Maestro Muti Lauds Music’s “Flower Power” at Vienna Jan 1 Concert for No One

Riccardo Muti conducts Vienna Philharmonic at 2021 New Year's Day concert in Musikverein concert hall without audience due to Covid restrictions. -- Photo from livestream. Something was distinctly missing from the annual Vienna Philharmonic New Year's Day concert of Strauss waltzes and other classical bon-bons on Friday: a live audience in Vienna's historic Musikverein. The…Read more Maestro Muti Lauds Music’s “Flower Power” at Vienna Jan 1 Concert for No One

Trump dumps Melania, to wed Rona Covfefe

WASHINGTON (Irish Satire News) - President Donald J. Trump announced today that he was leaving his wife of 15 years, First Lady Melania Trump, and would be marrying for a fourth time, to Rona Covfefe, formerly of Wuhan, China. "Rona just makes my ratings soar," Trump, 73, said in announcing plans for an Easter wedding…Read more Trump dumps Melania, to wed Rona Covfefe

Iran’s banned director Rasoulof wins top prize at dark Berlinale

Torture of a woman at a Soviet-era physics institute and a young American woman's effort to secure an abortion against all odds were among the subjects of the winning films at a 70th Berlinale that more than lived up to advance word it would be dark. As a sombre final touch, Iranian director Mohammad Rasoulof,…Read more Iran’s banned director Rasoulof wins top prize at dark Berlinale

King Vidor retrospective at Berlinale is a hit with film buffs

Marion Davies mugs for the camera, flirts with her sister's boyfriend and spouts old clunkers of American folk wisdom -- "Always remember -- nature gives us many of our features, but she lets us pick our own teeth" -- in the 1928 silent comedy "The Patsy". You can find it on YouTube, but in a…Read more King Vidor retrospective at Berlinale is a hit with film buffs

“DAU. Natasha” brings Soviet-era terror to Berlinale

If anyone has any lingering illusions about the grimness of the Soviet system, a bracing 145 minutes watching the film "DAU. Natasha", a main competition entry at the 70th Berlinale, should remedy that. This dark and disturbing offering from director Ilya Khrzhanovskiy, the mastermind behind the long-running DAU project in Ukraine, which employed tens of…Read more “DAU. Natasha” brings Soviet-era terror to Berlinale

Bardem, Hayek, Fanning star in dementia “odyssey” at Berlinale

Javier Bardem has a faraway look in his eyes in director Sally Potter's "The Roads Not Taken", and it's not because he's trying to block out the elevated line outside the window of his shabby Queens apartment. Bardem's character Leo, in the Berlinale competition film, is a former novelist suffering from early-onset dementia. He lies…Read more Bardem, Hayek, Fanning star in dementia “odyssey” at Berlinale

Dafoe’s huskies, Korean cat, talking fish — do they get a Berlinale “Bear”?

If the Berlinale were going to award a prize for best animals, top contenders would be the huskies in cult director Abel Ferrara's "Siberia", starring Willem Dafoe as a rugged loner named Clint who uses the dogs to pull a sleigh, and the cat in the Korean film "The Woman Who Ran". The dogs and…Read more Dafoe’s huskies, Korean cat, talking fish — do they get a Berlinale “Bear”?

Clinton at Berlinale calls for Trump defeat, deflects on Weinstein donation

Former U.S. presidential candidate Hillary Clinton said in Berlin on Tuesday it is essential for Democrats to oust Donald Trump in November, but shied away from saying who she would favour to win. She also sidestepped a chance to apologise for taking campaign contributions from disgraced producer Harvey Weinstein in 2016, saying she was not…Read more Clinton at Berlinale calls for Trump defeat, deflects on Weinstein donation

Skewering Silicon Valley at the 70th Berlinale

The 70th edition of the Berlinale is living up to its reputation as the most political of festivals, wirh films taking direct swipes at Silicon Valley and the gig economy, the failure of men to deal with women as equals and the aftermath of slavery in Brazil. "My p--sy's in the Cloud" -- on a…Read more Skewering Silicon Valley at the 70th Berlinale