Politics: Al Gore's inconvenient truth...

Do what I say, don't do as I do...

Only 24 hours after having won an Oscar, Al Gore sees himsekf back at the eye of a storm (some glory moments don' tlast long)... Apparently his household consumption is 20 times the national US average...

On Sunday night, in front of the cream of the movie industry and the world's cameras, he stood alongside fellow eco-warrior Leonardo DiCaprio and proclaimed the ceremony the first in the Academy Awards' history to be run on "environmentally intelligent" lines. "And you know what?" he told the adoring crowd. "It's not as hard as you might think. We have a long way to go but all of us can do something in our own lives to make a difference." Something he had already told us in the documentary...

All the fuss because a little-known group based in his home state, the Tennessee Centre for Policy Research, had the (brilliant) idea of looking up Mr Gore's energy bills for his large home in the Belle Meade area of Nashville to see whether he practised what he preached... The figures, released to the group (under federal freedom of information rules), were amazing... last year the Gore household consumed 221,000 kilowatt-hours (kWh) of electricity - more than 20 times the national annual average! And the consumption of energy rose between 2005 and 2006. And in addition, he spent on average US$1,080 a month on natural gas. Combined, his electricity and gas bills reached almost US$30,000 a year. The president of the group, Drew Johnson, told the newspaper Guardian that he had no objection to someone spending US$30,000 on energy to light and heat a multimillion dollar house. "I only have a problem with that person telling us what light-bulbs to buy and that we should get a new low-energy refrigerator. That's hypocrisy, and I'm proud to have exposed it," he said.

By yesterday the news of Mr Gore's energy bills was flying around the internet...

of course, Al Gore's advisers promptly replied that "you can attack the messenger but the message remains the same" and that the energy bills fail to tell the whole picture. That all the energy used for the Nashville home comes from a green power that draws its energy from solar, wind-powered and methane gas supplies, among other sources. And that the Gores are installing solar panels on the roof of their home and making efforts to reduce their energy needs. Besides, Mr Gore would have adopted a "carbon neutral" life whereby any emissions for which he was personally responsible were offset by buying green credits such as parcels of forests. The important issue, they claim, is that Al Gore has devoted 30 years of his life to educating people about global warming. Mr Gore, or the 'Goracle' as he is now known, seems to have been keeping out of the controversy. He is enjoying is high moment after the Oscars... and it seems he is planning a global round of Live Earth concerts for the summer. According to rumours he may even try a late run for the 2008 election.

In any case, this issue reminds us that in politics one should not judge a book by its cover, even if it's green... And the truth is, there is no truth at all... all is relative... in particular for politicians...

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> this is a summary of an article in the Guardian, read the whole story.

Citizenship: Are Europeans happy?

Living in the European Union today

In order to better understand the social reality of European Union (EU) citizens, the European Commission launched in 2006 a special survey (measuring people’s perceptions of reality) that took the picture of different dimensions of social life in the EU.

Overall, taking all things together, most EU citizens are happy (87%). However, the picture is different between countries. People in the older 15 EU countries tend to feel happier than those living in the new Member States (MS) (28% vs. 17% are very happy). In particular in 3 countries people say they are very happy: Denmark (49%), Ireland (46%) and the Netherlands (43%). On the other side we find Bulgaria, Romania and Slovakia. Needless to say, "happiness here is mostly linked to the economic situation and the prospects for the future…

Europeans value mostly factors like local job opportunities, the pensions' situation and safety. Germany, Hungary, Poland and France are the countries where confidence in the future of pensions is particularly low (in Germany only 25% express confidence). As regards safety, the perception differs strongly from country to country. 88% of people in the Netherlands feel safe, while in Denmark 85%, Sweden (83%), France (79%), Luxembourg and Belgium (76%), compared to only 45% of Lithuanians, 46% of Bulgarians and 59% of Greeks.

Levels of satisfaction with the quality of life and the standard of living are also not the same throughout Europe. The highest levels are found in the Northern European countries - the Benelux, Scandinavia (the 'usual suspects'), the United Kingdom (UK) and Ireland. It is least widespread in Bulgaria (less than 50%). Iin Portugal and France the level of satisfaction with the standard of living is the lowest among the former EU countries. But whereas Frances scores bellow average as regards standard of living, it goes above average for quality of life.

On average European citizens tend to be relatively satisfied with their living environment. People in the Netherlands, Denmark, Luxembourg, Belgium and Ireland best rate their living environment, while people in Bulgaria are by far the least satisfied. Portugal is the only old EU member with low levels as eastern European countries. The pattern at country level is relatively similar with health, family and friends and acquaintances named as the three most important aspects of life in most countries.

When it comes to the other aspects of life, larger country variations are noted. Work is considered important by considerably fewer people than average in the UK (66%) and Ireland (69%) whereas in France, Slovenia, Luxembourg and Italy around 9 out of 10 respondents find it important. The importance of religion varies a lot: it is most widely seen as being important in Malta (88%), Poland (87%), Cyprus (86%), Greece (82%)and Italy (78%) . This contrasts starkly with views in the Czech Republic (28%), Denmark and Sweden (both 30%) and Spain (34%).

As regards equal opportunities, it seems that household tasks are still primarily carried out by women in nearly all countries, however those countries where 'machismo' is stronger are Greece, the Czech Republic, Malta and Spain. And In Sweden, Denmark and Finland, men and women share most the household chores.

Overall, the level of job satisfaction is relatively high in Europe. However, the average job satisfaction level varies significantly. Workers in Northern Europe (the usual suspects) tend to be most satisfied with their job, whereas people in the new countries, particularly people in Romania and Bulgaria, are least satisfied with their job. Malta is somewhat of an exception, being similar to other Western European countries. However it should be noted that job satisfaction levels in the southern countries (Portugal, Spain, Italy and Greece) are similar to those found in Eastern Europe.

Europeans value their leisure time. They tend to find it even more important than work. Equally, around 80% consider helping others or voluntary work an important aspect of their life. Most Europeans however do not seem to actively participate or do voluntary work. There are large differences between the countries with Austria (60%), the Netherlands (55%) and Sweden (53%) presenting the largest participation while the levels are lowest in Lithuania (11%) and Portugal (12%) – nothing new here…

While Europeans generally assess their overall personal situation as positive, they express concern about certain national issues. Unemployment is the most frequent concern (mentioned by 36%). The cost of living is also a concern as well as pension. At the country level, concerns about unemployment are particularly widespread in Greece (58%), Poland (53%) and Portugal (52%). Conversely, in Denmark (3%) and the Netherlands (5%) very few citizens feel concerned. Concerns about the cost of living are highest in Cyprus (60%), followed by Hungary (59%), Portugal and Romania (both 56%) while in Denmark (2%) and Sweden (8%) the cost of living is not a problem for most citizens.

While in general there is the feeling that the economic and employment situation will stay the same in the near future, there is particularly widespread optimism in Estonia, the Netherlands, Sweden and Lithuania. On the other side, in Hungary, Greece, Portugal, Luxembourg, Belgium and Cyprus views about collective life are pessimistic. Being concerned about the collective future notably means that European citizens worry about life for the next generation. On average, less than one person in five believes that the life of the next generation will be better while around two-thirds believe life will be more difficult for the next generation. In particularly baby-boomers, the generation born just after World-War II and until 1964, are most concerned about the future of today’s children: 70% of this generation believe that today’s children will have a more difficult life than they themselves did. Views about life for future generations differ significantly within the EU. In Portugal, for instance, where after difficult economic times people now seem to express faith in the future, citizens feel that life for future generations will be easier (57%). Conversely, only 3% of Germans believe that, but then Germans seem to be generally quite worried about their future.

And you, are you happy with your life? Confident in the future?

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Read the whole report here.

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Citizenship: AVAAZ campaigns

As major new challenges like climate change and escalating religious conflict threaten our common future, people from around the world are coming together to take global politics into their own hands. Avaaz is a community of global citizens who take action on the major issues facing the world today. The aim is to ensure that the views and values of the world’s people - and not just political elites and unaccountable corporations - shape global decisions.

Avaaz.org members wish to take action for a more just and peaceful world and a vision of globalization with a human face. "Avaaz.org is where it's all coming together – one place where people can join forces across borders to demand progress on peace, poverty, global warming, human rights, and other burning problems."

"In our inter-connected world, the actions of political leaders and corporations are having a profound impact on all of us. To match the power and reach of global leaders and borderless corporations, Avaaz.org members are building a powerful movement of citizens without borders. As citizens without borders, we might not have the resources of governments, corporations or the media, but working together we can bring together millions of people around the world and make global public opinion really count on major global issues like poverty, climate change, human rights and global security."

The name 'avaaz' means "Voice" or "Song" in several languages including Hindi, Urdu, Farsi, Nepalese, Dari, Turkish, and Bosnian.

Right now Avaaz.org is doing one campaign to promote real peace talks in the middle east. It will soon be seven long and devastating years since the top Israeli, Palestinian, and international leaders sat down together to talk peace. But this week that tide could turn - when President Abbas and Prime Minister Olmert meet with US Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice in Jerusalem. Read more here.

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Another campaign focuses on a climate wake up call. It proposes to make a petition to World Leaders: "Climate change is the greatest threat facing our world today - and we are almost out of time to stop it.You must tackle this problem now, decisively and together. Start working toward a new global agreement this year. Set binding global targets for emissions to avert catastrophic climate change. Take bold action immediately - and we will join our efforts with yours. "

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Check it and sign the petitions... it's easy and free.

Citizenship: Minority Rights Group

Minority Rights Group International (MRG) works to secure the rights of ethnic, religious and linguistic minorities and indigenous peoples worldwide, and to promote cooperation and understanding between communities. They have just published a study about minorities in Irak.

Since 2003, the civilian population of Iraq has been subjected to horrific levels of violence and terror. But for Iraq’s minority communities, caught between the warring factions, the crisis is particularly acute. So much so that the very existence of some of these groups in their ancient homeland is now under threat. Ten per cent of Iraq’s population is made up of minority communities. They include Armenian and Chaldo-Assyrian Christians, Bahá’ís, Faili Kurds, Jews, Mandaeans, Palestinians, Shabaks, Turkomans and Yazidis. Some of these groups have lived in Iraq for two millennia or more. There is now a real fear that they will not survive the current conflict and their unique culture and heritage in Iraq may be extinguished forever. A huge exodus of these communities is now taking place. The Iraqi Ministry for Migration and Displacement in Iraq has estimated that nearly half of the minority communities have left the country. According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, minorities make up approximately 30 per cent of the 1.8m Iraqi refugees now seeking sanctuary in Jordan, Syria and across the world.

All of Iraq’s minority communities have suffered violations since 2003 which include:
• destruction and defacement of religious buildings
• mass murder of congregations gathered in and around them
• abduction, ransoming and murder of religious and civic leaders and individuals including children
• forced conversion to Islam using tactics such as death threats, rape and forced marriage.

> read more here.

Cinema: Carlos Reygadas' "Japón"

"Japón" was Mexico’s Carlos Reygadas' astonishing debut film which has nothing to do directly with Japan as the title might suggest, but which comes from the rising-sun symbol associated with Japan rising again every day and renewing itself, and other references from Japan maybe (the elegant harakiri, the respect for the elderly). Although this link is not easily made at first glance...

It was an ambitious and promising first film, an enigmatic parable, a meditation on life, death, faith and redemption. Actually it is somehow 'religious', one could say... A (supposedly) painter from the big city who is tired of life (and disabled) goes to a remote canyon in the north of Mexico to end his life. To reach some quietness he stays at the house of Ascensión, an old religious woman, outside a village, nestled in the canyon. His journey takes an unexpected turn when he gets to know Ascensión and gets in touch with the powerful nature. He slowly rediscovers, through mixed unexpected emotions, the lust for life. Particularly strong is the sex/love scene, as the means for emotional redemption…

Beautifully shot, "Japón" is not a narrative film, it’s a film of long silences and slow rhythm (sometimes a bit too long…) yet measured, a film of few words, strong landscapes and panoramic images, strong rough moments, carefully chosen sounds and music. Nature and the landscapes are like characters, part of the story. The characters themselves are vague and their actions do not always make sense. The film is full of surprises and definitely has a strong lyrical and poetic power that make it a beautiful feast to the senses. It is performed by many non professional actors, by actor Alejandro Ferretis as the main character and Magdalena Flores, the villager who plays the old woman. Unfortunately, Ferretis and his companion Francisco Javier Vega, would be murdered in April 2004 in the residence of the actor in San Miguel de Allende, some 200 km north of Mexico City. According to one of the close relations of Ferretis, "the two men were atrociously massacred, with a hammer or a bar of iron. A true butchery. Unthinkable".

Carlos Reygadas's film caused a considerable stir at the Cannes film festival and has received many awards, namely a special Camera d’Or at the Cannes Film, best film at the Bratislava film festival, New director’s award at Edinburgh festival, audience choice award at Stockholm, etc…

Japón may be frustrating or boring for many people and is certainly not an easy film, with its slow pace and long silences, yet it is uncomfortably difficult to forget it and I believe that hardly anyone can remain indifferent to the film’s beauty, its amazing landscapes and their strength...

As the newspaper Le Monde wrote, "the most beautiful film of the new century".

And don’t forget

Reygada’s follow up, “Batalla en el cielo”, which he directed only three years after, in 2005, also very strong yet less special. And i am already eagerly awaiting the follow up...

Music: Scarlett & Justin episode 1

Scarlett Johansson is the cherry of the cake, starring in the new video clip of Justin Timberlake (What goes around). It seems that the clip is already a big success in the net, whereas it has not officially come out yet – it is expected to be out on March 3. But it is maybe less the quality of the song than the clip itself (and Scarlett’s presence) that explains this success... Justin and Scarlett (who are said to be having an affair, now that Scarlett has left cutie Josh) offer hot scenes in the video, which has already been seen by some 1.5 million people in Internet. There are three versions of the video, one of three minutes intended for television, this one of nine minutes available in the web and a thirty minute one which is not yet available. Vive le ‘marketing’… and Scarlett Johansson! and send Josh Hartnett to comfort him…

Cinema: Martin Scorsese gets it all at the Oscars...

Martin Scorsese was the big winner of the 79th Oscars' awards! Scorsese, who had missed out on five previous occasions (!) said he was "overwhelmed" and asked to double-check…"Could you double-check the envelope?". 27 years after his first nomination (in 1980 with 'Raging Bull'), he finally made it and it is of course a very well deserved award, even though this years' film 'The departed' is quite a classic mainstream picture.

In 1981 (with 'Raging Bull') he was beaten by Robert Redford's 'Ordinary People'. And he had been nominated four other times, in 1988 for 'The Last Temptation of Christ', in 1990 for 'Good Fellas', in 2002 for 'Gangs of New York' and in 2004 for 'The Aviator'. And he has also received two nominations for best screenplay, with 'Good Fellas' in 1990 and in 1993 with 'The Age of Innocence'. Yet for me his best films are

'After Hours' from 1985) and 'Taxi Driver' from 1976 (and let's not forget 'New York, New York', 1977). Yet 'Taxi driver' won 4 Oscars, for best picture, for best actor (Robert De Niro), best actress in a supporting role (Jodie Foster) and also best original music.

But this year the mob drama 'The Departed' won a total of four Oscars, including that for best film (instead of 'Babel' as I had predicted…).

Forest Whitaker got the statue for best actor in a leading role ('The last king of Scotland'), Helen Mirren got yet another award for her performance in the overrated 'The Queen', Alan Arkin won best supporting actor for 'Little Miss Sunshine'! :-) Jennifer Hudson earned best supporting actress for 'Dreamgirls'. Surprisingly 'Pan's Labyrinth' got three Oscars (well, for best makeup, best cinematography…) and even 'Little Miss Sunshine' got two Oscars, as well as 'An Inconvenient Truth' and 'Dreamgirls'. And german film 'Das leben der anderen' (The lives of others) got a deserved Oscar for best foreign film! Finally, a lifetime achievement Oscar was given to Italian composer Ennio Morricone for his "magnificent and multi-faceted contributions to the art of film music". And let's not forget Marie Antoinette's prize for costume design…

And well, no, Kate Winslet in 'Little Children' and Abigail Breslin in 'Little Miss sunshine' did not make it this year… but they'll come back… maybe.

I must say that I never expect 'miracles' at the Oscars…it is not meant to discover new talents or trends, it's objective is not to award films that take risks and break the rules, that shock, that challenge one's imagination and brains. It targets after all those films that work quite well at multi-cinemas and win at the box-office, in the worst case scenario, after being awarded an Oscar…

Cinema: 'Little Miss sunshine' wins at the Césars

'Little Miss Sunshine', low budget first film by Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris, won another award, this time for best foreign film, at the French Césars ceremony. Ignored by the Goldens Globes, the film had obtained by surprise, end of January, the award for best picture of the American producers (PGA), also after having received the prize for best 'Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture' from the actors syndicate (SAG). I wonder how it will be treated by the Oscars later today, but it would be expecting too much, I guess, that it gets the best film award…

In France, the César for best actor went to François Cluzet in 'Ne le dis à personne', for best actress to Marina Hands in 'Lady Chatterley' (which got 4 Césars!) – and which is coming out soon in Belgium. Guillaume Canet won the award for best director with 'Ne le dis à personne' and 'Lady Chatterley' was crowned as best film (directed by Pascale Ferran). 'Indigènes' won the best original screenplay prize (by Olivier Lorelle and Rachid Bouchareb) and 'Lady Chatterley' won again for best adaptation.

Now it’s just waiting for the Oscars…

Music: Best of 2006

This year the "Best of" comes a bit late... yet it's never too late is it? 2006 was the year of confirmation of norwegian musician Lindstrøm and of danish Trentemøller, as well as the group The Rapture from New York, with a great second album (and a fresh live act). The year of the rediscovery and confirmation of Fujiya & Miyagi, Post Industrial Boys (from Georgia), Cat Power, Fuckpony, Nouvelle Vague, Scissor Sisters (well partly), Tiga and many others. For me it was the year of the discovery of many rising promises like Michoacan (mexican musician from US), Loco Dice (from Hamburg), MSTRKRFT (from Canada), Tekel (from France), CSS (Cansei de ser sexy) (from Brazil), Minilogue (from Sweden), Lily Allen, Delorean (from Spain), Pinkboy (from Portugal) and many others. 2006 was the year of minimal electro-house or minimal techno-house, whatever you want to call it, with flagships like Marc Romboy , Stephan Bodzin (from Systematic in Germany), Martin Buttrich, Nick Chacona, Loco Dice and Digitalism, Sasse, etc...

So here's the list and have fun looking up for it. The January-February 2007 playlist will soon be out...

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MUSIC choices 2006

Albums / Top 5
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Trentemoller “The last resort”
The Rapture “Pieces Of The People We Love”
Fujiya & Miyagi “Transparent Things”
Lindstrøm “It's a Feedelity Affair”
MSTRKRFT “The looks”
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others:
Cat Power "The greatest"
Fuckpony “Children of love”
Hey Willpower “P.D.A.”
In Flagranti “Wronger than anyone else”
Kudu “Death of the party”
Mummer "SoulOrganismState"
Nathan Fake "drowning in a sea of love"
Nouvelle Vague “Bande á Part”
Peter von Poehl “Going Where The Tea Trees Are”
Post Industrial Boys “Trauma”
The Presets (Beams) “spazzzdancefagrock”
Psapp “The Only Thing I Ever Wanted”
Scissor Sisters ‘Ta Dah”
Tekel “Tekel”
Tiga “Sexor”
Tom Yorke “The Eraser”
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Compilations
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Boogy Bytes Vol. 02 Mixed By Sascha Funke
Compost Black Label Series Vol. 1
DJ Kicks mix by Henrik Schwartz
Elaste Vol. 1 - Slow Motion Disco (Compiled By DJ Mooner)
in bed with NOVA deuxième nuit
Kitsuné Maison 3
Kompakt Total 7
Late night Tales : Belle & Sebastian
Late night Tales : Nouvelle Vague
Plague Songs (4AD)
Systematic Colours - Various Artist
min2MAX-Minus
NOVAtunes 1.3 compil +
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Singles

Top 10
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Âme “Rej (Original Club Mix)”
Black Devil Disco Club “The devil in us”
Cajuan “Dance not Dance (Digitalism remix)”
CSS (Cansei de ser sexy) “Let’s make love and listen to death from above”
Derrick L. Carter, Dixon, Henrik Schwarz & Âme “Where we at version 1”
Djuma Soundsystem "Les Djinns (Trentemoller Rmx)"
Gnarls Barkley “Crazy”
Michoacan “2 bullets (disaster)”
Minilogue “Little Sisters (D-Nox & Beckers Remix)”
Peter, Bjorn & John “Young Folks (Punks Jump Up - Special Disco Mix)”
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Other Tracks:

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Ante Perry “Beach power” / Danton Eeprom "Les amants robotiques" / Hey Willpower “Phenomenon” / Hiem “Zombie party” / Hot Chip “Over And Over (Justus Kohncke's Baking Horse Club Mix)” / Jennifer Cardini & Shonky “August in Paris” / Joakim “I wish you were gone (JK dub) / Justice vs. Simian “Never Be Alone (Dj Hell`s Bavarian Gigolo Mix)” / Justin Timberlake “Sexy back” / Kate Wax "Killing your ghost" / Lily Allen “Smile” / Loco Dice “ El gallo negro (Original mix)” / Lushlife “smile” / Martin Buttrich “Full clip” / Midnight Juggernauts “shadows"/ Mike Monday “zumzum” / MSTRKRFT “ Work on you & Easy Love” /
Nick Chacona “Leo (Sasse Discotronix Remix)” / Mish Mash “Speechless (Extended Mix )” / Ooze & Ooze feat. Tishk “Random Wondrous Things” / Poni Hoax “She’s on the radio” /
Radio Slave “ My Bleep (Roman Flugel Remix)” / Rodamaal feat. Claudia Franco “Insomnia (Ame remix)” / Sasse feat Kiki “Loosing touch” / Sebastien San “Universal Language (Remix)” / Tekel “Smet” / Uffie “Hot Chick” / Yoshimoto “Do what you do” (Trentemoller Rmx)" .

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Cinema awards for every taste...

This weekend will be rich in statues & prizes for the 7th art. After the spanish Goyas (boring this year), the british BAFTA, and finaly the Berlinale awards a couple of days ago, this friday evening will see the french "Césars" awards evening in Paris (Théâtre du Châtelet). Sunday will see the curtains open up at the stage of the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood, for the 79th Oscar awards.

Off Hollywood, on a different approach, there will be the Razzie Awards, parody of the Oscars, which will annouce the worst actors and films of the year... Expected as favourite, 'Basic Instinct 2' gets the big share in the categories worst film, actrice, director and screenplay... (I've seen the film, believe it or not - long story - and it's not as bad as it may seem...). But France doesn't stay behind, with the Gérard du cinéma, awarded yesterday, and the Bidets d'or to be awarded also this friday, where 'Les Bronzés 3' & 'Incontrôlables' will probably 'shine'...

Yet the palme d'or for radicalism goes straight to the scandinavian site oscartorrent.com. That site, pirating Hollywood, proposes to vote for the nominated films, and, above all, to download them! They believe that each one should have the right to see the nominated films, before making their own mind, and the site explains how to download them in all legality, despite the threats of the swedish authorities. So go running before they close the site... And if you want to try a bet/vote, you can do it in the spanish site 'blog de cine"...

As for me I will try to stay awake for the Oscars... just for the fun...

And I bet the outcome of the Oscars will be as follows:

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'Babel' for best film,
Martin Scorsese with 'The Departed' for best director,
Forest Whitaker in 'The last king of Scotland' for best actor in a leading role,
Alan Arkin in 'Little Miss Sunshine' for best actor in a supporting role,
Kate Winslet in 'Little Children', for best actress in a leading role,
Abigail Breslin in 'Little Miss sunshine' for best actress in a supporting role,
'Babel' for best original screenpaly,
'Little Children' for best adapted screenpaly (can you believe it, 'Borat' was nominated?...),

and finally, ‘El Laberinto del Fauno’ for best foreign language film...

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Cinema: Cinema catalan à Bruxelles en mars '07

El març de 2007, i per primera vegada a Brussel.les, el Casal Català organitza una Mostra de Cinema Català al cinema Vendôme.

La programació és la següent/ programmation:

01/3- 19.30 h -Tu vida en 65 minutos, de Maria Ripoll (V.O. catalana - subtítols anglès)
08/3 - 19.30 h - Dies d'agost, de Marc Recha (V.O. catalana - subtítols anglès)
11/3 - 11.00 h - El zoo d'en Pitus, de Mireia Ros (infantil) (V.O. catalana - sense subtítols)
15/3 - 19.30 h - El Triunfo, de Mireia Ros (V.O. castellana - subtítols anglès)
22/3 -19.30 h - Salvador, de Manuel Huerga (V.O. catalana - subtítols francès i neerlandès)

El drink d'obertura tindrà lloc el dia 1 de març al mateix cinema Vendôme, després de la projecció de la primera pel·lícula, amb vi i cava catalans. La festeta de clausura tindrà lloc a "Imagin'air - Art café" (Pl. Fernand Cocq, 6, 1050 Brussel·les) després del passi de Salvador, el dia 22 de març (a partir de les 22h). L'entrada és lliure i podrem degustar els productes Bio i artesanals que tenen a disposició. Tindrem una sala per nosaltres per discutir sobre la pel·lícula... amb un/a convidat/da sorpresa... Apunteu-vos-hi encara que ja hagueu vist la pel·lícula abans!

Comment le baby-boom pèsera sur les cinquante prochaines années en Europe

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LEMONDE.FR | 20.02.07

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Airbus hindered by nationalism

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©

HAPPY NEW YEAR OF THE PIG !!!

(photo: Reuters)

View your card here!

The New chinese year of the PIG is here! The pig is one of 12 signs named after 12 different animals on the Chinese zodiac, which follows the lunar calendar. Unlike the Western zodiac of 12 signs a year, Chinese horoscopes follow a system of one animal sign per year, for a 12-year period. People born in pig years are hardworking, loyal, honest, polite and lucky, obliging, loyal, indulgent, truthful, impartial, intelligent, sincere, and culturedaccording to Chinese astrology. Fortune tellers say this is a "golden pig" year, which comes around only once every 60 years, so the Chinese welcomed the new year worldwide in particularly exuberant style with the bangs and whistles of millions of fireworks.

Want to find out more about your chinese sign? Check here!

Lifestyle: How to avoid a kitschy Valentine…

Every year, as Valentine’s day approaches, shops make up their windows with pink and kitschy decorations, magazines publish ads for romantic weekends or intimate escapes, as do websites, publicizing the most beautiful flowers, cards and other gifts to offer the beloved one(s)… with perfect ideas for the most original gift and to escape routine. And many restaurants and hotels ride on the wave and offer exquisite packages and exotic and aphrodisiac menus, enticing those who wish to celebrate Valentine’s day in a more ‘classical’ way.

This was a very popular date celebrated mostly in the US but it has spread quite fast in Europe and shops have exploited it more in recent years, seeing in it as another market possibility to expand business between Christmas and Easter.

But now, do you wish to spend the evening in a restaurant next to other supposedly romantic couples without any intimacy expressing your love to your beloved one? Or do you feel compelled to send cards and buy flowers to your husband/ wife/ lover or boy-/girlfriend just because it’s Valentine’s day? And because maybe ‘she’ expects something (I guess the ‘hes’ care less about the date…). Or do you feel frustrated and miserable if no one sends you a card or offers you flowers or invites you for a romantic evening?

Well, if you don’t give a s*** about this date, now you don’t have to commit suicide (it seems that suicide rates go up these days, as they go around new year or before the proms in the US, when silly American teenagers feel miserable and think it is unbearable to have no date…). But only if you are American… The company Alibi Network has specialised in finding alibis to suit your needs to avoid having to celebrate Valentine’s day. For an amount from 35 to over 1000 US$, Alibi develops scenarios to cheat the wife, the husband, the lover and keep you out of trouble. It seems that this year men are eager to cheat their lovers rather than their wives…
As they say, “Politicians have spin doctors, celebrities have publicists, corporations
have lawyers and public relations departments, investment banks have analysts, now regular people have Alibi network”.

So why be sad or stressed? Get an alibi or just forget the pink, get a martini and avoid the blues…

Cidadania: ASSIM 'SIM'

SIM / YES / OUI / JA / SI / NE / JOO / IGEN / DA / EVET / BAI

Finalmente o "SIM" ganhou! O resultado surpreendeu-me positivamente, pois esperava uma resultado menos contundente e claro. Com quase 60% de votos a favor do 'sim' (e apenas 40% de 'não'), e apesar de o resultado não ser vinculativo, o governo de José Sócrates tem agora um mandato inequívoco para despenalizar a lei do aborto. O "sim" obteve mesmo mais 1 milhão de votos do que no anterior referendo. E apesar da abstenção ter sido superior a 50%, o número de votantes foi superior ao anterior referendo, como indicou o jornal Público.

Os eleitores portugueses manifestaram grande maturidade democrática e feitas as contas, depois das mulheres portuguesas, Sócrates foi também um vencedor ontem, à esquerda, à direita e dentro do próprio PS. À esquerda pois inscreveu a despenalização no programa eleitoral do PS e no programa do governo e insistiu na repetição do referendo contra a vontade de outros partidos de esquerda. Tanto o BE (bloco de esquerda) como o PCP (partido comunista) teriam preferido aprovar a lei de despenalização sem referendo. Ganhou também à direita pois o 'sim' venceu largamente e foi a direita (tradicionalmente conservadora e católica) quem defendeu o 'não'. E finalmente ganhou dentro do PS pois deu pessoalmente a cara pelo 'sim' e demarcou-se claramente da atitude de Guterres em 98 e da sua época de 'nim' e de falta de tomadas de decisão claras.

Mas Portugal também ganhou, ao demonstrar que a força da ICAR (igreja católica apostólica romana) já foi… Apesar de cerca de 90% dos portugueses se considerarem católicos (segundo sondagens), demonstraram que são capazes de pensar por si próprios e de julgar causas e valores sociais independentemente das orientações e da moral católicas vigentes. Aliás houve mesmo até movimentos de católicos que se manifestarm apelo 'sim'. o ” A lei que seguirá e será submetida a votação no Parlamento com carácter de urgência vai assim despenalizar o aborto a pedido da mulher até às dez semanas, em estabelecimento legalmente autorizado. E acabar com uma injustiça e hipócrisia social de longa data.

E seria agora de esperar que, embalado por este resultado positivo e pela maturidade do eleitorado, o Governo decida começar ainda nesta legislatura com a discussão sobre outro tema mais controverso e ainda mais importante como a REGIONALIZACÃO ou mesmo sobre outros temas difíceis como o casamento de pessoas do mesmo sexo ou a eutanásia. Afinal, ao contrário do que apregoam muitos 'velhos do Restelo', a sociedade portuguesa parece ser já bastante liberal e estar preparada para esses desafios. Apenas espero que para o tema da regionalização o PS e Sócrates tenham o bom-senso de promover um acordo de estado com os principais partidos e particularmente com o PSD (sociais-democratas). Apenas com um referendo avalizado e apoiado pelos dois grandes partidos e uma divisão político-administrativa consensuada será possível fazer passar a regionalização em referendo nacional.

*

[EN]

Portugal votes 'YES' to make abortion legal

Despite the low turnout (less than 50% voted), the portuguese massively voted for a change in Portugal's strict abortion laws. The result is not legally binding, due to the low turnout, but is indicative. Prime Minister Sócrates has in any case a clear indication that the majority of the people wishes the law to change and has already indicated he will soon make a proposal to the Parliament for a new bill. He said: "Abortion will be legal in this county within the first 10 weeks of pregnancy, if it is requested by the woman and carried out in a registered clinic." Indeed this result is unequivocal and the parliament will now legislate according to the will of the Portuguese people.

Other than the Portuguese women, Prime Minister José Sócrates was also a winner yesterday. It was an important result for him and the Socialists as he promised a vote on the abortion issue as part of the 2005 election campaign following the failure of the previous poll (referendum) in 1998. Yesterday some 59% voted for a change in the law and 41% voted no. But Portugal also won, by demonstrating that the catholic church is not as powerful as it was some 20 years ago. Although some 90% of the Portuguese people consider themselves to be catholic (according to surveys), they showed that they are capable of thinking independently of the orientation and moral values proned by the church.

The new law to be approved by the Parliament will put an end to the injustice and hypocrisy in Portugal. And who knows if the Socialist party, boosted by the maturity shown by the Portuguese people, will not wish to go ahead, in Parliament, with the discussion of other controversial issues such as same sex marriage or euthanasia… After all, the Portuguese seem to be more liberal than some make pretend.

Citizenship: Portugal split on abortion decision

(abortion laws in Europe)

Polls in Portugal show that majority of voters favour changing law on terminations despite protests by Catholic church.

From the BBC news:

"High above the Tagus River overlooking Lisbon's majestic suspension bridge stands a statue of Christ, arms outstretched, looking down on the country's traditionally reverential citizens.
The image is a powerful symbol of the close relationship between the Catholic Church and the Portuguese people, but as the current debate over whether to legalise abortion is demonstrating, that bond is showing signs of strain. Opinion polls are currently suggesting that a majority of people will vote on Sunday to allow a woman to have an abortion within the first 10 weeks of pregnancy. The change is being pushed by the socialist government and by liberal activists.Almirinda Bento, from the Umar women's rights group, says it is "unacceptable" that Portugal does not allow abortion. "The state has to have a law that allows women to solve a problem that is in essence an issue of public health. The state should not leave women in such a state of fragility," she says. Just because abortion is illegal here - except in cases of rape or where the woman or child's health is in danger - does not mean that thousands of women don't terminate their pregnancies each year. (…)
Though abortion is either banned or severely restricted in Ireland, Poland and Malta, only in Portugal can women like Carolina be sent to prison - for up to three years - for having an abortion. But regardless of the referendum result, abortion may be coming to Portugal anyway. Yolanda Hernandes who runs the Clinica dos Arcos in Badajoz says she has found a weakness in the existing Portuguese law that will allow her to open a clinic in Lisbon in March. "Those who do not want to have an abortion, do not have to. But those who do must have the best conditions possible. We must create the means," says Ms Hernandes."

read further on abortion in Europe.

Citizenship: Italian government finally votes for Gay Civil Unions bill

"Italy is today a more fair country", has announced Piero Fassino, leader of the party Ds, of the government coalition. The Italian Council of Ministers approved on 8 February a project of bill for civil unions, including those of same-sex couples, judged by Minister Giuliano Amato to be better than the French PACs. The text approved yesterday is a proposal and will be subject to modifications by the Parliament (lower House and Senate). It will only be effective after approval by the Parliament and after being published in the Official journal in Italy. "The bill recognizes the persons who live in co-habitation, either homosexuals or heterosexuals, the essential rights in order to make their life more solid and stable", indicated Ds party leader, Piero Fassino. At the same time, "this is a balanced and reasonable bill, that does not go against the rights and prerogatives of the family based in marriage", he added. The law will be called DICO (Diritti e doveri delle persone stabilmente conviventi = rights and duties of cohabiting persons). The Vatican (as usual) has campaigned against the legislation, claiming that homosexuals would seek to marry if a model resembling a marriage would be introduced. They pretend that marriage is only between a man and a woman. Therefore, to pacify catholic opposition, lawmakers followed the (limited) model in force in France since 1999 – the PACs, which provides co-habiting couples irrespective of sexual orientation the possibility to leave inheritances and life insurance to partners and also allows to share tax and health benefits.

Some gay activists however, like Vladimir Luxuria (communists) or Franco Grillinidice from Ds party, claim that the law is too limited and does not go far enough. It does not require a joint declaration of both partners and requires too many years of living together to access the rights. All in all, it is recognised that lawmakers could have done better but this is a first step ahead in a (too) conservative and catholic Italy.

Prime Minister Romano Prodi had promised to introduce the legislation in his programme before the last elections. The approved draft law will now be presented to the parliament. Italy was one of the only three countries among the 13 that share the euro, along with Ireland and Greece, not to have any form of legal framework for same-sex couples.

Read more in the newspaper La Repubblica.
Read the text of the draft bill.

Cinema: David Lynch is back...

Six years after Mulholland drive, David Lynch is back with "Inland Empire", an hallucinating film about cinema, acting, space and time and inner liberation, going further than ever before and filming longer (nearly three hours). And back with him is Laura Dern, as producer and with an extraordinary piece of acting. It is Lynch's first movie shot with a consumer digicam (the Sony PD-150).

David Lynch’s films are usually not transparent and it’s not easy to reach a conclusive explanation of any of his films. And each time we see a film we may get to different conclusions. I had to see Mulholland drive three times to get some clue... But this time, even by his usual standards, Lynch goes a bit (too?) far… He is supposed to film the remake of a polish film, one which was never released because the two main actors were killed (adultery?), but nearly from the outset we get lost and do not know which parts belong to the remake or to the original or which parts are dream or “reality”, nightmare or pure fantasy, which relate to the unconscious or the subconscious, and where it all takes places in space… and time. Lynch takes no account of the laws of space and time, of cause and effect, action and reaction, real and surreal… The best here is to abandon all logic and let yourself go and be surprised by the crazy intertwined line of action, but don’t even try to fix the puzzle. Anyway, why would we need to understand? We should just let Lynch drive our feeling through this ‘rollercoaster’ of emotions. In the end, Lynch is a painter (which he already was before he started filming, and he also practises transcendental meditation) and the screen is his canvas where he shapes emotions, fantasies, abstract ideas, painting here a claustrophobic, hallucinatory, tiring, obsessive, terrifying, spooky, weird but in the end liberating atmosphere.

In this film he revisits the bewitched Hollywood boulevard, as no other local film director has done recently, yet he is totally atypical there. I wouldn’t call Lynch an elitist, as Peter Travers wrote in the Rolling stone, “ See him for what he is: an artist following his own maverick instincts and inviting us to jump with him into the wild blue.”

Yet, this travel gets heavy after a while and one could get tired of trying to fit the puzzle and follow Laura Dern's pace… the story goes on for too long (nearly three hours) and it all gets a bit repetitive (I know it’s on purpose and part of the plot) but it proves burdensome after a while. A film must be able to surprise, to provoque but it also should be a pleasure to watch, it should be entertaining not boring, so when it gets to a certain stage it is not really achieving it. And one has to struggle to keep following the ‘plot’ and avoid disconnecting.

There are however great moments of cinema, like the ‘human rabbits’ scenes – anthological - (voiced by Naomi Watts, Laura Harring and Scott Coffey), the hookers who sing "The Loco-Motion" song and the changes of scenes from L.A. to Poland to somewhere we don’t know. I must say I had a bit difficulty following and it became too much and too long after a while. I still prefer Mulholland drive, Lost Highway or Blue Velvet. Yet I recognise this is another piece of Lynch’s art, maybe his most ambitious to date, so don’t miss it.

And one shouldn't forget the soundtrack, which works as a sound painting perfectly fitting the images. This time without Angelo Bardalamenti or Julee Cruise, but with songs written and composed by Lynch himself or with Christa Bell, interpreted by The Mantovani Orchestra, the National Polish Radio Symphony Orchestra, The Dave Brubeck Quartet and Lynch himself, among others.

As Manohla Dargis wrote in the New York Times, “In “Inland Empire,” the classic hero’s journey has been supplanted by a series of jarringly discordant scenes, situations and setups that reflect one another much like the repeating images in the splintered hall of mirrors at the end of Orson Welles’s “Lady From Shanghai.” The spaces in “Inland Empire” function as way stations, holding pens, states of minds (Nikki’s, Susan’s, Mr. Lynch’s), sites of revelation and negotiation, of violence and intimacy. They are cinematic spaces in which images flower and fester, and stories are born.”

Cinema: Fantasporto

The Fantasporto 2007 film festival will be hold between the 19th February and the 4th March in Oporto, Portugal, mostly at the Rivoli Theatre (check website). The Sá da Bandeira Theatre will be the perfect setting for the Vampires’s Ball, in the closing night…

Founded 27 years ago by a group of film fans and critics, Fantasporto is the best and best-known international film festival in Portugal. It started as a haven for sci-fi and fantasy films, genres which were not so well-seen then, but after a huge success in the first two years, the festival broadened its horizons with thrillers and seven years later with a New Directors competition. Nevertheless, fantasy is still its trade mark, especially with the Portuguese press. As is indicated in the site, “the basic idea behind the Oporto Film Festival is to promote films that seek new forms and methods of film making.”

The films on display come mostly from majors such as Warner, Columbia, UIP or Fox, producers as Miramax, New Line or Summit and from other companies all over the world. The festival is and has been a fertile ground for the discovery of new cinematographies, for "sneak previews" or for launching "difficult" films like "Bullworth" or "Scream 3" (European premières). Fantasporto ‘discovered’ David Cronenberg’s "Shivers" and Brian de Palma’s "Carrie" in 1981, David Lynch’s "Eraserhead" in 1982, Ridley Scott’s "Blade Runner" in 1983, Joel & Ethan Cohen’s "Blood Simple" in 1986, Quentin Tarantino’s "Reservoir Dogs" in 1993 and Alejandro. G. Iñaturri’s "Amores Perros" in 2001, among many others.

This year’s fantasy official and competitive section includes, EL LABERINTO DEL FAUNO by Guillermo del Toro (Mex – Spain – USA), HISTORIAS DEL DESENCANTO by Alejandro Valle (Mex), ISOLATION by Billy O’Brien (UK – Ire), JADE WARRIOR by Antti-Jussi Annila (Fin – Neth – Est – Chi), LA HORA FRIA by Elio Quiroga (Spain), PAPRIKA by Satoshi Kon (Jap), RE-CYCLE by Danny & Oxide Pang (Thai – Hong Kong – Chi), SEVERANCE by Christopher Smith (UK), SILENT HILL by Christophe Gans (Can – Jap – USA – Fra), SLITHER by James Gunn (Can – USA), TAXIDERMIA by Gyorgy Pálfi (Hun – Aus – Fra) (technically brilliant!), THE BEAUTIFUL BEAST by Karim Hussain (Can), THE HORROR BUS by Pieter Kuipjers (Neth), THE HOST by Bong Joon-Ho (South Kor), THE LIVING AND THE DEAD by Simon Rumley (UK), THE PROMISE by Chen Kaigé (Chi – HK – Jap – South Kor) and THE WOODS by Lucky McKee (USA).

Cinema: Sarah Polley and Sundance

The Sundance film festival has just closed its 2007 edition and the jury has delivered its prize list. This year the jury included, among others, Catherine Hardwicke (revealed in this festival four years ago for her film ‘Thirteen’) and actress Sarah Polley ('My life without me' and 'The secret life of words').

The Grand Jury Prize for dramatic film went to "Padre Nuestro" by writer and director Christopher Zalla. Zalla's debut film is a dark thriller, the story of a Mexican youth (Jorge Adrian Espindola) who sneaks into the United States in search of his father (Jesus Ochoa) who he had never met, to have his identity ‘stolen’ by another illegal immigrant (Armando Hernandez), who he meets along the way. "Padre Nuestro" follows last year's "Quinceanera" as the second-straight Mexican-immigrant film to win the dramatic prize at Sundance.

The Audience Award for dramatic film however, went to "Grace Is Gone” directed by James C. Strouse, with actor John Cusack. It is a story of a man (disguised Cusack) who drives his daughters to a Florida theme park instead of telling them their mother has been killed serving in Iraq. Promising… The Documentary prize was given to Manda Bala (send a bullet), directed by Jason Kohn, about corruption in Brazil, known as one of the world's most corrupt and violent countries. The World Cinema Jury Prize (Dramatic) was awarded to Sweet Mud from Israel’s director Dror Shaul. The Directing Award (Dramatic) was presented to Jeffrey Blitz, director of Rocket Science.

The Sundance Film Festival is the most important showcase for U.S. and independent films (and international, to a certain extent). It is held each January in Park City, Sundance Resort, Salt Lake City, and Ogden, state of Utah. This film festival has introduced north-american audiences to some of the most innovative films of the past two decades.

Travel: Lisbon Revisited...

Lisbon revisted

"Outra vez te revejo - Lisboa e Tejo e tudo -

Transeunte inútil de ti e de mim,

Estrangeiro aqui como em toda a parte

Casual na vida como na alma,

Fantasma a errar em salas de recordações

Ao ruído dos ratos e das tábuas que rangem

No castelo maldito de ter que viver..."

Álvaro de Campos (Heteronym of Fernando Pessoa),
Lisbon revisited, 1926

Travel: 2006 was a safe year for civil aviation

According to IATA's (International air transport association) director general Giovanni Bisignani, 2006 was the safest year for civil aviation. At a press conference in Morocco at Royal Air Morocco's headquarters, he underlined that "sixty years ago, we transported 9 million passengers and we recorded 800 deaths each year. We had the same number of deaths in 2006 yet we transported 2.2 billion travellers ". There has also been a reduction of 50% in the rate of accidents in 2006 compared to 1996 (21 accidents in 2006). According to him, the "rate of loss of planes per million flights" was reduced to 0.65 from 1.32 in 1996". The objective is to bring the rate down to 0.49 by the end of 2008."

Now the important task will be to improve energy efficiency and reduce gas emmissions or discover new energy sources that are less polluting and which produce less CO2... not an easy task, I would say.

Cinema: Bobby

Emilio Estevez comes back with an interesting film - Bobby - where he proves he has some directing skills. This half-documentary, half-fiction film shows the events up to and during the moment when democrat Senator Robert Kennedy was murdered on 5 June, 1968, at the Hotel Ambassador in California. The film is not a masterpiece but it's quite interesting. Estevez aimed to paint those years - the sixties - showing many different situations around different characters who directly or indirectly took part in the tragedy, some fictional others more real. In the beginning all the little different stories and the many characters seem a bit too complicated but Estevez is able to paint the atmosphere that might have been felt back then. The cast is a luxury one, with many well-known actors like Sharon Stone, Demi Moore (and beloved Ashton Kutcher), Martin Sheen, Anthony Hopkins, Harry Belafonte, Helen Hunt, William Macy and Estevez himself, among others, who contribute to the success of the film.

The film's importance lies more in its political aim, in showing a parallel between the situation in the USA today and the situation back in '68, of which it is nostalgic. Basically it shows how a political dream died when Bobby was killed, a dream of peace and a will to change the political situation in the USA. The difference with present day America is that there is no Kennedy to keep that dream alive today, and there is no idealism left these days anymore in the world. Some may find it too simplistic and too sugary but we need this type of films to remind us that things have been different and things can be different and that there's hope, despite all...

***/5

Cinema: Little Children

‘Little Children’ is Todd Field’s follow-up to his debut film ‘In The Bedroom’, a literary adaptation of a best-selling 2004 novel by Tom Perrotta, who also collaborated on the screenplay. It features great performances by Kate Winslet, the photogenic Patrick Wilson (from Hardcandy) Jackie Earle Haley, Phyllis Somerville, Jennifer Connelly and others.

Perrotta and Field were apparently able to preserve the novel’s tone, which seems to fluctuate between slightly satirical, ironical and generous sympathy (would be interesting to read the book now after having seen the film). “Little Children” is a sharp, intelligent and somehow cynical view of American suburban life. Most of the characters are weak or flawed or screwed up, yet quite realistically portrayed. As David Denby has written in The NewYorker, “Field has grown in ambition, but he still works on an intimate scale. He surrounds his characters with an intense stillness, and then slowly introduces the ungovernable into their lives.” Maybe that's why the portuguese title is... "Pecados íntimos" (intimate sins).

But is 'Little Children', “at its heart, a story about the way we judge others, the way others judge us, and the way we judge ourselves”, as Kim Voynar wrote in her review, or is it “more than a moral fable about the traps we set for ourselves by not growing up. Field performs a high-wire act that balances hard truth and hard-won tenderness” as Peter Travers wrote in The Rolling stone? Or does the movie take itself too seriously, and as Jeff Vyce claims “Filmmaker Todd Field seems to have completely missed the point of his source material, Tom Perrotta's tale of suburban angst, longing and temptation, which is at least slightly a parody. Field's adaptation is dour to the point of being completely humorless.” ? Is this finally a film about being afraid and refusing to grow up and not being able to face our choices in life, not wanting to take decisions?

As Kate Winslet says in the film, "it is the hunger for an alternative and the refusal to accept a life of unhappiness".

'Little children' is probably all this yet much more… Perrotta and Field may even have created a metaphor of life under terrorism, where Ronnie (the excellent Jackie Earle Haley, nominated for best supporting role in the Oscars), a convicted sex offender freshly out of prison, has the 'role' of the “terrorist”.

All in all this is a challenging, unsettling film, which is likely to remain in our heads for a while. There is a bit of everything, from perversion to pedophilia to ordinary unhappiness, sexual indifference, boredom, adultery, nearly explicit sex and direct explicit language, internet porn obsession, semi-psychotic behaviour. Almost everyone has a flaw and some sort of secret, except the children maybe. But it’s the adults who behave like children instead...

The actors are magnificently directed by Field, the film sets off in a crescendo. It is probably more interesting to watch the beginning with tension rising, when the main characters contemplate adultery, rather than when they dive into it. And at the end the film loses some force and gets a bit lost, when it focuses more in the character of Ronald (the 'pervert') and his fate, in particular when his ‘enemy’ gets pitiful about his loss of his mother… yet the film always remains somehow unconventional, 'serious' and 'fresh', not a classical way of filming , detached enough from the story it is telling and its characters (helped by a narrator voice), and even music is not used to bring out the easy teardrops… certainly one of the most interesting films I've seen recently, even if it has its flaws.

It reminds a bit of ‘American Beauty’ (yet less witty), less malicious as Todd Solondz’s ‘Happiness’ nor as weird as Miranda July’s ‘Me and you and everyone we know’. And maybe Kate Winslet gets her (well deserved) Oscar.

****/5