Cinema

I went to the cinema the other night, I don't do that too often to be honest. Somehow I am too tight to pay a bundle for a movie that is either very disappointing or can be seen on tv in a couple of years. And I don't think many movies are worth watching anyway. But while travelling it is a nights away from the place your staying, it's passing time.

I went to see Coyote Ugly, an oldie, in Perth there is a cinema that shows movies that have just gone out of running elsewhere for 4$. I was planning on seeing a different one, but the Dutch girl joining me had seen that one already, so we ended up watching Coyote ugly. I'm not going to give you a review, it's not worth it.

The thing is that near the end of the movie the movie burned. It took a few minutes before they had repaired it and we were able to see the last few minutes, in the meantime enjoying the view of burned celluloid on the big screen.

Then I started thinking that it has happened to me before. In Nicaragua when watching the Mummy (worst movie I've seen in ages, I was really really bored and there was no other movie shown in Leon), in Mexico near the end of Jacob the Liar (got a free ticket for the next day and went to see Double Jeopardy) and a couple of years back in the Dominican Republic in this shitty movie with Stallone and Stone in it.

Apart from Jacob the liar, another good Robin Williams movie (which didn't burn actually but just stopped), all of these movies where bad ones, or even extreme crap. Come to think of it, the other movies I saw during this journey (Hannibal, Hi-Fidelity, Maybe baby, Erin Brockovich, Cider House Rules) all were good. Could it be that I subconciously do something to bad movies that makes them burn? I am jinxing bad movies? The percentage is too high to ignore the signs. Only American Pie, which I saw in Costa Rica avoided the burn. Even Face Off faltered when I saw it on a bus journey, and that was only a video. Perhaps I should go more often and see if my theory is correct.

Street artist

In Perth I have seen him twice now and he fascinates me. Usually artists playing the street are reasonably good artists, playing an instrument or showing a skill. This one isn't. I don't want to say he's bad, but he doesn't do anything but sing. And not even very good.

He's only there on nice days, because he has to take his whole mini-set with him. He has bought some CD's meant for Karaoke and then plugs in his microphone and sings. If his voice was brilliant, he would have gotten away with it, but now he only gets pityfull looks, although I can imagine that he makes more because people feel sorry for him.

He must be well into his forties, always wears the same sweater and moves around on his tennis shoes as if he's performing in a theatre. His choice of songs is peculiar to say the least. Today I saw him twice. The first time he was singing Sultans of swing by Dire Straits, after that Baker Street by Gerry Rafferty. Both songs with long instrumental solo's, through which he just stands, moving slightly to the music, waiting for his next line to come up. Last week he murdered Imagine and some other old classics.

He reminds me of some of the contestants on this BBC-series 'Don't give up your day job', a show that was aired a couple of years back in which none of the participants had any talent, and the only purpose of the show was to take the piss out of them, even though they hoped that this could be their major breakthrough.

I haven't given him anything, as I am running out of cash rapidly here, but I guess the next time I see him I should. Just for the effort. I feel to sorry for him to play the old joke and ask for a request: please shut up for a while.