Bite-Sized
Short and Sweet Reviews
I scream for ICE CREAM!
By Franziska Becher
A long queue that stretches for several meters and sometimes even along a residential block is probably the first thing you’ll see of Gelatomania – LE créateur de
parfums glacés offering a smorgasbord of THE best gelati outside Italy.
Now open in Pâquis, Plainpalais, Eaux-Vives and Carouge, Gelatomania’s little parlors consist of nothing more than a bar and a pay desk yet offer a multitude of flavors such as the classical vanilla, chocolate and strawberry or even stracciatella. But most of their creations you might never have tasted – or even heard of... Popcorn anyone? Ananas-basilic? Or even
paprika chips or chèvre? The choice is difficult to make and it does not help that you can mix several flavors in one cone or cup (between 3.50 CHF and 7 CHF) or that the friendly staff gives you free tasters before you buy – out of indulgence or pure curiosity – because their flavors change regularly.
Even though Gelatomania might sound more Italian than it actually is, the taste and quality of its gelati take you to a world that resembles the cocaine of dream ice cream flavors which are definitely worth the queuing. But if you still have doubts, see and taste for yourself this delicacy at one of Gelatomania’s four parlors in Geneva. You might just become like me:
enraptured and enchanted and regularly screaming for ice cream!
Gelatomania
Rue des Pâquis 25, Pâquis
Rue de l’École de Médecine 6, Plainpalais
Rue des Eaux-Vives 61, Eaux-Vives
Rue Staint - Joseph 43, Carouge
Opening hours:
April and May – 12h00 – 23h00
From June onwards – 11h00 – 24h00
A long queue that stretches for several meters and sometimes even along a residential block is probably the first thing you’ll see of Gelatomania – LE créateur de
parfums glacés offering a smorgasbord of THE best gelati outside Italy.
Now open in Pâquis, Plainpalais, Eaux-Vives and Carouge, Gelatomania’s little parlors consist of nothing more than a bar and a pay desk yet offer a multitude of flavors such as the classical vanilla, chocolate and strawberry or even stracciatella. But most of their creations you might never have tasted – or even heard of... Popcorn anyone? Ananas-basilic? Or even
paprika chips or chèvre? The choice is difficult to make and it does not help that you can mix several flavors in one cone or cup (between 3.50 CHF and 7 CHF) or that the friendly staff gives you free tasters before you buy – out of indulgence or pure curiosity – because their flavors change regularly.
Even though Gelatomania might sound more Italian than it actually is, the taste and quality of its gelati take you to a world that resembles the cocaine of dream ice cream flavors which are definitely worth the queuing. But if you still have doubts, see and taste for yourself this delicacy at one of Gelatomania’s four parlors in Geneva. You might just become like me:
enraptured and enchanted and regularly screaming for ice cream!
Gelatomania
Rue des Pâquis 25, Pâquis
Rue de l’École de Médecine 6, Plainpalais
Rue des Eaux-Vives 61, Eaux-Vives
Rue Staint - Joseph 43, Carouge
Opening hours:
April and May – 12h00 – 23h00
From June onwards – 11h00 – 24h00
Books you should have read by now
My Year of Meat, by Ruth L. Ozeki
By Jennifer Miksch
This book may make you rethink your daily meat intake. On the other hand, it might make you repress any such thoughts and lead you directly to your favourite “M”-letter burger place. In any case, this book is meant to provoke and, whether your response is action or denial, that it does.
One can hardly say whether My Year of Meat is truly a novel or rather the
script of a movie waiting to be made. Like the author herself, the book reflects diverse points of view. It traces the life and work of filmmaker Jane
Takagi-Little when she lands a job as producer of My American Wife!,
a Japanese soap-opera-style television show sponsored by an American
meat-exporting business.
Every week, the show depicts a white, middle- or upper-class “representative” American family with their happy story and favorite (meat) recipe. As the show continues, though, Jane discovers more about the American meat industry than she had bargained for. Her discoveries of the less-than palatable aspects of the production process and the less-than-scrupulous machinations of the meat industry prompt her to reconsider her role. Driven by these rather disturbing insights, Jane tries to find her own way – for example, by portraying a lesbian vegetarian couple as the center of one week’s show. But, finally, it becomes evident that power structures such as those of the film and food industries are resistant to change as are Jane’s so-called “unwholesome subjects”.
Whether the book is written for vegetarians or is, in fact, the perfect gift for any hard-core “medium-rare, please” steak lover is for the reader to decide. While honest about the unsavoury realities of the meat industry, the novel tries to be objective in moments where any animal lover would certainly object. It even offers recipes. One thing is for sure though: you will rethink your daily habits at least once.
This book may make you rethink your daily meat intake. On the other hand, it might make you repress any such thoughts and lead you directly to your favourite “M”-letter burger place. In any case, this book is meant to provoke and, whether your response is action or denial, that it does.
One can hardly say whether My Year of Meat is truly a novel or rather the
script of a movie waiting to be made. Like the author herself, the book reflects diverse points of view. It traces the life and work of filmmaker Jane
Takagi-Little when she lands a job as producer of My American Wife!,
a Japanese soap-opera-style television show sponsored by an American
meat-exporting business.
Every week, the show depicts a white, middle- or upper-class “representative” American family with their happy story and favorite (meat) recipe. As the show continues, though, Jane discovers more about the American meat industry than she had bargained for. Her discoveries of the less-than palatable aspects of the production process and the less-than-scrupulous machinations of the meat industry prompt her to reconsider her role. Driven by these rather disturbing insights, Jane tries to find her own way – for example, by portraying a lesbian vegetarian couple as the center of one week’s show. But, finally, it becomes evident that power structures such as those of the film and food industries are resistant to change as are Jane’s so-called “unwholesome subjects”.
Whether the book is written for vegetarians or is, in fact, the perfect gift for any hard-core “medium-rare, please” steak lover is for the reader to decide. While honest about the unsavoury realities of the meat industry, the novel tries to be objective in moments where any animal lover would certainly object. It even offers recipes. One thing is for sure though: you will rethink your daily habits at least once.
Ô Calme
By Paolo MC Cravero
Winter Sundays in Geneva feel empty. As if the city was entering a sort of limbo, life exists only around the small markets scattered about different neighbourhoods. Few places escape this feeling of apnoea between the laziness of Saturday and the frantic back-to-work feeling of Mondays. One of these places, where space and time flow in their usual harmony even on Sundays, is Ô Calme.
Ô Calme is almost impossible to miss. Riding the 12 Tram towards Carouge, between the stops Marché and Ancienne, you will notice a lonely yet enticing queue on the sidewalk to your right. If you follow it, you will find the best place in Geneva to have a relaxed, tasty, and affordable brunch.
The first step in the door is already a truly pleasurable experience. The whole kitchen and its staff are located in the front, welcoming you as they prepare, with rapid and deft movements, a panoply of salads, quiches, pancakes, eggs and other delicacies. Nothing is hidden.
While waiting in line, the meaning of the name suddenly becomes clear. Everything exhales a calm and relaxed atmosphere, and even standing in the queue – possibly for quite some time – is not too bad. The queues are, in fact, the only negative aspect of this café/restaurant, so make sure to announce your arrival to the staff as soon as you get there. Reservations are not accepted.
Once the waiting is over, you will be escorted through the kitchen to the dining room that resembles a cosy and somewhat sophisticated living room more than a restaurant.
Once you take a seat, the pagan rite of brunch can finally begin.
Large (30 CHF) and small (23 CHF) brunch formulae do not differ much: a mixed salad instead of muesli, orange juice, and coffee.
But besides the classics there is the possibility to choose à la carte, and that, I believe, is the real fun. The quiches (13.50 CHF) are simply outstanding: fresh and crispy veggies, goat and cow cheeses as a filling, and a delicate yet crunchy pastry to encase them. The Blinis with salmon (23 CHF) are exactly as should be. Delicate and fluffy, they combine impeccably with the lightly-smoked salmon and the butter. The side salad adds a touch of freshness to this perfect brunch dish.
But if you have a sweet tooth, then the homemade cakes (5-8.60 CHF) are what to look for. They are all delectable, but one stands above the others: the apple crumble. The acidity of the apples, the sweetness of the brown sugar, and the aromatic spiciness of the cinnamon merge into a soft composition that melts quickly in your mouth. The crumble adds a defining crunchy-edge that makes this dish just right.
Coffees and cappuccinos do not stand out in respect to the other delicacies offered at Ô Calme. However, if enjoyed on the flowery terrace on a spring or summer day, they are surely going to make you, and your Sunday, feel a little more special.
Ô Calme, Rue des Ancienne 36, Carouge – Geneva
Open Tue. 10am to 4pm – Wed. to Sun. 10am to 6 pm
Winter Sundays in Geneva feel empty. As if the city was entering a sort of limbo, life exists only around the small markets scattered about different neighbourhoods. Few places escape this feeling of apnoea between the laziness of Saturday and the frantic back-to-work feeling of Mondays. One of these places, where space and time flow in their usual harmony even on Sundays, is Ô Calme.
Ô Calme is almost impossible to miss. Riding the 12 Tram towards Carouge, between the stops Marché and Ancienne, you will notice a lonely yet enticing queue on the sidewalk to your right. If you follow it, you will find the best place in Geneva to have a relaxed, tasty, and affordable brunch.
The first step in the door is already a truly pleasurable experience. The whole kitchen and its staff are located in the front, welcoming you as they prepare, with rapid and deft movements, a panoply of salads, quiches, pancakes, eggs and other delicacies. Nothing is hidden.
While waiting in line, the meaning of the name suddenly becomes clear. Everything exhales a calm and relaxed atmosphere, and even standing in the queue – possibly for quite some time – is not too bad. The queues are, in fact, the only negative aspect of this café/restaurant, so make sure to announce your arrival to the staff as soon as you get there. Reservations are not accepted.
Once the waiting is over, you will be escorted through the kitchen to the dining room that resembles a cosy and somewhat sophisticated living room more than a restaurant.
Once you take a seat, the pagan rite of brunch can finally begin.
Large (30 CHF) and small (23 CHF) brunch formulae do not differ much: a mixed salad instead of muesli, orange juice, and coffee.
But besides the classics there is the possibility to choose à la carte, and that, I believe, is the real fun. The quiches (13.50 CHF) are simply outstanding: fresh and crispy veggies, goat and cow cheeses as a filling, and a delicate yet crunchy pastry to encase them. The Blinis with salmon (23 CHF) are exactly as should be. Delicate and fluffy, they combine impeccably with the lightly-smoked salmon and the butter. The side salad adds a touch of freshness to this perfect brunch dish.
But if you have a sweet tooth, then the homemade cakes (5-8.60 CHF) are what to look for. They are all delectable, but one stands above the others: the apple crumble. The acidity of the apples, the sweetness of the brown sugar, and the aromatic spiciness of the cinnamon merge into a soft composition that melts quickly in your mouth. The crumble adds a defining crunchy-edge that makes this dish just right.
Coffees and cappuccinos do not stand out in respect to the other delicacies offered at Ô Calme. However, if enjoyed on the flowery terrace on a spring or summer day, they are surely going to make you, and your Sunday, feel a little more special.
Ô Calme, Rue des Ancienne 36, Carouge – Geneva
Open Tue. 10am to 4pm – Wed. to Sun. 10am to 6 pm
The Oscars 2011: Snapshot reviews of the films with all the hype
By Jessica Sinclair
Black Swan
Darren Aronofsky’s genius is undeniable, but the hype over this thriller set in the ballet world is excessive. The best thrillers are subtle and chilling, whereas this screams at you with a confused admixture of themes (psychosis, bulimia, sexual confusion, self-harm, mother issues, obsessive perfectionism, and so on). And could Aronofsky have been more brazen with the mirror analogies? Props to Portman for putting in the hard yards learning to dance on point shoes.Worth a watch, but not worth the Oscars acclaim.
True Grit
Nowadays it’s almost taken for granted that any Coen brothers film will get its proverbial foot in the Oscar door. But that’s because they generally deserve it, and True Grit is no exception. Jeff Bridges is laugh-out-loud funny as the inappropriate and often-inebriated U.S. Marshal Cogburn and Hailee Steinfeld is a showstopping newcomer…with grit!
I am no aficionado of Westerns, but if this is how they’re done, then count me a fan. True Grit has the camaraderie and cowboy boots but also runs deeper. As a snapshot of the relationship between an otherwise-out-of-place ballsy young girl and a washed up old-timer, True Grit showcases one of those odd bonds in life that outlast the escapade that makes them
The King’s Speech
I love that a British film has made the generally inward-looking Hollywood elites stand still and take notice. This is cinema at its best – a stupefyingly simple plot (essentially about a single speech) executed to perfection with a cast worthy of the accolades. Geoffrey Rush is stellar in his supporting role, injecting some humour to counterbalance the solemnity of Firth’s tortured king. The fact that it’s a true story only makes it all the more fascinating. It will have you on the edge of your seats cheering on Firth for his final curtain!
The Fighter
A movie as full of heart as Christian Bale’s Oscar acceptance speech! But seriously, this is about more than just boxing and will appeal even to those who profess to hate the ‘violence’ of the sport. The story strikes to the heart of family, and how the one we are ‘stuck with’ can become the one we are ‘blessed with’ if we come to terms with them and ourselves. Bale stands out as the drug-riddled has-been fighter, Dicky, but Melissa Leo’s white trash mother to the two ratbag boys is also a winner. I didn’t quite believe Amy Adams as the rough-about-town barmaid, but this didn’t detract from the heart and soul of a picture that struggled to make it to screens (Aronofsky, among others, dropped it – another reason to support this over Black Swan!).
Black Swan
Darren Aronofsky’s genius is undeniable, but the hype over this thriller set in the ballet world is excessive. The best thrillers are subtle and chilling, whereas this screams at you with a confused admixture of themes (psychosis, bulimia, sexual confusion, self-harm, mother issues, obsessive perfectionism, and so on). And could Aronofsky have been more brazen with the mirror analogies? Props to Portman for putting in the hard yards learning to dance on point shoes.Worth a watch, but not worth the Oscars acclaim.
True Grit
Nowadays it’s almost taken for granted that any Coen brothers film will get its proverbial foot in the Oscar door. But that’s because they generally deserve it, and True Grit is no exception. Jeff Bridges is laugh-out-loud funny as the inappropriate and often-inebriated U.S. Marshal Cogburn and Hailee Steinfeld is a showstopping newcomer…with grit!
I am no aficionado of Westerns, but if this is how they’re done, then count me a fan. True Grit has the camaraderie and cowboy boots but also runs deeper. As a snapshot of the relationship between an otherwise-out-of-place ballsy young girl and a washed up old-timer, True Grit showcases one of those odd bonds in life that outlast the escapade that makes them
The King’s Speech
I love that a British film has made the generally inward-looking Hollywood elites stand still and take notice. This is cinema at its best – a stupefyingly simple plot (essentially about a single speech) executed to perfection with a cast worthy of the accolades. Geoffrey Rush is stellar in his supporting role, injecting some humour to counterbalance the solemnity of Firth’s tortured king. The fact that it’s a true story only makes it all the more fascinating. It will have you on the edge of your seats cheering on Firth for his final curtain!
The Fighter
A movie as full of heart as Christian Bale’s Oscar acceptance speech! But seriously, this is about more than just boxing and will appeal even to those who profess to hate the ‘violence’ of the sport. The story strikes to the heart of family, and how the one we are ‘stuck with’ can become the one we are ‘blessed with’ if we come to terms with them and ourselves. Bale stands out as the drug-riddled has-been fighter, Dicky, but Melissa Leo’s white trash mother to the two ratbag boys is also a winner. I didn’t quite believe Amy Adams as the rough-about-town barmaid, but this didn’t detract from the heart and soul of a picture that struggled to make it to screens (Aronofsky, among others, dropped it – another reason to support this over Black Swan!).
Art before Artist: A Visit to Mamco, the Musée d’art moderne et contemporain
by Kiara Jade Barnes
Daniel Roth “Untitled (Cloak No. 2)”. Bark, costume, metal bar. Photo: Kiara Jade Barnes (KJB) at Mamco, Geneva (2010). Installation view. “Encounters At A Possible End Of The Inner Chambers” (2010) (detail). The artist’s collection. Galerie Meyer Riegger, Karlsruhe and Fons Welters Gallery, Amsterdam
Just as Gerald Minkoff declares, “art is art about art” (1970), contemporary is only contemporary in relation to contemporary. Contemporary art gives you space and cause to think something or nothing. The artist is not going to come and check in with you to make sure you got it; instead, you only got it, if you got what you got.
During those early days in Geneva, on a frolic with newfound friends, I visited Mamco (Musée d’art moderne et contemporain). I return a year later. The exhibitions have changed; the friends haven’t.
You know where Mamco is. Its neighbour is La Sip, the club that dabbles in dangerous cocktails the colour of liquid Smurf and whose frontmen get pernickety if you don’t arrive in even numbers sporting city-slick shoes.
Mamco achieves contemporary cool with its workspace feel that counters the pretention that other modern art pantheons exude. At Mamco, you are not supposed to know the artists, and so, in a refreshing pre-Neo-expressionist fashion, the art sits firmly ahead of the name that created it. Yes, the electric buzz of neon lights spelling out “significant” words or phrases is tiresome, as are the LI-LO’s stuck to the ceiling. However, the museum also houses gems, both permanent and visiting.
Currently, there are several monographic exhibitions running (until the 16th of January), including local artists. Daniel Roth’s work delineates an absent presence; an artist worked in the room you are standing, then left so that you could come and follow his mixed-media process. Bujar Marika’s charming exhibition, Paradox Park, ponders putting a safe in a safe, bathing a bath, testing us to dream in reality. From the permanent collection, Steven Parrino’s anguished canvases tear at what we thought was passion. And l’Appartement perceives the experience of daily life in art, with a heavy hand of normalcy and convention. On occasion, contemporary art is not as foreign or privileged as you might think it is. Sometimes it is challenging, sometimes it isn’t. It’s up to you, and that’s the challenge.
Mamco (Musée d’art moderne et contemporain). 10, rue des Vieux-Grenadiers, CH-1205 Genève.; Open Tuesday to Friday 12pm to 6pm, Saturday and Sunday 11am to 6pm. Free first Sunday of the month and first Wednesday of the month from 6pm to 9pm.; Price: CHF 6 upon presentation of student card. Photographs permitted, no flash.
During those early days in Geneva, on a frolic with newfound friends, I visited Mamco (Musée d’art moderne et contemporain). I return a year later. The exhibitions have changed; the friends haven’t.
You know where Mamco is. Its neighbour is La Sip, the club that dabbles in dangerous cocktails the colour of liquid Smurf and whose frontmen get pernickety if you don’t arrive in even numbers sporting city-slick shoes.
Mamco achieves contemporary cool with its workspace feel that counters the pretention that other modern art pantheons exude. At Mamco, you are not supposed to know the artists, and so, in a refreshing pre-Neo-expressionist fashion, the art sits firmly ahead of the name that created it. Yes, the electric buzz of neon lights spelling out “significant” words or phrases is tiresome, as are the LI-LO’s stuck to the ceiling. However, the museum also houses gems, both permanent and visiting.
Currently, there are several monographic exhibitions running (until the 16th of January), including local artists. Daniel Roth’s work delineates an absent presence; an artist worked in the room you are standing, then left so that you could come and follow his mixed-media process. Bujar Marika’s charming exhibition, Paradox Park, ponders putting a safe in a safe, bathing a bath, testing us to dream in reality. From the permanent collection, Steven Parrino’s anguished canvases tear at what we thought was passion. And l’Appartement perceives the experience of daily life in art, with a heavy hand of normalcy and convention. On occasion, contemporary art is not as foreign or privileged as you might think it is. Sometimes it is challenging, sometimes it isn’t. It’s up to you, and that’s the challenge.
Mamco (Musée d’art moderne et contemporain). 10, rue des Vieux-Grenadiers, CH-1205 Genève.; Open Tuesday to Friday 12pm to 6pm, Saturday and Sunday 11am to 6pm. Free first Sunday of the month and first Wednesday of the month from 6pm to 9pm.; Price: CHF 6 upon presentation of student card. Photographs permitted, no flash.
Books you should have read by now: Invisible by Paul Auster
by Jennifer Miksch
Finishing this book means not being
done with it. You will obsess over which point you may have missed even though while reading it you thought all the characters so clear, psychologically so exemplary described. It is a book about desire – incest, maybe homo erotic attraction and even love. It is about how past events can influence our whole personal development. It could also be about something more – it is a work of interpretation or maybe misinterpretation.
In any case, you will not know for sure as you follow this wicked story (and clearly, the reader is the open-mouthed shadow in this book) in which randomness takes the lead. Yet, however prima facie random, the narrative remains remarkably vivid. In 1967, Adam Walker is our age, studying at a promising school (Columbia, in his case) and a beautiful poet: “For the sad fact remains: there is far more poetry in the world than justice.” So far the fairytale. But one lonely night, he encounters Rudolf Born – “I would do well to keep my distance. Allowing myself to get involved with him could possibly lead to trouble”. Born was not alone and Walker has an affair with his beautiful French companion. She will not be the only woman which causes trouble. After another (potential) affair with his sister, Walker moves to Paris and into “a constant battle with himself ”.
Looking back
The story is somehow a “march back into the past” and is told by Walker himself. “By writing about myself in the first person I had made myself invisible, had made it impossible for me to find the thing I was looking for.” Yet we see Auster glimpsing through the dialogue and find others adding details Walker has missed.
Even now, I keep asking: is this novel diffuse or is it the reader? And then I remember Walker/Auster’s own words: “Any writer who feels he is standing on safe ground is unlikely to produce anything of value.
Boréal
It takes little to be thrown back into a forgotten reality. School is back, the sun is suddenly pale and the temperature is falling. Fortunately, there are places in Geneva in which to hibernate this winter. Boréal Coffee Shop is one of them.
(P.C.) Making coffee is simple. Making a good coffee is an art. And the baristas at Cafe Boréal master it. Every step is well timed and balanced: the water quality, the size and evenness of the grounds, and the brewing technique. The flawless delivery ensures that the fine equilibrium between the coffee’s taste, perfume, and texture are respected, and no cup is ever ruined.
The first sip from your espresso cup will uncover the delicate aspect of the coffee. While a light and ephemeral
foam rushes to caress your taste buds, it will take a few moments for the robust aroma to fully develop.The second sip will unveil all the different
nuances of taste that the palate may have missed on the first taste. But, it is only in the final sip that you will be able to really grasp the full-bodied aroma and the slightly toasted aftertaste that makes Boréal’s coffee the best in Geneva.
Cozy, Warm and Relaxed
Surprisingly enough, the best coffee shop in town has maintained its convivial atmosphere. The ambiance is cosy, warm, and relaxed - the perfect place to chat with a friend, or sink in the couches’ cushions reading a good book while waiting for spring to come back. Or simply enjoy a freshly made slice of cake, a brownie, or a cupcake from the house selection. The prices are in line with Geneva standards: from an espresso at 3.40 CHF, to a large mochaccino at 5.60 CHF - an optimal price/quality ratio. The only “negative” aspect is the number of habitué and young customers that populate Boréal. Always ready to indulge in yet another drink or cake, they make this café their living room. This adds a genuinely homely feeling to the environment but, at the same time, slows down the natural customer turnover.
Boréal Coffee Shop, Rue du Stand 60, Geneva. www..borealcoffe.ch,
Open: Mon. to Fri. 7am to 7pm – Sat. 10am to 6m – Sun. 12am to 6pm
(P.C.) Making coffee is simple. Making a good coffee is an art. And the baristas at Cafe Boréal master it. Every step is well timed and balanced: the water quality, the size and evenness of the grounds, and the brewing technique. The flawless delivery ensures that the fine equilibrium between the coffee’s taste, perfume, and texture are respected, and no cup is ever ruined.
The first sip from your espresso cup will uncover the delicate aspect of the coffee. While a light and ephemeral
foam rushes to caress your taste buds, it will take a few moments for the robust aroma to fully develop.The second sip will unveil all the different
nuances of taste that the palate may have missed on the first taste. But, it is only in the final sip that you will be able to really grasp the full-bodied aroma and the slightly toasted aftertaste that makes Boréal’s coffee the best in Geneva.
Cozy, Warm and Relaxed
Surprisingly enough, the best coffee shop in town has maintained its convivial atmosphere. The ambiance is cosy, warm, and relaxed - the perfect place to chat with a friend, or sink in the couches’ cushions reading a good book while waiting for spring to come back. Or simply enjoy a freshly made slice of cake, a brownie, or a cupcake from the house selection. The prices are in line with Geneva standards: from an espresso at 3.40 CHF, to a large mochaccino at 5.60 CHF - an optimal price/quality ratio. The only “negative” aspect is the number of habitué and young customers that populate Boréal. Always ready to indulge in yet another drink or cake, they make this café their living room. This adds a genuinely homely feeling to the environment but, at the same time, slows down the natural customer turnover.
Boréal Coffee Shop, Rue du Stand 60, Geneva. www..borealcoffe.ch,
Open: Mon. to Fri. 7am to 7pm – Sat. 10am to 6m – Sun. 12am to 6pm
The view from Bains des Paquis 500 years ago.
(K.J.B) The fervent traffic streaming along Rue Charles-Galland subsides as the heavy doors of the Musée d’Art et d’Histoire gently shut behind you. You have escaped. The cool calmness reminds you that you are standing in a history that has long since passed. After being stunned that entry is free, it is with dandy delight that you dart up the staircase to the fine art galleries. Full-length Ferdinand Hodler portraits usher you on to the landing, which hosts the usual splattering of Auguste Rodin sculptures. Passing Venus and Adonis, who are bit like that annoyingly in-love couple that hang around public entrances oblivious to the rest of the world, take the door to your right and enter the first gallery.
Directly in front of you sits the most famous work that calls the Musée home, Konrad Witz’s The Miraculous Draught of Fishes (1444). It was formerly an altarpiece panel from the Geneva Cathedral and is rare in the fact that it survived the Reformation. The detail is exquisite: bubbles play on the surface of the lake and the subtle reflections reveal the quality of this work. The work is also the first representation of a topographically precise landscape occupying an important position in a biblical scene’. And yes, it’s a view we all recognise from our lazy afternoons at Bains des Paquis.
Indeed, the gallery exhibits many paintings that depict familiar scenes of Mont Blanc, the lake—a Geneva we all know. For instance, the paintings in the Hodler room sit on the edge of abstraction while embodying the crispness of Swiss-quality air and water with visionary cool blues. Highlights from other Swiss artists include the Jean-Étienne Liotard portraits and the Félix Vallotton bodies.
One frustrating aspect of the painting galleries is that the little book you pick up at the entrance, which has the translated (English, German) labels,
does not correspond to the natural flow of the galleries. Furthermore, because the museum is often empty and the staff not particularly busy, they seem to follow you from room to room, which is admittedly a little perturbing.
The lower levels invite you to admire the beautiful inlay of musical instruments and weapons as well as marvel at delicate silverware and drift further back in time while viewing the remnants of ancient civilizations. Any art lover would get lost in the charming bookshop. Monographs and rare finds are stacked on top of one another as though too many people brought back their library books after the weekend. Word is that the café is delightful; unfortunately, a stack of polycopiés came calling.
Musée d’Art et d’Histoire. Rue Charles-Galland 2, +41 (0)22 418 26 00 Open from 10am to 5pm. Closed on Mondays. Entry free.
Konrad Witz “Miraculous Draught of Fishes” (1444) , 132x154 cm. Tempera on wood panel. Musée d’Art et d’Histoire, Geneva
Movie Review: The Town – Just another bank job?
(J.S) The title of the recently released movie The Town refers to Charlestown, an area deep in the heart of Boston’s projects where the locals are condemned to a life of crime, racketeering and teenage pregnancies and outsiders – so-called ‘toonies’ – are seen as do-gooder yuppies, quickly swallowed by the town’s underbelly as soon as they try to break through its gritty patina. Doug MacRay (Ben Affleck) is a born-and-bred townie, son of a jailbird and runaway mother, who works at Boston Sand and Gravel but moonlights as the ringleader of a group of armed robbers. MacRay and his boys appear to have their heist routine choreographed to perfection until he becomes infatuated with Claire (Rebecca Hall), an unwitting hostage at one of the posse’s targets. A ‘toonie’ with a social conscience who spends her free time working with Charleston’s down-and-outs, Claire becomes a source of tension throughout the film as MacRay’s personal relationship with her develops. Unaware of his true identity, Claire’s connection with McRay continually edges him closer to capture by FBI Agent Frawley (Jon Hamm).
In The Town, Affleck lives up to his triumvirate role of actor-director-producer, putting his personal stamp on the project by showcasing the special place he harbours for the city of Boston (recall his performance as a hard-done-by Bostonian in Good Will Hunting and his directing stint for the Boston-set Gone Baby Gone). With his thick drawl and nonchalant aura honed to perfection, Affleck’s performance is that of a seasoned actor laced with that extra something borne of his clear affinity for the subject matter. The Town is his town, and this fact shines through in the film.
The Town has the boys-will-be-boys guns, grit and (at times) goofiness of a Guy Ritchie crime caper film, but draws us into a moral investment with the criminals, spurring the audience to empathise with the townies’ circumstances and egg them on in their evasion of their no-good, FBI would-be captors. While the storyline is rife with action and violence, Affleck develops characters who animate and inject heart and soul into the hard-nosed world of Charlestown. That he does so without romanticism, clichés or happy endings is what makes Affleck’s writing, directing and acting a formidable “triple threat” in the film world.
The Town is now showing (at time of writing) in cinemas. See www.pathe.ch for details.
In The Town, Affleck lives up to his triumvirate role of actor-director-producer, putting his personal stamp on the project by showcasing the special place he harbours for the city of Boston (recall his performance as a hard-done-by Bostonian in Good Will Hunting and his directing stint for the Boston-set Gone Baby Gone). With his thick drawl and nonchalant aura honed to perfection, Affleck’s performance is that of a seasoned actor laced with that extra something borne of his clear affinity for the subject matter. The Town is his town, and this fact shines through in the film.
The Town has the boys-will-be-boys guns, grit and (at times) goofiness of a Guy Ritchie crime caper film, but draws us into a moral investment with the criminals, spurring the audience to empathise with the townies’ circumstances and egg them on in their evasion of their no-good, FBI would-be captors. While the storyline is rife with action and violence, Affleck develops characters who animate and inject heart and soul into the hard-nosed world of Charlestown. That he does so without romanticism, clichés or happy endings is what makes Affleck’s writing, directing and acting a formidable “triple threat” in the film world.
The Town is now showing (at time of writing) in cinemas. See www.pathe.ch for details.
Movie Review: Shutter Island
Back-to-school is a slump time for cinema, an odd twilight zone between the blockbuster hits of the summer and the slew of Oscar-ready material released around Christmas. So why not backtrack and watch a DVD that you may have missed in the hype over some of the bigger franchise or 3D films from earlier in the year?
(J.S) Martin Scorsese’s Shutter Island is a “love-it-or-hate-it” throwback to the melodrama and suspense of hammed up B-movies in their heyday. It follows Teddy Daniels (DiCaprio), an ex-military Federal Marshall in the post-war period who, with his partner Chuck Aule (Rufalo), travels to a maximum-security institution for the criminally insane on a remote island off the New England coast. Daniels arrives at Shutter Island to investigate the escape of one of its most ‘dangerous and damaged’ female patients, Rachel Solando, who has vanished without a trace. Hot on the heels of Daniels in his quest for the truth about Rachel’s disappearance, Scorsese takes us on a mind-boggling and suspenseful foray into madness and mystery, which, despite the somewhat predictable twist, will leave you clamouring to re-watch and make sense of every detail as soon as the closing credits roll.
Based on the novel by Dennis Lehane, the film showcases compelling performances from Ben Kingsley as Dr. Cawley, Shutter Island’s more ‘humane’ psychiatrist, and Michelle Williams as Dolores, Marshall Daniels’ dead wife. It also features appearances from Emily Mortimer, Patricia Clarkson, and Max von Sydow as the callous German psychiatrist who plays ‘bad cop’ to Kingsley’s sympathetic figure. DiCaprio, with his baby face and angst-ridden acting, can be a source of annoyance for some, but he suits the tenor of the film and its 1950s setting, and once more showcases the golden partnership between Scorsese and his protégé.
A true homage to the B-movie, some may find the music ostentatious, the camerawork disorientating, and the performances to be overwrought. But if you are willing to be swept up in the sheer excess that Scorsese has clearly relished in, adding his sophistication and genius to what would otherwise be a low-grade melodrama, you will enjoy the over-zealous score, the surreal and dream-like flashbacks, and the kitschy use of blue-screen editing, which contrasts crisp, cardboard-cut-out foreground figures against hazy, diffused backdrops. The result is a heightened, overblown sense of tension, which will draw you in and make you, too, feel the paranoia, disorientation and full-blown madness of the sinister island asylum. Shutter Island is pure entertainment, with a plot that will keep you on the edge of your seat, over-the-top cinematography and an ending, with a killer final line, that will grab you and draw you back for more.
(J.S) Martin Scorsese’s Shutter Island is a “love-it-or-hate-it” throwback to the melodrama and suspense of hammed up B-movies in their heyday. It follows Teddy Daniels (DiCaprio), an ex-military Federal Marshall in the post-war period who, with his partner Chuck Aule (Rufalo), travels to a maximum-security institution for the criminally insane on a remote island off the New England coast. Daniels arrives at Shutter Island to investigate the escape of one of its most ‘dangerous and damaged’ female patients, Rachel Solando, who has vanished without a trace. Hot on the heels of Daniels in his quest for the truth about Rachel’s disappearance, Scorsese takes us on a mind-boggling and suspenseful foray into madness and mystery, which, despite the somewhat predictable twist, will leave you clamouring to re-watch and make sense of every detail as soon as the closing credits roll.
Based on the novel by Dennis Lehane, the film showcases compelling performances from Ben Kingsley as Dr. Cawley, Shutter Island’s more ‘humane’ psychiatrist, and Michelle Williams as Dolores, Marshall Daniels’ dead wife. It also features appearances from Emily Mortimer, Patricia Clarkson, and Max von Sydow as the callous German psychiatrist who plays ‘bad cop’ to Kingsley’s sympathetic figure. DiCaprio, with his baby face and angst-ridden acting, can be a source of annoyance for some, but he suits the tenor of the film and its 1950s setting, and once more showcases the golden partnership between Scorsese and his protégé.
A true homage to the B-movie, some may find the music ostentatious, the camerawork disorientating, and the performances to be overwrought. But if you are willing to be swept up in the sheer excess that Scorsese has clearly relished in, adding his sophistication and genius to what would otherwise be a low-grade melodrama, you will enjoy the over-zealous score, the surreal and dream-like flashbacks, and the kitschy use of blue-screen editing, which contrasts crisp, cardboard-cut-out foreground figures against hazy, diffused backdrops. The result is a heightened, overblown sense of tension, which will draw you in and make you, too, feel the paranoia, disorientation and full-blown madness of the sinister island asylum. Shutter Island is pure entertainment, with a plot that will keep you on the edge of your seat, over-the-top cinematography and an ending, with a killer final line, that will grab you and draw you back for more.
