RIP Carl Weathers

 Apollo Creed died. Actually Creed died in Rocky IV. But the amn who made him legend, Carl Weathers died Thursday, he was 76. He was last in The Mandalorian series. He was great also in Predator. 

obit in Variety.

Alin Ludu Dumbrava -An Interview for Hope@M9TV 29.01.2024

In cadrul Interviews for Hope la Televiziunea M9TV Romania din Tg. Mures m-a invitat prietenul Corneliu Tepelus sa vorbim despre film si muzica, film romanesc, Cannes, Brasov, Transilvania Blues si Bluesferatu.

Intreg interviul este acum pe youtube aici. Mersi, Corneliu, Let There B. Light :D

Perfect Days (2023)

"Now is Now and Then is Then."

Perfect Days is a masterpiece, a Japanese film made in Tokyo in Japanese by a German filmmaker. Wim Wenders, made at 77 years of age. Like Wenders' Tokyo Story. 

But Yasujiro Ozu is Wenders' master. And Ozu being a poet, this homage to him (Wenders did also a documentary, Tokyo-Ga, about his trip to Ozu's Tokyo, back in 1985), is also a Poem. A poem in the rhyme of Rock 'n Roll. 

Do yourself a Favor and do go to the cinema. It's in limited release and it will vanish shortly. Kudos again Bad Unicorn for bringing it on the big screen ! Click on the link , scroll down and you'll see where it screens in Romania. ! And if you go, stay 'til the end of the credits !!! 

It's slow, it's dreamlike, it's funny and tender, it's beautiful and sad, it's heartfelt. About the meaning of life (really!). Not in the Monty Pythonesque sense. More like budhism. 

Absolutely gorgeous soundtrack, Lou Reed (the title comes from Lou's "Perfect Day" song) , Patti Smith, The Rolling Stones, The Kinks, Van Morrison, Ottis Redding, Nina Simone, The Animals & House of the Rising Sun (in Japanese even), Sachiko Kanenobu, and all with a purpose. Like a shiver in the trees leaves.

One of last year's best, should've been in my 2023 Top Films but I saw it in january 2024 ! It is nominated for the Oscar for best foreign film. Won best actor in Cannes and Koji Yakusho's performance is one of the best there is. Also won the Ecumenical Jury in Cannes. 

Also it's one of Wenders' best, up there (for me) with Paris Texas, Das Himmel uber Berlin, Der Amerikanische Freund, Der Stand der Dinge. Shot beautifully by Wenders' collaborator since Land of Plenty (204), Franz Lustig, in the academical format of 1.33.1 (4:3), sharply edited and with a subtle sound design (re: the leaves, the dreams). 

great interview with Wenders on Eye for Film here.

Wenders' favorite films on Kombini Video here. A lot on Ozu at the beginning of the video.

Komorebi...

                    

Herbert Grönemeyer - Alkohol (SOTD)

Herbert Grönemeyer 's Alkohol is a song from 1984, from his album 4360 Bochum. I heard it in the 80's then, with Falco and Trio, they sound alike. Great B & W video. But yesterday I heard again this song after 30 odd years in a very cool scene from the new Calin Peter Netzer film, Familiar (that came out yesterday in Romanian cinemas).

Grönemeyer was/is a West Germany superstar, known also as an actor (he was in Wolfgang Pedersen's megahit Das Boot-1981) and I saw it in Romanian cinemas as Robert Schumann in Spring Symphony (1983), next to Nastassja Kinski as Clara Wiek and Rolf Hoppe. Saw that with my mom as she was the biggest fan of classical and Opera music. But his name came back again as the composer of the Anton Corbjin's films The American (my review here) and A Most Wanted Man, very good imersive scores He's still a superstar in Deutschland. Weirdly, my friends at the film premiere didn't know about him. So, I had to write a few lines about Herr Herbert G.

Great song tho. Was and is. And cool lyrics ;)

Alkohol ist das Dressing für deinen Kopfsalat

Alkohol ist dein Sanitäter in der Not Alkohol ist dein Fallschirm und dein Rettungsboot Alkohol ist das Drahtseil auf dem du stehst Alkohol ist das Schiff mit dem du untergehst