The One Where Women Take Over

A few years ago I went with a couple of friends to see Elizabeth: The Golden Age. Afterwards, over a glass of beer, we agreed that we felt disappointed with the movie. So we decided to see another one - less mainstream, less popular, more oriental, and supposed to be quite good. That film was Sukkar banat‎ (Caramel), directed by Nadine Labaki, a Lebanese actress. And it was very good. Very, very good. A masterpiece, I would say. It made a proper ending to the evening, since that time we all felt completely satisfied.
It happened so that I went to see Nadine Labaki's next movie with the very same couple. And this one turned out to be as much worth watching as the previous one.

Et maintenant, on va où? (Where do we go now?)

A small, secluded village in a country tormented by religious conflicts. A group of women - some of them Christian, some of them Muslim - is determined to calm the tension in their local community. They are willing to do whatever it takes: make up miracles, hire Ukrainian dancers, bake hash pies... They are ready to sacrifice their own happiness in order to keep peace and not loose another son, brother or husband.
Sad and funny episodes intertwine here, forming a story of how not to let yourselves go crazy in this crazy, men's world. Wise, sincere, touching.
Music, as previously, by Khaled Mouzanar. And as it was the case with Caramel's score, very good - warm and brilliantly integrated into the scenes. Quite similar in the way that you can here that eastern, oriental tone. A tad different from what I usually prefer, so all the more interesting to me.


---

Pod Baranami is a nice place and I like it but I have never learnt to love it. Before Agrafka opened, I had always preferred Ars. Sad news is that Ars is closing in a month. I still cannot believed it. Even now I have much sentiment to this particular movie theatre, although it feels like lately they have gone mainstream. Nevertheless, it was the first arthouse cinema I had known and loved and I am going to miss it much.

Stay tuned.

The One With The Biggest Disappointment Ever

D'Artagnan: Journal d'un cadet

Well, maybe that is a bit of an exaggeration... Or mabe not...
Anyhow, I stand by my opinion that every variation on Alexandre Dumas' The Three Musketeers is better than the original book itself - may it be a movie, may it be, as this time, a comic book. As much as I love historical novels, I passionately hate this particular one.

D'Artagnan: Cadet's Journal by Nicolas Juncker is based on the Dumas' book, the one we are all familiar with. Or, at least, we are familiar with its countless film adaptations.
Some of the movies based on The Three Musketeers are quite good, some are terrible. The one from 1973, staring Michael York as D'Artagnan (plus Richard Chamberlain, Charlton Heston, Geraldine Chaplin, Faye Dunaway, Christopher Lee...), is my personal favourite. It was the first one that did not treat the subject so very seriously, but was not over the top with humour either - already a comedy, not yet a parody.
There are many more, however, and I have got my own system to distinguish one from another - namely by the way Constance de Bonancieux dies: she gets shot, stabbed, poisoned (as far as I recall, this one conforms to the book), strangled with rosary beads, etc... and there is even the case where she survives (sic!).

D'Artagnan actually existed - or rather there lived a musketeer named Charles Ogier de Batz de Castelmore, Count d'Artagnan. He served at the court of Louis XIV of France, not Louis XIII, but never mind that. He was d'Artagnan's model and indeed wrote a journal. Which inspired Dumas to write his novel. Which, in turn, inspired Nicolas Juncker to create the comic. But what I am just trying to say here is that the very idea of giving the narrative form of a journal is not entirely out of the blue, not at all - in fact, it brings the whole story closer to the source.
Furthermore, making d'Artagnan's journal a comic book is a clever move - it results in an extremely efficient means to disclose the contrast between what the characters believe they do and how others perceive their actions, between what they say they did and what they actually did. As a result, we get plenty of self-explanatory jokes, which otherwise would require tons of additional paragraphs of text.
In this case, the comic book has all advantages of the book and movies and hardly any of their disadvantages. It focuses on the details that almost every film purposely overlooks: background threads e.g. private lives of secondary characters. Here, the main affairs are only mentioned in between, casually, randomly, by the way, as if they were more accident than design and only supporting the main plot.
Quite refreshing.

Stay tuned.

The One With The Mountain That Wasn't There

My quest to familiarise with Japanese culture subtly advances.

I visited Manggha Museum of Japanese Art and Technology. Current exhibition comprises a number of colour woodblock prints by artists Hokusai and Hiroshige, from the Feliks Manggha Jasieński's own collection.

You have probably seen this one somewhere:

In general, the fun was to actually find the Fuji Mountain in the picture. And not only in the original prints but also in some less canonical representations and modern works, variations on the theme. Only then you could focus on the picture as a whole.

Something less obvious here:

But my absolutely personal favourite was the one depicting some fishermen at the sea and heavy clouds in the sky - there was no mountain, though... The description below gave an explanation and read something like this: Due to rainy and foggy weather you cannot observe the mountain itself. It was there - you simply could not see it.

---

Recently, I have learnt a couple of interesting Japan-related details.
The Japanese people do not swear - at least not as we, Western people, understand swearing. That I can imagine.
What is totally incomprehensible for me, however, is the fact that they do not know the idea of grotesque. The point is they did not have their own Aristotle with his decorum to tell them what was adequate and what was not, which combinations were suitable and which would be unbecoming. As a consequence, they did not learn that certain things do not go together and so they mix all sort of styles with various content as it pleases them.
Curiouser and curiouser.

Stay tuned.

The One Where Karo Is Being Creative

I was wrong thinking that I am no artist and I was not capable of being creative in any way. The art of cooking is still art and I like following proven recipes as much as I enjoy experimenting with the ones I already know too well, making up my own meals, inventing desserts.

Today's special - salty-sweet salad:

• black olives sliced in rings
• dried tomatoes cut in small chunks
• feta-like cheese [cut] in cubes
• whole-wheat fusilli pasta
• chopped walnuts

I even prepared my own aromatic dressing (based on various herbs and - in the absence of wine / cider vinegar - martini). Decided, however, that the salad was too good on its own, so I just added a pinch of garam masala (♥ Indian spice mixes!) and a few crushed white pepper cloves. No need for extra salt due to feta and olives being already salty enough; on the other hand, dried tomatoes (and maybe walnuts as well?) have a hint of sweetness in them. Together you get an extraordinary blend of flavours that go along surprisingly well and result in a whole new palatable experience. (The dressing wound up on a bread slice.)

BTW, I must try this cheese & strawberry combination some time...

As far as I recall, the big break occurred when I lived in Copenhagen and made some international friends. We used to meet once a week and have dinner together. The problem was three of my friends were vegetarian... So when I wanted to make a lasagne I had to come up with some idea of its meatless version. That was when and why I discovered pumpkins (om nom nom!!^*), started experimenting with spinach (om nom nom!) and, consequently, some other veggies that I had not particularly loved previously.

Anyone. Even a rat.^**

However:

Anyone can cook. But I realize, only now do I truly understand what he meant. Not everyone can become a great artist, but a great artist can come from anywhere.

Well, I'm afraid I cannot qualify as a great artist and will not become one in the future. But, since I am not going to earn my living as a chef, I suppose I will be fine with that and settle for being acknowledged as a fair and creative cook.

Stay tuned.

---
^* Recently I have learnt that our Czech / Slovakian peers are severely aggrieved. That is due to Czechoslovakian Television, which deprived them of the pleasure of enjoying Sesame Street! What miserable kids they must have been...

^** Yes, Ratatouille is one of my favourites from Disney Pixar animations. One of my favourite films at all, to be frank. For too many reasons to even start listing.

The One Where Karo 'Grows Up'

And how do I know that? Because I have run out of mascara. And of hair mousse. And for the first time in my life I can actually see a hollow in my pressed powder.

By the way, Aggie and I were wondering a while ago why women did make-up at all.
I can only state this: I do not apply make-up - I apply self-confidence. And I believe it is as much about the result as it is about the very process, the ceremonial I would say; it helps you prepare - for anything.
I think the same holds for wearing high-heels, smart shirts and skirts etc.

Another reason may be that I cannot draw or paint, I cannot play any musical instrument or sing. So make-up is as close to the art as I can go ;)

(photo by Dominik)

---

Setting: weekday, evening, in a crowded bus. I am standing, a couple of teenagers are talking nearby. The name Justin occurs repeatedly in their conversation. I think: Justin Timberlake. A minute later one of them specifies: Justin Bieber.
But that is not the proof of growing up - that is the proof of getting old. Yikes!

Stay tuned!

The One Where Karo Becomes A 1/3 Real New Yorker*

Stay tuned.

---
^*

The One Definitely Not In The City

I have always claimed that if I don't live in the city centre, then I don't care much how far from the centre that is - I have to commute any way, so what's the difference?
Moreover, for some time now I have been saying that I definitely prefer my current, further location - if compared to some housing areas that are a bit closer and strictly within the Cracow city boundaries.
Wieliczka poseses many advantages those city estates lack. Among them are the hills. No, they cannot be called mountains, but still - you can hike, up and down you can wander. And it is wild enough to find some woods and fields to walk across, you don't have to stick to the roads; at the same time you don't need to worry that you will get lost, if you sheer off the road.
So I took advantage of the weather and set off to explore the neighbourhood. Over the hills and far away...

Still waters still ice-covered, despite apparent Spring

Left: The Three Witches (or the point where I have absolutely no idea where I am)

Right: Doesn't look like city suburbs from where I am standing, does it?

Finally, we've got some directions!

Jewish Cemetery discovered! In the woods, buried in fallen leaves. Pretty charming.

(Oh, and I think I even got tanned. But I hadn't thought of applying sunscreen... Ouch!)

Stay tuned.

The One In One Room With Two Extremely Irritating Individuals For Three Days

Trying to figure out an adequate name to call my parent's new computer, I did a short survey among my friends to find out who was the most irritating popcultural character. The list includes:

• Ross, Friends
• Rachel, Friends // now that I think of it it seems like 'Ross & Rachel' as a couple are horrible as well
• Pink Panther, The Pink Panther // not sure which series, though
• Amber, the 'Cutthroat Bitch', House, M.D. // ha!
• Prince of Persia's nameless protagonist, Prince of Persia (2008 video game) // later on superseded by Klayman from The Neverhood video game
• Gaius Baltar, Battlestar Galactica // can't tell - haven't seen (yet!)
• Alvy Singer (~Woody Allen), Annie Hall // hmmm...
• Joffrey Baratheon, Game of Thrones
• Draco Malfoy, Harry Potter

Their previous machine was only irritating because it was sooo old and slow. Thuth to tell, not its fault that it hadn't been upgraded (hardware, I mean) for a few years, so it could not match the constantly increasing requirements level. Other than that, it was pretty good, reliable even. I thought it was a bit like Joey: logy, sluggish - you would always have to wait patiently, until he finally got the joke and responded.
So now it only fits that the successor becomes the 'Ross'. He's quick, but already stubborn and believes he knows better than everyone else. (But that is only due to 'cutthroat bitch' being too long and difficult, and [just] 'Amber' being to cute a name).

Stay tuned.

The One With The Hypnosis

Yes, it is true: vampires poses the ability to hypnotise people and I happen to be the conclusive proof.

Nosferatu, eine Symphonie des Grauens

At first, it seemed a little funny: theatrical poses , exaggerated gestures, faces frozen in hyper-expression. The audience laughed. I laughed - at least for a while.
Moreover, you all know the story by heart. You all have seen films, read books etc. So there was nothing surprising there either.
Some technical issues, as usual with old movies, e.g. that typical grain and blurriness.
And you could tell they knew little about white balance - or they simply did not have any means to regulate it. As a consequence, the film is actually never black and white: you could literally see which scenes were shot at the bright daylight (these are black and blueish), which when the weather was cloudy (sepia) and where they used artificial lighting (black and yellowish). Or that was what I had been thinking, up until I realised they actually knew everything they needed. In fact, they were brilliant! They put on yellow / blue filters to indicate it was day or that the night had fallen, and they used sepia to suggest candlelight. And it was me who was that stupid not to notice the true beauty and simplicity of that minimalistic yet powerful solution.
Anyway, there came the moment when all those obstacles suddenly disappeared - or rather I stopped noticing them, so they did not interfere with the reception of the film, somehow they did not matter any more. Something shifted and I got so absorbed and drawn into the movie, I got mesmerised, hypnotised, lost. I was not aware that the music and other sounds were live. My god, this film is ninety years old and if you only let yourself you can still get goosebumps watching it! And not because it is scary, but because - in some magical way I still cannot comprehend - it conveys real emotions, creates unique atmosphere and sucks you into its world.
Some of the credit is due to the musicians. This time the percussion, guitar and keyboard got accompanied by the saxophone, which made me all the more ecstatic.

Note to self: next time make a reservation. The last time it was almost full. This time it was sold out. But nobody who really wanted to see the movie left unsatisfied, they made every effort to see to that and used pillows to create a zero raw.
So here is another reason why Agrafka stays my absolutely favourite Cracow cinema: they care.

By the way, I think I have a fetish... Cause it is not normal to be that crazy about and take such pleasure from watching old movies in the cinema. Hmmm...

Stay tuned!

The One Where Winter Is Coming

I have just finished a Game of Thrones marathon with friends - to remind ourselves all the plot details and characters before the next season starts. Can't wait. Which is suprising enough, since I love fantasy, but I am not at all crazy about political dramas; and A Song of Ice and Fire is exactly that: a political drama with just a shade of fantasy.
There will be dragons!
But have to catch up with the book first!

In the meantime - GoT intro simpsonised:

Robbie Conal, a graphic artist, said:

Being on the Simpsons... I think in American culture is the equivalent of being knighted by the Queen of England.

Music by Ramin Djawadi. Something different than the main theme this time:

Stay tuned.

The One With Bread

I made a bread.
I kneaded the dough and baked a loaf of bread. By myself.
And not only is it edible, but also pretty tasty; and healthy, by the way (from spelt and wholespelt flour).

Yes, I am proud of myself and I sincerely believe I have a solid reason to feel this way. I'm awesome.

Stay tuned!

The One In The Hollywoodland

The Artist

Some say this film is an empty shell: pretty, but meaningless.
I partially agree: The Artist may not be that masterpiece which some delighted critics told us to expect. Nonetheless, it still makes an extremely good, technically well-rounded, precise, self-concious movie, which tells the story of the end of one cinematic era and beginning of another. Moreover, it tells that story not only by the script, but by every possible means from all the variety available to movie makers. It is not just a new black & white silent movie - yes, it mimics the old motion pictures - and does it in such a charming way! Especially, if you have some admiration for silent films (and I certainly do, I have always had), you will find yourself amused by so many details calling for your attention and asking you to place them somewhere between Charlie Chaplin and Fred Astaire. (However, the further you go, the more steps out of the line you can observe. They are obviously intentional and emphasise The Artist being meta-picture. For instance, a curious observation: never had I heard such a silence in the movies. Usually, when there is no talking, there is music, and when there is no music, there are some natural sounds. When you think of silent films, you realise they are anything but silent - there always is some background music. Here it is not the case).
So when the screening ended I felt like clapping my hands and screaming bravo anyway.
Music, score by Ludovic Bource, sounds better along with the movie than separately. I cannot really tell why, but it is of the kind that you fully appreciate only having watched the film it accompanies.


Stay tuned.

The One Without The Cream-Puff Cake

But with tiramisu dessert - and many other pies and cakes - instead.
So I figure the day has not been totally ruined.

Stay tuned.