Volume 5, Issue 27
10 - 16 JULY 2008
The dining issue
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What the fork? The rise of ‘concept dining’: darkness, psychiatry and sugar. Page 8
FEATURE
PROFILE
FILM
AGENDA
Indulging in some lovely leftovers on a pyramid of picnic tables.
Deborah Solomon on her mobile snack unit Lucky Mi Fortune Cooking.
For one week only at the Filmmuseum: The Savages. It’s brilliant.
Plan your week from Butthole Surfing to Laurel and Hardying.
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Page 10 and onward...
Amsterdam Weekly_10-16 July 2008
In this issue and...
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CITY SECONDS
By Peter Cleutjens
As you can read this week, the ‘concept dining’ trend is going mental— with black being the new green and Freud the new foodie. Meanwhile last Monday in Japan at the G8 summit, the leaders of the world’s richest nations ended their day talking about food shortages and soaring prices (along with speeches about how average families should cut down on their food waste) with an eight-course dinner featuring corn-stuffed caviar, smoked salmon and sea urchin ‘pain surprise’, kelp-flavoured cold Kyoto beef ‘shabushabu’, water shield and pickled conger dressed with vinegar soy sauce, boiled prawn with jellied tosazu vinegar, hairy crab ‘Kegani’ bisque soup, salt-grilled bighand thornyhead with vinegary water pepper sauce, and milk fed ‘shiranuka’ lamb flavoured with aromatic herbs and mustard. There was also lovely Le Reve Grand Cru champagne on hand to wash it all down. If you can tear your mind away from all that grub sloshing in the stomachs of your least favourite leaders, wishing it would burn right through, just imagine the leftovers. And having these leftovers served to you on a pyramid of picnic tables. Now that would be a concept!
Features Inbox Poetry Poles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Nature Calls Orchids. . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 News Pimping the poor. . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Amstergraph Food prices . . . . . . . . . 5 A Quick Bike Fix Scooters. . . . . . . . 5 Street Fashion Ageing . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Report Rest. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 The People Versus Surinameplein . 6 Interview Deborah Solomon . . . . . . 7 Main feature Concept eating . . . . . . 8 Three Questions Minimatic . . . . . . 12 Lekker Bezig Bedside reader . . . . . 16 Film Review The Savages . . . . . . . . 18
Agenda Short List 10 / Music 11 / Clubs 13 / Gay & Lesbian 14 / Stage 14 / Events 14 / Art 15 / Addresses 16 / Film 18 / Film Times 20
Plus The Glutton Amsterdam . . . . . . . . . 21 A night in the life Struik. . . . . . . . . 21 Classifieds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 Eefje Wentelteefje . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
On the cover Illustration by Krista van der Niet www.kristavanderniet.nl
Next week Fashion
Contact Amsterdam Weekly Publisher Yuval Sigler Director Todd Savage Editor Steve Korver Assistant Editor Nina Siegal Agenda Editor Steven McCarron Film Editor Julie Phillips Copy Editor Mark Wedin Editorial Assistant Sarah Gehrke Art Director Bas Morsch Guest Art Director Simon Wald- Lasowski Production Designers Mattijs Arts, Russell Joyce Production Intern Denis Koval Account Managers Marc Devèze, Simone Klomp Classifieds Kate Hutchinson Distribution Manager Patrick van der Klugt Printer Corelio Printing
Amsterdam Weekly is published every week on Wednesday and is available free at locations all over Amsterdam. Subscriptions are available for €60 per six months within the Netherlands and €90 per six months within Europe. Agenda submissions are welcome, at least two weeks in advance. New contributors are invited to visit Amsterdam Weekly’s website for contributor guidelines. Contents of Amsterdam Weekly (ISSN 1872-3268) are copyright 2008 Amsterdam Weekly BV. All rights reserved.
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Amsterdam Weekly_10-16 July 2008
AROUND TOWN
Inbox
Poetry for sale Submitted by: Kevin By: email Date: 1 July Subject: Poetry poles If, like me, you’ve been taking advantage of the great weather we’ve enjoyed lately in Amsterdam to go to the park and roast your melanomas in the sun, you must have noticed the new ‘plantings’ in the Vondelpark. You know, red wooden posts, with a name, a phone number and a price on them. Or hideous clusters of stupid giant toothpicks standing on the lawn in various locations—for example, in front of Het Blauwe Theehuis, next to the pond or between the trees. Yes, those, you’ve seen them! For your information, these ornaments are cultural. And they are called ‘poeziepalen’. Quesaco? Paying a little visit to the website, www.poezieinhetpark.nl, we learn that, as part of the UNESCO celebration of Amsterdam as World Book Capital of 2008, the Amsterdam World Book Foundation, the Oud-Zuid district and Vodafone formed a partnership and delegated this project to Xsaga, a brand building company. Xsaga came up with a brilliant idea: by calling 0900 512 1212, you can listen to one of the 103 ‘poems which have been especially written for the occasion by known and less known poets’. The web page informs us that ‘the listening of a poem costs 0.25 cents per minute’ and warns potential users that this price is ‘excluding the expenses for the use of your mobile telephone’. If you can indeed appreciate the horror spectacle (sort of an ‘Attack of the Living Dead Poetry Woods’) for free, you must pay to make the most of it. That’s the concept of ‘art in the street/culture for all’ according to Vodafone, a charitable corporation known for caring more about humanity than market shares... On the other hand, public phones in the Vondelpark being rather scarce (as far as I know, there aren’t any) and our poetry promoters not making clear what the average length of their telephone poems is, I suspect it might be cheaper to relish your favorite verses the old fashioned way: by cracking open a book. You’ll say I’m a killjoy. Perhaps. It’s just that behind this noble intention to support literature, the initiative seems to be merely a marketing operation. And isn’t marketing that regressive science of turning even the nicest things into products or else making useless stuff appear vital and necessary? Not for nothing, at the Aalsmeer Bloemenveiling, the bloemeninkopers (the flower buyers), with their common sense and outmoded mentality, refer to the marketing department of the largest flower export companies, as the ‘crêche’. After much woolly brainstorming, the Xsaga crêche probably decided that to switch off the TV and get back to reading, what people really need is to use their cell phone more. Not to make Vodafone richer, of course. But to listen to poems. ‘Poems Online(r), the new poem brand, for improved, much better and more tasteful poetry than ever! Because chilling out in the park, a nice cold beer at hand and the sausages grilling on the barbecue, excessive mobile phone charges are what’ll make you like literature again!’ In Amsterdam, poetry is now for sale. And that’s definitely a good development since our modern world, so overloaded with humanism and culture, is truly lacking in profit-making schemes...
Got an opinion? We want to hear it. inbox@amsterdamweekly.nl
Nature calling By Mark Wedin
‘Lady's Slipper’ (2007) by Portia Munson. Courtesy PPOW Gallery, New York, NY.
Hot bloomers Orchids are, of course, famous for their seemingly limitless breeding potential. With nearly 22,000 accepted species (roughly four times the number of mammals on the planet), horticulturalists continue their breeding fest, introducing various strains of orchids to each other and relishing the results. At last count, more than 100,000 documented hybrids were known, with the results being highly diverse and spectacular. But as sexy as these new strains can be, chancing upon a pure, wild orchid blooming in nature has its own particular allure. This time of year, Southern Marsh-orchids (AKA rietorchis) are bursting with colour. They can grow up to 70 centimetres high, with flower spikes boasting 100 blossoms, and petals that range from light mauve to dark magenta. Like all orchids, the flowers are symmetric from left to right. The pure Southern Marsh variety has blossoms with darker dotted lines leading down to the lower tip of the petal. Weaving through and around the flowers are long purple-green bracts (a fancy word for brightly coloured leaves, stemming from the base of the flower). Growing from the bottom of the plant are
five to nine broad, flat greyish-green leaves. If the leaves are full of spots, then you’re probably ogling at a natural hybrid (these free-loving flowers tend to hybridise easily in the wild with Common and Heath-spotted orchids, among others). Due to a rather dry Spring, the Southern Marshorchid’s short annual blooming period is even shorter this year. This month, they’ve been seen growing along water (usually five to six weeks) in Amsterdam Zuidoost. If you spot one, count yourself lucky. And leave it be. Conditions for orchid growth are very specific. They will most certainly die if you try to replant them, they’ll lose the opportunity to spread their seed and, not the least of importance, you’ll lessen the chance for others to witness nature’s sexy summer growths. Thanks to Martin Melchers, stadsecoloog. Got nature tips or pictures? naturecalls@amsterdamweekly.nl
Amsterdam Weekly_10-16 July 2008
AROUND TOWN
Poverty
By Monica de Ruiter
HOW TO DRESS FOR SUCCESS Pimping the unemployed for work. The day that Henry Muldrow (53) walked into Dress for Success, he was ready for a change. ‘In the end,’ he said, ‘it is not the clothes, but the attitude. People should respect each other as they are, with or without the right clothes, but I noticed that my outer appearance can have a positive effect on how I feel and on how other people perceive me. So I was ready for my makeover.’ Muldrow heard about Dress for Success through a reintegration project of the Centrum voor Werk en Inkomen, the first stop for the city’s job-seeking unemployed. The volunteer-run shop provides outfits for low-income residents who can’t afford the proper attire needed for job interviews. Originally founded in New York in 1996, it flew over to the Netherlands in 2001 and currently has seven shops across the country. From the Dress For Succes folder.
‘People tend to underestimate the amount of poverty in Holland, but there are many more poor people here than you think,’ says communications expert and volunteer Leonie van Mierlo. ‘Customers all have to get over a certain shame before they come into “Dress”. Nobody likes to hold out their hand.’ It is not, however, a social reform centre. ‘It’s just a small step in the process of finding a job,’ says Van Mierlo. ‘We don’t get into the deeper problems of why people are jobless. We just help them look great for that first impression.’ Volunteers involved in the project speak of the great satisfaction they derive from seeing people coming out of the shop with a beautiful suit and a new, confident smile. Muldrow, an American classical music singer, came to the Netherlands in 1985 to study at the Conservatorium
van Amsterdam. ‘In the first four years, I performed at least a thousand concerts. Nobody had ever heard a black person singing classical music, so I got asked all the time. But then one day, I lost the high tones of my tenor voice. People had warned me of that, but I always thought: “I am Super Henry!” Little did I know that my superpowers were about to expire.’ And with it, his source of income. ‘I freaked out when I lost my voice. I identified with it so much.’ But Muldrow changed his perspective: ‘I thought, Henry, you are not just your high notes; your middle and low tones are just as important.’ And he focused on composing, teaching and writing poems. He turned to Dress for Success when he needed a sponsor for a singing project for underprivileged children. ‘At one point, they did advise me to cut off my dreadlocks. But Karel [Blanksma, Dress for Success’s organiser] had seen my hairstyle and she loved it! She did not want me to cut it off!’ Volunteers gave him styling advice. ‘We did have debates about my clothes,’ he adds. ‘Sometimes they would say “Henry, that is not you! You look like a Christmas tree!”’ He laughs with flair. ‘I like to stand out in the crowd. I can be an enfant terrible, so I picked out some of the more outrageous outfits, but there is a time and a place for everything. I kept my extravagant clothes for the afternoon, after my job interviews in the morning.’ Organisers also asked him to volunteer on their catwalk. ‘We visited job fairs and we could keep our outfits later. Meeting different people and having a confidence boost by catwalk coach Haidy [Bijnaar] felt good. After being jobless for a while, you need that reinforcement. Although I do feel that we, as the models, were sometimes better dressed then some of the volunteers!’ and he laughs happily again. Muldrow is still a freelance composer, teacher and writer. He decided to cut off his dreadlocks. ‘People do tend to think in stereotypes,’ he says. ‘But it looks better on photo. And I liked the shop. I was always an active and confident person. This project reminded me of that.’ Dressing the poor seems to have even become a trend, as witnessed by the exhibition opening next week at Mediamatic where a huge pile of old clothes will be changed into happy fashion at Vijzelgracht. Do-it-yourself workshops will show both the rich and the poor how to pimp up the recycled clothes under the motto: ‘Vintage is hip and poor is ECO!’
Donate clothes: Dress for Success Amsterdam Woestduincentrum, Woestduinstraat 18, 615 7370 / www.diaconie.org/dress Exhibition: Ik! Ik! Ik! Hip Dressing for the Poor 18 July-14 September, Mediamatic, Vijzelstraat 68 www.mediamatic.net
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Google this...
‘Secret report: biofuel caused food crisis.’
Amstergraph
Price increases of basic supermarket products from mid-May to mid-June 2008 in relation to the same time last year.
Dutch cheese +18% / Apples +16% / Tomatoes +14% Large bread +7% / Beefsteak +3% Source: Gfk/Het Parool
Graph by Nicole Martens
A quick bike fix By Pete Jordan
Goddamn scooters Two of the biggest nuisances for Amsterdam cyclists are, of course, tourists (walking in bike paths as if they’re goddamn sidewalks; wobbling about on their rental bikes; etc.) and brommers (racing among the cyclists on bike paths as if the pizza they’re delivering is actually a ticking time bomb in need of disposal). If those two creatures weren’t bad enough, recently they seem to have mated and spawned an even greater annoyance: tourists on rental scooters. But recently there are newer, even more disturbing sightings. In Vondelpark, where even the most brazen scooter riders obey the law by keeping out, I saw two tourists on Mercure Hotel scooters nearly take out a couple of little kids on their bikes. Later, on the Haarlemmerdijk, a pack of tourists on yellow rented scooters menacingly blared their horns at me and every other cyclist on the street. They deemed us all to be too slow for their liking. Then yesterday, I saw two more on these yellow scooters recklessly weaving through oncoming bike traffic on the Damrak bike path. I fear where this worrying trend will lead. Let us just pray that tourists on scooters don’t ever begin delivering pizza. React: bikes@amsterdamweekly.nl
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Amsterdam Weekly_10-16 July 2008
AROUND TOWN
The people versus...
Street fashion
By Floris Dogterom
By Mo Veld
Ageing gracefully
Illustration by Tomas Schats
The resident and the alderman The only thing about Surinameplein that links it to squares like Rembrandtplein or Kwakersplein—with their terrasjes—is in the name, plein. Otherwise, the square in the west of the city is nothing more than a big roundabout that serves as a city entry point for thousands of cars every day. The lawn in the middle of the square is green, but unused. ‘The square belongs to nobody,’ says shoe designer and local resident Hester Vlamings. ‘The authorities say they want to give it back to the people.’ In order to involve the people, the authorities, in this case the stadsdelen of De Baarsjes and Oud-Zuid have set up an internet forum (surinameplein.info) where local residents and anybody else who feels (s)he has something to say about Surinameplein, can leave and discuss suggestions on the future of the square. ‘We want to communicate with the citizens on all levels and involve them in as early a stage as possible,’ says Ab Cherribi, De Baarsjes’ alderman for public space. ‘Great idea,’ says Vlamings, ‘but it could be organised better. I find the website not particularly user-friendly—it takes some doing to make a profile with which you can participate in the discussions. Secondly, the quality of the reactions is somewhat disappointing. People don’t have real plans, but merely say things like “I want more green”. And lastly, the stadsdelen should promote the website more. It’s much too quiet there.’ Cherribi says he understands Vlamings’ point of view. ‘As to the quality of the reactions: someone is taking care of that. But we do indeed need a “full-blown” moderator. And we are going to promote the forum more, via the neighbourhood newsletter and maybe ads in the free local papers.’ Cherribi stresses that the forum ‘is absolutely not a mere politicians’ toy. All input is welcome. But I can’t say if we are actually going to use the ideas people put forward. It depends on the ideas.’ Instead of waiting, Vlamings, committed as she is to the Surinameplein makeover, has started her own forum: surinameplein-plan.hyves.nl. One must wonder why the city didn’t think of that themselves and set up their own Hyves account: it’s both highly used and very user-friendly. Something to report? thepeopleversus@amsterdamweekly.nl
One of my favourite fashion subjects these days is ‘ageing gracefully’. Ageing is an unavoidable process, so why not have a positive outlook on it from the start? Unlike what the fashion industry wants us to believe, decay is our future, so we might as well make the best of it. It’s easy for a 15year-old (the average age of fashion models) to look spotless around the clock—although the cynical thing is, most 15-year-olds would strongly disagree because they’re in that critical phase of being terribly insecure and all that. Anyway, it’s a whole different ballgame when you’re playing the second half. When I spot someone way over 50 rocking an unshakable sense of style, that just always really makes my day. Like the other week I was biking through De Pijp when I saw this man, who must have been well over 70, wearing a high moleskin hat along with retrofuturistic Grace Jones shades, a 1980s remake of a Zoot suit jacket over skinny trousers and a nonchalant dandy scarf pinned down with some gentlemen’s jewellery. Apart from that, he seemed to be a popular bird chatting away on the curb like some jive-talking pusher from late 1930s Chicago. Luckily, it’s not just me obsessing
Photo by Mo Veld
about ageing gracefully. A while back already, Vogue made this bold statement saying that your party really sucks if you don’t have some ‘vintage babes’ lined up to show the young ones how it’s done. After all, you don’t just become a classy old timer over night. Being a ‘vintage babe’ is like a lifetime achievement award. Style needs time to grow on you and your daily routines. The main clue being: it has to look effortless. So it’s never too early to start working on your style CV. For me, the über vintage babe is Catherine Deneuve. Ok, that’s maybe putting the pressure on a bit, but fashion is about living it, and with this new pro-age outlook, it’s also about keeping it up. Anyhow, the psychology behind this story is meant to be uplifting. We can easily imagine Viktor and Rolf ageing all neat and cool like the Dutch Gilbert and George. Thinking of that, I can hardly wait. I guess that’s why older lookers find such a grateful audience: they give us a glance in tomorrow’s mirror and make us feel even better than today.
React: inandout@amsterdamweekly.n
Amsterdam
By Rebecca Wilson
LEFTOVERS SERVED ON A PICNIC TABLE PYRAMID In the 1960s, European Union farming subsidies added a butter mountain, a milk lake and a wine lake to the European landscape. Now, there’s a new landmark: artist Martijn Engelbregt has built Rest., a huge pyramid made of picnic tables where he’ll serve you surplus food garnished with weeds. Engelbregt was asked to develop an art project for the summer arts festival Beelden op de Berg in the Belmonte Arboretum in Wageningen, a small university town east of Amsterdam. ‘I was musing on a suitable project while cooking, and I noticed how much food gets thrown out, even in my own household. So I started thinking about surplus food. Apparently twenty-five per cent of what gets produced goes unused. I wanted to channel some of those surplus streams, and serve them up, as a playful comment on the situation,’ says Engelbregt. And so Rest. was born. The name refers both to the Dutch word for leftover, restje, and the English meaning of ‘rest’ as in relaxation. ‘And I kept noticing all these roadside signs where the word
restaurant was abbreviated in the oldfashioned way: “Bar-Rest.”, “Hotel-Rest.’’.’ Each of the planned five Sunday mornings begins with a ‘weed searching adventure trail’, where local experts will help you identify the edible wild plants in and around the Arboretum. All findings will be cooked later by food artist Miguel Brugman and served as a ‘lunchdinner’ at 2 pm. ‘We also go by market stalls, local bakeries and other small shops to collect ingredients,’ explains Engelbregt, ‘and we have good connections with local garden allotments too. Sadly, bigger shops like HEMA and Albert Heijn usually don’t contribute.’ Brugman then uses these leftovers to prepare innovative dishes like bread lasagne and blackberry-muesli puree before ‘dotting everything with edible wildflowers.’ Originally, the idea was to use leftovers from private households as well, but that proved too tricky with the food inspection services, who gave them enough of a hard time as it was. ‘They sent us an official warning for creating a health risk at the opening since we had
placed uncovered food under a tree for about five minutes. But if it was in fact so dangerous, you can’t help but wonder why they didn’t say anything at the time.’ Engelbregt says the project has already inspired change in his own home food management: ‘I used to buy rucola for my salads, now I just pick some roadside dandelion leaves.’ Book now: www.the-rest.nl. Reservations still available for 20 July and 21 September.
Amsterdam Weekly_10-16 July 2008
ith an eclectic background that includes harpsichord studies and art, Debra Solomon comes from a culinary family and was the first sous chef at Amsterdam’s Supperclub. After making a radical shift in subject matter through space exploration to feminism (Ladies Gourmet Cycling), she is now obsessed with food as a platform for social relationships. In 2004, Solomon began publishing her independent research on food culture at culiblog.org, an international resource about food systems, sustainability, urban architecture and food-related design. Her most recent project Lucky Mi Fortune Cooking, ‘a mobile snack platform’, is based on the notion of the hyper-use of neighbourhood expertise, products and facilities. She is working with food entrepreneurs, cooking studios and vegetable growers in the creating of yummy and healthy street snacks in Amsterdam’s Zuidoost.
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PROFILE: DEBRA SOLOMON
THE YOLK OF LOCAL EATING FOLK Food-obsessed artist, Debra Solomon, takes her tasty show on the road with a mobile snack platform. By Francka Sullivan
What’s your most sensual kitchen experience as an artist? Sharpening knives, making Korean rice tea or uncorking a bottle of champagne. For eating, it’s perfectly fermented kimchi. So you like smelly, sour foods? In India, you can buy this refreshing drink made with soda water, lime and black salt which smells a lot like sulphur—-kind of farty. It’s in a lot of Indian dishes. I live for sour. Photo by Martine Stig
‘When other folks go swimming in the river and drink litres of rosé, I’ll be getting off on improving my soil and working on my vertical gardening and with green manures.’
Tell me about your new project, Lucky Mi Fortune Cooking. Part of my motivation is the hyperuse of foods which means optimising food production and its networks. I work with Mavis Hofwijk from Surinaams Buffet, a cooking studio in Zuidoost. She’s the one who prepares food for Job Cohen and the Queen. The ‘tropiloca’ greens we use in our Groentoe Akansa come from Mario Balhari who works with farmers in Suriname.
Why Zuidoost? I am working with Imagine IC in Zuidoost and the Kwakoe festival is the event there. The Kwakoe festival [see Short List] is the Dutch Surinamese celebration of the abolition of slavery. It’s got a lot of history and traditional charm. There’s food stands, football and beauty pageants. It’s a cosy festival—very nostalgic. People like to go to their favourite stands.
‘Keeping it local’ is a large part of your philosophy. People are more aware of their communities and therefore more interested in creating local products, eating locally and experiencing all this diversity. Authenticity is extremely important in urban areas and the cultural experience of tasting an actual place. How would you respond to consumer critique that organic and local is simply too expensive? When you buy products you’re buying geopolitical treaties and alliances and the end price has been deferred to other people because of strange, unfortunate market dynamics
Debra Solomon Artist www.culiblog.org
that have nothing to do with you as a consumer. You could be supporting unfair systems inadvertently when you buy such food. Buy local. It’s more important to me than say, organic, when it comes to food culture. Any other trends you see happening in the global food marketplace due to the increase in oil prices? Food and oil are by and large the same thing. For most imported products, the farther away they come from, the more petroleumbased fertilisers are used, as well as more packaging and more marketing. If you decide to involve yourself in your food systems, you’ll have other experiences. Locality will be one of the most defining aspects as oil won’t be getting any cheaper.
Tell me about the blog and the motivation behind it. I’m an absolute food culture nerd and artist. My idea of fun is reading, writing, growing, preparing, talking and learning about food from others, developing food systems for neighbourhoods, and thinking about the future of food. Food is everything.
Any other scents? We had sea urchin in France last winter and its roe was so aromatic—like smoked cherry wood, very mild and round with the texture of Dijon mustard—that it made me insanely happy.
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What are your future plans? I am involved in a project called One Land, Two Systems by architect Malkit Shoshan in a Palestinian village in Israel. It’s about two countries occupying the same space. Our first goal is to initiate a farmer’s market and create unique local products. In France, I will be showing simple food systems, based on human interaction. Think about community public pickling that goes on in parts of Asia—that’s a beautiful form of community-wide food preservation. I’m doing some recipes for a cross-species cookbook for Natalie Jeremijenko’s OOZ project. OOZ is ZOO spelled backwards and without cages. It’s about bringing animals and humans together to measure human impact on nature. The ‘fish food’ recipes are for a restaurant in New York’s East River. It’s a restaurant for fish, not a restaurant where humans eat fish—and fish food for cleansing the fish of heavy metals and PCBs. I also have my permaculture garden. When other folks go swimming in the river and drink litres of rosé, I’ll be getting off on improving my soil and working on my vertical gardening and with green manures.
Any thoughts on the future of food and its distribution? As long as food is being imported and exported at the scale it is now, and most food is being grown for the animals we eat, everything will continue as is. But I’m positive because the changes that we might be forced to make will actually be life-enhancing.
Mobile Snack Platform: Lucky Mi Fortune Cooking Kwakoe Amsterdam, Bijlmerpark, Sat-Sun, 13.00-23.00. Until 10 August and then various locations until 28 October.
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Amsterdam Weekly_10-16 July 2008
F E AT U R E
What a concept! Three new dining ventures delve into darkness, the inner mind and... sugar. An adventure. By Nanci Tangeman Photos by Krista van der Niet
T
o my knowledge, I’ve never visited a restaurant that’s been reviewed in a psychology journal. And I’ve never considered how a flashlight might enhance my dining experience. And frankly, I’ve never stayed up late just to eat dessert. But three concept restaurants in Amsterdam recently provided me and my partner-in-all-things-adventurous with those opportunities and more. Two of the dining ventures, I must say, should never, ever be combined: eating in a completely dark room, defenceless and humbled; and dining at a restaurant staffed by people dealing with psychiatric issues. The third, a Mecca for dessert and cocktail lovers, should be combined with every night out.
Sensual explosion of flavour—or fad? Tonight, my partner-in-all-things and I explore Ctaste, a restaurant that’s completely dark, with waiters who are visually-impaired or even totally blind. Ctaste say that the flavour, aroma and texture of our meal will come alive in the dark. I say I’d like to smuggle in a flashlight. In Ctaste’s bright, modern lobby we begin our journey to the dark side by abandoning all our belongings to a locker. So much for my flashlight contraband. Then we meet our waiter. Jeroen is tall and personable with a Ray Charles tilt to his head. He can see about 15 per cent of what we can see outside of the dining room. Inside, he’ll have the advantage. We’re about to enter a different world—and we do it via conga line. Hands on each others’ shoulders, with Jeroen in the lead and partner-in-all bringing up the rear, we shuffle into the dining room. Three heavy curtains later, we’re in the pitch blackness of the restaurant. Jeroen stops us at a seemingly random spot and, sure enough, here’s our table. I feel my way into a chair, and partner sits down beside me (no gazing into each other’s eyes tonight). The darkness is strangely claustrophobic and disorienting. It’s not until I glimpse a tiny illicit slit of light at the doorway that I feel secure. Wine helps, too. But first Jeroen has to get the wine glasses into our hands. He explains that he’ll be wearing a bell so we’ll always know when he’s near. Each time he approaches our table he speaks to us by name. It will be the most personal service I’ve experienced in Amsterdam. When we’re comfortable, he brings us our first course. The menu is a surprise. Part of the shtick is that we’re supposed to be able to use our other senses to identify and experience the pleasures of our meal. It would be easier with my flashlight. I manoeuvre my fork around the giant plate. After a few quiet taps, I empathise with the white canes of the world. I spear a mound of something and guide it carefully to my lips, concentrating more on the route of the fork than the size of its load. It’s a big load. A big, cool, mushy load. And it completely fills up my mouth. Partner-in-adventure asks me what I think it is. I cast him an unseen look of distress. He asks me again. ‘Phlmerkn!’ I answer, in a panic. I’ve spent almost a decade in Amsterdam and have managed to avoid phlmerkn, I mean, filet American, that barbaric mixture of raw hamburger and spices. Until tonight. I chew. I concentrate very hard on swallowing. I find my glass of wine that I’ve strategically set at 12 o clock on my plate and drain it. Although I’m sworn to secrecy about the menu, I can tell you about my filet américain experience—because it wasn’t filet américain. And here is my first realisation of the evening: I cannot recognise
food without my flashlight. For a foodie, this is humbling. It’s even more humbling when partner-in-all-things correctly identifies what I’ve just stuffed into my mouth. (At least it’s not filet americain.) My next realisation is that nobody can see me. I’m free to cram my napkin into my collar and abandon my cutlery. I feel around my plate. Something moist here. A firm stack of something else there. Some wobbly bits in the corner. And so the meal goes. As much as the menu is touted at Ctaste, the evening is not about the food, it’s about the darkness. If my sense of sight is gone, my sense of hearing is enhanced. A woman at a distant table whoops and laughs louder than she might if dirty looks could be thrown her way. At one point, we hear another diner choking. We half expect a wad of meat to whiz by when someone at her table mentions the Heimlich manoeuvre. We listen with relief as she seems to recover. Or maybe she just passes out. In all, the evening is the adventure we’re after. We learn a little. We laugh a lot. And I am pleased to say that next time, I’ll leave my flashlight at home. Histrionic personality disorder—or just friendly? Our waiter is attentive. He puts coasters under our table’s legs to keep it from wobbling. He brings us a pitcher of ice water without our asking. He wants us to be comfortable. In any other Amsterdam cafe, this would make me suspicious. At Restaurant Freud, it makes me diagnose. We listen as our attentive waiter explains the establishment: Restaurant Freud was founded by cooking teacher Gerda Hahn and psychologist Renske Kastelein to help people with psychiatric backgrounds feel part of the community. As he speaks, I rearrange my cutlery. The crew is made up of about 45 people, he says, from those who can manage only a few hours a week cleaning windows, to others who can handle the stress of the kitchen or even the demanding public. I position my water glass exactly above my knives. He tells us how diners stare at him, trying to figure out his affliction. Histrionic personality disorder, I decide. A peculiar need to please people. I meticulously line up the two forks on the left. Then he mentions that he is a coach, one of the few paid positions, working with the volunteer staff. As he brings our wine—a cool Argentinean Sauvignon Blanc— and takes our orders, I watch him closely. I change my diagnosis. Couldn’t he just as well be a pathological liar than the staff coach? I line up my wine glass with my water glass. Is it my imagination, or is the staff watching me back? Someone new brings us our mezes. They have interesting spices and textures-gambas, carpaccio and incredible marinated eggplant. Where did our friendly waiter go? Did they send him to a little room in the back? I rotate my plate and think how my own list of symptoms is growing. I wonder if they’ll offer me a discount. Another staffer brings our main course. The poussin is tender and juicy. They have run out of the lamb rather early in the evening, but the bio-beefsteak is sliced, seasoned and tender as well. If not for the few short paragraphs at the front of the menu and the hint in the restaurant name, diners wouldn’t be able to tell Restaurant Freud was anything but good food. Set on the busy Spaarndammerstraat at the edge of Westerpark, sidewalk tables are tucked into the traffic of the neighbourhood, amid a diverse parade of residents. Inside, fresh green graphics on the wall set off the crisp white linens and contemporary decor. The website is much more blatant. It makes light of the staff’s afflictions in a very politically incorrect way: ‘Our bartender has ADHD!’ ‘Our waiter has a screw loose!’ ‘Reserve your table today! It’s going to be a madhouse!’ Indeed, Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights are usually fully booked. And as for the claims that ‘the cook has mood swings’? No one who’s ever worked in a kitchen (or watched a reality chef show, for that matter) would be surprised. But to me it’s more fun to make my own subtle diagnoses. After all, a friendly attentive waiter in Amsterdam just isn’t normal. Then again, I suspect someone in that back room is diagnosing me, too. And maybe they’re preparing to offer me a job. Sweet tooth fantasy—or far more? My very first pay check came from scooping ice cream. It was the best job I’ve ever had. I didn’t make much money, but I got to eat all my mistakes. As a 16-year-old slinging ice cream, I learned a thing or two about banana splits. How to slice a banana, touching only the skin. How to form perfect 70-gram scoops. How to get a maraschino
Amsterdam Weekly_10-16 July 2008
F E AT U R E
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cherry to keep from sliding down the hot fudge. It took a lot of practice, but I enjoyed a steady diet of ice cream blunders. So there’s a bit of nostalgia at play as I order the Pacific Style Marinated Banana Split at Sucre, a dessert restaurant and cocktail bar near the Vondelpark. The description sounds like one of my mistakes: banana marinated in rum with lime zest, coriander and vanilla/banana ice cream. This is not the banana split of my youth. Of course, that’s a good thing. The flavour combination of Sucre’s banana split is subtle and surprising, as are the textures. It’ll more than do, even without the maraschino cherry. And, unlike my teenage creations, Sucre’s banana split is not the least bit sweet. That’s not a minor point. This dessert restaurant is not just for people with a sweet tooth. Early in the evening, Sucre offers four- or five- course dinner menus with up to four dessert courses: sweet dessert courses, unsweet dessert courses and cheese courses. Around half past nine, the menu changes to desserts only--but even then they range from sweet, to cheese plates, to practically savoury. Sucre opened about three months ago in what’s been dubbed the Olympic Quarter. Other new restaurants such as Ron Blaauwe’s Sophia are also opening up next to pet stores and dry cleaners in the neighbourhood. The off-Centrum location doesn’t bother owner Martijn Machielse: ‘It’s like having a girlfriend in Australia—if you love her, you’ll still visit her.’ Sucre is a lot closer than Australia. And it seems to be the only establishment on Amstelveenseweg with a velvet rope. But ignore that velvet rope. And when you’re inside, ignore the sensuous black and white photos on the walls. Ignore the feel of the heavy crystal tumbler in your hand. At Sucre, it’s all about the food. Chef de Cuisine Peter Scholte, who came to Sucre after cooking his way around the world (including at two Michelin-starred restaurants), says what he always missed was a restaurant that gave the same attention to desserts as to the rest of the menu. As you’d expect, he’s lavished the Sucre carte with attention. Everyone in the place seems excited about those desserts. Asked about a favourite creation, our waiter says he leans towards the honey-baked apple with vanilla ice cream and cinnamon sabayon or the bread-apple-and-butter-pudding with cinnamon ice cream and Calvados. ‘I like a nice baked apple. I guess I really just miss my granny’s apple cake.’ Let me be clear about another thing: neither of these dishes is his granny’s apple cake. Machielse explains that although he and business partner Eline Kok (from restaurant Bloesem) want to offer dishes that people recognise (bread pudding, banana splits, baked apples), they want to do their own thing with them—give them an edge. ‘Dessert should make you go ‘WOW!’ After all, this is the way you’re closing your night.’ After being wowed into the early hours, our only regret of the evening is that the infamous Chocolate Box, with its gold leafed walls, is unavailable. Apparently, the delicate dessert won’t hold up to tonight’s humidity. Chef Peter won’t serve it if it’s not perfect. As we close down the restaurant and they lock the doors behind us, I can’t help wondering about that chocolate box—and if Chef Peter is downstairs in the kitchen, eating his mistake.
Ctaste Amsteldijk 55, 06 22 33 53 66 www.ctaste.nl Surprise 3-course menu with fish and vegetarian options. €39.50. Optional €12.50 wine pairing.
He tells us how diners stare at him, trying to figure out his affliction. Histrionic personality disorder, I decide. A peculiar need to please people. I meticulously line up the two forks on the left.
Restaurant Freud Spaarndammerstraat 424, 688 5548 www.restaurantfreud.nl Dinner for two, with wine, around €75. Cash only. Sucre Amstelveenseweg 152, 470 1910 www.sucrerestaurant.nl Dessert for two, with digestives, €70
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Amsterdam Weekly_10-16 July 2008
AGENDA
SHORT LIST
Butthole Surfers, Tuesday, Melkweg.
THURSDAY10 JULY Event: 16th International Laurel & Hardy Convention In these hysterical times, any announcement made by a group called The Sons of the Desert will make Geert Wilders duck for cover. Everybody relax already, we’re talking about the global organisation of Laurel & Hardy enthusiasts, named after the 1933 film by the comedic combo. For five fun-filled days, these connoisseurs of superior slapstick will celebrate all aspects of ‘de Dikke en de Dunne’ by enjoying films, attending lectures, exploring our fair city and celebrating in a properly nostalgic way. So if you’re walking down a canal and suddenly hear that old familiar tune, feel free to join in the festivities with the occasional thrown cream pie. Just remember to clean up the nice mess you’ve gotten yourself into… See www.tellmethatagain.info. (Luuk van Huët) Various times and locations. Until 13 July.
SATURDAY12 JULY Festival: Kwakoe OK, there’s football, music and beauty pagents, but the Kwakoe festival in Zuidoost is really about the ribs—or any other barb-b-qued Surinamese snack. Mmm. Yes. Food. It’s all about the food. There was some confusion earlier this year whether Kwakoe could continue under its original name when the city gave the licensing to a new group to organise the festival. But happily last weekend this family-oriented festival, that’s been running since 1975, opened and it was obviously ‘business as usual’. If it’s a sunny weekend and if you squint a bit, it truly feels like a tropical vacation. But then with ribs. See www.kwakoeamsterdam.nl. (Steve Korver) Bijlmerpark, 13.00-23.00, free. Also Sunday. Until 10 August.
less of age or musical persuasion. Themes of sexuality, spirituality, religion, love and longing have all been mulled over by that haunting baritone. Although the depression that (creatively) served him so well has lifted in recent years—which he attributes to the process of ageing—he continues to write introspective, yet topical and important songs. Wherever he takes you, you’ll be okay because you’ll be with that suave, sexy septuagenarian with that voice and he’ll be singing about that unmade bed. (Monte Bergamont) Westergasfabriek, 19.30, €59.
SUNDAY13 JULY Film: Gay & Lesbian Summer Tour 2008 For the second time Rialto, that fabulous cinema in De Pijp, which always shows something decent and interesting, goes gay for the summer. In the next seven weeks the cinema, in cooperation with DVD label Home Screen, presents ten new gay and lesbian flicks every Friday, Saturday and Sunday. There’s really something for everyone, with films from the US, Argentina, France, Spain and China; and with drama, rom-com, humour and a thriller on its menu, this mini film festival is just as diverse as the gay and lesbian community itself. For real celluloid junkies with a firm butt, the tour starts off today at 1 pm with a marathon of all ten movies that will be shown. Highlights include the Chinese Butterfly about a married woman who falls in love with another woman she meets in her local supermarket, the Spanish Kilómetro 0 in which we follow an assorted bunch of people on Puerta del Sol, Madrid’s meeting point, and the French Avant gue j’oublié, about a lonely former gigolo. See www.rialtofilm.nl. (Willem de Blaauw) Rialto, various times, €9. Until 31 August.
TUESDAY15 JULY
Art: Mikosa Mural Opening
Rock: Butthole Surfers
Nowadays, some tasteful street-art inspired stuff in your house is what the designer chair was a generation ago—an interior status symbol that shows you’re cool. With a few of Amsterdam’s most renowned and prolific street artists in their ranks and a beautiful magazine, Mikosa take good care of things that are both tasteful and cool. With their latest project, they have gone back to their roots, as it were, and sprayed some stuff on a wall: a 300 square metre mural in De Baarsjes has been created by Mikosa-affiliated artists Zedz, The London Police, Morcky, Boghe, Lordh and Wayne Horse. The opening party also celebrates the fifth issue of Mikosa Magazine. Cool! (Sarah Gehrke) Meneer de Wit, 14.00.
Long story but in 1984 I was an underage teen in a dark basement room of a Polish country & western bar in Detroit helping the Butthole’s singer Gibby put clothes pins in his hair, ease rat traps onto his nipples and duct tape fake-blood filled condoms (or as I saw them at the time: ‘funny-looking balloons’) to his legs before he eased white pants over them. Later on stage, Gibby stabbed his legs with a kitchen knife, shook the clothes pins in all directions, flapped his rat-traps like castanets and screamed about smoking Elvis’s toenails whenever he wanted to get high. As I watched I had an epiphany: this is some fucked up shit. It made me the man I am today. And tonight, the Buttholes are backed by five teen guitar players culled from Rock School—the inspiration for the film School of Rock—where Gibby was a visiting professor. It’s nice to know he’s still a solid role model. (Steve Korver) Melkweg, Oude Zaal, 19.30, €16 + membership.
Singer-songwriter: Leonard Cohen Poet, author, singer-songwriter, pop icon and Buddhist monk, Leonard Cohen, has spent his four-decade career pondering the questions that perplex most of us, regard-
Send details and images for listing consideration at least two weeks in advance to agenda@amsterdamweekly.nl.
Amsterdam Weekly_10-16 July 2008
AGENDA: MUSIC
Must see: Pop/Rock/Electronica
Yacht Studio K, Friday 11 July A genre and media spanning project led by Jona Bechtolt of Portland, Oregon. They make anthemic power jams, play them backwards and soak them in nearlypsychedelic grooves. Anything is possible, including PowerPoint presentations, audience Q&A sessions and shamanistic video environments. 21.00, €6
MUSIC Thursday 10 July Pop: Bloemetjes Buiten Swinging French feast with summer electro pop grooves from Minimatic (France) before DJ Natashka, Jayp, Mr Speak and Aiscream do their thing. See 3 Questions, p.12. Winston Kingdom, 20.00, €6 Classical: Orchestre Philharmonique du Luxembourg Brahms’s Tragische Ouvertüre, Double Concerto, and Dvorák’s Symphony No.8; conducted by Emmanuel Krivine. Concertgebouw, Grote Zaal, 20.15, €17.50/€21 Rock: Death Cab for Cutie Emo, but not the ever so whiny tantrum kind. This melodious bunch from the US state of Washington have been wistful and even occasionally happy since the late ‘90s, and following years of hard graft, duly found commercial success with their past couple of albums. Yes, they were better before they were properly famous, but ain’t that always the way? Melkweg, The Max, 20.30, sold out Jazz: Al Foster Quartet Jazz drummer extraordinaire, best known for his flawless and funky rhythms backing Miles Davis. Still innovative with a drum kit, he’s joined by sax player Eli Degibri, pianist Gary Versace and bassist Doug Weiss. Bimhuis, 21.00, €18 Pop/Rock: Grote Prijs van Nederland Showcase Six fresh acts competing to get to the next round of the contest. Cafe Pakhuis Wilhelmina, 21.00, €5
isn’t turning his back on Amsterdam just yet, so enjoy some classics by Haydn (Symphony No.31); Mozart (Piano Concerto No.26); and Beethoven (Symphony No.2). Concertgebouw, Grote Zaal, 20.15, €17.50/€21 Jazz: Ben Allison Man Size Safe Like Charles Mingus, Ben Allison is a double bass player who presents himself first and foremost as a composer, but who is recognised as a soloist as well. Blending blues, jazz and rock in typically American fashion, he’s joined by saxophonist Michael Blake, trumpeter Ron Horton, guitarist Steve Cardenas and drummer Michael Sarin. Bimhuis, 21.00, €16 Rock: Dinosaur Jr Roll back to the late ‘80s because the Dinosaur is back in town. Following a reformation between J Mascis and Lou Barlow a couple of years ago, creativity was born from nostalgia, and last year they released an album of new material titled Beyond. It was surprisingly decent, but don’t expect anything drastically different from that trademark Dinosaur Jr guitar fuzz and slacker drawl. Melkweg, Oude Zaal, 21.00, €17 + membership Pop/Rock: Grote Prijs van Nederland Showcase See Thursday. Cafe Pakhuis Wilhelmina, 21.00, €5 Country: Kareem Salama Country & western music collides with sufi traditions in the project of this Muslim American singer-songwriter, born of Egyptian parents. Paradiso, Kleine Zaal, 21.00, €7 + membership Rock: Keko Yoma Enthusiastic Latin party rock from Santiago, Chile. Winston Kingdom, 21.00, €6 Heavy: Ripping Headache Hardcore punk night headed by these feisty Danes. Support from Sunpower (BE) and Padded Cell. OCCII, 21.30, €5 Pop/Rock: The Polaroids Guitar pop from a garage somewhere. Skek, 21.30, free
Pop/Rock: Tiedo Groningen guitar pop. Skek, 21.30, free
Rock: Lamar Chase Band Also with The Bombita’s and Shuffle Kings. Maloe Melo, 22.00, €5
Friday 11July
Saturday 12 July
Jazz: Eric Vloeimans A double bill by the trumpeter, who’s joined by pianist Harmen Fraanje. Concertgebouw, Koorzaal, 19.00, 21.00, €13.50
Jazz: Elvis Sergo Trio Hammond grooves. Cotton Club, 16.30, free
Classical: Radio Kamer Filharmonie In the new season, Jaap van Zweden becomes the chief-conductor of symphony orchestras in Dallas and Antwerp. But he
Singer-songwriter: Leonard Cohen Hallelujah! The Canadian wordsmith and Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Famer is back on the road, a mere 15 years since his last proper trek. This should provide that deserved opportunity to
Saxy: Ultimate Sax Summit on Saturday.
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Amsterdam Weekly_10-16 July 2008
AGENDA: MUSIC
3 questions:
Tuesday 15 July
Minimatic
Pop/Rock: The Butthole Surfers Humorous American power punks who’ve taken numerous sonic tangents since the early ‘80s. Support from San Franciscan psychedelic rockers Wooden Shjips. See Short List. Melkweg, Oude Zaal, 19.30, €16 + membership
Winston Kingdom, Thursday 10 July Noorderlicht, Friday 11 July The composer/musician/producer Minimatic—AKA Raymond Tempi the Erotomaniac—is in fact a French guy called Pascal Houpert who has, as he describes it, a ‘fatal love for easy tunes, smoothy arrangements, sad pop, punk rock... and a passion for the deep soul-funk ghetto sounds... Between silliness and consciousness. Between kitsch & beauty. Always hesitating.’ It’s also very danceable. He’s recently received much acclaim for his remix of Serge Gainsbourg’s ‘Chez Les Yé-Yés’.
Jazz: Wouter Hamel Jazzy pop on the big stage. Concertgebouw, Grote Zaal, 20.15, €17.50/€21 Jazz: Jump Back Casablanca Muziek, 21.00, free Singer-songwriter: Open Mic Weekly podium for singers to share their tunes and hear their peers. Lots of international voices are heard, so you could be pleasantly surprised. Cafe Sappho, 21.00, free Hiphop: Kidz in the Hall An evolution of ’90s hiphop, with the emphasis fully on the ‘hip’. And no, this Chicago duo, whose latest album is titled The In Crowd, have absolutely no connection to the cult Canadian comedy sketch show. Paradiso, Kleine Zaal, 22.30, €10 + membership
Music for rocking? ‘Electric Hymn’ by The Electric Furs. It’s based on an obscure sex party in a greasy forest between panda girls and panda boys. Unexplainable really, but it’s the best way of rocking... myself. Music for mellowing? ‘Footprints on the Moon’ by Johnny Harris. The UK arranger of Shirley Bassey (and many more) had a huge impact on the mellow US productions of the ’70s. With such cool and class, the kitsch side of easy listening falls away. Music for loving? ‘Belle de Jour’ by Saint Tropez. So French, so stupid, so sexy. A mature (?) guy speaks about his love and sex life. And if someone actually stays in your arms for the duration of the song, you might want to seriously reconsider the situation...
reclaim many of his songs that countless other acts have successfully passed off as their own over the years. See Short List. Westergasfabriek, 19.30, €59 Pop/Rock: Racetracking High energy drinks, DJs and new live bands. De Nieuwe Anita, 20.00, €6 Classical: Radio Kamer Filharmonie See Friday. Concertgebouw, Grote Zaal, 20.15, €17.50/€21
Listen:
Our weekly mixtape amsterdamweekly.muxtape.com See Thursday 1. Minimatic - ‘L’amour a Paris’ 2. Death Cab for Cutie - ‘I Will Possess Your Heart’ See Friday 3. Ben Allison - ‘Respiration’ 4. Kareem Salama - ‘Picnics and Sunshine’ 5. Yacht - ‘Summer Song’ See Saturday 6. Apes in the Orange Grove ‘Cake Walk’ See Sunday 7. James Pants - ‘Dragonslayer’ See Tuesday 8. Wouter Hamel - ‘Maybe I’ll Enjoy It’ 9. Kidz in the Hall - ‘Drivin’ Down the Block’ See Wednesday 10. Pinback - ‘Fortress’ 11. Orchestre Tout Puissant Marcel Duchamp - ‘Afrogarage’ 12. Eli ‘Paperboy’ Reed & The True Loves - ‘Doin’ the Boom Boom’ Uploaded every Wednesday. For more info see listings and weekly blog.
Wednesday 16 July Pop: Blondie It’s becoming something of a summer tradition at Paradiso, so flip back in time and enjoy the greatest hits of Blondie, with Debbie Harry joined by a feast of original members, as they attempt to recreate the magic of those original albums from the late ‘70s and early ‘80s—and maybe even the late ‘90s. Paradiso, Grote Zaal, 19.30, €50 + membership
Website: www.myspace.com/minimatic
Jazz: Sax Summit After the death of Michael Brecker, Joe Lovano and Dave Liebman opted to continue this supergroup with a perfect successor: Ravi Coltrane. The recent album, Seraphic Light, acts as a tribute to Brecker, as well as the mother of Coltrane, who passed away less than 24 hours after him. Bimhuis, 21.00, €26 Rock: Ted Nugent If you still have cat scratch fever after all these years, I suspect you ain’t gonna enjoy much respite no matter what cream you pick up from the chemist. But ol’ Ted doesn’t care how bad that rash is... Actually, the hard rocking Detroit legend is more into politics and writing these days, but as always, aging guitar heroes find it hard to hang up the plectrum. Melkweg, The Max, 21.00, €37.50 + membership Pop/Rock: Apes in the Orange Grove Summery semi-acoustic guitar pop. Skek, 21.30, free Blues: Harmonica Shah Maloe Melo, 22.00, €5
Sunday 13 July Jazz: Zomerconcerten op De Drie Gebroeders Annual jazz gathering on a boat on the Amstel. Trombonist Wolter Wierbos is the resident, performing improvs tonight with trumpeter Boy Raaymakers and bassist Wilbert de Joode. Amstel 320K, 15.00, €10, reserve at fiekebroekhuizen@mac.com
turing the likes of RZA, Method Man, Ghostface, Raekwon and GZA—only some of the biggest stars of the hiphop world. Melkweg, The Max, 21.00, €37.50 + membership Singer-songwriter: Sunday Songs A scattering of earnest songwriters every Sunday night. Studio K, 22.30, free
Monday 14 July Pop: Adele English pop songstress who’s been one of the most hyped acts of 2008 so far. Paradiso, Grote Zaal, 19.45, sold out Classical: Nationaal Orkest van België Smetana’s De Moldau, Strauss’s Concerto for Oboe and Small Orchestra, and Brahms’ Fourth; conducted by Walter Weller. Concertgebouw, Grote Zaal, 20.15, €17.50/€21 Rock: The Dandy Warhols Life is never completely straightforward in the world of The Dandy Warhols, but that isn’t a bad thing. The Portland psychedelic pop outfit burst onto the international scene in 1997 with hit single ‘Not if You Were the Last Junkie on Earth’, following it later with ‘Bohemian Like You’. Recent years had them supplying suitably weird astronomical offerings, most recently, …Earth to the Dandy Warhols…, which is currently only available via download. Melkweg, The Max, 20.30, €20 + membership
Heavy: Raging Speedhorn Fast and furious rock ’n’ roll metal from these Brit bruisers. After a decade of sweat and fury, they’re calling it a day at the end of this tour. Support from Eyepatch and My City Burning. Paradiso, Kleine Zaal, 20.00, €7 + membership
Jazz: Casa Jazz Casablanca Muziek, 21.00, free
Classical: Radio Kamer Filharmonie See Friday. Concertgebouw, Grote Zaal, 20.15, €17.50/€21
Not to be missed: Pop/Rock
Hiphop: James Pants Electro hiphop from the Stones Throw Records family. If you wanna make a day of it, he’ll also be performing at ’t Blauw Theehuis (Vondelpark) at 15.00 for free. OCCII, 21.00, €6 Jazz: Kim Sutherland All Stars Muziek, 21.00, free
Casablanca
Jazz: Trio ELB Jazz rock delights featuring Parisian guitarist Nguyên Lê, bassist Michel Benita and drummer Peter Erskine. Bimhuis, 21.00, €18 Hiphop: Wu-Tang Clan Yes, it really is the real WuTang from Staten Island. Not replacements. Not the next generation. Just a genuine Wu-Tang show fea-
Pinback Paradiso, Kleine Zaal Wednesday 16 July Superb understated indie rock from San Diego. Their latest album, Autumn of the Seraphs, was critically acclaimed upon release last September, but while their profile has risen in the US, they remain a lovely little secret here. 20.00, €10 + membership
Ultimate Indie: Electro hiphopper James Pants plays twice on Sunday; once for free if you’re cheap.
Classical: Orchestre Philharmonique de Strasbourg Cello whiz Pieter Wispelwey joins the orchestra for a trio of Schumann works: Fourth Symphony, Cello Concerto in A, and Third Symphony; conducted by Marc Albrecht. Concertgebouw, Grote Zaal, 20.15, €22.50/€26.50 Hiphop: Ice Cube Already this week, Melkweg has served up a menu of musical legends, from the ‘70s through to the ‘90s. So having this actor and rapper perform truly is icing on the cake. The former NWA star is almost better known for his cinematic roles these days, and yes, he has signed up for the role of BA Baracus in an upcoming The A Team movie. But musically, this is all about his upcoming gangster rap album, Raw Footage. Melkweg, The Max, 21.00, €24 + membership Hiphop/R&B: Live on the Low Amsterdam’s legendary hiphop open mic night is back. Winston Kingdom, 21.00 World: Mart’nália A Brazilian Summer Sessions special featuring the singer and percussionist from Rio de Janeiro. Her unforced alto and her natural stage presence underscore her innate talent for Afro-Brazilian music, from sunny dance songs to intimate ballads. Bimhuis, 21.00, €16 Experimental: MKM! Afro-garage punk from Switzerland in the shape of Orchestre Tout Puissant Marcel Duchamp—yes, it’s as bizarre as it sounds— and psychedelic electro rock improv from local trio Whale Oil. OCCII, 21.00, €5 Soul: Eli ‘Paperboy’ Reed & The True Loves Twenty-four-year-old soul sensation from Brooklyn who’s not only tapping into the classic sounds of Motown, but also the vivaciousness of James Brown—without coming off as a third-rate pub singer. Paradiso, Kleine Zaal, 22.00, €8.50 + membership Rock: Sir Moor & The Big Spoons Funky rock. Maloe Melo, 22.00, €5
Amsterdam Weekly_10-16 July 2008
AGENDA: CLUBS
Must see: Clubs
Wildvreemde Magnetronic Sugar Factory Thursday 10 July Bizarre collaboration between Vreemd and the Utrecht party Magnetronik, featuring Wesdex, Thomas Martojo and Carsten Klema, 23.0005.00, €8.50
Website: www.sugarfactory.nl
CLUBS
DirtyDirtyDirty Crunchy hiphop beats, dance grooves and urban experiments. Live from Baltimore it’s Scottie B, supported by Fanny West, The Flexican & Mr Wix. Paradiso, 23.59-late, €15 + membership
Saturday 12 July Thursday 10 July Gewoon Gastrvij A chilled house music experience. Club 8, 22.00-03.00, free WKND Building you up for the weekend with nu-house and deep house spinning. Studio 80, 23.00-late, €5 Blue Note Trip Jazz and dance fusion. Melkweg, Oude Zaal, 23.30-late, €8 + membership
Friday 11July Nataraj A summer special where you can do the hippy, hippy shake. There’s an early opening tonight to make space for No Dimensions. Club 8, 20.00-04.00, €9 Swagger An event that aims to highlight the best in everyone, whether they’re producing hiphop, soul, dance, reggae, disco... Guests to be announced. Sugar Factory, 22.30-05.00, €10 A Classic Friday Booze, dance classics and party people. It must be a Friday thing. Hotel Arena, 23.00-04.00, €11 Brazilian Beach Party A beachin’ Brazilian party so come dressed appropriately. There’s special tropical cocktails and thick South American rhythms from Brasilian Banda Prima and DJ Vanderlei. Club More Amor, 23.00-05.00, €10 Classics Exprezz Eclectic, soulful house and disco grooves from the past. Odeon, 23.00-05.00, €12 Springplank / Drie Keer Niks Featuring Bas Struik, Pinxt, Macroscope, Jesse-Ten and Wijnand. In the bar it’s Herrie Gekkehuis, O’boogie, Shiny Shady and Lamme Tonnie. Flex Bar, 23.00-05.00, €7 Bleep Bizarre Progressive psytrance (bet you never knew psytrance could be progressive) and minimal electro. The audio cast includes Zen Mechanics, Jey & Ex, Supergroover, Mimics, Esther and Raoul Fleischmann. Studio 80, 23.00-late, €10 klinch: RAUW Rockin’ rave culture with DJs Edu K and Stretch Armstrong. Melkweg, The Max, 23.00-late, €15 + membership Club Rascal The indie disco, for hipsters to ’80s throwbacks. Melkweg, Oude Zaal, 23.30-late, €8 + membership
Hex! The death of a party: the last Hex (ever?). Who’ll underscore the underground now? OCCII, 22.0004.00, €3 Skip Intro Electro and more with no foreplay necessary. Club 8, 22.00-04.00, €6 Bassculture #6 Drum & bass, breakbeats and dubstep nonsense, with Bo Marley (Denmark), Peacetime Soundsystem (Berlin) and other guests. OT301, 22.00-05.00, €9 Rewind Dance hits from The Funky Bastard, Mr. Rosso, Bart Thimbles and more. Club Home, 22.00-05.00, €12 Club Cut the Crap Quality over hype is the main rule. Expect plenty of old hits plus blasts of newbie tracks. Cafe Pakhuis Wilhelmina, 22.00-late, €5 Horse Meat Club A roller coaster ride mixing alternative and hiphop with drum & bass, dance and rock. Winston Kingdom, 23.00-04.00, €6 Weekender Dance with rock ‘n’ roll attitude, with Ricky Rivaro, Marc Benjamin, Goodgrip and Fullscale. Hotel Arena, 23.00-04.00, €17.50 Beatstreet With D-Rashid, Skitzofrenix, Graphix, Madskillz and many more. The Powerzone, 23.00-05.00, €12.50 Odeon’s Countdown Hitshow Once again, the audience votes for their favourite tunes and DJs make wishes come true. Have your say at odeonscountdown.hyves.nl. Odeon, 23.00-05.00, €12 Ultraviolet Featuring Matthew Stone (London), RHF Delfos, Cleo and Yuki. Flex Bar, 23.00-05.00, €8.50 Redevice invites Special guests are electro and techno masters Ernesto Ferreyra and Alejandro Vivanco. Support from Carlos Valdes, Joachim, Ramchez, Frodo and Pep. Studio 80, 23.00-late, €11.99 I Like to Watch Too and Dance Too A dance party to close Julidans 2008. Paradiso, 23.30-04.00, €12.50 Electronation Dance Valley afterparty filled with surprise guests and plenty to keep you bopping if you popped too many pills to stop. Sugar Factory, 23.59-05.00, €15 Gemengd Zwemmen Two rooms of swimmingly diverse noise. In The Max, it’s classic ‘80s and ‘90s (Euro) hits; in the Oude Zaal, there’s alternative dance, pop, rock and indie hits. Melkweg, 23.59-late, €9
Dance all week: midweek parties at Studio 80 and Winston Kingdom.
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Amsterdam Weekly_10-16 July 2008
A G E N D A : C L U B S / G AY & L E S B I A N / S T A G E / E V E N T S
Must see: Dance
Dance: I Like to Watch Too The final evening of Julidans is one full of temptations. I Like to Watch Too takes you to every nook and cranny of the Paradiso building, where you can enjoy a large number of short dance stories and stimulating performances, accompanied by DJs and VJs. As the evening progresses, you get more and more involved in what is going on and before you know where you are, you’ll find yourself dancing along in a performance—whether you want to or not. Paradiso, (Sat 21.00), €15
Bahok Stadsschouwburg Friday 11 July and Saturday 12 July The British-Bengali choreographer Akram Khan made Bahok with five dancers from his own modern kathak dance company and three classically trained dancers from the National Ballet of China. Regardless of what customs officials might do, they all keep their own culture and identity within their bodies. Set in a departure hall at an airport the nine dancers, each with their own luggage, prepare for a journey home, where the body is. Nitin Sawhney composed new music for this performance. 20.30, €12-€25
Comedy: Burlesque FreakOut A weekly party where fetish meets vaudeville and glamour meets sleaze, falling somewhere between Moulin Rouge and a Tarantino movie. Featuring dancers and performers from around the world. Comedy Theater, (Sat 23.00), €12.50 Ballet: Swan Lake Tchaikovky’s beautiful ballet, presented by the infamous Bolshoi Ballet. Carré, (Wed 20.00), €20-€149
Ongoing Festival: Julidans One of Amsterdam’s premiere dance festivals, Julidans brings heaps of international talents to local stages, as well as tipping a cap to some of Holland’s own top choreographers and dancers. Partnered with Cinedans, which looks at the dance world through a lens, nine venues are going dance crazy. See www.julidans.nl. Various locations, (Thur-Sat), various prices Comedy: Comedytrain International Summer Festival English stand-up over the weekend from Arj Barker (US) and Marcus Birdman (UK). On Wednesday, the line-up switches to Wayne Deakin (Australia) and Pete Johanssen (US). Toomler, (Thur-Sat, Wed 20.30), €13.50
Dance Valley Massive outdoor dance party featuring DJ stars like Ferry Corsten, Tiësto, Cosmic Gate, DJ Jean, Gui Boratto, Carl Cox and Astrix. See www.dancevalley.nl. Spaarnwoude Velsen, all day, €62.50
GAY&LESBIAN
Sunday 13 July
Edited by Willem de Blaauw.
Reggae Sundays You can guess the rasta theme. There’s DJs till late plus a live set from Senior Siren vs Zero One. Winston Kingdom, 21.00-03.00, €5
Thursday 10 July
Wicked Jazz Sounds Jazz, hiphop, broken beats, nujazz, funk and Afro sounds, as classic vinyl collides with live musicians. Sugar Factory, 23.00-05.00, €9.50 Zonde Sumptuous Sunday songs. Paradiso, 23.30, €7.50
Monday 14 July Cheeky Monday True skool jungle and drum & bass, featuring players from the local and international scenes. Winston Kingdom, 22.00-03.00, €7
Tuesday 15 July ToTango Tuesday night tango with drinks, dancing and lessons, if needed. Hotel Arena, 20.00-01.00, €6 Strafwerk Minimal techno party featuring Daniel Sanchez, Juan Sanchez, Johanna Mercker and Edu de Leau. Winston Kingdom, 22.00-03.00, €5
Wednesday 16 July Katapult Midweek electro party. Studio 80, 23.00-late, €5
the tiny dancefloor gets too much, head for the balcony for some relaxing action. Club La, 16.00-20.00, €12
Comedy: International Comedy The Comedy Theater turns cosmopolitan for the summer, with the joke preference switching to English to accommodate tourists and those left to work through the tropical months. Look out for international acts taking to the stage each weekend. Comedy Theater, (Fri, Sat 20.30), €12.50
Monday 14 July
Party: Stout Thursday’s fun. Tara Montana plays R&B requests, Martijn hosts MaleBox and Tasha Thunderpussy MC’s herself through the night. Exit, 23.59-04.00, free
Party: 2 Year Anniversary Party It’s time to celebrate as Prik has been open for two years. DJs Gina and Devotion play fun and sexy tunes, there’ll be acts by Fag!Hag! and you get two glasses of prosecco for the price of one. Now, who’s a jolly good fellow? PRIK, 20.00-01.00, free Party: Blue Monday Alternative, non-scene, party at this squat for gays, lezzies, bisexuals and transgenders. Vrankrijk, 22.00-02.00, free
Friday 11July Party: 5 Year Anniversary Party Five years ago Sappho opened its doors. Head to this bar on the revamped Vijzelstraat to dance and celebrate. DJ R (‘80s, dance, popular) and DJ Dennis Hupla (mixed & mashed), plus a Scroppino bar and more. Cafe Sappho, 18.00-05.00, free Sex club: XXX Leather Hugely popular men-only fetish party with a strict dress code: leather, rubber, uniform, sportswear, army, skin. Residents DJ Jon Doe (Greenkomm, La Demence) and DJ Dikky Vendetta (La Demence, Rapido) spin the decks. Visuals by VJ Eddi Bal. Party Centrum van Galen, 22.00-04.00, €23/€30
Tuesday 15 July Sport: Nude Swimming Weekly nude-swimming hour, which is actually not gay but has been taken over by a herd of happy homos who don’t mind swimming without their AussieBum, Speedo or Calvin Klein—or with the occasional woman. Het Marnix, 21.00-22.00, €3,50
STAGE
Saturday 12 July Party: (Z)onderbroek Drop your pants and dance in your most sexy briefs/Y-fronts/boxers or jockstrap at this men-only afternoon fun party. We love it here. DJ Benjamin, plus a guest DJ, spin the tunes, but if the heat on
Opening Dance: Hiroaki Umeda Two works by the Japanese choreographer: Accumulated Layout and While Going to a Condition. Melkweg Theater, (Thur 19.00), €10 Dance: Danse l’Afrique Danse! The fourth edition of Danse l’Afrique Danse! took place in Tunisia in the first week of May. The aim of the festival is to align more closely African dance to developments in the rest of the dance world. Just like two years ago, the prize-winners are on a world tour and include Inzalo Dance and Theatre Company (South Africa), Pape Ibrahima Ndiaye (Senegal) and Compagnie Baninga/DeLaVallet Bidiefono (Congo). Theater Bellevue, (Fri, Sat 21.00), €17.50 Theatre: Zomergasten Every summer, theatre classics arrive in the open-air theatre at Amsterdamse Bos. This year it’s the turn of Maxim Gorky and his 1903 play Summerfolk, which is something of a commentary on the Russian bourgeoisie classes and the social and political changes occurring in that era. Michiel Bakker, Christine de Boer and Ian Bok star; direction by Frances Sanders. In Dutch. Theater het Amsterdamse Bos, (Fri, Sat, Tues, Wed 21.30), €7.50/€10
EVENTS Festival: Over het IJ Festival The 16th edition of this annual festival offers a gaggle of site-specific theatre, much of it created by young, unknown talents looking to experiment with socially critical work. See www.overhetij.nl for full programme. NDSM-werf, (Thu-Sun various times), various prices Open Day: Greenpeace—Sirius Whether you’re an environmental activist, a dippy hippy or just someone who enjoys naval architecture, today you can explore the old ship which is famous for taking on the whalers in their own territory, amongst other voyages. NDSMwerf, (Thur 14.00-20.00), free Performance: Vondelpark Openluchttheater Summer fun in Vondelpark. Thursday brings classical music, Friday means dance performances, Saturdays are a mixed bag of theatre, cabaret and pop, and Sundays are filled with singer-songwriter musical sets. Specials this week include Julidans on Friday and a Turkish musical celebration on Sunday. Vondelpark Openluchttheater, (Thur, Fri 20.30, Sat, Sun 14.00), free Poetry/Music: Friday Night Jazz and poetry from conservatory students. DJ x-0-x sets the scene. Van Gogh Museum, (Fri 18.30), museum entry cost Event: Club Real #3 At this final club evening there’s a unique presentation of the avatar machine designed by Marc Owens, which lets you experience what it is like to be an avatar in the real world. There’s also some virtual opera and a screening of Niketown2 by Tarik Sadouma. Platform 21, (Fri 20.00), €5 Discussion: Them Considering the consequences of imperialism with a film screening and talk. Not all dark and paranoid, DJ Alec Smart will be DJing till 01.00. De Nieuwe Anita, (Fri 20.00), €6 Performance: Artis ZOOmeravond Summer sees Artis keeping its doors open during Saturday evenings. Tonight’s special guests are Spinvis with Simon Vinkenoog and a performance by theatre group Het Beest. Artis, (Sat 19.00), zoo entry cost Kwakoe Festival: The biggest multicultural festival in the country. See Short List. Bijlmerpark, (Sat, Sun), free Conference: 5th European Congress of Mathematics Just because it’s summer doesn’t mean you shouldn’t use your brain. RAI, (Mon-Wed)
Go North: Over het IJ festival ain’t over yet.
Amsterdam Weekly_10-16 July 2008
AGENDA: ART
Ongoing: Art
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Snap Judgments—New Positions in Contemporary African Photography An exhibition of work by 35 contemporary African artists and photographers with unique perspectives on their own continent. It reveals how artists are using photography to respond artistically to the enormous changes currently taking place in African economic, social and cultural life, but the artists also break away from lingering stereotypical images of their cultures, histories and countries. Stedelijk Museum CS (Daily 10.00-18.00), until 30 September
Stacked and Scattered W139 Diverse works by George Korsmit, Federico Campanale, Constant Dullaart, Frank Mandersloot, Henny van Overbeek, Boris Tellegen and Nico W Jungmann. (Sun-Thur 11.00-20.00, Fri, Sat 11.00-22.00), until 17 August
De Kabbala—Graven van Safed Photos of the cemetery in the Israeli city of Safed. Nederlands Uitvaart Museum Tot Zover (Mon-Fri 13.00-17.00), until 12 October Malick Sidibé Malian photographer (b. 1935, Soloba) who, from the early ‘60s on, snapped portraits and various engagements of local society, from football matches to weddings and Christmas Eve celebrations, which now offer insight into the people’s lives shortly after winning their independence. Sidibé was one of the first African photographers to gain recognition in the West. Foam (Sat-Wed 10.00-18.00, Thur, Fri 10.0021.00), until 15 October Inside Out Personal portraits in word and image show how youths deal with religion and the part it plays in their daily lives. Bijbels Museum (Mon-Sat 10.00-17.00, Sun 11.00-17.00), until 2 November 24-hour Indonesia Glimpse the daily life of contemporary Indonesia. Eight different crews across Indonesia filmed during a 24-hour period. Tropenmuseum (Daily 10.00-17.00), until 16 November
ART Opening Bis! Seventeen diverse graduating photography students present their final works. Plantage Doklaan 8-12 (Daily 13.00-19.00), opens Thursday, closing Wednesday Walking in Rome with Bernini, Michelangelo and Leonardo Retrospective of Italian artist Mario Padovan’s work in Rome from 1963-1997. Paule Carre (Mon 13.00-18.00; Tue, Wed, Fri 10.00-18.00; Thur 10.00-20.00; Sat 10.00-17.00), opens Thursday, until 10 September ‘Druksel prints’ by Werkman A presentation by the Stedelijk Museum dedicated to the ‘druksel prints’ of Hendrik Werkman, who, in the 1920s, developed the technique of printing parts of a print one at a time to compile the total image on a page. Van Gogh Museum (Mon-Thur, Sat, Sun 10.00-18.00, Fri 10.00-22.00), opens Friday, until 12 October Kors van Bennekom—Kors’s Choice An exhibition celebrating the 75th birthday of the Amsterdam photographer Kor van Bennekom, the street photographer, theatre photographer and family photographer, whose remarkable oeuvre reflects the history of the Netherlands in the second half of the 20th century. Foam (Sat-Wed 10.00-18.00, Thur, Fri 10.00-21.00), opens Friday, until 14 September Su Tomesen: Police First instalment of Videozomer, featuring diverse works by video artists, which can be viewed outside of the project space. A new artist shows each week until 29 August. Petersburg Project Space (Daily evenings till 01.00), opens Saturday, closing Friday
Museums Retrospective Zomerdijkstraat 2008 Exhibition about a number of artists who lived and worked in thefirst studio apartments in the Netherlands on the Zomerdijkstraat inAmsterdam’s Rivierenbuurt. Glerum Auctioneers (Mon-Fri 10.00-17.00), until 18 July
Boston-based artists new video installation, which utilises two screens to handle the confrontation between two works about oil and globalisation. Stedelijk Museum CS (Daily 10.00-18.00), until 20 July Crosswire—In Search of the Synesthetic Effect Sound installations and audiovisual environments enabling immersive and spatial sonic experiences through body and multi-sensory perception. Contributing artists include Aernoudt Jacobs (BE), Sagi Groner, Kaffe Matthews (UK), Telcosystems and TeZ + Janis Ponisch (IT/DE). Montevideo/Time Based Arts (TuesSat 13.00-18.00), until 26 July The Best Designed Books 2007 This year 33 books have been selected out of all those published in the Netherlands in 2007. As in previous years, the museum is supplementing the selection on show with a separate category: this time, children’s books of exceptionally good design. Stedelijk Museum CS (Daily 10.00-18.00), until 3 August Green Bags: Brand New and Used Materials Showcasing bags and designers embracing the concepts of recyclable and sustainable. Museum of Bags and Purses (Daily 10.00-17.00), until 17 August Images of St Petersburg In the 19th century in Russia, as elsewhere, photography revolutionised the recording of everyday reality. The palaces, new buildings, inhabitants and important events were captured by many Russian and foreign photographers. This summer exhibition features almost 100 such examples from the period. Hermitage Amsterdam (Daily 10.00-17.00), until 24 August Cary Grant Original screen-printed posters, photos, film compilations and a documentary, which accompany the Cary Grant film series throughout July and August. Filmmuseum (Mon-Fri 09.00 -22.15, Sat, Sun one hour prior to show-22.15), until 27 August Amsterdam and the House of Orange An exhibition surveying the ties which have bound Amsterdam and the House of Orange over the centuries. Amsterdams Historisch Museum (Mon-Fri 10.00-17.00, Sat, Sun 11.00-17.00), until 31 August Wim van der Linden Photography of Amsterdam from the ‘60s. Stadsarchief Amsterdam (Tues-Sat 10.00-17.00, Sun 11.00-17.00), until 31 August
Rembrandt Laughing In October 2007, a painting of a laughing man came to light, and there was speculation that it might be a self-portrait by Rembrandt. Now regarded to be fact, the painting will be on display in his former studio. Rembrandthuis (Mon-Sat 10.0017.00, Sun 11.00-17.00), until 20 July
Hans Scholten: Urban future ‘The future of the city’ is the theme raised by Amsterdam artist Scholten (1952) in this photographic project. For a number of years he has been photographing the urban landscapes of huge cities in Asia and the Middle East. There he captures scenes of rapidly growing neighbourhoods, in which chaos and anarchy seem to arise due to a lack of organised city planning. Is this the future that awaits cities in the Western world as well? Huis Marseille (Tues-Sun 11.00-18.00), until 31 August
Mark Boulos: All That Is Solid Melts Into Air Docking Station presents the European premiere of this
Domingo Milella: Paesaggi The past six years, Milella has concentrated on an ongoing project, which
Get your fill of arty tits and ass: Dutch Nudes at Blow Up Gallery.
takes as it’s central focus the postmodern landscape, from dwellings to urban periphery. His perspectives offers us a fresh interpretation of the changing face of our surroundings. Foam (Sat-Wed 10.00-18.00, Thur, Fri 10.00-21.00), until 31 August Anne Frank—A History for Today Travelling exhibition about the life of Frank, set against the background of the persecution of the Jews during WII. Featured are family photos and an overview of the books she read while in hiding. Centrale Bibliotheek (Daily), until 31 August Gilian Schrofer: Models of Concern Models and designs by Schrofer, who’s to design the interiors of the four refreshment areas of the renovated Stedelijk Museum. Stedelijk Museum CS (Daily 10.00-18.00), until 31 August Lectori Salutem Delving into the history of books, with original objects, beautiful manuscripts and books from Dutch collections, photographs and texts. Allard Pierson Museum (Tues-Fri 10.00-17.00, Sat, Sun 13.0017.00), until 7 September Marc Camille Chaimowicz: ...In The Cherished Company of Others... One hundred works by Chaimowicz, including drawings, decorative and functional objects, wallpapers, maquettes, sculptures, paintings and a revisited installation. These sit alongside architectural models, bookplates and artworks by other international artists with whom the artist feels empathy with. De Appel (Tues-Sun 11.00-18.00), until 7 September The Shadow Cabinet: No More Reality.Step 3: SHARED FOLDER Video and audio installations, screenings, magazines, books, newspapers, posters and leaflets. De Appel (Tues-Sun 11.00-18.00), until 7 September Gewoon Anders! Exhibition revolving around alternative sexual lifestyles which, during the turn of the 21st century, spawned a wealth of images. With over 100 pieces by some 35 artists, including Gilbert & George, Nan Goldin, Marlene Dumas, Wolfgang Tillmans, Marlene McCarty, Rachid Ben Ali and a nine-metre high monumental statue of David, in bright pink and canary yellow, by Hans-Peter Feldmann. CoBrA Museum (Tues-Sun 11.00-17.00), until 21 September Deep Screen—Art in Digital Culture Contemporary multidisciplinary works of art which are all in some way marked by today’s digital culture. The jury, chaired by guest curator Andreas Broeckmann, has selected 18 artists out of the 200-plus submissions. Stedelijk Museum CS (Daily 10.00-18.00), until 30 September Presence of Mind—A Choice from the Collection by Wolfgang Tillmans The Stedelijk Museum regularly invites artists to select from the collection, coloured only by their own artistic perspective. This time, the German photographer Wolfgang Tillmans (1968) offers a fresh perspective amidst the context of his own oeuvre. Stedelijk Museum CS (Daily 10.00-18.00), until 30 September
Atlas Maior. De wereld van Blaeu Exquisite examples of Joan Blaeu’s maps, made in Amsterdam’s Golden Era, when the industry of cartography was in full bloom. UvA: Special Collections Library (Mon-Fri 10.00-17.00, Sat, Sun 13.00-17.00), until 23 November Hendrik Werkman: The Blue Barge Exhibition containing Werkman’s preparatory studies for the suites of prints he made as an act of resistance for The Blue Barge during WWII. The most famous of these is Chassidische Legenden. Joods Historisch Museum (Daily 11.00-17.00), until 30 November
Galleries Alias Ali Hip eye candy painted by art duo SNAR and Michel Willemsen. Chiellerie (Daily 14.00-18.00) William Monk A solo exhibition of 12 new paintings by English artist Monk, including diptychs, triptychs and multi-panelled canvases, in which he opts for an aesthetic language of pure colours and forms against subtly contrasted shades of blue. Grimm Fine Art (Wed-Sat 12.00-18.00), closing Saturday Doina Kraal: Onafzienbare Vertes Utilising projections and photo sculptures, Kraal creates an environment where spectators can lose themselves in a temporary, private world. In these, recognisable elements are brought together with impossible ideas. Soledad Senlle Gallery (Mon-Sat 11.00-17.00), closing Saturday Field Work—Part Two Diverse works questioning the classical understanding of ‘nature’ as a concept, and inviting the viewer to distinguish between nature and culture. SMART Project Space (Tues-Sat 12.00-17.00), closing Saturday Everyday News New images, constructions and drawings by Liesbeth Pallesen. Suzanne Biederberg Gallery (Wed-Sat 14.00-18.00), closing Saturday Kathe Burkhart Large-scale artworks by the AmericanDutch artist. Lumen Travo (Wed-Sat 13.00-18.00, Sun 14.00-17.00), closing Saturday Please Do Flash / Contemplator A fashion-tastic sewing concept by Mariëlle Videler and photo portrait experimentation by Katerien ter Meulen. De Veemvloer (Wed-Sat 12.00-18.00, Sun 13.00-18.00), closing Sunday Wheel of Life Tashi Norbu’s work combines his initial painting education in the Dalai Lama’s monastery at the foothills of the Indian Himalayas, with contemporary western styles later learned in art school in Belgium. Kunstkerk (Thur, Sat, Sun 17.00-21.00), closing Sunday Monique de Vries & Jan Alberts Ceramic sculpture and paintings and drawings. Retort (Fri 16.00-20.00, Sat, Sun 13.00-18.00), closing Sunday Eindexamenexpositie voorjaar 2008 Graduating photo students present their works. Fotogram (MonThur 09.30-21.00, Fri, Sat 09.30-17.00), closing Wednesday Henk Pander Nature meets industry in this series of paintings titled Amsterdam—Portland (Oregon). Galerie de Rietlanden Exposities (Sat, Sun 13.00-17.00), closing Thursday
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Amsterdam Weekly_10-16 July 2008
AGENDA: ART
Joyce van Dongen New paintings of surreal combinations of nature and human culture. Galerie Bart (Thur, Fri 11.00 -18.00, Sat 12.00 -17.00), until 19 July Summer in the City ‘08 Works by Steve Schapiro, William Wegman and Michael Wolf. Galerie Wouter van Leeuwen (Thur-Sat 12.00-18.00), until 23 July ‘Kopie’—Documented Now The contemporary artist works like a DJ, sampling, documenting and copying existing images. Cut and paste is the new originality. But where do artists now draw the line? Is reinterpretation still possible? Where is the boundary between a copy and the emergence of new work? De Brakke Grond (Mon 10.00 -18.00, Tues-Fri 10.00-20.30, Sat 13.00-20.30, Sun 13.0017.00), until 25 July Omega Bridge A collaboration by Doze Green and Fefê Talavera, with their multi-ethnic backgrounds—Green is of Cuban, Cherokee and Haitian descent, while Fefê’s is Mexican, Spanish and Indian—building a bridge between their works. K-Space Amsterdam (Thur 12.00-21.00, Fri, Sat, Tues, Wed 12.00-19.00), until 26 July The Unbreakable Nigerian Spirit Photos, paintings and sculptures by ten Nigerian artists. Galerie 23 (Mon-Fri 09.00 -17.00, Sat, Sun 11.00 -17.00), until 27 July In Stock Diverse works by Paul Blanca, Bart Domburg, Ernie en Bidet, Gerald van der Kaap, Theo Niermeyer and others. Ververs Gallery (Thur, Fri 12.00-17.30; Sat 14.00-17.30), until 27 July Lloyd History Just what the title suggests: documentaries, photos and documents show the many faces of the hotel, including it’s time as a refugee station and juvenile prison. Lloyd Hotel (Daily), until 31 July Fresh Paint A special selection of 4 bright young Dutch painters: Maurice Braspenning (Rotterdam), Bas Coenegracht (Maastricht), Johan van Dijke (Leiden) and Jeroen Witvliet. Ronmandos (Wed-Sat 12.30-17.30), until 2 August Offline #4 (Sur)realistic paintings by young talents Andro Semeiko and Stephanie Jansen. ArtOlive (Mon-Fri 11.00-17.00; Sun 12.00-17.00), until 3 August Checking Reality Envision the world as a computer game in which your clothes are 3D-projections and a GPS system tells you the position of an object. Imagine yourself as an avatar, flying through future cities and simulated landscapes. This exhibition poses such a virtual world in the real world. Platform 21 (Thur-Sun 12.00-18.00), until 10 August Raymond Cuijpers An exhibition dominated by football by a footballer turned artist. Van Zijll Langhout (Mon-Fri 11.00-17.00), until 15 August Paul Blanca: Mi Matties & Kristal Two new blackand-white photo series: one focussed on street children, the other a naked model submerged in chocolate and displayed like confectionery. Witzenhausen Gallery (Thur-Sat 12.00-18.00), until 16 August New Geographies A new media mapping exhibition that aims to show a visible path of personal migrations. Imagine IC (Tues, Wed, Fri, Sat 11.00-17.00, Thur 11.00-21.00), until 17 August El blanco perfecto Paintings and installations that explore Dominican artist Miguel Rivas’s relationship with femininity. CEDLA (Mon-Fri 10.00-17.00), until 28 August Ata & Eva An overview exhibition of the oeuvre of Hungarian photographers Ata Kandó (1913) and Eva Besnyö (1910-2003). Hup Gallery (Tues, Thur, Fri 10.00-17.00), until 30 August
Lekker Bezig
David de Poel, bedtime reader ‘I’ve only started last week. The first person who requested a bedtime story was a librarian in her fifties. When she opened the door she was already in her nightgown. She hopped right into bed and said ‘bring it on!’ I read her a part from one of my novels and afterwards, since she wanted to know how it ended, she bought my book. The second time was a man who turned out to live in Drachten, Frisia. He had to pay me a pretty high amount of travel expenses, in addition to the fifty-five euros I charge for a half hour’s worth of reading, but he was still really keen. It’s a bit scary to go to people’s homes like this. I was slightly worried about dirty old men with questionable intentions, but this guy was very nice and well read. ‘I thought this up when I read about some musicians going to people’s houses to play, though this bedside reading is a bit more intimate. In the beginning, you both feel a bit uncomfortable, but once I start reading, we both relax. In addition to my two novels, I’ve published a lot of stories, so there’s plenty of material to choose from. Personally I’d go for the erotic stories that I used to write for Penthouse magazine. I like open endings. If people can’t sleep thinking about what happened next, all the better. It’s a great way of getting attention for my work, which is difficult when, like me, you’re with a small publishing house. But my gift certificate is already becoming a hit at parties; a real estate agency just bought one as a wedding gift for an employee. I just hope I won’t be reading on the wedding night.’ Photo by Joost Benthem
Book a bedtime story: www.schrijveraanbed.nl
ADDRESSES
Gemeentemuseum Stadhouderslaan 41, Den Haag, 070 338 1111
Petersburg Project Space Frans de Wollantstraat 84
11 Oosterdokskade 3-5, 625 5999
Glerum Auctioneers Lekstraat 63, 301 2950
Platform 21 Prinses Irenestraat 19, 344 9449
Allard Pierson Museum Oude Turfmarkt 127, 525 2556
Grand Chapiteau near Amsterdam ArenA (P2)
The Powerzone Spaklerweg, 681 8866
Amstel 320K
Grimm Fine Art Hazenstraat 24, 422 7227
PRIK Spuistraat 109, 06 4544 2321
Amsterdams Historisch Museum Kalverstraat 92, 523 1822
Hermitage Amsterdam Nieuwe Herengracht 14, 530 8751
De Appel Nieuwe Spiegelstraat 10, 625 5651 ARCAM Prins Hendrikkade 600, 620 4878 Artis Plantage Kerklaan 38-40, 523 3400 ArtOlive Polonceaukade 17, 675 8504 Bijbels Museum Herengracht 366-368, 624 2436 Bimhuis Piet Heinkade 3, 788 2150 Blow Up Gallery Hazenstraat 67, 665 3435 De Brakke Grond Nes 45, 626 6866 Cafe Pakhuis Wilhelmina Veemkade 576, 419 3368 Cafe Sappho Vijzelstraat 103, 423 1509 Carré Amstel 115-125, 524 9452 Casablanca Muziek Zeedijk 26, 06 1220 0519 CEDLA Keizersgracht 395-397, 525 3498 Centrale Bibliotheek Oosterdokskade 143, 523 0900 Chiellerie Raamgracht 58, 320 9448
Huis Marseille Keizersgracht 401, 531 8989 Hup Gallery Tesselschadestraat 15, 515 8589 Imagine IC Bijlmerplein 1006-1008, 489 4866 Joods Historisch Museum Jonas Daniel Meijerplein 2-4, 531 0310 K-Space Amsterdam Nieuwezijdsvoorburgwal 262 Kunstkerk Prinseneiland 89, 627 1238 De Levante Hobbemastraat 28, 671 5485 Lloyd Hotel Oostelijke Handelskade 34, 419 1840 Lumen Travo Lijnbaansgracht 314, 627 0883 Maloe Melo Lijnbaansgracht 163, 420 4592 Het Marnix Marnixplein 1, 5246000 Melkweg Lijnbaansgracht 234A, 531 8181 Melkweg Galerie Marnixstraat 409, 531 8181
RAI Europaplein 22, 549 1212 Rembrandthuis Jodenbreestraat 4, 520 0400 Retort Aalsmeerweg 103, 669 4669 Ronmandos Prinsengracht 282, 320 7036 Skek Zeedijk 4-8, 427 0551 SMART Project Space Arie Biemondstraat 107-113, 427 5953 Soledad Senlle Gallery Sloterkade 171, 615 1395 Spaarnwoude Velsen Stadsarchief Amsterdam Vijzelstraat 32 Stadsschouwburg Leidseplein 26, 624 2311 Stedelijk Museum CS Oosterdokskade 5, 573 2911 Studio 80 Rembrandtplein 17, 521 8333 Studio K Timorplein 62, 692 0422 Sugar Factory Lijnbaansgracht 238, 627 0008
Melkweg Lijnbaansgracht 234a, 531 8181
Suzanne Biederberg Gallery 1e Egelantiersdwarsstraat 1, 624 5455
Club Home Wagenstraat 3-7, 620 1375
Montevideo/Time Based Arts Keizersgracht 264, 623 7101
Theater Bellevue Leidsekade 90, 530 5301
Club La Kerkstraat 50-52
Museum Het Schip Spaarndammerplantsoen 140, 418 2885
Theater het Amsterdamse Bos Amsterdamse Bos 1, 640 9253
Museum of Bags and Purses Herengracht 573, 524 6452
Toomler Breitnerstraat 2, 670 7400
Club More Amor Rozengracht 133, 344 6402 CoBrA Museum Sandbergplein 1-3, Amstelveen, 547 5050
Arabic Graphics Exhibition showcasing the graphic and typographic design works of Lebanese-Dutch designer Tarek Atrissi, who has developed ideas for commercial and non-commercial projects around the world. De Levante (Wed-Sun 13.00-17.30), until 31 August
Concertgebouw, Koorzaal
Homo Urbanus—Homo Sapiens? An outdoor exhibition promoting young artists from Latvia. Westergasfabriek (Daily 12.00 -20.00), until 15 September
Hotel Arena ‘s-Gravesandestraat 51, 850 2400
Plantage Doklaan 8-12 Plantage Doklaan
Club 8 Admiraal de Ruyterweg 56B, 685 1703
Dutch Nudes Dutch photography, encouraging models to get their kit off. Blow Up Gallery (Thur-Sat13.00-18.00), until 30 August
Summer in the City Photo exhibition from four established snappers: Anne Marie Trovato, Reinier Gerritsen, Martijn de Jonge and Alex ten Napel. Melkweg Galerie (Tues-Sat 13.00 -18.00), until 31 August
By Rebecca Wilson
Comedy Theater Nes 110, 422 2777 Concertgebouw Concertgebouwplein 2-6, 671 8345
NDSM-werf TT Neveritaweg 15, 330 5480 Nederlands Architectuurinstituut Museumpark 25, Rotterdam, 010 440 1200
Tropenmuseum Linnaeusstraat 2, 568 8200 UvA: Special Collections Library Oude Turfmarkt 129, 525 2141
Nederlands Fotomuseum Wilhelminakade 332, Rotterdam, 010 213 2011
Van Gogh Museum Paulus Potterstraat 7, 570 5200
Exit Reguliersdwarsstraat 42, 625 8788
Nederlands Uitvaart Museum Tot Zover Kruislaan 124, 694 0482
Various locations
Filmmuseum Vondelpark 3, 589 1400
De Nieuwe Anita Frederik Hendrikstraat 111, 06 4150 3512
De Veemvloer Van Diemenstraat 410, 638 6894
Flex Bar Pazzanistraat 1, 486 2123
OCCII Amstelveenseweg 134, 671 7778
Ververs Gallery Hazenstraat 54
Foam Keizersgracht 609, 551 6546
Odeon Singel 460, 624 9711
Verzetsmuseum Plantage Kerklaan 61, 620 2535
Fotogram Korte Prinsengracht 33, 624 9994
OT301 Overtoom 301, 779 4913
Vondelpark Openluchttheater, 673 1499
Paradiso Weteringschans 6-8, 626 4521
Vrankrijk Spuistraat 216
Parool Theater Sint Pieterpoortsteeg 33
W139 Warmoesstraat 139, 622 9434
Party Centrum van Galen Jan van Galenstraat 24
Westergasfabriek Haarlemmerweg 8-10, 586 0710
Patronaat Zijlsingel 2, Haarlem, 023 517 5858
Winston Kingdom Warmoesstraat 129, 623 1380
Paule Carre Cornelis Schuytstraat 44, 675 6800
Witzenhausen Gallery Elandsstraat 145, 644 9898
Consortium Veemkade 570, 06 2611 8950 Cotton Club Nieuwmarkt 5, 626 6192
Galerie 23 Nieuwe Herengracht 23, 623 9215 Galerie Bart Bloemgracht 2, 320 6208 Galerie de Rietlanden Exposities Rietlandpark 193, 419 4705 Galerie Wouter van Leeuwen Hazenstraat 27, 06 5203 1540
There really are many more art listings online at www.amsterdamweekly.nl/art.
Van Zijll Langhout Brouwersgracht 161, 06 2825 9620
Amsterdam Weekly_10-16 July 2008
Win tickets to Arcade Fire: www.amsterdamweekly.nl
AGENDA: MUSIC
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Amsterdam Weekly_10-16 July 2008
AGENDA: FILM
The Savages Filmmuseum, daily 21.45
A SAVAGE FAMILY DRAMA Another excellent, locally unreleased film for one week only. Sibling rivalry has proven to be a much sought after theme in this year’s film scene. Usually the filial friction is played out for maximum dramatic effect. Two sisters striving for the affections (and offspring) of King Henry in The Other Boleyn Girl. The financial woes of two brothers in Woody Allen’s convoluted
FILM Amsterdam Weekly recommends.
Festival Gay & Lesbian Filmmarathon A plethora of pink films. See Short List. Rialto
New this week Breath When a woman discovers her husband is having an affair, she does what every normal woman would do: she starts having an affair with a prisoner on death row, much to the chagrin of her husband and the prisoner’s fellow inmates. Diehard fans of Kim Ki-duk’s work will undoubtedly embrace this latest feature, but for the rest, it’s just not up to par. Once again the story is filled with pregnant silences and tortured souls, desperately looking for a way to feel alive again. But Breath lacks the haunting beauty and sadness of Kim’s previous work, especially Bin-Jip, one of his real masterpieces. In Korean with Dutch subtitles (BS) 84 min. Rialto
Web tip:
Miss Platnum— ‘Give me the food’ www.youtube.com/watch? v=OoBVdeadDxk
www.videosift.com, a mighty vlog.
Cassandra’s Dream. Or the tragic clash between two brothers in Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead. Ironically, one of best films on sibling strife, the deliciously acidic familial comedy The Savages starring Laura Linney and Philip Seymour Hoffman, has never made it to Dutch theatres. Until
Hancock Will Smith stars as an embittered superhero who leaps tall buildings in a single bound while cursing and slugging down bourbon. After he rescues goodhearted PR man Jason Bateman from an oncoming freight train, Bateman offers to return the favor by giving him an image makeover. As popcorn movies go, this is fleet, funny and even thoughtful: its central question, nicely underplayed by director Peter Berg, is why power and altruism never seem to intersect. With Charlize Theron. 92 min. Pathé ArenA, Pathé De Munt Kung Fu Panda Just when you got sick and tired of all those yapping animals, DreamWorks comes along with a fresh twist that makes chattering critters not only acceptable, but even fun again. Jack Black voices the sluggish panda Po, whose quest for martial mastery yields a fine mixture of awe-inspiring action and genuinely funny Kung foolery. The voice actors include Dustin Hoffman, Jacky Chan and Angelina Jolie, who all do fine work, but Black steals the show with his patented goofball semantics. Add luscious animation that combines Western CGI with Eastern aesthetics, and you’ve got a recipe for attractive awesomeness indeed. (LvH) 92 min. The Movies, Pathé ArenA, Pathé De Munt, Pathé Tuschinski La Noche de los girasoles If you had plans to visit the lovely Spanish countryside for your summer holidays, you might reconsider after watching this grim and downbeat Hitchcockian Spanish art house thriller. A rape and
now, for one week only, in the excellent Previously Unreleased programme at the Filmmuseum. Hoffman and Linney play Jon and Wendy Savage, grown ups only in age. The first is a troubled literary professor, the latter a struggling playwright whose temp job has become more and more permanent over the years. But when the girlfriend of their father Lenny (Philip Bosco) suddenly dies, Pop gets dumped back into their lap. It doesn’t help that dad is now slowly succumbing to Alzheimer's disease and is venting his anger by writing on the walls with his own excrement. Despite an abusive past, Wendy feels a pang of guilt for not having been more engaged, while Jon appears to have no scruples dumping daddy dearest in the nearest nursing home. Jon: ‘They’ll take better care of him there than he ever did of us.’ Two things make this film an undeniable treat: the great cast and the excellent script. Philip Seymour Hoffman is, as always, dependably versatile and engaging, and Philip Bosco makes the most out of what is essentially a silent role. He could have easily turned into a prop that gets lugged around, but even mute and demented, the personality is there. Look, for instance, at the telling way he reacts to a particular scene in the screening of The Jazz Singer which suggests that he too was once the victim of parental abuse. But it’s Laura Linney (who received an Oscar nomination) who shines. In The Squid and the Whale—one of the hidden jewels of last year’s Previously Unreleased programme—she was
murder in a rural town set up the Rashomon-like structure in which six characters are followed in six seperate chapters, with each chapter cleverly expanding the audience’s knowledge and deftly expanding our point of view. The depravity and dark view of human nature might be too much to stomach for the faint of heart, as every ounce of innocence is squeezed from the film throughout the two hours of running time. In Spanish with Dutch subtitles. (LvH) 118 min. Cinecenter, Kriterion
The Savages
A deliciously acerbic familial comedy. See review above. English with Dutch and French subtitles (BS) 113 min. Filmmuseum
Still playing Annie Leibovitz: Life Through a Lens A torrent of
sensational shots by rock’s, and now fashion’s, foremost photographer keep this documentary flowing. Annie Leibovitz has always had timing: she grew up at Rolling Stone magazine, snapped Richard Nixon as he slinked off in shame and posed Arnold Schwarzenegger when he was better known as Mr Universe. She was also one of the last people to see John Lennon alive, when she took the iconic nude portrait of him curled up like a foetus next to Yoko Ono. Photography fans and old hippies will delight in every frame, unlike Keith Richards who mutters, ‘...uh, no, I don’t remember that’, when shown a photo of his drugged-out ’60s self splayed on the floor. Made by Barbara Leibovitz, the sister of, the film isn’t exactly critical, but who cares? (IM) 90 min. Rialto Le ballon rouge & Crin-blanc These classic shorts by French director Albert Lamorisse are so pure in their emotion and elemental in their drama that parents may be as moved as their kids. In Le Ballon Rouge (1956, 34 min.) a little boy’s blue-grey existence is brightened by the arrival of a dramatically red balloon; in the lesser-known Crin-Blanc (‘White Mane’, 1953, 40 min.) a boy forges a bond with a proud wild stallion. Both films tell the same story—the balloon is coveted by neighbourhood bullies, the stallion by mercenary horse wranglers—and both end with a moment of transcendence, as the boy and his prized ‘friend’ escape the cruel world of grown-ups for the limitless unknown. (JJ) De Uitkijk
the emotional centre, the weary but loving mother. Here she’s a far more troubled character, egocentric, insecure, envious, unable to commit—except maybe to the dog of her adulterous lover. Yet she does manage to retain some of our sympathy. Even when she is having an affair with a married man, or lies about a writing grant to her brother, you do sense that somewhere deep inside there's a longing to be good. A lot of the credit has to go to the script (also nominated for an Oscar). In her second feature film, writer/director Tamara Jenkins doesn't go for the big emotions. Instead she shows us the humour and drama in small, casual details. Wendy and Jon never openly discuss the abuses they—especially Jon—suffered under their father, but it's glimpsed in offhand remarks and observations. In the same way you sense, rather than see underlying jealousy of Jon and Wendy of the other's supposed success. But what lingers the longest is the dialogue, wonderfully witty, acerbic and insightful. Like the way in which Jon defends his decision to just let his longtime Polish girlfriend return to Poland because her visa’s expired. What else was he supposed to do? Marry her? It’s almost as if he is doing her a favour. Still, he cries every morning when she makes him eggs. Or in the way the children of Lenny’s dead girlfriend efficiently make Lenny into Jon and Wendy's problem: ‘We love Lenny, he's been like family to us. But he’s not our family, he's yours.’ See this film while you can. A weeklong screening is surely not enough. ___
Be Kind Rewind The sweet-tempered Michel Gondry works well with sharp-edged material (Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind), but his projects as a solo writerdirector threaten to drift off into whimsy (The Science of Sleep and now this feature). Danny Glover entrusts his run-down video shop in New Jersey to clueless assistants Jack Black and Mos Def, who accidentally erase all the videos and decide to shoot their own low-rent versions of popular hits. Their project is a great success with customers, but the studios object and Glover gets an eviction notice. One wants to protect this mushy film, but it’s hard not to gag on the cuteness. With Melonie Diaz and Mia Farrow. (JR) 98 min. Kriterion, Studio K The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian One thing that is sorely missed in both the recent ‘Narnia’ and the ‘Lord of the Rings’ adaptations is their delicious sense of whimsy. The characters in the films usually take themselves much too seriously, a flaw that is virtually non-existent in the books. Prince Caspian, Andrew Adamson’s second outing for the ‘The Chronicles of Narnia’ franchise, is even more grim and violent—although not a drop of (visual) blood is spilled—and less cute, despite the presence of a talking badger and a very heroic mouse (voiced by Eddie Izzard). This time, the four Pevensie siblings have to save the Narnians from the despotic clutches of King Miraz while simultaneously learning a valuable lesson about keeping the faith. English (BS) 147 min. The Movies, Pathé ArenA, Pathé De Munt, Pathé Tuschinski
The Darjeeling Limited Sometimes you travel through life with some extra baggage. In the case of the Whitman brothers, it’s a luxury Louis Vuitton set that looks colourful and flashy even in India. A year after their father’s funeral, Francis (Owen Wilson), Peter (Adrien Brody) and Jack (Jason Schwartzman) meet aboard a train for a journey of spiritual healing. The fact that they have not spoken to each other in a year doesn’t prevent them from getting straight into the family’s old dynamics, which involve manic tics, substance abuse and sexual escapades. But soon both the emotional and the physical baggage starts to fall away. Film-maker Wes Anderson, much like his characters, has found his grown-up voice. This delicious curry comedy is a rich plate for film-goers, entertaining and poignant, just as it should be. (MB) 108 min. Kriterion
Amsterdam Weekly_10-16 July 2008
AGENDA: FILM
in its adventurous visuals and vivacious performances. (DK) 100 min. Filmmuseum
Amarcord A piece of fanciful recollection about his childhood from Federico Fellini—uneven, loosely structured and at times pretty vulgar as well as sentimental, but with some touching and lovely episodes, most memorably the village’s look at an ocean liner and a wedding party (1974). In Italian with Dutch subtitles. (DK) 127 min. OT301 Arsenic and Old Lace Frank Capra directed this adaptation of the Broadway hit in 1942, shortly before he entered the service (though contractually it couldn’t be released until 1944, when the Broadway production closed). The rush shows in some of the sloppiest, clumsiest work Capra and his star, Cary Grant, ever did: the timing is abysmal throughout, turning fast pace into numbing frenzy. Josephine Hull and Jean Adair, as the two old ladies who poison their gentlemen callers with elderberry wine, are however refreshingly understated in this seriously strained context. With Raymond Massey (as Boris Karloff), Peter Lorre, Priscilla Lane, and Edward Everett Horton. 118 min. Filmmuseum
The Awful Truth Leo McCarey’s largely improvised 1937 film is one of the funniest of the screwball comedies, and also one of the most serious at heart. Cary Grant and Irene Dunne are a pair of world-weary socialites who decide to drop the pretense of their wide-open marriage, but fate and Ralph Bellamy draw them together again. The awful truth is that they need each other, and McCarey leads them gradually and hilariously to that crucial discovery. (DK) 91 min. Filmmuseum Bringing Up Baby Though it’s almost impossible,
try to sit back sometime and enjoy this 1938 Howard Hawks screwball comedy not only for its wildly funny gags, but for the grace of its construction, the assurance of its style and the richness of its themes. The adventures of paleontologist Cary Grant with society girl Katharine Hepburn and her pet leopard Baby lead from day into night, tameness into wildness, order into chaos. Brilliant. (DK) 102 min. Filmmuseum Fanny & Alexander Roughly a year after Ingmar Bergman’s death, the Filmmuseum programmes his 1982, mostly autobiographical tale of the tribulations of two children growing up in turn-of-the-century Sweden. When their father, a theatre owner, dies, their mother marries a clergyman. The sudden change from a joyful, artistic environment to the stepfather’s narrowmindedness distresses the kids, who look to fantasy for
Dialogue avec mon jardinier This film could just
as well have been called ‘Zen and the art of gardening’. Separated from his wife, a crisp-looking, middle-aged Parisian painter (Daniel Auteuil) retreats to the house he grew up in, in rural France. His gardener there (Jean-Pierre Darrousin) turns out to be his partner in mischief from their schooldays. While one paints and the other grows vegetables, they comment on the world in front of them. ‘Don’t you look at the sunset, the stars, the fog?’ asks the painter. ‘I don’t usually see much of anything in a fog,’ replies the gardener. What is art to one is garbage to the other, and vice versa. Director Jean Becker has kept the material down-to-earth, and steers away from possible sentimentality with a couple of good laughs. In French with Dutch subtitles. (KE) 109 min. Pathé Tuschinski Dunya & Desie A reasonably entertaining parade of ethnic and class stereotypes, based on the TV series and directed by Dana Nechushtan (Nachtrit). With Eva van de Wijdeven as kaaskop teenager Desie and the award-winning Maryam Hassouni as her Moroccan best friend Dunya. In Dutch. 96 min. Het Ketelhuis Forgetting Sarah Marshall In the comedy empire of producer Judd Apatow (The 40-Year-Old Virgin, Knocked Up), many of the breaks have gone to people who toughed it out on his unsuccessful TV series Undeclared and Freaks and Geeks. Seth Rogen, who played one of the stoners on the latter show, has become Apatow’s most interesting find, writing and producing Superbad, and now Jason Segel, who played another of them, scripted and stars in this solidly funny romantic comedy. The setup isn’t much: after getting ditched by his TV star girlfriend (Kristen Bell), Segel checks into a Hawaiian resort hotel and finds her there with her absurdly hot pop-star boyfriend, Aldous Snow (Russell Brand). But in the Apatow manner, Segel mines a mother lode of painful personal memories for his breakup gags, and the vanity of entertainment people proves to be another rich vein. Nicholas Stoller directs; with Mila Kunis, Bill Hader, Paul Rudd and Jonah Hill. English, Hawaiian 112 min. Pathé ArenA, Pathé De Munt The Happening M Night Shyamalan (The Sixth Sense) tries to prove he isn’t a one-trick pony with this
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Laurel & Hardy programme A slew of short, silent films from the legendary comic duo, with live music provided by The Sprockets. But the main offering is Sons of the Desert (69 min), a talkie, and easily the shapeliest of Laurel and Hardy’s features. It’s a 1934 comedy that fills out their accustomed two-reel format, not with dissociated bits and romantic subplots, but with some relaxed and creative character work. Stan and Ollie want to run off to Chicago for their annual frat convention, but they have to tell the wives that they’re going to Hawaii to treat a rare tropical disease Ollie has come down with. See Short List. Pathé Tuschinski Mr Blandings Builds His Dream House Cary Grant’s power to redeem the thinnest material is amply demonstrated in this slight situation comedy about a city couple’s determination to build a suburban retreat, against all of the expected rural odds. HC Potter, a brisk if anonymous talent, directed; Myrna Loy and Melvyn Douglas also star. Scripted by Melvin Frank and Norman Panama from the Eric Hodgins novel of the same name. 94 min. Filmmuseum
Must see:
Holiday Filmmuseum, Saturday 13 July
an escape. Though you might think watching a threehour movie in Swedish with subtitles is challenging, this is actually one of Bergman’s lighter and more accessible films. Originally made for TV, it received theatrical release and four Academy Awards. The cinematography by the late Sven Nykvist is superb, and brings a magic, haunting allure to the screen. In Swedish with Dutch subtitles. (MB) 188 min. De Uitkijk
His Girl Friday Rosalind Russell is a hard-headed
newspaper reporter, Cary Grant her unscrupulous boss in Howard Hawks’ 1939 film. It’s more Russell’s picture than Grant’s, but nothing’s wrong with that. It’s got the classic screwball comedy formula—tough female lead, snappy dialogue—and it’s one of the greats. (JP) 92 min. Filmmuseum
Holiday George Cukor’s 1938 film about a society
girl (Katharine Hepburn) who falls for her sister’s charming, eccentric fiancé (Cary Grant). The light comedy achieves perfection, but beneath it lies Cukor’s serious concern for the ways in which we
twist-free eco-chiller. Sadly, he seems to be trying to channel the mastery of Alfred Hitchcock with the wrong Ouija board. A neurotoxin is released that causes those afflicted to commit suicide. Mark Wahlberg does his best Bambi impersonation as a science teacher trying to escape the die-off, Zooey Deschanel looks teary as his estranged wife, and John Leguizamo spouts nonsensical numbers: Shyamalan could’ve used some of ol’ Hitch’s qualities in whipping actors into shape. While the film is not as inanely atrocious as Lady in the Water, it’s bad enough to turn you into a global-warming sceptic on the spot. (LvH) Pathé ArenA, Pathé De Munt
Happy-Go-Lucky Poppy (Sally Hawkins) teaches
kindergarten in North London, lives in a flatshare with her best friend and fellow teacher Zoe, goes clubbing on Friday nights, and is the kind of person who, in the words of Eric Idle, always looks on the bright side of life. For example, she regards the fact that her bike has been stolen as motivation to improve her skills and decides to take driving lessons instead. That’s how she ends up meeting Scott (Eddie Marsan), who’s basically her opposite. Not much happens in Mike Leigh’s latest film, but Hawkins’s Poppy is one of the great characters of the current cinematic year. (MB) Cinecenter, Kriterion, Studio K L’ Heure d’été Two brothers and a sister (Juliette Binoche) witness the disappearance of their childhood memories when their mother dies and her house is sold. Directed by Olivier Assayas, this is the second film in a series produced by the Musée d’Orsay; the first was Le Voyage du Ballon Rouge. 100 min. The Movies
Horton Hears a Who For once, a Dr Seuss adapta-
tion that stays true to the nonconformist spirit and open-minded moral of the book. Even the CGI, though it loses Seuss’s primary colours, captures the feeling of his curvy, loopy forms. (JP) 86 min. Kriterion I’m Not There Todd Haynes’s ambitious and daring new film is a biopic in the sense that it depicts the main events in Bob Dylan’s life and career. But they are not told in chronological order, and Haynes uses six different actors (including Cate Blanchett, Heath Ledger, Christian Bale and Marcus Carl Franklin) to play the singer. The film is not about Dylan himself,
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choose to live our lives. There are a thousand nonconformist comedies, but only one Holiday. (DK) 95 min. Filmmuseum
Scopitones & soundies Scopitones were early videos, made for juke boxes; they were big in France (Johnny Halliday), West Germany and England in the 1960s. The Filmmuseum kicks off its open-air schedule this summer with another collection of these rare gems. Filmmuseum Open Air
I Was a Male War Bride Howard Hawks’s darkest comedy (1949) traces the progressive humiliations suffered by Free French army captain Cary Grant. The logical culmination has him disguised as a woman soldier called Florence in a wig made from a horse’s tail. The atmosphere is perhaps the most oppressive of all Hawks’s films, with Grant up against the American female (Ann Sheridan) and the entire military bureaucracy. (DD) 105 min. Filmmuseum
Searching for the Wrong-Eyed Jesus Made for the BBC, this travelogue of America’s southern backwoods is both blessed and cursed by its fascination with the colourful, featuring lively alt-country sounds and fancy word spinners like novelist Harry Crews. The camera makes awed touristic pans of the various locales, and guides offer an uncredited swipe from Faulkner’s The Wild Palms and charge $100 a day to rent a 1970 Chevy. Directed by Andrew Douglas. (JR) 86 min. De Nieuwe Anita
Indiscreet The stars of Notorious, Ingrid Bergman and Cary Grant, are reunited for Stanley Donen’s 1958 film—with a title that may or may not be an allusion to Hitchcock’s masterwork. The action also runs somewhat parallel: Bergman is in love with Grant, but he keeps putting her off for reasons that remain mysterious. A fine light comedy, with unexpected passages of seriousness, marked by the Donen touch
Summer with Monika A teenage romance goes sour due to a premature pregnancy and marriage in Ingmar Bergman’s 1953 drama. Monika is a femme fatale who lures the initially innocent hero into crime; though it’s misogynistic and fairly depressing, this is still a powerful film about young love and the passion, tenderness and cruelty it involves. In Swedish with Dutch subtitles. (MM) 95 min. De Uitkijk
but about the mythmaking around a pop star. It has its moments, but in the end it’s more an interesting audiovisual lecture than an overwhelming cinematographic experience. (MM) 135 min. Kriterion
5 word movie review
Il y a longtemps que je t’aime Kristin Scott Thomas is a talent who cannot be used often enough. Her characters are usually hard-as-nails socialites, who fanatically guard their real emotions with cynicism and acerbic wit. In Il y a longtemps que je t’aime (I loved you for so long), she has never been more brittle, or so tough. Her Juliette has just been released after 15 years in prison for a crime that seems beyond comprehension. Still, Juliette has refused to defend her actions, even to her younger sister Léa (Elsa Zylberstein), who desperately wants to understand. A strong, composed debut by novelist Philippe Claudel. In French with Dutch subtitles. (BS) 115 min. Cinecenter, Het Ketelhuis
In Bruges ‘Fucking Bruges!’ To say that Irish hit-
man Ray (Colin Farrell) is less than impressed with the ‘best-preserved medieval city in Belgium’ is an understatement – although he’s elated when he sees a midget doing a film shoot. His colleague Ken (Brendan Gleeson), on the other hand, has the time of his life. They are the heart and soul of In Bruges, a surprisingly intelligent and unconventional crime caper. Here, the characters actually think for themselves, and about others! Of course there is the inevitable shoot-out, also featuring Ray and Ken’s exasperated boss Harry (Ralph Fiennes), but even that one evolves out of a brutal yet irrefutable internal logic. A simultaneously exciting and sobering feature debut from playwright Martin McDonagh. (BS) 107 min. Cinecenter, The Movies, Pathé De Munt In memoria di me Andrea (Christo Jivkov) is a young man who decides to become a priest and enters a monastery in Venice. There, his faith and motivation are put to the test by the father superior (André Hennicke), while spontaneous friendship with another novice, Zanna (Filippo Timi), both helps and troubles him. This second film from director Saverio Costanzo (Private) aims very high, mixing Dostoyevski, mysticism and atmospheric settings ripped straight from Into Great Silence, but ultimately falls flat. It feels like Costanzo was simply trying to cash in on the current
Fellini’s ripe and ripping childhood Amarcord, OT301
interest in movies on religious themes. The only things that will stay with you are the beautiful locations: the Venetian islands of San Giorgio and San Servolo. In Italian with Dutch subtitles. (MB) 116 min. Rialto The Incredible Hulk After Ang Lee’s philosophical take on the green behemoth failed to live up to box office expectations, the original cast was replaced for a more action-packed reboot of the Marvel franchise. The result is a loose and lightweight roller coaster that balances loud action sequences with a couple of sweet scenes in which the relationship problems of Bruce (Edward Norton) and Betty (Liv Tyler) are allowed to take centre stage. There are a trifle too many set-ups to other upcoming superhero flicks, and the final version of the Abomination (Tim Roth) looks abominable, but this is an enjoyable blockbuster nonetheless. (LvH) 115 min. Pathé ArenA, Pathé De Munt Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull Indiana Jones has aged 20 years, from the 1930s to the 1950s, and in the Spielberg/Lucas universe this means hot rod cars and Triumph bikes, bland college McCarthyism, nasty Soviet comrades, the atomic scare and, yes, UFOs. The period shift works pretty well, and gives the film-makers a new palette of elements in which to play with their old character. Professor Jones has aged gracefully, and so has Harrison Ford, joined here by his original Raiders co-star Karen Allen (still Indy’s ex-girlfriend) and newcomer Shia LaBeouf. As in
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Amsterdam Weekly_10-16 July 2008
AGENDA: FILM
FILM TIMES Thursday 10 July until Wednesday 16 July. Times are provided by cinemas and are subject to last-minute changes. Cinecenter Lijnbaansgracht 236, 623 6615 Happy-Go-Lucky daily 19.00, Sun also 11.00, 13.45 Il y a longtemps que je t'aime daily 16.15, 19.00, 21.45, Sun also 11.00, 13.30 In Bruges daily 16.15, 19.15, 21.45, Sun also 11.00, 13.45 Into the Wild daily 15.45, 21.45 La Noche de los girasoles daily 16.15, 19.00, 22.00, Sun also 11.00, 13.30. Filmmuseum Vondelpark 3, 589 1400 Arsenic and Old Lace Sun 19.30 The Awful Truth Thur, Fri, Mon, Tues 19.30, Sat, Sun 17.00 Bringing Up Baby Fri 17.00 His Girl Friday Sat 14.30 Holiday Sat 19.30 I Was a Male War Bride Mon 17.00 Indiscreet Tues 17.00 La León Mr Blandings Builds His Dream House Thur 17.00 My Favorite Wife Wed 17.00 None but the Lonely Heart Wed 19.30 North by Northwest daily 19.00, 21.30, Sun also 14.30 The Savages daily 21.45 Syndromes and a Century . Filmmuseum Open Air Vondelpark, , Scopitones & soundies Fri 22.15. Het Ketelhuis Haarlemmerweg 8-10, 684 0090 De Avonturen van het Molletje Thur-Tues 12.30 De Brief voor de Koning Wed 12.45, 15.00, 17.15, 19.30, 21.45 Dunya & Desie Thur-Tues 14.00, Thur-Sat, Mon, Tues also 21.00 Hoe overleef ik mezelf daily 14.30, 16.45, Thur-Sat, Mon-Wed also 19.15 Il y a longtemps que je t'aime Thur-Tues 16.00, Thur-Sat, Mon-Wed also 21.30, Thur-Sat, Mon, Tues also 19.00 Kung Fu Panda (NL) daily 17.00, Thur-Sat, Mon-Wed also 19.00, Thur, Fri, Sun-Wed also 13.00, 15.00 Morrison krijgt een zusje daily 12.45 Le Voyage du ballon rouge Thur-Sat, Mon-Wed 21.15. Kriterion Roetersstraat 170, 623 1708 Be Kind Rewind daily 17.15 The Darjeeling Limited daily 19.45 Happy-Go-Lucky daily 17.30, 20.00, Thur-Mon, Wed also 22.15, Sat, Sun, Wed also 15.00 Horton Hears a Who Sat, Sun, Wed 15.15, Sun also 12.15 I'm Not There daily 16.30 Madelief: Krassen in het Tafelblad Sat, Sun, Wed 14.45 Mr Motley Art Night Fri 20.00 La Noche de los girasoles Thur, Sat-Wed 19.15, 21.45, Fri 22.00 Sneak Preview Tues 22.15 De Tasjesdief Sun 12.30 Tropa de Elite daily 22.00, Sat also 0.15. The Movies Haarlemmerdijk 159-165, 638 6016 The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian daily 14.15 L’ Heure d’été daily 17.00, 21.30 In Bruges daily 17.15, 19.30, 21.45, Sun also 12.00 Into the Wild daily 14.30, 21.45, Sun also 11.45 Kung Fu Panda daily 14.45, 17.15, 19.30, Sun also 12.30 Sex and the City: The Movie daily 16.30, 19.15, 22.00 Then She Found Me daily 15.00, 19.00, Sun also 13.00. De Nieuwe Anita Frederik Hendrikstraat 111, 06 4150 3512, Searching for the Wrong-Eyed Jesus Mon 20.30. OT301 Overtoom 301, 779 4913
Kung Fu Panda (NL) daily 11.45, 12.40, 13.50, 14.50, 16.00, 17.00, Sat, Sun also 10.30 Love Story 2050 daily 18.40 Plop en de Kabouterschat daily 12.05, 14.00, Sat, Sun also 10.20 Sex and the City: The Movie Thur-Tues 12.10, 15.15, 18.20, 21.20 Sneak Preview Tues 20.50 Snuf de Hond in oorlogstijd daily 12.50, 15.15, Sat, Sun also 10.40 The Strangers Sat 22.40 Then She Found Me daily 17.50, Sat also 9.50 Thoda Pyaar Thoda Magic daily 15.45 What Happens in Vegas daily 22.10, Sat also 0.25. Pathé De Munt Vijzelstraat 15, 0900 1458 21: Las Vegas Thur, Fri, Sun-Wed 21.30, Thur, Fri, Sun-Tues also 18.45, Sun-Tues also 10.40, Sat 20.15, 23.15 De Brief voor de Koning Wed 10.40, 13.10, 15.40, 18.30, 21.20 The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian Thur, Fri, Sun-Wed 12.15, 15.10, 17.15, 18.10, 20.15, Thur, Fri, Sun, Mon, Wed also 21.15, Sat 11.30, 14.30, 15.45, 18.00, 19.30, 21.30, 22.45 Forgetting Sarah Marshall daily 19.00, 21.40 Hancock Thur, Fri, Sun-Wed 13.15, 15.45, 18.15, 20.40, 22.00, Thur, Fri, Sun, Mon, Wed also 19.40, Thur, Fri, Mon-Wed also 12.10, 14.30, Thur, Fri, Mon, Wed also 17.00, Sat-Wed 11.00, Sat also 12.15, 13.30, 14.45, 16.00, 17.15, 18.30, 19.45, 21.00, 22.15, 23.30, The Happening Thur, Fri, Sun-Tues 22.15, Sat 23.00 Hoe overleef ik mezelf Thur, Fri, Sun-Wed 13.45, 16.15, SatWed also 11.20, Sat also 14.00, 16.30 In Bruges Thur, Fri, Sun-Wed 16.50, 19.20, 21.55, Sat 15.40, 18.10, 20.45, 23.20 The Incredible Hulk Thur, Fri, Sun-Wed 13.40, 19.10, 21.50, Sun-Wed also 11.00, Sat 11.50, 14.40, 20.30, 23.10 Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull Thur, Fri, Sun-Tues 16.40, 19.30, Sat 17.00, 20.00, Wed 16.00, 18.50 Iron Man Thur, Fri, Sun-Wed 16.20, Sat 17.30 De Kronieken van Narnia: Prins Caspian Thur, Fri, Sun-Wed 12.45, 15.50, Sat 12.30, 15.30 Kung Fu Panda Thur, Fri, Sun-Wed 12.00, 14.15, 16.45, 19.15, 21.00, 21.45, Sat 11.15, 13.45, 16.15, 18.45, 21.15, 22.00, 23.40 Kung Fu Panda (NL) Thur, Fri, Sun-Wed 12.15, 13.00, 14.45, 15.30, Sat, Mon-Wed 10.45, Sat also 12.00, 13.15, 14.15, 16.45 Made of Honour Thur, Fri, Sun-Tues 13.30, 16.00, Sat 10.20, 12.45, 15.15, 17.45 Plop en de Kabouterschat Thur, Fri, Sun-Wed 12.05, 14.00, Sun-Wed also 10.15, Sat 10.50, 12.50, 14.50 Sex and the City: The Movie Thur, Fri, Sun-Wed 13.20, 16.30, 18.00, 20.00, 21.10, Sun-Wed also 10.15, Sat 11.45, 15.00, 18.15, 19.15, 21.45, 22.30 Sneak Preview Tues 21.30 Snuf de Hond in oorlogstijd Thur, Fri, Sun-Wed 12.30, 14.40, Sun-Wed also 10.20, Sat 10.40, 13.00 What Happens in Vegas Thur, Fri, Sun-Wed 18.40, Sat 19.20. Pathé Tuschinski Reguliersbreestraat 34, 0900 1458 De Brief voor de Koning Wed 12.00, 16.45 The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian Thur-Tues 17.00, 20.15 Dialogue avec mon jardinier daily 12.00, 15.00, 19.00 Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull ThurTues 21.30 Into the Wild daily 12.45, 16.30, Thur-Tues also 20.30 Kung Fu Panda daily 14.30, 19.15 Kung Fu Panda (NL) daily 12.15, 14.45 Laurel & Hardy programme Sat 10.30 Mamma Mia! The Movie Thur-Tues 16.00, 18.30, 21.00, Thur, Fri, Mon-Wed 13.15, Wed also 21.30 Romeo et Juliette (Gounod) Sun 11.00 Sex and the City: The Movie daily 12.30, 20.00, Thur-Tues also 15.45 Then She Found Me daily 21.30, Thur-Tues also 12.00, 16.45 Wall-E (NL) Wed 18.00.
Amarcord Tues 20.30.
Rialto Ceintuurbaan 338, 676 8700
Pathé ArenA ArenA Boulevard 600, 0900 1458
Annie Leibovitz: Life Through a Lens Thur-Sat, Mon-Wed 19.30, 21.30, Sat also 15.00 Breath daily 21.15, Thur-Sat, Mon-Wed also 17.00 Gay & Lesbian Filmmarathon daily In memoria di me Thur-Sat, Mon-Wed 18.45 Paul dans sa vie daily 18.00 Pudor Thur-Sat, Mon-Wed 21.00, Sat, Sun also 15.30 The Trap Sat 14.45 Le Voyage du ballon rouge Thur-Sat, Mon-Wed 17.15.
21: Las Vegas daily 12.30, 15.10, 18.00, Thur-Mon, Wed also 20.50, Sat, Sun also 9.55, Sat also 23.30 De Brief voor de Koning Wed 13.15, 15.40, 18.00, 20.30 The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian daily 12.10, 15.00, 18.10, 20.10, 21.10, Sat also 23.20, 0.00 Forgetting Sarah Marshall daily 19.00, 21.40, Sat also 0.05 Hancock daily 12.20, 13.10, 14.30, 15.20, 16.40, 17.40, 18.50, 19.50, 21.00, 22.00, Sat, Sun also 11.00, Sat also 10.10, 23.10, 0.10 The Happening daily 19.10, 21.30, Sat, Sun also 10.10, Sat also 23.40 Hoe overleef ik mezelf daily 12.15, 14.40, 17.10, Sat, Sun also 10.00 The Incredible Hulk daily 11.50, 14.20, 16.50, 19.20, 21.50, Sat also 0.15 Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull ThurSun 17.30, 20.20, Sat also 23.50 Iron Man daily 19.40 De Kronieken van Narnia: Prins Caspian daily 13.00, 16.10, Sat, Sun also 10.00 Kung Fu Panda daily 12.00, 14.10, 16.20, 18.30, 20.40, Sat also 23.00 Kung Fu Panda (Imax) daily 13.20, 15.30, 17.45, 20.00, 22.15, Sat, Sun also 11.10, Sat also 0.30
Studio K Timorplein 62, 692 0422, Be Kind Rewind daily 17.30, Thur-Sun, Wed also 19.30 De Brief voor de Koning Wed 14.45, 17.00, 19.15 Happy-Go-Lucky Thur-Tues 18.15, 20.45, Wed 21.30 Horton (NL) Sat, Sun 15.00 IDFA Summer School Mon, Tues Morrison krijgt een zusje Sat, Sun 15.15 El Orfanato Thur-Sun, Wed 21.30, Mon, Tues 22.00. De Uitkijk Prinsengracht 452, 623 7460 Le Ballon Rouge & Crin-Blanc Sat, Sun 16.30 Fanny & Alexander Thur-Sun 20.30 Kung Fu Panda (NL) Thur, Fri, Mon-Wed 16.00, Sat, Sun 14.30 Paris daily 18.00 Summer with Monika Mon-Wed 20.30.
Film times also at: www.amsterdamweekly.nl
Raiders, there are countless movie quotations to keep the film buffs busy; and overall Indy 4 manages to temporarily recreate that nostalgic sense of wonder that’s been painfully lacking in recent cinema. (MB) 123 min. Pathé ArenA, Pathé De Munt, Pathé Tuschinski
Into the Wild Moving, if somewhat overlong, account of the life of Christopher McCandless, with a bravura performance from Emile Hirsch. At the age of 22, McCandless left his wealthy, dysfunctional family, gave his college cash to Oxfam and took off into the breathtaking beauty of the American wilderness. What starts as a run-of-the-mill road movie twists into an American Odyssey as, after two years away from it all, McCandless meets an untimely death in the wilds of Alaska. The usual Characters Met Along the Way include Catherine Keener, Vince Vaughn and Hal Holbrook. McCandless won’t stick with any of them, and gradually begins to unravel in his determined solitude. The film becomes a meditation on the human need for human company, framed against some of the most glorious scenery the world has to offer. A triumph for Sean Penn as a director, backed by a custom soundtrack from Pearl Jam’s Eddie Vedder. (AD) 140 min. Cinecenter, The Movies, Pathé Tuschinski La León The North Argentinean Paraná delta is more than just an intricate maze of isles and streams. It’s also a labyrinth of hidden desires, as is the case with the homosexual Alvaro (Jorge Román), whose life has been made hell by El Turu (Daniel Valenzuela), the captain of a barge that connects the various small communities with the mainland. This black-and-white feature film debut by Argentine director Santago Otheguy oozes atmosphere, but could have done with something resembling a storyline besides the beautifully evocative pictures of rustling reeds, gloomy riverbanks and long held gazes. In Spanish with Dutch subtitles. (BS) 85 min. Filmmuseum Made of Honour Patrick Dempsey and Michelle Monaghan make an agreeable pair in this above-average comedy, another go-round for the reliable premise of longtime pals awakening to each other romantically. He’s a rich, bed-hopping Manhattanite, she’s unsuccessful in love, and when she finally nabs an engagement from a handsome, titled Scotsman (Kevin McKidd), Dempsey gamely agrees to serve as maid of honour at their wedding in the Highlands. Paul Weiland directed. (JJ) 101 min. Pathé De Munt North by Northwest Hitchcock’s classic 1959 comic mistaken-identity thriller. Cary Grant plays an unsuspecting businessman caught up in a cheerfully complicated web of intrigue involving some microfilm, the United Nations, a crop duster, Eva Marie Saint and Mt Rushmore. What more could you ask for? 136 min. Filmmuseum
El Orfanato Laura, her husband Carlos and her
adopted son Simon return to the orphanage she grew up in to turn it into a home for mentally handicapped children. When Simon starts befriending invisible children and later disappears, she is forced to confront her own trauma and maternal fears as well as the dark history of the place. Another of the highly atmospheric gothic horror films that are rapidly becoming a staple of the Spanish cinematic output, El Orfanato is a well-crafted suspense tale that is light on the blood and guts, but will still fill you with a feeling of ominous dread. In Spanish with Dutch subtitles. (LvH) Studio K
Paris This Altmanesque tale, written and directed
by Cédric Klapisch (Chacun cherche son chat), is centred around a male dancer (Romain Duris) who needs a heart transplant and has to come to terms with his fear of death. But he’s the least interesting of the characters who drop by in this interwoven, matter-of-fact assortment of stories—one that, among other things, attempts to elevate ordinary street market workers to sex gods capable of reeling in the supermodels. The dreaded French cliché pops up time and time again, but a fairly uninteresting main character is about all that plagues this appealing Parisian slice of life. Juliette Binoche leads an excellent ensemble cast. In French with Dutch subtitles. (LvH) 130 min. De Uitkijk Pudor ‘Don’t you smell it?’ Julia (Elvira Minguez) asks her husband Alfredo (Nancho Novo) during a meal with their teenage daughter, young son and widowed grandfather. And, sure enough, something’s definitely gone off in Pudor. The Spanish family of five deals with an incredible multitude of problems, ranging from teen trouble to a brain tumour, and anything and everything in between. The acting and photography are solid, but directors David and Tristán Ulloa still have lessons to learn. A little restraint would have gone a long way in their feature film debut. In Spanish with Dutch subtitles. (KE) 113 min. Rialto
Sex and the City: The Movie Those who hate the original TV series will stay as far away from this as from an STD. Fans of the New York female foursome will flock to theatres as fast as when a new collection hits H&M. If you’re sentimental and have a soft spot for Carrie, Miranda, Charlotte and Samantha, bring your hankies. (MB) 144 min. The Movies, Pathé ArenA, Pathé De Munt, Pathé Tuschinski
Syndromes and a Century The unpredictable and provocative Thai film-maker Apichatpong Weerasethakul (Tropical Malady) offers a mysterious and beautiful experimental feature (2006) based on memories of his parents, who were both doctors. It’s divided into two parts, both set in the present, with many rhyme effects between them. The first, set in and around a rural clinic, centres on his mother; the second, set in the vicinity of a Bangkok hospital, focuses on his father, though it’s a kind of quizzical remake of the first and both characters appear in each section. There’s nothing here that resembles narrative urgency, but this is a quiet masterpiece, delicate and full of wonder. In Thai with English subtitles. (JR) 105 min. Filmmuseum Then She Found Me An elementary school teacher (Helen Hunt) is ditched by her husband (Matthew Broderick) after only months of marriage and faces the prospect of turning 40 without children. This emotional crisis is heightened by the sudden appearance of her birth mother (Bette Midler), who gave her up for adoption years earlier and is now the expansive host of a morning TV talk show. This adaptation of an Elinor Lipman novel is Hunt’s feature directing debut, and under the circumstances she might have been wiser to give the lead role to someone else. Her crabby performance weighs on the film, though it’s nothing compared to Colin Firth’s scenery-chewing turn as her self-lacerating new beau. English 100 min. The Movies, Pathé ArenA, Pathé Tuschinski The Trap A Serbian film noir, set in Belgrade, about a couple who discover that their ten-year-old son has a rare heart defect. They don’t have money for the operation to save his life—until they place an ad in the paper and a stranger offers to pay the full amount in exchange for a murder. Directed by Srdan Golubovic. In Serbo-Croatian with Dutch subtitles. 106 min. Rialto Tropa de Elite Months before it won the top prize at the Berlin Film Festival, Tropa de Elite was already the most illegally downloaded film ever in Brazil, with more than 1.5 million pirated copies sold. Industry insiders looked at this as not only a fantastic publicity stunt but a way to dismiss controversy regarding the film’s main theme: brutal police violence on the streets of Rio. The Elite Squad of the title claim to be the world’s most effective urban warriors, and their fascistic methods are portrayed in extremely realistic terms. The film’s high-octane action and right-wing morals make it feel like a Hollywood cop thriller with a samba soundtrack. It’s no surprise that Tropa director José Padilha is now attached to an action movie at Warner Bros, appropriately titled A Willing Patriot. In Portuguese with Dutch subtitles. (MB) 118 min. Kriterion Le Voyage du ballon rouge Chinese master HsiaoHsien Hou (Café Lumière, Three Times) has based his first French-language feature loosely on Albert Lamorisse’s 1956 classic Le Ballon rouge. Here the balloon and the story follow young Chinese film-maker Song (Song Fang), who moonlights as a nanny in the house of Suzanne, an edgy, emotionally unstable voice actress (Juliette Binoche in another brilliant, subtle role). Song bonds with Suzanne’s son, but still there’s something missing, symbolised by the presence of the self-willed red balloon, which peeks through windows and peeps around corners. In French with Dutch subtitles. (BS) 113 min. Het Ketelhuis, Rialto What Happens in Vegas We all know Ashton Kutcher is into mature women, but that still doesn’t explain why this iffy rom-com was made in the first place. From the start we are informed that Joy (Cameron Diaz) is too uptight, while Jack (Kutcher) is just slacking off. Cue faux-funny sidekicks and a large dose of contrivances and you end up with a film that’s too mean to appeal to girls and too mushy to appeal to guys, and not funny enough for anyone who wasn’t born in the ‘50s. “What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas” is the expression. The film-makers should have listened. (LvH) Pathé ArenA, Pathé De Munt
Edited by Julie Phillips. This week’s films reviewed by Massimo Benvegnù (MB), Angela Dress (AD), Don Druker (DD), Kate Eaton (KE), Luuk van Huët (LvH), JR Jones (JJ), Dave Kehr (DK), Iris Maher (IM), Marie-Claire Melzer (MM), Julie Phillips (JP), Jonathan Rosenbaum (JR) and Bregtje Schudel (BS). All films are screened in English with Dutch subtitles unless otherwise noted.
Amsterdam Weekly_10-16 July 2008
AGENDA: FILM
The Undercover Glutton
Lacking pumping power
perfectly boiled egg that was moist and slightly gooey. Our main courses were interesting—in that they were presented so basically. The organic lamb chops Cafe Restaurant Amsterdam (€14.50/€17.50) arrived off the grill with Watertorenplein 6, 682 2666, only a piece of lemon as a squeezable Open: 11.00-24.00 Sun-Thur ; 11.00-01.00 garnish. The fried baby soles (€14.50/ Fri-Sat €17.50) were as they were: on the plate Cash, Pin, Major credit cards without even, for example, being boosted with some melted parsley butter. The ex-water pumping station, Cafe The grilled tuna (€17) was done rare Restaurant Amsterdam, is an enormous and, resting on some salty samphire cavern and can easily be described as (zeekraal), it looked somewhat bald an example of 19th-century Industrial and lonely on the plate. Only the whole Revolution chic. It’s also easy to imaggrilled bream (€18) had the girth to ine Pink Floyd loving the atmosphere, almost actually fill the plate. My friends even though the acoustics suck. dug in as soon as the waiter brought The kitchen pumps out food for up French fries, mayo and little bowls of to 200 diners at a time, and the poor indifferent salad. staff must have flapping wings grafted I had to wait. But my mouth gaped to their trainers to deal with it all. But Laying on some carroty and red when my rabbit stewed in red wine and the system seems to be very well served with couscous (€14.50) arrived. wine sludge, it was the largest worked out with electronic note pads It was the largest rabbit leg I've ever transmitting the orders direct to the rabbit leg I’ve ever seen—it seen—it could have threatened Tokyo. kitchen. It laid, a bit dried out, on some carroty could have threatened Tokyo. My boisterous group of friends and red wine sludge. Upon first taste, and I—we fit in perfect with the genermy mouth puckered in salty distress al chaos—ordered drinks from a list that covered everything from and I desperately slurped water direct from the carafe (€1.75 for many waters to many wines. The menu was mainly Dutch tap). But I stayed committed and it wasn’t too bad after I moistinspired, with some French and Italian influences. ened the stringy meat with some white wine. While eating my We started with soups and salads. The asparagus soup (€5.95) couscous, I wondered if the chef was out to make a ‘taginified’ verwas bland and seemed catering-pack friendly, while the chilled sion of rabbit, and if so, how it lacked a sweet counterbalance in gazpacho (€5.50) was excellent. The two salads we had were winthe form of apple, prunes or raisins. ners: the enormous globe artichoke (€5.50) was superbly All in all, the variety of dishes placed in front of us lacked the combined with a piquant mustard sauce, and the Salad Nicoise magic required to elevate them to somewhere special. However, (€6.50) featured freshly grilled tuna chunks sitting aloft on some one could not doubt the quality of the produce, or the warm kindcurly lettuce, cubed potatoes, sliced tomatoes, crispy blanched ness of the staff. Perhaps it's just a matter of pumping the kitchen green beans, a couple of tiny black olives, anchovy fillets and a with a bit more inspiration. ___
A night in the life...
By Sarah Gehrke
Hip hip hop Struik Rozengracht 160 Open: 10.00-1.00 Sun-Thu, 11.00-3.00 Fri-Sat Cash, Pin, Majorcredit cards ‘Your boyfriend's from Aberdeen?’ asks the dark-haired girl to the girl opposite. ‘Does he have a beard?’— ‘Not at all, why?’ replies the other girl. ‘Because all Aberdonians have beards. My father was Aberdonian. Had a huge beard. My grandfather was Aberdonian. Huge beard, too. Dunno what it is—something to do with coldness, maybe? But anyway, you just wait. One day you’ll wake up next to him and he’ll have a huge long beard.’ They laugh. It’s Thursday night, a warm summer evening, and the big, wooden benches outside Struik are packed. The bar is sort of new—at least if you go by bruin cafe standards. Which this place does not. The interior is quietly stylish, and so are the clientele. It's not too easy to find a place in Amsterdam that plays good hiphop, funk and soul, and if you do, you inevitably get hipsters with it. But they’re endurable here; the crowd is pretty relaxed and so is the sfeer. As it gets later, the music is
Beer price: €2.10 for a vaasje Grolsch. Emergency food: Soups and snacks until 22.00. After that: nada. Special interior feature: The name of the bar is graffitied onto the back wall, and the graffiti changes every few months. Predominant shoe type: Hip trainers. Typically ordered drink: Mostly vaasjes. The occasional cocktails. Tune of the night: ‘Studda Step’ by Biz Markie. Smoking situation: The terrace is open until 0.30. But you have to fight hard for a place. Mingling factor: Medium. Conversations between strangers occur usually only in the later part of the evening. State of toilets near closing time: Doesn't matter: I'm still really happy about the little pictures of a boy and a girl peeing against a bush (struik).
turned up. Struik was founded by one of the former Bitterzoet owners, and although it is a nice lunch cafe during the daytime, at night it’s all about the music here. In the weekends, they often have DJs on, and every once in a while, they throw parties at Rozentheater, which is right across the road. Back outside, the Aberdonianbeard girls have just discovered that although they had started to talk to each other randomly, they actually have common friends. For a while, they try to figure out where they've met before, until they realise that it was at De Duivel—on Queens Day. ‘That explains why it took us so long to remember!’ they say. ‘Anyway, that’s so funny that we’ve met before,’ says the first one. ‘Especially because I’ve only just moved here!’ The other one laughs again. ‘Welcome to Amsterdam!’ she says. ‘It’s the way things are over here.’ Then, another girl points to the other side of the road. ‘Hey,’ she says to her friend, ‘I’m not so sure but I think this is pretty much exactly the place where I battled the junkie. You know: the one that tried to steal my bag after that party?’ ‘Who won?’her friend asks. The first one smiles. ‘Well, what do you think?’ And she swings her bag up in the air. ___
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Amsterdam Weekly_10-16 July 2008
AGENDA: FILM
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UNDUTCHABLES AMSfor hours worked after 7 pm. TERDAMIS LOOKING FOR: Visit our website: BookSpanish speaking Java or FIND MORE job opportuni- ing.com/jobs OR send your C++ Engineers, Administies on our special jobs web- CV to: work@Booking.com. trative Assistant for Undutchpage. www.amsterdamweek- BOOKING.COM IS LOOK- ables Amsterdam, Russian ly.nl/jobs. ING FOR YOU!Booking.com loan department officer, NATIVE SPANISH??For an is looking for YOU! Join Spanish / English Credit Coninternational TV company Europe’s #1 Online Hotel troller, Delivery Channel Con(calltv) we need Production Reservations Company! Now sultant, Web developer. See Assistants (PA). We need hiring for Credit Controllers www.undutchables.nl. native Spanish speakers, with – Native Russian, French & BOOKKEEPER/FINANdriver license B working in German for our local Ams- CIAL Administrator is curnightshifts! CV to: jobs@3cir- terdam office. Previous finan- rently being recruited for the clesmedia.com. www.3cir- cial experience a +. Visit our World AIDS Campaign. Appliwebsite: Booking.com/jobs clesmedia.com. cation deadline is June 23, OR send your CV to: 2008. Please see the link LOOKING FOR WAITRESS work@Booking.com. below for more information. We are looking waitress for our steak house restaurant DO YOU ENJOY WRITING http://www.worldaidscamin central Amsterdam. Please ABOUT TOURISM? Book- paign.info/index.php/en/wac/ contact directly to: Los Lati- ing.com is looking for talent- the_wac/organisation/posino, Damrak 32, 1021 Lk Ams- ed native Japanese, Russian, tions_available terdam. Or send CV to: Turkish, Chinese & Norwegian translators to work in our info@oranjetulp.nl. Jobs wanted Amsterdam office! Visit our IT SUPPORT Trompenaars website: Booking.com/jobs PARTIME JOB WANTED Hampden Turner is looking OR send your CV to: Design student looking for part for an IT Operational and work@Booking.com. time job in a gallery,museum... Administrative Support colanything relevant to the art ADAMS RECRUITMENTDo league. You should be organworld. Speaks fluently english, you want to start or continised, pro-active, an eye for french and some dutch. conue your career in finance and detail, have good IT knowltacthelen:anele.k@gmail.com. edge with strong adminisi- do you speak fluent English tration skills. For further plus Spanish, Italian or NEED WORK I am a 22 yr information please visit our Greek? Please send your CV old American looking for work website www.THTconsult- to: gabriela@adamsrecruit- from July 25-Aug 27 in A’dam ment.com. or nearby. I can drive and ing.com. HARD ROCK WANTS YOU! ADAMS RECRUITMENT have experience doing cafe Hard Rock Amsterdam is cur- Looking for a job in Customer work, cleaning, childcare, rently hiring for servers, bar- Service in an international English teaching, hospitalitenders, hosts, prep, dish and environment, with good salary ty work, pet/house sitting, line cooks. No appointment and benefits? Do you also etc. Flexible w/hours. Refnecessary, just come in and speak fluent English plus erences/CV upon request. ask for an application form. Swedish, Danish, Dutch, Ger- natlach1@gmail.com. Bring a passport photo and man, or Spanish + Por- ODD JOBS!Hello, I am lookvalid id. Max Euweplein 57-61. tuguese? Send your CV to: ing to do almost any odd jobs. gabriela@adamsrecruitPlease contact me at WORKERS Hard workers ment.com. 0648591385. Thank you! wanted. Choose your own hours. Contact David at ADAMS RECRUITMENT LOOKING FOR A JOB I am Vanadamgallery@live.com. International company in a student, studying economics Amsterdam looking for qual- in A`dam. Holding a valid JUST LANDED? No Dutch ified and/or experienced Span- working permit and residence Needed! Join Europe’s marish and German translators. permit as well. Have experiket leader in Hotel ReservaInterested? Please send your ences in Horeca and office tions—Booking.com. Italian/French Natives needed CV to: gabriela@adamsre- work. Have good kills in sales in english. If you are interfor Customer Service Evening cruitment.com.
JOBS
m !!! thank you.
HOUSING
more info contact D.Ingel: CORPORATE SPEAKER? 0628834224. No more boring business preSTUDIO RENTAL Studio for sentations! Be dynamic, self rent (75 m2 x 4,50) at the sec- assured. Deliver your mesond floor of a former school sage with ease. Let me building, nearby A’dam centre; empower you to the next levfor dance and theatre el of corporate speaker comrehearsals, photo shoots, try petence...www.corporatesouts and workshops. With peaker.biz
NEED A PLACE NOW I am a mother with 3-year old boy, awaiting my divorce. Need a place rather urgently. Cannot pay much. remcox34@ gmail.com. piano, music installation and 2-ROOM APT. WANTEDTwo fascilities, costs between 50 friends, David (21, architec- and 70 per daily part. info@triture) and Lisanne (19, pact.nl; www.tripact.nl. anthropology), are looking for a studio/2-room apt., FOR SALE preferably close to the centre, max. 700. Are you the TRAINTICKET FREIBURG one preventing us ending up First class train ticket to homeless on the streets? Freiburg, leaving 10th July, Everlasting appreciation in returning 14th July. Super stereo will be yours! saver special 160. Normal (0621710549 or 0636139863). price is 357. A great place to visit near Black Forest. I Shared Housing have to stay in A’dam for work. sagar@changeyourmindROOM NEEDEDI am begin- changeyourlife.org ning at the Rietveld Academie in September and am in need SERVICES of a room. I am 19, English, male and easy to get on with. TAX & FINANCE Trying to srcieslinski@live.co.uk. get quality advice and save ROOMMATE - HOOFD- money at the same time? We DORP Furnished shared are specialized in bookhouse incl. free carpark, spa- keeping and taxes, and guide cious bedroom with bed, our relations through the washing machine, living entire business process. We room, kitchen, Internet. Area work through a countrywide near Schiphol. Looking for network with professionals Professional for L/S term rent who can help on each issue. from I Aug. 08. 550 p/mth Call us for RAAD! 06912217. incl. plus one month advance. REMOVALS/TRANSPORT call 0627109150 or email White van man offers the best gngoiri@yahoo.com. service for any removals (big or small), deliveries and colHousing for Sale lections at affordable rates throughout Holland but also LUCKY OPPORTUNITY any other EU destination. Beautiful totally renovated 4- Friendly,efficient and reliroom apartment in Amster- able. For more info check dam Zuid-Oost. 95 square www.whitevanman.nl. Or call meters is for sale now! Next on: 0623882184. to Bijlmer Station, Arena and the famous ING building BEST MOVING SERVICE designed by architect Alberts. man with Van or Truck, with Hoogoord 89, 1102CD, A’dam hoisting rope or lift. extra men 169.500. Contact annemarie for carrying. Everything is pospostma@hotmail.com 035- sible. Call/see; www.vrachttaxi.nl 0644864390 prices from 7730071 or 020-4100559. 35/trip.
Other Spaces
PHOTO STUDIO For amateur and professional photographers. Can also be used as meeting or gathering space. 100m2, 150/day. Possible to rent photo equipment. High ceilings, good, natural light and located on ested in my CV. Contact to WG Plein, adjacent to OverShift (2pm -11pm). Salary + UNDUTCHABLES Bonus + 20% premium pay RECRUITMENT AGENCY mongyeefriend@hotmail.co toom. For appointment and
Find what you are looking for: www.amsterdamweekly.nl
gitself@gmail.com REIKI HEALING Are you feeling low in energy or out of balance? A Reiki healing helps to restabilize your energetic system on an emotional, physical, mental and spiritual level by hand positions on the body. Contact: Anouk Lambrechts, 0652305738, info@allesisenergie.com, www.allesisenergie.com, Amsterdam.
SPREAD DE DREADLOCKS Do u want to make dreadlocks? Or u have already and they need to be fixed? Contact Stephan at stef_ IL CIELO STUDIO Cranmoustafa@yahoo.gr or call iosacral treatments, footre0648824019 for more info. flex, holistic, ayurvedic and NEED TO MOVE?Vrachtver- Dorn/Breuss massage and huizer moves everything from workshops for beginners. door to door or complete Treatments can be reimremoval!English/German/Du bursed by health insurances. tch speaking removers. 35 For more info call 0630049738 door to door. Call 0615149164 or look www.ilcielo.org or go to www.vrachtverhuiz- TAROT CARD READINGS er.nl. For Inner Wellbeing. Spiritual
HEALTH HEIGHTEN YOUR QUALITY OF LIFE Improve your relationships, with the help of a native English-speaking therapist. My 20 years of professional experience and understanding can help you better cope with feelings and sort through stressful thoughts. Call: Sagar 06 4626 5412 BACP PSYCHOTHERAPY The Next Step? Moved to Amsterdam and brought a shadow with you? We are a team of highly qualified, experienced and professional therapists offering help with emotional problems including anxiety, depression, addictions and trauma. info@ nextsteptherapy.nl,02046510 63, www.nextsteptherapy.nl
can help to restabilize your energetic system (applying pressure to the areas on the feet that reflect the organs of the entire body). Contact: Anouk Lambrechts 0652305738, info@allesisenergie.com, www.allesisenergie.com, Amsterdam. MASSAGE COURSESIl Cielo Open Day on 29 june from 16.00-18.00 and 7 September from 14.00-18.00 at Mirror Centre where you can learn about holistic massage, foot reflexology, craniosacral & energy work, also combinations. In the summer also 1 day workshops. 0630049738 or www.ilcielo.org.
HANDY FOLK PROFESSIONAL HOUSE PAINTER Fast and clean with references. Also special finishes: wood imitation, stone, marble. And small jobs such as doors, tables, doorframes, and windows. Prices from 8/hr. Call for a free estimate 0616946651 or email luminati2006@hotmail.com.
insight on practical matters by Bhasha. Available for private sessions, minigroups & events. Bhasha also gives readings in various restaurants - visit her there for a shorter version of her private readings. www.tarotandyou.com Call 0204000260 or CLEANING/IRONINGExpe0641485880. rienced,efficient and friendIMPROVE ALL OF YOUR ly couple does cleaning/ironRELATIONSHIPS Find ing in amsterdam/amstelveen Peace in any situation. areas. We are fast and good in LoveAwareness is the keyour work.Our price is genuine Relaxation & Self Inquiry (inspired by Byron Katie) are and guranteed for nice service. the tools. Bhasha is working Good references are available in the field of counselling for on request.Tel:0643659790. many years & is a NLP & Hypnosis Practionner. Try-out 25. Call 0641485880 or mail selfcounselling@yahoo.com
HOUSECLAENER My name is Simone, i am looking for cleaningjob. I have more than 20 years experience. Speaking SUMMER YOGA Yogayoga german,english en beetje nedoffers a full range of daily erl. contact Simone: classes all summer through! 0626643847. Including Sunday workshops, PAINTER Mature painter pregnancy yoga and postna- avalible for all painting jobs tal yoga. Yogayoga is situat- call The Panther 0652125131. ed in a quiet studio, close to CLEANTEAMHardworkers the Jordaan. A second studio best prices. Domestic and is available especially for pri- comercial work. Contact us vate classes. Visit www.yogayo- on 0617537063 or cleanga.nl or call 6883418. team2000@gmail.com.
COUNSELLING & COACHING Life is full of problems. Do not despair: Emere Counselling & Coaching has set its goals in lending you a hand in finding a solution for it. A certified counsellor and coach will be at your disposal to deal with any problems. For more information: www.emere.org, Massage CAT AND PET SITTING 34info@emere.org or call: year-old woman who loves 0659009050. HAKIM 27, handsome top animals likes to take care of sportief masseur, 182-80, gives your pets during your holi- REIKI MASTERCombining Relax Body massage for males day. I can pay a visit every the natural healing system of and couples and boys. Receive Reiki x Past Lives Memory day, give them food, love and and visit in Amsterdam. attention. I also take care of Regression, NLP, massage Everything is possible. your plants, clean the litter- and vizualisation, give your0643113151. box etc. Tariff: 9,50/visit. self a chance to heal and know Contact: Anouk_lambrechts yourself better. Treatments, FOOT REFLEXOLOGY Do yahoo.com, tel. 0652305738 sessions and courses. Danielle you feel low in energy or out Ferrari 0628310125 healin- of balance? Foot reflexology Amsterdam.
EXPERIENCED, efficient, and responsible couple does office/bar or house cleaning, laundry, ironing, gardening work. It’s you satisfaction guaranteed, or your money back. references and documents available. Tel. 0629202934 Vitor/Nina. RENO-BOUW-RAJCZYK House Renovations! Do you need cost-effective and high-
Amsterdam Weekly_10-16 July 2008
AGENDA: FILM
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WEEKLY CLASSIFIEDS quality full house renovation? Professional, experienced and with excellent references. Online links to past projects. Call now and ask for appointment: 0644517410 or 0294266585, www.renobouw.nl, karol-rajczyk@hotmail.com.
COMPUTERS
virus/spyware removal, data recovery, network/wireless setup. No job too small, no repair no charge. Contact Michael 0614530493/6946345.
COURSES DUTCH COURSES Every month new courses. Group classes, max 6 students. Sharp prices! Two locations: A’dam centre, near Rembrandtplein and A’dam Zuid, near World Trade Centre. www.katakura.wblc.nl, tel. 6122727. Katakura-WBLC Dutch Language School.
PC HOUSE DOCTOR PC HOUSE DOCTOR Specialise in virus/spyware removal, h/w, s/w repair, data recovery, wireless, cable/ADSL installation and computer lessons from friendly and PHOTOGRAPHY COURSexperienced Microsoft proESWe run courses and workfessional for reasonable price. shops for beginners and expeContact Mario: 06 1644 8230. rienced photographers alike. YOUR WEBSITE NOWLook- Five day workshops and intening for a simple website? I sup- sive courses lasting several port you in creating your weeks cover areas from studomain name, email setup, dio lighting for beginners to online website building, and digital capture with camera train you how to update it. All movements for professionin the comfort of your home als. info@thefotofactory.nl and own pc! www.yourwebWWW.LEARNDUTCH.COM sitenow.info ! ! ! Dutch the natural way. UNIQUE WEB DESIGN - Online exercises. Interactive, Need a stunning website? practical and hands on !!! inforHave a low budget? Experi- mation@learndutch.com. enced web designer builds professional, unique sites for Languages very reasonable prices. (Flyer, poster and other print DUTCH LESSONS A'DAM design available as well) Improve conversation/proOnline links to past projects fessional purpose/studavailable. Contact Jordan: ies/NT2. Also online. Min. 0630341238 indiv. rate p/h 15,60/Adults COMPUTER PROBLEMS? & children/Mon till Sat, 10am Computer upgrade, hard- till 9pm. Also intensive coursware/software installation, es all through the year: min
intensive: 15 hrs= 280,20. www.excellentdutch.nl, info at: excellentdutch@hotmail.com, tel 0636122870. WWW.LEARNDUTCH.COM Dutch the natural way. Online exercises. Interactive, practical and hands on !!! information@learndutch.com. INTENSIVE DUTCH COURSES at JOOST WEET HET! Classes 4 times per week during 4 hours. Good teachers, fun classes and energetic atmosphere. Small groups, personal approach with emphasis on conversation. 2,3,4 and 8 wks courses. Price: E 8 /hr. Visit www.joostweethet.nl email: info@joostweethet.nl tel: 020-4208146 IMPROVE YOUR DUTCH! Private classes, small groups, intensive courses, conversation, all levels, starting every
in music. Experienced with all levels, all ages (6+) and most genres. Can travel. Reasonable rates. References provided. Previously taught in Chicago and New York. MUSIC Allan Segall, 6980267 or JULY 20TH 2008Place: Win- 0628858484, ston Kingdom, war- AllanSegall@chello.nl, www. moesstraat 129 Bands: Cil- myspace.com/allansegall. ice, Mindscan, Artery, Meet the storm and Wicked nature. GROUPS Time: 17 till 23. Damage: 6. Music ranging from Balkan- HEY! YOU AMERICAN?Join folk and ska to mathmetal, thefunwithlike-mindedAmercheck them out at: www.mys- icans at Democrats Abroad. pace.com /creativeexplosion. WithmonthlyDemsFunDrinks, They’re in the top 5 of the discussions, issue groups, and other activities. You don’t even friend list. have to be a Dem to join! Go to JAZZ PIANISTPianist look- www. democratsabroad.nl for ing for a job in some club or more info. pub... I play jazz standards and # OF AMERICANS: 5419 my onw music.(I have my Are you one of the thousands own electric grand piano...) of Americans living in A’dam? JGawlina@poczta.fm. Join the fun with like-mindPIANO LESSONSDoctorate ed Americans at Democrats
week, professional approach, Vijzelgracht 53C, linktaalstudio@gmail.com, call Anja for more info 0641339323
Abroad. With monthly DemsFun Drinks, discussions, voter registration and other activities. You don’t even have to be a Dem to join! Go to www.democratsabroad.nl for more info. WELCOME TO A’DAM Are you one the hundreds new expats just arrived in A’dam? Still struggling to find your way? Join JCI. Get the opportunity to quickly make new friends and contacts. Get involved into great projects
and socialize with other likePERSONALS minded, international young professionals. For more info: HAVE A GOOD TIME? The www.jciai.nl. sense of life is to enjoy. Nice HIGHLY CREATIVE? Highly boy, 3, goodlooking, seeks a creative people often go thru mistress for occasional fysicycles of highs and lows, a club cal contact, no strings. Mail me: is being formed in Amsterdam ericall@excite.com. to support highly creative people. More info www.creativeyNOTICES oyo.com. WHAT IS AN ESOTERIC EXPAT IRISH GROUPInterested in meeting Irish people School? Alive, inspiring and in A’dam? We are a recently meaningfulinthistimeandculformed club and meet regu- ture. The Phoenix Fellowship larly. Easy to just come along (Esoteric School for Personal and join in. Visit our site: Development) welcomes you http://expatirish.meetup.com/ to these open nights in Ams60/ for more details about our terdam each Tuesday evening. www.phoenixdynamics.nl next events.
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Amsterdam Weekly_10-16 July 2008