PNE Hangover

I know my body is changing when I am totally leveled by a day at the Pacific National Exhibition. This is how it went down though. My mom and 8 year old niece were in town for a few days which meant I had to put on my entertainers hat.

The first day was fairly basic, I only had to go to the Aquarium but yesterday I had to go to Vancouver's annual fair. I was tired when I arrived there at just after noon but my niece made it pretty clear she was gung-ho to go on as many rides as possible. So to prepare for this I had a 1/4 chicken, mini donuts, an ice tea and as the rides loomed closer and closer I decided to have a Rockstar energy drink. My stomach had been feeling a little queasy that morning but I thought none of it. My niece and I bought ride wrist bands and god dammit were gonna get our 40 bucks worth. If an 8 year old can handle it, so should I. Wrong, very, absolutely, surprisingly, WRONG.

The first two rides were OK: The Swings and a tilt-a-whirl clone. Then we approached the Orbiter. This is similar to the Octopus but larger and as I found out packs a hell of a lot more G-force. During this ride my stomach started to disagree with my choice of entertainment. I could feel the puke making it's way up my throat. I kept it down thankfully but I was completely disoriented and shaky afterwards.

My niece was unfazed as she ran to the next ride. I told her I almost ralphed but she didn't react. I want to go onto the pirate ship; she shrieked. I managed to stall her but I still wanted to try to go on a couple more gentle rides to get my money's worth. A fools plan but I didn't want to piss away good money.

When we finally got to the Pirate ship I sat closest to the side so as not to get any vomit on my fellow riders if I had to hurl. I didn't get sick but I felt like an old lady. After we got off I finally put my foot down. Nothing short of coating her in warm bile would have convinced her otherwise so I had to tell her firmly that I needed some time to collect myself.

During all this my mom was safely ensconced at the Casino. When we met up with her we decided we would escort my niece to the different rides but I wasn't going to go on anything that involved shaking, dropping or vigorous flailing. In the end I went on 8 rides and my niece went on about 16. One ride (1001 Nachts) she went on 5 times.

As soon as I got home I went right to bed (even the car ride home was making me ill). Today my legs and buttocks hurt. Which is all very troubling to me since I've been training for a Marathon and just last week I went for a 25 Kilometre run with very little after effects.
When I saw my niece this morning she was fine. Damn kids.

Off to TIFF

As you may or may not know I am going to the Toronto International Film Fest as part of the cast of When Life Was Good. I am very excited about this trip because I really think Terry (the director) really has something with this film and that many people will respond favourably to the subject matter. Many other exciting things are in the works. which I will tell you as they happen. I just hope I get to meet Don McKellar

Bad things happening to good people

A little something about the movie This is England...

Shane Meadows movie about skinheads in early 80's England is a bracing smash in the face. The acting is top notch, the cinematography is grainy and unrepentant; the kind of sickly depressing stuff the BBC was pumping out in the 70's. A friend of mine said the look of British films of that era would actually make him sick to his stomach. This is a celebration of that anti-aesthetic movement.

It's a guys movie if there ever was one. Similar to John Tutuorro in 5 corners or many or Joe Pesci in Good Fellas the director puts front and center a character that is a ticking bomb. You just know something bad is going to happen to one of the good kids in this movie. It just stressed me out so much I could barely watch it.

The character I speak of is a real twisted fuck who's fresh from behind bars. He's about a decade older than the rest of his gang and prison has sure turned him into a four-star white supremacist. He's got all sorts of unresolved issues with the nice skinheads and a real thing for one of their girlfriends. He gets a few good monologues in before he starts his violent rampage.

One of the few sympathetic characters was Woody, the Skinhead who chose not to be a racist. They don't see eye to eye as you can well imagine. So, he's ousted and the white power dude is the defacto leader of the gang. If Woody would have had more screen time I would have really gotten into this movie. This is the point where I was gonna turn it off. Then Meadows throws in this added bonus: it's the Wood man's girlfriend that the ex-con is after. Let the love begin.

Don't get me wrong I can understand why people like this movie. I just don't like the way I felt at the end of it. I love Von Trier, Haneke, Park Chan Wook and Bergman so I guess if the pill is forced down my throat by an artist I can handle it more. "Oh god that is so violent but look at the framing"...kinda thing.

I guess the documentary realness of it hit me too hard. Meadows, you won but am I really envious of the prize?

The 12 year old kid who is the actual lead in this film really didn't do much for me either. It's true I'm not a big fan of movies through the eyes of kids but that's not really why I didn't like this film.

I'd have to say the little bit of hope at the end didn't make up for all the shit I was put through.

I feel I have to watch a few episodes of Dr. Katz to really purge myself of the mean little bastard of a tale.

It's in Belgium

What a phenomenal movie In Bruges is. I mean...I just hate Colin Farrel just like the rest a yas' (except for his role in The New World) but this movie was just bigger than his ego. This movie flattened his myth in one bloody swing.

I knew something was going on with this flick when I heard it was directed by Martin McDonagh who did Six-Shooter; a truly fantastic short that won an Academy award a few years ago.

At first blush it seems like another kick at the Lock, Stock and Two Smokin' Barrels formula. What it ends up being is the best British crime movie since Sexy Beast. I like it even more than SB as it takes it's roots in plays such as Waiting for Godot (Beckett) and the Dumb Waiter (Pinter). Yes, this movie is full of existential angst (Anyone heard of Theatre of the Absurd?) and every frame has a powerful nihilistic charge to it... but it's funny as fuck to boot. It's alive and heading for the grave in and addictively giddy way.

You really should see it if you like non-traditional crime films and ever since Pulp Fiction I know that's what I've been looking for. Hope you will agree.