Connery, Sean Connery 1930-2020

 

Dogs Of Berlin 2018 Netflix

 A fast and furious cop series set in a distraught crime ridden neighborhood of Berlin that is covered  with drugs, murder, and especially racism. The show opens with a corrupt ex-nazi cop screwing his mistress when her young son interrupts them with the news that her infant smells and needs changing. Ok. Raw and  real including the explicit nudity. If you like big beefy nude male butts this is the show for you. The cop Kurt Grimmer played by Felix Kramer changes the infant and cuddles the child has he smokes a cigarette on the balcony. Suddenly something catches his attention and off he goes down to a crime scene  with the baby in his arms. This is clearly a great opening and I was caught up and hooked. It seems that a Turkish-German superstar football (soccer) has been murdered and this sets all the warring groups off and on fire. Grimmer is a gambler, in big debt and corrupt as the day is long and has a mother from hell and younger brother who are deep into a neo-nazi group. In order to investigate the murder, which has a surprise and pretty good solution his bosses on the police squad give him a Turkish German partner Erol Birkan who is also out gay, morally upright and the opposite of Grimmer and is well acted by Fahri Yardim. This is a nice and unexpected touch but brings the usual homophobia and danger to him including a terrible beating at the hands of his new partner and his rough house homophobic pals on the force. The action proceeds at a fast clip and involves all the scum, crooks and racists including the neo-Nazis, the Berlin mafia, the Lebanese and Turkish nationalists and the crooked police, quite a stew. There are also side bars with melodramatic soap like problems with wives, mistresses, boyfriends, cheap thieves both young and old and the city of Berlin itself. Some of it blends and some of it rises to the top scalding hot and bitter, but it does move and has lots of color if no charm. Its visually arresting with neon color, loud rap gangster music, fast moving cars and chases and a boiling hot street fight involving the Turkish nationalists and the Nazi’s. Oh yes there are also some dogs. Not for everyone, but if your taste runs to rough and raw this 10 part series might do it for you.  Subtitled. 

 

Germany Year Zero 1948

The final film in Roberto Rossellini’s “War Trilogy” takes place in a devastated Berlin after the defeat of the Nazi machine. Once a glorious city it is now a unrelenting rotting ruin. The focus of the film that almost has the feel of a documentary, a given with Neo-Realist films is a sad family trying to survive among all the horrors of what Nazi Germany has brought down on their heads. The family is sharing a cramped apartment with many others and should bring to mind what the victims of Nazi Germany had to live and die through, and how our feelings or at least mine were torn between hatred for them, and despair for the 12 year old gentle boy who is the focus of the film. 12 year old Edmund prowls among the ruins of the city trying to find some work and food to bring home to his family and in one searing moment he tries to get some meat off a dead horse as it lies in the street and that is being picked apart by other desperate Berliners. His father is sick and helpless and will eventually meet his fate at the hands of his young son who shares this horrible place with a pretty sister who also prowls among the bars and night hours of the city trying to find substance and hope while flirting with the possibility of prostitution. The final member is the oldest son a soldier on the lam who is a lout and a loser having escaped from the final days of defeat and now lives in fear of being arrested. All are former Nazi’s including Edmund who was no doubt indoctrinated in school and the Nazi Youth gangs.  The film is a river of sadness and despair and the scenes of the bombed out city shock. Edmund is constantly put upon and set upon by various predators including a Nazi pedophilic former teacher of his, and teen age crooks, prostitutes and black marketers. He has no peace as he climbs on the rotten ruins of the city. There are a few other films that have showed the ruins, rot and destruction of Germany including the black comedies “A Foreign Affair” and “I was a Male War Bride” but neither one has the brutal hammering of this masterwork by Rossellini. Cast with non professional actors this is a great addition to films about the perils of childhood that include “Night Of The Hunter” “The Little Fugitive” and “Curse of The Cat People among many others. 

Diane di Prima 1934-2020

 

Ming Cho Lee 1930-2020

 

Marge Champion 1919-2020

 

Two more new postcards October 2020 mixed 4" x 6"

 

two new postcards October 2020 mixed 4" x 6"

 

Rhonda Fleming 1923-2020

 

Suburra Blood On Rome. Netflix 2015-2020

From the first scene of a nude priest at a private orgy falling down from a heart attack, we know we are in a strange land. That land is the eternal city of Rome and the neighborhood of Suburra that dates back to ancient times where corruption still hovers over this very old neighborhood like miserable pigeons crapping on our heads. Everyone here is corrupt and in this new Netflix series, the violence, betrayal and murders come at a terrifying speed. The focus is on three so-called friends all who are young, somewhat attractive, nasty and corrupt as can be. They include Alessandro Borghi the only known actor to me who made a strong impression in “On My Skin” as the braying and volatile Aureliano who is at war not only with the other drug cartels but also with his father and sister who run the family business of nightclubs and drugs. Aureliano all tatted up with dyed blond hair and later on with a beard and a natural do is the leader of the group. There is also Lele, lanky and confused the son of a policeman who is molded and pushed into doing drastic turns of deceit and murder and finally Alberto “Spandino” the youngest son of a gypsy dynasty who is a closeted gay and dangerous. He dresses like a tacky teenager and moves like a dancer or at times a reptile with his Mohawk like haircut. Played by Giacomo Ferrara he is the most compelling, an heir to Richard Widmark in “Kiss Of Death his weapon of choice is a switchblade. There is nothing any one of them would not do to stay in power. The women are also ruthless and mostly without conscience. Standouts include Barbara Chichiarelli with her tight jeans and gnocchi face as Aureliano’s sinister sister and Paola Stogiu as the gypsy matriarch (if looks could kill).   On top of that there is also the dirty politicians, the church and the Mafia who are huffing and puffing trying to blow the other’s houses down. The focus of all the criminals’ plans is on Ostia and their desire to turn this ancient harbor of Rome into a modern day Las Vegas.  Played to perfection by a brilliant large cast and with glorious on location cinematography of Rome, which has never looked more beautiful and lived in, a local bus drives by the Coliseum with everyday panache, over decorated bourgeois apartments mingle with run down cafes and cobblestone streets and the beauty of Rome is everywhere.  This sprawling epic of blood and violence was directed by Stefano Sullima and a third season is coming soon. A movie version also exists, but see the series first.  Also notable is the throbbing score.             

Conchata Ferrell 1943-2020

 

Front Porch Review

I totally forgot about this submission, its been so long, so it came as a pleasant surprise to see two of my photos included in the latest issue. 

 https://frontporchreview.com/types-ira-joel-haber/

October 2020 mixed on paper

 

The first thing I noticed

The first thing I noticed when I climbed the stairs out of the union sq. subway station on 16^th st into the cool fall late morning was how quiet it was. The light was gorgeous and  everything stood out, the few people wandering around, the buildings and the fall foliage of the Union Sq. Park. This was my first trip to the city from my apartment of isolation in Brooklyn since March and I was nervous as hell. I was going to go to the Whitney to see two shows of interest, the Mexican Mural show and the paintings of the lost but now found Agnes Pelton. The subway to the city was not crowded at 10 in the morning and I was able to get a corner seat where I would be left alone. If anyone sat next to me I would get up and move. Everyone was wearing masks except for one fool who got on in downtown Brooklyn.  He was far enough away from me, but I was still annoyed with him for his reckless stupidity and lack of compassion. Crazy? Homeless or just  plain selfish. I walked. I decided to walk to the Whitney from Union Sq. after stopping off at Barnes and Noble and Blick Art Suplies. Both stores seemed sad and depleted to me, actually the whole city seemed sad and depleted even in the crisp golden air and light. I walked along familiar streets that seemed cleaner than ever, and mostly devoid of people except for the dog walkers, all of us masked like in a sci-fi movie after some big disaster. I finally got to the Whitney a little early for my arranged ticketed time so I rested on a chair outside the immense building waiting for my allotted time to enter to arrive. I should have started with the large Vida Americana Mexican Muralists show but instead took the small elevator up to the top floor to look at the Agnes Pelton show of mostly mystical and fantastical paintings that had the appearance of animation cells from the 30’s and 40’s. Light and airy and  happy that this forgotten artist is finally getting her due. By the time I reached the Mexican show, I was exhausted and weary with art fatigue and tired from walking down the 8 flight of stairs. I pushed on and slowly moved through this massive gorgeous show, but wish I had as I said started with this exhibition first. The galleries were very sparse, people wise, which made viewing easy enjoyable. I made my way to the crosstown 14^th street bus to ride it to Union Sq. no more walking for me, and made my way back to Brooklyn. My first foray into my city after nearly seven months. I will return.