Wednesday 1 August 2012

For the advanced stages of cinephilia


The Dresser (1983)   
Tom Courtenay reanimates Albert Finney
As Hitler bombards theatres, Sir (Albert Finney), a veteran stage actor touring Britain with a troupe of unfit-to-serve leftovers, loses himself in a confusion of Shakespearian roles. Εxacting and sarcastic, half-mad and childlike, Sir struggles to prepare for yet another performance of King Lear. The only man who refuses to give up on the capricious egomaniac is his homosexual dresser Norman (Tom Courtenay). Norman pampers, threatens, nurses, pleads and loyally does everything earthly conceivable to pull his master together and get him through the night. Magnificent performances, impeccably directed, a penetrating often humorous screenplay; this Oscar-nominated backstage drama about human relationships is flawless. 

Friday 24 June 2011

The Strokes

The Strokes

Active for over than a decade now, the garage band "The Strokes" holds a place in the list of the '00s best albums with its critically acclaimed debut
"Is This It".

The frontman and songwriter Julian Casablancas was born in New York in 1978, at a place that would define the concept of his lyrics. One boarding and two private schools later, where he met the rest of the bandmates, Julian became the connecting link to the formation of one of the most influencial bands of the past decade and brought a transistion of interested from britpop to the indie rock scene carving the way for bands like "Arctic Monkeys" and "Franz Ferdinand".


Saturday 26 February 2011

Youtube Movie: Nosferatu

 Is this your wife? What a lovely throat!
Silent films are by definition not character-driven but rely on the power of image alone.
In 1922, when computer-generated imagery and bluescreens were terms still undefined, German director F. W. Murnau created the first vampire movie based on Bram Stoker's "Dracula" novel. His main tool to upset the audience's stomachs; modulation between shadow and light.
"Nosferatu" is a creature lurking in the dark, making people fear that for the sudden appearance of his imposing shadow alone.
Nowadays, given that you have seen horror movies like "The Exorcist" and "A Nightmare on Elm Street", Nosferatu will probably leave you apathetic with respect to your nightmares. But, you cannot at least gasp that the sight of a terrible blood-thirsty walking dead coming out of his coffin.

Watch the whole movie 

Thursday 9 December 2010

The Lady of Shalott

"The Lady of Shalott", is a famous poem written by Lord Alfred Tennyson in 1842.The poem tells us the story of the Lady of Shalott,who lives in an island castle in a river which flows to Camelot.She has been cursed to endlessly weave a magic web and she can not look outside,directly at the world.
She can only see the world reflected through a mirror;she can only see it's shadows.
One day she sees Sir Lanchelot through the mirror and she stops weaving.She leaves the castle,gets to a boat,where she writes her name and floats to Camelot.
She dies before getting in the palace and when Lancelot sees her dead,he praizes her beauty.
There has been much analysis of the poem.It shows the contradiction between art and life;the Lady is the artist that weaves her art and is isolated by the world,which is believed is what Tennyson thought of himself.
It can also be interpreted as the rebellion of a girl who is locked in a tower , protected from real life.
Or we can even see ourselves today,waching the world through internet or tv,not facing what is real.

You can read the poem in the link
http://ebooks.gutenberg.us/WorldeBookLibrary.com/shalltwo.htm

The poem has inpired many painters
John W. Waterhouse,"The Lady of Shalott"

John W. Waterhouse,"I Am Half Sick of Shadows' said the Lady of Shalott"

William Maw Egley,"The Lady of Shalott"
                  Sidney H. Meteyard,"I Am Half Sick of Shadows' said the Lady of Shalott"

                                              John Atkinson Grimshaw,"The Lady of Shalott"

                                                John William Waterhouse,"The Lady of Shalott"

Check out Lorenna MCkennitt singing "The Lady of Shalott"




Tuesday 7 December 2010

Lord Arthur Saville is a Murderer


"Lord Arthur Saville's Crime", is a short mystery story
written by Oscar Wilde(1854-1900).
It's the story of Lord Arthur Saville, who gets his hand read by a chiromanist, who tells him that he will commit murder in the future. Lord Arthur, takes this profecy seriously and decides to postpone his soon to be marriage and commit murder...
It's a brilliant,strange, ironic story with Wilde playing a game of fate.

Project Gutenberg link of e-book:
http://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/etext97/ldasc10h.htm

Μy Love Is Like a Red Red Rose

Passion Flower

Green Echinacea

Spider Flower

Scarlet Pimpernel

Blue Bell Tunicate

Blue Murraya Flower

Cannas Flower

Blue Gem

Tiger Orchid

Saturday 4 December 2010

What's on the Menu?

From Da Vinci to Andy Warhol, famous artists all over the world have portrayed food either as still life or as part of rich dinning scenes and turned them into masterpieces.
For food can be an art of its own.
Leonardo Da Vinci, "The Last Supper"

Frans Snyders, "The Pantry"

Paul Cezanne, "Still Life with Plate of Cherries"

Abraham van Beyeren, "Stillleben mit Geflugel und Fruchten"

Pierre-August Renoir, "Luncheon of the Boating Party"

Andy Warhol, "Campbells Soup Cans"

Rene Magritte, "L'Avenir"

Willem Claesz. Heda, "Nachtisch"

Edouard Manet, "The Lemon"

Konstantin Makovsky, "The Boyars Wedding Feast"

Guiseppe Arcimboldo, "The Market Gardener"