I could probably write a short sitcom based on my rather ridiculous financial situation and the joy of job searching in a city with something like 50% unemployment. As a result I've not been going out a whole lot these last couple of weeks.
On the upside, my two flatmates are awesome and Sophie has a vast collection of films that I've not seen including a lot of Art House films. We've also been renting a films from a rental place nearby.
The films I've watched are:
Godfather 2 & 3
Big Lebowski
Miller's Crossing
Bonnie and Clyde
Burn After Reading
It's a crime that I had not seen the Godfather trilogy and I'd only managed to see the first film (incidentally my favourite) shortly before leaving for Berlin. I thoroughly enjoyed the second film despite it's length. I can see why the third film is generally regarded at the worst of the three, but it's still a solid film. Sofia Coppola should definitely stick to writing and directing though as her acting in Godfather 3 is shamefully bad.
Three of the films I saw this week were by the Cohen Brothers. It would have been four but the DVD of Fargo that I rented was only in German. The Big Lebowski is another film I've been needing to see for a while and it certainly didn't disappoint, very much a Cohen Brothers film. Burn After Reading is a film that is cleverly about nothing, it's good, but not great. Miller's Crossing is a stylish film noir gangster film, which is always good in my books and probably my favourite of the Cohen Brothers films I've seen so far.
Bonnie and Clyde was one of the most violent films when it was made back in 1967 and it's still violent by today's standards. Anyway, it's a very cool film of the romanticised story of the two outlaws and the Barrow Gang.
Saturday, 29 November 2008
Friday, 28 November 2008
BVG Redeem Themselves
During my usual internet surfing at priMaria (I don't even need to ask for tea now, he just brings it to me) I noticed an update for my iPhone's Berlin trip-planner app. It turns out that the developer got permission from BVG to use their maps, so I now have them back in my pocket.
I'd like to think it was the strongly worded email I sent BVG that made them take notice.
I'd like to think it was the strongly worded email I sent BVG that made them take notice.
Thursday, 20 November 2008
priMaria Cafe - Friedrichshain
As my new apartment doesn't have internet yet I've been using the internet at a nearby cafe called priMaria. The second time I came here I asked for a tea and to my great surprise and satisfaction is came in an actual mug instead of a glass. It was also quite delicious.
After bringing me the tea the owner of the cafe picked up an acoustic guitar from behind the counter and played 'Losing my Religion' by REM and then continued on to play a selection of other songs.
When I came here today and sat down, the owner came over to order to confirm that I wanted a black tea with cold milk, remembering that is what I have had previously. Now that's service.
So, the priMaria is becoming a definite favourite of mine, I think even after we get internet I'll be coming here often.
After bringing me the tea the owner of the cafe picked up an acoustic guitar from behind the counter and played 'Losing my Religion' by REM and then continued on to play a selection of other songs.
When I came here today and sat down, the owner came over to order to confirm that I wanted a black tea with cold milk, remembering that is what I have had previously. Now that's service.
So, the priMaria is becoming a definite favourite of mine, I think even after we get internet I'll be coming here often.
Monday, 17 November 2008
Wiedersehen mit Brideshead
Brideshead Revisited is one of those quitesentially English TV shows, which starred Jeremy Irons. There was a recent film remake of this, which I was dissappointed I would miss seeing by being in Berlin, that is until I saw the trailer and realised how inferior to the original it would be.
Safe in the knowledge that this would never see Germany I left thinking no more of it, that is until last night when I saw this film poster:
I can't think of anything less English than a strong German accent and as the Germans dub everything (despite all speaking English) this already poor homage to the original series will be further ruined.
Safe in the knowledge that this would never see Germany I left thinking no more of it, that is until last night when I saw this film poster:
I can't think of anything less English than a strong German accent and as the Germans dub everything (despite all speaking English) this already poor homage to the original series will be further ruined.
Lovejoy in Berlin
Berlin has a wide and wonderful range of graffiti. In Friedrichshain my new district of residence there is definitely no shortage, including it seems Lovejoy that classic TV character/series:
And the other nearby graffiti is pretty cool too:
And the other nearby graffiti is pretty cool too:
I now own a Koenigsegg...
...lanyard.
Ok, so it's not quite the CCX with it's 806bhp and it's (apparently) 259mph top-speed, but I own something by Koenigsegg, that's enough for now.
Ok, so it's not quite the CCX with it's 806bhp and it's (apparently) 259mph top-speed, but I own something by Koenigsegg, that's enough for now.
Thursday, 13 November 2008
Double Feature: James Bond + Eagle Eye
There is a cinema in Potsdamer Platz at the Sony Centre that shows English films in English and any foreign films (including German films) in their original language with English subtitles. After finding this out I vowed to go and see Quantum of Solace upon release.
The new film is definitely a break from the old style of Bond but it’s one of the things that I like about it. There is a lot more action in this one than in Casino Royale with is a plus and the special effects are beautiful especially the computers used in the briefing about the marked cash, it’s just so seamless. The overarching storyline does not get concluded in the this film so there is a slight sense of it being unresolved. It’ll be interesting to see how long that takes to get wrapped up and where they take the Bond films once they have done so.
After the first film we headed to a bar nearby where we had some rather pricey but exceptionally good beer (I think there may have also had a micro-brewery there) before Don suggested seeing a second film. The film he suggested was ‘Eagle-Eye’. I’d seen the trailer to this and thought that it looked worth seeing despite probably being trashy. It was going to finish very late so I was the only one apart from Don who wanted to go.
It was actually a decent film, naturally it had a cheesy Hollywood ending but then all big films seem to now. The evil computer in the film did remind me of Glados from Portal (for those of you who get that reference). She even sounded similar, although there was no companion cube.
The film finished at 1:30 am and it was past 3am by the time I’d taken the night-bus up to Pankow then walked the rest of the way, so I was ever so slightly tired in my German class the next day but it was well worth it.
The new film is definitely a break from the old style of Bond but it’s one of the things that I like about it. There is a lot more action in this one than in Casino Royale with is a plus and the special effects are beautiful especially the computers used in the briefing about the marked cash, it’s just so seamless. The overarching storyline does not get concluded in the this film so there is a slight sense of it being unresolved. It’ll be interesting to see how long that takes to get wrapped up and where they take the Bond films once they have done so.
After the first film we headed to a bar nearby where we had some rather pricey but exceptionally good beer (I think there may have also had a micro-brewery there) before Don suggested seeing a second film. The film he suggested was ‘Eagle-Eye’. I’d seen the trailer to this and thought that it looked worth seeing despite probably being trashy. It was going to finish very late so I was the only one apart from Don who wanted to go.
Jerry and Rachel are two strangers thrown together by a mysterious phone call from a woman they have never met. Threatening their lives and family, she pushes Jerry and Rachel into a series of increasingly dangerous situations, using the technology of everyday life to track and control their every move.
It was actually a decent film, naturally it had a cheesy Hollywood ending but then all big films seem to now. The evil computer in the film did remind me of Glados from Portal (for those of you who get that reference). She even sounded similar, although there was no companion cube.
The film finished at 1:30 am and it was past 3am by the time I’d taken the night-bus up to Pankow then walked the rest of the way, so I was ever so slightly tired in my German class the next day but it was well worth it.
Que Pasa + Once
After another Sunday brunch and a visit to the Flea Market, I was sat in a cafe drinking hot chocolate, listening to live acoustic music and chatting with the others trying to think of what to do in the evening and how I could best avoid going back to the apartment. In the course of this Ollie mentioned a small cs gathering at Que Pasa cocktail bar at 7pm.
I arrived early and Dominike was running late, so far so good then. I didn't know who else was turning up so was glad to see a friendly face after 30 minutes in the cold. A few more people arrived and everyone ordered cocktails and a couple of people at one end of the table ordered food. Gradually throughout the night the desire for food slowly spread up the table until everyone had ordered food.
One of the people I got talking to was Don and Irish guy who invited me along to see an Irish film called ‘Once’ at one of the others csers apartments, but I had to keep hush-hush about it as it was a private thing, or there wasn’t enough space or something. I’m not really sure but I was glad of the invite none-the-less, I’m always happy to watch new films.
After getting to Warschauer Strasse we went to a small DVD rental/coffee shop which had a vast selection of English and foreign art-house titles, definitely somewhere I’ll be going back to frequently.
Once back to the apartment, we settled down with food and hot whiskey to ‘cure’ our colds (which worked fairly well I must say) we watched the film. I’m going to be lazy again and just paste a synopsis from imdb:
It was a truly exceptional film, which impressively was made with a micro-budget and the main characters being played by musicians not actors. I enjoyed the music of the film so much that I bought the soundtrack from iTunes the next day.
I arrived early and Dominike was running late, so far so good then. I didn't know who else was turning up so was glad to see a friendly face after 30 minutes in the cold. A few more people arrived and everyone ordered cocktails and a couple of people at one end of the table ordered food. Gradually throughout the night the desire for food slowly spread up the table until everyone had ordered food.
One of the people I got talking to was Don and Irish guy who invited me along to see an Irish film called ‘Once’ at one of the others csers apartments, but I had to keep hush-hush about it as it was a private thing, or there wasn’t enough space or something. I’m not really sure but I was glad of the invite none-the-less, I’m always happy to watch new films.
After getting to Warschauer Strasse we went to a small DVD rental/coffee shop which had a vast selection of English and foreign art-house titles, definitely somewhere I’ll be going back to frequently.
Once back to the apartment, we settled down with food and hot whiskey to ‘cure’ our colds (which worked fairly well I must say) we watched the film. I’m going to be lazy again and just paste a synopsis from imdb:
An (unnamed) Guy is a Dublin guitarist/singer-songwriter who makes a living by fixing vacuum cleaners in his Dad's Hoover repair shop by day, and singing and playing for money on the Dublin streets by night. An (unnamed) Girl is a Czech who plays piano when she gets a chance, and does odd jobs by day and takes care of her mom and her daughter by night. Guy meets Girl, and they get to know each other as the Girl helps the Guy to put together a demo disc that he can take to London in hope of landing a music contract. During the same several day period, the Guy and the Girl work through their past loves, and reveal their budding love for one another, through their songs.
It was a truly exceptional film, which impressively was made with a micro-budget and the main characters being played by musicians not actors. I enjoyed the music of the film so much that I bought the soundtrack from iTunes the next day.
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