based on a true story.

estherina@gmail.com — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 16:32:41 GMT

spool_five and themannnnnnnnnn created this amazing anthem for the next Hockey Night in Canada theme song, and are competing in a CBC Canada contest. I need you to vote for it. You have to create an account, but it would be amazing if he won.
Hockey!

http://anthemchallenge.cbc.ca/mediadetail/316225

estherina@gmail.com — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 19:34:35 GMT

I'm arriving in Chicago tomorrow & will be there for a whole week.

Chicago is special for many reasons: it is the city where Batman was filmed and the twin of Gotham, a breeding ground for the newest wave of garage rock bands, has something like five intermedia/cyber/virtual reality type Grad School programs that i might one day apply to, according to Wikipedia is the "birthplace of house music", and uh, the home of The Opera Winfrey Show, and its also where Meghan grew up.

I'll get to reunite with Meghan and Russ, see the Museum of Outsider Art, hopefully run around lots of thrift clothing and book stores, eat yummy food, go to the zoo w/ Meghan's little sister, stay in a luv nest hotel with neon green sheets, go swimming at the beach, and maybe get to meet some internet friends like "Vogdoid" and "Murdermystery" [HI!]

What else should I do while there? this is going to be such a great cap to my Summer.

wish fulfillment

estherina@gmail.com — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 19:41:24 GMT

Esther: its so crazy to me when people are able to move faster than i can even perceive their movement. i feel like that would never ever be even a feasible possibility for my body -- its amazing. its like watching someone pull a rabbit out of a hat

elkse: yes. our breed possess l33t ninja skillzor. i also can move that fast but unfortunately lack his strength and finesse. but i'll get there someday.

Esther: i just wish i was catwoman most of the time

elkse: most of the time? be honest esther.

Esther: in some alternate universe in my mind i am wicked fast and flexible, to the point where the reality of my bodily limitations is kind of confounding

i guess the other half of the time i wish i was a sexy master physicist

or a biologist. like poison ivy.

elkse: hmm. interesting. what a fascinating mind you must have.

Esther: i have the fascinating mind of a 10 yr old boy

elkse: i think you really mean "most of the time since i watched batman with matt"

--

i can't seem to commit to putting any substantial amount of myself, either intellectually or emotionally, into this journal--and while admittedly i know that thats due to a certain lack of courage on my part, i'm not sure if thats something i need to change, at least not in a public forum. i don't think i can even conceive of putting 'myself' out there in a public way that doesn't seem wholly constructed, or fraudulent, which is why i like how my journal eventually seems to evolve into a kind of garbage dump, where a persona might emerge organically out of seemingly disconnected threads, pieces, fragments-- where reading 'about' someone becomes the equivalent of rifling through a stranger's dumpster.

TONIGHT

estherina@gmail.com — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 21:21:21 GMT

DJ set or alternate soundtrack to the movie Legends!?

estherina@gmail.com — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 02:42:56 GMT

you guys are srsly the best, thanks so much for all the kind words & condolences!

updates:

Matthew recently hosted a lab.synthèse screening of 'Return to Oz' Monday night, opening with Suzan Pitt's 'Asparagus' short, and it was a smashing success drawing the largest crowd yet & with a packed house (they had to go hunting for extra seats!). the great thing about watching it in a room full of young 20-somethings was their sense of heightened alertness to every creepily pedophilic-homoerotic moment (often followed w/ uproarious laughter), such as the Gnome King 'revealing' his ruby slippers with an erotic ankle twist from under his stone robe, kind of like a creepy uncle exposing himself secretly under the dinner table.

WELL PERHAPS YOU WOULD PREFER TO SEE MY FIERY FURNACE!!?

Suzan Pitt's 'Asparagus'

also, Matt & i are DJing this Thursday @ local St. Henri watering hole punk/garage dive bar Black Jack's for their Time's Up! series, under the monikers DJ Glad To Be Here and DJ Thanks For Having Me.

our setlist is expected to include gems by the following:

cromagnon / peloquin savageau / les poppys / hawkwind / bruce haack / snakefinger / funkadelic / the catholic boys / black pus / tuxedomoon / the seeds / undisputed truth / united states of america / jorge ben / erkin koray / the monks / baby huey & the babysitters / alice cooper & donovan / andre williams / fela kuti / black hole / peter grundzien / chico buarque / M.O.T.O / family fodder / ninove / von sudenfed / the exciters/ nomeansno / akitsa / sarolta zalatnay / drop the lime / friar tuck / exuma / coachwhips / michael yonkers with the blind shake / fad gadget / coven / honeymoon killers / little howlin' wolf / les baxter / mayo thompson & more ...!

& all my hair has been lopped off and people keep telling me i look like Liza Minelli.

AND AND AND. ALSO ALSO ALSO.

i'm going to visit Chicago w/ Russ and Meghan around August 21st to 28th, and its going to be amazing & fantastic, and if you live in the area you should msg me so we can hang out and you can help me peel back the many layers of the city to get to Chicago's gooey centre.

in memory of a fantastic grandfather

estherina@gmail.com — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 22:27:26 GMT

ROTTER, Julian (Julek) - (February 12, 1912- July 8, 2008). Born in Lvov, then part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, Julian Rotter lived through two world wars. His formal education came to an end early, as he left school at about 12 years of age to help support his impoverished family. He became involved in radical politics as a young teenager, and throughout his life remained committed to the struggle for social justice. When the second world war broke out in September 1939, Julian enlisted in the Polish Cavalry in their brief, ill-fated struggle against Hitler. Later that year, while working to organize a factory union, he met and fell in love with the late Natalie Strawczynski Rotter, who had fled Nazi- occupied Poland in autumn 1939. They married in Lvov on December 10, 1940, the day that the Soviets declared war on Hitler. Julian then joined up with the Red Army to fight the Nazis. At the end of World War II, Julian returned to Lvov, but was devastated to find that he was the only survivor in his entire immediate and extended family. He immigrated to Montreal with his wife Natalie, and baby Frederika, to join Natalie's late brothers (Zygmunt and Oscar Strawczynski) and their families. His younger daughter Pearl ("Pep") was born in Montreal. Julian will be remembered as a hard-working, devoted, loving husband, father, uncle and friend who fought intensely for all he believed in, worked tirelessly to provide for his family, and refused to accept defeat whenever he saw any injustice. He was shattered by the death of his beloved wife of sixty years in 2001. He is survived by their two daughters; Frederika and her husband, Philip Berger; and Pearl and her husband, Evan Splett; three adoring grandchildren, Pia and Joey Berger and Esther Splett; and numerous loving nieces, nephews, great nieces and great-nephews.

[thanks so much for the kind words yesterday]

estherina@gmail.com — Sat, 28 Jun 2008 21:00:46 GMT

lies Matt has told me recently:

curtis mayfield's 'we the people who are darker than blue' was written for The Smurfs.

americans never use the word croissant, and instead commonly refer to croissants as 'flaky bread'.

estherina@gmail.com — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 16:05:21 GMT

Here are some generic couple photos of me & the hubby to prove he exists for the skeptics out there:

I've taken him out from the boarded up sun room in order to bite him.

He is a little emotionally stunted, but luckily he has me to take care of him.

About to go back into the boarded up room; he doesn't much like it in there.

HEIDI IF YOU'RE READING THIS PLZ PLZ SEND ME THE PICTURES OF US BEING EATEN BY NAKED ZOMBIES.

This time I am totally the bitch.

...and in other exciting news, one of my best friends in the world is currently sleeping in my apartment while I write this at work, and in an hour or so I get to go home and visit with her.

All Girl Summer Fun Fest!

estherina@gmail.com — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 19:34:00 GMT

I am creaming my pants w/ girlish delight over this! also if you live in Montreal & don't cum to this, then you don't love me hard enough.

estherina@gmail.com — Tue, 27 May 2008 17:25:00 GMT

The Very True Story of Etrue Hollywood

This work encompasses two parts: a video and a performance based “interview” with the “star” of the video documentary.

The video: A documentary-based “insider’s” pass into the everyday workings of a celebrity star known as “Etrue Hollywood.” This video will mimic reality exposes of celebrities except Etrue Hollywood will constantly be wearing a mask and interact in a seemingly ultra-banal manner within the context of Montreal’s “hipster” youth culture scene. The handheld camera will follow Etrue Hollywood throughout her daily life with references to Kenneth Anger’s Hollwood Babylon, Hit Reality TV programming and other iconographic representations of “celebrity” and “authentic” “underground culture.”

The interview: The interview will be modeled after talkshow, press engagement (i.e. Musiqueplus, etalk, Entertainment Tonight). Initially, this interview starring Etrue Hollywood and Ali Knox (Interviewer) will seamlessly model typical entertainment interviews but gradually break down to become increasingly personal, disturbing, disjointed and confusing. This will be made possible through the use of anti-humor, less than successful mimicry, "non sequitous" question-answer structure and making reference to the implicit power structures that inform Etrue Hollywood’s fame.

Interviewer Ali Knox will also appear as various characters within the video calling her own identity into question as well as the vacuous masked identity of Etrue Hollywood.

During the course of her questioning, it will become apparent to the “studio audience” that Ali Knox must be an active participant as opposed to an objective “outsider” interviewer one would suppose her to be. However, Knox’s relationship to Etrue Hollywood remains obscured and unknown throughout the piece.

Objectives: This piece directly refers to Guy Debord’s definition of “celebrity” within his work Society of the Spectacle:

“The agent of the spectacle placed on stage as a star is the opposite of the individual, the enemy of the individual in himself as well as in others. Passing into the spectacle as a model for identification. the agent renounces all autonomous qualities in order to identify himself with the general law of obedience to the course of things. The consumption celebrity superficially represents different types of personality and shows each of these types having equal access to the totality of consumption and finding similar happiness there” (Debord, 61).

Building on this concept, both the video and the interview seek to explore the ways in which our media saturated society forces any expression of identity into the realm of the public (i.e. media, blogs, autobiography, facebook, text messaging, reality TV, webcasts, celebrity culture). The display (i.e. consumption) of identity is the only way we can access it and even conceive of it. Privacy is synonymous with non-existence.

---

Arcus Ajna

We propose a two-song performance that explores images of exaggerated femininity and issues of power in performance - in this case, in musical performance. One of the songs is an original piece of semi-improvised music (based on previous practiced work) with harmonized cello drones & melody, structured keyboard/synthesizer 'sounds of the universe', and vocals. Parts of it will be soft and melodic, parts of it will be loud and balance on the edge of feedback - sometimes it will be all parts at the same time. The second song looks at the same themes, but through the mystical lens of Enya's song "Only Time," which will play softly behind our voices and instruments as an echo (or maybe we're the echo.) Vocals will move in and out of key, with some exaggerated operatic tones along with genuine harmonies. In all this, we're looking at the connections music has with the natural or "mystical" feminine world (e.g., Gaia), ourselves, and how we define ourselves as women, especially in public (hence the performance.)

On one hand, we present familiarly "pleasant" music but on the other, a somewhat cacophonous soundscape - sort of like witches casting spells, neither good nor evil, pleasant nor destructive - but definitely creative and open to interpretation and definitely from a multiple power positions (in the Foucauldian sense, I mean, where power is everywhere and always being negotiated.) These songs will be semi-improvised explorations of mystical, soft or spiritual/"natural-world" presentations of women. We would hope that Enya would enjoy our interpretation of her song. While our performance won't necessarily be the expected soothing sounds of what people have to come expect from an Enya song or mystical, new-age spiritual styles of music, our disruption of these expectations will remain paired with a recognizable tone and a love of nature and our (self-defined) female connection with the natural world. Romantic? Possibly (+ plants / flowers/ flowing). Disturbing? Maybe. Genuine? For sure. And all in the spirit of the song: "Who can say where the road goes/where the day goes, only time..." We're into it.

Related info: Robyn and Charlotte are 2 out of the 3 members of Triceratreetops (www.myspace.com/triceratreetops) and Esther Splett writes, performs and makes art such as "pink metal" (http://www.myspace.com/hammerslut). We are all also many other things. exciting exciting things.

----

i am so, so excited for these! i'm in both performances June 20th at Cagibi as part of the All Girl Summer Fun Fest and its going to be an amazing night!!

estherina@gmail.com — Fri, 23 May 2008 18:56:11 GMT

In response to the meme that's been going around where you choose five favourite quotes from this selection, here are five of deep personal significance to me that will forever colour and enhance my worldview.

When I die I want all of these engraved into my tombstone in golden lettering in honour of my memory:

I'm a godmother, that's a great thing to be, a godmother. She calls me god for short, that's cute, I taught her that.
Ellen DeGeneres, My Point and I Do Have One

Women need a reason to have sex. Men just need a place.
Billy Crystal (1947 - )

The number of guests at dinner should not be less than the number of the Graces nor exceed that of the Muses, i.e., it should begin with three and stop at nine.
Marcus Terentius Varro (116 BC - 27 BC)

Cabbage: A familiar kitchen-garden vegetable about as large and wise as a man's head.
Ambrose Bierce (1842 - 1914), The Devil's Dictionary

Computer dating is fine, if you’re a computer.
Rita Mae Brown

MORE GEMS OF WISDOM!!

And when it rains on your parade, look up rather than down. Without the rain, there would be no rainbow.
Jerry Chin

In Kyudo philosophy, you don't aim--you become one with the target. Then, in fact, there's nothing to aim at. I find it works well with women, too. Give it a try.
Martin Sage and Sybil Adelman, Northern Exposure, The Bumpy Road to Love, 1991

I wonder what it means when your grandson is more crotchety than you are.
Aaron McGruder, The Boondocks

Cheers to a new year and another chance for us to get it right.
Oprah Winfrey (1954 - ), O Magazine

Happy Passover

estherina@gmail.com — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 01:25:15 GMT

Leonard Nimoy felt that the Vulcans represented the Jewish people.[citation needed] As a bit of stage "business" in the episode "Amok Time," he invented the famous "Live long and prosper" Vulcan salute based on the hand symbol used by kohanim during the Priestly Blessing. The gesture actually emulates the initial Shin of the Shema. On numerous occasions, for example in the 1983 TV special Star Trek Memories (which is often syndicated along with The Original Series), Nimoy recounts how as a child, he peeked during the blessing and witnessed the gesture, although it was against the rules to do so.

Periodically, approximately every seven years, for males and bonded females, Vulcans experience an overpowering mating drive known as pon farr. Once triggered, Vulcans must have sexual contact with someone, preferably their mate, or else face insanity and death.

Vulcans practice a form of acupressure known as neuropressure, which involves massaging and manipulating muscles and nerve centers on the body in order to relieve stress. Neuropressure is considered an intimate act, as some of the postures involved are pseudo-sexual in nature, and can elicit responses similar to sexual arousal and even climax, as demonstrated by T'Pol in the Star Trek: Enterprise episode "The Xindi" when Charles Tucker III inadvertently triggers such a response. Specialized training is required in order to properly administer neuropressure, otherwise injury to the recipient can result.

Vulcans, as a matter of custom and policy, suppress all emotional influence by living lives of rigid emotional self-control through meditative techniques and training of mental discipline. Vulcans are not depicted as having no emotions; although they themselves make this claim, Vulcans are a very emotional people. They developed techniques to suppress their emotions precisely because of the damage they can cause if unchecked. In one episode of Star Trek: Voyager, Tuvok explains that Vulcans' natural emotions are "erratic and volatile" - if Vulcans do not strongly repress emotions, they can get violently angry in an instant. T'Pol once stated that paranoia and homicidal rage were common on Vulcan prior to Surak.

Pon farr also occurs, and has been extensively elaborated from what is canon, in fan fiction. One such fan fiction story is "The Ring of Soshern", which was probably written before 1976, and circulated as samizdat until 1987, when it was formally published in the anthology Alien Brothers. The story is denoted as a "K/S" story — the designation for fan fiction stories that feature an explicitly sexual relationship between Kirk and Spock. (See slash story.) In the story, Kirk and Spock beam down to an unexplored planet, and are marooned there when the Enterprise is forced away by an ion storm. Spock goes into pon farr whilst they are marooned, and Kirk, realizing that he is in love with Spock, saves his life by mating with him. The two then form a homosexual relationship that continues back aboard ship.

estherina@gmail.com — Tue, 05 Feb 2008 00:19:15 GMT

Here are some of the TV Dollhouse pics, snapped after the exhibit was over and the gallery had been stripped bare:

(each video could be viewed frontally by peering thru the windows, or in their entirety from the back!)

unfortunately, you can't tell from these pictures that in some of the videos I am slobbering yogurt all over my face, or drawing on my boobs w/ lipstick and applying mascara to my armpits. but since the installation consisted of nine miniature videos and relied on an "interactive" component, it's difficult for me to convey an accurate impression over LJ.

also, very extremely belated Halloween pictures to follow, for anyone who was curious about the results of my earlier poll!

I think the best part of the evening was the girl in the sassy tiger costume at the Halloween queer dance party who kept trying to flirt w/ me, and my veiling my shy-awkwardness by doing a mock asexual routine where I protested in a faux German accent, "but I'm just a Simple Man!" whilst dancing the Klaus Nomi box dance. (or maybe its just that its really hard to flirt back with someone when you're wearing a huge box around yr torso and are made up like a clown?)

Not to mention the conversation I had with a middle-aged European etymologist and his Austrian(?) pal at the party, who didn't seem to be familiar with the concept of play-acting one's Halloween costume. When asked about my nationality and I replied with "I'm German", the--I think Austrian fellow?--started chatting w/ me in German, and looked downright cheated when I very evidently could not reply in kind. Perhaps the remedial German classes I'm taking this semester will prevent any future embarassments whilst parading around as famous German new wave operatic singers!

In further news, I didn't get my shit together on time to apply for exchange to schools in either Germany, Finland, or Hong Kong; so it looks as though I will be in Canada for yet another year.

estherina@gmail.com — Mon, 07 Jan 2008 22:47:59 GMT

So I have my first ever piece up in an art gallery as of sometime tonight/tomorrow. Its a video installation piece called TV Dollhouse where the viewer looks through windows of a cardboard construction of a house; each room containing video footage of myself in various rooms in my apartment. The vernissage is tomorrow at the VAV Gallery from 6-8PM for anyone here in Montreal! There'll be the usual wine and cheese.

When I'm able to muster up the time & energy, I'll try and write a real entry here, I promise.

---

[within the confines]
curated by Karin Zuppiger and Jim Verburg

Featuring work by JOHANNES ABENDROTH, CHRISTOPHER BASS, VALERIE SANGIN,
ESTHER SPLETT, LINDSEY FRYETT, C. GLADU, JULIE FOURNIER-LEVÉSQUE, ARI
BAYUAJI and EMMA WALTRAUD HOWES.

In our everyday, it’s not uncommon for us to simultaneously
encounter a shortage and an abundance of space - consider the
stretches between Canadian cities versus the three steps required
to navigate your apartment. Our ability to move greatly influences
the way we live, plan, think and create. Space determines shape,
size, structure and design. This show will examine the artist’s
negotiation of limited or constrained space. Each artist interprets space
within or outside of the confines of the gallery, the city and the body.

7 JANVIER AU 18 JANVIER 2008
JANUARY 7 TO JANUARY 18 2008
VERNISSAGE MARDI 8 JANVIER 18 H À 20 H
OPENING TUESDAY JANUARY 8 6 - 8 PM

GALERIE VAV GALLERY
1395 RENÉ LÉVESQUE 033 (COIN CRESCENT)
METRO LUCIEN L’ALLIER / GUY - CONCORDIA

LUNDI AU VENDREDI 9 H À 21 H
MONDAY TO FRIDAY 9 - 9

Voice Post

estherina@gmail.com — Fri, 14 Dec 2007 08:26:19 GMT

this is to make up for the "fruity orchard poem" i read in the last voice-post.

Voice Post

estherina@gmail.com — Fri, 14 Dec 2007 08:16:21 GMT

My voice post keeps getting cut off. also I think I have a lisp!

estherina@gmail.com — Wed, 17 Oct 2007 22:05:32 GMT

Heads up to those of you in Montreal or the vicinity -- my video piece Anima/Animus is going to be screening tomorrow night at the Art Matters Info party.

it explores gender & identity and i perform in drag!

i'm also likely going to be giving out a new zine/chapbook at the zine fair.

starts at 7:30pm at the Sala Rossa and goes late.

estherina@gmail.com — Thu, 11 Oct 2007 04:16:03 GMT

View Poll: #1069447

Klaus Nomi

Hans Bellmer Sculpture

Corpse in a Body Bag

Pregnant Teen Ho

Biker Bitch

Yiffy Art
[I don't want my journal deleted so you'll just have to use your imagination!]

The Baroness Lady Helen Port-Huntley (with glass or missing legs!)

Pier Pasolini Character and/or Euro Art Porn Star

Messiah Marcolin

"Sexy" Halloween Costume-Costume

i've been working 9am - midnight shifts

estherina@gmail.com — Tue, 21 Aug 2007 22:50:16 GMT

Behind me, Right Now

Sent: TUE 21/08/2007 9:46 AM
To: Esther E. Splett

The lengthy discussion of the superiority of the Russian AK-47 assault rifle to the American M16 assault rifle touched on all bases (re-load times, durability, cooling times), until my QAC barked at them, "Why are you guys talking about assault rifles?"

"Because of the Nazis," they answered.

<3

estherina@gmail.com — Wed, 01 Aug 2007 01:21:06 GMT

Happy B-day spool_five!

Your face is about to be eaten by a love monster creeping up at you from behind.

Fantasia Updates

estherina@gmail.com — Thu, 19 Jul 2007 14:14:56 GMT

In the spirit of terr I'm reviewing the films I've seen thus far at Fantasia this year, slapping some arbitrary numerical ratings on them as I go along.

Planet of Storms - Pavel Klushantsev

A Soviet sci-fi movie from the 60s about astronauts traveling to Venus; where the actors stare blankly into space like cardboard statues when not delivering lines, every frame is at least 10 grinding seconds too long, and one of the alien monsters is some kind of rug-flower which grabs people in slo-mo with "tentacles" that look like bits of shredded curtain. There's also a slightly hysterical female astronaut whose emotions get the better of her -- the man astronauts are often sighing and saying things like "women just can't keep a cool head without letting their emotions get in the way". Despite its many, many flaws, when Planet of Storms isn't boring its occasionally hilarious, particularly the shoddy looking monsters and stilted, often bizarre, pacing. The best character by far is a clunky robot who is prone to error - such as dumping water into the faces of his distraught human companions and trying to drop them into pits of lava. It would have been a better movie if he'd just killed off all the humans and gone adventuring around Venus by himself! Oh & apparently dinosaurs live on Venus.

6/10 - suggested viewing only while drunk with friends or if nuts about dated science fiction films!

The Unseeable - Wisit Sasanatieng

A gorgeously shot Thai ghost film by the director of Citizen Dog -- the first hour consists of lush cinematography, an eerily echoing soundtrack culminating in LOUD SUDDEN BANGS, then a camera jerk to some ominous figure in the distance, more lush cinematography, a haunting ethereal drone, BOOM! BASH! BANG! the camera jerks to an eye peeking through a bush or a little girl crying, rinse, wash, repeat. I was admittedly melting into a glob of nerves in my seat, to the surprise of my movie-going companion who thought the scare tactics were cheap and poorly executed. This lead afterwards to a (rather huffy, on my part) discussion on how one who is easily scared can go about reviewing horror movies; whereupon I heatedly protested that my jumping in my seat or covering my eyes was akin to someone jumping or screaming when someone jumps out at them from behind and shouts BOO. In my case, even if I actually know someone is about to jump out at me, I'm likely to shriek or shout at the moment of "surprise", a particularly embarrassing reaction for me when watching horror films. A good scary film, I think, can prey on nervous jumpy people like me; but it should also offer some meat, something of substance beneath the scares. I want something to continue to haunt me long after I've left the theater, where the camera editing and sound effects can't follow you. This is where I'm not sure The Unseeable succeeded. The beginning is beautiful, delicate, and atmospheric, with some charming and even humorous moments between two of the lead actresses -- but the ending didn't follow through on the films initial promise and mystery. The film packs too much exposition into the last 20 minutes or so, and the twist ending was something I'd seen before in mainstream Hollywood films, though its almost so exaggeratedly over the top that perhaps it was meant to be absurd, rather than truly frightening.

7/10 - a good movie that ultimately fails to be memorable.

Exte - Sion Sono

Strange Circus and now this! Sono is becoming one of my favourite directors, the filmic equivalent to the Guro manga artists popular in Japan; in fact, this movie in particular reminded me of the absurdly horrific work of Junji Ito (Uzumaki, Tomie). The story is a parody of Asian horror themes, particularly the common motif of girls with long black hair (during the question answer period following the film Sono said something like, "I wanted to do a parody of the girls with long hair in Asian movies, only making a film with just the hair!") There's hair shooting out and strangling or decapitating people, people desperately pushing their way through walls of hair, hair growing and clouding over eyeballs, but then, layered beneath these outrageous moments there's also a strangely affecting story about child abuse. The dialog is witty and sharp, Chiaki Kuriyama is stunning, and Exte has one of the most hilarious villains who seems to have taken his hair fetish too far. What I found so impressive about this movie is that many of the moments which are in part parodies are also simultaneously deeply inventively frightening, that the humour co-exists with a movie that is also moving, playing to its audience on multiple levels.

10/10 - highly recommended!

The Fox Family - Lee Hyung-gon

A Korean musical about a family of fox people searching for humans to eat so that they can become human themselves, sort of like a dirty version of the Addams Family, but with song and dance numbers. While the dance pieces and costumes were lavishly psychedelic, I found the music itself pretty disappointing. Perhaps if I knew Korean it would be catchier -- but I doubt it. There's a nice homage to Nicolas Roeg's Don't Look Now, overall though, the film felt like a wacky pastiche of other, better movies. All of the characters are either murderous, nymphomaniacs, or mostly ditzy. A fun movie but without much substance.

7/10 - worth seeing if in the mood for something light and bizarre.

The Signal - David Bruckner, Dan Bush , Jacob Gentry

Part of the festivals' apocalyptic series, this is a brilliant evolution of the zombie genre, possibly inventing a new genre altogether. The Signal uses the 'rage virus' premise found in films like Cronenbergs' Shivers and 28 Days Later, this time transmitted through signals in electronic devices, and updates it to make the differences between 'zombie' and human ambiguous, shifting the entire narrative into doubt. Symptoms of the virus are rage, paranoia, and a slippery grasp on reality. But isn't someone surrounded by people mindlessly killing each other likely to become a little paranoid? And whats the difference between someone bashing out someone else's brains because they're afflicted with The Signal -- because they are a "zombie" -- and someone bashing out someone else's brains in self-defense? The film is split into three segments by three different directors and each one brings something unique, shifting from horror to dark comedy, while still maintaining a consistent tone.

10/10 highly recommended, a brilliant evolution of the zombie genre that should become a horror classic.

Loco Fighters - Nacho Cabana

A documentary about lucha libre -- Mexican wrestling -- shot with a gritty hand-held camera that enhances rather than detracts from the feel. The film contains interviews with a host of great characters, in particular a priest who took up wrestling to raise funds for his orphanage, and now sometimes wears his full costume to church when conducting sermons! Theres a great moment where a luchador explains how the mask worn is like a superhero's secret identity; he told his kid that if he told anyone who he was it would be like giving away Spiderman or Superman's alter ego. Its the mythic elements that make Mexican wrestling seem special to me in a way that other sports don't, and the film touched on these aspects, as well as lucha libre's appeal to the 'common people' and the interaction between wrestlers and fans. My only complaint is that it sometimes felt a bit too disjointed and I felt myself lose interest a bit towards the end.

8/10 - a great introduction to the world of the Mexican wrestling.

Movies I'd Still Like to See if Possible:

The Amphibian
4th Life
Girl Next Door (maybe?)
Zoo
Wizard of Gore
Zebraman
Sun Scarred (maybe?)
Silver Mask
Shorts From The Edge of the World
Retribution
Zero City

estherina@gmail.com — Fri, 06 Jul 2007 22:41:18 GMT

Here's my (tentative) schedule for movie-going at this years Fantasia-Fest, tentative because I may switch things around a bit -- I'm open to suggestions! -- and because seeing this many movies seems far too ambitious even for me. So for now I'm treating this as a guide to what I'd like to see.

Note: also because I'm greedy I've listed several on the same day which are schedule conflicts!

7th: Ten Nights of Dreams

Shorts by: YoYoshitaka Amano, Kon Ichikawa, Akio Jissoji, Masaaki Kawahara, Suzuki Matsuo, Miwa Nishikawa, Atsushi Shimizu, Takashi Shimizu, Keisuke Toyoshima, Yudai Yamaguchi, Nobuhiro Yamashita

8th: Time, Kim Ki-Duk

9th: The Unseeable, Wisit Sasanatieng

10th: Exte: Hair Extensions, Sion Sono

11th: Big Bang Love: Juvenile A, Takashi Miike

12th: Ghosts of Cité Soleil, Asger Leth

13th: The Fox Family, Lee Hyung-gon
13th: The Signal, David Bruckner, Dan Bush , Jacob Gentry

14th: Death Note, Shusuke Kaneko
14th: Midnight Ballad for Ghost Theater, Jeon Gye-su
14th: Loco Fighters, Nacho Cabana
14th: Zero City, Karen Shakhnazarov

15th: Le Frisson des Vampires, Jean Rollin (in French)
15th: Mulberry Street, Jim Mickle
15th: Wool 100%, Mai Tominaga

16th: La Nuit Des Horloges, Jean Rollin (in French)

17th: Trapped Ashes, Sean S. Cunningham, John Gaeta, Monte Hellman, Ken Russell, Joe Dante
17th: Wristcutters, Goran Dukic

18th: More Celluloid Experiments

20th: The Wizard of Gore, Jeremy Kasten (re-make w/ Crispin Glover!)
20th: The Best of Ottawa International Animation Festival 2006

(18th)21st: Nightmare Detective, Shinya Tsukamoto

22nd: Silver Mask, Shiruba Kamen
22nd: Shorts from the Edges of the World

23rd: Retribution, Kiyoshi Kurosawa

estherina@gmail.com — Sun, 24 Jun 2007 09:17:44 GMT

so, uh, this friend of mine recently submitted an entry to a, um, Star Trek screenwriting contest being held by CBS Paramount. Now, usually he wouldn't even consider lowering himself to such ignominious levels, but truth be told, he's strapped for cash, and this week's winning writer will be rewarded with a brand new Apple iBook, which can, in turn, be sold for $$. Anyway, this friend... he was far too embarrassed to solicit help himself, but I was more than willing to use this forum to solicit for him. After all, what are friends for, right? Mmhm. Anyway, if you are reading this and you do have the time and/or the place in your heart and/or a very good sense of humor, then I would be entirely obliged (on the behalf of my terribly chagrined friend, that is) if you could register at this site and give this "story" as high of a rating as possible. That is, if it doesn't compromise your sense of decency... as it has for my buddy... that poor schlub whose identity I have sworn on Harlan Ellison's grave to withhold...

estherina@gmail.com — Tue, 10 Apr 2007 11:36:33 GMT

This morning I'm hiding Easter Eggs, they will all be in my pants.

I'll also be looking for treats in the bottom of beer bottles.

...and also

I wish that when people talked about Hip Hop they were actually talking about people that were hip, or people who hop around lots, maybe like bunnies. All like Little Bunny Foo Foo - but without any violent bopping of the heads.

The End.

estherina@gmail.com — Sun, 08 Apr 2007 19:50:56 GMT

date Apr 7, 2007 12:39 PM
subject Re: last class tonight, remember?

It's weird, I woke up on Friday and I thought of
> your piece and it seemed suddenly utterly perfect that it didn't work, like
> that was actually a conceptually inherent part of the whole thing, a
> disastrous bizarre reflection of one of your shadow selves, eventually I
> think you should build a break down into it so that it works erratically,
> sometimes shooting something at the viewer, sometimes dripping and pooling
> helplessly, sometimes doing nothing at all... perfect opposition to the
> fucking anal retentive technical shit we're doing in those creepy
> fluourescent rooms. I think we should get very drunk and commiserate over
> the emotional trauma of the last couple of months that we keep darkly,
> vaguely hinting at whenever we actually see each other hmmmm?

(thank you so much for all the kind words and stories about yr pets in response to my last entry, its tough talking about the death of a pet without feeling a bit, well, maudlin, ya know...? but hearing other stories let me know i wasn't alone, which is what this online journalling thing is all about for me, and why i'm here. i love you guys, real life friends and online people both)