Yes, once she wanted to be a blues singer and dancer. Be cranking fine on stage. Voice, rhythm, moves, arms, legs and everything.
(And she was, at least for a night, in Lisbon.)

Her voice, graceful, tunned, took only 2 songs to warm up to perfection. As for her rhythm, it was perfect upon entry on stage. Her moves are curious. Too energetic for blues, for her voice, but quite tunned in with the band. Ah, and she must love the walking without moving trick.

I heard a blues singer sing blues covers of several songs. Yes, much of the material on show came from the Jukebox album. And, meanwhile, I smelled soap, lots of soap, and bubblegum too, strawberry and cinnamon.

Back to the singing, I heard the first great song of the night after couple of other ones: Metal Heart. "Oh hidy hidy hidy". She was great, moving away from the standard blues singer thing for a while. That made me feel this song was the best performance of the night.

The show was going long, though touching and energetic, mostly due to Chan's animation and moves. I was anxious for hits and, at the same time, for a contrast in the similar mood to most songs. I was anxious for the hymn, "the greatest". And it came, latter than expected, first the instruments were playing quite a faithful rendition of the hymn. But when Chan first started to sing I was puzzled. She changed the mood of the song, I heard no more words worth of the hymn, I heard the same standard blues tone repeated over and over to different lyrics, without the necessary different moods. I heard a wrecked version of "the greatest", and I was sad, but for the wrong reason...

Oh, the concert was ruined, but I still had left the hymn burnt in my memory by Wong Kar Wai's mastery and that kept my going. I was able to enjoy a few more songs. But some of the feeling was gone. I remember feeling, during the first few songs, very Christmasish. That's it, I think that next, Chan Marshall should go on to work on a Christmas blues CD, she's got it.

And she kept having it for quite a while after the show was over (or was it?). She's a curious soul, cheering the audience for long minutes after the show ended. I find her way of expressing, her moves, very interesting. She seems to have many influences, I suspect she is studying drama and one or two dance styles, at least she should have done so recently and that shows a lot, and she likes to show it. I like it to. I can't help it but smiling at her, and I wasn't all that mad for her ruinning that song. Some other day I would probably not even care so much.

It was a good concert, both far from bad and perfect.

E já agora, vai um UM BONGO?



:)

Hoje foi a tarde das sessões dos filmes vencedores do Monstra 2008. E que tarde...

Prémio IPJ - Jovem Cineasta Estudante

Life Line, de Tomek Ducki / Hungria

Prémio Onda Curta

A Child's Metaphysics, de Koji Yamamura / Japão

Refrains, de Wiola Sowa / Polónia

La Memoria Dei Cani, de Simone Massi / Bélgica

Lavatory-Lovestory, de Konstantin Bronzit / Rússia

Dji Vou Veu Volti, de Benoit Feroumont / Bélgica

Prémio Melhor Série para TV
Hare the Servant, de Elena Chernova / Rússia

Prémio Monstrinha - Melhor Filme para Infância

A Sunny Day, de Gil Alkabetz / Alemanha

Prémio Tóbis - Melhor Filme Português
O Guisado de Galinha, de Joana Toste / Portugal

Prémio Especial do Júri
Refrains, de Wiola Sowa / Polónia

Grande Prémio Monstra 2008 / RTP2
Franz Kafka's - A Country Doctor, de Koji Yamamura / Japão

Prémio do Público
Hare the Servant, de Elena Chernova / Rússia

Acabei por preferir deixar o júri escolher os filmes por mim e foi com muita surpresa que assisti a esta selecção absolutamente fantástica. First class!!

De resto, tinha já ido a uma sessão de autor, com os filmes do David Anderson. Achei-o interessante, capaz de efectuar excelentes exercícios de experimentação e originalidade. Também gostei de alguns lugares onde ele foi capaz de me levar, especialmente nos trabalhos mais antigos. Já os seus filmes de publicidade são muito diferentes do resto do trabalho, muito acessíveis e de grande qualidade, independentemente dos temas publicitados (laxantes, duches quentes eléctricos, etc.). Ah! E lembrava-me muito bem daquele dos Smarties ;)

Bem, depois da sessão de premiados ainda deu tempo para ir comer uma daquelas fatias de tarte que só se encontram no café Magnolia do Cinema Londres. Hoje foi tarte de queijo ricotta com amêndoas e frutos silvestres. Estou a começar a ficar viciado.

At this point in time, where cross-roads are filling my path and change is the strongest keyword, Cat Power is the artist that better expresses my feelings, grieves and happinesses.

Her coming to Portugal in a few days time and appearing in "My Blueberry Nights" are kind coincidences that help me surround myself in her thoughts and ways.

"When the day is done
Down to earth then sinks the sun
Along with everything that was lost and won
When the day is done.

When the day is done
Hope so much your race will be all run
Then you find you jumped the gun
Have to go back where you began
When the day is done.

When the night is cold
Some get by but some get old
Just to show lifes not made of gold
When the night is cold.
When the bird has flown
Got no-one to call your own
Got no place to call your home
When the bird has flown.

When the games been fought
You speed the ball across the court
Lost much sooner than you would have thought
Now the games been fought.

When the partys through
Seems so very sad for you
Didnt do the things you meant to do
Now theres no time to start anew
Now the partys through.

When the day is done
Down to earth then sinks the sun
Along with everything that was lost and won
When the day is done."

The hardest decisions must also be made. I guess this ends up my decision making months. Sweating...

I guess it's time to tickle my brain again. I didn't think it would be this scary.