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Part 3 - By Alexa Boyce

I can't seem to remember how many of these I've done now, but someone must be reading them as I've been asked to write another! So...

Lake Como, Italy
Well it was recently rumored that the new hot couple BRANGELINA (Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie) were going to hold their wedding at friend George Clooney's 25 room villa on Lake Como just outside of Milan, Italy. While this bit of juicy gossip may or may not be true, I can tell you that the ex-ER doc bought Villa Oleandra in 2001 when he was attracted to the outdoor theater, large swimming pool and garage to house a collection of motorcycles.

Oddly enough, Lake Como was featured on a rerun of "America's Next Top Model" that I saw recently. The models had a photo shoot at designer Stephen Fairchild's Lake Como mansion.

Switzerland

Canadian country singer Shania Twain shares a house with her husband Mutt Lange near French-speaking Montreux, Switzerland. Their 19th century manor on the shores of Lake Geneva. While she likes it there, she recently made an offer on 16,000 hectare Motatapu Station in New Zealand.

David Bowie also lives in French speaking Switzerland. He moved into the 20 room Chateau du Signal in Lausanne in 1981. The house was used in the filming of Claude Chabrol's film Merci Pour le Chocolat (Thank You for the Chocolate) in 2000.

Since 1986, Tina Turner has lived in the fashionable Guldkuste district of Zurich in German-speaking Switzerland. Her lake view estate is shared with a mysterious Swiss businessman.

Bahamas
Johnny Depp famously purchased the ultimate luxury: his own private island in the West Indies. Little Hall's Pond Cay cost him $3.6 million (USD) and comes with six white beaches and a central lagoon surrounded by shady palm trees. Paparazzi not included.

Fiji
Controversial actor Mel Gibson followed suit with his own private island in Fiji in February 2005. Its 5,411 acres make Mago Island the largest privately owned island in the South Pacific (and its $15 million price tag makes it probably one of the most expensive). It is home to the largest sugar and cotton plantation in the region, and according to a lawsuit challenging his ownership, it was also once home to 500 tribespeople!

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Bt Kayla Allen

Is a hilarious Kung Fu movie, one that's actually trying to be funny. Trying and succeeding I might add. I doubt with all it's awesome martial arts action however that it would disappoint even the most die hard of Kung Fu fans. It will even please those who would rather watch anything other than "another boring foreign film" because chances are, they've never seen one this funny.

Set in an indeterminate time in China when gangs rule everything and take anything they want; the only safe thing to be is poor. Until the day a small-time con artist turns the gang's sights onto an impoverished town called Pig Sty Alley. But Pig Sty Alley is not just any other destitute village; it happens to have a high concentration of Kung Fu masters. This where the fun starts. Well, maybe the fun started a little earlier when the Axe Gang, the antagonists are introduced in an unlikely and expertly executed dance sequence.

Even with all the humor and Kung Fu the heart of this movie is never lost. The beauty of cinematography and framing is un-compromised and the music is as important in the film as any other one of its elements. To top it off, there is love, if just a little, but very sweet, ending the movie on a perfect note. Its main focus seems to be however that there is greatness in everyone it just sometime takes a little coaxing to bring to the surface and even the most unlikely candidates can be heroes.

This movie might not tell you much about modern day China or even China at any specific time period but if you're learning Chinese and quick, it might teach you some pretty funny vocabulary, not to mention some pretty impressive fight moves. Well worth the watch.

Related Movies:
* Same action choreographer as Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon and The Matrix.
* From the director of Shaolin Soccer - same kind of humor, same kind of heart.
* Comedic if bloody Kung Fu: Kill Bill I & II

Non-comedic, beautiful, recent Kung Fu movies:
Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon, Hero, House of Falling Daggers.

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By Connie Marianacci

I am the kind of person that watches a movie once and never again. As time goes by, I barely remember the plot, who the actors were let alone remembering any quotes from it like lots of people tend to do.

9 Queens, an Argentinean film directed by Fabian Bielinsky took my breath away when I first watched it. It has a clever plot that holds your attention every minute of the movie, giving you suspense and at the same time, it plays with the characters in a sensual way.

You get a feeling of what Buenos Aires is about, what the city feels like, architecture in the city, the people and the political problems and how people react to them.

Some of the typical themes found in Buenos Aires:
- Going to the bank is always a chaotic experience. There is little customer service, there is always a line to wait on and it normally takes about 30 min. at least to do anything you need to do at any bank.
- Enjoying a coffee in the middle of the day. Many of the main scenes of the movie show people enjoying their small cup of coffee while meeting with someone either for professional or personal reasons.
- Populated 9 de Julio Street. This is probably the broadest street found in South America and beautiful indeed. Stores all around, buildings with big billboards, trees around the street and people walking. Just so you know, it is like crossing 2 streets in one and you better run when you have the right of way! http://www.amazon.com/Buenos-Aires-Panorama-Aldo-Sessa/dp/9509140368/sr=11-1/qid=1165510825/ref=sr_11_1/102-5192343-6103300
- Trust is always questionable. People have been known for not "keeping their word" so trust has diminished. This is an overall feeling of Latin Americans in general and not different for Argentineans. The movie has a great way of demonstrating this and build suspense around it.

Aside from a great plot, Gaston Pauls(Juan) is one of the classic sex symbols in Argentina and high demand among young women. Ricardo Darin (Marcos) has received many prizes both nationally and internationally.

To get a peak on Argentina, buy the film!

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By Glenn Rigby

I bought an iPod about 2 months ago, and it has completely changed my music-listening experience. Prior to this, I carried around a discman with three or four cd's in my pocket for a little variety. As a guy with 300+ cd's, and who constantly has music playing, this was very restricting.

Now I carry 3,300+ songs in my iPod and can easily select between different play lists, albums, artists, or just shuffle through all the songs. I haven't even imported all of my cd's into digital tracks, yet! Soon enough, though, my entire collection will be ready to go.

I chose to grab the player with 60 gigabytes of storage; that's a lot. My Macbook laptop has 60 gigs, and when you take into account all the software and programs taking up room on it, there's not much space left for music. That means that I will eventually have to take some songs off my computer to make room for new ones, but I would hate to just throw them away. This brings me to another fun feature of the iPod: Storage!

This music player has a hard-drive – it doesn't operate on flash memory as some of the other mp3-players do (including the iPod Shuffle). That means that it not only plays iTunes-imported songs, but also acts as an external storage device that can hold, store and transport every type of digital media. No need to buy a flash drive when you have one of these guys.

If you want to get fancy (as I did), you can get yourself the video version. This addition to the iPod family has the capability to playback videos; music videos, home movie clips - you name it. All you have to do is have the files in iTunes, go to preferences and "sync" the files or folders to your iPod.

Photos can also be stored and attractively displayed on the 30 and 60 GB models. I'm trying not to get too carried away, but I do have a whole lot of pictures on mine. Everything from friends to failed Photoshop projects are easily at my disposal. There is a slideshow feature available with customizable settings, allowing you to automatically flip through selected folders of pictures in various styles. This feature is possibly only for the serious photo buff.

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by Glenn Rigby

After traveling Europe extensively as a boy, and then as a young adult, Mozart began making his return to his native land of Austria. On the way he stopped in Munich, where his opera Idomeneo premiered.

The next year he returned to Vienna with his employer, prince-Archbishop Colloredo. Mozart grew more and more rebellious towards Collerdo, and admitted he was released from employment "with a kick in the seat of the pants." He then settled in Vienna to pursue an independent music career.

In 1782 Mozart married a woman named Constanze Weber. This was also the year that he created the opera Die Entführung aus dem Serail ("The Abduction from the Seraglio"). This piece was widely successful. Not long after he performed piano concertos as director and soloist.

The next year, Amadeus and Constanze visited his father in Salzburg with a cold reception. Leopold Mozart did not take to his son’s wife. Though the visit was not a particularly pleasant one, it did inspire Mozart to write one of his best known works, the Mass in C Minor. This piece premiered in Salzburg with Constanze as lead female soloist.

In 1782 Mozart became acquainted with the composer Joseph Haydn. The two quickly became friends. During Haydn's visits to Vienna, the two would play in quartets together. During the years of 1782-1785, Mozart dedicated six quartets to Haydn, and it is thought that these were in response to Haydn's Opus 33 from 1871.

Between 1782 and 1785, Mozart also performed a series of solo concerts. These are considered to be his best pieces, and were financially rewarding.

During the years 1784-1787 he lived in a lavish, seven-room apartment behind St Stephen's Cathedral; it was here, in 1786, that Mozart composed the opera Le nozze di Figaro. This apartment may be visited today at Domgasse 5.

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By Alexa Boyce

When one thinks about the "traditional" or cultural music of the world, you might imagine that it has been in development or a part of a certain country's culture for hundreds of years. Samba is relatively a baby compared to these. Surprisingly, it was born around the 19-"teens" and 1920's as a contemporary to Jazz but not a derivative. It began in the favelas, or Afro-Brazilian black Ghettos in the Bahian state and migrated to Rio with the recording of "Pelo Telephone" by Dongo and Mauro Almeida in 1917. This is generally referred to as the first recording of Samba music.

People often refer to the escola de samba or samba school. This was originally to give the musicians a sense of legitimacy in the new genre. Samba music's popularity really took off in the 1930's when Ismael Silva opened the first Samba School, Deixa Falar, in the Estacio de Sa neighborhood. This coincided with the nationalistic dictatorship of Getulio Vargas and pushed samba to become Brazil's official music.

Samba Music is divided into many sub-categories such as Bossa Nova, Partido Alto, Pagode, Samba de Breque, Samba-canssao and Samba-enredo.

Samba can also refer to the rhythmic dance that is typically performed to Samba music, though as with the music, there are many different forms of the dance. Brazilian Samba partner dances such as Samba de Gafiera or Samba de Pagode differ greatly from Ballroom Samba. They are actually more closely related to the Argentinean Tango. Samba no pe and Samba Axe are different kinds of solo Samba dances often seen at Carnival.

For Information about Samba groups near you, click here, & here.

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By Alexa Boyce

When people here in the States think of Martial Arts, they may think of Bruce Lee’s street fighting technique or Mr. Miyagi’s disciplined approach. The truth is, that martial arts come in a large variety of styles and emphases. Some martial arts styles stress street combat, others stress sports skills and competition, others stress internal energy or chi, while still others are traditional arts that stress perfection of technique, self discipline and etiquette. They also vary in the main body stances, and can be divided into Stand-Up Style, Ground Fighting/Grappling Style, Throwing Style, Weapons- Based Style and Low-Impact or Meditative Style. Below, you will find a list of various martial arts practices and their unique features.

Karate:
This Stand-Up Style martial art is traditionally considered to have originated in Okinawa, Japan, though it actually originated in China. Karate emphasizes power through various stances and footwork. Karate is practiced in stylized routines.

Kung Fu:
Another Stand-Up style, Kung Fu originated in China, Tibet and Mongolia. The words Kung Fu literally mean “hard work” or specifically, skill achieved through hard work. There are more than 400 different sub-styles of Kung Fu, and can stress skills such as stances or hand techniques.

Tai Kwon Do:
This Stand-Up style originated in Korea during the Koguryo dynasty, though modern TKD was developed in the 40’s during the Japanese occupation, and bears little resemblance to the traditional TKD. Modern TKD emphasizes kicks and sparring, punches to the head are not allowed.

Brazilian Jiu Jitsu
This Grappling style originated in Japan, and was brought to Brazil in the early 20th century when Jiu Jitsu master Mitsuo Maeda emigrated from Japan. Brazilians honed this art through street fights until it became the completely unique art that it is today.

Capoeira:
An Afro-Brazilian martial art whose influence can be most seen in Northern Brazil, in places such as Salvador. This style is heavily influenced by dance, and is always performed to music. Characteristics are deft, tricky moves played on the ground or completely inverted. It is very acrobatic and fun to watch as well as do.

Krav Maga:
In Hebrew, Krav Maga means “close combat”. It is a self-defense and military hand-to-hand combat technique. It is popular among civilians as well, though civilian classes generally leave out the killing techniques taught to the military and the hold stances taught to Israeli police.

Tai Chi:
This Meditative style art originated in China in the 15th and 16th centuries. For the most part, Tai Chi is a slow moving style that stresses breathing techniques to facilitate the flow of chi. Broken up into Yang, Chen, Wu, and Sun styles.

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By Kayla Allen

For years Japanese pop art has been popular and recognizable worldwide but in recent years with video games and anime becoming more like moving masterpieces and just as suitable for adults as children, Japanese pop art has become more pervasive than ever.

From fine art to manga (Japanese comic books), to the stationary you write your letters on, Japanese pop images and icons are everywhere.

Even with its international growth, nowhere is Japanese pop art more popular than in Japan. Manga crosses all parts of society and age groups with themes and images to entertain and attract all its audience members. In Japan it is not uncommon to see a business man reading a manga at lunch in a restaurant or a woman reading a romance manga on the bus.

Though Japanese pop hasn't reached those proportions in the states yet, when I look around my house, I have to say, we may just get there.

My refridgerator and home are covered in Nara. An artist with his beginnings in manga, Yoshitomo Nara has taken a huge role in American pop culture, art culture and my home. You can walk into both popular clothing stores and popular art galleries in the states and see his images. His reach is widespread and I hope it only grows.

While I'm not a big video game fan, when I saw how fun Katamari Domacy is, it became the first video game that I've purchased as an adult. Designed by a starving Japanese artist who had to go to work for a big company to pay the bills, he said his intentions in designing this game were to make people happy. It's done just that with hysterical imagery and happy inducing music to boot.

When manga met America's hardcore comic fans it instantly gained popularity and a permanent rapt audience. And although our market for manga may never quite reach that of Japan's, anime is now a mainstay for television before and after school and on Saturday mornings as well. So with millions of children growing up with these images I’m wagering Japanese pop is here to stay.

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By Kayla Allen -
I love almost everything French.
When I visited Paris it took a lot of convincing by my boyfriend at the time to get me to go anywhere else in Europe and even more convincing to get me back on the plane home to the states. I quite simply just never wanted to leave.

Everything seemed beautiful to me. Even I felt more beautiful. I felt like I was in a film; the gorgeous French film of my life in Paris. I’m sure it feels different if you actually have to work in Paris and you can’t spend your days running from museum to café and drinking delicious wine next to Notre Dame and strolling down the river at night with the Eiffel tower just in the distance, but that’s how it was for me. And I wanted more and more.

As they tend to do, my vacation ended and I found myself back at my apartment with Paris very far away. Enter, French film, ah.

I will go back to Paris as many times as I can in my life but in the meantime I supplement my France fixation with film. Paris can sometimes seem even more picturesque in Black & White.

I’m going to hold myself to talk about just two movies, Breathless and Irma Vep. Breathless was made in 1959 and Irma Vep in 1996. They feel very different and I love them both.

Irma Vep is interesting because it actually follows a French director trying to make an updated version of a French series and trying to capture and retain its “Frenchness” while remaining true to his artistic vision and using, in his estimation the perfect woman for the role, a Chinese actress who speaks no French. A movie within a movie. There’s so much discussion in this film about French film, the dialogue is done plainly yet wittily, it’s visually gorgeous and there’s just enough bashing of American blockbusters to make you laugh. And then there’s the end. The end is so silent, gorgeous, sad and breathtaking it made my heart actually ache.

All I will say about Breathless is that if you haven’t seen it, you must and if you’ve seen it once you should watch it again.

Some other heart stoppers include:

Belle du Jour
That Obscure Object of Desire (same director as above)
Blue
White
Red (same director for all three colors)
Amelie (of course)
Le Femme Nikita
Man on a Train (love, love, love)

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The other weekend, my husband and I were at Borders. My husband is a CD junkie and is always in search of any type of music to add to our collection. Upon browsing through the international music section, he came across a 3 disc set of Arab music. I know he was very intrigued by this music, and at the same time could not pass up the great deal (3 CDs for $9.99).

Later in the weekend, we were cleaning and doing things around the house, and decided to put on the new CD collection. I must say I was pleasantly surprised by the variety of music it included. Everything from traditional orchestral type music with a Middle Eastern flair, to rap in Arabic was featured and from a variety of countries too. Although I haven't had the time, I was hoping to take some time and research who the popular artists were in Egypt or Morocco for example to see if they made the cut on this music collection, or if this was just a case where “cover bands” and such took over. Ultimately, I was impressed by not only the styles of the music, but the emotions that they made come alive, not to mention the sense of an exotic destination far away that comes into your imagination. (I'm not sure if that's even making any sense). It's been a really long week, and I'll quit sounding like a Time Life music commercial while I'm ahead. Maybe tonight I might go home and put on of these CDs to unwind.

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By Kayla Alen - Film is a medium that can often transcend language, but for me the Italian in Italian Cinema is just as important as the cinematography, the actors, the landscape and the soundtrack. Even with no comprehension of the language it is impossible not to intuit some meaning from the sound, inflection, fervor and color of Italian on film.

Of course Italian film has more to offer than just its language, like gorgeous framing, unmistakable sex appeal and gritty realism paired with a slow dreamlike quality. All this visual stimulation paired with such an emotional and urgent sounding language draws you so far into the story that you can feel and taste the atmosphere of Italy. You're just as in love, in desperate need of money, as much of a criminal, desired or desiring and as beautiful as Sophia Loren or any other actor/character whose life becomes the focus of the film.

And best of all, you can speak Italian! At least it feels like you can, for an hour or two.

I'm so in love with the Italian movies I've seen, I even forget that I'm no movie critic, haven’t seen some of the most well known Italian films and probably should keep my opinions to myself but I can't!

These are some of my favorite Italian films and when you find that your life will simply not be complete until you can watch these films without subtitles well, you’re on our blog, so you know where to go!

Il Postino
Cinema Paradiso
The Nights of Cabiria (really anything by Fellini)
La Dulce Vita
The Bicycle Theif
Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow
Italian for Beginners NOT AN ITALIAN FILM (but shows you where your desire to learn Italian can take you.)

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By Anne-Marie Dingemans

A fundamental part of Latin American culture is watching telenovelas. A telenovela is similar to a soap series, but they usually have a predetermined set of episodes (the producers write the entire plot before starting to film). Telenovelas are the most-watched shows in Latin America and are the top-rated shows in all Latin-American countries. And there are so many of them! I found this awesome website, to give you an idea of what’s out there: 100 Telenovelas

To my taste and I dare guess to most tastes, they are incredibly cheesy! These are the two basic plots on which all telenovelas are based - forgive me if there are exceptions but I haven't found them yet...Either, a poor, beautiful girl meets a rich and handsome guy who breaks up with his rich, evil and frivolous girlfriend to be with the heroine (but really just to annoy his family). The evil ex-girlfriend, helped by the family, tries to sabotage their romance. Or, the poor heroine discovers her real father or mother, who almost always turns out to be incredibly wealthy. Both plots ends with the bad guys dead and the two heroes getting married and having babies. However, I watched my fair share of telenovelas back in the day when I was learning Spanish in Antigua (have since moved on to CSI and the like, now that's a challenge!) because they are so simple that you can focus your attention on trying to pick out words you understand without having to be afraid you're losing track of the story line :). Telenovelas are also good in learning to recognize accents. As they are produced in almost all Latin American countries, and they use local actors, you can practice your understanding of the Venezuelan, Peruvian and Mexican accents all in one afternoon. Every country prefers its own telenovelas but the most successful ones are aired all over the continent.

Who said watching TV could not be educational? So next time you're going on a total immersion course, by all means hop on the couch with your host family when it's telenovela time, and immerse yourself in the culture!

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By Beth Klemick

As a recent birthday gift I was treated to a wonderful weekend in New York City; the highlight was orchestra tickets to see The Lion King on Broadway. What a show! From the "animals" and characters' entrance, throughout the entire performance the audience was transported to Africa. The costumes, sounds, music and scenery were rich African culture. There were moments that you if you believed hard enough you could sense and feel the African savannah and the movements for the animals as if you were on an actual safari. Sometimes you don't have travel far or at all to have a wonderful cultural experience.

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By Beth Klemick

In the spring of 1997 I had the opportunity to visit China, at that time Hong Kong was still independent from mainland China and the control of Beijing. In fact I can recall standing in Tiananmen Square looking at a gigantic sign along the one side of the square that was counting down the days until Hong Kong was "to be returned" to the control of mainland China. Although dazzled by metropolitan Hong Kong, Beijing and the political history of China absolutely fascinated me. A friend took a picture of me next to the statue of Mao Zedong, Chairman and leader of the Chinese Communist Party, the ruling government of Mainland China. Mao's legacy has produced a large amount of controversy. Some Chinese mainlanders continue to regard Mao Zedong as a great revolutionary leader, but he is most known for the diastorous Cultural Revolution which purged, tortured, and publicly humiliated millions. That visit sparked my interest to read and learn more about Mao Zedong's life and China, while in my searches for reading material I came across the novel Becoming Madame Mao by Anchee Min. Although this novel is listed as fiction it provides strong, factual background. The great appeal of this book to me was the focus on Mao Zedong’s wife, Jiang Qing. Madame Mao Zedong is universally known as the "white-boned demon", and some believe she was the driving force behind the Cultural Revolution. The book was rich in detail and character building while providing intimate details of the myth of Madame Mao Zedong and the history of China and this dynamic, controversial couple.

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By Elizabeth Gregory

The other day I was browsing at the bookstore. I wandered into the CD section in search of expanding my world music collection. I lucked out and found a no-name sort of "best of Russian music" CD on clearance for $5. I was pleasantly surprised at the sound quality on such a cheap CD, but even more than that much of this music was very traditional Russian dance pieces according to a friend who is from Bulgaria and knows a lot about Russian music. Some of it sounded familiar (a la Crimson Tide) but much of it was new to me and very interesting. So if you're in the mood for festive, orchestral, rich music I highly recommend some traditional Russian music. It makes good cleaning music too! Next up, I'll be looking for some Irish ballads.

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By Anne-Marie Dingemans

City of God (Cidade de Deus) is the ironical name of one of the most dangerous favelas (slums) of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The movie director, Fernando Meirelles, based this film on a true story, filmed in Cidade de Deus itself, and he used hundreds of local children (real-life slum children) as extras, which makes the movie all the more powerful.

The story begins in the '60s when the overcrowded housing project Cidade de Deus is home to the undesirables of Rio. The main characters are just children, watching the crime and violence going on around them and dreaming about the future. Buscape wants to be a photographer and his friend Ze Pequeno wants to be a powerful gangster. As the story continues into the '70s, you see the favela grow dirtier, poorer and more dangerous. People really do not have any options here. Violent crime is committed by children and young teenagers, and Ze Pequeno is counting his kills. We see the events unfolding through the eyes of Buscape; his desperation, not knowing what to do to get out of the favela and trying not to get killed in the meanwhile.

It all culminates in the '80s in an all-out war between the two most powerful drug lords; ruthless Ze Pequeno and slightly more sane Mane Galingha. Buscape finds himself caught in the middle of a conflict that, he says: "By the end, after years of fighting, nobody could remember how it all started." Interesting here is that Mereilles is not pointing fingers nor romanticizing the cruel Ze Pequeno's opponent. He's just depicting an utterly senseless situation with no easy solution.

For me, the best part of this movie is the fact that I couldn't escape the reality of it. Some movies are made just to provide entertainment, but thousands of movies are made because the director wants to tell a story, send you a message. Well, the message arrives loud and clear! Maybe with other movies touching on disagreeable themes you can deceive yourself into thinking "it's just a movie", but you can't deceive yourself in any way here. It has happened, it is real, those kids you see there in the background do live right there in that favela. Very powerful. A must-see.

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By Sue Lavene

One of the reasons we love Philadelphia (we live in South Jersey, just "over the bridge") is because of the ever-expanding cultural diversity. Last weekend, my husband and I joined a Mural Arts tour headed for an area of North Philadelphia known to have a large Hispanic population. Since many of the murals were devoted to Puerto Rican culture, history and homeland, in anticipation of our upcoming trip to Puerto Rico, we signed up for this trolley tour.

Driving around from one beautiful mural to another, some decorated with painted ceramic tiles donated by the Philadelphia Art Museum, others with broken colored glass pieces, these Puerto Rican-themed murals were tropical in nature with brightly colored plants, waterfalls, trees (including palms) and of course, the national icon, the tiny coqui frog. They were often times painted on the sides of row homes, and what we found out is that an average mural takes about 2 months to complete at the cost of $10,000 - $15,000 (wow!).

After the tour, we ate at an authentic Mexican restaurant that was included in the tour price. Toward the end of the lunch, we were joined by dynamic mural artist, Jane Golden, who gave us some background behind the Mural Arts program. What started out by the City of Philadelphia as an anti-graffiti initiative in 1984 became a city-supported public art program in an attempt to redirect graffiti writers' energies to mural painting.

You may find more information about this project at the Mural Arts Program's website.

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By Elizabeth Gregory

Gustavo Adolfo Bécquer (1836-1870) is my favorite Spanish poet. Although he was born in Sevilla, he spent much of his life in Madrid. Many of his shorter Rimas are professions of love, and are so romantic. I swear, the first time I read some of these for homework in Spanish Literature class in college I nearly fainted. Then, when my professor read them out loud the next day with such emotion and drama, the entire class (including the guys) was left speechless and on the verge of swooning. OK, I'm exaggerating slightly, but I think we were all so caught up in them, and almost believed that these poems had been written for each of us individually. They're that amazing.

I have picked 3 of my favorite Rimas (a tough decision to make) to share with you. The first 2, I also gave English translations, but since translations often don't do justice to the words, meter, and structure of the poem, I have left the last one without an English translation.

XXI
¿Qué es poesía?, dices mientras clavas
en mi pupila tu pupila azul;
¡qué es poesía! Y tú me lo preguntas?
Poesía...eres tu.

What is poetry? You say while you fix
on my eyes your blue eyes
what is poetry! And you ask me?
Poetry...is you.


XXIII
Por una mirada, un mundo;
por una sonrisa, un cielo;
por un beso...yo no sé
que te diera por un beso

For a look, a world;
for a smile, a heaven;
for a kiss...I don’t know
what I would give you for a kiss.


XVII
Hoy la tierra y los cielos me sonríen,
hoy llega al fondo de mi alma el sol,
hoy la he visto…la he visto y me ha mirado...
¡hoy creo en Dios!

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By Sue Lavene

Innocent Voices (Voces Inocentes), filmed in Mexico and based on the childhood of screenwriter Oscar Torres, tells the true story of the civil war in El Salvador during the 1980s. What makes this film stand out from all other war dramas is that its perspective is told through the innocent eyes of an 11-year-old boy, Chava, who is just one year from being drafted into the army himself.

Made the "man of the house" by his father who left them to go to the US at the start of the war, Chava's days are filled with innocence and play, while his nights are filled with the horror of flying bullets and kidnappings. Even more frightening than the stray bullets was the fact that within a year's time he would be forced into the army.

Young Chava has no political opinions. He supports his uncle, a guerilla, and fears the government because he does not want to be made to be a soldier in the army on his twelfth birthday, like so many of his classmates.

The scariest part of this story is not only watching families take cover underneath furniture and mattresses but especially those scenes in which the army came to schools and lined up the boys to remove the twelve year olds. After school hours, in a desperate attempt to remain invisible and avoid being picked up by the army, children hid on the rooftops of their homes.

Chava's spirited resilience warmed my heart rather than leaving me overwhelmingly sad. There is comfort in knowing that Chava will eventually pull through, both physically and spiritually - as he has clearly lived to tell the tale - but his saga is nonetheless harrowing and intensely moving. Spanish subtitles.

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The Devil's Backbone (El Espinazo del Diablo) is one of those rare movies that I saw in the theater without the faintest idea as to how terrified I would be. I am not a fan of suspense or horror movies, and this movie is a mix of both; in spite of the fact that this movie gives me nightmares (It's not that scary...I'm just a horror movie lightweight), I've seen it several times and even own it on DVD.

The Devil's Backbone is set in 1939 at the end of the Spanish Civil War. Carlos, son of a Republican war hero, is sent to live in an orphanage (one with a humongous bomb stuck in the middle of the courtyard, and no, it hasn't exploded yet) run by the headmistress, Carmen, and Professor Cesares (both Republican sympathizers) in the middle of nowhere. Carlos is not comfortable at the orphanage from the beginning, and his discomfort grows when he discovers Santi, the ghost of a young boy living in a building used for storage. I don't want to spoil anything, but I'll just tell you that Santi's warning, "Many of you will die.", will leave you at the edge of your seat.

This description might be rather confusing (and somewhat off-putting) for someone who hasn't seen the film, but it's difficult to explain all of the elements of The Devil's Backbone. It's a beautifully filmed movie, directed by Guillermo del Toro, and lovers of horror and suspense will be thrilled by every twist and turn. Although I highly recommend The Devil's Backbone, I don't think it's an appropriate movie for young children or the truly faint of heart.

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By Sue Lavene

Maria Full of Grace (Maria, llena eres de gracia)

This is a distressing though honest view of one young woman's life-changing and life-threatening journey through the dark and scary world of drug trafficking, taking her from her rural town in Colombia to the streets of Queens, NY. Starting the film as an employee of a flower factory, pregnant Maria Alvarez, in search of some desperately needed money for her family, takes the risky plunge to become a "drug mule".

Playing himself in the movie, Orlando Tobon, often referred to as the "Mayor of Little Colombia", in his one-room travel agency in Queens, has worked with many immigrants for more than 15 years, collecting the unclaimed bodies of less fortunate drug couriers, raising money for their burial, helping people to find employment as well as tax preparation. You will find an interesting MSNBC interview with Orlando from May 2004 here.

My overall impression of this film was with mixed emotions, one of a microscope portrayal of an innocent woman looking to the promise of a significant sum of money through one of the most dangerous and hated activities in society. I sat through most of the film white-knuckled, praying that Maria would make it out alive to be able to use that money toward an honest and bright future in her adopted country.

On the other hand, at times, without getting onto a soapbox, I was angry at the reality that people do smuggle drugs into our country because of the upsetting effects of it seen in the media, though this film carefully focuses its energies back on the people swallowing the drug pellets. I couldn't help but feel the human side of the women's ordeals and their obvious desperation. Even though, at times, it's difficult to watch, I would recommend it. And for lovers of the Spanish language, it's shown in Spanish (with subtitles)!

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By Jennifer Horigan

It's rare to find a perfect pairing of concert performers. I was lucky to see one such performance, the pairing of Lila Downs from Mexico and Mariza from Portugal. Lila Downs performed first. She has become recognized in this country with a small part in the film Frida. Originally from the southern part of Mexico, she sings many traditional and traditionally-inspired songs from Oaxaca and the surrounding areas. She took the stage of this performance hunched over, a drum swung over her shoulder, playing and dancing in time with the other musicians. She sang primarily in Spanish or the traditional Indian of the region, performing only one song in English, a tribute to Woodie Guthrie and the migrant workers who are prevalent in the southern United States. Her voice was like an instrument, running up and down the scales with ease. You could sense the pride, history, and ancestry in every note, every breath. She sang songs of celebration, songs of death, and even songs about native animals. She is definitely a product of her past and the many cultures and people she has met along the way. An amazing performer.

Lila Downs was a delicious appetizer for the delectable main course, Mariza. Mariza was born in Mozambique and raised in the most traditional Fado neighborhood in Lisbon. She was born to a legacy of emotional folk music. She peppered her performance with stories of her childhood, of the music she loves, the Portuguese poetry that is her inspiration, and the marriage of African and Portuguese that is deep within her heart. During the performance she stood in the center of traditional musicians: various guitars, a cello, violin and viola player, and simple drum. Every note she sang was acted upon, whether through dance or arm movements. And her voice, that voice, was the finest crystal. Every note sang with perfection. You could feel Fado's history every time she opened her mouth. The final song was sang in a traditional Fado style. The music has flourished in small bars in Portugal, without amplification or bravado. Her three guitar players played without amplification, she sang without a microphone, but the music filled the room, as if we were transported to a small bar in Lisbon. A stunning ending to a breathtaking night.

If you ever have the chance, please see both of these artists, these strong women. Their performances go beyond music. They encompass history, culture, poetry, civilization. It would be an evening you won't soon forget.

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When last in Germany, I popped into a music store. I always try to pick up a CD of some popular music of the country I'm in since many times world music selections can be lacking at home (plus it's a relatively cheap souvenir for myself). Prior to my shopping trip, I asked my host brother who was popular in Germany. After listing to many groups and soloists that I hear on the radio at home, he finally admitted that "the only good non-techno singer in German music that a lot of people like is Herbert Gronemeyer". Based on his suggestion, I picked up a copy of his CD Mensch. I love this CD. It's a great mix of slow songs and fast songs. In a strange way, he kind of reminds me of Sting. Even the parts where I don't know what he's saying, I find myself singing along. There is a lot of variety on this CD, and you can really feel his emotions which vary based on the type of song he is singing. I highly recommend this CD for anyone looking to expand their world music collection. It's also a great one to have in the car when you’re struggling to find some good "driving music".

Highly recommended by Elizabeth Gregory

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Love Me If You Dare (Jeux d'enfants) is one of the coolest movies I've ever seen, and it is easily one of my favorites. The vivid color and unconventional plot are reminiscent of Amelie, everyone's favorite French film, but Love Me If You Dare tells a story all its own.

Starring heartthrob Guilluame Canet as Julien and Marion Cotillard as Sophie, Love Me If You Dare begins when Julien and Sophie meet as children; they immediately commence an exciting (and oftentimes disturbing) game of outdoing each other with outrageous dares. (Cap ou pas cap?) The games continue through college and into adulthood, and with each dare it becomes more difficult for Julien and Sophie to admit their love for one another. I won't tell you exactly how things turn out for them, but I have to say that it was the most romantic, yet strangely unromantic, ending to a movie I can say I've ever seen.

Again, it's not your typical romantic comedy, but that's what makes it so cool. You'll laugh, you'll be shocked, you'll fall in love with love. Love Me If You Dare is out on DVD, and I highly recommend checking it out.

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From the first 15 minutes, you’ll realize that this isn’t your stereotypical art house French movie – it’s full of action and puts you on the edge of your seat. OK, I have to admit I’m not a huge fan of French movies, but every once in a while I see one that I like. Past favorites of mine include Le Femme Nikita, Jean de Florette, Manon of The Spring and now Brotherhood of The Wolf. Brotherhood boasts excellent action sequences, state-of-the-art special effects, and beautiful cinematography. It is kind of a cross between a period piece set in 18th Century France, The Matrix and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.

The story is about a Parisian scientist and his Canadian-Iroquois blood brother who are sent by King Louis XV to track the Beast of Gevaudan, a giant wolf-like creature that killed more than 100 people in mid-18th-century France. No, this isn’t a werewolf movie; rather, it is a mystery/action movie complete with political intrigue (from the Vatican to the French Royal Court) where nobody is who they seem to be.

However, the move did have some periods where it got pretty slow and took itself a bit too seriously at times with the characters’ somewhat preachy dialog. Overall I had a good time and would recommend it. The film is now available at major movie rental chains.