The Great Beauty

The Great Beauty (2013) – a movie about Rome, decadence, regrets. Superb performance, cinematography and music. A movie in which there is no real  ‘story’ but rather a series of episodes in the life of Jeb (in his own words: ‘not a misogynist, but a misanthrope’) after his 65th  birthday with many themes and threads woven through it.

The changes between scenes in a Roman setting are abrupt, leaving the viewer to fill the gaps.  A movie in which the music tells a lot while the characters are silent. Incredible shots of Rome. La grande bellezza.

Noah 4D

Watch “Noah” in 4D and get flooded with mostly unpleasant experiences – visual, auditory, tactile… The storyline was somehow inconsistent – neither following the Biblical story, nor standing well on its own. The performance, except for Anthony Hopkins’ brief appearances, was not much impressive. In a nutshell this movie felt like a soap opera for me.

Jules Pascin

Jules Pascin – a modernist French painter of Bulgarian origin whose exhibition traveled through major Bulgarian cities thanks to the French Institute, at the initiative of the French Embassy in Bulgaria. Hemingway’s ‘Movable Feast’ is a feast in itself, but his ‘With Pascin At the Dôme”, is a double one.

Jules Paskin, ‘Cinderella’

 

 

Webit, Climb it, Win it

Webit CEE Digital Summit today in Sofia was in a nutshell: abundant first hand digital information from Central & Eastern Europe top gurus in the industry, spectacular location and numerous surprises.

From 1,000+ attendees at Webit, only some 10 dared to climb the fun walls. I am happy to be Funtopia’s award-winner … for slowest climber though :-( … however winning  1-month VIC [Very Important Climber] card :-)  Festina lente!

Funtopia walls climbed!

Spring 2014

Spring 2014

Spring is so amazing with all colours and fragrances waking up. Botanists say that the ancient flower of magnolia has survived many geological events –  ice ages, mountain formations and continental drifts. Survival of the most delicate.

And these tulips coming all along from the Netherlands. Nature as the greatest and most gifted painter.

Tulips in different cultures have different meanings – in Turkish culture it is a symbol of paradise on earth, while  in the Netherlands it represents the briefness of life. Nevertheless tulips everywhere are enjoyed as delightful garden plants.

When Nietzsche Wept

After his novels on Schopenhauer and Spinoza, Irwin Yalom’s ‘When Nietzsche Wept‘ was another intriguing gem. Reading the great thinker’s ideas in a different context – fictional encounter between Nietzsche and Breuer – appeals to readers interested in both philosophy and psychology.

‘Did you live your life or were you lived by it? Did you choose it or did it choose you?’ … questions we all sometimes ponder over. A novel about the confrontation and avoidance of one’s greatest fears and weaknesses. And inner struggles.