"In Bruges". See it.

I finally got a chance to watch playwright Martin McDonagh's film, "In Bruges", with Brendan Gleeson and Colin Farrell. Brilliant.

Gleeson and Farrell play two present day hitman hiding out in Bruges, a town located in the northwest part of Belgium, in the Flemish Region. Now, the packaging of the DVD would suggest this is a comedy - as would the coming attractions trailer seen in movie theaters or on television. Even during the opening sequences which contained tight shots of the city and its architecture, my friend Donovan (who's a teacher and screenwriter) commented, 'this is a comedy?'.

It's actually a dark comedy, which is a whole nuther ballgame. So you have to listen closely and pay attention throughout. God - the city itself is gorgeous. Any writer's haven (like Ireland wouldn't be...but that's a nuther...whole nuther subject).

My friend Justyna, who spent 10 days in Belgium with her mother recently but never made it to Bruges, raved about the country. The added footage on the DVD includes "Fooking Bruges"" - an edited 2 minute piece containing all the swearing and verbal assaults on the good city of Bruges (which was funnier than the gag reel on the DVD), as well as a visually aesthetic boat ride throughout the canals of Bruges from the rider's perspective.

McDonagh is known for his critically acclaimed Irish trilogy which includes the plays: The Cripple of Inishmaan, The Lieutenant of Inishmore, and The Banshees of Inisheer. Equally as well-known are the plays The Beauty Queen of Leenane and The Lonesome West. He won an Oscar for Best Live Action Short Film for Six Shooter. A film I watched and, though interesting, couldn't figure out why, of all the films entered into competition, it came to win the Oscar. Anyway, "In Bruges" is a great flick with sharp, intelligent dialogue and a great premise. This is the comedy I prefer to watch, act in and write in my plays. Dark.

Rent it. And go to Bruges if you get a chance.

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"Dit Spruiten staande aan je." Welcome, InBev. (Also, see if you can find the Swedish Bikini Team hidden in this post.)

In case you were wondering how to say, "This Bud's for you", in Dutch, which is one of two languages spoken in Belgium (French being the other), the headquarters of InBev, the new owner of Anheuser Busch. Or try, "Deze 'Bud' is voor jou" if that's easier for you.

After a month of resistance, Budweiser - dubbed the King of Beers - is joining Stella Artois and Beck's at the world's largest beer company, created through InBev's $52 billion (£26bn) takeover of Anheuser-Busch.

Anheuser-Busch InBev will get two seats on the group's 14-member board, with Anheuser chief executive August Busch IV taking one of the seats while the other will go to a current or former director of Anheuser's board. InBev said today it would keep the North American headquarters of the company in St Louis and pledged not to close any of Anheuser's 12 breweries. The Anheuser's theme parks - that may be another story.

First the Chrysler Building in NYC gets sold to some Saudi investors last week and now the King of Beers - gone the way of foreign owners. I wonder how much I could get if I sold my body to the Swedish Bikini Team? "Jef ej halta!" Whoo!

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Vacation: Part 2 - Chicago.

Short but sweet trip to visit Justyna, seen here in her little alcove either contemplating why she's constantly inviting me over to her Victorian in Irving Park OR thinking about her upcoming trip to Belgium with her mother (they left last Wednesday).

It has to be the second one...right? You know seeing this picture brings to mind an anecdote I recently saw painted on the ceiling of the Skylight Theatre in Milwaukee:

"To forget some things, to remember others and to refresh the dry places in our spirit."

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