Can Dialectics Break Bricks Cinema: Glengarry Glen Ross (James Foley, 1992)

By: börek - January 8th, 2023  Filed under: Filmavond

Sunday 15 January 2023, Can Dialectics Break Bricks Cinema: Glengarry Glen Ross * by James Foley, script by David Mamet * 1992 * 100 minutes * In English with English subtitles. Doors open at 20:00, film starts at 20:30.

What is important about this flick isn’t so much the director, but its provocative scriptwriter David Mamet (Wag the Dog). The craft of his writing is so powerful it makes the director unimportant, and no matter what theme he takes on, he always elevates it to another level. His punchy razor-sharp dialogue is so unique there is even a term to describe it – ‘Mametspeak’.
In this one he throws us into the real estate world, a place almost as creepy as the banking sector, and it shows how once things start to go wrong, the inherent greed and viciousness of the employees turns inward as they start tearing themselves to shreds. For many, if you want to understand how the guts of big business operates, this is the best film to watch.
During the pandemic we were told to stay at home and chill, but others were more busy. Ruthless speculators like the American investment corporation Blackrock were busy as hell acquiring more spaces in this city so they could leave them empty and eventually jack up the rental prices for a huge profit in the future. When squatters tried occupying one of those empty Blackrock buildings, they were immediately dragged out by the police. Welcome to the dark world of high-finance, where profits matter more than human lives.
And what is just as amazing as the script is the crazy cast cobbled together to speak the dialogue – Al Pacino, Alec Baldwin, Ed Harris, Alan Arkin and old-schooler Jack Lemmon. We’re not a great fans of that genre of films where there are zero women roles of any importance. Still, for the energy in this film it was important to keep the testosterone levels as disfunctionally high as possible.

Film night at Joe’s Garage, cozy cinema! Free entrance. You want to screen a movie, let us know: joe [at] lists [dot] squat [dot] net

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Esperanto: Musical “June kaj Kune”

By: börek - December 7th, 2022  Filed under: Filmavond, Workshop

Wednesday 14 December 2022, Esperanto: Musical “June kaj Kune”.
Doors open at 18:00, we watch the first musical in Esperanto, starting at 19:00
Absolute beginners and curious persons are always welcome!

Can Dialectics Break Bricks Cinema: finally the legendary Can Dialectics Break Bricks Cinema (René Viénet, 1973)

By: börek - December 7th, 2022  Filed under: Filmavond

Sunday 11 December 2022, Can Dialectics Break Bricks Cinema: finally the legendary Can Dialectics Break Bricks Cinema (René Viénet, 1973)* 90 minutes * In French with English subtitles. Doors open at 20:00, film starts at 20:30.

This is a movie we wanted to screen for ages – after all, we even named this cinema-night after it. But all of the available copies were so terrible… muddy vhs tape transfers that were virtually unwatchable and took all the joy out of the experience. But now it has finally been restored in its full color glory.

Back in the mid-60s in France there was a group of post-artists that called themselves Situationists. One thing they observed was how even the most radical ideas can be transformed into harmless commercial products by the power of modern marketing. But then they thought – why not reverse the process? Why can’t we take some banal commercial products and turn them into something subversive, alive and meaningful again?

A great example of the wild, sly humor of May 68 can be seen in this delirious flick. The situationist collaborator René Viénet took a 1972 Hong Kong martial arts film called Crush, and replaced the entire soundtrack with his own narration and dialogue. The new dubbed soundtrack he added changes everything, turning the kung-fu film into a politically-charged struggle about gender equality, the alienation of consumer society, the Paris Commune and post-Marxist political theory. And it’s all done with a razor-sharp sense of humor, because joy was part of their ammunition. The new script is witty and snappy. At one point one of the characters asks “What the hell was the original film about anyway?”

To do the new voices on the soundtrack René Viénet brought in some members of the satirical Café de la Gare Theatre group, including the legendary Patrick Dewaere. The finished film is a riot, but one with a message!

This will be a high-definition screening.

Film night at Joe’s Garage, cozy cinema! Free entrance. You want to screen a movie, let us know: joe [at] lists [dot] squat [dot] net

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Benefit voku in solidarity with Iranian protesters, documentary screening and discussion with Iranian protesters

By: börek - December 1st, 2022  Filed under: Benefiet, Filmavond, Infoavond, Volkseten/Voku

Monday 5th December 2022, Benefit voku in solidarity with Iranian protesters, documentary screening ‘Iranian Women’s Liberation Movement, Year Zero’ and discussion with Iranian protesters. Food served from 7pm, no reservation.

All benefits go to Iranian protesters. After the dinner, screening followed by an improvised talk/discussion. Little homemade craft objects will be available on donation, all proceeds will go to the benefit cause.

Screening of short documentary, Iranian Women’s Liberation Movement, Year Zero by Claudine Mulard, 1979 (جنبش آزادی زنان ایران – سال صفر) . In 1979, Iranian Women invite the American feminist Kate Millett to celebrate March 8, the International Women’s Day, in Tehran. On March 7, the religious leaders announce that women have to wear the Islamic veil. From March 8 to March 13, Iranian women and liberals demonstrate in the streets against the veil. A crew of four French feminists (Sylvina Boissonnas, Michelle Muller, Sylviane Rey, and Claudine Mulard) filmed these historic events before being expelled by the Islamic government.

Volkseten Vegazulu is a people’s kitchens existing since the very beginning of Joe’s Garage, June 2005. Your donations are welcome. Food is vegan, no reservation. All benefits go to social & political struggles. Joe’s Garage is a space run by volunteers. Without a collective effort, without your active participation, we’re remaining closed. Get in touch in you feel like giving a hand. We’re always looking for cooks. Any help is welcome in the kitchen. Experience not required. If you want to know which days are still available, mail us.

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Cinema Italia: Caos calmo (Alessandro Grimaldi, 2008)

By: börek - December 1st, 2022  Filed under: Filmavond

Sunday 3rd December 2022, Cinema Italia: Caos calmo [Quiet Chaos]. Directed by Alessandro Grimaldi, 2008 * 104 min * In Italian with English subtitles * doors open at 20:00, film starts at 20:30. After the film, please engage in sharing comments, ideas, and inspiration with the host(s) of the evening!

What may happen to a grown-up man, when a tragedy strikes him, unexpectedly and without any reason? In the case of the protagonist of this film, Pietro Paladini, interpreted by Nanni Moretti, he enters a state of ‘quiet chaos’, a kind of suspension that makes him retreat from social contact. Unlike what others would have done, Pietro Paladini does not fight back against this quiet chaos but embraces it. Instead of talking, he listens. And waits. This film tells the life journey of Pietro and his encounters with many people, the most diverse, from his brother to a foreigner, Steiner, interpreted by Roman Polański. It is a story of death and rebirth. It is a hymn to the possibility of changing the world for the better, even when the world seems to work against you.

Film night at Joe’s Garage, cozy cinema! Free entrance. You want to screen a movie, let us know: joe [at] lists [dot] squat [dot] net

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LAG benefit voku + documentary screening ‘Roma Illegale’ (Andrea Scarcella)

By: börek - November 2nd, 2022  Filed under: Benefiet, Filmavond, Volkseten/Voku

Monday 28 November 2022, LAG benefit voku + documentary screening ‘Roma Illegale’ directed by Andrea Scarcella. Food served from 7pm, no reservation. Film from 9pm.

Roma Illegale (Illegal Rome) is a documentary about the illegal parties scene in Rome from the early 90s on. From the first semi-legal commercial parties, to the heavily politicized Illegal Rave movement that lasted a few years and was then replaced by the free party movement “exported” by the tribes that left the UK after the Criminal Justice Act.

LAG is a hacklab project coming out of the SLUG (Squatting Linux User Group) mesh. Our main focus is the relationship between politics and technology, both at a practical and theoretical level. At lag we are interested in ]hacking( and at the same time in questioning what hacking is. We started this place because we wanted a place to share similar interests with other people so feel free to pass by for: installing linux, discussing technical or theoretical ideas, fix your laptop, learn to weave, build a bike, find parts, learn how to encrypt data, make experiments, deconstruct apparatuses, drink coffee, read a book, write a paper, scan a book, look at stuff through a microscope, fix your clothes, share files, take things apart, present something, potter around, add things to this list and share knowledge in any other way you want.

Volkseten Vegazulu is a people’s kitchens existing since the very beginning of Joe’s Garage, June 2005. Your donations are welcome. Food is vegan, no reservation. All benefits go to social & political struggles. Joe’s Garage is a space run by volunteers. Without a collective effort, without your active participation, we’re remaining closed. Get in touch in you feel like giving a hand. We’re always looking for cooks. Any help is welcome in the kitchen. Experience not required. If you want to know which days are still available, mail us.

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Cinema Italia: Sostiene Pereira (Roberto Faenza, 1995)

By: börek - November 2nd, 2022  Filed under: Filmavond

Sunday 27 November 2022, Cinema Italia: Sostiene Pereira (Roberto Faenza, 1995)* 104 min * In Italian with English subtitles * doors open at 20:00, film starts at 20:30. After the film, please engage in sharing comments, ideas, and inspiration with the host(s) of the evening!

Based on the homonymous novel by Antonio Tabucchi, this Italian drama is set in Lisbon, in the days when Salazar’s dictatorship was getting into power, in 1932. Pereira is the editor of the cultural pages of a supposedly independent paper. He is a translator into Portuguese of contemporary French literature and is obsessed with the idea of death and the biographies of writers, poets, and novelists. An unexpected event brings him out of his comfort zone, fronting his past, present and future.

Pereira is interpreted by Marcello Mastroianni, who will pass away a few months after the publication of this film. He was awarded the David di Donatello as Best Actor for this role. It also is an occasion to see an icon of Italian beauty and passion in his last season of life, in a film that goes to the essence of cinematography and the meaning of life.

Sostiene Pereira is a film that talks about the passage from democracy to fascism, which is an actual theme in many countries across Europe nowadays. Interestingly, the title was translated According to Pereira in English, Pereira prétend in French, Afirma Pereira in Portugal and Páginas da revolução in Brazil.

Film night at Joe’s Garage, cozy cinema! Free entrance. You want to screen a movie, let us know: joe [at] lists [dot] squat [dot] net

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Iranian movie night: About Elly (Asghar Farhadi, 2009)

By: börek - November 2nd, 2022  Filed under: Filmavond

Sunday 20 November 2022, Iranian movie night: About Elly (Asghar Farhadi, 2009). 119 minutes. In Farsi with English subtitles. Doors open at 20:00, Film starts at 20:30.

With his fourth film, a fascinating psychological drama, Farhadi examines middle class relationships in Iran. A group of former classmates at the law faculty of the university, go to the Caspian Sea for a three-day vacation: Sepideh, her husband Amir and their young daughter; Shohreh, her husband Peymān and their two children, including their son Arash; and Nāzy and her husband Manuchehr. Sepideh, who planned the trip, brings along her daughter’s kindergarten teacher, Elly, in order to introduce her to Ahmad, a divorced friend visiting from Germany.

Film night at Joe’s Garage, cozy cinema! Free entrance. You want to screen a movie, let us know: joe [at] lists [dot] squat [dot] net

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