My Hero.

Finding Larry David and Seinfeld was probably one of the best things that ever happened to me. Before them I had thought I stood alone as this socially awkward person who worries about and gets annoyed by things people consider "normal" and won't say anything about because that is what's expected from us.
What started with Seinfeld continued and was developed in Curb your enthusiasm. One of the taglines of the series says "Deep inside you know you're him" and frankly speaking I couldn't agree more.
There is not one day I don't encounter an irritating social situation that was analyzed in one of these series and most of the time I wish I had the guts to pull a Larry David. The man himself said that his character on the show is "[his] version of Superman. The character is really me, but I just couldn't possibly behave like that. If I had my druthers, that would be me all the time, but you can't do that."

So here he is, Larry David, my hero.

Two days in Paris.

I have always found it quite annoying and hard to understand that everyone's obsessedly in love with Paris. Frankly speaking, I have never been a francophile and my visit to the City of Light left me unimpressed. Add my infitie love of neurotic characters and sense of humor to this disinterest and you'll understand why I found 2 Days in Paris so irresistible.

Written and directed by (and starring, of course) the almost-legendary Julie Delpy, at first glance it might seem your typical multilingual indie film but the thing is it is much more than that. Aside from being witty and lifelike, it actually is a beautiful movie filled with emotions we all know very well but presenting and analyzing them so truthfully and closely that the result is something very much like an eye-opening experience.
Adam Goldberg gives his very best and you can't help thinking about Woody Allen while watching him act. I wonder how long until he discovers him and Goldberg will pull a Woody Allen, instead of a Polanski...

The life-saver.

There are certain songs that not only comfort you but give you strength and dare I say, save you when you're at your lowest. I know for many people this song is Sinatra's My Way but for me it is Neil Diamond's Solitary Man.
It reminds you that it doesn't matter how many loves you thought were right broke, you can always have the hope that the real thing will arrive one day. And until then, you can live and be happy as a solitary (wo)man...

Let there be light.

I know a lot of people are anti-Christmas when it comes to the commercial part of it, but I have to admit I kind of like it because it helps me get in the mood and somehow I was never one of those who gets stressed when seeing all the Christmas stuff in stores. Of course there are several things I can not stand either - the Christmas songs are the first ones on my hate-list and I also have difficulties with handling the crowd but my two favourite indispensable Christmas elements make up for it big time: Christmas lights and coconut turrón (which is basically a huge block of coconut with some sugar... and some dark chocolate if you're lucky!).
I really love Christmas lights in Madrid, especially when they are not that obviously for the holiday... for example the ones near my home:

The song of a generation.

Where there is a despot, a system that tries to control basically every aspect of society and the lives of the ones living in it, there are always some individuals who resist - maybe it means helping others, the way Oskar Schindler did during World War II, maybe they decide it's time to get together and start a revolution because they just have to try, just like in Hungary in 1956. Then, of course, there are the artists, who know how to touch people and how to make them realize that together we can do more.
Luis Llach's song L'estaca was translated to many languages and is the symbol of resistance, of not accepting tyranny. It was written in 1968 using metaphors to prevent the censorship from banning it and - like many other songs composed in that era - it still has a meaning and it is still very inspiring.

The lyrics in English would be something like this:

Grandpa Siset spoke with me
early in the morning, in the frontdoor
while we were wainting for the sun
and we saw the cars passing by
Siset, don't you see the stake
where we all are tied?
If we cannot undo it
we won't be able to walk!

If we all pull it, it will fall
and it can't last much time,
surely it falls, falls, falls,
it must be worm-eaten by now.
If I pull hard towards here,
and you pull it towards there,
I'm sure it falls, falls, falls,
and we'll be able to be free!

But it's been a long time, now
My hands are peeling
And when my force goes
it's wider and bigger.
Yes I know it's rotten,
but you know, Siset, it's so heavy,
sometimes force forgets me.
Sing to me again your song:

If we all pull it, it will fall
and it can't last much time,
surely it falls, falls, falls,
it must be worm-eaten by now.
If I pull hard towards here,
and you pull it towards there,
I’m sure it falls, falls, falls,
and we'll be able to be free!

Grandpa Siset doesn't speak anymore
bad wind who took him away
he, who knows where,
and me, here under the door
and when new boys pass by
I strech my neck to sing
Siset's last song,
the last thing he taught me

If we all pull it, it will fall
and it can't last much time,
surely it falls, falls, falls,
it must be worm-eaten by now.
If I pull hard towards here,
and you pull it towards there,
I’m sure it falls, falls, falls,
and we'll be able to be free!

Somewhere between autumn, winter and love.

I think the best seasons to listen to Edith Piaf are autumn and winter - not because they are, in general, sad songs (okay, not only because of this), but because they just warm your heart. It might sound weird, but listening to her makes me feel like sitting near a fireplace when it's cold outside. It comforts me and gives me shelter from whatever's outside. It lets me know I am not alone with my feelings.

Crazy, Stupid, Love.

To tell you the truth, I often feel bad when I think about this blog because I see that I either don't post or all my entries are about movies.
But, after all, cinema is what I love the most, what interests, inspires and entertains me the most, so what the hell.

As you may have guessed, what I wanted to say is that this post is going to be about a movie as well. And not just any movie, it's going to be about my new favourite 21st century comedy.

I wrote in an older post that I found that each decade's comedies have their own style and vibe and that many times I am anything but impressed by that of the new-era comedies. I would say the only movie of this genre that was made in the past few years and that I have seen several times is Something's Gotta Give. Well, at least it used to be the only one, since now I have a new title on my to-go list: Crazy, Stupid, Love.

I really like Steve Carell and I think he is one of the best comics now out there - his works are funny even when they're a bit dumb (Get Smart, I'm looking at you!) and he is such a softspoken guy, I find impossible not to like him. But the thing is, even if Carell by himself is enough reason to watch a movie, this one's cast list is more than amazing: we have the always gorgeous Julianne Moore, the now legendary Kevin Bacon and undoubtedly THE most talented actor who was born in the 80s - Ryan Gosling. We also have rising star Emma Stone, I think it was the first movie I've seen with her and I can assure you there will be a lot more!

In case you need more convincing (I doubt it), I would like to add how funny and interesting this movie is. The story in itself might not be that original but the way the creators approached it is very unique and witty.

Finally, a film I can turn to after a bad day, or after watching yet another disappointingly boring and predictable "comedy".

Must see.