Thursday, February 24, 2011
The Pope's Toilet (El Bagno Del Papa) Film Review
El Bagno Del Papa
"The Pope's Toilet"
Reviewed by Rich Ashcroft
There's the palpable crackle of nervous expectation in the air for those downtrodden inhabitants in the rural Uruguayan hamlet of Melo, as they fervourishly prepare for the imminent arrival of Pope John Paul II and his many thousands of hungry and thirsty followers. This is a bitter sweet drama co-directed by City of God (2002) cinematographer Cesar Charlone, and factually based upon the tour of South America by the man himself in '88.
Lead character Beto (a kind of Uruguayan Les Battersby) has been using his "thinking cap", and as locals prepare to profit by retailing mountains of fritters, chorizo and patties, Beto plans to cater for the other side of the business - by building a public toilet and charging for the pleasure. Dependent on a fraction of the throng using either the half or full service he estimates to earn enough pesos to send his daughter to college, settle a long overdue electricity bill for his wife, and finally afford a long dreamed of new motorbike for himself.
What happens next is a comedy of errors, anything that could possibly go wrong does, in a frenetic rush to finish preparing papa's pissoir in time for his holiness' arrival. As the on screen hysteria mounts, so do our hopes that his hair-brained scheme will come to fruition
Charlone and his co-director Enrique Fernandes collaborated closely in their endeavor, more evidence of the burgeoning nature of independent South American film. Simplicity and emphasis on film being a thing of beauty rather than a 'cash cow' pays rich dividends for the viewer. Though it would be fair to say the budget wouldn't compare with the likes of Hollywood, it matters not, because the cinematography and setting for this film is so perfectly judged (Charlone spent much of his youth in Melo). A convincing blend of trained actors and ordinary local Uruguayans, pumps up the credibility and provides pitch perfect performances. Notably, El Bagno del Papa has 'swept the boards' at numerous South American film festivals in 2007, ample evidence that it could be worth spending a penny (or two) on this fab foreign flick.
Friday, February 18, 2011
Hasta la Vista follicles
New Recruit at Douglas Super Clinic says it’s hasta la vista follicles!
After 25 years in the business, what Adrienne Ashcroft doesn't know about hair removal could be etched on a hair tip.
Richmond Hill resident Adrienne, recently arrived from Dublin, commented upon her experience, saying: ‘My background in waxing hails back to 1992 when I opened Sohomen, London - the first male grooming salon in the UK. At the time it was a very new phenomenon and so I regularly appeared on national TV demonstrating waxing for men - bringing male grooming out of the barber shop - much to the amusement of most women!
‘Moving back home to Dublin in 1998 I opened my own salon - Top to Toe - where I perfected bikini waxing, brazilian and hollywood and so on.’
‘Looking back over nearly 20 years of waxing I have come across numerous very common issues such as ingrowing hairs, strong growth and the dreaded folliculitus (AKA waxing or shaving rash) on an almost daily basis. The scarring and appearance of these conditions is a major psychological issue for clients, so whilst in Dublin I decided to train on a diode laser - when I saw the results the progression was logical.’
‘Hair really doesn't stand a chance in the face of a laser,’ she said, ‘I spent twenty years as a waxing specialist, but when I bought my first laser machine, it quickly earned me the nickname of the ‘hair annihilator’ from my Irish clients.’
Mother of two Adrienne now joins the team at the Kensington Road Super Clinic where she offers both permanent hair removal and specialist waxing.
But diode lasers aren’t cheap, according to a UK distributer, the ‘average’ laser costs more than £65,000 and stringent safety procedures, servicing and training come on top of this.
However, such is the intensity of the light pulse that it zaps both hair and follicle. You can even hear a slight pop as they are ‘annihilated’.
‘Nine out of 10 women are fearful at first, but the treatment is incredible efficient and not nearly as painful as they imagine.’ Adrienne explained.
‘The machine I use at the super clinic is exactly the same as the one I have used for many years in Dublin. It’s powerful and permanent - so it’s hasta-la-vista to unsightly body hair!’