PHOBiA on the web

It was in my wildest and younger days. I was a freshman in the University, and it was required for the Multimedia class the creation of a short film. Along with my teammates we created “PHOBiA”, I wrote the script, it was my first experience with that kind of writing, and I suddenly became a fan of that style. I started downloading scripts from several movies and tv-shows. The ones I enjoyed the most were the Nip/Tuck scripts, American Beauty, and Brick.

Now, after two years, “PHOBiA” is near of making its big debut on the world wide web . We decided a long time ago, that the short film would only be showed on the place where it deserves to be, not in some common site like youtube . For now, you can watch the trailer, but the whole short film will be available soon.

 

http://phobia.pt.vu/

 

The site was developed by Carlos Gavina, the one who also directed the Phobia.

 

Go take a look,

 

Rui Azevedo

Teoria do bandido

Na actualidade em que nos encontramos, muitas são as situações em que a denominada “teoria do bandido” entra em cena, encarando apenas um actor figurante, cujo rosto nem sequer é observado, por parte da séria plateia. A explicação da teoria pode ser um pouco estranha, pode ser mesmo considerada totalmente irrealista, mas eu acredito que ela existe! Ora, para explicar da forma mais correcta esta minha teoria, terei primeiro de expor perante o meu fiel público, as minhas convicções morais e sociais sobre os dogmas da sociedade da qual fazemos parte.

A sociedade portuguesa, neste presente actual, pouco ou nada evoluiu em relação aos primórdios da última década do século XX. Continua presente a soberania de uma sociedade egocêntrica, extremamente conservadora, que não olha a fins e a meios para fazer valer a sua vontade e ideais. O senão desta visão elitista da sociedade, é o facto de apenas uma dada porção de indivíduos serem detentores de um estatuto intocável mesmo até para a intransigente regente dos valores morais. Sendo nós parte desta sociedade, e não pertencendo ao grupo de intocáveis, estamos constantemente a ser confrontados pela possibilidade de sermos alvos da desaprovação da sociedade. Podemos mesmo assumir uma postura de tranquilidade e despreocupação face a quem observa e quem tem conhecimento sobre as nossas acções, esse é um direito de que podemos usufruir livremente, mas que poderá ter as suas consequências. É neste aspecto que entra em cena a “teoria do bandido”.

Existem certos valores e elementos que moldam a nossa personalidade, e nos caracterizam. Valores de carácter, credibilidade, honestidade, de honra, entre outros. É com base nesses mesmos valores, que agimos, juntamente com os nossos ideais de vida, ou mesmo até com o nosso próprio sentido de justiça. Mas o que nos define como humanos, o produto do nosso crescimento, educação o desenvolvimento do nosso intelecto (neste caso os nossos valores, princípios etc.), irá ser por ventura, um dos pontos em que seremos vulneráveis, e onde iremos sofrer mais ataques ao longo da nossa vida.

Imaginando por exemplo uma qualquer situação, em que as nossas convicções entrem em colisão com os pseudo – princípios de uma determinada sociedade, essa, facilmente manipulável por indivíduos que caracterizei á pouco como sendo intocáveis, irá exercer da sua soberania e utilizar (grande parte das vezes) a mentira como arma para denegrir o carácter e a personalidade da pessoa em questão, fazendo deste modo, parecer aos olhos de todos os seus dogmáticos membros, um bandido, enquanto na realidade existe apenas, uma pessoa com diferentes perspectivas. Como é óbvio, a imagem que temos numa dada sociedade, não é motivo de preocupação da nossa parte, e eu também concordo que não deve ser. Devemos ser sempre fiéis aos nossos ideais e princípios. O que condeno neste caso, são as consequências que surgem por parte da posição conservativa, dogmática e manipuladora da sociedade, quando decide por diversas razões (podem ser de natureza étnica, profissional, cultural ou mesmo religiosa), atacar e forjar os valores de carácter e ideais de certas pessoas.

As consequências irão continuar a sucederem-se. O sistema judicial irá actuar em conformidade com a imagem e credibilidade que essa pessoa tem na sociedade. Uma vez denegrida essa credibilidade a pessoa não terá mais valor para o sistema judicial, e a seu testemunho irá ser de pouca relevância. Quantos assassinos irão continuar livremente, apenas porque a única testemunha do crime era uma prostituta? Quantos traficantes de droga sairão impunes, pelo facto da testemunha ser um toxicodependente? Será que é a pessoa que se senta no lugar das testemunhas, que tem o seu carácter denegrido pelos valores morais da sociedade, ou será que quem se senta no banco dos réus, tem a sua credibilidade, estabelecida e aprovada pelos padrões da mesma sociedade? Acho que qualquer uma destas possibilidades, ou mesmo a existência de ambas em conjunto, caracteriza e define esta minha teoria à qual chamo “teoria do bandido”.

Cumprimentos,

Rui Azevedo

Um agradável sumo de laranja, num final de tarde de Outubro

Quando o nosso corpo começa a ressentir um certo cansaço, não de esforço, mas de uma monotonia cíclica, há certos pequenos prazeres, que fazem toda a diferença. Ora, como homem simples que sou, não me dou ao luxo de sequer, pensar em prazeres muito dispendiosos, ou que requeiram alguma espécie de esforço. (peço a vossa atenção para não começarem a mal interpretar a conotação utilizada na expressão pequenos prazeres). Encontro tudo isso, num banal sumo de laranja de pacote, bebido com palhinha à varanda num final de tarde de Outubro. Poderia ser um café, ou mesmo um leite achocolatado bem concentrado e quentinho, adocicado com um fio de mel, mas não, tudo isso seria extravagantemente requintado para o meu momento de pausa. Queria algo reconfortante, mas que ao mesmo tempo me desse o conforto psicológico da ingestão vitamínica saudável, e ali estava o sumo de laranja.

Confesso que o mágico momento talvez não pertença ao sumo de laranja, mas sim, ao lento anoitecer que vislumbrava da minha pequena varanda. Um ritual, que se repete tão silenciosamente, que é camuflado pelos nossos pensamentos, e que naquele momento, por felicidade de um mero acaso, podia observá-lo da primeira plateia, acompanhado por um mero sumo de laranja, que dado a obra em palco, tornou-se o complemento perfeito para um calmo e tranquilo momento.

Bebam sumo de laranja ,

Rui Azevedo

Mentiras distorcidas no portal escritacriativa

Está disponível, a minha caricata visão sobre a mentira e verdade, no portal de escrita criativa.  Se não fazem ideia daquilo que estou a falar, basta fazerem um rápido “search” nos meus posts e facilmente encontrarão o texto em questão. Se também partilham o gosto pela escrita, ou se simplesmente gostam de ler textos interessantes e inovadores, basta fazerem uma visita ao portal, de certeza que encontrarão algo que vos agrade.

Para terminar, um factor que me deixou bastante agradado e um pouco convencido. Dois comentários elogiosos sobre aquele meu pequeno texto .

Desejo-vos um bom resto de fim de semana,

Rui Azevedo

Poetry and cookies

Hello there! It’s good to be back. A lot happen after my last post, and I probably wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t the intervention of a friend (I really have to thank her properly)! But talking about my absence, the classes have started. The boring and long classes, that are the best lullaby you’ve ever heard. But the positive side of the classes is that, this year might be my last year on college. That’s right, if I finished all my disciplines, I can graduate on ICT (I still don’t know if that’s a good thing). While the classes were starting, I decided to participate on a contest of creative writing, and that was the main reason for my long absence in this space. First I started writing some crazy story that came out of my mind, the story was like some dreams that sometimes we have, and that we’re glad to wake up from that kind of dream, it’s not a nightmare, but a dream where the strangest situations occur and we don’t have the control to change the events. Well my first story was something like that, and I was convinced that success was granted, but then, I discovered that only poetry was allowed.

I hadn’t wrote any words of poetry since the high school, but since I was with that high spirit, I decided to give it a chance. I wrote twelve pages, where, in a style that to me is poetry, I tell the story of a bohemian man that leaves the capital (Lisbon) and embraces a life full of destruction till he arrives at Aveiro, and starts to change himself.

When I finished the writing process, I looked to the strophes of my poem and their shape (call me weird), but they resembled me some ugly cookies. That’s right, some fresh and home made cookies, totally disjointed. The question that I still want to see answered, is if the taste of those cookies is also as bad as its shape.

See you around,

Rui Azevedo

Aparências Iludem

Já todos sabemos, apesar de nem sempre ficarmos no benefício da dúvida, que as aparências podem enganar. Uma dada situação ou mesmo uma pessoa, pode passar uma imagem de si, que não corresponde á verdadeira realidade. Um exemplo que vos trago aqui hoje é do programa Inglês Britain’s Got Talent, vejam, e se por alguma razão ainda não tinham sido convencidos da verdade da frase “aparências enganam”, convençam-se de uma vez por todas.

Rui Azevedo

This Is England

Today I recommend you, one of the most recent movies that I watched, This is England. “The story is about a troubled boy growing up in England, set in 1983. He comes across a few skinheads on his way home from school, after a fight. They become his new best friends even like family. The movie is based on experiences of director Shane Meadows.”. Although it is an independent British film, the good reviews made about it, give it justice. The movie also won some awards such as British Independent Film Award (2006) in the Category of Best British Independent Film and Most Promising Newcomer (On Screen) Thomas Turgoose.

If you have a chance to see this movie, don’t let it pass. The story is very interesting, it has some funny moments, the runtime is the perfect one for the movie. The action during the film can be predictable, but the way that it is showed, is very well done. The soundtrack is also good, and it’s mixed very well with the film. Another fact for you to see this movie is the performance of the newcomer and young actor Thomas Turgoose, that is really amazing. In terms of direction, Shane Meadows also proves that he’s a talented director, passing perfectly the message and the meaning of the film.

Some trivia about the film:

“Thomas Turgoose had never acted before, had been banned from his school play for behaving badly and even demanded £5 to turn up for the film’s auditions.”

“The film is dedicated to Thomas Turgoose’s mother, Sharon, who died in 2006.”

I guess that’s it, have fun and watch This is England

Rui Azevedo

And the Emmy goes to…

Last evening, the tv show The Sopranos, wined the Emmy for the best tv drama. I didn’t see this last season of the show, so I was cheering for House. The other award winner of the evening were Sally Field (Brothers & Sisters) in the best actress drama (I believe that it is a well worthy emmy for the good role of Sally Field on the show); James Spader (Boston Legal) in the best actor drama (I totally disagree with this one, I’m not a very fan of Boston Legal, but trying to be impartial, Hugh Laurie from House and James Gandolfini from The Sopranos, deserved (in my point of view) the award.

In comedy, the best show was 30 Rock ( I didn’t have the chance to see it yet, but it seems pretty interesting), I believe it was a surprise, since the public would put their chances on The Office. America Ferrera (Ugly Betty) won the best actress award (personally, I don’t really like the show, so I’ll not judge this award); and finally Ricky Gervais (Extras, that air on Portugal in the RTP 2) won the best actor award (nothing to say about this award, he totally deserved it).

W ell, it seems that the big news of the emmys night are over, next year will be more, and I seriously hope that, at least House will deserve the next year emmy (because the show totally deserved this year’s).

Have fun,

Rui Azevedo

Good days last little

It seems that good days, no matter how much we enjoy them, they always end quickly. For me those good days are over. Next week the classes begin, and for the reasons I’ve already explained in the “about me” page, the motivation is not much. But I’ve a good feeling for this year, although, as always, the odds aren’t at my favor (I’m used to that). It is always good return to the college, at least, you think that in the first week, because when you enter in that new routine of classes, your perspective changes quickly. But this year, I want it to be different. I’ll try to do some activities sponsored by the college (or even outside of the college) such as a language course, or even some crazy sport like hunting alligators in the college swamps (believe me, that would be amazingly fun).

One funny thing that occur to me, related to this begging of classes, was when my parents asked me if I needed some new school material (like pencils, pens, notebooks) and I simply replied “I don’t need that kind of stuff, but some furniture would be great”. Don’t misunderstand the situation, my bedroom has a little furniture, and I thought that maybe a big couch or even an armchair would be great (”keep dreaming”, that’s what my parents replied to me). With all this, I’m definitely a victim of the discomforted bedrooms (maybe I’ll join the club, if it exist of course).

The only thing I really hope, is that, this new academic year be better than the last one (I’m worried that I’ll get to the point of asking the a little breath of god in my sails, and that would be the last resort).

I wish a good academic or working, year for you my friends,

Rui Azevedo

 

Dream

We all dream. When we’re at sleep, or even awake, we think about the alternative reality or future where we accomplished our deepest desires, or simply improved our life. How many people can say that already accomplished their dreams? Quite few I presume. I believe that our dreams and expectations are gradually growing as we are. When we’re children our dreams are full of fantasy, heroes, and even the next day meals are part of our dreams. When we became older, our dreams mature just like us. When we began a new road (can be characterize, by the initiation of the college, or a new job), we start defining goals, our expectations became high and our dreams appear all of a sudden. If we accomplished to achieve our first goals, (that may correspond to some of our dreams), a new ones are created, evolving alongside with us, just like our dreams. The sad part of the story, is the disappointment of a broken dream. While we get old, our life experience increase, we start erasing the impossible dreams that were created long ago and or expectations became more restrained, because failure isn’t a new experience. We call it “being realistic”, and continue to dream in a cautious way, because we don´t wanna feel again the bitter taste of our broken dream.

Dreams can be about many things. Love, money, career, possession, are the type of the most common dreams, I now that, because I also have those types of dreams. In this 21th century, we kinda see a “turn our dreams reality industry” where the television itself works like a magic lamp. Reality shows are a constant, money shows are also very popular the only things I didn’t saw was love shows, but I guess they’re included in the reality shows (personally, I dislike those kind of shows).

Sometimes, when we taste the bitter taste of failure, we agreed with the quote, “a dream is called like that, by the simple fact that it can never become true”, but as soon as we raise from the fall, even if we totally believe in that quote, we can’t stop dreaming. We’ll silently keep walking and secretly continue to dream.

To finish this post, here’s a good hit from the 60’s of the Everly Brothers called Dream, that can perfectly work as a message in case of dreams of love :p.

 

Keep dreaming,

Rui Azevedo