Belgium, October 2018

Posted by Tom on

watch

JCVD (Mabrouk El Mechri):Jean Claude Van Damme, Francois Damiens, Zinedine Soualem. 2008

After a decade of marking time in straight to video schlock, Van Damme made the brave decision of playing a world-weary version of himself in this ingeniously plotted crime drama. Down on his luck having lost custody of his daughter, the muscles from Brussels is back home for reasons that aren’t entirely clear. Things worsen considerably when he enters a post office as a hostage situation is burgeoning. The ensuing police incompetence and media shit-storm  lead to a presumption that our hero is behind the plot. First timer El Mechri directs with considerable flair employing a multi-layered narrative technique and in one startling sequence allowing Van Damme to float above the action and deliver a five minute plus soliloquy straight to the camera. It’s not the only genuinely touching moment in the film. Van Damme himself offers a revelatory tour de force full of raw emotion and  world-weary pathos. It was a turn that offered him comparison with Mickey Rourke’s comeback role The Wrestler. I would suggest that JCVD (movie and performance) is operating on a higher plane. 4/5

stream @: https://play.stan.com.au/programs/1191283

The Broken Circle Breakdown (Felix Van Groeningen) Johan Heldenbergh, Veerle Baetens, Nell Cattrysse. 2012

All the tropes of a 90’s midday two-box weepy telemovie are on display here as an odd couple meet, fall in love and have an unplanned daughter who contracts terminal cancer. Bored yet? Well here’s the thing:  it’s just so much better than it sounds. Adapted from a play that Heldenbergh wrote,  this Flemish language drama tugs relentlessly at the heart strings without ever exploiting its subject matter. Baetens as the free-wheeling tattoo artist come bluegrass singing mother turns in a devastating  performance and Cattrysse is a delight, making her character’s sad demise all the harder to bear. The leads did all their own singing and the music itself offers a different level of satisfaction to an already accomplished film. 4/5

stream @: https://www.sbs.com.au/ondemand/video/683853379746/the-broken-circle-breakdown

Man Bites Dog (Remy Belvaux) Benoit Poelvoorde, Belvaux, Jenny Drye. 1992

By turns jaw-dropping, incomprehensible, hilarious and revolting, this tiny budget punch-in-the-face has aged splendidly. Which is to say it’s every bit as hard to stomach as it was upon release in the early 90’s. Ben is a completely indiscriminate serial killer with a sunny disposition and a philosophy-spewing motor mouth. The film crew who follow him around for their documentary (gimmick within a gimmick: played by the actual film makers) grow into their tasks with such enthusiasm that before long they’re willing accomplices. As the body count rises in increasingly deplorable fashion,  this acidic statement on media glorification of violence loses track of its narrative. Shot in grainy black and white with a jerky hand-held camera and employing white subtitles on often pale backgrounds, Man Bites Dog is a tough watch in more ways than one. Still, Tarantino rather blatantly ripped it off for his Natural Born Killers screenplay and it’s a piece of guerilla film making that leaves plenty to digest, if you can manage to keep it down. 3.5/5.

stream @: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6lODZ1SIzx4

listen

Jacques Brel

Covered by everyone from Engelbert Humperdinck to Westlife with Sinatra and Bowie along the way for good measure, the francophone crooner par excellence is the most famous singer you’ve never heard of. Equal parts melancholy poet, force of nature and keen observer of the human condition, Brel made his name penning, recording and performing (with incredible gusto) countless classic chansons throughout the 50’s and 60’s in Paris. Due to declining health and an apparent desire to withdraw slowly from the public eye,  the 70’s were a less prolific period, but it’s not every Belgian muso whose self imposed hiatus leads to a successful long running off-Broadway play!  To truly enjoy the man’s music of course is to understand what’s being said, so for us non multi-linguists, many of Brel’s greatest moments are available with subtitles on youtube. Ne me quitte pas is a tender, soul-searching plea to a long-term partner on the verge of walking out, while Amsterdam charts the colourful experiences of a group of sailors passing the days in that port city famed for its excess. Brel performs both with an astonishing commitment to his subject matter. For a glimpse into a troubled yet undeniably optimistic soul, it’s also worth a look at this stripped back post performance interview.

read

Tintin, Hergé 1932-1976

At the risk of asking a question that my 10 year old self would never forgive me for, is it possible Tintin’s just a little bit rubbish? The fearless teenage reporter who jets across the world at a moment’s notice (flying the plane himself if necessary), punches on with villains twice his size, hangs out with an ageing alcoholic Scottish sailor and talks to his dog,  wore a bit thin halfway along this trip down memory lane. Our hero is also a master of narrative exposition and the kind of guy who gets the job done via sensational leaps of plotting logic when good-old fashioned detective work isn’t forthcoming. Where dialogue is concerned, whilst it’s probably a bit churlish to blame Hergé for the sins of the translator the overuse of exclaimers such as “golly” and “crumbs” have the butt-kicking Belgian man-child coming off like a pantomime Victorian dandy.   Ok, so I understand that it’s a comic book intended primarily for children and yeah I’m probably being a bit of a scrooge, but I guess I went in hoping for a Toy Story like experience that adults secretly enjoy just as much as their kids. Tintin is not quite it. The cartoons still look great, there’s some inspired physical comedy usually involving the Thompsons,  and Captain Haddock fires off a few zingers along the way. Overall though, some childhood favourites are probably better left in the past.

eat and drink

Belgian Beer Cafe

135 Harrington St, The Rocks

Pork belly with stoemp

Mussels traditionelle

Duvel and La Chouffe beers.

Not a cafe by conventional Sydney standards, the BBC makes tremendous use of its landmark location. Housed in a former catholic boarding school and boasting an impressively large beer-hall themed interior it’s a dining experience that has plenty to offer. If the website is stretching credibility a tad when it claims that Belgian cuisine is the equal of French, there can be little doubt that Belgium has few peers when it comes to brewing a frosty alcoholic beverage. The owners seem to be aware of this fact and have priced the beer list accordingly. Still, don’t even think about leaving without sampling some of the artisan brews on offer. La Chouffe is exceptional, steer clear of Stella tonight which is probably akin to Belgium’s version of Victoria Bitter. Stoemp, a puree of root vegetables, is arguably Belgium’s national dish and compliments the pork belly superbly. The Mussels are probably the main culinary draw but were actually a slight disappointment as I prefer them big and juicy. The customer service (by actual Belgians!) was highly accommodating and it’s good fun immersing yourself in the regal setting. Drop in on a Wednesday night and take advantage of the $20 pot of mussels, leaving a bit of room in the budget for that extra beer.

goal of the month

Michy Batshuayi shows the proverbial nice touch for a big man in rounding the Young Boys keeper and finishing nicely. OK, so it was a slow month for Belgiums legion of attacking starlets.

Share this:

Like this:

Leave a Reply