"Let the Right One In" by Tomas Alfredson (2008)

A Swedish romance and horror film based on the eponymous novel by John Ajvide Lindqvist, who also wrote the script. 

Let the Right One In tells the story of the friendship between Oskar, a 12y.o. weak sweet boy bullied at school, and Eli, a 12y.o. strong lonely vampire girl who moves to Oskar's building in Stockholm.

If vampires existed in the modern world, how would they live? Most probably as they are portrayed in this movie. It is the believability of the story what will appeal to people who usually hate vampire movies, like me. The story does not focus on the gory part of the life of a Vampire, but on the physical and emotional needs they have to survive and how they make do in the modern world. At the same time, the vampire theme glues well with a story that would have been terrific per se as it approaches with honesty the sins of modern urban society: isolation, loneliness, craving for affection, miscommunication, and friendship/love as redemption. The struggle of Oskar at school, his alienation from his divorced parents, the struggle of Eli to be loved and have a normal life, her guilt at having to kill to survive, are equally believable and intriguing.

The appeal and success of the movie are indebted in equal parts to the script and the terrific performances of the leading young actors Kåre Hedebrant as Oskar, Lina Leandersson as Elis, and Patrik Rydmark as the leader of the bullies. The leading couple has great chemistry on camera in part because both kids have a physique that mixes innocence and strength, and they complement each other physically.

The atmosphere is fantastic - peaceful and menacing at the same time. One of the best points of the cinematography is that it is rarely "dark", but virginal white or very luminous, even the night shots, so most of the clichés of the genre are turned over and revamped, leaving those elements strictly necessary for the narrative of the genre to work in the 21st century. The movie has some funny and shocking scenes, too, the one with the cats and the burning in hospital among the most memorable.

An excellent romantic horror film, with a terrific script, good performances and a great atmosphere, which will captivate both lovers and haters of the genre. An American remake has recently been made of this film, also with very good reviews, but who wants to watch an imitation, the original being brilliant?

Read More

"The Triplets of Belleville" by Sylvain Chomet (2003)

A Franco-Belgian-Canadian animated movie, The Triplets of Belleville tells the story of a French cyclist Champion, his Portuguese grandma, and their unwanted adventures in America, where they meet three American sisters.

There is a lot to praise in this movie, but the main praise to any film is that time flies when watching it, so entertaining and enchanting is.

The animation looks like old style hand-made Miyazaki's, both in detail of de drawing, style, fluidity of the images, quirkiness of the characters, and action. Still has a very special feeling, which is both very European and very American. 

It is remarkable that an animation movie without princes and princesses, fairytale love stories, or young characters can be so appealing to people of all ages. In fact, the characters are a group of old women, an overweight dog, and some nasty Mafiosi.  If this was not enough, the characters rarely speak, just mumble a few words, make guttural noses, and sing some songs. The story is entertaining, quirky and original enough to keep the viewer interested and entertained, and the characters are very expressive, like the old silent movies, despite their lack of language. That is a lot to say.

The movie has an awesome soundtrack by Benoît Charest inspired by golden-era Jazz and Motown classics, plus some classic music pieces that perfectly convey the atmosphere of New York in the 1920s-1950s. In fact, the recreation of New York as Belleville has a lot of art-deco with a twist of European Disney (the skyline of Belleville resembles a European castle), plus a contemporary projection of the image of Americans in European mentality (the inhabitants of Belleville are morbidly obese) creating something that is oddly beautiful and original.

Especially brilliant are the scenes of the crossing of the Atlantic, the watching of human programs in TV by the cartoons, the diet of the triplets, and, above all, the surreal black and white dreams of Bruno the dog.

The only thing I did not like was the car persecution at the end, which I found childish and hurriedly resolved, and the end of the movie.  

This is a brilliant movie with a delightful script for people of all ages with lots of winks to adult viewers.

Read More

Milk and Honey (Perth WA)

82 James St
Northbridge Western Australia 6003
(08) 9227 0500
Hours:
    Mon-Fri 6:00 - 16:00  
    Sat-Sun 8:00 - 15:00

THE FOOD - When Milk and Honey opened in James Street a few years ago, it was like a breath of fresh air in the food scene in Northbridge. They were a contemporary café with terrific coffee and great fresh food and an ever changing menu. It was the talk of the whole CBD. One of the best risottos I have ever eaten in WA was indeed prepared here in one of the first months of life of the café. However, the cook/s, cooking practices, or perhaps just the management and the polices of the place, have changed with time. The food and coffee are not what they used to be, and the gourmet flare they used to have is no longer there.

Still, Honey and Milk is one of those eateries that you choose when you want good comfort good - simple fresh fish, meat, pasta or soup meals, that are flavoursome and good-sized, cooked on site, decently prepared, and good value for money.  They have a good range of breakfast menus, a set lunch menu that changes frequently and a pasta and soup of the day. They have the usual pre-prepared salads, pannini and rolls, which are the same sort of thing you find elsewhere and  for which I would not come here.

I usually go there for my carb fix, and the pasta of the day is always very tasty and almost al dente - delicious at times. With the lasagna have had good and bad experiences in the past: from yummy to bad and everything in between.

THE COFFEE - Their coffee uses Five Senses beans, and it used to be among my favourite coffees in the CBD. The coffee is still well prepared, creamy and consistent, but part of the flavour is missing and the coffee is definitely weaker than used to be. Have they changed beans or just their roasting?

THE SERVICE - The service is quite fast, and matter of fact, although varies from person to person - some of them are quite friendly and attentive, and others are not.  

THE PLACE - The place is very luminous, modern functional, with a comfy cushioned area by the wall. The foldable doors are open when the good weather arrives, and the place is really nice - open but still cool. There is a small seating area on the footpath, too. They have tons of daily newspapers for you to browse around (a fact that I always love in any restaurant), a self-service cute fountain with hot and cold water, and extra napkins at hand in case you need them ( I usually do).  They attract an heterogeneous bunch of people of all ages, styles and professions.

***

At Milk and Honey, they do not pretend to be trendy because their hype waned long time ago, so the prices are not inflated. There is a relaxed casual atmosphere, which is very enjoyable, as well as the food. Do not expect too much, and you might be surprised. 

Location 7/10
Layout 6.5/10
Ambience 6.5/10
Coffee 7/10
Food 7/10 
Prizing 7.5/10
Service 5/7 (varies)

Read More

Forever New (Perth WA)

Shop 0.04, 140 William St
 William Shopping Centre
 Perth Western Australia 6000
(08) 9481 2325
Website
Facebook
Hours:
    Mon-Thu 9:00 - 17:30
    Fri 9:00 - 21:00
    Sat 9:00 - 17:00
    Sun 11:00 - 17:00

Forever New is a  Australian women fashion brand, similar in concept to some high street European chains, that mirros the style of Australian brands Review and Alannah Hill. They sell retro-chic girly and trendy apparel, accessories and jewellery. It is very glamorous and quite cheap.  

They have a great range of dresses, from the every day simple one to the special occasion sparkly one, beautiful colourful jewellery, handbags, sandals, and techno-accessories at fantastic prices. Of course, you get you pay for, and the quality of the products is basic to medium, nothing to rave about, but bear in mind that you can pay the same in other chain shops for absolute crap. So Forever New gets it right.


The shop attendants are friendly but non-invasive, so they let you browse around unless you ask for help.

They put a lot of effort in the way the shop looks and how the products are showcased, and they have one of the most beautiful shop windows in the city centre. So much so, that it looks like a expensive chain shop, not the affordable one it is. Unlike other cheap chain stores, Forever New works hard to keep the shop tidy and organised, despite the small size of it and the many visitors. Their changing rooms are very nice. 

The main down of the shop is that they have a no-refunds policy, and they just allow exchanges, a practice that, in these days of free trade and high competitivity, is a bit outdated.

Their website is clean and very easy to navigate, and showcases their products  nicely with a browse-over zoom. This is not an American Style mega-store, but a small chain selling a few things online, so I do not understand why the description of the products is missing, and the products only have a frontal photo; bags and wallets would need at least three, and dresses at least two. On the positive side, they offer free delivery in Australia for orders over 80 bucks, which is stupendous.

Read More

Cultural Centre LED screen (Perth WA)

Cultural Centre Plaza
Northbridge Western Australia 6003
Programme

The giant LED screen came to live at the end of year 2011 and has completely transformed the life and atmosphere of the Cultural Centre since. 

It must be the magnetic field of this humoungous electronic device mixed with the subtle whisper of the free wi-fi in the square, but there is something about this screen that attracts a heterogeneous mix of people like flies to a bulb.

In spite of being part of the reality of our cities, big flat screens are very futuristic, part of an imagined future that is already here. Science-fiction movies and literature have helped to attach an aura of negativity to big public screens, and they are often portrayed as tools used by dubious corporations and governments to send subliminal messages of individual submission, political control, personal brainwashing, and commercial utilisation. Those images, and the fear they have infused in the collective subconscious are the root of the rejection that they generate among some people, who ask themselves: Can't we live without screens? Isn't the screen too big? Is TV the new God? Are our minds being controlled?

I can tell you just one thing - The LED screen is not going to control you brain, or affect it negatively unless it is already damaged. You will surrender yourself willingly if you want to have a 24/7 free cultural programme without having to pay a subscription to a dubious corporation called Teleestrash or Foxytell, which connect you through your phone and charge you a lot of money for it. That is perfectly acceptable, right?

The LED screen shows short films, both animated or non animated (some of them Internationally awarded), short travel and nature docos, Music and Dance pieces, motivational speeches, segments showcasing some of the photographic treasures of the SLWA, experimental images and material that you do not find in your normal TV program; they will certainly expand your mind, not dominate it. There are scheduled and seasonal feature films coinciding with public and school holidays, and local and international events. 

Having a giant TV screen in a square does not mean that you have to watch it if you do not want. Simple, no? You can use the screen as a focal point to munch your thoughts and muse on life and eternity. You can fake that you are watching something, while you eyes fully focus on that cute sexy human approaching the steps. You can practice and synchronise your lunch mastication with your eyes and ears movement and have an out-of-body experience. You can look at beautiful intriguing images if you are deaf. You can listen to stories and sounds if you are blind. You can get an excuse to seat and have company if you feel lonely and need of human proximity to make your days more bearable. You can use the screen as an excuse to have a seat and rest. You can even, watch the programme and enjoy it, for one minute, five minutes or one hour.

The world is imperfect and also this LED screen. The sound is often muted, making  the watching of pieces that are not silent an annoyance. On the other hand, the segments are showed repeatedly, day after day, during weekdays, so, if you seat in front of the screen regularly, you might find yourself watching a piece for the seventh time. A bit of more rotation of the pieces, and regularly adding new ones, should be the target of the Cultural Centre. We are humans and get bored easily.

One can criticise the obsession of our modern world with images and flat screens, which I share in some degree, but this is an educational and culturally-oriented tool. And it is free. No news or manipulating channels. 

Let us rejoice while our brains decide on their own whether they want to to be absorbed by the big flatty or not. Besides, Perth is one of those cities in which everything costs too much, Culture specially. Can't we be happy at having entertainment and culture gratis?

Read More

Transperth Information Centre (Perth WA)

Perth Central Station
Wellington St
Perth Western Australia 6000
13 62 13
http://www.transperth.wa.gov.au

The Transperth Information Centre within the Central Perth Train Station on Wellington St has improved enormously after its recent refurbishment. The chaos, crowding and lack of order of the obsolete office have been transformed into a clean tidy Customers Office with several tellers and a lined cue.  The office now attends to both TransPerth and TransWA customers, offering general information on buses and trains, printed timetables, sale of SmartRiders cards, and sales and refunds of long-distance train and TransWA's tickets. There are a few general schedule brochures you can grab on your own, while others are only handed down to you by the staff. A convenient flat screen also informs of the departures of the local trains, just in case you are on transit.

The cues move slow at times, especially at lunch time, when the volume of visitors increases and many of them require a bit of time. Still, the tellers work non stop to attend customers as fast and best they can.

In the past, the attention to the customer has been  abrupt and lacking in courtesy at times. However, the refurbishment has also brought younger people who seem to be more enthusiastic and friendly towards customers. Still, the service is, in many cases, matter of fact. You ask something, they reply, and move on without a hint of human connection. It is great that the staff do their job properly, but it should be a policy of any customer service to select people who, beyond efficiency, have some social skills. Those who have them, make a whole difference.

TIP
There is a specific line for the TransWA teller, but any of the tellers in the office do sale and refund tickets. So follow the line that better suits your needs.

Read More

Bivouac Canteen & Bar (Perth WA)

198 William St
Northbridge Western Australia 6803
(08) 9227 0883
Hours:
    Tue-Fri: 12:00 - 22:00
    Sat: 10:00 - 22:00
Website
Facebook

Bivouac is one of the latest "it" places on William Street and, being so "a la mode", and so close to my work place, there I went, to sniff and taste. My sniffing has turned into a habit, and I have been bivuacking weekly.

Bivouac sounds like the surname of an imaginary Philosopher with Native American and French origins, or the name of an alternative revolutionary hyper-cool austere Art movement. Far from it, the exotic name is not only the name of an American mountain, but most commonly used to describe a military camp and camping tent, which is, indeed, the place's logo - a schematic tent, with an intriguing almost-corporate design bearing the colours of the military uniform. 

 

Facing Arcade 189, in the heart of William St, Bivouac is indeed a very Spartan place, and the name of canteen perfectly describes what the place is: Uncomplicated simple decoration and settings, undefined style, with nice artwork as the only visual break. The ambience varies depending on the patrons, but is quite relaxed in general, with people of all ages, professions and attitudes, and plenty of groups.

THE COFFEE - My first coffee from Bivouac was a take-away and it was a weak watery concoction I did not like. However, each time I have it in the place, the coffee is creamy, well prepared, medium strength and is good.

THE FOOD - Bivouac offers an interesting, colourful, flavoursome mix of Mediterranean fusion dishes. They have food that will satisfy any big eater, with pizzas, burgers and rolls that are decently sized, filling and full of flavour. The menu is varied and changes regularly, and there are variations from lunch to dinner, too. It reminds me of "Cantina 663", regarding food philosophy, but their menu is more varied and adventurous and the prices a bit more affordable; on the other hand, the place is also less charming and authentic, and their food more "canteeny". There are many tempting things in the menu, and very nice entrees too, plus a small selection of International wines.

The pork sandwich is delicious, with an orgasmic golden crispy juicy piece of pork, tasty pear relish, beetroot and a great mix of textures and flavours. Yummy and satisfying. 

The Vegetarian Gnocchi with pear, blue cheese, walnuts and kale are also lovely with a nice mix of flavours and textures. The Chorizo & Jalapeños Sourdough Pizza was happy hot, and I was so full after lunch that I did not need dinner.  

I have a long list of things that I want to try, which I have seen served to other people and made my juices flow. 

  

DESSERTS - I was allured by the Spanish Catalan Cream (a sort of crème brûlée). It was nicely presented with a dollop of chocolate mouse. The dessert, however, has too much sugar, and the wonderful flavours get lost and masked by it; the chocolate dollop is very nice, but very rich and thick. I expected my Catalan Cream to be warm all through and the caramelised sugar crust hot just because we are in winter; the differences in temperature from up to bottom were considerable, so I thought it had been reheated from a frozen preparation. I asked the staff, and I was told this is a Spanish dessert and that is the way it is served in Spain (:O)... well, in Spain it is consumed warm or cold depending on the season, the crust being always hot as it is caramelised crusted sugar on the spot. I don't have a problem with them choosing the cold version, just because this is a restaurant, not your house,  but, if that is the case, it is an option not a matter of fact. Do you understand what I am saying?

 

THE SERVICE - The staff are friendly, smiley, respectful, and eager to help. For example, on one occasion, they had two fully-packed group tables, but I was in my lunch break and short of time, so I told the waitress so, and she was very helpful, and I got my food in less than ten minutes. It was such a nice detail. 


THINGS TO IMPROVE - 1/  I would remove rocket or greens easily perishable from the sides, as it is never appealing finding your greens looking a bit "mushy".
2/ The olives are OK but not worth the 7$ we pay for them. Reduce the price or provide a better selection of olives. 
 3/ Improve your take-away coffee. If you know how to prepare your coffee, why do you downgrade it for take-away? 
4/ Too much sugar in a dessert makes a bad dessert, so remember that golden rule when making yours. :O


TIP
If you are in a hurry, hungry, and not fussy about what you want to eat, ask the waitress for the quickest options to prepare in the kitchen, and you will be served faster. 

Location: 8/10
Layout: 6.5
Ambience (lunch) 6.5 
Pricing: 6.5
Food:8
Desserts: 7.5
Coffee: 7.5  (takeaway/in)
Service: 9/10

UPDATE 20/9/2012
 I returned today to Bivouac for lunch, and had one of those wonderfully delicious moist flavoursome and textured Pork Sandwiches that caught my attention the first time I visited the place. You haven't tried it yet? Really? Well, if that is the case, you are missing on one of the best sandwiches you can taste in Perth CBD at the moment. No kidding. Orgasmic. No photo, sorry, the view was too good to waste any time and had to put it right into my belly. 

 

UPDATE 20/3/2013
Bivouac is one of those places that keeps me going back for the right reasons - Food! Good food. Changing menu. Light or heavy dishes, and a nice selection of drinks.

Their new autumn menu is just delicious and more sophisticated than ever. The new Gnocchi recipe, the mouth watering yoghurt-based panna cotta, and the Tunisian Lamb with a yummy house-made flat bread are a proof of it.

Still, the place is pricey. If I eat all what I need to fill in my stomach, I spend 50 bucks. Which, on the other hand, are always well spent.

I love the fact that they are open most of the day, so you can drop to eat something anything you fancy.

Service is great.

Read More