Notes of Interest

-We watched this video in puppet class yesterday. A French theatre company called Royal de Luxe constructed these massive puppets to walk across Berlin and meet at the Bradenburg Gate. It's in celebration of the 20th anniversary of German Unification. WATCH IT! It is breathtaking if you imagine yourself there. (I'd post pictures, but I can't decide which ones to put up -- it's that crazygood.)

-Saw Was nützt die Liebe in Gedanken or Love in Thoughts, as we'd say in Americaland. Also highly recommend this, as it is good, available instant on Netflix, and contains (semi-) nude Brühl.

-The past few days have been very, well, German. I'm constantly thinking of where I'd like to study abroad next year, and London seems like the most doable in terms of having a film program that teaches in a language I understand. The other places my school has an exchange deal with are Weimar and Berlin, and apparently the Berlin one is one of the best for film. However, I don't know German, and attending that school requires that I speak and understand it. Lately, due to my very German days, I have a feeling that I'd be able to get a good grip on the German language. Whether I could be fluent by Fall 2010, that's a tricky subject. Damnit, Madrid, why can't you have an outstanding film program that has an exchange deal with my prestigious art school?

-Went to MAC today, the cosmetics store. Got some concealer for the droopy droopy purple bags under my eyes (thanks, Italian genes!) and a very dark green eyeliner with speckles of gold in it to bring out the green in my round-ish, hazel eyes.

Was nützt die Liebe in Gedanken (2004)

That's all for now. I'm about to go on Etsy. Might return with pictures of the crap I bought, a.k.a. the source of my buyer's remorse.

Barcelona Movies

It's official -- I miss Spain too much.

Although I'm a Madrid person, I've realized lately that I've grown quite fond of movies set in Barcelona, particularly The Spanish Apartment and, until recently, Vicky Cristina Barcelona. Not since I first saw George of the Jungle at age 7 have I had the urge to watch the same movie twice in a row (this goes for both of the two first movies I mentioned.)

The Spanish Apartment is about a French exchange student who studies abroad in Barcelona for a year and shares an apartment with a cool, collected Belgian lesbian, a slightly wound-up Brit, a didactic German, an easy-going Italian, a hunky Danish guy and a feisty Spaniard. I won't delve into the details of the plot, because I highly recommend that YOU SEE IT and find out. But the whole thing takes me back to my time in Madrid and allows me to relax and bask in the warm feeling I get when surrounded by people from all corners of the globe (or, in this case, Europe.)

Woody Allen's Vicky Cristina Barcelona, however, cemented this idea of me not being able to resist these types of movies. It certainly romanticizes many of the experiences one might have in Barcelona, but at the same time seems to describe it perfectly well - from every whim, mistake and emotion. Again, I'm not going to release any details until YOU SEE IT and/or look it up on imdb. I rented it on iTunes, so I only have about 4 hours to watch it a second time the whole way through.

It stars Javier Bardem, Scarlett Johansson and Penélope Cruz. Apparently Javier Bardem goes to the psycologist that works on the first floor of the apartment building I lived in in Madrid. I've told that fact way too many times but for me, it never gets old -- and that's kinda sad.

But anyway, both films seem to portray that chill, "go-for-it, life is short" kind of attitude that perhaps every non-Spaniard fantasizes about. Of course, I really wish it could apply here in the States, but then again, don't we all.

And did I mention that I could very well possibly go gay for Penélope Cruz? Because I totally would. Straight girls, get real - you'd totally hit that.

Photos from The Spanish Apartment:

The Frenchie I was telling you about.

The Europeans I was telling you about.

Belgian girl teaching French boy how to properly seduce a woman.


See? Even Cristina would totally hit that. But did she? See the movie.

At that amusement park on a hill overlooking Barcelona.

See the movie.

UPDATE: Kirk, if you're reading this, SPANISH MOVIES.