Just in case you forgot how awesome Ben is

I’m gonna miss this dog, originally uploaded by lynnith.

The world’s most relaxing piano solos, volume 7

SIFF this year has been almost uniformly excellent.  Last year it felt like we saw 4 bad movies for every good one – but this time around, even the bad films have had redeeming qualities.  Even the secret festival – always a crapshoot – has been pretty amazing.  I can’t talk about the two films I saw there, but here are the other 8 I’ve seen thus far:

Departures (2008, Japan) – The best way I can think to describe this one is that at it was a very, very good film being slowly strangled by a really stupid melodrama.  Apparently it won the Oscar this year for best foreign film – no idea how or why.  But it was a worthwhile film to see, for those occasional moments of brilliance.

The Yes Men Fix The World (2009, USA) – Two things made this hilarious documentary work: its willingness to stick around when things got awkward, and its use of comedy outside the corporate pranks it was perpetrating.  What would have otherwise been a political documentary starring funny people became instead a hybrid docu-comedy.  And I learned a new text messaging technique!

The Beaches of Agnès (2008, France) – I’d never seen a film by Agnès Varda.  Watching this autobiographical doc made me want to.

Favela on Blast (2008, Brazil) – As a documentary, this one wasn’t that great.  It attempted to tell the story of baile funk and Rio’s favelas through the lyrics of and occasional interviews with its MCs, but didn’t really succeed.  However, the music was awesome, and it was pretty cool to have its hilariously filthy lyrics spelled out in the subtitles.

Rembrandt’s J’accuse (2008, Netherlands) – A film as much about our lack of visual fluency as it was about Rembrandt’s Nightwatch.  Very, very dense (it’s Greenaway!), and something I’ll definitely be catching again once it’s on DVD.  Easily one of the best of the fest so far.

Bluebeard (2009, France) – Pretty terrible adaptation of the Bluebeard fairytale.  After the film, Michael and I came up with two genius ideas – Bluebeard’s Castle would make a great Halloween costume (think dead, blue barbies) and Advent calendar (one of the prizes could be Visine!).  So thanks for that, Bluebeard!

The Maid (2009, Chile) – I have always been kinda weirded out by the idea of live-in maids.  This film did nothing to help that!  An amazing performance by Catalina Saavedra made this intimate portrait of a maid just about perfect.

Sounds Like Teen Spirit (2008, UK) – I was introduced to Eurovision when I was living in London and despite its effects on my liver, I find the whole thing hilariously compelling.  This doc covered the 2007 Eurovision Juniors competition, but not strictly from the “holy shit this is creepy” angle I was expecting.  Probably because it’s harder to make fun of kids… but I was really curious to discover the “why” behind Ukraine’s winning “librarian stripper” entry and instead got a look into the experiences of a few of the less ostentatious acts.

Marketing strategies from New Zealand

Goats.  I wonder if this means there’s a market for goat glamour photographers?

MITSUBISHI Motors in New Zealand is offering a free goat with every Triton ute sold before August in a novel effort at correcting the economy.

Full article >

This is what happens when Michael & I are allowed out of the country

FACEDOWN TO THE GLUE FACTORY!!!, originally uploaded by lynnith.

Those horses never knew what hit ‘em.

The sound of business

Hi!  I think I’m blogging again – theoretically about the crazy turmoil I’m introducing into my life after two years of relative stability.  Here is the plan thus far:

June 30-ish: Roadtrip down to LA
July 7th: Fly from LAX to Melbourne, Australia
July 9th: Arrive in Melbourne, find a job, perhaps as a professional dog glamour photographer
November 8th: Leave Melbourne for Wellington, New Zealand & a 1-year work visa

Last year in November, I wound up in Chile & Bolivia for 2 weeks; it was my first proper international trip since coming back to Seattle in early 2007.  I realized that while my job had the potential to be professionally rewarding, it wasn’t personally rewarding enough.  And if the trip was the highlight of my year, maybe it was time to refocus.  I don’t see much point in spending most of my life waiting until I have enough vacation time to take a break and live…

So, I gave notice at work on Friday.  I’m sending off the final stack of paperwork for my Australia visa tomorrow.  And I have already figured out who gets all my furniture!  Not bad for 2 months out.