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Italian Film Festival 2020

Palace Cinemas

Sydney, Australia

Founded two decades ago by Cav. Antonio Zeccola, who also started with his brothers the Palace Cinema franchise, and being de facto the biggest celebration of Italian movie making outside the confines of “Bel Paese”, the Australian incarnation of the Italian Film Festival has firmly established itself not merely on the cinematic but the cultural calendar on terra australis.

Due to the implications of the current COVID-19 malaise, i.e. social distancing, the opening night, which is usually a grandiose affair of epic proportions, was as expected much more subdued yet still all class with the live-action adaptation of Pinocchio having been chosen to start proceedings with.

Directed by Matteo Garrone, Life is Beautiful lead Roberto Benigni stars in this slightly darker and borderline nightmarish take on Carlo Collodi’s source material, which puts emphasis on the more grotesque parts of the tale counterpointed by Benigni’s idiosyncratic warm and whimsical performance that in this instance is rooted in melancholia.

Garron’s take on Pinocchio made me curious and revisit the original book, only to discover that it is much more aligned than the less cruel depictions that were the children friendly versions over the years. Special effects-wise the 2020 adaption is quite something with its finely calibrated melange of CGI and real-life action, seamlessly going back and forth.

Highlights of this year’s festival not only include the Marco Bellocchio’s handsomely shot investigation of Tommaso Buscetta, the man who brought down the Cosa Nostra, i.e. Il Traditore (The Traitor), but also a segment dedicated to new Italian cinema showcasing emerging talents both in front and behind the camera as well as a segment focussing on family friendly films.

Not unlike with previous incarnations of the Italian Film Fest, no matter what your cinematic preferences are, you would be hard pressed to not find something charmingly classic or refreshingly new.

September: Swift, Silent, Deathly

Thanks for checking out this installment of Search/Play/Repeat. If you didn't see, I skipped last month's playlist, so this playlist is actually from the past two months. This resulted in a pretty bizarre playlist that covers a lot of genres.  I'm also getting this up later than intended simply because the news cycle's been a whirlwind lately, so I've been a little distracted. Let's hop into it!

There were a few artists on this playlist that I listened to more than one album from, but I prefer keeping it to one song from each artist. It got difficult trying to whittle it down to one track from Zeal & Ardor. Zeal & Ardor is a band that I'd been seeing getting a lot of praise and attention from friends of mine. They had recently released a new song, and I had decided to finally check them out and it's great. It's a combination of Black Metal and Southern Spirituals that is self-described as, "what if American slaves had embraced Satan instead of Jesus?" I listened to both of their albums, Devil is Fine and Stranger Fruit, back-to-back and bought their first record that same night. Another artist I gave more than one album a spin from is Ho99o9. This is another band I've been seeing brought up a lot from a friend of mine and has been speaking highly of. They're a blend of Hardcore-Punk and Hip-Hop. It could seem jarring to be rapping one moment and then the next song is just straight thrash-metal, but they make it work.

Back with a new album in 8 years is Death by Stereo, and I couldn't be happier with their release, We're All Dying Just in Time. Death by Stereo is an important band to me and one of those bands that I've lost count of how many times i've seen live with my first being their Day of the Death record release. They've gone through so many line-up changes and gave a taste of their collaboration with an EP back in 2016. This is their first full length with their current line-up, and it's one of their best. The album has a re-recorded version of "I Sing For You" from their 2009 release, Death is my Only Friend, with a much better mix and performances in my opinion. They even get a little experimental with their final track "We Sing They Die" that sounds like if DBS had asked for input from Danny Elfman.

It's not all Metal and Hardcore-Punk. Orville Peck released a new EP entitled, Show Pony, with a really great cover of Bobbie Gentry's, "Fancy," which I was very familiar with from Rebe McEntire's version in the 90s since Pop-Country was all my mom listened to when I was a kid. Gave Taylor Swift's surprise album, Folklore, a listen as well. I don't dabble in Pop often, but I was curious after all the hype. Earlier in the month of September, Toots Hibbert passed away due to complications from Covid. Admittedly I had never heard the name and wasn't familiar with any of his music. I put on Funky Kingston and really enjoyed it and will definitely be checking out more.

Before September came to an end (only by hours on the West Coast), Laura Jane Grace surprise released her new solo album, Stay Alive. It's some of the most intimate sounding songs she's released. A friend of mine's son said it sounded like lullabies and I've gotta say he's not far off. It was exactly the kind of album I've been looking for to calm my nerves and it's a contender for my top 5 of the year. Rounding out the playlist is a track from Bright Eyes' new album. I was really looking forward to Bright Eyes' reunion album, but it didn't quite click as much as I was hoping. I need some more time with it. I wasn't into Cassadaga when it was first released, but I've come around since. I will say that Down in the Weeds, Where the World Once Was does have my favorite album cover of the year so far.

That's just a few things I've listened to over the past couple of months. Like I pointed out in my last post, I've been brushing up on earlier releases from the year. I'm going to be taking a vacation soon, so I hope to listen to more music this month. Thanks for checking in! If you're in the U.S., there's an important election coming up, so please be sure to vote! If you need information on deadlines, voter status, or whatever: https://www.usvotefoundation.org/

Pornotopia: An Essay on Playboy’s Architecture and Biopolitics

Hugh Hefner, the creator of Playboy magazine and the media and entertainment-industry giant it became is no longer with us. No matter what is your stance on what started as an anachronistic alignment with the sexual revolution and as a counterpoint to the post-War narrow minded new world, there are undeniably a lot of facts to what it became and the fact that it for better or worse coined the imagery of America.

Beatriz Preciado’s Pornotopia is an examination of the that goes far beyond shedding light on what became multi-format cultural institution Playboy became known for and the attitudes it spurned. Preciado angle is about architecture physically controlling and constructing “techno habits”, i.e. the influence architecture exerts on the modification of gender roles and how interior spaces become sexualized topos. By forensically examining what became known as the stereotypical Playboy pad, Preciado illustrates how a forcefield was created that had exerted a tangible influence specifically on the male psyche.

It is astonishing to realize the effects Playboy and its aftermath had on the Western culture – not merely on its aficionados but society at large, which is exactly Prediado’s point as being a transgender and queer activist, she also thought that Playboy had no impact on her personal life before.

Using Hugh Hefner’s antics and his relationship to architecture as a lens, Preciado does not merely revisit the porn-exploitative versus porn-empowering debate, but tackles the subject from the angle of taking it seriously as societal phenomenon and the hegemonic heterosexual masculine space it constructs within a capitalist society it enables, manifests and the new version of a masculine soul, i.e. the hedonistic indoors man it helped to sculpt, which stripped feminine features off the walls of what became known as the utopian bachelor pad and stereotypical “Playboy home”.

Preciardo brilliantly makes her point by observing the features of a haven that shielded the single male from both the demands of domesticated women as well as a heterosexual obsession with technology to counterpoint the merits of what was previously held in high esteem about outdoorsy men: The post-domestic abode of aged teenagers.

Based on this approach, Preciado ventures on to vividly portray the impact Playboy’s pornotopia had on technology and the inner workings of society to this day and age, no matter if it was openly followed as a way of life or merely lived through by purchasing the magazine.

An in-depth and rigorous analysis that covers much more ground and goes deeper than the architectural title suggests as one cannot help to question the origin of things that might have been considered status quo ever since.

Ghostly Apparitions: German Idealism, the Gothic Novel, and Optical Media

Zone Books

Ghostlike appearances in a genre of fiction that is intrinsically characterized by an atmosphere of mystery and horror along with a medieval setting sound like an integral ingredient and stylistic device. No surprises here, especially if you are familiar with the more prominent representatives of the gothic novel.

Where it gets interesting with this tome is when parallels are drawn to modern times and the applications of modern media, where apparitions are no longer merely rooted in superstition but become part of a new reality that results from the merging of the known and the invisible.

Andriopoulos examines the intersections of literature, occultism, philosophical thought and technology to extract what forms the foundation of modern imagination.

Stefan Andriopoulos makes some interesting connections observations, especially regarding his deconstruction of the philosophers Schopenhauer and Kant, and sheds light on both historical as well as developments in the world in literature that have been spurned by philosophical revelations as well as the development of technical devices like the emergence of radio and television, there are some brilliantly deduced insights.

What would have rounded out Ghostly Apparitions: German Idealism, the Gothic Novel, and Optical Media, would have been a more coherent conclusion that the tome culminates in.

Water of Life – Duncan Taylor

If you are remotely into whisky, especially the finer end of the spectrum, chances are that you will have crossed paths with the emissions of Duncan Taylor, an entity that has channelled its alchemy for the last eight decades in diverse realms such as blending, bottling and maturing whiskies to both pioneer and create new expertly curated expressions, which run the gamut from blends via single malts to grain whiskies.

One of the first Duncan Taylor variants I have had the pleasure of tasting was its accolade decorated Black Bull. The premise behind the Black Bull blend is to not interfere with the true characteristics of the source whiskies to allow them to unveil the breadth of their depths.

The entry Black Bull 12 is a blend of malt and grain whisky, which on the nose combines the best features of both, i.e. a sweet, lemony nuttiness that is accentuated by toffee, spicy and fruity highlights.

A nicely textured creamy thickness tickles the top of the mouth to unfold the flavours that the aroma promised, with specifically the fruity, vanilla nuttiness being pronounced and seamlessly transition to a sweet and lingering finish.

Given that this variant is clocking in at a comparatively high ABV of 50%, especially the maturation in sherry casks shines through and making a smooth, moreish drop.

Let’s dial up things a notch or two, shan’t we?

With a name like The Big Smoke is does not prove to be difficult to colour me intrigued and as the name suggests, the origin is the island of Islay. Given the limited number of the distilleries that the geographical indication hints at, one was curious as to which one it could be.

The variant I tried is the tame 46% ABV one, which on the nose lives up to its name, i.e. woody smoke tickles the nostrils before giving way to oaky, syrupy saline and nutty notes.

On the palate things get interesting as peat takes on a prominent role, framed by meaty, briny and oak undertones, with counterpoints of sweet and spicy notes shining through.

I specifically like the elongated finish which marries the idiosyncratic maritime climate of Islay’s coast with woody, oaky ash notes.

A wonderful expression with a name that is not misleading and one that makes me long for the cask strength version.

Now, just when I thought that I had reached the pinnacle of lip-smacking goodness, I was offered a glimpse into the much fabled about The Dimensions Collection from Duncan Taylor Scotch Whisky, all of which have the common denominator of having been bottled at cask strength with a focus on the curation and selection of casks they matured in.

Being a lifelong fan of Laphroaig, I was over the moon when proffered the opportunity to sample the manna that is the light golden 16-Year-Old, bottle at cask strength of 55.7%.

With a bonfire tickling the nostrils, the complex aromas of maple syrup mix with Laphroaig trademark antiseptic, band-aid notes, which do not fail to elicit a Pavlovian response from me.

On the palate, the saline, seaweedy peatiness is married with salty ashyness, which culminates in warm, elongated leathery finish that reverberates warmly.

It is testament to Duncan Taylor’s craft that his is the closest it gets to having sampled close to two decades old Laphroaig straight from the cask and it set me on a path to explore Duncan Taylor’s version of distilleries I might have not given a chance in the past.

I hope that we will have the opportunity to zero in on Duncan Taylor’s Octave Collection with a future instalment of this series.

Anselm Kiefer - Gallerie Thaddaeus Ropac

I was recently asked what I like so much about Anselm Kiefer.

A simple question, yet not that easy to answer: Ever since I first laid eyes on Kiefer’s Wege der Weltweisheit: Die Hermannsschlacht, I felt his art reverberate deep inside the nether regions of my DNA in a manner that resembled a feeling of connectedness. A connectedness that I am now able to indulge in on a weekly basis after my runs as the woodcut is being exhibited in the Art Gallery of New South Wales.

I felt a charge, was intrigued from the get-go and throughout my travels and stints on different continents made sure to pilgrimage to wherever I could experience Kiefer’s multi-faceted, sometimes melancholic and often confrontational emissions in the flesh.

Experiencing Anselm Kiefer’s artwork in the third dimension is akin to unlocking atavisms inside of me – it provides a veil to give form to incomprehensible abstract concepts that make perfect sense, yet I would find myself hard-pressed to put into words. This includes not only adding depth and dimensions to the significance and effects of historical events but also phenomena that might sound odd to the uninitiated, e.g. experiencing the cosmological aspects of sunflowers or receiving information radiating from within the materials used for his art.

It would be difficult to recommend a starting point to venture into Kiefer’s cosmos as in the past forty years, his artistic endeavours could not be more varied, layered and symbolic and some meant to remain literal “works in progress”, i.e. the materials being highly textured and tactile with the underlying intent for the individual components to interact, disintegrate and eventually dissolve.

Born in 1945 and having been a student of Joseph Beuys, the exploration of Germany’s post-war identity has been a major theme throughout Kiefer’s work. However, what he channelled through his lens did not just stop with Germany’s fraught history but eventually started to encompass human history and rituals of memorialisation at large, which branched out into the artistic interpretation of cabalistic and religious concepts as well as channelling his deep connection with books and literature through his art, often using hand-written references and quotes to either accompany or juxtapose his artwork.

Needless to say that I was elated when I learned about Anselm Kiefer’s current exhibition being dedicated to a series inspired by one of Germany’s most prominent poets of the Middle Ages, i.e. Walther von der Vogelweide.

With this series being multi-layered in nature, the densely painted surfaces pictorially decipher, decode and balance the dichotomy of beauty and decay with von der Vogelweide’s poems serving as the guiding principle, anchoring each artwork and through symbiosis and evoking associations connected to historic, mythological and cultural events.

Not unlike with his previous incarnations, Kiefer actively resists to create affirmative art, which is further elaborated on in Galerie Ropac’s comprehensive catalogue, released to accompany the Walther von der Vogelweide exhibition, including illuminating commentary along with conversation between Anselm Kiefer and gallerist Thaddaeus Ropac.

Gallerist Thaddaeus Ropac has a long-standing history with Anselm Kiefer and while I have unfortunately not been able to visit any of their exhibitions or their galleries in Salzburg, Paris and London, the wonderful books that are still available from Ropac are an experience in themselves and give a carefully curated impression of what I have missed out on.

An example par excellence is the book that was published on the occasion of the exhibition Fu?r Andrea Emo, which not only details the monumental canvases and sculptures, but also includes extracts of Anselm Kiefer’s diary, shedding light on the thoughts that inspired the use of boiling lead on canvases to create a palimpsest illustrating the concepts of regeneration and destruction – themes that were inherent in Emo’s nihilistic reflections.

The exhibition Im Gewitter der Rosen and the accompanying book brings this expose full circle as apart from Arthur Rimbaud’s absinthe-tinged poetry and Ingeborg Bachmann’s prose work, one of the main leitmotifs is the aforementioned Walther von der Vogelweide.

In his idiosyncratic manner, Kiefer uses the metaphorical poems to inspire his storm-riddled, multi-layered sedimentary paintings, which at times look more like they were “dripped” rather than formally painted. The sculptures of this series see the recurring incorporation of sunflowers and glass against the backdrop of the firmament, evoking connections between natural forces as well as micro- and macroscopic concepts and on a grander scheme, the cycle of life.

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image from gallery website