These are the first of a lot of films we watched these last weeks. Though I’d throw out a few words.

Poltergeist (1982)

Director: Michael Hanneke / Starring: Craig T. Nelson, JoBeth Williams, Beatrice Straight

The television people (no, not the evangelists) are talking to Carol Anne through the static when shows end. Everyone knows the film cover which is a great one and it kind of says it all. There’s good acting and the effects are sweet in a 1982-way (the good way) but there’s also something to the film which I never thought. It bares a lot of the Spielbergesque correctness to it – yes, he is the producer – and if one would think that Tobe Hooper who also directed The Texas Chainsaw Massacre would manage to slash that away then there can only be surprise if not disappointment.

Believe me or not but I had never seen Poltergeist before and smack my ass and call me Judy, but I may have had too high expectations. This is horror the way Disney would make it. Horror for family friday.

The Exorcist (1973)

Director: William Friedkin / Starring: Ellen Burstyn, Max von Sydow, Linda Blair

Elin had yet to see it and I never saw the Director’s Cut so while at the hospital (this was actually after the delivery) with Inez in our room we decided to watch The Exorcist about the possession of Regan (Linda Blair).

“A man has been called for as a last resort to try and save her. That man is The Exorcist.” It’s both simple and complex. Simple in the storyline and the basic struggle between good and evil. Complex in it’s way of raising a handful of existential questions and in the end you’re still sitting there with the question that is as old as history itself: Why evil?

The Exorcist could possibly be the best horror film of all times. And the big question goes unanswered.

The Box (2009)

Director: Richard Kelly / Starring: Cameron Diaz, James Marsden, Frank Langella

I believe that The Box is based on a short story called “Button, button” which was also the basis for an old Twilight Zone episode. I haven’t seen the episode, nor have I read the short story, but it sure does feel like that would be a suiting fit. Synopsis: Push a button, get a million dollars, someone dies but not someone you know, or something like that.

I think the storyline is enough for a short story or a 45-minute tv show but it soon got boring as a feature film. The one thing I did like though was that it was set in the 1970′s which gave the film a fine edge.

Moon (2009)

Director: Duncan Jones / Starring: Sam Rockwell, Kevin Spacey (voice)

Usually the films about solitude and cosmic dread turn out to be good ones, like 2001: A Space Odessey (1968) or Alien (1979). I am right, right?

Well, Moon is not any different from that. It is cold, lonely and has a lot to say and ask about what it is that makes us human. It’s not very sci-fi so don’t let that get in the way. Also, Sam Rockwell does an amazing job playing both his character and his character.

Orphan (2009)

Director: Jaume Collet-Serra / Starring: Vera Farmiga, Peter Sarsgaard, Isabelle Fuhrman

I must say I am more than a little tired by these monster-kid-flicks. Village of the Damned (1960), El Orfanato (2007), The Omen (1976) and Pet Sematary (1989) will kick your momma’s buttocks back to mars but the evil-children-movies of today are usually not that clever. But my wife has a fetisch for just weird kids so we usually give these films a try. This one actually comes highly recommended but I think it was a bit too long and I don’t care for Isabelle Fuhrman’s acting much. It has a cool twist though and a punchline that rocks heavy.

But mostly, waiting for the monkey to crack the egg.

It’s only three and a half years (plus a few months) since Elin and I met. As a few of you know we met online. (Elin’s nephew got the impression that we met on Ebay, which is only slightly wrong.) Like all other online flings it was destined to die fast or slow.

One critical moment was when Elin said something positive about “Appetite for Destruction” by Guns n’ Roses and I found that to be a very “mainstream remark”. Same thing about Metallica. This says more about my sporadic brain malfunctions than it says about Elin. Anyways, we lived through that. We also lived through my not calling her for two months even though she had asked me to. (Did I tell you about brain malfunctions?) But eventually I called her and we met up only a couple of days after that.

And then we got hooked. Later we got married. And last summer we got pregnant.

And that’s where we’re at. Still pregnant, and growing fast. Waiting… waiting. I found some nice pictures from Elin’s old camera that I hadn’t seen before. They’re from the Germany trip that we went on a week after we first met. Those were the days when we weren’t waiting for anything. Not like now when we’re waiting constantly.

Waiting for the monkey to crack the egg…

 

Just got back from USA visiting my friend Greg Girardin with whom I recorded some music in 2005. It was a quick trip because Greg hasn’t been feeling quite well lately. Anyways, a visit was way over due. Especially since he should’ve come to Sweden this summer, but didn’t.

I kept a basic diary to remember everything and all. And there’s a photo gallery at the very end.

Friday 28 Aug

Elin was up all night working and barely got any sleep myself. She was supposed to drive me to the airport but that didn’t make much sense in the morning so I took the train. The flight was ok, except I was sitting near one of the emergency exits and it was darn cold!

Once in Philadelphia, PA my connecting flight to Manchester, NH got cancelled due to bad weather up north so I had some sushi which turned out to be a big plate of raw fish and nothing else. Was superb though.

I made the flight at 9 in the evening. An hour later my good friend Greg Girardin picked me up at the airport in Manchester. Four years (almost to the day!) since we saw each other – not a moment too soon!

Saturday 29 Aug

Breakfast at Denny’s. Man, conversations with Greg are easy. He is a very interesting guy and it’s really a shame that there is an ocean between us. After a quick visit at Guitar Centre to get a cymbal for a friend back home we drive to Greg’s parents in Lewiston, Maine. Once there Bob (dad) treated me to the best corn I’ve ever had and after good talk with Bob and Madeleine (mom) we went to LuAnn (sister) and Tony (her husband) for more awesome food and some great brew. Geary’s HSA – too bad they don’t carry that stuff in Sweden.

Sunday 30 Aug

Me and Greg started recording something that turned out to be an Opeth-clone. We never finished it though. Guess we’ll have to do that online.

Saw the Lewiston Maineiacs (ice hockey) play the Shawinigan Cataractes which was great fun. Then we had canned bread (yes!) with Valerie (sister) and Mike (her husband) and their kids. And if you thought that bread out of a can was weird then I must say that the Dr McGillycuddy’s schnapps took the prize. You drink it and then chase it with a beer and magically the beer tastes like toothpaste. How about that?

Yelling Cinderella songs with Mike Girardin in the car later that night shurely been the highlight of the day.

Monday 31 Aug

It was a surreal experience, standing outside of Stephen King’s house in Bangor, Maine. Not so much because I absolutely love his books or that, but the fact that he probably is the most famous author alive and that he lives in an ordinary neighbourhood and not a gated community. Had took take a few pictures outside that house though, spider web fence and all. I bought the Dark Tower comic books at Bett’s Bookstore after that. Now I must finish the last volumes in the Dark Tower series so that I can read the comics.

Next stop was Bar Harbour and I must say that it was one of the most impressive sights ever seeing the Maine coastline from on top of an island mountain. Man! Pictures can’t explain the view. A 360° panorama view as far as Sweden (almost). It was worth the three hour trip! And the lobster rolls we had weren’t bad either!

Tuesday 1 Sept

In all honesty you can’t compare the view form Black Mountain to the Bar Harbour sights, but just as Greg said on top of Black Mountain: “You’ve got to earn your view” and that is mighty true! After an hour of walking, sitting down on top of the mountain was the sight of this year I must say. I felt a bit bad the whole trip (and had hidden a secret roll of toilet paper in the backpack in case I just HAD to go) but one we were on top all was good again for some reason.

Me, Greg and Bob went hunting for sushi material later that day. We got some great stuff and the the mayhem started. Just about the whole family (20 people at least) came to cook and eat. We had a blast and the swedish cheif did pretty well I must say, but man was I stressed. I think Greg got some footage of the whole event which I’m sure he’ll upload soon enough. A good memory this one I must say.

This was the last night and so me and Greg had a long, great talk about just about everything on earth and beyond. Greg’s has been quite ill the last six months. Some kind of mysterious nerve disorder but he surely is one happy bloke.

Wednesday 2 Sept

Toast in the morning – the breakfast of champions. Had to leave around 11 for Manchester. Staying with the Girardins was something I’d very much like to do again, preferably with Elin (so that she can cook the sushi the next time). Honestly, one can’t resist the love and openness of the Girardins, Labbes and Racines. Thank you so much for the warm welcome and many good laughs (hurdy gurdy hurdy!).

The relatives of Hudson, MA was kind enough to drive to the Manchester airport for a quick coffee. I got a kick out of seeing them again. It was four years since last. Now I’m praying they’ll make it to Sweden again. Hopefully not the same time as the Girardins/Labbes/Racines though because we can only handle so many american psychos.

Almost missed my connection in Philadelphia due to the first flight being horribly late, but I didn’t. Another cool thing was that when I flew into Philadelphia we were just over the Phillies baseball game. Really awesome. The rest of the trip was easy peasy.

And coming home to Elin is always the best part of a trip.

 

Read the whole thing online. [swedish only]

 

When they played the Sweden Rock Festival back in 2000, or whatever year it was, they were crap. I think their bass technician got electricuted the day before the gig and destroyed two bass guitars so they were all out of them; bass guitars and bass technicians. This time around it was simply amazing and the set list was incredibly sharp.