“The Penniless Pensioner: Misaligned, Maligned but Marvellous” : Chapter 3: Juanita Wallabong’s Farewell Tour

When I was 14 years old my mother Juanita no longer wanted to give live performances as the anxiety that caused her was overwhelming even with those “Mother’s Little Helpers” otherwise known as Xanax and the live performances only encouraged her to revive that past habit of Gin.

Despite the anxiety she wanted to give her fans one last performance on the stage on the condition I accompany her after my school term at King’s School for Young Men concluded in mid May. Juanita was concerned with my insular upbringing in the lap of wealth and British colonialism and firmly believed my exposure to the world would open my eyes and rid my provincialism.

So 65 performances were arranged in North America and Europe with three in Japan and two in China. Juanita was not a superstar as her genre “Bombay Blues” was not fully appreciated commercially. So the venues would be in smaller theatres and concert halls instead of in arenas and big open fields. Her audience was an older set.

This was exciting for me escaping Bombay to the big wide world. Her record company Mumbai Marvellous had chartered a small jet from Sobranj Airlines to take her on the farewell tour. So off we went starting with a performance in San Francisco. Super cool with the Golden Gate Bridge, Haight Ashbury, Fisherman’s Wharf and Alcatraz. I really enjoyed our day trip to Napa Valley especially our private tasting at Biale Vineyards where we had Black Chicken Zinfandel. During prohibition when temperance laden America enacted Prohibition Biale Vineyards did sell wine to those customers knocking on the door wanted some black chickens for their dinner. Well black chicken was the code name for bottles of wine. Alcatraz was awesome. Haight Ashbury and its dope smoking hippies and free sex was an eye opener. My dad could have made a fortune selling dope to these upper middle class hippie types. And the Vietnam War added a dose of reality.

The real fanfare for my mother was in Nashville at the Grand Ole Opry which she sold out for two performances. We have lots of Holy Shrines in India and as far as country music and the blues the Grand Ole Opry was a shrine! We met a rather fat and puffy and inebriated man called Elvis Parsley I think his name was.

There was Sioux City, Denver, Detroit, New York, Toronto, Wa Wa, Winnipeg and Cornwall to name a few. Yes I saw the world and developed a love for hamburgers, milkshakes, Kraft Dinner, Moose Meat, popcorn, apples and ample pornography on hotel room channels. A young man’s dreams coming true.

Europe was less gregarious than North America especially in France where Mom was warmly received as India’s Billie Holiday. On night in Paris a famous blue’s musician B.B. King insisted he play a couple of sets with Juanita. I love French cuisine with its heavy sauces but boy the French ignore vegetables!

Yes my ignorant little eyes were penned discovering a world outside Bombay. It made me cognizant of differing cultures, attitudes, foods and taste in music. I had the time of my life. I had matured in a very big hurry.

RKS Film: “Paradise City”: Sucking on the Teats of Past Glory

“Paradise City” reunites John Travolta and Bruce Willis 27 years after their performance in “Pulp Fiction”. Both Willis and Travolta in “Pulp Fiction” were out of their stereotypical roles and that film might have or could have reinvented both these actors.

Willis of late it has been revealed is suffering from Aphasia a cognitive disorder that causes him to drift away and forget his lines. So bad it has become casting of Willis apparently is in short appearances only. According to a recent L.A. Times article he has been firing guns off at the wrong time, forgetting his lines and not often realizing where he is. Despite the disclosure of his diagnosis, he is in top form in “Paradise City” however “managed” his appearance may be. That leads to a problem. The problem is that “tough guy” Willis ordinarily takes control of a film so it is his film. In “Paradise City” his appearance amounts to a cameo and that is not enough to carry the film out of its feebleness. Yes Travolta is plenty bad in an icy and eccentric type of way but Ying needs Yang and both Willis and Travolta are shortchanged by his cognitive issues. This is not his fault and just perhaps the producers and directors of the film should have realized that or was the film a “rent a name” ploy?

“Paradise City” is most likely a C movie to start relying on the Travolta and Willis name to create a draw. It may create a draw but it will most likely backfire for both Travolta and Willis. You can only milk a cow for so long.

Willis plays Ian Swan whom both the viewer and his son Ryan Swan believe has been knocked off. Ryan and Robbie Cole (Stephen Dorff) unite to find the killer of Ian Swan. Ryan goes to the morgue to identify his dad and his personal effects are certainly his but facial recognition is impossible as his head has been mangled by a shark the coroner surmises. We see poor Ian Swan getting blasted at the beginning of the film and he falls into the water blood all over the place. But none of the wounds look fatal to me! Get it?

Ian and his son Ryan and Cole are all bounty hunters and they act on commission being 10% of the bail and bad guy Bilford is the treasure they are hunting but all indications are that he is dead. His bail was $10,000,000.

Enough plot. Stephen Dorff almost carries the film with his gruff and somewhat seedy disposition. Totally hilarious, although I am sure not intended, are a bevy of lap dancers acting as stoolies for the Maui police! Even more unbelievable is the plastic surgery angle. And if you are looking for a Willis bang bang shoot em movie you’ll be disappointed as the film is bereft of a “Die Hard” blast em to pieces scenes. And Savannah (Praya Lundberg) the friendly Maui cop is overly busty at times. The aboriginals in the plot are very stiff and grandma leader is so bad she is almost comic.

This is a C grade movie despite the attempts of Travolta, Dorff, and Willis. The PR blurb I received called this an action-packed movie but without a more extensive role by Willis quite frankly it is a snore. And this is the second of a trilogy starring Willis as “Detective Knight Rose”. Out of respect for Willis I will be hiding under the covers for the third upcoming film.

As a last note a few years ago I saw a concert with “The Who” and it was atrocious as the Rolling Stones are now. With respect and deference Willis should pack it in like the tired rock n rollers being self-exploited for their past work. The PR material for the film mentions A list actor Willis and Travolta being brought together for “Paradise City” but fails to be honest and say “former A List actors’. “Paradise City” was released in Canada and on VOD on November 11th.

You can see the trailer here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YBBzvgBDgxE

RKS Film Rating 63/100.

63rd THESSALONIKI INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL

3-13/11/2022

THE AWARDS OF THE 63rd TIFF

INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION AWARDS

The International Competition Jury of the 63rd Thessaloniki Film Festival is composed of Nicolas Selis (producer-founder of Pimienta Films, Mexico), Tomasz Wasilewski (screenwriter-director, Poland) and Penny Panagiotopoulou (filmmaker, Greece).

The Best Feature Film Award – Golden Alexander “Theo Angelopoulos”, accompanied by a 10,000-euro cash prize, is bestowed to the film:

I HAVE ELECTRIC DREAMS by Valentina Maurel, Belgium-France-Costa Rica, 2022

The Special Jury Award – Silver Alexander, accompanied by a 5,000 euros cash prize, is bestowed to the film:

A PIECE OF SKY by Michael Koch, Switzerland, 2022

The Special Jury Award for Best Director – Bronze Alexander, supported by the Festival’s Grand Sponsor, COSMOTE TV, with a cash prize of 3,000 euros, is bestowed to:

CHIE HAYAKAWA for the film PLAN 75, Japan-France-Philippines-Qatar, 2022

The Best Actress Award is bestowed to:

ROSY McEWEN for her performance in the film BLUE JEAN by Georgia Oakley, UK, 2022

The Best Actor Award is bestowed to:

REINALDO AMIEN GUTIÉRREZ for his performance in the film I HAVE ELECTRIC DREAMS by Valentina Maurel, Belgium-France-Costa Rica, 2022

The Best Artistic Achievement Award is bestowed to the film:

THE DAM by Ali Cherri, France-Lebanon-Sudan-Qatar-Germany-Serbia, 2022

A special mention is bestowed to the film:

NARCOSIS by Martjin de Jong, The Netherlands, 2022

MEET THE NEIGHBORS AWARDS

Meet the Neighbors competition section showcases directors from the wider region of Southeastern Europe, Eastern Mediterranean and Middle East, who take part in the Festival with their debut or sophomore film. Meet the Neighbors Jury is composed of Tonia Mishali (director, producer, Cyprus), Avi Nesher (director-screenwriter, Israel) and Joyce Pierpoline (producer-cofounder of the Women’s Impact Network, USA).

The Golden Alexander Meet the Neighbors award, accompanied by an 8,000 euros cash prize is bestowed to the film:

KLONDIKE by Marina Er Gorbach, Ukraine-Turkey, 2022

Reasoning:

This film is a shattering cinematic experience, which takes one into the very heart of darkness of war and its consequences. It keys on one woman’s plight into the madness that surrounds her and her attempts to remain human among the devastation. We salute all the filmmakers and actors involved in this masterful film. The Best Full-length feature film Award – Golden Alexander goes to Klondike, directed by Maryna Er Gorbach.

The Silver Alexander Meet the Neighbors award, accompanied by a 4,000 euros cash prize, is bestowed to the film:

VALERIA IS GETTING MARRIED by Michal Vinik, Israel, 2022

Reasoning:

A highly original film, extremely well acted, written masterfully, directed with sensitivity, in a manner that takes the audience on a journey alongside these characters, in ways that were both surprising and intimate. This film celebrates the human experience with its various shades of light and dark, without ever being judgmental and shows us that reality is far more complex than one would imagine. The Special Jury Award – Silver Alexander goes to Valeria Ιs Getting Μarried, directed by Michal Vinik.

A Special Mention is bestowed to the film:

BEHIND THE HAYSTACKS by Asimina Proedrou, Greece-Germany-North Macedonia, 2022

Reasoning:

We unanimously felt the need to recognise three films, so we decided to also give a Special Mention to a film, which we found to be very impactful, and we would like to honor the great work of the director. We believe that it deals with an important subject matter that is extremely relevant today. The strong performances had great resonance, as the characters stayed with us long after the film was finished. The Special Mention goes to Behind the Haystacks, directed by Asimina Proedrou.

>>FILM FORWARD AWARDS

The newly established competition section brings forth the work of young and daring directors, who question our ties with reality, attempting to renegotiate its definition, beyond the boundaries of genre conventions. The Jury of the >>Film Forward competition section is composed of Kerem Ayan (director of the Istanbul Film Festival-film director), Yorgos Gousis (Greek director-comic artist) and Teona Strugar Mitevska (film director).

The Golden Alexander >> Film Forward award, accompanied by a cash prize of 8,000 euros, is bestowed to the film:

RETREAT by Leon Schwitter, Switzerland, 2022

Reasoning:

For its precise work in cinematic storytelling, its narrative sound design and evocative camera work, for the intellectual stimulation that it offers to the viewer and the precise comment on the world we are living in, the >>Film Forward jury decided to give the Golden Alexander to Retreat by Leon Schwitter.

The Silver Alexander >>Film Forward award, accompanied by a cash prize of 4,000 euros, is bestowed to the film:

BASTARDS by Nikos Pastras, Greece, 2022

Reasoning:

For its young, fresh and lively approach to the medium, its collaborative process that becomes the true power of the film, its playfulness and transgressive improvisations, the >>Film Forward jury gives the second prize, Silver Alexander, to BASTARDS by Nikos Pastras.

IMMERSIVE: ALL AROUND CINEMA AWARD

The Immersive: All Around Cinema Competition section of the 63rd Thessaloniki International Film Festival showcases new films that offer an exciting interactive viewing experience, transcending film genres and immersing the viewer in its artworks’ unique environment. The Golden Alexander, awarded to the best film of the section, is accompanied by a cash prize of 2,000 euros. The members of the Immersive Jury of the 63rd TIFF are: Alexis Alexiou (filmmaker, Greece), Dimitris Charitos (Associate Professor at the Department of Communication & Media Studies of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Greece) and Eva Peydro (writer-journalist-film critic, Spain).

The Golden Alexander for Best Immersive Film is awarded to:

FROM THE MAIN SQUARE by Pedro Harres, Germany, 2022

Reasoning:

From the Main Square masterfully combines a new formal expression with traditional techniques of 2D animation towards a non-linear, multilayered, immersive work that proposes an original hybrid aesthetic. History and politics are beautifully interwoven through humor and tragedy. The film conveys a powerful story, carrying the fundamental issues of our era and the threats to our civilization.

PODCAST AWARD

The Festival explores the affinities between cinema and podcasts. The Podcast Award Jury is composed of Yorgos Mouchtaridis (director at Pepper 96.6 radio station-radio producer), Kyriaki Beioglou (journalist-podcaster), and Nina-Maria Paschalidou (film director-producer-journalist).

The Podcast Award, accompanied by a 2,000 euros cash prize, is bestowed to the podcast:

BORN GREEK by Katerina Bakogianni, Greece, 2022

Reasoning:

Maria is one of the thousand children cut off from their families in the post-Occupation years. Katerina Bakogianni unfolds the story of Maria crafting a sound documentary with empathy, exceptional sensitivity and directorial mastery until its very end! The Podcast Award is bestowed to Born Greek by Katerina Bakogianni

A Special Mention is bestowed to the podcast:

DAD by Nalia Ziku, Greece, 2022

Reasoning:

A special mention is bestowed to Nalia Ziku for the podcast Dad, through which she shares with us, with humor, up-to-date tone and poetic touch, her relationship with her dad.

The Podcast in Development Award, in collaboration with iMEdD, is bestowed to the podcast:

MUTE – THE SILENT VIOLENCE OF THE PARTING WALL by Andreas Vagias

Reasoning:

For its contemporary and timely topic and its original approach, developed and documented on multiple levels.

MERMAID AWARD

The Mermaid Award is bestowed to the best LGBTQI+-themed movie of TIFF’s official program. For the first time this year, Mastercard supports the award with a monetary prize of 3,000 euros. The members of the Mermaid Jury of the 63rd Thessaloniki International Film Festival are: Arkaitz Basterra (director-writer-producer-film consultant), Marilena Orfanou (musician-composer-DJ) and Hannah Pearl Utt (director-writer-actor).

The award is bestowed to the film:

MY EMPTINESS AND I by Andrián Silvestre, Spain, 2022

Reasoning:

We were all deeply moved by this film. It is necessary, truthful, thought provoking and entertaining. A movie for everyone led by a truly revelatory performance from an actress we hope to see in many more roles. The director was able to tell a nuanced story with cinematic scale and tackle complex subjects while leaving us with a sense of hope.

ALPHA BANK ACCESSIBILITY AWARD

This year sees the introduction of the Alpha Bank Accessibility Award, accompanied by a 3,000-euro cash prize and awarded to either a personality or a film that highlights accessibility issues in the arts.

The Alpha Bank Accessibility Award is bestowed to:

THE RITE OF SPRING by Fernando Franco, Spain, 2022

FIPRESCI AWARDS (The International Federation of Film Critics)   

The Jury of the International Federation of Film Critics (FIPRESCI), comprised of Alin Tasciyan, Helen Barlow and Robbie Eksiel, bestows two awards:

for the International Competition section to the film:

PLAN 75 by Chie Hayakawa, Japan-France-Philippines-Qatar, 2022

Reasoning:

For its exceptional insight and subtlety of style in creating a highly probable capitalist dystopia where human life is reduced to a commodity, the FIPRESCI Award in the International Competition goes to Plan 75 by Chie Hayakawa

for a Greek film taking part at the Greek Film Festival and celebrating its premiere at the 63rd Thessaloniki International Film Festival to the film:

BEHIND THE HAYSTACKS by Asimina Proedrou, Greece-Germany-North Macedonia, 2022

Reasoning:

For skillfully incorporating all elements of nature and civilization in depicting the hypocrisy of society and decadence of individuals in times of humanitarian crisis, thus creating a multi-layered narrative, the FIPRESCI Award for a Greek premiere goes to Behind the Haystacks by Asimina Proedrou

GREEK ASSOCIATION OF FILM CRITICS (PEKK) AWARDS

The Greek Association of Film Critics bestows its award to the film:

BEHIND THE HAYSTACKS by Asimina Proedrou, Greece-Germany-North Macedonia, 2022

Reasoning:

For the perceptiveness with which it explores the landscape of the Greek countryside, through the interlaced faults and dramas of family trapped into the social, political and religious web of this entropy, the Greek Association of Film Critics (PEKK) bestows its award to the film Behind the Haystacks by Asimina Proedrou.

“HUMAN VALUES AWARD” OF THE HELLENIC PARLIAMENT

The Jury of the Hellenic Parliament TV, comprised of Aris Fatouros (director-program consultant at the Hellenic Parliament TV), Vasilis Douvlis (head of the programme department at the Hellenic Parliament TV) and Kostas Dimou (programme collaborator at the Hellenic Parliament TV), bestows its time-honored “Human Values” award to a movie of the International Competition section:

PLAN 75 by Chie Hayakawa, Japan-France-Philippines-Qatar, 2022

Reasoning:

The Hellenic Parliament TV bestows its “Human Values” Award to an International Competition film that contemplates in a pervasive and sensitive way the inhuman treatment of the elderly in modern societies through a story of life and death that is skillfully set in a future dystopia.

HELLENIC BROADCSTING CORPORATION (ERT) AWARDS

Within the framework of the Thessaloniki Film Festival, ERT bestows two awards:

The first award of the Hellenic Broadcasting Corporation, accompanied by a 3,000 euros cash prize, is bestowed to the Greek film that won the FIPRESCI Award:

BEHIND THE HAYSTACKS by Asimina Proedrou, Greece-Germany-North Macedonia, 2022

The second award of the Hellenic Broadcasting Corporation, accompanied by a 2,000 euros cash prize, is bestowed to the Greek project that topped Agora’s Works in Progress section:

​POLYDROSO directed by Alexandros Voulgaris and produced by Nicholas Alavanos, Christina Stavropoulou – Filmiki Productions, Greece

GREEK FILM CENTRE AWARDS

Within the framework of the 63rd Thessaloniki International Film Festival, the Greek Film Centre bestows the Greek Film Centre Award, accompanied by a 5,000-euro cash prize, granted to a debutant director, in a Greek production having its premiere in the official selection (First Run) and the Best Location Award, accompanied by a 1,500-euro cash prize bestowed by the Hellenic Film Commission of the GFC to a location manager (or a director in case of no location manager in the film) of a film by a debutant director in in a Greek production having its premiere in the official selection (First Run). The Jury of the Greek Film Centre Award is composed of: Yorgos Angelopoulos (Director of Development and Production), Athena Kalkopoulou (Hellas Film Director), Maria Koufoupolou (Hellenic Film Commission Director). The Jury of the Best Location Award is composed of: Nikos Koumantarakis (location manager), Uberto Pasolini (film director-producer), Maria Koufopoulou (Hellenic Film Commission Director).

The Greek Film Centre Award is bestowed ex aequo to the films:

BLACK STONE by Spiros Iakovides, Greece, 2022

and

BEHIND THE HAYSTACKS by Asimina Proedrou, Greece-Germany-North Macedonia, 2022

Reasoning:

Using the pseudo-documentary as a vehicle, Black Stone is casting a fresh gaze, with a sharp sense of humor to a genuine contemporary Greek comedy… a true feat for such a rare and difficult genre. With outstanding performances from the actors and a powerful emotional and heart-wrenching bond, it admirably balances between a satire of the Greek family and a social commentary on xenophobia.

Despite the rough issues portrayed in the film Behind the Haystacks, the director orchestrates with a delicate and precise handling a full-rounded cinematic composition. Displaying courageous narrative choices, wonderful performances and determination, the director masterfully guides a worthy team, rendering her directorial vision a reality.

The Best Location Award is bestowed to:

GIORGOS BABANARAS for the film BEHIND THE HAYSTACKS  by Asimina Proedrou, Greece-Germany-North Macedonia, 2022

Reasoning:

And the very soul behind them is no other than the location manager, who has been harmoniously incorporated in the film’s team that recognizes his importance and contribution. We were charmed by the richness and the wide gamut of physical spaces, as well as of the way they are brought forth along the various seasons of the year, in areas that have not been explored or showcased. While all locations, both interior and exterior, have abided by the cinema rules and the ideal and optimal use of filmic light. The members of the Jury are: Nikos Koumantarakis (location manager), Uberto Pasolini (film director-producer), Maria Koufopoulou (Hellenic Film Commission director).

THE J.F. COSTOPOULOS FOUNDATION AWARD

The J.F. Costopoulos Foundation Award is bestowed to a film that presents a comprehensive aesthetic proposition, promotes the art of cinema and demonstrates its affinities with the other arts. The members of this year’s independent jury that will bestow the award to a Greek film celebrating its premiere at the 63rd Thessaloniki International Film Festival are: Rea Apostolides (producer), Georgis Grigorakis (filmmaker) and Christina Mourmouri (Director of Photography).

The award is bestowed to the film:

CAVEWOMAN by Spiros Stathoulopoulos, Greece-Colombia-USA

Reasoning:

For a particularly inventive film that interweaves the ancient and historical drama with mythology, approaching a bigger-than-life story with a personal narrative and stripped down cinema means, achieving in extracting all the essence out of it. The J.F. Costopoulos Foundation Award is bestowed to Cavewoman, directed by Spiros Stathopoulos.

WIFT GR AWARD

The WIFT GR Award is presented by the Greek chapter of WIFT (Women in Film & Television) to a film taking part in the International Competition section or the Meet the Neighbors competition section or the >>Film Forward competition section, for the best woman contribution and presence in front of or behind the camera. The members of this year’s jury are: Katerina Kaskanioti (producer), Lena Rammou (A/V management consultant) and Maria Louka (documentary filmmaker-journalist).

The award is bestowed to the film:

THUNDER by Carmen Jaquier, Switzerland, 92’

Reasoning:

For a bold view on the classic, but yet contemporary subject of women’s bodies’ brutal restrictions and suppressed sexuality, and the struggle for the freedom of self-determination, love, and sexual pleasure. Marine Atlan’s masterful photography, offering a deep sense of mysticism to Thunder’s filmic universe, is worth a special mention.

YOUTH JURY AWARDS BY THE STUDENTS OF THE THESSALONIKI UNIVERSITIES

The Youth Jury, composed of students from the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki and the University of Macedonia, bestows its awards to Greek films premiering at the Greek Film Festival of the Thessaloniki International Film Festival. Youth Jury supervisor: Apostolos Karakasis, Assistant Professor in Film and Television Theory & History, at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki. The five-member jury is composed of Yannis Lafis (Head), Panagiotis Brovanos, Anastasia Doula, Despina Theodorakis and Angeliki Voutsina.

Best Film Award:

BLACK STONE by Spiros Iakovides, Greece, 2022

Reasoning:

The representation of the three key characters, especially the black-colored Michalis and Lefteris, dealing with disability problems, transcends their minority identity, placing emphasis on their true concern: the search for Panos. Using a fake documentary technique, Black Stone’s pseudo-realism succeeds in incorporating the audience in the narrative: We become part of the crew.

Special Jury Award:

PARIS IN HARLEM by Christina Kallas, USA, 2022

Reasoning:

The film’s directorial gimmicks, such as the multiple frames – 2, 4, even 6 – instead of creating a confusion, they allow the audience to follow the stories from multiple angles, even pick the point of view of its choice. With an inner narrative thread unfolded by jazz music, Paris is in Harlem connects its subplots, weaving a pattern of action that leads us to a  subversive narrative closure.

FISCHER AUDIENCE AWARDS

The FISCHER Audience Award for an International Competition film of the 63rd Thessaloniki Film Festival is bestowed to the film:

NARCOSIS by Martjin de Jong

The FISCHER Audience Award for a Greek film – “Michael Cacoyannis” Award for a film of the 63rd TIFF’s Greek Film Festival (premiere), is bestowed to the film:

BLACK STONE by Spiros Iakovides

The FISCHER Audience Award for a Meet the Neighbors competition section film of the 63rd Thessaloniki Film Festival is bestowed to the film:

BLACK STONE by Spiros Iakovides

The FISCHER Audience Award for a film of the >>Film Forward competition section of the 63rdThessaloniki Film Festival is bestowed to the film:

DIGNITY by Dimitris Katsimiris

The FISCHER Audience Award for a film of the Open Horizons section of the 63rd Thessaloniki Film Festival is bestowed to the film:

BEAUTIFUL BEINGS by Guðmundur Arnar Guðmundsson

The FISCHER Audience Award for a film of the Balkan Survey section of the 63rd Thessaloniki Film Festival is bestowed to the film:

BURNING DAYS by Emin Alper

The 63rd Thessaloniki Film Festival was held with the support of the Ministry of Culture and Sports, the Partnership Agreement of the Central Macedonia Regional Operational Program 2014-2020 and MEDIA program. Invaluable was the support of ERT (Hellenic Broadcasting Corporation), official communication sponsor of the Festival, COSMOTE TV, Grand Sponsor of the Festival, Alpha Bank, the Festival’s accessibility sponsor, MasterCard, the Festival’s official payment card, Aegean, the Festival’s official air-carrier, Fischer, the Audience Awards sponsor, the Greek Film Centre, the Greek National Tourism Organization, the National Centre of Audiovisual Media and Communication (EKOME), the J.F. Costopoulos Foundation and Jameson.

RKS Wine: Cave Spring 2020 Cabernet Franc Dolomite

The last of the Cave Spring wine tasted on my recent trip to St. Davids Ontario was at their airy newly opened tasting room in Beamsville, Ontario. Apparently it is where the more serious wine crowd shows up including wine writers. It is bright and airy with lots of glass and great vistas of vineyards.

The Cave Spring 2020 Cabernet Franc Dolomite presents with a warm creaminess perhaps the result of the new 15% French oak. Absolutely hopping with black cherry and blackberry with some vanilla and Lowney’s chocolate covered cherry. Interesting as you don’t often encounter blackberry with Ontario Cabernet Franc.

On the palate there is more tannin than one might expect with a Cabernet Franc and I say this without a frown. Again a slight difference as most Ontario Cabernet Francs while well made are not heavy hitters. This Cabernet Franc is big boned for sure but not massively so. We can label this a medium bodied wine. There is raspberry, strawberry and red cherry as well and with a little torrent of sour cherry tinged with pepper. The finish is broad and long.

The wine should be decanted to loosen up its tight leg muscles. It needs a couple of years to reach its stride and will coast after that until 2007 nicely.

The winery suggests food matches of roast fowl, mild sausages, roast duck, grilled steak, beef short ribs, vegetable lasagna and grilled portobello mushrooms. I won’t quibble with that although I am not so sure about duck and fowl but again it depends on how those dishes are prepared! For example Greek roasted chicken with potatoes in a lemon oregano sauce would kill this wine but a roast chicken with a beer, paprika and cinnamon rub might work very well.

“Dolomite” refers to the type of limestone that forms the crest of the Niagara Escarpment.

Overall more complicated than most Lake Erie North Shore and Niagara Cabernet Francs. It sells for $27.95 either at the winery/tasting room or online. It can be purchased in Europe and the United Sates through certain distributors. Check the website for distribution details at https://cavespring.ca/

(Cave Spring 2020 Dolomite Cabernet Franc, VQA Beamsville Bench, Cave Spring, Jordon, Ontario, $27.95, 750 mL, 14.5%, RKS Wine Rating 90/100).  

“The Penniless Pensioner: Misaligned, Maligned but Marvellous” : Chapter Two: Growing Up

Perhaps some hypnosis or magic mushroom guided tour could help me remember my early years. As I am not afflicted with multiple psychiatric difficulties perhaps those early years were fine. I am told by my mother and father I liked playing in the dirt alone with my dinky toys. I could play for hours undisturbed. In addition to a passion for dinky toys apparently I had an equal passion for toast and jam which I consumed with copious quantities of cold milk purchased at the British Officer’s Club. Juanita being Welsh had been reluctantly admitted as a member to that club perhaps because she was a regular performer at their Friday night “Limey Bash” wing ding.

The formative event of my childhood if not my life was the untimely death of my father Paneer Gurdeep. He had been hosting a delegation of South African mining executives at his goldmine. On a tour of the main mine shaft a South African visitor lit up his cigarette and the flame mixed with some coal gas resulted in a deadly explosion killing all the South Africans and my father. So my sentence I had to serve for this fatality was to foray into life without any father figure. My father had amassed quite a fortune and after Juanita sold the gold mine we were set up for a life of luxury. My father had said if anything ever happened to him it was his wish I go to a British school where they would make a man out of me. Obviously he had never read “Lord of the Flies”.

At the age of 10 I attended the “King’s School for Young Men” which was an exclusive boy’s school in the British quarter of Bombay. Being half Indian was better than fully Indian thought the school administration. The students all sons of wealthy British “colonialists” called me a “Dirtiy Mixie” and made my life miserable for a time. The teachers were British veterans of WWII and most suffered from post traumatic stress disorder unable to cope with life let alone teach young men. All of us were beaten and abused in the old British private school tradition. Of course in Canada there has been a big explosion of dirt and scandal about the residential school system for aboriginal children. We did not have nuns and priests making our life miserable just mentally scarred war veterans. It was bad. Real bad. I suppose after the Brits were tired of needling and bullying me and focused their abuse on Punja, the son of a lowly Hungarian tailor I sort of fit in but was never accepted and included but rather ignored. I stayed at King’s School for Young Men until I was ready to attend university but there was one event that changed my life and gave me a totally new perspective on life.

“Travels to a Different Time”: 8September2022: Thessaloniki Greece: Where Have the Tattoos Gone?

Finally after 5 Greek sleeps I think I am adjusted to the time zone. Down for another buffet breakfast in a small restaurant feeding some 30 people instead of the hundreds at Doryssa Bay. Although I must say despite the number of items being much smaller here at Daios Luxury Living the breakfast food is of the highest quality. As this is a five-star hotel in an urban setting the breakfast crowd is well dressed. Only one person with a tattoo who was dressed more for the beach and stuck out a bit and the huge tattoo on her leg made her more conspicuous. We walked to the Old Port where we have visited before so I feel we are old hands at Thessaloniki. It is about a kilometre from the hotel and we walked along a city street instead of the promenade. There is an argument made that Thessaloniki may be the gastronomic capital of Greece. All manner of food shops and restaurants and walking these streets with wonderful smells is like no other city I have been in. You won’t find this in Toronto, Paris or New York.

The amazing Pantapolio deli in Thessaloniki (Photo Robert K. Stephen)

The Old Port with its long wharf is home to the Cinema Museum and the Photographic Museum which are modern and small but always a rich find is to be had. There are a couple of cafes and they offer a stunning view of Thessaloniki. We decided to just chill out a bit and rest sitting beside a tearful couple who looked they were breaking up. We also encountered a West Highland Terrier just like our dear old Dylan. We are up to 5 Westie sightings now in Greece. Wended our way back to Daios Luxury Living. Bought some sunscreen at a pharmacy at 41% off as summer is now over and they are clearing summer products out. There are so many pharmacies in Greece (as in Spain and Portugal) perhaps because there are no mega pharmacies like in Canada. Many pharmaceuticals that require a prescription in North America are sold over the counter with none of that obnoxious dispensing fee. Returned back to hotel and I slogged on reading Tolstoy’s “Anna Karenin” outside on our expansive balcony overlooking the Gulf of Thessaloniki. Since we have such a huge balcony we decided we should eat out on it so I went to a deli we have been to previously “Pantopolio”. This is a gourmet deli well known to foodies, You name it they have it (except strangely no bread) so I bought some octopus, stuffed vine leaves, artichokes, a bottle of Moschofilero and local Chalkadiki olives which were somewhat tough. Talked with some Israelis who also were out on their much smaller balcony. After dinner a bit of reading and watching SKY TV about the death of England’s queen, Queen Elizabeth. The media is on a feeding frenzy

The Penniless Pensioner: Misaligned, Maligned but Marvellous

Chapter One: My Distant Past

My father Paneer Gurdeep was born in some small remote village in India. Being a young man full of ambition he hustled the streets as a purveyor of mysticism. Put another way he dealt hashish from Kashmir to temples throughout the region to the mystics who became even more mystical after ingesting copious amounts of dope. The Holy Man was usually a very stoned man at least in our region. He managed to crawl out of a life of subsistence farming and onto the streets and slums of Bombay as it was called in those days. He peddled his dope to the unfortunate and to certain more decadent and adventurous Europeans living in Bombay. According to him opium was for the depraved and hashish for the enlightened. He made a very good living and employed sub dealers of the highest caste many university students and no lepers please. He greased the palms of law enforcement if such a concept of law or enforcement of it existed in Bombay. He had a modest house with servants and his neighbours had no idea of the wares Paneer was selling mostly because he had underlings to do the dirty work.

My dad was a handsome man but wanted no part of an arranged marriage and the suffocating presence of a mother-in-law. Not only that he hated Indian food and preferred steak and kidney pie over tandoori and curry. It so happened he frequented clubs where the colonist’s sought entertainment and cheap Indian whisky. In The Blue Magnolia club he fell for Juanita Wallabong a Welsh singer who at that time had a rather poor talent to sing the American blues. Juanita had flaming red hair which was a magnet for my father. Although a performer Juanita had horrific anxiety and tanked up on far too much gin before her performances. Some nights she had the voice of Billie Holiday and others not much of a voice. Well dear old dad fell like a ton of bricks for Juanita and her red hair (which was dyed).

Well this and that lead to more this and that and finally to marriage. My father persuaded Juanita to give up live performances and instead record in the studio that my dad bought for her. She perfected a new style of blues called” Bombay Blues”. She had several hits in Europe and the United States and really cleaned up her bottle consumption. Thank goodness as I was born in 1959 on a Punjab Air Flight from Memphis to Bombay and the last thing I needed was fetal alcohol poisoning.

As a bundle of joy I was brought back to our now very swank quarters in the colonial quarter of Bombay. Dear Dad had long ago “sold” his dope business to the Dean of the Bombay School of Law and had taken up gold mining!

RKS Wine: What Are the Strategic Pillars of the Chilean Wine Industry?

After attending Drink Chile Toronto 2022 on November 8, 2022 it became apparent what are the strategic pillars of the Chilean wine industry.

  • DIVERSITY AND QUALITY

Chile perceives its agro-climatic conditions make the country a vitivincultural paradise and one of its greatest strengths. Its 18 distinct wine regions extending 1,400 kms from north to south are influenced by the Andes Mountains and the Pacific Ocean therefore having geographical, climatic and soil differences. Phylloxera-free dry-farmed old vines are a staple of Chilean viticulture.

  • SUSTAINABILITY

Chile’s wine industry is committed to protecting its natural environment and strengthening its communities by encouraging and systematically incorporating sustainable practices into every step of production. The industry has created a Sustainability Program including a National Sustainability Code that provides a common framework to guide the wineries toward increasingly sustainable practices. Wineries that comply with the requirements as determined by an independent agency are entitled to use a “Certified Sustainable-WoC seal.

  • COUNTRY IMAGE

The Strategic Plan 2025 includes programs to increase awareness of “Chile: Privileged wine tourism destination”. Encouraging wine tourism not only promotes the wine industry, but Chile’s image and appreciation overall. After talking with a couple of producers it would appear there is little money available to fund journalistic trips to Chile’s wineries. The EU has an enormous wine promotion budget but Chile very little. Without funding media trips of tourism and wine writers Chile will be spinning its wheels. There is so little Chilean wine available in Toronto it only makes sense to bring wine writers to Chilean producers.

  • INNOVATION

The industry has created Innova, a technical consortium dedicated to research and development projects that address the needs of the wineries and are conducted in conjunction with top-level national and international universities and researchers. It focuses on quality improvement of vineyards, sustainability and technological transfer.

RKS Wine: Porthead Report: Kopke LBV 2015 Port

It has been a beautiful day walking my ageing West Highland Terrier Dylan at an off-leash park. November and it is 18 degrees. No winter coat but a light sweater. This is Douro weather and not Torontonian weather so how fitting to try a wee bit of Port after priming my testbeds with Baldersons four-year-old cheddar cheese. Dylan is crashed out exhausted and limping just a bit. He must have been inspired by the fabulous weather because he was almost galloping around today!

So it is a Kopke 2015 LBV Port. On the nose blueberry, black cherry and blackberry are whirring around in a hyperactive state fighting for dominance but none are clearly winning the battle but it is not a case of an US presidential election being stolen but rather a high-powered Port with a delightful internal conflict! On the palate mega black fruit and in this case the blackberries win which rather detracts from the possible multidimensional potential spectacularity. This is no Vintage Port but given the meteoric rise in wine and spirit prices to close the year this is affordable luxury the hallmark of many Ports below the Vintage Port categorization. It matches aged Canadian cheddar particularly well and of course a slab of Portuguese ox if you are a carnivore. The finish is a bit of a wanderer lacking firmness and complexity. This can motor on to 2027

(Kopke L.B.V. 2015 Porto, Sogevinus, Vila Nova de Gaia, Portugal, $18.95, LCBO #18461, 750 mL, 20%, RKS Wine Rating 88/100).

RKS Wine:  Nyarai Cellars 2020 Field Blender’s White

Nyarai Cellars 2020 Field Blender’s White is a blend of Vidal Blanc, Chardonnay Musqué, Sauvignon Blanc, Viognier and Gewurztraminer. It has the composition to be an easy drinking and simple wine. 106 cases were made by virtual winemaker Steve Byfield who uses the facilities of West Avenue Cider House in Freelton, Ontario to vint his wines.

The price for the wine is $17.95 making it in the affordable category.

It has a light gold colour. On the nose it is a blend that is “seamless” making it difficult to pinpoint the “participating grapes”. There is apple, peach, pear, honey and tangerine. At best the honey might be indicative of the Vidal and some Viognier and the peach Gewurztraminer. The apple and pear might point to Chardonnay. Too bad the blend percentages are not on the label but guessing can be part of the fun.

On the palate yowsers apricot and peach laser beams zipping all over the place! Juicy Flemish pear too. It is smooth and at one point on the palate it seems creamy. Short finish. Although this will sip well Vidal has a tendency at times to be a bit boring so my preference would be to pair with food. The wine is pleading for some artichoke dish or very simply prepared roast or grilled chicken. Baked butternut squash cooked in a honey, olive oil and scissored hot chili peppers would work well!

Order online at https://nyaraicellars.ca/

(Nyarai Cellars 2020 Field Blender’s White, Product of Canada, $17.95, 750 mL, 12.5%, RKS Wine Rating 86/100).