Amsterdam Weekly: Vol 5 Issue 5, 31 Jan-6 Feb 2008

Volume 5, Issue 5

31JANUARY - 6 FEBRUARY 2008 Stadsboer zoekt hoer

‘...establish a mild form of world domination’ page 5

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The dance around De Wallen The city is out to clean. But will the process also scrub away the Red Light District’s identity? page 6-8

Oh crap, not another story about Wilders page 4 Then there’s the tale about the smoke-free coffeeshop page 4 Meanwhile, Kennedy is new to De Bijlmer page 5 FILM: Tommy Lee Jones discovers what’s up in Iraq p. 18 / FOOD: Oops, the Glutton trips over a tasty one p. 17

Short List . . . . . . . . . . . . .9 Music/Clubs . . . . . . . . . .11 Gay & Lesbian . . . . . . . .14 Stage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14 Art . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15 Events . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17 Film . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18 Classifieds/Comics . . . .21

31 January-6 February 2008

Amsterdam Weekly

CITY SECOND BY PETER CLEUTJENS In this issue and...

Smoke-free coffeeshops. A ‘clean’ Red Light District. The times are a-changing indeed. Deputy Mayor Lodewijk Asscher uses as his shiny example Rudy Giuliani’s clean up of NYC that resulted in more tourists. But Asscher doesn’t take into account the radical size difference between the two cities nor all those New Yorkers who say, ‘That bastard Giuliani turned the best city in the world into one big mall!’ And besides, De Wallen are already the closest thing on the planet to a happy, shiny and safe Sex Disneyland. If only other sex districts were so lucky. While far from perfect, the area is an example of how things can be done differently. So why not keep experimenting? Why not have the city provide spaces for freelance sex workers and become the pimp? (At least their bureaucratic slap is slow.)

As for the upcoming smoking ban, why not experiment with new super ventilators that make second-hand smoke irrelevant? It’s called the ‘vision thing’ and only with that can Amsterdam continue to be its own shiny example.

On the cover SORRY WE’RE CLOSED(MINDED) Illustration by Anna Boterman www.annaboterman.nl/

Next week Tourist in own town

Letters Got an opinion? We want to hear it. inbox@amsterdamweekly.nl

Amsterdam Weekly BV De Ruyterkade 106, 1011 AB Amsterdam Tel: 020 522 5200 Fax: 020 620 1666 www.amsterdamweekly.nl General info: info@amsterdamweekly.nl Agenda listings: agenda@amsterdamweekly.nl Advertising: sales@amsterdamweekly.nl Classifieds: classifieds@amsterdamweekly.nl PUBLISHER Todd Savage EDITOR Steve Korver ASSISTANT EDITOR Nina Siegal AGENDA EDITOR Steven McCarron FILM EDITOR Julie Phillips COPY EDITOR Mark Wedin EDITORIAL ASSISTANT Sarah Gehrke ART DIRECTOR Bas Morsch PRODUCTION MANAGER Karen Willey PRODUCTION DESIGNERS Mattijs Arts, Russell Joyce SENIOR ACCOUNT MANAGER Carolina Salazar ACCOUNT MANAGERS Florrie Beasley, Marc Devèze, Simone Klomp OPERATIONS MANAGER Monique Gruter FINANCE ASSISTANT Simone Choi DISTRIBUTION MANAGER Patrick van der Klugt FINANCIAL ADVISER Kurt Schmidt (Veresis Consulting) PRINTER Corelio Printing Amsterdam Weekly is published every week on Wednesday and is available free at locations all over Amsterdam. Subscriptions are available for €60 per six months within the Netherlands and €90 per six months within Europe. Agenda submissions are welcome, at least two weeks in advance. New contributors are invited to visit Amsterdam Weekly’s website for contributor guidelines. Contents of Amsterdam Weekly (ISSN 1872-3268) are copyright 2008 Amsterdam Weekly BV. All rights reserved.

27/01/2008 - 15:54 - BUIKSLOTERMEERPLEIN

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31 January-6 February 2008

AROUND TOWN An anti-Islam demo proves marginal.

By Remco Andersen If you want free airtime on Dutch primetime television, an easy way to get it is by attacking the approximately 850,000 people who constitute the Islamic population in the Netherlands. The method has been tried and tested by several local politicians and opinion makers in the past, but Freedom Party (PVV) leader Geert Wilders has made it into a fine art.

For the past two months, he has dominated the political debate with promises of his anti-Islamic film, which he claims will critique the Koran and expose the religion as ‘an ideology of intolerance that promotes terror and murder’.

Although the actual existence of the inflammatory film remains unverified, news of the movie has the whole country’s panties in a bundle. Dutch embassies worldwide have received emergency preparedness notices and evacuation plans, in case its release causes riots like the ones sparked by Danish cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed in 2005. Politicians are stressing that Wilders doesn’t speak for the Dutch government, and Islamic leaders in the Netherlands are urging their followers to stay calm.

One can’t help but wonder: is it the Koran or the crusading politician’s constant vilifying of the Islamic community that is causing the crisis?

To the 40-odd protesters from Stop the Islamisation of Europe, who gathered on Dam Square last Saturday afternoon, the Muslim faith is a clear and present danger. Under the protection of more than a hundred police officers, the group— whose stated motto is ‘racism is the lowest form of stupidity, but Islamopho-

bia is the height of common sense’—was waving placards reading ‘No Nazislam’ and ‘No sharia in the Netherlands’, in an attempt to make the apparently naive Dutch public aware of the Muslims’ master plan to take over Dutch society.

A friendly-looking woman named Annieke, about 50-ish, who said she’d rather not see her last name in print, stopped to watch the odd gathering of media, police and protesters with barelyconcealed disapproval.

‘So it’s starting here, too?’ she said while visiting Amsterdam from a small town in Noord-Brabant. ‘Where I’m from, there is a very negative attitude towards Islam, even though there are hardly any Muslims living there. Take my next-door neighbour for instance: he says he’s “against Islam”, but can’t explain what exactly is the problem, because he never comes into contact with any Muslims. He just repeats what he hears Wilders say on television. Up until now, I’ve always thought that Amsterdam was different.’

Shortly after the start of the demonstration, another group of protesters entered the scene. Calling themselves ‘Stop the Witch Hunt against Muslims’, this coalition of people against racism had also brought entertainment in the form of the political protest group Rebelact, the Amsterdam chapter of the international Rebel Clown Army. [See ‘Disarm the police’, Amsterdam Weekly, Volume 5, Issue 1, 3-9 January].

While the comedians in colourful greasepaint tumbled over one another, in a successful attempt to divert the media attention away from the anti-Islamists, a young Amsterdam couple looked on with a mixture of amusement and approval.

Pieter and Saskia, who both declined to give their last names, stumbled on the demonstration while shopping on the Kalverstraat.

‘It’s good that people are speaking up against Islamophobia’, said Pieter, a civil servant who works for the national government. ‘I’m getting tired of Wilders’ gezeik. This whole anti-Islam thing is getting way too much attention, and I think

Geert Wilders is causing far more problems for Dutch society than “the Islam” ever did.’

Among the Stop the Islamisation of Europe demonstration was Ben van der Kooi—a known Dutch right-wing extremist who was convicted for firebombing a Rotterdam mosque in 2005, but acquitted on appeal—as well as anti-Islamists from other countries in Western Europe, such as ‘just call me Rainer’, a chatty German in his 50s who said he’s a ‘friend of variety, but in their own country’. He has helped the anti-Islamist group spread their message in Marseilles and London, before coming to Amsterdam.

Rainer was glad to be here, he said, but he was afraid he might have come too late. ‘The Netherlands have already lost the fight,’ he said, ‘and immigration and Islamisation have taken over Dutch culture and society.’ Although he doesn’t speak Dutch, he said he considers himself well-versed in the intricacies of Dutch society, ‘because I’ve been to Amsterdam many times before.’

Although the demonstration was supposed to last until four in the afternoon, it broke up shortly after the Stop the Islamisation of Europe leaders finished their speeches at about two ‘o clock. An openmicrophone session was supposed to follow, but few people volunteered to speak.

For his part, Geert Wilders announced in the Telegraaf on Saturday that his movie would be released to the public in two months. It is doubtful that the film will offer unequivocal evidence that the Netherlands is falling victim to widespread ‘Islamisation’, but the spreading panic about its potential consequences has proved that Wilders, a talented populist, is a force to be reckoned with, and that anti-Islamism doesn’t just affect Muslims. When part of society is branded a menace to the rest—be it for religion, colour or ethnicity—sooner or later, it is bound to affect us all.

A firm grasp of the facts.

NADINE HOTTENROTT

Wilders burn out?

Clearing the air Ahead of the curve, a coffeeshop goes smoke-free.

By Jaro Renout A coffeeshop called Boerenjongens has just made a seemingly odd decision. This week it will go non-smoking, and in doing so, they have taken a step into the future, perhaps one that will even be remembered beyond the short term.

As of the first of July this summer, all public places, including bars, live music venues, restaurants and clubs, in the Netherlands will be smoke-free. If and how that rule will apply to coffeeshops is still the subject of much discussion within the political sphere. After all, not being able to smoke in a coffeeshop can be compared to not being allowed to pray in a church.

Boerenjongens decided not to wait for the politics to play out. Manager Martijn van Bennekom explains: ‘It’s safe to say we are going to be the first smoke-free cannabis coffeeshop in the world from the first of February onwards. Why? We were playing around with the idea already because it’s worth thinking about these things before you get hit in the face with it through legislation. It’s still uncertain what rules will apply to our branch. I wouldn’t be surprised if the whole thing gets postponed. But we wanted to keep the decision in our own hands, so we asked our staff, most of whom are actually smokers, how they felt about it. And they weren’t opposed at all. In fact, it seemed a pleasant change to the usual billows of smoke they are generally expected to function in. So we cut to the chase.’

Although this policy would sound like suicide to many cannabis retailers, Van Bennekom is not afraid of losing customers overnight. ‘Actually, when in 2004 smoking was banned in bars throughout Ireland, many pubs got into financial difficulties. But as it turned out, it was mostly because they did not anticipate the new situation. So we wanted to be ahead of things. And as far as cannabis sales go, some eighty-five per cent is takeaway anyway.’

Of course, this may all be fine for the shopkeeper, but what about the clientele?

Regular Rita Steen (60) dreads the thought. ‘It’s an original move for the shop, but I have been coming here for the last ten years, even when it was still called Get A Life. This is my hangout. It’s where I meet people and smoke my joints. I can smoke at home around the corner, but it’s not the same thing. Especially in this neighbourhood, there’s a need for places to chill, smoke and socialise. Amsterdam is changing for the worse. And what if the government decides to ban smoking in coffeeshops all together? I don’t know what will happen.’

Davida Abu Andur (26), an employee

31 January-6 February 2008

Amsterdam Weekly

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for Monsterboard, agrees. ‘It’s nothing short of a disgrace. In a while, we won’t be able to smoke joints in the streets or the bars... and now the coffeeshop?! Where do we go from here? If you live with your family, you probably can’t smoke at home. And there’s a lot of singles in this city, and for them, smoking at home alone shouldn’t be the only option. Not to mention the money Amsterdam makes on cannabis tourists.

Smoking spliffs is a social thing. We sit here having lengthy conversations about everything and dreaming up wonderfully creative plans. That’s over now. Pretty soon we’ll all be back to where we started.’

Her friend, who goes by the name of Chip Chip, concurs: ‘First they give you a lollypop and then they take it away. We’ll be told what time to go to bed next.’

‘People will hang out at some friend’s place a lot more I guess. Maybe we’ll even see the return of the home dealer. People might as well buy their shit where they smoke it,’ says Samir ‘Sammie’ Marsou (30), who works as a lorry driver for a catering company.

After 12 minutes, the conversation between the four evolves into pure and uncut coffeeshop chatter—covering the

NADINE HOTTENROTT

A local goes smokeless.

vapourising of poverty while establishing a mild form of world domination. You had to be there. Meanwhile, the takeaway customers, while holding a less gloomy view, also seem allegiant to the tried and trusted method. As Gerard Driessen (36) put it: ‘I

smoke at home, but I do think you should be able to light a joint in a coffeeshop. It’s a place where people can relax after work or whatever, and that’s a good thing. The city needs places like that.’

Whether this action is the start of a

revolution or a jolt back to the Stone Age, only time will tell. But it is a move that will be closely watched by both retailers and policy makers: Boerenjongens is definitely sending out a signal—albeit a smoke-free one.

words. ‘Boekoe,’ is what a Surinamese says to a The office of the African Foundation For AIDS PreGhanaian. And ‘mokro’ to a Moroccan. ‘Boekoe’ vention And Counseling (AFAPAC) is situated means fish. A smelly fish. ‘No respect for other culopposite a travel agent. It’s small and with only a little tures,’ says Kennedy. If you compare a human being natural light breaking through the closed venetian to an animal then you are a bit backward. So what’s blinds. Kennedy has got a few minutes left before he the Ghanaian swear word for a Surinamese? Easy, he has to go to court to support a fellow countryman.

By Corine Nijenhuis says. Slave.

Kennedy is always busy: as a volunteer for AFAPAC, Painting by Brigitte Mulders The slave trade is where it all began. White peoand also as a tutor for neighbourhood youth. In his ple think that only criminals and enemies of the state black suit he looks very respectable. He quietly adviswere sold as slaves. ‘No,’ says Kennedy, ‘the traders es a woman who needs help finding her way through were waging war against the Africans. There was no the complexities of Dutch society. He doesn’t see himtrade, it was forced deportations where nobody had self as an advisor, though. He prefers to speak of any rights.’ himself as a counsellor, or, even better, a confidant.

Again, it’s all about respect. And just like in He speaks Dutch very well, although it differs in Ghana, respect is related to status. A married man is every respect from Ghanaian Twi—a language that, respected, an unmarried man isn’t. When a married to European ears, doesn’t involve a single recognisman is poor then that’s because of his wife and chilable word. Kennedy’s use of language can sometimes dren. When an unmarried man is rich then he’s sound official, revealing the university studies that suspect. brought him to the Netherlands in 1983. He uses More has changed. The position of women has expressions like ‘thinking individually’, ‘development improved thanks to the countless emancipation processes’ and, his favourite, ‘multiculturalisation’. organisations. It seems to work quite well. But even ‘It is like in Africa here,’ he says, ‘with many difthough women from diverse cultures have the same ferent cultures next to each other.’ Newcomers are ideal, they will never integrate, because they don’t learning from their neighbours how to live in this new marry men from other groups. There’s no Romeo and country. Kennedy praises De Bijlmer’s spacious footJuliet to be found here. Such relationships never last. ways and bike paths, the benches in the shopping The differences are too big, the trust too little. It’s centres and the free parking. And the term ‘free’ plays going to take generations before De Bijlmer is truly an important role in a relatively low income area. mixed.

De ‘Belmair’ is how Kennedy pronounces it, as if Kennedy sees himself as integrated and his misit was a posh suburb. When he walks past the highsion is to help find the way for the second rises, he always keeps an eye on the sky. It’s not to generation. Furthermore, he counsels residents that check the weather but to keep a look out for rubbish ask him for advice regarding business questions, and, bags that, in good African tradition, are regularly when they’re Ghanaian, personal ones. They put thrown off the balconies. their trust in him. It is a responsible task. ‘Ignorance creates distrust,’ he says. And only Much has changed for the better in recent years. The lifts don’t get stuck anymore if you supply the right information, will people ask you again. and the bus line has extended its service. The number of robberies and rapes has In the nearby shopping centre, you can smell the snack bar. The only Dutch food dropped. But there are disadvantages, like the boundaries that are being drawn more Kennedy sometimes eats is fries. ‘But not with your sauce.’ He uses his own sauce made clearly—front yards are being fenced in, paths are constructed. De Bijlmer is getting with vegetables, eggs, oil and fish or chicken. A multicultural patatje Ghana.

Dutchified.

He thinks the most visible aspect of his neighbourhood is it’s multiculturalism. ‘But Nieuw in De Bijlmer is a project by artist Brigitte Mulders who has spent a year docuthat’s an illusion,’ he says after a short pause. The people in De Bijlmer live in groups, menting a group of newcomers to De Bijlmer. Her weblog is at http://zo2007.web-log.nl. next to each other but not with each other, he says. For many white people, every black An exhibition runs until 28 February at CBK Zuidoost. [Translation by Sarah Gehrke] person is African. The children know better: they often speak about each other in swear

New in De Bijlmer:

Kennedy

Amsterdam Weekly

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31 January-6 February 2008

REDLIGHTBLUES

While fashion designers get behind the windows, iconic erotic theatres like Casa Rosso are threatened with closure. Neighbourhood residents and business owners give another take on gentrification.

BY FLORIS DOGTEROM ILLUSTRATIONS BY ANNA BOTERMAN

A couple of women’s legs can be seen in a peeskamertje, on the Oudekennissteeg.

That’s nothing unusual, given the fact that the alley is located in the heart of the Red Light District just off the Ouderzijds Achterburgwal. On closer inspection, though, it turns out the legs are disembodied and belong to a mannequin, who happens to be wearing designer boots.

Until recently, the room, along with many others like it in the neighbourhood, was owned by ‘Dikke’ Charles Geerts (yes, he’s fat), a landlord who rented to prosti-

tutes. But now it is one of 18 ‘fashion booths’ that make up ‘Red Light Fashion’, an exhibition sponsored by the city that opened 19 January. The city bought out Geerts’ windows using new legislation, known as the BIBOB Law, which allows the city to rescind property rights from organisations that are under suspicion of criminal activities. The city accused Geerts and other brothel-keepers of, among other things, money laundering and participation in the drug trade.

The buy-out of Geerts’ property and

the resulting fashion showcases is the symbolic beginning of the city’s clean-up of the Red Light District, or De Wallen, and the Damrak-Rokin strip, the so-called Rode Loper (or Red Carpet) of Amsterdam. Already, the city’s best-known exclusive ‘gentleman’s club’, Yab Yum, has been shuttered, and city officials say they’ll soon revoke the licenses of erotic theatres Banana Bar and Casa Rosso.

The city plans to continue to buy up windows, change the zoning plan and replace dubious business with galleries,

artists’ workshops, high-end bars and restaurants. The gentrification plan, called Project 1012, after the area’s postal code, was announced by Amsterdam Mayor Job Cohen last month. On 24 January, the Amsterdam city council approved the proposal, with only the small opposition party, D66, voting against it.

The idea is to reduce criminal behaviour by limiting the two things Amsterdam is internationally best known for: prostitute windows and coffeeshops. And although many people applaud the city’s

31 January-6 February 2008

effort to address the criminal element behind De Wallen’s sex and drug traffic, some local residents, business people and tourists say the changes are going to harm, not improve, area.

A proud district The world’s oldest profession has been an integral part of Amsterdam’s commercial life since the 16th century [see ‘A brief history of the local sex trade’ on this page] and Ivar Manuel, chairman of opposition party D66, on the city council, says De Wallen ‘belongs to Dutch identity. The curtain-less windows of Dutch houses always strike foreigners,’ he says. ‘The same thing goes for window prostitution: Dutch prostitutes present themselves openly. That’s something we have to be proud of.’

Amsterdam Deputy Mayor Lodewijk Asscher, one of the standard bearers of Project 1012, reached by phone before the 24 January vote, says other cities, such as New York, have attracted tourists by cleaning up dirty districts. ‘There will always be people who won’t agree with the plans, even more so if they have a personal interest,’ he says. ‘We will add quality to the neighbourhood, which will rather attract tourists than chase them away. Look at what Giuliani did in New York. He cleaned it up and now the city attracts ever more tourists.’

A recent report published by the city’s Dienst Onderzoek en Statistiek [Research and Statistics Department], commissioned by the newspaper Het Parool and the television station AT5, found that 78 per cent of Amsterdammers feel that prostitution should be limited if it involves criminal activities. According to the same poll, 67 per cent of city residents support Project 1012.

But residents of De Wallen and businesses that rely on the tourist trade that’s generated by sex-work and coffeeshops say the city plans will destroy the area and drive tourists away. A group of 110 Red Light District business people who oppose Project 1012 recently formed an ‘action committee’ they call Platform 1012, to fight the gentrification plan. They have started a petition drive and they’ve been hanging protest posters. They’re also considering organising a neighbourhood strike to shut down businesses in the district for a weekend to make their point.

Will Boef, the group’s spokesman, who is also a neighbourhood resident, says the city’s application of the BIBOB law unjustly impacts businesses that are operating without any problems. He says he wants to combat the ‘very negative statements by the mayor about our neighbourhood.’

‘There’s a really nice mix of activities in our neighbourhood and people running businesses here are happy,’ he says. ‘We feel criminalised. Now that Casa Rosso is losing its license, other business people fear the same will happen to them.’

Real women vs mannequins On a grey Sunday afternoon after the fashion mannequins were placed in the Red Light windows, Daniël Parkus, employee of sex shop Star Shop on the corner of Oudezijds Achterburgwal and Oudekennissteeg, looked out of his window and observed the stream of tourists flowing past: young couples, bachelor parties, hash-history walking tours. He says he’s never faced with any criminality whatsoever in the neighbourhood and the city is just coming up with reasons to alter some-

Amsterdam Weekly thing that’s fine as it is.

‘Many people come to Amsterdam to see the Red Light District and everything that goes with it,’ he says. ‘Close down the window prostitution and they will stay away. Sure, you can close down every business that might develop criminal activities. But where does that stop? They just want to get rid of the prostitution, but they don’t know what it means to the neighbourhood.’

If the fashion design show can be seen as a microcosm of what could happen if Project 1012 goes through, the reactions are so far very mixed.

Mariette Hoitink, owner of HTNK (an acronym based on her family name), a fashion industry recruitment and consultancy company, says that the Red Light windows are prime real estate for designers, who don’t otherwise have high-profile showrooms. She advised the city on selecting the fashion designers who now occupy the former brothel rooms. Hoitink says she wants to use the windows to present a cross section of the most talented Dutch designers, ranging from the already famous to the upcoming, such as couture talent Jan Taminiau and underground streetware designer Bas Kosters. The tenants don’t pay rent; they just cover the energy and water bills. ‘Some of them are already really successful, but still don’t have a permanent place to live,’ Hoitink says. ‘Success and money don’t always go hand in hand.’

In her stylish office housed in a former hat factory on Oudezijds Achterburgwal, Hoitink says she’s been witness to abuses in De Wallen on a daily basis. ‘The junkies, the lover boys,’ she says. ‘It’s good these issues are being addressed.’ She says it’s time for the city to showcase something other than hash and hookers. ‘We show what the Dutch are good at,’ she says.

Mariska Majoor, a former sex-worker who runs the Prostitutie Informatie Centrum on Oudekerksplein, right in the heart of the red light, though, called the Redlight Amsterdam Fashion project, ‘painful’.

‘They show off with the prostitution they just got rid of by replacing it with sexy dummies,’ she says.

Redlight Fashion Amsterdam is only a temporary project, which will run for just one year. It is unclear what will happen to Geerts’ former rooms once the year is up.

Manuel of D66 says, ‘The fashion project is nice, as long as it lasts, but it’s only a temporary thing,’ he says. ‘Now it’s free for the designers, but later it won’t be, of course.’

Two Batteries for a Fishing Boat Amsterdam welcomes about 10 million visitors each year, many of them to get a glimpse at De Wallen. On a recent afternoon, it wasn’t hard to find plenty of tourists who say that the district is worth preserving as it is. Opposite the Star Shop, on a bridge, a 75-year old day visitor, Mr Willemsen from Beverwijk watched the tourist comings and goings.

‘I’m an Amsterdam fan and the Red Light District belongs to Amsterdam,’ he says. ‘It’s unique in the world, and it would be a shame if it was to disappear. It would be useless anyway, because then prostitution would spread all over town.’

He took a picture of sex theatre Casa Rosso on Oudezijds Achterburgwal, sporting a big, pink neon elephant on its facade.

‘The theatre looks gezellig,’ he says. ‘I’m not a customer, although I visited a prostitute a couple of times in my life. The last

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A brief history of the local sex trade Amsterdam has had a long and complex struggle with what you might call ‘the prostitution question’. Ever since the 15th century, the city has tried to curb the sex trade, with varying results. The following material is largely drawn from In het Leven—Vier eeuwen prostitutie in Nederland [The game—Four centuries of prostitution in the Netherlands] by Marieke van Doorninck & Margot Jongedijk (Historisch Museum Amersfoort, 1997).

The city’s attempts to limit prostitution dates as far back as 1413, when Amsterdam passed a by-law dictating that brothels were only allowed in the area between Munt and Heiligewegspoort. Those who attempted to run a house of prostitution outside this area could be buried alive, but only after failing to respond to two warnings. Prostitutes who didn’t live by the rules could lose an ear. Those punishments, however, weren’t imposed very often.

In the 16th century, the Amsterdam magistrates acknowledged that the city couldn’t do without prostitution and even the Church tolerated love for sale. In an attempt to regulate the business, only the bailiff and his officers—the police force at the time—were allowed to run brothels on Damstraat.

In 1578, Amsterdam tossed out the Spanish and their Catholicism and became a Calvinist town. Prostitution was deemed a crime and forbidden by law. The police had to give up their sex trade. Brothelkeepers and matchmakers could be sentenced to hanging, whipping or banishment; prostitutes were sent to the spin-house to learn a new trade.

Visitors could watch them after paying an entrance fee. However, those houses of ill-repute that didn’t cause trouble were pretty much left alone.

At the end of the 17th century the prostitution industry was booming and the city feared that the number of prostitutes would soon exceed the number of eerlijke luyden [honest folks]. For about 50 years, the city tried to crack down but in second half of the 1700s, the authorities loosened up again and by the turn of the century Amsterdam housed a number of very luxurious brothels that enjoyed great fame.

In 1810, after the Netherlands was annexed by the French empire, the French introduced a regulation

that allowed prostitution but required prostitutes to have regular medical checks. Prostitutes were held responsible for an epidemic of syphilis, but brothels were regarded as a necessary evil, because sexual abstinence was considered unhealthy.

The French left in 1813, along with the regulation.

Around that time, a Protestant clergyman named Ottho Heldring, moved by the dreadful conditions that led women into prostitution, founded a prostitution abolitionist movement, borrowing a term from the anti-slavery campaigners in the US. He founded the Middernachtzending (Midnight Mission) on Warmoesstraat, inviting Johns into the mission building for tea and devotional hymns and informing their wives about their misbehaviour.

In 1897, Amsterdam banned open brothels. The brothel-keepers were hardly impressed and renamed their businesses as hotels or ‘fashion workshops’. In 1911, the whole of the Netherlands banned brothels, and there was a sharp increase in streetwalkers. A year later, an overzealous police officer arrested a good-looking woman on Rembrandtsplein, despite the fact that the gentleman she was talking to was her husband. A new vice squad unmasked illegal brothels.

During WWII, the German authorities declared De Wallen offlimits to German soldiers. A very detailed map of the area was produced, informing soldiers exactly where the action was. After the war, Dutch society more or less accepted prostitution and the prohibitions were rarely enforced. Only streetwalkers and window prostitutes who were overdoing it a bit were booked.

In the 1970’s, streetwalking saw a sharp increase, especially among junkies. When the police conducted mass arrests in one neighbourhood, the problem would move to another neighbourhood. In 1996, Amsterdam opened a designated tippelzone (streetwalking zone) at Theemsweg, in the remote Westpoort area, and closed it in December 2003 after reports of illegal traffic in women and other abuses. In the Netherlands, prostitution was legalised in 2000. In December 2007, mayor Job Cohen declared that the law wasn’t working, because working girls weren’t protected well enough.

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Amsterdam Weekly

time was when I just was divorced. It was my birthday as well. I went to a smart club.

I enjoyed it, but walking back to the station I thought to myself: for that money I could have bought two batteries for my fishing boat.’

On the same bridge, a middle-aged English couple, Ray and Jane George, looked at girls in the windows. They don’t see the point of replacing the sex shops and window prostitution with fancy boutiques and such.

‘There are enough shops in Kalverstraat,’ says Mrs George. ‘Besides, the girls are safer here than if they would have to work underground. It’s not hidden. None of them look as if they are junkies. In London, where there is no legal prostitution and where prostitutes are working the streets, they do.’

Ray added, ‘If they would clamp down the windows, Amsterdam will lose the tourist trade. People like it here. Besides, if you’re a prude, you wouldn’t come here, would you? You’d stay in the museums.’

Gentrification or Speculation?

Inside the sports bar and hotel called The Globe on Oudezijds Voorburgwal, a handful of people are watching a football match on a big screen. The bartender, Ronald de Haas, says Project 1012 was a bad plan.

‘Sure, abuse does happen, but that’s no reason for closing down the complete Wallen,’ he says. ‘Many of the women are working on their own and don’t have a pimp. When you work here and know this neighbourhood, you know which women don’t have easy-going pimps. I know a girl whose pimp dictated her working times.

But it’s still her decision to be a hooker.’

De Haas says he doesn’t mind the neighbourhood being upgraded, but he doesn’t think windows should be closed to achieve that. He says it is a contradiction for the city to say Geerts is a criminal, first, and then buy his property for 25 million euros.

‘People making a living will lose money,’ he says. ‘I would, too. If fewer tourists will come here because there are fewer hookers, this will affect our business, too.

‘They just want to get rid of the prostitution, but they don’t know what it means to the neighbourhood.’

It could cost me my job.’

Bert van Buschbach, who owns De Compagnon, a chic French-bourgondian restaurant on Guldenhandsteeg, sympathises with the protest group Platform 1012. ‘People who have run a business for fourty years or so are being sent off, and the most ridiculous thing about it is that even the judge is not allowed access to the BIBOB documentation,’ he says. ‘That injures the most fundamental rights we have in this country.’

Van Buschbach thinks the whole project is a way for the city to speculate on the most coveted property in the tourist hub of Amsterdam. ‘The city is now buying that property and will sell it later at a profit,’ Van Buschbach accused. ‘Geerts’ windows were three-hundred-thousand

euros a piece, but the city paid five-hundred-thousand euros. That’s tax payer’s money. It will have to produce a return.’

Asscher responds to this charge by saying the city doesn’t have a secret investment agenda.

Drunken loud Brits Like Parkus of the Star Shop and De Haas of The Globe, Van Buschbach thinks Project 1012 will affect the tourism industry negatively. ‘This whole neighbourhood lives off the brallende Britten that Asscher doesn’t like,’ Van Buschbach says. ‘What does the city have in mind for the businesses that will lose those customers?

Nothing. The city just says that that’s a commercial risk when you are running business. But it’s not fair.’

31 January-6 February 2008

Majoor of the Prostitutie Informatie Centrum, says the trade in women does exist, but closing windows won’t help to solve that problem. Instead of putting mannequins in the windows, she suggests the city work with the owners of the windows to make sure sex-workers are protected. ‘Mayor Cohen and Centrum chairwoman Els Iping say they intend to tackle the issue of the drunken and loud Brits, but what they are really doing is wiping out a complete neighbourhood,’ she says. ‘Window owners have the best understanding of what’s going on. The authorities should be closely in touch with them. But they aren’t, because they see [the window owners] as the enemy.’

Ivar Manuel of D66 backs Majoor’s idea of close cooperation. ‘In the window prostitution we see less abuse than in illegal prostitution and escort services,’ he argues. ‘But the city says: you’re susceptible to criminal influences and you have to leave.’

In a reaction to the idea that closing down windows would lead to more illegal prostitution with fewer opportunities to check on the working conditions of the women, Asscher responded by saying that when the city closed the streetwalking zone in Westpoort [see ‘A brief history of the local sex trade’ on p. 7], it didn’t have that effect.

‘Besides, research tells us that there are serious abuses happening in window prostitution,’ says Asscher. ‘Furthermore, a great number of the women work internationally. When their windows will be closed, they will probably move to Antwerp or Berlin.’

Asscher stresses that there probably will always be some level of illegal prostitution, and that the city will keep up the fight against it. He concludes by saying that Amsterdam does have a great tradition of openness and tolerance. ‘In order to keep that tradition, you have to fight injustice,’ he says. ‘You shouldn’t take mistake indifference for tolerance.’

Well, in that case Asscher should be happy: the reaction on De Wallen is anything but indifferent.

31 January-6 February 2008

Amsterdam Weekly

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SHORT LIST

Jane Birkin, Friday, Paradiso

THURSDAY 31JANUARY

what is happening in Rafah works as much as an accusation of complicity as an invitation to do exactly what she asks. In Dutch. (Marlous Veldt) Theater Bellevue, 20.15, €14. Until 3 February.

Klezmer: Rolinha Kross with Mazzeltov Although its speakers were largely expunged from Amsterdam during WWII, Yiddish expressions continue to pepper Amsterdams to the delight of locals and the occasional astonishment of residents outside the Randstad. Witness words such as mazzel (luck), mesjogge (crazy), koosjer (kosher), habbekrats (trifle), pikketanissie (a shot of jenever) and the word reported by Het Parool as the most beautiful Amsterdam word, achenebbisj (miserable or pitiful). Many of these are familiar to those who grew up in large cities with Yiddish-speaking populations, but the language itself is no longer heard on the streets of Mokum (Amsterdam). It will, however, be heard inside the Kleine Zaal of the Concertgebouw this evening. Rolinha Kross has translated a number of her favourite songs from English, Dutch and French into Yiddish and will be backed by the celebrated Klezmer band Mazzeltov—Edith Mathot (violin), Gottfrid van Eck (clarinet), Harold Berghuis (guitar), Harm van den Berg (accordion) and Gregor Schaefer (contrabass & ’ud)—who are assisted by cymbal player Bokkie Vink. This will be a special chance to see and hear Yiddish revived in a city where it once happily flourished. (David Lee) Concertgebouw, Kleine Zaal, 20.15, €28.50.

Theater: Mijn naam is Rachel Corrie ‘My Name is Rachel Corrie’ is a sober rendition of emails sent by a young American activist who was killed by an Israeli army bulldozer while protecting a Palestinian home in the border zone now overrun with defiant Gazawis. Laura van Dolron, translator and solo-performer of the piece, asks the audience why they are here, instead of Gaza, but does so through an easily recognisable dialogue between a girl discovering the world and her concerned parents. Theater company NTT wanted to bring the performance as close to Rachel as possible and succeeded wonderfully by asking Van Dolron—who in her own projects portrays herself—to play her. Even leaving out the décor of the original English play, Van Dolron’s version lets Rachel’s piercing yet funny mails speak for themselves. Her plea to drop everything and devote ourselves to stop

FRIDAY1FEBRUARY Poetry: Ugly Poets You ugly poet you! A couple of years ago you joined a secret society, probably—or rather: quite certainly—without even realising it. That’s how secret the whole thing is. Obviously, we are talking about the illustrious company of Ugly Poets. Ugly, as in good, strong, tight, and without bullshit. Beyond poetry. Poetry that doesn’t pose as poetry but as… Well, who knows? Now, after 11 years and 11 weeks, the time has come to take stock, exactly one day after Gedichtendag (‘Poems Day’). Ugly Poetry: Where to now? What is it for?

Why? But tonight, Stichting Literaire Activiteiten Amsterdam poses just two questions.

One: what is Ugly Poetry? Two: are you ugly enough and if so, does it matter? With Paul van Capelleveen, Tjitske Jansen, K Schippers, Diana Ozon and Victor Schiferli. Coen Bardelmeijer and Jan Obbeek will also be on hand to perform Dutch versions of Bob Dylan songs. (Floris Dogterom) De Balie, 20.00, €9.

Pop: Jane Birkin When Dutch DJ Guuzbourg released his compilation CD Filles Fragiles last year—an album dedicated to all those damned sexy French female singers that don’t sing but sort of sigh and moan their way through a selection of chansons—he, of course, couldn’t exclude Jane Birkin. Though not French, this Brit became the prime icon of the genre when she released ‘Je T’Aime (moi non plus)’ in collaboration with French superstar and enfant terrible Serge Gainsbourg in the late 1960s. Their marriage and bohemian lifestyle—not to mention Gainsbourg’s notorious behaviour—made sure they filled many column inches in French newspapers and magazines. Gainsbourg died in 1991, but he and, to a lesser extent, Birkin are still on the lips of every French man and woman. Indeed, when I was living in Nice a couple of years ago, Birkin used to pop up in almost every French music show on TV, much to my delight being a long-term Gainsbourg/Birkin junkie. When the Gainsbourg trib-

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31 January-6 February 2008

ute CD was released, commemorating the 15th anniversary of his death, Birkin duetted with Franz Ferdinand on the splendid ‘Sorry Angel’ and, together with Cat Power, turned ‘Je T’aime’ into a heavy breathing lesbian fantasy. Of course Birkin’s name will be forever linked to Gainsbourg, but she is an artist in her own right. She has released tons of CDs since his death and tonight the middle-aged Birkin, who still looks young and beautiful as ever, will treat the audience to chansons from her albums Rendez-vous and Fictions, plus some ubiquitous Gainsbourg classics. (Willem de Blaauw) Paradiso, 19.00, €30 + membership.

Exotica: The Spinshots They are local. And they wear turbans. So what other reason do you need to support the release of The Spinshot’s new four track CD? This seven-piece boogaloo outfit play a 1960s brew of orchestral soul but then spiced up with equal measures of punk, bossa nova, exotica, surf, exploitation, spaghetti and with just a spot of Las Vegas grind.

They groove, have a hot singer and a horn section. What else do you need? Exactly: turbans. And they got those too. Oh, and don’t forget they’re also ‘wild and exciting’.

Brother Boogaloo and Sister Vendetta will serve a similar brew behind the turntables, and after 23.00, rock ’n’ rollers Transmartha from Switzerland will take over the stage.

(Steve Korver) Cafe Pakhuis Wilhelmina, 20.00, €7.50.

Art: Discriminatie gestript Question: What do you call a black man flying a plane? Answer: A pilot, you racist! Discrimination and prejudices against others are a serious problem in our society that for some reason refuses to go away, but sometimes it’s good to see them for what they are, namely very silly, and just try to laugh them away. And since satire and cartoons have always been good for exposing the silly traits of humanity, you could say that this exhibition brings back the roots of cartoon culture. Put together by Art.1, an organisation against discrimination in the Netherlands, cartoon and culture magazine Zone 5300, and cartoon shop Lambiek, Discriminatie gestript features 15 Dutch and Flemish artists and their views on discrimination. Come over and you’ll find out that even Fokke and Sukke are being discriminated against. It’s about time for a bit of comic relief. And laughter makes the people come together. Yeah. (Sarah Gehrke) Galerie Lambiek, Mon-Fri 11.00-18.00; Sat, Sun 11.00-17.00, free. Until 1 March.

SATURDAY 2 FEBRUARY Club: Palestine: Sonic Resistance If you want to know what sound the Middle East is producing besides sickly sweet pop songs with booty shaking rhythms and a lot of ‘oh your eyes, oh my heart’, this is a treat for you. Palestine: Sonic Resistance brings the state of Arabic hiphop and electronica to the Melkweg for a set that will please many a jaded visitor of OT301 or Bitterzoet. Ramallah Underground and Checkpoint 303 take samples from ID-controls at checkpoints, gunfire and other every day sounds and mix them with classic Arabic songs, break beats and ambient electronics. Together with the beautifully abstract compositions of John Kameel Farah (Toronto), DJ Takimi (Amsterdam) and visual artist friends, they represent Palestine without sounding like a boring old pamphlet.

(Marlous Veldt) Melkweg, 20.00, €7.50 + membership.

Music: Rhythms of Resistance Back in the Nineties, wearing an Arafat scarf in Northern Europe was still meant to say something—for example, that even if you were a rich kid going to a good school in a posh suburb, you still voted left and were against many things and you were also much better than all the brainless sporty types. On the weekends, the Arafat scarf kids went to solidarity parties for people that were in prisons in countries far away, for political reasons. The music played at these parties was punk, or ska, or dub, or sometimes dancehall. It usually wasn’t samba. Interestingly, this has changed. Rhythms of Resistance are an ‘activist anticapitalist transnational network, using samba as a form of political action’. Their Amsterdam dependance has organised a benefit party for this network with food, bands and DJs. On the bill: Texmex, Son 5 and Milvus. The latter, however, don’t do samba. Instead, they have a puppet as a singer. That’s interesting, too. (Sarah Gehrke) OCCII, 21.00, €4.

TUESDAY 5 FEBRUARY Soul: Tower of Power Fronted by saxophonist/vocalist Emilio Castillo, the 10-piece Tower of Power has for almost four decades represented a guarantee for a genre hopping—yet always ultimately funky—night of sweaty dancing. This group of American West Coast horn and percussion players established themselves in the 1970s with such hits as ‘What is Hip?’ and ‘You’re Still a Young Man’ and toured with Sly Stone and Creedence Clearwater Revival, before evolving into the backing and recording band of choice for the illustrious likes of Little Feat, Aaron Neville, Michelle Shocked, Bonnie Riatt and countless others. And while they’re not the youngest anymore, they do remain a good test for life: if you ain’t dancing tonight, you is dead. (Steve Korver) Paradiso, 21.00, €25.

Send details and images for listing consideration at least two weeks in advance to agenda@amsterdamweekly.nl.

Amsterdam Weekly

31 January-6 February 2008

Maraca, see Saturday

MUSIC More listings at www.amsterdamweekly.nl.

Send listing suggestions at least two weeks in advance to agenda@amsterdamweekly.nl.

Thursday 31January Country: Steve Earle Legendary—in some circles at least—country rock singer/songwriter, Nashville local Earle is as well known for his gritty performances as his liberal politics, regularly expressing his anti-Bushiness in his songs. And the fans love him all the more for it. To hear more of his views, show up at 15.00 for a discussion between him and Chris Kijne (€5 with evening ticket, €10 without). Paradiso, 19.30, €27.50 Singer-songwriter: Davie Lawson From Glasgow.

Skek, 20.00, free Classical: Chopin’s droom Pianist Bas Verheijden and organist Jan Raas perform Schumann, Chopin, Mendelssohn and Mozart. Pieces originally intended for organ will be performed on piano, and vice versa.

Possible fist fight to break out afterwards regarding the maintenence of a composer’s original intentions.

Orgelpark, 20.15, €12.50 Classical: Fleur Bouwer Performing mostly twentieth century pieces for clarinet. Piano accompaniment by Martijn Willers. Bethaniënklooster, 20.15, €16.50 (kids 12/under free) Punk: Amsterdam Underground Collective With bands Union Town, Seeing Red, Antidote and Gewapend Beton. Bitterzoet, 20.30, €6 World: Kamil Erdem Group Quartet with flute, bass, oud and percussion blends various old musical traditions from the Balkans to the middle east with contemporary and western influences—the recipe for most touring world groups. KIT Tropentheater, 20.30, €16 + membership Jazz: Christian Scott Quintet This 22-year-old American trumpet player was first heard here in the Bimhuis at age 17, playing in his uncle’s band. Now Scott’s back with his own jazz/rock quintet and second album Anthem, a musical attempt to accept the hurricane damage in his hometown of New Orleans. Bimhuis, 21.00, €16 Rock: De Mannen van Zwan Trio performs original rock, punk and cabaret, all in a charming amsterdams. Cafe Pakhuis Wilhelmina, 21.00, €5 Hardcore: Metaalnacht; With Reel and Mechanism.

Volta, 21.00, €5 Pop/Rock: Fuck the writer Depending how you take it, this band’s name could be very popular among newspaper offices. Patronaat, Haarlem, 21.30, free

World: Ricky Randimbiarison Singer and instrumentalist from Madagascar incorporates the many influences found in his homeland (including African, Indonesian, Indian, Arabian and Portuguese) into his own original compositions. African dance party to follow. KIT Tropentheater, 20.30, €18 Jazz: Bik Bent Braam Large instrumental outfit that explores the extremes of improvised and written music.

Members include pianist Michiel Braam, bass player Wilbert de Joode and percusionist Michael Vatcher.

Muziekgebouw, 21.00, €16 Funk: Lefties Soul Connection With support from K-oZ Collective. P60, Amstelveen, 21.00, €10 + membership Rock: Berry zegt: Rock! With local alt rockers The Regiment; screaming emo players Captain, Your Ship is Sinking; and dynamic postrockers Suvorov. Winston Kingdom, 21.00-23.00, €5 Hiphop: DuvelDuvel + Lijpe Chickies Devilish Rotterdam rapper, followed by female hiphop duo from Noord. De Kade, Zaandam, 21.30, €9 Jazz: The Young Sinatras As you might guess, it’s a flock of good-looking swooners in sharp suits.

More precisely: a 10-piece instrumental outfit that blends new and old big band sounds. Paradiso, Kleine Zaal, 22.00, €10 Rock: Transmartha Swiss five-member group. Also with Spinshots, a beat/soul band with a slew of influences, including Otis Redding, ’60’s exotica and Ennio Morricone. See Short List. Cafe Pakhuis Wilhelmina, 22.00, €7.50 Rock: Landslide Golden oldies. Maloe Melo, 22.30, €5 Jazz: Sinas Eight-piece jumpin’ instrumental outfit led by saxophonist Wouter Schueler. Dance to a DJ afterwords. Badcuyp, Noordpool, 23.00, €8

Saturday 2 February Classical: The Soviet Saxophone Yep, the Soviets in the ’60s and ’70s desired casual sax just like the rest of us. Relive the fun of saxophone/piano duets written by various Russian composers from the era, performed live. Bethaniënklooster, 15.00, €15 Opera: Lohengrin Wagner’s famous opera, performed by the Radio Filharmonisch Orkest and the Groot Omroepkoor, directed by Jaap van Zweden and featuring, naturally, a whole flock of vocal soloists.

Concertgebouw, Grote Zaal, 16.00, €45 Jazz: The Cotton Club All Stars House band with vocalist Léah Kline, pianist Dirk Balthaus, bassist Anton Drukker and drummer Dick Verbeeck. Cotton Club, 16.30-20.00, free Rock: Chris Rea presents The Englishman returns, after a short hiatus, with new band The Fabulous Hoffer Blue Notes. Heineken Music Hall, 20.00, €39

Friday 1 February Jazz: Lunch Concert Students from the Conservatorium van Amsterdam. Bethaniënklooster, 12.30, free Classical: Bach Cantates Performed by La Petite Bande and a quartet of vocalists. Concertgebouw, Grote Zaal, 20.15, €45 Classical: Doelen Kwartet String quartet performing Hindemith, Stravinsky, Webern and Boulez. With soprano Claron McFadden. Concertgebouw, Kleine Zaal, 20.15, €29

Projektorkest Utrecht Classical: Projektorkest Utrecht Performing Benjamin Britten’s Sinfonia da Requiem and Four Sea Interludes, along with Metamorphosen for 23 solo strings and Tod und Verklärung by Richard Strauss. Dominicuskerk, 20.15, €12.50

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Amsterdam Weekly

31 January-6 February 2008 Singer-songwriter: Speelman & Speelman Original Dutch songs with humour and charm by two singing brothers. Paradiso, Kleine Zaal, 20.15, €8

Rock: The Anomalys Noisy Amsterday outfit, with support from delta blues/queercore band Des Ark (USA) and lo-fi loopers The Puddle Parade. OCCII, 21.00, €5

Latin/Jazz: Maraca Instrumental group, led by flutist, blisters through uptempo versions of latin dance music, including danzon and cha cha cha. Latin dance party with DJ to follow. KIT Tropentheater, 20.30, €20

Americana: Two in a Room Despite the name, there’s actually three people, two guys and a gal, performing country, blues and folkrock. KHL Koffiehuis, 21.00, €7.50

Monday 4 February Classical: Orquesta Sinfónica Nacional de Mexico Performing Galindo Dimas’ Sones de Mariachi, Chopin’s Second Piano Concerto, Ravel’s Piano Concerto for the Left Hand, and The Duke Ellington Fantasy by Ellington and Hermann. Solo pianists are Anna Fedorova and Jorge Federico Osorio. Concertgebouw, Grote Zaal, 20.15, €30 Experimental: DNK-Amsterdam Weekly concert series for new live electronic and acoustic music. With Annette Krebs + Luca Venitucci. OT301, 21.30, €5 Jazz: Candy Dulfer The famous tenor sax player (AKA daughter of Hans Dulfer), takes a break from her busy schedule touring with the guy we all used to call Prince, among others, to play her only show in the Netherlands this season tonight. Sugar Factory, 22.00, €11 + membership

Tuesday 5 February Classical: Lunchconcert Grace Milandou blows a block flute. Ignatiushuis, 12.30-13.00, free

Laboratory Sickness, Metalbattle

Classical: Holland Symfonia Performing Otto Ketting’s De Overtocht – De Aankomst, Stravinsky’s L’histoire du soldat and John Adams’ Chamber Symphony. Muziekgebouw, Grote Zaal, 20.30, €25

Hardcore: Metalbattle Four thrashing bands duke it out with the usual screaming musical means: So Called Celeste, Laboratory Sickness, Dark Day Remains and Dystopia. De Kade, Zaandam, 20.30, €5

Experimental: Jargon Led by composer/violist Maurice Horsthuis, a small battalion of strings, guitars and computers explore the elasticity of composed and improvised music. Badcuyp, Noordpool, 20.30, free

Punk: The Blackout Posthardcore and emo from Wales. Melkweg, Oude Zaal, 20.30, €10 + membership

Hiphop: Aesop Rock White rapper that emerged from New York’s underground scene in the late ’90s, and has been known for years as the city poet. Expect tracks from his latest album None Shall Pass. Melkweg, Oude Zaal, 21.00, €16 + membership

Pop/Rock: Gabriel Rios Everybody’s favourite Puerto Rican singer/songwriter that’s been living for some time in Belgium and scoring latin crossover hits like ‘Broad Daylight’. Melkweg, The Max, 21.00, €17.50 + membership

Jazz: Hans Dulfer The famous tenor sax player (AKA father of Candy Dulfer). Casablanca Muziek, 21.00, free

Jazz: Toon Roos Quartet Quartet led by tenor saxophone. Bimhuis, 21.00, €14 Latin: Benefiet Sambaband; Rhythms of Resistance!

Latin folk from Son 5, rancheras and norteños from Texmex, and instrumental funkrock from Milvus (Italy), who evidently have a puppet for a singer. See Short List. OCCII, 21.00-03.00, €4 Rock: Live General stoner and ’70s Zeppelin sounds from Maslov; all female five-piece rockers The Hustlers; and Monkeyram who dredge up the sounds of Faith no More and Pearl Jam. Winston Kingdom, 21.00-23.00, €5 Rock: Tony Marlowe’s Guitar Party Rockabilly and Teddy Boy Boogie from France. Followed by DJs Theo & Marcel. Cruise Inn, 22.00, €5 + membership Heavy: Anubis With support from Audacious and Blind trash. The Cave, 23.00,

Sunday 3 February Jazz: Tilmar Junius Trio Piano trio inspired by Dutch medieval folk music. Bethaniënklooster, 15.30, €16.50 (kids 12/under free) Classical: A Different Tune After some solo Bach pieces, pianist Dante Boon performs his own works with violist Manuel Visser. Goethe-Institut Amsterdam, 16.00, €5 Singer-songwriter: Rick Treffers Presenting dutchlanguage tunes from new album, ‘Het heeft niets met jou te maken’. Betty Asfalt Complex, 20.00, €10 Classical: Murray Perahia After a debilitating illness, the pianist is back, performing Beethoven, Brahms, Händel and Bach, now at a higher price. Concertgebouw, Grote Zaal, 20.15, €65 Big band: Soul Rebels Full big band bristles with dancing music pleasure. Casablanca Muziek, 20.30, free Big band: Jazz Orchestra of the Concertgebouw Boasting classic big band sounds of Buddy Rich and Dizzy Gillespie. With saxophonist Ferdinand Povel and US trumpeter John Marshall. Bimhuis, 21.00, €14 Jazz: Maksymiw/Sued Group Nu-Jazz originals from guitarist Alexander Maksymiw and saxaphone player Natalio Sued. Badcuyp, Noordpool, 21.00, €5 + membership

Tower of Power Funk: Tower of Power Though you might not know it, countless times you may have shaked your bootie to the funky soul of this 30 -year-old 10 member horn group who, beyond their own shows and records, contributed to a slew of popular bands and artists. Though aging, their funk still has the infectious stink of a teenager—in this case, a good thing. See Short List. Paradiso, 21.00, €25

Wednesday 6 February Classical: Lunchconcert Featuring young musicians from the Koninklijk Conservatorium in Den Haag. Concertgebouw, Kleine Zaal, 12.30, free Country: Darrell Scott and Casey Driessen Nashville singer/songwriter Scott brings his classic country sound with much-in-demand fiddler Driessen, who’s backed up such acts as Bela Fleck and Steve Earle. Paradiso, Kleine Zaal, 20.00, €9 Classical: London Symphony Orchestra Sir John Eliot Gardiner leads them through performances of Beethoven’s Overture ‘Die Geschöpfe des Prometheus’, Fourth Piano Concerto and his Third Symphony. With pianist Maria João Pires. Probably very enjoyable, if you can afford it. Concertgebouw, Grote Zaal, 20.15, €103.50 Reggae: Reggae-jam Hosted by Ghettowish. Volta, 21.00, free (reservations reccomended) Blues: Woody & the Sideman Blues and country rock a la Johnny Cash and Woody Guthrie. Patronaat, Haarlem, 21.00, free Jazz: Wouter Kiers Quartet Tenor sax player leads his always gigging jazz rock foursome. Casablanca Muziek, 21.00, free

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CLUBS Thursday 31January De Raad van 11 Celebrating the Carnaval season, 11 pulls in all of their DJs tonight: Boris Werner, Carlos Valdes, Nuno dos Santos, Patrice Bäumel, Lauhaus, Aron Friedman, Melon, Julien Chaptal, Makcim, TJ Kong, Peel Seamus, Tim Nieburg, Raymon Hollander, Sandrien, Eric B Young, Victor Bakhuis, Kabale und Liebe, Quazar and Olaf Boswijk. For those who crave variety in one place. 11, 11.11-04.00, €7 (free before 22.00)

Addicted Satisfy your craving for deep house.

Panama, 22.00-04.00, €15 Backyard With DJs Benny Rodrigues, Sinden (UK), Dirtcaps, Quintino, Tettero & Sven and Freddy Spool & Flexmeister F. Patronaat, Haarlem, 22.0004.00, €16 Perfume One of the best smelling club nights around, literally. With Aroma Jockey Dr Perfume spreading his luscious stink all over. Cineac, 22.00-04.00, €12 R*E*D*N*O*S*E*A*L*L*S*T*A*R*S DJs with colourful schnozes: Steven de Peven, Aardvarck, O-boogie, Lamme Tonnie, HerrieGekkehuis, TobyPaul, ShineyShady, Cinnaman and San Proper.

Club 8, 22.00-04.00, €6 (free before 23.00)

arty farty patsy party Soapbox country from the Bucketboyz, electro from Monokine and jazzpunk from Lushus. Various poetry readings are also expected. OCCII, 21.00, €6

Nope is Dope With DJs Sebastian Ingrosso (SWE), Funkin Matt (NOR), Baggi Begovic, Kenneth G, Afrojack, Quintino, Bassjackers, Goodgrip, Duane Franklin, Esperanza, DR Ray and MC Lady Bee. The Powerzone, 22.00-6.00, €15

Club Bangkok A weekly shot of indie electro pop for music junkies. Club 8, 22.00-04.00, €5

Heroes of Techno With Oscar Mulero vs Christian Wunsch (live). P60, Amstelveen, 22.30, €18

Het Grote Verjaardagsfeest Rock, electro and hiphop DJs. Bitterzoet, 23.00, €5

Bed House and strictly urban. With DJs Denniz and Marly Mar in the first slaapkamer and Goodgrip, Fullscale and Yasmin le Bon in the other. Hotel Arena, 23.00-04.00, €15

Friday 1 February Disco Avond 35+ Yes, your nightlife may continue after age 35. Though you might not stay out as late. Boogie down before the real midlife begins.

Club 8, 21.00-01.00, €5 + membership Beatbox Monthly night with Billy the Klit, Marc Benjamin, Goodgrip, DJ Marcel and MC Knowledje & Entertainment Matters. Escape, 21.00 -05.00, €12.50 Carnaval Night Bringing the spice of the Brazilian Carnaval are DJs Nerynho and Joaozinho, and live performance by Banda Rua de Baixo. Cash prizes for the best dressed Samba Queens, and plenty of caipirinha, brahma and guarana to guzzle down.

Club More, 22.00-05.00, €10 + membership Planet Delsin Native DJs from the faraway planet include: Joris Voorn, Raymon Hollander, Tim Nieburg and Peel Seamus. 11, 22.30-04.00, €10 + membership Deep Electronic Acid Studio 80, 23.00, €10 + membership Famous Monthly night with groove and house.

Tonight with Groovenatics, ElSandro and Franky Rizardo. Odeon, 23.00-05.00, €12.50

Saturday 2 February Balkan Gypsy Night Jump on the latest trend of 2005, with live Balkan gypsy band Raromski, Balkan brass band Carlama Orkestar, and Balkan beats from DJ Safri. Cafe Pakhuis Wilhelmina, 21.00, €10 Subbacultcha! & Club Rascal Two club rascal DJs in one room, two alt rock bands in the other: Pony Pack and Pek en Veren. Studio K, 21.30-04.00, €7 (free before 22.00) Warp Light District Launching a new night for ambient, IDM and electronica with atmospheric visuals. Enjoy it before the mushroom ban takes full effect. OT301, 21.30-3.00, €8 Tipitina en Crude-Chef Balkan beats and world grooves. Pacific Parc, 22.00-03.00, free

Latinobeats in Heaven Latest religious craze for 2008: sin, dance to latin music, go to heaven. Sinners, 23.00-05.00, €12 Scream! House, disco and electro from Jacques Renault, considered by some to be the top DJ in NYC. Also DJs Minx Pilot and Typhus Hideous. Flex Bar, 23.00-05.00, €8

Sunday 3 February Living In Oblivion presents: Bomba Roja Sporatically recurring night that brings new wave out of the commercials and back to the clubs. Or, this club at least. With DJane, Ms Fortune, DJ CCCP and DJ Dark Desire; featuring triple-nippled trash rockers Bomba Roja. Winston Kingdom, 21.00-03.00, €6

Saturday 2 February Party: DTPM One of London’s best known and popular parties has landed in town. Grand opening night with DJs Nick Tcherniak and Steve Thomas (DTPM London) and performances by Body Inc. Odeon, 23.00-05.00, €17,50/€20 Club: M.U.L.T.I.S.E.X.Y This monthly party is a bit of everything really, part glam-ish, part punk-ish, part electro-ish, topped with a slightly underground/alternative touch. It’s gay, but very mixed and that just adds to the overall attraction. Studio 80, 23.00 06.00, €9

Sunday 3 February Party: Rapido Bare-chested beautiful boys, some hairy hunks, and many, many muscle marys from all over the world just love this super dance party. Tickets sell like hot cakes, so be fast. DJ line up includes CHUS & CEBALLOS, plus Rapido resident DJs Doug Gray, Fabio White, Giangi Cappai, C&L project and Jack Chang. Also performance by trans superstar Buck Angel. Tickets: www.paradiso.nl, www.gaygo.eu, www.ticketservice.nl. Paradiso, 15.00-02.00, €30, excl. fee Club: Grey Pink Dance afternoon/night for—you’ve guessed it—older gays and lesbians. Music style varies from 1930s ditties to ’70s glam disco, plus drag artists, Dutch performers and acts. Paleis van Weemoed, 16.00, free

Wednesday 6 February Film: Rent Love. Hope. Struggle. Triumph. Tonights Gay Movie Classic is Rent, the US 2005 movie about a year in the lives of a group of New York City East Villagers. These bohemians grapple with everything from paying the rent on time to being torn apart by love, homosexuality, prostitution, drugs, AIDS and death.

Free drink when you arrive 30 minutes prior to the screening and afterwards two drinks for the price of one, upon showing your ticket, at SOHO. Pathé De Munt, 21.00, €7

31 January-6 February 2008 similar case, the two of them speak out the fears and anxieties that the family and doctors avoid, and thereby, attempt to preserve their human dignity. In Dutch.

De Engelenbak, (Thur-Sat 20.30), €11 + membership Dance: The Autopsy Project Taking the phenomenon of the autopsy as it seems to have pervaded various aspects of society, and relating this through dance.

Melkweg Theater, (Thur-Sat 20.30, Sun 16.00), €10 Theatre: Stock à deux: Mannetje met de lange lul About a passionate and reckless game with love and luck between an art lover and a human hater. The title is based upon an essay of the same name by 18th century philosopher Julien Offray de la Mettrie, whose work inspired much of the play. In Dutch. Frascati, (Thur-Sat 21.00), €12 Performance: Of Canibals Blending feedback, various electronic sounds and spoken word, three performance artists create an environment based largely on Michel de Montaigne’s 1562 essay ‘Of Canibals’, which describes the life of the then newly found natives as a true paradise. PuntWG, 20.30 Theatre: Zijde The family Van der Dolk is taken hostage in their own home by Rufus, Zoë and the mysterious Alligator. But what are their intentions?

Everything may not be as it seems. Pleintheater, (Fri, Sat 20.30), €9 Music/Theatre: Liefde/zijn handen Performance

by Josse De Pauw about love and how cumbersome it is to speak of it. With music by Jan Kuijken. In Dutch.

De Brakke Grond, 19.30, €12 Dance: Ontmoetingen The classic forms of Egyptian dance performed by Mirjam van Huffelen. De Engelenbak, 20.30, €11 + membership Dance: Imperium Dansgroep Krisztina de Châtel perform original choreograpy inspired by the baroque music of Henry Purcell. Stadsschouwburg, (Mon, Tue 20.15), €11-€20.50

Ongoing Comedy: Comedytrain A lively selection of stand-up comics. In Dutch. Toomler, (Thur-Sat 20.30, Sat also 00.00), €13.50/€15

Monday 4 February Cheeky Monday True skool jungle and drum & bass, featuring players from the local and international scenes. Winston Kingdom, 22.00 03.00, €6

STAGE Opening

GAY& LESBIAN Edited by Willem de Blaauw.

Theatre: Anne Frank: leeft en werkt A story about personal and collective memories, involving Anne Frank as the personalisation of Dutch memory, particularly in relation to the war and history. Directed by Joachim Robbrecht. In Dutch. Gasthuis, (Thu-Sat, Wed 21.00), €8 Theatre: Jungle A tragicomedy about the jungle of life in Amsterdam, seen through the eyes of a monkey in the Artis Zoo. In Dutch. Ostadetheater, (Thur 20.30), €9.50

Friday 1 February

Theatre/Dance: Skills Story about the life of three breakdancers, Omar, Vinz and Miriam. Westergasfabriek, (Thur-Sat 20.15), €15

DJ night: Women’s Night Weekly women’s night with DJ Suna, DJ Ortega or DJ Roest. Men are welcome if accompanied by a female friend. Cafe Sappho, 21.00-01.00, free

Theatre: Opname A tragicomedy from theatre group De Plankeniers about a flower farmer who, for reasons he doesn’t understand, must go to the hospital for observation. While laying next to a patient with a

Vernon God Little Music/Theatre: Vernon God Little A musical from Huis aan de Amstel satirising trailer park residents, the media, and most of all, those who believe that life in the US is just like what they see on the TV news. Based on DBC Pierre’s Booker Prize winning novel about a teenager in Texas whose friend kills six bullying peers and himself. In Dutch. Rozentheater, (Thur, Fri, Mon-Wed 20.00), €12.50 Comedy: Now&Lauw: Urban Improv Comedy Weekly ha-ha with Wilko Terwijn and Nabil Aoulad Ayad. In Dutch. Comedy Theater, (Fri 23.30), €10 + membership Comedy: Easy Laughs No joke will go over your head tonight. CREA Theater, (Fri 20.30, 22.30), €8, €5 (late show) Comedy: Comedy Explosion New and used stand-up comics doing their thing. In Dutch. Comedy Theater, (Thur-Sat 20.30), €12.50

31 January-6 February 2008

Amsterdam Weekly Hidden Afghanistan A deluxe exhibition presenting a ‘not war-torn’ vision of this nation at the crossroads of civilisations in central Asia. Nieuwe Kerk (Fri-Wed 10.0018.00, Thur 10.00-22.00), until 20 April Eyes Wide Open The Stedelijk Museum presents a selection of recently acquired paintings, photographs, examples of film and video art, sculptures and graphic works by artists working in the Netherlands or elsewhere.

Stedelijk Museum CS (Daily 10.00-18.00), until 1 June

Galleries Raymond Taudin Chabot: That Place Presentation of the film That Place, which features an immaculately suited man being driven around an industrial estate.

2x2projects (Wed-Sat 13.00-18.00), closing Saturday Platform21=Joyriding This winter, take a visual road trip into the imagination. Not a car show but an aesthetic joyride, it’s about form and feeling rather than engineering. Platform 21 (Wed-Sun 12.00-19.00), closing Sunday Katja Sonnewend: Wenn ich einmal groß bin The Polish-German artist presents photos from her ongoing project, tackling the theme ‘When I Grow Up’. Melkweg Galerie (Wed-Sun 13.00-20.00), closing Sunday POPview, see Opening

ART More listings at www.amsterdamweekly.nl.

Opening Fashion Ghosts Hans van Bentem’s lifesize cartoony depictions of fashion runway models—at least, how they’d look if you took some heavy drugs. Malie Beeld (Daily 10.00-16.00), Den Haag, opens Thursday Mr Deeds goes to town Drawing its title from the 1936 Frank Capra film of the same name, a group exhibition around the concept of doodling in various mediums. W139 (Sun-Thur 11.00-20.00, Fri, Sat 11.00-22.00), opens Friday, until 2 March Ramallah Underground Part of the Palestine: the Art of Survival series, musical group Ramallah Underground culled together various Palestinian artists whose work attempts personal expression while living in a violent, occupied land. ABC Treehouse (Thur-Sun 13.00-18.00), opens Friday, until 24 February My Name is Z Mechanised sculptures and installations serving as self-portraits by the young Korean artist Wang Zi Won. Yoshiko Matsumoto Gallery (Tues-Fri 13.30-18.30, Sat 12.00 - 18.00), opens Saturday, until 8 March The Day I Got Lost French artist Mijn Schatje, AKA Marie Blanco Hendrickx, creates bizarre and beautiful landscapes labeled as digital pop surrealism. But you might just call them dreamy and delicious. KochxBos Gallery (Wed-Sat 13.00-18.00), opens Saturday, until 3 October 2009 The Splendor of Anatolia: The Unknown Turkey Displaying various aspects of the disappearing nomadic life in Anatolia, including rare kelims (hand woven rugs), fully furnished tents, and traditional camel harnesses. Kunsthal (Tues-Sat 10.00 -17.00, Sun 11.00 -17.00), Rotterdam, opens Saturday, until 1 May Frank Ammerlaan & Michael Agacki The awardwinning Dutch and Polish painters team up for the first time in this duo show. Horse Move Project Space (Fri-Sun 14.00-20.00), opens Sunday, until 24 February Ghetto Fabuluous New images from artist Marcel van den Berg. Studio K, opens Sunday, until 1 March What Happens When I’m On a Phone When artist Woek is on the phone, his mindless doodlings produce freaky depictions of deformed but somehow charming animals. De Duivel (Thur 11.00-1.00, Fri, Sat 11.00-3.00, Sun, Mon 12.00-1.00, Tue Wed 11.001.00), opens Sunday

Richard Hawkins: Of Two Minds, Simultaneously Presenting the first comprehensive retrospective in Europe of the American artist Richard Hawkins. De Appel (Tues-Sun 11.00-18.00), closing Sunday Jacqueline Hassink: The Power Show A retrospective from this New York-based Dutch photographer in which power is the predominant theme. Huis Marseille (Tues-Sun 11.00-18.00), until 24 February Document Nederland: Fans Tenth annual photography exhibition looks at fans of famous singing stars, Ajax, the Royal family, TV show Goede Tijden, Slechte Tijden and saucy gothic culture. With photos by Raimond Wouda. Huis Marseille (Tues-Sun 11.00-18.00), until 24 February Ulla von Brandenburg—La Maison A Docking Station event featuring a labyrinthine three-dimensional structure inspired by the colour schemes of the Bauhaus and the Lüscher Colour Test. At the heart of it is 16mm film 8 (2007) which leads the viewer through an endless series of rooms. Stedelijk Museum CS (Daily 10.00-18.00), until 24 February Aap, vis, boek. Linnaeus in Amsterdam Celebrating the 300th birthday of the renowned botanist in style, by displaying extremely rare books and other treasures of the period Linnaeus spent in Amsterdam. UvA: Special Collections Library (Mon-Fri 10.00-17.00, Sat, Sun 13.00-17.00), until 25 February Traces of War—Survivors of the Burma and Sumatra Railways Portrait photos of twenty four men who worked as forced labourers on railways near the Burmese-Thai border and in Sumatra during WWII. Verzetsmuseum (Tues-Fri 10.00-17.00, SatMon 12.00-17.00), until 3 March Get Rid of the BlaBla Richard Jansen and Ties Jan de Blij invite the public to separate the real from the virtual. Centrale Bibliotheek (Daily), until 3 March Weegee An exhibition of work by the legendary photographer Weegee, regarded as the prototypical modern photojournalist and one of the most important photographers of the 20th century. Foam (Sat-Wed 10.00-18.00, Thur, Fri 10.00-21.00), until 5 March Rehab! The main theme of this exhibition is the world wide media coverage on Britney, Paris, Pete and their colleagues. Stedelijk Museum Bureau Amsterdam (Tues-Sun 11.00-17.00), until 10 March Karel Du Jardin Italian landscapes and aristocratic portraits by the 17th century painter. Rijksmuseum (Daily 09.00-18.00), until 16 March Gastarbeider Dating Immigrant Dating features 10 artists from seven different countries who’ll each stay for one week and bring in their friends to help explore their national and personal cultures. Mediamatic (Wed-Sun 16.00-20.00), until 16 March

Museums

Taryn Simon—An American Index of the Hidden and Unfamiliar In her second of two shows at Foam, award-winning photographer Simon assumes the dual role of shrewd informant and collector of curiosities, compiling an inventory of what lies hidden and out-of-view within the borders of the US. Foam (Sat-Wed 10.00-18.00, Thur, Fri 10.00-21.00), until 6 April

Alberto De Michele: Adriano An installation focused on an Italian bank robber, who for a period of time was hiding in Amsterdam. De Appel (Tues-Sun 11.0018.00), closing Sunday

Bisj Poles—Sculptures From the Rainforest An exhibition of 58 bisj poles from New Guinea, brought to life in a thrilling combination of light, sound and film. Tropenmuseum (Daily 10.00-17.00), until 13 April

POPview Photos of musicians from seven finalists hoping for the Lex van Rossen-Award. Melkweg Galerie (Wed-Sun 13.00-20.00), opens Wednesday, until 2 March

Is The World Flat? A multimedia group exhibition tackling internationalisation, art marketing and modern technologies. Arti et Amicitiae (Tues-Sun 13.00-18.00), closing Sunday You Are Invited Twenty-four promising, talented students of the VAV-department of the Gerrit Rietveld Academie reflect on the topic of gentrification. De Service Garage (Wed-Sun 13.00-18.00), closing Sunday Az I mojat kufar (Me and My Suitcase) Examining the relationship between Bulgarian arts & crafts and contemporary European design. Lloyd Hotel (Daily), until 7 February Thomas Struth: Family Portraits Literally family portraits by acclaimed German photographer Struth.

Galerie Paul Andriesse (Tues-Fri 11.00-18.00, Sat 14.0018.00), until 16 February Exploring ’08 Looking forward into 2008 with diverse paintings by gallery favourites Arjan Brentjes, Aquil Copier and Anneke Wilbrink. AYAC’S (Fri, Sat 13.00-17.30), until 16 February Bloody Beautiful (Part 2) A curious and exotic group show tackling our real relationship with animals: in one hand, we’re devastated when a family pet dies, in the other, we’re happy to consume vast quantities of meat.

Ronmandos (Wed-Sat 12.30-17.30), until 16 February Ketra: Skinky A collection of sumptuous PVC corset panels and fetish art dolls, realised by this Italian artist who’s always toying with seduction and dark humour. Red Stamp Art Gallery (Tue-Sat 13.00-18.00), until 16 February Winterlicht Diverse works by Dineke Blom, Jacqueline van den Bos, Chris de Bueger, Pieter Holstein, Els ter Horst, Sipke Huismans, Rosa Lachenmeier, Jaring Lokhorst and others. AdK Actuele Kunst (Wed-Sat 12.3017.30), until 17 February Aboriginal Art Colourful and spectacular works by aboriginal artists such as Emily Kame Kngwarreye, Clifford Possum Tjapaltjarri, Minnie Pwerle and Barbara Weir.

Feel Gallery (Thur, Fri 12.00-19.00, Sat 11.00-19.00, Sun 12.00-18.00), until 17 February Op zoek naar het Noordgevoel Capturing and presenting the essence of the Van der Pekbuurt in Amsterdam-Noord via interviews, photography and films. Anemoonstraat 27 (Wed-Sun 14.00-18.00), until 17 February Beacons Vivid oil paintings by American artist Justin McAllister. Torch Gallery (Thur-Sat 14.00-18.00), until 23 February The Art of Fashion Including works by Alexander Fielden, Mathilde Cabral, Berber Soepboer and street artist Snar. ArtOlive (Mon-Fri 11.00-17.00, Sun 12.00-17.00), until 24 February I Know the World Group exhibition exploring how the production of art can be influenced by experiences abroad. Featuring Tamar Guimarães, J&K, Søren Lose, Tanja Nellemann Poulsen & Grete Aagaard and Daniëlle van Zuijlen; curated by Lise Nellemann. SMART Project Space (Tues-Sat 12.00-17.00), until 1 March voiceoverhead An audio project by Achim Lengerer and Dani Gal which is rooted in a record collection of approximately 350 records, including footage documenting political speeches and language orientated radio programmes. SMART Project Space (Tues-Sat 12.00-17.00), until 1 March I Spend My Evenings Sitting by the Fireside Hunting Tigers A solo installation by the English artist Tim Braden, which attempts to emulate, through visual language, the mechanics of the process of reading. Galerie Juliette Jongma (Wed-Sat 13.00-18.00), until 1 March

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Amsterdam Weekly

EVENTS Discussion: The future of Fashion: Lifestyle & Technology Various experts discuss the clothing of tomorrow. In English. Club of Amsterdam, (Thur 19.00-21.15), sold out Poetry: Gedichtendag: 30 + 30 Dichtersmarathon Perdu’s annual flowing stream of poets and their words. Always the same formula, always different poems. Thirty poets (including Thomas Möhlmann and Joost Baars) read two of their own pieces and one from an admired foreign colleague.

No intros, no applause, no intermission. Just back to back verse. All in Dutch. Well, except for maybe some of the foreign poems. Perdu, (Thur 19.30), free (reservations reccomended) Talk: Afghanistan & Beyond Testimony A conversation with Prins Claus Prijs-winning Afghani artist Lida Abdul (1973) about her work. Nieuwe Kerk, (Thur 20.00), free Poetry: Ugly Poets Scheduled for the day after gedichtendag, various so-called ugly poets present their version of poetry: raw, harsh, strong and with all the fat trimmed off. Including presentations by Erik Bindervoet, Robbert Jan Henkes, Paul van Capelleveen, Tjitske Jansen, K Schippers, Diana Ozon, Victor Schiferli, and Coen Bardelmeijer and Jan Obbeek who perform Bob Dylan songs in Dutch, as is the entire program. See Short List. De Balie, (Fri 20.00), €9

ADDRESSES

11 Oosterdokskade 3-5, 625 5999 2x2projects Veemkade 350, 489 7471 ABC Treehouse Voetboogstraat 11, 423 0967 AdK Actuele Kunst Prinsengracht 534, 320 9242 Akinci Lijnbaansgracht 317, 638 0480 Allard Pierson Museum Oude Turfmarkt 127, 525 2556 De Appel Nieuwe Spiegelstraat 10, 625 5651 Arti et Amicitiae Rokin 112, 624 5134 ArtOlive Polonceaukade 17, 675 8504 AYAC'S Keizersgracht 166, 638 5240 Badcuyp 1e Sweelinckstraat 10, 675 9669 De Balie Kleine-Gartmanplantsoen 10, 553 5151 Bethaniënklooster Barndesteeg 6, 625 0078 Betty Asfalt Complex Nieuwezijds Voorburgwal 282, 626 4695 Bijbels Museum Herengracht 366-368, 624 2436 Bimhuis Piet Heinkade 3, 788 2150 Bitterzoet Spuistraat 2, 521 3001 De Brakke Grond Nes 45, 626 6866 Cafe Pakhuis Wilhelmina Veemkade 576, 419 3368 Cafe Sappho Vijzelstraat 103, 423 1509 Casablanca Muziek Zeedijk 26, 06 1220 0519 The Cave Prinsengracht 472, 626 8939 CBK Zuidoost Bijlmerdreef 119, 691 1322 Centrale Bibliotheek Oosterdokskade 143, 523 0900 Chiellerie Raamgracht 58, 320 9448 Cineac Reguliersbreestraat 31-33 Club 8 Admiraal de Ruyterweg 56B, 685 1703 Club La Kerkstraat 50-52 Club More Rozengracht 133, 344 6402 Club of Amsterdam Sint Antoniesbreestraat 16 Comedy Theater Nes 110 Concertgebouw Concertgebouwplein 2-6, 671 8345 Consortium Veemkade 570, 06 2611 8950 Cotton Club Nieuwmarkt 5, 626 6192 CREA Theater Turfdraagsterpad 17, 525 1400 Cruise Inn Zuiderzeeweg 29, 692 7188 Dominicuskerk Spuistraat 12, 624 2183 De Duivel Reguliersdwarstr 87, 626 6184 De Engelenbak Nes 71, 626 3644 Escape Rembrandtplein 11, 622 1111 Feel Gallery Frans Halsstraat 40 Flex Bar Pazzanistraat 1, 486 2123 Foam Keizersgracht 609, 551 6546 Frascati Nes 63, 626 6866 Galerie Bart Bloemgracht 2, 320 6208 Galerie Ei Admiraal de Ruijterweg 154, 616 3961 Galerie Juliette Jongma Gerard Douplein 23, 463 6904 Galerie Paul Andriesse Withoedenveem 8, 623 6237 Galerie Roger Katwijk Lange Leidsedwarsstraat 198-200, 627 3808 Galerie Smits Fokke Simonszstraat 29, 06 43001833 Gasthuis Marius van Bouwdijk Bastiaansestraat 54, 683 8494 Gist Veemkade 364 Goethe-Institut Amsterdam Herengracht 470 Heineken Music Hall ArenA Boulevard 590, 0900 300 1250 Hermitage Amsterdam Nieuwe Herengracht 14, 530 8751 Horse Move Project Space Oosterdokskade 5 Post CS Hotel Arena ’s-Gravesandestraat 51, 850 2400 Huis Marseille Keizersgracht 401, 531 8989 Ignatiushuis Beulingstraat 11, 679 8207 IISG Cruquiusweg 31, 668 5866 Joods Historisch Museum Jonas Daniel Meijerplein 2-4, 531 0310 De Kade Zuiddijk 9-11, Zaandam, 617 6972 KHL Koffiehuis Oostelijke Handelskade 44, 779 1575

31 January-6 February 2008 Benefit: WarChild Belly Dance Benefiet Annual belly dance workshop. Today with performance by Zafira’s belly dance group and DJ Shanto (Nataraj).

Reservations required: 681 1573 or jentiena @yahoo.com. Club 8, (Sun 15.00 -19.00), €10 + membership Talk: De mythe van het moederschap Those fabulous females from Women Inc organise another discussion, this time focussing on motherhood. Do women truly have a free choice between their careers and their kids? In Dutch. Pakhuis de Zwijger, (Mon 20.00-21.30), free Dance: Something Raw International dance festival overflowing with short choreographies, performances, installations, film, debates and workshops all encompassing the idea of radical and pioneering choices in dance. Various locations and times, (Thur-Wed), various prices. Until Saturday 9 February Sport: Ping Pong Bar Get pissed and play paddle tennis. Weekly. OT301 (Tue 21.00), free Debate: The Day After Super Tuesday Sure, some folks think a black guy or an old bird in the US white house could cause positive change, but let’s not forget what’s important about the American elections: picking the one that will best suit the Netherlands, of course. And here tonight to debate the matter: Mark Rutte (VVD), Femke Halsema (Groen Links), Dig Istha (media adviser), Marco Esser (campaign manager PvdA, also worked on John Kerry’s campaign), Rik Kuethe (old diplomat) and Robert L Bragar (head of the Dutch dept of the American Democratic Party). In Dutch. De Rode Hoed, (Wed 19.30), €3 preseale, €4 door KIT Tropentheater Mauritskade 63, 568 8711 KochxBos Gallery 1e Anjeliersdwarsstraat 3-5, 681 4567 De Kunstfabriek Polonceaukade 20 (Westergasfabriekterrein), 488 9430 Kunsthal Museumpark, Westzeedijk 341, Rotterdam, 010 440 0301 Lloyd Hotel Oostelijke Handelskade 34, 419 1840 Lumen Travo Lijnbaansgracht 314, 627 0883 Malie Beeld Bezuidenhoutseweg 12, Den Haag, 070 349 0250 Maloe Melo Lijnbaansgracht 163, 420 4592 Het Marnix Marnixplein 1, 5246000 Mediamatic Post CS, Oosterdokskade 5, 638 9901 Melkweg Galerie Marnixstraat 409, 531 8181 Melkweg Lijnbaansgracht 234a, 531 8181 Montevideo/Time Based Arts Keizersgracht 264, 623 7101 Muziekgebouw Piet Heinkade 1, 788 2010 Nieuwe Kerk entrance on the Dam, 638 6909 OCCII Amstelveenseweg 134, 671 7778 Odeon Singel 460, 624 9711 Orgelpark Orgelpark, 51 58111 Ostadetheater Van Ostadestraat 233 D, 679 5096 OT301 Overtoom 301, 779 4913 P60 Stadsplein 100A, Amstelveen, 023 345 3445 Pacific Parc Polonceaukade 23, 488 7778 Pakhuis de Zwijger Piet Heinkade 179-181, 788 4444 Paleis van Weemoed Oudezijds Voorburgwal 15, 625 6964 Panama Oostelijke Handelskade 4, 311 8680 Paradiso Weteringschans 6-8, 626 4521 Pathé De Munt Vijzelstraat 15, 0900 1458 Patronaat Zijlsingel 2, Haarlem, 023 517 5858 Perdu Kloveniersburgwal 86, 627 6295 Platform 21 Prinses Irenestraat 19, 344 9449 Pleintheater Sajetplein 39, 665 4568 The Powerzone Spaklerweg, 681 8866 PRIK Spuistraat 109, 06 4544 2321 PuntWG Marius van Bouwdijk Bastiaansestraat 15, 618 7848 Red Stamp Art Gallery Rusland 22, 420 8684 Rembrandthuis Jodenbreestraat 4, 520 0400 Rijksmuseum Jan Luykenstraat 1, 674 7000 De Rode Hoed Keizersgracht 102, 638 5606 Ronmandos Prinsengracht 282, 320 7036 Rozentheater Rozengracht 117, 620 7953 De Service Garage Stephensonstraat 16 Sinners Wagenstraat 3-7, 620 1375 Skek Zeedijk 4-8, 427 0551 SMART Project Space Arie Biemondstraat 107-113, 427 5953 Stadsschouwburg Leidseplein 26, 624 2311 Stedelijk Museum Bureau Amsterdam Rozenstraat 59, 422 0471 Stedelijk Museum CS Oosterdokskade 5, 573 2911 Studio 80 Rembrandtplein 70, 521 8333 Studio K Timorplein 62, 692 0422 Sugar Factory Lijnbaansgracht 238, 627 0008 The Eagle Warmoesstraat 90, 627 8634 Toomler Breitnerstraat 2, 670 7400 Torch Gallery Lauriergracht 94, 626 0284 Tropenmuseum Linnaeusstraat 2, 568 8200 Under the Grand Chapiteau Next to ArenA, 621 1288 UvA: Special Collections Library Oude Turfmarkt 129, 525 2141 Ververs Gallery Hazenstraat 54 Verzetsmuseum Plantage Kerklaan 61, 620 2535 Volta Houtmankade 334-336, 628 6429 W139 Warmoesstraat 139, 622 9434 Westergasfabriek Haarlemmerweg 8-10, 586 0710 Winston Kingdom Warmoesstraat 129, 623 1380 Witzenhausen Gallery 2 Elandsstraat 145, 644 9898 Yoshiko Matsumoto Gallery Weteringschans 37, 06 1437 0995

31 January-6 February 2008

Amsterdam Weekly

Ceintuur of oops-erations Petite Restaurant ‘Oeps!’

Ceintuurbaan 392, 679 0933 Open daily: 09.00-01.00 Cash Oeps! Did I slip on a banana peel or did my waiter accidentally spill scalding soup into my lap?

No worries, gentle people, it’s just the name of a small restaurant that caught my roving eye from a speeding tram along Ceintuurbaan. Some wintery weeks later, when I found myself standing in front of it around lunchtime, I wondered whether to take a chance and wander in. But then the menu in the window inspired me: the idea of a bacon pancake lit up my one and only brain cell, as bright as Nieuwmarkt on New Year’s Eve. The owner, Riad, originally from Iraq, asked if I wanted a large one. ‘Give me the mother of all pancakes,’ I responded.

Happily, my response was that of shock and awe when it arrived. My jaw dropped open at the enormity of the gastronomic task that lay ahead.

Large enough to feed a family of four, the pancake was the size of a landmine. And a steal at €5. While there was nothing wrong with the texture and flavour, finishing the pancake proved to be a challenge of Herculean proportions. Afterwards, I sat back gasping like some landed fish, my vast pork belly rumbling contentedly. But what else was there to eat?

Two large Americans were attacking an English breakfast. They mumbled and chewed, giving forth contented grunts. A couple of welldressed elderly African businessmen sat down with their casually dressed Dutch contact to lunch on sizzling grilled tuna (€10) and salmon

THE UNDERCOVER GLUTTON It’s a people’s restaurant—not posh—offering something to suit all popular tastes: schnitzels, egg dishes, Dutch stampot, fish and chips... steaks (€12). They requested rice, instead of the usual fries, and a fresh salad. And what a salad! It resembled the Hanging Gardens of Babylon and consisted of a riot of edible foliage: lettuce,

cucumber, radish, pickled vegetables, the list went on. The men were obviously delighted by their meal.

Riad left the restaurant and returned with

17

more produce, intended for his off-menu dessert fruit platter.

I sat and watched while more people arrived, chatting in Spanish. Still engaged in serious digestion, I did not want to move. I was hoping to come to understand Oeps!’s enigmatic secret, which seemed to lie in its accessibility. It’s a people’s restaurant—not posh—offering something to suit all popular tastes: schnitzels, egg dishes, Dutch stampot, fish and chips...

I studied the menu, as if it was a rare archaeological artefact looted straight from the Bagdad Museum. The main courses varied from €7.50 to €25, the latter in fact being a mixed grill for two. The option of Dutch beef steak was priced according to slab: 200 grams (€9.50) to 500 grams (€19.50). One could also choose the middle path and opt for a 400 gram T-bone steak (€17.50).

There were also Iraqi dishes, cooked by Riad’s talented aunt, which bore exotic names such as Sheikh-Mahshy (stuffed vegetables with minced lamb and rice for €10.50) and Emoush (a shrimp, rice and bean dish with a mango sauce for €15).

After successfully digesting, I eventually left that day but then returned several times in the last month while enjoying meeting all the regular characters—poets, policemen, painters and paupers. Riad and his wife Lillian—the one responsible for the slow cooked pea soup—seem to attract an interesting type of person, all of whom end up sitting around one table, chatting away. Meanwhile, Aunty keeps a careful eye on all the proceedings from the safety of the kitchen.

Sunday evenings in February from around 5pm, Oeps! will be experimenting with mixing in some free eater-tainment in the form of an inhouse masked Pulcinella (an Italian version of Jan Klaasen) who is out to amuse. I just hope he doesn’t slip on a banana peel.

Amsterdam Weekly

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31 January-6 February 2008 An emotionally closed couple.

In Paul Haggis’s critique of the Iraq War, Tommy Lee Jones plays a soldier falling out with his country.

FAR FROM HOME AND ARMED TO THE TEETH FILM In the Valley of Elah Opens Thursday at Pathé ArenA and Pathé De Munt.

By Angela Dress

Framing his drama against the backdrop of the conflict in Iraq, Crash director Paul Haggis brings us In the Valley of Elah, the title taken from the Biblical site of the battle between David and Goliath.

Avoiding the political quagmire of the reasons for the US presence in Iraq, Hag-

gis focuses instead on the fallout of this military involvement. He does so by letting it play out through the devastation of one American family, the Deerfields, a clan ruined by the military careers of a father and his sons.

Loosely based on the actual murder of Iraq veteran Richard T Davis in 2003, In the Valley of Elah features an Oscarnominated performance from Tommy Lee Jones as retired military policeman Hank Deerfield. On hearing that his son Mike has gone AWOL after returning from Iraq,

Deerfield drives from Tennessee to a military base in Georgia to find him, leaving his wife behind. The world to which he returns is the intensely masculine one of the soldier, with a nod to the inevitable underlying homoeroticism of the genre— buff butts and pecs galore are on display at the base. There is an ambivalence to Deerfield’s status as a veteran; in some way, he remains part of the military ‘family’, yet he abides by an outdated code of honour that simply no longer exists—if it ever did.

At the base, Deerfield forms an uneasy alliance with local detective Emily Saunders (a dressed-down-again—Charlize Theron), who is also an outsider, simply by virtue of her sex. As the story unfolds, Deerfield is shocked by his son’s behaviour in Iraq—although this is stretching credibility a bit. As a Vietnam veteran, surely he of all people would be aware of what can happen when young men are a long way from home, invested with authority and armed to the teeth. In the end, his lifelong allegiance to the Stars

and Stripes is tested as he finally discovers what happened to his son after he came home.

Jones, with his Mount Rushmore face, plays Deerfield as the epitome of taciturn, stoic ex-military masculinity, keeping his own personal chaos at bay with the routines and rituals of an ingrained army discipline. Although Jones dominates virtually every scene of the movie, the apparent relegation of Susan Sarandon, as Deerfield’s wife Joan, to the sidelines is anything but. Her screen time may be brief, but this works to emphasise the physical and psychological separation of the twice-bereaved couple, locked away in their reciprocal emotional isolation. Deerfield is so emotionally closed down that he can’t even comfort his grieving wife over the telephone when he tells her that their second son is dead.

The sombre, slow-paced narrative, shot in subdued tones of blue and grey, is periodically punctured by snippets of corrupted video that Deerfield is able to retrieve from his son’s mobile phone— grainy footage that depicts frantic, surreal scenes of his son’s time in Iraq. It’s a neat trick that emphasises the hellish conditions. Also replayed in fragments throughout the film is Deerfield’s rejection of his son’s emotional plea over the phone to get him out of Iraq; it haunts him, and the resulting guilt is what drives him.

The sledgehammer symbolism of the American flag hung upside down in the closing scenes grates somewhat, but with Jones’s towering performance as Hank Deerfield, In the Valley of Elah delivers the personification of a nation in distress at its patent failure in—as Deerfield puts it—‘bringing democracy to a shithole’.

Five-Word Movie Review

FILM Edited by Julie Phillips.This week’s films reviewed by Massimo Benvegnù (MB),Luuk van Huët (LvH),JR Jones (JJ),Dave Kehr (DK),Steve Korver (SK),Marie-Claire Melzer (MM),Mike Peek (MP),Bart Plantenga (BP),Gusta Reijnders (GR), Jonathan Rosenbaum (JR),Marinus de Ruiter (MdR),Bregtje Schudel (BS) and Ted Shen (TS).

All films are screened in English with Dutch subtitles unless otherwise noted.

Amsterdam Weekly recommends.

New this week Charlie Wilson’s War Mike Nichols works his mojo on the supposedly true story of a swaggering Democratic Texan congressman (Tom Hanks), a born-again, boozing socialite (Julia Roberts) and a tough-as-nails spy (Philip Seymour Hoffman) who supported the mujahedeen uprising against the mighty Russian army.

This culminated in the Communist defeat, the end of the Cold War and, eventually, the rise of Al Qaida. The tone is just a bit breezier than it might have been in our historical hindsight, but Hanks and Roberts break out of their cookie-cutter stereotypes and deliver great portrayals, even managing to keep up with another boisterous performance by Hoffman. (LvH) 96 min.

Pathé ArenA, Pathé De Munt, Pathé Tuschinski In the Valley of Elah Paul Haggis critiques the Iraq War; Tommy Lee Jones delivers. See review above.

120 min. Pathé ArenA, Pathé De Munt

Juno Juno (Ellen Page) is 16. Juno is full of life and sarcasm. Juno is pregnant. Oops. She gives up the

AFGHAANSE HOER ZOEKT AUSTRALISCHE BOER Unfinished Sky Pathé De Munt

Still playing

TBS thought of abortion after hearing that her baby has already developed fingernails and instead starts looking for adoptive parents. She finds the perfect couple in Mark and Vanessa. They’re wealthy, nice and Mark might even qualify as cool, since he shares Juno’s taste in music and splatter movies. Ellen Page is beyond perfect as the wisecracking but friendly Juno, who’s bright, yet young and naïve enough to think that there is no harm in spending time with the adoptive father of her unborn child. Add the best soundtrack in ages and a script that’s all about letting people be whoever they want to be and there you have it: this year’s independent American masterpiece. Directed

by Jason Reitman (Thank You for Smoking). (MP) 92 min. The Movies, Pathé ArenA

Mio fratello è figlio unico Accio Benassi (Elio Ger-

mano) feels like the least valued member of his family.

Perhaps correctly: Accio isn’t his real name, but a nickname meaning ‘pain in the ass’. So Accio does everything possible to live up to his name. He leaves the seminary and instead becomes a member of the Fascist party. Luckily the viewer realises—even if Accio himself does not—that his actions are driven not by

idealism but provocation. He is no more a serious fascist than his socialist brother Manrico (Riccardo Scamarcio) is a saint. Mio fratello è figlio unico (‘My Brother Is an Only Child’) is a lighter, less portentous version of La Meglio gioventù—also focusing on two brothers in turbulent Italy. The writers of LMG even cowrote Mio fratello. Daniele Luchetti directed. In Italian with Dutch subtitles. (BS) 118 min. Cinecenter, The Movies, Rialto TBS A convicted murderer escapes from a psychiatric ward and kidnaps a 13-year-old girl in this thriller by Pieter Kuijpers (Van God Los, Dennis P). A great performance by Theo Maassen isn’t quite enough to save the film, but it might still make it worth watching. In Dutch. 88 min. Het Ketelhuis, Pathé ArenA, Pathé De Munt Unfinished Sky In this Australian remake of the 1998 Dutch film De Poolse Bruid, Monic Hendrickx reprises her role as a traumatised sex worker who finds solace on an isolated farm, even though she and the farmer can’t speak each other’s language. Directed by Peter Duncan. 100 min. Pathé De Munt

12 Angry Men Watching 12 sweaty guys arguing for an hour and a half might not sound like much fun, but if you can pierce the datedness that envelops this 1957 classic, now settling in for a long run at the Filmmuseum, you’ll find a gem underneath. In this quintessential courtroom drama, Sidney Lumet crafted a potent tale of bigotry, class struggle and justice, thereby proving that you don’t need funky locations or gargantuan explosions to tell a good story. The powerful performances by Henry Fonda and Lee J Cobb may be the most memorable, but the entire cast is an assembly of outstanding actors rarely matched to this day. If you haven’t seen it yet, treat yourself. (LvH) 96 min. Filmmuseum

2 Days in Paris New York sweethearts Marion (Julie Delpy) and Jack (Adam Goldberg) are on holiday in Europe, and by the time they reach Paris to visit Marion’s parents, the culture clash is overwhelming. Every man in the city seems to have had an affair with Marion, and her family’s sense of humour is driving Jack crazy. 2 Days in Paris is the exact opposite of Before Sunrise and Before Sunset, the bittersweet films that brought Delpy modest fame. She wrote and directed this movie herself, showing the other side of love and

31 January-6 February 2008

Amsterdam Weekly

Mio fratello è figlio unico relationships: the side that hurts, annoys and drives people apart even if they seem destined for each other. Laugh-out-loud funny and, in a surprisingly tender finale, very touching as well. (MP) 96 min. Cinema Amstelveen, De Uitkijk 4 maanden, 3 weken en 2 dagen Romanian cinema seems to have found a niche for sober, socially committed dramas. After The Death of Mr Lazarescu (the failing health care system) and 12:08 East of Bucharest (the revolution of 1989), Cristian Mungiu’s 4 months, 3 weeks and 2 days focuses on the ban on abortion under Ceaucescu. Student Otilia agrees to help her roommate Gabita with the preparations for an illegal termination of her pregnancy. But to see 4, 3, 2 only as an anti-abortion film would be to miss the point. Their act is merely the tool with which the two women’s friendship is tested and proven. The film won this year’s Palme d’Or in Cannes. In Romanian with Dutch subtitles. (BS) Het Ketelhuis, Rialto

Away from Her “Not another Alzheimer movie!” you

might say. Yes, another loving husband is going to check his wife of many years into a nursing home, then try to piece their memories together through the cracks of her illness. Yes, he’ll bring flowers. Yes, he’ll read to her. Yes, there will be flashbacks. But Away from Her, the directorial debut of actress Sarah Polley (based on a short story by Alice Munro), is that rare thing, a gripping, powerful drama filled with fabulous performances. Julie Christie hasn’t had a role to shine in like this in ages; her piercing blue eyes let us in on Fiona’s troubled soul, but also give us one more glimpse into her timeless beauty. (MB) 110 min. Cinecenter, Pathé Tuschinski El Baño del Papa Smuggling, usually by bicycle, is a way of life in the Uruguayan village of Melo, on the Brazilian border—until the Pope chooses the sleepy town for an upcoming visit. The excited villagers start coming up with creative ideas for making money off the visiting crowds. One man, Beto, decides to build a real flush toilet (baño) in front of his house and charge the pilgrims money to use it. César Charlone, the cinematographer on Cidade de Deus and The Constant Gardener, wrote and directed this heart-warmer together with Enrique Fernández. Rialto

Bloedbroeders In 1961, the body of a 14-year-old

boy was found behind a mansion in Baarn and three of his friends were charged with murder. According to Arno Dierickx’ fictionalised account of the crime, the victim, Ronnie (Sander van Amsterdam, a terrifying and energetic presence in the film), first befriends and then blackmails the perps. These are two spoiled, rich brothers (Mathijs van de Sande Bakhuyzen and Derk Stenvers) and their smart, shy friend (Erik van Heijningen), who desperately wants to belong to the club. An excellent character study that allows you to keep hoping that what you’re seeing is just child’s play, even though you know the outcome from the first scene.

(MP) 95 min. Het Ketelhuis

California Dreamin’ Loosely based on real events—in 1999, a NATO train on its way to Kosovo got stranded in a Romanian town—this film by Cristian Nemescu transforms a reality bite into a parable of modern Romania. The film is overlong and still a little rough around the edges (Nemescu died in a car crash before the final cut), but by the end most things have smoothed out. Nemescu finds humanity in all the characters and tackles a lot of social issues, all without getting heavy-handed. You understand why the film won Un Certain Regard in Cannes: not for sentimental reasons, but because this really is a diamond in the rough. In Romanian/English with Dutch subtitles. (BS) 155 min. Filmhuis Griffioen Caramel Layale’s beauty salon in Beirut is a shab-

by affair: the water regularly gets shut off, the power goes out, and hot caramel is used as a primitive form of waxing. Meanwhile, five women connected to the shop struggle with various social pressures surrounding their love affairs. Extramarital affairs, lesbian relationships, dominant mothers, sex before marriage and sex after menopause are difficult barriers to overcome in a religious hot zone like Beirut. Director Nadine Labaki, who also plays Layale, portrays her love/hate affair with the war-struck city in a highly

entertaining way, with lots of meaning hidden under the cosmetic surface. In Arabic/French with Dutch subtitles. (MdR) 95 min. Rialto Cloverfield Expectations were monumental after an unprecedented viral campaign that made fanboys froth at the mouth. Luckily, golden child du jour JJ Abrams, who produced this, doesn’t disappoint… too much.

While a giant beastie rampages through New York, a small group of yuppie Yankees go on a quest to save a trapped girlfriend, as captured on a digital camera.

While the found-footage gimmick is fresh and effective, and there are a couple of neat tricks, the film requires a bit more suspension of disbelief to rise above the level of escapist entertainment. Not as good as The Host, but at least it’s no Godzilla. (LvH) 90 min. Pathé ArenA, Pathé De Munt Elizabeth: The Golden Age Director Shekhar Kapur’s sequel to Elizabeth, the film that cemented Cate Blanchett’s status as a great actress, certainly looks effulgently royal, but all its luster cannot compensate for the directionless script. It ambulates from proper period drama to romantic comedy, stopping off at political intrigue and getting lured into a historical battle along the way, never finding a consistent tone. Even though Blanchett is, as always, a compelling and alluring screen presence and the ladies will probably enjoy Clive Owen in tights, the narrative meandering, the historical inaccuracies and the way the film extols the virtues of English imperialism make this a mediocre effort. (LvH) The Movies, Pathé Tuschinski, De Uitkijk The Flock Uninspired thriller about two US agents (Richard Gere and Claire Danes) tracking down a sex offender. Directed by Wai-keung Lau; with Avril Lavigne.

101 min. Pathé De Munt

Gone Baby Gone Adapted from a novel by Dennis

Lehane (Mystic River), this powerful mystery centres on the disappearance of a four-year-old girl whose life has already been sadly defined by her vile single mother and grim working-class Boston neighbourhood. The girl’s aunt hires a pair of private detectives (Casey Affleck, Michelle Monaghan) to assist the police, and as they get closer to the truth, even the child’s rescue begins to seem like a tragic fate. Ben Affleck directed; his biggest gamble was casting his irksome little brother as a pistol-whipping tough guy, but the picture is so superbly executed in every other respect that Casey seems more quirky than miscast. With Amy Ryan, Ed Harris and Morgan Freeman. (JJ) 104 min. Pathé ArenA, Pathé De Munt, Pathé Tuschinski

Heimatklänge Stefan Schwietert’s documentary opens with the Swiss musical cliché: man on a mountaintop, exuberantly yodeling. This enduring ‘Heidiland’ image keeps coming back to haunt this film about three performers whose work couldn’t be less like the stereotype. Avant-garde vocalists Erika Stucky, Noldi Alder and Christian Zehnder have all in their own way managed to take back yodeling for art and soul. Schwietert has a talent for letting artists explain how and where they find inspiration; he follows the three musicians to key sites, where they reflect on their lives and their art. A highly watchable music documentary, gorgeous and engaging. In German with Dutch subtitles. (BP) 82 min. Filmmuseum Investigation A psychological thriller, set in Sofia, about the battle of wills between a police detective and her suspect. Directed by Iglika Triffonova, who also made the Bulgarian road movie Letter to America. In Bulgarian with Dutch subtitles. 105 min. Filmmuseum The Kite Runner After his poignant Monster’s Ball, his pensive Finding Neverland and the daringly different Stranger than Fiction—unreleased here—director Marc Foster offers us a solid and visually arresting but emotionally drained adaptation of Khaled Hosseini’s The Kite Runner. One of the obstacles is the protagonist, Afghan-born Amir (played by Scottish-Egyptian actor Khalid Abdalla), who, in his sullen grownup version, doesn’t evoke much sympathy—or any other emotion.

When he was young, he shared a close friendship with servant boy Hassan, the kite runner of the title, but later fell out with him. Still heavily conflicted about his misconduct as a youth, the adult Amir returns to Afghanistan to ‘be good again’. In English/Dari/Pash-

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Amsterdam Weekly

20 tu/Urdu/Russian with Dutch subtitles. (BS) 128 min.

Cinecenter, The Movies, Pathé ArenA, Pathé De Munt, Pathé Tuschinski, Studio K

Lady Chatterley In the hands of Pascale Ferran, and in French, D. H. Lawrence’s classic novel becomes an almost spiritual film about the transforming power of love and sex. The first time Constance Chatterley (Marina Hands) and her gamekeeper Parkin (JeanLouis Coullo’ch) do it, things are a bit clumsy—and they both remain fully clothed. Their growing intimacy is shown by their increasing lack of garments, until, by the end of the film, we see them not only completely naked but dancing around in the rain, and feel we have gotten to know them. In Hands’s brilliantly natural, César-winning performance, Lady Chatterley is both funny and moving: you can’t help feeling for her.

Hands has moved Lawrence’s novel past the pornographic and the feminist to the human level. (MM) The Movies, Rialto Lust, Caution Ang Lee’s latest has been compared to Zwartboek, but it’s actually more akin to the first time you visit a new girlfriend’s parents. Everybody is on their best behaviour, the pleasantries seem to go on forever, you’re forced to watch an endless amount of vacation slides, and it’s only partly made up for by the screwing.

Or, to ditch this forced metaphor: solid acting by Tony Leung and debutante Tang Wei, beautiful cinematography and incredible sex scenes can’t compensate for the clunky flashback structure, plodding narrative and absurd length. Could someone get Mr Lee a new editor, please? (LvH) 156 min. Cinecenter, The Movies, Pathé Tuschinski Mala Noche Before his Hollywood breakthrough, Drugstore Cowboy, director Gus Van Sant debuted with this low-budget, black-and-white gay buddy movie. Shot in Van Sant’s hometown, Portland, Oregon, Mala Noche (1985) sets a scene in which the white, male protagonist reports in diary style about young Mexican immigrants trying to make a living. As he develops a crush on one of them, he starts to realise that he will never understand their world of poverty and that the relationship is bound to fail. Van Sant paints a bittersweet portrait of city life in this gritty, realistic cult classic. (MdR) 78 min. Filmmuseum Nightwatching Peter Greenaway’s much-awaited return to feature film-making after his Sternesque Tulse Luper trilogy, Nightwatching tells an imaginary tale about the making of Rembrandt’s painting. The English director’s aficionados will quickly realise that the plot is nothing more than a reworking of his past hit The Draughtsman’s Contract (painter conceals

FILM TIMES Thursday 31 January until Wednesday 6 February. Times are provided by cinemas and are subject to last-minute changes. Film times also at www.amsterdamweekly.nl.

De Balie Kleine-Gartmanplantsoen 10, 553 5151 Touching Politics #4: Beyond Words Sat 20.30, Sun 16.00.

Cavia Van Hallstraat 52-I, 681 1419 De Illusionist Thur, Fri 20.30.

Cinecenter Lijnbaansgracht 236, 623 6615 Atonement daily 19.00, 21.45, Sun also 13.15 Away from Her daily 16.00, 19.15, Sun also 13.45 The Kite Runner daily 15.45, 18.45, 21.45, Sun also 11.15 Lust, Caution daily 175.45, 21.00, Sun also 12.15 Mio fratello è figlio unico daily 16.15, 21.45, Sun also 11.00.

Cinema Amstelveen Plein 1960 2, Amstelveen, 547 5175 2 Days in Paris Thur 15.00, Tues, Wed 20.30 Best of IDFA on Tour Sun 13.00 The Golden Compass (NL) Sat, Wed 15.30, Sun 14.00 Losse Filmlezingen over de Filmtheorie Tues 19.00 Sicko Thur-Sat 20.30, Sun 16.30 De Wonderwinkel van Mr Magorium Sat, Wed 13.30, Sun 12.00, 14.00.

Filmhuis Griffioen Uilenstede 106, Amstelveen, 444 5100 California Dreamin' Thur, Fri, Tues 19.30.

Filmmuseum Vondelpark 3, 589 1400 12 Angry Men daily 19.15, Sun also 21.15 At the Beach Fri 19.30 Black Snow Thur 19.30 China's Fourth Generation Thur-Sun Desmond en het Moerasmonster Sun, Wed 13.45 Heimatklänge Thur-Sat, Mon-Wed 17.00, Sun 15.45 In the Wild Mountains Sun 19.30 Investigation Thur-Mon, Wed 17.15, Mon-Wed 19.30 Life for Ruth Sat, Wed 21.15 Mala Noche daily 21.30 Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil Thur, Mon 21.15 Runaway Jury Fri, Tues 21.15 Sacrificed Youth Sat 19.30 Sven en zijn rat en het Ufomysterie Sun, Wed 14.00 The Toll of the Sea Sun 16.00.

hints of a murder in his painting), with the addition of some humorous critique of the Dutch 17th century bourgeoisie and excellent interior lighting to simulate the beloved Hollands licht. Martin Freeman (The Office) does a fine job portraying the Dutch master in the film’s long, elaborate takes, which can be both demanding on actors and hard on audiences. (MB) 134 min. The Movies Sleuth Embittered actor Milo Tindle (Jude Law) visits successful, ageing crime novelist Andrew Wyke (Michael Caine) in his beautiful, hi-tech country mansion. The reason? Tindle may have swiped the writer’s wife. The pair subsequently stage a verbal cat-and-mouse chase with only Wyke’s house as decor. Director Kenneth Branagh attempts to diverge here from his usual Shakespearian canon. He has help from a script by the late Harold Pinter, who readapted the famous Anthony Shaffer play, 35 years after the original screen version in which Caine played the struggling Tindle to Laurence Olivier’s Wyke. The result is shorter and sleeker, even if not fully satisfying. But if you like unusual kammerspiel fare, and typical British acting-school braggadocio, just step inside the house. (MB) 86 min. Pathé Tuschinski Waitress The late Adrienne Shelly, best known for her roles in Sleep With Me and Hal Hartley’s Trust and The Unbelievable Truth, wrote and directed this tangy, resourceful comedy-drama. Keri Russell plays a gifted pie baker and abused wife who waits tables at a diner along with two romantically frustrated coworkers (Cheryl Hines and Shelly) and unexpectedly finds herself pregnant. The film isn’t averse to reaching for Hollywood fantasies, but there’s a lot of what seems to be hard-earned wisdom here about women in bad marriages. (JR) 104 min. Het Ketelhuis We Own the Night One of Hollywood’s mouldy oldies—brothers on opposite sides of the law—gets yet another spin in this lead-footed crime drama by James Gray (Little Odessa, The Yards). Robert Duvall is a venerable deputy chief of police for the NYPD, Mark Wahlberg is his locked-and-loaded cop son, and Joaquin Phoenix is the leather-clad black sheep of the family, who sleeps with a Puerto Rican dish (Eva Mendes) and works at a Russian-owned nightclub that fronts for a sinister drug lord (Alex Veadov). The story takes place in 1988 in the Brighton Beach neighbourhood of Brooklyn, but why? With its pitiless gangsters and virtuous boys in blue, it could have been set anywhere. (JJ) 117 min. Pathé ArenA, Pathé De Munt

Het Ketelhuis Haarlemmerweg 8-10, 684 0090 4 maanden, 3 weken en 2 dagen Thur-Sat 20.15, Sun-Tues, Wed 16.45, Sun, Tues, Wed also 21.00 Alles is liefde daily 21.15 De Avonturen van het Molletje Sat, Sun, Wed 13.15 Bloedbroeders Sun, Tues, Wed 19.00 Desmond en het Moerasmonster Sat, Sun, Wed 13.30 Inside the Circle Thur-Mon 22.30 Das Leben der Anderen Sat, Sun, Wed 14.00 Moordwijven daily 19.15 Skills Thur-Sat 17.00, 22.30 TBS daily 17.45, 19.45, Thur, Sat-Wed also 21.45, Fri also 22.00, Sat, Sun, Wed also 15.00 Trigger Sat, Sun, Wed 15.15 Waitress daily 16.45 Wild Style Thur-Mon 17.00.

KIT Tropentheater, Kleine Zaal Linnaeusstraat 2, 568 8500 Azur & Asmar Sun 14.00 Breaking the Silence Wed 20.30.

Kriterion Roeterstraat 170, 623 1708 For times see www.kriterion.nl Melkweg Cinema Lijnbaansgracht 234A, 624 1777 Control Fri 19.00.

The Movies Haarlemmerdijk 159-165, 638 6016 Bee Movie (NL) Sun, Wed 14.15 Earth daily 16.45, 21.45, Sun, Wed also 14.45, Sun also 11.45 Eastern Promises Fri, Sat 0.30 Elizabeth:The Golden Age daily 19.10, Sun also 12.00 Juno Fri, Sat 0.00 The Kite Runner daily 16.30, 19.00, 21.30, Sat, Sun, Wed also 14.00 Lady Chatterley daily 21.45 Lust, Caution daily 18.45, 21.45, Sun, Wed also 13.45 Mio fratello è figlio unicodaily17.00,19.30, Fri, Sat also 23.45, Sun also12.30 Nightwatching daily 16.15.

De Nieuwe Anita Frederik Hendrikstraat 111, 06 4150 3512, Girl Boss Guerrilla Mon 20.00.

OT301 Overtoom 301, 779 4913 Lessons of Darkness Sun 20.30 Rubbish Pile Cinema Tues 20.30 The Wild Blue Yonder Sun 20.30.

Pathé ArenA ArenA Boulevard 600, 0900 1458 After the Wedding Tues 13.30 Aliens vs Predator 2 daily 19.30, 21.50, Sat also 0.00 Alles is liefde Sat, Sun 15.40 Alvin en de Chipmunks Sun 10.00, 13.30, 16.00, Wed 11.50, 12.40, 14.00, 14.45, 16.10 Bee Movie (NL) Fri-Sun, Wed 12.30, 14.40, 17.20, Sat, Sun, Wed 12.50, Sat, Sun also 10.40, Sat also 10.20, Sun also 10.30 Beyaz Melek Sun 13.40 Charlie Wilson's War daily 16.50, 19.10, 21.30, Thur-Tues also 12.10, 14.30, Sat, Sun also 10.00 Cloverfield daily 12.00, 13.00, 14.00, 16.00, 18.00, 19.00, 20.00, 21.00, 22.10, Thur-Sat, Mon-Wed also 15.00, 17.00, Sat, Sun also 11.00, Sat also 0.10

31 January-6 February 2008

Special screenings The Barefoot Contessa Joseph L Mankiewicz’s 1956 Cinderella story, with Ava Gardner as a peasant waif elevated to international star status by producer Humphrey Bogart. It’s overlong and talky, but these are familiar Mankiewicz failings. He shines in his deft verbal wit and novelistic propensity for detail, backlit by a highly personal blend of romance and cynicism.

An imperfect film, but its excesses are as suggestive as its subtleties. (DK) 128 min. Rialto China’s Fourth Generation Straight from the Rotterdam film festival, a series of features by Chinese directors from the ‘fourth generation’. These film-makers came of age in the 1960s, during the Cultural Revolution, and were not able to work until government restrictions began to lift in the 1970s. By that time, they had already been bypassed by fifth-generation directors like Chen Kaige and Zhang Yimou. The films made between 1978 and 1989 by the fourth generation have seldom been seen outside China; they are often experimental, but almost always emphasise human values and emotions. Filmmuseum Girl Boss Guerrilla Topless action and period kitsch in a 1972 film about an all-girl biker pack from Shinjuku. Directed by Norifumi Suzuki. In Japanese with English subtitles. 84 min. De Nieuwe Anita

De Illusionist This 1983 film by Jos Stelling (Dus-

ka) stars cabaratier Freek de Jonge in a—yes, it’s true—non-speaking part. In fact, the whole film lacks dialogue except for one swear word (GVD). It also doesn’t have much of a plot. But what it does have is a whole string of deeply odd and often hilarious moments that combine alienation with absurdity. If you like Alex van Warmerdam then you’ll love this Gouden Kalf winner for best feature. A classic. (SK) 90 min. Cavia Inside the Circle Marcy Garriott directed this 2007 dramatic feature about hiphop dancers in Texas. 102 min. Het Ketelhuis Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil Producerdirector Clint Eastwood and writer John Lee Hancock took liberties in adapting John Berendt’s book: four murder trials are collapsed into one, the author-narrator is replaced with a made-up hero (John Cusack), and a lot of languid local colour is distilled into a meandering story line. The results are more leisurely and character-driven than most contemporary movies

Enchanted (NL) Fri-Sun, Wed 15.15, Sat, Sun, Wed also 12.40, Sat, Sun also 10.10 The Golden Compass Thur, Fri, Mon-Wed 13.30, Sat, Sun 10.50 Gone Baby Gone daily 20.50, Thur, Fri, Mon, Tues also 12.40, Thur, Mon, Tues also 15.15 I Am Legend (Imax) daily 16.30, 18.50, 21.10, Thur-Sat, MonWed also 14.10, Sat also 11.40, 23.30, Sun also 11.00 In the Valley of Elah daily 16.20, 19.05, 21.40, Sat, Sun also 13.30 Juno Sat 10.00 K3 en de Kattenprins Fri, Sun, Wed 12.30, Sun also 10.30, Sat 10.05, 11.50 The Kite Runner daily 15.10, 17.50, 20.40, Thur, Fri, Mon, Tues also 12.20 Maskeli Besler - Cyprus Thur, Fri, Sun-Wed 14.20, 16.40, 19.20, 21.45, Thur, Mon, Tues also 11.50, Sat 13.50, 16.10, 18.40, 21.15 The Mist Sat 23.10 Moordwijven daily 16.10, 18.20, 20.30, Thur-Sat, Mon, Wed also 13.50, Sat, Sun also 11.20 The Nanny Diaries Thur-Mon, Wed 19.40, Thur, Mon also 14.40, Tues 13.40, 18.40 National Treasure: Book of Secrets daily 18.30, 21.20, Thur-Tues also 12.50, Thur, Fri, Mon, Tues also 15.40 P.S. I Love You daily 18.10 Saw IV Thur-Mon, Wed 22.15, Thur, Mon also 12.30, 17.20, Sat also 0.20, Tues 16.10 Sneak Preview Tues 21.20 TBS daily 13.20, 15.30, 17.40, 19.50, 22.00, Sat, Sun also 11.10, Sat also 0.05 Underdog (NL) daily 13.10, 15.20, 17.30, Sat, Sun also 10.50 We Own the Night daily 16.00, 18.40, 21.15, Thur, Mon, Tues also 13.15, Sat also 23.40 De Wonderwinkel van Mr Magorium Fri, Sat, Sun 13.55, Sat, Sun, Wed 11.45, Wed 13.50.

Pathé De Munt Vijzelstraat 15, 0900 1458 Aliens vs Predator 2 Thur, Fri, Sun-Wed 22.00, Sat 23.15 Alvin en de Chipmunks Sat 11.15, 13.45, Sun, Wed 12.45, Sun also 10.20 Atonement Thur, Fri, Sun-Wed 20.15, Sat 21.15 Bee Movie (NL) Sat 11.30, 13.40, Sun, Wed 13.10, Sun also 10.50 Charlie Wilson's War Thur, Fri, Sun-Wed 14.10, 16.30, 19.00, 21.30, Thur, Fri, Mon-Wed also 12.00, Sat 12.15, 14.45, 17.15, 20.00, 22.30 Cloverfield Thur, Fri, Sun-Wed 12.15, 13.15, 14.30, 15.45, 16.45, 18.15, 20.45, Thur, Fri, Sun-Tues also 19.15, Thur, Fri, Sun, Mon also 21.45, Wed also 18.50, Sat, Sun 11.00, Sat also 13.10, 13.30, 15.15, 16.00, 17.30, 18.30, 19.45, 21.00, 22.15, 23.30 Enchanted Thur, Fri, Sun-Wed 13.45, 16.15, Sun also 11.20, Sat 12.00, 14.30, 17.00 Enchanted (NL) Sat 10.15, 12.45, Sun 12.35, Wed 12.20 The Flock Thur, Fri, Sun-Wed 19.10, Sat 19.20 The Golden Compass Thur, Fri, Sun-Wed 15.20, Thur, Fri, Mon, Tues also 12.40, Sat 15.50 Gone Baby Gone Thur, Fri, Sun-Wed 15.30, 18.30, 21.15, Thur, Fri, Mon, Tues also 12.45, Sat 16.10, 18.45, 21.30 I Am Legend Thur, Fri, Sun-Wed 16.00, 18.45, 21.20, Thur, Fri, Mon, Tues also 13.30, Sat 17.45, 20.15, 22.40 In the Valley of Elah Thur, Fri, Sun-Wed 12.30, 15.00, 18.00, 21.00, Sat 11.25, 14.00, 16.45, 19.30, 22.20 K3 en de Kattenprins Sat 11.20, 13.20, Sun, Wed 13.00, Sun also 10.45 The Kite Runner Thur, Fri, Sun-Wed 12.00, 14.45, 17.40, 20.30, Sat 10.20, 13.15, 16.15, 19.00, 22.00 The Mist Sat 22.50 Moordwijven Thur, Fri, Sun-Wed 17.00, 19.30, 21.50, Thur, Fri,

are encouraged to be, and positively drip with juicy Southern ambience. Kevin Spacey is at his best playing the millionaire antiques specialist who shoots his roughtrade lover and employee (Jude Law). This isn’t top-of-the-line Eastwood, but it’s pretty damn good.

(1997) (JR) 155 min. Filmmuseum

Rififi Shot in Paris and its environs, Jules Dassin’s atmospheric 1955 French thriller is a familiar but effective parable of honour among thieves. Though it may not be as ideologically meaningful as the juicy noirs Dassin made for Hollywood—The Naked City (1947), Thieves’ Highway (1949) and Night and the City (1950)—it’s probably more influential, above all for its half-hour sequence without dialogue that meticulously shows the whole process of an elaborate jewellery heist. The film is scheduled to be Hollywoodised next year, with Al Pacino in the role played here by Jean Servais. See the real version instead. In French with English subtitles. (JR) 118 min. De Roode Bioscoop The Toll of the Sea Chester M Franklin’s 1922 feature with Anna May Wong was one of the first films to be made in colour using a photographic process, and was produced jointly by Technicolor Motion Picture Corporation and Metro Pictures. The story of the love between a Chinese woman and an American sailor was inspired

by Puccini’s Madame Butterfly; the live score for this screening will also be taken from Puccini. 56 min. Filmmuseum Van de andere kant This edition of the gay film series presents the Taiwanese feature Spider Lilies Zero Chou (2007). Jade works as an animated webcam model; when she goes to Takeko to get a tattoo, they become entangled in each other’s real and virtual lives. In Mandarin with English subtitles. Rialto Wild Style Charlie Ahearn’s 1983 cult classic is a semidocumentary about the emergence of graffiti art and hiphop, which have been linked from the start. Using subway artist Lee Quinones as the lead, Ahearn’s narrative meanders through the clubs and rail yards of the South Bronx. Quinones is ill at ease doing the romantic scenes and reading the hokey dialogue, but the street kids around him play themselves naturally. The pacing is slow—inexcusable in a film about music—except when hiphop takes over, and Ahearn wisely gives plenty of screen time to the likes of Busy Bee, Rock Steady Crew and Fab Five Freddy. (TS) 82 min. Het Ketelhuis

Mon-Wed also 14.40, Thur, Fri, Mon, Tues also 12.20, Sun also 14.45, Sat 15.30, 18.00, 20.30 The Nanny Diaries Thur, Fri, Sun-Wed 17.50, Sat 18.40 National Treasure: Book of Secrets Thur, Fri, Sun-Wed 18.10, 21.10, Thur, Mon, Tues also 12.10, 15.10, Sat 18.50, 21.45 Rent Wed 21.00 Sneak Preview Tues 21.45 TBS daily 13.00, Thur, Fri, Sun-Wed also 15.15, 17.30, 20.00, 22.10, Sat also 10.45, 15.45, 18.15, 20.45, 23.00, Sun also 10.50 Underdog (NL) Fri, Sat, Wed 12.10, Fri, Sun, Wed 14.10, 16.10, Sat also 10.15, 14.15, 16.30 Unfinished Sky Thur, Fri, Sun-Wed 17.15, 19.45, Thur, Fri, Mon, Tues also 14.00, Sun, Wed also 15.00, Sat 15.40, 18.20, 20.50 We Own the Night Thur, Fri, Sun-Wed 21.40, Sat 21.50 De Wonderwinkel van Mr Magorium Sat 10.20, 12.30, 15.00, Sun, Wed 13.30, Sun also 11.05.

Pathé Tuschinski Reguliersbreestraat 34, 0900 1458 Alles is liefde daily 20.45 Away from Her daily 15.30, 18.15, Thur, Fri, Mon-Wed also 12.45 Bee Movie (NL) Sat, Sun 12.45 Charlie Wilson's War daily 12.20, 14.45, 17.15, 19.40, 22.00 Earth daily 16.15, 19.10, Fri-Mon, Wed also 12.10, 14.30 Elizabeth:The Golden Age daily 21.30 Gone Baby Gone daily 21.45, Thur-Mon, Wed also 13.15 The Kite Runner daily 12.00, 15.00, 18.00, 21.00 Lust, Caution daily 13.00, 16.30, 20.00 P.S. I Love You daily 18.45 Pursuit of Happyness Thur, Tues 13.30 Sleuth daily 16.00.

Rialto Ceintuurbaan 338, 676 8700 4 maanden, 3 weken en 2 dagen daily 19.15, Sat also 12.45 El Baño del Papa daily 18.45 The Barefoot Contessa Sun 11.00, Wed 15.45 Carameldaily 21.30, Thur-Tues also 17.15, Fri, Sat also 15.00, Sun also 14.45 Lady Chatterley daily 20.45, Fri-Sun, Wed also 15.15 Das Leben der Anderen Sat, Sun 12.30 Mio fratello è figlio unico daily 19.45, 22.00, Fri, Sat, Wed also 15.30 My Blueberry Nights daily 17.45, Sat also 13.30 Spider Lilies Sun 15.00 Van de andere kant Sun 15.00.

De Roode Bioscoop Haarlemmerplein 7H, 625 7500, Rififi Sun 20.30.

Studio K Timorplein 62, 692 0422, Alles is liefde daily 19.00, Sat, Sun also 16.15 Atonement daily 19.30 Bee Movie (NL) Sat, Sun 14.15, Wed 16.15 The Diving Bell and the Butterfly Sun-Wed 22.00 The Kite Runner daily 21.30 My Blueberry Nights Thur-Sat 22.00 Ratatouille (NL) Sat, Sun 13.45, 16.30, Wed 16.00.

De Uitkijk Prinsengracht 452, 623 7460 2 Days in Paris daily 21.30, Sun also 15.00, Tues also 17.00 Desmond en het Moerasmonster Sat, Wed 15.15, Sun 13.15 The Devil's Carriage Tues 20.00 Earth Thur-Mon, Wed 17.00 Elizabeth:The Golden Age Thur-Mon, Wed 19.15.

Amsterdam Weekly

31 January-6 February 2008

WEEKLY CLASSIFIEDS Ads are free, space permitting. They will be posted both to the paper and online. Guaranteed placement is available for a small fee; see our website for details. Ads may be published in English, het Nederlands or whatever language is best for you to communicate your message.

How to submit an ad: via our website at www.amsterdamweekly.nl, by fax at 020 620 1666 or post to Amsterdam Weekly, De Ruyterkade 106, 1011 AB Amsterdam. Deadline: Monday at 12.00, the week of publication.

AD OF THE WEEK URBAN ANGELS Life path readings. Psychic readings. Accurate and stress-free. By appointment. 06 5080 5589. In A’dam. send your CV to Ken Gillings at kgillings@eng-nl.com. Tel BIKE TAXI DRIVERS WANT- 305 0950, www.eng-nl.com.

EDWe’re in business 365 days GERMAN NATIVE Are you a year! Are you service-orienta German native? Are you ed, independent, responsilooking for a fun job at a fun ble, flexible & unafraid of company in the centre of Dutch weather? Climb on the A’dam? Do you have a few bandwagon this winter & get hours per day, a few days per priority for best summer week available? Then GUIDshifts. We offer weekly introION might be able to offer duction sessions. Contact 06 you the right job. €10 per hour.

38822683/info@wielertaxi.nl/ Interested? Send an email to www.wielertaxi.nl. ironken@guidion.nl (Ingrid).

ENGLISH NATIVE PROOFBUSINESS RESEARCH READER wanted for top Global consulting firm lookadvertising agency in A’dam. ing for an internet researcher Are you accurate with an to support our Asia/Pacific excellent eye for detail? Are region. Ideal for recent uniyou interested in working for versity graduates. Fluency in a creative, cool company?

Japanese and English needSend your CV to jill@secreed. Send CV to skim@spencertariesbyadams.com. stuart.com.

UTRECHTMULTILINGUALS MASHUA OFFERS JOBS we are looking for you! Great Restaurant Mashua is lookCSR job with excellent ing for kitchen staff and table SALARY for Spanish, Italian attendants. Experience & and French multilinguals. good communication skills Interested? Send your CV in required. Must be Dutch & English to anna@adamsreEnglish speaking. Wide & varcruitment.com. ied range of activities in modRECRUITER–THE HAGUE! ern, stylish restaurant. RemuWe are looking for a native neration according to Dutch English in-house recruiter standards. Contact 06 5371 with strong experience in 8057 or info@mashua.nl.

Dutch and international ASIAN SINGER PERrecruitment. Excellent comFORMER wanted for Caramunication and negotiation van Stage Company, a Canaskills required. Looking for dian Ship Theater now touran exciting, fast paced opporing Greece. Original theater tunity? Look no further! Send & music performed on a 30m your CV to marie@adamsresailing boat. April to Sept cruitment.com.

2008. www.caravanstage.org.

UNDUTCHABLES A'DAMis Please send CV and photo to looking for Marketing coordi- caravanstage@yahoo.com. nator (native ENG); Junior TÉLÉCONSEILLERS Prise Acct; Marketing Asst(NL & en charge de tous les contacts ENG, French is a pre); Bus clients, téléphone, e-mail ou planner (NL & ENG-speak- messagerie instantanée pour ing); Dental technicians for l’assistance commerciale et Clinical support Rep; Net devel- SAV. Résolution de problèmes oper; Project Manager Local- pour nos clients, vous devez ization. Pls send CV to Ams- être autonome, flexible et terdam@undutchables.nl or proactif. Envoyer votre CV à check www.undutchables.nl. Virginia@guidion.co.uk ou

JOBS

UNDUTCHABLES A'VEEN are looking for Secretary speaking Japanese and English; Java Web Developer; Technical support engineer product speaking German-English; Oracle specialists; Sales Secretary speaking Spanish (Morten); Please mail amstelveen@undutchables.nl. See for more positions www.undutchables.nl.

MASHUA SEEKS STAFF Restaurant Mashua looking for kitchen staff & table attendants. Experience, good communication skills & representative appearance (for waiters M/F) required. Wide & varied range of activities in modern, stylish restaurant. Remuneration according to Dutch standards. 06 5371 8057/lili@mashua.nl.

SALES OPPORTUNITY Inside sales position with leading A’dam-based Conference Company. Business level English required together with the ability to work fulltime, 5 days per week.

Salary OTE 40-70k P.A. Please

appeler 520 5360.

ceilings, good, natural light and located on WG Plein, adja55M2 APTNewly refurbished cent to Overtoom. For appointA’dam apt near Vondel park. ment and more info contact 55m2, fully furnished, mod- D. Ingel: 06 2883 4224. ern kitchen, bathroom and OFFICE SPACE Spiegelkdouble bedroom. Available wartier/Weteringbuurt. now. €1000 excl per month. Shared office in characterstevendannatt@yahoo.co.uk. istic building in the centre

HOUSING FOR RENT

FOR RENT IN PORTUGAL Houses for rent in Portuguese countryside in the beautiful Beiras. 1 hour from Coimbra. View of mountains, peace and quiet for 1 to 10.

See www.valedasportas.nl and enjoy! Seja Bem vindo.

JORDAAN Nice, furnished apt for rent from now till 01 Mar. 5 min walk from CS. 2 or 3 people. Email marlenebrasil@live.nl for more details.

FOR RENT ON CURACAO Nice holiday house for rent on Curacao (Normandie 3).

Living room, kitchen, 3 bdrms, bathroom, carport. Includes TV, washing machine, rental car. Close to public transport, centrally located, close to shops & police station, quiet neighbourhood. Call 06 1021 8271 or email info@tulipany.nl for info.

of A’dam. Ground floor and/or basement unit(s) available.

Mezzanine occupied by graphic designer. Kitchen, storage space, WC and spare room (library) to share. More info on 06 2471 1401.

WATERSIDE WORK SPACE Join the Allies, 8 freelance writers and media pros in a 2-storey studio on Nieuwendammerhaven marina, across the IJ just 10 mins from Central Station. The €300/mth rent includes desk, phone and internet connections, coffee and more. Call/mail Frank van Wijck: 06 2461 2396, frank@evatekst.nl.

DESK/WORKSPACE FOR RENT for rent within creative collective in heart of A’dam. We are looking for people to share office space with our film production company. 1 desk available. Shared kitchen. Building offers reception service, bike garage + cleaning. €250/mth ex BTW. info@godmotherfilms.com.

APT W/ GARDENFurnished and recently renovated loft 80m2 with full bathroom, bedroom & garden on south. Washing machine, dryer, dishwasher, combi microwave, TV/adsl FOR SALE wireless, floor heating. Area: A’dam Oosterpark. Price: BIKES FOR SALE Silver €1150 excl water & electric- coloured Shark beach cruiser: €75; Ranger oma fiets with ity. info@medialounge.nl. hand brakes/gears: €85; BenGREAT PLACE FOR RENT zo sport old timer. Email karaNice furnished apt in A’dam ba1976@gmail.com.

Westerpark. Bedroom, big living room, kitchen, bathroom, SMALLBIKEFORWOMAN26’ little balcony. Popular, cultur- wheels.Colorgreen.100%good. al neighbourhood. Near cen- Price€50.Telinfo:0613017680. ter/Jordaan. For 1 person/cou- AMERICAN FOODS!Get all ple. April–Oct or longer. €1250 your favorite American foods all incl. ikoorn@xs4all.nl. mailed direct to your door!

Take advantage of the cheap HOUSING WANTED dollar! Cereals, drinks, canROOM/FLAT 20 y.o. student dy, baking goods and more. lookingforaroominA’dam.Can www.eatusonline.com. paymax€450.PreferablysemiFREE STUFF furnished. Call 06 4274 5814.

APT WANTED I’m a violin- MEDIAMATIC DATING ist and composer currently Looking for a residency perliving close to place de la mit, a one night stand, a new Bastille in Paris. In Feb I’ll flatmate or just a friend to vismove back to A’dam. I’m look- it a museum? Start dating on ing for an apt in city centre. the new Mediamatic datPrice between €500 and €800. ingsite: http://www.mediajeroen@jeroenvanderwel.nl. matic.net/dating.

WAREHOUSE MGR/ ASSTANT Fast-growing plant nutrient distributor needs an accurate,detail-orientedwarehousemgr/assistanttothedirector. Varied tasks include receiving,confirming,inputing,packSHARED HOUSING ing/palletizingcustomerorders, 10 MIN FROM CS Housing inventory control. MS office & English & Dutch required, FR, to share for €350 plus 1 month SP,Gera+.info@an-europe.com. deposit. helderedgar3@hotmail.com.

SHIFT MANAGER KASUMI Voor een sushi bar in BDRM FOR RENTI’m lookAmstelveen, shift manager ing for a roommate in a 75m2 voor 4-5 dagen per week (incl apt. Available 25m2 bedroom weekends) van 15.30-22.15. with separate entrance and Talen: Nederlands en Engels. balcony, big windows, full Rijbewijs B. Email yasmin@ kitchen, nice neighborhood, kasumibar.com.

15 min to CS. AH and metro GERMAN/FRENCH Small and tram within 3 min walk. office in A’dam looking for €400/mth all incl + 1 mth German & French customer deposit. Please respond to service/mail processing peo- erosemil@yahoo.com. ple. Duties include opening OTHER SPACES mail, reading customer serPHOTO STUDIO For amavice letters, and using database for orders and cus- teur and professional photomer service letters. Inter- tographers. Can also be used ested? Send email with CV to as meeting or gathering space. amsterdamjob@gmail.com. 100m2, €150/day. Possible to Work to start immediately. rent photo equipment. High

SERVICES QUALITY PHOTOGRAPHY Architecture, portrait, fashion andmusicphotography.Check my work at www.andresphotography.com. Contact me for more info at andresinbox@ gmail.com.

ENGLISH MAN WITH VAN Can help with removals, big or small, in or outside of the country. Reasonable rates, quick service. Contact Lee on 06 2388 2184 or whitevan@whitevanman.nl or see www.whitevanman.nl.

BUDGETTAXIfor tailor-made private day tours and other long distance taxi services with reservation (>50 kms; in NL or to/from abroad). Spacious, no-nonsense taxi (airco/GPS) for 1-4 passengers and lots of luggage. Dutch driver speaks

21

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STUNNING WEBSITES EXPATRIATE COUNSELExperienced designer builds INGoffers professional coachprofessional, unique sites, ing, counseling and therapy starting at €300. www.off- in English, Dutch, Spanish minor.com/stunning_design.h and Japanese. Longer hours, tm. Contact Jordan: jordan- weekends and the best sergcz@yahoo.com, 06 3034 1238. vice. For more information LOST IN TRANSLATION? I please visit www.expatriateam a translator English>Dutch counseling.com or call 06 2824 and Dutch>English. I can 4088 or email info@expatritranslate all your documen- atecounseling.com. tation. Subjects: legal, marMASSAGE keting communication, policy, literature, culture and art. TANTRA MASSAGESacred Speed, accuracy and quality sensual massage created to of work are at the top of my arouse, circulate & increase list. Interested? Feel free to energy throughout the body. contact me on mobile number: Moving energy not only enhances awareness and the 06 4322 9466. capacity for pleasure, it can DOCTOR SERVICE Camalso be a powerful healing bridge Medicals doctor serexperience. Tantra A’dam & vice offers consultations,visLondon. Info: www.erosits, prescriptions and email trance.com, Shanti@erosconsultations for expats and trance.com, 06 4277 3290. tourists. Our service is covered by most insurance com- IL CIELO STUDIO We offer panies. EU health cards different treatments such as accepted. Address: 30 Rapen- craniosacral, dorn breuss burg @ 112 Bloemgracht. massage, holistic, ayurvedic Call 427 5011 or 06 2723 5380. and foot massage. The treatments are reimbursed by Email doctor@planet.nl. many health insurances. Info: NEED TO MOVE? Door-towww.ilcielo.org, Unmani, 06 door moving for only €35. We 3004 9738. have 3 vans available with experienced drivers + extra FOR HEALTH & VITAL removers. Also the perfect FORCE Meiso shiatsu massolution for delivering your sage. Is effective as a health new bought furniture. Book maintenance system. By theronline on www.vrachtver- apist Monika Stepak. €30/1 huizer.nl or call 06 1514 9164. hr. 06 5099 8032. NO SEX. GRAPHIC DESIGNER/AD providesvisualstrategiesforpromoting your business or nonprofit initiative. If you need to haveanexcitingcorporateidentity, logo, flyers, ads, magazine, book or want to develop your internet presence, we will help you make a difference. Contact 2flowdesign@gmail.com or call 06 5090 0923.

HEALTH & WELLNESS

HOME IMPROVEMENT DECORATINGYears experience in decorating, painting, plastering, flooring and light carpentry. For estimates please call 330 2634.

UPHOLSTERYFor re-upholstering of all kinds of furniture, modern and antique, boat and caravan cushions recovered or made to measure, also curtains made to measure, all styles catered for, wide selection of fabrics to choose from in all price classes. Contact Sophie Filangi 06 4154 7557/www.alabonnechaise.nl.

THE SOUL SEMINAR Flow withyoursoul.Thisseminarwill explore how to connect with your soul and express it in your daily life. 21 Feb 20.00-22.00. €40. (Reductions available.) RENO-BOUW-RAJCZYKDo More info: www.thesoul.info. you need cost-effective and YOGA, SUN AND SAILING high-quality full house reno17-24 June. Enjoy a fabu- vation? Professional, experilous week of yoga, sun & sail- enced and with excellent refing in the Mediterranean. erences. Online links to past www.yogacruise.net. projects. Call now and ask for TIRED OF BEING STUCK? appointment: 06 4451 7410 or Heighten your quality of life. 331 6550, www.reno-bouw.nl, Improve your relationships, karol-rajczyk@hotmail.com. with the help of native COMPUTERS English-speaking therapist.

My 20 years of professional PC HOUSE DOCTOR Speexperience and understand- cialised in virus/spyware ing can help you better cope removal, h/w, s/w repair, data with feelings and sort through recovery, wireless, cable/ADSL stressful thoughts. Call Sagar installation and computer on 06 4626 5412. lessons from friendly and expe-

22

Amsterdam Weekly

31 January-6 February 2008

Amsterdam Weekly

31 January-6 February 2008 rienced Microsoft profession- Visit www.talile.com for more al for reasonable price. Con- information. tact Mario 06 1644 8230.

BREAKDANCE WORKNEED HELP WITH YOUR SHOPEvery Wed 14.00-15.30.

MAC? MAC-lover helps you Overtoom 301. More info: 06 with basic setups, minor trou- 5099 8032. bleshooting, install, network- CLOWN AWAKENING 8/9 ing, basic MAC lessons, set- Mar. Intensive workshop. ting up programs, MS Word, Overtoom 301. cirkusworldQuarkXpress, etc. Help with wild@yahoo.com. purchasing the right MAC. Contact Sagar at 06 4626 5412. VONDELPARK FITNESS A fun but effective workout in WIFI H/W WANTED: anten- the Vondelpark just for the nas, bridges, routers, wireless girls. Join us on Sun mornings cards, components, cables, at 10.00 in the paddling pool etc. Anything to do with WIFI. area for interval training. The orangeworkshop@hotmail.co quickest and most effective m. 06 5059 3293. way to burn fat & tone up. €8 PC PROBLEMSHelp with pc a session. Contact Sarah: 06 2487 3837 or fitandfabuproblems: installing h/w & s/w; lousnl@hotmail.com. upgrading h/w & s/w; installing DRAWING AND PAINTING network, etc. 06 5537 1575. workshopsbyprofessionalartist, COURSES various techniques, all styles, ONEWEEKDUTCHEenweek from scratch to painting with intensief Nederlands spreken. oils. Contact joneiselin@hetGLOSSA helps you to strength- net.nl. en your confidence in speaking Dutch. Are you interested in practising your Dutch in a 1-weekcourse?Focusonwords and phrases of everyday use.

Have a look at www.glossa.nl or call 06 1471 5372.

yours (or any cafe around).

If you interested in Israeli history, culture and politics (in case you have not had YOGA FOR BEGINNERSBe enough yet on T.V!) I can also good to yourself this year. 8-wk illuminate those topics for beginner course. Learn how you. Tel 889 3979 (Moran). to breathe correctly, deeply LEARN ITALIAN! Italian relax, calm your mind and native-speaker gives lessons stretch out your whole body. to whoever is interested in Starts Wed 6 Feb 18.15-19.45. learning a new language. The Taught in English by certified teacher has a university teacher. €80. Call Kirsten for degree. Flexible hours are more details: 06 1884 7280 or possible. Available also for limeyalien77@gmail.com. children. If you are interested, call 06 2525 6811.

days from 9.30 to 11.45. Start 6 Feb. Info: www.zenshiatsu.nl or monikaforster@dds.nl or 693 7808.

UPHOLSTERY WORKSHOP in Westerpark! Recover and/or repair your own furniture with the professional advice of Sophie Filangi. Every Tues and Thur 19.00-22.00 (by appt LANGUAGES only). Including use of tools, DUTCH FOR EXPATS C&C BELLY DANCE COURSE excluding materials. €30 per DUTCH LESSONS A'DAM Language Support. Dutch session.

Call for information Improve conversation/profes- Lessons in relaxed atmoweekly at 19.00 on Thursdays. sional purpose/studies/NT2. sphere, tailored to your needs, Studio in A’dam West. Visit on 06 4154 7557. www.zerzura.info or tel 681 MASSAGE COURSESIl Cielo Also online. Min indiv rate all levels, flexible schedule, 0072. This timeless woman’s offer the all year courses for €15/hr. Adults & children. Mon- 1-on-1. Concentration on pracdance is lots of fun and creates beginners about holistic mas- Sat, 10.00-21.00. Also inten- tical use and conversation. a positive body image, regard- sage, craniosacral,footreflex sive courses. Min intensive: For details, visit www.lasu.nl. less of age or shape. Why not and meditation. Starting from 15 hrs=€215,55. www.excelcome along and find out?

Jan and Feb for the all year, lentdutch.nl. New: Super- IMPROVE YOUR DUTCH! A intensive summer course. Info: fresh Dutch start in 2008? PriDANCE & PILATESfor ama- read more at www.ilcielo.org, excellentdutch@hotmail.com, vateclasses,smallstudygroups, teurs and professionals; First or call Unmani on 06 3004 9738. conversation, intensive, etc at 06 3612 2870. class is free! Special improvi- SHIATSUCOURSELearn how Link Taal Studio, Vijzelgracht HEBREW PRIVATE sation-based workshop €25 to give a simple but efficient 53, professional approach. Call for 4 hrs. Please contact us on treatment. Introduction to the LESSONS Native Hebrew Anja 06 4133 9323, linktaalta.li.le.dancecompany@gmail. basic principles of shiatsu by speaker would be glad to studio@gmail.com. com to register for your free Monika Forster at the ‘Zen teach you in a relaxing atmoShiatsu Opleiding.’ 10 Wednes- sphere, at either my house or DUTCH COURSES New class and/or workshop.

evening courses starting in Jan and Feb, centre of A’dam. €200250 for 20 hrs. Visit www.mercuurtaal.nl or call 693 4250.

DUTCH CONVERSATION Conversatieweek Nederlands.

Kom een weekje Nederlands spreken bij GLOSSA. One week intensive fluency will make your Dutch boost. More information and other training options www.glossa.nl or call 06 1471 5372.

INTENSIVE DUTCHcourses at Joost Weet Het! Classes 4 times per week during 4 hours.

Good teachers, fun classes and energetic athmosphere. Small groups, Personal approach with Emphasis on conversation. 2,3,4 and 8 wks courses.

Price: €8/hr. Visit www.joostweethet.nl. Email info@joostweethet.nl. Tel 420 8146.

MUSIC DRUM LESSONS Hello! I’m professional drum player studying at Conservatorium van Amsterdam. I give private lessons in jazz, pop, afro cuban, Latin style. The first lesson is free. For who is interested my number is 06 5043 3880. My

23 laardgitaarles.nl for details A JOB Young girl, dancer, (in Dutch) or simply call 06 choreographer, interested in fashion and film looking for a 4216 2234 (Wenko). creative job. Contact nic.sireTHE ARTS ka@lycos.com.

EDUCATION FOR HEALTH GROUPS & CLUBS The Dutch Professional school of Meiso Shiatsu. Therapy & LESBIAN EXPAT GROUP educationforhealthandhuman We are setting up a social group evolution. www.meisoshiatsu. for expat lesbians and bisexual women. If you would like com. 0573 255 585. to join in drop us a line at lbexRUSSIAN WOMEN with patamsterdam@hotmail.com. unique personality and sense of humour to take part in artisPERSONALS tic performance on Sat 2 Feb. SECRET DATING Looking A lot of fun guaranteed. Interested? Mail katja@inhalex- for a secret lover, or want to hale.org or visit us at Media- fantasise about it? Make a email is ciscobon@libero.it. matic: Oosterdokskade 5 (Post profile and start dating on the Mediamatic datingsite: JAZZ PIANO LESSONSStu- CS building), ground floor, http://www.mediamatic.net/d dent of Conservatorium Van side entrance, open 16.00ating. It’s free, it’s easy.

Amsterdam is giving jazz 20.00. www.mediamatic.net. piano lessons. 06 4358 3325. FEMALE PERFORMERSfor NOTICES SINGING LESSONSProfes- Mediamatic event Russian NEW TO HOLLAND? sional opera singer with inter- roulette on Sat 2 Feb 19.00- Netherlands info site for visnational performing and 22.00. Fee is symbolic. New itors, expats & locals. Info on teaching experience offer- contacts in the art world guar- transport, accommodation, ing lessons to singers of all anteed. Interested? Mail kat- jobs, meeting people, eating levels and ages. Reasonable ja@inhalexhale.org or visit us & drinking, shopping, sports, rates, flexible schedule. Close at Oosterdokskade 5 (Post CS courses, entertainment, comto the Oosterpark, easy access building), ground floor, side munication, events and fesby metro. For more info please entrance, open 16.00-20.00. tivals. www.insquish.com. call Maria at 421 1837 or email www.mediamatic.net.

A'DAM FLICKR GROUP mackowan@gmail.com.

LOOKING FOR Share your photos of A’dam COMPUTER MUSIC Learn A YOUNG MANis looking for with other Weekly readers. how to make music with your painting, ironing, gardening Join Amsterdam Weekly’s new computer, all levels. Softand general house cleaning Flickr Group! Go to flickr.com, ware, hardware, midi, audio, work. References available. search for Amsterdam WeekWindows, Apple, composily under Groups, and start Please email bigabossey@hottion, recording, live perforloading your favourite images. mail.com or call 06 2377 0134. mance, recording, digitalizaMURAL PAINTER Do you tion of your old tapes or PIANIST WANTED Profeshave a children’s room or records, podcasts, setting up sional vocalist is looking for nursery that needs something an affordable computer sys- a pianist to play jazz/swing. special to make it unique? I tem for music. Email com- Email lazelle@home.nl. can paint children’s dreams putermusic@xs4all.nl.

ANYONE GO WITH ME to on their walls and decorate LEARN GUITAR!Take a free trial lesson! Acoustic or electric guitar, beginner to advanced, various styles. See my website www.wenkomil-

BON JOVI’s concert in Arena, 13 June (Fri)? Tickets start from €56. If somebody feels like going with me, here’s my email: quovadisbaby3@yahoo.it.

a play room with imagination. Any theme, any style.

Contact Anna to discus the possibilities: anna@annagreaves.com or 06 1811 5098