On/Off

The other day, as I was walking around Copenhagen, I stumbled upon this little gem, and couldn't help but take a photo of it. Somehow it defines everything I love about city life. When I lived in New York I would occassionally stumble across knitted bicycles (!) and now that I'm back in Copenhagen, wall drawings seems to be the thing. Funnily, when I lived in a small town in Wales, I never saw anything like this. So maybe that's how you define a city: if there's unmotivated art it's one.

Avalon, J'aime regarder les Filles, Michael

Another day with festival films and I'm beat. Started out yesterday with the Swedish film "Avalon" which was alright, even though somehow something was lacking. I don't know what exactly, but I felt strangely indifferent to the whole thing. I believe it might have something to do with something my dad told me once: if the characters in any story don't act sensibly or understandably at least, you just shrug and say, well, whatever happens is their own fault. Guess that's how I felt.

As for the next film, "J'aime Regarder les Filles" it could've been stereotypical and downright pathetic, but charm usually saves the day (and the film), and it came to the rescue once more with this one. Gorgeous and charming to the very bone, "J'aime regarder les Filles" is about the young kid Primo who's actually kind of a freeloader, but film is the grand manipulator, making it easy to love him. Anyhow, Primo wants to be rich and stylish like the beautiful Parisian kids and falls in love with the wealthy and simply awful Gabrielle, not understanding that the quiet Delphine is the one for him. Does it sound like something we've seen before? Yes! But you don't mess with a good story, and this shit never gets old.

Best one, though, was "Michael" which was like a film by Michael Haneke before he got tired. maybe it's because I'm strangely fascinated with the concept of taking someone away from society and locking them in a basement (is this also replies to you, read Emma Donoghue's "Room"). That was what this film was about: a lonely and systematic man who keeps a boy in his basement for company and sexual favors. Thankfully the movie understands how this is one of the worst crimes of modern society and therefore kept from dishing out the sentimental music and raised fingers. This is already terrible and we understand this without any underlining. Amazing film. More of that, Cph: PIX.

Livide, The Preening Swan, Happy End

There's not much activity going on these days. And why is that, you may ask. Answer: it's the Cph:PIX film festival. So there. I've already spent my precious time watching three films that didn't live fully up to the expectations of an amazing festival where masterpieces are shown. Or maybe I just have too high standards. Well, the first film I watched was "Livide", a film by the two French guys Alexandre Bustillo and Julien Maury. They've previously directed and written the amazing "À l'intérieur" (also known as "Inside), but this time they apparently decided to get popular with the mainstream crowd and make a vampire-themed film. Don't get me wrong, I don't mind vampires. I loved "Hunger" and I was obsessed with the first season of "True Blood" before the focus shifted from sweaty Louisiana to boring supernaturals. Great start with creepy shadows and people who are clearly not what they seem. I love that stuff! I especially love it when all this creepiness will clearly soon turn into bloody, gory horror! However, with "Livide" we just get a vampire girl who can fly. Disappointing!

Maybe that's why I liked "The Preening Swan" so much better. At least it didn't hide from what it was all about. Also, in a weird way, it was a lot more scary than "Livide". Here's the synopsis: naïve Barbara is visiting her former boyfriend Howard, but is worried about the killer in a jester's costume, lurking in the shadows of the town, waiting to kill. She gets even more worried when she finds evidence in the house that Howard is the killer! However, he has a different version to the story. There's a tiny monster, he tells Barbara, in a box in the living room that comes out every Halloween to kill innocents. Kinda like that premise, so I went to see it, expecting weirdness and bad acting. I got both, but somehow the film knew how awful and kitschy it was. And with that in mind, I didn't have a problem with it. Sounds strange? I can't explain it any better. Sorry.

Finally I went to see Swedish drama, Happy End. Pretty good. Not bad. Unfortunately that's all I got to say there. The other people in the cinema seemed to love it, but I was left with a "meh"-experience. That's what I got, folks.



Retour

Just as I thought hoped I knew all the great restaurants in Copenhagen, I run across Retour. Amazing! This is a place so certain of its own value that the waiters all walk around in their own clothes (no uniforms here, no sir!) and the menu consists of three choices. But, oh my, is it good! No matter what you go for you will not be disappointed. Just remember to book ahead. Everything else would be too daring and, honestly, just not professional-looking.

Statens Museum for Kunst

It's Easter and people are flocking to the museums to hide away from the brutal truth that the weather sucks - way too cold for most people's liking. So what shall we do? Well, if in Copenhagen, the answer could be to head for Statens Museum for Kunst, where the entrance is free for the general exhibit, and the atmosphere is nice and calm. Their paintings are rather so-so, but the installation art is dreamy, y'all. And when it isn't dreamy, it's drastic, like metal hitting you right in the face. Example: below you will see a picture of a man (mannequin, don't worry, it's modern enough for real sick people) in a hospital bed. That's part of the installation pieces, where you walk straight into a hospital ward. Let me tell you; that shit's creepy if you're alone.

Ida Davidsen

Just got home from a good, old-fashioned, traditional Danish lunch. That's right, I'm talking 'bout those smørrebrød, those open sandwiches that foreigners flock to whenever they come around these parts. Now, like most modern Danes, I'm not a huge fan of this cuisine, but if I get invited somewhere, I have to be pretty ill not to accept. So I dragged myself to the busy part of Copenhagen and straight down to the basement, where the famous chef Ida Davidsen resides with her open sandwiches and whatnot. Ida was busy as always, and I got some sweet photographs for my equally sweet blog. You're welcome!

A little New York, a little Copenhagen

It's a disgrace how I've had some photos just lying around for a while without ever promoting the places they show. Time to make things right.

First of all, I've had these bad boys hiding on my harddrive for a very long time. They're from Freeman's, taken when I still used to live in New York. Now, you've no doubt heard about Freeman's before. It's the chic restaurant at the end of Freeman's alley (hence the name) at the Lower East Side. It's chic for a reason though, and I would suggest you to hurry, hurry, hurry ot get a bite to eat there. As a matter of fact, you should collect your friends to join you, because they only take reservation for 6+ people. And you need reservations, trust me.

No more New York. Time for Copenhagen. To put it more specifically: time for Amalies Kaffebar, a small, utterly cozy place in Nansensgade. Actually Nansengade seems to have a lot of things going for it. It's not the biggest street in the world (but then again, we're in Copenhagen, so what is?), but it has such distant charm somehow. Can't explain it. You just have to experience it, I guess. Also, the neighbors come in at all times, giving it a somewhat familiar atmosphere.

Finally, for all you yuppies out there, let me finish with Cafe Zeze, a coffee shop mainly inhabited by, yes, yuppies. For a semi-hipster like myself, it's always a good time watching yuppies, especially if you keep in mind Bret Easton Ellis' American Psycho and the inane conversations in that book. Somehow that amuses me, even though I guess it shouldn't.