Ingmar Bergman 1918-2007

Woke this morning to the news that Ingmar Bergman has passed away. Apparently he died in his sleep at home on Faro island, Sweden.
While I do love his most well known films on death, loss, and shame, my favourite five of his films that I have seen, in no particular order and at the risk of sounding like a Nick Hornby novel, are:

Scenes from a Marriage


Intense and pretty devastating throughout (right, CP?)

Persona


Loved by Susan Sontag, apparently.

The Virgin Spring


Appears to be a genteel film. Then turns horrific.

Fanny and Alexander


The TV version of this film is 5 hours long (cinematic release is 3), but for me this film captures most of what I think Bergman stands for.

Winter Light


With an amazing performance by Gunnar Björnstrand as a doubting priest.

In other news, the party was a lot of fun on Saturday. The gallery looked beautiful and everyone who turned up (about 60 people) seemed to have a good time.

Relax, don't do it...

After the surprising announcement that the 1980s BBC radio DJ Mike Read will not be standing as a Conservative Party Mayoral candidate for London, I too must inform you all that I will not be standing either.
Will you be?
Well the visa is sorted (thanks to the British High Commission for working around the clock to make this work, it's only been a year in the making), and we've booked our tickets back to the UK. We'll be in Edinburgh for the start of the month-long festival, though the first priority is to find somewhere to live (assuming all the houses in Edinburgh haven't been washed away by all the rain).
So we are trying to tie up loose ends here- Ericka's working hard on gathering everything she needs for her doc (interviews, scanning photos) while I'm reading books not available to me in Edinburgh. We've also been seeing friends who we haven't yet been able to see. We're having a joint leaving party next Saturday with our good friends Sarah-Jane R and Bret who are moving to the west coast of Canada.
Fashionably behind the times, I want to sing my praises for Last FM, a 'social music revolution'. I wouldn't go that far but it's an amazing source to discover music (through listening, not reading). I've been getting lost in the weirder shades of Krautrock (Cluster, Brainticket, Guru Guru, Popol Vuh, Xhol Caravan...).
While I'm at the job of big-upping things, I'd like to do the same for The Situationist International online archive. While a lot of people, including many political science academics, scoff at the SI, I find many of their ideas fascinating. This site needs delving in to, so it's best to have a look when you have a bit of time (this one's especially for you CP- look for articles on psychogeography).
Now for some recent 'photos (click to enlarge)...

Ericka in our room


Sunflowers in our room (one of which is soon to bloom)


Ericka waiting for the subway


Elyse and I at the Harbour front


Sarah Jane R's purses


Eating out at Chinese Traditional Buns

Saving the world the easy way...

Well I guess it had to come.
Now that Geldof 'n' Bono have made poverty a thing of the past (thanks by the way), it was high time we had a concert to prevent catastrophic climate change. Up stepped Live Earth to the challenge.
This was great because rather than pushing for political action, in a sea of complete and utter inaction, we could watch the likes of the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Madonna sing, in turn making us feel a vague sense of awareness. Because, despite the fact that climate change was first postulated over one hundred years ago and has received mainstream scientific and public attention for about thirty years, what we needed now was another round of 'conscious raising'.
So we go to the Live Earth website to see what commitments are being pushed upon global leaders. Errr...instead we find a list of things to do on an individual level- purchase greenish products, switch appliances off, recycle a bit more.
Christ, at least Geldof 'n' Bono had some goals. What a wasted opportunity.
On Friday night E, E and I went to the water's edge to see some live music out in the open and under the stars. First on were Kieran Hebden (a.k.a Four Tet) and Steve Reid. Steve Reid is an incredible drummer, while Hebden is a slightly annoying electronic wizard. Together they ended up sounding pretty damn good. Next on were The Cinematic Orchestra, a six piece jazz and electronic group, who do have one or two good songs. Alas, they revealed themselves to be the kind of live band you would only go and see if the show was free and you had friends to have a beer and chat with. Forget them and go and see the Norwegian ten piece Jaga Jazzist live instead, if you ever get the chance.