An independent Iranian film about Tehran's underground forbidden pop-rock scene directed by Bahman Ghobadi. The movie follows young indie-rock artists Ashklan & Negar (played by Ashkan Kooshanejad and Negar Saghaghi respectively) in their quest to get passports, visas and the band members necessary to travel overseas and perform in Nice, and the work of their passionate cheeky "agent" Nader (played by Hamed Behdad).
The film showcases the musical talent and variety of styles of the pop-rock scene in Iran, and their struggle to create, practice, and perform in a country that considers that sort of music an anti-Islamic anti-Iranian activity. The movie is fresh and shows how Music has no boundaries, has an international language, serves to free the spirit and mind, catalyses discontent and express individualism - Music as a subversive peaceful movement. The bands and performers featured in the film, beyond the leading couple, are: Take It Easy Hospital, Rana Farhan, Hichkas, The Yellow Dogs Band, Shervin Najafian, Ash Koosha, Mirza, The Free Keys, Mahdyar Aghajani, Darkoob, Hamed Seyed Javadi, and Nik Aein Band.
The performance of each song is accompanied by a selection of randomly filmed shots of the streets of Tehran, which provide the viewer with a real view of the country - one that is not complacent or hedonistic, but warm and hard at the same time. Four moments deserve a special mention. The first one is the performance of a heavy-metal band in a cow shed, with the cows attending the performance, which I found very funny. The second moment is truly special, and revolves about the lessons that a volunteer musician gives to a group of foreign immigrant children; thy seem enthralled and moved by what they are hearing and their faces show that. The most daring and authentically revolutionary performance comes from rapper Rap Khon, with offers a great performance with raw and heartfelt lyrics. Finally, the performance of jazz-blues soloist Rana Farhan, who has an exquisite voice and world-class talent.
Among the acting moments, I found Hamed's discussion with the police officer after his detention hilarious!
The main problem with the movie is the poor acting abilities of the musicians playing actors, which could have been excused if the script was less simplistic and the story had contextualised its characters. For example, we don't know if they are posh rich kids or middle class kids, we don't know if they are students, workers, live with their parents, are married or engaged, what are the feelings of their family and friends about their music. They are left to scattered comments that, nevertheless, don't show the reality of the musicians in Iran when they are not composing of playing. In fact, the relationship between the leading couple is not even clearly established; they seem to be engaged, but we are not told. The musicians in the movie seem to live in a world where nothing but music matters, which can be true for musicians, but this type of music is forbidden in Iran,and society is very oppressive, so we just want to know more about their situation and real lives so we can understand the musicians better. Moreover, the girls wear a head scarf all the time, even in secret alternative concerts and parties where they drink and smoke. How does a woman fit in the underground musical scene in Iran is never explained. Nagar seems to be accessory to Ashkan and her relations with the other musicians are always through Ashkan, never direct or even warm.
The second problem, to me, is that the movie, despite its freshness and charm, feels more like a documentary, but it is not. I would have preferred the latter, as we would have seem mostly the same people and the same performances and avoid the weaknesses of the script. We love the characters since we meet them for what they are, so why force them to act when they can't?
By the way, I couldn't see this movie without remembering the music-black market in the animation movie Persepolis, which puts into a context how things got so far in Iran regarding music. The context that was missing from this movie.
A charming fresh and interesting film with great musical performances but with a poor script.
Roman Polanski Wanted and Desired is a terrific documentary with important flaws, that does not give an answer to the core question of the case - Did Polanski rape minor Samantha Gilmer or was the sex consensual?
The documentary, firstly, offers an insight into the life and personality of Polanski, so very much marked by tragedy since his childhood and an insight into his creative genius, with which we all agree. Many of his famous friends offer give a glimpse of his charm and attractive personality, and of his personal highs and lows before and during his marriage to Sharon Tate, after her murder, and when the rape case burst out. We also see the way the American media has been treating Polanski since the death of Tate. Most of his friends, being so, always believed in Polanski's innocence. Love is always blind, and never an objective proof of anything, so their opinions are going to be subjective, and do not add anything to the question if he did in fact rape the girl or not. Talent does not make you a better or worse person, just talented.
The documentary, secondly, offers an insightful review of Polanski's trial in the USA, and of the many irregularities committed by judge Laurence J. Rittenband, who was more thrilled to become famous and punish Polanski a priory than to do Justice. The long interviews with the two lawyers, defendant and prosecutor, and the victim, Samantha, really help the viewer to understand that Polanski was legally mistreated, and that Rittenband abused his power and proceeded in improper unacceptable legal ways. We understand why Polanski flew the USA, and why he is right at mistrusting the American Press and judicial system. We also understand how silly and outrageous the latest detention of Polanski was.
Said this, the documentary somewhat forgets Samantha and does not try to provide enough information about what really happened that night. Did Polanski rape her? Was Samantha lying? Was Samantha used by her mother? The documentary seems to blame her mother for letting her go alone with womaniser Polanski; however, no mother wants her child abused or raped. The interventions of Samantha on camera are very limited and controlled by the director, and mostly serve to support that Polanski, an herself were used by the judge, and that the trial harmed them both. However, why does the director forget or avoid asking Samantha the main questions, directly, and letting the viewer hear what she has to say? After all, a rapist is never excused no matter how talented he is, even less if he is taking advantage of a teen, even if that girl has had sexual intercourse before. The transcript of the proceedings of the case, with the witnesses testimonials, is available online at This Place.
In fact, this transcript briefly appears in the documentary, just highlighting the questions made to Samantha, without displaying Samantha's replies in full. By reading Samantha's testimonial one immediately believes her. However, the testimonial of the doctor who examined her that night puts a big question mark onto Samantha's testimonial, as he denies she was forced or that sex took place. At the same time Polanski's semen was found in Samantha's panties. On the other hand, if I or my daughter were raped, I would like the rapist jailed, so he can't do the same to other girls. However, Samantha's family and herself publicly forgave Polanski long ago. If the sex was consensual, and Samantha was not a virgin, why the attorney's office did not charge the other offenders? Where is Polanski's narration of the events of the night? All of these elements are relevant to the case, and should have been directly explored in the documentary. If you want to present an objective documentary about Polanski's case, you have to be objective in the first place, and go all the way.
After watching the documentary and reading the transcripts of the trial, the case is still as mysterious as before regarding the main question. The documentary is sometimes a panegyric, and does not help to erase the black shadow pending on Polanski's head. However, the documentary does a great job a showcasing the irregularities of Polanski's trial, and making your head spin with questions.
Watch it on YouTube
An Oscar nominated, cult short by Don Hertzfeldt that showcases several mini-shorts related to product promotion and children teaching segments. They are linked by a fictional frame that says that these works were presented and rejected and that the author grew increasingly crazy, the next short becoming even crazier. It is just a summary you see repeated in too many film sites taken literally. Hertzfeldt has never accepted any commercial assignment.
The animation style is very simple and schematic, with simple lines, black and white, bare or very simple backgrounds, with some splashes of bright colour. The mood of all the vignettes is very childish, funny and increasingly gory, with that sort of brutishness that some small children show when mistreating little animals without knowing that what they are doing is wrong or harmful.
The humour goes from deadpan, to absurd to plain hilarious, and it is very entertaining. "My anus is bleeding" and "funny hats only" are my favourite segments.
Something different and refreshing. Anarchist in the best sense of the word.
Not for children!
657 Beaufort St
Mt Lawley Western Australia 6050
(08) 9271 8854
http://www.pearlsinthecity.com.au/
Hours:
Mon-Wed, Fri 9:00 - 17:30
Thu 9:00 - 19:00
Sat 9:00 - 17:00
Sun 11:00 - 17:00
Pearls in the City Mt Lawley opened its doors beside the Astor Theatre last October to bring class to the fashion retail in the area. They sell trendy fashion jewellery in different materials plus a huge range of pearls in different styles suitable for women of all ages, not the usual granny stuff. I especially like their Stirling silver and enamel pieces, and the mix-and-match pendants by Dutch brand My IMenso, which were the first thing that caught my eye.
This is not a cheap shop, but many of their pieces are affordable. All of them are timeless, classy, artsy, and some of them unique. Something you can wear over and over again until the end of times. The shop is perfect to "poshify" your wardrobe or to give a classy gift to a love one.The shop even has a gift-wrapping service with beautiful boxes if you really want to impress them.
A lovely lady called Ljljiana attends to her customers with great attentiveness. If she sees a spark in your eye in front of any piece on display, even if you don't intend to buy, she will be happy to let you try anything you fancy.
Drop by if you are in Mount Lawley, even if it is just to browse around. Don't be discouraged by the posh atmosphere or the this-is-not-a-shop-for-me sort of feeling, or by the nahh-this-is-a-middleagies-shop thought. or even by the they-are-going-to-call-the-police-to evict-me-from here angst you feel when you know that your budget is tight for this sort of shop. Be brave. Trying on is free! They are on sales right now.
Don't get confused by the poor boring selection of pieces displayed on their website. The shop is much much much better!
Put a ring on their Like thumb in Blingybook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Pearls-in-the-City/328966716172
If you are a man and give your lady a gift from here, you'll go from Pearls in the City to SATC in the blink of an eye :P.
668 Beaufort St
Mt Lawley Western Australia 6050
(08) 9272 8848
A newsagent is a newsagent, right?, so what is new or different about Mt Lawley News? In the first place, it has local flavour. The place has been in its current location in front of the Astor Theatre and the Astor Gallery since I can remember, i. e. since arrived in Perth, and is a local institution in Beaufort St.
In the second place, the newsagent has a bigger and better selection of magazines than other newsagents, including a wider selection of "odd" magazines, plus international versions of some fashion and gossip magazines, a decent selection of stationary, cards and party needs, photocopier and lottery services.
In the third place, and most importantly, they offer a terrific service every time you visit, every day, every week, every year no matter you are the only person in the shop or the last one in a long cue in a busy day. They have hundreds of people visiting their shop, but they never seem to be overwhelmed, stressed or in a bad mood. The guys behind the counter, are fast, helpful, cheerful, respectful and have a sempiternal willingness to smile, greet and say something nice or in the right tone to the customer, since ever, always. Like Wow!
665 Beaufort St
Mt Lawley Western Australia 6050
(08) 9272 6867
Website
Facebook
Hours:
Mon-Sat 10:00 - 17:00
Sun 11:00 - 16:00
Mariposa is one of my favourite words in Spanish and indeed one of those shops that honours their beautiful name. They are one of the few perfumerys, a real one, in Australia, and have a huge range of male and female perfumes from exclusive world perfumiers, Creed, L'Artisan, and Amuage included. I could expend my whole
salary buying the many fanciful good-quality divine-smell soaps,
creams, candles, sprays, perfumes and make-up items they have. Everything is chic and exclusive. They don't sell
mass-produced corporate-owned fashion brands, but perfumes and perfume-related products that have a piece of history in the History of Perfume,
or that have been making perfumes in a very hand-crafty sort of way,
or are very innovative in the products they use. Mariposa is, indeed, a niche perfumery.
The ambience of the shop is very clean and modern, with the wood shelves full of bottles of perfume for you to test, and their beautiful goods and packaging really shining. The shop is a bit small, but it is easy to browse around.
Mariposa stands out not only for the products they sell, but also for their customer service. Mariposa's shop attendants are really wonderful. They will spend their time with you, generously, if you show interest in any of the perfumes, even if you say you aren't going to buy anything at the moment. They know their gild, and are passionate about what they sell, and about providing you with a great experience as a shopper. All the girls are approachable, chatty and very knowledgeable. Truly, they deserve the salary they get. They are that sort of shop attendants who can actually hold a conversation on perfume, instead of the usual lorikeets selling designer perfumes at Myers or David Jones. When you leave the shop, you leave feeling like a Royal, convinced that this is one of those places that truly understands what good service is and how to win customers.
Mariposa has two main downsides. The first one is their simplistic website, with barely any information about the shop, brands they cater for, or even an online-shop or sample program, as other high-end perfumeries have overseas. This should be Mariposa's next step. Facebook, is a bit, how to put it?, too "popular" for such an exclusive shop.
The second downside is the fact that they rarely have samples. Or at least this has been my experience in the past. This is, actually, a big downside for a proper perfumery. You win people with samples, so you make sure that they the big perfume houses send you a big bunch of those.
MIND
The products they sell are fantastic, high quality and very exclusive. Therefore, the prices have to match that. Still, you know that you pay the right price for the product, and that the prices are not inflated by the corporate brand behind the designer. These are nor corporate brands products, thank Gosh. Still, you can buy a box of adorable French Anisette drops or a posh Marseilles hand-wash or soap, and I am sure you can afford that. Sometimes you
have to forget about the world and indulge yourself, because life it is
too short, and you are a chic girl after all. Be grateful for being
able to afford things like these, and enjoy your whimsical purchase at
Mariposa.
On the other hand, they hold special perfume events and personalised attention from invited perfumiers. The last one was a hit, held on 8 and and an encore on 10 May 2013, with the presence of of Libertine's mastermind in the shop!
634-648 Beaufort St
Mt Lawley Western Australia 6050
(08) 9328 7464
http://www.planetvideo.com.au/library/books/
Hours:
Mon-Sun 10:00 - 23:00
There is something about Planet Books, Mary. There always has been since they opened six years ago. There is much than hype here, otherwise the allure would have vanished long ago.
Planet books is always crowded with a bunch of eclectic quiet people reading their books, looking at their books, seating on the couch perusing their books, browsing their stationary, and, occasionally, buying something. It is the relaxed atmosphere, their open but cosy space, the small popular children corner, the freedom to do whatever you like without anybody pestering your derrière, and the fact that you can find a mix of mainstream and independent titles, and an interesting mix of shelves devoted to the Arts what makes of the place so popular. Moreover, you enter a planet and have the whole Universe at your feet, with Planet Video, Planet Music and Daily Planet all interconnected.
The prices of their fiction and mainstream non-fiction books are average. Last week I purchased the latest Murakami's, and it is only three dollars more expensive than in The Book Depository - a good price! Their graphic design and illustration area is very expensive, but most people approaching those shelves, me among them, stay there perusing... They used to have all the editions of the Exposé Magazine and a great selection of illustrators, but this is no longer the case, and the selection of illustrators is not as good as used to be, but is still decent. Their painting and Arts shelves are a bit mainstream for my taste, still good.
They have a cute selection of posh stationary, sweet drops in cheeky boxes, and the funniest postcards in the city, so irreverent and politically incorrect that I always find myself laughing out loud at them.
The promotion of local artists and writers has been one of their focus since Planet Books opened its doors. This is, precisely, the place where Shaun Tan has launched and signed his books before he was known outside Perth not to say an Oscar Winner. Other local artists also launch and have launched their work here. Join their mailing list through their website and you will get the invitation, or check their Fasebookie: http://www.facebook.com/atPlanetBooks
The service is minimal, as this is part of the appeal to the visitors, many of us just book voyeurs or people who know what they are looking for. One of the owners used to be behind the counter at the beginning, and he was terrific to talk to. The current staff are courteous but a bit nosey-posey at times.
