Blog — Page 143 of 283

The Lavazza Italian Film Festival

Palace Cinema

Sydney, Australia

September 17, 2019

Eighteen years since its inception, the Italian Film Festival is going stronger than ever with what can be considered a unique array of over two hundred movie theatres engaged each year.

Gradually grown to a major event, the 2019 incarnation of the festival has grown in both in extent and popularity to a point where it currently manifests the biggest celebration of Catalan cinema outside the confines of the land of calves.

What adds to the charm of the gala is that in Sydney, the home has been firmly established by Palace cinemas, a family business dedicated to showing the cream of the crop of both contemporary and classic Italian flics.

Showcasing more than twenty-six of the newest emissions of the idiosyncratic Italian movie industry alongside classic cinematic gems, special presentations, Aperitivo nights and receptions across screens in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, Adelaide, Canberra, Hobart and Byron Bay from 17 September, the Sydney opening proved to be an exercise par excellence for what the ole world has to offer.

Leonardo D’Agostini’s comedy drama Il Campione set the tone of the opening night with a contemporary take on friendship and backstabbing in the context of the multi million-dollar business the sport soccer has become in the current day and age.

With a not exactly heavy plot, D'Agostini’s debut was a light-hearted and accessible moral lesson to ease one into the spirit of this Italian extravaganza, the opening night of which was framed by the best the cuisine of Italy has to offer in terms of food, drinks and music.

There are for sure many ways to pay homage to what Italy has to offer the world but the Australian incarnation of the annual film fest is certainly one of the more accomplished ones.

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Just when one thought that one had identified pretty much the cream of the crop when it comes to craft beers and specifically IPAs, a contender pops up that one had almost managed to overlook: BentSpoke is a micro-brewery situated in Canberra, Braddon, an environment that lends itself well to the creation of beer because or its pristine water supply.

BentSpoke’s Crankshaft IPA is a hazy beauty with its orangey and amber coloured nuances that hint at the fruity and citrussy aromas that it emits. Not unlike a West Coast IPA it is creamy in texture, the top of the roof is tickled by sweet caramelly notes, which are counterbalanced by a nice bitterness that sandwiches just the right amount of piny hoppiness.

In essence, this is one hell of a flavourful nuance of North American hops create the foundation for a dangerously more-ish experience that ticks all the right boxes on the palate and its flavour profile is calibrated in a manner that is rarely found in the world of Indian Pale Ales.

BentSpoke Big Nut Black IPA is a boutique-y new emission that is, as the name suggests, on the nutty and roasty side of the flavour spectrum. While the aforementioned flavours dominate, the trademark malty notes with resiny and piney hops round out the palate.

The golden BentSpoke Sprocket IPA Review is part of the BentSpoke Drifter Series and delves into aromas of the tropical kind that are again framed by hoppy bitterness of the Mosaic kind without lacking a distinct malt character.

Clocking in at a punchy 7% ABV, this is almost too easy to drink that made a great constituent of a Boilermaker with a whiskey from a Hebridean distillery.

BentSpoke’s Red Nut is a Red Ale with a medium, clear caramel-coloured body with a tan cappuccino foam head that leaves patchwork lace on the side of the glass as it goes down. The spicy aromas are intriguing and are enriched by tropical nuances, which are grounded on a solid malt base.

What tickles the nostrils, is continued on the roof of the mouth with peppery highlights, which are juxtaposed by biscuity malts. Again, a masterstroke in flavour calibration.

Now, let’s culminate this instalment with one of my new favourites: BentSpoke Cluster 8 IIPA

A limited-edition batch Imperial/Double IPA with a whopping 8.8% ABV that combines all the best parts of the brews.

Tropical fruits, resin hops galore and a delicious dankness comprise this beauty, whose IBU is off the charts.

As mentioned in the beginning, in a world of novelty IPAs with eye-catching artwork on their labels, I almost overlooked BentSpoke - a mistake I shall not make again.

Book of Beasts: The Bestiary in the Medieval World

J. Paul Getty Museum

Based on an exhibition at the J. Paul Getty Museum, Book of Beasts: The Bestiary in the Medieval World the focus is firmly on what became known as the “bestiarum vocabulum”, a relict from mediaeval times that was in essence a sammelsurium comprising depictions, illustrations and elaborations on beasts both real and imaginary, framed by moral lessons.

Divided into five central themes, this tome is nothing but fascinating and a feast for the eyes as the foci are shown with a vibrancy the intricacy of the details of which are mind-blowing.

Based on concepts that are largely based on the Christian bible, beasts were used to signify the symbolism in a bid to portray deeper meaning, the layers of which are leading down rabbit holes of myths that are enhanced by vivid imaginations.

The depictions are iconic and are borderline atavistic in that they still to this convey and hold significance no matter how far you consider yourself removed from the beliefs they originated from.

Not unlike fairy tales for adults, there is wonder and bemusement in equal measures and one of the more interesting takeaways is that most of the “beasts” are not only still omnipresent in our lives but have established themselves as integral stereotypes.

A truly wonderful book that is a unique hybrid of encyclopedia, storybook, history book and one on art and apart from all that a feast for the eyes that serves as a sheer endless source of inspiration.

Monet: The Late Years

Kimbell Art Museum

If the claim that impressionism is light holds true, Claude Monet was the equivalent of the sun as what he emitted affected the world of art in every facet. The later years were defined by a hiatus caused by the departure of his second wife and eldest son, after which he reinvented himself through a deep dive into abstract large scale works that were channelled through the lenses of an artist that suffered from cataracts.

The opulently illustrated book showcases more than sixty canvases that are arranged according to themes and a chronological timeline, which towards the end shows the artist revisiting some of his earliest paintings and reinterpreting them.

What I have always found intriguing about Monet, is how powerful his paintings are despite the serene environments and floral focus they were centred around. Towards the end of his career, he managed to create panoramas that created an immersive, all encompassing experience, specifically by adding additional dimensions to his earlier work.

Subtleties in terms of colourful nuances and the dialogue between lighting / shading, add depth and room for interpretation far beyond the realm of what meets the eye.

His failing eyesight certainly contributed to the intrigue of his latter paintings that became intensely abstract, with subject matter blurred beyond recognition and with that borderline expressionist and very bold.

If so far you have only been familiar with Monet’s water-lily paintings, this catalogue will be a treat as the range of his oeuvre is surprisingly diverse.

A great ode to an artist that was obsessed by the desire to paint the natural world– a desire that was only amplified during his late sensitive years and the outcome of which are what became known as his greatly imaginative large-scale Grandes Décorations.

Ai Weiwei: Good Fences Make Good Neighbors

Unlikely that you have not come across internationally renowned activist and artist Ai Weiwei and his commentary on the status quo in some shape or form.

His exhibition Good Fences Make Good Neighbors, is a telling name as it is musing on the global refugee crisis by the man himself having transformed over three hundred sites across NYC to comprise a transcending large-scale statement par excellence.

This tome sheds light on the extraordinary project from inception to final installation, highlighting not only the implementation but also the in-depth attention to detail when it came to the preparation, the research and everything else that served as the foundation.

By doing so, the book becomes part of the art itself and adds another dimension, which is further enhanced by an interview with Weiwei, during which he elaborates on the significance the project holds for himself as well as essays from art critics, journalists, scientists and others, who muse on their own interactions with the project and give testament to the emotionally engaging and politically relevant nature of it.

I have not had the pleasure of experiencing the project in the third dimension, however, this tomes does a great job in conveying the concept, the negative impact of globalisation and the shift in the political landscape that made fences, the arbitrariness and often imaginary character of borders and demarcation lines and their impact on us all more relevant than ever.

What I found intriguing is how Weiwei not only points out the obvious, but also plays with nuances, e.g. the longing resulting from the mere knowledge of what lies on the other side of a fence without the slightest chance to ever get there – be it the fences that keep minorities confined or the walls others have built to exclude the less fortunate.

The takeaway of Weiwei’s work is that the crisis derived from immigration is not merely limited to regions but global and one that weights on humanity at large, including the manifold causes for it, be it environmental problems, famine or the fallout of politics – but also what it means for labour and taxes and thereby for globalisation.

A book that begs the question, what we as individuals can do about it.