Facts from Portugal

After Finland demonstrated that they might not be available to assist Portugal in financial terms, a video was made under the name What the Finns need to know about Portugal!

It's intention was to appeal to Finland good will, reminding them that long ago, we also provided for them! 

But more than "rubbing in their face" the fact that we also contributed to their stability, I think the most interesting thing about this video is the compilation of remarkable accomplishments and facts associated to this beautiful country that I'm so proud to be from!

Take a look!

Bill Hicks and his documentary "American: The Bill Hicks Story" (2009)

It’s funny to see how comedians may have an impact in our lives...
From plain, simple entertainment they can also reach an audience and turn their minds into deep and meaningful thoughts… Provoke a reflection so intense that can actually change someone’s life… or hell… someone else’s lives!

Some of those comedians, with their insightful and rebellious remarks, were often banished by "powers above", because they represented a threat to the standard ways of a society, not used to a whole lot of thinking on their own! And not so very often, someone like Bill Hicks would come up along and make his presence felt in a stage or TV screen, leading the audience to a possible intellectual riot. 

Instead of making funny observations of other people’s routines or even his own, he would raise some very good questions… he would bring to our attention some very interesting points, making the listeners be aware of certain topics, some of which could be very controversial, but necessary to give it some reflection!

It’s a gift to presence such acts of defiance from entertainers like Hicks, who are everything but ordinary.
His mission, more than create an easy going atmosphere filled in with laughter, was to instigate over people’s concerns and fears, flipping them upside down and making it OK to think about it and especially to act upon it! In some ways, his role as a comedian became more of an activist! 
“Dick jokes” (as he would call it) would quickly transform into a comic routine made of satirical remarks, dark humour and social criticism… evoking themes like drugs, religion, capitalism or philosophy!  

These sorts of comedians very easily gain my respect; however, I would think that, like in everything, you have to be good at what you do… George Carlin was very good, Richard Pryor was very good and also Bill Hicks was very good! Obviously, there are some others (old school and new school) that I appreciate a lot (and laugh non-stop). Comedians in the likes of Steve Martin, Eddie Murphy, Bill Murray, Herman Jose (top comedian in Portugal), Ricky Gervais and the whole Monty Python crew (just to name a few)…  But characters like Hicks or Carlin, they would just challenge everything! They had no limits or boundaries; there was no way of shutting them up! You would pay them to talk to you, which is something very well pointed out at the beginning of Bill Hicks documentary:

Who do you ever pay to talk? Maybe a preacher, maybe a lecturer, possibly a politician… but even those rarely! Comedians are the only ones you pay to hear them talk… “Talk to me, make me listen”.

And there we go! Exactly to what was intended when I started writing this post… To recommend those of you who though this was interesting enough, to take some of your time to get your hands on American: The Bills Hicks Story (2009)

This documentary explores Bill Hicks life, from his early years, to his rise to prominence in the comedy world, his growing addictions and his death. Through out this path, we hear from friends and family and we testify his genius on stage! Unquestionably a documentary worth seeing, about one of the biggest cultural references in the United States. A man that made his point of view standout, funny enough to make people burst into laugh, but serious enough to make people think and question their "surroundings"!



Art of The Title

A Brief History of Title Design from Ian Albinson on Vimeo.

Interesting article... unfortunately for some of you... it's in Portuguese!

Dry The Rain

A track of epic proportions!

If you feel it's not "your type", still give it a try... hear it till' the very end!

by: Beta Band



Europa League



Well… so much for Dublin!

After last night’s dreadful match between Benfica and Braga, the Lisbon Giants say farewell to their last chance of winning top silverware this season! By losing this semi-final they just added a huge exclamation mark to the sentence “We just weren’t good enough this year!” And truth be told, they were a shadow of what fans expected after one of the best seasons in the Eagles recent history.

There’s no doubt they went through some tough opponents to get to the semi-final (in the likes of Stuttgart, PSG or PSV), so kudos for that, but it just seems they missed a golden opportunity considering that they are a much stronger side than Braga. Benfica’s pedigree speaks for itself, but nowadays that doesn’t seem to be taken into much consideration… especially if you think of the way Benfica has performing recently by conceding goals in their last 17 matches and by losing most of their crucial games. So if in one hand I’m baffled by the way the Reds have been under-performing, at the same time I can’t say I’m really that surprised. I’m just utterly disappointed! Maybe that’s the best way to describe how I feel after watching a squad coming up to Braga’s territory with a 2-1 lead, and just play without any heart or soul. Sure Aimar and Salvio were missed, but that can’t justify how a team that invests millions of Euros can’t win an opponent with a third of their budget.

Oh well… I think this is an example as good as any other of how the underdogs can prevail when they show “a larger than life” attitude, opposite to the “it’s in the bag” attitude. Maybe that wasn’t Benfica's attitude at all… maybe they just have a hard time dealing with the pressure of important fixtures! I’m still dwelling on that one…

But what can I say… It’s still a proud day for Portuguese football; as we see Porto and Braga go on to square off in Dublin for the Europa League title!

Porto, who has been simply outstanding this year, is considered to be the favorite as they face the Bracarenses, who have been quite impressive as well in this competition, by taking out clubs such as Arsenal, Celtic, Seville, Liverpool and now Benfica.

To be honest, can’t say that I’m excited about that final… not only because Benfica is out of it, but also because the outcome seems pretty predictable. I doubt that Vilas-Boas pupils will let this chance slip.

But as I was saying... It’s without a doubt a remarkable year of epic proportions for both Portuguese clubs!



Meanwhile, what more can be said about Benfica? What does the future hold to their manager, Jorge Jesus?

Personally, I think that the idea of sacking Jesus is preposterous for a lot of different reasons, but mostly because we were champions due to his arrival to the club.

If there is something the world of football frequently reminds us, it is that people have a very short memory! In Benfica’s case, most supporters tend to forget that Jesus was the one responsible for a season with only two defeats… responsible for the most offensive and attractive football in not only Benfica’s recent years but also the Portuguese League…

He developed players that went on signing for the biggest clubs in Europe for absurd amounts of money.

This year the club struggled with injuries (Ruben Amorim being the most flagrant case), the consequences of the World Cup and the departure of several key players (curiously enough, one for each part of the field – defense, midfield and offense). Sure he made a few bad calls, but so does every manager.

So, do excuse him if he went through one season without delivering the same results as his debut year. Obviously it’s one of those things… Anyone who manages a club like Benfica is bound to be under a lot of pressure and what we can see from past experiences is that the tendency is to sack those managers who go some time without reaching a degree of success, however, I think it’s time to start investing more in “long term projects”. That way we can obtain a more solid consistency and certainly it will become easier for the club to reach their goals.

I definitely would allow him to continue coaching Benfica next season!

Anonanimal

by: Andrew Bird



Road to Wembley!

Got to love the instrumental track in the background of the highlights!

szólj hozzá: ManUtd 4-1 Schalke -Highlights


Fleet Foxes - Helplessness Blues (2011)

Second album for Fleet Foxes and second success. 

With traces here and there from Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, this work just comes to show just how good they are!

Last Flowers

by: Radiohead

Appliances have gone berserk
I cannot keep up
Treading on people's toes
Snot-nosed little punk

And I can't face the evening straight
You can't offer me escape
Houses move and houses speak
If you take me there you'll get relief
Relief, relief, relief...

And if I'm gonna talk
I just wanna talk
Please don't interrupt
Just sit back and listen

Cause I can't face the evening straight
And you can't offer me escape
Houses move and houses speak
If you take me there you'll get relief
relief, relief, relief, relief, relief...

It's too much
Too bright
Too powerful

Too much
Too bright
Too powerful

Too much
Too bright
Too powerful

Too much

The Fighter (2010)

For years a personal project of actor Mark Walhberg, The Fighter finally came out in 2010 after struggling with production details... everything from getting producers to director and cast.

After it was released, it didn't took long for the movie to gain critical acclaim from both critics and audience, much due to it's wonderful ensemble cast with Walhberg, Christian Bale, Amy Adams and Melissa Leo giving their all on screen. These four stars working together under direction of David O. Russel, gave life to the epic true story of "Irish" Micky Ward, a tale (as most boxing stories), of a man considered to be an underdog, prevailing when odds stacked against him.

As I mentioned, the film has a talented cast, but Christian Bale is by far (according to my perspective) the main attractive reason for the viewer to tune in.

I've admired his career since American Psycho (2000), one of my favorites movies and definitely my favorite Bale role. He's been doing other stuff before that... even having an important role at a very young age, with Spielberg's Empire Of The Sun (1987), but that Patrick Bateman performance really gripped me and since then he's become one of my top 5 favorite actors. His ability to stay in character goes beyond everything you ever seen, putting himself in very unusual situations/conditions. His method acting skills are considered to be one of Hollywood's finest and that comes to show in roles such as Brad Anderson's The Machinist (2004) or Werner Herzog's Rescue Dawn (2006).

It's no surprise for me that he won an Oscar for his portrayal of Dicky Eklund (Micky Wards half-brother).

But that's just nomination out of seven. Other nominations included renowned categories such as Best Director and Best Film, so basically we could all assume it's worth watching (even though not everyone is an Oscar fan)!

I recommend it!



Grab Some Buds

Came up to work, turned on my computer and turned on the television as usual... While waiting the computer to start, I got distracted by the first chords of what seemed to be You! Me! Dancing! by Los Campesinos. Took a closer looked at the television, only to realize that Los Campesinos were providing soundtrack for Budweiser's new commercial! Until the very end, I didn't know what the ad was promoting but I immediately empathized with it... mostly due to the track on the background but also because the footage suggested a lifestyle associated to "youth", "friends" and "good times". Enough for me to relate to and get this contagious feeling to go outside and (here comes the cheesy line) seize the day!

Anyway, its worth sharing... both the ad and tune!



Two of my favorite short films

Long time ago, when I opened my Facebook account, one of my first actions on the social network was to upload two videos that I really enjoyed.

I remember clearly one friend of mine dropping a suggestion into my inbox saying that it was definitely my “cup of tea”! He was right!

YouTube was promoting a new segment called YouTube Screening Room where they had created sort of virtual exhibition theatre where they would display short films.

Our Times is Up (2006) written and directed by Rob Pearlstein, had some familiar faces in which Kevin Pollock's stand out, not only because of his Hollywood fame, but mostly because he assumed the role of the lead character.



After seeing that one, (was highly impressed afterwards due to its sensitive nature and simplicity on passing through a valuable message) I kept browsing through some of the other videos...

Eventually I made acquaintance with Are You The Favourite Person of Anybody? (2005), directed by Miguel Arteta, starring John C. Reilly. Also, very simple but efficient in terms of executing good film based on such a genuine and interesting theme.

Those two short-films rapidly built up the urge to share them online and since Facebook was brand new to my eyes, I didn’t know how to share those videos. So basically I went through the whole process of obtaining the videos from YouTube into my desktop and then uploading them into my personal videos on my profile.

As you can imagine, this took me ages to do… but it was completely worth is! This was what? Two years, three years ago tops… and so… even though I’m sharing for the second time, they will make their debut in this personal space of mine.

Who's In Control?

by: British Sea Power



Tables and Chairs

by: Andrew Bird

Wonderful track!



Looking forward to this one

The Kids Are Alright (2010)

Much can be said about The Kids Are Alright (2010)!

It’s a remarkably well-crafted dramedy that offers powerful and deep insight to the founded roots of marriage and family. It also approaches us to talk about love, understanding, doubt and forgiveness. 

Without getting into much details of the movie’s plot, I can only say that it’s a no shocker that it got so much attention during the last Sundance Festival, Golden Globes and Oscars ceremonies. It is just absolutely amazing! And credit is due to Lisa Cholodenko (the director and screenwriter), to Stuart Blumberg (Lisa's other half in writing the film) the story and fantastic dialogues (which can be evaluated as a breath of fresh air), but I believe that most of its success has to be attributed to the wonderful performances of Annette Bening and Julianne Moore! I can’t even find the right words to describe how good  both are on screen. They have absolutely added a believable and moving chemistry, giving the audience a genuine and human feature. Throughout the dilemmas, problems and more dramatic scenes, The Kids Are Alright also manages to deliver gentle smiles, happy tears or even bursts of laughter. It completely makes the viewers get involved and have mood swings. Also, let’s not forget Mark Ruffalo, who seems to gain more respect and admiration from my part. Here we can see him in various circumstances nearly matching up with the leading actresses, gaining him an Oscar nomination for his role. Both kids (Mia Wasikowska and Josh Hutcherson) complete this nicely executed casting that was more than well spotted. It was just perfect I would say!

It’s without a doubt a movie worth seeing… A memorable indie production!

Little Thor

Remember when that VW commercial came out? You know... the Star Wars spoof? The ad better known as The Force? Well... Marvel decided to come up with a "Thor Version" of that same commercial... It's basically a spoof of a spoof (confusing?).

Good campaign to promote upcoming Thor (2011) movie and quite funny actually... Check it out!



Be it Drama or Comedy...

... John C. Reilly is always worth watching!

(and by the way... this new kid looks good)

Stillwater

After recently watching Cameron Crowe's Almost Famous (2000), I came across the band Stillwater... a name that I was slightly familiar with! Convinced that the band portrayed in the movie was the same I (barely) knew, while doing some research to write this post I discovered that is wasn't. Basically Stillwater in the movie is a fictional band, leaving me very confused about why would they use the same name.

Anyway, there weren't legal issues since the director had previously asked the original band authorization to use their name in Almost Famous.

This led me to get any albums that I could find and luckily I was able to find a Best Of compilation.

So basically, during these last two days I've been poring my hears with those tracks. In a few Just simply amazing!

Their sound combines bits and pieces of other artists from the 70's... the mixing of sequencer-sounding keyboards and guitars brings to memory Boston, Lynyrd Skynyrd comes alive after some of their guitar solos and Peter Frampton is evoked with the use of the "talk box".

Hear for yourself... these tracks will blow your mind!

Just love this guy...



Juventude Sonica

Lastest single of their album Casa Ocupada (2010) from rising Portuguese band:

Linda Martini

Juventude Sonica is portuguese for "Sonic Youth". Coencidence?

MJ says:

  



Run! Christian, Run!

by: Super Furry Animals



Jesus Fever

by: Kurt Vile

While browsing the pitchfork website, I came across Kurt Vile... a name that until then was anonymous in my musical world. Due to it's outstanding reviews I decided to get his latest album Smoke Ring for My Halo (2011).

Although I like his entire studio project, there is clearly one track that stands out, being that track (obviously) Jesus Fever. During these last couple of days I've began my day by the sound of this uplifting tune... which really leaves me in an excellent mood! It kinda reminds me of those ending moments on TV Shows where a voice over pops out and just narrates a life lesson...

Regardless of what this track makes you feel or think, I hope you all enjoy it as much as I do!

I pack my suitcase with myself 

but I'm already gone...

I Dream of Dublin



After knowing that Benfica had won the first-leg of the Europa League quarter-finals against PSV by 4-1, I became almost certain that we would go on through the next stage, even though I was warned by some to be cautious as a lot could change at the Philips Stadium. By reminding myself of the 4 goals, I became reassured of the idea that the Dutch side would have a long way to go if they wanted to knock the Lisbon Giants out of the competition.

That reassurance briefly disappeared when last night I saw PSV score 2 goals in 25 minutes and leave the Eagles very close to a meltdown...Well, at least we would assume that could happen, since it wouldn't be a first time for the Portuguese side. However, being an optimistic supporter as I am, I calmed myself down and realized we still had more than enough time to get ourselves together and make a comeback. And so it happened...

Luisao scored right before the end of the first half in an acrobatic fashion and later on during the second half, Cardozo ended PSV hopes (if they had any left) by converting a penalty shot.

Benfica was indeed confirmed at the semi-final, to face another Portuguese team... S.C. Braga!

The Bracarenses made history by securing a nil tie against the Ukrainians FC Dynamo Kyiv, thus making way to go up against Benfica as they fight for the final spot in Dublin.

On the other side of the Europa League table we have Porto, absolutely dominant this season. They have been outstanding both on a domestic and international level, confirming that status by already winning the championship with five games left to play, plus crushing the Russians by an aggregate of 10-2. Andre Villas-Boas pupils continue showing all of Europe reasons to be feared in next year’s Champions League.

Most of the pundits claim that this year we will have a all Portuguese final, with Porto and Benfica being the top candidates to take the trophy back home. It will certainly be a year to remember... 3 Portuguese teams at the semi-finals (that alone is history in the making), 15th final in a European competition...

From a Benfica perspective, it ends the 17 year long waiting to make it into a semi-final as well... So I would say we are making some good progress... and that semi-final looks good since we have a stronger side. But in football you never know... You can guess all you want, you can play with statistics, you can match up both starting eleven's and see who has the biggest names, the most players in shape etc... But still...
 It's impossible to predict the unpredictable...

But I'm allowed to dream...

Right?!