Ripley

di Elisa Leonelli

La serie TV Ripley, regia e sceneggiatura di Steven Zallian, rinomato scrittore di film come La lista di Schindler di Steven Spielberg e The Irishman di Martin Scorsese, adatta il romanzo di Patricia Highsmith del 1955 Il talento di mister Ripley. L’intrigante storia era già stata interpretata per il cinema da René Clément in Delitto in pieno sole (1960) con Alain Delon, Maurice Ronet, Marie Laforet, e nel 1999 da Anthony Minghella in Il talento di Mr. Ripley con Matt Damon, Jude Law, Gwyneth Paltrow, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Cate Blanchett.
Ambientata a New York e in Italia nell’inverno del 1960-1961, Ripley è stata girata nell’incantevole paesino di Atrani sulla costa amalfitana, a Napoli, Roma, Palermo e Venezia, con attori italiani come Margherita Buy e Maurizio Lombardi che affiancano i protagonisti Andrew Scott (Tom Ripley), Johnny Flynn (Dickie Greenleaf), Dakota Fanning (Marge Sherwood).

Dakota Fanning, Johnny Flynn, Andrew Scott

Da notare fra gli altri interpreti John Malkovich, un personaggio da Il sepolto vivo, secondo romanzo dei cinque con protagonista Tom Ripley, che era stato Ripley nel film di Liliana Cavani del 2002 Il gioco di Ripley, dal terzo romanzo della serie. Eliot Sumner (Freddie Miles), figlio di Sting e Trudie Styler. Hildegard De Stefano, della serie TV La Compagnia del Cigno, nel ruolo di Mina che vediamo cantare Il cielo in una stanza di Gino Paoli in un nightclub di Napoli.

Zallian sostiene: “Avevo bisogno di più tempo per adattare questo libro, non lo potevo fare nelle due ore di un film, quindi il formato di otto ore era più soddisfacente. Ho voluto girarlo in bianco e nero, perché secondo me il romanzo era una versione letteraria del film noir, con un tono buio e minaccioso, e non volevo un’Italia da cartolina a colori, per questo ho girato d’inverno. L’aspetto pittorico di ogni inquadratura era importante per me, se fermavi la macchina da presa, vedevi un bel quadro o una fotografia, con una perfetta composizione.”

Johnny Flynn as Dickie

Flynn spiega: “Sia il romanzo che la nostra versione sono raccontati dal punto di vista di Tom Ripley, quindi a poco a poco entri nella logica del personaggio, provi quello che lui prova e incominci a immedesimarti con lui. Io dovevo cercare di capire perché Dickie lo trova intrigante e vuole insegnarli come percepire il mondo, lo entusiasma vedere che Ripley ha gli istessi ideali di bellezza che ha lui. La loro amicizia era autentica. Steven mi diceva spesso che Dickie era un bravo ragazzo, un tipo dolce, non immorale come nel film di Minghella. Era scappato dai genitori, perché si vergognava della loro sfrontatezza di nuovi ricchi che valutavano solo i soldi. Voleva rifugiarsi nella vecchia Europa, in questo bellissimo posto e nell’idea di essere un artista.”

Adam Scott as Tom Ripley

Scott aggiunge: “Ripley è un artista della truffa, e incredibilmente dotato, deve fare piccoli imbrogli per sopravvivere. Viene ignorato dalla società dei ricchi, non ha accesso alle arti, alla musica, alla bellezza, ma quando le scopre, prova un senso di rabbia per esserne stato escluso.”

Scott risponde alla mia domanda su Caravaggio, un pittore che Dickie aiuta Ripley a scoprire e con cui lui finisce per identificarsi: “Trovo un colpo di genio da parte di Steven Zallian aggiungere questo risvolto alla storia. Mia madre era una professoressa di storia dell’arte e fin da piccolo mi ha insegnato l’uso del chiaroscuro negli straordinari quadri di Caravaggio. Ripley è affascinato da questo artista, anche lui un criminale, le cui opere d’arte continuano ad ammaliarci.”

Zallian conclude: “Non ho mai considerato Ripley uno psicopatico o un assassino di professione, non è bravo a uccidere, come non lo saremmo noi, quindi possiamo simpatizzare con lui. Ha certi desideri e bisogni, che lo portano a compiere atti terribili, ma prova un senso di orgoglio per il suo talento, è un bugiardo di professione e molto bravo, è incapace di dire la verità.”

Dakota Fanning as Marge

L’americana Fanning adora il nostro paese: “L’Italia aveva un ruolo importante in questa storia, ogni posto aveva un tono e una vibrazione diversa, quindi era speciale per noi poter girare nel vostro paese. Nel mio tempo libero non facevo che camminare e esplorare, a Roma, a Venezia, a Capri, ho scoperto tesori segreti, fatto compere e mangiato cucina locale, ho incontrato gente meravigliosa. Per me è stata una magnifica avventura.”

Pubblicato su Best Movie, Italy
Foto cortesia di Netflix

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Remembering GENE WILDER

Yesterday I went to see the excellent documentary Remembering Gene Wilder that opened at the Laemmle Royal Friday March 22.


I enjoyed it tremendously as a long time fan of this amazing comedian.

You may read these articles I wrote to honor Gene Wilder at the time of his passing in 2016.

For Cultural Weekly Wild and Crazy Gene Wilder

For the Golden Globes website Gene Wilder – A Master of Comedy Speaks

Wilder was the subject of one of my first home photo layouts in 1976. In 1986 one of those photographs, reproduced in B&W, was on the cover of the ASMP (American Society of Magazine Photographers) newsletter featuring my portfolio.

Gene Wilder © Elisa Leonelli 1976

If there’s a comedian’s heaven, you’re there Gene, laughing.  You will not be forgotten.

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Kate Winslet-The Regime

Di Elisa Leonelli

Kate Winslet-The Regime (c) HBO

La miniserie TV The Regime – Il palazzo del potere racconta cosa succede dietro le quinte all’interno del sontuoso palazzo di un fittizio regime autoritario centro europeo, governato da una dittatoriale Cancelliera, la bravissima diva britannica Kate Winslet. L’attore francese Guillaume Gallienne interpreta il marito che ama la poesia, il belga Matthias Schoenaerts è il violento caporale dell’esercito che diventa suo amante e consigliere, Andrea Riseborough è la fedele direttrice del palazzo, Martha Plimpton la senatrice Americana che arriva a negoziare un contratto per l’estrazione del cobalto, Hugh Grant è l’ex-cancelliere, un intellettuale progressista. Stephen Frears è responsabile della regia di tre episodi, Jessica Hobbs degli altri tre.

Will Tracy, creatore e sceneggiatore, rivela di essersi ispirato al libro del giornalista polacco Ryszard Kapuściński, L’imperatore: caduta di un autocrate, “sugli ultimi giorni del regno di Haile Selassie in Etiopia, raccontato da servitori e funzionari del palazzo. Quando si svegliava, che cosa mangiava a colazione, come si vestiva. Ho concepito questa serie come una specie di Downton Abbey o Su e giù per le scale, non ambientato in Inghilterra, ma in un paese situato geopoliticamente fra l’Est e l’Ovest, fra Russia e Cina, la NATO e gli Stati Uniti.”

Si tratta di una farsa, di una commedia assurda, non di una tragedia, ma con un tema serio: la rivolta popolare dei minatori del cobalto e dei coltivatori della barbabietola da zucchero contro il regime di un pericoloso dittatore dal potere illimitato che crea una sua realtà a cui tutti quelli che la circondano devono far finta di credere.

Kate Winslet-The Regime (c) HBO

Kate Winslet spiega come è arrivata a creare il personaggio della paranoica e ipocondriaca Elena: “Ho consultato uno psicologo e un neuroscienziato per capire che poteva succedere a una bambina dopo certi traumi subiti da piccola, per via di una relazione piuttosto discutibile con il padre. Ha studiato medicina e ha una laurea da dottoressa, quindi sappiamo che è una donna decisamente intelligente, ma deve gestire grossi disturbi emotivi e mentali, che cerca continuamente di superare.”

Pubblicato su Voilà Magazine Facebook e Instagram

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Abbot Kinney Blvd

This weekend I took a walk along Abbot Kinney Blvd, named after the founder of Venice in America, which I do periodically because it’s the coolest street in LA. It is not the shops that attract me, but the murals.

So Far So Good by Alex Yanes

“So Far So Good” by Alex Yanes, on the side wall of the Rag & Bone store at 1121, is crafted out of weather-proof, die-cut, hand-painted wood panels mounted onto the brick wall.

On the black side wall of Vardagen at 1301, I saw a color mural

And a BW mural by Skonks that reads: “VENICE. A nice place to die slow”

SaveLACougars by Louis Masai

In 2021 I had photographed “Save LA Cougars” by Louis Masai on Milwood Ave. Click on this link to learn more about this organization devoted to saving wildlife in urban settings.

Tongva mural by ThunderVoice Eagle

Also in 2021 I admired this mural by ThunderVoice Eagle “painted by a Navajo recognizing it sits on the Ancestral Land of the Tongva People to stand as a reminder that we are still here.”

But the biggest discovery I made this year was a sign that pointed me in the direction of Jules Muck studio at 511 Santa Clara Ave. I had written about this mural artist last summer (read my article at this link) and had followed her Facebook page ever since.

BW Mural by Jules Muck

So I walked up the side street, noticed a BW mural by Muck Rock on my right, then walked into the beautiful indoor/outdoor studio.

Jules Muck studio

I later read on a Facebook post dated April 1, 2023: “I am building an art studio a block away from where I painted in the street, without a trust fund, a co-signer, a day job.” Read about her journey in this article.

Muck does not only do murals, traveling recently to places like New Orleans and Mexico looking for walls and commissions, but also paints canvases, that you may purchase here.

Jules Muck studio. Fire on the Mountain

A post dated February 19, 2024 proudly displays this painting: “One of my largest canvas commission to date stands at 8ftx8ft”

I knew about this street before it became cool, because that’s where the offices of Venice Magazine used to be, when I was the Film editor from 1990 to 1999. Click here for details.

At the end of my walk I enjoyed my new favorite dish at Lemonade: Poke Avocado Toast.

Text and photos by Elisa Leonelli

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Lily Gladstone

Lily Gladstone ha vinto un Golden Globe, votato da giornalisti internazionali, come migliore attrice in un film drammatico, protagonista con Leonardo DiCaprio del film Killers of the Flower Moon, regia di Martin Scorsese, dal saggio del 2017 Gli assassini della terra rossa scritto da David Grann.

Lily Gladstone (c) Adrienne Raquel-Golden Globes

Accettando la statuetta dorata, l’attrice ha detto alcune frasi nella lingua dei Piedi Neri della Riserva indiana nel Montana dove era cresciuta, ha ringraziato sua madre per aver lavorato instancabilmente per trovare un insegnante di quella lingua per la loro scuola.

Il regista le aveva suggerito di ispirarsi a Olivia de Havilland nel film del 1949 L’ereditiera, regia di William Wyler dal romanzo di Henry James del 1880 Piazza Washington.

Lily Gladstone(c) Gilbert Flores-Golden Globes

Lily spiega: “Nell’interpretare una donna tradizionale della Nazione Osage nell’Oklahoma degli anni Venti, volevo anche riempire il vuoto causato dalla mancanza di attrici protagoniste native americane durante l’epoca d’oro del cinema di Hollywood degli anni Venti, Trenta e Quaranta. Le donne Osage avevano la stessa grazia e regalità di quelle classiche attrici. Mentre la Caterina di Olivia de Havilland faceva parte di una opprimente società patriarcale, dove le donne erano considerate senza valore, la mia Mollie proveniva da una comunità matriarcale, dove le donne controllavano le finanze e le proprietà, erano amate e rispettate, e le famiglie festeggiavano la nascita di una figlia femmina. Ma alla fine le due donne si comportano allo stesso modo, quando Montgomery Clift bussa alla porta, Caterina non la apre, la chiude a chiave e risale le scale. E Mollie esce dalla stanza, quando si rende conto che Ernest le aveva mentito.”

Leonardo DiCaprio, Lily Gladstone © Melinda Sue Gordon-Apple

Lily ammira Leo: “È incredibilmente generoso come attore e come essere umano, una delle persone più generose che abbia mai incontrato nella mia vita. È stato così così paziente con me, mi ha dato tanto spazio e incoraggiamento.”

Lily Gladstone, onorata dall’organizzazione Film Independent in una serata al teatro Wallis di Beverly Hills, sponsorizzata dalla Apple e dalla Golden Globe Foundation, rivela che cosa iniettava il marito a Mollie per i diabete oltre l’insulina: arsenico e morfina.

Per Voilà Facebook e Instagram

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Past Lives

Past Lives (Vite passate), prima regia della scrittrice Coreana Celine Song da una sua sceneggiatura, racconta come Nora Moon (Greta Lee) e Hae Sung (Teo Yoo), amici d’infanzia, vengono separati a 12 anni quando la famiglia di Nora emigra a Toronto nel Canada da Seul, capitale della Corea del Sud. Dopo essersi ritrovati brevemente via Skype 12 anni dopo, si rivedono in persona quando Hae Sung visita New York altri 12 anni dopo e incontra Arthur (John Magaro), il marito americano di lei.Dopo il debutto a Sundance nel 2023, questo piccolo film indipendente ha ricevuto ben cinque candidature ai Golden Globes da giornalisti internazionali, molti altri premi da varie organizzazioni di critici cinematografici, e due nomine agli Oscar.
Come mai ha suscitato tanta ammirazione?

Celine Song © Matthew Dunivan

Spiega la regista, sposata nella vita con lo scrittore Justin Kuritzkes, sceneggiatore di Challengers di Luca Guadagnino: “Questa storia per me autobiografica è diventata personale per il pubblico. Non devi necessariamente essere un immigrante che ha attraversato l’Oceano Pacifico e ha lasciato il suo paese, la sua lingua e la sua cultura a una giovane età, per provare nostalgia di come eri da bambino. Quando rivedi un vecchio amico che ti conosceva allora, ti ricordi di come eri, circondata dai sentimenti, dalla luce e dagli odori della tua infanzia. Quella persona non esiste più adesso che sei adulto, ma la vedi rispecchiata negli occhi dell’altro, come un ologramma di te stesso in un momento completamente diverso della tua vita.”
“Il marito di Nora sa che l’amico coreano della moglie viene a trovarla, come un fantasma del suo passato, perché è innamorato di lei, e quando li sente parlare in una lingua che non capisce, è terrorizzato, ma rimane lí seduto al bar senza dire una parola. Deve accettare la realtà dei fatti, che c’è una parte di lei che lui non conoscerà mai.”Greta Lee, nata a Los Angeles da genitori Coreani, attrice nella serie televisiva The Morning Show con Jennifer Aniston e Reese Witherspoon, aggiunge: “Il concetto di In-Yun (destino) nella filosofia Coreana Buddista si riferisce a rapporti che si ripetono nel corso di molte vite precedenti e future. Quando Nora si trova seduta nel mezzo affiancata da questi due uomini è come se si trovasse alla soglia di due mondi e due culture, spiccando un salto nel tempo e nello spazio, in due versioni diverse di se stessa.”

Pubblicato su Voilà Magazine, Italy-Facebook e Instagram

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Sandra Milo, addio

Sandra Milo (c) Elisa Leonelli

Italian actress Sandra Milo died today January 29, 2024 at age 90.
She became famous after acting in Federico Fellini’s movies 8 1/2 (1963) as the mistress of Guido (Marcello Mastroianni), and Juliet of the Spirits (1965) as the glamorous neighbor of Giulietta Masina.
In 2009 she revealed having been the director’s secret lover for 17 years.
I took a couple of portraits of Milo’s smiling face in 1983 while attending an award ceremony at Cinecittá, the famed movies studios in Rome.
That year I spent three months in Italy and France, photographing movie stars like Stefania Sandrelli, Terence Hill, Monica Vitti, Ugo Tognazzi, Michele Placido, Giuliana DeSio, Gian Maria Volonté, etc.
If you read Italian, click on this article of Best Movie’s website.
Goodbye Sandrocchia (the nickname Fellini invented for her).

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American Fiction

Jeffrey Wright interpreta uno scrittore e professore di letteratura inglese nel film American Fiction, prima regia di Cord Jefferson, autore della sceneggiatura basata sul romanzo Erasure di Percival Everett del 2001.

Jefferson racconta: “Ho fatto il giornalista per anni, e mi chiedevano sempre se volevo scrivere articoli sull’assassinio di Trayvon Martin o altri adolescenti non armati uccisi dalla polizia. Quando poi ho iniziato a lavorare in televisione e nel cinema, ero entusiasta perché pensavo che avrei potuto aprire le ali e scrivere sulla condizione dei neri in altre situazioni, per esempio nello spazio oppure a cavallo di draghi volanti, cioè esplorare la profondità, la diversità e la complessità della vita dei neri. Invece mi proponevano di scrivere film su uno spacciatore di crack o su uno schiavo cieco che grazie a un ricco benefattore bianco diventa un famoso pianista prodigio.”

Grazie alla produttrice Alana Mayo dello studio Orion, e alla partecipazione di Jeffrey Wright, American Fiction indaga proprio questa tematica, con un senso dell’umorismo satirico, di come gli autori neri vengono relegati a trattare solo soggetti stereotipati.

Wright è Thelonious Ellison, soprannominato “Monk” dal famoso jazzista, Tracee Ellis Ross la sorella maggiore, una dottoressa che lavora per Planned Parenthood, Sterling Brown è il fratello minore omosessuale, Issa Rae l’autrice di un romanzo di successo.

Jefferson aveva ammirato Jeffrey Wright da quando lo vide interpretare l’artista Jean-Michel Basquiat nel film di Julian Schnabel del 1996: “È un attore di grande talento, come Robert DeNiro, che dopo ruoli drammatici da gangster passa alla commedia e fa ridere tutti con Ti presento i miei (Meet the Parents) e Un boss sotto stress (Analyze This), oppure Gene Hackman in Frankenstein Junior (Young Frankenstein) di Mel Brooks.”

Wright, padre di due figli, spiega perché ha accettato il ruolo: “Apprezzo il modo in cui Cord esplora il contesto e la storia del razzismo, come nella società attuale ci sia una ipersensibilità su questi temi. Mi piace il suo senso dell’ironia, ma è soprattuto la famiglia ritratta nel film che ha maggior significato per me.”

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Paul Giamatti-The Holdovers

Paul Giamatti
Intervista di Elisa Leonelli

Paul Giamatti, finalmente libero dalla seria televisiva Billions, che lo aveva tenuto impegnato per sette stagioni dal 2016 al 2023 nel ruolo principale di Procuratore Generale di New York, accettò la proposta dell’amico regista Alexander Payne, con cui aveva già lavorato in Sideways-In viaggio con Jack (2004) dove aveva interpretato un insegnante d’inglese, di fare il protagonista di The Holdovers-Lezioni di vita, ancora una volta un professore, in questo caso di lettere classiche, in un collegio del Massachusetts, chiamato appunto Paul, dato che il ruolo era stato concepito per lui. Malvisto dal preside, gli viene accollata la responsabilità di fare da supervisore agli studenti costretti a rimanere in sede durante le vacanze di Natale. Quando ne resta solo uno (l’esordiente Dominic Sessa), i due nemici finiscono per sviluppare un rapporto di amicizia che li aiuta entrambi, in un terzetto insieme alla capocuoca (Da’Vine Joy Randolph), in lutto per la morte del figlio nella guerra del Vietnam. Il film è ambientato nel 1970.

Paul Giamatti as Paul Hunham in The Holdovers © Focus

Come mai questo professore era tanto odiato dagli studenti?
Paul prova un vero piacere a inventarsi elaborati insulti, si compiace della propria intelligenza e sghignazza, è un uomo represso ma con un senso dell’umorismo. Assomiglia un po’ a Ebenezer Scrooge, l’avaro del romanzo di Charles Dickens Canto di Natale.

Quando frequentava il liceo privato Choate nel Connecticut, c’era un professore che ha ispirato la sua interpretazione nel film?
Decisamente ero consapevole che stavo pensando a un professore di biologia in prima liceo che era un tipo molto simile. Era difficile e sarcastico, ma anche da ragazzino mi rendevo conto che era un bravo insegnante, e sotto sotto era buono, non simpatico, ma gentile.

E da studente come si comportava lei?
Se una materia non mi piaceva non mi impegnavo, non capivo la matematica e ancora oggi ho incubi sulle lezioni di matematica, perché so solo contare con le dita e trovo anche questo difficile. Ma ero bravo quando una materia mi interessava.

Paul Giamatti as Paul Hunham in The Holdovers (c) Focus

Quali erano i problemi di Paul, che vengono rivelati poco a poco durante il film?
In quanto professore di storia e letteratura Greca e Latina, Paul apprezzava lo stoicismo degli antichi Romani, era importante per lui mantenere sempre la calma, almeno in apparenza, e anche se parecchie volte perdeva la staffe, si riprendeva presto. Si era costruito intorno questa elaborata facciata con la cravatta a farfalla, l’insistenza sulla rettitudine morale e tutte queste stronzate, ma lo faceva per proteggersi. Quella scuola è l’unico posto al mondo in cui si sente funzionante e al sicuro, ma pian piano questa maschera si sgretola, anche se lui se la rimette subito addosso.

In che modo lo studente ribelle e l’insegnante burbero si aiutano a vicenda a superare le loro difficoltà emotive?
Scoprono un reale rapporto e si rendono conto di tante cose, e questo cambiamento non li rende persone completamente diverse, ma diventano capaci di andare avanti. Il professore incomincia a rendersi conto di avere disperatamente bisogno dei rapporti con gli altri, e soprattutto con questo studente che gli ricorda come era lui a quella età, e per cui prova un sentimento quasi paterno, che trovo molto commovente.

Come spiegherebbe la conclusione di questa storia natalizia?
Paul si sacrifica per un altro essere umano, fa un gesto altruista che causa l’implosione della sua vita protetta in quella scuola privata dove non solo insegna ma anche abita, se ne deve andare e non sappiamo che cosa gli succederà. Per me non si tratta di una conclusione necessariamente tetra, ma di un gesto di straordinaria generosità.

Perché pensa che The Holdovers sia stato tanto apprezzato sia dal pubblico che dalla critica?
Perché nei film di Alexander Payne vediamo una basilare umanità, persone vere con cui ci relazioniamo. Il messaggio del film ha a che fare con le idee di collegamento, empatia, famiglia, calore, intimità, prendersi cura gli uni degli altri. È davvero bello provare questi sentimenti in modo profondo, in un mondo da matti come quello di oggi, vedere un semplice dramma di tre persone che si scoprono a vicenda.

Paul Giamatti (c) Golden Globes

I 300 giornalisti internazionali che votano per i Golden Globes, fondati dalla Hollywood Foreign Press 80 anni fa, hanno scelto Giamatti come migliore attore. Ha detto accettando la statuetta dorata: “Tutti nella mia famiglia sono insegnanti, da generazioni. Gli insegnanti sono brava gente, li rispetto, è un lavoro difficile, quindi questo premio è anche per loro.”

Leggete qui  l’intervista pubblicata sul sito di Best Movie

Leggete qui l’articolo su Alexander Payne pubblicato su Best Movie gennaio

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ALEXANDER PAYNE-The Holdovers

Di Elisa Leonelli

Il regista Alexander Payne parla del suo ultimo film The Holdovers-Lezioni di vita. Ambientato nel 1970 in un collegio del Massachusetts, rimasto vuoto durante le vacanze di Natale, esplora l’amicizia che si forma fra tre persone diversissime e li aiuta a superate tristezze e frustrazioni. Paul (Paul Giamatti) è un burbero professore di storia antica, Angus (Dominic Senna) uno studente ribelle, Mary (Da’Vine Joy Randolph) la capo cuoca della mensa studentesca.

Payne ha scritto anche la sceneggiatura dei sui film, fra cui La storia di Ruth, donna americana (Citizen Ruth 1996), Election (1999), Paradiso amaro (The Descendants, 2011), Nebraska (2013), Downsizing-Vivere alla grande (2017), ma non in questo caso.
“Una dozzina di anni fa avevo visto a un festival un film poco conosciuto, Merlusse del 1935, del famoso regista francese Marcel Pagnol, che aveva la stessa premessa, quindi avevo deciso di rubare quell’idea e l’avevo messa nella mia lista. Poi 5 o 6 anni fa ricevetti un pilota televisivo ambientato nel 1980 nel mondo delle scuole preparatorie private del Nordest USA. Allora telefonai allo scrittore, David Hemingson, e gli chiesi se voleva scrivere la sceneggiatura per un film da questa mia idea. Lui non solo disse di sì, ma accettò di lavorare sulla fiducia, senza garanzia di pagamento.”

Paul Giamatti as Paul Hunham in The Holdovers © Focus

Il ruolo di protagonista era inteso per Paul Giamatti, che il regista aveva diretto nel premiatissimo Sideways-In viaggio con Jack (2004).
“Paul è in grado di fare qualsiasi cosa, è un grande attore, sarebbe come dare un ruolo a Meryl Streep o Laurence Olivier. Inoltre Paul ha avuto l’esperienza di questo mondo, dato che ha frequentato il liceo privato di Choate Rosemary Hall nel Connecticut, e poteva utilizzare i suoi ricordi di persone conosciute in quegli anni. Non so chi altro avrebbe potuto interpretare Paul, forse Richard Dreyfuss quando era giovane o magari Charles Laughton, ma non mi viene in mente nessuno fra gli attori contemporanei.”


Dominic Sessa, Paul Giamatti-The Holdovers (c) Focus

Per interpretare lo studente, scoprirono un esordiente, Dominic Senna, che aveva appena recitato nella commedia di Neil Simon Rumors, ma non era mai stato davanti alla macchina da presa.
“La direttrice del casting Susan Shopmaker aveva guardato 800 audizioni, io personalmente ne avrò viste 70 o 80, fra cui molti giovani attori già conosciuti, ma ero aperto a trovare una faccia nuova. Dominic frequentava l’ultimo anno di liceo alla Deerflield Academy nel Massachusetts, una delle scuole private dove abbiamo girato il film, e Susan me lo aveva raccomandato. Stava già facendo domanda di ammissione a università che hanno ottime facoltà di teatro come Brandeis, NYU (New York University) e CMU (Carnegie Mellon), che frequenta quest’anno, quindi sapeva di voler fare l’attore, ma fu una sorpresa per noi scoprirlo, come se fosse emerso completamente formato dalla testa di Zeus. Paul e io complottavamo su come aiutare questo novellino, gli dicevo che da attore esperto toccava a lui mantenerlo rilassato, ma Dominic non aveva nessun bisogno dei nostri consigli, lo abbiamo spinto nelle onde dell’oceano e lui si è messo a surfare.”

Payne ha un modo particolare di guidare gli attori durante le riprese.
“Ho frequentato la facoltà di cinema alla UCLA (University of California Los Angeles) dove mi hanno insegnato a non dire mai agli attori come recitare una battuta, ma il consiglio migliore me lo ha dato Mike Nichols. Sono orgoglio di rivelare che era diventato mio amico agli inizi della mia carriera, come aveva fatto con tanti giovani registi, allora gli ho telefonato per chiedergli come dovevo comportarmi con Jack Nicholson prima di girare A proposito di Schmidt (About Schmidt, 2002), e lui mi ha risposto, ‘molto semplice, ragazzo mio, basta dirgli la verità.’ Nicholson stesso mi disse di non aver paura a fargli sentire come avrei recitato io una battuta, soprattutto dato che l’avevo scritta, così poteva capirne il ritmo. Charlie Chaplin diceva sempre che l’unico modo in cui poteva dirigere gli attori era di recitare la scena per loro e dirgli di imitarlo. Anche William Wyler non sapeva cosa dire agli attori, anche se moltissimi di loro sarebbero stati poi nominati all’Oscar per aver interpretato i suoi film. Nel mio caso fra azione e taglio, mentre tutti gli altri sono focalizzati sulla loro specialità, i costumi, i capelli, il microfono su asta, io mi metto nella posizione del pubblico che guarda il film, e se alla fine della scena non mi va bene, dico, ‘Non mi convince. Eri troppo lento, vai più veloce. Metti l’accento su questa parola non su quella.’ Voglio credere che questa scena stia accadendo realmente davanti a me e che abbia il ritmo di un film.”

La scelta di ambientare il film nel 1970-1971 era stata fatta per due motivi.
“Per dare allo sceneggiatore la possibilità di fare riferimento alla guerra del Vietnam, dove era stato appena ucciso il figlio di Mary, arruolato nell’esercito. Poi per ambientarlo in un passato in cui esistevano ancora scuole private tutte maschili. L’ultima ad ammettere anche donne nel 1989 fu proprio la Deerfield Academy (che era stata fondata nel 1797). Per tutta la carriera ho sempre cercato di fare film che fossero una estensione moderna dei film degli anni 70 che avevo ammirato da ragazzino, ma a un certo punto, dopo che avevamo finito la sceneggiatura e ci stavamo preparando a iniziare le riprese, ho avuto la brillante idea di farlo sembrare un film girato negli anni 70, sia nell’aspetto visivo che nel sonoro. Per esempio abbiamo registrato i dialoghi e le musiche in mono non in stereo, niente surround sound o Atmos.”

Payne cita i titoli dei film che ha fatto vedere ai collaboratori e agli attori come ispirazione.
“Quando stavamo preparando il film a Boston, ho scelto dei film da proiettare per il direttore della fotografia (Eigil Bryld), lo scenografo (Ryan Warren Smith), la costumista (Wendy Chuck) e Dominic, che non li aveva mai visti. Il laureato (The Graduate) di Mike Nichols, Harold and Maude, Il padrone di casa (The Landlord) e L’ultima corvé (The Last Detail) di Hal Hasby, Paper Moon-Luna di carta di Peter Bogdanovich, Una squillo per l’ispettore Klute e Tutti gli uomini del presidente (All the President’s Men) di Alan Pakula. Ho persino messo in una scena del film Piccolo grande uomo (Little Big Man) di Arthur Penn, che avevo visto quattro volte a 9 anni, dato che lo davano in un cinema vicino a casa dove potevo andare a piedi.”

Una scena che lo ha particolarmente ispirato è da un classico film italiano del 1950.
“Non so per qual motivo, ma mi è venuta in mente una scena che mi era molto piaciuta alla fine di Ladri di biciclette di Vittorio De Sica, quando il bambino Bruno afferra la mano del padre, dopo che lo aveva visto tentare di rubare una bicicletta e venire picchiato.”

Fra i tanti film ambientati in tempo natalizio, Paul Giamatti cita Lo schiavo dell’oro (Scrooge, 1951) con Alastair Sim dal romanzo Canto di Natale (A Christmas Carol, 1843) di Charles Dickens, e Alexander Payne La vita è meravigliosa (It’s a Wonderful Life, 1946) di Frank Capra con James Stewart. Entrambi film drammatici, ma non sentimentali.
“Volevo manipolare il mio film espertamente in mondo che non sembrasse manipolatore, ottenere un effetto emotivo senza sentimentalismo. È difficile da spiegare, ma è una questione di buon gusto. Ho seguito il consiglio di Anton Checov, nella lettera che scrisse a un giovane scrittore che gli aveva mandato un suo racconto, e ricordo che Akira Kurosawa diceva sempre che un film dovrebbe essere divertente e facilmente comprensibile. Dopo aver visto Il capolavoro di Kurosawa I sette samurai (1954) in versione restaurata al cinema Castro di San Francisco nel 1983, ho deciso che dovevo assolutamente fa domanda per ottenere un master di cinema.”

Questo testo è stato pubblicato su Best Movie di gennaio in Italia, accorciato e tradotto in spagnolo su Best Movie Espana.

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Saltburn-Emerald Fennell

Emerald Fennel parla di Saltburn
di Elisa Leonelli

Saltburn, secondo film della attrice, regista e sceneggiatrice Britannica Emerald Fennell, dopo il suo debutto con Una donna promettente (Promising Young Woman) nel 2021, racconta la improbable amicizia tra due studenti dell’università di Oxford nel 2007. Oliver, interpretato dall’attore irlandese Barry Keoghan del film Gli spiriti dell’isola (The Banshees of Inisherin) di Martin McDonagh, è un tipo basso, goffo e mal vestito, mentre Felix (Jacob Elordi, l’attore australiano che interpreta Elvis Presley nel film di Sofia Coppola Priscilla) è un ragazzo ricco, alto e bello, che per compassione invita il compagno meno fortunato a passare le vacanze estive con la sua famiglia aristocratica nella loro sontuosa villa chiamata Saltburn. Rosamund Pike è bravissima nel ruolo della madre di Felix, come pure Richard E. Grant nel ruolo del padre, e Carey Mulligan, protagonista di Una donna promettente, ha un ruolo di sostegno.

Emerald Fennell on zoom

“Intendevo fare un film nel genere del gotico britannico, un horror romantico come Dracula (1958, regia di Terence Fisher dal romanzo di Bram Stoker del 1897), Cime tempestose (Wuthering Heighs, 1939, regia di William Wyler dal romanzo di Emily Brontë del 1847), Rebecca (1940 di Alfred Hitchcock). La mia storia si ispira a Ritorno a Brideshead (Brideshead Revisited, serie TV del 1981 e film del 2008 dal romanzo di Evelyn Waugh del 1945), Messaggero d’amore (The Go-Between, 1971 di Joseph Losey), Il grande Gatsby (The Great Gatsby, 1974, dal romanzo di Francis Scott Fitzgerald del 1925, Espiazione (Atonement, 2007 regia di Joe Wright dal romanzo di Ian McEwan del 2001). La trama racconta quello che è successo l’estate precedente, quando tutti erano riuniti in una tenuta di campagna, un ambiente claustrofobico come in una casa stregata, avvenimenti da cui nessuno è riuscito mai a riprendersi. Forse perché sono inglese mi interessano gli enormi manieri dell’aristocrazia e della famiglia reale, un genere che è stato esportato con successo da serie televisive come Downton Abbey (2011-2016 creata da Julian Fellowes).”

“Volevo parlare di sesso e di desiderio non consumato, della differenza di classe e del potere. Siamo in un momento particolare come esseri umani nel mondo in cui viviamo, e spesso disprezziamo le cose che desideriamo, vogliamo rapporti che non possiamo avere con gente che vediamo su Instagram; invidiamo la vita degli altri, li amiamo e li odiamo allo stesso tempo, in una tensione sporca e sadomasochista che ci fa odiare noi stessi. Allora ho gettato tutto questo in un calderone e ne è uscito fuori questo film irrazionale.”

“Mi interessava esaminare come solitamente mentiamo profondamente a noi stessi ogni giorno, e provavo una enorme simpatia per il personaggio di Oliver, con cui mi identifico sotto molti aspetti. Oliver soffre di una sindrome di cui soffriamo più o meno tutti, cioè che vorremmo diventare qualcun altro, reinventarci. Oliver aveva lavorato tutta la vita per arrivare a una università come Oxford, su cui aveva fantasticato, che pensava gli avrebbe aperto tutte le porte, poi quando si trova lì capisce che lavorare sodo è considerato un comportamento patetico, e tutto quello che riteneva valesse la pena non lo è. Come facciamo tutti all’età di 18 anni, quando finalmente siamo adulti e iniziamo l’università, vogliamo fare nuove amicizie, sedurre la gente; quindi quando Oliver si trova di fronte a uno come Felix vuole fare le mosse giuste, allora cerca di capire che cosa vuole sentirsi dire e glielo dice. Si tratta di un inganno, ma tutto quello che Oliver fa è completamente normale, lo fanno tutti, solo che lui lo fa meglio degli altri, dà alla gente quello che vogliono e loro sono contenti, fino a che non incominciano a morire.”

“Nel mio mestiere di regista non faccio giudizi morali sul comportamento dei miei personaggi, perché non lo ritengo utile, ma ho l’obbligo di dire la verità, il che può sembrare strano quando si parla di un’opera di finzione.”

“Mi entusiasma il fatto che questo film è concepito per essere visto nei cinema, dove ci si trova in una stanza buia con altre persone, una dinamica di per sé affascinante. E tutte le proiezioni a cui ho assistito hanno suscitato risposte diverse ma sempre viscerali: grida, strilli, rantoli, schifo, disperazione, risate. Proprio come sulle montagne russe.”

Senza spoilerare troppo, possiamo rivelare che Saltburn ci ricorda film come Il talento di Mr. Ripley (The Talented Mr. Ripley, 1999) con Matt Damon, regia di Anthony Minghella dal romanzo di Patrizia Highsmith dal 1955, e Teorema (1968) di Pier Paolo Pasolini con Terence Stamp.

Testo pubblicato su Best Movie, Italy. December 21, 2023

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Zerocalcare

di Elisa Leonelli

Zerocalcare (c) Rosdiana Ciaravolo-Getty Images

Zerocalcare è il nome d’arte del fumettista italiano Michel Rech. La sua seconda serie animata Questo mondo non mi renderà cattivo va in onda su Netflix dal 9 giugno, 2023, negli Stati Uniti e in altri 190 paesi, a seguito del successo della prima serie Strappare lungo i bordi che aveva debuttato a livello internazionale il 17 novembre 2021, dopo la prima al festival del Cinema di Roma il 17 ottobre.

Molto famoso in Italia, l’autore deliziò i fans rispondendo a domande all’evento “Best Movie Comics and Games” a Milano sabato 9 giugno. Il modesto 39enne confessò con il suo tipico senso dell’umorismo: «In questi mesi ho capito che sono un tossico del lavoro. Se rallento vado in crisi di astinenza, riempio i buchi con il lavoro. Non sto facendo niente per rallentare, non saprei come fare. A un certo punto collasserò. Oppure o faccio un figlio o piglio un cane, più probabile il cane».

A Roma è stato allestito uno speciale luna park a tema Zerocalcare per lanciare la nuova serie, migliaia di fan si sono messi in coda per vedere attrazioni come il “Gabinetto degli orrori del Dottor Calcare.” Una clip era stata presentata al festival di San Remo il 9 febbraio. Una mostra dei suoi disegni originali intitolata “Dopo il botto” era stata allestita alla Fabbrica del vapore di Milano dal 22 dicembre 2022 al 23 aprile 2023.

Armadillo e Zerocalcare © Netflix

Il mondo autobiografico di Zerocalcare nel quartiere popolare di Rebibbia alla periferia di Roma era stato descritto nel suo primo albo a fumetti La profezia dell’Armadillo (2011). L’autore spiega il titolo: «qualsiasi previsione ottimistica fondata su elementi soggettivi e irrazionali spacciati per logici e oggettivi, destinata ad alimentare delusione, frustrazione e rimpianti,” e il gigantesco armadillo che abita con Zero: “il mio amico immaginario, il lato razionale, che facilita le comprensione dei miei pensieri e elucubrazioni.”

Zerocalcare © Netflix

Durante la quarantena causata dal coronavirus nel 2020 Zerocalcare produsse per conto suo un primo cartone animato, Rebibbia Quarantine, andato in onda sul canale televisivo La7. Avendo constatato I limiti ci quello che poteva fare da solo, si rese contro di aver bisogno dell’aiuto di altri collaboratori per creare una prodotto più cinematico, il che risultò nella serie Strappare lungo i bordi, sei episodi collegati di 15 minuti che raccontano la storia di Zero e dei sui migliori amici Secco e Sarah che si recano a Biella per il funerale della comune amica Alice.
L’autore spiegò in un’intervista per Best Movie nel 2021: «Ho un grosso senso di appartenenza tribale, sono molto legato ai mondi da cui provengo, ovvero i centri sociali e la scena punk romana, e tutto ciò che mi porta un po’ fuori da lì mi spaventa. Ma non metto mai nelle mie storie roba omofoba, sessista o razzista, a meno che non sia in bocca a un personaggio negativo.”

Secco, Zero, Sarah © Netflix

La serie attuale Questo mondo non mi renderà cattivo, sei episodi collegati di 30 minuti ciascuno, è sempre ambientata a Rebibbia, dove Zero frequenta I soliti amici: Secco, un tipo rilassato che vuole sempre andare a prendere il gelato, e Sarah, una donna intelligente che Zero considera la sua coscienza morale, come un faro che gli mostra la giusta via in un mare tempestoso. Si aggiunge un altro amico, Cesare, che torna ad abitare nella casa del madre, dopo 20 anni passati in un centro di riabilitazione dalla droga, e si unisce a un gruppo neo-nazista che si oppone con violenza a un centro di accoglienza che ospita 30 profughi.
Zerocalcare ammise su Best Streaming del giugno 2023: “I temi sono più complessi e certamente più divisivi. Riguardo ai valori ho dei punti cardinali, ma non mi va che siano ideologici. Mi sembra intellettualmente più onesto anche raccontare i miei dubbi e contraddizioni.”

Zerocalcare aveva già affrontato temi politici in due dei suoi libri a fumetti: Kobane Calling (2016) su un viaggio per appoggiare le resistenza curda in un villaggio al confine fra la Siria e la Turchia, e No Sleep Till Shengal (2022) sulla persecuzione della comunità ezida curda a Shengal nell’Iraq del nord.

È interessante notare che usare come capro espiatori gli immigrati e le comunità etniche è un tema universale in tante parti del mondo e che un artista italiano politicamente consapevole le esplori con compassione e senso dell’umorismo.

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CALL JANE for help

By Elisa Leonelli

Elizabeth Banks © Wilson Webb/Roadside Attractions

Many women rightly feared that, after the election of Donald Trump as President of the United States over Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton in November 2016, the Republican President, aided by a Republican majority in the Senate, would appoint conservative judges to the Supreme Court, whose goal was to curtail women’s freedom of choice. This is exactly what happened, on June 24, 2022, when the constitutional right to abortion, guaranteed by the Roe v. Wade decision, January 22, 1973, which had been the law of the law for nearly 50 years, was overturned by the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization decision, leaving legislation regulating abortion up to the individual states rather than the federal government.

To date 13 states enacted near total abortion, with no exceptions for rape or incest, and made this procedure illegal (Alabama, Arkansas, Idaho, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, West Virginia).  Other states have gestational limits, such as Georgia of 6 weeks, Arizona of 15 weeks.

Vice President Kamala Harris said to Stephen Colbert on March 15: “It’s the height of irresponsibility, in fact, in many cases it’s inhumane what has been happening in states around our country that are passing laws that would criminalize health care providers, literally provide for jail time for doctors and nurses who provide reproductive health care, that would punish women for simply seeking the kind of care that they choose, that they need.”

Two pieces of work, that both debuted at Sundance and were released on streaming or in theaters later in 2022, the feature film Call Jane and the documentary The Janes remind viewers that what happened 50 years ago in women’s history is still relevant today, more so than ever. Women and feminist men have to mobilize again, as they did in the late 1960s, to help women obtain this simple medical procedure that saves lives and should be part of standard health care in every hospital in the country.

Call Jane, directing debut of screenwriter Phyllis Nagy, who had written the screenplay for Carol (2015) directed by Todd Hayes, tells the story of a middle class housewife, Joy (Elizabeth Banks), in 1968 Chicago, with a teenage daughter and a lawyer husband, who is happily expecting a second child, when her doctor detects a heart condition that would make childbirth dangerous for her survival. However the all-male board of the hospital denies her a medical abortion. She finds a note scribbled at a bus stop “Pregnant? Need Help? Call Jane,” and a phone number. Thus begins her discovery of this group of courageous women, headed by Virginia (Sigourney Weaver), who, with humor and compassion, provided this procedure that was then illegal, to help other women.

The story of the real-life women who inspired this fictional feature is told in the documentary The Janes, which illustrates the historical background of the times, the civil-rights and anti-war movements of the late 60s, and features interviews with several founders of the Jane Collective. Laura Kaplan, author of the 1995 book The Story of Jane: The Legendary Underground Feminist Abortion Service, explains the work they did 50 years ago, at great risk to themselves, to save women’s lives and provide basic healthcare, which eventually landed seven of them in jail in May 1972. One of them reveals that she was the first one to be released on bail because she was pregnant and a teacher, married to a lawyer. After a clever woman lawyer obtained several delays of the trial, the charges against them were dropped, when the Roe v. Wade decision by the Supreme Court, January 22, 1973, guaranteed the constitutional right to an abortion.

Call Jane writer-director Phyllis Nagy said to press before the premiere: “We set out to make the film about the power of exercising choice. How our choices, large and small, define not only our immediate actions, but also our investments in the future, our own futures and the futures of generations to come. The women of the Jane Collective, whom the film honors, understood choice as a matter of integrity, politics and dignity, and through great difficulty forged a brave path for thousands of women, a path that may still prove necessary for us to tread. I hope that Call Jane will provoke and illuminate in equal measure. Art has the power to move when it speaks without judgment, with honesty and not an inconsiderable amount of humor, to every situation we may grapple with.”

Members of The Jane © HBO

Sigourney Weaver addressed those times in the early 1970s: “When Roe versus Wade was passed, three of the judges were Nixon’s conservative judges, but they understood that the right of a woman to decide for herself whether to bear a child was fundamental to her dignity, to her person, to her freedom, and to her health. It was such a wakeup call to me when I read that, because it is an issue that has been politicized. This film will take you back into the experience, it beautifully shows women rescuing other women from hopelessness and danger. And having lived through that time, believe me, we do not want to go back to that. We want to remind people that there’s another life at stake, that’s walking and breathing and trying to make the best decisions she can, and it’s important to respect these choices, even if you may not agree with them personally. So, I hope that we can engage the younger generation, who’ve always had this right and may have taken it for granted, to put the focus back on the pregnant woman herself.”

Elisabeth Banks, who is one of the film producers, added: “I find in all of my experience that unwanted pregnancy is 100% the cause of irresponsible ejaculation, so men are responsible. This movie is a joyful representation of women working together to solve something that they didn’t do, so I want to involve more men in these conversations, that’s why there’s some really supportive men in the film as well.”

Originally published on Golden Globes website March 18, 2023

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Elvira Notari, Pioneer of Italian Cinema

By Elisa Leonelli

Elvira Coda Notari, the first woman director of Italian cinema, was born in Salerno, Campania, on February 10, 1875. She benefited from an education, which was unusual for women of that time, earning a high school degree as an elementary schoolteacher. After moving to Naples with her family, she met photographer Nicola Notari, whom she married in 1902. Together in 1906 they started a company, called it Dora Film after their daughter, specialized in the colorization of movies, short films called “Arrivederci,” newsreels, and narrative features. Elvira wrote the screenplays, directed, edited and sometimes acted, her husband was in charge of the cinematography, the lighting and the set design, their son Eduardo, nicknamed Gennariello, played important roles in all of his mother’s films.

Elvira e Nicola Notari © Il cinema ritrovato

Elvira also founded a School of Cinematic Art, where she taught naturalistic acting, in contrast with the theatrical style of famous actresses of the period, like Francesca Bertini in Assunta Spina (1915) and Lyda Borelli in Ma l’amor mio non muore (1913).

Her movies were based on popular Neapolitan songs, plays and serial novels, told stories of love and jealousy, betrayal and murder, often ripped from the headlines. The projection of silent films was customarily accompanied by live music from a piano player or a small orchestra. In a 1979 video interview, Eduardo Notari remarked: “We were the first to put a singer under the screen synchronized with the images.” In the same style as other silents of the era, the interior scenes were usually tinted in sepia, the exteriors in blue; additionally all of the Dora films were colorized by hand frame by frame.

Most of the 60 feature films directed by Elvira Notari are lost, except for three, that were presented in 2014 at the Film Festival “Laceno d’oro” in Avellino, Campania, and in 2016 at PAN, the Arts Palace in Naples. To accompany this exhibit of movies, photographs and documents, titled “La film di Elvira,” a book was published in 2016 with several essays, including one penned by Sara Fiori outlining the parallels between the Italian Elvira Coda Notari and the French Alice Guy-Blaché, the first woman filmmaker in the history of cinema.

These three films were then presented at the 2018 Bologna film festival “Il Cinema Ritrovato” in a section titled “Napoli che canta” (Naples sings).

Eduardo Notari-Gennariello. Fantasia ‘e surdato © Dora Film 1927

Fantasia ‘e surdato (Fantasy of the Soldier, 1927), based on a Neapolitan ballad, features a grown-up Eduardo Notari as Gennariello, a young man who, after being unjustly jailed for murdering his brother, volunteers for the front. Soldiers from Naples, Palermo, Venice and Florence sing songs from their hometowns, accompanied by images of the most famous landmarks, in the case of Naples the Gulf and the Vesuvius. At 28 minutes, only half of the original footage survived, because the rest was cut by the censors.

Rosé Angione. ‘A Santanotte © Dora Film 1922

‘A santanotte (The Holy Night, 1922), restored in 2008 by George Eastman House and Cineteca Nazionale, tells the story of Nanninella (Rosè Angione), a young girl who works as a waitress, whose drunken father beats her, and is forced to marry an unwelcome suitor, while the man she loves languishes in jail, falsely accused of murder.

Rosé Angione, Alberto Danza-È piccerella © Dora Film 1921

È piccerella (She’s a Young Girl, 1921) also stars Rosè Angione as Margaretella. Rosella was Eduardo’s math teacher, recruited by his mother to become an actress. Film critic Enza Troianelli writes that Margaretella is not a femme fatale: “She knows that in the South of Italy, if a girl gets engaged, she risks domestic imprisonment within the four walls of the home.” Her wish for freedom “becomes an anthem to joyous femininity.” However, “She is condemned by conformism and respectability” and meets a tragic end. It is to be noted that, according to Sara Fiori, piccerella in the Neapolitan dialect means a willful, sincere and transgressive young woman.
Another main character in both films is Maria, the mother, played by Elisa Cava, a saintly woman devoted to her sons, clearly representing the director’s own feelings about motherhood.
In È piccerella documentary footage of real life events is mixed with fictionalized scenes. It’s amazing to watch the daily life of Naples, well-dressed citizens in horse-drawn carriages returning from an annual pilgrimage, eating out in restaurants, attending the celebrations of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, complete with fireworks.

In 1925 Dora Film opened a New York Office on Mulberry Street in Little Italy, where nostalgic Italian immigrants longed to see movies set in their beloved Naples.

Naples had been one of the two centers of Italian movie production from the beginning, since 1896, when on April 4 the shorts by the Lumière Brothers premiered at the café-chantant Salone Margherita. Turin was the other city where early films were produced, but they were generally big budget historical spectacles like Cabiria (1914) by Giovanni Pastrone. By 1930 Italian movie production had moved to Rome, supported by Mussolini’s fascist government that ruled Italy from 1922, and often censored Elvira’s films for depicting a reality of Neapolitan life that conflicted with the propaganda of ancient Roman Empire glory promoted by the regime. Also because of the arrival of sound, Dora Film stopped production, only handling distribution. Elvira retired in Cava de’ Tirreni, her father’s hometown, where she died on December 17, 1946. She lived long enough to see Italian women earn the right to vote in national elections, which was granted on February 1, 1945.

Ignored by male film critics and historians for decades, Elvira Notari was studied in depth by Enza Troianelli in the 1989 biography “Elvira Notari pioniera del cinema napoletano (1875-1946)”, by Italian-American scholar Giuliana Bruno in “Rovine con vista. Alla ricerca del cinema perduto di Elvira Notaro” published in 1995, by Chiara Ricci in “Il cinema in penombra di Elvira Notari” published in 2016. Finally this champion of heroic women who defied patriarchal society, a wife and mother, an entrepreneur and an artist, had received her much deserved recognition.

Originally published on Golden Globes website March 10, 2022

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Elvira Notari, pioniera del cinema italiano

Di Elisa Leonelli

Elvira Coda Notari, la prima regista donna del cinema italiano, nacque a Salerno in Campania il 10 febbraio 1875. Ebbe il vantaggio dell’istruzione, cosa insolita per le donne di quei tempi, diplomandosi dalla Scuola Normale come maestra elementare. Dopo essersi trasferita a Napoli con la famiglia, conobbe il fotografo Nicola Notari che sposò nel 1902. Insieme nel 1906 fondarono una compagnia chiamata Dora Film dal nome della figlia, specializzata nella colorizzazione delle pellicole, nei cortometraggi detti “Arrivederci”, nei documentari di attualità e nei lungometraggi narrativi. Elvira scriveva le sceneggiature, faceva la regia e a volte l’attrice, il marito era incaricato della fotografia, delle luci e degli scenari, il figlio Eduardo, soprannominato Gennariello, interpretava ruoli importanti in tutti i film della madre.

Elvira and Nicola Notari © Il cinema ritrovato

Elvira fondò anche una Scuola di arte cinematografica, dove insegnava una recitazione naturalistica, in contrasto con lo stile teatrale delle famose dive dell’epoca come Francesca Bertini in Assunta Spina (1915) e Lyda Borelli in Ma l’amor mio non muore (1913).
I suoi film prendevano spunto da popolari canzoni napoletane, opere teatrali e romanzi d’appendice, raccontavano storie d’amore e di gelosia, di tradimenti e di omicidi, spesso tratte da fatti di cronaca. La proiezione dei film muti era solitamente accompagnata da musica dal vivo di un pianista o di un’orchestrina. In un’intervista video del 1979 Eduardo Notari sottolineò: “Noi fummo i primi a mettere un cantante sotto lo schermo che si sincronizzava con le immagini.” Nello stile degli altri film muti dell’epoca, le scene di interni erano di solito tinteggiate in color seppia, gli esterni in azzurro; inoltre tutti i film della Dora erano colorati a mano fotogramma per fotogramma.

La maggioranza dei 60 lungometraggi diretti da Evira Notari sono andati perduti, eccetto tre, che furono presentati nel 2014 al festival del cinema “Laceno d’oro” di Avellino in Campania, e nel 2016 al PAN, il Palazzo delle Arti di Napoli. Per accompagnare questa mostra di film, fotografie e documenti intitolata “La film di Elvira” nel 2016 fu pubblicato un libro con vari saggi, fra cui uno scritto da Sara Fiori che descrive i parallelismi fra l’italiana Elvira Coda Notari e la francese Alice Guy-Blaché, la prima regista donna nella storia del cinema.
Questi tre film furono poi presentati nel 2018 al Festival di Bologna “Il Cinema Ritrovato” nella rassegna intitolata “Napoli che canta”.

Eduardo Notari as Gennariello. Fantasia ‘e surdato © Dora Film 1927

Fantasia ‘e surdato (1927), tratto da una canzone napoletana, ha come protagonista un ormai adulto Eduardo Notari nel ruolo di Gennariello, un giovane ingiustamente imprigionato per l’assassinio del fratello, che si arruola volontario per il fronte. Soldati di Napoli, Palermo, Venezia e Firenze cantano canzoni delle loro città natali, accompagnate da immagini dei luoghi più pittoreschi, nel caso di Napoli il Golfo e il Vesuvio. Il film dura solo 28 minuti, una metà dell’originale ha sopravvissuto, dato che il resto fu tagliato dalla censura.

Rosé Angione. ‘A Santanotte © Dora Film 1922

‘A santanotte (1922), restaurato nel 2008 dalla George Eastman House e dalla Cineteca Nazionale, racconta la storia di Nanninella (Rosè Angione), una giovane cameriera, picchiata dal padre ubriaco e costretta a sposare un corteggiatore non di suo piacimento, mentre l’uomo che ama languisce in galera falsamente accusato di omicidio.

Rosé Angione, Alberto Danza-È piccerella © Dora Film 1921

È piccerella (1921), sempre con Rosè Angione nel ruolo di Margaretella. Rosella era l’insegnante di matematica di Eduardo, reclutata da sua madre per fare l’attrice. Enza Troianelli scrive che Margaretella non è una femme fatale. “Sa che nel Sud, se ci si fidanza, si rischia una sorta di ergastolo tra le quattro mura domestiche.” Purtroppo “ciò che la condanna sono il conformismo e il perbenismo,” e la sua vita finisce tragicamente. Bisogna notare che, secondo Sara Fiori, piccerella è “una espressione dialettale napoletana per indicare una giovane volitiva, schietta, incline alla trasgressione.”
Un’altro personaggio principale di entrambi i film è Maria, interpretata da Elisa Cava, una santa donna devota ai sui figli, che chiaramente rappresenta i sentimenti della regista sulla maternità.
In È piccerella riprese documentarie dal vero sono intercalate con scene di finzione. È fantastico guardare la vita quotidiana di Napoli, cittadini vestiti a festa su carrozze a cavalli che ritornano da un annuale pellegrinaggio, mangiano nei ristoranti, partecipano alla festa di Santa Maria del Carmine, completa di fuochi d’artificio.

Nel 1925 la Dora Film aprì un ufficio a New York su Mulberry Street di Little Italy, dove I nostalgici immigranti italiani immigrants agognavano vedere dei film ambientati nello lora beneamata Napoli.
Napoli era stata uno dei due centri italiani di produzione cinematografica fin dagli inizi, dal 1896 quando il 4 aprile i corti dei fratelli Lumière furono proiettati in anteprima al café-chantant Salone Margherita. Torino era l’altra città dove furono prodotti i primi film muti, ma erano soprattutto kolassal storici come Cabiria (1914) di Giovanni Pastrone. Arrivato il 1930 la produzione cinematografica si era spostata a Roma, sostenuta dal partito fascista di Mussolini che governava l’Italia dal 1922, e spesso censurava i film della Notari in quanto presentavano una immagine realistica della vita di Napoli che contraddiceva la propaganda delle antiche glorie dell’impero romano promulgata dal regime. Anche a causa dell’avvento del sonoro, la Dora Film interruppe la produzione, limitandosi alla distribuzione di film. Elvira andò in pensione a Cava de’ Tirreni, città natale del padre, dove morì il 17 dicembre 1946. Era rimasta al mondo abbastanza a lungo per vedere le donne italiane conquistare il diritto al voto nelle elezioni nazionali, che diventò legge il 1 febbraio 1945.

Ignorata per decenni da critici e storici del cinema maschi, Elvira Notari fu studiata in profondità dalla critica cinematografica Enza Troianelli nella monografia del 1989 “Elvira Notari pioniera del cinema napoletano (1875-1946)”, dalla studiosa Italo-Americana Giuliana Bruno in “Rovine con vista. Alla ricerca del cinema perduto di Elvira Notaro” publicato nel 1995, da Chiara Ricci in “Il cinema in penombra di Elvira Notari” del 2016. Finalmente questa paladina di donne eroiche che sfidavano la società patriarcale, una moglie e mamma, una imprenditrice e un’artista, aveva ricevuto il riconoscimento che tanto si meritava.

Pubblicato sul sito Golden Globes 10 marzo, 2022

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La dea fortuna

The Goddess of Fortune (La Dea Fortuna) Italy
by Elisa Leonelli


La Dea Fortuna, by Turkish-Italian director Ferzan Ozpetek, is the story of a gay couple in crisis, whose daily routine is upended when their best friend Annamaria (Jasmine Trinca) asks them to take care of her children, Martina 12 and Sandro 9, while she is undergoing diagnostic tests for migraines in a Rome Hospital. Arturo (Stefano Accorsi) is a frustrated writer working from home as a translator, Alessandro (Edoardo Leo) is a successful plumber who goes out to his job every day and supports the family. As they are forced to perform the duties of adoptive parents, their relationship, that had become stale after 15 year together, undergoes a change and they are able to rekindle their love for each other.
The director says that the idea for the film was inspired by his own experience, when one of his two twin brothers, Asaf, was dying of pancreatic cancer, and his sister-in-law, who was suffering from diabetes, asked him if he and his longtime partner, Simone Pontesilli, would agree to raise her twin children, a boy and a girl, if something should happen to her, because she trusted them more than some of their other relatives. Ferzan promised they would do it, but when he started thinking about such a huge responsibility, it frightened him.
Stefano Accorsi, who had acted in the director’s films Le fate ignoranti (2000) and Saturno contro (2007), says that this couple is surrounded by a group of friends, their chosen family, as it often happens in Ferzan’s films, reflecting the director’s real life.
Edoardo Leo says that his character has a manual job that he loves very much and allows them to live a comfortable life, while his partner is an intellectual who cannot bring in any money. When they suddenly have two children living in their house, they realize they can no longer argue and insult each other with nasty words, because the kids are listening, so they have to change their focus from each other to them.
Jasmine Trinca says that she plays an unconventional mother, with two children from different fathers who are not in their life, but when she has to leave them in the care of others, she chooses her dear friends over her own mother, love over biology.
The film shows a beautiful trip by ferry that the two men take with the children from Naples to Sicily to visit their grandmother in her 17th century villa in Bagheria near Palermo. The stern baroness is depicted like a wicked witch from Brothers Grimm fairytales, who literally used to lock up her children in a wardrobe, and is homophobic. Another location, that gives the film its title, is the Temple of Fortuna Primigenia in Palestrina near Rome, and it’s a ritual dedicated to this Roman Goddess that the new family performs at the end by bathing in the waters of the Mediterranean Sea.

Originally posted on Golden Globes website December 9, 2020

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PRISCILLA

Priscilla, written and directed by Sofia Coppola, from the 1985 memoir Elvis and Me by Priscilla Presley, premiered at the 80th Venice film festival, where the film’s star Cailee Speany won the Volpi Cup as best actress. Elvis is played by Jacob Elordi, the Australian actor also starring in Saltburn, written and directed by Emerald Fennell, that premiered at the Rome Film Festival. They all answered questions at a Press Conference on September 4, as did Priscilla Presley herself.
We saw Sofia Coppola interviewed in person on October 15, after the American Cinemathèque screening of Priscilla at the Aero in Santa Monica, and on zoom with Cailee Speany on October 30.

Cailee Spaeny, Jacob Elordi © Philippe Le Sourd-A24

Coppola: “As I was reading Priscilla Presley’s memoir, I never expected to get so involved, and I was surprised because I realized how little I knew about her. I was really moved by her story and connected to the way she described everything she went through, from being a girl to an independent woman, after such an unusual circumstance. I was really happy to have access to Priscilla and for her to be open to reliving that era. She talked about it in such vivid detail and gave me so much insight.”

Priscilla was a 14-year-old teenager when she met Elvis who was 24, in 1959 while he was stationed in Germany during his military service. In 1962 he invited her to visit him at Graceland, his residence in Memphis, Tennessee, then obtained her parents’ permission to let her finish school at a local Catholic institution.

Coppola: “I had no idea that she was in high school while living at Graceland. In the book she talks about partying all night with Elvis, and having to go to school the next morning, thinking how could she explain to the nuns that she had been up all night trying to be the fun girlfriend, picking out which handgun would go with which glittery dress. So I show these crazy contrasts in her life.”

Speany: “I grew up in an Elvis-loving family going to visit Graceland, so he was very much part of my childhood, and obviously I knew that Priscilla went with Elvis, but I didn’t know her side of the story.  I was also growing up with Sofia’s films, and the way she tapped into young female stories, which I find so rare in films these days, felt like she always finds a true depiction of teenage girls. So I was excited to tell this story, because it hadn’t been told before, and with this filmmaker.”

Coppola: “For me, at this stage in my life, I felt like I’ve had experience in making films and this one relates to the idea of finding one’s identity, which always appeals to me. Also I’m at point of my life where I’m a mother of teenage girls (Romy, 16, and Cosima, 13, with husband Thomas Mars), so I could see the story from both perspectives, thinking, ‘how could Priscilla’s parents let her go live in Graceland?’  I had a different perspective that now I could put into the story on different levels.”

Speany: “The first step was reading the script along with the book, really diving into that and writing out the biggest questions that I had, then meeting with Priscilla herself trying to go through that chapter of her life. I always wanted her to feel comfortable, never like I was interviewing her, but for things to come up naturally; then she would go into these specific memories that she had with Elvis and talked about it in detail. I was also taking in the presence of this woman who’d lived this life, and her eyes would sparkle again talking about certain moments or she’d laugh at an inside joke that they had. That’s what I wanted to try to absorb when I was around her. She’s such a fascinating woman, very graceful and soft spoken in the way that she holds herself, but also has this fierceness about her.  She was never a doormat or a victim, so it was really important for me to try and show her strength underneath all her delicate femininity.  I think all of us women can relate to her, from being a young girl to finding her voice and her autonomy.”

Coppola: “I’m always interested in the fantasy of what looks ideal and then the reality of that. It looked like such a fairy tale on the outside, and then to hear the struggles that she went through, it’s not at all what you expect, that she had this ideal life, but there were the highs and the lows. There’s this idea in our culture that fame and wealth will make you happy, but the reality is that they come with a whole other set of baggage.”

Jacob Elordi shows a different aspect of Elvis Presley than the critically acclaimed performance by Austin Butler in Elvis by Baz Lurhmann, which earned him a Golden Globe as best actor.

Coppola: “For me it was really important to go by the perspective that Priscilla writes about in her book, showing him as a flawed human being. Elvis is such a godlike figure in our culture and history, but she talks about what he was like behind closed doors. It was so interesting to show his incredible charm and his vulnerability, the dark side of this complex relationship.”

Priscilla and Elvis Presley married May 1, 1967 in Las Vegas, their daughter Lisa Marie was born February 1, 1968. They separated February 24, 1972, filed for divorce in 1973.

Coppola: “It seems so hard that Priscilla wasn’t allowed to invite friends home or to get a job, she lived a protected life. It was a time, for women of my mother’s generation, when you were expected to be completely fulfilled and satisfied with having a successful husband, a beautiful home and a child. ‘What more can you want?’ That was the sentiment of women of that era, and if they wanted some expression outside of that, it was a struggle. Priscilla was trying to find her way, and I was glad that she was able to get a life of her own outside of Elvis after all that. I was looking at what my mother (Eleanor Coppola, married to her father Francis Ford Coppola for 60 years) went through, then looking at my daughters, while being in between these generations that have changed so much, but in some ways still have a lot in common.”

P.S. If you read Italian, see attached the article I wrote for VOILA Magazine social media

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The Creator

Gareth Edwards answered questions from journalists via zoom about The Creator, the science fiction thriller that he directed and co-wrote (with Chris Weisz), starring John David Washington, Gemma Chan, Ken Watanabe, Allison Janney.

Gareth EdwardsWatch him say in this featurette: “My favorite cinema is very visually driven, it’s not like a play, it’s like a dream, it’s just a pure emotion.”

As to why he loves science fiction, he replied: “It’s probably from growing up with Star Wars and being promised this amazing world with spaceships and robots. Then you realize it’s not true and it’s not gonna happen, so, the second-best thing is to become a liar, like George Lucas, and create these stories for kids to grow up with.”

The British director was chosen to helm Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016), starring Felicity Jones, set before the events of Star Wars (1977) retitled A New Hope.

He cited as another influence: “The film that had the biggest impact on me as a kid was Steven Spielberg’s E.T. The Extraterrestrial (1982). When I went in, as a seven-year-old, all I was interested in was that I wanted to see an alien and a spaceship, then I got absolutely moved to tears on this emotional journey with the two of them.” He added: “That’s the secret goal for every movie you make, to do something that affects people emotionally, if you don’t make some people well up or cry, then you’re not really using the power of cinema.”

About how AI, Artificial Intelligence, is portrayed in his movie: “We were using AI as a metaphor for people who are different to yourself. But then, in the last year or so, it’s become quite a reality, it’s gotten very surreal. When I started writing this script in 2018, AI was up there with flying cars and living on the moon, it was something that maybe you would see in your lifetime, but probably not.”

He did not believe we should fear AI. “With every major technological breakthrough that’s happened in the last century or so, like electricity, computers, the internet, they always bring seismic changes on industries, it’s like a big bump in the road that we have to get over, but on the other side of it, when the dust finally settles, we all look back and go,
‘I’m glad we have electricity, computers and the internet.’ And AI will be another one. The next few years will probably be a little tricky, but the upside will be that AI is such a powerful tool that’s going to help so many things in the world, that the positives are going to outweigh the negatives.”

This article was posted in Italian on Voilà Magazine Facebook and Instagram

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Asteroid City

If you read Italian, please see the article I wrote for the Italian monthly Best Movie about Asteroid City by Wes Anderson, released in Italy Friday September 28.

Wes Anderson

Wes Anderson © Roger Do Minh-Focus Feature

Asteroid City
Wes Anderson e il cast svelano le ispirazioni dietro al nuovo film in uscita nelle sale.
Il regista e il cast hanno svelato le fonti di ispirazione del film che arriva al cinema in Italia il 28 settembre 2023

di Elisa Leonelli
25/09/2023

Asteroid City esce nei cinema italiani dopo l’anteprima al festival di Cannes il 23 maggio scorso. La regia è di Wes Anderson, scrittore della sceneggiatura con il frequente collaboratore Roman Coppola. Il protagonista è Jason Schwartzman, attore preferito del regista che lo aveva diretto in sette film precedenti a partire da Rushmore (1998). Jason è cugino di Roman in quanto figlio di Talia Shire, sorella di Francis Coppola.

Ambientato nel 1955, il film inizia in Bianco e Nero con un presentatore televisivo (Bryan Cranston) il quale racconta la messa in scena di una commedia al teatro Tarkington di New York, che ispira un immaginario film coloratissimo nel deserto del Nuovo Messico. Il nome del piccolo villaggio prefabbricato deriva dal fatto che era stato costruito intorno al cratere di una meteorite atterrata nell’anno 3007 avanti Cristo, mentre sull’orizzonte si notano le nuvole a forma di fungo delle esplosioni di bombe nucleari, che continuano ad essere collaudate segretamente nella vicina base militare di Los Alamos, dove era stata inventata la bomba atomica nel 1945.

Non drammatico come Oppenheimer di Christopher Nolan, ma umoristico come Don’t Worry Darling di Olivia Wilde, Asteroid City ha lo stile tipico e la precisione di dettagli degli altri film del regista d’autore.

Wes Anderson dice: «Gli anni ’50 rappresentano l’epoca d’oro dei teatri di Broadway e dell’Actors Studio, pensavo ad attori come Paul Newman e Joanne Woodward, a commediografi come Sam Shepard e Arthur Miller, mentre il deserto ci ricorda i film western in Cinemascope».

Adrien Brody, che interpreta il regista dell’opera teatrale, spiega: «La bellezza del film consiste nella nostalgia per questo periodo della storia americana, quando registi come Elia Kazan e attori come Marlon Brando e James Dean cambiarono lo stile della recitazione sia a teatro che al cinema»

Anche Anderson cita come ispirazione Brando, James Dean, Montgomery Clift, e Elia Kazan, regista della commedia di Tennessee Williams Un tram che si chiama Desiderio (1947-1949) e della versione cinematografica del 1951 entrambe con protagonista Marlon Brando. Kazan aveva fondato l’Actors Studio nel 1947, diretto da Lee Strasberg a partire dal 1951.

Scarlett Johansson, che interpreta una diva del cinema, confessa di essersi basata su Bette Davis, un’attrice reclutata da Hollywood nel 1930, quando il cinema passato dal muto al sonoro aveva bisogno di attori che sapevamo come modulare la loro voce data l’esperienza teatrale.

Anderson aggiunge di aver pensato anche a Marilyn Monroe, che aveva frequentato l’Actors Studio, e all’ultimo film da lei interpretato, Gli spostati (1961), un neo-western girato nel Nevada, regia di John Huston, sceneggiatura di Arthur Miller, suo terzo marito.

Bryan Cranston sostiene di essersi ispirato a Rod Serling, creatore della serie televisiva di fantascienza Ai confini della realtà (Twilight Zone, 1959).

L’ossessione con gli extraterrestri e gli UFO tipica degli anni 50 è il tema centrale del film Asteroid City, ambientato in un villaggio dove si radunano giovani astronomi (Junior Stargazers) per ricevere un premio annuale, accompagnati dai genitori, fra cui Jason Schwartzman, un barbuto fotografo di guerra con quattro figli rimasto vedovo da poco, e da un nonno (Tom Hanks), padre della moglie scomparsa (Margot Robbie), che quindi non si vede nell’ipotetico film a colori, ma compare in una delle scene in bianco e nero di New York.

Asteroid City viene messa sotto quarantena, come era successo in tutto il mondo dopo l’arrivo del COVID-19 nel marzo del 2020, da un generale dell’esercito (Jeffrey Wright) per impedire che si sparga la notizia dell’atterraggio di un’astronave e dello sbarco di un visitatore interplanetario. Sono voluti i riferimenti al film di Steven Spielberg Incontri ravvicinati del terzo tipo (1977).

Le riprese di Asteroid City si sono svolte nell’autunno del 2021 durante la pandemia, non nel sud-ovest americano, ma in Spagna, nei dintorni di Chinchón, vicino a Madrid.
Anderson conclude che il film è anche una riflessione su come gestire il dolore causato dalla morte di persone care, una delle «più importanti pietre miliari della nostra vita»

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Italians in Hollywood

In 1978 I conceived and executed a photo journalistic series about Italians who succeeded in Hollywood. Included were actors Raf Vallone and Cesare Da Nova, cinematographer Mario Tosi, creature maker Carlo Rambaldi, producer Dino De Laurentiis, costume designer Nino Novarese, Antonio Villani, director of AFI (American Film Institute), Disney artist Claudio Mazzoli. Everyone graciously posed for my cameras and gave me an interview, that I wrote in Italian (except for De Laurentiis, busy producing Hurricane)

RAF VALLONE (c( Elisa Leonelli

RAF VALLONE (born Raffaele Vallone in Tropea, Calabria, February 17, 1916, died October 31, 2002) starred in Italian movies like Bitter Rice (Riso amaro 1948) with Silvana Mangano, Two Women (La ciociara, 1960) by Vittorio De Sica with Sophia Loren, in American movies like A View from the Bridge (1962) directed by Sidney Lumet from the 1955 play by Arthur Miller. I photographed him in various Los Angeles locations and in my studio with wife Elena and daughter Eleonora.

CESARE DANOVA (c) Elisa Leonelli

CESARE DANOVA (born Cesare Deitinger in Rome March 1, 1926, died March 19, 1992) was a famous actor of post-war Italy, nicknamed the Italian Errol Flynn. He acted in Cleopatra (1963) by Joseph Mankiewicz with Elizabeth Taylor. I photographed him in his Hollywood home with wife Patricia.

MARIO TOSI (c) Elisa Leonelli

MARIO TOSI (born in Rome May 11, 1935, died November 11, 2021) was the cinematographer of movies like Hearts of the West (1975) with Jeff Bridges, Carrie (1976) by Brian De Palma with Sissy Spacek, The Betsy (1978) with Laurence Olivier. When I photographed him in his Roman-themed home, he was preparing to shoot The Stunt Man (1980) with Peter O’Toole.

CARLO RAMBALDI (c)1978 Elisa Leonelli

CARLO RAMBALDI (born in Ferrara, September 15, 1925, died August 10, 2012) was the genius maker of creatures like King Kong for the 1976 remake produced by Dino De Laurentiis starring Jessica Lange and the alien in Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1978) by Steven Spielberg. I met him in Los Angeles in 1976 when he was working on The White Buffalo (1977), photographed him at the studio and at his home with wife Bruna and children Alessandro, Vittorio, Daniela.

DINO DE LAURENTIIS (born Agostino De Laurentiis in Naples August 8, 1919, died November 10, 2010) produced movies in Italy like La Strada (1954) and Nights of Cabiria (1955) by Federico Fellini and in Hollywood. I worked for him as a translator of scripts from English into Italian, after he opened his offices in Beverly Hills in 1976, I was hired to shoot in my studio special photography of Dayton Ka’ne, the Hawaiian star of Hurricane (1979).

NINO NOVARESE (c) Elisa Leonelli

NINO NOVARESE (born Vittorio Nino Novarese in Rome May 15, 1907, died October 17, 1983). Costume designer for movies like Cleopatra (1963) with Elizabeth Taylor, The Agony and the Ecstasy (1965) with Charlton Heston, The Greatest Story Ever Told (1965), Cromwell (1970). I met him in his Los Angeles home, he then asked me to photograph his two Oscar statuettes in my studio.

ANTONIO VELLANI (c) Elisa Leonelli

ANTONIO VELLANI (born in Bologna 1922, died November 1989) Director of AFI (American Film Institute) Film School, moved to Los Angeles after college to study film at USC. He gave me a warm welcome in the grandiose AFI building, as a fellow graduate from Bologna university, the oldest in the world.

CLAUDIO MAZZOLI (born in Mantova December 15, 1942), while visiting Los Angeles in 1976, he was introduced by Nino Novarese to meet with Disney Imagineering and was hired to design EPCOT. I photographed him at home with wife Mercede and son Marco, and in the WED offices with his designs.
As he is the only one of the above men still alive, I contacted him through his Facebook page, spoke with him, and he told me about a recent exhibit of his art work in Piacenza where he now lives. He was and continues to be so amazing that I wrote a separate article about him, Claudio Mazzoli, Renaissance Artist.

A few photos from this series were published on 1979 in the California Living color supplement of Los Angeles Herald Examiner entirely devoted to my work as a photojournalist. I was the only woman featured in this series about photographers. I guess I had also become successful as an Italian in Hollywood.

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Claudio Mazzoli, Renaissance Artist

I met Claudio Mazzoli in 1978, when I included him in my photo-journalistic essay about Italians living in Los Angeles who had been successful in Hollywood movies. Click to read Italians in Hollywood and learn about the others.

CLAUDIO MAZZOLI. Spaceship Earth (c) Elisa Leonelli

In 1976, while visiting Los Angeles with his older brother to buy a horse, carrying his design portfolio, Mazzoli met renown costume designer Nino Novarese, who organized an interview with Disney Imagineering (then called WED, Walt Elia Disney). He so dazzled them with his versatile talent and imagination that he was hired on the spot to create artwork for EPCOT (Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow), their planned theme park in Orlando, Florida, that would open in 1982. He designed the murals for Spaceship Earth about the history of communications, from prehistory to the space age, from cavemen to astronauts.

CLAUDIO MAZZOLI. Spaceship Earth (c) Elisa Leonelli

After 8 years at Disney, Mazzoli worked on designs for Universal Studios, Caesar’s Palace in Las Vegas, Disneyland Paris, Gardaland in Italy.

CLAUDIO MAZZOLI in medieval armor (c) Elisa Leonelli

A unique passion that fascinated Claudio since he was a teenager were the armors of Medieval and Renaissance knights. For a 1975 TV miniseries about Marco Visconti, he built two armors authentic in every detail, and since the stuntmen refused to put them on, because they weighed 200 pounds, he and his brother wore them for the dangerous jousting scenes on horseback. It helped that they were also expert horsemen.

CLAUDIO MAZZOLI in medieval armor (c) Elisa Leonelli

I remember being impressed with Claudio’s amazing work as an artist and his positive attitude as a person. After scanning the slides a few weeks ago, I did some research and discovered that Claudio (born in Mantova on December 15, 1942) was still alive and working. We talked on Whatsapp and he was just as enthusiastic and planning creative projects as he was 45 years ago. An exhibit of several of his paintings, including sculptures and medieval armors, had just taken place in Piacenza, where he now lives. The title was “Claudio Mazzoli, the Fantastic.” Marco Besson, author of an upcoming book about his life, called him “a contemporary Renaissance artist.”

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Venice Murals

I have been photographing murals in Venice for decades, and I often used them as backdrops in the 1980s when I was shooting photo layouts of movie or TV stars, such as Lee Curreri from Fame or Scott Glenn from The Right Stuff.

Venice Graffiti Cannabis © Elisa Leonelli 2023

When I went back recently, arriving early, before 9am, and walking along the boardwalk from Venice Blvd to Windward Ave, I noticed that the roll-up metal doors to the still closed little shops were all covered in elaborate graffiti. While researching my article about Rip Cronk, I discovered this 2023 write-up and video interview where the most famous Venice muralist explains the origins on the Steel Door Mural Project. Gang graffiti would continuously deface other people murals, but there were other artists, calling themselves graffiti writers who could be encouraged and allowed to paint their work legally on these grey door and on the walls.

Venice Mural Hoodies (c) Elisa Leonelli 2023

I prefer the murals that look more like figurative painting rather than just letters, like this one on the side wall of a T-shirt shop on the Boardwalk.

Venice Mural Mummy © Elisa Leonelli 2023

These works are not signed, so I don’t know who painted this mummy face with a blue tongue, but the building this garage door is attached to has a mural with the signature paint drops of @DripkingLA.

Mural by Jules Muck inside Fruit Gallery. 1 Westminster Ave, Venice CA. Photo by Elisa Leonelli July 2023

I was excited to discovered new work from an artist I had noticed before, Jules Muck who signs her work as MuckRock. I featured her in my article about the Wende Museum in Culver City. She recently painted this amazing fantasy inside the shop Fruit Gallery: Hydra, the serpentine water monster of Greek mythology, surrounded by fruit.

Wizard by Jules Muck © Elisa Leonelli 2023

I photographed some of her earlier work like this portrait of Arthur Reese, nicknamed the Wizard of Venice, a partner of Venice founder Abbot Kinney.

BW mural by Jules Muck © Elisa Leonell 2023

Next to it a Black and White mural depicting Charlie Chaplin and “it girl” Clara Bow who lived in Venice in 1915, with Abbot Kinney.

Venice mural Tattoo. House of Ink. 1313 Ocean Front Walk. Photo by Elisa Leonelli July 2023

This mural is not signed, but I post it here since Muck is also a tattoo artist.

Born in England and living in New York, Muck apprenticed with graffiti artist Lady Pink in the 1990s, in 2008 she drove to California and settled in Venice, living in her van at first, until she started making a living by painting murals.

Follow Muck’s Facebook page to find out about her travels around the country searching for walls to paint, and when her studio is open for a visit.

Watch Muck here painting a Burger van in 2016.

I learnt about the history of graffiti art in 2011 from the exhibit “Art in the Streets” at MOCA Geffen, so I began to appreciate this style of mural painting.

Touch of Venice by Jonas Never, 2012. Windward Ave. Photo by Elisa Leonelli July 2023

Lastly, see a BW mural by Jonas Never, “Touch of Venice” 2012, an homage to the 1958 film noir by Orson Welles Touch of Evil.

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Venice murals by Rip Cronk

Venice Kinesis by Rip Cronk

Venice Kinesis by Rip Cronk (c) Elisa Leonelli 2023

I was always interested in photographing street murals, because I love their bold colorful depiction of imaginary landscapes. I started with my Nikons and color slides, both Ektachrome and Kodachrome, when I worked as a professional photo-journalist from 1974 to 1989, and I continue to do so to this day with digital cameras: a Nikon Coolpix from 2009, a Sony Alpha a6000 from 2014 and an iPhone SE since 2020.

While covering the Los Angeles 1984 Olympic, I documented the progress of the mural project headed by artist Alonzo Davis. I wrote and photographed articles about Mural Mile in Pacoima and Judy Baca’s World Wall exhibit at the Geffen. (click on links to read)

Starry Night by Rip Cronk © Elisa Leonelli 2023

A few weeks ago I went back twice to the Venice Boardwalk to see what was new on the walls and found that the 1990 mural by Rip Cronk, “Homage to a Starry Knight” had just been restored. Read this May 2023 article and watch the embedded video, where Cronk talks about the original mural conceived as a parody of Vincent Van Gogh’s “The Starry Night” 1889, how he repaired it during 33 years turning it into a very different mural now.  Click here to see how it looked before. See the cool 76-year-old artist repainting the mural all by himself, after driving down 13 hours from Oregon, where he now lives with his wife.

Venice Beach Chorus Line by Rip Cronk (c) Elisa Leonelli 2023

Both times I went to Venice unfortunately this new mural was party covered by parked cars, as was “Venice Beach Chorus Line” from 2004 on the facing wall.

Venice Beach by Rip Cronk © Elisa Leonelli 2023

I was able to take photos from afar of “Venice Beach” from 1990, painted high up on the same building as “Starry Night”, depicting the young artist climbing a wall to deface his own mural. Cronk says that the concept was the owner’s idea, and he was dependent on his permission and funding.

“Venice Kinesis” by Rip Venice Kinesis by Rip Cronk © Elisa Leonelli 2023

I photographed the third version of his most famous mural, “Venice Kinesis” from 2010, a restoration of “Venice Reconstituted” from 1989, a larger image of his 1980 mural “Venice on the Halfshell” that used to be on the Venice Pavillion, and Cronk painted after moving to Venice in 1979. The artist describes it as a parody of Botticelli’s “The Birth of Venus” from 1486 now on display at the Uffizi in Florence.

Venice Reconstitued by Rip Cronk (c) Elisa Leonelli 1990

I had photographed the two earlier versions, and used the 1980 mural as a backdrop for a 1983 photo layout of Lee Curreri, one of the young stars of the popular TV series Fame. Read my article on Debbie Allen and the other actors.

Venice on the Half Shell by Rip Cronk © Elisa Leonelli 1981Ave, Venice CA.

I did not photograph “Morning Shot” (1991) depicting Jim Morrison because it was behind a fence with parked cars in front, I did not notice the deceptive tromp l’oeil mural “Lost Art” (1990) on the front of the same building as “Venice Kinesis” on Windward Ave, I did not see “Portrait of Abbot Kinney” (2004), which is on Venice Blvd, but I might try to photograph them next time.

In 1996 Rip Cronk published a collection of essays titled Art on the Rebound, that I plan to read.  If you wish to learn more about this amazing artist, watch this 2015 documentary.

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DALILAND

Ben Kingsley as Dalí. Photo courtesy Magnolia Pictures

Dalíland is the fantastical world where Salvador Dalí lives, as seen through the eyes of his newly hired young assistant James, when he steps into the Spanish painter’s lavish suite at the St Regis Hotel in New York City to find it crowded with colorful characters dancing and drinking champagne. The year is 1974. This is the set-up of the movie titled Dalíland, directed by Mary Harron and starring Ben Kingsley as Dalí.

Canadian filmmaker Harron, who had directed movies like I Shot Any Warhol (1996) and American Psycho (2000) also set in New York, said she was thrilled to be back in her old hometown, when she introduced her latest work as the closing night feature of the Toronto Film Festival on September 17, 2022.

Now that Dalíland has been released in theaters and on streaming platforms, audiences will be able to step into that world as well and get some insight about the man behind the famous artist.

Ben Kingsley in Dalíland. Photo courtesy Magnolia Pictures

Ben Kingsley said during video interviews at TIFF: “It was a surprise to be offered the role of such a monumental intellect and artist, a very intelligent man, immensely witty and utterly fearless. He was exhilarating and exhausting to play, as I had anticipated he would be. I imagine Dalí would be quite a difficult talent to digest today, but there was a part of him that was undigestible, take it or leave it, and that’s what I admired about him. He had an ontological security that defied fashion and Zeitgeist, he was what he was. Mary succeeded in showing Dalí in his environment, with his showmanship that was well documented, and the film has an unpredictable quality to reflect his personality.”

Ben Kingsley and Chris Briney. Photo courtesy Magnolia Pictures

James is played by Christopher Briney, whom Harron cast out of drama school at New York’s Pace University, and now plays Conrad in the TV series The Summer I Turned Pretty, created by Jenny Han from her 2009 novel. Kingsley praised his costar: “We really must applaud Chris Briney’s performance, because the film is a view of Dalí through the eyes of somebody who is constantly surprised and seduced by the world that he finds himself in.”

James is a fictional character, but it is implied that there were many such young men in Dalí’s life. The painter calls him Saint Sebastian, because his face reminds him of a Renaissance painting. He was the third century Christian martyr persecuted by Roman authorities and often depicted tied up bare-chested to a pillar or a tree and shot through with arrows. The most famous of such paintings was done by Andrea Mantegna in 1480.

Briney explained in an interview for the film’s production notes: “James is the lens through which the story is told, he is the audience’s perspective, as he’s taken through this surreal dreamworld and the sort of people that Dalí surrounds himself with. Salvador Dalí was in my textbooks, but I had very little understanding of the density of his world and of his work. He was courageous beyond the definition of the word, he took chances on a transcendental level, he really pushed the limits and opened up a lot of people’s eyes. James realizes that you have to respect Gala because she does light the fire underneath Dali and helps him create his art.”

Mary Harron, who co-wrote the script with her husband John C. Walsh, revealed in the production notes: “Dalí and Gala’s marriage was obviously much more tempestuous than ours, it was really stormy and legendary. I’ve heard it said that Gala did more than anyone else to foster Dali’s career and more than anyone else to damage it. And that’s an interesting paradox.”

The film takes us on flashback to Spain on a Costa Brava beach in Catalonia during the summer of 1929 when a young Dalí (Ezra Miller) meets his future wife Gala, a Russian immigrant ten years his senior, who was married to Surrealist poet Paul Éluard.

A flash forward to 1985 shows us James visiting Dalí in the hospital of his hometown of Figueres in Catalonia, sick and despondent after the death of Gala in 1982. Another visitor is Amanda Lear, a real-life muse of Dali that he met in a French nightclub in London in 1965, “when she was a he.” She had just published her autobiographical book My Life with Dalí.

The director said: “The great thing about Dali was that he loved and celebrated people who were trans, in some way he identified with any kind of gender fluidity. And you’ve got to honor that, so it was very important for me to cast an actor who was also trans. Then Andreja Pejić came in. She’s so astoundingly beautiful, charming and delicate, but also very European. She has that sense of mystery and the kind of looks, aura and enigmatic quality of a French movie star of the 70s like Catherine Deneuve.”

Andreja Pejic © Brian de Rivera Simon/Getty Images

Pejić, a fashion model born in Bosnia and raised in Melbourne Australia, talked about playing Amanda Lear at the Dalíland premiere in Toronto: “She’s such an icon in the fashion industry in Europe. I knew about her when I was 12-years-old, I was a big fan and I just wanted to meet her. That was my goal, and tell her how inspirational she was to my development into the woman I am today. But I never thought that I would be playing her in a movie, so it was really intimidating. I wanted to capture her charisma, and her special relationship with Dali between a muse and an artist. He was in love with her as a daughter in a spiritual way, in a creative way, in a romantic way. I had some experience of that, being a model and the muse of Jean-Paul Gautier, who reminds you of Dali in a lot of ways. So I could draw on those experiences.”

French singer Amanda Lear is still alive today at age 83, so Pejić concluded, “I hope she’ll enjoy this.”

Read here this article as published on the Golden Globes website

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Little Mermaid

The animated Disney movie Little Mermaid had enchanted children in 1989, now the classic fairy tale by Hans Christian Anderson returns in a reimagined live-action version with new songs.

Little Mermaid cast (c_ Alex J. Berliner

Director Rob Marshall said: “It’s a very modern story about a girl who feels displaced and sees her life differently from anyone around her. With a great deal of passion and courage she embarks on an epic journey of self-discovery by breaking down walls and learning not to be afraid of the ‘other,’ which in her case was the human world. The contemporary themes explored felt to me like an antidote to the world’s divisions and a vital reminder that we are all one.” As for the casting of Ariel, which created controversy among racists, because of the color of her skin, Marshall stated: ““Our goal was to find someone who was incredibly passionate, smart, vulnerable, clever, with a great deal of fire and joy. When I first saw Halle, she was so otherworldly, and her voice was simply angelic. We saw everybody and every ethnicity, there really was no agenda.”
To underline how much times have changed in the past 30 years, Ariel, the princess of the sea, is portrayed by Halle Bailey, a famous singer of the duo Chloe x Halle with her older sister, after they acted together in the TV series Grown-ish, spin-off of Black-ish.
Halle was only 18 when she was chosen for the role and confessed that she cried when she received the phone call confirming it. This is how she described her character: “Ariel is passionate, she has so much wisdom beyond her years. She knows what she wants, and she doesn’t back down. I feel like our stories are very parallel to one another. We are both on similar journeys, and she inspired me to speak up and stand up for myself.”
Prince Eric, played by British actor Jonah Hauer-King, explained the foundation of this love story between two people who belong to different worlds: “They were kindred spirits who felt restless behind the four walls of their respective castles, and were very much looking outwards. They were fascinated by each other’s worlds, they learn a lot and develop a true friendship, which is the basis for love.”
Spanish star Javier Bardem is King Triton, Ariel’s father, with a long white beard and a fish tail like his daughter. He told us: “He’s a man who is deeply in love with his child, but he’s confused and fears for her, so he’s blocking her from being free. One of the beautiful themes in the story is that, like Eric’s mother Queen Selina (Noma Dumezweni), the adult parents have to learn from their kids. They don’t understand what true love means until they see them departing.”
Melissa McCarthy is Ursula, Triton’s sister, an evil sea witch with giant octopus tentacles. She said: “My goal was to create a villain you can love and despise at the same time.”
Daveed Diggs voices Sebastian the crab, Awkwafina is Scuttle the seabird, Jacob Tremblay is Flounder the fish.

Read below the same article I wrote in Italian for Voilà Magazine, slightly shortened to fit Instagram 2,200 characters limit.

La sirenetta ritorna
24 maggio, 2023

Il cartone animato La sirenetta aveva incantato i bambini nel 1989, adesso la classica fiaba di Hans Christian Andersen ritorna in una versione reinterpretata con attori in carne e ossa e nuove canzoni.
Il regista Rob Marshall dice: “Si tratta di una storia molto moderna di una ragazza che si sente fuori posto e ha una visione della vita diversa da tutti quelli che la circondano. Con grande passione e coraggio intraprende un viaggio epico di scoperta interiore, buttando giù dei muri e imparando a non aver paura dell’altro, in questo caso il mondo degli esseri umani.”
La principessa del mare Ariel è interpretata da Halle Bailey, famosa cantante del duo Chloe x Halle con la sorella maggiore. Hanno recitato insieme nella serie TV Grown-ish, spin-off di Black-ish.
Halle aveva solo 18 anni quando fu scelta per il ruolo e confessa di aver pianto quando ricevette la telefonata di conferma. Descrive cosi il suo personaggio: “Ariel è passionale e ha una saggezza superiore ai suoi anni, Sa quello che vuole e non si tira indietro. Le nostre storie corrono in parallelo, stiamo percorrendo un viaggio simile, e Ariel mi ha ispirato a farmi valere, mi ha aiutato a trovare me stessa.”
Il principe Eric, interpretato dall’attore inglese Jonah Hauer-King, spiega su cosa si basa questa storia d’amore fra due giovani che appartengono a mondi diversi: “Sono due anime gemelle, che si sentono inquiete dietro le quattro mura dei loro rispettivi castelli e guardano fuori, sono affascinati dal mondo dell’altro, imparano tante cose e sviluppano una vera amicizia, che è fondamentale per l’amore.”
Il divo spagnolo Javier Bardem è Re Tritone, il padre di Ariel, con una lunga barba bianca e la coda di pesce come la figlia. Ci racconta: “Si tratta di un uomo che ama profondamente sua figlia, ma si sente confuso e ha paura per lei, quindi le impedisce di essere libera. La bella lezione di questa storia è che, come la madre di Eric, i due genitori adulti devono imparare dai loro figli. Capiscono che cosa significa veramente l’amore, solo quando li vedono partire.”
Melissa McCarthy è Ursula, sorella di Tritone e strega del mare, con enormi tentacoli da piovra.

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L’immensità

L’immensità by Italian director Emanuele Crialese premiered in September 2022 at the Venice film festival and was released in US theaters on May 12.

Penélope Cruz (c) Claudio Onorato

Penélope Cruz plays Clara, the Spanish mother of three children living in Rome in the 1970s, with an abusive husband who blames their family problems on the eldest child, Adriana (Luana Giuliani), a 12-year-old girl who is convinced they are a boy or possibly an alien from another galaxy.

Penelope Cruz as Clara

Cruz described the predicament of this housewife to press in Venice: “She’s not crazy at all, she has enough amount of craziness in her to survive this life that she has to live. That’s where she connects with her daughter. They feel trapped in their bodies, in their house, in their family, in their situation. Their only escape is through the television that connects them to another world, to art, to music, to dance, to dreaming.”

Several popular songs from the 1970s are recreated for the film and shot in Black and White, as they were performed on television variety shows. Color broadcasts were not authorized by state run RAI TV until Christmas 1977.

In an early scene, while setting the table for dinner, the mother leads her children in a rousing dance sequence as they sing Rumore, Raffaella Carrà 1974 hit single from her album Felicità tà tà. Read the Italian lyrics and the English translation. Watch Carrà 1979 television performance.

In a dream sequence, Adri, who prefers to be called Andrea, a male name in Italy, sees himself in the place of Adriano Celentano in a duet with Raffaella Carrà as played by Penélope Cruz, dancing and singing a non-sensical song in pretend English, Prisencolinensinainciusol. Watch the original 1974 performance.

In another fantasy Cruz in a blond wig performs as Patty Pravo, lip syncing the 1971 song Love Story. Here’s the lyrics in Italian, the English translation, and video of a live performance by Pravo.

In the final sequence we see Andrea as a young man singing full out L’immensità, the 1967 song written by Don Backy. Watch the newcomer sing it at the 1967 Sanremo Song Festival. That is, of course, the song that gives the film its title, The Immensity.

And here’s the complete soundtrack for your listening pleasure.

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PERSIS KHAMBATTA

Persis Khambatta (c) Elisa Leonelli 1983

Not many people remember her today, but I have a special affection for Persis Khambatta, the Indian actress and model who passed away of a heart attack 25 years ago, in 1998, at the young age of 49, in Mumbai, the city where she was born.
I photographed her backstage at the Golden Globes, on January 29, 1980, where she had been invited as a presenter, after becoming instantly famous upon the release of the movie Star Trek on December 7, 1979.

Persis Khambatta (c) Elisa Leonelli 1983

The beautiful actress had agreed to shave her head to play Lieutenant Ilia, born on planet Delta IV, who comes aboard Starship Enterprise as the new navigator, and is recognized by Captain Willard Decker (Stephen Collins), who had a romantic relationship with her years prior.

Persis Khambatta (c) Elisa Leonelli 1981

The second time I photographed her was on May 5, 1981, during an exclusive interview for the journalists of the Hollywood Foreign Press about the movie Nighthawks, where she played a terrorist opposite Sylvester Stallone. I asked her about the status of women in India and the responsibility she felt, having been able to make a career for herself abroad. I was impressed by her intelligence and self confidence, her moral and religious beliefs as a Zoroastrian from a Parsi family.

Persis Khambatta (c) Elisa Leonelli 1983

A couple of years later, upon learning that she was about to shoot a movie in Italy, I asked her to do a home photo layout, and she generously posed for me in her apartment wearing different outfits. I then photographed her in Rome in summer 1983 on the set of Warriors of the Lost World with her costars Robert Ginty and Donald Pleasance.

Persis Khambatta (c) Elisa Leonelli 1983

She had hoped that women could play leading roles in movies, as John Wayne, Clint Eastwood, Sean Connery, Robert De Niro had done, but it was too early in the 1980s for that to happen. She was ahead of her time.
To honor her memory, I wrote an article about Persis Khambatta for the Golden Globes website, that you may read at this link.

Text and photos by Elisa Leonelli

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CinemaCon 2023

As in previous years, I attended CinemaCon this year (April 24-27), the annual convention of theater owners at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas where Hollywood studios present trailers of their upcoming movies, parading stars and directors on stage. Everyone celebrated the triumphant return of the theatrical experiences and the box office results of 2022 and 2023, when audiences returned to watch movies on the big screen, after the COVID global pandemic had closed movie theaters all over the world.

I paid special attention to the beautiful movie stars that have already established their talent and some new faces on their way up.

Zendaya

Zendaya, 26, received the Star of the Year award and said: “In a theater, that’s where someone can feel seen and less alone, escape and build a new dream.” A couple of days before she had stood on the stage of the giant Colosseum theater to present Dune Part Two (WB, November 3) with French Canadian director Denis Villeneuve and Timothée Chalamet.

Timothee Chalamet, Zendaya

A few minutes before that moment Chalamet, 26, had introduced a trailer for Wonka (WB, December 15) directed by Paul King from the 1964 novel by Road Dahl Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and paid homage to Gene Wilder who had starred in the cult classic Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (1971). He said: “I’m something of a magician, inventor and chocolate maker.”

Ryan Gosling, Margot Robbie

Ryan Gosling, 42, wore a hot pink jacket when he came out on stage with Margot Robbie, 42, star and producer of Barbie (WB, June 21) directed and co-written by Greta Gerwig. He joked: “”I only knew Ken from afar and I doubted my Ken-ergy, I didn’t see it, but Margot and Greta conjured this out of me somehow. It came on like a scarlet fever. I was living my life and then one day I was bleaching my hair, shaving my legs and wearing bespoke neon outfits rollerblading down Venice Beach.”

Jennifer Lawrence

Jennifer Lawrence, 32, introduced a hilarious clip of No Hard Feelings (Sony, June 23) a R-rated sex comedy by Ukrainian-born director Gene Stupnitsky

Anthony Ramos, Dominique Fishback

Anthony Ramos, 31, star of In the Heights (2021) directed by Jon Chu from the stage musical by Lin-Manuel Miranda, stood on the stage with Dominique Fishback, 32, who had played Fred Hampton’s girlfriend in Judas and the Black Messiah (2021) by Shaka King. They presented a trailer of Transformers: Rise of the Beasts (Paramount, June 9). On closing night they both received the Rising Star of the Year award.

Xolo Maridueña

And here’s two up and coming actors that may go places. They star in Blue Beetle (DC Comics-WB, August 18) by Puerto Rican director Angel Manuel Soto. Xolo Maridueña, 21, born in Los Angeles, plays the first Latinx superhero. Bruna Marquezine, 29, born in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, plays Jenny Lord. Soto said that he created Palmera City so Jaime Reyes/Blue Beetle could have his own location like Clark Kent/Superman has Metropolis and Bruce Wayne/Batman has Gotham City.

Bruna Marquezine

Text by Elisa Leonelli

Photos by Alberto Rodriguez/Getty Images for CinemaCon

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Extrapolations-Oltre il limite

Extrapolations-Oltre il limite, una serie televisiva di otto episodi interconnessi, esplora gli effetti dei cambiamenti climatici che già oggi minacciano la vita sulla Terra e probabilmente peggioreranno nel prossimo futuro con conseguenze catastrofiche, a meno che non vengano prese misure più decisive per ridurre il riscaldamento globale.

Il creatore della serie Scott Z. Burns aveva prodotto il documentario Una scomoda verità (An Inconvenient Truth, 2006) con Al Gore, regia di Davis Guggenheim, aveva scritto e diretto The Report (2019) con Adam Driver, scritto le sceneggiature per The Informant (2009), Contagion (2011), Effetti collaterali (Side Effects, 2013) e Panama Papers (The Laundromat, 2019), regia Steven Soderbergh.
Burns ha detto di Extrapolations: “Non facciamolo finire nel 2099. Quello è un costrutto letterario e umano che non è applicabile. Non abbiamo tempo fino alla fine del secolo. Sono sorpreso e frustrato che più filmmaker non abbiano incominciato a raccontare storie sul clima. Ma questo non ha alcuna importanza se le gente si annoia e spegne la TV.”

I prime tre episodi sono andati in onda simultaneamente il 17 marzo.

Episodio 1 intitolato A Raven Story (Storia di un corvo) e ambientato nel 2037, a soli 14 anni da oggi, presenta una gran varietà di disastri ambientali che affliggono il pianeta. Incendi infuriano nei boschi di tutto il mondo emettendo calore e fumo nell’atmosfera. Questo potrebbe essere un riferimento alla letale stagione degli incendi in Australia del 2019-2020, quando oltre 10 milioni di ettari di terra sono bruciati e si calcola che oltre un miliardo di animali siano morti, spingendo molte specie vicino all’estinzione.

Una giovane donna compare in forma di ologramma per far notare di essere nata nel 2015, l’anno degli accordi di Parigi, quando alla Conferenza sui cambiamenti climatici delle Nazioni Unite i capi di stato di tutto il mondo si erano impegnati a limitare l’aumento della temperatura sotto i 2 gradi centigradi entro la fine del secolo. Ci fa pensare a Greta Thunberg, l’attivista Svedese che adesso a 20 anni, e da cinque anni sta richiedendo azioni immediate per risolvere la crisi climatica.

Incontriamo molti personaggi le cui storie saranno ampliate in episodi successivi, con l’aggiunta di altri personaggi.

Tahar Rahim-Extrapolations © Zach Dilgard

Tahar Rahim, nato in Francia da genitori Algerini, aveva interpretato il prigioniero di Guantanamo nel film The Mauritanian (2021). Qui è Omar, un delegato all’O.N.U. dall’Algeria che sostiene la necessità di accedere a nuove tecniche di desalinizzazione per provvedere acqua potabile ai paesi assetati del Nord Africa. Secondo la W.H.O (Organizzazione Mondiale della Sanità) la scarsità d’acqua affligge una persona su tre in Africa.
Rahim ha detto della sua reazione alla sceneggiatura di Extrapolations: “C’è molta differenza fra il leggere e il sapere di un soggetto e vederlo. Quando avevo letto la storia la prima volta si trattava di una conversazione di parole e di idee, ma poi sono diventati fatti veri, quindi mi sono preoccupato maggiormente.”

Matthew Rhys-Extrapolations © Apple TV

Matthew Rhys, un attore gallese, era stato il protagonista della serie TV The Americans (2013-2018) con Keri Russell, e di Perry Mason (2020-2023), aveva recitato al cinema in Un amico straordinario (A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood, 2019) con Tom Hanks. Interpreta Junior, un ricco imprenditore che si reca in Alaska sul suo aereo privato con la compagna (Heather Graham) che fa la cantante, per costruire un casinò fra i ghiacciai che si stanno sciogliendo. Lo scioglimento dei ghiacciai è accelerato negli ultimi due decenni causando l’aumento del livello del mare.  Junior è uno dei tanti personaggi che rappresentano i ricchi capitalisti che ricavano profitti dalla crisi climatica.
Rhys ha parlato del suo personaggio: “Nonostante l’ammontare dei guadagni che sembrano piovergli in grembo e le buone occasioni che gli bussano alla porta, è ancora arrabbiato e non molto felice. Una lezione morale per tutti noi,” e dei temi di Extrapolations: “La conclusione è che la scienza che ci viene presentata è terrificante e il lasso di tempo lo è ancora di più. Ma c’è speranza e ottimismo, la possibilità di riscattarci come razza umana. A piccoli passi si arriva a migliori risultati.”

Episodio 2 Whale Fall (Caduta della balena), ambientato nel 2046, tratta del tema della estinzione delle speci. Mammiferi come gli elefanti e le tigri sono già scomparsi, ma sono stati ricreati virtualmente con tecnologia avanzata.

Sienna Miller-Extrapolations © Zach Dilgard

Sienna Miller, attrice inglese, aveva recitato in Alfie (2004) con Jude Law, Casanova (2005) con Heath Ledger, interpretato Edie Sedgwick in Factory Girl (2006), Tippi Hedren nel telefilm The Girl (La diva di Hitchcock, 2012). In Extrapolations è Rebecca, una biologa marina che studia il comportamento dell’ultima balena sopravvissuta, in modo da poterla ricostruire. Attribuisce all’animale la voce della madre defunta, interpretata da Meryl Streep, che appare su video registrati prima della sua morte di cancro. Avevamo visto Rebecca partorire in Episodio 1, e suo marito Omar lasciare la conferenza all’O.N.U per essere al suo fianco.
Miller ha detto sul tappeto rosso della premiere di Extrapolations al Museo Hammer di Los Angeles il 14 marzo: “Studio gli animali mentre diventano estinti.  Nel 2047 la tecnologia si è sviluppata al punto che riusciamo a tradurre il verso delle balene nella voce umana, e io comunico con l’ultima balena. Quindi è un momento emotivo toccante e commovente. La serie è molto potente e importante, fa riflettere.”

Episodio 3 The Fifth Question (La quinta domanda) ambientato nel 2047, esplora le alluvioni che affliggono le nazioni isole e le grandi città, in questo caso Miami.

Daveed Diggs-Extrapolations © Zach Dilgard

Daveed Diggs, la cui madre ebrea gli aveva dato il nome del re Davide, aveva interpretato Thomas Jefferson e Lafayette in Hamilton, il musical di Lin-Manuel Miranda, il maestro in Wonder (2017) con Julia Roberts. In Extrapolations è il Rabbino Marshall Zucker, visto nel primo episodio quando abitava Tel Aviv in Israele, e suo padre (Peter Riegert) che era venuto a trovarlo cercava di convincerlo a tornare a Miami. Dieci anni dopo è il Rabbino del Tempio Israele di Miami, che sta per essere distrutto da una alluvione causata da un uragano. David Schwimmer e Judd Hirsch sono ricchi uomini d’affari ebrei che offrono di salvare il tempio con una bustarella alle autorità.
Diggs ha spiegato come ha interpretato un uomo di religione ebrea: “Mi sono spesso descritto come un ebreo piuttosto laissez-faire, quindi questa era una buona occasione per ricollegarmi a certi elementi della mia fede a cui non penso spesso. Il giudaismo è una di quelle religioni che ti permette di farlo, quindi è stato bello interpretare un tipo che era diventato piuttosto passivo nei sui rapporti con la fede nel senso dell’attivismo. Ci ho trovato molti paralleli.” Ha aggiunto in che senso è stato influenzato da Extrapolations: “Ci avevano fornito un sacco di informazioni su cosa significa veramente l’aumento della temperatura. Ma ho capito quanto fossi inconsapevole degli effetti che ho io, e ho iniziato un percorso per diventare più consapevole. Decisamente sono uno che crede nei cambiamenti climatici e ne ho parlato spesso, ma non facevo davvero molto per cambiate the cose, e ancora non faccio abbastanza. Dobbiamo attaccare questo problema da tutti i lati se vogliamo farcela, e sono contento di far parte di un progetto che fa un grosso sforzo per affrontarlo dal punto di vista della cultura filmica.”

Fra tutte le grandi città nel mondo attualmente minacciate da alluvioni, citiamo Venezia in Italia, dove un sistema di 78 gigantesche dighe marittime, chiamato MOSE (Modulo Sperimentale Elettromeccanico), dal Mosè biblico che divise le acque del Mar Rosso, fu finalmente completato nell’ottobre 2020 e da allora è stato utilizzato 49 volte con risultati positivi. Ma la questione sollevata in un articolo del New York Times del 1 aprile è per quanto tempo questo costoso meccanismo idraulico sarà in grado di proteggere la città.

Gli altri episodi di Extrapolations, in onda settimanalmente fino al 21 aprile, portandoci fino all’anno 2070, quando il pianeta sarà più caldo di 2.59 gradi in confronto ai 1.2 gradi di oggi, presentano attori come Edward Norton, Cherry Jones, Indira Varma, Michael Gandolfini, Keri Russell, Gemma Chan, Marion Cotillard, Forest Whitaker, Tobey Maguire, Kit Harington e Diane Lane.

Sabato 22 aprile, 2023 si celebra la Giornata della Terra, una manifestazione fondata nel 1970, segnando l’inizio del movimento per la difesa dell’ambiente. Quest’anno il tema è “Investi nel nostro pianeta.”

Traduzione dell’articolo in Inglese pubblicato sul sito Golden Globes e su Village il 10 aprile, traduzione in Italiano pubblicata sul sito Golden Globes il 23 aprile.

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EXTRAPOLATIONS

EXTRAPOLATIONS
By Elisa Leonelli. April 10, 2022

Extrapolations, a limited series of eight interconnected episodes streaming on Apple TV, explores the effects of the climate crisis that already threaten life on Earth today and will likely worsen in the near future leading to catastrophic consequences, unless more decisive action is taken to reduce global warming.

Series creator Scott Z. Burns produced the documentary An Inconvenient Truth (2006) about Al Gore and global warming, wrote and directed The Report (2019) starring Adam Driver, wrote the screenplays for The Informant (2009), Contagion (2011), Side Effects (2013) and The Laundromat (2019), directed by Steven Soderbergh.
Burns said about Extrapolations in a Boiling Point newsletter reprinted in the Los Angeles Times on March 30: “Let’s not have this end in 2099. That is a literary and human construct that isn’t applicable. We don’t have until the end of the century. I am surprised and frustrated that more filmmakers haven’t started telling climate stories. But nothing matters if people are bored and they turn off the TV.”

The first three episodes were aired simultaneously on March 17.
Episode 1 titled A Raven Story and set in 2037, only 14 years from now, presents a wide array of environmental disasters affecting the planet. Forest fires raging all over the world are filling the atmosphere with heat and smoke. This could be a reference to Australia’s deadly 2019-2020 bushfire season, when more than 10 million hectares of land burned and over a billion animals are estimated to have died, with many species pushed close to extinction.
A young woman appears as a hologram warning that she was born in 2015, the year of the Paris Agreement, when world leaders at the United Nations Climate Change Conference committed to limiting the global temperature increase in this century to 2 degrees Celsius. Greta Thunberg comes to mind, the Swedish activist, now 20-years-old, who for the past five years has been demanding immediate action to address the climate crisis.
A large cast of characters is introduced, some of their stories will be expanded in later episodes, with the addition of more characters.

Tahar Rahim-Extrapolations © Zach Dilgard

Tahar Rahim, born in France to Algerian parents, played the Guantanamo prisoner in The Mauritian (2021). Here he’s Omar, a U.N. delegate from Algeria who advocates for access to desalinization technology to provide drinking water to parched North African nations. According to W.H.O (World Health Organization) water shortage currently affects one in three people in Africa.
Rahim said on Screenrant on March 22 about his reaction to the script of Extrapolations: “There’s a difference between knowing it or reading it, and seeing it. When I first read it, for me it was a conversation about words or ideas, but it turned out to be real facts, so I felt more concerned.”

Matthew Rhys-Extrapolations © Apple TV

Matthew Rhys, a Welsh actor, starred in the TV series The Americans (2013-2018) with Keri Russell, and Perry Mason (2020-2023), acted in movies like A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood (2019) starring Tom Hanks. He plays Junior, a wealthy entrepreneur who flies to Alaska in his private jet with his singer girlfriend (Heather Graham) to build a casino among the melting glaciers. Glaciers melt has accelerated during the past two decades causing sea levels to rise. Junior is one of several characters representing the wealthy capitalists profiting from the climate crisis.
Rhys talked on Screenrant about his character: “Given the amount of wealth that seemingly is pouring into his lap and the opportunity that knocks, he’s still angry and not very happy, which is a moral lesson to us all.” And about the themes of Extrapolations: “The takeaway is that the science we’re presented with is terrifying, and the timeline is probably even more so. But there is hope and optimism, a chance to redeem ourselves as a human race. Small steps can lead to greater things.”

Episode 2 Whale Fall, set in 2046, addresses the issue of species extinction. Large mammals like elephants and tigers have already disappeared, but were virtually recreated with advanced technology.

Sienna Miller-Extrapolations © Zach Dilgard

Sienna Miller, a British actress, acted in Alfie (2004) with Jude Law, Casanova (2005) with Heath Ledger, played Edie Sedgwick in Factory Girl (2006), Tippi Hedren in the TV movie The Girl (2012). In Extrapolations she is Rebecca, a marine biologist studying the behavior of the last surviving humpback whale, so her species can be re-engineered. She assigns to the animal the voice of her deceased mother, played by Meryl Streep, who appears on videos recorded before her death from cancer. We had seen Rebecca give birth in Episode 1, with her husband Omar, leaving the U.N. conference to be by her side.
Miller said on the red carpet for the Los Angeles premiere of Extrapolations at the Hammer Museum on March 14: “I study animals as they go extinct. By 2047 technology has developed to the degree that we can translate whale song into human language and I’m communicating with the last humpback whale. So it’s very emotional, poignant and moving. The show is really powerful, thought provoking and important.”

Episode 3 The Fifth Question, set in 2047, explores the flooding affecting island nations and big cities, in this case Miami.

Daveed Diggs-Extrapolations © Zach Dilgard

Daveed Diggs, whose mother is Jewish and was named after King David, played Thomas Jefferson and Lafayette in Hamilton, the musical by Lin-Manuel Miranda, the schoolteacher in Wonder (2017) with Julia Robert. In Extrapolations he plays Rabbi Marshall Zucker, seen in the first episode living in Tel Aviv, Israel, where his visiting father (Peter Riegert) was pushing him to move back to Miami. Ten years later he’s the rabbi at Temple Israel in Miami, which is about to be destroyed by flooding caused by a hurricane. David Schwimmer and Judd Hirsch play wealthy Jewish businessmen who offer to save the temple by bribing city officials.
Diggs talked about playing a Jewish man of faith on Screenrant: “I have described myself as a pretty laissez-faire Jew, so it was a cool opportunity to reconnect with some of the elements of faith that I don’t think about very much. Judaism is one of those religions that allows for that, so it was cool playing somebody who has also gotten pretty passive in his relationship with the faith in terms of the activism part of it. I found a lot of parallels there.” And about how acting in Extrapolations affected him: “We were provided with a lot of information, in terms what the temperatures rising really means. But was I was left with was how unconscious of my effects I am. It’s started a journey of making me more conscious again. I’m someone who definitely believes in climate change and who has often ranted about it, but I wasn’t really doing very much about it at all, and I’m still not doing enough. We’re gonna have to attack this issue from all sides if we’re gonna make it, and so I’m happy to be part of something that is taking a really big swing at attacking it from this popular culture side.”

Of the major cities around the world currently threatened by flooding, we mention Venice, Italy, where a system of 78 giant seawalls called MOSE, after the biblical Moses who parted the Red Sea, was finally completed in October 2020 and it has since been utilized 49 times with positive results. But the question raised in an April 1 article in the New York Times is, for how long will this expensive hydraulic system be able to protect the city?

The other episodes of Extrapolations, airing weekly until April 21 and taking us up to the year 2070, when the planet is 2.59 degrees hotter compared to 1.2 today, feature actors like Edward Norton, Cherry Jones, Indira Varma, Michael Gandolfini, Keri Russell, Gemma Chan, Marion Cotillard, Forest Whitaker, Tobey Maguire, Kit Harington and Diane Lane.

Saturday April 22, 2023, is Earth Day, an event founded in 1970, marking the birth of the environmental movement. This year the theme is “Invest in Our Planet.”

You may read here this article as published on the Golden Globes website

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Ali Wong-Beef

di Elisa Leonelli
VOILÀ Magazine, 7 aprile, 2023

Ali Wong è la co-protagonista con Steven Yeun della serie televisiva Beef.

Ali Wong as Amy in Beef (c) Andrew Cooper-Netflix

Alexandra Wong, nata a San Francisco da una madre immigrata dal Vietnam e da un padre cino-americano, laureata in cultura asiatica alla università UCLA di Los Angeles, diventò nota per i suoi speciali stand-up Baby Cobra (2016) e Hard Knock Wife (2018) seguiti da un terzo speciale Don Wong (2022). Fu protagonista e collaborò alla sceneggiatura della commedia romantica Finché forse non vi separi (Always Be My Maybe, 2019) con Randall Park, figlio di immigrati coreani, protagonista della serie TV Fresh Off the Boat (2015-2020).
Steven Yeun, nato a Seul in Corea, fu protagonista di Minari (2020), vincitore del premio Golden Globe come miglior film in lingua straniera.

Beef, che letteralmente significa carne di manzo, è usato nell’espressione di avere un problema con qualcuno, un motivo per litigare. Il creatore della serie Lee Sung Jin (soprannominato Sonny) spiega di essersi ispirato a un episodio di rabbia al volante (road rage) capitato a lui nella realtà. La lite all’ultimo sangue fra due automobilisti rivela con feroce umorismo nero vari aspetti della comunità asiatica della zona metropolitana di Los Angeles (quartieri di Calabasas e Reseda) e della lotta di classe.

Ali Wong as Amy in Beef (c) Netflix 2023

Amy Lau (Amy Wong) è una donna di successo che sta per vendere il suo negozio di piante per la somma di dieci milioni di dollari, sposata con uno scultore giapponese affascinante ma squattrinato che fa da mammo alla loro bambina. Guida un lussuoso Merceds SUV bianco, mentre Danny Cho (Steven Yeun), un tuttofare coreano che abita in un motel con il fratello minore e un cugino delinquente ex-galeotto, guida un furgoncino rosso usato. Entrambi sfogano le loro frustrazioni scatenandosi uno contro l’altro nel corso di dieci episodi.

Ali Wong, ex-moglie nella vita di un marito giapponese con cui ha due figlie piccole, dice di essersi identificata con Amy, una donna “la cui vita sembra perfetta in apparenza, ma non sappiamo mai che cosa c’è dentro la testa delle persone e nella loro vita privata.” Era una occasione di esprimere sensazioni di cui “non ero stata in grado di parlare nei miei speciali comici, sui rapporti, su come conciliare fare la mamma e lavorare, che cosa significa essere arrabbiata e apparire allo stesso tempo cosí calma.” Un’altra cosa che non si aspettava era di poter “esplorare, come figlia e come madre, l’affetto della propria famiglia e quanto questo influenzi una persona quando diventa adulta. Anche se i tuoi genitori sono in apparenza presenti nella tua vita, questo non ti impedisce di provare risentimento e la paura di sentirti abbandonato.”

Ali Wong on Zoom. March 29, 2023

I vestiti che indossa nel ruolo di Amy e l’ambientazione della sua casa moderna contribuiscono a definire il personaggio di questa donna che ha imparato fin dall’infanzia a nascondere le sue emozioni. “Amy non indosserebbe mai un vestito come questo che ho messo oggi (color rosso fuoco), questi lunghi orecchini o questa acconciatura di capelli all’insú; li considererebbe troppo chiassosi e volgari. Devo dar credito alla incredibile costumista che mi ha dato da indossare abiti molto costosi, ma informi e in colori neutri come il bianco e il beige, il panna e il cammello. Amy voleva vestirsi con questa armatura per nascondere il pensieri pazzoidi che le giravano per la testa. Lo stesso vale per la sua bella casa che aveva disegnato lei, quei pannelli di legno perfettamente spaziati sembrano sereni e molto zen, ma la fanno apparire come intrappolata in una gabbia.”

L’aspetto più entusiasmante delle serie per Ali sono gli elementi della trama da giallo, in cui non sai mai che cosa sta per succedere, e ti senti spaventato ma eccitato allo stesso tempo. Perciò non vi sveliamo il finale per non rovinarvi la sorpresa.

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HAMMER MUSEUM

The Hammer Museum unveiled its new entrance on Sunday March 26, at the corner of Wilshire and Westwood Blvd, with an electronic display featuring a rotation of current exhibits.

Inside the spacious remodeled lobby an expansive art installation of intricately woven red yarn titled “The Network” follows the visitors up the stairs that lead to the inner courtyard and the elevator to the third floor galleries. Artist Chiharu Shiota, born in Osaka, Tokyo in 1972, who lives and works in Berlin, Germany, was inspired by the belief that, according to Japanese mythology, an invisible red thread tied to a baby’s finger at birth binds them to a network of people who will play significant roles in their life.

Another elevator takes you down from the third floor to the lobby of an adjoining building that used to be a bank, at the corner of Glendon Ave, where an immersive installation of green laser beams titled “Particulates” is visible at night from the street through large windows. Artist Rita McBride, born in Des Moines Iowa in 1960, was inspired by time travel, science fiction and quantum physics.

Cruel Youth Diary is an exhibit of Chinese photographs and videos by the generation of artists that created their work after the 1989 violent repression of protests at Tiananmen Square in Bejing. A tryptic of large chromographic prints titled “The First Intellectual” depicts a young man soaked in blood holding a brick ready to attack someone. Photographer Yang Fudong said that he doesn’t know if the problem stems from him or from society and the piece expresses his feelings of impotence and frustration.

Together In Time is the name of a selection of Contemporary Art that the Hammer started acquiring in 2005. A large mural fills the outside wall, it’s the reproduction of a 1973 Black and White photograph by Patssi Valdez, born in East Los Angeles in 1951. In “Portrait of Patssi” the young Mexican-American woman wished to present a glamorous image of herself, and at the same time show how a man would grab her.

The white plaster sculptures by Karon Davis, born in Reno, Nevada in 1977, “Stairway to Heaven” and “Principal Lewis” collectively titled “Game” illustrate how a young student with antlers on her head that mark her as prey walks into school under the watchful eye of the principal, where she may become a victim of gun violence.

Text and photos by Elisa Leonelli

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Lidia Poët

Matilda De Angelis

The Law According to Lidia Poët is an Italian television series streaming on Netflix inspired by the true story of the first female lawyer in Italy. Set in the 1880s in the regal city of Turin in the Piedmont region, that was capital of the Kingdom of Italy from 1861 to 1864, each of the six episodes deals with a fictional murder mystery, brilliantly solved by this fearless young woman, who offers legal representation to the person unjustly accused of the crime and conducts daring investigations to prove their innocence and discover the real culprit.

Despite having been admitted to the bar association, after earning a law degree, Lidia (Matilda De Angelis) is unfairly disbarred and banned from the courtroom, simply because this profession was not deemed suited for a woman at that time in history. She is forced to put aside her pride and ask for her older brother’s help, Enrico (Pierluigi Pasino), since he is also a lawyer, starts working as his assistant, and, short of funds, moves back into their family home, where Enrico lives his wife Teresa (Sara Lazzaro), their teenage daughter Marianne (Sinead Thornhill) and his wife’s brother Jacopo (Eduardo Scarpetta), a journalist.

Sinead Thornhill, Eduardo Scarpetta, Matilda De Angelis, Pier Luigi Pasino, Sara Lazzaro

In real life Lidia Poët, born in 1855, received her degree in Jurisprudence from the University of Turin’s law school in 1881 with a thesis on the condition of women in society and the right to vote for women, in 1883 she brilliantly passed the bar exam after two years of legal internship. Italy’s Attorney General entered a complaint with Turin’s Court of Appeal and three months later her license to practice law was revoked. She filed an appeal with the Supreme Court in Rome, which was rejected in 1884 with this justification among others, that, because of the deficiency of intellectual and physical strength in the female sex, women were excluded from holding public office. Most Italian newspapers and the public supported Lidia’s cause, and she dedicated her life to the movement fighting for women’s rights and gender equality, setting the agenda for the first Women Congress held in Rome in 1908. It was only forty years later in 1920 that Poët was readmitted to the bar at the age of 65 and allowed to legally practice her profession. She died in 1949, after witnessing Italian women earn the right to vote for the first time after the end of World War II, in the June 2, 1946 referendum to decide whether the country should remain a Kingdom or become a Republic.

Matilda De Angelis

Matilda De Angelis (born in Bologna on September 11, 1995) received critical praise for her performance in the movie Veloce come il vento (2016) directed by Matteo Rovere and starring Stefano Accorsi, played the murdered woman in the TV series The Undoing (2020) with Nicole Kidman and Hugh Grant. She said at the press presentation of La legge di Lidia Poët in Turin: “It was an enormous privilege for me to tell Lidia’s story. She made feminist history, and I am glad that we brought to light the life of a woman that is not too well-known. This series is a pretext to really get to know her in more historical depth; even if it’s a work of fiction and fantasy, that spans many genres including romance, it borrows elements from certain details of Poët’s life, born in Turin in 1855 in a family of lawyers. It’s very important to write this kind of story about gender inequality; we let our imagination and empathy fly and the result is a very well-written script. As an actress and as a woman I am flattered when I am given the opportunity to play a character like Lidia, intense and strong, with a big personality. I tried to give her as many facets as possible, make her determined and light at the same time. She is fallible and fragile and this is her most interesting trait.”

Sinead Thornhill, Matilda De Angelis

Producer-director Matteo Rovere introduced the series about Lidia Poët with this description: “It’s the story of an anti-conventional woman in the late 1800s, who shines for her talent, free spirit and personality. Her guiding principle is to be non-conformist, to think outside the box, to rebel against the dominant line of thought and the pre-existing system.”

Matilda De Angelis, Eduardo Scarpetta

This groundbreaking series is not only a celebration of the long-overdue emancipation of women, but cleverly explores historical aspects of turn-of-the-century Italian society such as opium addiction, prostitution, séances, anarchism, class differences, arranged marriages, forbidden lesbian relationships. It presents a heroine who is liberated and sexual, ahead of her time 140 years ago, but frustrated by her second-class position in society, fighting to affirm her right to work at the profession of her choice.

Read article as posted on Golden Globes website, in English and in Italian

P.S. Read about Clara Shortridge Foltz, first woman layer in California

Versione in italiano rimossa dal nuovo sito Golden Globes Novembre 2023

LA LEGGE DI LIDIA POÉT. LA PRIMA AVVOCATA D’ITALIA
Di Elisa Leonelli

La legge di Lidia Poët è una serie televisiva italiana in onda su Netflix ispirata alla storia vera della prima donna avvocato in Italia. Ambientata a fine Ottocento nella regale città di Torino in Piemonte, che era stata capitale del Regno d’Italia dal 1861 al 1864, ciascuno dei sei episodi tratta di un misterioso omicidio, brillantemente risolto da questa impavida giovane, che si offre di rappresentare come legale la persona ingiustamente accusata del delitto e svolge audaci indagini per dimostrare la loro innocenza e scoprire il vero colpevole.

Nonostante fosse stata ammessa all’albo degli avvocati, dopo essersi laureata in legge, Lidia (Matilda De Angelis) viene ingiustamente cancellata dall’albo e bandita dal tribunale, semplicemente perché questa professione non era considerata adatta per una donna in quel periodo storico. Si trova quindi costretta a mettere da parte l’orgoglio e chiedere l’aiuto del fratello maggiore, Enrico (Pierluigi Pasino), dato che anche lui fa l’avvocato, inizia a lavorare come sua assistente, e, squattrinata, si trasferisce nella casa di famiglia, dove Enrico abita con la moglie Teresa (Sara Lazzaro), la figlia adolescente Marianne (Sinead Thornhill) e il fratello della moglie (Eduardo Scarpetta), un giornalista.

Nella realtà Lidia Poët, nata nel 1855, si laureò in Giurisprudenza presso la facoltà di diritto della università di Torino nel 1881, con una tesi sulla condizione femminile nella società e sul diritto di voto per le donne, nel 1883 superò brillantemente l’esame di ammissione all’ordine degli avvocati, dopo due anni di praticantato. Il procuratore generale del Regno impugnò la decisione ricorrendo alla Corte d’Appello di Torino e tre mesi dopo le fu revocato il permesso di esercitare l’avvocatura. Lei presentò un ricorso alla Corte di Cassazione, che fu respinto nel 1884 con questa giustificazione fra le altre, che “la naturale riservatezza del sesso, la sua indole, la fisica cagionevolezza e la deficienza di adeguate forze intellettuali e morali, quali la fermezza, la severità, la costanza impediscono alle donne di occuparsi di affari pubblici”. La maggioranza dei quotidiani italiani e il pubblico sostennero la sua causa, e Lidia dedicò la sua vita al movimento per difendere i diritti della donna e la parità di genere, contribuendo al programma del Primo Congresso delle donne italiane tenutosi a Roma nel 1908. Morì nel 1949 dopo aver visto le donne conquistare il diritto di votare per la prima volta, dopo la fine della seconda guerra mondiale, nel referendum istituzionale del 2 giugno 1946, per decidere se il paese sarebbe rimasto una monarchia o diventato una repubblica.

Matilda De Angelis (nata a Bologna l’11 Settembre 1995) ricevette buone critiche per il suo ruolo nel film Veloce come il vento (2016) regia di Matteo Rovere con Stefano Accorsi, interpretò la donna assassinata nella serie televisiva The Undoing – Le verità non dette (2020) con Nicole Kidman e Hugh Grant. Ha dichiarato alla presentazione stampa di La legge di Lidia Poët a Torino: “«È stato un enorme privilegio per me poter raccontare la figura di Lidia, che ha fatto la storia del femminismo. Sono molto contenta che venga portata alla luce la vita di una donna ancora troppo poco conosciuta. Questa serie è un pretesto per conoscerla davvero, in maniera più approfondita e storica, anche se si tratta di un prodotto di finzione e di fantasia, che parte da alcuni dettagli della vita di Poët, e poi si allarga su molti generi, incluso il romance. È molto importante che vengano scritte storie come questa, sulla disparità di genere; abbiamo volato di immaginazione ed empatia, il risultato è una serie scritta molto bene. Da attrice, da donna, sono lusingata quando mi viene data la possibilità di interpretare personaggi come Lidia, pieno di carattere, di intensità e di forza. Ho cercato di darle più sfumature possibili, di renderla determinata e leggera allo stesso tempo, è una donna fallibile e fragile ed è proprio questo il suo tratto più interessante.”

Il regista e produttore Matteo Rovere ha detto per introdurre La legge di Lidia Poët: “È il racconto di una donna anticonvenzionale, nata nel tardo Ottocento, che già brilla per talento, spirito libero e personalità. Il suo credo è essere anticonformista, non adeguarsi alle opinioni comuni, aggirare la norma, pensare fuori dagli schemi, ribellarsi al pensiero dominante e al sistema preesistente.”

Questa serie innovatrice non è solo è un inno alla emancipazione delle donne, ma esplora anche astutamente aspetti storici della società di fine secolo come l’assuefazione all’oppio, le sedute spiritiche, gli anarchici, le differenze di classe, i matrimoni combinati, le relazioni lesbiche clandestine. Presenta una eroina liberata e sensuale, all’avanguardia 140 anni fa, ma frustrata dalla sua posizione subordinata nella società, che lotta per il suo diritto di lavorare nella professione di sua scelta.

 

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Santa Barbara Film Festival

The 38th edition of the Santa Barbara Film Festival took place from February 8 to 18 offering movie screenings and celebrity tributes.
Receiving variously named awards for their performances and participating in conversations were Angela Bassett for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever directed by Ryan Coogler, Cate Blanchett for Tár written and directed by Todd Field, Jamie Lee Curtis for Everything Everywhere All at Once, Brendan Fraser for The Whale by Darren Aronovsky, Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson for The Banshees of Inisherin written and directed by Martin McDonagh.

Virtuoso Award. Photo by Tibrina Hobson/Getty Images for SBIFF

During a signature evening at the Arlington Theater eight actors were interviewed individually then sat on the stage together and answered questions.

Austin Butler, who portrayed Elvis Presley in Elvis directed by Baz Luhrmann, mentioned his shyness: “I was a very introverted kid, I would go to a restaurant with my mom, I would whisper what I wanted and she would order it for me. Then I stumbled into being a a set and suddenly something sparked in me, this feeling as though I had found my tribe.” The challenges of playing the legendary singer: “It was walking that tightrope of wanting to find his humanity as much as I possibly could, but not losing his physical mannerisms and those sorts of things that give you the essence of Elvis.” And his goal: “I wanted to do justice to this man, to his family and to the fans around the world who love him.”

Kerry Condon, who played Colin Farrell’s sister in The Banshees of Inisherin, confessed how she felt as the only woman in a set full of men: “I’m quite tomboyish, so at first I wasn’t aware of that, but it was a bit lonely, because as a girl you can’t hang out with the fellows, so you can’t have a laugh in the same way. But I didn’t mind because there’s strength in solitude, and that was great to learn.”

Jeremy Pope, who played a queer Black man facing homophobia at a Marines boot camp in The Inspection based on the real life experience of director Elegance Bratton, revealed: “This movie changed me in a very real way. It started bringing up some ugly and honest truths about myself that I hadn’t dealt with, so it was a healing process.”

Nina Hoss, who played a violinist married to the orchestra conductor in Tár, detailed how she found her character: “Sharon was a bit of a mystery to me, because she is a very accomplished musician, in a powerful position, but she’s a woman who loses the partner of her life. When we started working on the Fifth Symphony by Gustav Mahler, an incredible piece that takes you through all the emotions you could possibly have in life, I learned about his wife Alma, and I thought, ‘Who is this woman who wants to be with a genius?’ That’s Sharon.”

Danielle Deadwyler, who played Mamie Till, mother of the murdered 14-year-old boy in Till directed by Chinoye Chukwu, was glad that the movie served its purpose to educate audiences about the Emmett Till story. “That’s the beauty of award season, it has given us the opportunity to share the goals, the intentions of our film. Mamie wanted to continue to spread the joy of Emmett, to talk about what happened. So that’s nothing but a win in every sense of the word.”

Ke Huy Quan, who played Michelle Yeoh’s husband in Everything Everywhere All at Once, explained: “I grew up in a culture where I had to internalize my feelings and hide the struggles, so I never shared it with anybody. And when I was offered this role, I knew immediately what I had to do, I had to be honest with myself and open up, pull my entire life into this character, who is not afraid to be vulnerable, to be perceived as weak.”

Stephanie Hsu, who played Michelle Yeoh’s daughter, praised the working environment created by “incredible filmmakers” Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert, writer-directors of Everything Everywhere All at Once. “The Daniels surround themselves with strong-headed women, myself included. We brought an inherent knowing of a very specific mother-daughter relationship, as first generation immigrants, complicated, beautiful, messy, with love so deep.”

Jeremy Strong, who played the director’s father in the autobiographical Armageddon Time written and directed by James Gray, stated: “D.H. Lawrence said that the work of every true artist is the salvation of every other and I always find it to be true. So it’s incredible to be here being honored with these remarkable actors doing truly virtuosic work.”

To a question as to what celebrities they would like to be married to in a movie, Butler replied Marlon Brando, Quan chose Tom Cruise, Condon mentioned James Gandolfini, Hoss said that she couldn’t betray her wife Cate Blanchett, Pope and Hsu both selected Deadwyler.

At the end these talented actors were handed the Virtuoso award by Jane Lynch.

You may watch the entire event at this link
Read here this article as published on the Golden Globes website

Text by Elisa Leonelli
Photos by Tibrina Hobson and Rebecca Sapp/Getty Images. Courtesy of SBIFF

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Judy Baca at Geffen

Triumph of the Hearts by Judith Baca

On Sunday we visited MOCA Geffen in Little Tokyo to experience the amazing exhibit World Wall: A Vision of the Future Without Fear. Conceived by Judy Baca, this series of nine large murals created between 1987 and 2014 stems from the idea that to achieve world peace we must be able to envision it. Four of the nine 10-by-30 feet canvas panels were painted by Baca.

Nonviolent Resistance by Judith BacaNonviolent Resistance depicts people linking arms as a peaceful method for stopping war.

Triumph of the Hands by Judith BacaTriumph of the Hands illustrates how we can liberate ourselves from the money machine of war.

Triumph of the Hearts by Judith BacaTriumph of the Hearts shows the faces of four women shedding tears and holding candles to light the way of a young man running towards the light.

Balance by Judith BacaBalance offers a vision of harmony between humans and the earth.

Five additional murals were created by international artists, from Russia, Israel and Palestine, Finland, Mexico and Canada.
The Inuit Send the World a Canary presents the hopeful vision that the environment devastated by the extraction of oil can flourish again.

Inuit Send the World a CanaryYou will find longer explanations in captions in front of the panels and in the printed catalogue.

A 2022 exhibit at the Getty Museum included sketches for the 1984 Olympic mural by Baca Hitting the Wall showing a female runner reaching the finish line. The Getty held a live conversation with Baca that I watched on zoom. Here’s the link.

For more information about the work of this artist, please read my article about the Judy Baca Retrospective at MOOLA, Museum of Latin American Art in Long Beach.

Text and photos by Elisa Leonelli

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Santa Claus in LA

Elisa Leonelli as Santa Claus

After living in Los Angeles for a few years, in December 1978, I decided to photograph a self-portrait series of myself dressed as Santa Claus to show how different Christmas looked in this metropolis on the Pacific Ocean where it never snows.  
The photo essay was published in the French photography magazine ZOOM. 
Read below what I wrote in 1979 to explain the photographs.
I remember this today, Christmas 2022, when it’s 80 degrees and sunny in LA, and I am walking on the beach.  

Happy Holidays everyone, wherever you are, wishing for Peace on Earth.

The Santa Claus figure is the symbol of Christmas in most parts of the world, but nowhere is it so pervasive as in the United States. Here he is not only a character from a fairy tale, that children dream about and hope to see some day.  Everyone has a chance, at Xmas time, to meet Santa Claus and get a picture taken with him. There is a plethora of these red costumed figures walking around.  Businesses, stores and institutions rent costumes and beards and hire unemployed actors to impersonate the old fellow.  They hope to show their goodwill, get the people into the Christmas spirit, and sell more merchandise.  In the country where fairy tales come true Santa Claus is a physical presence, the guy next door.
As Xmas approached last year, I, an Italian photographer living in Los Angeles (L.A.), was trying to figure a way to get into the Xmas spirit, so I decided to become Santa Claus. I went to a toy store, bought a Santa Claus costume, and put it on.  With cameras and tripod I set out to the streets to take pictures of him (me) in L.A.
People from Europe and from the East Coast often complain that it doesn’t feel like Christmas in Los Angeles, because there is no snow, but actually I found out that there couldn’t be a more perfect setting for Santa Claus.  The fairy tale character comes alive in a city that looks like a fairy tale dream come true.  The gingerbread houses, the Disneyland-like parks, the art-deco buildings, the bright colors – Santa Claus is at home in L.A.

You may view the entire series in the Elisa Leonelli, Photojournalist Collection at this link

In 1982 I asked a friend to wear the Santa Claus outfit, so I could photograph more images in a similar vein, without having to use a tripod and self-timer, as I had done in 1978, when I was photographing myself.  See that series at this link

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Il Boemo

Il Boemo tells the life story of an 18th century composer who traveled from Prague to Venice, Italy in 1763 at the age of 25 to pursue his dream of creating music and succeeded. His name being Josef Mysliveček, which was difficult to pronounce, he was nicknamed “il Boemo” by the Italians, meaning a man from Bohemia, a historical kingdom now part of the Czech Republic.

Vojtěch Dyk-Il Boemo

Czech director Petr Vaclav had already made a 2015 documentary about the subject, Confession of the Vanished, where he employed voice-over narration to express the composer’s reflections on his own life. With this feature film Vaclav fulfilled his own dream of giving a full bodied interpretation of the life of this tall and handsome stranger, played by Czech singer Vojtěch Dyk, through fabulous period costumes and settings, wonderful opera performances, imagined love relationships with various noblewomen who furthered the composer’s career and inspired his music.

Vojtěch Dyk, Lana Vlady-Il Boemo

Several historical figures intersected with il Boemo, from music teacher Giovanni Pescetti, who also taught Antonio Salieri, Mozart’s teacher, to coloratura soprano Caterina Gabrielli (Barbara Ronchi), who sang in his operas Il Bellerofonte, commissioned by the Teatro San Carlo in Naples in 1767, and in the 1778 L’Olimpiade.

Barbara Ronchi-Caterina Gabrielli

The film depicts Mysliveček’s first meeting with a 14-year-old Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and his father Leopold, that took place in Bologna in 1770, where the young Austrian prodigy asked for advice from the 33-year-old veteran on how to please Italian audiences.
A later scene set in 1778 shows how Queen Maria Carolina, married to Ferdinand, King of Naples, sister of Maria Antoinette, Queen of France, dismissed the suggestion of offering a opera commission to Mozart, “that vagabond, who runs across the globe, instead of serving my mother,” Austrian Empress Maria Theresa.
The film starts from the end, when il Boemo dies in Rome in 1781 at the age of 43, after a long battle with syphilis. A bitter Leopold Mozart wrote to his son that he blamed the Bohemian composer’s misfortune on “his despicable lifestyle.” Ironically Mysliveček was celebrated in his lifetime, then quickly forgotten, while Mozart, who also died young of an illness at the age of 35, became much more famous after his death and is still considered one of the great musicians of all time.
Petr Vaclav said of Mysliveček in the EPK: “He achieved self-fulfillment, and he left behind his music which still speaks to us even after 240 years of oblivion.” It was through a new production of L’Olimpiade conducted by Václav Luks in 2013, that the director became convinced of the exceptional talent of this musician that he felt deserved to be rediscovered.
The word “Bohemian” also means a person with artistic or literary interests who disregards conventional standards of behavior, and it certainly applies to this man, who defied his father’s expectations that his son would run the family mill, in order to pursue his true calling of becoming a music composer.

Read here the version without weblinks as published on the Golden Globes website.

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Martin Scorsese

Martin Scorsese (c) Elisa Leonelli 1999

In my long career as a journalist I interviewed masterful Italian-American director Martin Scorsese multiple times.
In 1986 I interviewed and photographed him and Tom Cruise about The Color of Money.

Martin Scorsese (c) Elisa Leonelli 1986

In 1990 an interview I wrote about Goodfellas was the cover story of Venice, Los Angeles Arts and Entertainment Magazine, where I served as Film Editor from 1990 to 1999.
In 1992 I wrote an article about Cape Fear for the Italian film monthly CIAK as their Los Angeles Correspondent from 1987 to 1994.
In 1993, while studying for a Master Degree in Critical Studies at USC’s School of Cinematic Arts, I wrote a paper on The Age of Innocence. You can find it on academia.edu.
In 2014 I selected portraits to add to the HFPA Archives from the negatives of the very first interview Scorsese gave to the Hollywood Foreign Press in 1976 with Robert DeNiro for Taxi Driver.
In 2017 I wrote an interview with Scorsese about Silence for the Italian magazine Best Movie as their Los Angeles Correspondent since 2005.

Martin Scorsese (c) Armando Gallo-HFPA 2019

In 2020 I quoted Scorsese and Robert De Niro about The Irishmen in my article Mafia in the Movies for Cultural Weekly.
In 2022 I wrote a post of archival quotes to celebrate Scorsese’s 80th birthday for the Golden Globes website.

Happy Birthday Marty!

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Bette Midler

BETTE MIDLER. Photo (c) by Elisa Leonelli 1988

Bette Midler is back as one of the three witches in the sequel to Halloween’s cult classic Hocus Pocus (1993) co-starring Sarah Jessica Parker and Kathy Najimy, streaming on Disney+
Read at this link my article of archival quotes from the movie For the Boys, and my 2020 profile, both published on the Golden Globes website.
Read here my 2020 article on the Kipper Kids and Bette Midler from Cultural Daily.

BETTE MIDLER. Photo (c) by Elisa Leonelli 1988

See above one of the portraits that I photographed after a 1988 Hollywood Foreign Press interview about Beaches.

Elisa Leonelli with Bette Midler (c) HFPA 1988

I just love Bette Midler, don’t you?

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Tilda Swinton

 

Tilda Swinton (c) HFPA 2016

Tilda Swinton is the striking Scottish actress who worked with filmmakers like Derek Jarman (Caravaggio 1986, etc), Sally Potter (Orlando 1992), Jim Jarmusch (Broken Flowers 2005, Only Lovers Left Alive 2013), the Coen Bros (Burn After Reading 2008, Hail, Caesar! 2016) ), Luca Guadagnino (I Am Love 2009, A Bigger Splash 2015, Suspiria 2018), Wes Anderson (Moonrise Kingdom 2012, The Grand Budapest Hotel 2014, The French Dispatch 2021).

Tilda Swinton (c) HFPA 2011

The three-times Golden Globe nominee also acted in movies like Michael Clayton (2007) with George Clooney, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008) with Brad Pitt, The Personal History of David Copperfield (2019) with Dev Patel. As a journalist in the Hollywood Foreign Press, I interviewed her many times through the years.

Tilda Swinton (c) HFPA 2018

Please click here to read the archival post I wrote for the Golden Globes website about her playing the White Witch in The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (2005) and click here for my article about Three Thousand Years of Longing (2022) directed by George Miller.

You may read below a version with weblinks, if you wish to look up more information about the historical and literary references.

Three Thousand Year of Longing, that premiered at the Cannes Film Festival, is directed by George Miller from the 1994 short story The Djinn in the Nightingale’s Eye by A.S. Byatt, the British author of novels like Possession (1990) that was made into a 2002 film by Neil Labute starring Gwyneth Paltrow.
Golden Globe nominee George Miller, Australian director of Mad Max (1979), The Road Warrior (1981), Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome (1985) starring Mel Gibson, and Mad Max: Fury Road (2015) with Charlize Theron, is currently filming Furiosa with Ann Taylor-Joy.
He liked the story, Miller said in the production notes, because “it seemed to probe many of the mysteries and paradoxes of life so succinctly.”

Tilda Swinton-Three Thousand Years of Longing (c) MGM

The movie, set in the present day during the COVID-19 pandemic, is about a British narratologist played by Tilda Swinton, specialized in interpreting fairy-tale stories through the ages, speaking at a conference in Istanbul, who purchases an antique glass bottle in a bazaar and while cleaning it, like from Aladdin’s lamp, she unleashes a giant dark Genie, a Djinn, played by Idris Elba.
The unlikely couple, wearing white bathrobes in a hotel room, start a conversation in Greek, before he learns to speak the English language, whereby he explains that among the three wishes he offers her in exchange for his freedom there can’t be that of eternal life, because she’s a mortal while he’s an immortal, nor can he end all suffering. When she refuses to name her deepest wishes, he then proceeds to tell her in flashback the story of his life over three millennia, including his friendship with the Arabian Queen of Sheba, wife of King Solomon from the Hebrew Bible, and his residence at the court of Suleiman the Magnificent, Sultan of the Ottoman empire.
The film transports us visually into a magical Islamic world out of the Arabian Nights, the collection of 1001 Middle Eastern folktales as told by Scheherazade, and illustrates the passionate and tragic love of the genie for three women through the centuries.

Tilda Swinton, George Miller, Idris Elba (c) Elise Lockwood-MGM

Elba said to press in Cannes:”I never considered the genie as a hero. Actually, he’s quite a flawed spirit in his longing. But when he meets Alithea, he is brave, he realizes that his normal procedure to grant wishes is not going to work here, so he begins to take bravery on and face his inner turmoil. We tried to make him as human as possible in a real situation, but he is transporting the audience into these fantastical stories on his journey. There’s a sense of heightened reality when you look at Sheba’s world, at Solomon’s beautiful musical instrument and these magical creatures, but it’s all part of his reality.”
Swinton explains in the notes that her intelligent character, Alithea, “is tracing the many different human stories all over this earth, figuring out similarities, the through lines, the essential truths. She has all this knowledge, she is a specialist in being an observer, listening to, reading, understanding, writing about other people’s lives, stories and fantasies, but she’s not really a participant.” And from her relationship with the genie, “she learns about desire, and that’s her evolution.”
Miller’s daughter, Augusta Gore, who co-wrote the script with her father (he was married to her mother Sandy form 1985 to 1992), said to the press in Cannes about the film: “It’s about the interplay between science and myth, between technology and magic, between the ideas of immortality and what it means to live a mortal life, with love, desire and fear and what we go through all the time.”
The film version omits the stories told by Alithea in the novella, such as that of Patient Griselda from The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer. It does include her realization that, after her husband left her for a younger woman, the middle-aged professor felt happiness like “a prisoner coming out of a dungeon.” When she finally expresses her first wish, the movie evolves into a woman’s fantasy of timeless romantic love.

When asked by the press in Cannes about what his three wishes would be, Miller said: “The whole point in making wishes is that they must be earned in some way. It’s one thing to want to end the turmoil and the chaos of life that we are seeing all around and is part of our human narrative. But it’s another thing to effectively do something about it. The heroic figures are the agents of change, but it requires that people relinquish their self-interest for the greater good. That’s the heroic gesture.”

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Roberta Colindrez and baseball

It will be a pleasure to watch Roberta Colindrez play Latina pitcher Lupe García in the TV series A League of Their Own based on the 1992 movie by the same title directed by Penny Marshall. Her casting, as well of that of Chanté Adams, who played the author in A Journal for Jordan (2021) directed by Denzel Washington, signals increased commitment to inclusivity on the part of Hollywood studios.
I had been a fan of this queer actress since seeing her in I Love Dick (2017) by Joey Soloway, then in season two and three of the Latinx series Vida set in the Boyle Heights neighborhood of Los Angeles, so I asked for a one-on-one interview, and wrote it up in two different articles for Cultural Weekly (now Cultural Daily) and for the Golden Globes website. Click on red links to read.
When Penny Marshall passed in 2018, I wrote an obituary for the Golden Globes website and an article for Cultural Weekly where I quoted a review of her 1992 movie A League of Their Own that I wrote for Venice, Los Angeles Arts and Entertainment Magazine, where I served as Film Editor from 1990 to 1999.
As a teenage girl who played professional volleyball in Italy in the 1960s, I learned to appreciate the character-building value of playing team sports from my father, Enzo Leonelli, founder, player and coach of the Minelli team from Modena, Italian volleyball champion in the 1950s.
I wrote in 1992: “A League of Their Own is a reflection on the true value of sports, which should be an affirmation of individual abilities in the context of a healthy competitive environment, where camaraderie and team spirit prevail.  It reminds us of why baseball continues to have such an important role in the formation of our American and human values; especially now, when children of all races and colors are finally allowed to play the sport together, boys and girls alike, without sex bias, since Little League Baseball has been integrated.”

Elisa Leonelli with Geena Davis (c) HFPA

This week I wrote an archival post quoting Geena Davis saying to HFPA journalists in 1992 that women should be allowed to play baseball again, as they did from 1943 to 1954 in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League.
Davis played the lead in the movie, a role played by co-creator Abbi Jacobson in the TV series. She is the writer-comedian co-creator of the comedy series Broad City (2014-2019).
I am looking forward to the contemporary angle on this chapter of women’s history that the TV series will present. In the meantime you may watch the trailer here.
Key art courtesy of Amazon Studios

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Gentleman Jack

The most interesting aspect of the fashion in the BBC series Gentleman Jack, that just aired its second season on HBO, are the style choices made by costume designer Tom Pye for actress Suranne Jones, playing 19th century lesbian landowner Anne Lister, master of Shibden Hall in Halifax, West Yorkshire. Pye had designed the costumes for a TV movie also created by Sally Wainwright, To Walk Invisible (2016) about the Brontë sisters.

Suranne Jones as Anne Lister- Photograph by Aimee Spinks/HBO

The work of the costume department was complemented by the hair and makeup team led by Lin Davie.

Albane Courtois as Eugénie Pierre, Suranne Jones as Anne Lister (c) Matt Squire/HBO

As detailed in the title sequence of each episode that shows Miss Lister getting dressed, she wore a corset, as women did in 1832 England, and ankle-length skirts, however she copied the man’s clothing style for items like shirts, vests, ties, jackets, overcoats and hats.

Amelia Bullmore as Eliza Priestley, Peter Davison as William Priestley (c) Matt Squire/HBO

See the contrast in the men and women clothes worn by Eliza Priestley (Amelia Bullmore) in a lace bonnet and her husband William Priestley (Peter Davison) in a man’s overcoat.

Suranne Jones as Anne Lister- Photograph by Aimee Spinks/HBO

Suranne Jones as Anne Lister-Photograph by Aimee Spinks/HBO

Suranne Jones as Anne Lister-Photograph by James Stack/HBO

Lister wore mostly black outfits, and favored military references in her clothing, but occasionally sported feminine gowns for dressy occasions, such as the white dress with large epaulettes and birds-of-paradise feathers in her hair.

Suranne Jones as Anne Lister, Sophie Rundle as Ann Walker (c) Aimee Spinks/HBO

Sophie Rundle as Ann Walker-Photograph by Aimee Spinks/HBO

Gemma Whelan as Marianne Lister-Photograph by Aimee Spinks/HBO

Gemma Jones as Aunt Anne Lister-Photograph by Aimee Spinks/HBO

Lydia Leonard as Marianna Lawton-Photograph by Aimee Spinks/HBO

See the women styles of the period for Lister’s companion, Ann Walker, (Sophie Rundle), her sister Marian (Gemma Whelan), her Aunt (Gemma Jones), her former lover Marianna Lawton (Lydia Leonard).

Albane Courtois as Eugénie Pierre-Photograph by Aimee Spinks/HBO

See also how a woman from the servant class dressed, Lister’s French maid Albaine Courtois (Eugénie Pierre).

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WILLEM DAFOE

WILLEM DAFOE. photo by Elisa Leonelli (c) 1988

In my long career as entertainment journalist, I interviewed Willem Dafoe numerous times during the past 40 years, and I always liked him. This year I noticed his engaging performances in four movies. He was directed for the sixth time by Paul Schrader (after Light Sleeper, Affliction, Auto Focus, The Walker, Adam Resurrected) in The Card Counter with Oscar Isaac. He said: “Paul and I share a similar interest in marginal characters who have a unique perspective on the world.” He had a cameo in The French Dispatch by Wes Anderson, who had directed him in The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou and The Grand Budapest Hotel. He played the carnival impresario in Nightmare Alley directed by Guillermo del Toro with Bradley Cooper and Cate Blanchett. He returned as Norman Osborn/Green Goblin in Spider-Man: No Way Home, having played the Marvel villain in Spider-Man directed by Sam Raimi with Tobey Maguire as Peter Parker.

WILLEM DAFOE (c) Elisa Leonelli 1988

So I decided to feature him on the Golden Globes website in my monthly column of historic quotes from the HFPA Archives, as he talked about playing Jesus in The Last Temptation of Christ by Martin Scorsese. Click here to read. 1988 was the year that I took some photographic portraits after the interview.
In 2018 I had written his profile when the journalists of the Hollywood Foreign Press nominated him to his third Golden Globe for playing Vincent van Gogh in At Eternity’s Gate by Julian Schnabel with Oscar Isaac as Paul Gaugin.

Elisa Leonelli, Willem Dafoe (c) HFPA 2002

I love it that he appreciates my country’s lifestyle: “The Italians are geniuses at balancing work and leisure. The culture is integrated into everybody’s life in a way that I really admire, not just in the performing arts and visual arts, but in a sense of cultural history and fine cuisine. So it’s a good life.”

Text and photos by Elisa Leonelli

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Judy Baca retrospective

We visited the Judy Baca retrospective at MOLAA, the Museum of Latin American Art in Long Beach, Memorias de Nuestra Tierra (Memories of Our Land).

Dance of the Land by Judy Baca, 2009

Against the colored walls, the painting Dance of the Land above literally seems to move with the swirling of the Mexican dancers.

The Birth of the Vision of the Heart by Judy Baca, 2021

I was aware of some of the work of the Chicana muralist and activist, but it was amazing to be able to see in detail the numerous panels of the Great Wall of Los Angeles, a half mile long mural painted by over 400 youths and 100 scholars from 1976 to 1983 and still standing in the San Fernando Valley. As they were rolling around the walls via several overhead projectors, we could see brightly colored illustrations of the history of California from prehistoric times to the 1950s. I cannot begin to describe the depth and breadth of this enormous undertaking, so I urge you to go experience the immersive audiovisual installation it for yourselves at MOLAA.

Thirteen Women in the Volcanic Eruption by Judy Baca, 2021

The most stunning piece was a two-sided tryptic in the Womanist Gallery, When God Was A Woman, inspired by the 1976 book by Merlin Stone. On one side is The Birth of the Vision of the Heart, on the reverse, that a museum employee kindly rotated for us when we asked, is Thirteen Women in the Volcanic Eruption.

Judith Baca as La Pachuca, by Donna Deitch

A series of Black and White portraits of Baca as a Pachuca from the 1940s was photographed by Donna Deitch.

Las Tres Marias by Judy Baca, 1976

A full length colorized version was one of the panels of the 1976 performance piece Las Tres Marias, recreated for the exhibit as Las Tres Forever.

Josephina: Ofrenda to the Domestic Worker by Judy Baca, 1993

Another colorized Black and White photo, Josefina: Ofrenda to the Domestic Worker, 1993, honors the work of Latina cleaning ladies in Los Angeles. It has votive candles in front and it’s flanked by Pancho sculptures, ceramic figurines of Mexican men dozing under sombreros, of which we see many examples reimagined by Baca in the next gallery.

Dolores Huerta, Cesar Chavez, Mahatma Gandhi by Judy Baca

In this third gallery we saw paintings of the holy trinity of Dolores Huerta, Cesar Chavez and Mahatma Gandhi.

Street vendor cart by Judy Baca

A street vendor’s juice cart as you see in Mexico stood in the middle, with paintings of immigrant field workers.

Painting by Judy Baca

I am not sure, since I did not read the caption, but I assume this is a painting of the artist’s grandma, Francisca.  On her website Judith Francisca Baca says that her grandmother was an indigenous woman, so she knew since she was a child that there was an intelligence to living things and to the earth that nurtured them.

For more information, I suggest you explore the Judy Baca website, read this art review and click on the other links.

Text and photos by Elisa Leonelli

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Novelties on Robertson

This week I took a couple of daytime walks on South Robertson Blvd between Cattaraugus and Cadillac, the borders our Reynier Village Neighborhood.

Eyes Peeled Coffee

Twice I stopped by Eyes Peeled Coffee, at 2839.  The first time I spoke to owner Gavy, and promised to list their place in the Restaurant page of our Reynier Village Blog, the second time it was right after Hamilton High students had come out of school at 3.30pm and a bunch of girls were mobbing the counter asking for Acai bowls. They were not available yet, but they will be starting Friday October 22, so I plan to go back a third time to sample this novelty, never before available in Reynier Village.

Fred’s Bakery

I noticed the pastel colored wrought iron tables and chair outside at Fred’s Bakery at 2831.

Undergrind Cafe

I walked into Undergrind Cafe, at 2713, all decorated for Halloween, and saw that they are now selling T-shirts and sweatshirts.

Carvd Barbershop

I peeked into Carvd barbershop, at 2515, owner Martin was busy with a customer so I did not bother him. But I did spend time at Ivan Gallery at 27o1 chatting with my friend Barbara Mendes, who is always busy drawing and painting, now working on a second Queen of Cosmos Comix book, this time in full color.

Barbara Mendes-Ivan Gallery

More shops are getting close to opening for business, so why don’t you take a walk and check out our wonderful Great Street?
Read a list of Robertson Businesses, New on Robertson and more posts on this blog.

Text and photos by Elisa Leonelli

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Wende Museum

Yesterday I decided to visit the Wende Museum of the Cold War in Culver City, that I had heard about when it first opened in 2018, but had been closed for months due to the pandemic lockdown.

Wende Museum. Painting by Alisa Keegan

The word Wende in German means change or turning point and it refers to the fall of the Berlin wall in November 1989, and the reunification of Germany in October 1990.
Housed in the Armory building on Culver Blvd West of Overland, and across from the Senior Center, this collection of artifacts and personal histories from East Germany and other Eastern European countries (Poland, Hungary, Czechoslovakia, Romania, Bulgaria) during the Soviet era, offers a glance at everyday life in communist countries dominated by Russia from 1945 to 1991.
The backdrop painted by Alisa Keegan depicts landmarks of cities of the Eastern Bloc like Moscow and Saint Petersburg (USSR), Dresden and East Berlin (GDR), Warsaw (Poland) and Prague (Czechoslovakia).

You see paintings and sculptures of Vladimir Lenin, leader of the Bolshevik Revolution and head of the Soviet government from 1917 to 1924.
After the defeat of Germany in World War II, the Allied powers, Great Britain, France, the United States and the Soviet Union, agreed to split the country into four zones, which became two in 1949, West Germany (Federal Republic of Germany-FRG) and East Germany (German Democratic Republic-GDR). The capital city of Berlin, located inside the Soviet occupied zone, was similarly split in two, a wall was erected around West Berlin on August 12, 1961 to prevent East Berliners to escape to a more desirable life in the West.

Wende Museum. Lenin Bust. East Germany 1989.

Here’s a Lenin bust spray painted in pastel colors during the anti-Berlin Walls protest of 1989.  I visited Berlin myself in 1983 and passed through heavy security at Checkpoint Charlie to explore East Berlin. I photographed the brick wall covered with graffiti.

Wende Museum. In the Meadows. USSR 1967

In the Meadows,  a Soviet painting from the 1960s celebrates women marching into the fields to fulfill their socialist duty, like the men who marched off to World War II.

Wende Museum. Tractor Girl. Hungary 1951.

A 1951 painting by a Hungarian artist Béla Czene of a woman driving a tractor. Lenin, like Marx and Engels, fought for the emancipation of women.

Wende Museum. Art by Jules Muck

In November 2019 the Wende Museum held a Teen Night, commemorating the 30th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, with artist Jules Muck.

I found this museum unexpectedly moving and cheerful, with its open layout, bright natural light and a lovely garden. I took some photograph to entice you to explore it on your own, they also offer guided tours at 1pm on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. Admission is free and they have a parking lot.

I was so intrigued by that large mural backdrop and other paintings and sculptures that I went back twice to collect more information and ask questions. Then I updated this post.

My friend Rick Meghiddo wrote an article about the Wende Museum for Cultural Daily, read it here.

Text and photos by Elisa Leonelli

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Eat on Washington

Pizza at Coop

After receiving in the mail a $15 off discount if you spent $30, I visited again the Santa Monica Coop at 8770 Washington Blvd and National. I had featured this place when it first opened in a post about Food Markets. I found it to be as good as always, minus the great salad bar, that is no longer allowed after Covid-19. They have many hot food choices like pizza and soups, cold dishes like sushi and sandwiches, and lovely areas with tables, so you may eat lunch right there.

Bianca Bakery

Parking is free or one and a half hour, no validation needed, so I walked one block west to the Platform, I found open for indoor and outdoor dining the new restaurants featured in this blog, like Roberta and Margot. Loqui is small, so only takeout is available, but their fabulous large tacos are worth it. I walked across the street and bought a tasty ham and cheese croissant at Bianca Bakery. This Italian restaurant is open for breakfast and lunch from 9am to 3pm, and for dinner from 5 to 9pm.

Text and photos by Elisa Leonelli

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Mural Mile

Pacoima’s Art Revolution by Levi Ponce

Inspired by an article on LA Muralists on LAist, we spent Mother’s Day walking along Mural Mile on Van Nuys Blvd in Pacoima to photograph murals that we liked (when the light was right and we had access).

Frida Kahlo by Levi Ponce

Virgen of Guadalupe by Hector Ponze

They were the art work of muralists like Kristy Sandoval, Levi Ponce and his father Héctor Ponce, who is from El Salvador, with themes like the actor Danny Treio, who is from Pacoima, a Mona Lisa wearing a sombrero, Frida Kahlo and the Virgen of Guadalupe.

Danny Trejo by Levi Ponce

We then had a tasty lunch of quesadilla al pastor and pork ribs in green salsa at Sabor a la Mexicana. It was a good day.

Without Boundaries by Sarah Ackerley and Levi Ponce

Text and photos by Elisa Leonelli

P.S. We could not enter the locked gate and photograph this lovely mural

Decolonizing by Kristy Sandoval

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New on Robertson

Merit-LA, 2360 S Robertson
During one of my daily walks for exercise around the neighborhood, now that gyms and pools are closed, today I explored Robertson Blvd, South of Beverlywood Street. I noticed that the showroom of Merit-LA furniture at 2326 had greatly expanded, it was brightly lit by several doors and windows, it displayed a variety of beautiful items including a pool table Across the street a showroom and workshop of motorcycles, motorized bicycles and accessories had just opened, Steel Buffalo Motors, at 2363. A barbershop aptly called Carvd was setting up for business at 2515. And Eloise Dog Grooming had moved from 2606 across the street, to 2517, nextdoor to Emil’s Hardware, and had a pretty lilac-colored planter in front.
Eloise Grooming, 2517 Robertson
You may check out the list of Robertson businesses on this page, and the eateries (in lower caps) under Restaurants. Please support your neighborhood businesses in these difficult times. P.S. On another walk on April 5, I stopped by Steel Buffalo Motor, took some photos of the awesome bikes inside, met the owner, Ben, welcomed him to the neighborhood.  
Steel Buffalo Motors. 2363 S Robertson
Steel Buffalo Motors. 2363 S Robertson
Text and photos by Elisa Leonelli
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Culver City Restaurants open

Akasha. Culver City

On this sunny Saturday afternoon, with the sky blue and clear after the rains, I took a walk in Downtown Culver City, after shopping at Trader Joe’s, to see which restaurants had reopened for outdoor dining, since they were finally allowed to do so on Friday January 29, after having been closed for over two months. And to my pleasant surprise I discovered that, besides the usual suspects, some new places had opened.

Citizen Public Market

The most intriguing is Citizen Public Market, inside the historic building that opened in 1929 as the Citizen Publishing Company. It is actually a fancy food court with four places already open: Goodboybob, Jolly Oyster, Pizzette, WeHo Sausage.

Gratitude

I walked into Gratitude, an art gallery on Main Street repurposed as a place to buy artisanal food and gifts.

Piccalilli

I noticed that Piccalilli, also on the now pedestrian Main street, had the best outdoor set-up with flower planters.

Mendocino Farms

I ate a tasty Peruvian Steak sandwich at the newly opened Mendocino Farms at the Culver Steps

Cafe Vida. Culver City

As for the usual suspects, I found open today for lunch with happy diners enjoying their meals: Akasha, Cafe Vida, Grand Casino, Meet in Paris and several other restaurants.

Text and photos by Elisa Leonelli

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Tom Hanks on 2021

Elisa Leonelli with Tom Hanks (c) HFPA 1999

As a Foreign Press Correspondent, I spoke with Tom Hanks many times through the years, and twice in 2020, about Greyhound and about News of the World directed by Paul Greengrass. I wrote an interview for the Italian magazine Best Streaming, where he said about the coronavirus pandemic: “Sure, it’s great to have a vaccine out, but we’re going to be living with this virus until the summertime. Just because some people are beginning to get the first of two inoculations, this is not going to be easy, we won’t be able to just stop by and grab the vaccine, and some people will not even show up to take it. There are very simple things that one can do, wear a mask, wash your hands, keep social distance and if you might have it, isolate. I don’t understand how your average person cannot have that sense of responsibility or empathy. Covid 19 has been a test of us all and there isn’t any doubt that some of us have not learned the lessons of the test.”

Thank you Tom for the sane words, and Happy New Year to all.

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Sunday lunch on Washington Blvd

In these sad and tragic times of COVID-19, when so many people around the world got sick or died or lost their jobs (which only in the US means they no longer have health care), we gave some comfort to our heavy heart today by going out to lunch and enjoying this beautiful, warm and sunny day.

My best friend and I ate at our favorite Italian restaurant in Culver City, Pasta Sisters, loved their comfort food, lasagne and spezzatino (beef stew) with polenta. We noticed that Father’s Office was also packed with customers, seated outdoors with additional tables added to the pedestrian block of Helms Bakery.
After lunch, we walked West to the Platform, where Roberta was lively with people eating pizza, and Bianca Bakery was equally full.

Then we walked back to the East toward La Cienega, and found three restaurants, closed today for Sunday lunch, but open for dinner, EK Valley, serving Mexican Oaxacan food, Industry Cafe and Jazz, offering East African specialties, and the Italian Brunello’s Trattoria.

Check our other post-Coronavirus restaurant posts
Culver City Restaurants outdoor dining
Restaurants open near Reynier Village
Restaurants open in Culver City
Open on Robertson

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Trial of the Chicago 7

Aaron Sorkin (c) Armando Gallo-HFPA 2017

Aaron Sorkin wrote and directed The Trial of the Chicago 7, with Sacha Baron Cohen playing Abbie Hoffman, Jeremy Strong as Jerry Rubin, Eddie Redmayne as Tom Hayden, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II as Bobby Seal. On Netflix September 16, watch trailer.
Sorkin did not know about this trial when Steven Spielberg proposed to him in 2006 to write the script, he was 8-years-old in 1969, so he asked his father about the anti-Vietnam War demonstrations at the Democratic Convention of August 1968.
I ask Sorkin what he hopes this film will teach his 19-year-old daughter. “My young daughter joined the Women’s March the day after Donald Trump was inaugurated, she has been out on the street these past few weeks marching with Black Lives Matter protesters, so she is teaching me about protest. Protest is a very honorable form of patriotism, it’s not anti-American, every important change in this country has always happened because of protest. My daughter and her friends are the ones we’ve been waiting for.”

Sacha Baron Cohen, Jeremy Strong © Niko Tavernise-Netflix 2020

I ask Jeremy Strong about Jerry Rubin: “From Jerry’s books you get a sense of his anarchic, creative, defiant spirit. He was a merry prankster with a real volcanic outrage underneath, he used guerilla theater, humor and theatrical tactics. He cared greatly about people’s struggles for liberation all over the world, and, ultimately, he believed in what he called an interracial humanhood, which is such a wonderful noble concept.”

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Coastal Elites

Sarah Paulson © HBO

Coastal Elites, written by Paul Rudnick and directed by Jay Roach, was originally conceived as a play for New York’s Public Theater. These 5 monologues were recorded during the pandemic and will air on HBO September 12. Bette Midler is a retired teacher and theater loving New Yorker, Dan Levy an actor auditioning for the role of a gay superhero named Fusion, Issa Rae a former schoolmate of Ivanka Trump, Sarah Paulson a meditation teacher, Kaitlyn Dever is a nurse caring for COVID patients.

Dan Levy (c) HFPA

Dan Levy, son of Eugene Levy, creator of the TV series Shitt’s Creek (2015-2020), says of gay superhero Fusion: “He spends his time combating racism, sexism, and homophobia. He’s the fusion of harnessing good in every possible way, and combating evil with the good that he carries.”

Kaitlyn Dever (c) HBO

Kaitlyn Dever, who starred with Beanie Feldstein in Booksmart (2019) directed by Olivia Wilde, says: “Now more than ever, we are realizing how important leadership is in a time like this. So I have been encouraging all of my peers and my followers on socials to go out and vote.”

P.S. Jay Roach says: “Coastal Elites is about five people who love America, love the ideal version of what government and politics can be, but are now completely unraveled by what’s going on in the world. These 5 monologues are darkly funny, about the pain and heartbreak of what all of us are going through these days, and they are cathartic.”

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Jacarandas blooming

Seven years ago we had written in this blog: “Dozens of jacaranda trees have been blossoming in Reynier Village for the past few weeks, their violet purple flowers brightening the neighborhood and blanketing our streets…” Click here to read.
And it’s happening again in 2020, as it does every year in late Spring. In this time of crisis, when a worldwide pandemic is bringing so much death and misery to people, when the rightful protests over the police killing of George Floyd are used as an excuse for looting, this is a reminder that the Earth continues to flourish, despite humankind’s efforts to destroy it.

You may read in this Los Angeles Magazine article how jacarandas were introduced to Southern California by pioneer horticulturist Kate Sessions. Born in San Francisco, she moved to San Diego, after earning a degree in natural science from U.C. Berkeley in 1881, started cultivating imported and local plants, became a landscape designer and founded Balboa Park. The beautiful Jacaranda trees, originally from the Amazon in Brazil, were planted extensively in L.A. in 1920s and 1930, when Reynier Village was built. Read more details in this LAist article.

This flower is so symbolic of Los Angeles that local writer Eve Babitz named Jacaranda the protagonist of her book, Sex and Rage (1979). Babitz has been experiencing a reflowering of her own lately. Last year Lili Anolik published her biography, Hollywood’s Eve, and Eve published a new book, I Used to Be Charming, with essays she wrote for magazines between 1975 and 1997, and her 1980 book about Fiorucci.

For more info please read my article in Cultural Weekly, Eve Babitz and Me.

Text and photos by Elisa Leonelli

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VIDA and Boyle Heights

When I first watched the TV series VIDA in 2018, I was excited to learn about the East LA neighborhood of Boyle Heights, and to see all kinds of sexual preferences and gender expressions represented, in what used to be a macho Latin culture. I wrote this article in Cultural Weekly, VIDA-Latinx TV, and I actually asked my family to spend my birthday exploring that neighborhood. See my article about TV programs streaming in 2020 for another series set in Boyle Heights, Gentefied on Netflix.

VIDA-Lyn, Emma (c) STARZ

I loved the second season of VIDA in 2019, and the third and last season airing Sunday April 26, 2020 on STARZ. As a journalist in the Hollywood Foreign Press, in 2019 I had the privilege of interviewing Melissa Barrera and Mishel Prada, the young actresses playing the sisters Lyn and Emma, and I met them again, virtually, a couple of weeks ago. I asked to interview Roberta Colindrez, who had impressed me as Nico in VIDA, and I was granted a one-on-one interview on video.  I wrote two articles, one for the Golden Globes website and another for Cultural Weekly. But there’s so much more to say. So here are excerpts from the questions I asked this year to Mishel and Melissa.

Melissa Barrera, Mishel Prada © HFPA

Elisa: What are your thoughts on the Catholic and Christian churches condemning homosexuality as a perversion, which is so damaging to young queer people?
Mishel: It’s really beautiful that we get to explore in VIDA this season what that really means. Because what we saw in the first season was that, even though these very traditional Mexican Catholic women didn’t fully accept the idea of homosexuality, when the mother passed away or when help was needed, they were still showing up with the rosaries and were there for each other.  And that’s really at the heart of the complexities that we see.  We could still be holding onto these ideals of Catholicism and Christianity, but we should be more encouraged to take what we want from it, which are themes of love and acceptance, and move away from hate and not acceptance.

Elisa: Emma has sex with men but develops emotional relationships with women, particularly with Nico, the bartender. Roberta Colindrez identifies herself as queer, how about you?
Mishel: Actually for me the least interesting part of Emma is who she has sex with, because she has so many other emotions going on, she is very open and she’s going to fall in love with whoever she wants to fall in love with.  And I feel that way as well, I don’t identify as anything in particular.  Wherever life takes me, I will fall in love with whoever the human being is. There’s something really beautiful about being open to falling in love with whoever you happen to fall in love with. I love that romantic idea of being open to what life gives you.

VIDA-Marcos (c) STARZ

Elisa: Can you talk about Marcos, who holds a double queerceañera party at the bar Vida, and his gender expression that sometimes is male, other times female?
Melissa: Series creator Tanya Saracho actually wrote that character based on the actor, Tonatiuh Elizarraraz. He is just like that, he is fluid in the spectrum and he goes from whatever he is feeling one day to whatever he is feeling the next. He can go from butch male, and you wouldn’t know if he is gay or not, then sometimes he wants to wear heels and makeup, and he does. There’s something really beautiful about someone that is so free to express themselves in however they are feeling. Marcos identifies as male in the show, because Lyn calls him a he, he does not use the they/them trans non-binary pronouns, which sometimes can be confused with someone who is so fluid. What I love about our show is that you see all kinds of people that are all over the sexual spectrum and the gender spectrum, and not everyone has a label, which is okay. You don’t have to know exactly where someone falls in the spectrum to fall in love with them and Marcos is the proof of that, because the audience loves him.

Elisa: How would you describe the friendships between Marcos and Lyn?
Melissa: The relationship between Marcos and Lyn is very cool, because they are like brother and sister, they become confidants. And during season two that’s very apparent, because he is always there for her in all of her troubles, but in season three, Lyn is on another trip, getting to know her father and keeping that a secret from Emma. And as much as Marcos wants to be there for her, they also start having a falling out, because they are not on the same page anymore and their priorities are not the same. And that’s the dynamic of friendships, that happens all the time, friends fight, they have fallings out and they disagree. So there’s a little bit of more color to their friendship, which I loved.

P.S. Read June 24 interview with VIDA creator Tanya Saracho.

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Bianca Bakery

Today I tried a new restaurant in Culver City, Bianca Bakery, at 8850 Washington Blvd, next to the Platform shopping complex. I tasted their daily lunch special, polpette di vitello (veal meatballs) in marinara sauce, and I was pleasantly surprised by how delicious they were and how well they bonded with the freshly baked French baguette slices. The place is spacious and elegant, with outdoor seating, and a glass see-through area where the baked goods are prepared.
On the menu they have mostly Italian specialties, pastas such as Rigatoni alla Bolognese and Gnocchi Madeo, entrees like Caciucco, a fish stew from Tuscany. There’s a touch of French, Croque Madame, and Argentinian cuisine, Entraña a la parrilla (grilled skirt steal) with Chimichurri sauce.
I noticed a new pocket park nearby, with Italian style canvas chairs (sdrai) and a mural by Block Shop. It’s called Platform Park.

Text and photos by Elisa Leonelli

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Obsidian, Massage on Robertson

Obsidian © Elisa Leonelli

Last night we were invited to an open house to introduce a new place to have a massage in Reynier Village, Obsidian at 2865 Robertson. We met the owner, Zvi Kraus, born in Israel, raised in Los Angeles, and his entire family, mother, father, sister, brother and wife. We tasted delicious food from local eateries, small empanadas from Argentinian Empanadas, rugalach from Fred’s Bakery, a white coconut cake from Dolce Isola, we chatted with neighbors. It was a truly inspiring community event. Today we went back to experience a therapeutic massage and it was great.  Zvi (the name means deer in Hebrew) used to work at Massage Garage in Culver City, he chose this location on South Robertson to open a place of his own. A Reiki Master and Pranic Healer, Zvi does not simply offer massages, but spiritual healing and emotional wellness. He says: “We are here for you to create greater space for the body, soul, mind and emotions.” Obsidian takes its name from the mystical crystal. You may book a range of services online at this link. Give it a try!

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Culver City History Tour

Culver Hotel

Today I attended a tour called “Culver City at a Crossroads,” organized by the Los Angeles Conservancy. It gave me a chance to discover many things I did not know about the history of iconic buildings such as the Helms Bakery and the Culver Hotel.

 Harry Culver’s Office, Culver Hotel

It was Harry Culver who founded Culver City in 1917, at the crossing of three tram lines, half way between Abbot Kinney’s Venice and Downtown LA. In 1924 he commissioned architects Curlett & Beelman to build the Hotel Hunt, now the Culver Hotel, in the Renaissance Revival style. It was owned by John Wayne from 1945 to 1967, then fell into disrepair, it was reopened by Lou Catlett and restored in the 1990s, in 1997 it was placed in the National Registry of Historic Places. In 2007 new owner Maya Mallick revived it as a boutique hotel and restaurant. I had photographed this building before, but today we had access to Harry Culver’s private office, ante-room and vault.

 Helms Bakery. H.D. Buttercup

In 1930 Paul Helms commissioned architects Grant and Bruner to build the Helms Bakery in the Art Deco style, it opened in 1931 and operated until 1969. Their famous trucks delivered bread and baked goods throughout Los Angeles, they had a distinctive whistle to call customers. Their motto was “Daily at Your Door.” I had never walked inside the furniture mart H.D. Buttercup, where the history of Helms Bakery is told in words and pictures on a wall, an actual truck from 1948 is preserved there. For the first time I saw the original arched wooden ceiling with skylights.

 Helms Bakery. Original ceiling

I had photographed the murals by Art Mortimer in the parking lot that reproduce old B&W photos from the 1930s and 40s, but today I saw one of the actual photos of the early 1930s trucks. A replica of the 1962 truck is parked on the now pedestrian Helms Bakery District.

 Helms Bakery 1930s truck, mural by Art Mortimer

Learning more about the history of the bakery, that served bread at the 1932 Los Angeles Olympics, helped me understand the meaning of the mural titled “Helms Coach Gone A Rye,” painted in 2002, also by Art Mortimer. It depicts Culver City landmarks like the Culver Hotel and the Kirk Douglas Theater, oil wells and an airplane, as a backdrop to a Helms truck that has hit a fire hydrant. The back doors open to reveal the shelves of baked loafs inside.
Another historic building, the Beacon Laundry built in 1932 in the Zig-Zag Modern Art Deco style, now houses my favorite Italian restaurant, Pasta Sisters. That is where I had a wonderful breakfast of Neapolitan sfogliatelle and affogato, hazelnut ice cream drowned in espresso.

Text and photos by Elisa Leonelli

Read more articles about Culver City
Pasta Sisters at this link
Movie Studios at this link

And a new article in LA Curbed about the history of Culver Studios.

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A Cannabis Cafe

Cannabis Cafe (c) Elisa Leonelli

Touted as the first restaurant in America where guests can openly smoke marijuana, A Cannabis Cafe opened October 1st at 1201 N La Brea Ave in West Hollywood. They serve farm to table food and offer a variety of cannabis products to eat, drink or smoke; both are sourced from Lowell Farms, grown with organic fertilizer and no pesticides.

Cannabis Cafe (c) Elisa Leonelli

I was there today, as a member of the press but also as a customer. I ordered their avocado toast for breakfast. It came topped with peas and radishes and tasted delicious. I did not sample any marijuana offerings, but I listened to the explanations of a flower host or budtender. She showed me how to operate a giant water pipe called a gravity bong.

Cannabis Cafe. Gravity bong (c) Elisa Leonelli

I was puzzled by the logo of a bull and found out that it refers to William “Bull” Lowell, founder of the company in 1909. My waitress told me it represents a Minotaur, the half bull/half man creature of Greek mythology.

Cannabis Cafe (c) Elisa Leonelli

Text and photos by Elisa Leonelli

P.S. For more info read these articles in LA Magazine, New York Times, LA Weekly.

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Museum of Weed

The Museum of Weed, at 720 N. Cahuenga Blvd (north of Melrose), is a temporary installation that opened August 3 and will close on September 29. It’s open Wednesday through Sunday. You may check the hours and buy tickets on their website. Admission is $35.

Museum of Weed

I visited it today and I was impressed. The location is a beautiful giant warehouse built of wood, high beam ceilings, luxurious bathrooms, with even a shower. There’s a gift shop, a coffee bar and a dining area. A large staff of two dozen young people offer live explanations in each of the rooms. The exhibits are curated with deep knowledge of the history and the issues around the cultivation of hemp through the centuries until today. I did not know that first US president George Washington grew hemp for industrial use at Mount Vernon, and that it was current president Donald Trump who in December 2018 made it legal again to grow hemp, after decades of prohibition. The funniest quote is from California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger: “It’s not a drug. It’s a leaf.”

Neon entrance

First you enter though multicolored neon “doors of perception”, then you start with a room called pre-history, in the second room wall-size posters highlight how the use on marihuana, particularly on the part of Mexicans, was demonized, as causing perversity. In the following room the infamous 1936 B&W movie Reefer Madness is playing, posters of other movies, such as The Devil’s Weed, 1949, line the walls.

Psychedelic swirls on the floor of a room accessed though the doors of a Volkswagen van signal the arrival of the 60s, with its hippie culture, feminism, the Civil Rights movement, anti-war demonstrations, the sexual revolution. “Cannabis turned into a symbol of freedom, love, and rebellion from the establishment.” In the next room I noticed a BW photo of Beat poet Allen Ginsberg holding up a sign saying “Pot is a reality kick.”

Counterculture room

I loved the poster for a Janis Joplin concert in San Francisco in 1967.

Janis Joplin poster

Then came the backlash under Richard Nixon, in 1970 marijuana was declared a controlled substance, like heroine and cocaine. And on the federal level it still is, despite having been legalized for recreational use in many states, like California.

The most heartwarming exhibit was the bedroom as a typical stoner, with a lava lamp and a poster of the 1978 movie Up in Smoke with Cheech and Chong.

Stoner’s bedroom

The most chilling exhibit was a hospital room for AIDS patients. It was during that epidemic in San Francisco in the mid 80s that marijuana was used to alleviate the nausea caused by drug AZT.  That is what started the movement of legalization for medical purposes. The first legal medical marijuana shop in San Francisco is lovingly recreated.

As we used to say in the 60s, “it was a trip,” and I recommend you take it.

Text and photos by Elisa Leonelli

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Franco Columbu, addio

Only this morning I read in the Los Angeles Times of the sudden death of Italian champion bodybuilder Franco Columbu, on August 30. He was 78. While vacationing in his native Sardinia, he became ill swimming in the Mediterranean and drowned.

Franco Columbu lifiting weights in his home-gym. Los Angeles, © Elisa Leonelli 1978

Columbu’s nickname was “The Sardinian Strongman.” The son of shepherds, he started as a boxer, moved into weightlifting, then bodybuilding, won the title of Mr. Olympia in 1976 and 1981.  He acted in TV and movies, wrote books, was friends with Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sylvester Stallone. 

I remember meeting Franco in 1978, at his home in Westwood, where he ran a chiropractor studio with his wife Anita.  He had built a gym in his garage, where he trained.

I was conducting a series of interviews and photo sessions with prominent Italians living in Los Angeles.  Here are a couple of quotes from my 1978 article.

Franco Columbu at his house in Westwood © Elisa Leonelli 1978

About his childhood as the son of shepherds.

“Tending sheep as a child taught me a mental peace that would help me focus on the development of muscles, a tiring, monotonous, painful task.”

About moving to Los Angeles.

“In Europe, Germans hate Italians, Greeks cannot stand Turks, while Americans are happy to find out that you come from a foreign country and they always want to help you if they can.”

Goodbye, Franco…

For more photos, click on the series: Bodybuilding, Franco Columbu, in the Elisa Leonelli, Photojournalist collection at Claremont Colleges Digital Library.


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Robertson Open House

Michael-RVNA

Today Sunday June 2, we strolled to Robertson from our house, visited the many establishments that were open for the Art Walk, we said hello to friends and neighbors.

Barbara Mendes-Ivan Gallery

Michael, RVNA Co-President, Dan at the Relational Center, Avi at Fred’s Bakery. The amazing artist Barbara Mendes, at Ivan Gallery. The green flyer below was designed by her.

Chris-Letterpress Chocholate

And we met new people. At Letterpress Chocolate, Chris offered us a sample taste.

Trina-Hang Steady Frame Design

Inside a new shop, Hang Steady Frame Design, we spoke with Trina, who was hanging the artwork of the kids that attend her Dancing Crayon Workshop.

Ana and Julian-Mostly Angels

We received a gift of crystals from Julian and Ana at Mostly Angels.

It’s wonderful to live in such a friendly neighborhood, Reynier Village.

Click on this list of Robertson businesses

For places to eat, see them listed in lower caps on the Restaurants page

Text and photos by Elisa Leonelli

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Graciela Iturbide, photographer

Nuestra Señora de las Iguanas © Graciela Iturbide 1979

It was not until this morning, while reading a review in the LA Times, Her view of Mexican life, that I found out about an exhibit of photographs by Graciela Iturbide, at the Rose Gallery(D-4), Bergamot Station Arts Centerin Santa Monica, 2525 Michigan Ave.

Muerte Novia, Chalma-Mexico © Graciela Iturbide 1990

I was intrigued by the work of this photographer, when I heard her speak at the Skylight Studios, in conjunction with the REFUGEE exhibit at the Annenberg Space for Photographyin Century City. Please read my 2016 article in Cultural Weekly.

Heroes de la Patria, Puebla-Mexico © Graciela Iturbide 1993

So I made plans to take the Expo Linefrom Culver City to the 26th Street/Bergamot Station stop.  There is also ample parking, if you wish to drive. 

It was a treat to see so many BW prints by this amazing woman in a show titled Hay Tiempo (There is Time).  This is what her lifelong mentor, Manuel Alvarez Bravo, used to say to remind her to pause and observe. 

The exhibit closes this Saturday May 18, so don’t delay, if you wish to see it.

Mexico DF © Graciela Iturbide 1972
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Photoville LA

Pit bull Flower Power © Sophie Gamand

A free pop up photography festival featuring over 55 installation, Photoville LA, presented by Annenberg Space for Photography, is set up in the grass area behind 2020 Avenue of the Stars in Century City (from Saturday to Monday April 26 to 28, from Thursday May 2 to Sunday to May 5).
I went to check it out today, because I wanted to see more work by Lysney Addario, whom I had featured in my article about an exhibit about Women Photographers.

Blossom © Sophie Gamand

I also looked at many other exhibits and I was enchanted by the sweet faces of the pitt bulls with flowers garlands on their head.

To counter the bad reputation of pit bulls as ferocious dogs, In 2014 Sophie Gamand started to photograph adoptable pit bulls adorning their head with handmade flower crowns. Posted on social media and published in a book, Pit Bull Flower Power, these photographs helped hundreds of dogs find homes. One of the featured pit bulls is named Blossom, another Frida.

Frida © Sophie Gamand

Text and photos by Elisa Leonelli

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New Restaurants Culver City

Margot bar (c) Elisa Leonelli

We were disappointed when we discovered that EnjoyEat, our favorite Italian restaurant in Culver City, had closed until further notice on January 1, 2019, after months of only having been open for dinner, not for lunch. When we contacted the owners, who still run their original restaurant, Eatalian in Gardena, they replied with the comforting news that they are working on a new concept and will hopefully reopen soon.

Palihotel © Elisa Leonelli

We always thought EnjoyEat was cursed with a bad location, in an alley next to the Arclight Cinemas, that is off the beaten path.  But then in mid January the newly remodeled Palihotel opened in an historical 1923 building, across the street, on that same Van Buren Place (as we posted on Nextdoor on January 10), so now more people will likely discover this location.

Simonette-Palihotel ©Elisa Leonelli

A French restaurant, Simonette, opened at the lobby level of the Palihotel, with outdoor seating in an inner courtyard, the tables surrounding a mature tree. Their brunch menu includes Moules Frites, a Belgian specialty of mussels and fries.

Roberta’s © Elisa Leonelli

Late last year Roberta’s Pizza had opened at Platform, the fancy shopping mall at 8850 Washington Blvd, across the street from the Expo Line Culver City station. We had eaten there and posted on Nextdoor (December 1, 2018). We had written a blog post on their 2017 Pizza Pop Up experiment, and a review of Platform in 2016.

Margot © Elisa Leonelli

Today we tried a new restaurant, Margot, that opened at Platform on December 19. It is described as a mix of Spanish and Italian cuisine, so we ordered a focaccia sandwich of the typically Italian cold-cut, mortadella, and a frisee salad that came mixed with spicy olives. Both dishes were tasty but too salty. We didn’t care for the loud music, but the large and bright restaurant was comfortable.

If you want to eat authentic Italian food, try Pasta Sisters that opened their cosy restaurant at Helms Bakery last March. Read our article here.

 

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Actors Gang performs Dario Fo

Actors Gang theater © Elisa Leonelli 2019

The 1970 play Accidental Death of an Anarchist by Italian playwright Dario Fo is being performed until March 9 by the Actors Gang, founded in 1981 by a group of actors, with Tim Robbins as artistic director. Since 2005 their theater is located in Culver City’s historical Ivy Substation, built in 1907 in the Mission Revival style to house electrical equipment for the Los Angeles Pacific Railway. It was left vacant in 1953 and restored in 1993.


Tim Robbins, who had directed and acted in the political satire Bob Roberts (1992), now says, “I made that film as a warning about politics becoming superficial entertainment, based on factors that have nothing to do with the truth, image over substance, and the power of the media to create an image for someone, even though their past is very clearly clouded with potential misdeeds. And I believe that is what happened with Mr. Trump, he was elevated into a candidate by this crazy fascination we have with reality TV and celebrity.”
“There is a direct line between Bob Roberts and Accidental Death of an Anarchist, which stands in defiance of fascism. At a time when authoritarian governments are being supported by our president, and the judiciary is being corrupted by politics, this play resonates as if it was written yesterday. What inspired me, when I first read Dario Fo, was his ability to produce incredibly funny situations and dialogue about important social subject matter. Dario’s wicked humor and courageous satire gave me great inspiration to create theater that was relevant, entertaining and dangerous in its uncompromising telling of truth to power.”

Dario Fo

We went to see this American version of the play and were impressed by its manic intensity. You may read a review in Cultural Weekly. However, if you understand Italian, we encourage you to watch this 1987 video of Morte accidentale di un anarchico, with the incredible Dario Fo in the title role.
It is preceded by an introduction about the real life events that inspired the play, when police immediately arrested a railway worker, Giuseppe Pinelli, accusing him of the bombing of a bank, which had been more likely carried out by a right wing group with ties to law-enforcement. While the innocent man was being interrogated at police headquarters in Milano, he jumped or was thrown out of a fourth story window to his death. Fo recalls that the authorities were quite upset about the staging of his play, that made a farce out of their criminal blunder, and they brought his theater troupe to court 40 times. So in order to avoid sentencing, the name Pinelli was never mentioned, it was replaced with Andrea Salsedo, an Italian anarchist who in 1920, two days before Sacco and Vanzetti were arrested, fell to his death from the a 20th story window of the Bureau of Investigations offices in New York City.
Dario Fo, who died in 2016 at the age of 90, was a comedian, a playwright and a political activist. He won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1997.

Text by Elisa Leonelli

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Wisdome LA

After reading an article in the LA Times, we visited Wisdome in Downtown LA. 1147 Palmetto St.
We walked inside 5 darkened domes, white on the outside, we sat back on couches to watch SAMSKARA, a psychedelic 22-minute 360 degree video by digital artist Andrew “Android” Jones.


Fantasmagoric paintings and holograms by the same artist are displayed in the art gallery of two other domes. See some of the artwork on Jones website.
Another dome houses Virtual Reality experiences like Burning Man by Jones, Micro Desert and Blue Nebula, where you can paint your own swirls and butterflies onto fantastic backdrops.
You may watch an interview with Jones where he explains how he was influenced by the Art of Burning Man.

Wisdome LA is open Thursday to Sunday 11am to 11pm. $29 admission.
Be sure to click on red hot weblinks for video promos.

Text and photos by Elisa Leonelli

Published January 6, 2019, PS added February 15.

P.S. Read a lenghty article, published in LAIST on February 14, 2019
Massive Domes Filled With Trippy 3D Visuals Take Over 35,000-Square-Feet In DTLA

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Meditation Gardens

I had read about the Peace Awareness Labyrinth and Gardens, located at 3500 West Adams, in the online magazine LAist over a year ago, but did not visit it until yesterday.
I planned to meditate about the end the year in this “spiritual oasis,” and I did, but what I wasn’t expecting was to connect with my Italian heritage. I discovered that the elegant Guasti Villa, that now houses the PAL&G, was built by a wealthy Italian immigrant in 1910.

Guasti Villa, 1910

Secondo Guasti, born in 1859 in Monbaruzzo, province of Asti, in the Northern Piedmont region, emigrated via Mexico to Los Angeles in 1883, arriving with one dollar in his pocket. He found work as a cook at the Italian hotel and restaurant Italia Unita, located in the Avila Adobe on Olvera Street. In 1887 the enterprising young man, then 28, asked the proprietors for the hand of their 15-year-old daughter Louisa Amillo, and their happy marriage lasted 40 years until his death. Secondo bought cheap land in the Cucamonga Valley near Ontario, an arid desert where the soil was good but the water scarce, and in 1900 founded with several partners the Italian Vineyard Company, the largest in the world at 5700 acres, producing 5 million gallons of wine a year by 1917. In 1912 he built a small town called Guasti for his 1,200 Italian and Mexican workers, with a school, a market, a bakery, a library, a firehouse, a doctor’s office, and in 1926 a Catholic church, San Secondo d’Asti, modeled after the one in his hometown, named after its patron saint.
Read Guasti’s story in this 2000 LA Times Times article “From Penniless Immigrant to Wine King”

Guasti Villa, rear pond

I had found out about the history of Italian immigrants in Los Angeles 3 years ago, while visiting the newly opened Italian-American Museum, IAMLA. You may read my article in Cultural Weekly at this link. Guasti is mentioned in the 2009 book Los Angeles’s Little Italy by Mariann Gatto, with vintage photos.

Guasti Villa, ballroom

As docent Ryan lead us through the Guasti Villa, we learnt that it was built in 4 years between 1910 and 1913, at the cost of $500,0000, in the Beaux-Arts style inspired by the Italian-Renaissance, with symmetrical architectural elements like arches and Greek columns. We admired the Carrara marble tile floor of the veranda, the grand ballroom lined with inlaid oak wood, the large oval ceiling fresco depicting the lady of the house Louisa among the clouds, with her surviving son Secondo Jr. (four more children who died appear as angels). An inscription reads in Latin “spez mea in deo=my trust is in God.” A curved staircase leads to the upper level, that we didn’t get to visit, arches open to the two parlors, one for men to smoke their cigars and drink their liqueurs after dinner, with a rose marble fireplace, and one for women, that was separated by a wall, and used to have ornate wallpaper, now preserved in a frame. On the opposite side we entered the dining room, also with an ornate mantelpiece, and tapestry lining the upper walls; one figure pictured is Bacchus the Roman God of wine.

Guasti Villa, women parlor

It’s in this room that some of us took advantage of the offer of a sound meditation to connect with our soul, which is held monthly on Tuesday evenings at this spiritual center now headquarters of the MSIA church (Movement of Spiritual Inner Awareness) founded in 1968, and of the PTS (Peace Theological Seminary) founded in 1977 by John-Roger Hinkins, who had been raised Mormon in Utah. In 1988 he passed the “keys” to what he called “Mystical Traveler Consciousness” to current leader John Morton. In 1976 Hinkins also founded USM (University of Santa Monica), that offers a Masters Degree in Spiritual Psychology. He died in 2014.

Peace Labyrinth

We then were shown how to walk the labyrinth, a circular path on the ground, made of travertine marble, modeled after the one at the Chartres Cathedral in France, added in 2002. You have to set your intention for this walking meditation, ask for the LIGHT (Living in God Holy Thought). See more info at this link

Peace Gardens

Finally I descended among fountains to the 3 lower levels of gardens, filled with plants like ferns, huge birds of paradise, tall bamboo, citrus trees, I stopped to look at the red fish in the koi pond, I sat under a gazebo on a wooden bench to meditate.

The Guasti Villa is available for rent for movie and TV shoots; recently it served as a set for the television comedy Veep. Click here for 2017 article with many photos.

The mansion was used for lavish parties during the lifetime of their original owners; they ever published their family recipes in a cookbook. Click here for 1994 LA Times article.

Guasti Villa, staircase

After Secondo’s death in 1927, his widow continued to live there with her son, who died in 1933 at age 42, her daughter-in-law Gertrude remarried in 1935 and moved to New York. At Louisa’s death in 1937, the house was bought by Hollywood choreographer and director of movie musical Busby Berkley, who sold it in 1946. It was purchased by the Los Angeles Physicians Aid Association, who transformed it into a retirement home, adding two residential wings in the back. MSIA acquired the property in 1974 and spent more than 20 years to restore it to its original splendour. It was declared a Historical-Cultural Monument in 1990.

The Peace Awareness Labyrinth and Gardens are open to the public Tuesdays-Fridays, some Saturdays and Sundays, from 12 noon to 4pm, attending a tour is required. Reservations must be made through Evite. Free, $10 donation suggested. Click on this link to register.

Text by Elisa Leonelli
Photos courtesy of PAL&G

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Palisades Village

Palisades Village © Elisa Leonelli

The newly remodeled shopping mall Palisades Village had opened in September, and finally today I had a chance to visit it, when a friend invited me to lunch. We picked Edo Little Bites, because we were familiar with the Italian cooking of Edoardo, son of Giorgio Baldi. As luck would have it, one of the specials was lasagne, prepared in the traditional style of my hometown, with green spinach pasta, béchamel, pork ragout and parmesan, layered then baked in the oven. For more info about the cuisine from Modena, please click here to read my article in Cultural Weekly.

Palisades Village Xmas © Elisa Leonelli

We walked around the small cluster of shops and restaurants all decorated for Xmas, we enjoyed the Amazon Books store and the Vintage Grocers.

Bay Theater © Elisa Leonelli

Looking forward to trying the Bay Theater, built in in 1948 and closed in 1978, which reopened in November as the luxury Cinépolis, where you lounge in recliner seats and order food to eat before (hopefully not during) the movie, like at the iPic in Westwood.

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LA news and midterm elections

As well as following the news in the New York Times, Huffington Post, Los Angeles Times, TIME magazine, etc, I subscribe to online newsletters to find out what is happening in Los Angeles every week.

Downtown Los Angeles (c) 1983

It’s great that LAist is finally back, after being shut down by its owner last November. Curbed LA is geared to real-estate news, but has other info as well, Los Angeles Magazine sends a daily update about the best things to do in LA. The once reliable LA Weekly has unfortunately been bought by consortium of investors and most of their staff fired. My favorite news source is Cultural Weekly, since I’m a regular contributor. Click here for my articles.

Disney Hall (c) 2015

It was particularly useful to consult these local publications for guidance on how to vote in the November 6 elections. On October 24 the NPR radio station KCRW sent short videos explaining some of the propositions. I posted it on Nextdoor. On November 5 Curbed LA sent an updated 2018 Los Angeles voter guide, LAist emailed a Voter game plan.

MOCA (c) 1987

On November 7, by 6am, I read editorials such as President hits his limits in the Los Angeles Times, which has improved their coverage since the newspaper was purchased by Chinese doctor Patrick Soon-Shiong. I read in TIME magazine How Women Candidates Changed American Politics in 2018, and in the Daily Good First Muslim and Native American Women elected to Congress.

Union Station (c) 1986

As Stephen Colbert put it in his live election coverage: “The Democrats have taken control of half of one of the three branches of government. All the G.O.P. has is the other half of Congress, the Supreme Court and a president who does whatever he wants.”

Text and photos by Elisa Leonelli

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Getty Villa and Getty Museum

There has been renewed interest recently in the life of John Paul Getty. It was explored in the movie All the Money in the World, where director Ridley Scott decided to remove the performance of Kevin Spacey to replace him with Christopher Plummer. Then Donald Sutherland played him with gusto in the FX-TV series Trust. The actor said: “Getty didn’t use power in an aggressive way, he wasn’t a bully, he was very pragmatic, extraordinarily well organized and brilliant.”

Getty Villa, photo by Elisa Leonelli 1982

Despite the character flaws of this wealthy man, he created something wonderful that ensures his legacy as an art collector, the Getty Villa. Built in 1976 and modeled after the Roman Villa dei Papyri in Ercolano, Italy, this lovely museum houses antiquities of Roman and Greek art.

The Beauty of Palmyra AD 190-210

I visited the Villa many times through the years, always proudly showing it off to out-of-town visitors. I was there again a couple of weeks ago for a media appreciation event. What I found particularly poignant was the room devoted to sculptures, drawings and photos from the ancient city of Palmyra in Syria, because some of the temples were destroyed by ISIL in 2015.

Perfection in Black, by Edward Steichen © Condé Nast 1935

I remember how exciting it was when The Getty Trust built the Getty Center, that opened in 1997. I visit it regularly, when there’s a photo exhibit of interest. Click here to read my article about Robert Mapplethorpe. The current show, Icons of Style: A Century of Fashion Photography, 1911-2011, is amazing. It includes not only photos by Richard Avedon, Edward Steichen and many others, but a few actual gowns by famous designers, such as Coco Chanel and Christian Dior.

The New Look of Dior © Richard Avedon 1947

We are very lucky to have such world-class museums in Los Angeles. Thank you J. Paul Getty!

Text by Elisa Leonelli

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Neighborhood Bookstore

We learnt from residents posting on Nextdoor that a bookstore opened in our neighborhood, which is exciting news, so we went to check it out.
Sideshow Books, a store of used and rare books that for 11 years was located on Idaho Ave, near the Nuart movie theater, has recently moved to 1639 La Cienega Blvd just north of Airdrome.

Sideshow Books

Owner Tony Jacobs told me that their previous place was too small, they had so many books that they needed more space for their large inventory. This new location is spacious and brightly lit by two big skylights. Tony is concerned that many people throw books away now, and they are not being reprinted, so they will disappear. Used bookstores are an essential part of the chain of life for books and they are dying out now because of the price of real estate. His mission is to preserve and promote book culture, the goal directed at younger people is to make books cool again, he hopes customers will come into his store and discover books they didn’t expect to find.

Tony Jacobs, Sideshow Books.

It’s not just old books that Tony wishes to preserve, but also the appreciation for classic old movies. He teamed up with film scholar Tom Newth to show a series of Hollywood’s sleepers, like All Through the Night (1942) with Humphrey Bogart, and Italian suspense films (gialli) like Mario Bava’s The Girl Who Knew Too Much (1963).
The movies are projected on the wall from a laptop in the funky back patio of the bookstore on Tuesdays and Wednesdays at 8.30pm. Call for program: 310-428-4631

If you love books, please support this local bookstore, and visit The Last Bookstore downtown, located at 433 S Spring St, in an amazing building from 1914 that used to be a bank. Read Ray Bradbury’s 1953 classic novel Farenheit 451, about a future totalitarian society where books are outlawed and burnt. Francois Truffaut directed a film version in 1966, it was recently remade into a TV movie for HBO. Look up my article about Ray Bradbury in Cultural Weekly.

Text and photos by Elisa Leonelli

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Garage conversion to ADU

When I received a notice in the mail about a LA City hearing (scheduled for July 5), I read it carefully, and wondered why residents within a 500 feet radius had to be notified, about a construction permit for a home in Reynier Village.  I asked Liz Carlin for advice.

2630 Bedford St

I knew that on September 26, 2016 Governor Brown signed ordinance AB 2299 and SB 1069 about ADUs, Accessory Dwelling Units, that took effect on January 1, 2017.  A ADU, also known as a “granny flat” or “backyard home”, is a permanent second unit with a full kitchen and bathroom, that can be used as a rental, on the same lot as the primary single family residence. In Los Angeles, 2,342 secondary units were permitted in 2017, up from 120 in 2016.
Read this article in the Los Angeles Times and this article in LA Curbed

Find out how to submit a site plan application for a ADU on this website of LA County Dept of Planning. Study the Interim memo at this link.
Click here for the May 22 update that will take effect later in 2018.
For information about your property, visit West LA’s DSC (Development Services Center) at 1828 Sawtelle Blvd. LA 90025. Tel: 310-231 2901

The ordinance stipulates that a ADU in rear or side yards cannot exceed 50% of the primary house square footage, to a maximum of 1200 SqFt. So our clever homeowner on Bedford St asks to have the main house, which is 875 feet, converted to a ADU, so they may build a structure twice the size behind it, 1,707 SqFt, in place of the current studio of 544 SqFt.  The garage would have to also be demolished and rebuilt bigger, because 2 off-street parking spaces are still a requirement for every home, however an ADU does not require additional parking, if it’s within half a mile of public transportation.
See more photos of 2630 Bedford St at this webpage

2600 Bedford St

Around the corner on Beverlywood St, in the backyard of 2600 Bedford St, a two story structure is being built to replace the old garage. No City hearing was needed for this construction. The contractor name is Arbib Construction: 800-222 4743.

More homeowners in Reynier Village are likely studying how to follow suit, to increase the value of their property, earn rental income.
RVNA (Reynier Village Neighborhood Association), SORONC (South Robertson Neighborhood Council) Land Use Committee, and District 10 Councilman Herb Wesson, will have to monitor the situation, so the increased density won’t affect the quality of life, and the already scarce parking in our lovely “Village.”

Text and photos by Elisa Leonelli

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Eat Vegetarian

On Mother’s Day we tried OOAK, the new Asian Vegetarian restaurant in Culver City. We had pumpkin soup and shaking beef (actually mushrooms). The Cantonese food and the service were excellent. I asked for the meaning of the word OOAK. It’s an Internet acronym for “One Of A Kind.”

OOAK, Culver City

This made me reflect on the advantages of a vegetarian diet, that has been popular in the West since the counterculture 60s. That means eliminating any meat (beef, lamb, pork, veal, chicken) or fish from your food intake, eating fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes and nuts. When fish and seafood are allowed, that is a pescetarian diet; when eggs and dairy products are included, that is called ovo-lacto vegetarian. No animals are killed when eggs and milk are produced, however, fish are killed for us to eat them, and, as a friend of mine says: “I don’t eat anything that had eyes.” The Macrobiotic diet, inspired by Zen Buddhism, allows fish.

OOAK, Culver City

A vegetarian diet is sometimes chosen for ethical reasons, “do not kill living beings,” even though arguably plants are living as well; but it is also beneficial to your health, reducing animal fat, proven to cause cancer, high-blood pressure, and other diseases.
During the past few years a vegan diet has been promoted as even healthier; that means no animal products at all, no eggs, no cheese, no milk, no yogurt. But often, in order to simulate the taste of meat and cheese, soy products and other substitutes are used.
Even more extreme is a diet of raw food. In addition to no meat or animal products, there’s no cooking, as the heat removes some enzymes from vegetables.

MAKE OUT, Culver City

For me eating meals of fresh fruit, salads and steamed vegetables, cooked lentils and beans, feels healthy, but it’s not a religion. I believe in what novelist Barbara Kingsolver says in her 2007 non-fiction book Animal, Vegetable, Miracle, that eating grass-fed beef and organic chicken is okay, and environmentally responsible. Reading that book was eye-opening, and it set me on a path of healthier eating. I love making blended vegan soups with a variety of cooked vegetables and spices. For more on this subject, you may read my article Souping for Health in Cultural Weekly.

MAKE OUT, Culver City

See below some Westside restaurants that offer vegan, vegetarian or raw food.

SAGE, Culver City

Among the fast food chains, I like VEGGIE GRILL, inexpensive and tasty. Recently I tried DAILY HARVEST, a vegan food delivery service of fruits smoothies, cooked vegetable soups and legumes. I really liked it.

SAGE, Culver City

Of course, you are able to make vegetarian food choices at most restaurants; just eat salads, vegetable dishes and legumes. Indian, Thai, Chinese cuisines have delicious vegetarian specialties. My favorites are Szechuan eggplant and Baingan bharta (mashed eggplant).

SAGE, Culver City

OOAK. Asian Vegetarian Cuisine
9540 Washington Blvd, Culver City

SAGE. Plant Based Bistro
4130 Sepulveda Blvd, Culver City

MAKE OUT. Raw food
9426 Washington Blvd, Culver City

VEGAN JOINT. Since 2006
10438 National Blvd, LA 90034

ANNAPURNA. South Indian vegetarian
10200 Venice Blvd, Culver City

INDIA SWEETS AND SPICES. Indian vegetarian, since 1986
9409 Venice Blvd, Culver City

REAL FOOD DAILY. Organic plant-based
414 N La Cienega Blvd. LA 90048

GRACIAS MADRE. Mexican Vegan
8905 Melrose Ave. West Hollywood

P.S. As of October 2018, OOAK is gone. In its place (same decor, same phone number) is Fifty One Chinese Kitchen, with a more varied menu, not strictly vegetarian.

MAKE OUT closed in 2023

Text and photos by Elisa Leonelli

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Terra opens at Eataly

Terra, the new rooftop restaurant at Eataly in Century City, opens Thursday March 29 at 5pm. They will only serve dinner at first, until 11 pm, later also lunch.
The word Terra in Italian means Earth, soil.

Terra terrace, iPhone photo by Elisa Leonelli

As you enter this 11,000 square feet indoor and outdoor space, the first thing you see is the huge wood burning grill. Nicola, the son of Eataly’s founder Oscar Farinetti, explains that the concept was to have a fire pit in the middle of a restaurant. Their specialties are grilled meats (beef, pork, lamb) and vegetables (artichokes, asparagus, beets, carrots, zucchini).  There are also pasta dishes, of course, and fish.

Terra grill, photo by Elizabeth Daniels

The large terrace with cushioned seating has a wooden Botanica Bar serving gin drinks. A variety of gins are imported from Italy, Japan, New Zealand, Hawaii, Scotland, and other places. A tasty snack is arrosticini, a typical dish from the Italian region of Abruzzi, skewers of grilled beef, pork and mutton. A herb garden is also on the terrace, as well as a covered seating area for dining.

Terra Bar Botanico, photo by Elizabeth Daniels

Dulcis in fundo, a cart of ice cream is passed around at the end of the meal, only one flavor, fior di latte, with various toppings.
Appetizers, small plates, vegetables and salads are priced from $8 to $19. Pastas from $19 to $23. Main courses from $28 to $42.

grilled beef, iPhone photo by Elisa Leonelli

There is valet parking on Avenue of the Stars, just South of Santa Monica Blvd, and an elevator that zips you up to the 5th floor restaurant. Eating at Terra will definitely a pleasurable luxury experience for those who can afford it.

You may read in Cultural Weekly my articles about Eataly’s opening last November, and about a tortellini-making class at Eataly’s Cooking School this January.

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Pasta Sisters in Culver City

Pasta Sisters finally opened on Sunday March 4, at Helms Bakery in Culver City, and it was worth the wait. It was an exciting experience to be there on their first day.

Pasta Sisters, Helms

My family and friends became fans of their storefront takeout place at Pico and Arlington, as soon as they opened, three years ago. We especially love their lasagne and eggplant parmesan.

Pasta Sisters patio

Now that they have a nearby restaurant with two outdoor patios, we will be able to enjoy their delicious food comfortably seated. The menu was expanded from their signature fresh pasta dishes, with the addition of several items, including beef stew and polenta (spezzatino con polenta Valsugana), a specialty of Padova, the Italian city in the Veneto region where the sisters are from.

Paola Da Re

Paola and her sisters Luisa and Patrizia learnt to cook from their mother Maria Giovanna. Paola is the chef, son Francesco, daughters Giorgia and Francesca help her run the family business. Paola credits the enthusiasm of their 40 employees and the optimism of her children for the successful opening of their new venture.

Francesco

On my first day I tried panzerotti, an appetizer I never tasted before, fried dough with two different hot stuffings, spinach and ricotta cheese, Italian cooked ham and mozzarella. They were amazing. I look forward to going back many more times and trying all of their dishes.

Giorgia, Francesca

For more info on where to find authentic Italian food in Los Angeles, or prepare it yourself, you may read my articles in Cultural Weekly
Italian Bread, Modena style
Fresh pasta, Modena-style

Text and photos by Elisa Leonelli

Pasta Sisters staff

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Alien Zoo in Century City

I was invited to experience Alien Zoo, a Virtual Reality pop up in the Century City Mall. It opens to the public Wednesday February 7 and runs until Friday March 2, from 12 noon until 8.40pm, every 40 minutes. You put on feet and hands sensors, a backpack and goggles, and the adventure starts. You fly on a pod immersed in fantastical landscapes populated by magical creatures: megaraffes, frogcats, megabats, a skyray, a giant mantis, and a scary monster, the Sicari. It’s fun and exciting, the ride lasts 12 minutes and children over 10 are welcome.
I won’t tell you more so as not to spoil the surprise, just go experience it yourselves. It’s worth the $20 ticket price. Call 424-603 2980 to book.

Click on the website of Dreamscape Immersive for more info.
Click here for schedule.

While in Century City you may try, for free, another Virtual Reality experience, a walk through the streets of Havana, at the CUBA IS exhibit of the Annenberg Space for Photography, open until March 4. Read my article in Cultural Weekly: Photographs of Cuba.

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Unplug in West Hollywood

Unplug Meditation WEHO opening

Last night I was invited to the opening reception for the new West Hollywood location of Unplug Meditation, at 8500 Melrose Ave, in the newly renovated building at the corner with La Cienega. Beautiful and trendy people were in attendance; it was a cosmopolitan group, I heard French and Australian spoken. Founder Suze Yalof Schwartz introduced the teachers of various types of meditation. I was intrigued by one class described as Brain Massage. Other classes are called with the suggestive names of Aha Moment, Deep Calm, Discover, Imagine, Morning Intention, Soul Travel, etc.

Founder Suze Yalof Schwartz

I have been a frequent visitor to Unplug’s Santa Monica location at 12401 Wilshire near Centinela, ever since they opened in 2014. My favorite class is Sound Bath, where vibrations provided by a crystal didgeridoo and other ancient instruments wash over the meditators and guide them to higher states of consciousness.
Regardless of your spiritual beliefs, meditation is a useful tool to tune out the distracting noise of our busy lives, and focus on our inner self.

Studio managers T.R. Shepard, Deborah Brock

See list of available classes and workshops at this link.
New students may try 2-weeks of unlimited classes for $35.

Unplug Meditation. West Hollywood.

I recommend you also try DEN Meditation, on LaBrea at 3rd St.
They offer 21 days of unlimited Classes and 3 Workshops for $50
For more info read my article QiGong at DEN Meditation.

Text and photos by Elisa Leonelli

 

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Movie Studios-Culver City

After the news that Amazon Studios will be moving into Culver Studios at 9336 Washington Blvd, we looked into the history of this movie studio.

Culver Studios (c) Elisa Leonelli

It was built by silent movie producer-director Thomas Ince in 1918 on a lot acquired from Harry Culver, who founded Culver City in 1917. It was owned by director Cecil B. De Mille from 1925 to 1928, then by RKO-Pathé from 1933 to 1950. For several years it was leased by David O’ Selznick, producer of Gone with the Wind (1939). In 1950 it was purchased by Howard Hughes, who continued to lease it. In 1956 it was bought by Lucille and Desi Arnaz for their Desilu Studios; they renamed it Culver Studios in 1970. It was acquired by Sony Pictures in 1991 and its 13 sound stages have housed the production of countless movies. See list and history at this link.

MGM Studios Colonnade (c) Elisa Leonelli

And here’s the history of the most legendary movie studio, MGM, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, that was not located in Hollywood but in Culver City, which in 1936 was dubbed “The Heart of Screenland.” It was built in 1915 as Triangle Studios by Thomas Ince, who moved its Inceville here from the Pacific Coast Highway at Sunset, then sold the lot to Samuel Goldwyn in 1918. Its original colonnade entrance along Washington Blvd in Greek-revival style is still standing. In 1924 it became MGM Studios, after the merger of three companies: Metro Pictures, Goldwyn Studios, Louis B. Mayer Productions. In 1981 it merged with United Artists into MGM-UA, it was sold to Lorimar in 1986. In 1989 Warner Bros, who had bought Lorimar, sold the lot to Columbia Pictures, that had been acquired by Sony, the Japanese tech giant. Sony Pictures spent $100 million to completely renovate the historic studio to its former glory, including the 1938 Thalberg building.

Culver Hotel (c) Elisa Leonelli

Harry Culver built the Culver Hotel in 1924 in Renaissance revival style, renovated in 2013, with 46 rooms and a lively restaurant.

The Helms Bakery was built as the official bakery of the 1932 Los Angeles Olympics.

No longer standing is another movie studio in Culver City, the Hal Roach Studios (1919-1963)

In the parking lot in front of Culver Studios, construction has started for a retail and restaurant complex called The Culver Steps. It is scheduled to open in 2019 like the giant 500,000 square feet Ivy Station in the parking lot of the Expo station that closed in February.

Sony Studios, Culver gate (c) Elisa Leonelli

Text and photos by Elisa Leonelli

For more photos click on the Culver City, movie studios series in the Elisa Leonelli, Photojournalist collection at Claremont Colleges Digital Library.

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Chocolate on Robertson

At the September 27 SORONC Townhall meeting about the Robertson Great Streets plans, I was impressed by the heartfelt speech of a young man, David, who introduced his handcrafted chocolate to the neighbors. They are open to the public on Saturdays from 11am to 4pm, and offer free samples. So yesterday I went to visit their factory, Letterpress Chocolate, at 2835 Robertson, the same storefront where Sue Leedom used to sell her Mollie’s Cookies, next to Fred’s Bakery, recently remodeled by new owner by Avi Kadmon.

David Menkes with a tray of cacao beans

Letterpress is a technique of relief printing from plates. David used to be a graphic artist, and does all the designs for his artisan chocolate packaging. The logo is inspired by an old US airmail stamp. It means that he comes from the mountains, flies all over the world and brings back chocolate beans.
His wife and daughter work at the family business, where they manufacture small batch, bean to bar, chocolate in different flavors, single sourced from small farms in Belize, Tanzania, Trinidad, Ecuador, etc.

David Menkes with wife Corey and their daughter

This reminds me of the Lavazza coffee that I have been drinking since moving to the US in 1972, to make sure that every morning as I wake up I smell and taste the same flavor I am used to, having grown up in Italy. I buy Lavazza at Bay Cities, World Market and Vons. It comes in cans and in 12oz bags in several flavors, plus 2 single origin coffees: Santa Marta, Columbia and Kilimanjaro, Tanzania. A couple of years ago I received a Nespresso machine as a birthday gift, but I load refillable pods with Lavazza. To me this Italian coffee beats the taste of the Swiss brand by far.

Stop by to meet David on Saturdays, taste the various samples, ask him to introduce you to his wife and daughter, who are busy in the back making and packaging the award-winning chocolate they ship all over the world. And if you wish to buy some bars of your favorite flavor, they cost $10 to $12 each.

Text and photos by Elisa Leonelli

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Food Markets

The Santa Monica Coop, at 1525 Broadway since 1995, opened another location in Culver City. It’s called CoOpportunity Market & Deli, it’s located at 8770 Washington Blvd and National.

Coop, Culver City

I went to check it out today and found a wide variety of choices, organic fruits and vegetables, grown without pesticides, grass-fed beef raised without antibiotics, cage free chicken wings, crusted wild salmon, hot pizza, poke bowls and much more. It has free underground parking and tables to sit and eat from their salad bar and cooked food selections.

Sprouts, Culver City

It is a welcome addition to the nearby Sprouts that opened last September at 8985 Venice Blvd and to Trader Joe’s at 9290 Culver Blvd.
The Coop is planning a Grand Opening celebration on September 9, don’t miss it.

Trader Joe’s, Culver City

I frequent many other food markets that offer salad bars, hot soups and prepared meals, such as Whole Foods at 11666 National Blvd and Barrington. Amazon already started lowering the prices today, after their recent acquisition.
Gelson’s in Century City, Bristol Farms at 3105 Wilshire Blvd in Santa Monica, Erewhon at 7660 Beverly Blvd and Fairfax LA 90036, Lassens at 710 S LaBrea and Wilshire.

I do love cooking my favorite recipes at home, and I constantly experiment with new dishes, but I also enjoy the quick satisfaction of trying different tasty and healthy foods prepared by others, while shopping for groceries at these markets.

Coop, Culver City

Click on all the red links for more info, please write your comments.

Text and photos by Elisa Leonelli

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Reynier Park regulations

Reynier Park. Wooden pergolas

Loud and drunken parties have occasionally taken place at Reynier Park for years, however, since Nextdoor has made it possible for neighbors to communicate directly with each other on the Internet, the posts about the weekend invasion of our park have been numbering in the hundreds. It is also true that the size and frequency of these large gatherings in our small park has increased, and some of these events have been professionally catered.
Last year SORONC took notice and revived their Park Committee, RVNA members and residents attended several meetings and expressed their concerns. In October 2016 I was present as RVNA Co-President, when 6 LA Park and Recreation representatives promised new signage would be posted, in English and Spanish, so existing regulations would be made clear to park users, and enforceable. No amplified sound, no smoking, no alcohol, no bouncy houses, no catered events, no open flames, no tents, etc.
9 months later these signs have not yet been posted, but SORONC and RVNA are still committed to finding solutions and are organizing a ice-cream party Sunday July 30 at 2pm. Residents are invited to come and share ideas about the park.  SORONC (South Robertson Neighborhood Council) posted yard signs about “reimagining” Reynier Park, with weblink to a survey.

Reynier Park. Picnic, July 16

Actually many of us residents feel Reynier Park is great the way it is, and it is enjoyed daily by dozens of children and adults, with no improvements necessary. It is the invasion of hundreds of people on weekends that should be regulated. We have proposed that only 2 parties be allowed per day, of no more than 30 people each, under the wooden pergolas that provide shade and seating. No need to set up tents that occupy park space. A Park Ranger should be on call to enforce these regulations, allowing LAPD to respond to real crimes such as burglaries, robberies and murders.
See our earlier post on this blog.

RVNA Park Night, July 12

On the bright side, there were no large parties this past weekend, only a baby shower set up under a white tent with seating for less than 30 people. And last Wednesday RVNA, our Reynier Village Neighborhood Association, held a summer park night, a tradition that started in 2005. More than 30 residents walked over to one of the lovely pergolas and talked to each other face to face. What a concept in this era of Social Media…

We love our Reynier Park.

Text and photos by Elisa Leonelli

 

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Enjoy South Robertson

Ivan Gallery. Art by Barbara Mendes

Sunday June 4, I walked 3 blocks from my home to South Robertson to experience the SORO Fest, a joyous community event in its 20th year, when this usually busy street between Cadillac and Cattaraugus is closed to traffic and SORO residents enjoy walking to the many restaurants and shops in our neighborhood.

I greeted my friends, at the booths for RVNA, SORONC, Hami Garden, and said hello to Barbara Mendes, who was teaching kids how to do chalk drawing on the sidewalk in from of Ivan Gallery.

Fred’s Bakery-Avi Kadmon.

I spoke with Avi, who bought Fred’s Bakery two years ago and recently completed a thorough remodel. This neighborhood favorite was opened in 1949 by Fred and Harriet; when Fred passed away in 1992, his children (Bob, Steve and Cecilia) ran it for 12 year, then sold it in 2005 when Cecilia (Cissy Klein) moved to Las Vegas.

Wonders Kids World. Julia, Natalie

I looked into the window of Wonders Kids World. They were closed today, but a couple of weeks ago I had met with Natalie, from Paris, France and Julia, from Yucatan, Mexico. They are devoted to teaching pre-school children French and Spanish in a fun way, through music and games.

Barbara Mendes painting Angel Wall. July 2012

You don’t have to wait another year to enjoy South Robertson, now dubbed the Great Emerald Blvd. These businesses are open most days of the week. Go have breakfast at Undergrind Cafe, lunch at Dolce Isola, dessert at Monaco Gelato, take home tasty Argentinian Empanadas or a heavenly green chile burrito from Campos. Check out the many programs the Relational Center has to offer. Enjoy art at the Ivan Gallery, decorated with the colorful and intricate murals painted by Barbara Mendes through the years. Explore all the places that she included in the map below.

For a list of our favorites click on the Robertson page of the RVNA website.

Text and photos by Elisa Leonelli

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Reynier Park

During the past couple of weeks, we noticed several workers in orange vests and hard hats working on our Reynier Park, so we went to check and talk to them. They removed the old sidewalk and poured cement to build a new one all around the park, along Olin, Reynier and Hargis. They completed the job Friday April 28. They were employed by a private company called John S. Meek, hired by the Los Angeles Department of Street Services.


We are grateful for such improvement, however many Reynier Village resident wish that the Los Angeles Department of Recreation and Parks would require permits for large picnics on weekends, catered affairs that bring over 200 people to our neighborhood, and would limit the parties to 2, to take place under the lovely wooden pergolas, and the number of party-goers to 20 for each party.


Also the erection of tents and bouncy houses are not allowed by existing park regulations, which should be enforced. In October 2016 the SORONC Board approved a resolution asking for new signs, in English and Spanish, spelling out all the regulations. We’ve been waiting 6 months, so we hope these signs will be posted soon.

Text and photos by Elisa Leonelli

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New Restaurants-Culver City

Baco Shop 17awWe were curious about several new restaurants that opened recently in downtown Culver City, replacing others that closed, so we took a walk, looked at their menus and sampled some of their food. We favored inexpensive and unpretentious establishments, offering healthy choices.
For example the baby kale salad at BACO SHOP (424) 258 6301, 9552 Washington Blvd, the grain bowl with black lentils at CAVA (23) 230 5027 , 9343 Culver Blvd, the Angry Avocado roll at RAMEN ROLL (310) 426 8926, 9900 Culver Blvd.
Ramen Roll 17-2awWe also indulged with the Chicken Karaage at TENTENYU (424) 603 4803, 3849 Main St. It was yummi (and boneless), much better (if not comparable) than HONEY KETTLE’S FRIED CHICKEN, rated number one in Los Angeles by LAist, Thrillist and Los Angeles Magazine (if you don’t mind waiting 30 minutes or more).

For a list of our favorite restaurants in Culver City check the RVNA website.

P.S. As of July 2017, RAMEN ROLL had already closed. It was short lived, just like LA Picnic at this location, which is still available for lease.

Text and photos by Elisa Leonelli

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Native Gardens

Yes, Southern California experienced lots of rain this winter and the long drought may be ending, but that does not mean you should keep that water-thirsty lawn in front of your house.

Gibson garden (c) Elisa Leonelli

In 2009, when we started this blog, we were amazed at how many Reynier Village residents had replaced their turf with drought tolerant grasses and native plants in their front yard and parkway.
Many more residents took that step during the past few years, since LADWP (Los Angeles Department of Water and Power) started their cash for grass program in 2009 and raised the rebate amount in 2014. So many people applied that those funds were quickly exhausted, and the Turf Removal Program waitlist was closed in November 2015.

Check SoCal Water $mart for available rebates on sprinkler nozzles, rain barrels, weather based Irrigation controllers, etc. or call 800-506 9073

Gibson garden (c) Elisa Leonelli

To get inspired about the kinds of landscape and plants you may choose to grow in your garden, take a look at the photos of the
Theodore Payne Native Plant Garden Tour
Saturday and Sunday April 1 & 2, 10am to 5pm.

Search the LADWP Interactive database:
California Friendly Landscaping in Los Angeles

Or take a walk around Reynier Village and see what your neighbors have done.

Gibson parkway (c) Elisa Leonelli

We admired this front yard and parkway on Gibson, so we asked Lauren how she did it. “The yard used to be all grass. A couple of years ago I applied for the turf removal rebate and was accepted. I spoke to a few landscape artists, but they were asking far more than I was willing to pay, so happily my gardener Ernesto agreed to remove the grass and replace it with California native/drought tolerant plants: : Blue Finger, Fire Sticks, Aloe, Aeonium, Variegatum, etc. He did everything himself with his crew, I just gave him the specifications from LADWP’s rebate program (must be CA native, no rocks/gravel, sprinkler-drip system, etc). It really has come in quite nicely this Spring after the recent rains.”


Text and photos by Elisa Leonelli

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Freeway Garden

Blue Lupine

This warm sunny morning, only one week away from the beginning of spring, I took a walk from my house to meet up with my neighbor Steven, who wanted to show me the colorful flowers blooming in his freeway garden.  For years now he has been planting a variety of native flowers, such as orange California poppies and blue lupines, inside the fence of the Santa Monica freeway next to his house. In 2003 our local journalist Martha Groves saw him engaged in this labor of love and wrote an article about him for the Los Angeles Times: Splendor blooms on the inhospitable ground next to Santa Monica Freeway.

10 Fwy-Bottlebrush

More often than not in our neighborhood the embankment along the 10 Fwy is littered with beer bottles thrown over the fence or illegally dumped bulky items. Several times during the past few years the dedicated volunteers of the Reynier Village and Helms Neighborhood Associations have organized community clean-ups of this fenced area that is maintained by Caltrans. Click here to read a post on this blog.

Morning Glory

Steven says: “I hope people realize that, like the L.A. River before it was rediscovered, the freeway borders can be much more than an unused byproduct of a transportation system.  It’s valuable land that most people ignore.”
Take a walk along Regent Street between Cattaraugus and National, bring the kids for  a botany lesson, enjoy the super bloom of our Southern California spring after the heavy rains.
Text and photos by Elisa Leonelli

Freeway Garden-Lavatera bicolor

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Mansionization in Reynier Village

On March 1 the Los Angeles City Council approved new regulations, backed by Paul Koretz of Council District 5, to control the size of Mcmansions, large modern 2-story houses built on small lots, replacing quainter older homes in single-family neighborhoods.

8921 Hargis-2017 house, photo by Elisa Leonelli

8921 Hargis-2017 house, photo by Elisa Leonelli

The first of these mansions was recently built in Reynier Village at 8921 Hargis, in place of a small wooden home, that was sold on May 12, 2016 for $750,000.  The asking price of the new house is $1,750,000.  A tidy profit for this developer.
I actually like the architectural style of this modern structure, in comparison to the old 1,346 square feet house built in 1947.  However we have to be watchful so that massive houses towering over your homes are not built to change the character of our lovely village.

8921 Hargis-1947 home

8921 Hargis-1947 home

Here’s a message from local realtor Laura Anderson, president of the Faircrest Heights Neighborhood Association: “Our beloved neighborhood, with the charm of its architecture, is a hidden jewel, much like Reynier Village. Concerned residents rallied together to go to City Hall for the hearings on a regular basis. I encourage you to join forces and keep the integrity of your neighborhood.  I support change but we need to have guidelines in place.”
Check out the Facebook page of ‘No More Mcmansions in Los Angeles’ and sign the petition. Contact the SORONC Board and our District 10 Councilman Herb Wesson, so they may put pressure on City Hall to protect Reynier Village from mansionization.

To understand the changes in city regulations, you may read an article posted by Deni Mosser on Nextdoor.

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Robertson-Great Street

Tommy's Express Car Wash

Tommy’s Express Car Wash

Many residents were disappointed two years ago when South Robertson Boulevard was NOT included among the 15 “Great Streets” chosen by Mayor Eric Garcetti for transformation.  Last November SORONC (South Robertson Neighborhood Council) leaders applied for a $13,000 matching grant, with letters of support from RVNA (Reynier Village Neighborhood Association) and other community organizations, and on February 3, 2017 the Mayor confirmed that South Robertson (from Cadillac to Kincardine) is one of 7 additional Los Angeles Great Streets 2016.

2512 Robertson

2512 Robertson

I took a walk up and down Robertson a few days ago to see what’s new.  I spoke with Ari Cohen, the new owner of Fred’s Bakery who took over the  business 2 years ago, I checked out Tommy’s Express Car Wash, and I looked at the gated parking lot of 2512-2516 Robertson, a building left vacant for 30 years by an absentee landlady.  We wish she and her son would sell it already and allow a restaurant to open there. It would be a great addition to the existing eateries: Dolce Isola, Argentinian Empanadas, Campos, Monaco Gelato, Undergrind Cafe.

Text and photos by Elisa Leonelli

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Pizza pop Up

Roberta’s Pizza (c) Elisa Leonelli

I was checking their website to see if Sweetgreen had opened at Platform in Culver City (it has), and saw a page about Roberta’s Pizza. I was born in Italy, so I’m always on the lookout for authentic Neapolitan pizza restaurants in LA, and the photos of these pizzas looked promising. So today I went for lunch with a friend, we ordered one pizza to share, the Bee Sting with spicy soppressata, and after the first bite we had to immediately order a second. To be fair, these pies are quite small. They had set up a shack under the Expo line bridge, with wooden tables in front, and placed their awesome clay pizza oven outdoors.  I asked how long they were going to be there and they said they are leaving in 10 days, February 12, drive the pizza oven back to the original Roberta’s in Brooklyn. I told them that the parking lot for the Expo across the street would close on February 14, for construction of a commercial and residential complex, and they said, “We’re leaving just in time, then.”

Sweetgreen (c) Elisa Leonelli

We also did check out Sweetgreen, where you can get healthy salads, warm bowls, and fruit juices, made from local organic ingredients.
Platform is at 8840 Washington Blvd, Culver City 90232. See post on this blog.

P.S. Roberta’s Pizza did end up opening a restaurant at Platform, with an extended menu and a full bar.  We had lunch there December 1, 2018.  It was crowded and noisy, but still good pizza.

 

Text and photos by Elisa Leonelli

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Romantic Bookstore

It was only a few days ago, while reading an article in Los Angeles Magazine about the 14 Best Mom and Pop bookstores in L.A., that I discovered The Ripped Bodice, A Romantic Bookstore, in downtown Culver City.  It opened March 4, 2016, after a Kickstarter campaign that raised over $90,000.  It’s the dream project of two sisters, Bea, 27, and Leah, 25, smart and accomplished young women. Leah graduated from USC in Visual and Performing Arts, Bea studied Fashion History at NYU, her master thesis was titled “Mending the Ripped Bodice.”

Bea, photo (c) Elisa Leonelli

Bea (c) Elisa Leonelli

I was so intrigued that I immediately contacted the sisters. Bea graciously received me and answered my questions. “Bodice Rippers” is a term used for erotic romance novels of the 1970s and 80s. Bea said they wanted to poke fun at that popular perception, and immediately communicate to their fans, “This store is for you.” “Sex is not something that we should be ashamed or embarrassed about, we all come from sex. It’s completely insane to me the way sex is discussed in this country, and all these issues that women are facing right now.  We’ve reverted into this dark age.”
Their store carries all sub-genres in the romance novels category, from paranormal to LGBTQ, and they host community events. “Thursday December 15, 8pm, is our monthly romantic comedy night, and this month we are collecting travel size toiletries to donate to women shelters in Los Angeles.”

The Ripped Bodice (c) Elisa Leonelli

The Ripped Bodice (c) Elisa Leonelli

The store is huge and bright, decorated like a comfortable home, with armchairs and couches for reading, books are piled up everywhere. Get over there, it’s well worth a visit.

The Ripped Bodice: 424-603 4776
3806 Main St. Culver City, CA 90232

Text and photos by Elisa Leonelli

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Halloween

Bedford St (c) Elisa leonelli

Bedford St (c) Elisa Leonelli

Reynier Village celebrated Halloween with many neighborhood activities. Residents decorated their homes with pumpkins, skeletons and graves, kids went out trick or treating dressed in scary costumes.  The Relational Center on Robertson held a party for the community. RVNA (Reynier Village Neighborhood Association) organized a costume parade in Reynier Park on Sunday morning.

RVNA parade © Kimberly Villatoro

The history of this celebration is rooted in the Celtic tradition of Samhain, which marked the end of the harvest season. People dressed in costumes to disguise themselves from spirits, who they believed came back to life to kill their crops. They went door to door to ask for food to offer the ghouls in exchange for mercy.” (watch video in Time online)
October 31 is the night before All Saints Day, a Catholic holiday set by the Church for November 1 to discourage this pagan belief, thereby the name Halloween is short for All Hallows Eve.  All Souls Day is November 2, when Catholics visit the tombs of their dearly departed.  In Mexico and Latin America the Day of the Dead is a huge 3-day festival.

Elisa Leonelli

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Sprouts is here!

sprouts-w

I have been shopping at Sprouts for years, ever since they opened their first Los Angeles area store on Sepulveda at Jefferson in 2010. I was glad when they took over a location on Westwood Blvd, since that is closer to my regular routes. Recently I tried their new LaBrea store at Willoughby.  So I was very excited today to finally shop at their latest store on Venice Blvd, so close to my neighborhood.  It’s a place where I already go often, to shop at Trader Joe’s, or the sadly departed Office Max, to watch movies at the new Arclight Cinemas, to eat at my favorite restaurants in downtown Culver City, like EnjoyEat.

vegetables

I did my regular shopping, I love their Sprouts brand of gelato, their heirloom tomatoes, their nuts, lentils and beans in bulk, their salad bar, their home-made sausages. But this was a special day.  The atmosphere was festive, with frequent buzzing sounds, just like at the slot machines in Las Vegas, when every 15th customer won a booklet of coupons.  They were giving away green recyclable bags and passing out sushi tastings.  You can also see the discounts on their website.

Sprouts. 8985 Venice Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90034 (424) 361-6611

Text and photos by Elisa Leonelli

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Gelato on Robertson

Luca Monaco 1w

Monaco- Fabbrica di Gelato finally opened on Friday September 2 at 2633 Robertson Blvd. 203-979 6346.  Their hours are Thursday to Sunday from 12 noon to 8pm.
Residents of Reynier Village and Castle Heights already love walking over there to taste this delicious ice-cream freshly made Italian style, in flavors like Cappuccino, Hazelnut, Tiramisu, Gianduia, etc.
Many neighbors contributed to the Kickstarter campaign that by May 2 had reached the $10,000 goal in only 2 weeks. The work to refurbish the old store was completed 4 months later.
This is a labor of love from a passionate young man, Luca Monaco. He was raised in Montreal by his French mother and Italian father, and now lives in Santa Monica.

Welcome Luca. Benvenuto.

Text and photo by Elisa Leonelli

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Dolce Isola is Capri

Dolce Isola 4sWe enjoy having Dolce Isola on Robertson, the bakery of the Ivy restaurant; they serve breakfast, sandwiches, salads and ice-cream.  The downstairs space is way too small, but they do have a few more quiet tables upstairs. Ever since they opened in 2007 we sometimes order their pricey food for the summer park nights organized by our Reynier Village Neighborhood Association, where neighbors get together to eat, chat and have fun.  This week I wanted to get cookies from Dolce Isola for the last park night of 2016, since we had bought them from Fred’s Bakery on Robertson and Grand Casino in Culver City for the other park nights.  But I was unhappy that they only had one choice: chocolate chip cookies, so I bought Tiramisu instead.  I adore this delicious Italian custard, that literally means “pick me up” and I make it myself with soft mascarpone cheese.  The Dolce Isola version was so fabulous that many people attending the social evening asked for seconds.  Only after I got home I noticed the green design on the paper bag.  The Isola=island that is so sweet=dolce, is Capri, off the coast of Naples.  The descriptions read in Italian: the island of Love, the island of Sun, Arrivederci a Capri=let’s meet again in Capri.

Isola-Capri 1sDolce Isola 3s

So if you can’t travel to the real place in Italy, you should go to our local Dolce Isola at 2869 Robertson and have a leisurely good time, Italian style.

Text and photos by Elisa Leonelli

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Culver City summer

Kirk Douglas Theatre (c) Elisa Leonelli

Kirk Douglas Theatre (c) Elisa Leonelli

Yesterday I checked out the Summertini event in Culver City. I discovered that the name means small tastings of martinis, vodka mixed with different fruit juices.  They were served in tiny (tini) plastic cups, not only at restaurants, but also at art galleries (The Whole 9) and a gift shop (Lundeen).  My favorite place turned out to be Grilliant, because they offered me a full size Winetini in a real glass.  The best location was the Kirk Douglas Theater lobby, where tea, not alcohol, was available and a platter of assorted cheeses and fruit.  I had seen an amusing play there in April, Women Laughing Alone with Salad, and I loved the atmosphere.  They had a backdrop set up where photographs of audience members were taken holding fake salad bowls in front of virtual scenery. Very cool. Take a look at their fall/winter season.
The Third Wednesday event for August 17 is called Tropical Staycation.  It’s the 5th annual Spiked Tropical Punch Tasting, so check it out.
Free summer concerts have been taking place for years in the courtyard at City Hall. Tonight July 21 it’s Latin Salsa dancing rhythms.  See program for the upcoming Thursdays: July 28, August 4 and 11.  Our favorite way to enjoy these evenings is to sit at Hikari across the street and listen to the music, while eating sushi and drinking sake.

Text and photos by Elisa Leonelli

Culver City Hall (c) Elisa Leonelli

Culver City Hall (c) Elisa Leonelli

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Platform on Washington

Platform

Platform

Last week, after picking up the delicious Gazpacho soup from Smart Simple Gourmet at 3731 Robertson, I took a walk on Washington Blvd going East. This used to be a long stretch of road with no shops, mostly occupied by car dealerships, but recently a fancy shopping mall called Platform has been constructed and opened in March. A desirable location, especially now that the Expo Line has been extended to Santa Monica. The Culver City station is right across the street.

Aesop

Aesop

Some of the shops have yet to open, but there are quite enough interesting places to warrant a visit. So I went back the following day to explore and take some pictures. I watched families with small children play in the numerous sitting areas bordered by drought tolerant landscaping, I saw customers with their laptops lounge on various terraces, I noticed an event organized by the LA Film Festival at the photo studio Lightbox, I walked into SoulCycle and thought I might like to try this type of exercise, I chatted with the salespeople at Aesop, skin care products, and they offered me a cup of tea.

Loqui

Loqui

I had a tasty lunch at Loqui, Mexican tacos and quesadillas wrapped in their home-made flour tortillas.

Blue Bottle Coffee

Blue Bottle Coffee

I asked the girls at Blue Bottle Coffee if they could make me a cappuccino Italian style, all milk foam with espresso poured on top, and they did. I was pleased.

Juices Served Here

Juices Served Here

So I went back again the following day with a friend, we had dinner and drinks at Cannibal, ice cream at Van Leeuwen. We walked into some of the shops. At IDV (Ilan Dei Venice), we learnt that all the outdoor furniture at Platform is made by them.

Mural by Jen Stark

Mural by Jen Stark

The Platform is in walking or bicycling distance from Reynier Village, but they also have a parking structure on Landmark Street, first 2 hours free. It’s in the building with the rainbow murals by artist Jen Stark, that also houses Sao Acai, smoothies and bowls, and Cannibal butcher shop and restaurant.

P.S. December 1, 2018. Cannibal closed, parking is now $3 for 2 hours.

Text and photos by Elisa Leonelli

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Expo to Santa Monica

Expo train to Santa Monica

Expo train leaves Culver City to Santa Monica

We have been waiting anxiously for four years, since the Expo Line from Robertson and Venice to Downtown LA opened in June 2012, and now the opening day (announced February 29) of the Expo Metro line to Santa Monica is finally here:  Friday May 20.  The celebration and free rides continue on Saturday May 21.
We have been watching test trains pass by for months, with the crossing bars going down and the lights flashing, on Bagley and National. But soon we will actually be ON the train on our way to the beach.  We can’t wait.

Culver City Expo Station

Culver City Expo Station

So today I went to explore the Culver City station, took some photos, spoke with a guard.  I noticed that the bridge over Venice Blvd is divided in the middle, with the train tracks running in opposite directions separately.  I saw, then asked to confirm, that trains already travel all the way from here to Santa Monica and back, except they carry no passengers. The signage still indicates only the Eastbound direction to downtown LA, but will soon read: Westbound to Santa Monica.

Train from downtown LA continues empty to Santa Monica

Train from downtown LA continues empty to Santa Monica

When you do ride the train, for free, on May 20 and 21, and stop at some of the 7 new Expo stations: Palms, Westwood/Rancho Park, Sepulveda, Bundy, 26th St/Bergamot, 17th St/S Monica College, to Downtown Santa Monica, at 4th and Colorado, please email photos and comments to reyniervillage@earthlink.net and we’ll post then here.

Text and photos by Elisa Leonelli

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1920s Jazz club

Cotton Club, Culver City

Cotton Club, Culver City – Los Angeles Library Photo

While reading the online newspaper LAist, we learned about the Cotton Club by Frank Sebastian, that opened in 1926 in Culver City, during the Prohibition era (1919 to 1933), and operated until 1938.  Located at 6500 Washington, it offered valet parking, three dance floors, full orchestras, dinner and breakfast, plus secret gambling rooms.  Modeled after the jazz club by the same name in Harlem, New York, it catered to white customers only and featured bands of black musicians. Duke Ellington, Lionel Hampton, Cab Calloway, and Louis Armstrong played there often.
Culver City was a neighborhood popular with movie stars, because it housed M-G-M, the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer studios, from 1924 to 1986, and the Thomas Ince Studios, built in 1918, that became the Cecil De Mille studios in 1925, RKO-Pathé Studios in 1928, and Selznick Pictures in 1935. Renamed Culver Studios in 1970, it’s located at 9336 Washington Blvd. The MGM studios at 10202 Washington Blvd were bought by Sony Pictures in 1990, and beautifully restored.

Cotton Club by Francis Coppola

Cotton Club by Francis Coppola

Cotton Club, the 1984 movie by Francis Coppola, starring Richard Gere, Diane Lane, Gregory Hines and Lonette McKee, is set in the New York City’s Cotton Club. Duke Ellington’s was the orchestra in residency there from 1927 to 1930, then Cub Calloway’s band played from 1931 to 1934.  The jazz club and speakeasy operated in Harlem from 1923 to 1936, then it was moved downtown to Broadway and 48th St (from 1936 to 1940), after the Harlem Race Riot of 1935, because that neighborhood no longer felt safe for whites.

Cotton Club, New York

Cotton Club, New York

Why the name cotton?  Because the club decor was designed to evoke a plantation environment.  In Culver City silent movie star Roscoe “Fatty” Arbuckle built his Plantation Cafe, at 11700 Washington Blvd, in 1928.

Text by Elisa Leonelli

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Smart Food

Smart-w

After my first juice cleanse in June 2014, I started incorporating cold pressed vegetable juices into my daily diet, which I found an easy way to add nutrients. There are SO many places selling these juices all over town now, that I must not be the only one devoted to this kind of healthy eating.
The closest to Reynier Village is a small window at 3731 Robertson, south of Venice, across from FEDEX.  Juices Served Here had their production facility there and I would stop by often. Then one day, a couple of months ago, I had to do a double-take, because the juice menu had changed. A new company had moved into this location, Renew Juicery.  Shortly after that, I received an email from Linda, the chef-owner of Smart Simple Gourmet, that they started selling their healthy menu items out of this same window.  I had discovered the delicious food cooked by Linda at the Culver City Farmers Market on Tuesdays, where she had stand for years, but for the past couple of years she only sells at the Mar Vista Farmers Market on Sundays.  So now I can get juices and gourmet meals from the same place nearby.  Very convenient. Check it out!

Renew-w

Text by Elisa Leonelli

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Arcana-Helms Bakery

Aline Smithson

Last Saturday afternoon I attended an event at the Arcana bookstore in the Helms Bakery District. I was intrigued by the photographer, Aline Smithson, who was signing her new book, Self & Others: Portrait as Autobiography. My curiosity was rewarded, because Aline turned out to be an interesting woman, and her book is amazing.
“Beginning with her earliest black and white silver gelatin prints, she photographs the world around her considering the poignancy of childhood and the pathos of aging and relationships. The photographer considers all her portraits a reflection of herself and the stories she wants to tell, and in that way, has created a visual language that is her own unique autobiography.”

Helms Bakery, murals

Helms Bakery, murals

I then walked around and discovered something I had not noticed before, murals reproducing old photographs of the bread delivery trucks, on the wall by the valet parking. And that the furniture store Plummers is now called Scandinavian Designs.

Click on our previous post about the Helms Bakery and go there to explore yourselves, then please comment on your favorite places.

Text  and photos by Elisa Leonelli

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Wilde Thistle

Wilde ThistleWilde Thistle

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This Sunday afternoon we visited a lovely Irish-Scottish Cafe and Pub (for Artists, Writers, Thinkers & Lovers), at the corner of Motor and Palms, named after Oscar Wilde, the national poet of Ireland, and the Thistle, the national flower of Scotland.  Inside we found the most pleasant atmosphere (they also have an outdoor table), with a trio of musicians playing Irish music (two women on the fiddle, a man alternating between a flute and a concertina). Behind the bar a small TV was playing the FIFA World Cup football game between US and Japan.
It’s a family place run by Caite Wallace, daughter Ciara, sons Liam and Brennan.  They have Happy Hour from 3 to 7pm from Tuesday to Sunday (closed Monday), with draft beers at $5, soup+grilled cheese at $5, a trio of sliders for $7.  The art on the walls is by Steve O’Loughlin and it’s inspired by Celtic designs.

The Wilde Thistle Cafe: 310-730 6208
3456 Motor Ave, Los Angeles CA 90034

Please check it our and write your comments!

Text and photos by Elisa Leonelli

P.S. Sadly this place closed after one last performance April 10, 2016

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SORO Fest

Fire truck

Today we participated in one of our neighborhood’s most popular events, the 18th annual street festival on South Robertson Blvd.
The LA Fire Department was out in force with 2 giant firetrucks parked on Beverlywood, and numerous firemen talking to people and distributing information about their free CERT (Community Emergency Response Team) classes.

We bought some plants from the HAMI Garden booth.

We talked to the many volunteers from the Relational Center, that recently moved to 2717 Robertson: 323-935 1807.  You should definitely check out the many programs they offer, counseling, yoga, mediation, etc.

We had a healthy bowl of superfood like kale and quinoa from the Green Truck: 310-204 0477.  At last year SORO Fest they received the Outstanding Green Citizenship Award, from SORONC Green Team.

Check the Art Map and support the businesses on South Robertson all year round!

Text and photo by Elisa Leonelli

 

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Robertson Map

We just received this lovely map of the businesses on South Robertson Blvd, designed by our local artist, Barbara Mendes.

Check out the alphabetical listing in the Robertson page of our Reynier Village Neighborhood Association website.

Patronize these shops, galleries, eateries, in walking distance of our home.

Email us your comments.

Thanks!

Elisa Leonelli

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Movies in the park

Movies-park 15s

Last night we went to check out this new event in our neighborhood.

Street Food Cinema presents summer movie nights in nearby Syd Kronenthal Park in Culver City, at the end of McManus Ave, South of Washington Blvd, walking distance from Reynier Village, once a month for five weeks, starting May 16, doors open at 5.30pm, movies at 8.30.

See schedule for more info and prices
Food trucks provide the food

At 6pm many families armed with chairs and blankets (it was cold) were arriving.  It’s hard to find a spot in the small parking lot of the park, and a sign warns NOT to park in the neighboring streets.  Parking is provided at 5780 Jefferson Blvd.  Better to walk or bicycle.

Please let us know if you attend any of these movies, send your comments.
Thanks

Text and photo by Elisa Leonelli

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Undergrind Cafe

Rachel Sazon

Rachel Sazon

After running our of money in June, when they were planning to open their café on South Robertson, Ron and Rachel Sazon launched a successful crowd-funding campaign on Kickstarter and raised the additional $12,000 they needed.  They finally opened their doors on October 25.
When we stopped by today, on a Sunday morning, the place was lively with customers and had been decorated with art, a table in the back, stools and high chairs in the front.  WiFi is available. Various types of coffees and teas are served, also enticing breakfast and lunch daily specials.
Undergrind Cafe: 323-868 1703, 2713 S Robertson Blvd
Welcome to Reynier Village!

See listing of South Robertson businesses on our RVNA website.

Text and photo by Elisa Leonelli

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Juices for health

Fruits and Vegetables Juicer

After hearing about it from friends, a few months ago I decided to try a juice cleanse, not only to lose a few pounds, but for overall health.  I was cautioned that this should not be attempted without the guidance of a nutritionist, so I consulted Sirena, who had come highly recommended.  Check out her website www.sirenapellarolo.com

I did not want to make my own cold-pressed vegetable juices, since there are so many places offering this service everywhere, now that juicing is a hot trend.  I tried a few and was especially happy with these 2 sources.

JUICE SERVED HERE
They have a “window” in our neighborhood at their production facility
3731 S. Robertson, Culver City 90232 (across from Fedex, South of Venice Blvd)

THE RAW JUICERY
Sold at various farmers markets (cheaper at $20 for 3 juices in plastic bottles)

What I discovered is that juicing is a great way to add more raw vegetables to your daily diet, in combination with a variety of foods, raw and cooked, vegan choices and lean proteins (from animals raised without antibiotics).

Please send us your own experiences with healthy diet regimens.

Text by Elisa Leonelli

 

P.S. Pressed Juicery is the cheapest with deals like $20 for 4 juices or $29.50 for 6. They have many locations.
.Juices Served Here has moved from Robertson, it was replaced by Renew Juicery.
You can find them in the food court of the Century City Shopping Center.
Read our 2016 post Smart Food.

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Robertson clean-up

Crestview clean 1s

 

The Crestview Neighborhood Association organized a cleanup of Robertson Blvd, from Pickford to Sawyer, Sunday September 7 starting at 7.30am.

Today at 10 am the Reynier Village Neighborhood Association sponsored a clean-up of the Fwy embankment outside and inside the fence of Beverlywood St between Garth and Holt. In less than an hour, with twelve RVNA members and volunteers working together, the area was free of garbage.

We would like to remind Reynier Village residents that it’s every homeowner’s responsibility to clean the parkway and sidewalk along your property.

Thanks for your help in keeping our neighborhood free of trash.

Text and photo by Elisa Leonelli
RVNA Communications

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Neighborhood clean-up

Helms 14-1s

Sunday August 17, the Helms Neighborhood Association organized a community trash clean up and tree trimming of the Santa Monica 10 Freeway embankment along Regent Street. Cal Trans workers were also there replacing parts of the old fence.  More than 50 residents showed up to volunteer for this effort.  Councilman Herb Wesson’s office provided the tools.  3 members of the Reynier Village Neighborhood Association removed garbage from the Freeway embankment and alley between Cattaraugus and Bedford.
LA City street sweepers and Cal Trans crews are not sufficient to keep our neighborhoods clean, so residents should get together and do it themselves. It’s good practice for when we will have to help each other in case of an earthquake, since fire and police departments will be too overwhelmed.

Please support RVNA, become a member. Thanks

Text and photos by Elisa Leonelli
RVNA Communications

Helms 14-6s

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Eatalian

EatJoy

I had discovered Eatalian last year (October 6, 2013), when the Italy-America Chamber of Commerce West (IACCW) organized “Piazza Italia” at Ciclavia, a taste sampling of Authentic Italian restaurants, in a downtown pedestrian area near Grand Park. I had tasted their delicious ice-cream, and was delighted to find out that they were planning to open a location in Culver City. The main location of Eatalian Cafe is in Gardena, where they also have ExEat.
I had forgotten about this, until I found their business card and called them. They had indeed opened a cafe, EnoyEat Espresso, and a restaurant, EnjoyEat Classico, in an alley next to the Pacific movie theaters in downtown Culver City.  I went there to eat pizza last Saturday night, and was not disappointed; their gelato, cappuccino flavor, was out of this world.  It reminded me of the Coppa del Nonno that I used to love as a child in my hometown of Modena.

Text by Elisa Leonelli

 

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Wine Tasting

Polly-Bar and Garden 2s

During one of our exploratory walks along that stretch of Washington Blvd between National and La Cienega, that has been blossoming with new restaurants, shops and art galleries for the past few years, we discovered a gem:  Bar and Garden, a unique liquor store that specializes in artisan products, AND offers wine tastings twice a week: Tuesdays from 5-8 and Sundays from 2-6
We checked it out today and found the atmosphere very pleasant. The girl at the bar was quite friendly, as she poured 3 samples of French wines from the Loire Valley.  We enjoyed the delicious amuse-bouches: olives and cheeses with fresh bread.
Bar and Garden: 310-876 0759
6142 Washington Blvd. Culver City 90232

Text and photo by Elisa Leonelli

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Asian fusion

PEI WEI lettuce wraps

PEI WEI lettuce wraps

 

We were delighted to find out that a new location of PEI WEI had opened in Culver City, close to our Reynier Village neighborhood, so we went to try it out.
We had liked their place in Beverly Hills, but this venue was even nicer, with windows that let in the daylight and outdoor tables on the terrace, in a new mini-mall at the corner of Sepulveda and Washington Blvd.
They serve Asian fast food: Thai, Chinese, Korean and Vietnamese, their specialty are the lettuce cups (a favorite item of their parent restaurant P.F. Chang) and they come in 3 different versions. Definitely yummi. Check it out!

Don’t forget to consult the Restaurants page of our Reynier Village website for more of our favorites and email us yours.

Text by Elisa Leonelli

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Blue Buddha

Bouquet

During one of my walks to greet new businesses opening up in our neighborhood, I discovered that a lovely photography studio recently opened at 2803 Robertson Blvd. It has the evocative name of Blue Buddha Studio.

So I walked in and spoke with photographer Kerem Hancy. He works with a partner, Jennifer Castle, and they specialize in portrait and wedding photography.
Check out Kerem’s website to take a look at his portfolio and see him in action.

The studio space is also available for rental.  Give them a call: 424-835 0454

Text by Elisa Leonelli

P.S. Studio closed.  Contact photographers at their websites

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Robertson mural

mural 1s

On one on my walks around the neighborhood, I discovered this bright new mural, on the side wall of the liquor store on Robertson, corner Gibson St.  The signature reads Beautify Robertson/septerhed1@gmail.  We located the website and contacted Sept. He said he paints these small projects for free to give the gift of art to the community, to bring life and dialogue to our city streets.
We also found this article in the current issue of Los Angeles Magazine.
To beautify South Robertson has always been one of the goals of our Reynier Village Neighborhood Association, and that is why we created a Robertson page on our website, to promote the establishments that make our neighborhood more friendly and enjoyable.
Please send us your comments and suggestions!

Text and photos by Elisa Leonelli

Mural 2s

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Shop on Robertson

pears

A few weeks ago, during one of my walks, I discovered that an elegant new shop had opened on Robertson at 2613. So I walked in and chatted with the proprietor, Shannon Colburn, and her son Conor, who created their lovely website www.ShannonColburn.com. They had recently moved to this store-front location and are now open to the public for a walk-in visit to their showroom of household decorative items from their extensive collection of accessories, African woodcarvings, paintings, furniture, lamps, pillows and more.
They will extend a 20% discount to Reynier Village residents, so be sure to visit this new shop that we welcome to our neighborhood.

Text by Elisa Leonelli

Posted in Local Businesses, Robertson | Tagged | 1 Comment

Art Space on Robertson

Untitled by Caryl St. Ama

Untitled by Caryl St. Ama

 

 

A new community art space and print studio opened in our neighborhood
PHLAT PHILE at 2805 Robertson: 323-744 7222

On June 2, at the SORO Festival, they launched a group exhibition called “1 Degree of Separation” featuring various artists who work on paper.
Their mission is to provide artists with technical support for their print-based projects and offer collectors moderately prices printworks under $1,000.

Check out their website for more info

We welcome them to Reynier Village!

Text by Elisa Leonelli

P.S. Art Gallery closed. Contact them through their website.

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Jacaranda

Jacaranda 2s

Dozens of jacaranda trees have been blossoming in Reynier Village for the past few weeks, their violet purple flowers brightening the neighborhood and blanketing our streets; but they will soon be gone, so you may wish to walk around and enjoy them now!

Although not a native plant (it was first introduced to California in 1892), the jaracanda mimosifolia is beloved in literature by authors writing about by Los Angeles, such as Anais Nin, Raymond Chandler, Joan Didion. Click here for excerpts.
And often mentioned by Los Angeles writers, such as Kate Braverman, who left L.A. for San Francisco, and Eve Babitz, who named Jacaranda the protagonist of her 1979 novel Sex and Rage.

Text and photo by Elisa Leonelli

P.S. Read in LAIST about botanist Kate Sessions (1857-1940), who introduced jacarandas and 140 other warm-weather plants to Southern California.

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FARMERS MARKETS

FarmersM1

We are lucky to have so many farmers markets nearby, and we already recommended the closest, on La Cienega at 18th Street within walking distance of Reynier Village, Thursdays from 2 to 7pm.
But our favorite is the Culver City Farwers MarketCulver City Farmers market, now on Main Street between Venice and Washington Blvd, Tuesdays from 3 to 7pm. They not only have a variety of  fresh fruits and vegetables from local farms, but a real find.  A lovely young woman cooks healthy and delicious dishes for you to take home. Check out her weekly menu at Smart Simple Gourmet, pick them up and get ready for a real treat. She has a stand at the Mar Vista Farmers Market as well, on Grand View at Venice Blvd, Sundays 9am to 2 pm.
On Sunday mornings we also like the little market on Melrose Place East of La Cienega, and the newest, the Motor Ave Farmers Market on National.

Text and photos by Elisa Leonelli

farmersM2

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Good Karma Gardens

Good Karma 3s

Our good neighbor who grows bananas in his backyard, tipped us off about the Good Karma Gardens (GKG) in Mar Vista. They provide free guidance for people who wish to grow sustainable food in their backyard. Check it out!

Visit over 100 gardens, to learn about drought-tolerant landscapes, edible gardens, rainwater capture and more, during the

5th annual
Mar Vista GREEN GARDEN Showcase
Sunday April 20 from 10am to 4pm

Get inspired to start similar initiatives in Reynier Village.
Please let us know if you volunteer to do this and we’ll help you organize it.

Thanks!

Text and photo by Elisa Leonelli

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Casa Rocha

Casa Rocha 2

For years I had heard stories about this cluster of homes on Shenandoah Street, down a tree lined path from an old sign that says “Casa Rocha.”  So finally I decided to do an Internet search and I was delighted to find a website page about “Rocha Adobe” with a lengthy description of the history of this house, which was built in 1865 by Jose Antonio Rocha, designated Historical-Cultural Monument in 1963, and restored in 1979.
There are many fascinating stories about the history of our neighborhood, Reynier Village.
Please send us the ones that you know and we’ll post them.

Thanks!

Elisa Leonelli

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New Culver City Restaurants

Wildcraft

Wildcraft

We had been waiting for months to see the new LYFE KITCHEN-Love Your Food Everyday, open in Culver City, after seeing their name on the boarded up storefront, and that event finally took place this week.  I had read a LA Weekly reviewe of WILDCRAFT, another new restaurant that opened on Monday February 25, and was anxious to try it, so I took a walk over there yesterday at lunchtime.  There was a long line waiting to eat at Lyfe Kitchen, in fact all the restaurants were crowded with happy diners enjoying the warm weather at outdoors tables lined up along the wide sidewalks.  So I decided to have the porchetta panino at Wildcraft and I was not disappointed; it did not resemble the suckling pig that is a popular street food in Rome, and it has become quite a fad in Los Angeles restaurants, but it was quite tasty.  I can’t wait to go again with friends to try their pizzas cooked in a traditional brick oven made in Naples.
For a complete list check the Culver City restaurant page of our Reynier Village Neighborhood Association website, and kindly send us your comments.

Text and photos by Elisa Leonelli

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Reynier Village-South Robertson

Mural by Ricky

Mural by Ricky (c) Elisa Leonelli

Reynier Village was featured on Departures-KCET, an online exploration of Los Angeles neighborhoods.
See above the murals in the alley between Reynier Ave and Shenandoah Street.

South Robertson was also explored.
See below Barbara Mendes painting a wall of her gallery at 2701 Robertson Blvd.

Barbara Mendes

Barbara Mendes

For a list of businesses with addresses, phone numbers and websites, see the Robertson page of our Reynier Village Neighborhood Association website.

Have fun with the interactive mural, watch photos and videos, read about the history of the Santa Monica Fwy, the Beverlywood Swim School, Hamilton High School, explore our nearby neighborhoods Beverlywood, Castle Heights and more…

Watch 6 videos of Doug Fitzimmons, SORO NC President.

Text by Elisa Leonelli

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Garden nurseries

Fuchsia, Veronica, Geranium, Aeonium, Tibouchina

Fuchsia, Veronica, Geranium, Aeonium, Tibouchina

As we were searching for plants to replace the old bamboo and create our new garden, we visited several nurseries. Here’s a list of some we liked.

Rolling Greens in Culver City, 9528 Jefferson Blvd, was the most amazing.  Too expensive for us to buy anything there, but great for looking at gorgeous specimens and get ideas.  You must check out their retail store at 7505 Beverly Blvd, they have beautiful items for your home and garden.
Grow Native in Westwood, 100 Davis Ave, is the perfect place to find drought-tolerant plants native to California.  Call for directions: 424-234 0481.
Two Dog Organic Nursery, 914 Cloverdale, is the perfect place to visit if you wish to start a vegetable garden, and they will give you plenty of expert advice as well.
Hashimoto Nursery, 1953 Sawtelle Blvd, is a traditional Japanese nursery with impeccable plants.
Yamaguchi Bonsai Nursery, 1905 Sawtelle Blvd., has a section devoted to California Natives.
Armstrong Garden Center, 3226 Wilshire in Santa Monica.  They offer gardening classes, and a lifetime guarantee for their fruit trees.

We picked a selection of fruit trees, shrubs and flowers, with the help of Sammy Lyon, permaculture designer and garden educator.

Text and photos by Elisa Leonelli

Avocado, white sage, Senetti Blue, geranium

Avocado, white sage, Senetti Blue, geranium

Meyer lemon, geranium, monkeyflower

Meyer lemon, geranium, monkeyflower

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Redwood fence

I had seen inventive redwood fences with horizontal slats around the neighborhood (Holt and Halm), so, when it came to replace the old wood fences behind the thick bamboo hedge we had removed, I inquired about those custom choices, but they proved too expensive.  I settled for pre-assembled 6×8 feet dog-ear panels from Lowe’s; they only cost $70.31 each.  Then the lattice panels would be nailed on top to reach the more desirable 8-feet height and still conform to LA City codes.  I only discovered later, after the fence was built, that they had bought common not premium grade panels from Home Depot for $54.97 a piece. It would have cost only $150 more (out of a $10,000 total expense) to get the better quality panels, but I was never informed of this change.  Eventually, after the fence was painted with a transparent redwood stain to protect the wood from heat and humidity, it looked better, but you can still see through the knot holes.
Another problem that was too late to fix was that the landscape designer had assured me that the fence would all be the same height, even though one of the neighboring lots was higher than the other; but they did not adjust for the difference, so now I have a 6 inches gap where the 2 sides meet.
I was inexperienced and did not pay close enough attention, I trusted that the people I hired knew what they were doing. So I’m writing this warning for you to be more careful, if you attempt a similar project.  Please keep us posted if you do.

Text and photos by Elisa Leonelli

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Bamboo removal


I chose Larry Hess of Bloom Landscaping to clean up my bamboo hedge, remove the morning glory and replace a portion of the decaying picket fence, because I knew him from the SORO Green Team. With Paula Waxman he had designed the Hami Garden and organized the planting of new trees on Robertson.  But we had not foreseen the necessity of removing the bamboo entirely, which in turn forced us to replace the entire length of the old wood fence behind it; so the timing was somewhat backwards.  The carpenters had already been booked for the weekend, but it took 8 gardeners working for 2 days to rip out by hand that huge amount of bamboo (see post), so they decided to leave the spare live strands standing, because digging up all the roots would have taken too long.  That’s how it happened that the new redwood fence was built first, then some time later the gardeners came back to finish the job of uprooting the bamboo.  Bamboo shoots are surely going to sprout back in some parts of the garden, and the morning glory will keep coming over to my side from my neighbor’s backyard, so we’ll have to keep a close watch.

If you wish to remove these invasive plants, here’s some tips.

How to Kill a Bamboo Plant.
Morning Glory, a vine type weed.

Text and photos by Elisa Leonelli

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Halloween

The Reynier Village Neighborhood Association hosted their annual Halloween party in Reynier Park today.  A jazz band played and lead the costume parade, pizza was served, kids had their face painted and hit the pumpkin-shaped piñata full of treats.
If you live in Reynier Village (see map) and would like to be notified of neighborhood events, please send an email to reyniervillage@yahoo.com
Check out our website for membership information www.reyniervillage.com

Text and photos by Elisa Leonelli
RVNA Communications

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Bamboo

For 25 years, since I bought my home in Reynier Village, I loved the tall and thick bamboo hedge that surrounded my backyard and protected my privacy through its impenetrable branches.  It was planted decades ago, in a time when homeowners were not aware of the destructive behavior of running bamboo, whose roots travel underground, under driveways and lawns.  About 10 years ago another invasive plant started growing on top of the bamboo hedge, morning glory; it spread all over at a rapid pace, but I enjoyed its purple flowers.  After warnings from gardening experts, more environmentally aware than myself, I decided to have this vine-like weed removed.  To our horror, below the pretty flowers, we discovered a thicket 3-feet deep of dead bamboo, that had to be removed because it constituted a fire hazard.  We filled a huge dumpster truck, with the 70 feet of bamboo.

Text and photos by Elisa Leonelli

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Art classes

We were glad to see that the remodeled space at 2803 S Robertson Blvd has been rented to Art Works Studio (310-202 1894).
Starting September 10, they offer art classes and workshops for all ages on drawing, painting and mixed media. They have camps for children Kindergarden to 12th grade during summer and school holidays.
They partnered with Hands-on 3rd, so they also offer classes in sewing, knitting, screen printing, jewelry making and more.
You may book your own private drawing party for women only with champagne, dinner and live male nude model, at their Hollywood location on Melrose and Larchmont. Call: 323-463 2562 or email: ladrawing party@gmail.com

To register for classes, email: info@artworksstudio.org

Text and photo by Elisa Leonelli

P.S. This location has closed. They are still open at 660 N. Larchmont Blvd LA 90004.

Posted in Art & Culture, Local Businesses, Robertson | 2 Comments

Outdoor rooms

We were so impressed by the landscaping of the outdoor spaces of a Reynier Village home now for sale that we asked the owners for some tips on how they accomplished this result, in case other neighbors wished to do something similar and eco-friendly in their own backyard.

“Our goal was to create an outdoor room feel.  For our back patio area, we wanted to create a walled garden space, and we felt that drought-tolerant plants would be appropriate.  We called upon Atlas Design Consultants to help us, they proposed concrete poured in a geometric pattern, that would allow water to drain into the ground, rather than into the sewer system (a growing ecological concern). We hired contractor Marlon Rosales to pour the concrete. We also installed a rainwater collection barrel, tucked away behind one of the 3 California native dodonaeas that we planted as replacement for the rose bushes.  We hired another contractor, Rudy Martinez to install a custom redwood fence around our property, for aesthetic reasons and also for security.  We’re very happy with our outdoor spaces.”

Check out this link for more info and photos.

Text and photos by Elisa Leonelli

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Washington Blvd Restaurants

Industry Cafe

We had blogged about this stretch of Washington Blvd, between La Cienega and National, in 2010 and 2011, when it comes alive for the annual Culver City Art Walk (this event was sadly canceled this year because of citywide budget cuts), and we’ve walked there often to try some of the new restaurants.
We loved BATCH (it replaced SUBLIME); their pizza crust stands up to the exacting standards of an Italian like myself.  We are happy that the INDUSTRY CAFE offers live jazz, but the Ethiopian food could be better.  It was a good idea to make Helms Avenue a pedestrian area, but we’re sorry that they found it necessary to evict the Jazz Bakery to make room for yet another furniture store. LUKSHON is too snooty for my taste, but one day, when I had a cold, their Shanghai matzo ball soup was just what the doctor ordered.  We prefer places like PINCHES TACOS (yes, it’s named after a Mexican curse word), with its blue and pink building and their tasty sopes, or our latest find, EK Valley (Epy García’s Kitchen), serving Mexican food from Oaxaca.

For a list of our favorite Culver City restaurants, please check the Restaurants page of our Reynier Village Neighborhood Association website.

Please enjoy the food and send us comments below.

Text and photo by Elisa Leonelli

P.S. Unfortunately BATCH has already gone out of business, after only 4 months…

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Riding the EXPO

Expo-Culver City

It was exciting, even for a jaded adult like myself, to ride the Metro Expo Line on the opening day of the Culver City station at Venice and Robertson, and the kids seemed to love it.  The atmosphere was festive, with a music trio playing and cheerful ladies handing out bus route schedules and reusable canvas bags.  I hopped on for free and rode to USC, my Alma Mater. The tracks sloped gently up and down to climb the overpasses crossing La Cienega and la Brea, otherwise the train rode at street level stopping at various intersections and stations, running at a leisurely pace. I got off at Expo Park and took in the lively scene of kids playing in the large round fountain in the middle of the Rose Garden. Waiting for the next train on the return, it was heart-warming to see so many habitual commuters, not just first-day joy-riders.  This type of public transportation, a long time coming in Los Angeles, does really help get people where they need to go, without a car.
Please send us comments about your experiences riding the Expo Line, along Exposition Blvd. It travels all the way to downtown L.A., where you may connect to the Red Line to Hollywood and North Hollywood, the Gold Line to Pasadena and East L.A.,  the Blue line to Long Beach.

Text and photos by Elisa Leonelli

Expo Park-USC

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SORO FEST

Barbara Mendes

The Annual SORO Community festival celebrated its 15th anniversary this year, on Sunday June 3, 2012.  A new coordinator, Mark Fielder, and many volunteers worked really hard to organize this exciting event, that attracts throngs of neighbors to a Robertson Boulevard without cars, between Cattaraugus and Beverlywood, and is sponsored by SoRo Inc. and South Robertson Neighborhood Council.
Many local vendors and artisans display their wares, community organizations distribute information about their activities, dance and music groups perform on stage, gourmet food trucks serve lunch.
This year we checked out the booths of jewelry designer Phoebe Neil, who is President of our Reynier Village Neighborhood Association, and of artist Barbara Mendes, who owns a Gallery at 2701 Robertson and designed the blue SORO Fest tee-shirt that everyone was wearing.
Doug Fitzsimmons, President of SORONC, presented the Susan Bursk Community Service Award to Beth Ryan, President of the Crestview Neighborhood Association, and organizer of summer programs for kids at Stepping Forward LA and RAL (Robertson Activities League).
Pico Cleaners received the Green Leadership award for their environment-friendly methods used in their business.

Text and photos by Elisa Leonelli

Phoebe Neil

Posted in Art & Culture, Robertson, RVNA | Tagged | 2 Comments

Fracking in Baldwin Hills

Fracking

Last night we attended a Hammer Forum, a conversation with Bill McKibben, the Vermont author, founder of the environmental action group 350.org, and Josh Fox, director of Gasland, the documentary about the devastating effects of hydraulic fracturing to extract natural gas.
They alerted us to something we didn’t know about: the PXP oil company has been employing fracking in the oil wells of Baldwin Hills, just south of Reynier Village, causing environmental damage and danger of earthquakes.

Read about the May 15 press conference in Kenneth Hahn Park.
Download the issue brief by Food and Water Watch.
Sign a Petition for Governor Jerry Brown to ban fracking in California.

Text by Elisa Leonelli

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New Restaurants

Moo Moo

A few weeks ago, we blogged about our old time favorite nearby restaurants, see post.
Now we want to tell you about a few recent discoveries.

Earlier in the year, with my neighbor Deni, co-author of this blog, we tried CHEGO, the closest locations of the many restaurants opened by Roy Choi, the Korean chef who became famous for his Kogi BBQ food trucks. It was exciting food, but get there as soon they open at 5.30pm, and study their online menu, so you’ll know what to order.  Chego means “thumbs up” in Korean.
CHEGO (310) 287 0337 – 3300 Overland Ave, LA 90034

You may want to check out his more upscale restaurants, that also serve alcohol.
A-Frame (310) 398 7700 – 12565 Washington Blvd, LA 90066
Alibi Room (310) 390 9300 – 12236 Washington Blvd, LA 90066
Sunny Spot (310) 448 8884 – 822 Washington Blvd, Venice 90292

Always a fan of Thai food, I went with my old friend Christopher to a new place that opened last October, because they serve noodle soups.  Be careful of the spiciness, we ordered level 1, as the waitress recommended. Moo means pork, and Moo Moo is slang for “take it easy.”
MOO MOO Thai Cafe (310) 287 9999 – 11127 Venice Blvd, LA 90034

I had been eating at Tara’s Himalayan Cuisine since reading an LA Times review when it  opened in 2008, because it reminded me of my dreamy trip to India and Nepal in 1984, but have gone back many more times in the past few months, because they serve tasty vegetarian dishes.
TARA’S Himalayan Cuisine (310) 836 9696 – 10855 Venice Blvd, LA 90034

This Salvadoran place that also serves Mexican food has been open for 10 years, but I had never tried it, until I decided to assemble a list of nearby restaurants for the new website of our Reynier Village Neighborhood Association. We found satisfying food and a family atmosphere.
GLORIA’S Cafe (310) 838 0963 – 10227 Venice Blvd, LA 90034

Text and photo by Elisa Leonelli

P.S. MOMO Thai changed name, it’s now called BKK101 Thai Cuisine.
CHEGO on Overland closed. Check their other locations on they website.
Phorage, a Vietnamese restaurants, is at 3300 Overland.

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Rain barrels

Red rain barrel

Don’t you wish you could have collected some of the rain that fell yesterday to use it in the coming dry weeks to water your garden?
Well, now you can by installing rain barrels under your downspouts.

Tree People has a promotional sale next Saturday, April 21, at the Windward School Garden, during the 4th Annual Mar Vista Green Garden Showcase.
10 am to 3 pm – 11350 Palms Blvd, LA 90036
You may purchase each red barrel for the discounted price of $100.

Pre-pay by credit card and your barrel will be ready for pick-up.
Then you may call Jerry at The Gutter Guy (310) 217 7678 to perform the simple installation (or do it yourself)

Read our earlier posts about this inspiring yearly event from
April 13 2011April 26, 2010 – April 25, 2010March 29, 2010May 24, 2009
Please send comments, if you attend this year.

Thanks!

Elisa Leonelli

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Robertson remodel

2801 + Robertson

Many of you probably noticed that four storefronts are being remodeled on Robertson, painted in bright pastel colors to attract new tenants.
We can’t wait to find out which exciting new shops will open there.
One of them is already occupied by the same establishment that was there before, the hair salon Marshoni G at 2801 (310) 839 2400
You may want to get your hair styled there or try these other salons.
Aveda–Knox Salon  at 2823 (310) 837 5600
Studio 2356 at 2356 (310) 837 2356
For more blog posts about Robertson select the category at right.
For a list of businesses check the Robertson page on our NEW Reynier Village website.
Please tell us about YOUR discoveries in the comments box below.

Text and photos by Elisa Leonelli

2729 + Robertson

 

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Schools on Robertson

Hamilton High

Did you know that you could find so many learning opportunities for yourself and your family on our very own South Robertson Blvd?

If you have teenage children, they may attend Alexander Hamilton High School, and qualify for their excellent Music and Humanities magnets.

If you would like to grow vegetables in your own backyard, volunteer at the Hami Garden, take a 4-week class from Master Gardner George Pessin, Sundays starting April 29. Email him to register. Click here for more details, see our earlier post.

If you have pre-school children and would like to give them an early start in environmentally sound behaviors, consider enrolling them at
Green Beginnings Pre-School (310) 841 6100
3047-3049 S Robertson Blvd (more info)

If you need your toddlers to get comfortable in the water to be safe around your pool, book lessons at
Beverlywood Swim School (310) 838 4088
2610-2612 S Robertson Blvd (more info)

If you wish to learn about making art with ceramics, contact
Echo Ceramics 2856 S Robertson Blvd

If you love gourmet cooking, walk into this delightful shop that also sells kitchen tools and get a list of their classes
Hipcooks West LA (310) 841 2738
2833 S Robertson Blvd

Text and photo by Elisa Leonelli

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More on Robertson

Good Will Donation Center

There are so many useful places on Robertson, right next door to our homes, and we should support them, because we’d like to make our neighborhood more user-friendly.
For instance, I always have my car washed locally, bring my donations to Good Will, have my clothes dry-cleaned here; if I were in the market for a used car, I would certainly take a look on Robertson first, if I still owned a dog, I might bring it nearby for grooming.
See below a list of these places, please send us your favorites

CAR WASH  310-559 8044
2460 S Robertson Blvd

EURO COACH 310-280 0595
2900 S Robertson Blvd

FANCY CLEANERS  310-837 2822
2895  S Robertson Blvd

GOOD WILL  310-559 5806
2502 S Robertson Blvd

MANY PAWS 310-837 1710
2750  S Robertson Blvd

Text and photo by Elisa Leonelli

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Art on Robertson

SoRo Art Center

Art Gallery

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A few weeks ago I walked to Robertson Blvd to review some of the new places that have opened recently, in order to update the RVNA website.  I stopped inside the SoRo Art Center to chat with local artist BARBARA MENDES.  She has been involved in our neighborhood activities for many years, in fact, she created the Reynier Village signs that you see in some of our streets, and the RVNA logo.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As always, I was very impressed with her paintings, so decided to buy one for myself, to enjoy its amazing colors and shapes every day in my own home.
Currently the gallery hosts a show of other artists work as well, NEW VIBRATIONS, and on Sunday February 19 at 3 pm they are having a party.   You’re all invited!

SoRo Art Center
Barbara Mendes Gallery
2701 S Robertson Blvd
310-558 3215

Text and photos by Elisa Leonelli

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Local restaurants

Cafe Brasil

For over 20 years, since moving to Reynier Village, I have been going out for meals with friends and family at my favorite nearby restaurants, a short drive away.
CAFE BRASIL, opened in 1991.  They were the only place to enjoy a leisurely lunch in the outdoor patio the day after the 1992 LA riots, when every other place was closed.  And we love their new location further West on Washington, next to their enchanting Villa Brasil Motel, opened in 2002.
HU’S SZECHUAN has been serving tasty and inexpensive Northern Chinese food at this location  for over 30 year, and they also deliver. My friend Chris wrote a glowing restaurant review way back in 1979, so that’s how many years we have been coming to eat here.
VERSAILLES, opened in 1981, is a no-nonsense Cuban place always packed with customers.  They have another location on La Cienega Blvd, just south of Pico.
Check the list below for addresses and websites, along with my favorite dish for each.
Please send us comments about YOUR local favorites.

Text and photo by Elisa Leonelli

Café Brasil: 310-837 9506
10831 Venice Blvd LA 90034
Executive Lunch $ 7.95
www.cafe-brasil.com

Hu’s Szechuan: 310-837 0252
10450 National Blvd LA 90034
Yu Hsiang Eggplant $ 7.45
www.husrestaurant.com

Versailles: 310-558 3168
10319 Venice Blvd, LA 90034
Cuban Style Pork $ 11.99
www.versaillescuban.com

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Eat on Robertson

Campos. Robertson Blvd

There are not nearly enough good places to eat on Robertson as we would like, so we wouldn’t have to drive to downtown Culver City to find a proper restaurant, however we have some local favorites, like Campos, not a chain like Taco Bell across the street, but a family owned place that serves authentic Mexican food.  We love the Argentinian Empanadas made by Adriano and Marcelo, and we’re very appreciative of the discounts they offer our Reynier Village Neighborhood Association, when we host our summer park nites.

You may want to enjoy a stroll, grab some food at these local eateries.

CAMPOS TACOS  310-202 7308
2639 S Robertson Blvd

DOLCE ISOLA 310-776 7070
2867  S Robertson Blvd

EMPANADAS  310-836 5944
2513 S Robertson Blvd

Dolce Isola. Robertson Blvd

Text and photos by Elisa Leonelli

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Swim on Robertson

When I moved to Reynier Village from Hollywood 24 years ago, in 1988, my daughter was still a baby, but pretty soon I was taking her to swim at the Beverlywood Swim School on Robertson, a local institution that has been in business since 1951.  Kids and parents splash away together inside the 2 warm pools, and patient teachers guide the toddlers’ first floats in this weightless environment.
The place is closed on Sundays to host birthday parties.  You may want to book one for your kids. Check their website for more info.
www.swimbss.com
BEVERLYWOOD SWIM SCHOOL
2610-2612  S Robertson Blvd
310-838 4088

Text and photo by Elisa Leonelli

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RVNA Community Meeting

Palms Westminster Hall

Every year the Reynier Village Neighborhood Association organizes a Community meeting, where our residents socialize and exchange ideas.  Members of the RVNA Board plus APS, SORONC and LAPD representatives make short presentations of their activities, answer questions and concerns.

This year (2012) the meeting takes place Monday February 6 at 7 pm, in the beautiful Hall of the Palms Westminster Presbyterian Church, facing a wide green lawn that served as playground for the children attending the Nursery school it housed years ago.

Please come out and participate, stay connected, send us an email at reyniervillage@yahoo.com and join our mailing list, to be notified about our events and other neighborhood news.

Text and photo by Elisa Leonelli
RVNA Communications

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Robertson Blvd

Antique Plus

I often take walks around the neighborhood, by myself or with a friend.  Even now that our dog has passed away, I keep up this habit to get some exercise.  Last Sunday I walked on Robertson Blvd, which I don’t usually do on weekdays to avoid the traffic, and I was pleasantly surprised to see the only remaining antique store open and displaying their wares on the sidewalk.  Some new shops have opened recently, and a few storefronts are being remodeled to attract tenants.
Let’s support our local merchants, art galleries, schools and restaurants.

Please send us comments about your favorites.
See listed below our choices in the antiques, upholstery and furniture category.

ANTIQUE PLUS (310) 903 6072
2812  S Robertson Blvd

ART DECO DESIGNERS (310) 838 8011
2820-22  S Robertson Blvd

SERENA INTERIORS  (310) 558 9678
2739 S Robertson Blvd

Text and photos by Elisa Leonelli

 

Art Deco Designers

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Go Solar

We attended the Reynier Village solar workshop organized by Open Neighborhoods at PermaCity, and gathered lots useful info that we want to share.
It’s never been as affordable as now to install solar panels on your home.
You get rebates from DWP that favor early adopters, currently $ 2.20 per watt, plus a 30% direct write-off on your taxes.

Permacity is offering a 33% group discount (which simply means 3 homes within 1 square mile), and that brings your cost down to $4.40 per watt, before the rebates.  Final cost $ 1.60 per watt, or about $ 9,600 and up for a 6 KiloWatt system, sufficient for a small 1,500 square feet home.
Check out their website for more info or email Herb Mendelsohn.
You should talk to your neighbors about doing the installation at the same time, then email us to tell us you are going ahead.
If you want NO upfront costs, you can lease your solar system and pay about half of your current monthly electric bill to Sun Power for 20 years.
If you’d like to attend another group workshop, register on the Open Neighborhoods website

If you’re ready to get a free solar assessment about the costs and timing of installation on your home, call: 310-893 3100.

It makes economic sense to go solar at this time, you will save on your utility bill, and to switch to a clean and renewable energy source will also help reduce the use of dirty coal-generated electricity in our city.

Text by Elisa Leonelli

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Farmers market

pupusas

We all know by now that locally grown fruits and vegetables are better for our health (more nutritious) and for the environment (less pollution).
So why don’t we make it a weekly ritual to visit the Farmers Market at 1801 S. La Cienega Blvd?
It’s very close to Reynier Village and easily reachable by walking or bicycling.
It takes place every Thursday afternoon from 2 to 7 pm.
You can buy organic or pesticide-free produce to prepare healthy meals.
You can buy cut flowers, also plants for your garden (from Ramos Nursery).
You can take home delicious meals, such as Salvadoran pupusas and Hawaiian BBQ chicken.

For more info check out their website

Text and photos by Elisa Leonelli

organic vegetables

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Garden Class at Hami Garden

George at Hami Garden

Good News!
Master Gardner George Pessin will conduct another series of classes.
The 4-week session is every Sunday
Dates: Sept 18, Sept 25, Oct 2, Oct 9
Time: 1:00PM – 4:00PM
Hamilton School Garden
2955 S Robertson Blvd (entrance on Canfield Ave)
The Grow LA Victory Garden classes are organized and led by UC California Cooperative Extension Master Gardeners. Those who complete the 4-week training will become UC-Certified Victory Gardeners.
Please register early these classes sold out last May.
Email George to pay by Paypal or mail a check to
George Pessin
834 Huntley Dr #4
Los Angeles, CA 90069

Text and photo by Elisa Leonelli

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Culver City Art Walk

Giggle and Pop!

Each month we discover more art galleries, places to eat and shops popping up on the stretch of Washington Blvd, between La Cienega and National, that used to be quite deserted.
The best time to visit was yesterday, during the sixth annual Culver City Art Walk, when lots of people really did come out and walked around.
The event started at 2 pm on Helms Walk with Giggle and Pop!, a silly but sweet performance by the students of the Culver City High School Academy of Visual and Performing Arts, created by artist Gary Baseman. As late as 7 pm the opening of The Vault (6150 Washington) was still crowded, it felt just like at a private party.

Local musicians and artists came together for an impromptu jazz performance, the mural by D*Face titled “Going Nowehere Fast” loomed on the side wall of the Corey Helford Gallery (8522 Washington), visitors checked out the artwork featured in over 35 galleries, like the paintings of Peter Sims at Cardwell/Jimmerson (8568 Washington).
Hope you made it there on this special day, but if you didn’t, go any time, have a bite to eat at Pinches Tacos (8665 Washington, BYOB), listen to jazz at Industry Cafe (6039 Washington), work out at Sweat Pilates (8540 Washington).
Then send us a comment with your suggestions.

P.S. Click on our 2010 Culver City Art Walk post.

Text and photos by Elisa Leonelli

Jazz musicians

Mural by D* Face

Cardwell/Jimmerson Gallery

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RVNA Celebrates

Laura, Steve, Hector, Lisa, Phoebe

The Reynier Village Neighborhood Association held a brunch for its members on May 15 at Reynier Park to celebrate the election of the new board: Co-presidents Phoebe Neil and Lisa Barnet, Treasurer Hector Garza, Secretary Steve Cawelti, Communications Elisa Leonelli, At Large Martha Sullivan; Webmaster Laura Sadler.  These dedicated volunteers will remain in office for 2 years, then they will encourage other neighbors to step in and take over their duties.  Many of them have been devoting a lot of time to creating the association, organizing activities and improving our neighborhood community since 2005.
If you’re not already a member, please consider joining, sign-up for APS Patrol Service.
For more info check out our website reyniervillage.com
One of the most popular RVNA events has been park nights; several times during the summer, all the neighbors are invited to stop by and chat, have some food and get to know each other.  This year’s dates are: July 13 and 27, August 10 and 24.

Please contact us if you have ideas for other initiatives that you would like to organize to benefit our neighborhood. email: reyniervillage@yahoo.com
Thanks

Text and photo by Elisa Leonelli
RVNA Communications

 

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