The Consolation of Hypertrophy: Samuel Fussell’s “Muscle: Confessions of the unlikely bodybuilder” by Samuel Wilson Fussell

Reading Camille Paglia’s essays in  “Sex, Art and American Culture”, I came across a book that very much appealed to me, especially given that I only became passionate about going to the gym on the cusp of my 30s. She gave it the highest praise, in her own characteristic way: “Muscle, sympathetically read as an archetypal hero saga of embattled masculinity, exposes the parochialism, preachiness, … Continue reading The Consolation of Hypertrophy: Samuel Fussell’s “Muscle: Confessions of the unlikely bodybuilder” by Samuel Wilson Fussell

Darkness of “Enlightened”

Just as I was modishly repeating Red Scare-induced pieties that truly great pop culture is dead, the White Lotus hit HBO. Nuanced and openhearted as truly great satire should be, it brought back hope that there can be incisive social commentary that does not want to be didactic, but leaves the viewer to assess and re-assess their views of class and personal relationships. This of … Continue reading Darkness of “Enlightened”

Druga strana svega (2017)

Uprkos nagradi za najbolji dugometražni film na IDFA, dobrom prijemu na Filmskom Festivalu u Torontu i skoro jednoglasnom obožavanju u anti-nacionalističkom, pro-demokratskom delu srpske javnosti “Druga strana svega” Mile Turajlić, ne uspeva da stvori koherentnu priču, niti da dovoljno istražuje mnoga zanimljiva pitanja koja postavlja, pa na momente deluje kao vema dobro producirana montaža porodičnih videa i arhivskog materijala Razlog za to je najmanje što … Continue reading Druga strana svega (2017)

Trieste: Italy’s hidden gem

While I was growing up in Milošević’s rump Yugoslavia, Trieste was to me a mythical city of my parents’ stories. In them, Trieste figured not only as a thriving market for Western wares for Yugoslavs – jeans, toys and appliances – but was also as a stage where some of the funniest family stories, petty arguments and mishaps, played out and conjured those lost care-free days. … Continue reading Trieste: Italy’s hidden gem

How to change your life and achieve your dreams: Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, the best show of 2016

These days we believe that following our hearts is a choice to be celebrated. We share inspirational quotes about “just-going-for-it”, try to make ourselves happier and wiser by changing towns, and share how #blessed we are with family, friends, or, often enough, photogenic avos-on-toast. In our pursuit for meaning and happiness we take cues from TV shows and films in assessing what to wear, if … Continue reading How to change your life and achieve your dreams: Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, the best show of 2016