It’s hard to find a film that accurately and truthfully portrays the sexual experiences of a teenage girl – strange considering it’s a subject that concerns half of the world’s population. As such, Californian writer/director Marielle Heller’s astonishing debut film, The Diary Of A Teenage Girl, feels revolutionary in refusing to trivialise its characters’ natural feelings, while also deftly traversing such an emotional and ethical minefield.
What makes The Diary Of A Teenage Girl so special is the fact that it presents the young woman at the centre of its story without judgment. It doesn’t gloss over Minnie’s true feelings about sex (“I really like getting fucked,” she declares at one point) and it doesn’t demonise anyone involved, least of all Minnie. Instead, it’s a rare depiction of the truth of growing up – one that should be an accepted norm rather than an oddity. The trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PSnjJrbu1tY
The WalkCar is the Thing – Forget the Hooverboard
Forget the bloody hooverboard courtesy of Lexus. A Japanese engineer has developed a portable transporter small enough to be carried in a backpack that he says is the world’s first ‘car in a bag’.
Twenty-six-year-old Kuniako Saito and his team at Cocoa Motors recently unveiled the lithium battery-powered “WalkCar” transporter, which is the size of a laptop and resembles a skateboard more than a car.
It reaches top speeds of 10 kilometers per hour (6.2 miles per hour), for distances of up to 12 kilometers (7.4 miles) after three hours of charging.
Its developer says it’s also extremely simple to ride. Once the rider stands on it the WalkCar starts automatically, while simply stepping off stops the vehicle. To change direction, the user just shifts their weight. Go to Kickstarter if you want a piece of this:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eEBjDWaqeKU
Journey – A Very Special Video Game
Very rarely TrendEngel is suggesting a video game. Journey is one of these exceptions you have to see to believe it. The pioneers that brought you the award-winning PlayStation Network titles flOw & Flower are back with another title that challenges traditional gaming conventions. With Journey, thatgamecompany (TGC) continues its tradition of delivering simple gameplay and accessible controls in a rich interactive environment that invites players to explore and experience emotional chords that are still uncommon in videogames.
An exotic adventure with a more serious tone, Journey presents a unique vision of an online adventure experience. Awakening in an unknown world, the player walks, glides, and flies through a vast and awe-inspiring landscape, while discovering the history of an ancient, mysterious civilization along the way. Journey’s innovative approach to online play encourages players to explore this environment with strangers who cross their path from time to time. By traveling together, they can re-shape the experience — creating authentic moments they will remember and discuss with others.
Look at this Video:
Graffiti of the Week – Street Art Nr. 174
Boy – We Were Here – Amazing Sound From Switzerland
Boy are from – no joke – Switzerland and they are amazing.Well, almost true. Boy ist a duo consisting of Valeska Steiner from Zurich and Sonja Glass who is actually not from Switzerland but from good old Hamburg. Their music is beautiful and the second record was long overdue. We Were Here is the Titel Track of the new record that will be released on August 21.
OUR LEGACY – SWEDISH FASHION
Our Legacy is a label from Sweden that just opened its first store outside the vikings home – in the middle of Soho in London. The style is understated coolness and the prices are not Top Shop but not Tom Ford either. Check it out. They are different – in a good way.
EL VY – Matt Berninger and Brent Knopf Collaborate
The title track from the debut album by EL VY, released October 30th by 4AD. EL VY is the musical collaboration between Matt Berninger, vocalist and lyricist of The National, and Brent Knopf, the Portland musician and producer best known for his work in Menomena and his more recent band, Ramona Falls. We are very excited.
A Hamburger That Thinks He’s a Hot Dog – Freddar Dog
The UK hamburger chain Byron Burger has a new thing: The Freddar Dawg, is a hamburger that thinks it’s a hot dog – a 6oz hamburger in a hot dog roll. Along with streaky bacon, pickles and onion, it stars one very special ingredient you won’t find anywhere else – Freddar cheese, our head chef Fred’s take on American cheese. Freddar has all the melting goodness of classic American cheese, but with a serious flavour punch thanks to Fred’s unique blend of Grana Padano, mature Cheddar and Red Leicester. Grana Padano, mature Cheddar and Red Leicester. Pretty funny and pretty delicious
Graffiti of the Week – Street art Nr. 173
C Duncan – Architect – 4AD Meets Classic Meets Greatness
If pop music is all about timing, then Christopher Duncan appears, at least at first, to be in trouble. A July heatwave seems a spectacularly ill-suited release date for songs such as Say or Silence and Air, which boast choral passages so wintery you can practically hear Britain’s transport infrastructure collapsing. Then again, Duncan doesn’t appear to be interested in typical working methods. The 25-year-old Glaswegian is a classical composer who studied at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, and in this debut he incorporates complex choral work into more pop settings. He seamlessly merges interweaving vocals with the sounds of pastoral English folk and lush, 4ADesque dreampop. On He Believes in Miracles and the title track, both of which have a psychedelic shimmer, you realise that Duncan is just as comfortable when creating music to suit sunnier climes, making this a magical record for all seasons: