Home Blog

Women’s sumo – breaking tradition

© Wikimedia Commons archive photo.

Sumo: one ring (dohyo), two fighters (rikishi). It is not just a sport that is becoming a way of life, requiring strict discipline and dedication. It is a sport that has the spirit of Japan at its heart.

Sumo is a traditional sport, one of the oldest, first recorded in written sources dating back to the 8th century. Rooted in religious rituals, wrestling was used to please the gods in the name of a good harvest, and over time an annual tradition of sumo competitions developed. By the 17th century, sumo wrestling had become a staple of the townspeople’s entertainment, with the emergence of professional wrestlers. Wrestling was originally quite brutal: boxing elements and rough measures against the opponent were taken for granted, but modern sumo has strictly defined rules. No fists, no kicks to the chest, stomach or below the waist, no grabbing the throat or hair, no breaking fingers, no biting. Victory is achieved by pushing the opponent outside the circular ring or by forcing him to touch the sand-covered ring floor with any part of the body other than the feet (throwing, grappling, grappling, pushing techniques). Although the match takes 5 minutes, the fight itself lasts approximately 30 seconds. The rest of the time is taken up with sprinkling salt on the ring, rinsing the mouth to cleanse the mind and body, and watching the competitor. Traditionally, sumo is categorically a male-only sport. Women are forbidden even to enter the ring, so as not to tarnish its purity, its chastity, let alone compete in a match. This is because sumo is derived from the martial arts of the samurai, and there were no women among the samurai. This attitude – the tradition – has lasted for centuries, and it was considered very disrespectful to change anything, because sumo wrestling is almost sacred to Japan. In 1909, sumo was recognised as the national sport of that country.

However, as late as the 18th century, women’s sumo performances were still held, albeit unofficially, in several parts of Japan. It was not until 1996 that the country established a women’s sumo federation and organised its first tournament in Europe. While Europeans were somewhat sceptical about the sport, Japanese women were very interested in fighting for their rights. Already in 1997, the first international women’s sumo tournament was held in Tokyo, with representatives from 16 countries.

As time went on, the number of female sumo wrestlers continued to grow, numbering in the hundreds. In some countries, girls can even get a sumo scholarship when they go to college. “It’s a good contact sport for women, without violence or brutality,” said Katrina Watts, President of the Australian Sumo Federation. “People of medium build can do any sport, but bigger people don’t have many choices. Sumo wrestling is a great sport, a chance to test strength against strength,” said a sumo student.

In 2000, Japan’s first female governor, Fusae Ohta, was also part of the commission for the annual sumo competition, which had been established in 1950. In the name of equality, and in the hope of ending discrimination against women, the governor hoped to enter the ring and present a prize to the winner of the competition (as all the male governors before her had done). This was opposed and it was suggested that the Governor should hand over the prize at ringside or by proxy. Although the debate was heated and there were supporters on both sides, Mrs Ohta did not win the right to enter the ring with the prize. Despite such nuances, women’s sumo is quite active, with the 11th Women’s Sumo World Championships taking place this year and Japan hoping to include the sport in the 2020 Summer Olympics.

Sayka Matsuo is a 19-year-old Japanese girl who started sumo at the age of just five. She was enrolled by her dad, a professional wrestler. Sumo has remained a hobby for the girl and, although she feels some pressure from her dad, she hopes to win a world championship in the future. Sayka wants to stay in the 65 kg weight category, so she tries to eat a well-balanced diet: “If I gained weight, I would be in the next weight category and would have to fight against opponents weighing hundreds of kilograms,” she says. In addition, she has to compete against boys in training; according to a university coach, this is not a problem because girls grow up earlier and are stronger as a result.

Sharran Alexander, 49, is a wrestler with the British Sumo Federation and was named the world’s heaviest female athlete in the Guinness Book of Records in 2013. She is 1.82 cm tall and weighs 203.2 kg. In 2006, one of Sharran’s three children signed her up for a TV wrestling show and she was successful. After defeating 25 of her competitors, she went to Japan to represent Great Britain and has since competed in international tournaments. Sharron has won 4 gold medals. Swimming, vigorous walking and 5 000 calories a day (mainly rice, pasta, chicken, cornflakes and seafood) helped to build her stamina. She says sumo gave her fresh confidence after her marriage broke up: “I was ashamed of my weight, but when I started sumo I learned to love my body. I love being an athlete. It’s something that many people my age and “size” wouldn’t do.

Natasha Ikejiri is a 24-year-old wrestler, winner of various tournaments and grew up wrestling with her brothers. Who would have thought that this would lead to her success story: a friend saw her wrestling with her brother and pushed them both to sign up for sumo. Natasha, although half-Japanese and having studied the language for a decade, had little knowledge of Japanese culture – including the origins, meaning and importance of sumo. This did not stop her from falling in love with the sport and achieving victories. In 2010, she took part in a tournament held at the China Olympic Stadium with over 10 000 spectators. Natasha recalls: “When I walked into the stadium, I thought “Oh my God!” There were so many people, it was like a sea, I couldn’t make out faces. I just stood there and thought it was crazy”. Unfortunately, the athlete was disqualified in the first bout because she injured her opponent’s elbow. This once again confirms that no violence, however unintentional, is allowed in sumo.

Benny Hill: You Couldn’t Joke Like That Today

Benny Hill © Wikimedia Commons archive photo.

A well-known British comedian whose golden age was in the 1990s, he made generations of our parents and grandparents laugh and entertain with his sharp-tongued skits or comedy shows. How would a man fare in today’s world, where a joke or a prank can quickly turn into an accusation of sexism or something like that?

Benny Hill began his career during the difficult years of the Second World War. It was while he was serving in the army that he made his first stage appearance, in the play Stars in Battledress. After his service, Benny returned to London and there he invented his stage name, Benny Hill, while his real name was Alfred Hawthorne. What’s interesting is that the actor chose this nickname in honor of another famous comedian, Jack Benny.

Benny has been into comedy since he was a young boy, having performed in a comedy troupe when he was still at school.

Benny Hill © Fremantle Media Ltd / Rex Feature

Returning to London after the war, Benny was increasingly appearing in successful projects: shows, radio plays. Eventually his talent was noticed, and he was invited to appear on the TV show “Hi There!”. Exactly six years later, in 1955, as his popularity was gaining momentum, the first program he created, “Benny Hill Show”, was presented, which is the pinnacle of his acting career. It was such a success that it was the most popular show in the world for 30 years, and even today some stations buy the rights to broadcast Benny’s show.

The attention he received was not unwarranted. Benny was not only an actor, but also a songwriter, singer, director, and musician. In a way, he was a man of many talents.

Unfortunately, the world does not always understand creative souls like Benny Hill. His show was hit by a crisis when several programs satirized and ridiculed the royal throne and the English government. Margaret Thatcher, the Prime Minister of England at the time, demanded that all of Benny’s shows be scrutinized. In other words, Hill was heavily censored. Moreover, the comedian himself came to be ridiculed by some of the public. He became depressed and started drowning himself in alcohol.

Despite the murkiness behind the scenes, the show only closed down in 1991.

An example of why a comedian has been criticized was a 1981 skit called “The Loser”. The main character tries to get a job as a clerk. The recruiter, obviously a civil servant, is portrayed as a complete weirdo: he does not drink his tea from a cup, but pours it into a plate, breaks a biscuit, throws it into the plate and sprinkles salt and pepper on the fragile English treat. Such a portrayal of government representatives could clearly have caused some trouble.

The jokes were not only about innocent things, which in those days could have been disapproved of. For instance, he used to slap a bald old man, his constant companion, on the head all the time. In the aforementioned “The Loser” skit, Hill’s character takes a job as a sign erector. After several failures, the character writes “rapist” on the therapist’s sign. This is just a play on words because the space that is inserted completely changes the meaning. “Therapist” means the previously mentioned therapist, and if a space is added, the word changes to “The rapist”. It would be really curious to know how society today would react to such jokes on television.

Benny Hill in “The Loser”

Even suicide was joked about. A character ties a rope around his neck and holds onto a stone to commit suicide, but when he sinks to the bottom of the lake, he finds a box of gold. However, it is not only mocking suicide, but also the actor’s encouragement to live on, because you can never know when you will accidentally stumble upon a ‘treasure box’.

Other sketches provide even more details and evidence of why this showman has been criticized. A 1976 program called “World of Sport” mocks British pronunciation. Furthermore, the assistant of the sketch’s main character, the announcer, is depicted in an obviously sexist way, wearing a short skirt, and having a large cleavage. This makes it difficult for the announcer to concentrate and his eyes can’t stop staring at the assistant’s body.

Benny Hill in “World of Sport”

Best not to forget that such humor would gain attention very quickly these days. Though, it is not clear whether it would be only positive, as it is popular in our society to attack comedians who simply joke and make fun of reality.

The same thing happened to the present-day comedian Chris Rock. He was heavily criticized after a show, told to explain himself by various Hollywood directors and other representatives, and even faced legal charges. Here is how the man joked: “They ‘cry rape’ because they want money. I would need a bunch of witnesses if I ever wanted to employ a girl, just so they could confirm that the sexual assault allegations are false.”

It was also mentioned that Chris would not dare to hire a housekeeper because he could also face false accusations of harassment.

Michael Jackson visiting Benny Hill in the hospital

Obviously, the audience and the public have changed since the era of Benny Hill, and such jokes, which mock painful social problems, can provoke a negative reaction and disapproval from the audience. One can only wonder what can be tolerated as humor, and where the boundaries have been crossed.

Let’s open the doors of celebrity homes: see how world-class stars live

Actress Gwyneth Paltrow, actors David Harbour and Michael Imperioli

Home is where we spend most of our time, where we nurture it and where we want to feel safe. Perhaps we have always wondered what life is like for our favourite actors or other celebrities. We invite you to take a look at the homes of foreign celebrities and get some interior design ideas.

Gwyneth Paltrow is a well-known Hollywood actress and lifestyle expert who opens the doors of her home to Architectural Digest to show design solutions. The moment you enter the house, it’s like entering a luxury hotel, with everything seemingly well thought out and harmoniously aligned. The interior features modern furniture and light colours that add a sense of calm and warmth. It has a spacious kitchen where you can have warm conversations with your family and prepare meals. In other areas of the house, the actress uses every corner of the house to create a cosy atmosphere. There is a lounge area with a swimming pool and sauna, and a home spa to relax after a hard day’s work.

Actor David Harbour and singer Lily Allen share their home interiors, giving you a glimpse into their personal lives and learning more about their design choices. The couple have combined modern elements with vintage details to create a stunning and unique interior. The unusually tiled bathrooms and the bathroom/lounge look like something out of a movie. Various styling touches create a warm and cosy atmosphere. Each room is thoughtfully designed to reflect the personality of the couple. The kitchen has modern furniture and high-quality equipment to reflect the contemporary style, while the living room has antique furniture and decorative elements for a cosy and elegant feel. Each room in the house has its own unique design solution, created to reflect the couple’s personal taste.

Actor David Harbour and singer’s Lilly Allen home | Architectural Digest

The home of tennis player Serena Williams is elegant, modern and minimalist. The home’s light walls and refined decorative elements create a special atmosphere. Throughout the house, there are ornaments and sculptures that show the athlete’s interest in the arts. Interestingly, she has her own trophy rooms at home, which are decorated with Serena’s tennis trophies. And that’s not all, there is also an art gallery in the house, which displays various works of art. This unique home is full of surprises.

Tennis player Serena William’s home | Architectural Digest

When you enter the home of Alicia Keys and Swizz Beatz, you immediately notice its modern interior. Large windows, high ceilings and light colours create a feeling of vast space. We can see modern furniture and striking decorative elements in the interior, which give the home a special charm. The spacious kitchen reflects a contemporary style with modern appliances and functionality. The cosy living room has comfortable and interestingly shaped furniture and stunning sea views that are relaxing after a hard day’s work. The house is full of personal photos, artworks and music collections. In one of the rooms of the house there is a piano, which Alicia loves to play, and it seems to reflect her lifestyle.

Singer Alicia Keys and Swizz Beaz’s home | Architectural Digest

Actor Michael Imperioli’s home has a unique and interesting interior. When you open the door of the actor’s home, you feel like you are in a museum. The exquisite ceiling ornaments and various details create a warm and cosy atmosphere. The home features unique furniture, artworks and various collections that reflect Michael Imperioli’s passion and interest in culture and history. The kitchen uses vintage elements to reflect the actor’s favourite style, while the living room features comfortable furniture and interesting decor, and many books. Every corner of the house reflects great design choices and is full of stories. The actor has a separate corner for his books, works of art and other objects that are dear to him and have special meaning.

Actor Michael Imperioli’s home | Architectural Digest

 

 

 

 

Crime drama “Pilgrims” receives the highest award in the history of Lithuanian cinema

Screenshot from the film "Pilgrims"

This is the first full-length film by director Laurynas Bereisa, and his debut was a major success. “Pilgrims” had its world premiere at the 78th Venice Film Festival. This crime drama was first acclaimed by foreign critics and went down in Lithuanian cinema history as the country’s highest rated film. The film was also acquired by the hugely popular US film platform HBO.

The plot of the film is not complex, so it will be easy to understand for everyone. Somewhat eerie and thought-provoking, but at the same time very compelling. The location chosen for the film is a bit unusual, but important for the director – Karmelava, a town in Kaunas district. It is also important to mention that a cinema was built in Karmelava specifically for the premiere of this film. Karmelava is the birthplace of L. Bereisa, so the director’s sentimental choice is quite understandable. It is a journey through memories by two people – Paulius (Giedrius Kiela) and Indre (Gabija Bargailaite) upon their return to Karmelava, which has deeply imprinted in their memory. It is the brutal death of a loved and very dear person that forces the main characters to return to Karmelava. The death of Matas, who died four years ago and was Indre’s boyfriend and Paulius’s brother, has been extremely difficult to come to terms with,  has left them devastated and with many unanswered questions. Matas was greatly tortured and murdered, which is why Paul wants to set the record straight and bring justice to the people who were involved in it.

Screenshot from the film “Pilgrims”

Paulius and Indre want to explore the unknown town where someone dear to them lived, and perhaps finally achieve what they have not been able to accomplish for four years. They want to understand what Matas experienced. They are still struggling to come to terms with his death, even though it has been a long time. It is a kind of attempt to come to terms with the death of a brother and a loved one, as if to touch it one last time and let it go forever. The film is very rich in suspense, which is presented through the emotional turmoil of the characters: peacefulness, compassion, revenge, anger, through a very broad prism of emotions, yet it can evoke different sensations in the audience.

The film was positively received not only by moviegoers, but also by film critics, and won numerous awards and international recognition: at the Venice film festival, called “Horizons” (“Orizzonti”), it won the best film award, the highest award in the history of Lithuanian cinema. The best screenplay award was also given to “Pilgrims” at the Thessaloniki awards in Greece. The film also gained recognition in Lithuania, where Giedrius Kiela, who played Paulius and is one of the main actors in the film, won the best actor award at the “Kino pavasaris” festival.

Screenshot from the film “Pilgrims”

Not only has the film been highly acclaimed at film festivals, but it has also been bought by HBO, the US cable TV network, a cinema platform with a line-up of the latest and most popular films, TV series, documentaries and more. Producer Klementina Remeikiene remarks on the success of the Lithuanian film: ‘We are working with “Resonate films”, who we met unexpectedly at the “Kino pavasaris” festival. We have been on the road to selling this film since then. They were very interested, they had a lot of experience with HBO. Getting the film on this home cinema platform is a really big part of their work,” says the producer of “Pilgrims” about the journey to HBO. – This is the first time a Lithuanian film has succeeded in such a big way, and it can lay the foundations for other Lithuanian films to be promoted on such platforms.”

The crime drama Pilgrims helps to change the stereotypes about the primitive nature of Lithuanian cinema. Everything presented in this film is very realistic and natural, which helps the viewer to relate to the characters and the environment in certain situations.

The perfect blend of mysticism and nightmare – horror film Suspiria

Still from the horror film Suspiria

Horror films often aim to shock the viewer by using psychological aspects and mind games. The horror film industry is characterized by the use of specific techniques to arouse human emotions such as fear, fright and anxiety. Strangely enough, this has a positive reaction from people, even though the emotions experienced during the film screening are the opposite of positive. In order to create a film that will make an impression and win the audience’s favor, filmmakers appeal to the strongest human emotions, not just by using horrifying sounds or shocking images.

While many horror films of the past can be described as rather superficial, as they tended to use visual tools (aiming to shock the viewer with images rather than the senses), nowadays horror filmmakers are increasingly trying to tap into the auditory and emotional senses of the human being, creating a mixture of mysticism and horror.

Suspiria tells the story of Sara Banon (played by Dakota Johnson), an American girl who wants to learn the art of dance and enters a dance academy in Berlin. While improving her dancing skills, Sara becomes infatuated with the dance director Madame Blanche (played by Tilda Swinton), but suddenly strange and mysterious things start to happen at the academy: there are mysterious stories about the directors and missing girls, and some of the girls actually disappear mysteriously. This film tells the story of witches and the darkness that surrounds them. In fact, the idea of the film itself comes from the essay Suspiria de Profundis (1885) by Thomas De Quincey, on which the director Dario Argento based the first version of this film in 1970. It was his most successful film and won many awards and praise. The first version was characterized by its visual and stylistic taste and its vivid colors, and forty years later, director Luca Guadagnino decided to make his own version of Suspiria and bring the story to life.

The second version of Suspiria is accompanied by a graceful and lyrical progression of events, but all this seems to be overshadowed by the film’s heavy atmosphere. It is mystical and often incomprehensible, and certain details are used that make you think about their meaning. The director played well with the rhythm of the film, changing shots and doubling and combining scenes that were linked (for example, the dancing of the girl and the torture at the same time). Throughout the film, there is a sense that something has not yet been said, something is being hidden and something mysterious is going on, which makes it compelling to watch the film to the end.

The colors of the film are gloomy, with a dark palette. The choice of sound reflections is also excellent, and we can hear the dancer’s breathing and even the sounds of her body during the dance, which creates an uncomfortable and rather spooky atmosphere while watching the film. It is no secret that the film also draws attention to the famous actresses who star in the film, such as Dakota Johnson, famous for her performance in Fifty Shades of Grey, and the Oscar-winning actress with the distinctive looks, Tilda Swinton, who has played three roles in the movie. In the film, one of the characters she plays is a man, so the actress had to spend long hours in the make-up chair.

The second version of Suspiria was directed by Luca Guadagnino, director of the Oscar-winning film Call Me by Your Name, so there were high expectations for Suspiria’s performance. Some film critics have criticized the film’s release, not understanding why a second version was needed and claiming that the film will not escape comparison with the first. It was also felt that the director had gone to great lengths to make the film an hour longer, adding unnecessary and obscure dream details that were not explained at the climax. And the climax itself… It destroyed the lyricism and grace by moving on to scenes of blood and nudity.

It’s a film that has it all, that scares and makes you think. It is stylistically interesting, distinctive in the way it is presented and complemented by its controversial ending. If horror films are your thing, this movie should get your attention.

E. Nesbit: 20th-century fashion icon success

© Wikimedia Commons archive photo.

American choir member, singer, actress and the world’s first supermodel. Slim figure, luscious hair and a face that radiates youth. Of course, these descriptions are for none other than Evelyn Nesbit, America’s most desired and popular woman of the 20th century, who changed the cultural and artistic world of the art industry.

Starting her career at the age of only 14, Nesbit has won the hearts of photographers, fashion and even the art industry. Her flawless face has graced the covers of many magazines and products ranging from tobacco to toothpaste.

So what is the secret of this iconic model’s success ? What made her the face of the 20th century ?

Of course, natural outer beauty is one of the key factors, but inner charisma, an infallible fashion instinct and endless determination are also very important highlights.

It is a supermodel’s duty to remain at the epicentre of both fashion and cultural life at all times. Every single decade has had its supermodels, and in the 1920s it was Evelyn Nesbit.

Evelyn Nesbit, possessing a slender figure and flowing, luxurious hair, actively captivated as the most coveted and esteemed model during the American Gilded Age in the early 20th century.

Her tumultuous life, rife with scandalous events, reached its pinnacle when she became embroiled in a murder narrative, famously dubbed – the trial of the century.

In the late 19th century, in the United States, it was a period of rapid economic development, but also an era of extreme poverty, when a large number of poor European immigrants came to the US.

Ms Nesbit had the opportunity to experience both sides of this life. She came from a modest Irish village in Pennsylvania, but grew up in a refined and honourable family.When Nesbit’s father abandoned the family, she faced deprivation. However, her mother, Evelyn Florence, actively embodied the Victorian woman ideal, striving to maintain family unity without compromising their good name.

When Nesbit reached the age of 11, her grandmother died, leaving her, her brother and her mother poor. They had to say goodbye to their home and watch their belongings being sold at auction.” Try to use their active counterparts.

However, even though the Nesbit family had to suffer the harsh blows of fate, becoming poor – surviving only off of charity – the family’s reputation never crumbled, on the contrary, they remained respected and appreciated by all.

Nesbit started her career at the very young age of 14, and her first job was posing for a portrait for 5 hours, which earned her just one dollar. Evelyn Nesbit’s successful show in the 1900s shocked the whole New York City and soon after this sensational performance, she became one of the most desired models in New York.

She became a muse for many artists, including sculptor George Gray’s “Virginity” statue and even Gibson’s legendary woman.

Evelyn Nesbit’s face appeared on the covers of the most popular magazines of the day – “Vanity Fair”, “Harper’s Bazaar”, “The Delineator and Ladies’ Home Journal”. Her face was featured on just about every beauty product including face cream and even toothpaste.

Nesbit’s youthful face was also soon appearing on greeting cards, tobacco products and calendars. Her exceptional beauty and sophistication helped her to embody such extraordinary characters as a Greek goddess or even a geisha.

Although Supermodel Evelyn Nesbit’s life hasn’t been easy, she took on every challenge thrown at her, making her name known across America. Besides modelling, she was also an active writer and actress.

In 1914, she wrote two books of memoirs, “My Life” and “Days of the Prodigal”. She appeared in numerous films and made her debut as one of the leading actresses in such films as “Threads of Fate”, “Woman’s Revenge”, “The Happy Leap” and also appeared in a series of autobiographical dramas.

Nesbit passed away at the age of 82 in a Santa Monica nursing home and found her final resting place in California, the very spot where she had shone as the brightest star. Although Nesbit’s emergence into the fashion industry was sudden and tumultuous, her memory is still fresh today.

The famous supermodel’s name was known almost everywhere, she graced the covers of the most popular magazines of the time, but her impeccable beauty standards are still alive and well in today’s fashion industry.

10 movie musicals for adults only

The title of this top 10 sounds provocative and at first glance unexpected – 10 movie musicals for adults only.

It is generally assumed that the best musicals that have become classics of cinema, from the unforgettable ‘The Wizard of Oz’ (1939), to the legendary ‘Singin’ in the Rain’ (1952) and ‘The Sound of Music’ (1965), and so on up to the present day, are aimed at an audience that is not defined by age.

But, of course, it is not uncommon to see musical films made for children, not for sentimental entertainment, but to address serious issues. Sometimes musicals are made which are not even recommended for children, but for teenagers, because of violent scenes and sexual themes.

And sometimes… real pornography creeps into the arc of a musical. A perfect example is the musical ‘The Wayward Cloud’ (2005) by Tsai Ming-Liang, one of Taiwan’s most famous film directors – an erotic musical drama combining vulgar sex scenes and brilliantly choreographed musical numbers with gigantic sets, spectacular dancing, and kitsch lyrics that describe the main characters’ feelings and dreams, their fears and nightmares.

10. “DICKS: THE MUSICAL” (2023)

The plot of this original film musical was first introduced to the public as a musical comedy, first born on Broadway under the obscene title ‘Fucking Identical Twins’, based on the play by Josh Sharp and Aaron Jackson. It was written by the authors and starred a pair of twins who embark on a great quest to reunite their divorced parents.

The film had its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival in September 2023 and was released the following month in cinemas in the United States as ‘A24’s first musical.

The idea for this film was conceived much earlier, in the summer of 2016, but unforeseen circumstances stopped the project several times. The most recent was the merger between “Fox” and “Disney” in February 2022. ‘A24’ acquired the unfinished project from Peter Chernin’s production company and Larry Charles was appointed director.

The film’s music producer, Marius de Vries, in an interview with the influential film industry magazine ‘Variety’, said he felt it was his duty to pay attention to the detailed work on the songs and the arrangements, and called the film’s overall mission “anarchic and weak-minded”.

Knowing the overall mood of the film, the songwriters did not try to make the music sound like a parody. But they admitted that they borrowed some motifs from other musicals, e.g. in “The Sewer Song”, melodies from the famous musicals ‘Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Flett’ Street’ (2007) and ‘Les Misérables’ (2012) are used as counterpoint.

By the way, the vocal parts of most of the musical numbers were recorded live on the set, rather than the traditional way of lip-syncing to pre-recorded images on the tracks.

Once all the songs had been arranged, it turned out that the total duration of all of them was longer than the film itself, so a number of tracks had to be sacrificed.

As predicted, the film was met with controversy as soon as it hit American screens. The influential film critic Roger Ebert, who defended the film vigorously and warned that it was an experiment in the musical genre, with provocative sexuality, the spirit of classical musicals and general lunacy, highlighted the film’s strengths as a meandering story, its extraordinary energy, its loose structure and its other positive aspects.

Another film critic was impressed by the filmmakers’ fearlessness in venturing into dangerous arcs of ambiguity in an attempt to expand on less than original plot ideas.

After all this, it is a nice conclusion that ‘Dicks: The Musical’ may become a cult classic in the near future. We’ll see! (G.J.)

9. “ANETTE” (2021)

What happens when a popular stand-up comedian and his opera-soloist wife have a daughter with a wonderful musical gift? The answer is ‘Annette’, a 2021 musical directed by Frenchman Leos Carax. Interestingly, the story and music for ‘Annette’ were written by the brothers Ron and Russell Mael, members of the famous American band Sparks.

Described as a rock opera, the film tells the story of the love and life of Henry McHenry (played by Adam Driver), a failed stand-up comedian, and his wife Ann Defrasnoux (played by Marion Cotillard), an opera soloist, and the life they lead after the birth of their new-born daughter Annette, who has an unearthly musical gift. In this musical drama, portrayed as a wooden marionette, Annette grows up against the backdrop of her parents’ disintegrating marriage. The situation is not helped by Ann’s accompanist (played by Simon Helberg), who feels admiration and love for the talented soloist.

While Ann, an opera soloist, enjoys a flourishing career, her husband Henry cannot, which further deteriorates the family dynamic and relationship. Annette’s life changes completely when, during a stormy night at sea, her parents decide to waltz on the deck of a boat, which proves fatal for one of them. We will leave readers to their viewing pleasure and not give away who kills who in the film, but the surreal story and the Mael brothers’ script, which has elements of fiction, make for a dream-like drama worthy of the attention of every cinema-goer.

‘Annette’ has the perfect blend of serious drama, humour and fun rock opera. The film also showcases the talent of actor Adam Driver, who tries to portray Henri’s complex personality, which often alternates between an aggressive stage bully and a caring father who loves his wife and daughter unconditionally. Adam Driver is also matched by French actress Marion Cottilard, who moved the audience with her sensual and dramatic performance as the unhappy soloist.

‘Annette’ draws the audience in from the very first minute with its dark atmosphere, complemented by music full of repetition by Sparks. According to the Mael brothers, they have been working on the script for ‘Annette’ for over a decade, and with director Leos Carax, they have been working on the musical drama for 8 years, during which time they have finally managed to bring it to the light of day. “Annette was presented at the opening of the Cannes Film Festival in 2021 to positive reviews from critics and even won Leos Carax the Director of the Year Award.

8. ‘REPO! THE GENETIC OPERA’ (2008) 

It has long been no surprise that almost all American film musicals are based on musical plays that have delighted audiences in the past.

Director Darren Lynn Bousman’s ‘Repo! The Genetic Opera’, based on the rock opera by Darren Smith and Terrance Zdunich, which was first born as a musical play.

The play, which appeared on the theatre stage in 2002, and the film of the same name six years later, exploited the topical theme of organ transplantation, which, according to the authors, will not only become even more topical in 50 years’ time, but will also bring humanity to the brink of extinction.

In 2056, an epidemic of organ failure devastated the planet in an ecological catastrophe, wiping out 99% of the human population.

GeneCo, a biotech mega-corporation, is trying to save humans from extinction by offering artificial organ transplants, but at a high price. Those who want to prolong their lives buy the organs they need at a price. And if someone fails to make the required payment within three months, GeneCo sends in ruthless bailiffs known as “Repo Men”, who kill the debtor and return the organs to the company.

The horrific plot takes an unexpected turn when the CEO of GeneCo, Rotis Largas (Paul Sorvino), discovers that he himself is terminally ill. As the news spreads, Roti’s children, Luigi, Pavi and Amber, fight over who will inherit their father’s business. The trouble is that Roti himself thinks that none of them is a worthy heir, so he plans to give the property to his granddaughter, seventeen-year-old Shaila.

We know from scandalous media articles that similar stories of property divisions and the deadly hauntings that go with them are nothing short of sensational. Rather, it is an integral part of business in the lives of the rich. Similar films abound! One of the most recent is Ridley Scott’s drama ‘House of Gucci’, which we saw last year, in which we learnt that Patrizia Reggiani, the heiress of one of the most famous haute couture houses (played by Lady Gaga), had been accused of ordering her husband’s murder, had spent as much as 18 years in prison, and had been given the nickname of the Black Widow.

There are plenty of blood-curdling secrets in “Repo! The Genetic Opera”, and many of them are also shared by the lucky inheritor of a legacy, Shaila (Alexa Vega), whose life has been blighted before by a serious genetic disease.

Many songs were specially written for the film, but in the interest of time, a few had to be dropped. All the songs are in different styles, from classical compositions, rock and jazz to electronic music and punk rock. (G.J.)

7. ‘REEFER MADNESS: THE MOVIE MUSICAL’ (2005) 

This comic musical from director Andy Fickman easily fits into a very broad niche of retro films. At the same time, it is also a film remake, loosely reworking the classic 1936 crime comedy ‘Tell Your Children’, also known as ‘Reefer Madness’ (translatable as ‘Narcotic Madness’).

That classic film was made in 1936 (directed by Louis J. Gasnier) and warned young people of the dangers of falling into serious drug addiction by getting hooked on small doses of “innocent” drugs. To illustrate this dangerous path, the filmmakers and their storyline show several stories of high school students in which drugs (specifically marijuana) lead to serious crimes: sexual abuse and even several versions of murder – fictitious, random and cynically plotted.

Back then, politicians in the United States made a major effort to combat the spread of marijuana. Active in this Don Quixotic struggle was the Federal Bureau of Investigation, whose representatives were keen to warn their fellow citizens that drugs were an evil that provoked crime and physical and mental degradation, such as psychoses and other forms of insanity. That is why the film was very topical at the time.

That this active fight has not produced tangible results is another matter. After all, as the saying goes, the road to hell is paved with good intentions…

The new film is also set in 1936. In a small town in central America, a mysterious lecturer brings a group of parents together for a meeting. The menacing guest informs the parents that he has come to warn them about the dangers of marijuana for their teenage children.

Meanwhile, a happy teenage couple, Jimmy Harper and Meri Lein, enjoy each other’s company, unaware of what is going on elsewhere in the city. Meanwhile, on the outskirts of the city, serious crime is brewing in the criminal landlady known as Mae’s residence. Here, young people smoke their first “weed” and taste more “serious” drugs.

But these are not frivolous entertainments that cost nothing. There is a price to pay for every dose of drugs and the chance to experience pleasant hallucinations again and again. Slowly, Jimmy, who has turned into a real addict, starts stealing, and once decides to break into a church to steal the money collected during mass.

During this crime, Jimmy sees Christ, who calls from the dais for him to change his way of life so that he will not be condemned to eternal torment. But Jimmy ignores God’s intercession and falls deeper and deeper into sin.

The story takes a turn for the worse when Jimmy and his girlfriend Sale hit an old man in a stolen car while on a spree. The series of disasters and tragic events continues to escalate.

But the closer we get to the finale, the more the plot tries to lead us out of the tragic arcs and onto a path of hope and moral values that have remained unchanged for centuries. The final burning of the Garden of Wrath and the satanic book, as well as the historical and biblical associations, have the spirit of a time long gone, but also call us to listen to the voice of Jesus to Jimmy, “Hear me”… (G.J.)

6. ‘8 WOMEN’ (2002) 

Based on a play by Robert Thomas, the plot seemed familiar at first sight: a rich patriarch is found in his bed with a dagger in his back. It is the middle of winter and deep snow surrounds his remote farmhouse. The phone line is cut and the car is damaged. There are eight characters with both the motive and the opportunity to commit murder. But then a difference emerges: all eight protagonists are women. The only man is dead.

The film stars French film stars Catherine Deneuve, Isabelle Huppert, Fanny Ardant and Emmanuelle Béart, each playing caricatures ranging from the schemer’s sister, to the charming wife, to the daughter of a bookworm. Full of dialogue and humour (each woman has her own song and dance), ‘8 Women’ was a sumptuously designed and beautifully shot film. Together with an intricate web of secrets and a perfect murder mystery, the film captivated audiences and critics alike, earning £26.6 million worldwide. The fact that the film was about women was an important part of its appeal and the reason why it continues to attract a loyal following a decade later. Cult recognition has inspired themed parties and ‘Facebook’ groups.

5. ‘SWEENEY TODD: THE DEMON BARBER OF FLEET STREET’ (2007) 

The hero of this film saw the light of day in the first half of the 19th century and can rightly be considered a product of collective imagination. The demonic bearded man, Sweeney Todd, first appeared in Charles Dickens’s ‘Martin Cheslewhite’ (1844), and two years later, the character mentioned in the British literary classic, described as an ‘evil genius’, was the protagonist of Thomas Pynch’s ‘The String of Pearls’.

This macabre avenger has been the subject of numerous novels and plays since then. British theatres have been staging plays about Sweeney Tod since 1847, and cinema became interested in the story in the 1930s.

The latest version of the legendary plot is presented in the form of a classical musical.

“Sweeney Todd” follows the style of Tim Burton and Johnny Depp’s previous masterpiece “Corpse Bride” (2005). Only now, the necrophilic world of the original animated horror film has been replaced by the equally depressing atmosphere of a classic gothic horror novel and a style reminiscent of a dark comic book.

Many years ago, Benjamin Barker, the owner of a hairdressing salon, lived quietly in London with his lovely wife Lucy and their little daughter Joan. But when the bearded man’s wife catches his eye, the jealous Judge Terpine (Alan Rickman) is determined to have her husband convicted and sent to Australia without a trace. After 15 years in exile, Benjamin learns of his wife’s death. Then the ghost-like freak Sweeney Todd appears in London, surprising everyone with his ability to shave beards. Except that not all of the newcomer’s clients return home after this hygienic procedure. Some people disappeared after a visit to the barber’s shop, but the meat pies of Mrs Lovet in Svynis Tod’s neighbourhood became even more delicious, and the unsuspecting townspeople took a liking to these delicacies. How do they know what filling has replaced the traditional cockroaches in these cakes?

We’ve seen all kinds of musicals – happy and romantic, sad and sentimental, operatically colourful and carnivalesque. But we can forget all that now. The Oscar-winning musical “Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Flett Street” proves that talented filmmakers have found yet another formula for a popular genre. For their film is a wildly bizarre, hysterically funny and horrifyingly creepy surrealist fairy tale, where the old-fashioned theatricality is accentuated by musical ballads, and the whole bloody guignol is enveloped in a creepy mystical atmosphere.

4. ‘THE ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW’ (1975) 

‘The Rocky Horror Picture Show’, a 1975 cult classic, is still screened weekly in cinemas around the world, 45 years after its release. Since then, the film has grossed more than 170 million dollars worldwide and holds the record for the longest running film. Dedicated fans know the words to all the songs and can repeat most of the dialogue by heart. Interestingly, ‘The Rocky Horror Picture Show’ was intended as a play.

And yes, indeed, ‘The Rocky Horror Picture Show’ was first revived in 1973 as a musical performance in a small capacity studio above London’s Royal Court Theatre. This is rather strange in the light of the film as it now exists, but it can be noted that the action takes place as if it were adapted for a theatre stage. The choreography, the compositions and even the looks of the actors convey the atmosphere of the stage. This draws the viewer into participating with the characters on the screen. This is one of those films that you have to explain using a lot of hyphens. A horror-rock-transvestite-camp-all-sexual-musical parody.

The film is about two young lovers, Janet (Susan Sarandon) and Brad (Barry Bostwick), who stumble upon a sinister gothic castle where the annual Transylvanian Convention (or is it more accurately Transylvanian Orgy?) is held. The castle is run by a strange doctor, Frank N. Furter, who explains that he is a transvestite from the Transsexual planet in the Transylvanian galaxy.

The Mad Doctor presents his latest creation, Rocky Horror. He is a muscular blond man with androgynous features, wearing tight golden shorts. Furter has several scientific creations that would have frightened Dr Victor Frankenstein himself, not to mention Janet and Brad. Meanwhile, the youngsters get to know the castle’s permanent residents, including the hunchbacked servant, Riff Raff, and his sister, Magent, who is his mistress. Trapped in a world of fluid sexuality, Brad and Janet begin to question not only their devotion to each other, but also to the social norms that they thought were so important before.

As we remember from the novel ‘Frankenstein’, not every monster turns out to be a success. Dr. Furter has a couple of previous patients, including Eddie, who passes through walls without using the door and looks suspiciously like his leather vest. Janet and Brad get into the party spirit, as they say in the swinger magazines. Dr. Furter says loudly in the film, “Give in to absolute pleasure. Swim in the warm waters of the sins of the flesh – erotic nightmares, no doubt, and sensual dreams to be cherished forever. Can’t you just see it? Don’t dream, so be it. ”

Dr Furter. is played by British actor Tim Curry. He is the best performer in the whole film, perhaps because he seems to be having the most fun. He is also a gifted actor, which is more than you can say for the various characters in Transylvania who are drawn to the screen for various reasons and seem to have been invited to the wrong party. That becomes irrelevant because Dr Furter. was a great host. He has a lot of make-up on his face, bright lips. He is wearing fishnet tights, fingerless gloves, black briefs and a corset. The iconic accent is a pearl necklace.

This film has nods to as many as 15 classic films such as ‘Frankenstein’, ‘The Invisible Man’ and ‘King Kong’. This adds some interesting sexual twists. The soundtrack is phenomenal, perfectly representing the days of the raunchy, reprehensible culture, adventurous sexuality and the rock’n’roll aesthetic of the 70s. From the famous “Time Warp” to Tim Curry’s “Sweet Transvestite” or Susan Sarandon’s “Touch-A, Touch-A, Touch me”. “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” doesn’t leave anyone without a thrilling experience.

The only criticism is that the plot is a little bit choppy and it’s hard to understand what is going on. It is also worth remembering Frank’s legendary self-actualisation anthem: “I am a lovely transvestite – from Transsexual Transylvania”, which is currently offensive to some transgender viewers. Nevertheless, the film has become a legend. Almost the whole story is told through songs rather than dialogue, which makes sense because the film is a musical, but the words can be almost inaccurate, not matching the meanings. The music is great, it is attractive, but it also rewards fans who decide to revisit the film again. It allows them to understand all the clues, jokes, songs and various hidden details. Indeed, this film is very relevant to these times and standards.

3. ‘ROCKETMAN’ (2019) 

The film’s release was undoubtedly accelerated by the phenomenal worldwide success of ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’. The film, about the life of Freddie Mercury, the leader of the legendary rock band ‘Queen’, and the heartfelt performance of Rami Malek, an actor who looks very much like his prototype, have been hailed by millions of cinemagoers.

‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ was directed by Bryan Singer, but before the end of filming, public knowledge of his inappropriate behaviour towards women led to the director’s removal and the completion of the film by his colleague Dexter Fletcher.

Apparently, it was decided that Dalia Ibelhauptaitė’s husband had coped well with this position, and he was entrusted to direct a film about Sir Elton John.

Freddie Mercury and Elton John’s biographies are similar from the very beginning. Both were ‘boys from nowhere’. Freddie Mercury was born in Zanzibar and, before he became a musician, was called Farrokh Bulsara. Elton John was called Reginald Kenneth Dwight before he became a world star.

The future superstar and pop icon grew up in a working-class family in a small town in England, so hardly anyone could have imagined that the shy, red-haired, chubby kid would one day become a sensation in the music world. The Royal Academy of Music, the spectacular concerts, the eccentric behaviour, the unconventional sexual orientation, the depression and the drugs – all this is reflected in the film in a rather detailed (and sometimes even petty) way.

However, the promise of the distributors of the film to provide a bold and open look at Elton John’s life turned out to be a rather boring and prolonged spectacle.

Even with the naked eye, it is clear that ‘Rocketman’ is based on the model of ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’, which met financial expectations. Except that the authors will probably have forgotten the old wisdom that you can’t wade into the same river twice.

Even the financial statistics illustrate this point very vividly: ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’, which cost USD 52 million, grossed just over USD 900 million, while ‘Rocketman’, which cost USD 40 million, earned only USD 96 million worldwide.

The least of the blame for this lies with Taron Egerton, the lead actor, who is genuinely sincere in his efforts, even though he is required to accentuate his character’s eccentricities as much as possible in almost every scene – in his mannerisms, his behaviour, his change of colourful clothes. All this soon becomes tiresome, but this colourful carnival begins to overwhelm the complex character.

Or perhaps the reason for the audience’s lack of love is simpler. Maybe it is not only Lithuanians who love the dead more. If so, Elton John’s film biography could have been rushed… (G.J.)

2. ‘THE BLUES BROTHERS’ (1980) 

When John Landis, the director of light-hearted commercial comedies, made ‘The Blues Brothers’ in the 1980s, it is unlikely that he thought he was making a cult film that would not only occupy a significant place in the collection of such cinema, but also become the subject of imitation and parody for generations of cinema viewers.

‘The Blues Brothers’ is a hilariously wacky comedy about two eccentric brothers who set out to save the orphanage they were born in, which is facing bankruptcy and foreclosure.

In order to raise five thousand dollars for this worthy cause, the eccentric couple are planning to form a rock band called “The Good Old Boys”, whose repertoire consists of “country and western” style songs.

It would all be quite all right if it were not for one circumstance. Both brothers have to hide from their pursuers all the time. Jake (John Belushi), recently released from prison, is terrorised by his jilted ex-fiancée, armed to the teeth with a submachine gun, a grenade launcher and all sorts of explosives, while Elwood (Dan Aykroyd) is harassed by the entire state police force and a Nazi (!) gang leader.

That the entire production team went crazy on the set is clear beyond comment. It is rare for filmmakers to be so willing to be helped by colleagues who are usually jealous of someone else’s success. This film is a pleasant exception, as the keen eye of the viewer manages to catch a few of the celebrities who have agreed to appear on screen in miniature episodes – directors Frank Oz and Steven Spielberg, actors Carrie Fisher and John Candy, The stars of the music world are James Brown and Ray Charles, John Lee Hooker and Twiggy, guitar virtuoso Luther Johnson and drummer Willie Smith, the queen of soul music Aretha Franklin and the Southern California Community Choir “in corpore”, which has a special status in America.

‘The Blues Brothers’ is just as colourful in terms of genre. It’s a real mix of genres! Crime comedy is replaced by gangster parody, eccentric comedy jokes are replaced by fantasy elements, chase and racing scenes are replaced by sentimental romantic songs. And all of this is spiced up with some really inventive musical numbers.

It is surprising that such seemingly disparate elements have been used to create a very stylish and memorable spectacle, the individual pieces of which you want to repeat over and over again, quoting vivid phrases and enjoying their subtle humour.

So it’s no wonder that we want to repeat this success again. In 1998, John Landis made the sequel ‘Blues Brothers 2000’, but this time only one soloist remained from the Blues Brothers duo – Dan Aykroyd was still playing Elwood, while his partner John Belushi was long dead (his earthly journey ended in 1982 by drug overdose). G.J.

1. ‘DANCER IN THE DARK’ (2000) 

‘Dancer in the Dark’ is set in 1964 in a suburb of Washington DC. Selma (Bjork), an immigrant from Czechoslovakia who works in a metal products factory, lives with her teenage son in a house on wheels rented to her by a local policeman. Selma’s eyesight is deteriorating year by year, a condition that her son is likely to inherit. So she saves money for her child’s eye surgery, while she is content with the minimal pleasures of life, the most important of which are the American musicals, whose beautiful melodies Selma hears all the time, and which she imagines she is the hero of to forget all the hardships of life for a while. Musicals are Selma’s second reality in life because “nothing bad ever happens in them”.

But real life is far from a musical. When Selma is sacked from her job, fate sends the poor woman through yet another ringer – her hard-earned savings are pocketed by a caravan owner. In an attempt to get her money back, Selma kills a policeman and becomes the perpetrator of a “crime of the first degree”. In America, the murder of an officer has long been punishable by death. Of course, a good lawyer could have found mitigating circumstances in this situation, but a trial would eat up all the money saved for her son’s eye operation. Therefore, the woman refuses to go through with this plan to save her life.

In the last scene, Selma is tied to a board and prepared for hanging. When Selma learns that her son’s eye operation has been successful, she starts to sing: “This is not the last song, there is no violin, the choir is silent, nobody is turning, this is the penultimate song, that’s all”.

 

 

 

“Tinder” – innocent dating or something dangerous?

Photo from Pexels.com archive.

Many of us have heard of dating apps, portals and the like. But what is this medium, how does it work and what are its benefits and perhaps harms? This article will look at the Tinder dating app, how it works, the psychology behind it and the potential dangers.

Tinder is an online dating app that can be used on both your computer and your smartphone. Around 10 million users log on every day looking for new friendships, dates, short night adventures or the love of their life.

Tinder, also known by its other, more popular name “Tinder”, is an app that is relatively easy to use and accessible to most people, and is aimed at a wide range of ages.

In order to access the platform, you need to create an account, either with your mobile number or via the more popular network Facebook. There is also the option of signing in with a Google account.

Then you just need to define who you are interested in: men, women or both genders. The next step is to choose the distance you want to search for singles. Of course, for the feature to work properly, you must allow the app to see your location. If you don’t, you won’t be able to play any dating games, as Tinder simply shuts down.

Obviously, photos are required for each profile. You can upload up to 9. Of course, if you are not satisfied with this number, you can add a direct link to your Instagram profile.

All you have to do is create a personal description for other users to see, and you’re ready to use.

Don’t forget that there are several other ways to “dress up” your account to make it really stand out. You can add your place of work, your job title, the school you attended or are still attending, your place of residence and even your favourite song. The latter is not limited to your musical tastes – if you also join Spotify, your favourite artists will be featured.

But how does the whole dating process work? Well, the other user’s profile is thrown up on the screen. If you’re interested in that person, a swipe to the left means you don’t like that person. A swipe to the right means you like them. If a new friend sees your profile and also says they like you, the app cheerfully announces “It’s a match!”, which translates to “You’re a match!”. You or the person you’ve “matched” can then message each other.

Of course, if you can’t decide whether the photos are enough to show affection, you can tap on the other user’s profile at any time to see all the additional information listed above and make your decision.

 

Photo from Pexels.com archive.

The psychology behind Tinder

You can hear a bunch of success or failure stories that can be traced back to the dating network in question. But what are the psychological consequences of using this app?

Canadian psychology professor Jordan Peterson, who has written a number of books on psychology, has this to say about Tinder:

“It is worth noting that it is highly addictive. I have read that young people now prefer the correspondence mode of communication to face-to-face contact.”

The man highlighted the whole “like/dislike” process as a real technological revolution. It is called “Swipe”

“This revolution makes it less painful for men to be rejected as partners in the first place. That pain is reduced to zero. It becomes irrelevant because the other person doesn’t even know you.”

A psychologist says you can “swipe” to your heart’s content and it won’t cause any feelings like rejection. It becomes less important than losing your favourite computer game.

“What is important is that this app makes women look at sex differently. Girls who don’t want to play intimate games on a first date are immediately pushed away by those who have no problem with it.”

Jordan also said that all the joy of a normal relationship is removed and the whole journey to intimacy becomes non-existent. Using Tinder for one-night stands (which is very common), he said, sort of removes the point of investing in a long-term relationship, because there is always the possibility of simply “swapping” your partner for a better one.

Dangers and blackmail

For those who are curious about how to attract more sympathy, there is a wealth of content on the internet. How many photos to use, what kind of photos to take, what to say in the first sentences of a conversation. Unfortunately, however, no one talks about the dangers behind this.

The app is mostly used by young people, and although it is stressed that each user must be 18 years old, this condition is often “circumvented”. In most cases, minors change the age of birth of their Facebook account to gain access to Tinder.

Of course, attempts are being made to combat this. If there is a suspicion that a minor’s profile is visible, this can be reported. The profile will then be reviewed and the person, who may be under the age of majority, will be blocked from accessing the app.

It should not be forgotten that the risk is also real for persons who are authorised to use the platform. It is never clear what kind of person might be hiding behind fake photos that they can ‘borrow’ from Google. There is always the possibility of deception. The English term for this is ‘catfishing’, which means ‘catfish fishing’, where a person pretends to be someone else, in other words, steals another person’s identity.

Child molesters, psychopaths, rapists and other extremely unpleasant citizens can also join in dating games in this way. It is therefore always a good idea to take a few precautions to avoid potentially dangerous confrontations:

  1. Check if your crush has social media.
  2. Use Google’s Image Search service to check if it’s a stolen photo.
  3. Offer to talk on your mobile phone, preferably with a video function to make sure it’s the same person.
  4. Be critical. It is still a person you do not know.

This last point may seem strange, but there are many cases where intimate photographs are sent to a friend to arouse sympathy. Here’s what a guy who was sorely disappointed by his experience has to say:

“She looked like a model, and when we started talking, she was very friendly. I seemed to be dreaming.”

The girl replied, the conversation gained momentum and soon the guy was persuaded to make a Skype call. Of course, the topic soon turned to sexual games. However, things changed very quickly when the girl suddenly started terrorising the guy. The guy received threats that photos were taken during the Skype call and that all the material would be made public. The condition was that if the girl received 800 dollars up front, the photos would not be made public.

“Suddenly, she started showing me all the photos, then opened my Facebook account and showed me profiles of my aunt, my sister, and even the company where I worked. I was in a panic.”

This is just one of those stories where a casual romance quickly turns into a horrific incident. According to statistics, there were more than 21,000 such incidents in 2018, where money was demanded from the victim, taking advantage of romantic interests. And this data only covers the US.

Photo from Pexels.com archive.

Experts say that Tinder scammers are not as dangerous as they seem. Here’s the story of the guy in question. After sending the girl 800 dollars, the next day she demanded another 1500. Later, the guy checked that the bank account to which the money was sent was in the Philippines. When he started to ignore the aggressor, she simply stopped texting him.

Later, he resentfully said:

“I know that many people would not be fooled, but if a vulnerable person is found, there is a lot of money to be made from it. That makes it very dangerous.”

Months later, the man said he was using Tinder again, but was now much more careful and cautious. Reflecting on the experience, he smiles that it was too good to be true.

“Yes, I’m using the app again, but now I’m more cautious about the likes I get, and I block the ones that look fake.”

 

10 movies you really shouldn’t watch with your parents

Cinema offers a wide range of emotions, themes, and experiences. However, within this cinematic landscape, there are some movies that are uncomfortable to watch in the company of parents. One obvious reason why it is better to avoid watching certain movies with parents is the explicit content. Although cinema has become bolder and more realistic when it comes to adult themes, this can make certain scenes uncomfortable for parents to watch.

Explicit sexual or violent content can create an uncomfortable atmosphere due to the intimate nature of such images. In addition, the values of individual families, the age difference between the children and the parent, and personal sensitivities may differ, which underlines the importance of personal boundaries and convictions… Therefore, we present to you a top ten list of movies that are better to watch alone.

  1. “Basic Instinct (1992)

The main character, police detective Nick Curran (Michael Douglas), is investigating a particularly brutal murder in San Francisco when he suspects the murdered musician’s girlfriend, an author of shocking novels, who has recently detailed a similar crime in a book – a blonde woman kills her lover with a knife used to crush ice during a sexual relationship.

Still from the movie “Basic Instinct” / TriStar Pictures

Nick thinks that Catherine Tramel herself may have been the killer or someone who wants to “frame” her for it. During the interrogation, the girl behaves brazenly, provokes the officers, and withstands the lie detector test in cold blood. She also has an alibi. But gradually, the secrets of Catherine’s past begin to emerge, and Nick, who is carelessly caught up in this quagmire, becomes more and more dependent on Catherine’s erotic whims and the sexual masochistic games she imposes.

The term “erotic thriller” is not often used to describe movies nowadays, but for “Basic Instinct” it certainly fits. You and your friends may enjoy a good murder mystery now and then, but this is not a movie you will want to solve together, as it contains some infamous adult content, as well as some… scenes that go on for a very, very long time. Any family watching this movie together will sweat more than Wayne Knight in the movie’s infamous police interrogation scene.

  1. “The Wolf of Wall Street (2013)

Scoreses’ “The Wolf of Wall Street” tells the true-life story of Jordon Belfort (played by Leonardo Dicaprio). It is the story of a young Wall Street stockbroker, his ups and downs, and the failure of the American dream. Jordon Belfort got his first job on Wall Street at the age of 21. His manager at the time, Mark Hanna (Matthew McConaughey), gave the Wall Street newcomer the secret to staying afloat and succeeding in the fiercely competitive financial world. In a short but brilliantly acted scene, Matthew McConaughey gives all the credit for his Wall Street success to drugs, sex, and alcohol.

Still from “The Wolf of Wall Street” / Paramount Pictures

Belfort has built up an enviable fortune in fraud over the years without any remorse. His company grew from 25 employees to a Wall Street empire with hundreds of employees. The young stockbroker had so much money that he didn’t know what to do with it. He spent most of it on a carefree lifestyle. Rampant drug use, lavish parties, yachts, alcohol, women, and more drugs, this was the life of the Wolf of Wall Street until FBI agents became aware of his activities.

It is the continuation of a series of movies that proves that different generations are far from being able to enjoy all the movies together. While 2011’s “Hugo” may be a surprisingly good family movie, its sequel “The Wolf of Wall Street” is not. The three-hour movie shows in unwavering detail the excesses, crimes, and debauchery of corrupt Wall Street businessman Jordan Belfort – not a movie you would want to watch with young children.

  1. “Titan (Titan, 2021)

Ducournau’s beautiful, dark, twisted fantasy is a nightmarish yet deceptively comic mix of sex, violence, bright lighting, and thumping music. It is surprising and rare when it is impossible to predict what will happen later in the movie. The only scene that ends as one would expect is the opening scene, in which a little girl (Alexia) misbehaves in the back of the family car.

Still from “Titan” / Diaphana Distribution

She demands her parents’ attention and kicks the seat of the dad who is driving the car until he turns to his daughter to calm her down and – you’ve probably guessed it – causes an accident by hitting a concrete barrier. After a nasty brain operation, Alexia is fitted with a titanium plate in her head, the fitting of which affects the girl in such a way that she – who is supposed to avoid cars after a painful accident, but, on the contrary, falls in love with cars and, just after leaving the hospital, hugs and kisses a vehicle parked in the street.

It is easy to call this a movie that should not be watched with parents, but it is even easier to go further and say that even those who watch without parents should be very aware. We see a lot of shocking material in “Titan”, and although it is certainly a strong and memorable movie, it will definitely not appeal to everyone.

  1. “Crimes of the Future” (2022)

Cronenberg proposes a completely original way to naturally produce the organs needed for transplants. The movie depicts a future world where people no longer feel physical pain. And the authorities are no longer able to record a new kind of anomaly. Some inhabitants of the future world deliberately turn their bodies into garbage recycling machines, contributing to a better ecology. And lovers of spicy sex are happily exchanging good old-fashioned pleasure for surgical experimentation.

Still from the film “Crimes of the Future” / Sphere Films

And where there is demand, there is bound to be supply. As the demand for transplantable organs is huge, performance artist Sol Tenser (Viggo Mortensen) grows them in his own body, and surgeon Caprice (Léa Seydoux) separates them from the body of a volunteer “donor”.

In addition to some truly gruesome and sometimes horrific images, it is also a crime and science fiction movie, with a complex film noir-type plot involving synthetic transformation and mutations, and sophisticated surgical procedures performed for artistic purposes. It is an imaginative, uncompromising, and very strange movie that is guaranteed to create a totally inappropriate atmosphere for any family movie night.

  1. “Babylon (2022)

The action began in Hollywood in 1926. Silent cinema is still making waves. Brad Pitt plays Jack Conrad, a famous movie actor of the time, and Margot Robi plays the role of Nell La Roy, a young woman who wants to become famous. Also important is the character of Manuel (Manny) Tores, the cool Mexican actor Diego Calva, who is, so to speak, the one who starts it all. The trio have their moments of glory and their lows, each in their own way.

Still from “Babylon” / Paramount Pictures

What happens next is difficult to describe, but in a nutshell, we can say that the movie starts on an upswing, with the best moment of the characters’ lives, and then continues downwards, to destruction, to decay. After all, fame is a street prostitute who gives herself to the highest bidder, and that is what this movie is about – fame and its pursuit. In other words, the movie is about Hollywood.

The duration and the content of the movie are probably the two main reasons why the movie couldn’t make up for its high budget, but it still has its own fans. Those who are not put off by the length of the movie may find it worth seeing, but they may prefer to watch the movie (especially the first half hour or so) on their own.

  1. “Mid90s” (2018)

Set in Los Angeles a quarter of a century ago, in 1990, when CDs had not yet replaced cassettes, MTV charts are the main source of popular music and 13-year-old Steve (Sunny Suljic) is still considered a child by both his mother (Katherine Waterston) and his older brother (Lucas Hedges).

Still from the movie ” Mid90s” / A24

Since the brothers live with their mother, the older brother, Jen, takes on the role of male parenting, often hammering Steve with the truths of life with his fists. The normal routine starts to change when Stevie is accepted into the company of skateboarders after having borrowed his brother’s skateboard. Together with his new friends, he will not only master a new means of transport, but also gain a more serious life experience: he will learn to smoke not only cigarettes, but also pot, taste the taste of alcohol, and experience the pleasure of first kisses and sex lessons. In a word, he will gradually become a “real man”.

Most importantly, the movie shows how children of this age often talk to each other without adults around. Since swearing is a new and exciting concept, many children in their early teens do not hold back in this movie. It is not advisable to watch it with parents unless the viewer is prepared to be asked the awkward and inevitable question of whether they also used to talk like that when they were 13.

  1. “American Psycho (2000)

Patrick Beitman (Christian Bale) has a high-paying job on Wall Street. He dresses only in luxury, quality, and stylish clothes, mostly Valentino suits, and has a very beautiful fiancée, Evelyn (Reese Witherspoon). He can talk for hours about good music or expensive champagne. At first glance, he appears to be a man who is not very distinguished, who cares only about himself, and who lives a perfectly ordinary life during the day. But after dark, everything turns upside down, and the man’s behavior changes beyond recognition.

Still from “American Psychopath” / Lions Gate Entertainment

Living his perverse “American dream”, Patrick becomes a cold-blooded killer who feels nothing but intense contempt for others. His cruelty seems to have no limits. He is a murderer and rapist, and his victims are usually helpless and weak people, such as prostitutes or the homeless.

Of course, it’s a great movie to watch alone. The adaptation leaves little of the brutality behind compared to the even more horrific source material, but by satirizing those with excessive wealth and power, and by employing the blackest comedy you’ll ever see in cinema… Watching almost any part of the movie with your parents (except perhaps the iconic business card scene) would be deadly uncomfortable.

  1. “Taxi Driver (1976)

Vietnam war veteran Travis Bickle is forced to work as a night taxi driver due to chronic insomnia. Confronted with crime, violence, drug addiction, and prostitution in the darkness of the big city, a man with a damaged psyche decides to dig through the muck and carefully prepares himself for a responsible mission.

Still from “Taxi Driver” / Columbia Pictures

The taxi whose Trevis wheels through the cross streets around 42nd Street and Times Square in New York is like a space capsule, moving through a toxic environment saturated with the stench of crime, and the man who looks out of the capsule’s window looks like a man from another galaxy. Trevis is truly a stranger to this world, which he observes for a long time but then takes decisive action to make a difference.

“Taxi Driver” is a movie of despair and psychological tension. It is probably best appreciated by a single viewer, as it can be very uncomfortable and embarrassing to share the experience of watching it, even with other people, not necessarily parents. The themes of loneliness and isolation have a stronger impact on solo viewers, and much of the confrontational content of the movie would be too crushing to watch with parents.

  1. “Annette” (2021)

Watching Annette, you often get the impression that the classic of modern cinema has once again “stacked” elements of different genres – drama and tragedy, comedy and opera, forcing the characters to sing even in the most unexpected situations. The plot of the film develops between two different poles – the “high” art of opera and the one-off “neigh”, which does not aspire to any heights.

Still from “Anette” / Amazon Studios

The director warns the audience about the eclectic style of his movie from the very first frames, when, in the background of the opening credits, he addresses the audience, saying: “Ladies and gentlemen. Please concentrate properly. If you suddenly feel the urge to sing, laugh, smile, or cry, please do it in your own imagination and only there. We strongly urge you to remain silent and hold your breath until the very end of the play. Breathing until the end of the play is strictly forbidden. Despite this (self-)ironic prologue, “Annette” will soon “get serious”. There will still be humor in the movie, of course, but it will mostly be tinged with pessimistic rejoinders of Henri’s performance to the audience.

It is a really long movie that wanders into some very dark places. It’s also a musical, which makes everything seem even more sinister and uncomfortably surreal. Long (deliberately) bad comedy sequences, quite intense love scenes, a creepy puppet, and a running time of almost 2.5 hours. Despite the content, your parents may find this movie too weird to “digest” it. In fact, the only thing more nightmarish than watching Annette with your parents might be not knowing what to talk about after the credits.

  1. “Borat (2006)

A movie about a crazed Kazakh journalist played by Sacha Baron Cohen, “Borat: A Pornographic Monkey’s Gift to Deputy Prime Minister Mikhail Pence to Benefit the Recently Shrunken Nation of Kazakhstan”. Borat traveled to the United States for one purpose only: to make a documentary about the country. In pursuit of his goal, he will realize that the United States differs from his home country in many aspects.

Still from “Borat” / 20th Century Fox

Like many of Sasha Baron Cohen’s movies, Borat satirically mocks many of the problems of the Western world and takes aim at the provincialism of the United States of America, a country such as Kazakhstan that many Americans are not familiar with, not to mention the culture. Cohen and his character seem to be testing people’s boundaries, ethical, and moral, and in this way, he is challenging the bubble in which many of the countries of the Western world live. “Borat” is a true anti-Semite (it is worth mentioning and reminding here that Cohen is Jewish), and there is no shortage of jokes about Jews in this film. Cohen appeals to the attitude of the whole Western world toward Jews and tries to say that negative attitudes toward Jews are still alive.

The combination of low-level silly comedy with biting satire and social commentary makes Borat surprisingly intelligent, but also very crude. Some parts of the movie can be difficult to watch alone, not to mention parents laughing nervously in the same room.

Gediminas Jankauskas, Dora žibaitė

Top 10 Biographical Films About Famous Global Brands

Still from The Founder (2016)

There seems to be no area of scientific invention anymore that doesn’t provide the perfect backdrop for breathtaking cinematic stories about the geniuses that have invented things, which we couldn’t imagine living without today.

World cinema is witnessing a real renaissance of biographical films. Biographies of historical figures are being screened (Oppenheimer is still on the screens, as well as historical dramas, Jeanne du Barry, and Ridley Scott’s Napoleon), filmmakers in particular have taken a liking to stories about athletes, inventors, and founders of famous business brands.

Here are ten great biopics about famous global brands.

Still from The Founder (2016)

10. The Founder (2016)

Whether we like it or not, the fast-food brand McDonald’s is a widely known name. Even for those who have never been there.

McDonald’s is a modern phenomenon that has challenged and won the battle against the long-established luxury restaurant business. Instead of refined menus of flavors, it has offered people a range of quick-prepped meals, the most iconic item being a bun with a meat patty inside, a packet of fries and, of course, a cup of Coca-Cola.

Director John Lee Hancock is no stranger to biographical cinema. His film The Rookie (2002) was about the famous baseball coach Jimmy Morris (played by Dennis Quaid). The Blind Side (2009) was another sports drama, this time about the unlikely fate of American football star Michael Oher (Sandra Bullock, who played his coach, won an Oscar).

In the hilarious biopic Saving Mr. Banks (2013), Tom Hanks (who, by the way, looks a lot like his prototype) played the legendary film-maker Walt Disney.

The Founder tells the story of the man who founded the McDonald’s empire. I bet that if you asked on the street who founded McDonald’s, the world’s most famous fast-food chain, it would probably be McDonald. That will be only a small part of the truth. Because two McDonald brothers (Dick and Maurice) in the small Californian town of San Bernardino were very inventive in the way they sold hamburgers in their snack bar. To expand their fast-food burger ration, they once ordered a batch of milkshake mixers, which had been marketed, not very successfully, by an American named Ray Kroc (played by Michael Keaton).

After meeting the brothers, Ray quickly realizes that he needs to act. So, he volunteered to become a partner in expanding the business outside San Bernardino. Soon after, he pulled an old trick that put the whole business in his hands.

We often hear about variations on the American dream. In Hollywood films, we see similar stories. They are usually about people who, thanks to their talents or abilities in science, sport, politics, or other fields, have made astonishing careers or enormous fortunes.

The Founder is an illustration of the latter point. Unfortunately, this time it is about a different kind of cleverness, where lies, deceit and cynicism are used to hijack someone else’s business and marginalize its true founders.

This is not an uncommon phenomenon in real life either. Not everyone condemns the predatory principle of “the end justifies the means”. For some, it’s more important that pecunia non olet (eng. money does not stink)…

Still from The Current War (2017)

9. The Current War (2017)

“In 1889, the Italian Pavilion at the Paris International Exhibition featured a statue of a young woman with wings climbing on the wreckage of a gas lamp, surrounded by a cogwheel, a telegraph machine, an electric arc, and a telephone, all carved from Carrara marble. This symbolic figure held a light bulb in its outstretched hand. On the pedestal of the statue was the inscription Triumph of Electricity”.

With these words, Georges Sadoul, author of Histoire générale du cinema (eng. History of Cinema), introduces Tome I, Chapter VIII, “Edison, Inventor of Motion Pictures”.

Thomas Edison, who visited the exhibition, was so struck by the allegory that he bought the statue, intending to find a place of honor for it in the new laboratories being built by West Orange. For the triumph of electricity was also Edison’s own personal triumph.

In fact, Thomas Edison, “the greatest inventor of all time” (as Albert Einstein called him), is primarily associated with electricity and cinema. Even if he left many more famous inventions to humanity. According to Wikipedia, Edison was “One of the most prolific inventors who patented 1093 inventions in his name”).

Alfonso Gomez-Rejon’s feature film The Current War tells the story of the time when Thomas Edison (played by Benedict Cumberbatch) focused all his innovative energy on trying to electrify America.

The film covers the historical period from 1880 to 1893. The tense action is driven forward by the long-running conflicts between Thomas Edison and his main rival, the physicist George Westinghouse (played by Michael Shannon).

Edison’s patent for a continuous power distribution system led to more people wanting to improve it, including George Westinghouse and Nikola Tesla, who developed their own alternating power distribution system. Choosing a single electricity transmission system was necessary because the use of different methods and devices increased costs and was a real headache not only for companies but also for the states. This is what provoked the so-called ‘current war’.

The third participant in this war, Nikola Tesla (played by Nicholas Holt), is given little space in the film, and the main antagonists are the representatives of two completely different scientific concepts: Edison was developing and refining the continuous electrical transmission system, while Westinghouse was laying the foundations for the much more advanced alternating electrical transmission system.

The war officially ended more than a hundred years later, it was only in 2007 that the Edison’s method was finally abandoned, and the last permanent power cable that was still in operation at the time was ceremoniously crossed in New York.

“Many overlook opportunities that are favorable because they often come dressed in work clothes and resemble ordinary work,” as Thomas Edison once put it. With his extraordinary talent and entrepreneurial spirit, he was acutely aware of the immeasurable possibilities that the artificial light from the light bulb would bring to the world of tomorrow. It was like a miracle and a realization that the advent of artificial light was a very powerful and significant step forward that could change the future of humanity.

Arrogant and self-confident, Edison unsparingly criticizes the electricity transmission system developed by Tesla and Westinghouse and launches a propaganda campaign: commissioned articles appear in the press about the deaths of people in the vicinity of high-voltage alternating-current substations in New York City and elsewhere in the US.

War is war, all means are righteous! There is no shying away from blackening the personalities of competitors, publicizing extremely sensitive information about their private lives, organizing open attacks and even sabotage. Edison’s methods go beyond common sense: he uses a straw to torture animals with alternating electric currents, and even builds an electric chair for the “humane” killing of criminals.

The Current War has struggled to find its way onto screens. The project was completed way back in 2017. However, the premiere was held up by full-blown sexual scandals over the inappropriate behavior of producer H. Weinstein. Things moved forward when Martin Scorsese joined the project.

Unfortunately, the film did not live up to its financial expectations (it costed 30 million to make, but only collected 12 million). Critics did not miss the opportunity to ironize that a film about electricity lacked “high voltage”.

Still from Steve Jobs (2015)

8. Steve Jobs (2015)

Not that long ago, Steve Jobs, one of the most famous business geniuses, was hailed by the media as the Leonardo Da Vinci of our time.

On the fourth anniversary of Jobs’ death, his second feature biography film was released.

Jobs had many names even before his death: an icon of the technological age, the founder of the world’s most expensive brand, a perfectionist with no rules, a genius with crazy ambitions, and an egoist who only listens to his own opinions. He could fire a worker in an elevator in seconds, but the same evening he would cause a hysterical scandal if he didn’t get a table in his favorite restaurant. He kicked a pregnant woman out of her house, saying he was the last person on earth who could father her child, but years later he acknowledged his daughter, talked to her regularly on the phone, paid for her college education and named one of his projects after her.

For some people, Jobs is an idea thief and tyrant, for others an unquestioned genius and teacher. How did a rebellious hippy, who tried drugs as a young man, dropped out of college, and managed to build one of the world’s biggest business empires without a penny in his pocket?

Director Joshua Michael Stern and actor Ashton Kutcher tried to answer these and similar questions two years ago, but their film with the laconic title Jobs (2013) was deservedly dismissed as lame and very superficial.

When asked at a press conference in New York in 2015 how he managed to impersonate Jobs, Fassbender, 38, jokingly replied that he had studied the work of his colleague, Kutcher, and learned from him, but that he wasn’t afraid of the friendly competition: “Obviously, I don’t look like Jobs. That was the first thing I said to director Danny Boyle”.

Yet Boyle was not the least bit upset. He thinks that is exactly the strength of the new film. He said that Fassbender has succeeded in capturing the essence of the man and in conveying it convincingly. It seems that the director is right. Steve Jobs is already in the predictions for the new awards season, and Fassbender’s partner Kate Winslet (played Jobs’ co-worker Joanna Hoffman, who had a long friendship with the Apple founder) said at the New York Film Festival: “He’s an extraordinary actor, I’ve never seen such a professional, he was just amazing”.

Based on Walter Isaacson’s book, the film focuses on three major events in Jobs’ life: the introduction of the Macintosh personal computer in 1984, the NeXt release four years later and, of course, the launch of the iMac in 1998, which was his crowning triumph. Alongside these world-changing achievements, the film tells the story of the computer genius’s complex relationships with his co-workers, friends, relatives and his daughter, Lisa, who for a very long time Jobs was reluctant to acknowledge, even though a DNA test had proved his paternity.

Nowadays it’s hard to imagine that we could live without “toys” like the iMac, iPod, and iPhone. Jobs presented each of these inventions as a new breakthrough into the future, and he did so with great elegance. He was full of paradoxes and believed himself to have become one of the greatest leaders of his era. As a result, he sometimes behaved like a capricious god, convinced of his unapologetic righteousness. Director Boyle finds apt metaphors for these character traits, both in Macintosh’s presentation in 1984 and in the scene with the philharmonic orchestra, where the association with the conductor is very straightforward: in the same way, Jobs ‘conducts’ the processes around him, where not only his every word counts, but his every gesture.

Still from Eiffel (2021)

7. Eiffel (2021)

French engineer Gustave Eiffel became a global celebrity even before his most significant work, the tower bearing his name, was completed in Paris in 1889 and became the highlight of the Exposition Universelle. It was then thought to be a temporary structure, to be dismantled after 25 years, when all the work would have paid for itself in ticket sales to visitors.

Nearly eight million francs paid off during the exhibition period alone, the continued maintenance of the tower has become a profitable business, and the tower is still one of the most photographed and visited sites today.

Now it is hard to picture how this symbol of Paris used to make the artistic society of France nervous at the time. In 1887, while the tower was still under construction, as many as 300 artists (including the writers Alexandre Dumas and Guy de Maupassant, the composer Charles Gounod, etc.) sent a collective letter of protest to the Mayor of Paris, calling the construction “senseless and horrible” and the tower itself “a laughingstock that dominates Paris like a factory chimney”.

There is a nice legend that Guy de Maupassant supposedly replied to the question why he liked to dine in the restaurant on the second floor of the tower: “Because it’s the only place in the huge city of Paris where you can’t see this hideous monstrosity”.

It is not surprising to find a film set in Paris that does not feature the Eiffel Tower in at least one frame, or even in a distant cityscape.

Sometimes the tower itself has become a major film set. Back in the days of silent cinema, crime and even mystery stories were set here. For example, in René Clair’s surrealist film The Crazy Ray (1924), or Julien Duvivier’s mystical adventure story The Mystery of the Eiffel Tower (1927), where a breathtaking chase is filmed on the tower’s stairs and ironwork.

The genius engineer himself has long been asking for his own film (in addition to the tower that made his name known, France still has several train bridges built by him, and New York’s famous Statue of Liberty is also Eiffel’s gift to the Americans). Such a film has recently been made. Only it seems that for its director, Martin Bourboulon, the life of the genius constructor and the construction of the tower have become the perfect pretext to create another French adventure melodrama about unrequited love.

The opening credits of the film inform viewers that they are invited to watch a “free interpretation of real events”. The audience is thus warned not to look for the authenticity of historical facts in the film. This is a common practice in world cinema, for example in the seven Oscar-winning American costume drama Shakespeare in Love (1998), whose authors fantasize no worse than Shakespeare himself.

The creators of Eiffel are not shy either. We meet the protagonist in 1886, when Eiffel (played by Romain Duris) was a widower with five children. He had already been awarded a medal by the Americans for the grandiose Statue of Liberty and was now obsessed with the idea of building a metro in Paris. But that would require huge funds, which only the government could provide.

An official visit to the Minister of Transport leads to another fateful encounter with the beautiful Adrienne Bourgès (Emma Mackey), whom Gustave hasn’t seen for twenty years and who is now the wife of a friend from his youth.

As the table of distinguished guests begins to talk about the forthcoming scientific exhibition, Eiffel loudly announces (not so much to impress the Minister, but to impress Adrienne, it seems!) that he is capable of constructing a tower as high as 300 meters.

From this point on, two stories begin: the construction of the tower (complicated by the intrigues of the jealous, who almost ruined the financing of the work), and the story of Gustave and Adrienne’s relationship, starting with their long-ago acquaintance in Bordeaux, where Eiffel was building a bridge over the Garonne River two decades ago.

The film had a budget of €75 million, and it is a rare case where you don’t need an audit to make sure that the money has been well spent (grandiose sets, luxurious costumes, beautiful clothes and, of course, amazing CGI effects (which, in this case, were really necessary for the filmmakers to be able to re-create the Paris of more than 130 years ago).

Still from BlackBerry (2023)

6. BlackBerry (2023)

Mobile phones are one of those areas where progress is made in leaps and bounds, and it is impossible to track down technologies that are updated many times a year, nor to purchase devices that are still being improved each year.

Director Matt Johnson’s latest work, BlackBerry, tells the story of a modern technology legend, the ‘BlackBerry’, one of the first widely used smartphones. With huge competition in the field of communication technology, it is difficult to stay relevant, even for those who were early pioneers. Sometimes a meteoric rise to the top is followed by a painful fall.

That’s exactly what happened to the BlackBerry brand. There was a time when everyone dreamed of having a smartphone with a keyboard that could write emails, and all self-respecting businessmen had one. And just when it seemed like the whole world was in the pocket of the makers of such a phone, along came Steve Jobs with his iPhone. One mistake, a prideful attachment to the technology, a failure to join the competition in time and to reach an agreement with the mobile operators, and you go from almost 50% of the smartphone market in the US and billions of dollars a year to zero.

Based on the book Losing the Signal: The Untold Story Behind the Extraordinary Rise and Spectacular Fall of BlackBerry, the film premiered at the Berlin International Film Festival and was praised by film critics, audiences and even technology experts alike. “It’s rare to see films like this”, said the audience after the premiere. Some compared the film to Martin Scorsese’s The Wolf of Wall Street, others to David Fincher’s The Social Network.

In truth, all these films have in common the flamboyance of the writers and actors, black humor, ironic take on the rules of Silicon Valley, and the quirks of innovators. But at the same time, BlackBerry is an intriguing, breathtaking thriller that reveals behind-the-scenes of the technology and telecom business.

Who will be better at selling an unknown technology to competitors: a talented engineer or a nerdy Harvard Business School graduate? How do you lure talent from Google or Microsoft? How to conquer the smartphone market? All these questions are now as important as the inventions themselves.

The film starts with two Canadian engineers, Mike Lazaridis (Jay Baruchel) and Douglas Fregin (played by the film’s director Matt Johnson), co-founders of the technology company Research In Motion, meeting with business shark Jim Balsillie (Glenn Howerton) to pitch a new idea. “50% of the company and I’m CEO”, he replies.

Balsillie’s activities are particularly tumultuous when he loses his former job. His experience and good knowledge of his field quickly yields a remarkable result: a successful start-up RIM becomes a major breakthrough in the telecommunications market. The audience is treated to yet another well-crafted film in which the production processes and the myriad behind-the-scenes details of the business do not overshadow the characters themselves, most of whom are portrayed as fanatics of ideas who sacrifice their personal lives for the cause. But without such fanatics no progress would be possible.

Still from Air (2023)

5. Air (2023)

This 2023 film shows how two different worlds, sport and business, can come together to create something truly special. It’s a story that will inspire, remind you of the power of perseverance and hard work, and encourage you to take risks and do what you believe in.

Nike, or rather Blue Ribbon Sports as it was originally called, was founded in 1964. The company was initially set up as the official distributor of Japanese running shoes in the USA and sold around 1 300 pairs of shoes in its first year of operation. The beginning was difficult. With no official sales premises, the company’s founders Bill Bowerman and his pupil Phil Knight were forced to sell trainers simply out of the trunks of cars.

Even when it had no official sales outlet, sales were quite good and the founders even managed to raise enough revenue to hire their first permanent employee in 1965. The first Nike retail store opened in 1966 on Pico Boulevard in Santa Monica, California. As sales continued to grow, the company’s owners expanded its operations to the American coast in Wellesley, Massachusetts. The company continued to grow and spread not only in America, but all over the world.

That’s the Nike story, but that’s not what this film is about. Air is a one hour and 52 minute long film about how Nike signed the most valuable deal of all time with Michael Jordan. Meanwhile, the hearts of American athletes were being captured by the German Adidas and another American company, Converse. Nike, therefore, had to make a special effort to rise up. In this respect, all the credit goes to Sonny Vaccaro, who was working in Nike‘s sports department at the time specifically to help in the basketball field, and who had the idea of proposing to the then rising basketball player Michael Jordan to sign a contract with Nike, because he saw his great potential on the basketball court. This idea was opposed by everyone who could, but Sonny was not deterred. Even though we all know the ending of this film when we watch it, the time does not drag on.

Director Ben Affleck at the premiere of the film at the South by Southwest Film & TV Festival in Austin, Texas, said it was the most important night of his life: “Tonight is the most important night of my career,” he told the crowd.

One of the most impressive aspects of Air is its attention to detail, as it perfectly captures the 80s. The scenery, the costumes, the make-up, everything looks flawless. The film also features classic 80s hits such as Toto’s “Africa”, New Edition’s “Candy Girl” and Van Halen’s “Jump”, which makes you want to sway to the beat even more.

Still from Tetris (2023)

4. Tetris (2023)

2023 marks the release of Tetris, the long-awaited film from Apple TV+ and director Jon S. Baird, which tells the story of the creation of one of the world’s most popular video games, and the challenges of bringing it to a wider audience from behind the iron curtain. It’s a biographical story of strength, determination, and immense faith in what you do, with the main focus on the copyright and release of the game to global markets.

The puzzle game Tetris first hit the American market in 1989 with the release of Nintendo’s new Game Boy handheld console, hence its close association with the company. In spite of that, only a few people know the real story behind this globally popular game.

Tetris first appeared in Moscow, at this time still former Soviet Union, in 1985. Its creator, computer systems engineer Alexey Pajitnov, was working at the Dorodnitsyn Computing Centre, now the Computing Centre of the Academy of Sciences. His liking for puzzles and his strong fascination with the aesthetic and mathematical possibilities of geometric shapes inspired him to create a game of falling shapes, always made up of four squares, also known as tetrominoes.

Pajitnov’s game, although very simple but intriguing, quickly spread among his colleagues and friends, catching the eye of those around him working in the games industry. And so, begins the almost two-hour story of how a game developer named Henk Rogers, simply mesmerized by this hypnotizing new game, risks everything to publish it, that is, to obtain international licensing rights, outside the Soviet Union. Not only does he have to look for partners, compete with one of the biggest video game licensing and publishing companies of that time, but he also has to go to Moscow and negotiate with the local bureaucrats and the KGB.

Director Jon S. Baird, together with the rest of the cast and crew, perfectly recreated the aesthetics of the 1980s and further enhanced it with the soundtrack, in which some of the most popular American songs of the time were rendered into Russian. The intense plot and the use of visual effects and jokes at certain points kept the audience glued to the screens and unable to take a breather until the end of the movie. Most importantly, Tetris not only tells the story of the origins and publication of the game itself, but also recalls the tensions between East and West during the Cold War, which is essentially what led to the competition for the rights to the game in the first place, and the collapse of the Soviet Union. The tape captures the essence of that period when video games were just beginning to rise to the top and everyone was dreaming of changing the world in one way or another.

Al Pacino, Jeremy Irons, Jared Leto, Lady Gaga, and Adam Driver in House of Gucci (2021)

3. House of Gucci (2021)

At 84 years old, British cinema classic Ridley Scott is in great physical shape and still able to surprise more than just his most loyal fans.

Adam Driver, who has certainly been getting a lot of invitations lately, is also starring in Scott’s latest film, House of Gucci, though it’s not him but pop goddess Lady Gaga who is still the most relevant topic to the press.

The main characters of the film are the protagonists of the haute couture world, the owners of one of the most important prêt-à-porter brands and the leaders of a powerful fashion empire. Adam Driver plays Maurice Gucci, the heir to the famous business, and Lady Gaga plays his wife, who hired the assassin who shot her husband on the stairs on his way to the office in 1995.

Found guilty in court, Patricia Reggiani spent 18 years in prison and was only released in 2016, earning her the nickname Black Widow.

The fact that this is not supposed to be a colorful, rosy report on the life of an artistic bohemian is proved by the literary source that has already been used as the basis for the script, Sara Gay Forden’s The House of Gucci: A Sensational Story of Murder, Madness, Glamour, and Greed.

Spanning three decades, the film is full of love, betrayal, revenge, and finally ends with a murder, after which the family business, that has been nurtured for almost a hundred years, will be taken over by the heads of Bahrain corporation.

Though the plot is centered on a high-profile murder, House of Gucci is not a crime thriller. Rather, it is a film that shows the theme of human greed, which is prominent in All the Money in the World.

The film has become a significant event not only in the world of cinema is proved by the disgusted and angry reactions of the fashion house. The claims of the famous family are now being widely discussed in the press: even the actors Al Pacino (who played Aldo Gucci) and Jared Leto (Paolo Gucci) are not suitable for them.

If the outraged rich make good on their threats to defend their honor and dignity in the courts, we are in for an intriguing soap opera. It will be a win-win situation for everyone, people will be treated to a racy multi-series entertainment on bleak winter evenings, and the financial benefits will be felt most by who?… That’s right, the sellers of fashionable accessories and dresses.

Still from Ford vs. Ferrari (2019)

2. Ford v Ferrari (2019)

Ford v Ferrari is about the “duel of the century”, when two drivers, Ford and Ferrari, competed in motor racing.

This conflict started in the 1960s. For six consecutive years, since 1960, the Ferrari cars were unbeatable at Le Mans. This could not fail to offend the ambitions of Henry Ford’s imperial leaders, who had long been accustomed to leadership in the car industry. In the beginning, the Americans tried to deal with the situation as big capitalists or mobsters do: simply buy the business of their competitors. No matter how, the Europeans were not tempted by this “offer that could not be refused”, because they regarded the rich US monopolists not so much with jealousy as with undisguised contempt, since they were convinced that for the big-capital American “sharks”, profit was more important than anything else, and that for the Europeans, the Le Mans competition was primarily a triumph of man (and not of technique).

Therefore, Henry Ford II (played by Tracy Letts in the film), the then head of the company, decided to challenge the king of track racing with the heavy artillery of big money and the most resourceful engineers in his firm, the only American to win the race, Carroll Shelby (Matt Damon), forced to retrain as an engineer because of heart problems, and Ken Miles (Christian Bale), a hard-driving racer brought over from Britain. The latter circumstance guarantees all sorts of psychological conflicts which, together with the production problems, promise to become a sinister explosive outcome.

The plans are ambitious and the time to realize them is very short, just 90 days.

This was the start of the realization of yet another “American dream”. Often these are cinematically embodied stories written by screenwriters, with dramatic conflicts, duels between contradictory characters, heroic feats on the edge of human capabilities and the obligatory final triumph. This time it was not necessary to make up much: the creation of the Ford GT40 Mk II racing car was not lacking in real challenges; exhausting work, stormy arguments and moments of frustration, sleepless nights, bursts of rage provoked by fatigue and similar emotions, which are helpfully provided by an extreme life “on the verge of a nervous breakdown limits”.

It is this “manufacturing” background that plays the key role in the filmmakers’ saga. Director James Mangold skillfully combines the episodes of the preparatory phase into a chain of rather dramatic events but begins to edit the most important episodes of the race film (with great virtuosity) in the last third of the film.

Christian Bale, starring in his second James Mangold film (after the western 3:10 to Yuma, in 2007), once again demonstrates not only his talent for reincarnation, but also an incredible physical transformation, having lost 20 kilos in preparation to play Ken Miles (compare Christian Bale in this film and Vice (2018), and you won’t find more than five similarities in appearance).

Anyone who is even slightly interested in motor sports knows that the duel between Ford and Ferrari, which after enormous sacrifices and the use of limited human resources in the famous 24-hour car race in 1966, ended with a crushing victory for Ford.

Still from The Social Network (2010)

1. The Social Network (2010)

When the film was released, Americans joked that at least 500 million people should have watched The Social Network, roughly the number of people who were active on the online platform Facebook during that time.

The computer programming business is now deservedly overtaking all traditional forms of get-rich-quick schemes. No oil industry or diamond mining business can compete with the possibility of becoming an instant billionaire by introducing a new computer operating system that will spread like a wildfire on the internet and draw hundreds of millions of users into its spider’s web. Apple, Microsoft, or Google are nowadays not the only famous brands but also symbols of fantastic success.

The Social Network is based on Ben Mezrich’s book The Accidental Billionaires. But neither the author of the novel nor the alleged programming genius Mark Zuckerberg have seen the film. No Facebook executives have been involved in the making of the film. There is a kind of symbolism in this paradox. After all, being on Facebook allows people to communicate and keep their distance at the same time.

The main character of the film is Mark Zuckerberg (Jesse Eisenberg), who has become the world’s youngest billionaire. His recipe for success is brilliantly simple: a person who doesn’t fit in with others, an awkward guy who has offered people a modern way of communicating. The fruits of this intellectual revolution are now enjoyed by millions, but of course there are also those who would like to share not only his fame, but also his money.

Ben Mezrich’s book, on which the film is based, consists of the claims of Mark Zuckerberg’s closest classmates from Harvard University against his former friend for allegedly misappropriating a common idea and not properly sharing the material results of the victory with anyone. The filmmakers follow a similar path, devoting a lot of space to legal battles, returning to the past and searching for objective truth.

The real Mark Zuckerberg has announced that the character in the film has nothing to do with him. This is confirmed by relatives who know the genius well. According to them, fame and money have not corrupted the world’s youngest billionaire and turned him into the man of bad manners he is portrayed in the film. The real Mark Zuckerberg is said to be the epitome of modesty. After he became a billionaire, he lived in a one-room apartment in New York for a long time, sleeping on a mattress on the floor and walking to work.

This is the objective truth if we believe similar testimonies. “Who cares for the truth these days?” asks Aaron Sorkin, who wrote the screenplay for The Social Network in the pages of The New York Times. “Telling the story is far more important.”

Gediminas Jankauskas, Gustė Pocevičiūtė, Justina Danylaitė-Krivinskienė

Shirley Bassey: from poverty to diamonds

Shirley Bassey / instagram.com/shirleybassey archive photo

Shirley Veronica Bassey, better known simply as Shirley Bassey. She is a glamorous Welsh singer, wearing luxurious jewellery and glittering dresses. Although she rose to fame in the 1950s, she is still performing today. She has recorded three exclusive theme songs for the James Bond films, “Goldfinger”, “Diamonds Are Forever” and “Moonraker”.

A difficult childhood

Shirley Bassey was born to a white mother and a Nigerian father on 8 January 1937 in Cardiff, Wales. The singer’s mother had a total of ten children, Shirley being the youngest. Her parents divorced when Bassey was two years old. The father, who mined coal in the engine rooms of ships, was jailed for eight years for repeatedly raping a nine-year-old girl.

The future POP diva had a difficult childhood. First of all, Shirley is mixed race. At the time, mixed-race children were a scandal and very unusual. But Bassey’s most unpleasant memory from her childhood is poverty. “Being mixed race was never my problem. In Cardiff our problem was simpler. Food.” she said.

Shirley Bassey left school at the age of 14 to work in a steel factory. Everyone noticed her musicality and her strong voice, as the teenager sang everywhere, all the time. Shirley remembers being told to shut up at work and school. Working as a packer at the Curran Steels factory, Shirley used to sing in pubs and clubs in the evenings and at weekends. Although the experience in the pubs was sometimes unpleasant, with harassing and aggressive men, the singer says she was happiest on stage.

Shirley Bassey and David Bowie, another well-known singer, have in common not only the fact that they both boast global music careers, but also the fact that they both performed in the same clubs when they were unknown. David Bowie said that once, when asked where the toilet was in a club, he was pointed to the sink. Of course, the future singer refused, but then he heard from a club worker: “Listen, son, if it was good enough for Shirley Bassey, it’ll be good enough for you.”

First steps towards a career

In 1953, a 16-year-old girl signed her first musical contracts, which included Bassey’s weekly salary of £14. Not bad for a 16-year-old, right? She sang in the musical Jolson and later joined the “Hot from Harlem” project, which led to touring.

  1. Bassey soon gave up the tour as she was pregnant at 16. She never named the father of the child, but she was determined to have her baby. The singer returned to Cardiff, worked as a waitress in her home town and sang whenever she could. Bassey gave birth to a daughter, Sharon, who initially lied and said it was her sister’s daughter. After the birth of her first-born, Shirley had lost all hope and thought that her career as a singer was over.

Six months later, Bassey was invited to perform in Jersey. Her mother was always supportive and encouraged her daughter not to miss this opportunity. Later, the singer was invited to perform in the ” Such Is Life” stage show at the Adelphi Theatre, thus taking the West End stage.

At the age of 19, she recorded her first single Burn My Candle in 1956. At the time, BBC Radio banned and did not broadcast the recording because radio bosses considered it too ambiguous and the lyrics included the word ‘sex’. “I think they purposely didn’t tell me what the song was about so that I could give it that innocence,” the singer said. One can compare how the music industry has changed since the 1960s, when ambiguous songs with censored words were commonplace.

Born to Sing the Blues was Shirley Bassey’s first album. The single “Banana Boat Song” reached number 8 in the UK singles chart. Her next albums were The Bewitching Miss Bassey, which consisted of new and older recordings, and The Fabulous Shirley Bassey. These two albums were released in one year. Shirley Bassey has released a total of seventy albums during her singing career.

Despite her success and her distinctive voice, Shirley Bassey has never studied music or had singing lessons. She has said that she cannot read music. The global star said that growing up in Cardiff she did not plan a career in show business. She planned to be a stewardess, a model or even a nurse, but when she saw the blood she realized that was not the path for her.

In the whirlpool of love

The singer surprised many when she announced her wedding to director Kenneth Hume, who was her manager. More surprising was the fact that the groom was homosexual. Bassey was convinced that she could change her husband’s sexual orientation. Shirley became pregnant for the second time, and her husband, Mr Hume, was furious because the couple did not live together and it was clear that he was not the father. In 1963, Shirley Bassey gave birth to her second daughter Samantha. Although unconfirmed, it is believed to have been the result of an affair between the singer and actor Peter Finch. Sadly, Samantha Bassey was found drowned dead in the River Avon at the age of 21. Shirley Bassey claims it was not a suicide.

Shirley Bassey had met love many times in her life. She remarried an Italian, Sergio Novak, her manager, with whom she adopted a baby boy, Mark, the singer’s nephew. The couple were together for 13 years before they announced their divorce. Shirley had a new boyfriend. The singer says her partners liked what they saw on stage and just wanted a trophy.

Shirley’s relationship with her adopted son Mark was not the best. He felt neglected by Shirley Bassey’s constant touring and absence from his life. Mark told his story to a tabloid magazine and this greatly damaged the singer’s reputation. The singer became notorious as an unreliable mother who loved drinking and the company of men. Bassey’s sister also contributed to the story and said that Shirley had completely forgotten and abandoned her family.

Shirley Bassey cemented her status as a pop star by recording the theme song of the James Bond film “Goldfinger”. She re-recorded the song in 2014, restoring the original orchestration. Bassey acknowledged that there were two wrong notes in the original version and was happy to have the opportunity to re-record the song. Shirley Bassey is the only artist who has recorded more than one song for the James Bond films. She has also sung the theme songs “Diamonds Are Forever” and “Moonraker”.

At the age of 20, the singer received a frightening and threatening declaration of love. Shirley was imprisoned in her hotel room for two hours. An armed man burst into the room and declared that he loved the singer and that if he couldn’t have Shirley, then no one else would have her either. It was the worst two hours of the singer’s life, although everything ended happily and the intruder was arrested.

Bassey became famous for her covers of songs written by others. She has never written songs herself and has shown no desire to express her feelings in her work. She once hinted that she does not write poetry, does not keep a diary and will never write anything intimate, not even in love letters. However, in 2009, listeners were treated to an album of songs written by the singer.

The crazy side of Shirley Bassey

Celebrating her 25th year in the music and entertainment business, Bassey had a little too much champagne. She pushed away a policeman who was trying to calm her down because Shirley was showing up drunk in public and calling others disrespectful names. The singer was arrested for this, but this did not stop her glittering lifestyle: she was later photographed at a Glamorgan charity event, where she gave a peck on the cheek to Prince Charles, while Shirley Bassey was only appearing at the event for bail.

Bassey was sued by her former personal assistant for getting angry, hitting her assistant and speaking to her in a judgmental and insolent manner. “I didn’t hit her, I just pushed her. I told her on the way out that she was a pampered Jewish princess, I didn’t call her anything else.” said Shirley Bassey. In the end, the famous singer won the case.

Shirley Bassey has sung with many legendary musicians, including Elvis Presley, Frank Sinatra, the Pet Shop Boys and Neil Diamond. She has also collaborated with contemporary musicians. Rapper Kanye West used Shirley Bassey’s vocals for his song “Diamonds From Sierra Leone”. Bassey and Paloma Faith recorded a fun and upbeat version of “Diamonds Are A Girl’s Best Friend”.

Glittery dresses are a hallmark of the singer

In 2003, Shirley donated the proceeds of an auction of her dresses to the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama to set up a scholarship fund in her name. Since this investment, a scholarship is now awarded each year to an outstanding Welsh singer to help further their musical development.

Shirley Bassey, 83, is Britain’s most successful female vocalist, with more than 50 years in the charts. The stage diva now lives alone in Monte Carlo, loves it there and says she can wear her diamonds with peace of mind. Shirley Bassey can be seen at grand and festive events. This year, she also released another album marking her 70th year in music and on stage.

In 1977, Bassey won the Britannia Award for the best solo singing career of the last 50 years. In 1993, she became a Commander of the Order of the British Empire, and in 2000, a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire.

10 of the most spectacular acting performances of the 21st century

“Nightcrawler” (2014)

The 21st century has produced many films, but not all of them have brought actors exceptional fame. Here are 10 films with the most spectacular performances by actors. There are some actors who, when you see them in the film description, you know you’re about to spend 2 hours with the perfect cinema.

We’ve selected 10 truly exceptional films of the new century that are guaranteed to keep you glued to your screens for years to come.

10. “Monster’s Ball”, (2001) – Halle Berry

Violence, pain, loneliness, sex, hatred and the search for happiness. These are the ingredients of “A Feast for Monsters”. This is what life is made of. Deep down, this is a story about love. About two lonely people who have been alone for so long that they have almost forgotten that there is such a feeling as love. These two lonely souls discovered each other and decided to be together, despite the obvious signs that told them not to. The beautiful black woman Leticia and the racist, white man Hank suddenly discover each other and scene by scene it becomes clear that they have more in common than one might have thought at first. But their skin colour doesn’t match… Trouble follows trouble, and the whole film creates a gloomy mood not only all around, but also inside, something is covered with a grey film. But somehow, at the end of A Feast for Monsters, you start to believe that there is always hope and that everything will be all right. This is definitely one of Halle Berry’s best performances. She appears on screen like a fire and keeps burning until the end of the film. Her excruciating pain, her childlike joy and her incandescent lust fill the screen so vividly that there is no question as to who is the star of this feast. (R.C.)

9. “Monster”, (2003) – Charlize Theron

In 2003, much ado was made when the film Monster (directed by Patty Jenkins) hit the screens. Because the authors swapped the traditional killers and their victims. They were helped by recent realities: in 1989, America executed the first female murderer in the United States. The cinema simply had no right to overlook such an event. The result lived up to expectations. The Golden Globe Award and the Oscar went to Charlize Theron in the lead role. Much has been written about her. And everyone wondered how Hollywood make-up artists managed to turn such a beauty into a real monster. That kind of transformation really makes a strong impression. And the film itself.

8. “Ray”, (2004) – Jamie Foxx

Jamie Foxx met legendary singer and pianist Ray Charles for a role in the biopic Ray (2004). The actor is a pianist, so it was easy to get the musician’s approval. Foxx lost 30 kilos to be more like Charles and his comedy experience helped him to imitate the singer’s behaviour.

The film received very positive reviews from critics, with particular praise for Foxx’s performance. The film was also a commercial success, earning $124.7 million worldwide on a production budget of $40 million.

However, the greatest difficulty for the actor was the portrayal of blindness. The director suggested that Foxx temporarily become ‘blind’. For 14 hours a day, the actor’s eyelids were glued. At first, Foxx was panic-stricken and claustrophobic, but eventually he got used to it.

The film ‘Rey’ received numerous awards and nominations and was nominated in six categories at the 77th Oscars. Foxx won the Best Actor Oscar for the role, as well as a Golden Globe, a BAFTA, a Screen Actors Guild Award and a Critics’ Choice Award, making him the second actor to win all five Lead Actor Awards for the same role and the only actor to win a Golden Globe in the musical or comedy category, rather than the dramatic category.

7. “Capote”, (2005) – Philip Seymour Hoffman

This is a biographical account of Truman Capote, a short-lived but spectacular American writer. One day in 1959, he read a newspaper report about the brutal murder in Kansas of a wealthy American farmer and three members of his family. Soon after, the writer travels to the scene of the bloody crime and makes the acquaintance of two young men who are suspected of the cold-blooded murders. During his visits to the prison, the homosexual writer begins to have special feelings for one of the two perpetrators. They meet more and more often in prison and communicate on a variety of topics. But the day comes when both killers are executed by hanging. Finally, it was through these frank conversations in prison that Kapote wrote, over a period of six years, the novel based on true events, and perhaps his most famous novel, Cold-Blooded. Published in Lithuanian in 1996, it is one of the most famous masterpieces of US literature of all time. The huge success of the book made Capote a millionaire, but no amount of money could protect him from his inner emptiness and the fear of a new book, which he thought should have been better. This film tells the story of Capote’s daily life during the writing of his most famous biographical work. The writing of In Cold Blood had a profound effect on the author. He began to drink more and more often, took drugs, and eventually died of health problems caused by alcohol, cigarettes and drugs of uncertain origin. Before his death, the writer had started a new novel, but was unable to finish it. In his years of writing, Capote wrote only two books that attracted a large readership (Cold Blooded and the classic hit Breakfast at Tiffany’s), but at least 20 films and TV series have been made using his stories, short novels and screenplays.

In an interesting and strange coincidence, Capote, one of the greatest and most tragic writers in the USA, is played masterfully in this film by the talented Philip Seymour Hoffman. The actor won an Oscar for the role. But the end of his life is strikingly similar to the end of Capote’s existence. In February 2014, the actor was found dead of a drug overdose in his apartment in New York. The story goes that the actor, who had played a number of memorable roles in famous Hollywood films and was highly regarded by directors, had for some reason felt extremely lonely and isolated before his death and, for unknown reasons, had turned back to the use of the deadly drug heroin after a long break. Some have even later suggested that the Hollywood talent, who was particularly depressed by something, had even decided to withdraw from this troublesome world in this drastic way. (D.D.)

6. “There Will Be Blood”, (2007) – Daniel Day-Lewis

Paul Thomas Anderson’s work has always been influenced by the old masters who have become modern classics. He shares with the brilliant Orson Welles a penchant for epic summaries and the fact that both have earned a unique place in the US cinematic oligarchy even before their 30th birthday. Like Jean Renoir or Max Ophüls, Paul Thomas Anderson likes the camera to move as much as possible. He shares with the French New Wave and the American Martin Scorsese a “Sinophilic” love of the classics. As in the films of Robert Altman, P.T. Anderson’s works also feature large ensembles of high-calibre actors in which individual, striking performances never undermine the overall whole. All these qualities are also present in the film ‘There Will Be Blood’, a masterpiece of modern cinema, based on the novel ‘Nafta’ by the American literary realist Upton Sinclair, which was called a masterpiece of modern cinema shortly after its release. Apparently, it is no coincidence that in the film’s title, the director replaces the dirty liquid, often referred to as the black gold of the Earth, with a completely different substance that pulsates in people’s veins. The two-Oscar-winning drama There Will Be Blood is a true epic of human ambition. It is a story of triumph and failure, greed and the cruel price of ambition, evoking biblical associations, as experienced first-hand by Daniel Pleinview, a miner who was tempted to catch the American dream. One day, he learned that a town in the south-west of the state had huge oil deposits on its soil. Together with his young son, the man settled in Little Boston and soon found “black gold” in the barren land. But “There Will Be Blood” is not a story of astonishing success. Or rather, not just a success story. Just when the settlers were starting to do well, big problems began to emerge, and suddenly the fountains of oil gushing up from the depths of the earth began to change Daniel’s character and his previous values with astonishing speed, turning him from fabulous riches into an arrogant tycoon. But greed always comes at a heavy price. This was perfectly illustrated in the 1956 US classic The Giant: James Dean, the actor who embodied the ideals of post-war youth, played cowboy Jett Market, whose discovery of oil on his land and the riches it brings kills off all the positive qualities in him. Daniel Pleinview undergoes a similar transformation. The film won two Oscars, for cinematographer Robert Elswit and Daniel Day-Lewis in the lead role. (G.J.)

5. “The Dark Knight”, (2008) – Heath Ledger

British director, writer and producer Christopher Nolan has set a very high bar in the world of superheroes with his incomparable Dark Knight. Everything we need to know about Batman is in this dark and very realistic thriller. Critics and audiences alike consider this film to be the best in the history of DC comics adaptations. Although no one could play Batman better than actor Christian Bale, it is Heath Ledger and his maniac, chaos-faced Joker who command all the attention in this film. The director completely changes the perception of ordinary thieves and criminals by turning the Joker into an extraordinary character – he has no desire for other people’s property or money, his only ambition is to create chaos around him and destroy Batman as a person and a personality. In the previous films, each role was subject to serious auditions and consideration from a wide range of actors. In this film, director Christopher Nolan was certain that Heath Ledger was the one to play the Joker and he was the only one on the director’s cast list. This film is the best work of DC and Warner Bros. When the news of Heath Ledger’s death hit the world in January 2008, it only added to the mystique of the film among fans. The very fact that Heath kept a diary of the Joker throughout the filming of the movie, in which he wrote famous phrases, drew illustrations and rewrote lines from the script, makes the atmosphere of the whole film and the character of the Joker even more real and mysterious. Christopher Nolan’s Batman is the most successful character, but it is Heath Ledger’s Joker who has received the most praise and has become a superhero icon. The Dark Knight transcends all genre boundaries and is truly one of the best superhero action films.

4. “Inglourious Basterds”, (2009) – Christoph Waltz

Christoph Waltz was born in 1956 in Vienna, Austria. Despite not being born in Germany, he has been a German citizen all his life. He was born and raised in a theatrical family and environment. His mother is Austrian costume designer Elisabeth Urbancic, his father is German set designer Johannes Waltz and his grandparents were actors in the Vienna theatre. After graduating from the Academy of Theatre, Christoph went to New York for further training. After meeting his wife there, he returned to Vienna and then moved to London. In the 1980s, the actor lived mainly between the two countries, living in London and working in German theatres. Slowly, he began to get roles in TV films and TV series, but his attempts to “break out” to English-speaking audiences were unsuccessful. Christoph himself said at the time that he was happy to be able to support his family through acting and continued to work tirelessly. This continued until he met Quentin Tarantino. Then his career in Hollywood took off. The role of Colonel Hans in Inglourious Basterds transformed him permanently from a German TV actor into a top-earning star. Although he is a wonderful actor, Christoph Waltz has not been famous for a long time, and the actor himself probably did not expect to get so much attention when he starred in Quentin Tarantino’s Inglourious Basterds. The film tells the fictional story of a group of Jewish-American soldiers who kill Nazis in occupied France during World War II. The film stars Christoph Waltz as Colonel Hans Landa, a cold-blooded SS (Nazi paramilitary organisation) officer. In 2010, the actor won an Oscar for his role in ‘Inglourious Basterds’, as well as Golden Globe and British Academy Film Awards. For this role, the actor collected 27 major awards, including a nomination for Best Supporting Actor at the 2009 Cannes International Film Festival. After 30 years of acting, nobody thought Christoph Waltz would secure a place in Hollywood. Neither did the actor himself. Speaking to a German celebrity magazine, he said: “Of course I didn’t expect my role to cause such a stir, after all, I’m Christoph Waltz, not Lady Gaga”. (M.L.)

3. “Nightcrawler”, (2014) – Jake Gyllenhall

Dan Gilroy’s directorial debut, The Night Wanderer, was more than a success, winning critical and audience praise and being nominated for prestigious film awards. Dan Gilroy was previously unheard of in the cinema world, best known as the husband of the famous actress Rene Russo, and his career highlights include collaborating with other filmmakers on the scripts for “Hardened Steel” and “Bourne. Legacy”. However, after the neo-noir thriller “The Night Wanderer”, the situation has changed, with critics hailing the film as a modern masterpiece. “The Night Wanderer tells the story of Lou, a sociopathic man who, after a long and unsuccessful job search, becomes a freelance cameraman filming crime and disaster scenes. Lou manages to sell one report to a TV news channel and, seeing the potential for profit, he hits the streets every night on the hunt for sensational footage. Eventually, Lou’s ambition gets the better of him and there is nothing he won’t do for a good story. Although Jake Gyllenhaal, the actor who plays Lou, has put in a lot of effort to play arguably one of the most unpleasant types in the world, it’s safe to say that this is probably the strongest role of his career. The film should be of particular interest to those who work in or want to learn more about the media. It reveals the dark side of journalism and raises questions about work ethics. How much can a reporter afford? Of course, this is stipulated in legislation, but it is not always respected. The most important thing in television is ratings. How far can you go for them? What can be shown and what would be too much to show? The characters in the film act without scruples and, as is often the case, go unpunished and succeed in their aims. The moral of the film is rather ironic: climb over other people’s heads and you will succeed. On screen, the audience sees the success story of an ambitious sociopath, with more than one dead body, blackmail and betrayal in his wake. The director has taken a risk with this creative choice, but his ideas are very powerful and the film raises many questions. Dan Gilroy does not judge the way the media works, he only interprets, and it is up to the viewer to decide whether to acquit or convict the characters. (J.M.)

2. “Joker”, (2019) – Joaquin Phoenix

Todd Phillips’ The Joker, winner of the Venice Film Festival’s top prize, is undoubtedly the most talked-about film of 2019. It is an unexpected take on the Batman comic book series. Only this time, the main character is not Batman, but his eternal adversary, the Joker, who terrorises the city of Gotham. The evolution of this character in cinema has been well described by my colleague Izolda Keidošiūtė, whose great article “Did you have the chance to dance with Satan in the moonlight?” with the subtitle “The on-screen metamorphosis of the Joker” in the latest issue of Kinas magazine, is highly recommended to everyone. First of all, it must be stressed that Todd Phillips’ The Joker has nothing in common with traditional film comics. Batman’s main adversary, the Joker, appeared in DC Comics (Detective Comics) as early as 1940. There are different versions of the character’s pre-history, from gangster to loser comedian. According to Alan Moore’s canonical version, the Joker took on his specific appearance after falling into a vat of acid while fleeing his pursuers. The main distinguishing features of his appearance are his pale face, green hair (according to one stylist, “the colour of broccoli”), a wide smile accentuated by a red lipstick, and a purple costume (see Batman (1989) with Jack Nicholson). Heath Ledger played the Joker as a remorseless anarchist whose sophisticated crimes were plunging Gotham City into even greater chaos. Todd Phillips, explaining why he set The Joker in 1981, said he was inspired by the US “new wave”, in particular Martin Scorsese’s Taxi Driver and other films. “The Joker is so far removed from the style of the comic book that audiences perceive it as a totally realistic and topical film. Americans are now divided into two camps: some see the film as propaganda for left-wing politics and criticism of capitalism, while others call it a racist piece of work that illustrates the policies of President Donald Trump. (G.J.)

1. “The Whale”, (2022) – Brendan Fraser

Thriller elements are also present in Aronofsky’s latest film so far, The Whale, which can be called, first of all, a benefit for actor Brendan Fraser. The audience, who know the actor most from the oft-repeated ‘The Mummy’, is in for a shocking surprise: the actor’s appearance has changed beyond words. Fraser won the Best Actor Oscar, the Critics’ Choice and Screen Actors’ Guild Awards, and was nominated for a Golden Globe and a British Academy Award for this role. The film also won the Oscar for Best Make-up and Hairstyling, while Chau was nominated for Best Supporting Actress and received the Producers Guild of America Award for Best Theatrical Motion Picture.

“Whale is a screen adaptation of Samuel D. Hunter’s chamber play, so the director chose, according to one Polish film critic, an apartment “behind the gates of hell”, which does not stand out with its special design or the elaborate comforts that the creators of contemporary Lithuanian comedies like to boast of. It is a kind of “earthly abyss”, where Charlie, the main character of the film, lives (if one can call his painful existence that), suffering from critical overweight and emotionally broken by personal dramas: his closest friend has died, his relationship with his ex-wife and his adolescent daughter has practically broken down, and his only support is the nurse who used to come to visit him. Charlie is so ashamed of his body that he never turns on his webcam when interacting with the students of his online writing course. What’s more, Charlie’s health is deteriorating rapidly and requires expensive treatment. (G.J.)

Gediminas Jankauskas, Milda Lileikaitė, Dailius Dargis, Raminta Česnaitė, Justė Meištaitė

 

Hundreds of millions of dollars in art: the 10 most expensive paintings sold

"Sothebys" archive

Every year, auctions are filled with breathtaking scenes of wealth, influence and drama to acquire the most extraordinary paintings. With the world’s growing number of wealthy people, these multimillionaires choose to invest in rare works of art, and in the bargaining battle, prices can rise to incomprehensible amounts, determined by the rarity, condition and provenance of the painting, and sometimes simply by prestige. We invite you to take a look around the gallery of the most expensive paintings sold at auction and appreciate the artworks with your own eyes.

10. Claude Monet “Haystacks” (Meules, 1890)

This painting by Claude Monet, one of France’s best-known artists, was previously bought and owned by a philanthropic couple who came to Paris in 1982. In 2019, “Haystacks” was sold for almost 110.7 million dollars. The silence that accompanied this sum was soon followed by loud applause, which could be heard outside the hall. The buyer of the stunning sunset remained anonymous to the public. It is the most expensive work by Claude Monet ever sold.

Wikimedia Commons. photo

This painting is inspired by the artist’s own home: in 1890, at the age of 50, Monet bought a plot of land for the first time, and haystacks were a frequent sight in the surrounding fields. In fact, there are more than one of these paintings – ‘Haystacks’ belongs to a series of 15 paintings depicting haystacks at different times of the day and in different seasons.

Wikimedia Commons. photo

9. “Young Girl with a Flower Basket” (1905) by Pablo Picasso

The Rockefellers are one of the most famous families in the United States. The Rockefellers boast enormous wealth and have often been referred to as the “unofficial royal” family. They acquired this painting back in 1968, but decided to release most of their impressive art collection in 2018. The painting was sold for a breathtaking $115 million. Although this amount seems high, it is not the most expensive painting by the artist that has been sold.

As the title suggests, this painting depicts a young naked girl holding a basket of flowers. As well as selling flowers, she is believed to be involved in child prostitution because of her naked body and her grim expression. Picasso painted the picture in autumn, when he returned home to Paris after his trip to Holland. Picasso’s painting was influenced not only by his experiences abroad, but also by Ingres, a French neoclassicist.

Wikimedia Commons. photo

8. Edvard Munch’s “The Scream” (1895)

Edvard Munch created four versions of his most popular painting, three of which are permanently housed in Norwegian museums – the Edvard Munch Museum in Oslo and the National Gallery of Norway. In 2012, the only work remaining in Peter Olsen’s private possession came to the attention of the art community worldwide. It took just 12 thrilling minutes to sell the painting, bringing the price up to $119.9 million in that short time. As is customary, the new owner of this valuable painting is being kept under wraps.

“The Scream” is considered an expression of personal suffering. Munch’s mother died when he was just 5 years old; his sister Sophie died when he was 14; his father died when he was 25; and his remaining sister, Laura, was diagnosed with schizophrenia and committed to a mental hospital in Ekeberg. The painting shows the Ekeberg hill, from which people passing by could hear the screams from the hospital and the nearby slaughterhouse. The same place is also known for its high suicide rate.

Wikimedia Commons. photo

7. Gustav Klimt “The Woman in Gold” (1907)

Cosmetics fans know the name Robert Lauder – the incredibly wealthy tycoon behind one of the world’s best-known cosmetics brands. But not many people know that Robert Lauder paid $135 million for a painting considered to be Klimt’s ultimate masterpiece. Although Lauder avoids revealing the final price of the purchase, close sources confirmed the art enthusiasts’ speculations in 2006.

The painting was involved in a scandal, becoming the focus of a legal conflict between the Austrian authorities and the niece of the woman depicted in the painting. She claimed that the painting, along with four others, was stolen by the Nazis during the Second World War. The court accepted the niece’s claim.

Wikimedia Commons. photo

6. Qi Baishi “12 Landscape Screens” (1925)

In 2017, Qi Baishi’s painting broke a couple of records at the time of its sale – it was the most expensive painting sold for a short time, and the highest-priced work by a Chinese artist. The artwork fetched $140.8 million for its buyer. At the time, critics saw this as a growing representation of Asian influence in art. The buyer, who paid a huge sum, does not reveal his identity and the painting is not available to the public.

Qi Baishi’s painting was the first Chinese artist to break the $100 million mark at auction. “12 Landscapes” is a collection of ink brush drawings. The artist is best known for his calligraphic works, and this is considered one of his most expressive paintings. Art experts believe that the painting was created when the artist travelled around China, which is why you can see both mountains and bodies of water in it.

Wikimedia Commons. photo

5. Francis Bacon’s “Three Studies of Lucian Freud” (1969)

The painting by the Irish-born British painter Francis Bacon became famous not only because of its reputation, but also because of the fame and international recognition it brought to the artist Lucian Freud. Critics see the work as a symbol of the relationship between the two artists. “”Three Etudes by Lucian Freud” took just 10 minutes of bidding to dethrone Edvard Munch’s “The Scream” as the most expensive painting ever sold, with $142.4 million in 2013. As many as 7 buyers competed for this painting.

One of the first works painted during the “modern art” era depicts Lucian Freud sitting on a wooden chair in an orange background. The extraordinary image is created by the depiction of light and space intersecting with the detailed image of the artist. This work made Bacon one of the most famous names in mid-20th century modern art.

Wikimedia Commons. photo

4. Van Gogh’s “Portrait of Doctor Gachet” (1897)

One of the most famous works by the Dutch painter Van Gogh, depicting the doctor who nursed the artist in the last years of his life, was sold to a Japanese businessman in 1990. It fetched as much as 82.5 million dollars. At the time, it was a drastic display of wealth to buy valuable works of art and the amount shocked the world. As a result, the painting made it into the top ten most expensive.

Art experts were also alarmed by the buyer’s statement that the Van Gogh art piece would be cremated with him when he died. Whether the buyer’s request was carried out is still unknown, as any search for the painting was fruitless.

The story of this painting is also interesting – at the beginning of the doctor’s visits, Van Gogh distrusted him, saying in letters to his brother that Gachet was “sicker than I am”. However, in later letters, the artist states that the doctor became a true friend. Their time together was truly inspirational for Van Gogh, who produced more than 70 paintings during this period, including this one.

Wikimedia Commons. photo

3. Amadeo Modigliani “Nu Couché” (1917)

Painted in Paris during the last years of the First World War, Modigliani was the subject of a wave of indignation when it was first exhibited, and a scandal erupted over its depiction of a naked female body. An angry crowd gathered outside the Berthie Weill Gallery and forced the police to close the exhibition. But times have changed, and in 2015, bidders went crazy for it, with the final price reaching a staggering $170.4 million. It was purchased by the Chinese couple Liu, who chose to display it in their private museum in Shanghai. Seven people competed for the painting.

This Expressionist masterpiece depicts a nude woman lying on a luxurious red sofa. The work made Modigliani one of the most desirable and collectible artists of the Expressionist movement – indeed, like Picasso, it was only the rarity of his works that prevented his paintings from achieving even higher prices.

Wikimedia Commons. photo

2. Pablo Picasso’s “Les Femmes d’Alger Version O” (1954-1955)

2015 was indeed a significant year for the auction world, with the sale of the second and third paintings in the top ten in the same year. This painting was inspired by the European artist Delacroix, whom Picasso greatly admired. “Version O” is the last part of the series of paintings. In 2015, it had a pre-sale estimate of $140 million, but the bidding skyrocketed when the painting was bought for $179.4 million for the former Prime Minister of Qatar.

“The Algerian Women’s Version of O” has been on the move for a long time, having been bought by Victor and Sally Ganz in 1956 for 212,500 thousand. The painting was later sold in 1997 for 31.9 million dollars.

This painting by Picasso is a fine example of late Cubism, which began in 1954, shortly after the death of Henri Matisse, a French artist he admired greatly.

Wikimedia Commons. photo
  1. Leonardo Da Vinci “Salvator Mundi” (1500)

The most expensive and controversial painting ever sold at auction, which has conquered the Everest of the top ten, belongs to none other than Leonardo Da Vinci himself. Of the twenty works of art that still survive, “Salvator Mundi” is the only one still in a private collection. The incredible final price of $450 million in 2016 sparked a lot of gossip about who could have been the potential buyer of the painting. In the end, the talk settled on the heir to the Saudi throne, Prince Mohammed bin Salman. The bidding for the painting lasted 19 minutes.

The authenticity of this painting is still a subject of controversy in the art community to this day. “Salvador Mundi” is so scandalous that there is even a “Netflix” documentary about it.

“Salvador Mundi” depicts Christ with one hand showing the sign of the cross and the other holding a sphere. For a long time, there was only speculation that it was a Da Vinci painting, but a restoration in 2006 confirmed this speculation.

 

 

Harry Houdini – the extraordinary master of illusions and tricks

© Wikimedia Commons archive photo.

Harry Houdini is one of the most famous illusionists of all time, a pioneer of many modern techniques, and a master of liberation (escape) tricks. He claimed that no prison could hold him, no knots, no chains, no shackles, no shackled hands or feet could keep him from freedom, and he proved it to the whole world. In his later performances, he denounced spiritualists and was convinced that all mediums were charlatans. Despite his passing more than 80 years ago, he is still considered one of the most interesting and mysterious personalities, and many illusionists strive to replicate Houdini and draw inspiration from him.

Harry Houdini was born Erik (later called Ehrich) Weisz in Budapest, Hungary, on 27 March 1874, to a Jewish family of seven children. In 1878 he moved with his family to the United States of America. He was an athlete as a child, took gymnastics, amateur boxing, was a champion runner and trapeze artist, and nicknamed himself “the prince of the air”. All this has contributed to the development of his stamina and strength for further activities. When he began to practise magic, he coined the pseudonym Harry Houdini after two famous illusionists from whom he took his cue (Jean Eugene Robert-Houdin and Harry Keller). In 1913, this stage name became an official name in documents.

The magician’s career, which he began in 1891, focused mainly on traditional card and handcuff tricks, performing in museums and circuses, without attracting much interest or success. In 1893, he met his colleague Bess (full name Wilhelmina Beatrice Rahner), whom he married a year later. Bess became not only his life partner but also his stage partner. A decisive event in Houdini’s career was his meeting in 1899 with the show business manager Martin Beck, who, impressed by the handcuff tricks and seeing Harry’s potential, encouraged him to concentrate on escape numbers. After a world tour, he returned to America in 1904 and was recognised as a world-class illusionist, able to free himself from straitjackets, shackles and chains, even while dangling from a rope high above the ground or submerged in water. During his tours in various countries (France, Germany, the Netherlands, Scotland, Russia, etc.), he challenged the local police to ask to be arrested so that he could escape from prison. He was usually stripped naked and searched before being imprisoned, but the escapes were always successful. This earned Houdini the nickname “King of the Handcuffs”, and people flocked to his performances in droves, it is said that sometimes the doors of the theatre had to be removed in order to allow the crowds to get inside. Houdini himself described some of the secrets in books that were later published. He told how one could sneak in an all-rounder, swallow and then unlock a small key, or unlock a lock/handle with the correct use of body force.

Houdini is not only famous in magic, but also in other fields. In 1910, he flew across Australia in his own plane; he is recognised as the third person to do so, although he called himself the first. He tried his hand at the film industry, producing, directing and acting (“The Man from Beyond”, “Terror Island”, “The Grimm Game”, “The Master Mystery” etc.). He mainly filmed his performances in the open air, but got less success than he had hoped for, so he gave it up. Not all of the films have survived, but some of them can be found on the internet. In 1919, he became president of Martinka and Co., the oldest and largest magicians’ company in the USA, a title he held until his death. Houdini is believed to have been a spy for the American government, collecting information on European political leaders and privileged persons for many years. Under the guise of touring many countries, he had access to law enforcement bodies, etc., but this has not been confirmed or denied. This conspiracy theory is extensively discussed in William Kalush and Larry Sloman’s book “The Secret Life of Houdini – The Making of America’s First Superhero” (2007).

One of his most successful performances was the Escape in 1913, which Houdini kept in his repertoire for many years. The magician was locked in a glass-steel barrel filled with water, suspended upside down, and had to hold his breath for more than 3 minutes to escape. The audience was in awe of the spectacle, amazed by the artist’s bravery and at the same time breathless. Another of the most spectacular performances of the time was in 1918. An elephant was impaled in a New York theatre. The 10,000-pound animal was introduced into a wooden room with curtains drawn, and when the curtains were pulled back, the room was empty. No longer surprised by rabbits in illusionists’ hats, Houdini abstracted the audience with an animal of slightly different dimensions. Even though Houdini himself described some of his tricks, over time people have discovered even more. The best example is the exhibition at the Wisconsin Museum in 2004. It clearly and vividly showed the most important tricks of the illusionist and the principles of their operation. The unwritten rule among magicians not to reveal how an illusion is performed was broken, and the profession was somewhat shocked by the exhibition.

© Wikimedia Commons archive photo.

In the mid-19th century, interest in Spiritualism was growing rapidly in the USA. It was believed that there was a spiritual world beyond death that could be contacted through mediumship. Queues would form outside the doors of practitioners to talk to their loved ones. When Harry’s mother died in 1913, he also visited several mediums and came to the conclusion that they were impostors and that communicating with the dead was nothing more than a fiction, a way for charlatans to make a buck. The Scientific American magazine committee offered a reward/prize of 2,500 dollars to anyone who could pass a test and prove that he or she had real psychic abilities to contact the dead. Mina Crandon (otherwise known as Margery) was the most famous medium of the time who communicated with her brother. She passed the test and convinced the committee, but failed to convince Houdini. He, also a member of the committee, asked to be allowed to assess Margery’s powers. Over several months, he presented detailed evidence of Margery’s manipulation of the board and other objects, unmasking her, and no one was able to win the prize.

This act brought Houdini into conflict with his friend Arthur Conan Doyle, author of Sherlock Holmes. Doyle deeply believed in the reality of the connection with the otherworld, in spiritual powers, and considered Houdini to have them; from good friends to public enemies. Houdini was able to provide rational explanations for the actions of each of the mediums, or even to replicate the tricks, and continued to do so. Having noticed that the public was very fond of the so-called “spirit séances”, he filled the duration of his programme with at least a third of them. He demonstrated chairs and other equipment floating in the air, and utilizing a smoke screen or a mirror, he would seemingly see and communicate with the summoned spirit. He was so deeply involved in non-existent (or existing) spiritualism that he made a pact with his wife: on each anniversary of his death, Bess would organise a spiritualism session. If the afterlife did exist, Harry would be sure to contact her. His wife faithfully maintained this arrangement for 10 years and then simply “released” her husband’s ghost. Now, traditionally, séances are held every year by Houdini’s followers in one of the museums founded in his honour.

Workaholic, perfectionist, interested in everything about death, fascinated by the macabre, even bought an electric chair and performed tricks with it in a prison. He often risked his life, and his fate, but met death unexpectedly. Harry Houdini died on 31 October 1926 of peritonitis – a blow to the abdomen caused a ruptured appendix and complications. He was buried in New York, next to his parents, with a letter from his mother under his pillow. His death is commemorated annually by the American Magicians’ Association in a “broken magic wand” ceremony at the cemetery. In 2002, a postage stamp with Houdini’s portrait was issued in the USA. A museum is opened in Pennsylvania and another museum and a plaque in Ontario. These places are well visited and well appreciated even after all these years. No one can deny the title of the greatest magician of all time, the excellence, the merits of Harry Houdini.

Horror thriller “Platform” – a thought-provoking story that lays bare societal issues

Frame from “The Platform” / Netflix

“The Platform” is a 2019 Spanish horror thriller film directed by Galder Gaztel-Urrutia. The film depicts a terrifying and grim tale of social hierarchy that won three awards for Best Special Effects.

The film was released in Spain by Festival Films on 8 November 2019 and on “Netflix” on 20 March 2020. “Netflix” revealed that 56 million households watched the film in its first four weeks of release.

Director Galder Gaztelu-Urrutia says the film’s main message is that “humanity will have to move towards a fair distribution of wealth”. The film is based on a theatre script by David Desola and Pedro Rivero, to which more action and physical elements have been added in order to make it more suitable for film.

Frame from “The Platform” / Netflix

The action takes place in a vertical prison, with a cell on each floor that can hold two people. In the middle of the floor there is a large hole through which a giant food platform descends once a day through all the floors, starting from the ground floor, and the inhabitants of each floor have two minutes to enjoy the goodies. People on the lower floors can only eat what is left by those on the higher floors. While the prisoners above selfishly eat what they want, the prisoners below starve.

The main character of the film, Goreng, has come here of his own accord to spend six months in this place, but soon discovers that the rules are more complex than he thought. Every month, the prisoners change floors, are sedated and moved to a new cell. Prisoners and volunteers can only have food when the platform is at their floor level. They cannot save their treats for later, and if they don’t comply with the rule, they will fry from the heat or freeze to death in their cell. There are far more floors than Goreng thought.

Frame from “The Platform” / Netflix

People living higher up enjoy luxury and food in abundance, while those on the lower floors face hunger and desperation. The film highlights this problem by showing how inequality affects people’s behaviour and quality of life. “The Platform raises the themes of hunger, violence, inequality and even cannibalism, and it is these scenes that remind us that this is a horror film. And the issues of inequality, solidarity and the impact of the system that are analysed give hope to humanity.

This science fiction film depicts a brutal social experiment that addresses the pressing and painful issues facing society today. “Platform is an intense, suspenseful film that explores questions of human morality and nature. The horror thriller also examines the impact of the system created on the behaviour of individuals and raises questions about social justice, thus forcing the viewer to analyse and reflect.

The Beanie Bubble – a story that will rekindle memories

Still from The Beanie Bubble / Apple TV

Plush animals are probably one of the beloved toys that have delighted children’s hearts for many decades. Recently, Apple TV+ released a film that follows the rise and fall of one of the most successful plush toy companies.  The story of Ty Inc., founded in 1986, and its founder Ty Warner’s desire to become a billionaire became real, but the need to share the glory with those close to him became too heavy.

Let’s briefly review the plot of the movie, which takes us back in time and tells a true story with a few changes and embellishments. Ty Warner (played by Zach Galifianakis) and his neighbor Robbie (played by Elizabeth Banks) have a few glasses of wine together after a painful bereavement and decide to set up a company that will produce plush toys. When the idea proves successful, they start to develop the business idea and, over time, develop a romantic relationship. However, this does not last long, Robbie proposes to expand the business to Europe, but Ty does not accept. In the ensuing controversy, Ty installs a listening device in her office and tries to justify that he owns the company and that Robbie is just a helper. This infuriates Robbie and she eventually decides to leave the company.

Elizabeth Banks and Zach Galifianakis in “The Beanie Bubble,” premiering July 28, 2023 on Apple TV+.

After this conflict, Ty later meets Sheila and her daughters. Over time, they start to spend more time together and Ty and Sheila’s daughters start a new toy line, which later becomes a huge success for the company. Meanwhile, Ty and Sheila develop a serious relationship. At the same time, Maya, a student, joins the company and decides to work for the company for minimum wage because she believes in its success. Maya starts working as a receptionist and quickly works her way up the career ladder, earning Ty’s trust very quickly. Thanks to her, the company is one of the first in America to launch a website, which later helps the company to earn a huge fortune. Maya simply becomes Ty’s right-hand, in charge of many decisions and constantly advising Ty. However, Ty doesn’t want to understand this and often likes to take the credit for himself.

A steadily growing company and increasing profits are slowly turning Ty’s head, and he starts to behave strangely and make irrational decisions. Sheila notices Ty’s bad qualities, but she stays with him after many apologies. However, Ty still puts the success of the company over a good family relationship or simply takes his time to properly evaluate Maya’s work. Finally, Maya breaks down when Ty hires a new man who becomes Ty’s right-hand man. This makes Maya very angry and she tries to persuade Ty to reverse the decision, but he does not listen to her. At a company party, Maya says what she thinks and resigns over Ty’s ears.

Movie “The Beanie Bubble” frame / Apple TV

As if that wasn’t enough, Sheila suddenly discovers, when she shows her daughter, that the toy her daughter has created does not have her name on it. Instead, her husband’s name appears on the label. This finally angers Sheila and she searches for her husband only to discover him cheating on her with his ex-partner Robbie, who has agreed to help Ty if she is the main distributor of his products in the UK. This was a final line that Ty could not go back from. Losing Sheila and Maya deprives him of the ingredients of his success, who were always there for him and who remained loyal when he needed them most. Left alone, Ty sees his plush toys become less valuable over time, while the women who were once loyal to him go on to successful careers and lives.

There is no particular moral in this movie, but there is a message. The success of Ty’s company is mainly due to three women, including Sheila’s daughters, who also contributed and gave the necessary ideas for the plush toy line. Ty did not appreciate that effort and dedication and mostly sought to find benefits for himself. This partly shows the consequences of great success and money for a person. Ty was simply unable to remain human in certain situations because he was overwhelmed by the desire to become even richer and more famous than he was to keep the people he cared about around him. We can also see the issue of the lack of appreciation of women. There are feminist details in the film, which are revealed through the courage and confidence of women to reach the heights of their careers. No matter how you look at it, at the end of the movie, all three women have achieved what they wanted in their careers or simply felt true happiness. It shows the importance of women and their potential in today’s world.

Movie “The Beanie Bubble” frame / Apple TV

Although the film is partly based on a true story, some details and characters are changed. Ty Inc. itself is still a successful plush toy company and its founder Ty Warner was convicted of tax evasion in 2014. The company was one of the first to take advantage of the internet and the website it created has generated huge revenues from the sale of plush toys. The story of the company’s success is told fairly accurately, but the characters and their experiences are somewhat altered.

The acting of several of the main actors should be highlighted. Zach Galifianakis, who plays Ty, is a well-known actor and comedian who is probably best remembered from “The Hangover in Las Vegas” and its sequels. In this film, the actor’s performance can certainly be rated highly, as he was able to convey the right emotion and embody the head of the company. The charisma of the actor simply compels the viewer to keep his eyes on the screen. Meanwhile, Ty’s business partner was played by Elizabeth Banks. The well-known actress is known to many from “Pitch Perfect”, “Walk of Shame” and other famous films. Her acting is as good as ever and her performance has raised the emotional tone of the movie. The student Maya is played by actress Geraldine Viswanathan. This young actress was most prominent in the movies “Blockers” and “Refinery29”, which were very successful. In this movie, the actress stood out from her colleagues and showed that she has the potential to play important roles in the future and play serious characters.

The movie itself is characterised by its simplicity and eye-catching late 20th-century touches, with the most notable being the style of the characters’ clothing. The plot takes us back in time briefly and evokes positive emotions, and the dialogue is quite simple, but there are also expressive phrases that enliven the movie. The phrases about the American dream and the limitless possibilities stand out the most.

In other words, it’s a great movie to spend an evening with, as the plot is not complicated. The idea of the film itself is certainly interesting and it tells most of the true story that happened at the end of the 20th century. There is no shortage of dramatic elements, which are interspersed with light humour that is sure to appeal to many people. Overall, this is a solid film that can be given a positive score.

Movie “Tetris” – intense races, KGB and the most popular game of all time

2023 marks the release of “Tetris“, the long-awaited film from Apple TV+ and director Jon S. Baird, which tells the story of the creation of one of the world’s most popular video games, and the challenges of bringing it to a wider audience from behind the iron curtain. It’s a biographical story of strength, determination and immense faith in what you do, with the main focus on the copyright and release of the game to global markets.

The puzzle game “Tetris” first hit the American market in 1989 with the release of Nintendo’s new Game Boy handheld console, hence its close association with the company. However, only a few people know the real story behind this globally popular game.

The original “Tetris”

“Tetris” first appeared in Moscow, at this time still former Soviet Union, in 1985.Its creator, computer systems engineer Alexey Pajitnov, was working at the Dorodnitsyn Computing Centre, now the Russian Academy of Sciences. His liking for puzzles and his strong fascination with the aesthetic and mathematical possibilities of geometric shapes inspired him to create a game of falling shapes, always made up of four squares, also known as tetronimoes.

Development of the game // still from the movie

Pajitnov’s game, although very simple but intriguing, quickly spread among his colleagues and friends, catching the eye of those around him working in the games industry. And so begins the almost two-hour story of how a game developer named Hank Rogers, simply mesmerised by this hypnotizing new game, risks everything to publish it, that is, to obtain international licensing rights, outside the Soviet Union. Not only does he have to look for partners, compete with one of the biggest video game licensing and publishing companies of the time, but he also has to go to Moscow and negotiate with the local bureaucrats and the KGB.

Hank Rogers (played by Taron Egerton) in “Tetris” // still from the movie.

Director Jonas S. Baird, together with the rest of the cast and crew (one of whom is Lithuanian – Ieva Andrejevaite, who plays Alexey’s wife Nina), perfectly recreated the aesthetics of the 1980s and further enhanced it with the soundtrack, in which some of the most popular American songs of the time were rendered into Russian. The intense plot and the use of visual effects and jokes at certain points kept the audience glued to the screens and unable to take a breather until the end of the movie. Most importantly, “Tetris” not only tells the story of the origins and publication of the game itself, but also recalls the tensions between East and West during the Cold War, which is essentially what led to the competition for the rights to the game in the first place, and the collapse of the Soviet Union. The tape captures very well the essence of that period, when video games were just beginning to rise to the top of popularity and everyone was dreaming of changing the world in one way or another.

Hank Rogers and Alexey Pajitnov ( played by Nikita Efremov) // still from the movie

In the beginning, the director was attracted by the idea of making a movie about the fall of communism. When asked about this in an interview with Why Now’s Maria Lattila, he stated that “<…> the original script was called ‘Falling Blocks’, which I thought would be a very clever title for a movie about the fall of the USSR. When I read the scenario, I knew immediately that it was a story I could tell. It’s a true story, a political thriller, everything that I like in movies, and it was fun. It was a mere coincidence that it was also about a popular computer game. That’s why we changed the title to „Tetris“.

It can be said that this film is about dreamers with clear visions and endless determination to achieve their goals. It is also about community, friendship and mutual understanding of how common goals and ideas can unite people who at first sight may seem completely different, and help them leave their mark on the world.

Interview by Yuri Dud with the real creator of Tetris (English subtitled):

“Love Don’t Judge” – exclusive love stories from around the world

“Love Don’t Judge” is a project featuring extraordinary couples from around the world who are judged every day for what they have fallen in love with. The people featured in the series receive abusive comments not only from the people around them, but also from unsupportive loved ones because of their choice of partner. However, they ignore other people’s opinions and want to talk about their love and feelings to the whole world.

“Love Don’t Judge” currently has more than 7 million followers on Facebook. According to the founders of the project, when you are in an unconventional relationship, your friends, family and the rest of society can quickly judge you for it. But they can’t decide for themselves who they fall in love with. And they can’t let others judge their choice either. “Love Don’t Judge” is an inspiring and uplifting series about real couples who stand firm in love despite the pressures of the outside world.

Jonathan and Lyndsney’s love story: ‘My wife is small, but she is not a child’

Lydnesney, 22, and Jonathan, 27, are being judged because of the difference in their appearance, with bystanders very often comparing the woman to a child. At the age of 5, Lydnesney was diagnosed with a rare cancer that disrupts her hormones, making her extremely small. It is because of her appearance that the couple often receive strange looks from passers-by and various negative comments on social networks. The woman said that it was her appearance that made it difficult for her to trust herself and to start a relationship. However, when they met, they fell in love, got married and had a child. Although Lyndsney was told that she would never be able to have children, they denied it and have a happy family life.

GJ and Jessica’s love story: ‘We are a polygamous couple, but even our mothers judge us’ 

Polygamy is the practice of people marrying or being in a relationship (whether short-term or long-term) with more than one partner, and many countries prohibit such relationships where a person has more than one spouse. This is the type of relationship advocated by this couple, who have been together for nine years. The most shocking fact is that people are constantly looking for a third person in their relationship and have no interest in the idyllic, family life of a married couple, even though they have three children. This is a strange way of looking at it, not only for the people around them, but even for their own mothers, who do not approve of this family model at all and think that it will harm their grandchildren. At the beginning of their relationship, Jessica confessed to GJ that she was bisexual, so they were looking for a girl they could marry, who could be part of their relationship and raise their children together.

Tori and Syven’s love story: ‘I gave birth to my children as a man’ 

A transgender couple suffered from gender dysphoria from a very young age and never felt like themselves. But it was only when they started their journey towards gender reassignment, which Tori began in her late teens and Syven at a very young age, that they finally felt happy. They were not sure that it would be possible for them to conceive naturally after trying for a while, due to the use of testosterone, but they were both very happy when Syven became pregnant with their first son Prophet, who is now one year old. Six months after his birth, they had a daughter, Wynter, who is now one month old. The couple’s decision to have children has been met with both negative and positive comments, but the greatest support has come from their family.

Samuli and Matilda’s love story: ‘We’re brother and sister-in-law but we’re in love’ 

Matilda and Samuli first met when their parents started dating, but although their relationship started out like all traditional fraternal relationships, they didn’t have a particularly close bond, but things eventually turned around after one random night. For a long time, they hid their feelings from the people around them because they were afraid of a backlash. However, Matilda’s mother and Samuli’s father took the news quite naturally and see nothing strange in it. In the end, the couple decided to get married and share their story on social networks, where they received a lot of criticism.

Quran and Cheryl’s love story: ‘I’m 24, my wife is 61 and we want a child’ 

A couple who have become very popular on the Internet and who are willing to share their love story are separated by a huge age gap of 37 years. The couple is very popular on social networks, but they receive a lot of negative comments. Of course, the couple really love each other and do not let other people’s opinions and hurtful comments overshadow their relationship. They have already taken one big step in their relationship – they got married and streamed their wedding on their joint ‘TikTok’ account, which was live-streamed to around 20 000 fans at the time. The couple’s current plans are to start a family, either through adoption or through a surrogate mother.

Jordon and Angie’s love story: ‘I’m a teenager and expecting my 3rd child’ 

Angie, now 19, met her husband Jordon, 22, at a friend’s birthday party. After just two and a half months together, when she was 15 and he was almost 18, she became pregnant – despite taking the contraceptive pill. Although people warned Angie that Jordan would leave her, he proposed and the couple married the day after her 16th birthday. They had a daughter, Nevaeh, but a year later, at the age of 17, Angie became pregnant again and had a son, Hudson. Unfortunately, she has also suffered five miscarriages, but all this has only made the couple’s relationship stronger. Since becoming a mother, Angie has lost most of her friends, but she knows that Jordon will always be there for her, no matter what.

Lorenzo and Jenna’s love story: ‘My girlfriend acts like a dog and I like it’ 

This couple from Texas took the Internet by storm when they started sharing videos on their TikTok account of Jenna behaving like a dog – drinking from a bowl on the floor, jumping into the river while playing and tearing off her slippers, or walking with a lead. Jenna says she has enjoyed acting like a dog since she was a small child. Jenna met Lorenzo, her current ” master” as she calls him, at a photo shoot and the couple have been inseparable ever since. Her boyfriend seems completely normal and treats her like a real dog: he feeds her, takes her for walks and plays with her. The couple receives a lot of negative comments about this behaviour, but they don’t care.

Julia and Eileen’s love story: ‘She’s not my mother, she’s my wife’ 

A couple with an age difference of 37 years, who are often mistaken by those around them not only as mother and daughter, but also as grandmother and granddaughter. Julia (24), a YouTube video maker and singer, met her wife, politician Eileen (61), on the “Tinder” app. Their endless love was not affected by the comments and objections of those closest to them, so they decided to get married and swear to an eternal love for life. The newlywed couple say that the age difference has never been a problem in their relationship and added: “Love is love. We have the same right as all other people to be happy, to get married and celebrate our love.”

Francinaldo and Elisane’s love story: ‘My wife is 43 centimetres taller than me’ 

A married couple from Brazil get strange looks from passers-by because of their unique height difference. Fancinaldo is 1.65 cm tall and his wife Elisane is 2.07 cm tall. However, the couple do not see the unusual height difference as a problem and have lived happily together for more than eight years, six of which they have been married. Three years ago, their first son Angelo was born. But having a child was not an easy journey, as they had previously suffered a miscarriage while Elisane was expecting twins. However, despite all the difficulties and the reprimands from those around them, the couple is extremely happy.

Monica and John’s love story: ‘My husband controls my life – and I like it’ 

Monica is married to John and she believes that she “lives to please him”. Her husband controls every aspect of her life, from the smallest detail. She says that this is the secret of a happy relationship, that the man must make all the decisions and the woman must always try to please her husband. She considers this to be the role of the “traditional wife”, her husband agrees and says: “I am the husband, so I make the rules”. John has the most important role in his wife’s life, controlling her entire life, choosing the clothes she has to wear, but Monica is not opposed to it at all, on the contrary, she is very happy with it. She also allows her husband to “sleep” with other women. For many people around her, this model of their relationship seems distorted and not a reflection of true love.

These stories make you believe that true love still exists no matter what, and that for every person in the world, there is a soulmate who will accept their loved one even with some imperfections.

Rene Magrito: Intellectual World on Canvas

Rene Magrito and his work Son of Man, 1964.
Men with black hats on their heads, a space so repulsive and yet dreamy, full of clouds, with everyday events contained in an unusual image—this is René Magritte’s intellectually modern work. Art does not have to be beautiful and clear to everyone; it has to affect people, raise existential questions, and find meaning in the meaninglessness of existence. This is the true purpose of art, which the artist is trying to reveal.
René Magritte is a 20th-century Belgian painter. The artist represented the Surrealist movement and was a master of the brush. René Magritte experienced many hardships during both World Wars. However, the first shock of his life came when he was only 13 years old.
It was then that the little boy tragically lost his mother, who took her own life. It is said that when Magrito’s mother was found, her nightdress was pulled over her head. If this is true, then the artist was so profoundly affected by this life event that his loss was reflected in his life’s work.
The artist often depicted people in his drawings with their faces hidden under white cloth. It should also be mentioned that R. Magritte’s mother was a hat maker while she was still married, so this is a fact of life that is inextricably linked to the artist’s depictions of people, who are often painted wearing black men’s hats.

R. Magritte began to develop his artistic abilities at an early age, producing his first paintings as a teenager. Between 1916 and 1918, he studied at the Academy of Fine Arts “Royale des Beaux-Arts” in Brussels, but he felt unhappy and constrained as an artist, which is why his studies at the Academy of Fine Arts stretched out over time.
He was fascinated by modernist painting: cubism and metaphysical art, where painters depicted realistic objects in unrealistic environments; in cubism, artists used geometric shapes to break down reality into images and objects.
Magritte’s work was first exhibited at the Brussels Art Centre in 1920, and a little later he painted his first surrealist painting, Le jockey perdu (The Lost Jockey).

There are four main things that have influenced the artist’s life and work style. The first was the loss of his mother, which had such a profound effect on the artist that he often included details in his drawings that related to her life.
Magritte’s life and artistic activity were later shaped through his marriage to Georgette Berger. She was a childhood friend who later joined him at the same art academy in Brussels. Berger always supported her husband and encouraged him to find his own creative path.

The third event that turned the artist towards surrealism was the exhibition of his drawings at the “Antwerp Congress of Modern Art Show,”, where he met the poet E.I.T. Mesens. The poet, who wrote in a surrealist manner, became a long-standing friend of Magritte and a companion on his creative journey.
The final twist in his life, which definitively shaped the artist’s artistic direction, was the paintings by Giorgio de Chirico exhibited in the same exhibition. He was an Italian artist and one of the founders of metaphysical painting.
This modern artist impressed Magritte with his shading technique, his rendering of hidden symbolism, and his depiction of extraordinary landscapes. All these life events shaped the artist’s creative style and approach to life.

Although R. Magritte’s life and work began in Brussels, he wanted to move to Paris, where he was able to integrate and develop as an artist more easily. In Paris, he and his wife joined the Surrealist movement and its leader, André Breton, but they were not only inspiring but often overshadowed the others, and over time, Magritte found their worldview too dogmatic and constrained.
After all, as an artist, he wanted to be free and independent in order to discover himself. Following their failures in Paris in the 1930s, the couple decided to return to Brussels to pursue their artistic careers, from which they never left.
If we take an outside view of Magritte’s work, he has constantly tried to experiment with different artistic styles. During World War II, the artist began to depict scenes of contemporary life in his paintings, which were very close to Impressionism.
Magritte explained at the time: “Before the war, my paintings expressed anxiety, but the war years taught me that the most important thing is to express charm. I live in a very ugly world”. Later, after the war, Magritte decided to try the absolute opposite of his previous work.
He sought to represent absurd and silly ideas and objects by drawing them as unadorned as possible. However, at the Paris exhibition, he received a great deal of criticism, which forced him to return to what he knew best: the surrealist style.

One of his most famous pieces is entitled “La Trahison des images (Image fraud). This drawing shows a pipe that looks like something out of an advertising leaflet, so realistic with the inscription at the bottom “This is not a pipe”.
The artist wants to emphasize the fact that the viewer is not looking at the object itself but at the image of the drawn object. When asked about this painting, Magritte replied, “Of course it’s not a pipe. Try stuffing tobacco in it.”

R. Magritte’s work has been recognised worldwide for its ability to convey the mystery of the everyday, and to reinterpret ordinary phenomena or objects in a new way, to give them a whole new meaning, by transporting them to unusual places.
Even nowadays, his work still perplexes people, makes them think and wonder what the artist was trying to say with this work. Thus, this painter’s work has influenced contemporary art movements such as Pop and conceptual art.

200+ frozen bodies on Everest slope

© Wikimedia Commons

Hundreds of people try to climb Everest every year. 4,000 daredevils have successfully made it, but hundreds of climbers have never reached their ultimate destination—the top. To reach it, climbers have to climb in incredibly difficult weather conditions, endure temperature changes and low atmospheric pressure, and negotiate the treacherous mountain, passing through the ominously named “death zone”.

Mount Everest is the highest point on the planet, 8 848 meters above sea level. Everest is located in the Himalayas, on the border between China and Nepal.

At the top of Mount Everest in China, there are strong winds, sometimes reaching speeds of up to 200 km/h, and air temperatures dropping to -60 °C. There is a “death zone” at the top of the mountain.

Here, oxygen levels are insufficient for human life. In the “death zone”, the human body cannot acclimate and uses oxygen faster than it can be refilled.

Without timely action and replenishment of oxygen reserves, the functions of the human body can deteriorate, leading to unconsciousness and eventual death.

Everest has seen people of all nationalities perish, from seasoned climbers to novices. However, not everyone recognizes that those who meet a cruel fate are often left lying where they fall.

Everest itself has become a cemetery where bodies lie for years, some for decades. The reason for this is that it is too dangerous and difficult to try to remove the dead. Reaching the top of Everest is a physical challenge, and it would take too long to try to bring a corpse or a dead climber back down.

A rescue mission would be almost suicidal. Nevertheless, some experienced mountaineers have made efforts in recent years to bury climbers who have died in more accessible parts of the mountain.

Among other things, there is a part of the mountain known as the “Rainbow Valley” where dozens of dead climbers’ bodies are visible thanks to brightly colored climbing jackets. Those who intend to climb to the top should be aware that they may not return from the trip.

Climbing a mountain is not entirely up to the individual. Hurricane winds, icy oxygen valves, poor timing, avalanches, exhaustion, and similar factors can kill an experienced climber.

According to scientists, exhaustion, poor weather conditions, and avalanches are the most common causes of death for Everest climbers.

The first person to climb Everest was British mountaineer George Mallory. He was the first person to become a victim of Everest. In 1924, he and his group set off for the top of the mountain, but he became separated from his team at around 8,500 meters. 75 years passed before they discovered his body.

For many years, speculation surrounded whether he had indeed reached the top. It wasn’t until 1999 that they discovered his remains near the top of the mountain.

With a broken pelvis, George Mallory’s body lay as if he were heading for the top. Until his final moments, the British climber aimed to conquer the mountain of his dreams, but, unfortunately, he did not succeed.

The first person to climb Mount Everest was Edmund Hillary from New Zealand in 1953. Together with a mountain guide from Nepal, he reached the top. After them, daredevils from all over the world flocked to Everest, but they did not always triumph.

More than 200 people have died on Everest in the past 60 years. Climbers have not only lost their heads here because of injuries or fatigue, but often because of the reverence and indifference of those around them.

Jordan Romero, a 13-year-old American, is the youngest person to climb Everest. In May 2010, accompanied by his parents and three helpers, he reached the top of the world’s highest mountain, making him the youngest person in the world to climb Everest.

And Bahadur Sherchan, approaching his 77th birthday, is considered the oldest person to have climbed Mount Everest.

In 1996, Japanese climbers discovered three fellow Indians nearly frozen to death on their way up. The Japanese continued their journey upwards, and all the other Indians died shortly afterwards.

In 1998, Russian Sergei Arsentyev and his American wife Frances set off for Everest without oxygen tanks, but the mountain did not let them go. The couple got lost in a blizzard, and Sergei died while looking for his wife.

They didn’t discover his body until several years later. Francis passed several groups on her way down the mountain over two days, but they did not help her or feed her. The dying woman was rescued by another British couple, the Widholles, who abandoned their expedition and went in search of the climber.

Unfortunately, they were unable to help her, and the couple themselves nearly froze to death on the way back. A year later, the Widholles still achieved their goal and reached the top.

On the way up, they found Francis’s remains in the same place where they had left her the year before. They then saved money for another 8 years to return to Everest and bury Francis’ body.

The conquest of Mount Everest became a hotly debated topic in 2006. That year, the mountain witnessed a shocking event that garnered global attention and discussion. 42 people passed by David Sharpe, who was dying of oxygen deprivation.

Among them were journalists from the “Discovery” TV channel, who asked Sharp a few questions, gave him oxygen, and left him alone. The other person to leave Sharp to his fate was disabled climber Mark Inglis, who was in the middle of an unprecedented climb with a prosthetic leg.

He had no intention of abandoning his glorious climb for the dying man, so he continued. Inglis managed to reach the top and became a hero, but he did not help his dying colleague.

Perhaps the most “famous” body that never reached the top of Everest is the so-called “green shoes”. This nickname was given to the unidentified corpse of a climber who became the main feature of the North Ridge route on Everest.

The term “green” shoes originates from the footwear still worn by the deceased person’s body. All expeditions from the north encounter a body lying in a cave. David Sharp died in the same cave.

Mount Everest is a beautiful but very dangerous place, so reaching the top is an incredible success. However, the bodies that mark the path to the top are a cruel reminder of the price that can be paid for climbing the mountain.

Yet in the last decade, thanks to technology, climbing Everest has become much safer. Satellite phone connections allow climbers to communicate with the base camp, receive constant weather updates, and keep in touch.

The overall death rate on Everest over the past 56 years has been 9%, but since 2004, this has fallen to around 4.4%.

“Burning Man” festival in the USA desert: freedom to be yourself and give without expecting a reward

© Wikimedia Commons archive photo.

For over 30 years, the “Burning Man” festival, which takes place every August in the Black Rock Desert in Nevada, USA, has attracted around 70 000 participants from all over the world, including at least 10% of Europeans.

Starting as a movement of a handful of freelance artists, this cultural phenomenon has evolved into the “Burning Man Project”, a non-governmental organization founded in 2014 with a big ambition and a broad vision—not only to bring people together for a week to form a free, non-monetised community, but also to spread the philosophy and values of the “Burning Man Project” around the world.

© Wikimedia Commons archive photo.

The main idea behind the festival is giving. Giving is not only about material goods but also about giving your time, attention, care, and friendship.

You can actively grant favors. Participants in the festival say that this event is an example of how not everything is based on money.

© Wikimedia Commons archive photo.

According to the organizers, “Burning Man” is not just a once-a-year festival; it is a community that shares the same values. Many even call this project utopian. It is a utopia that exists in reality but only lasts nine days.

Perhaps the organizers were realistic in their assessment that it could only exist in the diaspora and only for a certain period of time.

© Wikimedia Commons archive photo.

The participants themselves organize everything that happens at the festival. Participation is another of the ten key principles of the movement.

Some, of course, come as observers at the beginning, but in the end they all claim that it is not enough for them to take – every now and then they also want to give.

There are even people from professions such as aerospace engineers and physicists, scientists who study sperm, circus performers, and ordinary people who mend shoes or bicycles. They all have something to offer others.

© Wikimedia Commons archive photo.

Each participant is also ready to provide a spectacle for those around them, with unusual costumes performing in the streets, bicycle decorations glittering on every corner, futuristic cars cruising by with music blasting from the speakers and people dancing on top of them, all covered in dust. It’s like something out of a “Mad Max” movie.

© Wikimedia Commons archive photo.

So, as you can see, all the exchanges that take place during the festival are based on goodwill. Even the food is free. There are usually different campsites in the towns where the party-weary participants can feel like a family and cook together.

© Wikimedia Commons archive photo.

Often it is a gathering of different nationalities, all serving their national dishes. Apart from family gatherings, the festival is also famous for its parties, which take place after nightfall.

© Wikimedia Commons archive photo.

On the other hand, there’s more than just cooking and partying in the vast area of the town. Everything from lectures to choir performances can be found.

According to the participants, it is impossible to see and try everything. 70,000 people, all presenting their skills and gifts, is no joke.

© Wikimedia Commons archive photo.

The town goes by the name “Black Rock” and holds the title of the world’s largest temporary city. It has everything you would find in an ordinary city: streets, hospital, post office, police and fire stations, etc. Most people are advised to bring their bicycles, as this is the best way to cover long distances to reach the various sites.

© Wikimedia Commons archive photo.

The art installations alone take up a lot of space. And of course, there are so many of them that it’s impossible to see them all, and they are created by artists from all over the world. Interestingly, on the last Saturday of the festival, most of these installations are burned.

Video frame by Anton Ptuskin

So many hours of work goes to ashes. But this solution is very reminiscent of the principle of performance art, where the process is the most important thing, not the art object. This phenomenon also has a symbolic meaning.

Burning the objects teaches the participants not to form attachments to them. Meaning that the experience is more important than the objects.

Video frame by Anton Ptuskin

During the same Saturday, they set on fire a symbolic wooden statue of a man. And this exact ritual was what inspired the name of the festival.

© Wikimedia Commons archive photo.

Another of the “Burning Man” principles is unconditional acceptance of others: everyone involved has the right to express themselves in any way they want, provided they do not hurt anyone.

It is the freedom to be yourself and by being yourself, to find like-minded people and make lifelong friendships.

© Wikimedia Commons archive photo.

However, there are some challenges. Everyone must actively prepare to endure in the desert. No help is provided. So the aim is not just to give and show yourself, but to survive in the desert in a nature-friendly way.

© Wikimedia Commons archive photo.

At the end of the festival, leaving not a single piece of trash is a requirement, and participants arrive with massive mobile homes – campers – equipped with water, food, clothing, tools, and other necessities for nine days.

© Wikimedia Commons archive photo.

As you might expect, while everything is free during the festival, the preparation itself is an expensive affair, costing anywhere from $1,300 to $20,000, including food, transport, camping fees, costumes and gifts. And the ticket itself costs money. Typically, the price ranges from 425 to 1 400 dollars.

© Wikimedia Commons archive photo.

Scientists are also interested in the “Burning Man” movement. Research has been carried out from religious, art historical, sociological, psychological, cultural geography, anthropological, architectural and marketing perspectives.

It has been observed that the culture of giving and sharing has given the participants in the movement the connotation of pilgrims and worshippers, instead of being perceived as mere observers, consumers, gamblers.

© Wikimedia Commons archive photo.

Take a look at the festival through the eyes of Ukrainian traveller Anton Ptuskin.

If “Burning Man” had to be shortly defined, it would be a global cultural movement based on ten principles, most of which have been listed in this article.

It has reached not only over 30 states in the USA, but also countries such as Canada, Spain, France, Sweden, South Africa, New Zealand, Australia and Israel.

Similar festivals have been launched in Lithuania, with the same freedom of expression and 10 principles.

10 music videos where women objectify men

Elle King - "Ex's & Oh's" screenshot

Displaying and freely disposing of women’s and men’s sexy bodies has become an integral part of music videos and one of the main features of the music industry, which tries to convey it in a variety of ways, from naked girls wearing bikinis to half-naked men showing off their sexy, muscular bodies. It’s true that music videos are most often male-dominated, with naked women’s bodies side-by-side as if they’re just an ornament to the music video, pulsating with passion, sexuality and eye-catching appeal, but we’re going to give you 10 music videos in which women are objectifying men, and are becoming the real masters of the situation.

Elle King – Ex‘s & Oh’s

The music video starts with a little intrigue – a woman drops off her ex in the middle of the desert and just drives on. In the next episode, the singer is in the desert surrounded by the hottest half-naked guys who are trying to do anything to get her attention, even if it requires more effort. The images are not without sexual metaphors – the food is shown, symbolising the woman’s desire to “eat” the men and all those troublesome relationships. The lyrics describe ex-boyfriends as ghosts who always appear and want to come back to haunt her, as the guy who gets out of the car at the end of the video eventually does. Throughout the music video, the woman is portrayed as dominant and in control, but the sexuality of the woman is not emphasised, on the contrary, the guys become the main symbol of sexuality, showing off their beautiful bodies and fulfilling all the woman’s whims, fighting for the attention of the only woman. However, this music video has been noticed and appreciated by critics, who say that we are used to seeing the objectification of women in modern music videos, and this role reversal shows that the opposite can be true.

Kelly Rowland (ft. Big Sean) – Lay It On Me

In this music video, sexual attraction is conveyed through bodily prowess, movements, touch, and the open display of athletic male bodies. It depicts feminine charm, which is displayed by a number of attractive dancing men who convey the perception of the woman as a kind of “goddess” (scene where the men hold the performer on their back / the man holds up the woman’s body with his own hands), which becomes the main expression of the musical text, reflecting the words of the text. The clip also conveys a close feminine relationship with the male sex, but maintains an aesthetic boundary in which the depiction of a woman’s movements and touches in relation to men is only an example of the attention to be sought.

Marina and The Diamonds – How To Be A Heartbreaker

Just hearing the title “How To Be A Heartbreaker”, it would be hard to imagine the video without a lot of charming guys and of course the main girl. The video for the song shows a girl in several different spaces, none of which she is real as a person when she is with guys. This is symbolised by the different coloured hair accessory, and the lyrics convey the idea that the girl is afraid of being hurt, so she chooses to be a heartbreaker herself as a defence. The first location of the music video is a very revealing one – a guys’ shower, where a bunch of guys stand under a running shower stream, showing off their athletic bodies. All the guys in the video draw attention with their very intriguing and sexy bodies. Here, roles are reversed and the girl becomes the heartbreaker, while the guys find it hard to resist the feminine charms.

Jennifer Lopez ft. French Montana – I Luh Ya Papi

The music video, filmed in Miami, Florida, reveals men’s shapely bodies. The video aims to show that it is not only women and women’s bodies in the music industry that can be shown as sexy, open and provocative, but that women also have the power to objectify men. This video has received positive critical acclaim and recognition because the perception in the music industry is that women should mostly show an open, sexy body, which is perceived as a necessary tool, but by trying to look the other way and showing the opposite sex in this kind of music video, it is clear that women also have the ability to control, and the talk of sexism in the music industry can be refuted by such a music video.

Charli XCX – Boys

The music video for the song “Boys” hit the charts in just one day. The clip shows a lot of completely different boys doing different but ordinary things (e.g. cycling, reading a book, brushing their teeth). As women are very often shown in different contexts, this video is an attempt to show and portray men as characters that are mostly fulfilled by women. The men are chosen from different parts of the world, with different favourite music genres, different hairstyles, figures and outfits. An attempt to convey a different view of the body in general, which is already established as necessarily sexy and attractive – especially the body that women have to portray in music videos – but this video is not afraid to show different bodies and a different perception of it.

Katy Perry – Wide Awake

Although this music video doesn’t feature naked bodies and sexy dancing, it shows the relationship between a woman and a man in a slightly different way. The video itself takes us back to the singer’s childhood, which is full of moments of hardship and experience. The scene in which the woman meets the prince on horseback, and when he approaches, she strikes him in the face and he “flies away”, seems a bit unexpected for the viewer, but it is a way of showing the strength of a woman’s personality, in this case with the chosen motive. We probably could not imagine a reversal of gender roles here. But it’s not so easy to resist every woman’s dream of a prince.

Meghan Trainor – Dear Future Husband

It is a music video that has been met with critical backlash and double reactions. Some are outraged because they feel that the video overly depicts stereotypical gender differences and takes us back to the 1950s, where this was strongly felt, which is not the case in modern music videos. It doesn’t shy away from showing scenes of a woman doing housework, and on dates showing men trying to please her and show her attention and impress her in all sorts of ways, but she rejects all the guys and doesn’t like any of them because of all sorts of little things that are not done right. The dominant image of the woman is shown, she “chooses” the guys, she becomes the mistress of the date.

Fifth Harmony – Work from Home

The music video features five charming girls in an unusual construction environment, surrounded by muscular construction workers. The men are all shown bare-chested, emphasising the sexuality of the male body, which is at the same time conveyed through the masculine work. As the director of the music video himself says, this video conveys a different version and approach to gender roles, where men, unusually, become the objects and women maintain and coordinate the whole environment. The role of the girls in the video is to distract the guys from their work with seductive dances, body movements, facial expressions and touches, while at the same time creating a light flirtation between men and women.

Bebe Rexha – Baby, I’m Jealous

A song about fighting jealousy, the negative influence of social media and society’s expectations of the female body. The athletic male body is also used, which is very openly displayed next to a woman in the wild, obviously such a provocative representation of a man is treated as a sexualised object in the video, and the touching of the bodies demonstrates open seduction. Although a lot of attention is paid to the beauty of women, and the heroines of the clips are characterised by their perfect body lines and become a real attribute of beauty, the lyrics of the song try to convey the message that it is not necessary to be conformed to another’s body.

Billie Eilish – Bad Guy

The ending of the music video is exceptional and may seem a bit sinful. It turns out to be a girl sitting on a guy’s back in a dark, red room, doing push-ups. The athletic body emphasised by the guy at the end of the music clip, which is also indicated by the act of leaning back, is notable. The girl sitting on the guy’s body seems to take a higher position, in which the guy is assumed to be willing to submit to the girl.

10 excellent current Lithuanian bands and singers

Monique / Photo from personal archive

Lithuania is a relatively young country, and in a short period of time it has managed to build an impressive cultural heritage. One of the most important parts of this is Lithuania’s musical world.

Looking back on the past with respect, one can see giants of the music scene such as Stasys Povilaitis, Foje or Hiperbolė, but the music world is improving and growing every day. Today’s Lithuania can be proud of more than one representative of the music scene, but it is still a rather difficult task to leave a more prominent mark on a global scale, if we don’t count the astonishing global success of Dynor.

PlanetNews.info invites you to get acquainted with 10 extremely popular Lithuanian bands and artists who, in the opinion of the editorial staff, are currently making the greatest contribution to the progress of the Lithuanian music scene.

10. Monique

Monika Pundziūtė, also known as Monique, who won the third season of “X Faktorius”, joined the ranks of the most popular singers in Lithuania quite quickly. Initially, the singer was written off by many commentators who said that her popularity would gradually fade and she would be quickly forgotten after winning X Faktorius, but Moni proved otherwise. Such famous tracks as “Palauk dar”, “Nenoriu grįžt namo”, “Dviese”, “Man nebaisu” broke popularity and listenership records in Lithuania.

Monika’s work is quite in line with global trends and brings a lot of innovation and modernity, especially in the video clips, which colour the songs with much more variety than is usual in the Lithuanian context. The singer’s work may not yet be world-class, but at least it has the pretension to be on a par with western pop stars. Despite the fact that Monika is still a very young rising star of the Lithuanian music world (she was born in 1997 in a small town of Širvintos), she is already shining with unusually bright colours, and we can expect much more from Monika in the future. We have no doubt that she will surprise everyone.

9. Deeper Upper

The energetic quartet has been playing since 2010. Mixing indie rock with electronica, they have been building their audience in Lithuania for a long time. The group consists of young “synthpop” guys who have been actively participating in various music festivals and international competitions. According to the band members, the group’s survival and success was due to the goals they set themselves, most of which they have fulfilled.

The group’s work is truly contemporary and reflects the 21st century. Music videos such as “Unity” reflect the openness and tolerance that the band promotes, with visual motifs that send friendly messages to the LGBTQ community. The band writes in English, and we very much hope that the guys will try to make their mark on a global scale. Most notable tracks include “Unity”, “In the Sands of a Desert”, “No Regrets”, “Boys Don’t Cry”.

8. Ieva Narkutė

Ieva Narkutė’s work stands out from the rest with songs that evoke special feelings and emotions. Ieva, also known as Jieva in the music world, became especially famous after the release of the movie “Tadas Blinda”, when the song “Raudoni vakarai” was performed. But the other popular songs “Sakyk, kur tu”, “1000 metų”, Tarp kažkada ir dabar”, “Metų laikai” are no worse.

Ieva’s music career has slightly lost momentum since the birth of her daughter, but she says that nothing will stop her, and we hope that she will never lose motivation for her future creations and her performances on the big stage.

7. “Skylė”

Observing “Skylės” musical path, one gets the impression that the band is staying away from all that fierce industrial business in Lithuania and trying to go its own way. The band, which was formed in 1991 when the Soviet Union was collapsing, has made a good name for itself in the Lithuanian music world. Rokas Radzevičius, Aistė Smilgevičiūtė, Kęstutis Drazdauskas, Mantvyvas Kodis, Gediminas Žilys, Jonas Krivickas, Salvijus Žeimys. The band’s music style is not easy to define, varying between rock, neo-folk, bard, punk and several other styles.

The band’s latest albums are “Vilko vartai” (2015), “Dūšelės” (2016) and “Broliai” (2010). The content of the songs is quite varied, ranging from memories of Lithuanian partisans, Baltic culture, to erotically sounding duets or reflections on death. The creations are truly for music gourmets and are not particularly suitable for today’s Cardi B and Nicki Minaj fans.

6. G&G sindikatas

Enough with the feelings, you all know this band, it is a Hip Hop music group founded by Gabrielius Liaudanskas and a very motley crew of complementary personalities. Established in 1996, this extraordinary guard has become a true symbol of Hip Hop in Lithuania. The group has released 8 albums and won numerous awards (Lithuanian Hip Hop, Bravo, Radiocentro and M.A.M.A awards). The group has been actively performing at various music festivals, arenas around Lithuania and abroad throughout its career.

G&G’s production strongly reflects the Hip Hop genre, which was widespread in the West in the 90’s. Svaras drew inspiration from famous artists such as Eminem, 2Pac and many others. As far as the pioneers of Hip Hop in Lithuania are concerned, G&G is the real father of the genre. We hope that this bunch will not stop progressing and feel the winds of the new times and avoid the unfortunate fate of dinosaurs.

5. Jazzu

Singer Justė Arlauskaitė became famous for her duet “Leon Somov and Jazzu” with producer Leon Somov, which stuck in everybody’s brains and hearts. Since 2009, the singer has been sweeping the Music Association of the Year Awards. Jazzu started her music career in London, which is exactly where she met producer Leon. Even after the duo split up, Justė did not lose the spotlight and if it wasn’t for her difficult character, somewhat unreasonable ambitions and bad social media management, we would probably see her even higher on this list.

Justė’s creativity and the unique timbre of her voice have the ability to evoke a myriad of emotions in listeners. A perfect example of this is “Po mano oda”. With 11.5 million views on Youtube, the song has received a great response from listeners even from abroad. Justė has collaborated quite successfully with the music world’s representatives such as Jovani. The artist’s voice and DJ skills open up the music to a much wider audience than just one country. The song “Keep It To Myself” also has over 11 million views, so the artist has been quite successful and persistent in promoting the name of Lithuania.

4. Domantas Razauskas

Domantas Razauskas is a renowned songwriter and performer, poet, guitarist and composer. He can offer you a punch in the face if you call him a singer-songwriter. When it comes to the musician’s work, it would be fair to say that it is much more than rock, reggae or devilishly/devilishly talented poetry. Before the programme “Pasivaikščiojimai”, the journalist and sound engineer Rytis Žemkauskas described his songs as “songs you can live with”. Domantas has written almost all of the songs he performs himself, and the number of songs has long since far exceeded one hundred. What’s really great is that it’s almost impossible to hear two of the same songs at different concerts. Thanks to endless and never-ending improvisation, all Domantas’ songs sound different every time.

Every time Domantas appears on stage differently, he may give the impression of a rocker or a rasta-man, but everything is much different and the truth lies somewhere beyond. So if you are looking for a way to relax and find peace of mind, or to find the answers to your most important questions, you need to listen to the work of Domantas Razauskas.

3. Marijonas Mikutavičius

You probably haven’t heard much about this singer, or seen him on TV? Just kidding. So let’s not say too much about Marijonas himself. Marijonas became most famous after the sports anthem ” Trys milijonai” and the Eurobasket 2011 basketball song. Of course, these are not the only wonderful works of the singer, his sonorous voice was perfectly reflected in such works as “Ten galėjai būti tu”, “Balintos sienos”, “Aš miręs”, “Drąsių nieks nežudo”, “Ar mylėsi tu me”, “Geriausi mūsų vakarai” and other breathtaking works. Marijonas is not only an extraordinary, highly accomplished Lithuanian singer, he is an integral part of basketball and the country’s culture.

2. Jurga Šeduikytė

MTV awards from Justin Timberlake’s hands, the main prize of the International Baltic Song Music Festival, the albums “Aukso pieva”, “Instrukcija”, “+37”, these are some of Jurga’s achievements. Jurga became active in the music world back in 2005, when the song “Nebijok” was played on all radio stations. Jurga’s work is also quite closely linked to Lithuanian culture and history. The song “Seniai toli” celebrates the ancient Balts and their life. Jurga’s work is genuine and original, the singer avoids repetition and most of her songs are based on rich lyrics. Jurga, never stop!

1. Andrius Mamontovas

Yes, we know that saying that Andrius Mamontovas is the best Lithuanian singer is a bit predictable or even hackneyed, but the fact that an apple that is thrown upwards will fall to the ground at some point in the future is also banal. It is simply impossible to deny the fact that the singer has exceptional talent and inspiration. He has made a name for himself in the world of music far more than any of the bands or artists already mentioned, and he has countless songs that are forever imprinted on Lithuanian hearts. Andrius was born in 1967 and started his musical career as a teenager in the band “Foje”. He has released 24 albums and 6 singles. Mamontov’s musical odyssey spans more than 30 years, during which time he has not had any particularly significant downfalls, which is very typical of various stars from the western world. Andrius is a unique Lithuanian artist of whom we can be truly proud.

Bertrand Cantat and “Noir Desir”, or how a rock band at the height of its powers was broken up by a murder in Vilnius

„Noir Desir“

The musical achievements of the French rock band “Noir Desir”, which rose to prominence in the 1980s, have been overshadowed by the echoes of the murder committed by the band’s singer, Bertrand Cantat, in Vilnius.

The road to the stars

Bertrand Cantat, the son of a military man and a former primary school teacher, was born on 5th March 1964, and lived in Pau with his brother Xavier and sister Ann, before moving to Bordeaux.

Bertrand, who wrote the lyrics, became friends at school with Serge Teyssot-Gay, a 17-year-old guitarist, and decided to form a band because of their shared love of bands such as “Led Zeppelin” and “The Who”. Bertrand Cantat chose to be the vocalist and Serge Teyssot-Gay the guitarist. Then they met Denis Barthe (on drums) and Frédéric Vidalenc (on bass guitar) and started performing locally. 1980-1985 can be considered the formative period of “Noir Desir”, the name of which gradually changed from “Psychoz” to “Noirs Desirs”.

As the band searches for a record label to sign them, “Noirs Desirs” abandons the plural form of the names of rock bands from the 70s and 80s, and with their mini-album “Où veux tu qu’je r’garde?” became a success and secured a place on “Barclay Records”. In 1989, the band achieved its greatest success with the album “Veuillez rendre l’âme (à qui elle appartient)”, which was hailed as one of the best French rock albums ever made. Bertrand Cantat, often referred to as the French Jim Morrison, and his band became one of the most important figures in French music history with the albums “Aux sombres héros de l’amer” (1989), “Du ciment sous les plaines” (1991), “Tostaky” (1992) and “Dies irae” (1994).

The 1990s and disasters.

The band performed at full volume and attracted international attention, but things started to change in the 1990s: after a concert in Besançon in 1991, Cantat and the band were unable to continue their tour due to health problems, and in 1994 the vocalist had to undergo surgery on his vocal cords. The band took a break and Frédéric Vidalenc left the band to pursue his personal projects. In the 1990s, the vocalist’s meeting with the women of his life was also a defining moment in the band’s destiny.

Vocalist’s first marriage and relationship with Marie Trintignant

In 1993 Cantat met his future wife Christina Rady, whom he married in 1997. Cantat had two children with her: a son in 1998 and a daughter in 2002. In 2002, through his sister, the singer meets Marie Trintignant, a famous French actress, with whom he begins an affair one month after the birth of his daughter. According to him, Christine was depressed after giving birth and he tried to take care of the children as best he could.

Bertrand left his first wife, Christine Rady, to live with Marie Trintignant, and in 2003 officially divorced her. Marie Trintignant was a famous French actress who had four children from her previous marriages, three of whom were cared for by her ex-husband. Both Marie and Bertran were very emotional and jealous people who did not want the other to have any contact with their ex-spouses, which eventually led to the tragedy that occurred in Vilnius on the 26th of July 2003, after a party, when the actress was beaten up and slipped into a coma, from which she did not recover.

Marie Trintignant

Murder of Marie Trintignant

Marie and her family came to Lithuania for the filming of the TV series “Colette”. Her husband Cantat accompanied her and watched her on the set. According to film producer R. Urbonas, “They walked holding their hands. Everything seemed very nice”, but everything changed after one party, during which they had too much alcohol. Marie showed Cantat a text message from her ex-husband. The tragedy took place at one of the hotels in Vilnius. He saw her ex’s tender words to her – “Thank you, my dear Janis” – which had been concealed before. The singer was then furious at the unequal conditions – they had both agreed not to be friendly with their exes. He claimed that he “did not recognize Marie”, that she was “malicious” and that her words were “abusive”. Finally, in a fit of rage, Cantat became violent and beat Marie to the point where she ended up in a coma. In the morning, an ambulance was called for the beaten actress, but she did not survive due to severe head injuries.

The punishment

In court, Cantat was faithfully and without condemnation supported by his ex-wife, Kristina Rady, who said that she had never experienced violence in her relationship with the singer. The singer said in court that he thought she was just sleeping, so when he realized that she was breathing, he simply put her to bed. Cantat was convicted in court of “intentional violence resulting in death without intent to kill” and “failure to render aid to a person in danger” for 8 years, but his good behavior led to his early parole in 2007. In July 2010, Cantat’s parole conditions ended and he became free again.

Life after sentence

After Marie’s death, he was in a difficult psychological state, had to take antidepressants, and, according to his lawyer, said he wanted to commit suicide. He eventually sought professional psychological help and got better, but the blows in his life were not over: in January 2010, his ex-wife and mother of two, K. Rady, who had supported Cantat in court, committed suicide in her home. Of course, the singer was criticized for this, and his influence on his ex-wife’s death was investigated, but no evidence was found.

Group separation

In 2010, his band “Noir Desir”, which he had been allowed to contribute to during his time in prison, finally split up. Since then, the singer has been working on his music under the radar, his career has been accompanied by feminist outrage and accusations of violence and provocation.