Figure skating 2007/2008

Well the figure skating season has begun! Last saturday I watched an exhibition gala from Ingolstadt, Germany on television. What will it be this year...will Yu Na Kim this year take the gold in the world championships or wil Miki Ando strike again? We will know it in March when the world championships will be held from 16 till 23 March at Göteborg, Sweden! I hope it will be a great season!!

The first real matches were this weekend at quebec city Canada. Brian Joubert won the golden medal in men, van der Parre was second..very good my neighbour Belgium! In the women race Mao Asada took the gold in front of Yukari Nakano! The gold medal in pair skating went to Savchenko/Szolkowy. Silver medalist were Dube/Davison!

A beautiful picture of high favourite and winner Mao Asada


Next week the GP of China at Harbin!

Curse of the golden flower

Tonight I have seen Zhang Yimou's Curse of the golden flower! After 'Hero' and 'House of flying daggers' Zhang Yimou wanted to complete his trilogy of films which take place in three different dynasties. It's like a Shakespearian story situated in the forbidden city of China. It's full of love, intruige, sorrow and power. This movie overwhelmed me completely, the scenes are so perfectly beautiful the music is outstanding and the story is so exciting that before you know it this movie is over.
The acting of Gong Li (I have to say she seems to act brilliant in every movie she plays, from 'Red Sorghum' to 'curse of the golden flower', she is in my eyes one of the best actresses of the last few decades) is just wonderful, she caps every emotion in the perfect way. Chow Yun Fat plays the emperor, well I think it's almost the same like Gong Li, he seems to play wonderful always too.

I was drowned into the beauty of the forbidden çity, in the madness of the emperor and the sad story which really gets a hrip on your heart. How is it possible that only Chinese directors seem to be able to catch this magic feeling, to show these magic camerawork? I am not sure but I am just happy they know how to portrait the beauty you long for.
If this is a little glimpse in Zhang Yimou's opening ceremony for the Olympic games in Beijing, I guess it will be magnificent, even beyond imagination.

Kiss of dawn - HIM

It's happening!! On the 18th of September the new album 'Venus Doom' of HIM will be released. Already there is a new single that is called 'Kiss of dawn'. It's got the typical HIM sound which is a bit dark and gloomy.

'I'm reaching for your shadow, drowning in the kiss of dawn'

In the bottom part of my blog you can find this new video!

Discovery of ancient porcelain of South Korea

Well... because I am an archaeologist I just have to mention this find of porcelain in a South Korean shipwreck. It makes my world a little more brighter hehe.

"Ancient Korean porcelain from a shipwreck is seen in this undated handout released by the National Maritime Museum in Mokpo, South Korea. The collection includes hundreds of well preserved celadon cups, bowls, plates and other works that Yun said were for the noble class and government officials in the Goryeo Dynasty, which ruled from 918-1392 and was known for its porcelain."

Field of hope, filled with sorrow

I see you there
wandering through this field filled with wild flowers
Staring at the far horizon
becoming one with your surrounding

I see you there
delicate and graceful, accompanied by the swirling wind
Trying to take you with it to the everlasting sky
saddened that it only gets grip of your hair



I can't move, I can't breath
My hand, it's reaching for you
reaching into thin air
a gesture filled with sadness and sorrow

I can't see your face,
scared of what will happen
I can't turn away anymore,
have to face my deepest fear

I see you there,
taking one single step away from me,
I lost you,
there are only flowers left.

Pictures of Zhang Ziyi and ethnic celebration

Just a picture of Zhang Ziyi during the celebration of 10th year anniversary of Hong Kong to the Chinese mainland. I think her dress is really wonderful!

Picture taken during the opening ceremony of Kaili Original Ethnic Culture & Arts Festival in Kaili, Qiandongnan Miao-Dong Autonomous Prefecture, Southwest China's Guizhou Province, July 23, 2007. There are 47 nationalities, such as the Miao, Dong, and Buyi, in Qiandongnan, making it the prefecture with the largest number and highest proportion of the ethnic-minority population in China

The banquet in Tokyo's cinema

Chinese actress Zhang Ziyi (L) and movie director Feng Xiaogang at the premiere of The Banquet (Ye Yan) in Tokyo, Japan.

Working towards the olympics!!

With only 446 days to go to the opening of the olympic games at Beijing a gymnast practices in his training session at China's General Administration of Sport in Beijing.

Sympathy for lady vengeance

The third and last film in Park Chan Wook's revenge trilogy.
It deals aboutr a woman who is released from prison after 13 years, by flashbacks you will know why she was put in jail. It's because of the kidnapping and killing of a little boy.



But did she really committed this great crime? She wants to take revenge on the people who put her in this position. This evolves in a rather dark movie, with very dark humour. She also searches for her child which she gave away for adoption. The main character 'Lee Geum-ja' is pretty good casted. Beautiful, elegant and a very coldhearted person! The acting of Lee Young-ae and Choi Min-sik is really great and the art direction and camera work is also very beautiful. The musical score of this movie is really fantastic with it's classical themes.

Rare solar halo in Liu Panshui

Pictures of a rare solar halo in downtown Liu Panshui, southwest China's Guizhou Province (China).

Dolls - Takeshi Kitano

Wowww , that is what I can say about Takeshi Kitano's movie: Dolls.
A story about three different kinds of love between people. One guy loves a girl but is forced to marry another for his career. The girl he leaves tries to commit suicide and becomes mentally ill. He looks for her and they walk through the Japanese seasons bound my a red cord.



The second story is about a Yakuza (Japanese maffia) leader who loved a girl when he was young, they always sat at the same spot on saturday in the park. When he is old he looks for her and finds her still sitting in the same park. The third story is about an idol and her fans. Who is the biggest fan and how can he show his devotion to her.



These are all very tragic stories about undying love. It's inspired by the Japanese Bunraku doll theatre. Kitano is also inspired by famous writer 'Chikamatsu Monzaemon' (1653-1724). He is like the Japanese Shakespeare.



You will be blown away by it's gorgeous imagery. The brilliant costumes are the work of famous Japanese fashion designer Yohji Yamamoto. For those who wanna see pure beauty and aren't afraid of something new...you have to see this one!

Keira Knightley quits acting?

Rumours become louder and louder that Keira Kneightley would quit her acting career. Let's hope she only will take a rest and return in the cinema's to star in beautiful movies again. Bend it like Beckham and the brilliant 'Pride and prejudice' are among my favourites so I really hope she will be back again. We haven't seen enough of her movies yet!!

Fallen angels (duo luo tian shi) - Wong Kar Wai

What can be said about Wong Kar Wai's 'Fallen angels'? I don't know it really. It is a very strange and hypnotic movie. A movie about weird people in our even society. People don't talk very much with eachother, direct meeting leads to misunderstanding.
A killer tries to be strict and only keeps his relation to his partner in crime in a business way, not easy when she is 'Michelle Reis' though. Another men who became mute after eating a can of expired pineaple breaks in people's businesses and forces them to by his products.
It's not a very clear story, the viewer has to fill in the plot really.



One of the most beautiful scenes is when Michelle is listening to the jukebox in a bar, some mystical music by Lauri Anderson (Speak my language) is played. This scene is dark though interesting.
A rather strange, hypnotical and interesting movie about detachment that people feel to the real world.

Howl's moving castle review (Hauru no Ugoku Shiro)

Last night I watched 3 films; Flightplan, Jarhead and Howl's moving castle. All three of them were very very nice to watch but I wanna talk about Miyazaki's Howl's moving castle today.

After the brilliant Spirited away many people were looking forward to Hayao Miyazaki's next picture. Did he create this world again, where you would be lost in while watching it? Yeah he did it again!


The story starts with 18 year old Sophie who is turned into a 90 year old woman by the Wicked Witch of Waste. She has to leave home and enters the moving castle of the wizard Howl. She meets a fire demon 'Calcifer' over there who is also under a spell. Together they have to find a way to transform to their original state.



The stort takes place in 19th century Europe during war. Howl tries to stop the warships but he is getting tired and turning into a monster. Can Sophie help him?

The drawing of this film is brilliant, look at the detail in the background!! The voice casting is very well done too with voices of Chieko Baisho, Akihiro Miwa and Takuya Kimura'(yeahh....2046!! hehe). Not all critics loved this movie and Spirited away may be a bit better but don't miss this movie! There is no cartoon movie like Hayao Miyazaki's!

Dvevnoy Dozor

Finally the sequel to Nochnoi Dozor (Nightwatch) will be in the cinema's. It's time for: Dnevnoy Dozor (Daywatch), again directed by Timur Bekmambetov. It's kind of an epic horror trilogy about good and evil which takes place in Moscow!
I loved nightwatch, cool story and magnificent effects, so I am very curious about Daywatch. I also look very much forward to the acting of Konstantin Khabensky (Anton Gorodevski in the movies) again!

Sea water turns red in Xiamen

The sea water turns red in Xiamen. According to an oceanographer of Xiamen university this is probably the result of red tide, but it's not sure yet. It looks pretty weird, it almost looks like the biblical passage: "and the water will change into blood "!

Falling into the nothing

Falling,
why be afraid,
It won't hurt,
still...it's scary
falling into the nothing

Thnx Jing Yi, for let me using this picture!

Kanon - 2002 version

At this very moment I am watching the anime Kanon. I have reached the twelfth episode now and I can't wait to see all of them! In the beginning I thought I had to deal with a very nice, but slow story. I was wrong, it is becoming weirder and weirder...it's about five (it could be six) girls who are all all connected to one boy: Yuichi Aizawa. The story is often funny but there is also much drama in it... a perfect mix.

Who are these girls....what promises did Yuichi made...unrafel the mystery by watching it ;)

Memoirs of a Geisha-dance

In the movie 'memoirs of a geisha' there is this fantastic dancing scene. I was watching it in the cinema's and I was completely stunned buy it's beauty. The music, the dancing, the colours, Zhang Ziyi, it was just perfect; an unique experience to watch!!

Darkest worlds

Dreaming of this other world,
I slowly fade into the dark of the moonless night.
Flying beyond space and time,
Mysteries wink in ever changing corners.

Black eyes are watching me,
I feel their staring,
But I can't see, tell me why,
why do they see me?

Screaming voices are hurting my soul
My eyes, my eyes,
they're filled with blood.

I want to escape, return.
This dream, this nightmare,
this everlasting truth.

Marie Antoinette

Last sunday I watched Marie Antoinette (I also have watched it in the cinema's) directed by Sofia Coppola and the leading actress is Kirsten Dunst. Well one song in this movie gives the right mood 'I like candy'. Everything is so sweet in this movie, from pink dresses to little dogs that look like furballs. And Kirsten dunst looks sweet too.
Well enough about sweetness, it's just a fantastic movie. Don't expect a storyline that wirls in action but sit back in your chair and enjoy the beauty and decadence of Versailles, the brilliant acting of Kirsten Dunst and the absolutely fantastic clothesing. And for the ones who are afraid of her execution, it won't be shown!

Dumplings

A strange, very strange movie. I think this described the Chinese movie 'Dumplings' perfectly, directed by Fruit Chan. Yu could say the story is a bit sick, but in a way the movie is very attracting. The camerashots are wonderful, thanks to Christopher Doyle (2046, in the mood for love). The acting of Bai Ling, Miryam Yeung and Tony Leung is great, they each give a special personality to their character.
It's about a woman that wants to be young again. This quest leads her towards a mysterious woman that seem to have some famous 'Dumplings' that will bring her eternal youth. What is the secret? A strange, sometimes disturbing movie about the crazyness of the modern beauty, to stay young and beautiful no matter what the price will be.