Just in case you’re wondering why I’m so quiet (not silent) on the blog I’m out of the country for a couple of days. Rest assured that I will update you when I get back but for now here is a list of all the films I saw during the festival. You can always follow Mostly Movies.ie on Twitter and also on Facebook (where I will be whispering over the next few days).

I’m meeting some friends, family and former colleagues while I’m in the UK. Also going to see MAMA, and hoping to get to the TATE MODERN and get my bi-annual fix of the proper obscure. Might try and get to THIS IS 40 as well.

MAMA TRAILER

Thanks again to my dapper friend (from now on to be known as THE GENT) who gave me my season ticket. We met last year while working on STARGAZING IN DUBLIN (see my earlier post for the back story…there will be more on this at some stage). THE GENT is off cruising in the Southern Hemisphere. Back this week though. Think I owe him lunch / dinner.

Apologies if this post is a little text heavy, and image lacking. I’m writing on the plane, and train and don’t have wifi!! I would add here that we are very luck in Ireland to have the Dublin Airport Authority (DAA), Irish Rail and the Aircoach…all of whom provide free wifi on board.

In short:

Ireland = +1

UK – Epic fail

Mostly Movies.ie – Sound & Vision

So instead I’ve made you a playlist !! Am sitting on the train and my iPod is on shuffle so have come up with a playlist. Please go to Mostly Movies.ie on Facebook to see the playlist !! I’ll tie it to the top so it will be easy to find.

** This can act as something to listen to while you read. Each of these tracks is from a film. When I hear each of these tracks it brings a certain film to mind (as listed) but I’m sure they feature in other films as well. Which film do they remind you of? Or do they evoke something else? I urge you to write the film, or memory in the comment section below. Please do comment! This is a safe space as they say at work conferences (which aren’t!!). There are thousands of films I haven’t seen so recommendations would be most welcome too **

Mostly Movies.ie – 22 x films in 9 days

Now the films I saw during the festival were not what I originally posted in . One thing that the JAMESON DUBLIN INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL doesn’t promote enough is that with a SEASON TICKET you cannot just see every film (theoretically – you can’t be in two places at once) you can also swap films…if there is an available seat in another screening. Now I had to do this a couple of times.

#1

I am not SUPERWOMAN ! I cannot fly! Thanks for putting that idea in my head. I will have to put up with paragliding for now….not that I have yet. Did sky jump. Better than chocolate…and you know what that is better than?!

I cannot get from one cinema to the other by teleportation. When is that going to happen by the way? Not sure what gave me that idea.

Or by beaming me up? Seriously STAR TREK you lied to me!

#2

Once the talent / guest cancelled so I decided to see another film instead. Original choosing was coming out on general release too so thought could wait and see it then.

#3

As per above – why see a film at a festival when it is coming out on general release a couple of days / weeks later? Some of the films at the festival will never make it to a cinema. They will never make it to DVD. The only chance you’ll get to see some of them is by watching them online. Some films need to be seen on the big screen. Sound & vision! You don’t get surround sound (and silence) at home! Certainly not on your PC if you steal the film (sorry share…same thing). See my earlier post on Copyright. There are a lot of things I like, few I dislike. This is one of them.

#4

A couple of times I switched because the other film just sounded better

JDIFF 2013 x 22 Films

I must stress that I saw 22 x films in 9 days (not 11 – I couldn’t join the festival mania until the first Saturday). I saw 15 x films last year, and that isn’t counting screeners. That is also another story.

Anyway so here is a list of the films I ended up seeing.

1. MERCY / GNADE
2. CLIP / KLIP
3. LORE
4. THE PLACE BEYOND THE PINES
5. SIDE EFFECTS
6. JOHN DIES AT THE END
7. IN THE HOUSE / DANS LA MAISON
8. PIETA
9. STRINGS
10. PABLO
11. VANISHING WAVES
12. EARTHBOUND
13. A HIJACKING / KAPRINGEN
14. RHINO SEASON / FALSE KARGADAN
15. LA CONFIDENTIAL
16. THE WAR OF THE ROSES
17. STOKER
18. WHITE ELEPHANT / ELEFANTE BLANCO
19. FIONNUALA: A SMALL PUPPET ON A BIG JOURNEY (agus AN CAT – a short)
20. LOVE IS ALL YOU NEED / DEN SKALDEDE FRISOR
21. MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING
22. BLOOD RISING

There is so much to write on each film, so many links and common themes, music, beautiful productions, quirky stories. Will they get a release? Won’t they? Where can you see them? Who directed? Who’s in it? Who did the production design? The score? Edited? Where was it shot? The list is pretty much endless so tune back.

Again please check out my earlier post on what my original selection was at Jameson Dublin International Film Festival – What to see?

Admittedly thus far the blogs have been a little disconnected. I will try and make them a little more structured now the festival is over and I can actually get some sleep. Can’t promise they will be any less of an adventure though.

DON’T FORGET TO COMMENT !!

Gang Do,yaşayan hiç kimsesi olmayan ve yeraltı dünyasında tefecilik yapan bir grup için çalışmaktadır.Kaybedecek hiçbirşeyi olmadığından işini son derece acımasız ve duygusuzca yapmaktadır.Ancak bir annesi olduğunu söyleyen bir kadınla karşılaşır.Bu olaydan sonra Gang Do’nun tüm hayatı ve kendine kurduğu vahşi düzen altüst olur.Gang Do artık kendini ve geçmişini sorgulamaktadır.Fakat karşılaştığı bu kadınında dehşet dolu sırları vardır. Acı,2012 deki Venedik film Festivalinde ödül almış bir film.Yönetmeni ise artık tüm dünyanın tanıdığı güney koreli Kimki Duk.

fragman izle,yeni fragmanlar,fragman sitesi

VATICAN CITY – From St Peter’s Square to the Sistine Chapel, the locations where Pope Benedict XVI’s resignation and the election of his successor will play out in the coming days are part of a rich artistic heritage.

AFP

Here are descriptions of the main spots to watch, starting with the pope’s last Sunday prayers in front of crowds in St Peter’s Square:

Architect Gian Lorenzo Bernini designed the famous Vatican plaza in the 17th century, which has a 4,000-year-old Egyptian obelisk in the middle.

The famous marble colonnades — four columns deep — are arranged in an elliptical shape. The square can fit tens of thousands of people on a busy day.

The pope will speak to the crowd on Sunday from the windows of his apartment in the Apostolic Palace.

For his final general audience on Wednesday, the outgoing pontiff will speak from the square itself.

Pictured:  Pietà, Michelangelo Buonarroti 1499

- Castel Gandolfo -

This papal summer residence near Rome is where the pope will be taken to by helicopter on Thursday, just hours before he formally resigns his powers.

Benedict is expected to stay for around two months in the luxurious 55-hectare (136-acre) property, which is larger than the Vatican City itself.

The main structure was built in the 17th century.

The palace is surrounded by sumptuous gardens and looks out over a lake. The pope will be accompanied by his two secretaries and four housekeepers.

- Mater Ecclesiae Monastery -

This two-storey brick building on a hilltop inside the Vatican walls overlooking St Peter’s will eventually be the former pope’s permanent residence.

The structure was built on the spot where a fortress monastery had existed since the 9th century to protect against barbarian invasions.

The building has breathtaking views and is surrounded by manicured gardens, making it the ideal retreat for a life of quiet contemplation.

- St Peter’s Basilica -

Cardinals will celebrate a mass in this landmark of Roman Catholicism on the first day of next month’s conclave of cardinals to elect a new pope.

No date has yet been set for the conclave.

Following the mass, cardinals walk in procession to the Sistine Chapel singing the hymn “Veni Creator Spiritus” (“Come Creator Spirit”) in Latin.

The basilica, one of the largest churches in the world, is a jewel of Renaissance architecture and contains the tomb of St Peter — the first pope.

- Sistine Chapel -

Situated inside the Apostolic Palace in the Vatican, this 15th-century chapel is world renowned for its spectacular frescoes by Michelangelo.

A special stove is installed in the chapel during the conclave where the cardinals’ ballots are burnt after each vote until a new pope is found.

Black smoke indicates that the required majority for a new pope has not been found, white smoke that there is a new leader of the world’s Catholics.

- Saint Martha’s Residence -

A building completed in the 1990s just behind St Peter’s Basilica, this is where the cardinal electors stay during the days of the conclave.

The cardinals previous slept in corridors and rooms of the Apostolic Palace itself. Their new lodgings include en-suite bathrooms and hotel service.

Every morning the cardinals are taken in a minibus with blacked-out windows to the sistine Chapel or make the journey on foot around the basilica.

Custom hand carved by Wilfried Senoner using his own style and vision without trying to copy the great Michelangelo. As you can see from Mary’s face, she is suffering, she is absent, whereas Michelangelo’s looks serene and at ease.

we see Pieta, we surprised Pieta’s perfection

Kang-do (Lee-Jung Jin) is a debt collector, but most of his job consists of crippling those who cannot pay, in order to collect their insurance money to clear the debts they cannot pay. Completely without scruples, Kang-do’s world is turned upside down when a woman claiming to be his estranged mother enters his world.

Pieta is a dark and violent film about revenge and the impact that human connections have on our lives. Forgiveness, or lack of it, is a theme that runs throughout the film, as is the idea that all debts must be paid. The film is dark and violent from the opening moments, when the future victims of Kang-do discuss their future, knowing that one of them will be crippled.

As Kang-do, Lee-Jung Jin goes through a remarkable transformation on screen from a man who does not show the slightest flicker of emotion when maiming a person for life, through his collision course with the woman who appears in his world and his depraved mission to accept her, to a man who begs for another’s life to be spared. Jin goes from blank faced to a man who suffers from almost too much emotion, and the journey he goes on as an actor is a remarkable, violent and engaging one. Cho Min-soo, as the female lead Min-su Jo, gives another remarkable performance. No matter what Kang-do does to her she gazes at him with adoration and acceptance. Min-su has her own violent and sacrificial journey to go on; one that leaves her and Kang-do on a collision course.

The first hour of the film is filled with violence. There is mutilation, self-mutilation, rape and cannibalism. Definitely not a film for the faint hearted! This violence serves to reinforce the idea that Kang-do has fallen to the lowest level of human ugliness. The rest of the film is spent with Kang-do clawing his way back up to an accepted level of decency, but he has a long way to go. Director Kim Ki-duk has created an ugly film about an ugly subject. The cinematography and editing is not graceful or anywhere near it, so watching Pieta can feel like a chore at times. That said, this was obviously a deliberate choice to highlight the depths that people can sink to, but it does not make for a pretty film.

The title of the film refers to the Virgin Mary cradling the corpse of Jesus, but even knowing that will be a spoiler. Ki-duk’s film is the antithesis to Quentin Tarantino’s revenge films; Kill Bill or even the great Korean film Oldboy. Yes, revenge is a calculated and cruel process, but the slick styles or thrilling set pieces are absent here, and the audience is forced to confront the ugliness of human beings and what we do to one another.

In all, Pieta is a challenging but worthwhile piece of work. There are some scenes that are truly gag inducing, but the redemption and revenge story is ultimately rewarding… For those with strong stomachs.

Rating: 3/5

As I witness my granddaughter’s preschool learning curve, I am amazed at the advances in early childhood education. Things have come a long way from when my own kids came home with macaroni pieces glued to the lid of an old box and then spray painted gold.

Emma’s preschool has a curriculum – the kids learn about science, geology, math and art. So far, in the Year Four program, she has studied the work of Emily Carr, George Seurat, Vincent Van Gogh and now, Michelangelo. If Emma is to be any yardstick of learning, what the children take away from their exposure to the artists in question can be summarized in one word – hilarious. OK – maybe more than one word – rolling on the floor laughter.

None of us will ever forget Emma’s dramatic lecture describing the founder of the school of pointillism – Georges Seurat. Standing by the fridge with a cheese stick in her hand, she explained to us in a very serious voice that all George Seurat did was paint – point by point by point. (I defy you to picture the cheese stick being used to illustrate this message without doubling over in laughter.) But there was more. He didn’t eat and he didn’t sleep and he didn’t even go out and play with his friends – just point, by point, by point. (If you could get through that display without rolling on the floor you are a more poker-faced person than I am.)

Let us fast forward to the month of February. Her class is to study the work of Michelangelo. Emma was having her hair washed in the bathtub the other night when her mom asked her, “How did you get all this paint behind your ears?” Emma said, “Well (You have to understand how she draws out the word well and then pauses for dramatic effect to really get how funny this sounds) – we aren’t doing George Seurat anymore – now we’re doing Michelangelo.”

(If you haven’t already dissolved into peals of laughter at the imagery provoked by the thought of a group of twenty preschoolers doing Georges Seurat then as I said before – you are in better control of your emotions than I.)

Emma went on to say, “Michelangelo painted ceilings. We went under the tables to paint over our heads.” OK, that explains the paint behind the ears. It was quiet for a moment and then she announced, “Michelangelo was a renaissance man.” (A four-year old in the bathtub saying the words renaissance man – I mean seriously – if you aren’t cracking up yet I’m getting a bit worried about you.)

The other day on the telephone, I thought I would follow up on the whole artist subject – scaffold and reinforce some important learning. I asked Emma to tell me what she knew about Leonardo da Vinci. There was a long pause and then her famous, “Well – I don’t know him. Maybe Papa does. I’ll ask him.” (Because of course her grandfather does know everyone!)

Not to be put off, I said, “I thought you were studying him in school. Didn’t he paint ceilings?” Her response was quick, “Do you mean Michelangelo, Grandma?” Oh silly me – corrected on who painted the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel by a preschooler. Shades of dementia may be creeping in or it is possible that I have entered an alternative universe.

Emma told me, “He was a sculptor, Grandma. He sculpted hearts and they looked so good you could eat them and he stuck them on the roof and one fell off and hit his dog.” This interesting little tidbit of information sent me running to the computer to do some Michelangelo research of my own. After all, I refuse to be outwitted by a four-year old – even if she is incredibly cute.

Michelangelo did indeed have a dog – an early breed of Pomeranian, this dog apparently watched him paint. I could find no mention of sculpted hearts that looked so good you could eat them or of a dog getting hit by anything falling from the ceiling. I did read that Michelangelo fell of a scaffold. It was unclear as to whether he landed on his dog or not. (Oh please – you have to be rolling on the floor laughing now.)

Emily Carr swirled greens and blues and Georges Seurat was a point by pointer. Vincent Van Gogh was stuck on the colour yellow and awash in stars. I am looking forward to seeing what Emma came up with when she was painting in the style of Michelangelo. But maybe it isn’t a painting at all – maybe it will be a sculpture of a heart that looks good enough to eat.

(all pictures – except for my beautifully pensive granddaughter – are courtesy of Google images)

Yesterday was my first viewing day at JDIFF despite the festival starting on the 14th, my having attended the Opening Night party and me having a season ticket. I had guests staying for a couple of days so rather than abandon them we went to Meeting House Square to see BRIEF ENCOUNTERS and spent Friday doing family stuff.

I couldn’t have chosen my films better for the first day, although I actually chose a different second film. The below three are what I ended up watching (the benefits of having a SEASON TICKET):

1. MERCY
2. CLIP
3. LORE

** If you want to see recommendations scroll (almost) to the bottom & past the spoilers ** 

CLIP / KLIP

No matter how much you read I don’t think there is anything that will quite prepare you for CLIP. That said the fact that you’re reading this means that you’re 100 times more prepared than me. I had only read the brief in the Jameson Dublin International Film Festival supplement (which you get free in the Irish Times).

Plus I had rather foolishly thought that I could teleport myself from the Light House Cinema in Smithfield where I was watching GNADE / MERCY (finishing at 6pm) to Cineworld to see THE PAPERBOY (starting at 6pm). Not taking the fact that the films actually ended and finished at the same time, I also forgot to add on the four minutes of sponsor trailers, which you’d think I would remember seeing as I was in charge of these for 2012. The projector also turned off ten minutes before MERCY finished, adding another delay, which made it even more impossible (it really was anyway) to get to another venue. I had no choice but to stay in the Light House so made a snappy decision between CLIP and WHERE I AM (Irish doc). I went into Screen 3 (very full mostly male) a couple of minutes late so the film had already started. Even if I had wanted to I couldn’t walk out having come in late, disturbing the entire screen and asking this guy to move his gigantic coat from an aisle seat (???) so I could sit down.

Jameson Dublin International Film Festival Supplement Summary: A teenage girl struggling to cope with her father’s illness pursues a relationship with an abusive boyfriend in this raw, sexually explicit portrait of hedonism and self-destruction among teenagers in contemporary Belgrade.

You know I’m not sure I even read the complete short summary. The image was also quite powerful.

I’ve only seen three films so far this year but I have a feeling CLIP is going to be the one I don’t forget. Some of the scenes resonate and will stick in my memory forever, like the opening scene of ANTICHRIST, or the sledgehammer scene in ANTICHRIST, the music so loud it almost bursts your ears in MELANCHOLIA or the group sex scene in THE IDIOTS. Those scenes will never be erased from your memory. Lars Von Trier can do that. Giorgos Lanthimos (DOGTOOTH) can do that and Maja Mios can do that. This is her first feature film in which screen newcomer Isidora Simijonovic gives an amazing performance as 16-year-old Jasna as does Vukasin Jasnic who plays Djoje.

If you weren’t at the screening yesterday then you may not get to see this film again. Then again neither would I had teleportation been invented and the projector in the Light House hadn’t packed up and had to restart! It really was a true festival experience and am glad I happened upon it.

You’re already more prepared than I was but if you don’t want to know any more then maybe don’t read on from here.

BUT if you want to see the long summary go to JAMESON DUBLIN INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL p 32 (Annoyingly if the film has already played the synopsis seems to not sit on the festival website anymore).

I had not seen the trailer (contains sexual content)

Longer Trailer (again incredibly explicit content)

***SPOILER ALERT***

If you don’t want to know any more then again maybe don’t read on from here.

I have warned you so don’t come back and say I ruined the film for you. 

KLIP / CLIP was possibly one of the most voyeuristic experiences I’ve ever had. I would be horrified if you came out of the film saying that you enjoyed it. That would be the wrong word entirely.  You could certainly enjoy moments of it. I spend most of the film smiling, I even laughed a couple of times but watching a bunch of 16 year old kids act and dress up the way Jasna did would put you off wanting to have teenage kids for ever. Jasna, played by newcomer Isidora Simijonovic, is a 16 year-old girl living with her mother, sister and a father who has been diagnosed with terminal cancer. She doesn’t speak to her father and refuses to help her mother using the excuse of homework to get out of every chore. Homework involves her closing the door of her bedroom, stripping off and gyrating (and more) to pop music camera phone in one hand filming it all.

She goes to parties with her friends, they all get wasted on stolen spirits, coke and Ecstasy, each dressing more inappropriately than the next and seemingly with only one goal in mind – to hook up with a guy.

Jasna meets Djoje, two years her senior and proceeds to start a relationship with him, most of which is focused around her submitting to his sexual requests. As they get more sexually intimate they do seem to form a bond of sorts. Knowing her parents are at the hospital Jasna even brings him home in one scene. She has to go to an orphanage and wants to bring something nice for the child who will be in her care. Midst rummaging through her belongings to find something suitable they both snort lines of coke. Of course as they’re leaving the mother comes in, delighted to see Djoje who she terrifyingly calls cousin initially. Thankfully he is not a blood cousin but the son of Jasna’s former school friend.

Jasna’s mother insists that they eat something before going to school and the uncomfortable moments that follow are the funniest of the film. There are times when you’re smiling that you really feel you shouldn’t be. The child in the orphanage is just so adorable that when she talks you can’t help smile, even though she’s taking about her father dying, her mother remarrying and her having to move into the orphanage after living with her older sister and abusive boyfriend.

Of course they too are enamoured with Jasna’s camera phone and want to pose in front of it. The entire time they were playing with the phone I was fearful that they were going to come across the clip / s. All the teenagers film everything on their camera phones, parties, them stealing booze from the liquor store, dancing, everything and Jasna takes her phone out on every occasion to document her relationship with Djoje. She films him walking past flats and graffiti, up stairs, in the toilet, on the bed, on the wet dirty school floor, everywhere. Both Jasna and Djoje also film every sexual act in which they participate, camera phone in one hand, often so close, or jumping around so much you’re initially not quite sure what you’re looking at.

I wouldn’t really call Djoje abusive. At least he doesn’t appear to be any more abusive than any of his peers. In fact everything in the film seemed quite normal. Perhaps that is why it was so shocking and why smiling for the most part was inappropriate.

There is no smiling in the film’s final act. After Jasna’s father has his operation and she’s visited him in hospital she seems to finally admit she is actually upset about the whole thing. She talks to Djoje about the first memory of her father. It is of him kissing, properly kissing her mother. She even jokes about the possibility of him dying if the cancer treatment doesn’t work, her taking an E at the funeral and dancing on the grave. Djoje doesn’t know how to react to this other than to give her more coke and he rejects her when she professes her love for him, only sending her on another downward spiral of self-destruction until the film ends in what you can only describe as a jaw dropping scene at a party.

Again I’ve only seen three films so far this year but I have a feeling CLIP is going to be the one I don’t forget.

You can read a review of CLIP at the Hollywood Reporter and another at IndieWire

PLEASE READ MY EARLIER POSTINGS ON JAMESON DUBLIN INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL  and MATHIEU KASSOVITZ. 

RECOMMENDATIONS 

If you want to see a similarly disturbing / memorable film (different content but shocking / memorable) then I’m told that HELTER SKELTER and PIÉTA are two to look out for.

HELTER SKELTER 

PIÉTA

PLEASE READ MY EARLIER POSTINGS ON JAMESON DUBLIN INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL  and ALTERNATIVE MOVIE NIGHTS IN DUBLIN

The suit makes the man. And what if the suit becomes too tight? What if the suit begins to wear us; begins to shape us in its own image?

Postural habits are like suits. We become our habits when we identify with them. A habit: a long, loose garment worn by a member of a religious order. Postural habits are made of tension. Tension is frozen movement, frozen feelings, frozen vitality, energy at odds against itself.

If our postural habits, our habitual tensions, could be felt for what they are, superficial, artificial, not us, if we could sense ourselves without them, even for a moment, what would happen?

James Baldwin writes, “Identity would seem to be the garment with which one covers the nakedness of the self: in which case, it is best that the garment be loose, a little like the robes of the desert, through which one’s nakedness can always be felt, and, sometimes, discerned. This trust in one’s nakedness is all that gives one the power to change one’s robes.”

Through which one’s nakedness can always be felt. Sensing my nakedness, how could I ever fall prey to self-importance? How could I ever lie to someone? How could I ever belittle anyone?

A human being, being human.

(photo of a photo by Robert Hupka.)

Now that’s what I call a prayer.  And isn’t it remarkable that rather than standing back and taking in the awe of his masterpieces, he bowed his head and prayed for an insatiable appetite for achievement, unwavering drive, and unending ambition?  Imagine a world in which a few more of us were that bold.  I’m inspired to postpone my satisfaction this week, are you?

BJ posted Pieta, a full-length play, last November. When I found out it is going to be mounted by Shaharazade Theater Company this year, I was set to go. I did. I am happy I met him in person. The guy behind the stories I could only read in daylight.

Photo by Omolida Eloise

During PIETA rehearsals. Photo by Omolida Eloise

Read PIETA here http://boojingaga.wordpress.com/2012/11/27/pieta/ . I am excited at what else and what more BJ could give to our theater-loving hearts and minds in the future. He is one playwright to watch out for.

Watch Pieta by Shaharazade Theatre Company. It is about family and religion. Rage, lust, jealousy and other deceiving forms that ‘love’ takes. About ‘fanaticism’ screwing the way one should raise her children, or kill her children. About the very strong religious pull tugging with the very strong desire to keep a family together.

Performance Photos by Marla Espiritu

Catch the last three shows of Pieta on February 13 – 15, 7:30 p.m., at Room 5, ISO, Ateneo de Manila University. Ticket prices are at Php 150. For tickets, reservations, booking, and sponsorship, contact Chris Aronson at 09178253067.

Catch the last three shows of Pieta on February 13 – 15, 7:30 p.m., at Room 5, ISO, Ateneo de Manila University. Ticket prices are at Php 150. For tickets, reservations, booking, and sponsorship, contact Chris Aronson at 09178253067.

It’s a packed show this week on AYT. Joe and Erik start out with a review of another Steven Soderbergh film (his last release, apparently), the thriller Side Effects which opens this friday in theaters everywhere. Then it’s on to some PIFF 36 recommendations, as the festival kicked off yesterday and runs until February 23. Next, a chat about the latest series at Cinema 21, Notes From the Underground. And that’s not all, as we have another Laptop Cinema recommendation for you.

New episodes of Adjust Your Tracking are released every Thursday, so make sure to come back and check out what Joe and Erik are discussing every week. We’d love to hear your feedback in the comments section, or feel free to email adjustyourtracking@gmail.com or follow us on Twitter at twitter.com/adjustyourtrack. We’re on iTunes now, so make sure to subscribe to the show by clicking the link below. Also, leaving reviews and rating the show on iTunes is really helpful in getting more attention and attracting more listeners, so please do so if you like what we do. You can also stream the episode on the embedded player below.

WARNING: Explicit language is used in this podcast.

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The smallest independent state in the world, the Vatican is a land-locked country within Italy with its own Post Office and a colorful army: the Swiss Guards.  Most visitors to Rome make the trip up Via della Conciliazione leading to St.Peter’s Square dominated by St.Peter’s Basilica.

Flanked by a colonnade designed by the renowned artist Gian Lorenzo Bernini, the Basilica has one of the largest domes in the world visible from miles.

Tourists (appropriately dressed) queuing to go inside have to go through rigorous airport-like checks before being allowed to enter the Basilica.

Inside, the opulent interior includes the famous sculpture by Michelangelo “La Pieta’” and a bronze statue of St.Peter that is believed to bless those who touch it (that explains the different color of the right toe of the statue as it is constantly touched and kissed by worshippers everyday).

After visiting the Basilica it is worth to take a trip down to the Vatican Grottoes under the Basilica where the tombs of previous pontiffs are located.

For people not afraid of heights climbing to the top of the Basilica’s dome it is a must. A lift goes up to a terrace offering good views of St.Peter’s Square below and a chance to take a closer look to the statues of the saints that adorn the exterior of the Basilica.

A short climb up a (very) narrow staircase takes all the way to the top giving the opportunity to get magnificent views of Rome and Castel Sant’Angelo on one side and the Vatican palaces and gardens on the other.

From here the building housing the Vatican Museums can also be seen. And the next stop on a visit to Vatican City is at the Museum; built around a beautiful courtyard, miles of corridors with statues, tapestries, and intricate decorations are the prelude to an artistic extravaganza: the Sistine Chapel.

Visitors from all over the world come to see this masterpiece; part of the Apostolic Palace, the Pope official residence, it is here that the Papal conclave to elect a new Pope is held. But the main attraction for visitors are the artworks, especially the frescoes by Michelangelo on the ceiling depicting the Creation of Adam with the iconic image of the hand of God giving life to Adam and the scenes of the Last Judgment seen over the altar. A number of Renaissance artists worked on decorating the Sistine Chapel including Raphael, Perugino and Botticelli and their works can be admired here.

Huge crowds gather in St.Peter’s Square on Wednesdays for the Papal Audience when the Pope gives its blessing while touring the square in the famous Popemobile while on Sundays during the Angelus he gives its blessing (in a number of languages) from a window in his apartment overlooking the square. A day trip to Vatican City is normally included during a stay in Rome combining a visit to the Eternal City with a short trip abroad all on the same day.

Robert Carley opens Be The Change Seminar

Almost 300 people, mostly from business and community groups across  the country gathered to hear a variety of talks, engage in genuine conversation, and learn new skills in specially organised workshops. MC for the event, Robert Carley helped proceedings to flow with a real charm and wit while never avoiding the also serious aspects. His openness and willingness to share his own life experiences set the tone for the rest of the day. First to address the room was John Saunders from See Change, an organisation working towards ending the stigma of mental health problems. They, along with the Community Foundation for Ireland were major funders for the event. Tina Roche, from the CFI, also addressed delegates.

This was no ordinary seminar and that became more than obvious with the contribution from Smashing Times lifting matters to a whole new dimension. Freda Manweiler, the company’s manager outlined their modus operandi. She explained that by introducing drama workshops in various groups, we were able to approach and devise ways of looking at difficult and previously thought, impenetrable areas of human experience and growth. The audience were enthralled and deeply moved by one monologue by a lady who took one and all through the trauma of a son’s suicide. Without doubt it touched one and all as it began to dawn on all that, within this story, perhaps there was a way to healing, just by empathising, that offered hope despite dark circumstances. For me it was an enactment of the very principles of Let’s Talk About It Wellbeing. Powerful, moving, engaging and in the end, healing action by a marvelous actress.

As you may have gathered, I’ve worked in radio for many years, and have long since come to the conclusion that the medium is one that can be used for healing, sometimes with the easiest of methods. Unlike television and video, little hardware, scenary, make up or sets are required and with the opportunity to broadcast on a very intimate way it’s very definitely my method of mass communication choice. It was quite pleasing to see that a “without radio” radio event had been organised. This was by Newstalk 106 presenter Dil Wickremashinge who had a very emotive and insightful “chat” with Hazel, Pat and Barbara who were able to talk freely and openly about their own mental difficulties and successes. Once again, this was a powerful, engaging and enlightening session.

The morning concluded with 3 workshops. I found myself in one that asked us to challenge some of the barriers that might exist, particularly in the workplace, to allow freedom for those in mental health difficulties to express their difficulties, and for those in management roles to recognise such difficulties and how a more consensus approach to managing such circumstances for the betterment of all concerned.

During lunch there was a chance to make contact with others at the event. I shared a sandwich with Tom McEvoy  from Pieta, an organisation, like others, hoping to eradicate suicide in Ireland. The organisation have crisis centres across Ireland and offer hope and support to many.

To complete the afternoon, we all had options for more workshops. I choose one on using social media as an effective way to “Be The Change”  Running the event was one of the country’s leading “social mediaists, if there is such a word, Darragh Doyle, who offered lots of sound advice to a large group with varying levels of knowledge or competence in the area. Rest assured by the end of the 80 odd minutes we all learned, and relished in the style of presentation. I think I also managed to have one of my tweets from the day “favourited” by Darragh.

All too soon it was time to say goodbye. Robert Carley was able to succinctly, in a witty way, pull together the whole day’s events. His final call to action was clear. Be an ambassador and become the person who will “Be The Change”

Without doubt it was a worthwhile day and was an opportunity to promote Let’s Talk About It Wellbeing, as well as providing myself with plenty of enthusiasm and encouragement. One of many remarks stays with me from the day. It’s at the core of the work of See Change. If we can all be ripples in our own ponds, then those ripples will become waves that effect change in attitude and understanding about mental health and well being.  As I was leaving, I decided, like many others to contribute to the Wall of Change, a place to express just what change we wanted to see or might suggest to help that change. My contribution, my ripple or stone in the pond, you might say…..”Be the change, one to one to everyone”.

The Arch of Constantine, the Colosseum, and a Mediterranean pine tree

Today is our first day back in London after spending roughly 3 days in the Eternal City of Rome, Italy. This means that we will be writing posts and sorting through pictures for the next few days so we can produce some fresh content.

Though Rome has something to offer every visitor, we realize that people have different tastes and reasons for visiting this magnificent city. Thus, we will break up our reviews into three sections: (1) Christian Roma, (2) Ancient Roma, and (3) Modern Roma, with plenty of pretty pictures and observations for those of you who may be considering a visit of your own. Of course, breaking up our posts in this way means that our reviews won’t be sorted chronologically or geographically, and they will thus be unsuitable for creating an ideal itinerary. As a result, I’ve posted our daily “diary” to help give some sense of what we saw and when.

When reading this itinerary, keep in mind the following. First — and most importantly — we wouldn’t suggest following our itinerary to the letter. If you do, you will be quite tired. We walked a lot in Rome — more than we needed to — partly because of the limitations of the public transit system itself, and partly because of our ignorance of how best to use it. (For example, we didn’t use the trams or busses at all.) Things seemed closer in real life than they appear on the map, and Rome is easily walkable (if you wear good shoes) because you can’t go 400′ without tripping over something of historical significance. That said, we could have saved ourselves some walking just by maximizing our time in an area, instead of making multiple return visits to an area as we ultimately did.

Also, while this diary is pretty comprehensive, it doesn’t include everything we did or saw. It’s subject both to my (exceedingly faulty) memory and my (exceedingly little) patience to write it all down.

Finally, don’t draw any negative inferences from a particular sights’ omission. Though we might have seen something that I failed to write down, it is more likely we simply didn’t have time to see it. You could spend a week just going inside churches in Rome, and another two just hitting the major museums, and eat gelato at a new place every day in that three week span and not have any repeat flavors. We only ate gelato once, because we wanted to try the locals’ cannoli and tiramisu also, not because gelato sucks. Fortunately, we remembered to ensure a repeat visit to Rome by tossing a coin over our shoulder into the Trevi Fountain, which ensures we will get a chance to see some of the things we missed.

The Trevi Fountain (Fontana di Trevi) is even more magical in person.

With all that in mind, our itinerary:

FRIDAY, JANUARY 25, 2013 (Sunrise: 07:29/Sunset: 17:16)

DEPART LONDON STANSTED via RYANAIR: 12:20 GMT

ARRIVE ROME’S CIAMPINO AIRPORT: 15:50 GMT-1

–Checked into Hotel Rimini

–Walked W to Piazza della Repubblica

–Walked S to Colosseo for night pictures, then returned to hotel.

SATURDAY, JANUARY 26, 2013 (Sunrise: 07:28/Sunset: 17:18)

–Metro to Colosseo(B) Metro stop

–Walk N along Via dei Fori Imperiali – saw Colosseo, parts of main Forum on left, Trajan’s Column/Forum of Augustus on right…

–Reached Vittorio Immanuel II Monument just to the north of the Forii Imperiali

–Walked NW, by Chisea del Gesu, on way to…

–Largo Argentina (site of Caesar’s assassination), on way to…

–Pantheon!!

–West to Piazza Navona and Fountain of the Four Rivers

–Walked N to Ponte Sant’Angelo (Bridge); crossed Tiber River and took pictures of Castel Sant’Angelo exterior

–Walked W down Via della Conciliazione to view of Roman Curia/St. Peter’s Square

–Met Raul, our tour guide from Odyssey Tours

–Vatican Museum (paintings, auto-&pope-mobiles/carriages, sculpture)

–Collection highlights: sculptures (including Laocoon), Rotunda (w/ red marble bath, greek gods), map room)

–Sistine Chapel

–St. Peter’s Basilica and Pieta

–Walked back across Tiber and SE to Trevi Fountain

–Walked N to Spanish Steps

–Ate fabulous dinner @ Sofia

–Metro from Barberini/Trevi Fountain(A) 2 stops to Termini and back to hotel.

SUNDAY, JANUARY 27, 2013 (Sunrise: 07:27/Sunset: 17:19)

–Metro to Pyramide(B) (should have taken Colli Albani Parco/Appia Antica (A) instead) and walked to and down part of Appia Antica road.

–Wasn’t able to find bike shop, so went through park on foot and took Metro from Furio Camillo(A) to Barberini/Trevi Fountain(A)

–Walked N 300’ to Capuchin Monastery/Crypt (no photos allowed)

–Walked back S to Trevi Fountain for daytime photographs

–Ate so-so lunch near fountain (@Piccolo Buco) and got good gelato (@Gelateria Valentino) – Jessica got Amaretto and John got Tiramisu/Menthe

–Took Metro from Berberini (A) to Colosseo(B)

–Went inside Colosseum and around Arch of Constantine, listened to Rick Steves’ free audio guides.

–Wandered around Palatine Hill (Walked under Claudian Aqueduct, walked around ruined domii of Augustus & Tiberius Severis, Hippodrome of Domitan)

–Walked the Via Sacra through the forum, from the Arch of Titus to the Arch of Septimius Severis. Other highlights: Temple of Saturn, Basilica of Maxentius and Constantine, Basilica of Santi Cosma e Damiano (e.g. Temple of Romulus) with original Bronze door), Temple of Antonius Pius & Faustina. Missed: Going inside The Curia

–Walked up steps to the Campidoglio

­­–Took in free panoramic views from the Vittorio Emmanuele II Monument (both N and S)

–Went inside the S. Pietro in Carcere church (no photos allowed)

–Dinner

–Took Metro from Colosseo(B) to Termini and back to hotel.

 MONDAY, JANUARY 28, 2013 (Sunrise: 07:26/Sunset: 17:20)

–Metro to Colosseo(B), walked NW to Trajan Baths and Domus Aurea

–Walked S to San Clemente church; checked out G level but did not pay to see the lower levels

–Walked SW by Colosseum/Arch of Constantine/E side of Palantine hill on way to Circo Massimo (Circus Maximus)

–Walked alongside the Circo Massimo track and took some pictures for scale.

–Walked W to Tiber River and then NW across the oldest bridge in Rome (the Pons Fabricius) to Tiber Island, where we got a cappuccino.

–Walked N to the Jewish Ghetto, past the Portico d’Ottavia, and stopped in a (closed) restaurant for fried artichokes.

–Walked W and then through the Campo de Fiori

–Walked NW to Basilica di Sant’Andrea della Valle and took pictures of interior

–Continued walking NW to Pantheon to get pictures/video of the rain through the oculus.

–Walked E to Santa Ignazio Di Loyola and went inside to get picture of the “fake” dome

–Walked N along Via Del Corso and then ate lunch at Il Falchetto Di Donato

–Continued N along Via Del Corso until we reached the Piazza del Popolo. (It would have been stunning if it were open, but there was setup for some concert so lots of barriers and not very open-spaced)

–Had a cappuccino and cannoli at restaurant near there.

–Walked S along Via di Ripetta to the Mausoleo Augusto and Ara Pacis Augustus (but didn’t go in either)

–Walked E to Spanish Steps and climbed to top

–Walked W to Villa Medici and took in a nice panoramic view

–Walked to Spagna(A) station and went back to Termini, gathered luggage, and waited for our bus to take us back to the airport.

ARRIVE CIAMPINO AIRPORT: 21:30 GMT-1

ARRIVE STANSTED: 23:10 GMT

ARRIVE HOME @02:00 GMT

I recently watched about half of the final Chris Nolan movie featuring Christian Bale as the Dark Knight, aka The Batman, aka “Don’t Hurt The Bad Guys”, and as I expected it was a tiresome movie in which the alleged “hero” is nothing more than an impotent punching bag.

At one point, the cat burglar, played by the increasingly gorgeous Anne Hathaway, warns the Caped Crusader that the bad guys he is about to face “….are not your average brawlers…”. To which the Batman replies “Neither am I”.

To which I say: You are not an average brawler, Batman, you are a positively weak and below-average brawler — a mushy valentine for every thug in Gotham city.

When the movie was released I remember stories about Liberal producers naming the arch-villain “Bane”, as in Bain Capital, as in Mitt Romney is a terrible man who will ruin the country if elected president. I was not sure if I believed in such a premeditated Liberal screenplay, but having watched the opening scene, in which the New York Stock exchange is portrayed as a den of thieves and malicious gamblers, I can now conclude that the conspiracy theories were right.

In case the audience needed some extra coaching on why stock exchanges and the professionals who trade through them are supposedly morally bankrupt and talentless, the movie shows a trader getting his shoes shined while saying that he will “toss a coin” to determine whether a particular stock is under positive or negative pressure. The message apparently was that markets, where the ownership of companies is freely traded and where companies issue shares in which to finance their growth, are malignant and serve no other purpose other than to enrich their mindless coin-flipping criminal participants.

2008 Backlash Against Capitalism + Obama Opportunism = Death of the United States

This is all part of the post-2008 backlash against capitalism itself: markets of free participants who buy and sell in organized exchanges, the “invisible hand” of Adam Smith, the setting of prices of goods and services by the forces of supply and demand (instead of by fascist central planners), all of it.

It’s all a disease, this thing called capitalism and these things called markets, don’t you get it?

Barack Obama believes that, and has used the 2008 collapse as jet-fuel to amplify such misguided anxieties and beliefs and get himself elected to two terms of White House occupation. Rather than curb the excesses of capitalism, which is to say dust it off and clean it up so that it can keep fueling the engine of freedom that is America, Barack Obama has been consciously doubling-down on them.

His willful failure to reform Wall Street after the 2008 crash is the most powerful evidence of this (but not the only one). As I have written often, Gretchen Morgenson of the New York Times writes almost weekly of Obama’s failure in this area and the fact that our banking system remains, to this very day, a clear and present danger to the American and world financial system. Here is a recent paragraph from her weekly column (emphasis added):

Many Americans probably think the Dodd-Frank financial reform law will protect taxpayers from future bailouts. Wrong. In fact, Dodd-Frank actually widened the federal safety net for big institutions. Under that law, eight more giants were granted the right to tap the Federal Reserve for funding when the next crisis hits. At the same time, those eight may avoid Dodd-Frank measures that govern how we’re supposed to wind down institutions that get into trouble.

In other words, these lucky eight got the best of both worlds: access to the Fed’s money and no penalty for failure. <source>

So Barack Obama (D), through his Democratic party surrogates Chris Dodd (D) and Barney Frank (D), actually made the vulnerability of the American financial system WORSE. How can anyone believe that Barack Obama is other than a willful destroyer of capitalism?

Market excess, such as we suffered through in the wake of Bill Clinton (D) and Bob Rubin (D)’s dismantling of Glass Steagall, has led to the blunt instrument of “throw it all away” instead of the more obvious remedy of the re-imposition of meaningful and enforceable regulations, and so continues the blunt instrument of Barack Obama’s hammer against the Pieta that is America.

State of the Union

It’s that special time of year when the president will deliver his version of The State of our Union, but let me pre-empt such nonsense and give it here and now.

The State of our Union is a diseased one in which citizens are allowing their fears and base instincts to be used by a demagogue for malicious ends. Of chief concern is the demonization of capitalism itself and the promotion of collectivism as a viable, and even preferred, alternative. Barack Obama is so bold as to have even uttered the phrase in his inaugural speech:

For we have always understood that when times change, so must we, that fidelity to our founding principles requires new responses to new challenges, that preserving our individual freedoms ultimately requires collective action. <source>

Liberalism has become unhinged in its blood-lust for central planning and punishing taxation, as if these evils have ever yielded other than scorched, rotten earth. Mao Tse Tung’s collective action on agriculture resulted in the deaths of an estimated 40 million souls, and yet the tyranny of such ideas is never far from our throats.

Where are the heroes now? Please come to us with godspeed and save us from this corrupt and malignant regime.

JDIFF 2013 – What to see? 

So far I’ve booked 15 films for JDIFF 2013. My last post detailed how I chose my films. Now I’ll briefly run through which films I’ve chosen so far and why. In no way am I saying these are the best films. At the end of the day it’s all about personal choice.

FYI – links are highlighted in red and either link to website, trailer or additional info.

1. Broken – it’s the opening night, there will be a party, Tim Roth and others involved in the production will be there
2. Mercy – Cinematography looks amazing and I love Scandinavian film
3. The Place Beyond the Pines – Blue Valentine dir. and Ryan Gosling. Trailer
4. Side Effects – Steven Soderbergh’s films are always pretty entertaining and after no 3 I might need something less cerebral Trailer
5. Pieta – the standout Korean film this year from director Ki-duk Kim
6. Pablo – I love Kubrick and this documentary is based on director, artist and trailer maker Pablo Ferro who designed a lot of his opening titles. It’s also voiced by none other than the dude Geoff Bridges
7. Jump - I need to see some Irish films and this one looks good. Also the festival director recommended it and mentioned the film ‘Go’ so I’m there
8. Capital – In French & English with Gabriel Byrne (who I recently had the pleasure of shaking hands with).
9. A Hijacking – directorial debut from the writer of Borgen and The Hunt A Hijacking
   
10. The War of the Roses – Danny DeVito is in town
11. Stoker – For the director of Old Boy with Mia Wasikowska (in a different role). Unfortunately also has Nicole Kidman but still it looks amazing Trailer
12. White Elephant – Great cast and crew. Argentinian Director Pablo Trapero (Carancho), with Ricardo Darin & Jeremie Renier
    
13. Robot & Frank – “Frank my memory can be used against you”. I’ve already heard so much about this film. Plus Frank Langella is coming to town and I once met Susan Sarandon Trailer
14. Much Ado About Nothing - Reworking of Shakespeare’s classic by Joss Whedon, who is coming to town. Who is Joss Whedon? Shame on you!
15. The Summit – Documentary based on the tragedy of the 24 climbers on K2 in August 2008

I have yet to book more but am having some difficulty choosing between titles. Will try and be more frequent with my blogging and keep you posted on what I think once I’ve seen the films

I could write so many things. What I really want to carry in my heart at this moment, however, is a particular grace I received (with my classmates) tonight at Mass. Since most of the men are leaving at 3:45–in about two hours–we gathered one last time for the Eucharist at midnight. It’s one of the infinite joys of belonging to the Church that we have the Mass, such an intimate experience of God’s love for us, and it carries us through every single day: the mundane, the momentous, the joyful, and the bittersweet.

At the beginning of the semester, we placed Jesus in the Eucharist in the monstrance and it remained in the tabernacle for the four months that we lived here. Tonight, before we all received Communion, Father Justin removed that Host from the monstrance and broke it for us. Jesus, whom we have adored together every morning during our time here, who showered us with graces each day, our Creator, was now in pieces to be given to us.

That is the humility of our God. That is His love. Christ comes to us in such a beautifully simple way, bringing Himself so close that He can be broken in our hands to provide for us when we are weak.

The tabernacle at Bernardi is empty tonight. But the temples God is making out of us? They are filled with the True Presence, ready to be sent out as salt and light for the world.

And to all my fellow Bernardians: I am so deeply grateful for all of you. God is making incredible saints out of each and every one of us! Yup. ‘Cause He’s da bomb. 

The following is a song written by Dan Skorich, a man whose family, love, and prayers have been huge, huge, HUGE in my life. This is the final track on Danielle Rose’s album Pursue Me, and I think a lot of these words are for us on this particular night.

O child, my child, are you going away?
Will you leave on the wings of the morning?
You have heard his voice; you’ve answered the call,
But it’s hard the path you’re making.

Will you think of me
When the blue bird sings,
With the warmth of the sun in its rising?

And if I never see your face again,
We will meet at the gates of heaven.
O we’ll meet at the gates of heaven.

You have given me hope; you’ve given me joy.
You have given me more than you’ve taken.
And I look at you with my heart in my hands
And you know this old heart is aching.

And I’ll think of you
When the roses bloom,
With the sound of a baby laughing.

And if I never hear your sweet voice again
We will sing at the gates of heaven
O we’ll sing at the gates of heaven

Walk on, walk on, with the wind at your back
And a prayer for a new life beginning.
You’ve been given to me by the Good Maker’s hands
Now my gift to the Lord is returning.

And I’ll bless your path
With the stars at night,
And the smile of the day as its dawning.

And if I never walk beside you again,
We’ll dance at the gates of heaven,
O we’ll dance at the gates of heaven.

Upon entering St. Peter’s Basilica, turn right and you will see this amazing marble sculpture. It’s kind of hard to see it at first because of the hundreds of people that usually gather around it.