_,I FELT SO STUPID&^

Just came back from The Drums, yep, I'm home early for a change! Interesting night, lot to speak about. Normally I'm all on my own and it's not often I run into people I know. So I go to a gig and can focus all on the music being a little fanboy standing completely at the front, camera ready :DD That's how it's been lately. But for some reason, don't know how it all happened suddenly, this year my life has become more social in the sense that I happen to meet people I know a lot more than I used to, so I got people to speak to. It's all very nice and such a difference with last year already. I really find myself in a very positive space these days and am very optimistic about the future. These two first months of this year have just been really good to me. I feel much better than I felt in months, much more happy with myself and discovered all these new things about myself especially considering school and stuff. It makes me feel very happy. So tonight I ran into this girl who also worked at the International Film Festival Rotterdam, she was co-ordinating us ushers. I already had a feeling going to this gig that I might run into someone familiar 'cause during one of the parties at the cinema I was working during the festival the DJ played Let's Go Surfing which surprised me 'cause I really thought these guys were not that well known at all. But seems they are really starting to blow-up. But more surprised I was to notice that some of the people I was with that night knew the song including the girl I met tonight. So we started chatting and then another girl from the festival showed up and she had brought along a friend and that friend and I started a really interesting conversation about music as well as film. She told me she was really enthusiastic about a film she recently saw which was J'Ai Tué Ma Mère, so as you can imagine I was already loving this girl, 'cause that film is one of the best pieces of art/cinema I've ever set my eyes on! :p But there's both an upside as well as a downside to all this. The downside is that when I'm with people I know or happen to meet someone and start talking to this person my focus becomes all on the conversation. We were standing quite far from the stage and when The Drums came on we hadn't moved one bit. It was already completely full and I could hardly see a thing. I stood at the back for something like 3 songs and then finally got more to the front. I don't know, I always feel bad about getting in front of people even when these people seem much more interested in talking to their friends and drinking beers instead of listening to the band that's playing. Of course I was one of the few people around moving to the music, these two guys in front of me were standing completely still and they were tall so I had to stand on my toes to be able to catch a glimpse of the guys including my tambourine hero! When Jonathan Pierce (the singer of the band) said something like 'this next song is about my Best Friend' something like that, I overheard a guy asking a girl 'What song do you think they're going to play now?' to which she responded, 'Uhmmmmmm... Let's Go Surfing?' Just die. Seriously. You take up valuable space. I don't understand these kind of people. I can't stand them really. Here I am, I love this bands' tunes, have listened to them quite a lot the last couple of months, was very excited to see them tonight, and I'm forced to stand at the back because of people like this girl who seem to just have read about The Drums or heard about them through a friend, I really have know idea how people like her end up at a place like this, but they do unfortunately (!), taking up all this space and keeping the real lovers of music, people who enjoy gigs and attend them for the music, far from the stage. It's unfair. I don't even know why I still feel bad about getting in front of people like her, but I do. I guess I'm just to polite, 'cause it's not something you do 'cause if I had wanted to stand at the front I should have just done that earlier. So yes, it is actually my own fault and I do feel a bit stupid about it. But then again, people like this girl shouldn't just be there. If you would throw out all the people who weren't that interested in The Drums tonight and have hardly heard any of their songs, you would probably only have like four or five rows of people left from the stage on. Anyway, I had to get out of there so eventually I stood something like row 3 or 4 and had a pretty good view. Still I'm surprised the pictures make it seem I was much more close to the guys than I actually was. They didn't turn out that well though, much too dark, so for more light I guess I should have just been front row or I should have used my flash, but I don't like doing that as I don't want to bother the band with throwing flashes of light up in their face. The worst thing is, though, that when they played one of my favourite tunes, Best Friend, I was still standing at the back so I only caught some glimpses of tambourine guy :(( Well, later on I saw him while he was playing the guitar, but that just wasn't the same. Ughhh, why do I get so caught up with talking to people, I should have just cut to a break and said, wait, I NEED to go to the front, like NOW, before it gets too crowded. It's nice for a change to talk to someone instead of just waiting all those minutes, spending all that time by myself, but I really need to learn bringing the talking to people and watchign the band together so I can enjoy both to the fullest. Standing not completely at the front made for a different view though, the music might have sounded better (?) 'cause that's how I sometimes feel, that when I stand a bit more at the back, a bit more behind the speakers perhaps, the sound is just a little bit better or it just sounds different (?) This venue Bitterzoet is really nice by the way. It's kind of the same size as the little room upstairs in Paradiso. So you can be pretty close to the artists. The Drums played I think all of the songs I have of them and a couple of new ones which all sounded really nice as well so I look forward to their full length debut album! At the front it was still somewhat quiet, although the two girls in front of me were moving along really well like me and I saw some guys too, dancing. I just had expected it to be a little bit more wild. Maybe it has to do with age? A lot of late 20 year olds and early 30 year olds (?) is my guess. I always like it when I forget about certain songs and then when they start playing those I'm like, 'oh this one, I like this one!' And I get all happy because of the band playing this song that I completely forgot about and it feels so good hearing it. Tonight that happened when they played Don't Be A Jerk, Jonny, I was like, 'Oooh yeah, they have this one as well, completely forgot!' This one seemed to be quite popular with the crowd which made me happy because it's one of my favourites. It seems already weeks ago but it was only last week that I saw Japandroids and all those other bands play. After seeing The Drums I totally feel in a gig mood again so I'm going to search for another one 'cause I think the only one on my schedule right now is Yeasayer which is March 20th, that's way too long from here! I should start going to a gig every week, at the least! :DD

!?CARLOS_*

The people where I stayed during the film festival in Rotterdam had a cat named Carlos and I took some polaroids of him ;)






Watch it before the video will be removed!
So GOOD



March 20th we'll meet!! :D

#.J'AI TUÉ MA MÈRE_/

I'm back from Rotterdam where I had the most incredible time, best time ever on a festival so far, maybe? At least these four last days were loads of fun. Been partying till early morning, having sleepless nights. Got to my sleep-over address around 8.30 am this morning and then went to bed for 5/6 hours. Met a lot of new people, but also saw a lot of faces that I'd seen last year. When it comes to watching films, 'cause it's still a film festival ;) four films stood out for me. They were A Single Man, R, Mother and the superior J'Ai Tué Ma Mère. When it comes to these festivals, however, it's tough to say which movie is the best one as no person is able to see them all. For instance, I didn't see Un Prophète or Fantastic Mr. Fox, two films which are said to be really good. Had I seen them they might have made my top 4, but I haven't so they won't be anywhere in there.

J'Ai Tué Ma Mère is a film, though, of which I think I would have still liked it most had I'd seen all films playing at the festival. It's one of the best films I've ever seen I think. It's so well made, so rich, feels like a classic, the look of the entire film is so warm, great colour scheme. A beautiful personal account, well acted, features some short sequences that are absolutely amazing, it's very imginative, really feels like a piece of art most of the time because of some scenes being like video installation material, there's philosphy, there's poetry. It's a wonderful piece that I love and hate and can get me so full of envy. Watching it you just know every aspiring filmmaker would have loved to have made this film, it's a dream debut. Directed and written by Xavier Dolan who also plays the main character, he was 16 when he wrote the screenplay, 19 when he directed the film!!!!!!!!!!!!! It's one of those debuts that makes you wonder what's left for the director as this film feels so finished, so complete, it's so clear, feels to feature everything that can be told about the subject. It's a masterpiece, he would not even have to make another film and can reach great success and become legendary just based on this one work. It's amazing. Go see it when you can!!!!!!

If you want to watch the trailer...



This doesn't compare to the experience of watching the entire film tough. You really should see it all

I was so lucky this year to get myself a lot of posters and I have huge one of J'Ai Tué Ma Mère!! :DD

An interview



A cool short film



Next week These New Puritans, The xx, Japandroids, White Rabbits & Spoon!!!

\+OFF TO THE IFFR#&

I'll be back Sunday February 7th ;)

+]FOALS OBSESSED.~

I'm getting Foals obsessed again!!! Release that new album already! They've said it's finished, I NEED it AND GO ON TOURRRR!!! Please :DD

FOALS Cassius
Geüpload door ROCKWAVE_FESTIVAL. - Muziek video's, interviews met artiesten, concerten en meer.

Have to prepare myself 'cause I'm going to the IFFR (International Film Festival Rotterdam) soon. Like last year I'll be volunteering as an usher and watch a lot of movies! This time I got myself a place to sleep YEAH so it'll be like on holiday, no internet for 11 days. Just the cinema + me

(*DEAR ROTTERDAM...|'

...thank you for the most wonderful 11 days. I'll miss you! We watched lots of movies and partied together until early morning. Next year again perhaps.
These are all the films I've been able to watch during the IFFR:

Bronson (Very funny, great powerhouse performance by the guy playing Charlie Bronson, never heard of the guy but apparently he makes the UK jails unsafe, much better than I expected, glad I saw it as it would not have been a choice of my own when I would have read its description, I assume especially the youth will enjoy this)

Tiro En La Cabeza (No dialogue at all except for one sentence, interesting premise, but soon becomes boring, too experimental-ish)

Identification Marks: None (Great cinematography, didn't pay much attention to the story)

Walkover (same director as film above, again, cinematography is pretty awesome)

Nulle Part Terre Promise (started watching it without much interest, but it pulled me in near the end making that I quite liked it, in the end I did feel a connection with the main female character)

Awaydays (has that typical British coolness, a bit Control-like, not perfect, but definitely worth seeing, soundtrack is brill, acting by the two leads is great to watch)

Je Ne Suis Pas Morte (over three hours long, very fresh and original feel to it, feels also very French meaning lot of conversating, philosophy, questioning love, life, death, has a great close-up at the end of a girl which last for quite a while, made me ask a question during the Q&A to which the director answered a simple: no)

The Strength Of Water (will remind you of Whale Rider for multiple reasons, it's good not great, very sweet, liked the openness of its ending)

La Frontière De L'Aube (Features a none smoking Louis Garrel which is such a shame as I find him the number one person who makes smoking look tremendously cool so please Mr. Garrel never ever quit, takes a while to really get going but once it does it really wins you over, great performances especially from Laura Smet)

Breathless (mix of brute violence and comedy working surprisingly well, best film I've seen at the IFFR, fresh, funny, daring, great acting, especially from the actress playing the female lead, perfect from beginning to end, a triumph!)

Pomegranates And Myrrh (at first too much of a reminder of films such as The Syrian Bride, but gradually wins you over, has too much of a heart which can't be ignored, not fantastically great but still really good)

The Coffin (horror, I didn't see all of it, but what I saw was okay, am not a big fan of the genre, did't scare me at all, seemed to have a big budget because it looked very expensive but images to me looked too stylish)

I Am From Titov Veles (watch if you want to see a film with great composition and great use of colour, a little bit like Amélie, but a bit too vague, it's a good film but with flaws)

Blind Pig Who Wants To Fly (just very strange and different, which isn't at all a bad thing, one of those films that are hard to compare to anything else out there)

That's It (film student made film, low-budget a la In Search Of A Midnight Kiss also reminiscent of 2 Days In Paris as well as Before Sunrise and Before Sunset, a talking walking type of film, very funny, very charming, sweet, nice performances as well)

April Showers (although I fell asleep a bit so can't really say I've seen it, but from what I've seen it's confusing, pretty boring, too serious)

Jerichow (second film I've seen by director Christian Petzold, first one was Yella, expected to be a bit of the same so started to wait for a big surprising film which would throw me into surrealism, but none of this at all, it's a very straightforward drama, still very good though, but not as fresh as I thought it would be, but still really very good, just solid and done well like it should, kept looking for underlying meanings but couldnt find them)

Unmade Beds (My personal favoutire, has some flaws 'cause it doesn't work completely, but Alexis Dos Santos has won my heart, love his vision which is like mine and thought his style was great, very nice performance from girl from L'Enfant which I mentioned before)

Rachel Getting Married (very solid film, great camerawork which gives you the feeling you're real part of the diegetic world making that at times you want to clap when people are giving speeches on screen, you really feel like you're there, Anne Hathaway's Oscar nomination is very well deserved, a great meaty role to show off your acting skills, it's funny and very recognizable, very well written)

Exhausted (the most horrible film I've probably seen so far in my entire life, shot completely in super 8 which is the only cool thing about it but makes watching it pretty exhausting hence the title??, the rest seems useless, strange strange strange, no clue why we had to endure this, nipples are being cut off and a fetus pops out from a vagina)

Wrong Rosary (exquisite lighting in this film, so dreamy, and that the entire film long, great close-ups and angles, sweet story though doesn't feel to work completely, still very enjoyable and great, but mostly the cinematography is amazing, what a great looking film)

Native Dancer (okay film, ends up being a bit too Hollywood-ish with kidnapping and stuff, expected something more intelligent)

Still Walking (very different from Nobody Knows, but still good, like Nobody Knows this one also ends up feeling to be a little bit too long, funny, charming grandma character, presenting a Japanese family, differences between new and old generation)

Pranzo Di Ferragosto (very charming film with very funny characters, very solid and enjoyable, simple premise done well and turned into much more than it could have ended up being, shows you don't need much to capture an audience's attention for 70 minutes)

That makes 24 films.
Here are the ones I liked the most and/or thought were the best:

Breathless
Unmade Beds
Wrong Rosary
Awaydays
Rachel Getting Married

?"ALMOST 2 HOURS(*

UIm happy to be home again after a long 2 hours in the train. A bit of delay and changing trains. I took one to Amsterdam Central but that one didn't stop in Haarlem. But it's okay. Also a woman was lying on the ground at one of the train platforms. Don't know what happened, but they had to call the ambulance. So that took another 15 extra minutes. It was my day off from the festival so I decided to watch at least 4 films. I saw That's It, a Brazillian film, April Showers, a Portugese one (though I didn't really see it due to me almost falling asleep a couple of times), Jerichow, German film from Christian Petzold who also did Yella, and the last one Unmade Beds, an Argentinian one, very very nice. I rated it a 5, which is highly personal, but it deserved it. That film is me, I can so relate to everything from the characters to the beautiful shots. My only complaint would be that it makes life seem so pretty and dreamy with lots of movie-moments if you know what I mean. So I had to remind myself that I was watching a film and in real life things don't look like this. But it's definitely a film I would like to own so when it arrives on DVD I'll probably buy it one day. I'm now even more excited to watch the first film by this director who's name is Alexis Dos Santos, which was Glue. Unmade Beds made me an instant fan. We share the same vision.
I'll be sad when the festival ends. How come they're so amazing...

_$FINALLY FOUND SOMEONE+_

YIPPIE! I just needed to say how glad I am that I found someone to cover up for me tomorrow morning at the IFFR, I can't be there 'cause I have a very important appointment at 1pm. I was asking everyone all day, then started making phone calls, and the first person who picked up immediately said she was able to trade shifts so I'll be working at night. She was already looking for someone too, so great. Happy!

#&AWARDS SEASON)_

Today Oscar nominees will be announced! I won't be able to watch live on CNN like I've done the previous years 'cause I'll be working at the IFFR. Last night had a blast. Met two girls who I knew from my lectures, though we never really talked, we didn't really know each other just recognized each others faces. So I wasn't planning ons eeing the volunteers opening film Bronson, which was going to start at 10 pm and this meeting I had before was at 7 and would finish around 8pm, meaning that i had to wait two hours before the start of the opening film. So I thought, no, I'm going home. But I ended up having dinner with these two girls and two other people who we just randomnly met. So I had a really fun start of the festival. Rotterdam I have to say, I don't udnerstand the traffic really, trams everywhere. By night the Pathé and De Doelen look very nice. I havent had the feeling yet I've really seen the city so I cant really tell yet whether I like it or not. But because I've heard from a lot of people they were a bit dissapointed with Rotterdam I'm a bit more sceptical. But so far I like it.

Plus, I found out I had a 7.8 for one of my courses and I already had a 8.5 for another one. So I'm doing really well. Passed everything so far. Now only have one more course left which will start February 2nd and my final MA thesis.