MILAN TO VERNAZZA

Good morning from Vernazza!!
It's Friday here and the day of my cousin's wedding, so rather exciting.

So, we left Milan on Tuesday, all 19 of us on a bus (regular greyhound style), setting off for Vernazza via Parma and Tuscany.

Arriving at the castle by bus

Lunch was at Antica Corte Pallavincina, a small castle built in 1320. Here is where they 'make' Culatello Ham. We had a tour through the magnificent building, very old with amazing frescoes on the ceilings and then down into the cellar where we saw thousands of Hams hanging in the natural air. Peple come from all over to hang a Ham and there is a waiting list. Prince Charles and Monaco royalty have Hams hanging. Apparantly MasterChef did something here and they have one hanging. The smell was overwhelming, not bad, but not that good either!

 Piles of pumpkins in the courtyard

 

 Mum sitting regally in the old chair in the castle with Neale behind her

 

Chandelier and frescoes in the castle

 

Hams hanging in the cellar

From there we continued to another room which is used as a wine cellar and watched a short film on how they get the Ham and other cold cuts ready and then moved to the cheese room where huge rounds of Parmesan are sitting. And in that room a feast of cold meats and parmesan with sweet red wine awaited...unlike anything I have ever tasted.

 Fabulous spread for lunch

 

Parmesan wheels

 

After a wander around the farm yard we headed on our way to Cinque Terre through a small part of Tuscany - the scenary was stunning...I am going to need a theasaurus for new superlatives by the end of the trip.

 Amanda, Dad, Mum and me at the castle

 

The Castle

 

We arrived at the top of the hill at Monetrosso and left our brave bus driver (the hills and roads were windy, sharp and tight). We were taken to the seaside village of Monetrosso by mini vans, a few trips! Then we had gelato by the sea while we waited for the train into Vernazza.

Beach at Monetrosso

 



Then the 'fun' hit, up flights up stairs to the station (no idea how disabled people get around here!), getting onto the train with luggage was stressful, the train have high stairs up into them, then off the train, then down more stairs where I realised or thought I had brokedn the handle on my suitcase. I took a deep breathe and thought this is ok, deal with it when you get to your room.

However, our room was at the top of the steepest, deepest flight of stairs, I kinda freaked out, but with some help got up to my room, where I had a bit of a meltdown, between aching shoulder, broken suitcase and a freaking ugly heat rash on my legs (and hormones!) I could have gone home right there!!!

Once I settled - I did say I do not travel well - I made my way into the town and met everyone for drinks and started to feel myself again! The bar on the water does fabulous strawberry Margaritas, and then we had a great seafood dinner. Then we crashed and had a good nights sleep.

The next day we hit the Pirate Cafe at the top of the hill for breakfast - what an experience! Owned by twin Sicilian brothers, hilarious jokers and all home cooked pastries etc. I had hot chocolate - it was more like a hot chocolate sauce
- with a riccotta croissant, soft and again unlike any I have tasted. Never really been one to carry on about food, I am sorry I think I will be annoying the hell out of you all withmy food descriptions. At least all this walking and stairs is balancing everything out.

Pirate Cafe

 

We spent the day exploring some of the other towns on the Cinque Terre by train. We first visited Riomaggiore, where we wandered up and down, had a beer by the water and an easy lunch at the cafe. Then we headed to Manarola and explored their shops, streets and water front. Each town is similar but slightly different in terms of scenery. The people live on the hills and must be incredibly fit to move around. Lovely place to visit but I couldn't live here. Also very busy and very muggy. Weather has been overcast, but hot, hot, hot!!

Riomaggiore



Both photos from Manarola

 

That night we went to the pirate cafe for dinner, amazing 3 course meal with wine for only 25 Euro. I must say things are very reasonable here. I had a prawn cocktail - very different prawns, but delicious, then the spinach and ricotta canneloni, their pasta is very different to ours too, much lighter and easier to digest I think. Then we had a share of desserts for the table selected by the brothers for us  - hot chocolate sauce with vanilla gelato, pana cotta with fresh fruit and chocolate cannollis - Oh. My. God.

Drinks before dinner at Vernazza



Dessert

 

Yesterday we went to Pisa, we took 2 trains to get there and are starting to become a bit better getting around on the trainsport. I appear to be one fo the few people who have mastered the ticket machine, rather odd for me, but nice to get something right, lol!

We walked through Pisa to get to the leaning Tower area. About 30 minute walk, lovely town, lots to look at from old buildings, street performers, cafes, shops with great bargains etc. We almost forgot why we were there!

Town of Pisa

But then we turned down a street and got our first glimpse of the Tower, it was unbelievable to see something you have seen so long in books etc for real. It actually looked like someone had painted it at the end of the street. The closer you got the more remarkable the structure was. It really does lean and is REALLY hard to get a good photo of. If you look up, it looks like it will fall over onto you. There are other structures around, church etc, all beautiful as you can see. And heaps of vendors selling everything you can think of.

First glimpse

It really leans!

You have to do the touristy thing!



All the buildings together



By the time we caught the trains back we were exhausted, had pizza slices for afternoon tea...as you do...and a rest.

We headed into Manarola for dinner to celebrate Sue's 60th at Tarttoria  Locardo Il Portocciolo. They overfed us with 3 types of pasta for firsts - small squiggly pasta with basil pesto sauce, then spaghetti with little mussels, then linguini with mushrooms and prawns. We ordered seafood - Calamari - for seconds or mains. Then took the train back to crash - huge day!!

Calamari and linguini with huge prawn

 

Today is the wedding, so I will post more from Rome about that, we leave for Rome at 9am tomorrow. We are all very excited about the wedding today. Amanda and I are ushers, so we need to get up to the church first, hopefully I make it up there :)

SYDNEY TO MILAN

So, we left Newcastle via The Shitkansen and one of it's most notorious stations - Cardiff...the one of 50 million stairs...so my dodgy right shoulder was pretty effed before we left. And the dragging all my bloody luggage from Woolli Station to airport hotel pretty much did me in...I thought I had culled my luggage to minimal...still heavy to lug!

However we had a good stay at the airport, and excellent meal in their restaurant and up at 6am to catch our 10.10am flight to Hong Kong which went without issue. Hong Kong airport was very hot and HUGE! Took us ages to find somewhere decent to eat, we were almost at meltdown stage by this point, well me literally! 

7 hours is a long time for a stopover, but we survived, and were met by 11 of the others traveling for the wedding so this made time move a little faster. Then we had an overnight 13 hour flight into Milan. Long, boring flight.

None of this is terribly awful, just traveling, but as I said before as much as I love to travel, I'm not a great traveller!

So, we arrived in Milan, overcast and about 17 degrees, had a bit of a mix up with the hotel everyone was staying in, so we are all spread over 2 hotels instead of 1. We are further out of Milan than expected, but it is a brand new hotel and gorgeous!

So after showering off 2 days of traveling, we headed into Milan, more tired than excited...but it didn't take long to get into things. We turned down this street and got our first sight of The Duomo...WOW!!!

We were meeting Mum and Dad, who had secured a fab spot on a roadside Pizzeria looking directly at The Duomo!! We took their spot and had amazing Pizza, perfecto!

Mum and Dad at the Pizzeria

View of Duomo from The Pizzeria

 

Duomo

Then we wandered around the piazza, so much amazing architecture, I was in heaven. Gelato for afternoon tea...absolutely. Also wandered through Galleria Vittorio Manuele, amazing shopping area in old buildings, but covered over by glass. This led to a smaller Piazza or square near La Scala.

Inside the Galleria, amazing old buildings that are 

now shops and enclosed in glass.

Outside La Scala, no that is not me!

By this point we were pretty exhausted, so we tramed it back to Mum and Dads Hotel for a drink and more tales of their wonderful Abu Dhabi experiences.

We had a lovely baked veal meal back at the hotel and crashed that night.

Liza in our lobby!!!

After oversleeping, we made our way to breakfast and worked out it was a bit difficult to get to Monza (our plan for that morning) plus it looked like rain, so we made our way to collect Mum and Dad and headed back into Milan and have a better look. We scored the same table at the Pizzeria from yesterday and had another fabulous pizza lunch and soaked up those views again. Then the rain hit and hard, so we had to look at the shops. Things are reasonable in terms of clothes etc despite the exchange rate.

When the rain settled we headed to the Duomo to tour inside, totally free and totally remarkable.  I am not religious but you do not have to be to to appreciate such beauty and magnificance. The Stained glass windows and paintings and icons were remarkable.

 Inside The Duomo, photos do not do it justice!

Then we headed back to the Galleria, we went through their Prada shop - wow, just wow...if only to have money, but the shop itself was a deco masterpiece. Then we headed into this amazing antique shop where Mum bought herself an amazing fake pearl and diamante bracelet - just gorgeous!
We headed back to Mum and Dads hotel to shower and have drinks in the bar before heading out for our wedding party dinner.

Twisties are called Fonzies in Italy....heeeeyyyyyy!!!

We all met up at Carne e Dintorni, owned by friends of Daniel's Mum's cousin. What a night of food and drinks!! They turned it on for us, with plates of all sorts of Anti Pasto, delicious. Then plates of all tpes of woodfired cooked meats, potatoes and salads. Followed by 3 types of desserts - Creme Brulee, Crepes, and a platter of cream type desserts and dipping biscuits. Plenty of red wine, bottled water, limoncello and ouzo plus coffees etc. €35 - brilliant!!!!

 Daniel talking to Sue and Neale (Demi's parents) 

with Maria and Denise to the left 

 
Mum and Dad with Demi

MOST OF US NEED THE EGGS GOES ON HOLIDAYS

Most Of Us Need The Eggs will be taking a break in usual transmissions to bring you Most Of Us Need The Eggs Goes On Holidays!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I am heading off on a European Vacation (cue Holiday Road by Lindsay Buckingham and Stevie Nicks) for 6 weeks and rather than prep a brand new blog I figure here is as good a place as any.

I am hoping to bring you photos, stories and laughs from the road - time and wifi pending of course.

So where am I headed and with whom?????

I am off to Italy and France with my sister, Amanda, and my parents for some of the way too. My cousin, Demi, is getting married to the gorgeous Daniel in Italy (Vernazza to be exact) so other family members and their friends will also be along for the first part of our journey.

The trip is divided into the following legs:

1. Getting there - leaving today for Sydney and flying out tomorrow morning via a longish stopover at Hong Kong Airport.

2. What I like to call the Wedding Leg :) - Arrive in Milan for 2 nights on Sunday with the wedding party, family and friends. Mum and Dad left yesterday via Abu Dhabi so they will have arrived in Milan a day earlier than us. Then from Milan we all head to Cinque Terre via Parma. We are staying in villas in Vernazza (part of Cinque Terre) for 4 nights, the final day/night being THE WEDDING!!!!!!!!!

3. Then we head to Rome for 5 nights where we pick up with a Trafalgar tour that will take us to Pompeii, The Amalfi Coast, Isle of Capri, Positano, Florence and Venice.

4. From Venice we are hiring a car to drive to Marseille via Verona, Lake Garda, Mondena, Maranello, Parma, Monaco, Nice, Cannes, Grasse, St Raphael, St Tropez, Brignoles, Aix-en-Provence!

5. Fast train from Marseille to Paris for 16 nights!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Paris has always been THE destination since I was about 13, always a Francophile, I will be testing my 6 years of school French out, lol, I should be fluent - I am not! Thanks Mrs Kumar (French teacher who was more interested in dancing on tables to Edith Piaf than teaching the actual syllabus!). As a beret loving, pastry and cake addict, Depardieu is god, and French Film nut I will be in heaven, wandering those amazing streets.

It will be a blast I am sure, I feel excited, nervous (not a great flyer) and a little emotional at the moment (as much as I like travelling and exploring, I do like my creature comforts and 6 weeks is a long time to be away from home). I cannot wait to see as much Art and Architecture, History and Culture as I can find and meet all those wonderful Italian and French citizens!

So I hope I do not annoy you all with my ramblings from the road.

Stay tuned for the next - and hopefully much more interesting installment!

Au Revoir and Arrivedeci!!

Cathy xoxo

Sorry, I couldn't help myself and I really hope we do not have the following experience, LOL!!!

ROCKWIZ

 

I love RocKwiz, it's probably my favourite show. It's a simple format, so obvious you wonder why no one else has tried to produce it. Music and trivia in a pub - and not just any pub, the fabulously seedy Esplanade Hotel in St Kilda or as it is lovingly known, The Espy.

 

Every aspect works - the RocKwiz Orkestra - tight, brilliant and Australian Rock 'n' Roll royalty! Julia Zemiro shines, sharp and funny, I want to be her when I grow up. Dugald adds that pub roadie feel and Brian Nankervis hold it all together with his bounce and upbeat excitement about all things musical! The audience participation is usually more hit than miss - which is a rarity and the musical guests are always superb.

 

I love the show and have watched it from the start, for all of the above and also because I am a bit of a rock nerd and love testing my own musical knowledge and seeing how I rate...mostly pretty good I must say! And I love my RocKwiz community on Twitter - like minded fabulous Novocastrians and some a little further a field. We have a blast, and I was sad to pass on joining some of them at the recent RockWiz tour. I was saving madly for my trip and didn't get a ticket.

 

However, due to the generosity of a lovely lady I managed to get to the Civic Theatre on Thursday 30 August and see the tour! There are no words to describe my thankfulness and joy at this stunning act!

 

So, I dragged along Mary, met up with Tania and we were ready for a night of musical awesomeness!!!

 

Almost time to start, finishing a drink in the bar, Brian comes bounding out - with as much energy as you see on tele - and encouraging us all to take our seats!

 

The first half was Brian and the audience members. He started by talking to us about his first real Rock 'n' Roll love - The Rolling Stones. Like every good rock nerd, it was more preaching, but in the best possible way. He was fabulous and funny and assisted by Dugald. There were 24 audience members and they were asked many questions and tested on heaps of riffs (my specialty) to get them down to the 4 who appeared on stage in the second half. This section was entertaining and amusing. I imagine it is much like the real experience at The Espy.

 

 

After a break, the show proper started, Ash Naylor was sitting in with the fabulous three! And the Bull Sisters assisting with backing vocals. Brian introduced Julia, who in turn introduced and sung with Vika and Linda. All as you would imagine if you are a fan of the show. Then it was down to business, there was a keyboard on stage, so in my mind I was thinking someone like Kate Miller-Heidke or Tim Freedman, as soon as they said her date of birth and double barreled surname, I knew it was Kate - Yay! I am quite the fan, love her vocal range, her individuality and her wicked sense of humour. We were in for a treat.

 

Next guest - well, all you needed was Greg from Darwin - I went a little bit ballistic, HUGE Tex Perkins fan and I like to think I am the only one who has coined the phrase Texy - which perfectly describes him. Pretty much a member of the RocKwiz family, Tex was right at home on stage, was funny and Texy and my night was made. Oh sang Iggy Pop's The Passenger - It really does not get any better!!!!

 

Then there was a third guest - again, beside myself, Marcia Hines (do we really even need a last name!). I have been a fan of Marcia since Countdown, played her when it was uncool to play her and then of course via Idol she was back on top. Love her voice, never seen her live (something I must rectify) and she sang You, which would probably be my favourite of hers!!! It was like the show was put together especially for me.

 

 

The final guest was Suze De Marche from Baby Animals, did not really care for them, however I appreciate her voice and her rock attitude, she sounded good.

 

In between each guest performance were plenty of questions, antics, and laughs. Then it was almost over!

 

Kate and Tex sang a haunting duet - cannot remember what it was and then everyone was on stage for the finale of Joe Cocker's The Letter. Tex should think about doing a Cocker show once he is finished with Cash - he belted it out brilliantly. The show had gone on for well over 3 hours by this point, we left feeling happy but wanting more...the sure sign of an excellent show.

 

I highly recommend going along if you ever get the chance. (PS my photos aren't great, but better than nothing!)

 

 

 

ELENA

I love foreign language films. What I enjoy the most is the diversity; learning something new about another country, culture and their people. Also, you often realise behind the differences of culture that the people are not unlike yourself. I always go into foreign films with my mind wide open and ready to discover.

Elena was no exception, a slow moving character piece by Russian director, Andrey Zvyagintsev, bleakly set in his country.

Elena is married to Vladimir who is older, demanding and cold. It is their second marriage and they each have adult children from previous marriages. Elena's son is struggling and has a family to look after, and she manages to take money to them, even though her husband does not approve. Vladimir is estranged from his daughter, but an illness brings them together again. Elena can see the inheritance, that she had hoped would give her family a better life, disappearing. She decides to take matters into her own hands. The misery and bleakness turns even darker, but you feel for Elena and her situation.

Ultimately Elena is a sympathetic character, but you will question her morality...or maybe not! This is what I like about these types of films, they leave you thinking long after the credits have rolled.

Elena is not a comedy, it is a serious drama, and the tone and direction depict this perfectly. It has a slow, seemingly mundane pace that fits with the life the characters are leading. The pace gives you time to consider what is not explained within the film, there is not a lot of detail to their back stories, you need to read between the lines. This is not a failing of the film, indeed it makes it more interesting...you do have to use your brain.

Elena is not for everyone, it is subtitled, dark and very dramatic. However, if you do like to delve into the lives of other people and cultures, or like to think about certain aspects of life, you will appreciate this film as I did.

Bravo to The Tower Cinemas for showing us the myriad of cultures this world has to offer through their superb foreign film selection.

THE SAPPHIRES

Last night I attended the premiere of the Australian film, The Sapphires at The Tower Cinemas. It was part of their Launch 2012, and was a fabulous evening. The Towers (as I have always called them) are becoming the definitive destination for films in Newcastle. Taking over from our beloved Showcase Cinemas, by being brave and embracing foreign and independent cinema along with many exciting film festivals, The Towers is going from strength to strength and having a bit of a makeover along the way. Not only do they have new refurbishments (new seats on the way) but their refreshments are pretty impressive too - a licensed bar with a cheese and antipasto menu.

After some speeches, including the history of the cinema, we all settled in for the main feature.

The Sapphires is set in the late sixties, and is the story of four Aboriginal singers. Whilst entering a talent contest at the local pub, they meet Dave, an Irish musician. Dave sees their potential, and before they know it they are headed for Melbourne to audition as entertainment for the troops in Vietnam. Over the course of the film the girls move from singing country songs, to being polished performers similar in style to The Supremes. The fabulous Chris O'Dowd is perfect as Dave, and Deborah Mailman, Jessica Mauboy, Shari Sebbens, and Miranda Tapsell are simply stunning as the girls. Jessica Mauboy shines as the youngest sister and lead singer, with a voice that is a mix of angelic and sultry. However, Deborah Mailman is sublime as the complex oldest sister with a sad secret. Her performance is electrifying and moving - she steals every scene she is in.

Based on a stage musical, which itself was based on real events, The Sapphires mixes humour and music against a backdrop of drama. Filmed in Australia and Vietnam, the drama encompasses racial tensions, feminism, sexuality, the stolen generation, and the Vietnam War. It is a visually stunning film, from fields in the outback, to the fields of Vietnam, to the shimmy of the sequins on the stage. The other star of the movie is the music. Soul classics such as I heard it through the grapevine, Who's loving you and I can't help myself are sung by the girls along with tracks by Creedance Clearwater Revival and Sam and Dave will have you dancing in your seats!

No wonder this charming film wowed them at Cannes, it wowed us Novocastrians at The Towers last night! Applause at the end of a film is always a good indication, so make sure you head in to The Tower Cinemas and see the Sapphires when it opens next Thursday.

WHEN HARRY MET SALLY

This is one of my favourite films, it’s hard to write about something you love so much without being...well...annoying...I’ll try not to be annoying! It’s also hard to write about something, when the person responsible for its being has just died.

I first saw When Harry Met Sally as a double feature with The War of the Roses. They were new and the popular film was The War of the Roses, but When Harry Met Sally was without a doubt the better film. I adored it. As soon as I could my hands on the video, I bought a copy, that needed to be replaced by another over the years and of course eventually a DVD. I have seen it more times than I care to think and will always stop and watch it when it is on television, as I did only a few weeks ago.

I love old movies, romantic comedies or as they were called Screwball Comedies. It Happened One Night, His Girl Friday, Bringing Up Baby, Holiday, The Philadelphia Story, The Awful Truth, The Thin Man, The Palm Beach Story...the list goes on. Good romantic comedies today are few and far between. But When Harry Met Sally was the first to get it perfectly right in a long time.

Be warned spoilers ahead...

And really, if you haven’t seen this movie by now, shame on you!!!

It’s the classic story of boy meets girl, girl irritated by boy. Mostly, in this case, because of his belief that boys and girls cannot be friends as sex always gets in the way. They keep bumping into each other at various stages of their lives until they are friends, but then sex gets in the way, and they are no longer friends...until they realise they love each other...sigh...

This sounds clichéd and it is, but it can be done so dreadfully wrong or made sickly sweet...When Harry Met Sally is neither. This works because of Nora Ephron and her clever and witty screenplay.

The boy is Harry, played by Billy Crystal – an odd yet perfect choice. He was not really known for his acting and wasn’t really leading man material. But he was funny, and sweet, and trust me – every person that watches this movie wants Harry! There is something about him...that’s great writing, and maybe the way he says Pecan Pie!!

The girl is Sally, played by Meg Ryan. At the time she was also relatively unknown. She was just right as Miss Just Right. She was a little sickly, a little perfect, a little waspy...possibly even annoying, but somehow, she just kept it on the right side of annoying and became this endearing character ...again great writing.

Their path to love had just enough turns and twists to keep it believable. The reality of the more ‘dramatic’ scenes, anyone who has fallen in and out of love will relate to. Add in the humour – and there is so much good, quality humour – which stops the story from being a soap opera, and the right mix starts to form.

Carrie Fisher (Marie) and Bruno Kirby (Jess) play the best friends of Harry and Sally, and probably have all the sharpest one liners, especially Carrie Fisher in one of her best roles.

Of course, one can’t write about When Harry Met Sally without talking about THAT scene! It was original for sure, and very funny the 1^st, 2^nd or even 3^rd time you see it. But once you have seen the movie as many times as I have, it is a bit passé!

The things I find funny are the little touches, the things you may not notice the first time, or are undershadowed by “I'll have what she’s having”.

I love it when Harry spits grape seeds out of the window in the car towards the beginning of the film, only to roll the window down afterwards. I love the Days of the Week Underpants dialogue... ‘they don’t make Sunday...because of god.’ I love Harry thoughts on Hieroglyphics. I love the wagon wheel coffee table argument.  I love Marie’s line, ‘Thin, pretty, big tits, your basic nightmare’, I use that line a lot in real life...not many people get it, but it makes me smile. I love the scene where they are arranging the mat in Sally’s apartment.  I love Harry’s answering machine messages to Sally.

I could go on...

There are some clever scenes, like when Marie and Jess are in bed and Harry and Sally ring them both at the same time – perfect timing, well shot, and the line Marie says to Jess, ‘tell me I'll never have to be out there again’.

My favourite scene is when they are singing Surrey with a fringe on top karaoke – it makes me laugh everytime.

Then there is beauty – New York, especially that Autumn scene in Central Park. The vignettes of ‘real life’ couples talking about how they met throughout the film – something that on paper sounds so wrong, but, in fact, is so incredibly beautiful. Added to the wonderful visuals, is the soundtrack – mostly Harry Connick Jnr singing standards; Gershwin, Ellington, Goodman, Kahn, Hart and Rodgers. It Had To Be You defines the movie and borrows from a movie mentioned within the movie, Cascablanca.

There is so much variety within this film, and sewn together seamlessly too. There is not a wrong note about it. The ending has become a classic scene. Just when you think it may get a little too sacharine, a joke works its way in. It always reminds me of the ending to Manhattan - both Woody and Billy running the streets of Manhattan towards their love, looking a little nerdy, getting a little puffed, not knowing the outcome, but giving it their best shot.

Nora Ephron gave it more than her best shot writing and directing When Harry Met Sally - she made a modern classic, a film that still stands the test of time and will be enjoyed and loved by many for years to come.

VALE NORA EPHRON

Today begun with confusion, could it be real that Nora Ephron had actually died. I was on Twitter and heard the first rumbling, but no confirmation; in fact it was quite the opposite. So I left for work with a bad feeling, after a long meeting I returned to the office and checked Twitter.

It was true, the brilliant and witty Nora Ephron was gone...but to get clichéd about it all, her legacy lives on in her writing.

I loved her style and substance, she was real through to the core, as often Jewish women of that era are. I also love Susan Sontag, Fran Lebovitz and Lily Brett, and connect with their writing in a way even I cannot understand. Maybe I was Jewish in another life!

How could she not be a writer? Her parents were screenwriters. Some of their films were Desk Set, There’s No Business Like Show Business, and Take Her, She’s Mine, which was actually based on College letter’s of Nora’s. All four Ephron daughters were writers, and two of Nora’s husbands were Carl Bernstein and Nicholas Pileggi.

As a journalist in her younger years, she covered politics (interning for the Kennedy Administration) but moved quickly to satire and essays. She focused on Women, Sex, Food and her beloved New York.  She got into writing screenplays by assisting her then husband with the script for All The President’s Men. Her work there was not used, but noticed by the studios. But it was when she turned her novel, Heartburn into a screenplay that her film writing career took off. Heartburn was based on her painful breakup with Bernstein.

Nora wrote the scripts for some classic films: Silkwood, Heartburn, When Harry Met Sally, My Blue Heaven, Sleepless in Seattle, You’ve Got Mail , and Julie and Julia.

It’s her Essays and When Harry Met Sally that I love the best.

Her Essays are sharp, honest, hilarious and at times painfully real. She got real women – their foibles, their hopes, their struggles. She loved food, and often wrote how food and image were a struggle, keeping the balance...something every woman understands.

I did not know her at all of course, but felt I did through all I have read over the years.

I was deeply upset today when I found out she was gone. I was thrilled for her legacy and the writing she has left behind, but mostly sad to know there would be no more. Someone wrote on twitter, if you had only left us When Harry Met Sally that would have been enough...this is true.

My love for that film needs a whole post of its own...stay tuned...

And Nora...at least you don’t have to worry about your hair anymore...

WHERE DO WE GO NOW?

Where Do We Go Now? is the much anticipated follow up to writer/director, Nadine Labaki's Caramel.

Much like Caramel before it, Where Do We Go Now? is about a group of diverse Lebanese women, bonding together as only women can - through laughter, love, food and music. The setting is an isolated Middle Eastern village with a healthy mix of Muslims and Catholics. Unlike surrounding areas the village get on well together, despite their religious differences.

But as the unseen battle outside of their village takes its toll, religion begins to get in the way of their harmonious village. Small misunderstandings have the men beginning to fight with each other. The women, desperate to continue peacefully, begin to look for ways to keep their village safe, happy and without further loss. Watching these wonderful women work together towards peace is hilarious and heart breaking. One of the more amusing ideas they have is to hire a Russian belly dancing group to stay in the village, entertain, and hopefully stop the men thinking about fighting. But as the stakes get high, the women need to extend their ideas far beyond their already vivid imaginations.

Visually this is a beautiful film that will grab you from the very first scene. After a montage of dusty images of the isolated village, a large group of women, all dressed in black, shuffle in a dance-like formation across the desert to the graves of their fallen sons and husbands. Hypnotising, exquisite, and unique, you know you are about to see a remarkable film. The beauty and colour of the characters against the desolate backdrop of The Middle East adds to the visual feast of this film.

There is also wonderful, uplifting music, and includes a few well placed musical scenes for the characters to sing and move to. The acting is superb, with an established cast of Lebanese actors and a great supporting cast of locals and amateurs. As always, Nadine Labaki plays the female lead, Amal, a strong, independent woman, who has lost her husband, but is starting to warm to the idea of love again.

 

There is something for everyone in this film - it is warm and loving, filled with plenty of humour and drama. It is real, you feel along with the characters, through their twists and turns. The backdrop - devastating as it may be - is a great anchor for their custom and beliefs. But mostly, it is the women and their joy against this backdrop, the joy for their village, family, friends and each other. You can see why this has been a film festival favourite, winning audience awards in the Olso, San Sebastian and Toronto FIlm Festivals since premiering as part of Un Certain Regard at Cannes last year.

 

Where Do We Go Now? will make you laugh out loud and bring a tear to your eye, it is a must see foriegn film showing now at the Tower Cinemas in Newcastle.

ANTON CHEKHOV'S THE DUEL

The Tower Cinemas in Newcastle continue to impress in their dedication and excellence towards Arthouse programming. Not only are they hosting wonderful film festivals and specialised Opera, but they are consistent in bringing quality, independent films to Novocastrians.

Last night's advanced screening of Anton Chekhov's The Duel was no exception.

Set in the late 1800s in Cascasus, but filmed so very beautifully in Croatia, the drama surrounds the idle Laevsky and his live-in mistress, Nadya.

Early on a bored Laevsky confides in his older friend, Samoylenko, that after two years he is no longer attracted to Nadya, in fact he is unsure he ever was. However he has word that her husband has passed, and is concerned he will never be rid of her. Overwrought he keeps the news from her and is unsure how to proceed.

Whilst Nadya is unaware of this news, she is also bored, trapped, and seemingly exiled by those around her. Unhappy with these arrangements, and their lack of money, she is attracting many admirers in the small village with her flirtatious ways.

Von Koren, like many in the village, is observing this drama play out. He is a Zoologist, and annoyed at the useless and lazy Laevsky, and in a convoluted part of the plot that also includes money lending, and favours amongst villagers, he challenges Laevsky to a duel!

Is this his Darwinian ideal of survival of the fittest, or playing his part in the drama of the village, or simply a way to snap Laevsky into being?

I'll leave that for you to decide when you see the film for yourself!

Anton Chekhov's The Duel is a classic period drama and whilst the director, Dover Koshashvili is relatively unknown, the pedigree behind him is unmistakable. The superb cinematography by Paul Sarossy (Exotica, The Sweet Hereafter, and Affliction), gives the film a sensuous and serene atmosphere. One of the producers was Donald Rosenfeld, who has been behind films such as Howards End, The Remains of the Day and Surviving Picasso, and many Arts Documentaries.

The ensemble cast suits, with Andrew Scott - best known for playing Moriarty in the TV series of Sherlock - in the lead, playing Laevsky. His lackadaisical approach and overwrought hysteria to his 'drama' are equally striking and farcical. Fiona Glascott was luminous as the forlorn Nadya.

The Croatian setting is breathtaking, in particular some impressive caves. The costumes exquisitely detailed, especially the glorious array of millinery.

Anton Chekhov's The Duel is not for everyone, it's serene pace matches the time and beauty of the piece, and it's obsessive nature may bewilder some, but then there is The Duel at the end for a little bit of action. Lovers of Chekhov and period drama will not be disappointed. It is beautiful to watch, has a lovely sense humour with drama added for impact and a solid ensemble cast. You could enjoy it for this beauty or even take the time to ponder the deeper meaning of the film - was 'The Duel' really between Laevsky and Von Koren or indeed between Laevsky and Nadya?