[chisigmail] CHISIG VIC: Movie night in Melbourne on Thursday August 23. That's tomorrow night....

[Patrizia Bordignon]

So who am I popping popcorn for???


See below for details.

------ Forwarded Message
From: Patrizia Bordignon <designui at bigpond.net.au>
Date: Tue, 14 Aug 2007 21:05:42 +1000
To: "chisigmail at chisig.org" <chisigmail at chisig.org>
Conversation: CHISIG VIC: Movie night in Melbourne on Thursday August 23.
Subject: CHISIG VIC: Movie night in Melbourne on Thursday August 23.

This is a first for CHISIG.....a movie night.

Movie:
Kitchen Stories - 
A scientific observer's job of observing an old cantankerous single man's
kitchen habits is complicated by his growing friendship with him.

Venue:  
Microsoft (where the User Experience Evangelist works)
Level 5
4 Freshwater Place
Southbank

Cost: 
Gold coin donation for movie munchies and drinks

Time: 
6.00pm - drinks & nibbles
6.30pm - screening commences

RSVP: 
Yes please - so we know how much popcorn to pop!  Email to
designui at bigpond.net.au by Wednesday August 22.

About the movie:
Directed by Bent Hamer
Released in January 2003
Genre: comedy/drama "a feel-good movie"
Duration: 95minutes
Swedish and Norwegian with English subtitles
Rating:
On the IMDB site, this film scored a rating of 7.3 out of 10.


It's shortly after World War, II, and the Swedish are conducting experiments
on how to be most efficient in the kitchen. They already strapped
odd-looking contraptions on women, to see how and what they use in a
kitchen. From this, they were able to design a kitchen that maximized
efficiency for women. Their new target is single men, and they decide to go
into neighboring Norway to observe. In order to facilitate this, an
impartial scientist is sent to observe a subject. This means sitting in a
ridiculously high chair (click on link below to see the high chair) and
taking copious notes on everything the subject does. Well, one of the
interpretations of the Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle states that by
observing an experiment, the experimenter changes the outcome, and that soon
becomes the case with Folke (Tomas Norstrom, Bit by Bit, Anyway, He's
Definitely Dead). He is sent to observe Isak (Joachim Calmeyer, Kransen,
Dreamplay), who is basically a grumpy old man.

To say that Isak is averse to interaction is putting it mildly. He instantly
regrets signing up for the experiment, and does what he can to make Folke's
job miserable. Usually this means turning off the lights and leaving
whenever Folke begins to record something. Folke retaliates by become more
intrusive in his observations, and each try to play little mind games with
each other. There is a minimum of conversation and the action is sometimes
slow, but it is wonderfully subversive how the two of them try to get the
better of the other. Writer/director Ben Hamer (Water Easy Reach, Eggs) and
co-writer Jorgen Bergmark (A Love Affair) deftly set things up almost along
the lines of a silent comedy. Every movement has a purpose, and they do
things slowly and deliberately for maximum effect.

Soon, Isak and Folke come to a point where they cannot do much more to each
other, and Hamer deftly changes the film into a story between two lonely
people. The two begin to talk, and find that they really enjoy each other's
company. This does ruin Folke's experiment, but he also realizes that there
are things more important than his job. And unlike most other films, Hamer
is able to show the progression of the two's friendship, from their
tentative initial attempts at conversation to later, comfortable
interactions. One of the elements that make their friendship a tad more
unlikely is likely to fly over the heads of many. In the War, Norway and
Sweden were not on the same side (well, one was actually on a side and the
other was neutral). There is a sense of mistrust between the two men because
of this, something they are able to overcome once they get a better sense of
the other. Then, inexplicably, Hamer is again able to shift the mood to one
of poignancy, but again, he makes the transition seamless. Everything feels
fluid and natural.

http://www.haro-online.com/movies/kitchen_stories.html


Many thanks to Scott Rippon for suggesting the movie night and the movie.

If you are interested in having pizza afterwards, let me know and I'll book
a table at Automatic Café over the road in the Crown Complex.

See you next Thursday 23rd.

Cheers,

Triz.

Patrizia Bordignon
CHISIG Vic Rep
Interaction Designer & Usability Consultant
Design for U & I
Mobile 0409 936 498
Email designui at bigpond.net.au
Patrizia Bordignon
Interaction Designer & Usability Consultant
Design for U & I
Mobile 0409 936 498
Email designui at bigpond.net.au

------ End of Forwarded Message