concert: lykke li - hollywood forever cemetery

recently i had the chance to attend the concert of swedish indie rock artist lykke li at the hollywood forever cemetery. this was simply an opportunity i could not pass up (thanks becky!), as lykke is a talented up and comer and it's not everyday one goes to a concert at a cemetery.

show time was 8pm, so we arrived shortly after at the masonic lodge, a two story building near the main entrance of the cemetery. it was still daylight so nothing too spooky was going on, but the venue was quite the showpiece. fog machines were in the heezy and three ginormous gothic chairs sat front and center on stage. we were able to snag a seat on the benches off to the side - preferable, as they are elevated - and anxiously awaited her entrance.

let me tell you, lykke does not disappoint. though relatively small in stature, she owns the mic and has quite the stage presence despite an adorable-sounding voice. she tore thru most of the songs on her debut album YOUTH NOVELS and had the whole place dancing in the aisles. having heard only a few of her songs prior to, i picked up the entire album as soon as i got home.

BAPK massive west coast jam

on may 23, bay area parkour (BAPK) hosted its first ever massive west coast jam, bringing in traceurs from southern cali, washington, oregon, british columbia and the yay area for a full day session. us cats from PK cali turned in a contingent of about 15, so it was neat to see familiar faces and meet a lot of new peeps.



we converged at battery godfrey at 11am in the presidio, where local guides took us to WWII bunkers, wooded trail runs, park playgrounds and school campuses. a few park rangers tried to detail our day at the outset (what in the heck are these 80+ people doing?), but luckily we were able to disperse and avoid any conflict. oh, and who knew that these bunkers existed right next to the golden gate bridge? i've spent half my life here and am ashamed i had never known or been. my bad.



our day was capped off with a big BBQ at golden gate park, complete with kong bench, capoeira rodas, soccer and frisbees. twas a glorious day and i was straight up exhausted by the end, but i appreciated having a group really push you to the limits. sadly, i dove into a raw burger and suffered from food poisoning the morning after...

most anticipated 2009 films

just got done watching 'fast & furious' (great fun, especially seeing the original cast reunited) and 'sin nombre' (terrific directorial debut of cary fukunaga) and realized that there's a plethora of films coming out this year that i cannot wait for. in order:

1. avatar - it only took 12 years, but the return of jim cameron at last, in glorious digital 3-D. considering the last time out ended up being the biggest film in box office history, i'd probably be a tad gun-shy as well. cameron wrote the treatment in 1995 as a way of pushing the boundaries, but only now has technology caught up to his creative vision.

his crew: "we can't do this. we'll die."
steven spielberg: "will be the biggest 3-D live action film ever."
laz alonso (cast): "the technology is something that no one has ever seen or used before. it is just unrivaled by anything that my eyes have ever seen in cinema. it blew me away."

excited yet?

2. public enemies - michael mann. 1930's. johnny depp. christian bale. tommy guns. so there.

3. where the wild things are - a filmed version of my favorite childhood book directed by spike jonze. please god don't mess this up. please.

4. up - another pixar smash. yawn. but seriously, these guys keep knocking it out of the park and this looks to be no different. can you imagine them first pitching this? "that's correct, we're going to center this entire animated film around a 78-year-old man sitting in his house. um, that's it." and his asian boy scout sidekick looks to break new ground as well, so hooray for blind casting!

5. the lovely bones - peter jackson's return to 'independent' filmmaking after the lord of the rings and king kong. i fell in love with this book back in 2002 about a girl who, after being brutally raped and murdered, watches from heaven as her family and friends try to carry on with their lives. it's a touching story written from a unique viewpoint, so i'm crossing my fingers they can maintain that same magic...

the japanese garden

thanks to los angeles magazine, i was introduced to the japanese garden, a virtual 6.5 acre oasis in the san fernando valley situated adjacent to a water plant to prove that reclaimed water could be put to positive use. 'positive' is an understatement, as the garden is a sight to behold, a world of meditative calm to remind us about the simple and beautiful qualities of nature.

bonsai trees, waterfalls, tea houses, streams, log bridges and lily ponds can all be found here. and because the garden is meticulously maintained, there's quite the variety of creatures that inhabit the locale, including humongous fish, cranes, ducks and more...




the japanese garden is open mon-thurs from 12-4pm and sundays from 10-3pm, and tix are ONLY $3. here's the contact info:

6100 woodley ave.
van nuys, CA 91406
www.thejapanesegarden.com

reel 2.0

double IPA fest - the bistro

made the trek east to hayward in the afternoon for the bistro's double IPA festival, where they had approximately 50 enamel-scraping hop monsters to sample. admisssion bought you a taster glass with 5 samples, but cozing up to any of the servers almost guaranteed a few extra in the bank.


hand crafted brews from rogue, stone, russian river and locals like 21st amendment (san francisco) and triple rock (berkeley) were on hand, with dogfish head's 120-minute IPA clocking in at 17.6% abv.

and here's martin with our samplers at buffalo bill's brewpub, a few blocks away from the DIPA fest and our 2nd stop on saturday. and one last look at the lineup (well, one page of it) on hand...

short cut

you take the stairs...

top 8 films of 2008

here's my top 8 for the calendar year, listed in alphabetical order:

* beverly hills chihuahua - ha ha, gotcha. for reals...

* dark knight, the - so good that it transcends the entire comic book genre. it's actually a clever & sophisticated crime drama concerning the denizens of gotham city featuring an electric performance by the late heath ledger. also the first narrative feature to incorporate IMAX cameras for six of its scenes...

* frost/nixon - an unexpected surprise from the occasionally vanilla ron howard. showcases a standout perf by frank langella as tricky dick, as his explosive outburst in a hallucinatory phone call made the hair on my arms rise. closeup of his face in the last debate is one of the memorable shots of the year.

* in bruges - uproarious dark comedy that got lost in the shuffle during its february release. if you often wondered just when has colin farrell ever been good, here is your answer. juicy, sarcastic dialogue runs rampant in this tale of hitmen stranded in a belgium town. guns, beer, scenery, women and midgets. what more could you ask for?

* slumdog millionaire - this rousing crowdpleaser marks the return to truly independent cinema for danny boyle. it's a vivid, energetic and romantic tale about an underdog overcoming the odds. plus, the screening i attended at the camerimage festival in poland was the top cinematic experience of my lifetime.

* speed racer - to date, as close as animation come to life one will ever see. going in, i thought the film was going to be all style and no substance, but i was happy to be proven wrong. unbeknownst to many, there's actually a serious, redemptive tale about family hidden in a trippy kaleidoscope of color and visual effects.

* tell no one - this small french suspenser garnered great reviews and lived up to them and more. great lead perf by francois cluzet, channeling his best michael douglas impression of a man being taken advantage of and coming out swinging. twisty, unnerving and exciting, this film featured one of the best action scenes of the year taking place on a freeway.

* transsiberian - a gutwrenching thriller about a couple who encounter, uh, difficulties on their train ride from beijing to russia. truly a harrowing tale and kudos to emily mortimer, whose performance leaves you squirming in your seat.

* wall-E - yawn. another pixar masterpiece that rivals the best of silent films in its first 40 minutes. just a charming tale about a robot in his quest to save the earth and find love in the process. reminds you of why one goes to the movies in the first place.

poland - day 5

i know you're thinking, wait a sec, didn't he go to poland like a month ago? i feel bad for procrastinating so, but work and the holidays really put a cramp into me finishing up this darn trip. so i will try to breeze thru the last few days as quick as possible...

wed, dec 3

1:00pm - steven rosenblum editing workshop
10:00pm - viggo mortensen award presentation
10:30pm - 'good' screening



i arrive at the lodz film school, excited to attend steve's workshop. steve is a client of ours and one of the sweetest people you will ever meet. [sidebar: when he found out i wouldn't be able to make it home for thanksgiving, he and his charming wife debby invited me to their home with open arms] steve has edited such noteworthy films like 'braveheart,' 'the last samurai' and 'blood diamond,' so it was a treat for the students to listen about his outlook and work process with the director when tackling such big projects.



afterwards, we met up with a few other festival judges at the polish/jewish restaurant anatewka for a rousing lunch in a private room best described at a glorified coat closet. to the right of steve and i are DP gabriel beristain ('blade II') and DP nicola pecorini ('fear & loathing in las vegas') in a... lighter moment. i then meet up w/marta and she takes me to manufaktura, a sparkling complex in the newest part of the city yet. [katsuya = philippe starck, manufaktura food court = ikea] but it's the only place in lodz where one cannot smoke, making it immediately my favorite place.

i head over to the festival to see viggo's ceremony (the girls went cr-A-zee over him) and his new film 'good,' which was shot by another of our clients, DP andrew dunn. immediately following, they hold an impromptu press conference on stage, which was fun b/c it's the first time i get to see andrew (tho i've spoken with him the last few years!).

USC impact - parkour

so the documentary we shot for USC's news magazine called impact is now complete!

feel free to check it out directly on their site listed below. once there, click on the segment entitled 'parkour' and it will open up a new window (requires flash). thankfully no interviews this time, so you can keep your wisecracks to yourself...

http://impact.uscannenberg.org/index.php/episodes/showpage/episode_42/

poland - day 4

tues, dec 2

6:11am - train departs lodz for cracow
5:45pm - train departs cracow for lodz

after a whopping two hours of sleep, i stumble out of bed at 4:45am and devise a new way of taking a shower to maximize the paucity of hot water. it's a two step process of soaping my body first, speedily rinsing off and getting out of the tub. i then proceed to get halfway dressed (the lower half) so as to not freeze the rest of my @$$ off, then turn the water back on to wash my hair. quite proud of my newfound achievement, i head out the door, ready to tackle cracow...



the train ride is a 4 1/2 hour jaunt, but i get a car all to myself. originally planning to take a nap, i manage to stay awake the entire way to enjoy the view of the countryside. we arrive at krakow glowny (town center) where i try to get my bearings. thankfully, there's a sign nearby that has directional flags, so i head straight for the rynek, or the popular main market square.




dating back to the 13th century, the rynek is the largest medieval town square in europe. quite simply, it is a large expanse, yet beautiful in scope. i couldn't get far enough to effectively capture the square as a whole, but you should get a good enough idea from the pics above. littered with seemingly thousands of pigeons, it's also a bustling marketplace of shops and food, so i head straight for a shack hocking polish delicacies. i opt for their kielbasa, juicy and good due to its crispy skin. refreshed, i managed to sneak in the st. mary's basilica next door and manage to snap a photo before seeing a sign prohibiting any photography inside. oops...




i stroll south through the city and take in the street life, the old buildings and the variety of walkways and ornate doors to storefronts and whatnot. i make it to the mangga centre of japanese art & technology, a cultural institution spurred on by famed director andrzej wajda. it's a uniquely shaped building on the bank of the vistula river with really cool ramps/walkways for parkour, but alas, it's 30 degrees, i'm wearing like 5 layers and walking boots that weigh a pound and some change...

i cross the river and head for wawel, a complex housing both the royal castle and the cathedral. made of jurassic limestone, the building dates back to the 4th century and served as a residence for poland's kings from 1038 thru 1596. the inner courtyard is a spectacular example of the renaissance period.

i buy a ticket to view the state rooms, but unfortunately they don't allow cameras inside either. nevertheless, it's pretty neat to see how the royal family lived and even more so, the audience room, whose ceiling consists of wood carvings of 30 human heads looking down upon the king. i proceed to leave wawel and spot a guy dressed in chain mail, but when i take out my camera, he darts behind another guy and literally hides from me. apparently he's a tourist trap and you have to pay to get his picture, so i nodded at him, understanding his plight. as i pretended to walk away and he re-emerged from shadow, i playfully whip out the camera and we both get a good laugh out of it...



after all the walking, i make a pit stop at CK browar, a brewery located in an underground cellar. while their selection doesn't resemble father's office, they do have 4 on tap - pilsner, dunkel (my fave), wheat and ginger (bizarrely sweet and bitter, but surprisingly good). i choose not to eat here in favor of a popular nearby 'milk bar,' kind of a homestyle spot where the prices are dirt cheap. since nobody here speaks any english, i roll the dice and pick out a dish that resembles the word 'cutlet,' which thank god it is. you get soup, an entree and dessert for under $4!



i have a little bit of time left to burn, so i hit up the mall near the station and pick up a gift for marta's 2-year-old son franek before catching the train back. at 10:15pm, i walk over to hotel centrum and wait for my ride and bump into agnieszka from the festival, who invites me to an after party that night with a bunch of DPs. marta and i head back to the festival theatre for the music video competition, where 50 cent/justin timberlake's 'ayo technology' and david gahan's 'kingdom' are among the finalists. i head over to the after party, meet up with a few of our clients (karl walter lindenlaub, who shot 'prince caspian'), but then get cornered by a couple of agents from endeavor, one of our company's competitors. the experience was akin to getting a root canal as they were rooting around for info, so that was my cue to bounce...

poland - day 3

mon, dec 1

9:45am - 'elite squad' screening
3:00pm - '33 scenes of life' screening
7:45pm - 'slumdog millionaire' screening



let's see, we wake up to blue skies (!) around 8am, have quite the tasty breakfast then head out to what i thought was a screening of kathryn bigelow's 'the hurt locker.' a few seconds into the screening make it clear that unless the setting is the favelas of brazil, we're definitely not watching the right movie. i guess the festival pulled a switcheroo, but the film is in portuguese with polish subtitles. umm, yeah. i race off to get a headset, then comically try to follow the action as the translator butchers the phonetics and cadence of the english dialect. afterwards, marta takes off to go swimming, so i decide to try and walk back to her apartment to see if i have any sense of direction. the answer is no.




however, all is not lost. i stumble upon liberty square, where the statue of tadeusz kosciuszko lies at the heart of. here is the start of piotrkowska street, the main street in lodz and one of the longest in europe, spanning 4.9km. i hoof it back to the festival theatre in time to catch my second polish film, the somewhat depressing '33 scenes of life.' marta informs me that we need to return the rental car (hers had broken down the day i arrived), so that afternoon was my first foray into driving the crazy streets of lodz. of course, somebody cuts me off as i'm following marta in her car, so i do my best not to lose her. mission accomplished, whoo. famished, we head to a mexican restaurant appropriately named 'the mexican,' where they apparently turn out the lights every time somebody orders cheesecake, and a gringo runs out guns ablazing. no really, i kid you not.



we race back to the theatre for 'slumdog,' only to find out the place is wall to wall packed. and when i say packed, i mean every seat, every aisle, every stair and every inch of carpet is occupied by anxious moviegoers. we basically force our way into a spot, which isn't ideal for one's back, and mine was screaming bloody murder by the time the film ended. luckily, the movie was such a crowd pleaser. i have to say, that screening was the most electric i've ever seen a crowd, so much so that there was a standing ovation once the end credits came up, and everybody was clapping to the beat of the end song. it basically reaffirms my belief on why one goes to the cinema...

at 10pm, we hit up kaliska again (yes, there are other bars in the city, but this happens to have a great crowd and is open late), where i get indoctrinated into wyborowa and zubrowka (flavored with bison grass), two of the more famous polish vodkas. here they like to add apple juice with zubrowka, which creates a liquid form of apple pie if you will. let's just say it works for me, shall we?

on the way home, we stop by the train station fabryczna, where i scope out the schedule to cracow (the former national capital) for my tuesday trip. it departs at 6:11am, arriving at 11am, and a roundtrip sets me back $33 so i pull the trigger. seeing as it's now 2am, we head back and do a little bit of online research on some spots for me to hit up. i finally collapse at 3am with much anticipation...