Break the taboo

The division between highbrow and lowbrow (culture) exist in the common view. Let’s revise some examples from the history just to prove our point. Firstly, on the south of France in the Middle Ages, the troubadours created poems for the pleasure of Occitan aristocracy and the juggler performing to amuse some people gathered in the market. Of course, the troubadour couldn’t be a juggler, because the major part of poets comes from the royal court and the jugglers were the penniless fouls.
Secondly, we are capable of noticing this division in music: the jazz music against the classic music! The second one is considering as the better because is more sophisticated and, at some level, touch our souls. The jazz is more accessible and people are listening to this in the lousy bars to have fun. What is more, they are dancing! According to common view, the contemplation is above the dancing. However, to our astonishment, this kind of separation is visible even in the dancing… Waltz against tango.
There is some art intended to be sophisticated, performed to the people from the society and the second one. Moreover, this is a question of a social taboo.
The greater people from XX century like Susan Sontag or Umberto Eco emphasis the absurdity of this artificial separation. Fortunately, I hope that the attribution the Nobel Prize to the Bob Dylan will break this horrible taboo.

Delicious kitsch

Acknowledged as one of the world’s great director, Wes Anderson is generally known to the wide audience due to “Grand Budapest Hotel” and “Moonrise Kingdom”. And everybody likes his movies, because everybody loves the fairy tales. This is a great secret of the Anderson’s popularity: make people believe in magic again. In the first one, the doorman becomes rich by accident and the second one, the very young couple decided to run away from the camp to live happy ever after.

All of these stories are impossible to happen. We are the spectators watching the show. In contrast to the normal movie where there is a still illusion of the reality, here we are aware that we participle in the theater. Nothing is really, not even the special effects or the script.

The image is a compilation of the Disney World and baroque horror vacui. You can find in that film anything you want: colours, unbelievable adventures, picturesque landscapes, etc. But what is a purpose of it? Maybe it is like a really big box with nothing inside it?

His creations are just a reflection of American taste, like Madonna Inn (an unusual motel) or Hearst castle (mansion of newspaper magnate – the inspiration to create a “Citizen Kane”). Most of people watch the movies in order to forgot about their miserable life, they don't spend the time in the research to find a truth or give a meaning to their existence. Generally, we prefer magic, good looking scenography and the happy ending.

But in the case of art, it is really easy to cross the border and become a kitsch artist, who doesn't have much to say.

Persian punk

The citizens of Iran were always pride of their heritage. In comparison to other muslin countries, they weren’t just a bunch of shepherds gathered in some tribes. The name of the city “Persepolis” was known from Atlantic Ocean to the Chine. Everybody spread the stories about the brave Persian people like Cyrus II or Darius I. In fact the art was spectacular, in particular the craftsmanship (everybody has heard about Persian carpets). Most people were believers of Zoroastrianism – one of the first monotheistic religions in the world. Instead of the conquests of Alexander the Great and after- the Muslin, the memory of a great empire survived.

Now, you can imagine that you are a litter girl growing up in the Iran in 80s during the religion revolution. Everything what was important to you have been destroyed by fanatics.  You fell very angry, disappointed, confused, you want to rebel but you don't know how. Your country is becoming some Arabic province where the culture and the liberty is no longer a value.

“Persepolis” is an animated film, but only for adults. Undoubtedly because of this image people, who don’t know the history of Iran, have a possibility to understand the difficult problem of this religious revolution. During watching, you can ask yourself a question: how is it possible?

The movie is based on the memories of Marione Satrapi – well-known graphic novelist living in Paris.

Love is the answer

The whole world doesn’t know such wonderful specialists in the field of falling in love as French people. In the catholic countries the conception of love is really practical: you met somebody, you have crash on this person, you got married, you have some kids and despite crisis and changing the feelings you are still with your spouse. Most people are conscious that "times change, and we change with them"  as well. 

As a consequence we – adults – accept that our partner is getting old/bold/fat/whatever and we try to tolerate the fact that the passion, which used to be the foundation of relationship, is gone. Some of us want find some solution and keep their familiar life going. But on the other hand there are French people who constantly are in their egoistic pursuit of happiness.

Or maybe they are right? You have only one life so there is no time to waste?

“Mon roi” (my king) is one of the best film I recently watched. Only the true about being in couple are looking for happiness. 

King of the Jews (but not this one you think)

One day this city will be mine – thought Jakub Szapir, commonly known Jewish boxer and member of the Warsaw mafia. Everyone knows his name in 1937, because he symbolise everything that a normal Jew can’t achieve in his whole life: inappropriate amount of money, wonderful life, beloved wife and (the most important) respect of Polish VIP.

When he is fighting on the ring, smashing the head of a Polish boxer- he fells unpunished. When he sleeps with the most beautiful women in the capital city – he knows that the very next day this woman will tell it to all of her female friends … and everybody will be jealous.  When he chooses to battle “Falanga” – he is certain that he can afford it. So he decides to become a king of a Warsaw.

“Król” of Szczepan Twardoch tells us a story about two cities: the Jewish and the Polish Warsow. Especially now, we are in need of this type of books to show all so-called-patriots that history is not black and white. During the interwar period, there was a deep hatred between these two worlds.

It was a consequence of stupidity, lack of the integration but also really often: the provocation approved by both sides of the conflict.

So this is not another criminal book. This is an interesting analyse of our society.



*****

And this is an other commonly know "King" of our culture.

How aliens look like?

In (almost) every science fiction movie there are some aliens from other planets or galaxies. Their proposes are different: some of them want to destroy/conquer our world and make us their slaves, on the contrary, some of them want to support our planet and let us develop the technology.

Every time we attribute to the aliens a bunch of human features as envy, lust, generosity, magnanimity, etc. The physical features of aliens are as well very human/ animal. They have hands, legs, eyes. Maybe sometimes they are green or have tentacles but essentially they are similar to things that we know.

What if the aliens aren’t like this? What if they do not resemble anything you are familiar with?

For Stanisław Lem it was so significant question that he decided to transfer his idea to the book. In “Solaris” the scientists find a new form life on the recently discovered planet. However, an alien looks like an ocean…

It turns out that even a basic form of communication will not be available. Consequently, in spite of finding another form of life, we will be still lonely in the universe.

Worst movie ever

About „the room” many reviews have been written, many words have been said and many opinions have been shared.  My favourite one describes this movie as “a holly grail – nirvana of bad acting”.  So you can ask a question: is it really that bad? (Yes, it is)

Let’s be honest – the film is such a disaster. Actors can’t play, the story doesn’t exist, logic neither.  You can have an impression that the creation of this movie is a bad joke. And even if it is, why do you care? The director had a dream – he wanted to make a film to tell people about his problems. He found enough money and will to achieve his aim. I really admire that attitude. Even if the product is bad, there are some people who enjoy it and keep it doing. I’m sure that everyone knows somebody who has big/wild/amazing dream but hasn’t got enough motivation to execute it. Shame.

If you like taking creepy photos – do it.
If you like direct shitty movie – do it.

If you wanna be a model but you friends think that you are too fat – do it anyway.

The most important is to follow your dreams.