Premiere: 05th of August 2008; 8 p.m. at Moviemento in Berlin, Kreuzberg.

Trailer and Info: www.ScienceOfHorror.de

Synopsis: Horror films are pornographic and eroticise the abject. Yet, they relieve, they are humorous and challenge cultural taboos. “Science Of Horror” is the first documentary to analyze horror film from the perspective of feminist film critique. Carol Clover discovers the "final girl" in “Texas Chainsaw Masscare”, an androgynous but clearly feminine hero. Therewith, Clover delivers an essential formula of the genre and the foundation for further assumptions. Women are horror’s favourite victims but also its heroes. The phallus, indicator of social power, becomes a flexible object in horror: The chainsaw in the "final girl’s" hands allows a different look on the cultural norms of Western societies – the genre undermines heterosexual attribution. It is with that theory in mind, that Judith Halberstam develops a queer reading of the genre and illustrates along the “Chucky” series how explicitly sexuality runs through horror and which sexual vicissitudes the genre offers. Those theoretic assumptions are proven with citations from well-known horror films and confronted with statements of renowned filmmakers. Thus, the documentary is the first to lead a discourse between film theory and film practice. Wes Craven, John Carpenter and Tom Savini comment on their films and their fans. Bruce Campbell explains why he depicts a male victim in the “Evil Dead” movies. Joe Hill criticizes "torture porn" because of its shallowness, whereas Neil Marshall elucidates why “The Descent” consciously plays with audience’s expectations. The documentary concludes that there is more to the genre than the sum of its effects. Horror is utterly unique.

Director`s Comment:

With the arrival of literary works such as Carol Clover’s „Men, Women and Chain Saws“ (1992) as well as Linda William’s „Hard Core“ (1989), feminist film theory took a new look at the so called „low body genres“. Until then, genres such as horror and pornography had been mainly condemned by feminist writings, as it was regarded as a cinema, which was solely made for a male audience, often serving to fulfil sadistic pleasures. “Men, Women and Chain Saws” and “Hard Core” also gained critical acclaim, as it emerged from an acknowledged academic background, with both authors being scholars at the University of California, Berkeley. Although never denying the misogynistic subtexts in those genres, the authors opened the door and gave way for a feminist reading, which went beyond the established and often negative attitudes towards these genres.

“Science Of Horror” tries to capture those newer cycles of ideas. It quite consciously opens with the recurring famous topics of horror, such as “censorship” and “catharsis”, but develops into a discourse, which more and more finds a focus on the gender related approaches. By doing this, it likes to provide a broad scientific look at the genre, while incorporating issues, which have not been discussed in film before. The almost equal appearances of filmmakers and theorists within the film, is a means to explore the genre from different perspectives. In addition, it is a comment on the often neglected influence, which the two disciplines, filmmaking and film criticism, have on each other. (Katharina Klewinghaus, January 2008)

US Voter Registration at the Bookshop This Friday in honor of 4th of July If you are an American and have not yet registered to vote or have friends that have not done so, this Friday is your chance, all the forms will be here along with someone to help you find where you need to send them and answer any questions you have. Let´s make every Vote count this time.

Week at a Glance....

Tuesday 01 July Outrageous (1977) Richard Benner (100 min.) Crag Russell as Bette Davis

Thursday 03 June 8:30 TV and Game Night Some of the shows you can choose from Are You Being Served?, Only Fools and Horses, Lost season 4, Blackadder, BBC Visions of the Future, The Tudors, Prisoner of Cell Block H, The Pervert's Guide to Cinema, Skins with more to be added soon!

Friday 04 June Dinner at 9:30 and West Wing throughout the Night 4th of July at the Bookshop Americans come register to Vote

Saturday 05 June Bookshop open 12-6pm

Sunday 06 June Bookshop open 12-6pm

Monday 07 June Bookshop Closed

Tuesday 08 July Must See Film Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964) Stanly Kubrick

Wednesday 09 July Live Music Night 8:30pm Daphne & Dave the one and only acoustic indie cello/guitar pop duo from Australia & New Zealand! Daphne Owers and Dave Sills are an acoustic duo who perform their original songs with cello and guitar accompaniment. Ranging from the comic to the sublime, their songs touch on many aspects of everyday alternative life from vegetarianism to ex-patism, visualism to heartbreak hotel. Daphne Owers is an indie pop and electro musician from New Zealand who has fronted several rock bands and musical projects including current Berlin-based electro duo the Post Modern Pants. www.myspace.com Dave Sills is a classically trained celloist from Australia who has played in literally dozens of musical configurations ranging from Bach to pop to tango, jazz to experimental music to Daphne & Dave! Suki Osman

Suki plays bewitching melodies with delicacy and force. The hybrid of folk, rock and soul, influenced from everyday occurrences to life changing events, is a magic that envelops the whole room. so sit by the fire, contemplate the past, long for the future, and stare together as the sun sets over the last vestiges of our happy time together.

TRIVIA QUESTION Who was the first President to live in the White House? Last weeks answer... Before returning to Canada as a hair dresser what famous person did Crag Russell work as an assistant for in Los Angeles? Mae West

See it in the comments!

Get the code for this one over here and make your own while you're there.

They're doing at least one big, big article every month... THis week: Berlin, the Big Canvas

Why are they so interested in this town now? Why not 10 of 15 years ago when it was interesting?

Things you can with they call 2.0: Zoomii.com - The "Real" Online Bookstore

Kreuzberg makes the list....

check out the article here

The statue of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. pictured on the left was a little, well, "confrontational" and communist looking (??) for the U.S. Commission On Fine Arts, which approves monuments on the National Mall in Washington DC. So the Chinese sculptor who carved the 28-foot memorial gave the civil rights leader a face lift, softening his brow and turning up his lips "to resemble the hint of a smile," in the words of AP. Now tourists will be spared the apparently undesirable site of an angry-looking black men, and the commissioners indicated yesterday they are happy. The foundation responsible for making the statue refused to release a before/after picture, but Rick McKay of Cox managed to snap the above photo, which ran in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. [AP]

via gawker

In case you missed the link on the side: A man and his country - Expatica.com

Don't know where I found this....

From The Wallywoods YouTube Channel

Something to do this weekend!

A wicked Set that will leave you with enough darkness to Warm Your Heart for a month!!!

BERLIN: The young anarchists, middle-aged peace activists and established leftist politicians here have at least one thing in common: None bothered to keep a six-year tradition alive by organizing a protest against President George W. Bush's arrival here Tuesday.

To the astonishment of local officials and media, not even a token demonstration was registered with the police for Bush's latest visit to Germany.

"Bush is not even popular in the role of the enemy anymore," the daily Der Tagesspiegel wrote...

Tuesday 10 June around 8.30 German Films in June series continues... Münchhausen (1943) Josef von Báky (German with English Subs)

Thursday 12 June 8:30 TV and Game Night Some of the Shows you can choose from Jeeves and Wooster, Are You Being Served?, Only Fools and Horses, Lost season 4, Blackadder, BBC Visions of the Future, The Tudors and Skins with more to be added soon!

Friday 13 June Dinner at 9:30 and film around 11:30 German Films in June series continues with with ..... Schultze Gets the Blues (2003) Michael Schorr (English and German with English Subs)

Saturday 14 June Bookshop open 12-6pm

Sunday 15 June Bookshop open 12-6pm

Monday 16 June Bookshop Closed

Tuesday 17 June around 8.30 About Schmidt (2002) Alexander Payne TRIVIA QUESTION What month has the longest days in the Northern Hemisphere? Last weeks answer... Which famous director as a favour to Ken Adams did the lighting for the Atlantis set on The Spy Who Loved Me? Stanley Kubrick extra credit... The Spy Who Loved Me Bond Girl Barbara Bach is married to which 60´s icon? Ringo Star

Learning German with Farin Urlaub of die ärzte! Riddle me this, kids!

Now, go to the YouTube Playlist: Songs for the Sun and click on "Play all"!

Check out Blu's Website on how this was made

Let's get started! The engine for events is finally working! Post all your upcoming events for the english speaking community in Berlin over there, kids!

Join the ranks of the young and exotic!

Illustration: High Street, Whitechapel (ca. 1894)

articles and images relating to the Tower Hamlets area in the 19th and early 20th Century.

Via THE CARTOONIST

File under "Nutters": Kapiti (New Zealand) local councillor Dale Evans wears a KKK costume on television...