Alonso Alvarez Barreda: short

This beautiful 4 min short, The Story of a Sign, won the Cannes 2008 online competition. Watch it here.

Young @ Heart

This is a film, made for British TV, that deserves to be a sleeper.

It's up-lifting, funny, heart-breaking, tender and almost unbearably poignant. And it's in there with my all time favorite movies. (Plus there's a wonderful British woman in it. As a friend said, "Those Brits have such flair." Who am I to argue with such a statement?) So go and see it. And help make it a sleeper.

Watch a clip here. To watch more clips, click here and here.

A NYT Critics Pick.

Jennifer Connelly in charity: water Clean Water Africa PSA

a cool commercial for a wonderful charity called charity:water that helps build wells in Africa and provides clean, safe drinking water. Only $20 will give one person clean and safe drinking water for 20 years. Help them dig wells. Find out more at: Charity:water (It was directed by Hotel Rwanda's Terry George, cinematography by Ellen Kuras. Its national commercial debut was on American Idol Gives Back.)

trouble the water: award-winning documentary

With no means of escape, Kim and Scott (seen above at their home in the Ninth Ward after the storm) had no choice but to ride out the storm.

"Two weeks after Katrina made landfall, New York filmmakers Tia Lessin and Carl Deal flew to Louisiana to make a film about soldiers returning from Iraq who were now homeless. But the National Guard closed off access. Just when the filmmakers were ready to disband their crew, Kim and Scott Roberts, streetwise and indomitable, introduced themselves. Kim had bought a camcorder the day before the hurricane, and using it for the first time, she captured the devastation and its pathetic aftermath, including the selfless rescue of neighbors and the appalling failure of government. The strong center of Trouble The Water, though, are the Roberts themselves who survived all the storms of their lives.."

Ultimately, the levee that protects Kim againts the devastating storm is her irrepressible faith in God. It's the only levee that holds.

That's the amazing thing about this film: in the face of overwhelming tragedy and loss, Kim and Scott continually demonstrate the triumph of love over hate, faith over fear, forgiveness over hideous injustice, and hope over despair. Everyone should see it.

Grand Jury Prize: Documentary 2008, Sundance Film Festival

"One of the best American documentaries in recent memory"
Manohla Dargis, NYT

“When the hurricane struck the Gulf and the floodwaters rose and tore through New Orleans, it did not turn the region into a Third World country… it revealed one.”
Danny Glover, Executive Producer

To do something, click here.

For more info, check out the Trouble The Water website. You can watch a clip here and listen to some of Kim's music (her rap name is: Black Kold Madina), here.

Silence of the Monkeys

I'm sorry I can't help it. I adore this monkey business.

Charlie bit me!

just can't stop watching this... could it be more perfect? anyway, what better way to start the week?

Shirley, Goodness, and Mercy ...

you may well have seen this already (5 million have apparently), but in case you haven't... (I just love best of all the "Shirley?" bit)

Paul sings Nessun Dorma

a cell-phone salesman stops the show with his aria

The Spirit of the Marathon

Great trailer of the film that premiered Thursday and that's a glimpse into why some people love to do such strange crazy things as run 26.2 miles!

Al and Monkey attempt a military operation

click here to watch this short clip that illustrates the crucialness of tea in all circumstances, all walks of life, at any given moment of the day.

Al and Sock Monkey Dark and Stormy Night

Continuing our Al and Monkey series here's some background. Johnny Vegas and his knitted sidekick Monkey were catapulted to fame thanks to the commercials they did to launch ITV Digital in the UK. (I'll post one of those later.) Now they're doing PG Tips ads. (You saw them interviewed in an earlier post.)

PG Tips first introduced teabags in 1930. Its advertising was traditionally featuring real chimpanzees engaging in human activities. Today, it's a stuffed sock that's being the refined human. click here to watch one of Al and Monkey's fabulous adverts. I think it's living proof that the Brits really are the best at adverts (and silliness).

Johnny Vegas - Al and Monkey talk about tea

well sorry about the infrequent blogging there but I've been away in The Land of Tea (and Maltesers and Christmas Puddings and Chocolate Digestives and all scrumdiddley umptious things like that)... but I thought now would be the time to share this funny duo. Comedian Johnny Vegas as Al and his woollen sidekick Monkey talk about tea in this exclusive behind the scenes footage from their PG Tips campaign... This fascinating clip explains what Al and Monkey have been up to and how they like their tea ... It's a very important question to establish. (I like mine strong, in a pot, inside a tea cosy, and definitely, definitely milk in first) How about you?

Pot Noodle Welsh Miners

This is one of the ads screened at the British Television Advertising Awards 2007: Award-Winning British Commercials at MOMA. Remember The Spaghetti Harvest from 1957?

The Swiss Spaghetti Harvest (1957)

OK so I went to the British Television Advertising Awards 2007: Award-Winning British Commercials at MOMA yesterday and saw really cool stuff. (Confession: one of the biggest culture shocks of coming to the States from the UK is the dire quality of adverts here.) More on that later this week... but before I show you one particularly silly ad from that, I need to show you this. In this b&w clip, first broadcast on BBC Panorama (a serious documentary program) on 1st April 1957, a very young Richard Dimbleby revealed the wonderful world of Swiss spaghetti production to millions of deprived and hungry post-war Brits. (To be fair, back then Spaghetti was not eaten much and was rather exotic.) Most of Britain were taken in. Even my dad (who is usually dreadfully brilliant and smart) even the likes of he, totally fell for this giant April Fool's joke! Which just goes to show, if you have a serious and very important enough voice, you can hoodwink anyone. What an inspiration to us all.

The Color Purple Rallying in Song

as you know, there is a strike right now by stagehands on Broadway. Sadly, it's threatening the livelihoods of the many performers involved in these shows (many shows are unlikely to survive this a friend in the business tells me). The cast from The Color Purple gathered on Broadway last week rallying to show their support and say, "let's try and work this out together". Remember, these are people facing no checks into next year, no job, the end of their shows potentially... take a look at what happened (Fantasia is the one leading "worship") doesn't it make you wish you'd been there? Here's to Thanking and Praising God ... this side of the miracle! Happy Thanksgiving

Snowball - The Dancing Cockatoo

Here's who this is: "Snowball is a Medium Sulphur Crested Eleanora Cockatoo that dances to the Back Street Boys. He came to the Bird Lovers Only Recue in August 2007 and is a joy." Only, I think the thing is they got his name wrong. It is Sir Eleanora Snowball Cockatoo, Esq. But no matter. His dance speaks for itself. Happy Tuesday!

Burger Magic Trick

how on earth? all I know about this is that it made me want to rush out and gobble up a big mac...

jessica the hippo

I want one.

glumbert - Jessica the Pet Hippo

funny old women

well, it's very silly but it has sent some of my friends into complete hysterics, so I bring it to you, too as a nice way to begin your Thursday

Seagull thief in aberdeen

He waits until the shopkeeper isn't looking and then ...