La Grande Bellezza: a real beauty

Have you ever thought somebody would show the audacity to merge Lynch with Fellini in a decadent ‘dreamy’ Dolce Vita roman satire?

Don’t look any further: Sorrentino mastered his art with la 'Grande bellezza'. The unauthorized declaration of a mundane world where the 'blazés' meet the eternal dissatisfaction of a 'jet-set society' destined to aging and condemned to look for eternal youth and success. 

Seen through the eyes of our protagonist, a dandy Roman writer, we are taken through a fabulous, explorative and touching journey of an 'elite', remainder of a generation attached to aesthetics, money, self-awareness and success. A journey though, that takes us to a final destination based on true values: love, family, friendship. A journey that begins on the surface to end deep down on the inside: a true beauty.

Rome is filmed with incredible long takes, the city is shown at its best: a golden, yellow palette where the contrast is given by women, strong impersonators of a 'Mediterranean beauty'. Dark hair and flaming lipsticks capture our attention all film long. Satire, irony, beauty are the key ingredients of this movie where real values come to the rescue right when needed. We can't help but feeling compassion and admiration for 'Jep', an individual, that like most of us hides behind appearances, just to protect himself from vulnerability and suffering.

Daft Punk couldn't be more right!

When you think about the roots of electronic music you think Kraftwerk, Alan Parsons Project, Depeche Mode, Pet Shop Boys, Jean-Michel Jarre....and Daft Punk.
Daft Punk managed to become a reference for a style of electro that accompanies you from the dance floor to the lounge, to your own living room. Innovation meets the past for their latest album, thus delivering a product that is the result of true artists who know their stuff.
A beautiful collaboration with artists from the full repertoire: from Casablancas to Williams to Moroder...
'Get ready' is a '90s disco revive, so you'd better get ready for it; 'Instant Crush' is a beautiful 'ballad style' electro tune that easily reminds me of the '70s Alan Parsons' rhythms of 'Eye in the Sky' and 'Don't answer me' where Casablancas' voice is second to none. 'Doin' it Right' takes us through a synthetic 'dreamy' sound and we can't stop listening to it.
It is a Random Access Memories' album that draws the best from the past to revisit it in 'Daft Punk's style' as only they can.
A long waited success!

Imagine Dragons: indie success

Hard to make a difference as Indie bands seem to  grow at exponential rates...what is it then? Is it the voice of a lead singer? The tune? The Looks? The lyrics?
Imagine Dragons seem to have it; whatever the X FACTOR. We all felt like in 'Hear me' at some point in our life: that state of mind where you feel completely misunderstood and where the world around you doesn't seem to realize it. You want to scream, but you know you won't be heard, as if you were trapped within a dream.
'Amsterdam' is a beautiful introspective journey: you are conscious about what you've done, but you are hopeful for what will come next and you know that time will come.
And then you experience 'On top of the world' and 'Cha-Ching': two exotic recalls to ethnic rhythms where Reynolds goes wild on stage with his tambourine and an insatiable energy.
But what's probably even more catchy and touching is the band's attitude: a sold-out show before the official release of the album is exceptional, especially in a foreign country. They still seem to be unaware of their talent and potential: like shy kids who still try to figure out what's going on and what's happening to them. Reynolds cannot seem to stop thanking the crowd, creating a magical atmosphere whereby everyone seems to be there to share their passion for music: two hours to forget the outside world and let loose, two hours dedicated to a unique experience.
The Vegas kids have it: it is not only the talent, but the attitude towards music, the authenticity of the lyrics and the genuine behavior towards the crowd. I can only predict a great success for Night Vision's world Tour!

Wang: smoke and fire

Alexander Wang remains one of my favorite talents on the scene: despite the simplicity and geometrical cuts of his garments, his attention to details is admirable. Single pleats, twists, 'gloved sleeves', coupled with a wonderful mix of fabrics: leather, wool, fur, felt, mohair. Not to mention his non-apparel range: double-handled 2-sided handbags, pointy shoes 'softened' with chunky woolen socks. The colour palette is not surprising for his AW13 collection: shades of smoky grey revived by contrasting red-haired models.

The loves? Flaming red hair ponytails and fur 'boxing' gloves: as usual A. Wang cannot escape his Rock and underground touch...I love it!

Zero Dark Thirty: a time for landing?

It would be difficult for me to say what I was expecting from Katryn Bigelow's latest movie. Two things were certain though: I admire her work and I knew it would be difficult to portray such a recent historical event without being highly criticized.

Because the result was indeed a portrayal: a narrative of a secret mission without much controversy or questioning of the actual facts. Narrating the story about the capture of one of the most wanted men in history after not even a year would be very compromising and restrictive if the project was to challenge and highlight any controversy behind Bin Laden's capture.
Hence, the result is a quasi-documentary of the actual events: a powerful documentary though that pays honor to Bigelow's skills and a tremendously captivating lead character.
Jessica Chastain is surreal: her eyes and expression draw the spectator without needing for her to speak or move. A hypnotizing effect only achievable by a true star, and under Bigelow's direction she unquestionably blooms into a star!
The interrogation scenes were harsh, the years of investigation before the capture were far beyond a 'job' conception: a true life dedication. The movie did not question any steps undertaken by the US military nor the likeliness that Bin Laden was truly sleeping in his house that morning; it mostly told the story of a bright lonely career woman whose bravery and exhaustion culminate in a final scene with Chastain blasting into tears. The only 'motherfucker' woman agent who truly believed in her convictions and acted accordingly in a men's dominated world: a searcher for justice and for a better world, a perfectionist. Traits that are not unfamiliar to Bigelow; Maya (Chastain) is a female 'Bodi'...only operating on the side of justice.

My answer is that it is not yet time for 'landing' for Bigelow: her movie is captivating and moving, maybe not in the way we would expect, but it still is!

The Dark Knight

He’s certainly one of the best-known heroes of the 20th and 21st century: the only creature rising from the darkness whose purpose is not evil and whose soul is 200% human.

Bob Kane had to come up with a character charismatic enough to compete with Superman and whose charisma would match Zorro’s and The Phantom’s: no need to say challenging enough!
That’s when Batman was born in 1939: a cape and a mask, but instead of drawing on the roots of Spanish cavalry and riding a horse, Bruce Wayne was drawing on a force of nature and driving a machine that looked a lot like a rocket. What could be more alert, sensitive and dark than bats? So silent that the noise of their wings perfectly fades away in the wind and so sensitive that they would perceive danger miles away. Couple that with a successful business entrepreneur that would set the idealistic image of the ‘career-accomplished’ 1940’s American businessman and the result is simple: Batman.

The dream of the double-sided identity was certainly not a new one: from Dr. Jekyll & Mr Hyde, the myth of the Ware wolf, to Count Dracula. But for the first time, Batman, was devoted to restoring peace and to accomplish ‘something good’ to the point of meticulous control and calibre of his two identities. The animal side would be a highly inspirational one, rather than an uncontrollable propelling force that would take over the human side. No unusual DNA code would be mixed with that of a bat, but rather the adoption of the costume would be to Batman the beginning of an inward journey aimed at dealing with his personal fears and channelling that energy towards positive actions and the rescue of a trashed city best described by its gothic architecture; a city inspired by a Manhattan that we are hoping never to see.
Reflecting on the years of darkness the society was going through in the late '30s, even though on a different type of darkness, the birth of the Batman must have come as the result of a demand for hope and belief.

The fictional character that inspired TV shows, movie directors, designers has come back with the latest Christopher Nolan’s “The Dark Knight Rises” . I still remember the first Tim Burton’s blockbuster: a gothic movie where the setting had become a canvas of blacks, purples, reds: contrasting colors and characters, few dialogs, a captivating soundtrack. A more shy Bruce Wayne where the tinier figure of Michael Keaton seemed to contrast his inner force even more and  made him appear a lot stronger. A Jack Nicholson trashing a museum only for the sake of it to the sound of a very sensual "Cream" by Prince and a Kim Basinger whose inexpression would become acceptable only because of her captivating and enlighting beauty.

A fictional character that would grow through endorsements by Val Kilmer, Clooney to culminate with Bale. Batman would adopt looks to resemble the Comic book’s drawings more and more as the hero would become taller and stronger. Definitely a more impressive figure aesthetically, but a more vulnerable one that would allow the spectator inside the real life of Bruce Wayne and the true human condition of the Batman.

The latest one is a movie not to be missed, even though it offers suggestions for the end of the Bruce Wayne we know, but nevertheless for a birth of the Batman legacy.

Thank you Chris Nolan.

Chuck rocks with you

From basketball to Rock 'n' Roll: that seems a long way to go, but Converse has achieved a popularity that goes beyond these kinds of boundaries.

It is not about purpose anymore, but style and symbolism rather. We don’t say ‘basketball trainers’ any longer, but when we say your  ‘Chuck Taylors’ we know exactly what we mean: they haven’t changed, it’s the same colored twill flat that you were wearing when you were 16 and it’s the same you are still allowed to wear at 40. Because like Coca Cola it has become so universal that it’s made history! Affordable, it’s been reworked to suit all narcissistic needs of our ‘fashiony ‘ society: from leather to sequins to limited editions and studs.

And even designers have become worried as we see Louboutin, Choo, Martin Margiela and Jacobs coming up with their own version of the ‘Basketball’ flat to tap into this Converse universe.

Well, the smartest thing to do might then have been MAG's idea to work collaboratively with the trainers’ brand guru to create dedicated Chuck Taylors for the music industry and not quite any music: Rock and hard rock.  That seems to make perfect sense given that most of the performers already wear them: no way you could fly like Ashba with cowboy boots, that’s for sure!

I love the Richard Fortus' edition