EUR, ROMA

I went to see EUR, suburban area of Roma reachable  by Metro, because Michelangelo Antanioni filmed L'eclisse  here. EUR water reservoir or  “fungo” of this upper class neiborhood was present in many scenes and stuck in my head.  Obviously that M. Antanioni chose this location for unique look and feel.  I wanted to see and explore area for myself.  it was raining.  I have intended to  spent  a couple hours, look around, snap a few pictures, homage way. The moment got out of strange Metro station painted in Yves Klein blue it felt not like an ordinary place. Big and deeply dug in  construction project next to the station emanated quite subtle industrial soundtrack consisting of power tools and truck engines noise coming from depths of concrete orchestra pit. Audience consisted from two middle aged man with umbrellas observing action from the street level. Il Fungo was visible behind artificial lake and tall trees. It's look slightly changed  by presence of mobile communications antennas and by not working electronic clock display. Rain made streets almost absent of human presence, eerie Chirico like urban landscape. Monoliths of office buildings and modernist residential towers cut by park, private estates and various embassies behind the gates. Architecture here is very interesting expensively build modern of 50's and 60  surrounded by pine and cedar tree green.

While taking pictures across the street I have noticed tall woman dressed in long black coat and light beige shoes who was smoking a cigarette. She looked like someone waiting or have nowhere to go.
It seemed odd, somebody standing in the rain and place like that. She had big grotesque looking pale face. I was continuing shooting. Smaller ratty looking woman joined woman in coat across the street. They exchanged a few words, smaller one started walking to me obviously not very happy, since by talking picture of crossing I have pointed my camera at them. I realized that to woman are  prostitutes, and the big one most likely is a trannie. No wonder she looked so odd. I didn't expected to see them here in the early afternoon. The small one started bitching about me taking pictures and that she needs to work to feed her children. They mistook me for journalist, they don't want publicity. I explained that I didn't really took picture of them, but architecture, buildings. It why I'm here for. Not I'm not from the newspaper, I'm just curious tourist. She calmed down, I started walking away. She followed me just to be sure that I leaving her territory. I was moving towards Mushroom on the hill, structure surrounded by posh fenced residencies, and park. Here again I have noticed Middle Eastern looking youth in late 20's dressed in track suit aimlessly wondering among the trees in the rain. Most likely male prostitute. Destitute and void of the place just got stronger.

There is a restaurant at the top of water tower. Expensive, and I got impression,  not very welcoming one. I have trying to imagine what kind of clientele dines here. In the parking lot of establishment I found half bottle of red wine. I took a swig out it. Wine was sweet and cheap tasting. I wonder who drinks this kind of wine in Italy? Took bottle with me to the park to finish for the sake of experience. It was revolting sweetness, but I poured it down to my throat.  Took some more pictures and started walking back. Smaller prostitute was still at her street corner. I waved her good bye, she waved me back. Transexual was gone.

No Excuses Not to Make Films

Many the best movies in film history was made by talented and driven people who had insatiable urge to create and express themselves in the language of moving image. They had no excuses not to make films. Movies were made without bloated crews by group of friends. If they needed equipment they stole it. Films were made on real locations without permissions, with plenty creativity and passion instead of special effects.
Today, despite affordable digital technology we live in not a very creative and visually sophisticated time. Something was lost or pushed aside. It's not bad or good, just a fact we need to deal. Pencil and sheet paper was available for ages, but worthy masters of word can be easily counted. May be we just learning a new language, may be we are a little disoriented, and intoxicated by mass culture.

Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia

I was always telling that Golden Age of American film making was in 70s, and most likely never will be surpassed. I'm completely ignoring cinemas lately, just because I don't want to feel cheated by half cooked products of recent film industry.
As The Guardian blogger Jonathan Jones rightly points in his recent post: "What these films lack, in comparison to the golden age of American cinema, is ... well, pretty much everything that matters. Their morality is shop-bought: it doesn't feel like it was worked out on the streets. Most of all there isn't the sense of life, the spontaneity and improvisation, that you get in a truly great film like Robert Altman's McCabe and Mrs Miller. Watching such a film is like encountering a new city, a real living place: it has longueurs, bagginess, loose ends, because these are life. By comparison, the vaunted new masterpieces of American cinema are just not baggy enough. They are only half-alive."

Ballad of a Soldier

One of the best Russian films, true classic. Main character Aliosha personifies better side of Russian Soul: kindheartedness, selflessness and nobility. This is a story about universality of humanity during most horrible time - war. Story about youthful innocence and first love crushed by cruel twists of history.