This weekend we climbed the mountains around Riva del Garda.
Riva is a lovely small town at the north-western end of Lake Garda, surrounded by the cliffs of Mount Rocchetta and Mount Baldo. This is a well known place for sailing and MTBing. We got there on Saturday evening, so we had time to enjoy the place, drink a Spritz in the main square and have a nice salmon trout. There were many tourists, mostly Germans. Read the rest of this entry »
Shilpa, a co-worker from Delhi came to visit our Italian offices and brought me this box of Indian tea. I have to say this tea is excellent: strong and balanced. It blends very well with milk bit it’s also good alone. Along with the box, she also brought me a small bag of green dry seeds. She told me the name but I can’t remember. You put one seed in the tea cup, together with tea, and it adds a good and even stronger flavor. In Italy you can’t buy anything like this, so thanks Shilpa!
This is a huge box, half a kilogram. Despite me being a tea lover (for Italian standards) it’s going to take me one year to drink all of it. I was puzzled then when I found this on wikipedia:
India is also the world’s largest tea-drinking nation. However, the per capita consumption of tea in India remains a modest 750 grams per person every year.
Last weekend I went to PyCon Due, the 2nd Italian conference on the Python programming language. It was in Firenze, a few minutes walk from where I live, so it’s been very handy. This year the conference was much bigger than last year’s. Read the rest of this entry »
This weekend I went with Fabio and Michele hiking on the mountains. I love hiking but it was quite some time I didn’t go, so I was a bit excited. Our target was Scaffaiolo lake (1775m), a place on the Appennini mountains between Modena and Pistoia, in the Frignano Natural Park area. The plan was to drive to hut Capanno Tassoni (1317m) and then walk up hill from there. Read the rest of this entry »
The Hermitage Museum of St. Petersburg owns so many pieces of artwork that they cannot handle them all in one place. For this reason they routinely organize exhibitions abroad and opened a few branches around the world. They have one in Las Vegas, one in Amsterdam and recently opened a third one in Ferrara. To celebrate its birth, Italian Hermitage organized an exhibition dedicated to Benvenuto Tisi, also known as Il Garofalo, at the Estense Castle.
Benvenuto Tisi was born in Ferrara in 1481 and is one of the most prominent painters of the School of Ferrara. He began gravitating around Domenico Panetti, Lorenzo Costa, Dosso Dossi and then refining his style under with Boccaccio Boccaccino. He already had a distinctive style, with bright colors and strong use of light as it was common in the Venetian school, when he eventually visited Rome and met Raffaello. That was a breakthrough and his style dramatically improved, so much that out of Italy his paintings sometimes are mistakenly attributed to Raffaello, even if Garofalo kept a distinctive mannerism.
What strikes me the most in Garofalo’s paintings is the use of light/dark and bright colors to highlight the subject and yet the obsessive presence of background stuff, as if he were shy of wasting the corners of the canvas. Also very interesting the ethereal mood his characters can express.
The exhibition also features a few paintings by Garofalo’s contemporary artists and the ticket includes a visit to the Castle. This alone would be worth the money. Several inner rooms were recently restored and feature astonishing ceiling frescoes and the atmosphere of renaissance lifestyle and parties. Just looking at the kitchen you get an idea of the huge banquets the Este family used to throw in their golden period, to say nothing of the Giardino degli Aranci or the underground Jail.
Wednesday was horror day so most movies in this post are horrors.
Resiklo
by Mark A. Reyes
The Philippines 2007, sci-fi
The usual plot where Earth is invaded by extra-terrestrial monsters and a group of rebels fight against them. Of course the fearless leader will save the world, to say nothing of the girl. In this one they built a collage of references to famous movies: Star wars, Mad Max, Gladiator, X-men and countless others. Sci-trash.
The glorious team Batista
by NAKAMURA Yoshihiro
Japan 2008, medical thriller
Something is wrong in the hospital. People undergoing earth surgery suddenly started to die. Perhaps a killer hides in the equipe and two very different investigators will find it out. Well done movie with ironic lines and plenty of tension.
Our town
by Jung Kil-young
South Korea 2008, psycho-horror
In a small town a serial killer suddenly starts to murder people and crucifix them. We’re immediately told who the killer is but there’s something wrong, perhaps there’s a copycat? What’s their motivation? Sustained tension leads to a dramatic conclusion. Best use of audio effects.
Altar
by Rico Maria ILARDE
The Philippines 2007, horror
The classic haunted house story, but done so hilariously bad you get to laugh all the time. I wonder how this made it to the festival.
The screen at Kamchanod
by Songsak MONGKOLTHONG
Thailand 2007, horror
Ghosts tied to a forgotten movie appear when the film is run. A scientist a his friends try to solve the mystery. Slow and a little boring.
Black house
by SHIN Terra
South Korea 2007, psycho-horror
An insurance agent is sucked in a story of horrifying murders and mutilations enacted by a psychopath to get money from the insurance company. Trying to react, the agent will then attract violence on himself in a spiral of increasing tension. Best splatter scene.
The guard post
by KONG Su-chang
South Korea 2008, horror
Something terrible happened at GP506, a military fortification on the border with North Korea. 20 out of 21 men were killed in a furious internal fight. A man has a mere few hours to investigate what happened and he’s going to have to face the same unknown enemy. Blood, violence and mystery. Recalls Carpenter’s The thing.
Magic boy
by Adam WONG
Hong-Kong 2007, youth romance
Two young magician friends are in love with the same girl and will use all of their tricks to capture her feelings. In the process they’ll learn to grow up while the girl will learn the value of playfulness. Average.
The assembly
by FENG Xiaogang
China 2007, war epic
During the civil war of 1949 a platoon is sent to defend a land post against the overwhelming enemy fire. The 1st 20 minutes have a great dramatic effect for their crudeness and recalled Saving private Ryan, though this was possibly made even better. Weren’t for the final, a little too slow and commemorative, this would have been a perfect war movie.
Deathfix: die and let live
by MIKI Satoshi
Japan 2007, crazed comedy
A freelance writer is asked to get a near-death experience using a special chemical and report on the afterlife, but the plot doesn’t matter that much cause it’s just an excuse for a sequence of jokes and surreal situations. This movie is probably lots of fun but it was late at night, past midnight, and I was so tired it wasn’t funny anymore. At some point I fell asleep so I won’t cast a vote on this.
A sister’s garden
by Shin Sang-ok
South Korea 1959, drama
Another movie from the retrospective. In a post-war South Korea two sisters struggle to keep up with their lifestyle after most of their money went to pay a debt and their father died in the process. They are surrounded by men with different agendas and must swallow plenty of delusions in this newly capitalist society. Old style but still enjoyable.
Kala malam bulan mangambang
by Mamat KHALID
Malaysia 2008, noir
A black and white story with a reporter blocked in a strange village of the countryside where ghost-like events happen and every character has a bad shadow, but ironic lines and comic situations let the movie on a parody tune. There are probably references to local culture that I couldn’t get, or maybe actual consistency errors.
Adrift in Tokio
by MIKI Satoshi
Japan 2007, road movie
A debt collector and a student lagging behind stop their everyday activities to walk together through Tokio, small talking and progressively getting to know each other until they’re tied by actual relationships. A very light movie about small things important in our life.
Funuke, show some love you losers!
by YOSHIDA Daihachi
Japan 2007, black comedy
Thee brothers are forced together after their parents both died abruptly. They have very difficult and violent relationships but the most oppressed will find a way out in a very manga style. Excellent photography and surreal sequences.
The detective
by Oxide PANG
Hong-Kong 2007, thriller
A private investigator is hired to find a women who’s apparently chasing the client but he will found the story is much more complex and there are lots of things and crimes to explain. The sequence of the dropping fridge is hearth-stopping.
Handle me with care
by Kongdej JATURUNRUTSAMEE
Thailand 2008, road movie
A three-armed man and a big-breasted beauty coming from the countryside meet while traveling to Bangkok, trying to solve their problems. Their physical diversity, altough opposite, make them feel empathy and fall in love. Intelligent drama with a surreal twist.
The happy life
by LEE Joon-ik
South Korea 2007, drama
After the funeral of a friend, three men in their 40s get together to re-form the rock band of their youth and escape the problems of their ordinary life, no matter what their wives can say. Like an active volcano, after 20 years of rest they can still erupt their sheer passion and make a success. Fun.
Always – Sunset on third street – 2
by YAMAZAKY Takashi
Japan 2007, nostalgic melodrama
This is a sequel of what I think was the best movie at FEFF2006. The humble and yet extraordinary life of the same characters in the neighborhood of a post-war developing Tokio, with a constant feeling of great hope for a better world that’s coming. Moving, again.
Trivial matters
by PANG Ho-cheung
Hong-Kong 2007, episodes
Seven small episodes about nevrotic life and unimportant things. A self-amusing sequence of style exercises where the director tries to yield a good result with a very low budget, unfortunately with uneven outcome. Some episodes are great, some aren’t. Entertaining none the less.
A flower in hell
by Shin Sang-ok
South Korea 1958, drama
This year FEFF dedicated a retrospective to this Korean director of the 50s. This movie is interesting to see post-war South Korean life, with men stealing stuff from the American army warehouse and selling that on the black market while their gorgeous women sell themselves to the American soldiers. Unfortunately it’s 50 years old and nowadays it’s not easy to watch.
Mr Cinema
by Samson Chiu
Hong-Kong 2007, nostalgic drama
Released to celebrate the 10th anniversary after handover to the Chinese government, this movie describes life in HK in the last 40 years, following economic booms and recessions, political struggle and society changes revolving around the humble but proud family of a projectionist. A little propaganda but not bad.
In the pool
by MIKI Satoshi
Japan 2005, comedy
In a sequence of surreal and comic situations a manager that has to swim in a pool to defend against stress, a men with a constant erection and journalist affected by anxiety are the three improbable patients of an even crazier psychiatrist fond of leopard-print shirts. Crazy fun.
Here I am, just back from FEFF. I managed to watch 23 movies in 5 days. And I survived!
In the next few days I’m going to write about the movies I watched, but first I’d like to talk about a dinner we had in Udine. A friend of us, Flavia, suggested we try Osteria Lo sbarco dei pirati in the city center and I’m very glad she did. Thanks Flavia!
Lo sbarco dei pirati is a picturesque place with plenty of traditional stuff hanging from the roof, that warm feeling you get inside mountain huts and a funny owner. At first he tried to talk friulan (the local dialect) but we could barely understand what he was talking about.
After a very good goulash we ordered gubana, a traditional nut-roll cake. The owner asked if we wanted it “with slivovitz”. We said no, mostly because we didn’t know it, but that was a terrible mistake. The owner reacted as if we murdered somebody, as if gubana with no slivovitz were a criminal sin! You know, in Italy we care a lot for our traditions and if somebody tried to eat salamina without pure I would react the same. We had to quickly retreat to re-establish the cosmic equilibrium.
After eating the cake we discovered slivovitz is a strong and bitter distilled liquor and makes a great pair with gubana! Well, you have to be careful because you can get drunk eating cakes, but it’s definitely worthwhile. Eventually I researched on the pedia to find out this is the generic name for a sort of plum brandy typical of the slavic area. Good to know!
Between a movie and the next one you can sunbath on the grass in front of the theater or sit at the internal cafè. Here at the FEFF in the middle of the crowd it happens strangers will sit at your table and you suddenly find yourself doing conversation in a casual group of half a dozen people, one from Beijing, one from Klagenfürt, one from Udine, one from Villach. You can feel like you are in a global melting (G-s)pot, and that’s not just for cinephiles.
