Woman Power


In the early 70’s women rights became a hot topic. Western society went through a dramatic transformation. Women suddenly were able to get an office job just like men, and without notice, from one day to the other, family structure was forever changed. With two working parents, children were raised differently and divorce rate shot up to the sky. What today we consider normal, in the 70’s this was very unusual.

We see the start of the independent woman in movies like “Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore” When a divorced woman decides to move with her nine-year-old son and start all life all over again, the obstacles they face are endless. Ellen Burstyn plays the role of her lifetime as a struggling mom who wants to work as a singer in bars. The movie is excellent, acting impeccable and the story, simple yet effective, stays with you long after the movie is over.

We now see plenty of stories involving only women, working moms, single mothers, etc, and no other contemporary writer has done it better than Canadian writer Alice Munro. In her short stories, almost always from a women’s point of view, the difficulties and intricacies of women’s lives are described in a simple and interesting way.

Sexual freedom is perfectly portrayed in John Waters’ latest film, A Dirty Shame (2004). For the first time I see women talking plainly about sex in an unabashed, direct way. No dirty shame here, only provoking language and scenes. Women take the lead in this story and lead men through the different sexual fantasies and possibilities. Nothing is prohibited, everything is allowed! Will we ever see the start of the power men age? Not just yet.

A Dirty Shame USA, 2004 ☆☆☆☆

Director John Waters creates a movie about sex, and only sex. It is ever present in every single scene. An average middle class American town is suddenly invaded by a group of sex addicts. The sexual references are strong, funny, ridiculous, cheap laughs and in the end very original. This one is either a love it or hate it movie. I love it.

Le Calvaire Belgium, 2004 ☆☆☆



A local singer / showman is driving alone in the countryside when his car breaks down. He finds help in a local farm, where the only person living there offers him a room for the night. This happens to be the worst decision of his life, since the farmer is crazy and will not allow him to leave. It will cost him his life to escape from this place.

Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore USA, 1974 ☆☆☆☆

The life of widow Alice, who struggles to find a job as a singer while raising a 10-year-old son. Incredible acting and dialogues.

Exit Through the Gift Shop USA, 2010 ☆☆☆☆



The story of a French filmmaker following graffiti artists who ends up becoming one of the hottest graffiti artists himself.

Alone in Four Walls Germany, 2007 ☆☆☆



The life of teenage Russian delinquents who spend 2-3 years in prison.

Bent UK, 2000 ☆☆☆☆

The love story of two concentration camp prisoners during World War II during the Nazi regime.

Food Inc. USA, 2009 ☆☆☆

Thema des Tages: Horoskop

Heute will ich über ein Thema schreiben, das mich oft stört. Das ist das Horoskop. Das blinde Glauben an das Horoskop ist mir ein Rätsel. Wie funktioniert das eigentlich? Unser Streben, unbedingt an etwas zu glauben, spielt hier eine wichtige Rolle. Wir wollen immer für alles eine Antwort finden. Die Beziehung zwischen der Position der Planeten und unserer Persönlichkeit ist schwer beweisbar zu machen. Der Sprung von einem zum anderen scheint unmöglich, doch einigen meiner Bekannten gelingt es, ihre Persönlichkeiten und Gewohnheiten mit den Bewegungen der Planeten zu erklären. Zauberei? Nein, nur reines Geplapper.

Was mich daran überrascht, ist die Fähigkeit dieser Personen lange Zeit über das Horoskop zu sprechen. Die Dialoge zwischen Horosko-Gläubigern sind dynamisch, animiert und sogar amüsant. Leider ist alles nur Palaver, geschmückt mit grundlosen Argumenten. Trotzdem ist die Horoskopkonversation ein lebendiger Austausch von Ideen, Beispielen, und Erlebnissen, die zusammen keinen Sinn machen.

La Zona Mexico-Spain, 2009 ☆☆☆☆



A reality check for all of those living in gated communities in Mexico. Security is top priority and people go all the way to protect themselves, often at the expense of others less fortunate. When a teenager enters the residential area called "la zona", the neighbours start a manhunt to get him and make justice for themselves.

Pepperminta Switzerland, 2009 ☆☆☆☆


Video artist Pipilotti Rist's first incursion into feature length movies is a real treat. Entertaining and original from beginning to end, shocking at times but overall funny, it is the hippie movie of our digital era.

Enter The Void France, 2009 ☆☆☆☆



A hallucinatory trip in the life of a young American who ends up as drug dealer in the Tokyo nightlife. His tragic story and that of his sister are told in flashbacks and numerous points of view. A visually stunning and shocking film.

The Maid La Nana, Chile, 2009 ☆☆☆☆

The story of a maid, who for 23 years, has worked with an affluent Chilean family, suddenly falls sick. When another maid comes to help, she gets even worse and starts to behave like a child. Not until a third maid comes to help does she open up to her and become very good friends. A surprisingly entertaining movie.

The Square Australia, 2008 ☆☆☆☆

Trying to escape from his monotonous married life, Raymond gets entangled with a younger married woman. They both plan to escape and run away. Not that simple, though. They hire someone to ransack the woman's place, where her husband has money hidden in the roof. What could go wrong? Well, almost everything, in very unexpected ways. This is a must-see!

Barking Dog Never Bites South Korea, 2010 ☆☆

A professor is constantly being bothered by his neighbor's unrelentless barking dog. After several attempts to get rid of him, he meets a girl at the post office who will help him get his temper under control. A dark comedy like only the Koreans can come up with.

Chloe Canada, 2010 ☆☆☆☆


The setting is a winter in Toronto. A successful doctor (Julianne Moore) suspects her husband is cheating on her. She hires a girl, Chloe, to find out. She discovers more than she would have liked, and getting rid of her will prove extremely difficult. Atom Egoyan knows how to create suspense in every character.

Tetro USA, 2009 ☆☆


A young man travels to Buenos Aires to meet his older brother who ran away years ago. Their family issues are as boring as can be and their instant success as theatre playwrights is totally unrealistic. But if you like to hear some Spanish and enjoy the Argentinian landscape, this is for you.

Stupeur et Tremblements France-Belgium, 2003 ☆☆☆

A Japan-born Belgian girl decides to get a job at a Japanese company. The corporate culture shock will make her cry and do crazy stuff. Can she survive? An entertaining true story.

Five years in Montréal

The first four pictures below are from my first apartment in this city. I rented a room at Marie-Josée's apartment on Pontiac Street and Mont Royal. Yep, right there in the Plateau. Too noisy neighbourhood if you ask me.

Then comes my second apartment (pictures 5 to 8) in downtown Montréal as well, but this time close to McGill University, the area known as "McGill ghetto". To the left of apartment building there is a now a huge Hilton hotel. In the corner of Av. Du Parc and Sherbrooke, the famous Café Imagination where I spent many afternoons. The espresso is very good there by the way.

My third apartment is on Fulton street (last two pictures), where I lived for more than 3 years here. This is the Russian-Eastern European-Jewish area. Thanks to Victor for taking the pictures.

Daytime Drinking South Korea, 2009 ☆☆