that the ad was banned from mtv, although I can't really be sure of that. I just thought I would post it, since it is such a good ad. And because, if it is true, it is the second show of the ridiculous wave of conservadorism that dominates the US, led by our lovely George W. Bush.
beijos
Dance With me Tonight
"Wear Sunscreen": "Dance. Even if you have nowhere to do it but in your own living room."
Friendly tip: check if your idiotic brother or relative is not filming you while you dance away like there is no tomorrow.
Watch the video at:
http://www.break.com/index/gnarlskid.html
beijos
Run for the hills!! (Or from them)
Aaahrrrg!!!
You know, I adore horror movies, no matter how scary they are and how nervous they make me. They are like roller coasters. There is just something about the fear, or maybe the after felling, that I love. I put my feet up, I close my eyes, very randomly I yell. The girl from "The ring" gave me nightmares for months - yes, that is indeed ridiculous, I know. I tremble at every sight of Jack Nicholson after "The Shining"- although that might be because he looks a lot like my stepfather. But anyway, horror movies - may they be explicit (like the film I am about to discuss) or purely scary (The Shining), still, I watch them all.This last one, no nightmares, but I kept my feet up a lot. So, here we go, The Hills Have Eyes, which has a hoooorrible translation to portuguese ("A Viagem Maldita", or "T
he Trip from Hell"). So, this is veeery bloody. Veeery much. And the story is not the best, but you can't stop biting your nails in the movie. And some movies are good just for that. Fine, it's not art, it's not Godard. But it is entretaining. And I am a pro-entretainment person. Don't get me wrong, I am pro art movies, museums and cultural things. But sometimes... I just want to watch a movie, for all it is, but without any reflecting after it. Just sit down with a good friend and some popcorn.
But anyway, getting back to the movie. The tale of an american family, mutant people and the desert. Like I said, a loooot of blood, and some american conservadorism: the big bad monster gets killed with an american flag. Just lovely.
So, if you are easily scared, skip this one. It's too bloody, to graphic, and too direct. They don't talk, explain the plan to the victims - they simply kill them. Which is a nice change. "The Hills Have Eyes". Message from the veeery cultural movie of the week: Run away from the damn hills, no shortcuts, dogs are men's best friend, atomic testing is baaaad. And, for the sake of us all, apart from the american flag, America's triumph in the end of the movie is not all that clear.....
pics:
http://www.cinebel.be/pics/b157563.jpghttp://www.kinogid.ru/domkino/images/hills_have_eyes_7.jpghttp://www.filmguru.net/images/stills/060315.jpg
Brrrrrr
Jeeesus Chirst!!! It's cooold!!! Until last weekend we were having an average of 30, 31 degrees during the day, and around 27 at night. Which would all be great, except we are in the middle of winter. And now... winter has come. Not winter Finland-style, of course, but it's cooold now!! And thank God, it rained! - we hadn't had any rain in a few weeks, and the pollution was just terrible - as you can see in the first picture. And, now, it all came down: it's wet and cold. The temperature dropped to 10 to 15 degrees, and that is as cold as it gets in São Paulo. And of course, just because of that, my classes started and I had to get out of my nice comfortable and warm bed. Murphy rules. 
Icy kisses to you all
hey! 
very unusual saturday night, I went to see Cirque de Soleil. To be perfectly honest, I wasn't very excited about going at all. People always said it was great, and so beautiful, and so fantastic... and always watching the dvd... and I just thought "well, it's okay. But I mean, it's a circus, no?". But then... it started. And it was 2 and a half hours of pure, plain and simple art and beauty. 
