Amsterdam Weekly: Vol 4 Issue 20, 17-23 May 2007

Volume 4, Issue 20

17 - 23 MAY 2007 Worth sitting down for

‘This was not just any elephant.’ page 11

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www.amsterdamweekly.nl

What’s up with chairs? page 6

Can Amsterdam claw its way back to the top? page 4 One radical baker page 4 / Capturing Pom’s potential page 5 Rags make riches for charity page 18 ART: Wildlife in your face p. 11 / Prix de Rome in the ring p. 17 / FILM: Two Spanish films question authority p. 21

Short List . . . . . . . . . . . . .9 Music/Clubs . . . . . . . . .12 Gay & Lesbian . . . . . . . .15 Stage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15 Art . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16 Events . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19 Dining . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20 Film . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .21 Classifieds/Comics . . .26

17-23 May 2007

Amsterdam Weekly

ATTACHMENTS In this issue and...

The architect and designer Gerrit Rietveld famously said: ‘to sit is a verb’. It's certainly true that when seated in his iconic ‘Red and Blue’ chair, one has to constantly shift about to stay vaguely comfortable and really work that werkwoord. That's why a lot of folk call this particular chair not design, but art. Or is it just a parody of a chair? Regardless, it's still a statement piece 90 years later. And it looks great in space. And you'd never dream of throwing one out—unlike that ten euro chair you just bought at IKEA. And speaking of chairs and disposable culture, you certainly needed a chair to get through last Saturday's Eurovision Song Contest. If you didn't nod off on it puzzling why Israel is in Europe or why Serbia won, you could have beat yourself to death with it, an altogether more fun experience. Or, perhaps, if you were in a particularly comfortable chair, you'd have found the inner-peace to accept Eurovision as a parody of the European Union.

Now, that would be some chair.

On the cover SIT ON IT Photo by Krista van der Niet www.kristavanderniet.nl

Next week A rebel leader from Darfur

Letters Got an opinion? We want to hear it. inbox@amsterdamweekly.nl

Amsterdam Weekly BV De Ruyterkade 106, 1011 AB Amsterdam Tel: 020 522 5200 Fax: 020 620 1666 www.amsterdamweekly.nl General info: info@amsterdamweekly.nl Agenda listings: agenda@amsterdamweekly.nl Advertising: sales@amsterdamweekly.nl Classifieds: classifieds@amsterdamweekly.nl PUBLISHER Todd Savage EDITOR Steve Korver ASSISTANT EDITOR Kim Renfrew AGENDA EDITOR Steven McCarron FILM EDITOR Julie Phillips PROOFREADER Mark Wedin EDITORIAL ASSISTANT Sarah Gehrke ART DIRECTOR Bas Morsch PRODUCTION MANAGER Vela Arbutina PRODUCTION DESIGNERS Mattijs Arts, Rogier Charles SALES ASSOCIATES Reed van Brunschot, Simone Klomp, Carolina Salazar OPERATIONS MANAGER Monique Gruter FINANCE ASSISTANT Simone Choi DISTRIBUTION COORDINATOR Patrick van der Klugt DISTRIBUTION/MARKETING INTERN Heini Suokari FINANCIAL ADVISER Kurt Schmidt (Veresis Consulting) 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 2007 Amsterdam Weekly BV. All rights reserved.

CHAIRS by Arnoud Holleman

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Amsterdam Weekly

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17-23 May 2007

AROUND TOWN A €51 million machine to get Amsterdam back in the Top 5.

ANNA BOTERMAN

times I have the feeling that the only things Amsterdam is known for are the Red Light District and marijuana. Once I was a member of the selection committee for a new professor of economics. As a university you want the best, a top candidate from abroad. In such a case you want to use Amsterdam and its facilities as a selling point. I noticed that we can use that selling point to a lesser extent than we used to be able to. In this particular case we couldn’t hire the candidate.

And that’s a shame.’

Ogling the big boys How to get this city back on top.

By Floris Dogterom Something big is at stake: Amsterdam has lost its Top 5 position in the table of most preferred European cities for companies and people to establish themselves. Reason enough for the red-green alliance of the gemeentebestuur to invest €51 million in a project called Amsterdam Topstad, in order to get the city back in that Top 5 position. The money is being spent, initially, on 18 projects, ranging from presents for newborn Amsterdammers, to more serious initiatives like the creation of new hotspots for the creative industries.

Huub Verweij, member of the city council for the opposition VVD, is critical: ‘Of course, there’s nothing wrong with ambition. I think that Lodewijk [Asscher, alderman for economic affairs] is serious about this project. But at the same time I feel [the project] focuses too much on the creative industry. After all, that accounts for only seven percent of Amsterdam’s economy. What about all the other, more traditional industries? It’s only the big companies I see Lodewijk talking with— there’s little attention on the smaller ones. I also have a problem with accountability. OK, the number of people that have to rely on social security may have come down by 20,000, but is that a result of this city’s policy or of an economic trend?’ Verweij insists he’s not being critical just because his party wasn’t invited to take part in the current coalition: ‘I support Amsterdam Topstad wholeheartedly, but it is not being done the right way. I would have said the same if we were part of the gemeentebestuur.’

‘It’s true, I focus on the big boys, but also on smaller innovative parties,’ says

Mark de Kruijk, programme director of Amsterdam Topstad. ‘There is another city programme that deals with smaller companies. In that respect, I find Verweij’s criticism a bit pointless.’ Sitting in his office in the Zuiderkerk, De Kruijk enthusiastically promotes the Amsterdam Topstad concept. ‘As to the creative industry, its presence is an important incentive for companies to settle somewhere. And we are accountable for our deeds. We want to get back into that top five, which is based on ratings from a number of independent investigations.

Those are hard figures, I’d say.’

So much for De Kruijk’s counterattack. So on to the basic question of the importance of Amsterdam’s presence in the list of top locations. De Kruijk says: ‘That top five in itself isn’t the main goal.

This project is about raising awareness.

In recent years, this city hasn’t done all that well. An ever-increasing number of international companies are choosing other cities as locations for their headquarters. That’s bad for the economy and employment.’

De Kruijk states Amsterdam Topstad is not so much about the current 18 projects as it is about a long-term vision on the city’s economic development. ‘First of all, we have to make up arrears in that we make it easier for expats to settle here, and develop a more welcoming attitude towards tourists. Secondly, Amsterdam has to exploit its existing qualities better and develop new ones. An example of the latter would be the establishment of a top university college and a top trade school, where English is the language of communication. Finally, we have to improve our city marketing skills. We do live in a great city, but how do we sell that? For that reason we put extra energy in existing events and create new ones like the Cross Media Week.’ De Kruijk stresses that he and his team aren’t innovators themselves. ‘We can’t change the world with that fifty million euro. But what we can do is create preconditions: get the right parties connected, speed up procedures.’

Jules Theeuwes, director of SEO Economic Research of the UvA, says that Amsterdam Topstad is a policy plan that reflects ambition. ‘Which is good. Some-

www.topstad.amsterdam.nl

How dough can you go?

Behind the scenes at the bakery.

By Heini Suokari Love that buttery croissant with your coffee? A broodje for lunch? According to one specialist, you should be cautious about your choice of bread: it can either put you ahead of the pack or make you swell up like a Doughboy puppet.

Meesterbakker Gerhard van Dermolen knows a lot about bread, and even more about the politics behind it. He became so fed up with the monopolised baking industry in the Netherlands that he started his own organic bakery, Uprising, on Groen van Prinstererstraat in Westerpark. Since then, the authorities have asked Van Dermolen to stop calling his business a bakery, because he refuses to follow protocol: he doesn’t buy wheat from the monopoly, and he disagrees with the organisation’s loose labelling requirements—as well as their questionable definition of ‘fresh bread’.

Van Dermolen is critical of the morals behind the industry, and he wants to open the public’s eyes to what goes on behind the scenes. ‘I don’t want to be bound by the politics. I want to choose where I buy my grain,’ he explains, adding: ‘It’s so sneaky.’

Unlike most other businesses, not just anyone can start a bakery in the Netherlands. In order to be a baker you need a licence; once you’ve got that, you join an organisation such as the NBBOV, the Nederlandse Brood- en Banketbakkers Ondernemers Vereniging. These organisations heavily regulate the grains used in—as well as the labelling and selling of—bread. Van Dermolen feels that the way the organisation monitors itself is unjust; he would much rather be checked by an objective third party.

Once you are part of a baker’s organisation it becomes difficult to bake what you want. So, to avoid hassle, most bak-

ers use pre-made mixes, freeze the dough to reduce the overnight workload and sell the once-frozen bread as ‘fresh’. So what you see or read is not always what you get: the most popular organic muesli, for example, contains American soy flour as stabiliser. The flour comes from genetically modified plants, which, of course, is not mentioned in the label. When it comes to the grains, the same company that sells them also produces fertilisers, and the baker is forced to use their polluted grain.

As an agricultural engineer, Van Dermolen used to bake in developing countries, where he learned about the grains he still bakes with today. He makes his bread with no additives—just water, salt, flour, yeast and seeds. He makes about a 100 loaves, baking all day long. He doesn’t buy grains from the dominant industrial companies, but instead orders them from as far as Ethiopia and North America, and gets them milled in this country. Kamut, teff, quinoa, and amaranth—also known as ‘Inca gold’—are healthy grains with a large world market. (The Ethiopian government is currently in a legal battle against companies that are trying to trademark these grains.) The same goes for the Ethiopian coffee and tea. He orders the chocolate for his delicious, additive-free mudslide brownies from the island of St Lucia, which comes in an unprocessed stick of ground cocoa.

Van Dermolen also let his rebellious side show in the US, when he was studying at the Culinary Institute of America.

He and his friends sent obese Doughboy puppets in lunch boxes to American

Amsterdam Weekly

17-23 May 2007

ANNA BOTERMAN

Baker Van Dermolen sticks it to the baking industry.

ing most bread—fresh for extended periods. It gets stored in the body and is impossible to get rid of. Almost: ‘Well, you’d have to get liposuction,’ he smirks, leaving room for hope for those who can afford it.

For the love of pom A root vegetable to riff on.

By Celia Layton Every country has food that is reserved for celebrations and special occasions.

For the Dutch, this might be oliebollen, for the Americans, turkey and for the Surinamese, pom. Never heard of it?

Well, you soon will, as it is gathering quite a following. The singer Gordon is on record as saying that broodje pom is his favourite food and Pom op het menu, an exhibition opening at Imagine IC on 22 May, is entirely devoted to the stuff.

There are approximately 70,000 Surinamese people living in Amsterdam, according to the Dienst Onderzoek en Statistiek. Most of them arrived between Surinam’s independence in 1975 and the military coup in 1980. Despite Surinam having been a Dutch colony for nearly 300 years, Surinamese food has, until recently, been regarded as the poor cousin of Indonesian cooking. This does the Surinamese kitchen a grave injustice.

As a result of colonisation, trade and slavery, this small land in the northeast corner of South America is home to at least ten distinct ethnic groups. These include Indians, Creoles, Hindustanis, Chinese, Javanese, Dutch, Portuguese and Jews, and the diversity of dishes and preparation techniques in Surinamese cooking reflect the country’s varied social makeup.

Pom is perhaps Surinam’s quintessential dish, and has crossed all social boundaries. The main ingredients are pomtajer—a South American root vegetable said to be from the potato family—lemon juice, and a sauce made of oil, butter, tomato, onion and nutmeg. In addition, the different ethnic and religious groups have added meat or other ingredients to suit their individual dietary requirements.

Creoles, for example, use zoutvlees, while Hindustanis add spicy piccalilli; Javanese add soya sauce and sometimes stock cubes, while Jews use chicken. The mixture is then cooked in the oven in a high-sided enamel dish for at least an hour.

Karin Vaneker, artist, food writer and self-confessed pom enthusiast, is guest curator of Pom op het menu. She discovered pom almost by accident. ‘I am not interested in writing restaurant

ANNA BOTERMAN

schools, to warn about the dangers of highly processed food. The Doughboy was a prototype of what happens to a child who eats too much trans fat—the educators didn’t appreciate the gift, and all the puppets were returned. One of them found his way to Uprising where he still reminds Van Dermolen of his days in the land of fast food.

Nowadays, his focus is at home in the Netherlands. Since he opened Uprising, he’s had to send away some customers who came with bad attitude. Principles cost money, and everyone can make the choice for themselves. ‘I’m not in it to make money but to sell good bread,’ he explains.

Now, Van Dermolen seems to have the upper crust in the eyes of his conscious clientele. And no wonder, after hearing stories of when he used to work for other bakeries in order to get a licence. In one of them, the first batch of the morning was called ‘fur coats’ for a horrifying reason: workers on the nightshift never cleaned the mixer, so mice would get in.

In the morning, when they poured in fresh dough, the mice were crushed into the mixture and baked with the bread.

But wait: what about Mr Atkins, the inventor of the protein diet who turned his back on bread a few years ago? Aren’t the carbohydrates in any bread supposed to make us fat? Van Dermolen assures that the body will use up natural ingredients; what causes problems is the trans fat which is added to keep food—includ-

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reviews; I am interested in food history and trends,’ she says. ‘It was in this capacity that someone asked me if pom was Creole or Jewish. I started investigating and it took me three months to figure out the answer. I found out that although pom is often considered Creole, it was originally a potato dish from the Western European Jewish kitchen.

Based on my findings, I wrote an article and then an academic paper. Imagine IC read my paper and approached me with the idea of this exhibition. In my turn, I had been looking for an organisation based in the Bijlmer [home to the majority of Amsterdam’s Surinamese] that could put me in touch with Surinamese people I could talk to.’

And talk they did. ‘I’m Dutch and not used to talking about food,’ Vaneker continues. ‘The Surinamese, on the other hand, are proud of their cuisine and can talk about it for hours. In addition to a display of shopping lists, ingredients, recipes and photos that demonstrate the variety of pom recipes, the exhibition will also play four hours of interviews with twelve people talking about one dish. I don’t know if I could find twelve French people who could talk about the baguette so intensely and for so long.’

Pom is a festive dish by definition,

Take one root vegetable. Then improvise!

and is traditionally served at birthdays and celebrations. ‘As a result, it has many happy memories and emotions associated with it,’ says Vaneker. ‘Pom is also prestige. It takes time to make, and the amount of meat required means it is costly. When a woman cooks her first pom, the whole family comes round to try it.’

Despite pomtajer’s availability in Surinam, only a handful of recipes exist.

Especially for Pom op het menu, Vaneker has asked two Michelin-starred chefs, a food designer and an artist to develop their own pomtajer dishes. The food designer Debra Solomon is working on a pom kroket, for example, while Thorvald de Winter of the Apicius restaurant in Bakkum has devised a dessert: pom clafoutis with lychees.

‘Potatoes were long considered by the aristocracy to be the food of the masses,’ concludes Vaneker. ‘It took the potato four hundred years to become gastronomically accepted. Pom has the same potential.’

Pom op het menu, 21 May-August. Imagine IC, Bijlmerplein 1006-1008, 489 4866, www.pomophetmenu.nl.

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Amsterdam Weekly

Sitting on a goldmine Talking chair design and emotions with Neef Louis and designer Friso Kramer...

‘One person has a very hollow back, while the other has a big ass. But in theory a chair has to accommodate each and everyone, that’s what is so fascinating about it.’

BY LAURA GROENEVELD PHOTOS BY KRISTA VAN DER NIET

17-23 May 2007

17-23 May 2007

W

alking into Neef Louis, a vintage and design furniture store located on Sandvikweg, is like walking into a museum. A crazy one, that is.

Chairs, tables, sofas, lamps and you-nameit-because-they’ve-got-it are crammed into 600 square metres. There’s not an empty spot to be found.

Owner Louis Vlaarkamp, who started the store five years ago, admits the amount of furniture gets to him sometimes. Still, he seems to know the exact location of every little piece in his store.

‘Yes, we’ve got a type of peg like that,’ he says on the phone to a client. ‘I’ve even got an intermediate part so you can make it more oval shaped... Yes, it’s like a Fritz Hansen chair, only chubbier. But you really should come round to the store, so you can see for yourself.’ Clearly, Vlaarkamp knows what he is talking about.

Vintage and design furniture is a big part of Vlaarkamp’s life. ‘A piece of furniture can make me feel good, even happy,’ he explains. ‘Shape is a very important aspect of that. But it can be anything really: a corner on a table, a beautifully shaped line or the use of stitched seam. The material is also very important. I especially love the combination of wood and metal.’

The art of design The seed for Vlaarkamp’s love of quality design was planted at a young age. His father was a craftsman who repaired furniture. He owned a tool shed that, as a young boy, Vlaarkamp was never allowed near. When his father died, Vlaarkamp inherited a collection of old furniture and became increasingly aware of its craftsmanship. ‘I was struck by the amount of labour and reflection that was put into it,’ he says.

More generally, Vlaarkamp is interested in the process of making something from beginning to end. Thanks to his previous careers as an electrician, mechanical engineer and photographer, he is able to understand every technical aspect of designing and repairing furniture. The only thing that keeps him from designing his own is his other big love: doing business.

Before he started out on Sandvikweg, Vlaarkamp toured the country in an old fire engine filled with furniture. ‘I would load and unload the truck myself and spend all day at vintage furniture shows. It was hard work, but I enjoyed it. And I was good at it. During slow moments I’d rearrange my entire stock so it looked as if I’d added lots of pieces. I quickly learned how to keep customers coming back.’

Another part of business that has Vlaarkamp’s interest is picking up on trends—or even creating them. ‘I like going to the Noordermarkt on Monday mornings,’ he says. ‘It’s good to maintain contact with other dealers and to pick up on the vibe.

Just by listening to what other people are offering or asking for, you can tell what’s going to be a trend. If I hear a certain name or piece mentioned a couple of times, then that’s a sign. Ten years ago, cast-iron and crimped metal pieces were very popular amongst women, and advertising agencies were hot on old billboards of beer brands.

Now, organically formed Scandinavian furniture made from wood is in fashion. It’s important to keep up with these trends, although you shouldn’t follow them blindly.’

Friso Kramer, designer of iconic chairs.

Amsterdam Weekly Obviously, Vlaarkamp has his own preferences as well, and he isn’t afraid to promote them. ‘You have to believe in yourself and your own taste,’ he says.

‘Right now, I’m really into industrial design and I like to make people aware of that type of furniture. Being the owner of a vintage and design furniture store, my role is like that of an echoing well.’

buildings. ‘If I spotted something potentially interesting I would go over to the land registry and check to see who owned the building. I’d then go round with a box of tompoezen and ask the owner flat-out if I could take the chairs from his lobby. It’s amazing how generous people can be, and what they will do for a cup of coffee and a vanilla slice.’

Louis Vlaarkamp, handelaar in chairs.

‘If I spotted something potentially interesting I would go over to the land registry and check to see who owned the building. I’d then go round with a box of tompoezen and ask the owner flat-out if I could take the chairs from his lobby.’

Industrial stools Judging by the supply in store, it’s evident that Vlaarkamp is well into his industrial phase. There are big lamps hanging from the ceiling and there are filing cabinets, desks, stools and office objects everywhere. ‘It’s interesting to add a funky big metal object taken from a factory to your own home,’ he explains. ‘Especially in a time like this, when our homes are becoming more and more like workplaces anyway.’

The people who pick up on furniture trends the quickest are usually those from the creative industry. People who work for fashion labels, advertising agencies or stylists who develop concepts for fashion shows. ‘It’s really interesting to see how that works,’ says Petri Raaymaker, Vlaarkamp’s partner, who also works in the store. ‘It’s not like they copy each other, but it’s almost as if suddenly a certain trend is in the air.’ And yes, the creative industry is currently picking up on the industrial craze. ‘But they’ll combine it with something smooth or slick,’ says Raaymaker.

Vlaarkamp gets his furniture from all over the country. ‘I’ve got lots of contacts and often people will give me tips. There are special companies that clear factories, warehouses and office buildings. A lot of good and unusual designer furniture is taken from boardrooms. You can tell they spent a lot of money on decorating those.’

For a while, Vlaarkamp used to drive around the city in his truck, looking for vintage and designer furniture in office

This doesn’t mean that Vlaarkamp always gets lucky: ‘I occasionally get stuck with a container full of furniture that I just can’t seem to sell. I once threw away a whole container filled with chairs that later turned out to be worth a total of thirty thousand euros. That occasionally happens. It’s part of the adventure of always being on the lookout for something out of the ordinary and going with your instincts.’

Emotional furnishings Every client who walks into Vlaarkamp’s store is there for a different reason. People want to buy furniture because they’ve just bought their first house, or they want to get rid of stuff because they’re starting a family or getting a divorce. ‘Every piece of furniture comes with a story. At times that can become a bit too much. I remember a young woman who came in here and told me she had lots of rare vintage furniture in her home and that I should come by to see if there was something I’d be interested in.

She told me to hurry though, because she wasn’t going to live much longer. I remember going into her house and looking at all this beautiful furniture and hearing the stories that were related to it. It was very emotional.’

Vlaarkamp is still amazed by the high quality of vintage furniture that’s offered to him. ‘Back in the day, people treated furniture in a completely different way. They would literally save for years before buying a couch, so they treated it with the

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utmost care. Sometimes I get my hands on furniture that’s fifty years old, but still looks as if it’s brand new. People lived in such a conscious manner back then. They didn’t buy a lot, but when they did, they usually bought quality stuff. And they were very appreciative of it. For me, that’s Holland at its best. It’s also because I can relate to that way of living. I remember what it was like to have to save money to buy a bike or to always have to use coasters on the table to prevent the veneer from getting damaged. That’s why I understand this type of furniture. For others, it only stirs bad memories. That’s the thing with vintage furniture. It’s all about recognising yourself or a period of time in it.’

Chairs are a big part of Vlaarkamp’s collection. They’re piled up everywhere and are available in all shapes, sizes, models and materials. ‘There’s so much you can do with chairs,’ he explains.

‘And everyone owns, or wants to own, at least a couple of them. Chairs draw attention. But when you think about it, they are actually peculiar objects.

Human beings aren’t designed to sit all day, yet most of us do. Also, everyone is built in a different way. One person has a very hollow back, while the other has a big ass. But in theory, a chair has to accommodate each and everyone, that’s what is so fascinating about it.’

Walking past and sitting in the different chairs at Neef Louis gives you an interesting overview of the history of chairs: there are chairs from influential designers like Charles and Ray Eames, Joe Colombo and Osvaldo Borsani. But the fact that these chairs are famous doesn’t make them attractive to everyone. ‘I think the re-issue of the LEM chair designed by Colombo is hideous,’ confesses Raaymaker. ‘But that’s a type of chair that attracts a lot of international clients. Maybe they admire it for its revolutionary design and the influence it had on other designers, or maybe they admire it because it’s famous. It’s hard to tell.’

Designer Friso Kramer The Revolt, a chair that was originally designed in 1953 but was voted best Dutch home furniture product as recently as last year, is well represented in different editions at Neef Louis. Its designer, Friso Kramer, is happy to see that his chair is still appreciated and, more importantly, still used all over the world. ‘I’ve been told that the Japanese are especially enthusiastic about this chair,’ he says.

Part of Kramer’s revolutionary design was his choice of material: sheet steel. By bending it into a U-shape to construct the legs and back support, Kramer invented a chair that was just as strong as, but lighter and cheaper than, its contemporaries, which were usually made of solid or tubular steel. The Revolt chair was widely used in classrooms and waiting rooms, and author Jan Wolkers even stated that his fellow writers could improve their work by writing on one of them.

Kramer, born in 1922, but to this very day still active in design, is one of a dying breed. He’s an industrial designer for whom form and functionality are equally important. ‘To me, it’s important that a piece of furniture is functional. It shouldn’t be about a designer giving free rein to his individual sense of styling,’ he says.

‘Ideally, a person is supposed to spend his days surrounded by your furniture

Amsterdam Weekly

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17-23 May 2007

Chairs, chairs, everywheres...

‘Ideally, a person is supposed to spend his days surrounded by your furniture without being bothered by it. He shouldn’t immediately think: what a great chair this is! If a piece of furniture is well designed and constructed, the people who use it will start to become attached to it in a way they might not even notice.’ without being bothered by it. He shouldn’t immediately think: what a great chair this is! If a piece of furniture is well designed and constructed, the people who use it will start to become attached to it in a way they might not even notice.’

One way of doing that is by taking all the elements that could cause restlessness out of the design. ‘The ideal chair is one in which you don’t have to go through any trouble to sit up straight,’ Kramer explains. ‘When people sit in a chair they’re mentally active. They’re working in it, or having breakfast in it, or they’re smoking a cigarette in it. Either way they’re performing a task. If you were to

extend the lines of the Revolt chair, you’d see that they all run up in the direction of the head. The chair visually supports the head and therefore the mental activity of the person sitting in it. But certainly not everyone will notice that.’

Kramer has designed all sorts of furniture, mainly for De Cirkel, Ahrend’s furniture factory. His designs range from Neptunus, a chair designed especially for submarines (made of non-magnetic material so as not to interfere with the control systems and easy to stack) to a street lamp that gives off a perfect, velvety light, which is still widely used internationally.

But Kramer has always designed on com-

mission. ‘I’m not the type of person to design something and then go round factories to see if they’re interested in manufacturing it,’ he says.

One of Kramer’s other classics is the theatre chair from 1959 which was awarded the prestigious Belgian Signe d’Or award. Although Kramer is still proud of its design (a tip-up seat that can be stacked and coupled without the use of extra accessories), it amazes him to see that it is currently sold for huge amounts of money on the second-hand market. ‘Who’d want to pay a hundred and seventy five euros for a single chair?’ he wonders. But to Louis

Vlaarkamp, it isn’t all that strange. ‘For some pieces of furniture, I come up with a minimum price, just because so much effort and thought has been put into the design that it would be an insult to sell it for less.’ That’s why IKEA is considered an ugly word at Neef Louis—even if Vlaarkamp admires the company for making all sorts of furniture widely available to everyone. ‘You can’t make a chair for five euros. It’s just not possible.

Designing quality furniture requires many hours of labour and is therefore pricey. It’s as simple as that.’ www.neeflouis.nl

A few choice chairs Revolt chair, 1953

Cité, 1927

Sella, 1963

Untitled, no date

Designed by Friso Kramer, Netherlands

Designed by Jean Prouvé, France

Designed by Joe Colombo, Italy

Attributed to Ernst Mockel, East Germany

There is also a new version—Revolt New, 2007—seen on the cover in the lower-left corner.

‘I have one of these at my house. It’s the ideal chair for reading a book and enjoying a brandy.’

Beetle-shaped chair made from leather, wood and steel.

‘This chair was manufactured at the Trabant factory. It looks very similar to a famous chair designed by Verner Panton.’

17-23 May 2007

Amsterdam Weekly

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SHORT LIST

Netherlands Transgender Film Festival, Wednesday, De Balie

FRIDAY18 MAY Contemporary music: Mondriaan Quartet A stopgap plugs; MTV unplugs; the Mondriaan Quartet just keeps plugging in deeper.

For their 25th anniversary gigs, the Quartet—four string musicians whose code book seems to contain one word: ‘innovate!’—will extend its researches into new sounds by playing an entire evening on electrified instruments. Taking Thomas Edison as its inspiration, the concert features premiers of two works commissioned for the occasion (David Dramm’s Edison and Huba de Graaff’s Thin Wire of Grief), as well as a revival of George Crumb’s lovely Black Angels from 1970. Behind the band will be four Marshall amps (most often seen kicking out decibels at rock events), and surrounding them will be uncountable quantities of light bulbs and other video paraphernalia, all expressing the joys of electricity. Well, with all this wattage, listeners, too, are sure to be turned on. (Steve Schneider) Bimhuis, 21.00, €14.

Jazz: New Cool Collective Big Band One of the city’s best live bands has just released a live album—and this is the concert to celebrate it. Over the last 13 years, the New Cool Collective—and its big band version—have induced hip-shaking in the masses at every club and festival they have played in, the world over. They just have that very nasty habit of not stopping until maximum frenzy has been achieved. While rooted in the danceable jazz and boogaloo of the 1950s, this 19-piece machine fronted by saxophonist Benjamin Herman has never been shy of employing elements from African, Latin Jazz, hiphop and breakbeat.

Special guests—in the past they have included legendary Fela Kuti drummer Tony Allen—are usually on hand to further help pump up the adrenaline. (Steve Korver) Paradiso, Grote Zaal, 21.00, €12.50.

Hiphop: De La Soul 19, Southfield Road. Summer, 1989. Fifteen young people teetering on the brink of living, packed in a grungey Victorian house. Slugs crawl in the shower, cannabis grows in the garden. They wait tables and stuff envelopes and count beans all day, and hot-knife and giggle and stay up all night. It’s the Second Summer of Love, and in the background there’s always Raw Like Sushi and ‘Fool’s Gold’, but especially 3 Feet High and Rising. The album is a daisy-fresh blast of air a trillion miles from macho hiphop nonsense. This is funny and silly and sexy, about squirrels and Buddy and Jenny.

Nowadays they are teetering on the brink of middle age, sitting in seats in the Palace of Westminster, on mandarin’s thrones at the BBC, and in loco parentis of their nation’s

future. But whisper the words: ‘Take those acid-washed jeans, bell-bottomed, designed by your mama off. Please?’ and tears will prick their eyes. And they say it’s smell that’s the most nostalgia-inducing. They’re wrong. It’s pop music. (Kim Renfrew) Melkweg, The Max, 21.30, €20 + membership.

Rock: The Cassandra Complex The Cassandra Complex are back. Who are they then, I hear you ask. Well, they are an English band fronted by Rodney Orpheus that released a slew of albums, EPs and 12-inch singles between 1984 and 2000. Those records cleverly combined industrial dance music and dark wave, in a style akin to Skinny Puppy and other goth-inspired downers. The band have gone through a number of line-up changes over the years, quickly transforming from a duo to a full band and then back to a duo again, always with Orpheus as the front man and lead sound engineer. One of those bands that remains influential without actually breaking through to a level of success anywhere near the mainstream, The Cassandra Complex became one of the pioneers of moody, industrial music in the UK, especially with their 1990 release Cyberpunx. Now the band are back—well, Orpheus is back, at least—and, according to his own personal Live Journal, the shows in this tour have been a success. A blast from the past, indeed.

Tonight they play at The Church of SubGenius alongside another bunch of moody rockers, Fcking Bstrds, Turmorchestra and Code9. (Shain Shapiro) Winston Kingdom, 21.00, €8.

MONDAY 21MAY Rock: Slint This week two important bands on the Touch & Go label are visiting Amsterdam: Shellac (see below) and Slint. Out of loyalty to the artists and the music he loves, label director Corey Rusk has kept most of the albums he released in print throughout Touch & Go’s 25 year history, even though some of them weren’t selling too well. Slint is a typical example of a short lived band that only did a handful of live shows, but became incredibly influential over the years, thanks to the patience of their record label. Slint’s album Spiderland (1991) is a landmark for indie rock fans. Its music, starting slow and quiet, building up to heavy guitar outbursts, is still impressively dark, with its ominous lyrics about hermits and shipwrecks whispered in the background.

Slint’s original members, who evolved through bands like The Breeders and Tortoise, have temporarily reformed to play the legendary album in its entirety. Don’t miss it.

(Marinus de Ruiter) Paradiso, Grote Zaal, 20.30, €20 + membership.

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Amsterdam Weekly

17-23 May 2007

TUESDAY 22 MAY Pop: Pet Shop Boys The boys are back in town. Though, of course, they have aged quite a bit since their initial success in the mid-’80s, making them middle aged rather than boyish. But luckily, their music remains just as exciting as when they first started out, as proven by Neil Tennant’s and Chris Lowe’s latest CD, Fundamental, which, according to critics and fans alike, is definitely their best in years. With songs about Blair and Bush (‘I’m With Stupid’), the global fear of terrorism (‘Luna Park’) or the joys of hedonistic gay life (‘The Sodom and Gomorrah Show’), it’s a return to their brilliant mix of dramatic ballads and stunning electro-pop disco anthems, all set to stylish, articulate and poetic lyrics. So this gig should raise the roof. The only drawback is that this is a seated concert, making it a tad hard to dance to the never-ending list of hits they are certain to play, from their very first single ‘West End Girls’ to later floor fillers like ‘Home and Dry’ and all points in between. But don’t let that put you off. As the boys sing on ‘The Sodom and Gomorrah Show’: ‘It’s got everything you need for your complete entertainment and instruction. It’s a once in a lifetime production...’ (Willem de Blaauw) RAI, 20.15, €43-€47.50.

Pop/Rock: Jesse Malin Don’t make the mistake of confusing Jesse Malin with Ryan Adams. Or Bruce Springsteen, the Replacements, or any of his other soundalike influences, for that matter. Though he’s been affiliated with all of the above in recent years, Malin has emerged a unique character, reinventing himself from glam-punk youngster to altrock darling over the course of his career. The one constant force through the years has been his devotion to his hometown of New York, an allegiance which has permeated his singing and songwriting to the core. His new album title, Glitter in the Gutter, mirrors that Oscar Wilde quote—‘We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars’—and this latest batch of songs recalls the Irish author’s droll wit. Malin is certainly less scandalous overall, but he’s duly obtained modern-day storyteller status in his own right. (Stephanie Shewchuck) Melkweg, Oude Zaal, 21.00, €14 + membership.

WEDNESDAY 23 MAY Rock: Shellac Steve Albini was credited as a producer on so many cool punk and indie rock albums—notably Surfer Rosa by The Pixies—that Kurt Cobain asked him to engineer the sound for In Utero, the follow up to Nirvana’s mega-seller Nevermind. After that, rock’s elite was convinced and, one by one, the big names started to drop by in his Chicago Studio, from Jimmy Page and Robert Plant to, recently, The Stooges and Sonic Youth. Albini creates a live, in-your-face sound through his slickly detailed knowledge of microphones and obscure electronic gear. Even on stage with his rock trio Shellac, he’s known to elaborate on his guitars and amplifiers. Talking with the audience he appears droll and friendly in between, but in the songs themselves Albini and his band create a sonic underworld that’s relentlessly menacing, with vigorous drum grooves, hypnotic bass patterns and guitars like drill hammers. Supporting Shellac tonight are slowcore trio Tall Firs. (Marinus de Ruiter) Paradiso, Grote Zaal, 19.30, €15 + membership.

Film: Netherlands Transgender Film Festival Gender studies students: calm down and form an orderly queue, please. It’s that time in the calendar for the biennial jamboree of all things intersexual. And, just like the category ‘gender’ itself, the term ‘film festival’ is woefully restrictive—this time round there are debates and live performances, although the cinematic matter is still at the core. Noteworthy screenings this year include Between the Lines: India’s Third Gender, a documentary on hijras (third-sexers) accompanied by a photo exhibition on the same theme at the Lloyd Hotel. On 25 May, there’s a barnstorming party called Hormonotron at Pakhuis Wilhelmina, with DJs Lupe, Zubrovka, Elle Bandita and Martin Duvall, and performances from Lynnee Breedlove of legendary Riot Grrl group Tribe 8, plus some Berlin drag kings who will be breaking down the prison walls of gender dichotomy. (And getting a fair few girls and/or boys in a tizzy.) There’s also Trans-experimentals, a programme of shorts—always worth dipping into, as you never know whether you’ll pull out a plum or a turkey. But this festival is most noteworthy for the fact that it always manages to slip a high-profile guest under the radar. This year it’s Kate Bornstein, author of the (very good indeed) book Gender Outlaw, which was read as a kind of manifesto for the new millennium when it was published in 1995. At the festival, she’ll be performing her one-woman show On Men, Women and the Rest of Us and taking part in the panel discussion ‘Get Me My Gender Rights!’. This will be one worth seeing, as Bornstein always has something worth saying. See www.transgenderfilmfestival.com for the full programme. (Kim Renfrew) De Balie, various times. Until 27 May.

Send details and images for listing consideration at least two weeks in advance to agenda@amsterdamweekly.nl.

Amsterdam Weekly

17-23 May 2007

11 Puts the doggy-paddle to shame...

The first book I ever wrote was called In Praise of Primates. I spent two years photographing apes and monkeys. While I was photographing, I got a very strong sense of how genetically linked we are.

Chimpanzees are more than ninety-eight percent genetically the same as people.

What I set out to do was to produce photographs which show that link, in hopes of discouraging people from seeing animals as beings which have no feelings.

The moment people see a lack of sentience in other creatures, they feel quite justified in abusing them and denying them basic rights. One of the important things about the exhibition is recognising that the world is filled with other living beings who might be, in some respect, different from us, but in other respects, they have a great deal of similarities, which essentially means that they feel and suffer too.

An exhibition of untamed images brings the wide open plains of nature to the middle of the urban jungle.

INTO THE BELLY OF THE BEAST PHOTOGRAPHY Spirit of the Wild Westermarkt, 19 May - 24 July

By Mark Wedin

Wildlife photographer Steve Bloom travels to all parts of the globe, capturing the most pristine animal life on the planet.

His next stop: Amsterdam, where he brings his latest exhibition, Spirit of the Wild. Located outdoors and accessible to anyone, it boasts 100 large, extraordinary images which capture exactly what the exhibition’s title suggests. With a calm, relaxed voice, Bloom sits back, and shares stories behind a few of the photos.

What was it like swimming with that elephant in India?

I’ve swum with dolphins, I’ve seen the mountain gorillas in the Moringa mountains in the Democratic Republic of Congo, and it certainly compares to those experiences. It’s humbling. It gives you a sense of your place on this earth. It’s a

very uplifting experience. It’s not merely an adrenaline rush—though it is quite dangerous. I had to swim very close to the elephant. The water’s very dense, you need a fish eye wide angle lens in order to get through the density of the water. So I was only a few centimetres away from the elephant’s legs, trying to swim under him, while looking straight up. He’s kicking his legs and obviously they came very close to the camera.

I tried to give some pictures of him coming towards the camera. But he was watching me all the time. As he came towards me, he moved his head away to make sure there wasn’t any contact. This is not just any elephant. I had to make sure that this was an elephant who’s comfortable with human beings, who’s not stressed, and is very happy swimming in the water.

Your portrait of a lion family prowling in Kenya—is that as dangerous as it appears?

No. Generally, when you’re photographing big cats in Africa, you’re inside a car. The

lion perceives you in the same way as, I suppose, if you go to the zoo and you see a lion behind the cages. You feel a sense of safety. Psychologically, you know that the lion cannot get out and threaten you. I think when you’re inside the car, the lion, I’m convinced, feels very much the same way. They feel that you’re somehow enclosed, somehow separated from them, which is not threatening, so they carry on with their normal behaviour. If I would’ve gotten out of the car, that could’ve been very dangerous. The lions would most likely have run away. But there’s a risk that they might attack. So it’s always best to stay inside the car.

How’d you find the polar bear mother with her young cubs in Manitoba, Canada?

With a great deal of difficulty. It took two weeks. The temperature was forty-nine degrees below zero, Celsius—the coldest I’ve ever encountered. No matter how many clothes you’ve got on, you’re still chilled and it’s extremely dangerous. I had arranged to stay in a lodge in Churchill, northern Canada, out in the middle of nowhere. We went out every day looking for polar bears until we found this bear who had just emerged from her den with her babies. It was the first time the babies had seen the sun and light and people.

Your photo of a chimpanzee holding his hand out in the rain seems to suggest a human sense of wonder. What do you see in this image?

I certainly see a human sense of wonder.

The photos in the exhibition are culled from the past twelve years of your work. In that time, have you witnessed a decrease in natural animal habitats?

Absolutely. One example: orangutans.

Only two weeks after photographing them, loggers appeared, destroying the rain forest, chopping down all the trees for wood. All those areas were replaced with palm oil plantations which is totally and utterly removed from the natural habitat of the orangutan. There’s a severe danger that orangutans will become extinct very, very soon. Another example: I was in Antarctica and I saw the world’s largest iceberg, the size of Belgium, or it certainly was then. It was floating freely. I think that is most probably caused by global warming. As a result, the penguins’ access to the sea was blocked, meaning it was that much harder for them to go out to sea to find fish to feed their chicks.

There are so many ways in which things are changing and massively impacting the wildlife.

Considering how man treats his environment, do you have much hope for the planet?

I try to remain optimistic. But I think we have a very difficult situation. Things are rapidly becoming out of control. Some people say they’re already out of control.

I really don’t know the answer. I don’t think anybody knows the answer. We’ve become so dependent on our ways of living. I think the first step is to be conscious of the issues and then to act accordingly.

Any places on the planet you’re eager to see next?

Oh, there’re lots of places. It’s kind of like a big beach and I’ve only found a few grains of sand.

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Amsterdam Weekly

17-23 May 2007

Antibalas, see Friday

MUSIC Send listing suggestions at least two weeks in advance to agenda@amsterdamweekly.nl

Thursday 17 May Electro rock: Black Cab All the way from Australia, this bunch mix raw guitars with pulsing electronics.

Paradiso, Kleine Zaal, 20.00, €8 + membership Pop/Rock: The Fray Overwrought radio-friendly piano pop. If Keane sent you reaching for the noose, wait till you hear this lot. Paradiso, Grote Zaal, 20.00, sold out Rock: Turbonegro You can say what you like about these Norwegian guitar freaks, but you can’t knock their love of rock ’n’ roll. All about the big riffs and hard-hitting drums, their catalogue of works regularly pays homage to the likes of AC/DC, The Ramones, The Stooges and Black Sabbath. As politically minded party lovers, they’re in town previewing tracks from upcoming album Retox. Support from The Mighty Roars. Melkweg, The Max, 20.30, €18.50 + membership

Friday 18 May Classical: Lunch Concert Students from the Conservatorium van Amsterdam. Bethaniënklooster, 12.30, free Opera: Die Gezeichneten Often regarded as the successor to Strauss and Wagner, Franz Schreker was one of the most influential Austrian composers of the early 20th century—at least until his works were banned by the Nazis. This opera, penned around the outbreak of WWI, draws on those infamous Wagnerian dramatic influences, but its lush masses of sound also feature impressionist colouring and Italian bel canto, pushing him to the forefront of contemporary opera when it premiered in 1918. Het Muziektheater, 19.30, €20-€100 Classical: Academy of the Begijnhof Performing Henry Purcell’s Dido and Aeneus. English Reformed Church, 20.15, €15 Classical: Maarten Koningsberger & Kelvin Grout Baritone and piano duo performing French works.

Concertgebouw, Kleine Zaal, 20.15, €27.50

Jazz: 3xLive A miniature festival for the adventurous listener. Featuring sets from Duo Koleva / Van Otterloo, Spoon 3 and The Industrial Jazz Group. Bimhuis, 21.00, €14 Rock: Gary Lucas & Gods and Monsters Progressive guitar work from the left-field musician who’s probably better known for his time in Captain Beefheart and for co-writing with Jeff Buckley. As Gods and Monsters, you can expect an enticing dose of psychedelic art rock, following on from their recent album Coming Clean, which features Ernie Brooks (Modern Lovers), Billy Ficca (Television), Jonathan Kane (Swans), Jason Candler (Hungry March Band) and Joe Hendel on trombone. Melkweg, Oude Zaal, 21.00, €20 + membership Pop/Rock: Subbacultcha! Getting properly retro with the Oops-A-Daisies before some one-man bizarreness from Major B. Then there’s the danceable rock mix from Doctor Schnitt. Bitterzoet, 21.00, €6 Singer-songwriter: Claudia SanSoucie, Karyn Oliver Bluesy folk performers from the US. Skek, 21.30, free

Sierra Maestra World: Sierra Maestra Named after the Cuban mountain range, this outfit formed in 1976 in an effort to revive 1920s classic son. With a catalogue of 15 albums, their success can’t be questioned, and former band leader Juan de Marcos Gonzalez went on to form the Afro-Cuban All Stars. KIT Tropentheater, 20.30, €20 Rock: Y & T Hard rockin’ oldies. Formed in 1974, they’ve been knocking out the riffs longer than most.

In fact, they go so far back, they were even innovators of hard rock at one point. Melkweg, Oude Zaal, 20.30, €25 + membership

Soul/Hiphop: Ben Westbeech Funky hiphop and rapid-fire sample cuts from the English multi-instrumentalist. Paradiso, Kleine Zaal, 23.00, €15 + membership

World: Antibalas Afrobeat big band-style. Based in Brooklyn, this rhythmic beast is modelled on the same principles of Fela Kuti’s Africa 70 band, melding elements of jazz, funk and dub with traditional African and Cuban drumming. Bitterzoet, 21.00, €10

Electro rock: MeloManics Exuberant electro trio, tonight launching their new album The Grey Light. Paradiso, Grote Zaal, 23.30, €8

Pop: Cassette A first European tour for the mainstream South African act. Café Pakhuis Wilhelmina, 21.00, €7.50

Amsterdam Weekly

17-23 May 2007 Pop/Rock: Dox Family Night Yet another family affair down at the factory. Always eclectic, but always fairly fascinating, as well as entertaining, tonight’s Dox presentation features sets from Roos, Andy Birnbaum Spass, The Scallymatic Orchestra and Pamela. The DJ party will be left to the Easy Aloha’s and Rednose Distrikt spinners. Sugar Factory, 21.00, €9 Rock: Gasoline Concerts Sets from Kitty Contana and Dirty Jacket. OT301, 21.00, €5 Contemporary: Mondriaan Kwartet After innovating in the realms of contemporary, jazz and electronic music for 25 years, the challenging quartet are marking their quarter century with a programme inspired by three Edison inventions: ‘electricity’, ‘light’ and ‘sound’. Working with these themes, they’ll perform world premieres by David Dramm and Huba de Graaff, plus George Crumb’s Black Angels from 1970. See Short List. Bimhuis, 21.00, €14

Classical: Nederlands Philharmonisch Orkest It’s always a big deal when renowned Chinese composer and conductor Tan Dun comes to town, so his concerts with the Philharmonic this week are going to be popular. Musically, expect a percussive affair, featuring Dun’s Paper Concerto and the Dutch premiere of Out of Peking Opera. Works by Borodin and De Falla complete the programme. Concertgebouw, Grote Zaal, 20.15, €30 World: Mohammed Reza Shajarian Ensemble Iranian singing legend. KIT Tropentheater, 20.30, sold out Jazz: Silje Nergaard Bar room lounge jazz. It’s a seated show so bring your own pillow. Paradiso, Grote Zaal, 20.30, €20 + membership Hiphop/Jazz: CrimeJazz Hiphop, folk, nu-soul and jazz with an appreciation for poetry and spoken word.

Tonight falls under the umbrella of the Amsterdam Literary Festival. Bitterzoet, 21.00, €8

Big band: New Cool Collective You’ve seen them blaze a trail on the big stages. You’ve seen them work some even hotter moves on the small stages. So much for being cool. Well, Benjamin Herman and his big band boys have captured the best moments from their many sets in Rotown, Sugar Factory and Melkweg, compiling them for the band’s new live album, which they’ll launch tonight. See Short List. Paradiso, Grote Zaal, 21.00, €12.50 + membership Rock: The Church Of SubGenius Freakishness from The Cassandra Complex (UK), Code9, Turmorchestra and Fckng Bstrds. See Short List. Winston Kingdom, 21.00, €8 Hiphop: De La Soul Good-time summery hiphop from the influential New York outfit. It may be 18 years since their critically acclaimed hit ‘hippy’ album 3 Feet High and Rising was released but they’re as cool onstage as ever. Special guest for the gig is Prince Paul, the DJ and producer behind their first three albums. See Short List. Melkweg, The Max, 21.30, €20 + membership Singer-songwriter: Ramon van Geytenbeek Skek, 21.30, free Pop: De Nieuwe Blijdschap When Dutch trios go bad. Or good. These guys are just a tad too happy to judge whether they’re serious or seriously trippin’. Paradiso, Kleine Zaal, 22.00, €6.50 + membership Rock: The Stonetown Frogs Rock ’n’ roll and rockabilly. Maloe Melo, 22.00, €5

Saturday 19 May Festival: Rebellion Festival Punk and hardcore feast where the punker teens get a chance to stand alongside legends from the ’70s and ’80s scene.

Today there are sets from the likes of The Exploited, UK Subs, Chelsea and Goldblade. Melkweg, 12.00, €30 + membership Classical: Het Prinse Kwartet Performing with young mezzo-soprano Margriet van Reisen. Noorderkerk, 14.00, €10 Classical: Radio Filharmonisch Orkest Performing works by Liszt, Gubaidulina and Scriabin; conducted

by Gennadi Rozhdestvenski. Concertgebouw, Grote Zaal, 14.15, €19/€26 Singer-songwriter: Hanne Hukkelberg Sassy Norwegian who layers her folky acoustic pop with jazz swing.

Paradiso, Kleine Zaal, 19.00, €8 + membership Soul: Diana Ross Reach out and touch somebody’s hand: The Boss is back in town (and we don’t mean Bruce Springsteen). Ahoy, Rotterdam, 20.00, €5575

programme, joining the orchestra in renditions of works of by Satie, Milhaud, Ford and Stravinsky. Concertgebouw, Grote Zaal, 15.00, €20 Contemporary: Aurelia Saxofoon Kwartet Performing a portrait of Dutch composer Jacob ter Veldhuis, including the world premiere of ‘Believer’. Muziekgebouw, 15.00, €15

Jazz: Jean-Michel Pilc Trio Expect some sparkling piano virtuosity as this Frenchman presents his new album New Dreams to an appreciative Bimhuis crowd.

Completing the trio are bassist Thomas Bramerie and drummer Mark Mondesir. Bimhuis, 21.00, €16 Punk: Punkerherrie Angsty hardcore and punk from Visions of War (BE), Staathaat and Warcry (US).

OCCII, 21.00, €5 World: Drikusman, Mdungu Latin grooves and Brazilian beats from Drikusman. Mdungu specialise in West African inspired music. KHL Koffiehuis, 21.30, €5 Singer-songwriter: Graham Rix Australian songwriter, not the English former footballer. Skek, 21.30, free Rock: +/- American indie band formed by James Baluyut and Patrick Ramo, formerly of Versus. Like their previous outfit, the music can be lulling and pretty before taking off to be occasionally thrilling and energetic, mixing guitars, soothing melodies and electronics. Paradiso, Kleine Zaal, 22.00, €7 + membership Rock: The Bugs Dutch punks from the ’70s, back in their spiritual home. Paradiso, 22.00, free

Sunday 20 May Classical: Radio Kamer Filharmonie Works by Van Wassenaer, Locatelli and Beethoven. Conducted by Frans Brüggen. Concertgebouw, Grote Zaal, 11.00, €14 Festival: Rebellion Festival Punk and hardcore feast with sets from Conflict, Subhumans, Deadline, Hardskin and many more. Melkweg, 12.00, €30 + membership Opera: Die Gezeichneten (See Friday) Het Muziektheater, 13.30, €20-€85

Rock: Slint A reformation from the pre-post rockers, performing their most lauded masterpiece Spiderland.

See Short List. Paradiso, Grote Zaal, 20.30, €20 + membership

Classical: Byreine Consortium Works by Mendelssohn, Vivaldi and Janácek. English Reformed Church, 15.15, €8 Festival: B-Connected Five countries, one concert. BConnected is back in Amsterdam, promising tunes from Yes-R, Nina, Zuluboy (South Africa), Rah P (Tanzania), Gio and Caprice, as well as live link-ups and musical exchanges with stages in Tanzania, South Africa, Hungary and Ethiopia. Hotel Arena, 16.00, €10 Rock: 13th Savage Garage Trash Fest Raucous rock ’n’ roll from Jay Reatard (US), The Intelligence (US), The Heart Attacks (US), The Quotes, Boston Chinks (US) and The Make Outs (Sweden) Patronaat, Haarlem, 18.00, €12.50 Singer-songwriter: Christy Moore & Declan Sinnott A rich dose of Irish folk. Carré, 20.00, €32-€41

Jean-Michel Pilc Trio

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Jazz: Morvin Music Night An eclectic evening of jazz presented by the non-profit record label. Guests include Talking Cows, Robinson, Freitag & Caruso, Di Gojim and Saxmaniac. Bimhuis, 20.00, €14 Classical: Martha Argerich & Nelson Freire When master pianists collide. Nelson Freire is a Brazilian whizz, while Argentine Martha Argerich is a living legend. Tonight they’re performing piano faves by Mozart, Schumann, Rachmaninov, Lutoslawski, Debussy and Ravel. Concertgebouw, Grote Zaal, 20.15, €65 Classical: Rubens Quartet Album launch for Memories and Reflections featuring works by Hans Kox. Concertgebouw, Kleine Zaal, 20.15, €21.50 Pop: Kasper van Kooten Best known for comic TV appearances and cabaret work, Van Kooten and his band play it just a little more seriously tonight, performing songs from his fourth album Zangzaad.

Meervaart, 20.30, €16 Singer-songwriter Evening: Featuring Vanessa Peters (US), Tom Mank & Sera Jane Smolen (US) and Mike Alviano (Canada). KHL Koffiehuis, 20.30, €5 Experimental: Nadja, Fear Falls Burning Drone rock aneurysms as Canadian rockers Nadja launch their split album with gentler Belgian brethren Fear Falls Burning. Also billed are FR.RO.ST. OCCII, 21.00, €6 Jazz: Network Of Stoppages The new endeavour from trumpeter Sanne van Hek. Sugar Factory, 21.00, €8.50 Jazz: Pär Lammers Trio A classic jazzy piano trio.

Badcuyp, Bovenzaal, 21.00, €5

Hooverphonic Pop: Hooverphonic Ten years ago, thanks to their debut album A New Stereophonic Sound Spectacular with its trip-hop vibe, Hooverphonic were being touted as Belgium’s answer to Portishead. While they have expanded their repertoire quite a bit since, they’re marking the anniversary with a club tour, performing the album in full each night. Melkweg, Oude Zaal, 21.00, €14 + membership Heavy: Muziek Kapot Moet! Contemporary rock goodies for those sick of all the crap on the radio.

White Mice come from Providence and make such a brutal noise it sounds like they’re eating their way out of your stomach. Der Wexel & Billy.N deal in experimental drone soundscapes. And then there’s the brain splattering grindcore of Germany’s Bolz’n. OCCII, 21.00, €5 Experimental: DNK-Amsterdam Electro-acoustic live sets. Tonight’s key guest is Jeff Carey, performing an electronic piece for four speakers. DBO, featuring sax player Dirk Bruinsma, will also be performing three structured improvisations. OT301, 21.30, €4

Tuesday 22 May Rock: Chris Cornell So Audioslave are done then?

Phew! It’s one thing being loud and knocking out a groove but you’ve gotta at least have something to say—something Audioslave never did. The next question is: what does Cornell have to say now that he’s solo? His post-Soundgarden material was never much to get excited about, so what then? Something softer?

Something more soulful? Quite possibly just more of the same. So how long till a Soundgarden revival?

Melkweg, The Max, 20.00, €37.50 + membership Classical: Feest in het Orgelpark Popular classics by Poulenc, Handel, Bach, Saint-Saëns, Ravel and Grieg.

Orgelpark, 20.15, €12.50

Soul: Solomon Burke & The Souls Alive Band Singer, songwriter, spiritual leader and undertaker, Burke was a member of the R&B pantheon who recorded for Atlantic Records in the 1960s. Not the most mobile of blokes, but still, you don’t hear a voice like this every day. Patronaat, Haarlem, 21.00, €35

Pop: Pet Shop Boys It’s not quite go west this time, more like go south, as the old pop tarts head to RAI, one of the most austere theatres in town. Still promoting their newest album Fundamental—which is actually a year old already—they’re prone to playing hits from right across their career. See Short List. RAI, 20.15, €43-€47.50

Monday 21 May

Classical: De Nederlandse Bachvereniging Mozart?

Who’s he? Rembrandt? A fading memory of 2006. For the cool classical kids, it’s the year of Dieterich Buxtehude, who was born 300 years ago. So get your Baroque on and get down to the organ vibes of the German-Danish maestro. Muziekgebouw, 20.30, €22.50

Classical: Amsterdam Bridge Ensemble Performing pieces by Frank Bridge and Benjamin Britten.

Bethaniënklooster, 15.00, €15

Singer-songwriter: Ben Weaver, Dawn Landes Indie folk pop from New Yorker Landes and gruff dramas from gravel-voiced Weaver. Paradiso, Kleine Zaal, 20.00, €7.50 + membership

Classical: Amsterdams Symfonie Orkest Con Brio Violist Susanne van Els is central to this afternoon’s

Classical: Nederlands Philharmonisch Orkest (See Saturday) Concertgebouw, Grote Zaal, 20.15, €30

Pop/Rock: Oi Va Voi Oy vey! Experimental Yiddish

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Amsterdam Weekly dance rock. Paradiso, Grote Zaal, 20.30, €14 + membership

17-23 May 2007

CLUBS Thursday 17 May One Men—One Mic Hiphop night with Tim, Nuclear Family, Eenheid and Ceebass, plus special guest Wudstik. Hotel Arena, 21.30-03.30, €7.50

Oi Va Voi Pop/Rock: Jesse Malin Middle-of-the-road rock from the former D Generation frontman. He’s continually linked to Ryan Adams but Malin seems to prefer power pop to rootsy rock. See Short List. Melkweg, Oude Zaal, 21.00, €14 + membership Pop/Rock: The Midway State Soulful piano loving Canadians. Admittedly they sound like they’re soundtracking generic sad scenes from teen movies, but at least a Keane comparison isn’t valid. Paradiso, Kleine Zaal, 21.30, €6 + membership

Wednesday 23 May Classical: Lunch Concert Students from the Conservatorium van Amsterdam. Concertgebouw, Kleine Zaal, 12.30, free Opera: Die Gezeichneten (See Friday) Het Muziektheater, 19.30, €20-€85

Glow House night with sets from Skitzofrenix, Marc Benjamin, Kenneth G and many more. Panama, 22.00-03.00, €12.50 Hemelvaarts’ Dixo Eclectic Dixo tunes. Live music tonight comes from The Tuckers, some young lads from Northern England with typically indie influences.

Club Meander, 22.00-03.00, €4 Donkey Kong Pop and electro as DJs Wannabeastar and Sanyi unleash their new night. Flex Bar, 22.0004.00, €5 Wildvreemd Outlandish electro and live performances. Sugar Factory, 23.00-05.00, €8 Make Some Noise Big name dance event for Amnesty International. Guests include: Ferry Corsten, Armin van Buuren, Marco V, Marcel Woods and others. Heineken Music Hall, 23.00-late, €27.50 Poptrash Three decades’ worth of rock, electro and hiphop with The Punchout DJs. Melkweg, The Max, 23.00-late, €5 ¿Que Pasa? Latin-crossover night with reggae, folk, ska, punk and mestizo, with tonight marking the popular night’s fifth birthday. Melkweg, Oude Zaal, 23.00-late, €7

Friday 18 May Extravers Minimal techno and electro meets art and performance. Tonight’s DJ team includes The Vandals and Renzo. Club 8, 22.00-04.00, €7.50 Reel Big Fish Rock: Reel Big Fish They’ve been playing together since the early ’90s and, like Less Than Jake, are probably still better known for their infectious ska punk cover repertoire rather than their own songwriting. But that’s not such a terrible thing in a scene where your live show matters more than your recorded output, especially when they execute it so well. Besides, this bunch always wear their humour on their sleeve; their upcoming disc is called Monkeys for Nothin’ and the Chimps for Free. Melkweg, The Max, 19.30, €16 + membership Rock: Shellac Producer Steve Albini’s long running noise rock monster. Support from Brooklyn’s hypnotic electric folk outfit Tall Firs. See Short List. Paradiso, Grote Zaal, 19.30, €15 + membership Classical: Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment An authentic trip back to the 17th century; led by violinist Rachel Podger. Concertgebouw, Grote Zaal, 20.15, €40 World: Sara Tavares Sultry and smooth soul grooves from the Portuguese/Cape Verdean singing sensation who’s enjoyed a massive international breakthrough with her album Balancê. Concertgebouw, Kleine Zaal, 20.15, €27.50 Punk: Gehakdag With hardcore hand Smash the Statues and more. Maloe Melo, 21.00, €5 Pop/Rock: Mashtizo Fully mashed Latin, gypsy, reggae, punk party. It’s an international affair tonight with sets from Aussie experimentalist Made For Chickens

By Robots, New Zealand’s surf-garage noise monger The Mysterious Tapeman, and klezmer punk from Geoff Berner. Winston Kingdom, 21.00, €5 Pop/Rock: Club 3voor12 Live radio and TV session featuring sets from Charlie Dée, Aux Raus and The Ponys. Desmet Studios, 22.00, free, tickets: www.3voor12.nl Pop/Rock: Shane Shu Eclectic beats and melodies from the international traveller. Imagine Beck in his best pop mood. Café Pakhuis Wilhelmina, 22.00, €5 Rock: Subbacultcha! It’s been a long time coming, but independent promoter Subbacultcha! is finally ready to step into a regular Paradiso slot, alongside the weekly shows in Bitterzoet, De Nieuwe Anita and Patronaat. Tonight’s trio of live bands includes The Teenagers, offering up an array of indietronica, Bonne Aparte, some guitar playing noise lovers who are probably quite ecstatic to be in the presence of Shellac tonight, and The Stutters, who just happen to have mastered all the rock ’n’ roll moves. Oh, and the zZz leatherettes will be DJing. Paradiso, Kleine Zaal, 22.00, €6

Poussez! Label night With DJs Yellow (Paris), Darko Esser, Mood Engineering, Pitto and Brent Roozendaal.

11, 22.30-04.00, €12 Jazzdance NL Sounds like some wicked jazz fun. Paradiso, 23.00-04.00, €12.50 De Revolutie Clubhouse, funk and hiphop. Odeon, 23.00-05.00, €13 The Basement Hiphop, R&B and soul from DJs Waxfiend, MBA, Qlick and Lady S. Melkweg, The Max, 23.59-late, €15 + membership

Saturday 19 May Notopia The late night beach party that’s always creative, cosy and diverse. Blijburg, 21.00-late, €5 Club Rascal The indie dance sensation. From jaggy guitar rock to beat-driven indie, Dash and BX deliver it all. Club 8, 21.30-04.00, €5 Pret! Modern hits versus classics. There’s also a set from Babette Labeij. Club Meander, 22.00 -04.00, €4 StarTek: The Tribotic Edition Futuristic grooves from DJ Renzo, the Boterdiep crew, The Beamers and Alberto de Souza. De Kring, 22.00-04.00, €7 Fightclub Underground sounds from around the world. DJs include Kavinsky (Paris), Rentboy (Antwerp), Nixon, Kid Rêve and Meneer de Beer. Flex Bar, 22.00-05.00, €9 Teleskope With Mark August (live), and DJs Edo Salgado and Olaf. 11, 22.30-04.00, €12 Beatbox Eclectic beats from Don Diablo, Groove Brothers, Goodgrip and others. Panama, 23.00-04.00, €15 Disco Kandi A Hed Kandi Latin house event featuring Miss Kelly Marie (UK), John Jones (UK) & Steven Quarré, Ricky Rivaro and Dennis de Ruyer, plus live music, acts and surprises. Hotel Arena, 23.00 04.00, €25 Freshest Kids Hiphop from Danny de Funk, Lil Vic and De Reiger. Bitterzoet, 23.00-04.00, €7.50 Passion vs Exprezz House and electro from DJs Angelo, Stefano Richetta and others. Odeon, 23.0005.00, €10 Sessions A Ministry of Sound special with tunes spun

by Erick E, Dom Chung, Mark Hughes, Lucien Foort, Stef Vrolijk and Baggi Begovic. The Powerzone, 23.0005.00, €15 Trance Orient Express An out-of-this-world trance trip. Ruigoord, 23.00-late, €10 Über Alles With Parra, RFH Delfos, Typhus Hideous &

Amsterdam Weekly

17-23 May 2007 Minx Pilots and Eva Braun. Studio 80, 23.00-late, €7.50 Bassline Including a showcase for Salah Edin.

Paradiso, 23.59-04.00, €12 Gemengd Zwemmen Two rooms of swimmingly diverse noise. In The Max it’s all about the classic punk and ’80s wave; in the Oude Zaal it’s indie dance, pop and rock faves. Melkweg, 23.59-late, €8

Sunday 20 May

Saturday 19 May Danserette Saturday night glitterball action from the kitsch party crew. Their current floor-filler? Dolly’s incomparable anthem of the working classes, ‘9 to 5’.

Akhnaton, 21.00-02.00, €7.50 Eyes Need Sugar A Laughing Buddha Events production, direct from Paris and featuring DJs Wild and K.I.S.S. from the city of romance and Nova and Rosso from the home turf. For gay people and their friends.

Sugar Factory, 23.00-05.00, €12

Super Sunday Featuring the likes of Erick E, Benny Rodrigues, Funkerman and Sidney Samson. Panama, 18.00-02.00, €15

Sunday 20 May

New Jack Classics Sunday swingbeat and R&B grooves. Odeon, 19.00-01.00, €12

Transgender Café On the cusp of the Transgender Film Festival, there should be brisk business tonight.

Organised by n00dles. Saarein, 17.00-00.00, free

Tempo Brazil Bossas, sambas and funky Brazilian electro, including a live set from Marcello Godoy e Grupo. Akhnaton, 20.00-02.00, €7.50 E.N.D. Electronation’s weekly Sunday night slot, featuring sets from Lauhaus, Melon and Michelle Sars.

Bitterzoet, 21.00-03.00, €5/€8 WickedJazzSounds Jazz, hiphop, broken beats, nujazz, funk and Afro sounds, as classic vinyl collides with live musicians. Sugar Factory, 23.00-05.00, €8.50

Monday 21 May Cheeky Monday A jungle and drum & bass night featuring players from the local and international scenes.

Winston Kingdom, 22.00-03.00, €6

Wednesday 23 May F*cking POP Queers Special Start the mid-week with DJs Manga, Claudette, Kmart and The Sophisticated Faders. Studio 80, 22.00-05.00, free before 00.00, €5 after

GAY& LESBIAN

STAGE Opening

Happy hour and bingo Cheap drinks from 17.00-19.00.

Then blow all the money you saved on a round of bingo, from 19.00-20.00 Saarein, 17.00-20.00, Vrouwenavond Popular, free night for lesbians and their friends. Café Sappho, 21.00, free Fashion Radio & Re-Disco-Very A clash of the titans with DJ Lupe & guests, Truus Trendy and the Re-discovery DJ crew. Studio 80, 23.00, €7.50

Kentering van een Huwelijk Theatre: Quality Time A sitcom-style black comedy about eccentric yuppie parents and their kids—spoilt brats but under-loved—who have to come to terms with the world their parents have created for themselves. In Dutch. De Brakke Grond, (Tues, Wed 20.30), €14 Festival: Dans voor Mei The fourth edition of this dance festival. This year, while De Engelenbak is the core location for evening performances, the overall theme is ‘Dance on Location’, with amateur dancers popping up in gardens, shops and banks. See www.dansweb.nl. De Engelenbak, (Wed from 16.00), various prices Theatre: Onderzeeër In this play by Marjolijn van Heemstra, the tale of a submarine captain who can’t decide whether he wants to navigate his vessel upwards or downwards serves as a metaphor for the ups and downs of life. In Dutch. Frascati, (Thur-Sat 21.00), €9 Music/Theatre: A Chorus Line Interpretation of the well-known Broadway musical, performed by Theatergroep Parbleu. In Dutch. Podium Mozaïek, (Thur-Sun 20.30, Sun also 14.30), €17.50 Performance: Exil-literatuur In collaboration with the Amsterdam Literary Festival, tonight’s theme is ‘art made in exile’, featuring the UK performance poet John Hegley. In English. Van Gogh Museum, (Fri 20.00), €10

Friday 18 May Lieg ik soms?

Theatre: Lieg ik soms? Inspired by the American documentary Paperclips, about a school project trying to fight prejudice but going terribly wrong. In all their goodwill, the participants lose track of what the aim of the project really is, and their search for tolerance and understanding ends up in mass hysteria. In Dutch.

Theater Bellevue, (Tues, Wed 12.30), €12

Music/Dance: Boxing Pushkin Presented by Studio for New Music Ensemble from Moscow and the Orkest de Ereprijs from the east of the Netherlands, this is a collaborative performance inspired by the life of Alexander Pushkin. Featuring 30 musicians, 15 dancers, one actress and six singers, it’s an inspired international work with choreography by Andrea Boll.

Muziekgebouw, 20.30, €15

Music/Theatre: A Clockwork Orange Burgess’ classic about bands and gangs and electrodes and asymmetrically applied eye-liner. This musical adaptation features an opera singer as well as Dutch art punk veterans The Ex. In Dutch. Stadsschouwburg, (Sun, Mon 20.15), €10-€20

Tuesday 22 May Movie Night Tonight’s film is the great John Waters’ masterpiece Pink Flamingos. Who will win the contest to be the filthiest people alive? PRIK, 19.00, free

Theater, (Fri, Sat 20.30, Sun 16.00), €9

Music/Theatre: WAHWAH Presenting literary pop magazine WAHWAH’s sixth edition. Dedicated to Jeff Buckley, the evening will feature performances by guitarist JB Meijers, René Sommer and Thomas Verbogt.

Rozentheater, (Sat 17.00), free

Furball Café DJs Big General and Bramsterdam play the meeting point for hairy Marys and those in pursuit of the hirsute. PRIK, 19.00-01.00, free

Tuesday 22 May Voidd Sessions Electro and techno with a live slant, as well as the usual supply of DJs. Winston Kingdom, 21.00-03.00, €6

Theatre: Kentering van een Huwelijk Following the recent rediscovery of his works, Hungarian Sándor Márai has come to be seen as one of past century’s most important writers, and the 2003 stage adaptation of his novel Gloed proved highly successful. In Kentering van een Huwelijk, set in Budapest’s wealthy milieu, Márai elaborates on one of his key themes: the decay of the upper classes. In Dutch. Stadsschouwburg, (Tues, Wed 20.15), €11.50-€22.50

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Theatre: Gen Director Johan Simons’ adaptation of Michel Houellebecq’s Les Particules Elementaires, a tale about a cold-hearted molecular biologist and his half brother who is obsessed with sex. It was selected for Het Theaterfestival in 2002 and has earned the three participating actors much critical acclaim. In Dutch. Stadsschouwburg, (Fri, Sat 20.15), €22.50 Dance: Plugged & Mighty Matpogo Dance performances choreographed by Giulia Mureddu. Melkweg

Theatre: Sukkels Two brothers go looking for happiness and end up burgling a house. Not only are they amateurs when it comes to bliss, but also at committing petty crime. And their guardian angel is new on the job, too. By Huis aan de Amstel. In Dutch.

Rozentheater, (Mon, Tues 20.00), €12.50

Ongoing Comedy: easyLaughs Comedy improv in English.

Two different shows every Friday night. CREA Muziekzaal, (Fri 20.30, 22.30), €10, €5 (late night) Theatre: Overwinteren Opium voor het Volk’s new production sees three old friends struggling with their personal lives, their careers and the fact that they’ve turned 30. In an endeavour to sort through it all, they lock themselves up in a house for a few weeks. An illustration of how well friendship can sometimes alleviate the nuisances of modern life. In Dutch.

Wibautstraat 150, (Thur-Sat, Wed 21.15), €12 Theatre: Mightysociety4 Part of a social consciousness-raising theatre project that’s been running for several years, this fourth installment is a political thriller about globalisation and personal happiness. In Dutch. Frascati, (Thur-Sat, Mon-Wed 21.00), €12 Theatre: De Eenzame Weg The Dutch premiere of Tg STAN’s new work, inspired by Arthur Schnitzler’s Aphorismen und Betrachtungen. In Dutch. De Brakke Grond, (Thur 20.30), €12 Theatre: Rok The setting is an English garden, the costumes Victorian robes, the soundtrack electric guitars, and the topic ‘women’. Suzan Boogaerdt and Bianca van der Schoot sharply analyse intrigues, secrets and the aggression of the fairer sex. Includes lady fights on kitten heels. In Dutch. Frascati, (Thur-Sat 20.30), €12 Theatre: Kwaad Bloed Rotterdam’s Lef present a play about friendship and betrayal amongst a group of adolescents. In Dutch. Rozentheater, (Thur 20.00), €7.50 Performance: Improfiësta Theatresport improv. In Dutch. CREA Theater, (Sat 20.30), €6

Amsterdam Weekly

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the Swedish botanist Carolus Linnaeus (1707-1778), who studied and worked in the Netherlands from 1735 to 1738. In collaboration with the National Herbarium Nederland, this exhibition provides an overview of depictions of flowers, mainly by Dutch artists or artists who worked in the Netherlands. Teylers Museum (Tues-Sat 10.00-17.00, Sun 12.00-17.00), Haarlem, until 3 June Brave New World Works by contemporary Spanish, Russian and Dutch artists, who level criticisms at Western society and its democratic system in a disturbing, ironic or sarcastic manner. Participating artists include El Perro (SP), AES+F (Russia) and the Dutch artists Marc Bijl, Jeroen Jongeleen and Renzo Martens. CoBrA Museum (Tues-Sun 11.00-17.00), until 3 June Sacha Weidner: Bleiben ist Nirgens Works by the young German photographer dealing with the basic elementary forces of human existence: beauty and decay, joy and fear, life and death. Foam (Sat-Wed 10.00-18.00, Thur, Fri 10.00-21.00), until 3 June

Pantelis Makkas, see Opening

ART Opening Hot and New Featuring works by Maartje Korstanje (sculptures), Yvonne Lacet (photography), Haukur Oskarsson (photography), Lotte Geeven (drawings), Jeroen Glas (sculptures) and Danielle van Vree (video installations). Mart House (Thur-Sat 13.00-18.00), opens Thursday, until 7 July Available (1) Works by Tomas Adolfs, Nathan Dilworth, Noa Giniger, Paul Haworth, Zilvinas Landzbergas, Monica Tormell, Robin Vanbesien and Sara ten Westenend. Plan B (Sat, Sun 13.00-17.00), opens Friday, until 27 May

Museums Mapping the City This group exhibition focuses on the relationship between artists and the city from 1960 to the present day. The show revolves around the way in which artists perceive urban space, with emphasis on the city as social community, its behaviour, poses and urban rituals. Participating artists include Doug Aitken, Francis Alÿs, Stanley Brouwn, Matthew Buckingham, Philip Lorca diCorcia and many more. Stedelijk Museum CS (Daily 10.00-18.00), closing Sunday Ten Klooster: A Man With Two Lives Showing over 50 works by the Indonesian-Dutch artist Ten Klooster, varying from paintings to wood engravings. Tropenmuseum (Daily 10.00-17.00), closing Sunday

Kael T Block: XXBoys A series of photo portraits documenting the new generation of transsexuals who’re making the transition from female to male. De Balie (Daily 10.00-01.00), opens Friday, until 28 May

Robert Capa: Retrospective Taking a broad look at the work of Robert Capa (1913-1954), the legendary war photographer and founder of modern photojournalism. His photos of the Spanish Civil War and D-Day are etched in everyone’s memory and have shaped our image of the 20th century. Joods Historisch Museum (Daily 11.00-17.00), closing Sunday

Miscellaneous The first exhibition of two up-andcoming Irish artists/designers: Conor Cronin and James Cullen. Having spent the last five months developing their newborn style and taking influences and experiences from their time in the Netherlands, their works focus on the use of urban space, organisation and social dialogue. Chiellerie (Thur-Sun, Wed 14.00-18.00), opens Friday, closing Thursday

Eva Besnyö: Unknown Photos Work by Eva Besnyö (1910-2003) has featured in countless publications and exhibitions. Yet after her death, many still unknown and previously unpublished photos were discovered in her archive. This exhibition presents a selection of these photos, underscoring her reputation as one of the greatest photographers in the Netherlands. Joods Historisch Museum (Daily 11.00-17.00), closing Sunday

Spirit of the Wild Following on from the successful Earth From Above outdoor exhibitions by Yann ArthusBertrand, huge prints by South African photographer Steve Bloom are going public in Amsterdam, showing dazzling shots of the planet’s wildlife. See article p.11.

Westermarkt (Daily), opens Friday, until 24 July

Joan Colom: El Raval A selection of work by the Spanish photographer, featuring 84 black-and-white pictures from 1958 to 1961, all taken during Colom’s nearly daily visits to Barcelona’s Barrio Chino district.

Known today as the Raval, the neighbourhood was once a centre of prostitution and crime. Foam (SatWed 10.00-18.00, Thur, Fri 10.00-21.00), closing Sunday

Rah Crawford: A Sassy Nation ‘Hip folk’ is the theme which inspires this latest batch of paintings from the American artist. Studio Apart (Wed 10.00-18.00, Thur 10.00-21.00, Fri 10.00-18.00, Sat 12.00-17.00), opens Saturday, until 15 July Pantelis Makkas: Daywatch / Nightwatch Two recent video installations: Blinds and Man About Crowd. Recently a resident at De Ateliers, the artist makes use of multiple screens and digital manipulations, helping to disorient the viewer. Stedelijk Museum Bureau Amsterdam (Tues-Sun 11.00-17.00), opens Sunday, until 8 July Prix de Rome.nl 2007 Awarded annually to a visual artist or architect under the age of 35, the Prix de Rome always carries prestige. The actual battle began last September, but now with the entrants whittled down to a mere ten, you can check out the entries from Sung Hwan Kim, Maartje Korstanje, Alon Levin, Pablo Pijnappel and Maaike Schoorel. The only catch is, for the first time ever, the remaining finalists are being shown at Witte de With in Rotterdam, so some travelling is needed to catch it all. See article p. 17. De Appel (Tues-Sun 11.00-18.00), opens Sunday, until 1 July Pom op het Menu A peak into the Suriname kitchen and the history of pom. It may spark memories or introduce you to new foodstuffs. Or it may just make you hungry. But hopefully, along with the images, there’ll be a chance to get involved and cook your own. See article p. 5. Imagine IC (Tues, Wed, Fri, Sat 11.00-17.00, Thur 11.00-21.00), opens Monday, until 15 July

Miriam Bäckström & Ursula Mayer Films by Austrian artist Mayer and Swedish artist Bäckström in collaboration with the Impakt Festival. Centraal Museum (Tues-Sun 11.00-17.00), Utrecht, until 28 May Hertzberger’s Amsterdam Definitely having attained éminence gris status, the architect Herman Hertzberger will be 75 this year. Displayed in this exhibition are the maquettes of all his Amsterdam projects, thus presenting a cityscape in miniature that shows not only the realised plans, but also unexecuted designs.

ARCAM (Tues-Sat 13.00-17.00), until 2 June Moderniteit in de Tropen: Architectuur in Nederlands-Indië In the beginning of the 20th century, architects working in the Dutch East Indies created a unique style that combined their Dutch background with local traditions and influences from modern American architecture. This collection features photographs, drawings and maquettes from Indonesia between 1850 and 1950. Nederlands Architectuurinstituut (Tues-Sat 10.00-17.00, Sun 11.00-17.00), Rotterdam, until 3 June Lucebert: Drawings Gouaches, drawings in Indian ink and works on paper in mixed media, dating from 1948 to 1993. There’s also an accompanying publication with text (in Dutch and English) by the Dutch author Cyrille Offermans. CoBrA Museum (Tues-Sun 11.00-17.00), until 3 June Flowers Under the Magnifying Glass: A Homage to Linnaeus A celebration of the 300th anniversary of

17-23 May 2007 the 19th century is the focal point of the exhibition.

Grandeur and temptation typify the atmosphere of these magnificent, luxurious Amsterdam fashion houses and department stores. From that time the Dutch elite could buy fashionable French clothes not only in Paris and Brussels, but also in Amsterdam— from huge, impressive shops with illuminated windows. Amsterdams Historisch Museum (Mon-Fri 10.00-17.00, Sat, Sun 11.00-17.00), until 26 August

Fashion Palaces 1880-1960

Enrico David: Chicken Man Gong A Docking Station installation by London-based artist Enrico David, which is a two-part work consisting of a gong and a display case. Stedelijk Museum CS (Daily 10.0018.00), until 10 June

Persia The St Petersburg Hermitage lends some of its dazzling collection of Persian art to Amsterdam. This exhibition includes antiquities of the Islamic period all through the end of the Qajar dynasty in 1925. Hermitage Amsterdam (Daily 10.00-17.00), until 16 September

Raimond Wouda: School The photographs in this exhibition were taken at secondary schools in the Netherlands. Yet remarkable is Wouda’s conscious choice to avoid capturing images from classes, instead focusing on places where the pupils relax between lessons. Foam (Sat-Wed 10.00-18.00, Thur, Fri 10.00-21.00), until 17 June

Amsterdam in de wereld—De wereld in Amsterdam A collection of immensely rare treasures owned by the Universiteit van Amsterdam, including handwritten scriptures, printed books, pictures and objects.

UvA: Special Collections Library (Mon-Fri 09.30-17.00), until 16 September

Testimony One of the most influential—and published—photojournalists, Nachtwey has spent more than 20 years visiting crisis areas like Rwanda, Afghanistan, Bosnia and Northern Ireland. This exhibition reflects his sense of responsibility to give a voice to victims. Foam (Sat-Wed 10.00-18.00, Thur, Fri 10.00-21.00), until 20 June Awoiska van der Molen: Maintained Ground Van der Molen photographs in and around cities that lack liveliness, to the point of leaving one feeling uncomfortable.

These works show an awkward world that has a strange atmosphere, carrying a theatrical tension. Foam (SatWed 10.00-18.00, Thur, Fri 10.00-21.00), until 20 June Van Gogh’s Friends This print room exhibition features drawings by artists from Van Gogh’s circle of friends. These include painters who later acquired fame, including Paul Gauguin and Henri ToulouseLautrec, but also others who unjustly remained lesser known, such as Hans Olaf Heyerdahl and Meijer de Haan. Van Gogh Museum (Mon-Thur, Sat, Sun 10.0018.00, Fri 10.00-22.00), until 8 July Summer in the Church While the winter programmes offer magnificent glances into distant cultures and insights into world religions, the Nieuwe Kerk offers up a summery alternative: a programme paying tribute to the church as a special monument in its own right, with many local treasures to admire. Nieuwe Kerk (Daily 10.00-17.00), until 16 July Genesis An examination of the similarities between art and science. While the two fields may have entirely different objectives, the results of their work on information look remarkably alike. Participating artists and scientists include Ad Dekkers, Mark Dion, Edo Dooijes, Erwin Driessens & Maria Verstappen, Charles & Ray Eames, Ed Emschwiller and George Gessert, amongst others. Centraal Museum (Tues-Thur, Sat, Sun 12.0017.00, Fri 12.00-21.00), Utrecht, until 12 August The Apocalypse of Max Beckmann A nice companion piece to the collection on display at the Van Gogh Museum, this series features 27 lithographs from the German expressionist, all inspired by the Biblical apocalypse. Featured are two versions: the series of original lithographs in black and white and the lithographs that Beckmann himself painted in watercolours. Bijbels Museum (Mon-Sat 10.00-17.00, Sun 11.00-17.00), until 19 August Max Beckmann in Amsterdam, 1937-1947 An extensive retrospective of the work produced by the artist during his years in Amsterdam. One of the most distinguished German artists of the 20th century, Beckmann fled to the city in 1937 after the Nazis had labelled his paintings Entartete Kunst. His works bear witness to his interest in the world of cabaret, Dutch landscape and life in Amsterdam, and works featured here include the four impressive triptychs ‘Carnival’, ‘Acrobats’, ‘The Actors’ and ‘Perseus’. Van Gogh Museum (Sat-Thur 10.00-18.00, Fri 10.00-22.00), until 19 August Dutch Eyes The relocated photography museum reopens with a broad overview of Dutch photography.

Nederlands Fotomuseum (Tues-Fri 10.00-17.00, Sat, Sun 11.00-17.00), Rotterdam, until 26 August Fashion Palaces 1880-1960 The emergence of the first chic fashion houses in Amsterdam at the end of

Oud Zeer Drawings and animations by Joep Bertrams, best known for his political commentaries in Het Parool. Persmuseum (Tues-Fri 10.00-17.00, Sun 12.00-17.00), until 23 September To See or Not to See Hortus celebrates the 300th birthday of Carl Linnaeus, the most famous botanist ever, who wrote his major works in Amsterdam. Hortus Botanicus (Mon-Fri 09.00-17.00, Sat, Sun 10.00-17.00), until 30 September Liberation Music: Songs After Five Years of Occupation A musical memorial to the emotional release that followed the end of the occupation in 1945.

Verzetsmuseum (Tues-Fri 10.00-17.00, Sat-Mon 12.0017.00), until 30 September Scenes and Traces A lengthy exhibition focussing on three parts of the Stedelijk Museum collection: design, video and photography. Stedelijk Museum CS (Daily 10.00-18.00), until 25 November

Galleries Be Cointreauversial Gallery With a theme of ‘Illustrate and Embody the Cointreauversial Woman’, this multi-location exhibition features famous photographs from GettyImages. Hosts to check out: Spoiled, Café Brix, Van Harte and Mendo. various locations, De 9 Straatjes various times Dark Mirror The differences between the actions of man and beast are not always as great as we like to think. This group exhibition of video art and film explores the relationship between our social conditioning and animal instincts, often depicting the prominence of human emotion and instinct over rational thought. Montevideo/Time Based Arts (Tues-Sat 13.00-18.00), closing Saturday Ingo Meller New works by the conceptual German painter. Slewe Gallery (Tues-Sat 14.00-17.00), closing Saturday Modern Solitude A group exhibition dealing with various facets of the modern individual’s solitary existence. These include the urge to inject meaning into life via spirituality, sexuality and physicality. Participants include Eylem Aladogan, Natalia Benedetti, Job Koelewijn, Gabriel Lester, Renzo Martens, Shana Moulton and Berend Strik. Galerie Fons Welters (TuesSat 13.00-18.00), closing Saturday Real Genuine Blend Celebrating the first birthday of the compact art space, Willum Geerts and Jan van der Ploeg present a sensory installation that extends to the outside of the HMPS, as well as the inside. See article p.XX. Horse Move Project Space (Fri-Sun 14.00-20.00), closing Sunday Save the Last Dance Works from the Gerrit Rietveld Academie’s graduating photography students.

P/////AKT (Thur-Sun 14.00-18.00), closing Sunday La forme des plats dans le monde Exhibition of 12 ceramic dishes made by international designers. Maison Descartes (Mon-Thur 10.00-18.00, Fri 10.00-17.00), closing Wednesday Polska Seven artists present a contemporary vision of Poland through photography, video and music. WM Gallery (Thur-Sat 14.00-18.00), until 26 May

Amsterdam Weekly

17-23 May 2007

Prix de Rome photographer Viviane Sassen, by seeking the shadows in the darkness, might just win the trophy.

EYES ON THE PRIZE FOR FOUR ARTISTS ART Prix de Rome De Appel and Witte de With (Rotterdam), 20 May-1 July

By Marinus de Ruiter

Never before has the final selection for Prix de Rome been so varied. On the shortlist for the prestigious art prize this year are sculptor Maartje Korstanje, video artist Sung Hwan Kim, painter and illustrator Claire Harvey and photographer Viviane Sassen. Next month, the jury will select a winner—meanwhile, the work of the can-

didates is being exhibited here in De Appel and at Witte de With in Rotterdam.

Originally, the Prix de Rome was a prize for painters. In 1985, other art forms were acknowledged as well, although kept strictly separate. Since 2005, though, there have been only two categories: architecture and art. Every four years an architect under 35 is rewarded, while an artist from the same age group is chosen every two.

Three of the four artists on the previous shortlist worked with moving images, and this year’s selection forces the jury to look even further beyond the original medium.

‘I’m glad to see such a diverse repre-

sentation of what art can be,’ says contender Sassen. The work of the Amsterdam-based photographer has always shifted between poles. Often, her images are not easily identifiable as either spontaneous or staged. Sassen makes very personal, artistic work, but even her photographs for commercial clients have the same haunting, ambiguous quality. In her advertising photographs for eccentric fashion companies like Prada and Alexander van Slobbe, models are positioned in visually deceptive ways, their bodies often appearing crooked and unnatural.

‘In my work I look for opposites— light and dark, order and chaos, exposure and concealment,’ says Sassen.

‘Generally, my work is about the curiousness for what is hidden. It’s about the desire to come really close to someone, but at the same time about the distance and the impossibility of doing that with photography.’

Her independent work exhibited for Prix de Rome emanated from her off-andon journeys through Africa in the last five years. Sassen documented the lives of youths in the townships of South Africa

17

Carrying his final home on his back...

and visited countries like Zambia, Uganda and also Kenya, where she lived as a child from the ages of two to five.

‘My first memories are from that time,’ says Sassen. ‘My father was a doctor in a village there. When I revisited the continent in recent years, I started making documentary photographs. My current series, made in the urban areas of Ghana, are more staged.

‘This work originated from my fascination with black people, to whom I felt so close as a child,’ Sassen continues.

‘I identified with them and I still feel at home with them, but at the same time I know I will always be an outsider.’

Sassen’s photographs from Africa are full of shadows, obscured faces and mysterious situations. ‘The ideas for my scenes are very intuitive,’ she says.

‘They are dream-like. In dreams, images can be formed in your mind from which you do not know the origin. It often takes time before you’re able to understand them.’

Jim Harris: Constructies en gebouwen Recent oil paintings from the English artist, exploring the theme of structures and building projects. Galerie Krijger + Katwijk (Wed-Sat 12.00-18.00), until 26 May Every Wind That Blows Video works by Kostana Banovic, Ergin Cavusoglu, Esra Ersen, Ivan Grubanov and Ahmet Ögöt, in which the artists present personal points of intervention regarding their past, present and cultural traditions. SMART Project Space (Tues-Sat 12.00-17.00), until 26 May Reality Check: Notes on Tourism Following a residency in Berlin last year, Delphine Bedel presents a series of photographs and texts in relation to three potential tourist sites: a natural viewpoint made popular after a famous painting of Caspar David Friedrich, an architecture complex, and a memorial located in former East Germany. Lumen Travo (Wed-Sat 13.0018.00), until 26 May The Day After Yesterday A solo exhibition by Slovakborn artist Roman Ondák. It features three new video and photo works, which try to engage the viewer in a dialogue about what might happen if one takes another route, both literally and metaphorically. bak (Wed-Sat 12.00-17.00, Sun 13.00-17.00), Utrecht, until 27 May Recyclage The artists in this exhibition reinvent cultural objects and artefacts to give them new meaning.

De Brakke Grond (Mon 13.00-18.00, Tues-Fri 10.0020.30, Sat, Sun 13.00-20.30), until 27 May Travels Through Paradise Got an idea of paradise?

No less than 55 hobbyists, designers, architects and artists have been asked to design their own pieces of paradise. The catch? None could be bigger than one metre, for the results were joined together to form a miniature landscape along which a model train journeys. Exhibition visitors, as though passengers on the train, can look out its window to view the mini paradise via projection. Platform 21 (Wed-Sat 12.00-21.00), until 27 May Abdelkader Belkhorissat Paintings by the Algerian artist. De Levante (Wed-Sun 13.00-17.30), until 27 May Paolo Sistilli: Alfabeto Immaginario Abstract paintings by the Italian artist. Feel Gallery (Thur, Fri 12.00-19.00, Sat 11.00-19.00, Sun 12.00-18.00), until 27 May Erotix: Red Threads of Passion Homoerotic artworks from Danish artists Knud Odde, Jens Birkemose and Peter Skovgaard. Galerie Jos Art (Tues-Sun 11.0017.30), until 30 May Marjolein Rothman: Iconography II The final segment in the Dutch painter’s exploration of iconography. In this batch, Rothman no longer just looks at the history of idols in paintings, but goes on to prove that, correctly following the rules, anyone can become a figurehead.

Motive Gallery (Wed-Sat 13.00-18.00), until 2 June Glamour Bigger-than-life paintings of ’50s film stars.

De Kunstfabriek (Tues-Fri 12.00-18.00, Sat, Sun 12.0017.00), until 2 June

Amsterdam Weekly

17-23 May 2007

LEKKER BEZIG of them is Laser 3.14, Sint Nicolaasstraat is BELL POORT AND the guy who writes one of the tiny RIMA FREEMAN poetic graffiti all over medieval alleys that Funky charity ladies/fashion designers town, and another is lead from Nieuwendijk Senna, the local R&B to Nieuwezijds Voorsinger. burgwal.

Walking Together with through it, you come by Laser, among many a colourful little shop others, Blazing Bell that seems like the antiwill be participating dote to Nieuwendijk’s in an exhibition takcheap chainstore-anding place at ABC tourist-stall horrors.

Treehouse in June.

It’s called StuAnd on 15 June, the dioshop and it’s run new line will be

by Bell Poort and launched at Studio 80 Rima Freeman. The in what will be sometwo started working thing between a dance together two years and a fashion show. ago when they found‘But I won’t tell you ed a non-profit details,’ Freeman charity organisation One of their newer ideas any says, ‘because people called Cause an is called ‘Don’t let the holes tend to steal our ideas.

Effect.

Besides, we like to sur‘Cause an Effect,’ drag you down’... prise.’

Freeman says, ‘works ‘The idea behind as a recycling project Cause an Effect was that you can reach a for clothes. People can come here and lot of things without money. Everybody bring us their stuff—it can be old or somealways says that you need so much money thing they just bought at H&M—and we for everything, and that’s not only demoticustomise it. The money goes straight to vating, it’s also untrue,’ Freeman says. charity.’

‘And that’s why we have the free rack, They started out putting text—or too’—she points to a rack of clothes that are lyrics, as they call it—on T-shirts, but now being given away for nothing—‘it’s good have extended the Cause an Effect range to karma. People often think we’re messing other items of clothing. One of their newer with them when we tell them everything on ideas is called ‘Don’t let the holes drag you that rack is for free. They are just not able down’, and is aimed at bringing back to life to accept a gift. And I think that says a lot favourite jeans that have been loved to bits. about our society.’

Alongside customising for charity, Studioshop also sell their own clothing www.causeaneffect.nl line called Blazing Bell. ‘And we work together with artists,’ Freeman says. One

By Sarah Gehrke SIMON WALD-LASOWSKI

18

Unwin, Morgan Betz and Derk Thijs. W139 (Daily 11.00-19.00), until 3 June

Marc Volger: Weerlicht Contemporary landscapes inspired by the changing light and atmosphere.

AYAC’S (Fri, Sat 13.00-17.30), until 2 June

Joyce van Dongen A solo exhibition featuring paintings of new worlds inspired by the bizarre and unique patterns that can be found in nature. Galerie Bart (Thur, Fri 11.00-18.00, Sat 12.00-17.00), until 9 June

The Contented Heart Paintings by Willem Weismann, Simon Hemmer, Lutz Driessen, Nie Pastille, Phoebe

Fact & Fiction An exploration of staged photography and how such an art form can be used to create a world

of fantasy and illusions. Participating artists include Jasper de Beijer, Ellen Mandemaker, MariaMaria, Diana Scherer, Raymond Taudin Chabot and Tessa Verder.

Arti et Amicitiae (Tues-Sun 13.00-18.00), until 10 June Amanda Besl In this exhibition entitled I Want to be the Girl With the Most Cake, Besl creates oil paintings that capture both the documentary quality of photography and the language of fashion photography.

Artspace Witzenhausen (Thur-Sat 12.00-18.00), until 16 June UitZicht An ArtWalk Amsterdam presentation that will guide you through a selection of studios, homes and gardens in the Westerpark area. Curated by Guda Koster and Matthijs Muller, the tour incorporates artists such as Hamid El Kanbouhi, Aam Solleveld, Jans Muskee, Linda Molenaar, Wim Bosch, Jan Theun van Rees, Frank Mandersloot, Paul de Reus, among others. To see route or download the accompanying audio tour see www.artwalkamsterdam.nl. Van Hallstraat 51 (Daily), until 17 June

Department of Reclusive Paranoia Stanley Donwood & Dr Tchock: Department of Reclusive Paranoia Best known for his work with Radiohead—Donwood has been providing artwork for the band since the release of My Iron Lung in 1994— this exhibition features original paintings and prints he has produced over the years. V!P’s International Art Galleries (Tues-Sun 12.00-18.00), Rotterdam, until 17 June Kleur Colourful textile explosions from the duo Stefan Scholten and Carole Baijings. Galerie Binnen (WedSat 12.00-18.00), until 23 June W139/BASEMENT Providing opportunities for young artists and young art collectors, the Post CS basement is offering space to let at affordable rates for a onemonth period. At the end of each month, the exhibits will be auctioned. See www.w139.nl/basement.

W139/Basement, until 24 June ArtOlive Offline #3 Works by four young artists: Linda Jansen (photography), Sabi van Hemert (sculptures), Caroline de Bruijn (ceramics) and Simone Henken (photography). ArtOlive (Mon-Fri 11.00-17.00, Sun 12.00-17.00), until 24 June Rob Voerman: Neighbours A solo exhibition featuring installations, sculptures and graphic works.

Upstream Gallery (Wed-Sat 12.00-18.00), until 30 June Paradiso in Fantasio! Classic posters for Paradiso gigs in the ’70s and ’80s by London-born artist Martin Kaye (1932-1989). Nationaal Pop Instituut, Fantasio zaal (Mon-Fri 10.00-17.00), until 1 July Uit en Thuis Diverse works by award-winning sculptor Wendela Gevers Deynoot, who creates sculptures of all shapes and sizes from materials such as wood, stone, metal, plastic and paper, as well as some more unusual sources. Galerie de Rietlanden (Sat, Sun 13.00-17.00), until 2 July Het Licht van Tunesië Multimedia installation by Maarten Rens and Anita Mizrahi. De Levante (WedSun 13.00-17.30), until 22 July

Amsterdam Weekly

17-23 May 2007

JEROEN MANTEL

ADDRESSES

Michiel Borstlap (Souk 2), see Thursday

EVENTS Thursday 17 May Multidisciplinary: Souk 2 In the Concertgebouw you usually know what to expect, but as the end of the season draws closer, there are plenty of surprises to be found at this celebration of Dutch-Arabic music and dance. Throwing together Western music with greats from the Arab world, the programme also features literature, dance, fashion, poetry and art, while the crowded performer list includes Mohamed Hamaki, the Holland Symfonia, Michiel Borstlap, Najib Amhali, members of Het Nationale Ballet, Claude Chalhoub, Abderrahim Souiri, De Jeugd van Tegenwoordig and Laziz. The party continues until midnight, spilling out into the surrounding foyer and halls. Concertgebouw, Grote Zaal, 18.30, €20 Performance: Cavalia Horses, horses, all the pretty horses. With two days free from performances this week, these animals love to kick back and relax. But don’t be surprised if things get rowdy on Leidseplein.

No, it’s not the Ajax fans again. Just that these horses quickly get frustrated when they walk into a bar and the bartender asks, ‘Hey, why the long face?’ Amsterdam ArenA terrain, 20.00, €29-€155 Workshop: Ableton Live Workshop Keen on DJing?

Never know how to use all that illegal music software you download? Well learn how to DJ and produce your own music in this workshop for Ableton Live. Sugar Factory, 21.00, €7.50

books. More than 100 stalls offering products in varying states of condition and value. For this spring outing of the fair, special emphasis is being put on architecture books. Dam Square, 10.00 17.00, free Multidisciplinary: Top van Onderop A precursor to June’s G8 summit, hosted for the people and not the leaders. Encompassing workshops, documentary screenings, debates, music and information markets, it’s an opportunity to empower yourself with knowledge and make some noise in the process. Locations are centred on Leidesplein, including De Balie and Barlaeus Gymnasium, plus a large gathering on Museumplein at 13.00. See www.sociaalforum.nl. Various locations, 11.00 18.00, €5 Performance: Cavalia (See Thursday) Amsterdam ArenA terrain, 15.00, €29-€155 Literature: Amsterdam Literary Festival (See Thursday) Various locations, times and prices

Monday 21 May Discussion: Women Inc A programme titled ‘Emancipation: What’s in it For Me(n)?’ In Dutch. Pakhuis de Zwijger, 20.00, free Discussion: Broeinest Peter Gelderloos, author of the book How Non-violence Protects the State, leads a debate on the pros and cons of non-violent strategies.

In English with Dutch translation. Plantage Doklaan 812, 20.00, free

Tuesday 22 May

Poetry/Music: Songs + Poems An intertwining collection of poems and improvised music, performed by Michael Moore, Felicity Provan, Julyen Hamilton and Lily Kiara. OT301, 21.00, €5

Discussion: Sound Forum A spoken-word music magazine featuring lectures, discussions and presentations about contemporary compositions. Badcuyp, Bovenzaal, 20.00, free

Literature: Amsterdam Literary Festival Books, authors, markets and more. Special guests this year include the likes of Sandi Toksvig, Toby Litt and Stella Duffy, but more than anything, it’s an opportunity to dive into the local book scene, taking part in workshops, discussions and bulk-buying of books. See www.amsterdamliteraryfestival.com. Various locations, times and prices

Literature: De Biografie van JC Bloem Paying tribute to one of the most important Dutch poets of the 20th century. Guests include Anneke Claus, Dick van Halsema, Anton Korteweg, Bart Slijper and Aleid Truijens. In Dutch. De Balie, 20.00, €9

Friday 18 May Performance: Cavalia (See Thursday) Amsterdam ArenA terrain, 20.00, €29-€155 Literature: Amsterdam Literary Festival (See Thursday) Various locations, times and prices

Saturday 19 May Performance: Cavalia (See Thursday) Amsterdam ArenA terrain, 15.00, 20.00, €29-€155 Literature: Amsterdam Literary Festival (See Thursday) Various locations, times and prices

Sunday 20 May Market: Boeken op De Dam Books, books and

Wednesday 23 May Discussion: Internationaal perspectief op het nationaal historisch museum International guests convene with local museum experts to discuss the roles of a Dutch National History Museum and where it should be located. Amsterdam, Den Haag or Arnhem?

In English. Felix Meritis, 14.00, free Lecture: Sentient Creatures A continuation of the series of lectures at De Waag, whereby international speakers discuss new developments in art and technology, internet and robotics. Tonight’s guest are Erwin Driessens and Maria Verstappen. In English. De Waag, 19.45, free Performance: Cavalia (See Thursday) Amsterdam ArenA terrain, 20.00, €29-€155 Multidisciplinary: Theamus—’t Lijkt wel oorlog A cross-cultural meeting point for Amsterdam’s creative talents. At its heart is a musical theatre project, but it also embraces art, film and debate. Muziekgebouw, 20.30, €10

11 Oosterdokskade 3-5, 625 5999 Ahoy Ahoy-weg 10, Rotterdam, (010) 293 3300 Akhnaton Nieuwezijds Kolk 25, 624 3396 Amsterdam ArenA ArenA Boulevard 1, 311 1333 Amsterdams Historisch Museum Kalverstraat 92, 523 1822 De Appel Nieuwe Spiegelstraat 10, 625 5651 ARCAM Prins Hendrikkade 600, 620 4878 Arti et Amicitiae Rokin 112, 624 5134 ArtOlive Polonceaukade 17, 675 8504 Artspace Witzenhausen Hazenstraat 60, 644 9898 AYAC'S Keizersgracht 166, 638 5240 Badcuyp 1e Sweelinckstraat 10, 675 9669 bak Lange Nieuwstraat 4, Utrecht, 030 231 6125 De Balie Kleine-Gartmanplantsoen 10, 553 5151 Bethaniënklooster Barndesteeg 6, 625 0078 Bijbels Museum Herengracht 366-368, 624 2436 Bimhuis Piet Heinkade 3, 788 2150 Bitterzoet Spuistraat 2, 521 3001 Blijburg Bert Haanstrakade 2004, 416 0330 De Brakke Grond Nes 45, 626 6866 Café Pakhuis Wilhelmina Veemkade 576, 419 3368 Café Sappho Vijzelstraat 103, 423 1509 Carré Amstel 115-125, 524 9452 Centraal Museum Nicolaaskerkhof, Utrecht, 030 236 2362 Chiellerie Raamgracht 58, 320 9448 Club 8 Admiraal de Ruyterweg 56B, 685 1703 Club Meander Voetboogstraat 3, 625 8430 CoBrA Museum Sandbergplein 1-3, Amstelveen, 547 5050 Concertgebouw Concertgebouwplein 2-6, 671 8345 Consortium Veemkade 570, 06 2611 8950 CREA Muziekzaal Turfdraagsterpad 17, 525 1400 CREA Theater Turfdraagsterpad 17, 525 1400 DanceStreet 1e Rozendwarsstraat 10, 489 7676 Desmet Studios Plantage Middenlaan 4A, 521 7100 De Engelenbak Nes 71, 626 3644 English Reformed Church Begijnhof 48, 624 9665 Feel Gallery Frans Halsstraat 40 Felix Meritis Keizersgracht 324, 626 2321 Flex Bar Pazzanistraat 1, 486 2123 Foam Keizersgracht 609, 551 6546 Frascati Nes 63, 626 6866 Galerie Bart Bloemgracht 2, 320 6208 Galerie Binnen Keizersgracht 82, 625 9603 Galerie de Rietlanden Rietlandpark 193, 419 4705 Galerie Fons Welters Bloemstraat 140, 423 3046 Galerie Jos Art KSNM-laan 291, 418 7003 Galerie Krijger + Katwijk Lange Leidsedwarsstraat 198200, 627 3808 Gemeentemuseum Stadhouderslaan 41, Den Haag, 070 338 1111 Heineken Music Hall ArenA Boulevard 590, 0900 300 1250 Hermitage Amsterdam Nieuwe Herengracht 14, 530 8751 Horse Move Project Space Oosterdokskade 5 Post CS Hortus Botanicus Plantage Middenlaan 2A, 625 9021 Hotel Arena ’s-Gravesandestraat 51, 850 2400 Huis Marseille Keizersgracht 401, 531 8989 Imagine IC Bijlmerplein 1006-1008, 489 4866 Joods Historisch Museum Jonas Daniel Meijerplein 2-4, 531 0310 KHL Koffiehuis Oostelijke Handelskade 44, 779 1575 KIT Tropentheater Mauritskade 63, 568 8711 De Kring Kleine-Gartmanplantsoen 7-9, 623 6985 De Kunstfabriek Polonceaukade 20 (Westergasfabriekterrein), 488 9430 Lellebel Utrechtsestraat 4, 427 5139 De Levante Hobbemastraat 28, 671 5485 Lexion Avenue Overtoom 65, Westzaan, 0900-BelLexion Lumen Travo Lijnbaansgracht 314, 627 0883 Maagdenhuis Spui 21

19 Maison Descartes Vijzelgracht 2A, 531 9500 Maloe Melo Lijnbaansgracht 163, 420 4592 Mart House Prinsengracht 529, 627 5187 Meervaart Meer en Vaart 300, 410 7777 Melkweg Theater LIjnbaansgracht 234A, 531 8181 Melkweg Lijnbaansgracht 234a, 531 8181 Montevideo/Time Based Arts Keizersgracht 264, 623 7101 Motive Gallery Elandsgracht 10, 330 3668 Muziekgebouw Piet Heinkade 1, 788 2010 Het Muziektheater Amstel 3, 625 5455 Nationaal Pop Instituut, Fantasio zaal Prins Hendrikkade 142, 428 4288 Nederlands Architectuurinstituut Museumpark 25, Rotterdam, 010 440 1200 Nederlands Fotomuseum Wilhelminakade 332, Rotterdam, 010 213 2011 Nieuwe Kerk entrance on the Dam, 638 6909 Noorderkerk Noordermarkt 44, 626 6436 OCCII Amstelveenseweg 134, 671 7778 Odeon Singel 460, 624 9711 Orgelpark Orgelpark, 51 58111 OT301 Overtoom 301, 779 4913 Oude Kerk Oudekerksplein 23, 625 8284 P/////AKT Zeeburgerpad 53, 06 5427 0879 Pakhuis de Zwijger Piet Heinkade 179-181, 788 4444 Panama Oostelijke Handelskade 4, 311 8680 Paradiso Weteringschans 6-8, 626 4521 Pathé De Munt Vijzelstraat 15, 0900 1458 Pathé Tuschinski Reguliersbreestraat 34, 0900 1458 Patronaat Zijlsingel 2, Haarlem, 023 517 5858 Persmuseum Zeeburgerkade 10, 692 8810 Plan B2 Herengracht 32 Plantage Doklaan 8-12 Plantage Doklaan Platform 21 Prinses Irenestraat 19, 344 9449 Podium Mozaïek Bos en Lommerweg 191, 580 0380 The Powerzone Spaklerweg, 681 8866 PRIK Spuistraat 109, 06 4544 2321 RAI Europaplein 22, 549 1212 Rembrandthuis Jodenbreestraat 4, 520 0400 Rozentheater Rozengracht 117, 620 7953 Ruigoord Ruigoord 15, 497 5702 Saarein Elandsstraat 119, 623 4901 Skek Zeedijk 4-8, 427 0551 Slewe Gallery Kerkstraat 105A, 625 7214 SMART Project Space Arie Biemondstraat 107-113, 427 5953 Stadsschouwburg Leidseplein 26, 624 2311 Stedelijk Museum Bureau Amsterdam Rozenstraat 59, 422 0471 Stedelijk Museum CS Oosterdokskade 5, 573 2911 Studio 80 Rembrandtplein 70, 521 8333 Studio Apart Prinsengracht 715, 422 2748 Sugar Factory Lijnbaansgracht 238, 627 0008 Teylers Museum Spaarne 16, Haarlem, 023 516 0960 Theater Bellevue Leidsekade 90, 530 5301 Tropenmuseum Linnaeusstraat 2, 568 8200 Under the Grand Chapiteau Next to ArenA, 621 1288 Upstream Gallery Kromme Waal 11, 428 4284 UvA: Special Collections Library Oude Turfmarkt 129, 525 2141 V!P's International Art Galleries Van Vollenhovenstraat 15, Rotterdam, 010 225 1120 Van Gogh Museum Paulus Potterstraat 7, 570 5200 Verzetsmuseum Plantage Kerklaan 61, 620 2535 Volta Houtmankade 334-336, 628 6429 Vondelpark Openluchttheater, 673 1499 W139 Warmoesstraat 139, 622 9434 W139/Basement Oosterdokskade 5, 06 2427 6657 De Waag Nieuwmarkt 4, 557 9898 Wibautstraat 150 Wibautstraat 150 Winston Kingdom Warmoesstraat 129, 623 1380 WM Gallery Elandsgracht 35, 421 1113 Yoshiko Matsumoto Gallery Weteringschans 37, 06 1437 0995

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Amsterdam Weekly

Hot scoop, ice cream Ijskuipje 1e Van der Helststraat 27-29, 06 2508 8876 Open Daily 11.00-22.00 Cash.

Diamonds? Nah. But just as alluring: ice cream, churned fresh daily, and lovingly created with fruit purchased at the nearby Albert Cuypmarkt.

You really have to taste this yourself to experience the glorious time-travelling thrill that the sweet confection ice cream creates. Yes. Perhaps Einstein licked a cone during a Swiss stroll, and Eureka’d! his equation.

From the time you whine to Mommy for a lactose treat or dodder for one from your wheelchair, ice cream remains a constant presence in the Western world. A reward for good behaviour, or withheld as punishment.

But what makes Ijskuipje special? Talent, craftsmanship and daring to push back flavour frontiers, that’s what.

And how do they achieve it? By careful use of ingredients, the right attitude and approach to create a better product. The two men who run it pool their know-how to give their public something wickedly wonderful. Proprietor/designer Edwin, with 15 years of ice cream experience behind him, started—then sold—Maestro Gelato, his chain of ice emporia, to a Belgian company. He had to sign an agreement not to make the stuff for five years. Now he is back and itching for action.

His colleague, Marcel, is an Australian chef of considerable flavour skills and talents. He’s there to make the gelato and sell to their beaming customers. Their parlour opened on Queen’s

THE UNDERCOVER GLUTTON They experiment with interesting flavours like smoked eel and pea, salmon with dill and Serrano ham, smoked paprika, jalapeño and... chocolate.

Day and immediately the news spread by word of mouth. Freshly made ice cream of a high standard and quality, the rumours said. Not a single ice crystal caused by lying about frozen, but a

smooth and creamy mix. What’s left over at the end of the day is ditched.

The churners they use are Rolls Royces of the ice cream world. Enormous mothers the size

17-23 May 2007

of jet engines, they transform the mixtures from liquid to solid state in just ten minutes.

The mini-kitchen is a stainless-steel laboratory and, when the shop has shut, they experiment with flavours like smoked eel and green pea, smoked salmon with dill, or Serrano ham, smoked paprika powder, jalapeño pepper and... chocolate. (This cheffy stuff is all restaurant-orientated.)

By day they produce the flavours that the public loves to lick. Scoops are generous, and costs are reasonable. One scoop is €1.50, two are €2.50, three, €3.50, which works out cheaper than Ben & Jerry’s, that’s for sure. The litre containers can stay out of the fridge for up to two hours because they are double insulated.

The ice cream remains agreeably soft, even when placed in a freezer. A litre costs €15, but since it contains more than a dozen scoops, it’s not a bad price at all. Foodies who enjoy a lick of the cold stuff are advised to check them out pronto.

Your Glutton sampled the mango, then the lemon—gloriously sour-sweet, tangy and refreshing. The chocolate is deep and rich and triggers an endorphin rush.

But it was the fresh fruit, studded with big pieces, that made me curdle inwardly with joy.

This is a feel-good product created by two people passionately involved with bringing delicious quality ices to people who appreciate it.

These gentlemen have my respect for widening the vision of where ice cream flavours can go.

Savoury ice cream as a starter? The Victorians did it. Ferran Adrià and Heston Blumenthal do it.

I used to make jokes about chocolate and anchovy or chicken-fat ripple ice cream, and now anything’s possible. Imagine an aphrodisiac one, made from oysters.

The Albert Cuyp would never be the same again.

Amsterdam Weekly

17-23 May 2007

21 Strong emotions in Azuloscurocasinegro.

Two new Spanish films, a 17th-century epic and a 21st-century coming-of-age drama, have politics in common.

COMMON MAN, FEMALE PLEASURES FILM Azuloscurocasinegro Opens Thursday at Cinecenter Alatriste The Movies and Pathé de Munt

By Marie-Claire Melzer

Azuloscurocasinegro, directed by Daniel Sànchez Arévalo, is a bittersweet coming-ofage drama set in contemporary Madrid,

where Jorge (Quim Gutiérrez) lives with his invalid father (Héctor Colomé). Despite his university degree, he works as a concierge.

His brother Antonio (Antonio de la Torre) is in prison and his mother is dead, leaving him to take care of his father. When he meets Paula (Marta Etura), he realises that there may be more to life than slaving for others, and that he must take that responsibility.

The static camera and slow editing give the actors much space, which they use well.

Strong emotions, such as love, anger, grief

Fracture

Daratt

FILM Edited by Julie Phillips.This week’s films reviewed by Shyama Daryanani (SD), Floris Dogterom (FD),Angela Dress (AD), Don Druker (DD), Laura Groeneveld (LG), Luuk van Huët (LvH), JR Jones (JJ), Dave Kehr (DK), Steven McCarron (SM), Marie-Claire Melzer (MM), Mike Peek (MP), Julie Phillips (JP), Jonathan Rosenbaum (JR), Marinus de Ruiter (MdR) and Bregtje Schudel (BS). All films are screened in English with Dutch subtitles unless otherwise noted.

Amsterdam Weekly recommends.

Festivals Alice in Wonderland minifest A series of fantasy films for kids (daytime) and adults (evenings). Includes Czech

and frustration, are conveyed in body language, rather than words, which makes the film all the more overwhelming. In particular, Etura as Paula delivers a splendid performance. Raúl Arévalo, playing the part of Jorge’s friend Israel, is the film’s one awkward spot. Israel suspects his dad is gay, and meanwhile struggles with his own homoerotic desires, which leads to scenes that are probably meant to be funny, but aren’t.

Azuloscurocasinegro is a psychological film, but there are also hints of social criticism. For example, Jorge receives no help from the state in taking care of his invalid father. And why does he have such a hard time finding an office job (his big dream), despite a university degree and numerous job applications? Jorge’s father is selfish, blocking the future of his son. Does he represent some old regime? Even Israel’s character, however clumsily, refers to a political topic: same-sex marriage, which was introduced in Spain two years ago over protest from conservatives and the Catholic Church. At the end of the film, Jorge has developed psycho-

logically, yet it is doubtful he will ever advance in society. His future looks ‘azuloscurocasinegro’: ‘dark blue, almost black’.

At the opposite end of the cinematic spectrum from this intimate drama is Alatriste, a 17th-century swashbuckler with an international star and the highest budget ever seen in Spain. Based on a series of novels by Arturo Pérez-Reverte, the film is a highly entertaining mix of action and romance. Its hero, Diego Alatriste (Viggo Mortensen), is a Captain Jack Sparrow type, a pleasingly cynical character who always puts his own interests first. Yet he has one weak spot: the beautiful actress Monja (Pilar Bardem).

The film takes place during the Eighty Years War, Spain’s long, doomed effort to subjugate ‘that hell on earth where it always rains’. Director Agustin Diaz Yanes modelled his shots on the paintings of Velazquez; as a result the costumes and lighting are terrific but the camerawork a bit static. It works for the living painting idea, but, um, a little less for action scenes.

Yet Alatriste clearly refers to current times—and it too shows a swing to the left, sharing with Azuloscuro a deep distrust of authority, especially the Catholic Church, and a fondness for the common man. Since Díaz Yanes is the son of Republican partisans who fought Franco, this left-wing touch may not be coincidental. And like Azuloscurocasinegro, Alatriste is strongly anti-religious, existentialist almost, favouring the body over the spirit.

Love is something else these two Spanish films have in common. Love is mainly a physical thing, yet not in a macho way: female pleasure matters. Both 17th-century Monja and 21st-century Paula are granted their fun, without afterwards being turned into crazy freaks or getting their heads chopped off. Thank you, guys.

animator Jan Svankmajer’s lovely/scary stop-motion Alice, Terry Gilliam’s Tideland, Jim Henson’s Labyrinth (1986), the original Wizard of Oz, the cult hit Donnie Darko, with Jake Gyllenhaal as an unusually maladjusted teenager, and Peter Jackson’s 1994 Heavenly Creatures, about two teenage girls who commit matricide so they can stay together. The festival closes Saturday night with a party in style. May 18-20, Cavia Caravan of Euro-Arab Cinema Three days of movies by young European directors with an Arab background, intended to stimulate a cultural dialogue by means of film, debate and entertainment. The festival kicks off with a party on Friday. On Saturday, DJ Ishtar will turn up the lounge beat in a clash with Persian mystical poetry.

Some movies (Night Shadows, Kemo Sabe) deal with the position of Arab immigrants while others (A World Apart Within 15 Minutes, House of Flesh) delve into issues within Arab countries themselves. In the latter category, Night of the Gypsy’s Descent is a heartbreaking documentary about the desperate situation of gypsies in Iraq. Not to be missed is The Yacoubian Building, the film version of one of the most talked-about Arabic novels in recent years, by Egypt’s Alaa Al Aswani. No one is quite sure how this film got past the Egyptian censors,

with its discussion of real-life themes such as homosexuality, fundamentalism and government corruption. In Arabic with English subtitles; debate, in Dutch, follows.

May 18-20, Kriterion (FD) Kriterion

of respect and revenge. In Arabic with Dutch subtitles.

96 min. Rialto

Azuloscurocasinegro A compelling coming-of-age drama set in contemporary Madrid. See review above.

Cinecenter

Fracture An engineer (Anthony Hopkins) goes on trial in Los Angeles for trying to murder his wife (Embeth Davidtz), and the prosecutor (Ryan Gosling) attempts to push through what appears to be an open-and-shut case but isn’t. With its lavish architecture and Spielbergian lighting, this absorbing thriller has a high-toned look, but director Gregory Hoblit and writers Daniel Pyne and Glenn Gers got much of their training in TV cop shows, which shows in the adroit way they semaphorically abbreviate certain characters and plot developments to slide us past various incongruities. The main interest here is the juxtaposing of Gosling’s Method acting with Hopkins’s more classical style, a spectacle even more mesmerising than the settings. With David Strathairn and Rosamund Pike.

(JR) 112 min. Pathé ArenA, Pathé De Munt

Daratt At the close of the 40-year civil war in Chad, a man gives a gun to his 16-year-old grandson, Atim (Ali Barkai), and sends him in search of Nassara (Youssouf Djaoro), the man who killed his father. Nassara now owns a small bakery; Atim becomes his apprentice, and he and Nassara begin to develop a bond.

Mahamat-Saleh Haroun directed this powerful parable

Metro Following a trend in Indian movies nowadays, Metro is about various couples in Bombay, whose lives are somehow interconnected—but this time without the sugar-coating. The search for love (Shruti and Debu), silent love (Rahul’s love for Neha), married love (Ranjeet and Shikha), first love (Amol and Vaijanti), forbidden love (Ranjeet and Neha, Shikha and Aakash)

Festival Nederlands Transgender Film Festival See Short List, p. 9. De Balie

New this week

Amsterdam Weekly

22 are all presented without the typical Bollywood glamour. British Celebrity Big Brother winner Shilpa Shetty is convincing as the neglected housewife Shikha; Irfan Khan does a wonderful job as Debu, and a special appearance by Dharmendra as Amol tugs at the hearts of the nostalgics. In Hindi with Dutch subtitles. (SD) 132 min. Pathé ArenA, The Number 23 Jim Carrey stars as a dog catcher who becomes obsessed with the numerological implications of 23, seeing it everywhere (if not the digits themselves, then in sums or the numeric values of letters and months) and eventually unnerving his wife (Virginia Madsen, in her latest sturdy spouse role). Narrated in voice-over by the hero, the movie is an object lesson in the dangers of having a storyteller who manufactures his own logic. As Carrey becomes more engrossed in an obscure novel about the number, this balloons into a murder mystery with multiple layers of reality, and before long it’s unclear what might constitute a conclusion. Joel Schumacher directed; with Danny Huston. (JJ) 95 min. Pathé ArenA, Pathé De Munt

Still playing 300 Whatever the fanboys expected from Zack Snyder’s adaptation of Frank Miller’s graphic novel about the Battle of Thermopylae, it surely wasn’t Leni Riefenstahl-style war porn. The already risible contents of the book are magnified tenfold in the film, so that the Persians are portrayed as deformed, bisexual fundamentalists, while the band of 300 Spartans are engorged, gleaming warriors for the Greek way of life. Spotting your favourite political agenda isn’t too hard, but ultimately imbues too much importance into a flick which has a character proclaim that ‘freedom isn’t free’, while we all know from Team America: World Police that freedom costs $1.05.

(LvH) 117 min. Pathé ArenA, Pathé De Munt Alatriste Viggo Mortensen stars as Captain Diego Alatriste in this entertaining Spanish swashbuckler. See review on p. 22. The Movies, Pathé De Munt Anche libero va bene Italian family drama from Kim Rossi Stuart, told from the point of view of an 11-yearold boy whose mother disappears for weeks at a time,

and whose father (played by Rossi Stuart) struggles to hold the family together. The Movies, Rialto

Angel François Ozon has added another master-

piece to his oeuvre. You could call it a postmodern costume drama, since it’s set in the early 20th century, but the dazzling visual style also refers to ’40s and ’50s Hollywood melodramas, and bits of contemporary television culture keep turning up too. Angel (Romola Garai), a writer of pulp novels with a shocking lack of taste and talent, is a highly ironic character. But the film is too multi-layered to be a simple parody, and Ozon turns out to have a heart for his Angel. As a viewer, you can’t help feeling for her too. To catch all of it, you’ll probably need to see it twice. (MM) 134 min. Rialto Berlin Alexanderplatz Troubled German director Rainer Werner Fassbinder’s 15-hour magnum opus from 1981. Filmmuseum Beynelmilel In 1982, a town in southeastern Turkey still feels the effects of the military coup of two years before.

Among other things, an evening curfew prevents the local musicians from earning a living. To survive, they

17-23 May 2007 decide to form a military band. Then the daughter of the bandleader falls in love with a member of a political group and joins the resistance. When the generals of the ruling junta announce a visit to the town, both the military band and the resistance group start preparing a welcome in this likeable comedy. In Turkish with Dutch subtitles. 105 min. Filmmuseum Blades of Glory Will Ferrell and Jon Heder are rival figure skaters whose public brawl gets them banned from competition for life; after learning that they’re still eligible for the pairs category, they decide to team up on the ice.

‘As if figure skating wasn’t gay enough already,’ remarks one character, precisely locating the movie’s comic nerve ending—you just know these guys are going to wind up with their balls in each other’s faces. Ben Stiller produced, and the movie is so reminiscent of Zoolander (2001) he might as well have rounded up Owen Wilson and starred in it himself. Ferrell and Heder are pretty funny, but they’re consistently upstaged by supporting players William Fichtner, Will Arnett and Amy Poehler.

The first-time directors are Will Speck and Josh Gordon.

(JJ) 93 min. Pathé ArenA, Pathé ArenA, Pathé De Munt The Boss of It All Ravn (Peter Gantzler) pays an actor (Jens Albinus) to play his boss, a fictional character he himself has created to make the hard decisions in the company. Granted, the idea is novel, and seen solely as a comedy of errors it is rather entertaining. Unfortunately, director Lars von Trier can’t leave it at that. Every artificial pan—created by a new, experimental computer programme called Automavision—and time-out, during which Von Trier comments on the film’s progress— screams his name, making it impossible to see the film as just an enjoyable satire. Von Trier is the boss of it all and everyone shall know! In Danish/Icelandic with Dutch subtitles. (BS) 99 min. Het Ketelhuis, Kriterion Bridge to Terabithia Adapted from the children’s book by Katherine Paterson, this family feature from the Christian production company Walden Media is something of a disappointment after its excellent Holes and The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. Two small-town pals conjure up a magical world in a nearby forest; their friendship and their family lives are warmly realised by director Gabor Csupo, but their problems with a school bully are familiar stuff and the CGI effects in the forest seem to belong to a different movie. A heartbreaking turn in the last act brings the story’s Christian subtext to the fore. (JJ) 95 min. The Movies, Pathé ArenA, Pathé ArenA, Pathé De Munt Catch a Fire Based on a true story and written by Shawn Slovo (A World Apart), this Philip Noyce feature shows how a relatively apolitical young man in South Africa (Derek Luke) becomes a dedicated terrorist in the early ’80s after he and his wife (Bonnie Henna) are wrongly arrested for a bombing and he’s tortured (just as torture may now be radicalising Iraqi citizens). That said, the film never strays much beyond the obvious, despite a conscientious effort by Tim Robbins to humanise a white security officer. (JR) 101 min. Pathé Tuschinski

Catch a Fire Close to Home It’s almost impossible for an Israeli fiction film to do right. If it concerns itself with politics it’s deemed propaganda, if it doesn’t, it’s escapist amusement. Close to Home, by directors Vardit Bilu and Dalia Hagar, sits awkwardly between the two. It’s a drama about two young women serving in the Israeli army; it doesn’t make any political or social statements, but it doesn’t have a real story, either. The girls seem more preoccupied with boys and playing hooky than with asking Arabs for identification. Debuting actresses Neama Shendar and Smadar Sayar are naturals, but seem a bit lost without a real plot to guide them. In Hebrew with Dutch subtitles. 90 min. Rialto Curse of the Golden Flower After wowing the international community of chop-socky lovers with Hero and House of Flying Daggers, Yimou Zhang is poised to bedazzle once again with Curse of the Golden Flower.

Aficionados of the work of gaijin like Segal’s or Van Damme’s will scratch their noggins, but the true connoisseur will appreciate the lavish lushness of the production design, the Machiavellian scheming within the decadent Imperial Court and the expertly choreographed fights, which are mesmerising to behold.

Tricked out with the richest colours, most opulent costume design and most Shakespearean plot of the year, the decline of an empire never looked better. In Mandarin with Dutch subtitles. (LvH) 114 min. Kriterion, Pathé Tuschinski, De Uitkijk Destricted Seven major contemporary artists and directors reflect on sex and pornography in this series of short films, recommended to viewers who are not easily offended by either hardcore porn or hardcore experimental art.

Cinephiles will welcome the return of Gaspar Noé, who elaborates on the daring narrative style of his 2002 knock-

Amsterdam Weekly

17-23 May 2007 out Irréversible. In the segment ‘Impaled’, Larry Clark puts his head on his critics’ chopping block by staging auditions for an actual pornographic scene filmed by himself.

Art aficionados will be pleased with Marina Abramovic’s beautiful re-enactments of strange erotic rituals found in Balkan folk history. The remaining explicit contributions are by Matthew Barney, Sam Taylor-Wood, Richard Prince and Marco Brambilla. (MdR) 116 min. Rialto

Ellen ten Damme In 2005, at age 38, the energetic singer/acrobat/actress Ellen ten Damme was diagnosed with breast cancer. In this impressive documentary (subtitled As I Was Wondering Where This Mixed-up Little Life of Mine Was Leading To), director and cameraman Rob Hodselmans follows her during that difficult year. His camera comes amazingly close: we see her in the hospital, bravely cracking jokes, and then at home, vulnerable after all her treatments, reflecting on her illness and what it has done to her. Then, when she walks onto a stage, it is amazing to see how this shy, soft-spoken woman transforms into a diva. And it’s more amazing to see her running up and down the stage, even walking on her hands, knowing that she is also undergoing chemotherapy. Her doctors urge taking it easy, advice that is clearly wasted on her. In one scene, Ten Damme’s physiotherapist tells her that she should not use her arm. In the next shot we see the physiotherapist helping her practise a gymnastic trick. In Dutch.

(MM) 66 min. Het Ketelhuis

Ellen ten Damme Epic Movie After parodying horror flicks in Scary Movie (2000) and chick flicks in Date Movie (2006), screenwriters Aaron Seltzer and Jason Friedberg turn their attention to Hollywood blockbusters, weakly spoofing The Da Vinci Code, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and various franchises (the Harry Potter films, Pirates of the Caribbean).

Seltzer and Friedberg (who also directed) have another script in development called Raunchy Movie; one idea they may not have considered is ‘Watchable Movie’. (JJ) 86 min. Pathé ArenA, Pathé ArenA, Pathé De Munt

Ex

Drummer In this interpretation of the 1994 Flemish novel by Herman Brusselmans, an arrogant writer is convinced by three physically challenged freaks to join their rock band. He decides to lead them

in a local band contest to provoke the literary establishment and to get in touch with some ‘real people’ in the process. Flanders was shocked by the profanity and gross images in this pitch-black comedy, but that was exactly the comment that director Koen Mortier was aiming for in his attempt to break through the indifference of the cultural elite towards genuine social problems. In Flemish with Dutch subtitles.

(MdR) 90 min. Het Ketelhuis, Kriterion

Ex Drummer The Fountain A love story by the director of Requiem for a Dream and Pi promises not to fit the mould, but Darren Aronofsky has confounded critics and audiences alike with this spiritually infused rumination on death and grief, with a plot spanning a millennium. Bashing the film as an exercise in New Age dilly-dallying is an easy, cynical response, but opening your mind, or even crown chakra, and letting the film overwhelm you is the better way to go. Superb performances by Hugh Jackman and Rachel Weisz, resplendent visuals and the luscious, non-digital effects help to immerse viewers with ease. (LvH) 97 min. Cinecenter Freedom Writers Idealistic teacher Erin Gruwell has found a highly unconventional way to connect with her unruly students: actually listening to them. After she hears of their rough lives, she grabs their attention by teaching them about the Holocaust. (One of her texts is The Diary of Anne Frank, which leads to questions such as: ‘Will Anne and Peter get together?’ and ‘When will Anne smoke Hitler?’) The story has its fair share of sentimentality and may be too educational to connect with the target group, but the film redeems itself with sincerity and strong acting, especially from two-time Academy Award winner Hilary Swank and the young actors playing her students. (BS) 123 min. Cinema Amstelveen The Good German American reporter Jake Geismar (George Clooney) returns to Berlin at the end of World War II to cover the Potsdam Peace Conference. He hopes to find Lena Brandt (Cate Blanchett), a German girl he once dated, but when he does, he discovers that she is now having an affair with his driver, Corporal Tully (Tobey Maguire). Tully informs the Russians he knows the whereabouts of Lena’s husband Emil and will tell

23 Five-Word Movie Review

them for 100,000 marks. When he is killed, Geismar becomes determined to find out why everybody is so interested in Emil Brandt. The plot has many twists, most of them neither appealing nor surprising. Together with the beautiful film noir style, they apparently asked so much from director Steven Soderbergh that he forgot about character development. While Blanchett is charismatic enough to hold her own, Clooney is definitely no Bogey. (MP) 105 min. Het Ketelhuis, Pathé Tuschinski Good Night, and Good Luck This claustrophobic drama about American television journalist Edward R Murrow facing down Joseph McCarthy in the early ’50s delivers a timely lesson on Cold War hysteria, media politics and journalistic courage, though the strong dichotomy between good and evil sometimes suggests a classic western. Director George Clooney shot the movie in black and white, combining actors (including David Strathairn as Murrow) with archival footage of McCarthy, with striking results. (JR) 93 min. Pathé Tuschinski Hot Fuzz The creative team behind Shaun of the Dead, Simon Pegg and Nick Frost, return with a vengeance in a buddy-cop flick that, like Shaun, is simultaneously a hilarious spoof and loving homage to a genre. Top bobby Nicholas Angel (Pegg) is demoted for making his colleagues look bad, but finds a crime wave in the sleepy hamlet of Sandford that only he can bring to justice, aided by his loyal sidekick PC Butterman (Frost).

Frost and co-writer Pegg prove to be a well-oiled comedic machine, while leaving room for the rest of the star-studded cast (Martin Freeman, Bill Nighy, Billie Whitelaw) to shine. (LvH) 121 min. Pathé De Munt

WE’RE ALL GOING TO DIE The War Game 0T301

Inland Empire Like an unending zooming shot of a fractal, textured with fire and blood, or a Droste effect in the mirror hall of an insane asylum, the digitally shot Inland Empire both rises above and sinks below standard filmic and narrative conventions. It offers a hallucinatory carnival ride through the murky subconscious of David Lynch, which may prove to be a little too dark, incomprehensible or disturbing for the uninitiated or those with a short attention span. Those who persevere are rewarded with a new masterpiece of modern art, an uncompromising experimental film and plenty to talk about afterwards. (LvH) 172 min.

Cinecenter, Kriterion

Interview

Hot Fuzz I Don’t Want to Sleep Alone This leisurely, sensual new film from minimalist Malaysian-Taiwanese director Tsai Ming-liang (The Wayward Cloud) is about a friendship between three young people adrift in Kuala Lumpur.

Hsiao-kang (played by Tsai’s regular leading man, Lee Kang-sheng) is a homeless Chinese man who gets mugged and is rescued by Rawang, an equally impoverished Bangladeshi guest worker. Later, Hsiao-kang meets a waitress named Chyi who helps care for her boss’ paralysed son, and the friendship between Hsiao-kang and Rawang is tested. With Dutch subtitles. 115 min. Rialto

Interview In this first remake in the Triple Theo Project—Blind Date and 06 are still to come—director and star Steve Buscemi does a respectable job of translating Theo van Gogh’s film to an American setting. The idea remains the same—an uninterested political journalist interviews a shallow B-actress—but the story is a little smoother around the edges. The dialogue is tart and Steve Buscemi excels as yet another loser. Even Sienna Miller does a decent job, though she lacks the presence and sex appeal of Katja Schuurman, the starlet of the original film. Also showing: Raak. Hanro Smitsman’s 10minute, Dutch-language short, about a boy who throws a stone from an overpass and hits a car, won Best Short Film in Berlin this year. (BS) 83 min. Kriterion, The Movies, Pathé Tuschinski

Special screenings Alice Czech animation master Jan Svankmajer combined live action and stop-motion to make a slow, spooky version of Alice in Wonderland. This may not be his best, but go anyway: if you’ve never seen a Svankmajer film, you haven’t lived. In English. (JP) 86 min. Cavia Babette’s Feast A French Catholic servant, in 19thcentury Denmark, prepares a sumptuous meal for her stern Lutheran employers. As they open up to this sensual experience they begin to comprehend her past, while she, for one last evening, relives it. Directed by Gabriel Axel, this 1987 film is of the great foodie movies. In Danish with Dutch subtitles. 102 min. Rialto Baixio das bestas Tiger winner at Rotterdam 2007; a confrontational, beautifully filmed Brazilian drama about sexual violence and rural misery. In Portuguese with English subtitles. 82 min. Melkweg Cinema

Beau Travail A gorgeous mirage of a movie, Claire

Denis’ 1999 reverie about the French foreign legion in eastern Africa, suggested by Herman Melville’s Billy Budd, benefits especially from having been choreographed (by Bernardo Montet, who also plays one of the legionnaires). Combined with Denis’ superb eye for settings, Agnes Godard’s cinematography, and the director’s decision to treat major and minor elements as equally important, this turns some of the military manoeuvres and exercises into thrilling pieces of filmmaking that surpass even Full Metal Jacket and converts some sequences in a disco into vibrant punctuations.

Most of all, Denis, who spent part of her childhood in Djibouti, captures the poetry and atmosphere—and, more subtly, the women—of Africa like few film-makers before her. A masterpiece. (JR) 90 min. OT301 Blood Feast Programmer Jeffrey Babcock seems to be having an icky fit, and warns that these films are even more vile and nasty than his usual fare. Herschell Gordon Lewis’s Blood Feast (1963) is widely regarded as the first hard-gore exploitation film. In the Italian gross-fest Cannibal Holocaust (1979), a film crew shooting a documentary on cannibalism disappears in the South American jungle; their recovered footage shows the rest. De Nieuwe Anita

Doctor Jekyll and Mister Hyde This 1920 silent version starring John Barrymore is screening with live accompaniment from the American group Devil Music Ensemble, which are touring Europe with the film. 80 min. Cavia

turesque beauty that lies beneath the mundane surface of the cityscape, the accomplished acting by leads Dai Carter and Raymond Thiry, as well as locals lending street credibility as extras, are worth the price of admission alone. In Dutch. (LvH) 85 min. Rialto

Fickende Fische In this German coming-of-age drama from 2002, 15-year-old Nina and 16-year-old Jan meet and fall in love. There’s just one thing: Jan is HIV-positive.

Together they dream of escaping to a private paradise; meanwhile they wonder whether or not fish have sex. In German with English subtitles. 103 min. Rialto

Man & natuur in Amsterdam Two new documentaries about green spaces in the city. De klimop rouwt nog steeds by Barbara den Uyl is a portrait of the caretaker of a hidden cemetery. Roel van Dalen’s De groene hemel follows gardener Bert Ydema as he teaches grade-school kids to grow vegetables in the Westerpark schooltuinen. In Dutch. Het Ketelhuis

The Five Obstructions It’s payback time! (In-)famous Dogma director Lars von Trier has persuaded his former mentor, veteran film-maker Jørgen Leth, to remake one of his early films, The Perfect Human, not once, but five times. And there’s a catch. For each version, Von Trier has set certain unconventional limits.

For example, Leth must make the first in Cuba, with no set and just 12 frames per shot. The point of this, according to Von Trier, is to discover the human in The Perfect Human, which he claims is embodied by Leth himself. The movie has its interesting points. It’s intriguing to see Leth’s masterpiece being reborn over and over again, and it would certainly make a good object of study in a film class. But in the end, this is little more than another sado-masochistic ego trip for Von Trier, the Great Obstructor. In Danish with Dutch subtitles. (BS) 93 min. Kriterion The Iron Wall Documentary (2006) about the wall that circumscribes the lives of Palestinians in the occupied territories. Discussion afterwards with Femke Halsema, head of the GroenLinks party, about her recent visit to Israel and Palestine. In Hebrew/Arabic with English subtitles. 52 min. Rialto Langer Licht In this promising debut feature by the young Dutch director David Lammers, a father and son try to cope with a family tragedy during a long, hot summer in Amsterdam Noord. The story might not be revolutionary in narrative function or scope, but the cinematography is excruciatingly luscious, turning the overlooked expanses of the north into veritable vistas for viewing pleasure. Besides showcasing the pic-

My Best Enemy Grand Illusion in South America, this 2005 anti-war drama is set during the brief period when Chile and Argentina’s dispute over the Beagle Channel threatened to erupt into open warfare. A squad of six Chilean soldiers is ordered to establish a military outpost north of Punta Arenas, and in the middle of the plains they encounter an Argentinian squad with an identical mission; both sides dig in, but eventually boredom gets the better of everyone, and they become friendly. The characters never progress beyond the usual war-movie archetypes, but writerdirector Alex Bowen makes the most of their ludicrous standoff in the middle of nowhere and their growing sense of brotherhood. In Spanish with English subtitles.

(JJ) 100 min. Melkweg Cinema Spider-Man Sam Raimi month continues with the director’s fine mainstream superhero pic plus its sequel, Spider-Man 2. The Movies Tideland For all the knocks he’s taken over the years, you can’t say Terry Gilliam is one to sacrifice creativity for the sake of commercial profit. But shedding any limitations, this independent film is all the more interesting because Gilliam’s vivid imagination has been fully unleashed to envelop the world of a 10-year-old girl, Jeliza-Rose (Jodelle Ferland). Both her parents are heroin addicts, and when her mum dies suddenly, her father (Jeff Bridges) takes her to his rundown parental home in the middle of nowhere. In dealing with her loneliness, she withdraws into an Alice in Wonderlandstyle fantasy world where she can talk with doll’s heads

and other unusual creatures, resulting in a surreal fairytale for adults that’s visually captivating at every turn. (SM) 122 min. Cavia Walk the Line Rock-solid performances by Joaquin Phoenix, Reese Witherspoon and a stellar supporting cast elevate this by-the-numbers biopic of Johnny Cash, his transformation into the iconic Man in Black and the smouldering romance that led to his marriage with soulmate June Carter. Even though the well-researched production design and the rousing musical interludes make for a thoroughly entertaining viewing experience, both the mythical status of Cash as well as the formulaic approach of director James Mangold prevent the film from attaining the title of the Ultimate Johnny Cash Movie Ever. For once, a sequel might actually be in order. (LvH) 136 min. Pathé ArenA The War Game A short documentary (1965, 47 min.) on the probable effects of nuclear escalation, war and the resultant breakdown of social structure and public morale, made by Peter Watkins for the BBC— which declined to show it, chickening out on the grounds that the film was too upsetting for all the Alf Garnetts (British Archie Bunkers). It was and it is: a frightening film that is all the more frightening when you realise that every horror, every absurdity has already happened to someone somewhere, in Hiroshima, in Nagasaki, in Dresden. Using non-professional actors and simulated newsreel footage, Watkins has fashioned a scare story that really scares. Also showing is Watkins’ 90-minute, 1969 The Gladiators, also known as The Peace Game, a futuristic drama in which nations no longer maintain armies but teams of combat specialists, who battle each other in games sponsored by a spaghetti company. (DD) OT301 Working Man’s Death To a soundtrack by John Zorn, Austrian film-maker Michael Glawogger portrays the lives of Ukrainian coal miners, Pakistani salvagers, Indonesians who haul sulphur from an active volcano, and butchers in a Nigerian slaughterhouse in this 2005 documentary. With English subtitles. 122 min. De Balie

24 Kicks Albert ter Heerdt’s newest film is made up of various interlocking stories set against the backdrop of contemporary middle-class Amsterdam. It all revolves around the shooting of a young Moroccan rap artist called Redouan, said to have been racially motivated.

Redouan’s death causes increasing friction between the Moroccan and Dutch community. In the middle of the emotional turmoil is Redouan’s brother Said (Mimoun Oaïssa), a professional kickboxer with a Dutch girlfriend, who feels he must choose between the two worlds he lives in. While Kicks aims to survey the state of racial relations and over-stimulation in our urban environment, it manages to do neither. The film’s structure is over-programmed and its characters fail to come alive. It’s at its best in its comic moments, but as a drama remains pretentious and even dishonest. And really, what’s up with those long soap opera glances into the camera? In Dutch and Arabic with Dutch subtitles. (LG) 112 min. Filmhuis Griffioen The Last King of Scotland This compelling UK drama features a titanic performance by Forest Whitaker as Idi Amin, the brutal dictator who terrorised Uganda throughout the ’70s. A fictional young Scottish doctor

Amsterdam Weekly (James McAvoy) follows his taste for adventure to Africa and becomes personal physician to the general, who’s just seized power in a military coup.

Alternately charming and sinister, vulnerable and vengeful, Amin draws the naive young man deeper into his murderous regime, and by the time the doctor fully grasps the depth of Amin’s evil he’s complicit in it. (JJ) 123 min. Pathé De Munt Das Leben der Anderen This Oscar winner by Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck mostly deserves all the praise and admiration it has received. A study in the dehumanising effects of state surveillance, it focuses on two men living in East Germany in 1984: a playwright (Sebastian Koch) who attracts the interest of the state and a Stasi officer (Ulrich Mühe) whose loyalty to the socialist cause is starting to erode. Predictable and slightly distant, but also disturbing and effective. In German with Dutch subtitles. (LvH) 137 min. Cinecenter, Het Ketelhuis, Pathé Tuschinski, Rialto Made in Korea Dutch film-maker In-Soo Radstake was born in South Korea in 1979 and given up for adoption.

In this likably unsentimental documentary, he goes in

search of his roots. In Dutch/Korean/English with Dutch subtitles. 73 min. Het Ketelhuis Miss Potter As the sheltered Londoner who created Peter Rabbit and struck gold with her illustrated children’s stories, Renée Zellweger gives a performance so cute she seems on the verge of turning into a bunny and hopping off into the brush. Ewan McGregor is the eager young publisher Norman Warne, who took a chance on Potter’s stories in 1902 and pressed her snobbish parents for her hand; Emily Watson is Warne’s sister, who befriended Potter. The romance is twee, but the movie’s first half follows in fascinating detail the innovations Warne introduced to popularise illustrated picture books for children. Chris Noonan (Babe) directed. (JJ) 92 min. Cinema Amstelveen The Monastery: Mr Vig & the Nun The synopsis reads like a fairy tale: an eccentric old man, living alone in a castle somewhere in Denmark, has dreamt for years of starting his own monastery. Finally, the Russian Orthodox Church agrees to send down some nuns.

Amongst them is the remarkable Amvrosija, who turns out to be just as stubborn as Mr Vig. After years of

17-23 May 2007 neglect the castle is nearly a ruin, but Mr Vig and Amvrosija work hard to repair the building and make their dream come true. The process is filmed in beautiful, smoky images, yet Pernille Rose Gronkjaer’s documentary doesn’t tell much about the promised ‘special relationship’ between Mr Vig and the nun, which should be the most interesting part. Maybe the camera wasn’t looking, or maybe it just wasn’t there.

In Danish with Dutch subtitles. (MM) 85 min. De Uitkijk The Namesake What happens when you’re named for a depressing Russian author? An Indian-American architect finds out. Pathé ArenA, Pathé Tuschinski Next Nicolas Cage stars as a Las Vegas magician who can see two minutes into his own future, which proves endlessly handy when he’s onstage or working a casino but doesn’t have much national security potential; why an FBI agent (Julianne Moore) would enlist him to save Los Angeles from nuclear terrorists is never satisfactorily explained. As a result, this busy sci-fi thriller often seems like a page full of equations rendered meaningless by an early misplaced decimal point. When the story finally collapses in a heap at the end, you’ll probably want your money back, but that’s where the title comes in: ‘Next!’ Lee Tamahori (Die Another Day) directed; with Jessica Biel and, briefly, Peter Falk. (JJ) 91 min. Pathé ArenA, Pathé De Munt

The Night of the Hunter Charles Laughton’s first and only film as a director (1955) is an enduring masterpiece—dark, deep, beautiful, aglow. Robert Mitchum, in the role that most fully exploits his ferocious sexuality, is the evil preacher pursuing two orphaned children across a sinister, barren countryside; Lillian Gish is the widow who protects the children. Laughton’s direction has Germanic overtones—not only in the expressionism that occasionally grips the image, but also in a pervasive, brooding romanticism that suggests the Erl-King of Goethe and Schubert. But ultimately the source of its style and power is mysterious—It is a film without precedents, and without any real equals. (DK) 93 min.

Filmmuseum Norbit Eddie Murphy returns to the multiple roles and prosthetic blubber of his Nutty Professor movies, playing a trio of grotesques: Norbit, a cringeing nebbish with a bad Afro and a speech impediment; his battleax wife, a raging sea of cellulite; and his ageing foster father, one of those crude and insulting Asians who’ve become such a reliable comic type. This dismal comedy joins a growing pile of Murphy disasters, though Thandie Newton provides some visual relief. (JJ) 102 min. Pathé ArenA, Pathé ArenA Notes on a Scandal A bitter old history teacher at a wild English high school (Judi Dench) befriends an attractive young colleague who’s just arrived (Cate Blanchett), only to discover she’s having sex with a 15year-old student. Adapted from a novel by Zoë Heller, this drama is both literate and urgently plotted, with a voice-over from Dench that cuts like broken glass. Her character is sly, controlling, desperately lonely and capable of anything, and when Blanchett’s secret gets out, a proper chamber drama explodes into something much more troubling. Richard Eyre (Iris) directed. (JJ) 91 min. Pathé Tuschinski, De Uitkijk Nue propriété Isabelle Huppert plays a Belgian mother who feels her life is weighing her down. She decides to sell her house and, together with her new lover, start a bed and breakfast in the Alps. Left to their own devices, her twin sons take their abandonment out on each other in this film by Joachim Lafosse; the English title is Private Property. In French with Dutch subtitles. 105 min. De Uitkijk

Our Daily Bread This may remind you of We Feed

the World, the documentary by Erwin Wagenhofer that was released in the Netherlands last November. Like that film, it’s a behind-the-scenes look at how meat and produce make the transition from soil to supermarket. But Our Daily Bread is far more experimental, abstaining from dialogue and even music. Alternating shots from the work floor of a meat-packing plant with the same people silently eating their lunches, Austrian director Nikolaus Geyrhalter creates a mood of inevitability. He is not interested in opinions or politics, only in showing the bizarre, almost science-fictional way our food is produced in the 21st century. (MP) 92 min. Filmmuseum

Pan’s Labyrinth By mixing the narrative setting he

already visited in The Devil’s Backbone with the Grand Guignol sensibilities he’s shown in his Hollywood films, Guillermo del Toro has managed to create a perfect, poignant fairy tale of the Grimm variety. Young Ofelia must undergo a perilous quest that takes her through the depths of the underworld and pits her against her nefarious new father. Bittersweet and darkly disturbing at the same time, this movie’s guaranteed to keep your inner child up at night with delicious fright. Just refrain from accepting candy from Fascists and fauns and you’ll be fine. In Spanish with Dutch subtitles. (LvH) 112 min. Cinecenter, The Movies, Pathé ArenA, Pathé Tuschinski

Amsterdam Weekly

17-23 May 2007

The Reaping

Perfect Stranger A tabloid journalist (Halle Berry), assisted by a computer geek (Giovanni Ribisi), goes undercover to pin the murder of her old friend on a tyrannical tycoon (Bruce Willis). This stupidly contrived thriller is all the more disappointing if you admire previous work

by Berry and director James Foley (After Dark, My Sweet). Did they cynically opt for a lame and unpleasant script, or did this make more sense before the suits got to it? With a minor role for Dutch model Daniella van Graas. (JR) 109 min. Pathé ArenA, Pathé De Munt The Reaping A professor (Hilary Swank) known for debunking religious phenomena arrives in a southern backwater that’s being afflicted by the ten plagues of Egypt. Produced by Hollywood crapmeister Joel Silver, this high-decibel shocker is an insult to intelligence and faith alike. Stephen Hopkins (Lost in Space) directed; with David Morrissey, Idris Elba, AnnaSophia Robb and Stephen Rea. (JJ) 99 min. Pathé ArenA, Pathé De Munt

Sangre Diego, an endearing slob, leads an undis-

turbed life of boredom with Bianca. Outside their day jobs they watch soap operas, have sex and eat fast food with equal, silent satisfaction. But when his daughter from a former marriage shows up, the usually unaffected Diego is thrown into emotional disarray. In trying to keep his daughter out of sight of his pathologically jealous wife, Diego neglects the girl, with inevitably dramatic results. The gritty realism of Sangre is balanced by its subdued black humour. Despite the film’s darkness and hopelessness, the future of 28

FILM TIMES Thursday 17 May until Wednesday 23 May Times are provided by cinemas and are subject to last-minute changes. Film times also at www.amsterdamweekly.nl.

De Balie Kleine-Gartmanplantsoen 10, 553 5151 Hotel Gondelin Wed 22.00 Metamorphosis:The Remarkable Journey of Granny Lee Wed 22.00 Nederlands Transgender Film Festival Wed One Freak Show Wed 20.00 Working Man's Death Fri, Sat 20.30.

Cavia Van Hallstraat 52-I, 681 1419 Alice Thur 20.30 Alice in Wonderland Thur 15.00 Alice in Wonderland minifest Doctor Jekyll and Mister Hyde Tues 20.30 Donnie Darko Sat 22.15 Heavenly Creatures Sat 20.30 Labyrinth Fri 15.00 Tideland Fri 20.30 The Wizard of Oz Sat 15.00.

Cinecenter Lijnbaansgracht 236, 623 6615 Azuloscurocasinegro daily 16.15, 19.15, 21.45, Sun also 11.00, 13.30 The Fountain daily 16.30, 19.00, Sun also 11.00 Inland Empire daily 21.00, Sun also 13.00 Das Leben der Anderen daily 16.00, 19.00, 21.45, Sun also 11.15 Pan's Labyrinth daily 16.15, 19.00, 21.45, Sun also 11.00, 13.30.

Cinema Amstelveen Plein 1960 2, Amstelveen, 547 5175 Arthur en de Minimoys Sat, Wed 15.30, Sun 14.00 Assepoester en de Keukenprins Sat, Wed 13.30, Sun 12.00 Freedom Writers Tues, Wed 20.30 Miss Potter Fri, Sat 20.30, Sun 16.15.

Filmhuis Griffioen Uilenstede 106, Amstelveen, 444 5100 Kicks Tues 19.00, 21.15.

Filmmuseum Vondelpark 3, 589 1400 Berlin Alexanderplatz parts 1-3: Thur, Wed 19.15, parts 4-7: Fri 19.15, parts 8-11: Mon 19.15, parts 1-7: Sat 13.30, parts 8-13: Sun 13.30 Beynelmilel daily 17.45 Griezelen in het donker Sun, Wed 14.00 The Night of the Hunter Thur, Fri, Mon, Tues 17.15 Our Daily Bread Sun 15.45 Sangre daily 19.45, 21.45 Het Zakmes Sun, Wed 13.45.

25

Pan’s Labyrinth

year-old Mexican director Amat Escalante looks brightly promising. In Spanish with English subtitles. (MdR) 90 min. Filmmuseum Shooter Steely Mark Wahlberg stars as an army sniper, coaxed out of retirement to foil an assassination plot on the president, who discovers that he’s the patsy in a government conspiracy. The story is often ridiculous, but director Antoine Fuqua provides plenty of fun distractions, including an evil Russian in a wheelchair, a conniving US senator (Ned Beatty) and a heroine who favours tank tops. (JJ) 124 min. Pathé ArenA, Pathé De Munt

in between the flabbergasting action sequences.

Besides, in keeping with blockbuster season, there’s an awful lot of action. Two-and-a-half angstful hours might be more bang for your buck than you bargained for.

Directed by Sam Raimi, with Tobey Maguire and Kirsten Dunst. (LvH) 156 min. Pathé ArenA, Pathé De Munt, Pathé Tuschinski

Shut Up and Sing On a stage in London in 2003, on the eve of the US-led invasion of Iraq, Nathalie Maines of Texas country band the Dixie Chicks infamously announced: ‘Just so you know, we are ashamed that the president of the US comes from our state.’ Oscar-winning film-maker Barbara Kopple records the fallout in this lively documentary, in which Maines emerges as intelligent and independent-minded, the kind of person you would love to go to the pub with—though maybe not while she was wearing her stage clothes. (AD) 93 min. The Movies

Sunshine Danny Boyle (Trainspotting) seems to be specialising in the unconventional genre film: the romantic comedy A Life Less Ordinary, the zombie movie 28 Days Later and now the space opera Sunshine. The sun is dying and a crew of eight is sent on a long, hazardous mission to give Sol a jump-start. The name of the spaceship, Icarus, could have been more imaginative, but for the most part Boyle and writer Alex Garland surprise us with their down-to-earth script.

Unfortunately, about two-thirds of the way in the film stops making quite so much sense. Suddenly, a psychopath is on the loose and the characters begin to act more and more like mindless drones from a muddled horror movie. At that point, it’s the plot that could use a jump-start. (BS) 108 min. Pathé De Munt

Spider-Man 3 When a super-hero franchise reaches the third instalment, the result is usually a let-down featuring rubber nipples or Richard Pryor on skis. While Spidey’s third outing doesn’t reach those all-time lows, it still is a step backwards from the first two magnificent films. The problem boils down to an overabundance of villains, love interests and plot lines that entangle the cast, sometimes slowing the proceedings to a sticky stop

Transylvania Director Tony Gatlif likes to make gypsy road movies—his most famous one being Gadjo Dilo—and his latest film is no exception. This time we follow female protagonist Zingarina (Asia Argento) to the Romanian region of Transylvania to be reunited with her boyfriend. When he rejects her and their unborn baby, Zingarina is inconsolable. Yet love lurks in unlikely places. It’s uncommon for Gatlif to feature

iLLUSEUM Witte de Withstraat 120, 770 5581 Maladolescenza Wed 21.00.

12.40, 19.30, Thur, Sat, Sun also 10.25, Wed also 19.25 Bridge to Terabithia Thur-Mon, Wed 17.50, Mon also 13.30, 15.40, Tues 12.35, 14.50 Epic Movie Thur-Mon 12.30, 14.40, 17.00, 19.20, Thur, Sat, Sun also 10.15, Wed also 12.20, 21.55 Fracture daily 21.40, Thur-Mon also 13.40, 16.20, 19.00, Thur, Sat, Sun also 10.55, Tues also 12.10, 15.25, 18.15, Wed also 12.25, 15.05 Haaibaai Thur-Sun, Wed 12.05, 13.55, 15.50, Thur, Sat, Sun also 10.10 Haaibaai Thur-Sun, Wed 12.05, 13.55, 15.50, Thur, Sat, Sun also 10.10 Metro Thur-Tues 12.50, 15.45, 18.40, Thur-Mon also 21.30, Thur, Sat, Sun also 10.05, Wed 17.40 Mr Bean's Holiday daily 16.35, 18.45, Thur-Tues also 21.05, Thur-Mon, Wed also 12.25, 14.30, Thur, Sat, Sun also 10.20 The Namesake daily 12.20, 15.10, 17.55, Thur-Tues also 20.40 Next daily 22.05, Thur-Tues also 13.10, 15.20, 17.35, 19.50, Thur, Sat, Sun also 11.00, Wed also 17.45, 19.55 Norbit Thur-Tues 14.00, 16.25 The Number 23 daily 21.15, Thur-Tues also 13.50, 16.30, 18.50, Thur, Sat, Sun also 10.45 Pan's Labyrinth daily 17.45, Thur-Mon, Wed 20.15, Tues 17.10 Perfect Stranger Thur-Tues 18.10, 20.50, Mon also 14.15, Tues also 13.00, 15.35 Pirates of the Caribbean 3 Wed 11.45, 12.30, 13.15, 14.00, 14.40, 15.15, 16.00, 16.45, 17.30, 18.10, 18.45, 19.30, 20.15, 21.00 Pirates of the Caribbean Marathon Tues 17.45 The Reaping daily 19.40, 22.00, Thur-Mon, Wed also 17.20, Mon, Tues 12.45, 15.05 Shooter Thur-Mon, Wed 21.35, Tues 14.30 Sneak Preview Tues 21.00 Spider-Man 3 daily 12.00, 15.00, 18.00, 21.00 Spider-Man 3 (IMAX) daily 12.15, 15.15, 18.20, 21.25 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Thur-Sun, Wed 13.20, 15.30, Thur, Sat, Sun also 11.15 Walk the Line Tues 13.30 Wild Hogs Thur-Tues 18.55.

Het Ketelhuis Haarlemmerweg 8-10, 684 0090 The Boss of It All daily 21.30, Thur, Sat, Mon-Wed also 17.30, Sat, Sun, Wed also 15.30 Ellen ten Damme Thur-Sat, Mon-Wed 18.15 Ex Drummer daily 21.45 The Good German Thur-Sat, Mon-Wed 19.30, Sat, Sun, Wed also 13.30 The Kid Sat, Sun 13.30 Das Leben der Anderen Thur-Sat, Tues, Wed 18.30, 21.15, Sat, Wed also 15.00, Sun 15.00, 21.15 Made in Korea Thur-Sat, Mon-Wed 16.45, Sun 14.00 Man & natuur in Amsterdam daily 19.45, Sat, Wed also 14.45.

Kriterion Roetersstraat 170, 623 1708 The Boss of It All Thur, Fri, Mon-Wed 17.15, 19.15, Sat, Sun 15.15, 21.30 Caravan of Euro-Arab Cinema Fri-Sun Curse of the Golden Flower Thur, Sat-Wed 18.00, Fri 17.00 Ex Drummer Fri, Sat 0.15 The Five Obstructions Mon 22.00 Inland Empire Thur, Fri, Tues, Wed 21.15 Interview Thur-Mon, Wed 22.15, Thur, Sat-Wed also 20.15, Sat also 15.30 Sneak Preview Tues 22.15.

Melkweg Cinema Lijnbaansgracht 234A, 624 1777 Baixio das bestas Tues 20.00 My Best Enemy Fri 20.00 Rabia Mon 20.00.

The Movies Haarlemmerdijk 159-165, 638 6016 Alatriste daily 22.00 Anche libero va bene daily 16.45, 19.00, 21.15, Sun also 12.15 Bridge to Terabithia Sat, Sun, Wed 14.30 Interview daily 17.15, 19.45, 21.30, Sat, Sun, Wed also 15.15, Sun also 13.00 Interview (2003) Fri, Sat 23.30 Pan's Labyrinth daily 17.00, 19.30, 21.45, Fri, Sat also 0.00, Sat, Sun, Wed 14.45, Sun also 12.30 Shut Up and Sing daily 17.15, Sun also 12.00 Spider-Man Fri, Sat 23.45 Spider-Man 2 Fri, Sat 0.30 La Vie en rose daily 19.15, Sat, Sun, Wed also 14.15.

De Nieuwe Anita Frederik Hendrikstraat 111, 06 4150 3512, Blood Feast Mon 20.30 Cannibal Holocaust Mon 20.30.

OT301 Overtoom 301, 779 4913 Beau Travail Sun 20.30 The Gladiators Tues 20.30 Hotel Paradijs Sun 20.30 The War Game Tues 20.30.

Pathé ArenA ArenA Boulevard 600, 0900 1458 300 Thur-Tues 21.20 Assepoester en de Keukenprins Thur-Sun, Wed 12.45, 15.05, Thur, Sat, Sun also 10.35 Beestenboel Thur-Sun, Wed 11.55, Thur, Sat, Sun also 10.00 Blades of Glory daily 14.55, 17.15, 19.30, 21.45, Thur-Tues also

Pathé De Munt Vijzelstraat 15, 0900 1458 300 Thur, Fri, Sun-Tues 16.00, 18.50, 21.40, Mon, Tues also 13.20, Sat 16.15, 19.15, 22.00 Alatriste Thur-Tues 17.30, Thur, Fri, Sun-Tues also 20.45, Sat also 21.15, Mon, Tues also 13.50 Assepoester en de Keukenprins Thur-Sun 13.45, Thur, Fri, Sun also 11.30, Sat 11.20, Wed 12.00, 14.10 Blades of Glory Thur, Fri, Sun-Wed 21.00, Thur, Fri, Sun-Tues also 12.05, 14.15, 16.30, 18.45, Wed also 15.40, 18.40, Sat 10.25, 12.40, 15.00, 17.45, 20.30, 23.20 Bridge to Terabithia Thur, Fri, Sun 10.10, 12.15, 14.35, Sat 10.35, Wed 13.10 Epic Movie Thur, Fri, Sun-Tues 13.15, 15.40, 18.00, Thur, Fri, Sun also 10.50, Sat 11.30, 14.15, 16.45, 19.00 Fracture Thur, Fri, Sun-Wed 16.15, 19.00, 21.45, Thur, Fri, Sun-Tues also 13.30, Thur, Fri, Sun also 11.00, Sat 11.45, 14.30, 17.15, 20.00, 22.45 Haaibaai Thur, Fri, Sun, Wed 12.40, 14.40, 16.45, Thur, Fri, Sun also 10.40, Sat 11.00, 13.10, 15.20 Hot Fuzz Thur, Fri, Sun-Tues 15.45, 18.30, Thur, Fri, Sun also 10.15, 12.55, Mon, Tues also 12.40, Sat, Wed 15.30, Sat also 10.10, Wed also 12.00, 18.00 The Last King of Scotland Thur, Fri, Sun-Tues 20.30, Sat 21.30 Mr Bean's Holiday Thur, Fri, Sun-Wed 19.10, Thur, Fri, Sun-Tues

a female lead, yet actress Biro Ünel (the anti-hero of Gegen die Wand) steals every scene. What Transylvania lacks in narrative, it amply makes up for in vibrant music and raw emotion. In French/Romanian/English with Dutch subtitles. (BS) 103 min. Rialto La Vie en rose Any director would have had a hard time adapting Edith Piaf’s eventful life—filled with neglect, disease and death—into a 140-minute movie, yet Olivier Dahan eschews any pretence of coherence. Seemingly at random, he jumps through time, barely differentiating between important and less relevant events. We get to see the winning match of Piaf’s lover, boxer Marcel Cerdan, but not her role in the French resistance. Both Piaf and Marion Cotillard (giving a remarkable, fragile performance as ‘The Little Sparrow’) deserve better. In French with Dutch subtitles. (BS) The Movies, Pathé Tuschinski Wild Hogs John Travolta, Tim Allen, Martin Lawrence and William H Macy are middle-aged motorcycle buffs who soothe their midlife crises with a cross-country expedition to the Pacific Coast. In New Mexico, Travolta (goofing like he hasn’t since he played Vinnie Barbarino) inadvertently torches a biker gang’s roadhouse, and the bikers, led by a sublimely typecast Ray Liotta, hunt them down. Slack direction from Walt Becker sullies this formula comedy, but the cast is agreeable, particularly Marisa Tomei as the diner owner who falls for Macy, and Peter Fonda, turning in his second Easy Rider parody in weeks (the first was in Ghost Rider).

(JJ) 105 min. Pathé ArenA, Pathé De Munt

also 14.00, 16.50, Thur, Fri also 11.45, Wed also 13.30, 16.30, Sat 10.20, 12.25, 14.40, 17.00, 19.30 Next Thur, Fri, Sun-Wed 19.20, 21.40, Mon, Tues also 12.10, 14.25, 16.45, Sat 18.00, 20.15, 22.30 The Number 23 Thur, Fri, Sun-Wed 14.30, 17.00, 22.00, Thur, Fri, Sun-Tues also 12.10, Thur, Fri, Sun, Mon, Wed also 19.30, Tues also 19.20, Wed also 12.05, Sat 10.45, 13.15, 16.00, 18.30, 21.00, 23.30 Perfect Stranger Thur, Fri, Sun-Wed 15.20, 17.50, 20.15, Thur, Fri, Sun-Tues also 12.50, Thur, Fri, Sun also 10.20, Sat 10.40, 13.20, 16.10, 18.45, 21.45 Pirates of the Caribbean 3 Wed 12.15, 13.00, 13.45, 16.00, 16.45, 17.30, 20.00, 20.30, 21.15 The Reaping Thur, Fri, Sun-Wed 12.30, 14.45, 17.15, 19.45, 22.10, Sat 10.30, 13.00, 15.45, 18.15, 20.45, 23.15 Shooter Thur, Fri, Sun-Wed 21.20, Sat 22.15 Sneak Preview Tues 21.45 Spider-Man 3 Thur, Fri, Sun-Wed 12.00, 15.00, 18.15, 21.30, Wed also 14.00, 17.20, 20.45, Sat 10.20, 13.30, 16.30, 19.45, 23.00 Sunshine Thur, Fri, Sun-Tues 21.10, Sat, Wed 21.00, Sat also 23.25 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Thur-Sun 15.10, Thur, Fri, Sun also 10.30, 13.00, Sat 10.25, 12.40, Wed 13.15 Wild Hogs Thur, Fri, Sun-Tues 16.55, 19.20, 21.50, Mon, Tues also 12.20, 14.35, Sat 17.50, 20.20, 22.50.

Pathé Tuschinski Reguliersbreestraat 34, 0900 1458 Catch a Fire Thur, Sun-Wed 15.30, Fri, Sat 15.45 Curse of the Golden Flower daily 21.20, Mon, Tues also 16.15 The Good German Thur-Mon, Wed 22.00 Good Night, and Good Luck Thur, Tues 13.30 Haaibaai Thur-Sun, Wed 12.00, 14.15, 16.30 Interview Thur-Mon, Wed 19.30, Thur-Mon also 17.00, Fri-Mon also 12.10, 14.30, Tues 16.10 Das Leben der Anderen Thur-Tues 13.00, 20.00, Wed 20.30 The Namesake daily 12.30, 18.30, Thur-Mon, Wed also 21.30 Notes on a Scandal daily 19.00, Mon, Tues also 13.45 Pan's Labyrinth Thur, Sun-Wed 21.45, Thur, Sun-Tues also 12.45, Thur, Sun, Mon also 15.45, 18.45, Fri, Sat, Tues 15.15, Fri, Sat also 12.30, 18.15, 21.15, Wed also 19.10 Pirates of the Caribbean 3 Wed 13.15, 17.00, 21.00 Spider-Man 3 Thur, Sun-Tues 14.00, Thur, Sun, Mon also 17.30, 20.45, Fri, Sat 12.15, 15.30, 18.45, 22.00 La Vie en rose Thur-Tues 16.00.

Rialto Ceintuurbaan 338, 676 8700 Anche libero va bene daily 17.45, Sat also 15.00 Angel daily 18.40, Sun also 12.30, Wed also 15.30 Babette's Feast Sun 11.00, Wed 15.00 Close to Home daily 19.45, Sat, Sun also 13.00 Daratt daily 21.10, Fri, Sun also 15.30, Sat also 13.30 Destricted Sat 23.00 Fickende Fische Fri 23.00 I Don't Want to Sleep Alone daily 19.30, Sat, Sun also 13.15 The Iron Wall Sat 16.00 Langer Licht Fri 16.00 Das Leben der Anderen daily 21.45, Fri, Sun also 15.00 Transylvania daily 22.00, Sat, Sun, Wed also 16.15, Sun also 11.15.

De Uitkijk Prinsengracht 452, 623 7460 Curse of the Golden Flower daily 19.00 The Monastery: Mr Vig & the Nun Sun 15.00 Notes on a Scandal daily 17.00 Nue propriété daily 21.15.

26

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Mixing up PIJP APT While renovating years in A’dam. We’re absosary, just come by to fill in an yahoo.com. new house, we sublet our €550 p/m. Please mail Mar- lutely trustworthy & looking various styles and disciplines, application form and bring HURTING BUSINESS Am tijn on tijnmp@xs4all.nl. partly-furnished apt in De for place to call home: 30m2+, developing the space as a along passport photo. Max Pijp. (approx 6-12 mths). 3 LOOKING FOR A STUDIOTo up to €700 incl inside the ring, multi-functional playground. Euweplein 57-61, A’dam. No offering my skills as a fighter, cage fighting, debt colrooms, 60m2, €750/mth incl. rent in A’dam from any time with contract and registra- You are welcome to opening phone calls please. lecting, hurt for hire. I have 17 May! www.cuttingculMore info via pijpapart- in May for 6 mths or longer. Fur- tion, for 1 year or more, per P/T RESEARCH We are a 15 years training and am hangment@gmail.com. nished with internet access direct: 06 1076 9820. Looking tures.com. consulting firm with 50 offices ing on here with a thread.

ROME Comfortable, bright and own bthrm/toilet. Rent up forward to hearing from you! GALLERY AVAILABLEMul- globaly. The European Sometimes the world is not € 700 euro incl.

Please email to elegant flat in typical Roman ROOM NEEDED Hello I´m ti-functional space available research center is based in a nice place, sometimes I’m building in city centre, 5 min me an interesting offer. No a 23 y.o. female from Iceland, in the famous Jordaan area A’dam and we are looking for not a nice person. darrenlwalk from main station, Span- agents please. Contact 06 4857 non-smoking, working and for artists to show and sell English-speaking employees manning@hotmail.com. ish Steps & Dolce Vita Via Vene- 9516 or pearl24x@yahoo.com. studying in A’dam. Need new their creations. Preferably who can perform business to. Living room w/ sofa bed, dou- STUDIO/APTHi! I’m a graph- house from 1 June. Can pay including seats and paint- research on p/t basis. Min 20 WRITER/EDITOR 24 y.o. female Harvard graduate will ble room, kitchen corner & ic designer looking for studio €400 incl for apt or €400 per ings. Space will be visited by hrs/wk. Contact skim@ spend summer in A’dam. Am bthrm w/ shower. No smoking or apt in centre of A’dam. Up bdrm. Only inside A’dam ring. potential clients. Mail rick- spencerstuart.com for info. looking for work in editing, please. roti.fm@gmail.com. to €650/mth, all expenses incl 06 1878 3913 or steinamar- bridge@hotmail.com or call KEUKEN HULP Casa Peru copy-editing, translating, freeMatch your stay in Italy with furnished or unfurnished. Bal- ta@gmail.com.

06 1771 4131. restaurant zoekt met spoed lance or travel writing. FluItalian lessons! cony will naturally be apprehulp in de keuken. Spaans ent in English, French, RusWORK OFFERED ciated!

You can reach me by HOUSING TO SHARE FURNISHED FLATNice spasprekend, 06 5371 8057. Lili. sian. Please email me at cious, renovated flat near email: chantal84rob@gmail. FLAT TO SHARE Looking IT JOBS IN NLWe have over AnnaMD83@gmail.com.

NIGHT RECEPTIONIST Vondelpark for single per- com. Thanks! for flatmate (working) to 650 IT and technical support Hotel in De Pijp looking for PERSONAL ASSISTANTDo jobs for non-Dutch speakers son. €700/mth all incl. One DO YOU HAVE A ROOM? share nice, quiet apt in A’dam you want to be worry free? mth deposit. Email yansa1@ Portuguese with university South (close to Stadionweg). all over NL. www.xpatjobs.nl night receptionist for Fri and Hire me as your personal assisdegree, bike and working at 2 bdrms, living, study, bal- ENGLISH-SPEAKING JOB Sat nights. Contact tant who can do all your menial yahoo.com. daniel@savihotels.com. sushi bar.

Looking for room cony, roof terrace, internet, We have all the English-speakHOLIDAY APT DAM SQLuxjobs before you even wake up. in A’dam ASAP. Can pay 450. inscription possible. €420 ing and other foreign-lanWORK WANTED Very talented woman who can ury air-conditioned studio in Email tfbsv@yahoo.com. rent, 1 mth deposit, per 1 guage jobs from all the major hotspot next to Dam Square SEEK NANNY WORKYoung make your life bliss. Request for short-term rental. Price RENTAL WANTED Spanish June. If you’re interested call employment agencies and woman with nanny experi- special people only. Please employers in NL on one webstarts at €149/day. www.ams- computer scientist looking for a Inge on 06 2317 5346. ence seeks work as nanny to call Fatima for personal inteterdamcityapartment.com. room/studio/small flat in A’dam FLAT NEEDED URGENT- site. www.xpatjobs.com. nice family in A’dam and sur- view! 06 4876 3940. for long-term. Email me: LY Looking for a 2 bdrm flat DESIGN T-SHIRT Shop in roundings areas. Desire f/t TEXTILES Work wanted in SHORT-TERM APT AvailRentingAmsterdam@gmail.com. in and around ctr of A’dam, A’dam centre. Needs young but willing to work less hours textile industry. Have 35 years able on Jan Pieter Heystraat from now until 21 June. Ful- SPACE PLACE HOME Pho- at reasonable price for 2 neat m/f, Ned/Eng-speaking, friend- if required. Enjoy and able to experience in clothing indusly furnished with internet tographer and sociologist women. Please call Tina at ly team member for busy loca- work with children from 0- tries in Indonesia. Master and TV. Suitable for 1 person looking for apt in A’dam start- 06 4481 7800 or email Lee at tion. Hours to be arranged. 12 y.o. Speak Polish, Greek weaver and fabric expert.

Contact Ian on 06 436 3555. and English. Please contact Call Fatima on 06 4876 3940. or couple. Rent is €700 in ing in July. Internet a plus. leenetia@hotmail.com

FOR SALE

tist, lawyer, etc? www.xpatpages.com.

ELECTRONICS Panasonic 220x digital zoom. Used but in good condition. Also new Siemens landline telephone, GigasetS450.Makeagoodoffer.

Contact Dorothy 06 4709 7791.

NASCHOOLOPVANG Liefdevolle en gediplomeerd kinderleidsterkomtbijuaanhuisvoor naschoolse opvang. Tijden zijn inoverleg.IkspreekookEngels.

Voormeerinformatieenailnaar RAY BAN SUNGLASSES If LEONORI17LP@SAFE-MAIL. you’re interested in seeing a NET. picture check www.ray- HOUSE CLEANER Looking ban.com for the side-street for someone to take care of sunglases, RB 4068 model. your house? With references They cost about €110 but am and 10 yrs experience in hotels selling for only €40. Good con- and cruise line. Phone 06 2334 dition. lullish@yahoo.com. 9502 and ask for margs.

E-GUITAR FOR SALE! Brandnew black e-guitar set.

Call 06 4816 9136 or email markmann@gmx.com now!

SOFA BED 2,5 y.o. sofa bed from IKEA. Opens to double bed of 2m x 1.30m. Comfy and in good condition. Easily taken apart for transportation. €80.rogerskara@hotmail.com.

SOFASOGOOD...Big,coolmodulardesignersofaforsale.Handmade:Selfridges,London.New was 4.5K; now a snip at €700.

Dark blue, good condition, 6 pieces, wooden feet, covers removable. Normal layout 330 x 260/height 95/depth 92. Buyercollects.www.flickr.com/photos/ 7926605@N07. wendysproit@ hotmail.com.

SERVICES

GLOBAL-SAILING-ADVENTURESis a Dutch sailing company. We use modern luxury sailing yachts to sail on inland waters AND teach on 30-33 ft How-To-Sail in Holland. Offer valid til 14 June. 3-day sailing lessons from A’dam. 15% discount when booked w/ 4 persons. info@global-sailingadventures.com.

WRITER/EDITOR 24 y.o. female Harvard graduate will spend summer in A’dam. Am looking for work in editing, copy-editing, translating, freelance or travel writing. Fluent in English, French, Russian. Please email me at AnnaMD83@gmail.com.

FRIENDLY DOG WALKER With lots of experience and references is able to take care of your dog. Available from 8.00 to 20.00. Also available for nights and vacations.

Reasonable rates. Call Fred on 06 4718 3115.

ENGLISH MAN WITH VAN Can help with removals, big or small, in or outside of country.

Reasonable rates, quick service.ContactLeeon0623882184 or isabelleandlee@planet.nl. TULIPANYAre you thinking BEST MOVING SERVICEIN about starting your own busiTOWN Driver with van (10m3) ness? Do you have a compaor truck (40m3) available. ny but administration and Plus extra moving men, hoist- papers are not your thing? ing rope and elevator. Any Do you need a business plan, combinations possible. Call labour from abroad, to buy Taco on 06 4486 4390, email real estate or moving abroad? info@vrachttaxi.com or check Call Tulipany on 06 1021 8271 or email tulipany@live.nl. out www.vrachttaxi.com.

GALLERYSPEECHESArtists, do you lose your voice when it’s your gallery opening? Let me ‘The Speaker’ speak for you! My speeches are unique to you and your work. They inspire and deeply focus people on your art work. This in turn enhances sales potential. More XPAT PAGES Looking for information: www.thespeakEnglish-speakingplumber,den- er.eu or 06 4638 8622.

NEED A STUNNING WEBSITE? Experienced web designer builds professional, unique sites for very reasonable prices. Online links to past projects available. Jordan: jordangcz@yahoo.com, 06 3034 1238.

Amsterdam Weekly

17-23 May 2007

HEALTH & WELLNESS

27

MASSAGE Sacred sensual massage created to arouse, circulate and increase sexual energy throughout your entire body. www.whitelotuseast.com. Select ‘Goddesses Europe.’ Contact Shanti on shanti.tantracoach@gmail.co m or 06 4277 3290.

to associate with. Or maybe you can contact if you need new lyrics. Call at 06 246 79312 or email messychd@hotmail.com.

EVE OF AWAKENING An inspirational course in philosophical enlightenment and personal empowerment especially for women under the guidance of philosopher and metaphysician Jack Milton.

25/hr. 06 1488 9377.

HOT STONE MASSAGECerHEALINGFor stress-release tified masseuse gives hot and deep relaxation. Highly stone holistic Massage. Perexperienced healer and rei- fect combination of deep-tiski master. Also available for sue massage, thermotherareiki courses. For more infor- py and chakra healing. Frimation call 679 8753 or 06 days and Saturdays. Please 2214 3030 or email ajit@ visit www.karunika.nl and go to ‘diensten’ for more info. acornconsultancy.nl.

THINKING ABOUT THERAPY? Heighten your quality of life and 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.

Contact Sagar 06 4626 5412.

PERSONALS MISTRESS WANTED Hi, ever thought of having good sex, on a regular basis, with a nice tall man, from 020, without any strings attached?

Mail Eric, handsome, nice, Dutch boy, 35, looking for a mistress. Address is ericall@excite.com.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

FROM CALIFORNIATantric and development, home and master teaches the sensual small office networking. arts to women of all ages. www.jbcompuserve.com/06 €45/hr. Jack: 06 1410 3234. 4832 2072.

HOME IMPROVEMENT

PAINTER + HANDYMAN Available to paint inside and outside or lend a helping hand. Reasonable rates. Lots of practical and professionSIMON SAYS,But Tom knows al experience. Good referbest! Bored of following blind- ences available. Contact ly, then ask Tom what to do Dacho 06 4275 6045. next. He’ll happily put you on HOUSE RENOVATIONS!Do the right track. For whatev- you need cost-effective and er’s bothering you mail tom- high-quality full house renknowsbest@hotmail.com. ovation? Professional expeCORPORATE YOGA For rience and good references. stress-relief, improved Online links to past projects. breathing technique and Contact 331 6550 or 06 4451 relaxation in the workplace. 7410 or karol-rajczyk@hotHighly qualified and experi- mail.com or visit www.renoenced Hatha Yoga teacher bouw.nl. and respiration therapist.

COMPUTERS For info go to www.acornPC HOUSE DOCTOR Speconsultancy.nl or call 679 cialised in virus/spyware 8753/06 2214 3030. removal, h/w, s/w repair, data NEED HELP? Anxious, recovery, wireless, cable/ADSL depressed, unable to share installation and computer your problems with those lessons from friendly and expearound you? Everyone rienced Microsoft professional deserves a unique and creative for reasonable price. Contact approach to therapy. For con- Mario 06 1644 8230. fidential therapeutic counselling contact Audrey Wein- NEED HELP WITH YOUR berg at 06 4137 0866 or MAC? MAC-lover helps you info@creativetherapy.nl or with basic setups, minor troubleshooting, install, netwww.creativetherapy.nl. working, basic MAC lessons, MASSAGE setting up programs, MS Word, QuarkXpress, etc. Help with MASSAGE FOR MEN only, purchasing the right MAC. in A’dam, by Latin male masseur. Also duo-massage Contact Sagar at 779 1926.

exchange with Spanish (Castillano), English and/or Dutch speakers. My mind gets a bit confused sometimes between all these lanCOURSES guages so I’d like to work on THE SPEAKER Want to them in exchange for some improve your public speak- Italian! If interested mail me ing? looking to fine tune your at s.senago@libero.it. speaking skills? I have a range LEARN DUTCH 1-ON-1Still of quality public speaking not found the right environservices. Lots of examples to ment for learning Dutch? Try listen to and view on my pod- us: C & C Language Support. cast and website. More info Lessons in relaxed atmowww.thespeaker.eu 06 4638 sphere, for individuals and 8622.. Free your voice! small groups. Concentration BIBLE EDUCATION on practical use and conEnglish-language, part-time versation. For details, visit Bible education offered www.lasu.nl. biweekly on Sat in A’dam, DUTCH LESSONS A'DAM The Hague, Rotterdam and Improve conversation/proEindhoven. For Christians fessional purpose/studies/NT2. eager to study the Bible and Also online. Min individual be active in their church. Low rate €15/hr. Adults & children. course fee. See www.dewit- Also intensive courses. Min tenberg.nl/bee, email bee. intensive: 15 hrs = €215.55. dewittenberg@hccnet.nl or Mon-Sun. 10.00-21.00. http:// call 078 674 7339. home.tiscali.nl/stylusphant/ IBIZA YOGA RETREATSWe indexdutch.html, excellentinvite you for a rejuvenating dutch@hotmail.com or call yoga retreat in Ibiza, Spain. 06 3612 2870.

3x 1 week retreats starting IMPROVE YOUR DUTCH! 12, 19 & 26 May. Yoga style is Link Taal Studio, a professional Ashtanga Vinyasa. Last way to learn Dutch, private minute discounts. See our lesssons, small groups, intenwebsite www.yogaretreats.nl sive course, etc. Starting every or phone 06 5021 6604. week, Vijzelgracht 53. Contact linktaalstudio@gmail.com or LANGUAGES 06 4133 9323.

XIN CHAO VietnameseCITY LANGUAGE WALKS speaker wanted to continue Improve your Dutch, explorVietnamese language skills ing A’dam, practical & daily with my son. Contact situations, reading & disjsings67@hotmail.com. cussing newspapers, inter-

(4-hands) by 2 masseurs JB COMPUTER SERVICE LANGUAGE EXCHANGE mediate level. Information together. Phone 06 2389 1289 Free internet call, comput- I’m an Italian mother-tongue 06 4133 9323 or linktaalstuer, laptop repair, web design looking for multiple-language dio@gmail.com. or 06 2332 2767.

INTENSIVE DUTCHCOURSES. Want to learn Dutch fast?

Go to Joost Weet Het! Classes 4 x 4 hrs/wk. Prepare NT2 in 3, 4 or 8 weeks. Small groups, fun classes and inexpensive!

Visit www.joostweethet.nl or email info@joostweethet.nl or call 420 8146.

MUSICIANS FIDDLERS & BANJOS Established A’dam country band Trigger seeks musicians to lend us a more authentic downhome sound. Fiddlers, banjo players and steel guitarists. Call on 06 2953 2794.

GUITAR PLAYER WANTED Commited and creative.

Check the music on mys-

pace.com/kkeettzz or last.fm /music/ketz/Walkthrough.

Influences: U2, Coldplay, Radiohead, Snow Patrol. Contact 06 4107 2024 or kkeettzz @yahoo.com.

TYPEWRITER WANTEDMy laptop was recently stolen. I’d like to try my luck with a typewriter instead. I saw at least 2 for sale on Queen’s Day for very reasonable prices. Please BASS PLAYER NEEDEDFor no broken typewriters. Conraw bluesy, alternative, droney, tact me at ang.johnston@ punk rock’ish band. Sounds gmail.com. kinda’ like Black Angels, Black LOST BIKERS JACKETOn Keys and anything else with Queen’s Day. Got a bit drunk Black in the title. And maybe and in the process lost my the White Stripes too. But blue motorcycle jacket. they’re White, not Black. Look- Think I left it on tram line ing to start playing gigs soon. 7 or 10. On the back is writEmail thomasjmorgan@hot- ten YAMAHA RACING. If you mail.com. picked it up please can I SINGER/SONG WRITERHi have it back as it’s very senam singer/song writer and timental to me? Reward these days in A’dam. Seeking awaits. Many thanks. Email some band or musical group craigology@mac.com.

CREATIVE AMSTERDAM Cutting Cultures is inviting the creativeandprofessionalcommunities of JA’dam on 17 May torediscoveraspacethat’sbeen known for some time in the underground and is now back on the map! You are welcome at 19.00-22.00 hours. With a spectaculairactat20.30.Check www.cuttingcultures.com.

LOST GIRLLooking for slim girl lost on Sat last. Pink hair, answers to Kelly. 2 or 3 tattoos and works in hostel.

Reward if found. darrenlmanning@hotmail.com.

PATTI SMITH TICKETS!I’m looking for a ticket to Patti Smith in Paradiso. You would make me soooo happy! claudia_n777@hotmail.com.

TIPPY!! Yippie, Tippy! Yippie, Yippie, Yippie! Tippy, Tippy, Tippy! Yea...Tippy! (I miss you already...)

PARTY PEOPLE ! Club LA has weekly & monthly slots available for experienced event/party organizers. ContactJvporter@gmail.com.Club has all modern equipment and holds 150 max. Centrally located near Leidsestraat. For more info visit www.clubla.nl.

LANGUAGE EXCHANGE My English for your Vietnamese. Call 06 2626 0310 or tefl@ europe.com.