tirsdag, oktober 16, 2007

Forgotten movie magic


As the film festival is hitting town, I came across the relatively unknown Abel Ferrara effort The Funeral which turned out to be quite the gem. And with stellar performances from an amazing cast of Christopher Walken, Benicio del Toro, Vincent Gallo, Isabella Rossellini and not least, the late Chris Penn in loose cannon modus, how can you go wrong? A decidely unglamorous mobster drama, this is truly a movie for Men. Goodfellas too light-hearted for you? Watch this one.

søndag, oktober 14, 2007

Bergen Victor!


The unexpected wins are always the sweetest. This time the occasion was the return leg of the UEFA cup, Brann Bergen facing Club Brugge as clear outsiders. After wandering the medieval streets and canals of quaint, if touristy Brugge (not unlike Bergen in fact), the stage was set for some serious football.

Plainsclothes coppers insisted on us taking one specific bus to arrive on the designated part of the stadium. After hearing about the wrong-part-of-stadium Turks who got beaten within an inch of their lives a couple of years ago we were inclined to agree. Having encountered elements of "Flanders' finest" before I'd hazard there was some racist element to that event as well. In fact that's one anecdote that demands a write-up.

With Brann playing the best match I have ever seen, the 2-0 at half time atmosphere was one of intense euphoria among the less than 100 away supporters. Red card, a fully deserved 2-1 win and progression to the group stage crowned the night as police motorcycles prepared the escort into town. A tasty bit of frisson for the ultimately boringly safe life of this Scandinavian.

Note to self: Belgian beer sporting an average alcohol percentage of ca 7% can force less glamorous consequences.