What I've done

Finally, this week is over. And I've done a lot of interesting things these days. I watched "Thirst" by Park Chan-wook, which I'd really wanted to watch earlier, but could't find time. Well, interesting movie, but maybe too much blood. I don't mind watching bloody thrillers or horrors, but "Thirst" is a psychological love-story (as it seems to me). It should have been less violent.

Also I watched "Kirot" with my favourite Olga Kurylenko. Rather interesting plot, but maybe it's not realistic. I want to say, that it's hard to imagine such story happens in real life. Of course, movie shouln't be realistic! It's only my opinion. "Kirot" is an action thriller and again too much violence...

I attended interesting lections about Soviet movies and about traditional female-gods in slavic mythology. Second one was very very interesting! And I decided to buy some books on this topic, because I have only a little knowledge...

And yesterday I really wanted to have a rest and read a book. But I suddenly got an invitation to the theater and I couldn't refuse! So I went to Alexandrinsky theater and watched french performance "Kazimir and Karolina". It's love story. And I liked it, because it's not too modern and it's clear what is happening on the stage (not like in David Lynche's "Inland Empire" which I rewatched this night).

So this week was full with different events, but left no time for studing and preparing for seminars at the University...

Me and the Moon

I was walking home today when I suddenly saw the Moon. The sky was light blue and the Moon was white. And I remembered my childhood. When I was a child my father told me that small boy and girl eating chocolate can be seen on he Moon. I always thought that the boy should look like Little Prince from Antoine de Saint Exupéry's story.

Today I was walking home and it was really strange to realize that the Moon is still the same, but I'm not.

Book Fair

Today I spent about 5 hours searching for some interesting books at the International Book Fair. There were a lot of books, but most of them were rubbish! I wanted to find Faulkner, but I couldn't...

My friend Kate managed to buy "Stephen Hero" by James Joyce. Some days ago I realised that I wanted to read his "Ulysses". And I ordered it at the internet bookshop. This year Book Fair was rather boring. There weren't any famous authors there... But there were a lot of religious literature... I don't like it.

Also there was Flower Salon in exhibition complex. Very nice! I enjoyed a lot of interesting flower compositions, my favourite garden gnomes and other cute figures...

And after that I found what I really wanted to have. It's "Gone with the wind" by Margaret Mitchell. The book looks like a brick. It's small and very very thick. I'm going to read it soon after I finish another story about Civil War.

Oh! And I bought a lot of lovely postcards! It was a good day :)

Low Rising

It's a fabulous video by my favourite Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova. I think it's a masterpiece.

Monday walk

Today I and my friend Mary went to the excursion to Presidental Library. Before we were let inside we had been checked like at the airport. Our guide looked like Oksana Fyodorova (Miss Universe 2001), but not like scientist. I know that it's very difficult to get a card to this VIP-library. But I realised that access to reading rooms is useless. You aren't allowed to take necessary book and you can look through it only using computer. So it's better to go to other ordinary library.

After this 20-minutes excursion we got outside this unpleasant building and saw a very common for St.Petersburg but very interesting natural phenomenon. One part of the sky were pastoral blue. Another part was dark. And the border was very clear. We went to see New Holland Island, which will be destroyed soon... Although people aren't let to go to the island, it's my favourite place. Huge gates and brick-red buildings are majestic!!! I am addicted to industrial architecture!!!

At the end of our walk Mary showed me second-hand bookshop where I found two postcards kit: reproductions of paintings by Grigory Soroka and Alber Marquet. I like Marquet's style very much. Especially his "St. Trinity Square in Paris" (1911). It's breathtaking view, isn't it?...

Mother's skin, Father's skin...

It was rainy today and really cold. But it couldn't prevent me and my friend Kate from getting new experiences. This morning we were trying to find the former Dutch Church on Nevsky Prospect to see Flower Festival. But we couldn't. Wind was really strong so we decided to have a cup of coffee in the nearest cafe.

Then we went to the Al-Gallery. And watched installation art there. It was an exibition by Vita Buyvid, famous photographer. I like her "Skins of the Bobrovy Family". You can see it on photo. All skins are made of plush and look really nice. As a part of installation there were tv sets. Different women on the screen were repeating: "I'm a bitch", men were complaining: "She is a bitch".

Also there were portraits of families. In the pictures some people were bleeding or had black eyes. Author wanted to show that sometimes we hurt our relatives with words. And wounds we leave in their souls can't be seen. But these wounds are never healed.

Later we attended a lecture about Nabokov. Writer Vyacheslav Kurizin showed some interesting pictures somehow connected with Nabokov's life. And later Kurizin read his "Christmas Story" written in the Nabokov manner. It was interesting because there are few places where prose can be heard.

When I was going home the wind almost blew me away. Weather was really nasty, but it didn't spoil my day.

Involuntary

Yesterday I watched "De ofrivilliga" or "Involuntary" as it's translated in english. It should have been a swedish comedy by Ruben Östlund. But it was the strangest film I have ever seen. There are a lot of heroes in this movie: sincere teacher, stupid school girls, man who hurt his eye with firecracker... All film consists of stories about these people. But they aren't completed! So when the closing credits appeared I understood that I didn't get the main idea of the film... I was disappointed.

As a bonus video short movie "Incedent by a bank" by the same director was shown. It got Golden Bear as Best Short Film in Berlinale in 2010. Östlund tells a story about failed bank robbery, which really took place in 2006. It's interesting because it was filmed without any cut. But I think it's not an Art par excellence!

After the cinema I met my friend Julia. We wanted to attend lecture about USSR movies, but it was postponed to April 27. Unfortunately my cultural thirst wasn't satisfied yesterday...