Reubens Sport Sijsele: The best bicycle shop in Belgium

As I have often mentioned, most Belgians use a bicycle to get around for work or pleasure. While bicycle thefts can be a problem, one way to deter them is to have a 'built-in' locking system. I first noticed these rear wheel locks when I was in Sweden, and planned to buy some for our bikes in Canada, but they were quite heavy, and I assumed I could buy them at home. But in fact, I could not find them in a number of shops, and eventually gave up.So yesterday, while driving through a small town called Sijsele on my way to Bruges, I decided to stop at a large bike shop on the main street to buy some locks....since it had an OPEN sign in the window.

"I noticed your sign. Can I assume you speak English?" I asked. "Of course" said a very attractive lady behind the counter. In fact, my husband is from Vancouver Canada."

Out of the thousands of bicycle shops in Belgium, we just happened to pick the one owned by a Canadian from Vancouver! He came to Belgium 22 years ago to race, and stayed. But he proudly wears the MAPLE LEAF on his racing jersey. And now, so do I, since he and his wife wouldn't let me leave the shop without giving me my own RUBENS SPORT SIJSELE racing shirt. I was also given some matching socks.

Sally has asked me not to buy matching spandex shorts until I lose 20 pounds!So, if you are ever in Belgium and need something for your bike, you might want to check out Rubens Sport, or go to their website at reubenssport.be. I suspect you too will find a lot of products not available in Canada. You can also read about the amazing life of a Canadian cyclist who races all over the world

C'est vraiment une petite monde.

IFC and Criterion, cont'd; Plus The General on Blu-ray

As you may have already seen, ScreenDaily announced all the titles that will come from the pairing of IFC and Criterion, after Gomorrah and A Christmas Tale, of course:

Jan Troell's Everlasting Moments [Maria Larssons eviga ögonblick]
Christopher Nolan's Following
Steve McQueen's Hunger
Abdel Kechiche's The Secret of the Grain [La graine et le mulet]
Hirokazu Kore-eda's Still Walking
Olivier Assayas' Summer Hours [L'heure d'été]
Alfonso Cuarón's Y tu mamá también

That unfortunately means, likely, no Last Mistress, but at least none of the titles above are worth complaining about. In other news, Kino has announced a Blu-ray of Buster Keaton's The General for 10 November. Universal will release the fourth season of Alfred Hitchcock Presents... on 24 November, and Zeitgeist will have Jennifer Baichwal's Act of God on 26 January 2010.

European Cars (I wish we had in North America)

I have always preferred European cars to North American or Asian cars. My very first car was a Simca 1000....not one of the world's great cars, but certainly better than the Vauxhall that I thought I was buying. My next car was a Peugeot 404, with a sunroof...that had the most comfortable seats...in fact, when the car no longer was functioning, I removed the seats and used them in my living room in Ottawa.

When I moved to UK in 1968, one of my flatmates helped me buy a Ford Anglia for 35 pounds (I couldn't test drive it, since I couldn't drive a gear shift). But the cars that I truly remember were my Jaguar Mark 1, that I bought in 1968 in Manchester since my Anglia was too small to sleep in, and I was heading off on a long trip to Cornwall. Before you get the wrong idea, it was not a new car...in fact, it was quite an old car. The Mark 1 was made between 1955 and 1959. Mine was a 1956...I can't remember whether it was a 2.4 or 3.4 engine...but I do remember that my good friend Eli Harari with whom I lived wanted me to wear a chauffeur's cap whenever I drove him to the university...I also remember that every time it hit a bump in the road, YOU COULD LITERALLY HEAR THE RUST FALL OFF!Eli and I didn't take the Jag when we decided to tour Europe together in 1969. Instead, we purchased a used NSU Prinz 30 for $100 which was notable for the fact that the front and back were virtually indistinguishable and it was so mechanically simple, that even I could repair the clutch.I mention this since now that I am back in Europe, I can't help but notice all of the cars we can't buy in North America. There are some wonderful small cars and compact 'hard top' convertibles made by Peugeot, Ford and GM (Opel)...perhaps if they had sold them in North America they would have fared better. There are also some very nice Citroens (always one of my favourite manufacturers) and others that I have never heard of. So for any of my blog readers who like unusual cars not found in US, here are some photos...I hope they will remind you of your favourite European car stories...And finally, the little Renault that has been my car away from home for the past three weeks...

Rock Band Wish List #5: The New Pornographers

The Beatles: Rock Band's imminent release means I'm neglecting Rock Band II, which could well be a first for me. It doesn't help that three days ago I downloaded Drop7 to my iPhone and am now hallucinating numbers like Russell Crowe in A Beautiful Mind.


Nevertheless, as addictive as that game is (it's like crack and heroin got spliced in a telepod with a heap of bacon bits), it's not going to feature Here Comes The Sun, so it will have to take a backseat soon. As I've said before, I'm not the biggest Beatles fan, which makes my enthusiasm for this game all the more surprising. I'm so eager that I've decided against buying Batman: Arkham Asylum, instead saving those pounds so that I can belt out Back in the USSR a week from now. The Batman-loving part of my brain is very angry at the Rock-Band-loving part of my brain.

Until the day TB:RB comes out, or is superseded by potential follow-ups such as The Rolling Stones: Rock Band, The Beach Boys: Rock Band, Radiohead: Rock Band, or Dewey Cox: Rock Band...



...I can still keep wishing on a star for new Rock Band DLC. The recent additions to the library have been superb: ten Spinal Tap tracks, an assortment of Tom Petty and Fleetwood Mac songs, and the one Kaiser Chiefs single I like (I Predict a Riot, predictably). Even better than that, tomorrow will see the release of a five song Talking Heads pack, comprising Girlfriend Is Better, And She Was, Take Me To The River, Crosseyed and Painless, and Once in a Lifetime. All we need now is a Big Suit peripheral, and it's gonna be Stop-Making-Sense-HQ up in this bitch.


Of course, filling this blog with wishes is one very unreliable way to get my favourite songs on the game. The Rock Band website, however, is just fantastic, linking with the game and allowing you to make requests for future Rock Band songs on your own home page. Of course, I really doubt that my exhortations will be heeded, just as they probably won't here, either, but it's a lovely feature, as is the photo gallery, which allows you to create photos of your band members. Here is the full roster of The Vic Mackeyz, with (left to right) Daisy Hellcakes, McJoggah, Jen Sanity, and George Murderer:


Sadly, I am currently unable to rescue our Oscar night band -- Illitaritt Natzys -- from Rock Band I obscurity. Shame that. Also a shame I won't be able to customise the Beatles line-up in TB:RB, otherwise I'd have Stuart Sutcliffe, Pete Best, Yoko Ono, and Will Oldham (for variety).

Anyway, what do I want on Rock Band now? One song occupied my head completely during a recent trip to the States. From Electric Version -- an album I listened to after falling for the title track in Rock Band, aptly enough -- it's The Laws Have Changed, which is a strong contender for Greatest Pop Song Ever Recorded. (And yes, that is indeed Nicki "Cally from Battlestar Galactica" Clyne going mental in the video.



And then Harmonix can follow it up with all of Neko Case's magnificent album Middle Cyclone. For my forthcoming birthday. Thanks in advance, chaps.

In Memoriam: Abe Rogatnick

I was very saddened to learn about the recent passing of Abe Rogatnick. He was truly a remarkable person and to my mind, someone who lived each day as if it were his last. He was a regular participant at a variety of civic events, and although he always seemed so frail, he was a very vital person with a brilliant, inquisitive mind.

One of his most recent interests was a desire to promote greater public discussion about urban issues in the city. He told me he wanted to make a substantial financial contribution to an appropriate entity and was talking to a variety of individuals and institutions to determine what might be the most effective way to make this happen.

I just hope that somehow his dream will be realized. While we have some organizations in the city which promote discussion on important planning issues, (The City Program at SFU, ThinkCity, the Vancouver City Planning Commission and the somewhat dormant Urbanarium Society all come to mind), there seems to be a hunger in our city for a suitable forum to discuss important architectural and planning issues.

I hope that Abe’s passing will not stop the discussion on how best to promote such public and professional dialogue. On the contrary, I would like to see some institution or event, bearing his name, (although he didn’t particularly want this) to celebrate the memory of his wonderful life, his contribution to our city, and his desire for a more passionate dialogue on art, architecture, planning and design.

The Decade List: Reprise (2006)

Reprise - dir. Joachim Trier

[Again, this is a slightly modified version of an older post. I will be contributing more new pieces on films this month. I've been busying myself with doing work for the local film festival, which has taken up a big portion of my time (satisfyingly). So forgive me, those of you who've already read this.]

Phillip (Anders Danielsen Lie) and Erik (Espen Klouman-Høiner) have been best friends since childhood, bonded together by their love of literature. Both aspired to become writers, and Reprise opens as the two friends, now in their early 20s, drop their novels into the mail, anxiously awaiting word from the prospective publisher. Writer/director Joachim Trier, a distant relative of Lars Von Trier, then takes us into the troubling effects the publication of Phillip’s novel takes on the two men, treading on territory that’s deceptively familiar. Phillip’s publication, in addition to his intensely passionate relationship with Kari (Viktoria Winge), causes a spiral of mental illness, attempted suicide and disillusionment, which lands him in a mental hospital for the better part of a year. Reprise isn’t just a chronicle of ambitious youth in modern day Norway (though it really could have been set anywhere; Trier stated that several critics called his film very un-Norwegian), but an alarming fantasy that cleverly disrupts stylistic and narrative clichés in ways deeply poignant and unsettling.

The opening moments of Reprise are rather off-putting. A narrator quickly summarizes the events leading up to Phillip and Erik’s completion of their novels and brazenly suggests scenarios which would likely follow, from casual affairs, critical response and a Parisian locale for the completion of their further works. However, each time the film adheres to these annoying motifs, Trier deflects the artifice abruptly. These fantasies become juxtaposed (I hate that word) with a harsh reality. Both instant success and an inability to deal with his first serious relationship render Phillip unable to deal with the world around him; the suggestion that Erik is talentless moves him into a state of monotony, both in his personal and romantic lives. In a way, Trier is criticizing these “hip” cinematic bells-and-whistles, bringing a grounded truth in to offset the gloss.

However, the motifs serve as the tragic fantasy of Reprise. The film, both in its fantastical elements and otherwise, exists in a world of ideals. Phillip and Erik make up two members of a no-girls-allowed brotherhood of rouge intellectuals, who spend their days reading and dissecting art and literature. The group is so exclusive that Erik is scared to bring his girlfriend Johanne around; for most of the film, Trier doesn’t even show us her face. One member of the group, Lars (Christian Rubeck), goes on a misogynistic rant about the defeating nature of men falling into a relationship, relinquishing their intellectual spirit for the mundane. “How many girls have actually introduced you to a worthwhile music group?” he poses. “If they have, it’s likely that it was someone their father, brother or ex-boyfriend listened to. And how many girls have introduced you to books that you didn’t already read in high school?” It’s an alarming statement, but Lars' assessment isn't one that's supported by the film. All of the women in Reprise are far richer than Lars’ cynical statements would suggest, but Trier never makes a point to align the film with any of the characters' singular beliefs or claims.

The motifs then project the further installment of the fantasy, in which young artists get backing, move to Paris and go down in history. Reprise is rather astute in dispelling these fantasies, though it does bring suggestion that literary publication in a less common language would prove to be easier than trying in English or French, languages spoken outside of their native country. It’s perfectly bittersweet and utterly assured from its first-time director. It’s not often that one gets to say, “every time you think the director is making the wrong move in his film, he quickly dismisses this and gives you more than what you bargained for.”

With: Anders Danielsen Lie, Espen Klouman-Høiner, Viktoria Winge, Odd Magnus Williamson, Pål Stokka, Christian Rubeck, Henrik Elvestad, Henrik Mestad, Rebekka Karijord, Sigmund Sæverud
Screenplay: Joachim Trier, Eskil Vogt
Cinematography: Jakob Ihre
Music: Ola Fløttum, Knut Schreiner
Country of Origin: Norway
US Distributor: Miramax Films

Premiere: 3 July 2006 (Karlovy Vary Film Festival)
US Premiere: January 2007 (Sundance Film Festival)

Awards: Best Film, Best Direction, Best Screenplay (Amanda Awards, Norway); Best Director, Don Quijote Award (Karlovy Vary Film Festival); Discovery Award (Toronto International Film Festival)

DVD Release Update: 1 September - Headless Woman, My Effortless Brilliance, etc.

Of the DVD releases below, you'll find that Sony has finally decided to throw the Uma Thurman romantic comedy The Accidental Husband, which is reportedly another awful career move for the actress and has been in release limbo for two years; you'll find another sure-to-be-irritating entry into the Eating Out series, directed by, um, Glenn Gaylord; and also release dates for Lynn Shelton's My Effortless Brilliance, Lucrecia Martel's The Headless Woman and Pablo Trapero's Lion's Den.

- It's Gary Shandling's Show, The Complete Series, 1986-1990, Shout! Factory, 20 October
- Messiah of Evil: The Second Coming, 1973, d. Willard Huyck, Code Red, 35th Anniversary Special Edition, 27 October
- Unmistaken Child, 2008, d. Nati Baratz, Oscilloscope, 3 November
- The Accidental Husband, 2008, d. Griffin Dunne, Sony Pictures, 10 November, w. Uma Thurman, Colin Firth, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Sam Shepard, Justina Machado
- The Divine Weapon, 2008, d. Kim Yu-jin, Virgil Films, 10 November
- Eating Out: All You Can Eat, 2009, d. Glenn Gaylord, Ariztical, 10 November
- Spectacle: Elvis Costello with..., Season 1, 2008-2009, Video Service Corp., also on Blu-ray, 10 November
- American Venus, 2007, d. Bruce Sweeney, MPI, 17 November, w. Rebecca De Mornay
- It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia: A Very Sunny Christmas, 2009, 20th Century Fox, also on Blu-ray, 17 November
- My Effortless Brilliance, 2008, d. Lynn Shelton, IFC Films, 17 November
- Prisoner, 2007, d. David Alford, Robert Archer Lynn, IFC Films, 17 November, w. Julian McMahon, Elias Koteas
- Vampire Party [Les dents de la nuit], 2008, d. Stephan Cafiero, Vincent Lobelle, Dark Sky Films, 17 November, w. Tchéky Karyo, Julien Boisselier, Hélène de Fougerolles, Stéphane Freiss
- Meat Weed America, 2007, d. Aiden Dillard, Troma, 24 November, w. Lloyd Kaufman, Debbie Rochon, Peter Stickles
- Lion's Den [Leonera], 2008, d. Pablo Trapero, Strand Releasing, 8 December
- We Want a Child, 1949, d. Lau Lauritzen, Televista, 8 December
- Antony and Cleopatra [Marcantonio e Cleopatra], 1913, d. Enrico Guazzoni, Televista, 15 December
- The Headless Woman [La mujer sin cabeza], 2008, d. Lucrecia Martel, Strand Releasing, 15 December
- Spartacus [Spartaco], 1913, d. Giovanni Enrico Vidali, Televista, 15 December
- Big Love, The Complete 3rd Season, 2009, HBO, 22 December
- Crude, 2009, d. Joe Berlinger, First Run Features, 16 March 2010